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.

65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

(Tapani Sector, Procopia System, Procopia)

"General Valdarian has been effectively executed, as well as eighty percent of his officer command staff, lord commander. Remaining objectives stand, and our forces are sweeping through the modular garrison base. All as you commanded, lord commander."

The dark trooper was a 'novatrooper' model of the dark troops. Recently pushed out of research and development in the far reaches of the Outer-Rim and Moff territory. They were built heavy and strong, they seemed almost human, but were made purely of metal, wiring, and their minds were nothing but computers and electrical impulses. They were all lined with a thin stripe of yellow pain down their metal arm and leg armor that signified their model easily, and they carried each of them DC-15A blaster rifles. A relic weapon from the Clone Wars, but modified and still as deadly.

These dark troopers were lite among the various version and models that the Moff Alliance had been making all the while as their flesh and blood troopers bled and fought and died on fields across the galaxy against both their Imperial loyalty kin, and the droids and resurgent separatists of the URM. These were turning out to be commanding dark troopers over the phase zero's who were being sent to die in the forward battle lines in droves, as they were no longer needed. They commanded the phase one's and two's and the other even more powerful and deadly dark troops now under the command of the Moff Alliance, and they were now on the loose upon the imperial loyalist scum upon Sarrish.

"Excellent unit AD-78. Tell me, what has become of commander Viathan? Or of Leia Vader? I do hope they've been eliminated?" Grand Moff Kaine asked as the blue vision of the commanding novatrooper droid shook slightly before him. The droid immediately responded without hesitation, and Kaine did so enjoy that about droids.

"Negative, lord commander Kaine. Both prime targets are on the front lines battling organic allies. Reports have been sent out of commander Viathan's leave from the front line position, with madam Vader remaining in command alongside the field commander Hoy. Should commander Viathan return we will deal with him at once, lord commander." Kaine nodded. Sure he was disappointed, but threatening a droid for failure was like threatening a nerf in geonosian. A colossal waste of time.

"Very well AD-78. I want the remainder of general Valdarian's command staff found and eliminated. I want both commander Vader and Viathan killed, and their heads returned to me. Understood?" The novatrooper bowed its heavy metal frame forward, but a heavy explosion near to its position caught its muted attention. It turned and silently bid two massive dark troopers to head toward the explosion. Kaine for his part couldn't be bothered to inquire as to the source and reason for the sound.

Kaine sighed and nodded to himself happily, and with a slight smirk upon his aged face.

"As you were AD-78." The droid bowed again and the transmission cut. Kaine pressed several keys along the conference table he had procured for communications and the console quickly died out. He clasped his hands back behind his back after dusting off his suit from imaginary dust particles and marched his way toward the large viewport pane overlooking a vast valley below.

He sighed contentedly and nodded in silence to himself before he lazily clicked his personal comlink along his ear and signaled his door guards to allow his visitor into his temporary residence. The doors behind him slid open with a light hiss and the sounds of boots entering met his ears after. He could see a faint reflection in the viewport, and observed two white armored clad stormtrooper honor guardsmen on either side of the visiting man wearing his own officers suit enter and stand at attention behind him.

Kaine lazily raised his right hand and licked his wrist A simple, and silent clear message for the guards to leave him and his visitor alone. They bowed to his back and turned towards the door. They shuffled out quickly and the man behind him sighed lightly and awaited Kaine to speak.

"General Morlin," Kaine finally twisted his torso enough to look upon the general in a sideways fashion, and greeted. He smiled and nudged his head toward the viewport before turning himself fully back towards it.

"Come, join me. It is so wondrous a view." Kaine said with a smirk easily discerned from his tone of voice. Morlin cleared his throat and did as ordered. For he did not delude himself into thinking what Kaine ever said was a request. The aged man joined the commander in chief of all Moff forces at the viewport and looked out onto the plains below and beyond.

For upon them were many thousands upon thousands of boots of white armor. They marched in formations of company's and battalions onto transport shuttles, and above them loomed the great arrowhead shaped stardestroyers en masse. Morlin had only caught a glimpse, and whispers from other officers of the sheer magnitude of the force. Now as he stood before it though, he felt himself go slightly wide eyed in awe. For indeed there were hundreds of thousands being marshaled. Garrisoned troops from all across Tapani and beyond that Kaine had brought under his command, and inspected upon the ground of Procopia for the last few days.

"There...there has to be at least two-hundred thousand down there!" Morlin gasped aloud and Kaine chuckled.

"Only two? Perhaps that is what we can manage to see at the moment, but I can assure you there's five-hundred thousand troopers down in those plains. The last batch of battle-group four." Morlin nodded, but quickly stopped as he just processed what Kaine had said.

"Battle group four? That would imply there's a battle group one through three doesn't it?" Kaine bowed his head once, as Morlin caught a faint glimpse of what seemed to be a twinkle in his aged eyes. It was that same twinkle that Morlin had seen many times before. And, each time it meant nothing good.

"Indeed, there are five battle groups, general Morlin. While you've been trying to stave off the tide of lord Kun's assault all across your command sector I've been preparing a new assault within the Chommell sector. Across that sector the Imperials have been playing catch up. Too little resources across too wide a sector. All in the name of defending the unspoken honor of the Emperor's home planet and sector." Morlin barely registered what Kaine said in full.

It astounded him! Five battle groups of hundreds of thousands of men. All these men who could be fighting elsewhere and defending were being sent into Chommell, and Morlin could barely understand what the point of that front was himself. No, rather he knew what the point was, but found it pointless and immensely petty.

"You mean to attack Naboo with these battle groups don't you?"

"Indeed I do general Morlin. Procopia was the only world I had left to use for my staging and rally point. So you must forgive my intrusion. We will be out of your hair in no time at all. I'll take these battle groups and form a war theater. Naboo will be under Moff command by the end of this year. Proving to all the galaxy that the 'unstoppable' emperor could not even stop his birthplace from falling into our hands." Kaine's rhetoric and self indulgent arrogance was leaking through quite strongly today. Morlin forced himself not to sigh in both frustration and anger, and silently stood for a moment and allowed Kaine to bask in the greatness of his own ego for a moment longer.

"Just how many men are you stripping from all across the alliance to attack this one system, Moff Kaine?" Morlin finally uttered aloud in astonishment and no small amount of barely restrained venom boiling within himself.

"How many of our men, of which there are not endless quantities must be sacrificed for so small a victory?! For I can assure you Kaine that this endeavor will bring us nothing but a pyrrhic mark upon the records of this whole war. One pyrrhic victory should not cost us this many men!" Kaine openly scoffed as his eyes trailed across the marching men as they boarded shuttles in droves and made off to war, battle, and assured death. His gaze was cold, and distant, and Morlin could see then, that Kaine cared not a one bit about any one man down in that field and manning his fleets.

"Please general. You are too narrow minded and of the old ways of thinking. You think too much about these men. These 'men' in fact are but slabs of walking, talking sacks of flesh that we copied and made explicitly for war. Oh sure a few of them are recruits but you and everyone else knows the Emperor made these men from clone templates. Just because the Fett template is no longer in wide circulation, did not spell the doom of cloning, Morlin. Surely you know that?

'I ask you honestly, what use then are these men if not war? What would you have them do, breed? And lessen the human gene pool? Then they should retire and sit on their laurels as real men fight? I wouldn't dare to ever even fathom so heinous and evil a thought, general Morlin. You surprise me with your insinuations indeed."

Kaine's words hit Morlin in his very core. Yet, he could find no words and structure no sentence to counter him. His mouth opened several times, but no words ever came out. He felt angry, but lost, and he even felt defeated in argument. And that he hated most of all. Especially towards Kaine's dehumanizing rhetoric.

"Besides Morlin, we do indeed have an endless supply of men. They just happen to not be of the flesh and blood variant you so dearly care for. Even if they are wholly and truly, sub-human." Morlin turned to Kaine in silence once again. His face was twisted into a look of horror and anger. Kaine caught the glare from the corner of his eye and smiled all the same as he swept his left hand over the viewport and those many thousands beyond.

"You see every one of those men down there Morlin? Each one is a potential traitor, and saboteur. After all they came to us not as free men but as traitors to Palpatine. They've committed treason once before already, why should they not know it a second time?" Kaine smirked more broadly and glanced more clearly toward Morlin who now held a furrowed brow upon his features.

"You don't have such a problem with droids. It's far easier to destroy them on a field of battle than expend resources trying to crack their codes, and turn them against their creators, their lords and master!" Kaine declared and a chuckled left his lips.

"The fact of the matter is that droids were and always have been the way of the future of warfare. The Clone Wars merely ended by prolonging the inevitable return of the mechanized armies and their progression. The URM has seen to the return of those sub-par units and models to the fields of battle. I shall herald a new more refined age of droid model and warfare." He paused and turned fully toward Morlin.

"I am merely clearing house of those models we no longer have use for. But, I thought to myself," Kaine chuckled. "Why waste old and outdated models by throwing them to a junk yard or smelting them, when I could use them for frontal fodder that in some way aids our efforts!" Morlin took a moment to process before his brow un-furrowed, and he turned a cold gaze to Kaine, and then to the men.

"You mean to kill all these men!"

"Oh dearest me, no of course not Morlin!" Kaine cried in feigned horror. "I merely mean to rid our Alliance of this vast source of vipers and snakes! To carve and stamp out all possibility of rebellion and resistance from within. The way of the future is droids Morlin, and we can make an army as endless as that of the URM, but superior in every way. We can bleed the Empire dry of its pools of clones and men and attain eventual total victory.

'For the dark trooper program has since been under growth and experimentation since the dawning of this war under the guidance of Grand Moff Vellam. You merely weren't told dear Morlin. No one on the council wished to insult your...'humanitarian,' stance, and old fashioned manner of warfare and honor. But, I assure you Morlin you shall come to see them now stamp out all resistance from without and within. Indeed the first feint against the Empire with our new grand army is underway upon the ground of Sarrish. Against your old pupil, commander Viathan, no less. And already a general and most of his command staff lie dead at their metal feet!" Kaine's tone became harsh and filled with vigor as he soaked in his own sense of victory and accomplishment. The smile on his lips never leaving and only growing wider as his eyes seemed far away in his own thoughts far from this room.

"You cannot mean to sacrifice so many men just for the possibility of treason! That certainly cannot be the will of the Moff council or Grand Moff Vellam!" Kaine huffed.

"Please Morlin. The council is a wreck of an institution. None of them know what they're doing and why they're doing it. Old men and fresher upstarts all dreaming of the old days made anew. Tending to their mistresses, wives, their mansions and palaces across the galaxy. Only now fearing the coming far reaching arm of Palpatine and his wrathful agents. Or the righteous fist of the URM and their sadistic leadership." Kaine's words spoke of truth but it made Morlin sick to agree with him.

Now more than ever he found himself deeply uncomfortable standing by this man. This man who so often and predictably hindered Morlin's every move. This man whose mind was now laid bare for Morlin. For all his actions now became obvious to Morlin and his reasoning all the more reasonable by the logic of Kaine. All those troops spent on worthless worlds, all those fleets wasted fighting fights that mattered little or not at all, or fighting battles that were obviously impossible to win!

All of it had been for this moment, this pinnacle of truth. Kaine meant to waste away every mans life until the pools of reserves and useful soldiers melted away into disparity! For, they didn't matter at all where it came to furthering Kaine's ultimate goal. The unleashing of his own army.

"You...no you mean to waste away so many lives on all these campaigns so to instill in all the council a desperate need to find new forces to use. You mean to force their hands and accept your dark troopers! I know the program and I know it belittled and lessened all those sacrifices made during the Clone Wars! Palpatine turned his back on those troops that won him his war and simply started making his own droid armies! This is...how can you do this Kaine?!" Kaine scoffed and turned back fully to the viewport and shook his head.

"I can do this by taking action! By taking these men off their posts and sending them to the front lines of war and to bring the Empire to its knees. Perhaps they may attain glory, or at the least kill one imperial loyalist, and make our enemy that much weaker. Wasting a commodity like soldiers, even if they are organic and outdated would be highly ill advised Morlin." Morlin chuckled, but it was filled with disbelief and anger as he shook his head and began pacing away from Kaine and the viewport.

"Wh...why even tell me this?! Why even come here, and no I don't believe it was the best rallying point for you or your men! Why do you feel the need to relay this damning information to me? You and I are no allies, I know you don't like me and you know I don't like you, so why are you here? Really!?" Kaine smiled.

"Ah we come to it at last. Morlin, my friend. I do in fact like you, but perhaps not in the traditional sense. You make for an extraordinary rival to my ideology! You make a clear villain to my hero, or perhaps you see it in reverse." Kaine chuckled, and turned once more to Morlin and crossed his arms.

"I want you to know about my plans and all my workings. Why I did what I did, and do as I will. Because Morlin, you cannot stop me. None on the council would listen to you, and you have no place to run to. I want you to hate me, and my dark troopers. I want you to resist me and push for more honest and true organic military forces and operations. Play with your Ghost Division or whatever nonsense you call it.

'You will be the opposing image to the council. They will see between us whom has the right and clear path to victory against both the URM and Imperials. Me and my endless supply of dark troopers whom even now are being multiplied exponentially across alliance space in factories. Or you and your slow process of recruiting, training, making friends with your ragged little band of fools and idealists. I welcome the challenge, and am glad to drop the pretense of niceties. For I have no doubt of my inevitable and impending victory." Kaine neared and leaned in toward Morlin who instinctively leaned away from Kaine. He smiled and bowed his head. Almost seeming a challenge.

