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First Order Citadel, Titan, Sol System
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Finnigan Incite peered down at the great assembly area carved into the crust of the large Saturnal moon. The vast yard was filled with nearly two thousand of his fellow Earthlings in the midst of their morning calisthenics. They were arranged in neat rows arranged into large squares of a hundred participants. They were working pretty hard even under Titan's gravity, which was only .14 times Earth's. First Order drill instructors walked steadily through the ranks as another instructor barked commands over a loud speaker. Occasionally, one or two of the instructors would charge through the ranks or pull out someone who was seen as deficient or slacking.
From his perch, high in one of the mining refinery's substations, Finnigan could hear the crack of the electro-whip on their backs as they were properly motivated for their exercises. Already, nearly fifty thousand Earthlings had been brought up as laborers to assist the First Order in establishing a base on Titan. All but a mere handful were 3rd and 4th Class citizens. Finnigan had lived on Earth long enough to realize the Confederacy cared little for people of such low-born status and correctly assumed they had been sent up here as fodder to be worked to death by the Confederacy's ally.
The new arrivals were undergoing