"I came here to rub my victory into your face Morlin, and to let you see the mass of men from across the galaxy who will do nothing but die for my cause. They are fodder, and you are their patron. I am their master and they are my slaves." Morlin swallowed and said nothing. His face, however, portrayed his hatred for Kaine, and the grand Moff and master of all armed forces of the alliance merely looked him over and smirked a final time more.

"That is all Morlin. You are dismissed, general." Kaine turned back toward the viewport and made his way right up towards it. For a moment longer Morlin stood in silent wrath but he could only turn after a time toward the doorway and stomp out. He would silently make his way away from Kaine's procured office, and away from the masses of hapless soldiers about to throw their lives away at the whim of yet another galactic madman.

Morlin said not a word as he returned to his office. He passed commander Solo and ghost division, and they saluted but he said nothing nor acknowledged them. He passed the new alien recruits and repeated his lack of response toward them all. He ignored his aids, and his reports. He entered his officer, and turned the lights off. He slammed himself into his office seat and broke out a hefty bottle of stiff corellian ale.

His mind flew over all Kaine had said and all he knew was to happen. His adrenaline pumped, and he threw back glass after glass of his drink until the bottle was near empty. After hours of sitting alone and closing himself off from the damn world, the damn war and all else in between. He felt defeated now so more than ever and within his chest he felt his heart twist and grief overpower him.

He understood now. Vellam led the Moff Alliance. But, Grand Moff Kaine ruled it. And so, with that in mind Morlin shut himself off from the war and the outside. He collapsed onto his desk in a mildly drunken state and slept restlessly as the army and navy of Kaine made ready to depart. And calls from other systems of Tapani flooded in of a new attack. Led by Lord Exar Kun himself.

For now though, Morlin slept, and the war carried on.

(Vensensor Sector, Sarrish System, Sarrish)

The door before him exploded and the blast flung metal scrap and shards inwards toward the room beyond. His left hand was extended flatly out before his body and his cloak whipped about him. His crimson eyes bore thru the dust and smoke that billowed as the echoes of his dark side fueled Force blast ebbed and faded. Beside and behind his standing form lay several dark troopers made of metal.

For Viathan had carved and cleaved his way thru hall after hall and corridor upon corridor filled to the brim with dark troopers. His eyes hard, and mind set. He had thought the project long since put on the back burner with the bloom of the war. Seeing them now, in bulk and in a great deal of variety sent a warning chill up his spine and warning into his mind from the Force itself.

Viathan moved forward, and lowered his left arm. In his right he clasped his saber and the crimson blade that came forth from the emitter hummed. Within the now blown open room he heard faint words being exchanged. The dust began to clear and he barely caught sight of those within and the glow of a holographic figure. Obviously someone was making a long distance call.

"As you were AD-78."

That was all Viathan heard as the figure quickly faded and he ceased moving forward. The dust and debris cleared, and he found himself standing alone before three dark troopers. The one that had been speaking with the holographic Moff, whomever he was, looked very similar to a normal combat stormtrooper. Its armor black and brilliant, but with yellow stripes of paint flowing down the sides of both its arms and along the helmet. Viathan hadn't taken the time to memorize all dark trooper proposed variants, for he was sure his old master Palpatine had hidden the really innovative ones from his curious eyes. So, he could not place a designation to this dark trooper before him.

The other two on the other hand he could. They were hulking behemoths of dark troopers. They held in their metallic hands no guns. But, upon their left wrists was built an emitter he knew was built in with a flamethrower. And to sweeten the deal upon their right shoulders was mounted an impressive and threatening rocket launcher. They stood at the ready and silent before Viathan and on either of his sides ready to flank him.

He'd faced them before in early testing phases, and knew most of their abilities at this stage in their evolution. Knew about their flamethrowers, electrical shock taser, and their saber shields. Not even mentioning their rocket launcher. However, as he stood at the ready and silent before them; his left hand twitched toward his belt to sweep up his second saber, he eyed the other smaller dark trooper with yellow striped paint along its features. It neared slightly and carried an old clone trooper standard rifle in its metal hands.

"Priority target, commander Viathan, confirmed. Orders stand, execute the target."

Viathan cocked a brow as the purge troopers seemed to stiffen, or come to life. Either way he knew it wasn't a good sign. Then again the dark trooper's words were clear enough for him.

"You know I would demand that you surrender, but that would be an immense waste of my breath." He spoke aloud, but to no reply. His eyes traced quickly along the floor and took I the sight of dozens of dead officers, and he was sure Valdarian was among them. The room smelled of burnt flesh and death. It filled the dark side all about them and pumped some extra power into his veins that invigorated him slightly.

"I see you've handled Valdarian and my command staff appointed to him. For that transgression I'll see all of you smelted and made into blasters for the Empire's future use!"

Viathan seethed, but was quickly silenced as the Force rung in his mind of warning, and Viathan flung himself back. A purge trooper suddenly unleashed a bout of intense flame where he had stood.

He swept up his second saber, and in that same quick motion he flung his first and let it fly thru the air. It was smacked away by a purge trooper's personal saber shields along its arm, and fell unceremoniously to the floor behind it. Viathan gathered the Force into his right hand, now freed from his saber, and then threw it forward and unleashed a brilliant and air cracking pulse of lightning from his fingertips.

The room erupted into a flash of blue and the purge troopers threw their arms up in defensive posture, but the purge troops were no less shocked and throw to the far back wall. Their metal chassis hitting so hard that the metal wall bent to form in line with their frames. The yellow striped dark trooper raised its blaster and fired a rapid spray Viathan's way after it had threw itself behind a fallen table and shielded itself from his lightning.

Viathan was forced to block with his saber and lost his concentration with his lightning. The bolts headed his way were flung to the far walls and ceiling, and the purge troopers jerked themselves back up to face him. Viathan cursed and ducked the next few bolts. His right hand called his other saber back to him and it flew easily thru the air towards him. He caught it and thrust himself into a dash forward. Both sabers hung loosely at his sides and grazed along the metal as he bounded toward the purge trooper to his right.

The dark trooper activated its saber deflecting shields again, but Viathan quickly thrust a strong sudden bout of energy forward thru the Force. It slammed into the droid and threw it back into a stumble. Viathan then flung himself up left and both sabers from down his right, up his left and down again as he spun cleaved from the legs into the chassis of the purge trooper. Burn marks were etched along the metal of the droid and burning metal entered his nostrils as he landed with his back facing the purge droid. It slumped back and pieces and bits of it fell to the floor in a clatter.

Viathan jerked his head toward his right as the Force cried again in warning. The second purge trooper had turned on him, and his eyes widened as a rocket exploded from its shoulder cannon. He flung himself to the floor forward, and felt the air whirl at his back as the missile flew passed where he had stood and into the wall on his left. The explosion ripped thru the room and sent metal bits and shards flying once again.

Viathan for his part jumped up and ran back towards the hole he made to enter the room, before he curved right into a turn back toward the second purge trooper. It saw him and raised its flamethrower. The flames burst forth from it and the heat reached his brow. Viathan felt sweat droplets form along his face near immediately, but he willed a small shield of Force energy around him to block the flames and pushed himself forward.

He swung left saber over right shoulder and right saber over left shoulder as he neared. When he was close enough he swung both back downwards and into a ferocious X shaped slash. The purge trooper threw up its shield in time and caught the hacking attack. Before he could react the purge trooper swung its heavy right arm over toward its left and then back right. The sound of metal connecting with a hard thud against his cheek bone rung out as Viathan was tossed against the wall to his left with a hard thud.

Both sabers were still in his hands, but his face was alight in pain. Like fire was being placed to his flesh from a branding piece of metal. His left arm cramped and felt weak from the impact with the wall, and he felt a sudden bout of nausea pass over him as the pain rippled along and thru him.

He cursed aloud and seethed but he swung his right arm out from himself and sent another grand pulse of energy outwards. The purge trooper and yellow striped trooper both lurched away from him and gave him the moment he needed. Viathan flung both sabers violently out towards the second purge trooper, and this time they connected. One slammed into its metallic neck and the second lodged itself into its head.

Viathan then reached out and snatched the blaster rifle from the yellow striped dark trooper and yanked it from its hands to the ground. With his left arm hanging to his side in pain from the wall smash and exertion of throwing his saber he raised his right hand and began pinching his fingers inwards toward his palm. The Force flew about and around the commanding dark trooper and he felt as if the mass of the droid was within his very hands. He raised his hand and the droid lifted into the air, and oddly enough began flailing as he tightened his grip and the sound of snapping and bending metal reached his ears with dark pleasure passing thru every fiber of his being.

Until he concentrated with all his might and yanked one of his sabers out from the purge trooper who had since slumped back against the wall. It came from its neck and hummed strongly in the air. With but and jerk of his head chin upwards the saber back steady and stiff before flying like a missile into the neck of the floating droids neck, and cleaving across it. Until the metal head of wire, bolts, and chips fell to the floor with a thud. Leaving Viathan to then thrust his right hand out and send the body crashing into the far wall along with the rest of the rubble and trash scattered about.

Viathan then slumped to his knees and caught his fall with his right hand as it slammed to the ground. His breaths were ragged, and pained, and his eyes squinted as he sought to control and direct that pain into something more useful. He hadn't expected those three to hurt him as much as they had.

It took some stretching and testing, but he managed to get his left arm back into full working condition. He called his two fallen sabers to him and paced the two hilts onto his belt. He finally had a quieter moment to scan the command room. Its floors were littered with dead officers and guard troopers. A few dark troopers lay scattered among them as well. Though Viathan had expected nothing less than a small army to be positioned here, and not just three units.

Though, as he rubbed his left arm and felt it sting in pain, he had to be grateful it was only three. Nonetheless, Viathan moved his way to the defenses command console and overrode what he assumed was an attempt by the dark troopers to turn the defense turrets and automated systems against the imperials. They had only managed to shut down several sectors, and he was quickly able to bring them back up and place the garrison into full alert.

The alarms began blaring all along the base, and the distinct sounds of rapid and sudden blaster fire rung out in the distant sectors of the massive modular garrison. Viathan keyed in his access codes to the broadcasting system to both the troops in the garrison, and beyond.

"All imperial forces upon Sarrish, this is field commander Viathan. Our modular garrison has come under assault by Moff troops. Droids in bulk and of heavy make. The command spire has been retaken by myself personally, and automated defenses brought back online. Or rather, what's left of them. General Valdarian and a good portion of his command staff have been executed, and I can only assume all officers upon Sarrish are on their list. Without names or locations being given, I order all officers and commanders to take extra precaution until we eliminate this droid and Moff infestation.

'However, front line troops and commander your orders still stand. Do not concern yourselves with the defense and counter-assault to retake the base. I and reinforcements from orbit will re-secure it. I send this message out on clear wide band to let you men know that victory is inevitable, and our defenses are holding. And, to any Moffs listening' your pathetic attempt has been foiled. You may have taken the lives of general Valdarian and his officers, but you have hardly dented the war machine of the Empire. Traitors the lot of you. Each and every one of you will fall. Hail the Emperor!" Viathan snapped the comm channel closed and dipped his head as he leaned against the comm console.

He mutely noted more reinforcements being shuttled down from orbit with TIE fighter and interceptor escorts. Droves of white armored troops flooded out from them and into the garrison grounds far below himself and the spire. Blaster fire erupted and death permeated the very metal and make of the garrison. He knew there were still hundreds of the dark troopers about, and much work to do. If he was to secure his front's rear position.

"A riveting speech brother! I do so enjoy hearing your wrathful tone." Viathan heard his brothers silky voice speak into his ear. He scoffed lightly and shook his head as he keyed into the console the command to bring up tactical analysis of the battles to the front lines. He knew the Moffs would be uploading stolen copies to their front line commanders soon, and he'd need to recalibrate the operational plans as he went.

"Darssus!" Viathan called as he activated his personal comm.

"Yes, dearest brother?" He replied swiftly and smoothly.

"Maintain current position and await relief by reinforcing troopers. I will make my way down from the command spire and help secure ground level completely. Beyond relief troops heading your way, expect there to be a long time before the base is fully secured and under control once again." Viathan heard Darssus scoff.

"Please brother. You make it seem as though I shall do nothing to these machine men and aid you in retaking the garrison. I'm hurt at even the mere idea of the notion really. No, I will do my part where I am with these frightened little officers with me, and when fully free of babysitting them I'll inspire the fear of the old lords into these machines. A test as it were, to truly see if they can come to learn fear. Quite an interesting challenge I'd say, no?" Hie brother laughed, and Viathan merely shrugged and curtly acknowledged Darssus before cutting their connection.

He locked the command systems and then made his way out the ruined and bloodied command room. Where he then made his way down from the spire and to ground level to link up with survivors and reinforcements alike. Where he would lead the retaking of the garrison from the dark troopers of the Moffs, and maybe even join his brother. And, see if he could teach droids to know fear.

(Quelii Sector, Dathomir System, Dathomir, Two Days Later)

A line of organics, all of them human were upon their knees in a line that stretched for quite a few meters. They were also all exclusively female gendered of the human species, and all of them seemed more barbaric than those Egriege was more accustomed to.

Twigs and leaves were in their hair, be they purposefully or not. Paint lined their bodies and faces in tribal and barbaric patterns. Some were far less clothed than the others and he as a droid understood little for the purpose and need for them to be so, but such musings was not his place nor his...'will.'

Some of them were bloodied, and some more so than others. Bruised beaten and brought ti their knees before him. Around them was a gathering of many droids. Many B1 battle units were marching behind him, and behind the women as they faced him, stood his fellow droid general, 'Fourzee,' as he had been designated. Fourzee silently loomed over the women along with ten magnaguards and kept them placed where they were. While off to the side but near enough for them all to see were many children. Both male and female in gender. They were sat on the soil, and some but not all were weeping as they were surrounded by BX commandos who silently bore down upon them with their white hot seeming eyes.

And, all around them was a hot orange glow. As the forests of Dathomir all around were set alight with fire, and droid flamethrower units followed by tanks and B1 forces entered into the foliage and rooted out any unlucky survivors. Night had fallen across this part of the world, but it was far from dim and dark. Indeed as vulture droid patrols zoomed overhead it would seem to them, and even up in orbit that a sea of fire had overtaken what had once been a lush and dense green forest. Smoke billowed and Dathomir burned under droid boot and purpose.

Egriege paced purposefully along the line of kneeling women. All of their faces were turned down and their matted and unkempt hair fell around their heads and faces. Their breathing was in various states of pants or worried intakes and shaky out takes. Some dared to glance up and look toward the ebony black droid and his endlessly shining and emotionally devoid red photoreceptor eyes. His cloak stolen off the body of one unimportant dead inquisitor, now ripped and torn and dried with blood from the many battlefields he had since come across, whipped around his figure in the light of the fires and stars of night looming far above them all.

"I shall ask this once more. For the lack of spoken replies leads me to assume the collective hearing of all organics here has been damaged." Egriege intoned with his baritone and robotic voice as he came to a halt and cocked his head to look across the line of captives. A few more chanced glances, and others sent hateful glares. He could not care any less, for he didn't care at all.

"This time I shall ask, and it will be the last free chance for a reply of some merit. If I receive none I will be forced to imply various interrogation methods uploaded into my memory core, and the various protocols therein. I have full reign to do as I must to cut out all semblances of rebellion and subterfuge within this system. This miserable world is now under total URM dominion. There will be no Moffs and no Imperials to come and save you from your fates." He darkly intoned and neared the line further.

Egriege chose one woman, with wild and bountiful red hair that wavily fell down her shoulders as she stared hatefully toward him. Her teeth were bared like a wild beast's, and her nostrils flaring in similar fashion. She cocked her head to track him as he neared, and Egriege bowed his torso low so his blank metal face was inches from hers.

"Where within this sector of the wood have your clans gone into hiding? We know your villages were far larger than this lot. I know there were many clans within this forest among many of Dathomir. So tell me, where has the bulk of your people gone to hide?" The red photoreceptors very faintly jittered and moved as Egriege scanned the woman's face. Her eyes were a dark shade of green and they bore into his red orbs of light. Until she snarled and almost expecting it to happen, Egriege watched as she spat onto his metal face.

"You will burn before the end, droid!" She snarled in a heaving and throaty tone. Egriege bent himself to stand tall and rigid again. Idly his bony metallic right hand came and those boney fingers traced the saliva along his face. Idly and mutely Egriege inspected it in his hand. Then curled his hand into a fist, and with immense power and speed threw it into her face.

She yelped and Egriege felt her left cheek bone snap upon impact as she fell onto her back and her cuffed hands still kept together behind her back. The other women all watched and mumbled obscenities and vows of hatred toward Egriege, but Fourzee stomped down the line to keep them under control.

Taking his foot he stomped it onto her chest and she wheezed out as all breath was forced immediately from her lungs. She coughed, and Egriege cocked his head quizzically as he noted the bodily signs of duress and extreme pain forming all across her face and body. Something in his chassis glowed hot and he rather...enjoyed it.

"I burn? That is an interesting thought, witch. However," Egriege motioned a sweeping arm across the forest around them. "I see nothing burning here but your forests. Indeed all that burns on Dathomir are your woods, your plants and trees, your beasts, be they rancor or kwi, they too burn. But, most importantly in this given situation it is your people whom burn. Be they young, old, male or female." Egriege mocked in a very un-droid-like manner. Though none of the other droids found anything out of place.

"I, however, understand that your devotion to keeping your secrets is based upon your peoples simplistic society. All organic life and culture is lacking in symmetry and logical understanding, but yours, and all those of your kind upon Dathomir is lacking from even the average organic culture around the galaxy.

'Honor, and obedience your people hold for one another, and chiefly elders. A distinct divergence in streamlined human ideology is your and your peoples belief in the superiority of the female gender. Yet, as a purely logical being made by organics, I can only speak to what I have observed and have logged in my memory logs. They are vast and filled with much knowledge. And, I must say males put up more of a fight when I gut them then you or any of your...'sisters,' have thus far since my invasion began but a few standard days ago."

Egriege could see, and almost sense even on some level the deep hatred and animosity streaming from all the women who heard him. The one beneath him writhed in both rage and pain as his foot kept her pinned beneath his unpredicted incredible weight. Egriege hardly cared for the issues between the sexes of organic meat-sacks, but it brought his chassis a measure of glowing delight to feed upon the prejudices of the ones he had before him as he dug all the information he could out of them. Though he did hope that his mistress would be proud of him and his actions. Especially as the wrath and wanton hatred for him boiled in them all. And, their thoughts became clouded and muddled in their venom for him, a mere droid.

"Now I have come upon many clans of your people. Those whom mated with zabraks and birthed half-breeds of odd tone and culture have been exterminated." Egriege raised his right hand and bid a lone magnaguard toward him. The women turned to watch as it approached. Egriege bid it to stop near to the fallen woman beneath him gasping for air in intervals that he allowed, and then a small jerk of one of his black boney fingers followed. As the magnaguard dumped a sack it had been carrying in its left hand over, and there spilling onto the ground came a great many severed heads of the nightsister clan he spoke of.

The combined shocked and horrified gasps of the women filled Egriege with a new sense of pleasure he relished in processing within his chassis. The whimpering of the children nearby, and the horrified wide eyes of the woman beneath him added to it. Especially as the head of a young female half-breed rolled next to her head. The dead severed head could be no more than fourteen standard cycles of normal human progression.

"These were 'nightsisters,' as I have spoken of before." Egriege commented and idly picked up a head of a middle-aged woman. He inspected it, and then turned it toward the woman before him and dug his metal claws into her dead flesh. The opened dead eyes wee now staring the living woman in the face, and Egriege placed it near so that the reek of death filled her nostrils and vomit sought to escape from her barely gasping for air throat. So she coughed more violently and gasped as the rotten air swirled about mixing with the fog of ash and burning foliage all around them.

"This whole clan was ordered exterminated by my mistress, and the task has been carried out. However, I did not garner any information from these ones. It was quite simple to map out further villages scattered about this world. Some near and others further. All of them must, however, pay the price for their transgressions against my mistress and the galaxy."

"What...(COUGH), what transgressions?!" The woman asked in gasps.

"It is not my place to fully understand. It is my place and task in my existence to do as my masters tell me. If you have transgressed and your fellow witch kin have followed suit then I shall destroy all who pose a threat. However, there are many out in the woods whom cannot be found as they are likely hiding in the mud and reek or caves and cave systems. Assuredly you and your 'sisters,' carry the knowledge of these places and there whereabouts, and so I demand a further time to know the location of them!"

Egriege tossed the severed head over toward another kneeling woman. She shrieked as it slammed into her head, and coughed profusely from the rot and smell. Her fellow witches spat and cursed at the droids. Even foretelling their ultimate doom. All yet, were idle threats to Egriege.

"You can torture and maim and burn and destroy all you want, droid! I and my sisters shall tell you nothing! We, and all of Dathomir will persevere when you are but the scrap lining a junkyard!" Egriege cocked his head disturbingly low to his left and silently observed her beneath him a moment more.

"Nothing you can do to me or my sisters will make us talk! That I swear upon you and all your droids!" She added, yet again Egriege took a long pause before speaking. Allowing the far off crackle and burn of fires to reach their ears. Egriege finally did speak again, but only after dipping his head low in a nodding manner.

"I anticipated as much defiance. I am very pleased then that I have not been disappointed by your kind. As I have been on many occasions in the past. Yet, we are where we began, but now it is clear to me. My methods are flawed where it comes to your clan. You are not nightsisters. Merely witches who dabble into the arcane arts of the 'Force,' as my mistress has imparted knowledge onto me.

'Your clan and similar live normally. Even if barbarically. You and your bodies could be broken in many ways, and in very inventive ones at that. Not all even by the hands of droids, however you would remain shut in sheer defiance You would feed on denying me the ability to complete my task and fulfill my mistresses wishes." Egriege spoke matter-of-factly, and pulled his foot off her chest. She sucked in a great and terrible gasp and coughed profusely after. She cursed and choked as the rot of dead flesh hit her again and she tried to roll herself away from the gathered death some.

"Torturing and threatening to torture or murder your male population would be pointless. Mindless drones who do as told and breed like wild stocks of nerfs upon the grazing fields of Alderaan, that they are." Egriege mused and paced in small steps and repeats before her. Te woman all watched along with the fallen one in silent gratification as the droid came to realize he was defeated against their resolve.

Or, so they thought.

"Indeed I am flawed. A foolish notion that direct physical harm or threat would make you talk. More foolish still is the notion of your surrender at the sight of the deaths and torture of your males. That leaves me with but one luckily predicted course of action." Egriege stopped and twisted his frame toward the BX commandos and the many children they guarded. They were weeping and whimpering, but Egriege held no feeling for them. None at all.

"Bring forth the children." Immediately the reaction was a clear sign of victory. All the woman cried out in 'no' or 'stop's,' and Egriege knew that there was whee their weakness lay, but he was not to be seen as a liar or making idle threats.

So, the BX's pushed and prodded and directed the children to stand. At least two and a half dozen of them in total. With the minority males having eleven in number among the females. The commandos placed them in their own line before the kneeling women. Whom then tried cooing and comforting them from where they remained kneeling. The commandos lined up behind each child and remained stationary with their blasters held lazily in both hands.

"It occurs to me that among human females their propensity is to protect their offspring to whatever end, and no matter the cost. It is an area that many males of your species are admittedly lacking. However, your designation as Dathomir witches does not eliminate this weakness amongst you and your femininity.

'What better tools are there then to ween what information I seek, then your children? But, I do have within my processing unit a quandary I cannot rectify on my own. If your society is so clearly built upon the inferred and 'inherent' superiority of the female gender, then surely those mothers among you with male children must view them as being other, and therefore not worth your love." Their hate only grew their venom hotter and louder as they cursed, and some tried rising to stand and attack Egriege but Fourzee was upon them and with heavy metal arm smacked them back down into the dirt. Where they struggled back up into kneels and in a daze.

"Strong reactions already. I am indeed on the right track. However, my quandary remains. I shall not be able to solve this query I retain, so the best option left is to be rid of the equation altogether." Egriege turned to the commandos and neared them slightly, and clasped his hands behind his back and beneath his torn cloak.

"I shall do all of those mothers present here whom bore the shame of male offspring a favor. Kill all the males." They screamed 'no,' and pleaded in a terrible wail that pierced the sky, but the commandos raised their blasters, and without resistance, without regret and without thought those with males raised and shot one bolt into the young boys. They all wept and cried for their mothers, before they went silent, and they fell forward. Never to move again.

Their combined shrieks became the things of nightmares. Their cries rung endlessly and tears fell freely. The woman upon the ground had managed to returnto a shaky kneel and stared blankly forward toward one of the fallen boys. She said nothing, did not cry, but her mouth was agape, and tears flowed down her face. Before she began shaking her head and whimpering 'no,' over and over again.

All the girls began crying and pleading for their mothers, and those mothers tried their best to assure them of safety and their love. But they cried all the same, and this open sector of burnt wood became filled with nothing but wails and cries that pierced Egriege's audio-receptors. A column of AAT's led by six STAP's moved into the burning forest behind Egriege, and added the sounds of approaching war into the valley. Where none but those women and those girls felt anything. All others, all the droids felt nothing.

"Now surely all of those present can perceive that my 'resolve,' is undeniable, and my threats far from idle. But, I am afraid I have done a service rather than brought pain and threat to those gathered before me. After all, males are replaceable, affirmative?" Egriege asked, and even turned to his fellow droids who confusedly stared back at him with no reply.

"You monster! You will pay for this!" One of them screamed and Egriege thought had assuredly torn at her own throat. Yet, all he did was cock his head to the side and then turn his attention back to all of them.

"Now I shall ask again to all of those gathered here; where are your fellow villagers hiding? Answer promptly and truthfully, and I shall allow you to hold your children as you leave this realm of the living. Deny me, and I shall execute one child every time I go unanswered.

'But, know that death will never release you from your torment. I shall force every one of you to remain. I will chain you so you may forever be forced then to stare upon the rotting corpse of your progeny upon a pike. And, when age finally claims you your world will have already burned to nothing but cinders and ash. Speak swiftly now, or face the aforementioned consequences."

They wept, of course they wept. They cried and wailed, but at the end they would hold those of their children who yet lived once more before joining with the Force. So they each of them spoke, and gave to Egriege what he desired. Many clans were hiding in cave networks nestled deep into the woods and around temples known as 'Infinity Gates.' They were all off radar, but those women around gave Egriege and his droids all they would need to find these places, and to root them out.

Being a droid, Egriege had little reason to deny those women his final offer, and let the girls that lived run to the women. Their cuffs were remotely undone and they held their children. Those who had none left held those who were not theirs and their sisters. They held them too. Before the BX commandos circled around them and in five minutes time fired upon the gathered group. They died together, in grief and love, but it didn't matter nor even register to the droids or Egriege. Who then followed this up by collecting all their heads, and placing them into the sack alongside their already dead kinsmen.

Hundreds of witches of the Red Hills Clan, the Dreaming River Clan, the Misty Falls Clan, and especially the Singing Mountain Clan were slaughtered in their shelters. Some were stuck inside as their entrances were blasted in and they were left to starve with sentries placed outside in case they broke out to fire freely on runners. Others were attended by Egriege himself.

Such as modified AAT's being sent to the very mouth of the caves and unleashing a bout of flame and jetting fuel that set all within alight and cooked them like a great rock oven. Their screams echoed out and were recorded for posterity and placement in the newly made URM war archives. And of course the least sophisticated option was implemented several times for deep tunnel networks, and battalions were sent in to exterminate all life hiding within.

Nonetheless, by the end of this portion of the URM campaign upon Dathomir five percent of all the forests of Dathomir which covered most of the world were burned, and still alight. Thousands of the meager five-thousand estimated natives on the world, the witches, were dead. All others were running into the deepest thickets of the woods and places they never dared tread before. Thus hyena-class bombers bombed the rest of the forest endlessly. Hoping to drive the survivors to death, or at the least insanity.

Not even mentioning the countless tens of thousands of wildlife creatures slaughtered to deprive war beasts and those caught in crossfire, or the burning of the forest itself. The campaign would become slow and lose traction after this blitz carried out by general Egriege of the URM, for soon he was recalled by his mistress, as his other fleets carried out campaigns upon the other distraction worlds of her choice.

But, for those still alive upon Dathomir, they would know nothing but fear, hatred, and death until aid from beyond would come. But, among both the Imperials and the Moffs, who cared about this one backwater world of barbarian Force witches? At the moment? Not a one.

(Tapani Sector, Calipsa System, Calipsa)

The shuttle shook slightly as it zipped thru the air. Around it flew three TIE interceptors on both sides acting as escorts. Beneath these ships lay a vast set of plains and fields of brown dirt and mud with little vegetation to speak of. What plants did sprout and grow on the planet looked as dull and sickly as the mud. And especially so when rains fell across the world and made the brown dirt become a sea of mud.

For, Calipsa was a world dominated by mining and ore extraction or processing from across all of the Calipsa province. It acted as the capitol of House Calipsa, and was at the very heart of the region itself. Many industrial sites were spread about and instillation's filled with housing and operational buildings as well. With only the 'Crystal Forest,' on the world truly being free of industrial overhaul and clearing.

On an average day upon Calipsa smoke would billow up from the refineries and processing facilities. Yet, on this day even more smoke rose into the air in a vast and seemingly endless sprawl of thousands of such billowing stacks and clouds. But, unlike normal days where this was a sign of work and processing of ore, this smoke signaled the arrival of the Galactic Civil War onto Calipsa, and the coming of the Galactic Empire.

Blaster bolts and tank fire, or artillery shells and all matter of other exchange of fire rung and shot out below on the surface. Providing for all who could observe the battle an immense and intense light show. As the Moff Alliance now stood on the defensive once again against the attacking forces of the Galactic Empire.

With general Morlin reported as 'indisposed,' the command of the battle had fallen to Moff lieutenant-general Daman Ioyashi or Kuat. A far superior commander than most under Moff command who had chosen to serve under general Morlin. He has been holding off full imperial domination for two days now. But, his defenses were ailing nonetheless.

Now within this shuttle descending upon the world sat those whom commanded this battle, and who would bring it to an end. Or, at least, that is what they believed. And, as the shuttle shook again those within were finally shaken from their silent musings by the voice of Exar Kun.

"General Ioyashi has set up his command facility within the central refinery. It is the last facility to maintain an anti-air capability. As such, all bombing runs have been failures. Orbital bombardment is impossible with the planetary shield generators located deep underground of that very same refinery. As such, a more 'direct' approach is necessary." Kun turned from where he had chosen to stand inside the moving shuttle.

Sitting across from him sat Arden Lyn. At her side was her own saber with metal cross-guard and symbolic etchings along the metal itself. And next to Kun sat Kira. The mirialan half breed wrapped herself in her cloak and idly seemed more interested in her hand than anything Kun had to say. More interesting to Kun, however, sat some ways up the bench from Lyn on the opposite side of the shuttle was Raydonn.

His latest recruit sat with his elbows resting on his knees arms hanging down between his legs and his head somewhat lowered as he looked to the metal grating along the shuttle floor. He bore along his body a new set of armor that Kun had been told was one of his old suits that he had kept on his ship. A ship Kun took the effort of securing and bringing aboard the Magnificence from Shantipole station.

The suit itself was more like advanced armor, but called back to the ancient days of armor rather than those found upon Sith and Jedi even in his times or those robes either side wore these days. A tight set of black under-cloth wrapped around his built frame from neck down. Atop his chest was a plate of metal armoring of similar black coloring that was made in the mock-up of a well built muscular frame. The plate connected to matching black metal pauldrons on either shoulder that went down the mans arm some.

Then the armor was disconnected and along Raydonns lower arm toward his wrist and hands were wrist guards that went over the top of his hands, where underneath he had on dark gloves. Two pieces of metal fell down across either leg almost seeming like an unfinished metal battle robe that was cut off from reaching the other leg. In those gaps Raydonn had a flowing set of black cloth falling from both his front and backside. And, like his arms there was a gap leading to the lower legs where different piece of metal guards were that connected directly to his boots.

Along Raydonns waist was a somewhat lazily hung belt that held several pouches along it, and a spot where his lightsaber hilt hung from. Kun mused for a moment longer his gray eyes looked at the saber. It amused him slightly at how the saber was double-bladed like his own, but Raydonn rarely chose to use both sides at the same time. He was much like himself in that fashion.

Nonetheless, with his 'new' armor, and look and saber at the ready, Exar hoped the ex-inquisitor would finally prove himself not only useful, but trustworthy here upon Calipsa. If he could not be trustworthy then something would have to be done about it. If he could not be proven to be useful, then Kun would be amazed. Especially since he knew and had seen the raw potential of this quiet, and scarred man. Both on the inside and outside at that.

"Are any of you paying attention?" Kun barked finally after what seemed to be an age of observation upon Raydonns clothing choices.

"Moron Moff general holds himself up in big refinery. Find moron general and kill him. Can't get to moron via bombing or bombardment, so some sucker, also known as us, have to go in on ground and do the dirty work." Kira looked toward her master with a semi-bored seeming glance.

"That about right?" She asked sweetly, and Exar grumbled.

"Yes Kira, indeed it is. Now what about you two? Hear anything I have to say?" Arden nodded.

"Of course, my lord. If you wished to hear the sound of my voice so much there's really no need to prod me to speak." She smirked and Exar scoffed and waved her off. He turned to Raydonn who nodded, but did not look his way.

"I heard you. This isn't my first briefing you know?" Then he cast his dark blue eyes towards Exar who met his gaze and bowed his head.

"Very well. Now I need a volunteer. Who among you three wish to take the refinery and hunt down general Ioyashi himself?"

"OH!" Kira raised her hand high into the air like an overly enthusiastic schoolgirl in class who knew the answer to the instructors question. Her hand flew back and forth toward Kun who observed the action with a cocked brow.

"Well since you're so eager Kira, I suppose you can go,"

"Yes!"

"along with Raydonn." Kun finished and Kira froze and gawked at her master. Raydonn too snapped his head toward his new master and lord.

"Come again?" Raydonn asked as Kira glared his way like a petulant child and crossed her arms in a huff. He also heard her whisper something along the lines of, 'always a killjoy,' toward Kun.

"Well Raydonn, it's been a little over what, two weeks since you've joined my troupe?" Exar neared Raydonn. "Sure you needed a few days in the bacta tank, and then a few days to get re-situated, but really we've only had three training sessions, and those have all born great promise of both your physical and Force capabilities. However, this is the last test I shall give to you, for posterity's sake. A final show to me to see if you can be not only trusted, but also reassure me of your capabilities on the field of battle." Raydonn sighed and rose to stand opposite of Kun.

"Is this really necessary? What I have to prove not only trustworthy but useful? I mean call me crazy but I'm pretty sure that was me you saw in action back at Shantipole, and who broke out of my torture chamber. By the way thanks again for that. Oh and there was that time I held you, her, and her, and the red head, Jade off all at the same time. Albeit for not as long as I'd like, but a lot longer than you expected I'm damn sure about that." Exar raised an easing hand to silence Raydonn. The pilot also informed them that they were landing in a moment, and Kun acknowledged before speaking to Raydonn again.

"All that's true. I know you have the abilities Raydonn, but I wish to see for a final time how you act in such a wide open space. The open field of battle is different I'm sure you're aware than even an incursion on Shantipole. Plus-"

"Plus you wanna see if I'll grab somebody's comlink or terminal and call back to Inquisitor HQ or Coruscant in general, I got you the first time." Exar could only nod.

"Trust is a hard thing to come by in these times Raydonn. We have talked and I know you can see the merit in what I have to say about your old employer. Indeed these two and ms. Jade have all seen the merit in my reasoning and have all come to serve me well. They've all had to do something too to prove their loyalty and obedience Raydonn. If you prove yourself this day in this fight without calling back to Coruscant and bringing down on me the biggest headache, I will ask no more of you to prove your resolve. That I swear." Kun placed a hand to his chest to bring greater inflection to his vow.

Raydonn sighed again, but shrugged his head.

"Fine, fine. Makes sense to me, but why am I going with her?" Raydonn made a point of adding a hint of horror to his voice at the prospect of going with Kira. For her part she grinned his way, but snorted.

"Hey the feeling's mutual inquisitor." Raydonn observed her eyes holding a glint within them. But, as he'd come to see she always held a glint behind her eyes, but this time it was even...'glintier.' Exar once more had to raise a calming hand even as the shuttle rumbled and was beginning to fully land.

"Kira will stay in line," Kun cast her a warning glance. "But she's going just to make sure you don't 'get lost,' on your way to the general's location. And, provide backup as necessary."

"Oh great, so I need a babysitter. One who also happens to be clinically insane!" Raydonn cried, and Kira giggled in reply. Exar chuckled and nodded.

"You can handle it I think. But, both of you will carry out this task, and penetrate into Moff controlled territory. Hunt down general Ioyashi and bring him down. His defense of Calipsa has put a small stop to our operations in the Calipsa province, and thus all of Tapani." The shuttle came to an easy stop and the muffled sounds of rapid fire and calls from outside the shuttle became more clear.

Lyn and Kira rose to stand and the shuttle's ramp fell open. Exposing the front line imperial command base. Exar motioned them to follow as they descended down the ramp. Awaiting them were two officers, and at least a dozen Massassi warriors. Among all the changes Raydonn had underwent to work for Kun the Massassi were still the hardest to fully deal with. They were in a way unsettling and he couldn't really place why.

They exited the shuttle, and Kun stepped forward first, and took the hand of the nearest officer. Raydonn noted his outfit was fitted for an admiral.

"Refflet! It's been a while since we've met in person. It's good to see you in good health." Admiral Refflet bowed deeply, and Raydonn could sense a feeling of appreciation and respect for Exar flow from off of him.

"I am well, my lord. As you have requested I've come to this miserable rock. I do have to ask though, if I may, why is that?"

"Of course, but first let's find a quieter spot." Exar motioned toward a mobile command base that had been placed nearby that had an interior that helped muffle noises coming from outside. They all entered it, and ignored the officers manning the tactical command computers and relay stations. The Massassi stayed outside save for one. Their warlord and commander Mattizz.

"Right, well admiral I'd like first and foremost a checkup. How is our companion madam Jade holding up?" Refflet smoothed out his uniformed, and stiffened for his report.

"Very well, my lord. New Javis should fall within the next few hours. Perhaps another day at the most. However, the assault at Setolio has halted. It would appear the Moffs upon the planet have been employing extreme guerrilla tactics against the task force. It will take some time to fully secure the planet without heavy orbital bombardment."

"Unnecessary." Exar remarked. "Setolio is the gateway to the last two major systems along that route. However, we have Kamper under control and if need be we can choke the Moff resistance there until they surrender in full. No need to waste more manpower or lives trying to secure the planet too vehemently. Pull those on the world back for breathing room, and have them if need be maintain a defensive posture, and await further reinforcements upon completion of out taking of Calipsa."

"As you wish, my lord." Refflet bowed.

"Now as to why you're here on the ground, I wanted to speak with you on another matter. This one desiring a bit more privacy than over our usual channels. It regards the coming assault against Procopia."

"Ah I understand my lord." Exar smirked and then turned to Arden, Lyn and Raydonn.

"You three have your operational objectives. I wish to speak with the admiral alone on this matter. Gain what information you need from the officers here, and then begin your missions." The three of them acknowledged, but only Kira bowed, before skipping off toward a nearby officer manning a holomap.

"Keeping secrets, my lord? How utterly mysterious, and intriguing. I'll have to find a way to get them out of you...later." Arden intoned in what could only be described as a purr. Raydonn cocked a brow as she left the building altogether, and Exar scoffed and shooed him away. Raydonn headed toward Kira and idly rubbed his hand across his double-bladed lightsaber. Almost as if needing to ensure himself that it was still there. The feint glow and pulse of energy within it indeed assuring him it was at his side where it needed to be.

"...the main refinery as best we can tell has a large number of light walkers surrounding the perimeter. Inside we can only guess what their defenses are, my lady." The officer Kira was speaking to finished his report.

"Well I can deal with whatever is inside don't worry about me! But, which way is the refinery and who do you have as my distraction?" The officer seemed uncomfortable and Raydonn could only figure it was because this little girl was so nonchalantly speaking on matters of war and death.

The officer began speaking but Raydonn found his dark blue eyes drawn away, and his mind wandered. He had to admit that Kun had a good idea, and a point in regards to his loyalties. Joining with Kun complicated things, but by no means was Raydonn desiring to run back into the 'open arms,' of his old employers. They after all wanted him dead. And, for what?! Knowing too much, being wasted potential? He couldn't fully understand their reasoning, but he certainly wasn't gonna head back to them like a kath pup with its tail between its legs.

Though he didn't like things being complicated. It would be real easy, in fact too easy to run and find a comm and call back to Coruscant. Spill all the juicy details about Kun and everyone else working with and around him, and gain praises, or even be fully accepted and promoted in the inquisitor hierarchy. Yet, running back to those people under the old madman, and trying to be friendly with people who would likely torture him more than Kun even had, or like those who tortured him and made him into a servant of Palpatine in the first place; that seemed like a really bad idea to him. He idly rubbed the scars on his face as he thought about it, and felt a rush of anger pound into his body.

He couldn't deny he wanted some payback. For breaking him when he was to be nothing but a peaceful agri-corp initiate. Killing people he knew. Twisting him into an inquisitor who hunted Jedi and all others in the Emperors name. Force he didn't much care for Jedi either. Didn't ever wish to be one or see another one for all he cared, but he hated blind obedience. Worst still blind obedience with no feeling of belief in what you're doing will make a damn difference!

Exar Kun, however, sadly made sense in his damn winding tongue, and arguments. His vision was less chaotic and destructive as the Moffs or URM, and even Palpatine. He had a dream for the galaxy, and oh yeah, a lot of people were dying for it. But, really Raydonn couldn't help but come to realize the Moff troops, the imperial troops and whatever URM troops there are, all of them have it coming. Death and battle that is. He did feel bad for those sorry saps who got stuck in-between, but if he could make a small good dent in this galaxy before he died, and not be some nameless inquisitor that ended up shot by his handler under Palpatine? Then he thought it was worth the guilt, the risk, and the complications.

"Hey!" Raydonn snapped as fingers snapped in front of his face. Looking down he saw Kira glaring up at him with a frown on her greenish features.

"You brain dead, or just always look like that?!"

"I always try to mimic the look of the person who's looking at me. And, right now you look as brain dead as a lobotomized lampfish on a Calamari's dinner plate." Raydonn retorted without a beat missed. Kira's eyes grew a little wider, and Raydonn awaited a retort or outburst. However, the girl only smiled, and bared her pristine white teeth, before pointing toward the doorway.

She stomped her way out, Raydonn couldn't contain a smirk along his face, and followed after her. She exited with Raydonn not far behind her, and she quickly tore her cloak from her shoulders and their clasps near her chest and simply threw what was otherwise a fine piece of cloth into the dirt below her.

"Alright Ray we-"

"Raydonn." He quickly corrected.

"Whatever. As I was saying, general Ioyashi is in the main refinery and has a poodoo ton of light walkers around it. AT-ST's mostly. Some perimeter defense stuff like auto and manned turrets are on building tops, or in trenches made by artillery fire.

'Some in windows and nest positions, so they're hard not only to see, but get to. Ioyashi probably has a battalion or two locked inside the refinery with him. Think you're up for the challenge? Or, too busy thinking about how you're gonna betray Exar and hop off world to run to Palpatine and suck his-"

"Whoa there little girl!" Raydonn cut her off. He raised both hands and grinned slightly.

"I'm up for whatever this mission demands of us. So long as you don't go off the deep end. I've heard some things about you, and in any case this is my job. You're along for babysitting and support duties remember?" Kira rolled her blue eyes and snatched her curved saber hilt form her belt.

"Whatever old man. The refinery's this way. Just don't die on the way there. There's one hell of a battle going on where we're headed, and the fodder on our team is not doing so hot in it." Raydonn cocked his brow again at the mentioning of their allied troops as 'fodder,' but he kept quiet. Though being called 'old' did annoy him as well. Nonetheless he snatched up his own saber hilt and releasing a steadying breath he waited for Kira to go toward the refinery and he followed after.

---

General Ioyashi cast his eyes from let to right before himself. He stared now over a holomap with bad readout and would occasionally shutdown. The battle outside was causing hell for all hardware and rattling the whole industrial refinery complex. He was surrounded by many command officers, and defense units, but the bleakness of the battle had only just tripled. With the coming of lord Exar Kun himself. His agents had told him as much, and it spelled nothing but doom for his defense of Calipsa.

"Sir, enemy forces have redoubled their assault on the eastern flank, and have pushed to our center. They've captured the furthest checkpoint there as well." One of his officers who sat in a chair monitoring his own console with readouts and reports from the front spoke aloud in worry. Daman sighed and nodded to himself. He moved his holomap toward the front, and indeed saw several imperial platoons running into the outer most checkpoint and defensive line he had between his refinery and the imperial loyalists.

Then he switched to the eastern flank and saw five imperial TIE maulers supported by century tanks moving up and firing on the outer defenses there. They were supported by a mass of fresh loyalist troops.

"All artillery batteries are to fire on the eastern enemy advance immediately. Level the entire no-mans-land. Warn defending forces of danger close bombardment. Transfer southern units to the center and hold the imperials back and await further orders to retake the forward lines." The officers in command of those sectors acknowledged and began relaying orders.

Ioyashi began reviewing the situation at a separate section of refineries some miles from his positions. Along that front forty thousand imperial troops were assaulting Moff positions of fifty thousand defenders. They were holding and even retaking several sectors of the refinery live-in sectors. And across other territories upon Calipsa Moff forces were pushing imperial loyalists back, but Ioyashi knew the imperials knew where he was. That was why this sector was heavily under siege. They wanted him.

"General Ioyashi." He turned and noted his personal defense guard chief was holding back several men. Several of them in armor he'd never seen before.

"A commander Solo, here to see you sir." Ioyashi nodded as the recognition hit him.

"Let them thru." He waved and turned back to the holomap and awaited the approach of his support from Procopia. Morlin had told him they'd come in great use, and he hoped it would be proven so.

The commander approached wearing hardly any armor, and seemed clothed more appropriately for a cantina than anything else. On both sides of him walked stormtroopers that were painted completely black. Solo came up to him and saluted halfheartedly, or perhaps he simply was rusty on the precise manner to do it. Nonetheless, he saluted back and put him at ease.

"Commander, general Morlin sent you because he says you and your men are good. I need you to be excellent. I, and now we find ourselves being squeezed with no real way of escaping from this position. I haven't a clue how you and your men got planet-side, and frankly I don't want to. I need support, and support that can put a punch into the imperials." The commander nodded.

"Yeah looks like it. Well I won't say we're the best in the galaxy, but close enough. At the least we're the only support you're gonna get, I'm sad to say. But, I brought along with many a lot of my vets from my division. You need support, we'll give it to you. Just point where you need us, and we'll do are damnedest to get the job done. Guaranteed." Ioyashi nodded slowly.

"You're not selling me a used ship commander. However, I appreciate the enthusiasm." Solo grinned and chuckled lightly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Come." He motioned the commander to come alongside him and look upon the holomap. He did as beckoned and Ioyashi moved the map toward the central and eastern defenses.

"Imperial loyalists have pressed their advance on the refinery since lord Kun himself landed just moments ago. Be it because of reinforcements, or fear of his wrath for their minimal progress until now I cannot say. Their eastern attack has so far been held back by artillery." The map displayed several tanks from before blown out and destroyed with lots of dead and torn bodies sprawled about from artillery fire.

"However, our center is collapsing, and if nothing gets done to shore up the weaknesses there we will have a full frontal assault on the refinery. Considering the room to room battles that this facility will warrant and the bravery of my men we can hold out for a few hours at the most.

'AA fire is holding off bombers, but in desperation they could swarm and accept any losses that come their way. I feel confident that they would only enact such a procedure if they made further advance progress and became hunkered down. However, I'm not willing to base my whole operational planning on a personal belief." Solo nodded, and seemed a bit awed by the amount of carnage displayed on the map even if it was tiny and holographic.

"Right...so you need us on center or east defenses?"

"Center. Take your men and shore up all breached and push the enemy back into the gap between our two forces. Don't push yourselves too hard, but Advancing into the forward imperial lines would divert their resources from the other fronts to match. If we can gin relief we can counterattack and flank them along the center or west lines." The commander nodded again.

"Alright, one frontal assault coming right up, general. Wish me and my boys luck." He bowed his head and saluted clumsily again. Ioyashi was in no mood to correct or reprimand him for breach of etiquette. He saluted and indeed wished him luck as Solo made to gather up his waiting men. Wherever they may have taken up residence for the moment. Leaving Ioyashi to sigh and overlook his map again in relative peace. As the building shook again and again.

---

The assault on the center had been a coordinated effort. Ordered by the generals to the rear of them and likely with Exar back at the command base, the troopers launched a heavy artillery attack. Concentrated suppressing fire by turret mounted troops along the Moff lines allowed for a battalion to advance into the first of several Moff defense checkpoint lines. The troops after hours of fighting the Moffs began firing wildly and savagely cut down their treasonous Moff counterparts before seizing and securing control zones of the first checkpoint line.

All of this, however, allowed for both Kira and Raydonn to slip by Moff defenders as they broke and retreated to the second defense line. Those imperial troops who attempted to follow quickly learned that the Moffs had laid down a minefield. Only the Moff troops seemed to understand the pattern to them and safely get across, and no imperial had taken note of their running patters. Especially as they were themselves blown up by the mines if they got too close.

The Moffs took up their new positions and returned to firing heavily on advancing imperial troops. Several walkers were called up and quickly pounded the imperial lines. Plenty of troops were gunned down as the rest took up abandoned nests and trenches and returned Moff fire. All the while Raydonn watched as Kira did...something a bit ahead of him nearer to the refinery.

He turned back toward the facility from where he crouched behind a large piece of shredded metal he was crouched behind. It was a massive complex built for refining fine minerals and ores deep beneath rocks. Rocks and stone brought from all over the Calipsa province of the Tapani sector. The world, Calipsa, the capital of the province and base of House Calipsa looked like a muddy brown and smoke filled air mess of a world, but it certainly made the house and the rest of the province immensely rich.

An explosion threw dust and dirt into the metal beside him on his left, and he peered around. A squad of Moff troops ran toward the sight and took up positions as one of them hauled a mobile piece of cover for his squad to take position up behind. An anti-vehicle rocket whirred and flew over their heads and up. Blasting into a refinery outer pipe that exploded and sent sludge of some type spraying over the troops and Moff lines. Nonetheless, the battle carried on, and Raydonn scowled as he waited for Kira to get back to him.

It took another five or so minutes, and three or so contemplating moments to go on without her, before she suddenly fell directly in front of him on a knee. Raydonn would like to say he didn't flinch but he did...and that's all he did.

"For someone who really thinks a lot of themselves you gasp like a frightened damsel in distress from the holo-films!" Raydonn sneered in response.

"Shut it kid. I didn't gasp! Now where in the name of the galaxy did you run off too? What if I had run off while you were away? What would your master say? Tsk, tsk, tsk." Raydonn smirked and watched Kira roll her eyes again.

"Getting a better look of the refinery complex, idiot. The whole thing is more than five miles around. Full of buildings and battlements. The central building is our best guess for where Ioyashi is hold up." Kira observed and made ready to pounce forward. Raydonn grabbed her slim but toned shoulder and yanked her back. It elicited a feral growl from her that had Raydonn raising his other hand in calming manner.

"Now hold on there! What makes you think out of all these buildings and all the battlement positions, not mentioning connecting tunnels, that Ioyashi is in the big fat target at the middle?" Kira scowled.

"I didn't say anything about connecting tunnels."

"I know you didn't but a refinery like this? Nah there's gotta be a network of tunnels and passages linking the buildings together. But, that's not the question at hand. What makes you think he's in the center?" Kira's eyes bore into Raydonn's scarred face.

"It's where he has the best spot for observation and overall command capability over the fodder at his disposal. Gives him a feeling of being at the center of the army? What, you new to tactics?"

"Please." Raydonn scoffed. "I know a lot more than you girly. Now shut up and listen." Kira barred her teeth some but kept quiet. "I don't think the general is nearly as dumb as you think he is. I think he'd expect any half cocked and wholly cocky assassin to go for the heart only to find it's hardly the heart at all."

"Then where would he be, O mighty and wise one?" Kira retorted as the firing next to them grew intense. A walker in the distance also sounded like it was cracking a fierce bout of fire into the imperial lines. Enough men certainly were screaming.

"Well I'm not a mind reader...well not exactly." Kira cocked her brow, as Raydonn peered around the metal slab protecting and obscuring them.

"We need to find a commander. Any officer should suffice. Under most circumstance unless they're a real coward I don't think they'd break and say where the general is. But, we're not 'normal circumstances,' now are we?" Kira shrugged to that one.

"Fine, lead on. This is after all your mission. Get yourself caught or killed for all I care. Another rivals head I don't need to chop off myself." Raydonn waved her off and pushed passed her. Still crouched he dove away from the metal slab and forward deeper toward the refinery center. Kira followed after with less care to her sneaking. Her fingers itched over her sabers trigger and her blood pounded through her. She thirsted for some real battle!

This went on for about twenty minutes. The two bobbing and weaving across open ground and between smaller buildings or a big one here and there. All of them in some way or another covered with Moff troops who fired into the distant front lines. Artillery pieces were nearer than though by imperial intelligence, and they came across several pieces in open ground between refinery buildings. They were firing away loudly and sporadically.

Raydonn finally paused near the corner of a building where he could peer around at one such position. A large squad of men stood by guarding the pieces as other troops manned and controlled the massive machines of war.

"We done walking yet, or do you need see some of the other more obscure sights too?" Raydonn brought a finger to his lips to hush her. Kira loudly scoffed as the booms of war did more than enough to drown out her voice.

"I will not 'shush,' you get me you piece of walking talking-"

"Alright here's the deal." Raydonn turned and began explaining. Leaving Kira dumbfounded at his seeming lack of care or attentiveness to her speaking.

"That artillery line isn't as guarded as the front, so we can take it real easy. But, what they also got is a commanding officer with them. Now I can't be a hundred percent sure about this, but I'm fairly sure the officers will know where Ioyashi has made his command center. We grab him I'll get him to talk, and make quick work of the rest."

"What makes you think you can get him to talk?" Kira retorted briskly. Only for Raydonn to smile.

"Well I may have been oh I don't know, an inquisitor. Once in my life I think anyways." Kira sneered again, but relented and awaited his move. Raydonn for his part peered around the corner of where he and Kira remained one more time, and waited. The artillery batteries fired in succession once again and the streams of green cannon fire flew up and began the long arching fall to the imperials behind the two acolytes.

"Okay, now." Raydonn jumped and called his saber into his hand. He dove around the corner and activated both brilliant purple beams of his saber. A rare occasion for him indeed. Kira joined and her single crimson saber came to life and she barreled toward the artillery guards.

The lights caught the attention of the men. Their commander pointed toward them shouting some commands, and a hail of fire flew toward both Raydonn and Kira. Raydonn leapt very high into the air and pulled his legs in as he tossed his saber with a massive pounding blast through the Force behind it. The saber spun with great speed as it flew into and carved three men immediately. It curled around and cleaved into two more troops just as they began turning to look upon the saber in either awe or fear. Or, maybe both.

Raydonn fell back to the dirt with a small grunt escaping his throat as his saber flew towards him. He caught it with a hard thud to his gloved hand easily. As he looked up he saw Kira unleashing her own horror onto the men.

The girl had her saber cleanly thru one trooper who had gone limp. Her left hand came up and her finger pointed towards another trooper who was frozen and hung in midair. She yanked her saber from the first trooper and flung it in a straight non-spinning fashion into that second floating man.

That trooper coughed as it pierced his chest and his gurgle came clearly from his mask before he went limp and lifeless. Kira on the other hand flung the body against an artillery piece and called her saber back to her right hand. Her left outstretched again shot a crackling bout of lightning that illuminated the whole site with an immense blue glow. The electric tendrils slammed into five men. Two troopers and three artillery gunners. They all were thrown into the air screaming and dropped in thuds. Shocked and pounded to the ground they all soon went limp and faded in the Force.

Raydonn shook his head at the sight and sighed.

"Yep...definitely the one you gotta watch your back around." He caught sight of two troops around an artillery unit about to fire on Kira, and with the Force he yanked his arm in toward himself calling the two men to him. They were yanked from their hiding spot and slammed against metal and crate, and dirt before falling before Raydonn.

They were quick to grab their blasters but Raydonn sent a very strong but small bout of lightning into both that left almost an echo of thunder as both men ceased moving immediately. Raydonn began walking towards the artillery pieces as five troops came from around them and fired a wild spray his way. His saber came before himself and with both hands he spun the twin purple blades in such speed that they blurred into a single purple rotating disk that blocked all bolts from hitting him, and sent them all flying in wild directions up and down.

Kira to their left raised her left hand again, and wildly grinned. Raydonn saw no lightning but felt a pulse leave from her thru the Force and enter the men. They suddenly stopped firing and began coughing, grunting, some sounded like they were even vomiting. Or, worse than that some sounded like they were choking on their own regurgitation.

Offee sighed contentedly and smirked as her curved saber lowered to the dirt in front of her. That's when Raydonn just noticed the officer in command on the ground and at Kira's mercy with his hands before his face. He was shaking terribly, and out of fear of the girl losing her mind Raydonn all but jumped toward them.

"In the name of the Force Offee! What did you do to those men?" He pointed to the men still writhing and coughing or worse in the dirt a bit ahead of them. Kira smirked sweetly.

"I know things, lots of things. Some things lots of Sith or even dumb Jedi don't know, or remember. Back in the days of true power for the Sith some were so strong that they could use the Force to make and send viruses into the blood of your enemies. 'Viruses made by the Force Kira that's impossible!' Or so you'd think, but those men are living...for now at least, proof otherwise. They'll be dead as soon as the virus wears their bodies out." She coolly explained and let her eyes linger for a moment longer before turning on the captain.

Raydonn cleared his throat.

"Well that's comforting. At least you didn't kill the officer."

"Of course not! I don't kill who you say not to, or anyone says not to. Unless they need to be gutted. It's part of the job, and you have to get the job done and done right. Am I correct or not?" Raydonn relented and held his free hand up in surrender.

"Yeah, yeah calm down." Raydonn allowed his saber to return to an off state. He twisted himself toward the fallen shaking commander and came to stand beside Kira who quietly kept her piercing feral nexu-like gaze on the man with her saber at his neck. Its low hum likely never ceasing to ring in the mans ears.

"Alright now I don't have a lot of time, and I'm sure you'd much rather talk to me than her." Raydonn pointed his thumb over his shoulder toward Kira her maintained her gaze onto the officer. She did, however, smirk a little more widely his way.

"Now I'm sure you can hear the, uh, shall we say, pained cries of your men over there. And, let me just say that wasn't my idea certainly, but the dead men? That was me...sorry. But, basically I need some information only you or another officer could give. Tell me and I'll let you live. As a prisoner of course, but live nonetheless. Don't help, and my friend beside me will have a new toy to chew on. And when I mean 'chew on,' I think she's capable sir." Raydonn whispered the last sentence with a flare of humor in his voice.

The officer's eyes darted from Raydonn's face to Kira, and it was clear to Raydonn; ironically so in fact, that he was far more frightened by the thirteen or maybe fourteen year old girl beside him. Rather than he himself wearing his armor holing his saber in hand, and all. Though Raydonn lifted his gaze as he gurgles of the writhing men finally quieted and their bodies settled before going fully limp.

Nonetheless he returned his eyes to the officer before him on the ground. He was slightly shaking and had his eyes transfixed onto Kira still. Raydonn glanced her way and noted her own eyes seemed glazed. Like her thoughts were elsewhere while fixed solely on him. Raydonn couldn't imagine where this girl's head went.

"Okay, 'do or die time,' buddy." Raydonn's voice caught the mans attention again and his eyes, which Raydonn noted were green, darted to Raydonn's face.

"What...what is it you want to know?"

"Nothing much really. Just, oh you know, the location of general Ioyashi. And, please don't tell me he's in the center building. Unless of course he is there. In which case he's really a lot mores stupid than I gave him credit. But, realize this, I'm an imperial inquisitor, and you should know I know whenever someone's lying to me. At which point you're meat for my friend here." The officer seemed to bristle at the thought.

"General Ioyashi? Yes of course, the general, he's not at the central control building...no not at all." Raydonn nodded and motioned for the man to hurry up and answer. "He stationed himself at the ore receptacle facility. In a basement sub-level. On the southern side of the complex site just a bit away from the central facility. I swear it."

He shivered as he spoke. Raydonn observed him for a few moments longer. Scanning his dark blue eyes over the officer's green. They jumped between Raydonn and Kira or her saber, but Raydonn reached out thru the Force. It was that which led him to believe he was indeed telling the truth.

"Alright that'll do." Raydonn nodded and motioned Kira to lower her saber. "He's telling the truth."

"So?" Kira retorted with a glaring look in her eyes.

"So? What do you mean, 'so?' I just said he's telling the truth." Kira snorted and rolled her eyes once again.

"You said he'd be left to live as a prisoner right almighty smart one? Well riddle me this, how are we going to imprison him in the deep of Moff territory? Don't you think they've noticed a little less artillery fire from this zone? Do you wanna carry him with us across the terrain, or back to our lines to throw him to the troopers?

'I guess we have the time to do that, run back to this facility he says Ioyashi is hiding in, and break our way in and take the man out. Man you must be really karking good to think we can do all that without being stopped, jumped attacked, or otherwise."

Raydonn sneered slightly but realized she had a point. Which irritated him. Especially as he noted the twinkle of self satisfaction in her crazed and yellow blotched eyes.

"Alright shut up and cut the sarcasm. I suppose we'll tie him up somewhere. Nice and quiet and away from anyone ever finding him. At least until we win the battle and Calipsa. Then we'll have someone pick him up and-"

"Better idea!" Kira cut him off and with a great suddenness she whipped her saber from left to right in a quick, and fine motion becoming of one mastered in the form of makashi saber combat. Raydonn darted his eyes towards the officer. He hadn't seen it coming, and maybe for him that was a good thing. As Raydonn saw his neck seared and burned along a cauterized cut that nearly severed the had from the shoulders.

"Oh...sorry did I not give you fair warning that I was about to clear up a loose end? My apologies almighty intelligent one. Now can we get going?" Kira's voice inquired in her sweetly innocent tone that still reeked of sarcasm. Raydonn glared her way, but eventually sighed.

"Whatever girl, just stop screwing around and follow my damn lead, or I'll put you in your place."

"Ooh, I'm super scared old man." Kira retorted as you would expect a teenager too.

"I'm hardly old. Now like I said shut up and follow me. We have a mission to complete here, and I'm not in the mood for lagging behind. Especially not for you, and your psychosis." Kira simply giggled again and made after the ex-inquisitor as he darted toward the facility the officer had mentioned. For the most part they stuck to his way of things and laid low with hardly any lives taken. As they moved swiftly and softly thru the murky fields and among the many buildings and Moff emplacements.

They would soon be upon the building in question. And see a massive Moff defensive force in place. It was but one of many challenges to come. One for them both to overcome, for the prize that awaited inside.

(Expansion-Region, Kailion Sector, Tlactehon System, Tlactehon)

The world was practically on fire. Tlactehon was under siege by the Galactic Empire, and had been for the last four days. The Moff forces held their own for about the first day, but then fell into disarray. They fell into broken sectors without centralized leadership and heavy reliance on mercenary forces. Many of which were alien and from the Outer-Rim. Fights broke out between mercenaries and several Moff cliques. All as the Empire directly commanded by Darth Vader, fell onto the world.

Moff forces in three of the five major cities on the planet had fallen. The fourth was under attack by Imperial forces led by general Malcor Brashin, and the fifth was under immense siege by Vader himself, and his two shadow acolytes in the field.

So the city was burning, and most civilians were running behind imperial front lines without any attempt to stop them by imperial forces. Overhead stardestroyers loomed with armadas of TIE fighters and bombers always passing in wait for orders, or simply flying about in clear intimidation.

Moff forces have lost all artillery and AA batteries. And, the city was now filled mostly with nothing but Moff forces, both normal and mercenary units. They were now looming in the dark of battered and blown out buildings and collapsing skyscrapers. Moff troops were hiding in the alleyways and waiting to ambush imperial platoons or battalions on the move thru the city.

One such unit was laying in wait in one such alleyway.

"I hate this. I really hate these tactics, I hate these damn mercs and I hate this karking world."

"Shut it. We all hate it. You don't hear us whining about it like you are Joth." One trooper commander seethed to a trooper behind him. He and several of his men were kneeling behind some shabbily set up metal barricades and cover that looked out onto a street where they knew an imperial transport column to be heading soon.

"Then why are we still here? We've lost what? Eighty-seven percent of our combat ability and Moff Kaine orders us to fight to the last?! What kind of poodoo is that? I mean every last man is needed as far as I'm aware. We're losing across the karking board out there in the wide, wide galaxy!" The commander sighed and jerked his head around to more directly speak to the trooper.

"Dammit Joth will you shut it. We'd be dead either way. We stay with the Empire right, let's go with that possibility for our unit. Then what? We'd be here or worse off and dead fighting Moff troops. As long as we're part of the Moff rebellion we have a chance to give some back to the Empire. Show them we're worth more than just pawns thrown into the meat grinder."

"Speak for yourself. Respectfully commander." The commander tossed his head to his left where his sniper lay prone looking down his scopes. He didn't reply to him. Though he knew he was a cloned stormtrooper.

"See, Two-fifty-seven knows what he's talking about!"

"Shut up Joth. And, call your fellow squad mate by the name he wishes to be called by. Not some damn number." Joth sighed loudly and weakly saluted as he returned his attention to the opposite end of the alleyway. The commander shook his head, picked up his binoculars and scanned the street and beyond to the opposite side.

There lay another alleyway with another squad of Moff troopers waiting to ambush the incoming imperial transport. The sounds of walkers and repulsor vehicles grew nearer from the street, and he wanted to see if the signal had been given. He scanned the alley, but did not see any of the troops laying in wait. In fact he should have seen at least one...

"Kollitz,"

"Aye sir?"

"Comm over to captain Darved, and have him send the 'all clear,' code our way." The trooper, Kollitz, behind his mask frowned but began to do as ordered. The commander scanned again, but found no signs of life. His adrenaline began to pound thru him and a sensation like that of a trapped prey beneath the gaze of a predator befell him.

"No reply commander. I got nothing. Request to scan other secured channels, commanders sir." Kollitz reported sounding worried himself.

"Hold on Kollitz. Joth, pick up your binoculars and look to the far alleyway. See if you can spot commander Holdin's company!" No reply came his way, and the commander lowered his binoculars as his brows furrowed.

"Joth?" He turned and so did most of his men. Only Joth wasn't there. The commander jumped into a stand and aimed his blaster pistol down the alley. His men jumped to attention along with him and aimed their rifles along with him, as his sniper and Kollitz remained by the barricade and exchanged looks even thru their masks.

"Joth!? Joth sound off you karking son of a Hutt!" The commander called in a low seethe that traveled down the alley.

"Argh!" The commander shot left just in time to see one of his troopers get shot into the air. The commander cried and jumped back against the alleyway wall. The other trooper with him began panting in fear and aimed up to where his friend had just been jettisoned and began firing.

The rest of the squad turned and aimed up in response to their teammates sudden action. The commander aimed up as well but withheld his fire as he scanned te skies. They were littered with distant ships and smoke, but he saw nothing. Not even his soldier's body.

That was until a hard and loud thud sounded from the far alleyway. All of them looked that way to see the body of the trooper lifted into the air had fallen. It seemed mangled and the armor dented likely from the fall if nothing else.

"Okay that one I admit was a bit unnecessary." They again all threw their bodies towards their original barricade facing the street. Standing there with arms crossed in front of himself stood a boy. Couldn't be any older than a teenager. He wore a black cloak with a cowl over his head, but unmistakable tufts of blonde hair came from beneath it.

"Don't look at me, that was him." The blonde said, and his voice was different than the firsts. He pointed up, and the commander followed to see another boy kneeling on a low jutting balcony from one of the alley buildings looking down on them with a smirk along his features.

This boy was nearly fully shaven atop his head, but seemed more like a military shaven style. His clothes were stranger, and more tight fitting for this one, and seemed like some archaic stylish re-imagining of a tunic or armor fashioned into cloth form. Along this boy's wrists were several straps that had longer fabric hanging down and floating in the air. It seemed more like a stylish choice than anything else. But, what scared the commander more was the inactive weapon in his right hand. He'd seen one before. It was a lightsaber!

The commander aimed his blaster at the boy on the balcony and was about to speak when that very same boy raised a quieting hand up high.

"I swear by all the powers of the Force and wider universe. If you say, 'blast them,' I will take my time in killing you and your lot." The commander grimaced and growled behind his mask. He felt anger ripple thru him and shouted.

"Kill them!"

"Much better!" The boy cried as a hail of blaster fire rung out and slammed against the metal of the terrace the boy was on and the building's wall. The boy immediately threw himself off the terrace and ell onto the alleyway floor on both feet. His saber sprung to life in a brilliant crimson red and in a backwards held fashion.

Without another word or any apprehension he spun his body and slashed against one trooper. Twisting his saber he stabbed a second thru his chest and yanked it out to swing from over his left shoulder down cleaving down a third trooper.

The other boy sent out his right hand and something like a blast wave hit the sniper and Kollitz sending them flying back passed the other boy on the floor. They heaved and groaned even as their commander and his last two men fired rapidly against the boy with his saber in hand.

His saber came in front of him and was easily spun before his body as he blocked every bolt that made for him. He spun his body and his saber with him came thrashing with him in his spin and slammed against another incoming bolt and sent it back to its originator who fell in a loud cry as the bolt hit his helmet.

The second trooper beside the commander made to shoot but was suddenly levitated off the ground and began squirming and demanding to be put down. The blonde boy held his left hand out in a gripped manner and held this trooper into the air.

"Goodnight." The blonde spoke simply and threw the trooper against the wall and knocked him out cold. Or, perhaps worse, the commander couldn't tell as the body fell motionless to the ground. Leaving him, Kollitz and Two-fifty-seven on their own.

The boy from the balcony returned his saber to the backwards held position and smirked their way as he neared.

"Uh, uh, uh, my turn to talk." The blonde spoke and the other boy came to a halt. He looked over shoulder and obviously suppressed rolling his eyes.

"Fine but hurry up. It's going to be like the last twenty times though."
"We'll see." The blonde replied and pushed passed his friend who remained at the ready to kill. The blonde came before the three and bowed.

"My friend here may be a bit overzealous, but in all truthfulness he was protecting himself. You've got to admit that much." The commander furrowed his brow and felt a sneer pass his lips.

"I know you're all angry, but hear me out. I've given this speech like nineteen-"

"Twenty!" The saber holding boy corrected with a groan. The blonde sighed.

"'Twenty,' times today, and it's beginning to get old. But, I wanted to offer you guys the same thing I offered every other Moff squad I've come across. Some didn't give me time to really say, others were biding their time to shoot me. So here's the deal. You can surrender here and now, and be done with all this war business, and admittedly be prisoners of war, but alive POW's." The commander scoffed and aimed his blaster more readily. As did his last two men.

"Please, POW's to Darth Vader?! Like asking nerf's to walk happily into a meat grinder. Never!" The blonde sighed and threw his hands up in defeat.

"Have it your way." Suddenly both his hands went rigid with the palms facing the commander and his men and another powerful blast of energy sent them hurdling to the far alleyway with such incredible force they were assured to die on impact. The thuds were loud and cracking, but indeed all three lives eased out of existence into the Force.

"That was good. Quick, efficient. Nice work." Starkiller praised and deactivated his saber, attaching back to his belt. "I did tell you they wouldn't listen. You could sense the freight fueled defiance from the start." Luke nodded but held a frown on his face as he observed the other fallen troops.

"Well after the number you did on these is it a wonder they said no? They probably thought you wanted to play with their insides!" Luke chastised but in all honesty he didn't seem upset much. Starkiller just chuckled and shrugged.

"Like you said, they shot first."

"Well I technically fibbed. You tossed their first two troopers into the sky remember?" Starkiller waved his hand.

"Semantics." Luke shook his head as his friend and fellow acolyte pulled out his comlink. The little communication device sounded and beeped in waiting until a hologram of their master appeared. Darth Vader stood in all his intimidating and dark glory with arms folded over his chest. Even as nothing but toy size he could be intimidating.

"My master." Starkiller bowed his head.

"Father." Luke did the same though bore a smirk on his face. While Starkiller was all seriousness where it came to Vader.

"By your contact I assume the objectives have been met?" Vader asked as he bid them first a small nod in greeting.

"We have, my master. All alleyways leading up the central plaza have been cleared of ambushers. We await further instruction." Starkiller again bowed his head. Luke didn't bother and merely nodded in agreement with Starkiller.

"You both have done well then. The transport with the detachment of the 501st legion will now proceed at full speed towards the capital square. Neither of you are needed in that battle. For all intents and purposes the planet is ours. Now is the time for clearing out festering hold out positions. You both will return to me. We are done with this world. A far more important front has been opened up that requires my attention at once. And, both of you are coming with me."

Both teen shared a confused but anxious look with the other. Luke was the one who dared to voice a question.

"Where's that?"

"I will say no more over comlink. It is out of sector, that is all I shall say. Return to me at once." With that Vader cut their transmission and left both teens dumbfounded for a moment.

"Well he seems grumpier than usual today." Luke sighed. Starkiller didn't reply. He always and probably would forever feel uncomfortable agreeing or disagreeing with such a comment about his master.

"We should return and let the army deal with the rest of this world. It's as good as gone as our lord said." Luke nodded. Then he grinned.

"I'll race ya there! Loser does the others Force research for the other!" Luke bounded up onto the terrace and left Starkiller gaping.

"Hardly a fair head start Luke! It wont help anyways." Starkiller smirked and followed after him. As both of them raced towards Vader beyond the city.

---

(Moments Earlier)

"Are you certain?" Lord Vader demanded in a voice that seemed more like a subtle seething roar than ever before. Indeed his body almost seemed to shake in fury and it scared the man on the other end of the comm channel.

"Ye...yes my lord, the Emperor himself has ordered me to contact you on the matter, and then to put your through to his royal person. My lord Vader." The man bowed deeply. Vader glared, and barely contained his rage.

"Very well." Vader simply intoned and the frightened officer began immediately keying in along his console. His image faded and the blue hue of the hologram began to distort and change. Vader stood before a mobile holoterminal, and thus the figure of those speaking was roughly the same size of the actual person in question. As such, when Palpatine came into view he was upon his throne and looking down upon Vader. An obvious move to elevate himself both in power and physically above Vader.

"Lord Vader, my dear old friend. How are you?" Vader took a moment to respond. He numbly realized he hadn't knelt before the Emperor and proceeded to do so. Feigning mild pain in the action as well to send to the Emperor the idea of his body's continued brokenness.

"I am...well, my master. I have received your message. Is it true?" He asked remaining in his kneeled position. Palpatine waved him off lazily with hie right hand still laying upon his throne's armrest.

"Ah yes 'that' matter. Indeed it is true. I had wished to inform and instruct you myself on the matter. After all I know the planet holds significance to you." Vader felt his throat constrict and chest boil in anger and resentment.

"It meas nothing to me master. It meant much to Anakin Skywalker." Palpatine grinned and his yellow eyes though not colored yellow by the hologram were, nonetheless, visibly glowing and twinkling in dark delight.

"Ah indeed? Then I had been mistaken." He cackled. "Very well, lord Vader. Then I shall instruct you on the matter, nonetheless." Vader dipped his helmeted head some. His master new what he was doing to him, and Vader knew it, but he would not dare to confront him otherwise on this matter. He felt his body pound with adrenaline fueled by wrath and anger, but he could do nothing but listen to the instructions of his master.

"It has been confirmed by those in the system, and informants I.I has infiltrated into Moff ranks, thanks to the efforts of director Isard. 'Grand Moff Kaine,' as the man now anoints himself as. Has massed an even larger armada than the last, and has drove a deep spike into the very heart of the Chommell sector. The attacks began yesterday, standard time. Atop those of the previous invading armada and ground forces.

'Millions of Moff forces backed by scores of mercenaries are now just a few worlds out from besieging Naboo. I believe in the minds of the Moffs and their leadership; that attacking this world will somehow lessen my authority in imperial space, and across the galaxy at large. My birth world is of little concern to me, but the fact is that we have a massive defense force within the sector. All those who remained faithful and loyal to me from the Mid-Rim fled to Chommell.

'Now it is our time to reinforce them across the sector and defend our last true secure Mid-Rim holdings. Grand admiral Josef Grunger has requested aid at once, and requires additional forces to garrison Naboo. He has been forced to strip portions of its defenders both in space and on the ground to shore up defenses under heavy attack by more capable than previously assumed Moff forces. That is where you and Death Squadron will come into play, Lord Vader. You will temporarily absorb the thirty-second and fifty-eighth assault squadrons into Death Squadron. Do you understand, Lord Vader?"

Finally the Emperor ceased instructing and Vader felt his hands ball into fists. It took him a moment to calm himself and speak as unwanted memories flooded into his mind. He hated them, hated his master, hated the galaxy, hated Obi-Wan, and in this moment he hated himself more than ever. As it all came flooding into his mind.

"I understand master. What is it that you demand of me? To remain above world, or to direct fores across the sector?" Palpatine hummed and leaned back into his throne. He was feigning having not thought of the answer to the question. But, Vader knew otherwise. He was merely being toyed with.

"I think you indeed should command force across the sector, Lord Vader. However, you and your charges are deserving of a small respite I think. Why don't you land on world and take them to Theed."

"I would prefer-"

"What you prefer is not of any importance to me, my old friend." Palpatine cut Vader off. His eyes narrowed some, and voice grew dark. Then it was quickly wiped from his face and a sickeningly deceitful smile came onto his face again.

"Land on Naboo take up residence temporarily within the Theed royal palace. With my authorization, if queen Kylantha opens her mouth against it. You will remain on Naboo, and you will defend it and Chommell if the need calls for it. You will remain until orders are given to you otherwise. Understood?"

Vader looked toward the floor and ground hie teeth together. Before he finally closed his eyes and sighed out once, and released ever so carefully a small amount of his anger into the Force.

"Yes, master."

"Excellent. Gather whom and what you need and make for the system at once. I look forward to hearing of your activities and accomplishments upon so...unimportant a world. Lord Vader." The Emperor bid him goodbye with a bow of his hooded head, and Vader remained kneeling in quiet seethe for a few moments longer. Images and flashes of lava and fire, burning flesh entered his mind.

Dead children and ruined statues speaking of an order that had lasted thousands of years. His saber the cause of it all. The blue eyes of an old friend looking pleadingly at him and then in anger. The brown hair and eyes of...no he wouldn't go there. Vader shook in quiet rage, and the Force echoed off of him in tremendous roar. The power of the Chosen One, or so some would have called him was clear and thunderous in this moment. It was terrifying.

But then, his comlink rang, and he answered after coming to a stand. Looking upon Starkiller, but more chiefly his son brought him back from the brink of maddening wrath and anger. He felt almost dizzy as he told them to return to him. Just looking upon Luke though, the boys smiling face, and thoughts heading out towards his daughter brought him to calm. Yet, the thought of going there, to that wretched world after avoiding it for so long.

It made his skin crawl, and hate boil.

(Vensensor Sector, Sarrish System, Sarrish)

"Pile all of them over there." Viathan pointed to his right along the western side of the burned, broken and bloodied modular garrison base. Masses of normal imperial infantry and stormtrooper infantry units were hauling the remains of many thousands of dark troopers from around the modular garrison and piling them. He had finished reinforcing the order to Hoy who had only just returned from a now fully conquered front.

The battle of Sarrish was over. The organic Moff forces that surrendered to Hoy and Leia's troops were being transferred to camps before being taken to the fleet and then some POW camp likely in the Deep-Core. Viathan nursed his left arm and grunted lowly. His whole body was covered in scrapes, bumps and bruises, but he would live. He struck down more dark troopers over the last two and a half days than he did living breathing enemy forces.

He sat himself onto a rock near to the garrison base that was still smoking and had rubble spread all around it. He again hadn't slept in about four days, but the Force was keeping tiredness in check. As far as it was concerned he only felt a dull throb in his temples every time he blinked.

"So, another rough night?" He looked up to see Leia smiling down at him. Viathan chuckled very lowly, and offered her a seat beside him by patting the rock. She accepted gracefully and sat down in a very lady like manner. Even crossing her legs and folding her hands onto her lap. She was herself a tad dirty from dirt and grime of battle. Sweat being an endless pain in such situations. Her hair was a little disheveled but maintained for the most part. Other than a few tears in her clothing exposing some scratches or skin along her waist and upper chest she was fine.

"Wanna ell me what those are?" She pointed to the now massive dark trooper pile.

"A program I had thought put on indefinite hold until war's end. I realize now it was foolish to assume the Moffs would do the same. The Dark Trooper program was an operation designed to eventually phase out all organic military forces and replace them with droids." Leia pursed her lips in thought.

"Isn't that-"

"A contradiction to the Clone Wars? Indeed, and you're not the first to point it out my la...I mean Leia. Nonetheless it was ordered into being by my mast...I mean the Emperor many years ago. It was considered by him to be the only means by which he could be assured of the absolute loyalty of his armies and navies. You can produce them faster than clones or normal bred forces, and no aliens are allowed into the military service of course.

'When the war began you haven't a clue how many ideas, projects and other such things were put on hold. This was one of them, but I was remiss in thinking the Moffs not only didn't know about the ideas, but wouldn't try to implement them themselves. I fear that this was simply a testing party. One that did a lot more damage than even I anticipated." Viathan lamented and sighed. Leia nodded and both silently watched the pile grow bigger as troops from the front also began flooding back to base and relaxing for a moment before new instructions were handed out.

"How was the front?" Viathan asked at last as he continued to nurse his left arm with his right hand running up and down the length of it. Leia shrugged and forced a smile onto her face again.

"As best as could be hoped for. Me, Shira, and your general Hoy; good guy may I say very loyal and effective, we pushed out of the gorge and the Moffs were pushed further and further back. Eventually we flanked the enemy from the east, or left of the gorge to give you an idea. And, they quickly collapsed. Many surrendered. Most killed themselves." Leia sighed and shook her head. Viathan nodded. There wasn't much he could say, and no words to make her feel better about the self chosen fate of those men.

"How is Shira Brie?" Leia chuckled more strongly than before.

"Oh she's just calling to 'update,' my brother on matters." Viathan cocked a brow.

"Update your brother Luke? Why would she..." Leia sent him a knowing look, and Viathan took a moment to finally realize its meaning.

"Ah. I see. Well that's good." Leia laughed, and Viathan became flustered, but said no more on that matter.

"What happened to the arm? Let me guess, got into a bar fight with a houk?" She raised her brow in obvious jest. Viathan again weakly chuckled.

"Rather a fight with two large dark troopers. Purge variant. Very dangerous and capable against lightsabers and Force users. Arm shields, rocket mounts on their shoulders, and strong frames, with resistance to saber damage. For a time at least. One threw me against the wall." Leia nodded.

"Let me see it." She commanded and motioned for him to turn where he sat. he sent her a confused look. She sighed and gave him a stern look. Until Viathan finally sighed and shuffled so his left arm was facing her.

"A few nights of rest and meditation and it shall heal. There's hardly anything you can do for it mil- ARGH!" Viathan was cut off from his own ramblings as her hands wrapped around elbow where the upper arm met it. He gasped again as she felt around and furrowed her brow.

"You know I'm no doctor, but I think I know a broken bone when I feel one." Viathan sighed out his pain.

"It wasn't broken after the fight. Must have broken in a later one." Leia grimaced and shook her head.

"Never know when to rest do you Vale?"

"Wasn't ever taught how. Doctor Lucentos never had that concept for me to learn." Leia furrowed her brow more deeply, and Viathan wanted to slap himself for letting that one slip.

"Lucentos? Who's that?"

"Nobody. No one of any importance whatsoever." Viathan was quick to reply, and turned his head away from Leia. She cocked her head to try and get a look at his expression but he simply turned more away. It was obvious to her he didn't want to talk about this person.

"Well whoever taught or was supposed to teach you whatever didn't do a good job in the field of self preservation. Pushing yourself to the very edge of death does not assure you of survivability. It only proves you are a danger to yourself and skilled enough to not die." Viathan didn't respond. He felt his right hand involuntarily ball into a fist as the image of the good doctor came into his mind.

"I survive where few others do. That's enough."

"Yeah well when people don't want you to die maybe you should consider them before you jump into the lake of lava to...I don't know find some Sith lord's bones from thousands of years ago." Viathan turned toward her and held a baffled look on his face. Leia only shrugged.

"Hey it could happen. I don't pretend to know how he's in lava and not melted but you know... The sentiment is what matters!" Viathan laughed a little more openly and nodded.

"Very well. I will consider the melting bones of a dead Sith lord next time I enter battle and am injured." Leia smiled in accomplishment.

"Ah, so he can be made to listen to reason." She said as she continued to mindlessly check his arm for further wounds. They sat in silence until she finally relented his arm back to him.

"So, what's next? What mud-hole of a world do we head for after today?" Viathan sighed.

"Not sure yet. I've received no new orders from either my master, or your father, my Lord Vader. Or even the Emperor. I am not yet given leave to choose a target until we take the rest of the Corellian Trade Spine is retaken. Or, until other commands are given from those above me. I'll likely have to contact my master and receive command after we return to the fleet." Leia once again nodded, and leaned back on the rock they both found themselves sitting on.

"Well I suppose an actual night of sleep would do us all some good. Maybe we could finally have that dueling rematch if time permits even." She smirked and Viathan shrugged.

"I suppose we could. Once my arm's back in working order. Then we shall see just how much you've improved since our last sparring match." Leia smirked, and Viathan got the impression she took that as a challenge. One he was just as eager to meet. As they sat in silence for a little more time before they would return to the fleet.

From the nearby shadows of the garrison Darssus watched the whole scene. His eyes narrowed for a moment, before a hum of thought loosed itself from his throat.

"Very interesting indeed." Was all the boy said to himself as he returned to his own personal matters.

(Outer-Rim Territories, Belderone Sector, Belderone System, Belderone)

The world of Belderone had not been of any importance to the wider galaxy since General Grievous had decimated it and killed twenty seven Jedi attempting to evacuate civilians from the planet. Since then all was quiet save for an imperial factory being set up on world to produce AT-AT's.

The walkers had been set some time back to be tested out and used on the very same civilian population of Belderone. However, with the coming of the war, and takeover of the sector by the Moff Alliance, such an unnecessary action that would only embolden URM sentiments on world was put to rest.

So it was that a young boy with black hair, immense youthful energy and a smile on his face walked across a wide open field between his little village and one of the larger cities of this simple world. With him walking was his good friend by the name of Barney.

"You know it doesn't really matter what you do, there's no way you're getting a job Flint. I tried, but nobody's hiring. Especially not kids." Barney declared with a sigh as he and Flint moved through some tall grass.

"Ah but see I'm no kid, I'm a teenager. We both are Barney. Come one! Two applications and you wanna quit?!" Flint chuckled as Barney rolled his eyes. The dark skinned boy had indeed applied for jobs, but the war and Moff forces on the world had sucked away all opportunities. His zealous friend, however, thought it was all in willpower apparently.

"Flint man, you have to see the writing on the wall. The jobs are all eaten up, because all the jobs that aren't related to the Moff war machine are gone. Everybody's living on local farmed goods, and no stuff is coming in from off world."

"Well if that's true," Flint began. "How does my mom still have her job huh? As a waitress mind you." Barney scoffed as tall grass hit his face.

"Because she's a waitress at a restaurant that all the local officers eat at?" Flint growled almost.

"Karking scum bags. Moff, Imperial it doesn't matter. They're all the same damn thing man. They treat my mom like a damn slave with not a thank you or even tips. The farmers with nothing to spare tip her better, and she's nothing but nice to them. Don't get why, she should be spitting in their food. But, no she's gotta be all nice and whatever." Barney chuckled a little.

"Yeah maybe you should take a hint man. You talk like that around the wrong people and you'll end up in a ditch by those very people you call scum bags. Then who'd take care of your mom?"

"Why do you think I need a job?" Flint replied sounding sadder than he had previously.

"Fair enough, but uh, why we going to Betida? I hate that damn city. Last time I went I got jumped by a human a rodian and what I think was some type of bug thing and had all my money taken."

"What all five cred-cents?" Flint shot and began laughing.

"Laugh it up man, but when it's you don't come crying to me." They both laughed anyways as they kept on moving forward. However, as they went on for some time they stopped.

"You hear that?" Barney asked and held his arm out to stop Flint.

"Yeah...sounds like it's coming from Betida."

"No what it sounds like is blaster fire." Barney retorted. Flint listened for a few moments and then nodded.

"Yeah you're right. Come on!" Barney made to stop him but groaned as he missed Flint's shirt. The boy bounded up a tall hill before them that would have led to a valley going towards Betida city. They reached the top of the hill and looked out towards the city and were in awe.

"Oh man." Barney intoned as they took in the city smoking. Massive explosions rocked all across the city. Blaster bolts could be seen exchanged from afar all over, and they managed to see the tallest building in the city, the capitol spire collapse into the city and take down several other buildings with it.

"Look!" Flint smacked Barney's chest and pointed up. He did look up and they saw a fleet of CIS designed warships moving overhead.

"The URM! They're here, they're here!" Flint began laughing and cheering. Barney more calmly looking as a Providence-class moved over the city with a swarm of droid fighters along with it. They were all obviously inside the atmosphere and passed the orbital shields.

"Suck on that you imperial lackeys!" Flint shouted as he cupped his mouth with both hands. Barney pushed his arms down.

"Will you stop it!"

"What?! They can't hear me over the sound of themselves losing!" He laughed and almost began dancing.

"Yeah you can be all jumpy and happy as you want man, but did you see the spire? How many do you think died in that?"

"I don't know, but I can guarantee it was the Moffs who did it. Probably killing some civies just to try and get back at the droids kicking their backside." He figured and shrugged.

"Didn't they do all the killing the last time they were here? The droids I mean."

"Yeah but that was years ago, and they're under new leadership remember?"

"Oh yeah!" Barney scoffed. "Yeah crazy old Nelrain. Man you got your head shoved up your backside! She's pretty bad from all the reports I've heard."

"Yeah Moff or Imp reports." Flint quickly shot back.

The city shook and so did the valley and hill. As the Providence fired down into the city and pounded a sector of the shopping district. Both Barney and Flint had to shield their eyes from the light of the blasts. The sound rung in their ears until at last the bombardment ended about seven minutes later.

They both looked again to see the whole section gone. Completely obliterated from the planet. Leaving nothing but a burning crater.

"Whoa...that's not good man. Look call me crazy but they just wiped out a chunk of the city Flint!" The other boy began breathing heavily and with horror stricken on his face.

"But...how, why?! The URM they're not..."

"Who cares what they are or aren't man?! Let's get out of here. We gotta go warn everyone else in the village. You know my parents, your mom?!" Barney's face was flushed and flustered. His worry was evident by the lines forming across his face, and his eyes were filled with terror. Flint looked at the city of Betida as the URM laid it to waste where the Moffs and imperials had not. It didn't feel right to him. It made him sick. He made himself sick. He wanted to cry, or run. But then...

"Mom!" He clutched Barney's arm and thrust him back downhill.

"Come on Barney!"

"I know just keep going!" The boy shouted and they ran. Ran faster than they ever had before. And, as they did overhead went flying a small armada of fighters bombers, and transports. They flew so low Flint and Barney both swore they heard vulture droids chattering in their binary tongue.

Where those droids were headed was obvious, and made those boys pound their legs harder and harder still against the soil of Belderone. As they hoped beyond hope that when they got home they didn't see it smoldering beneath droid assault.

They would find their hope was dashed, and Belderone burned under the might of the droids of the United Rebellion Movement.

---

Authors Note: Sorry for the long wait guys. College quarter was rough, and now I'm in break, and finally pushed a chapter out. Hopefully it placates you guys until the next. As norma please point out to me or excuse any and all likely grammar errors that will be present. Please leave a review if it so pleases you, as it does me I assure you, and please no flames. If you must be critical be constructive please. Nonetheless, thanks for reading and I'll see you at the next.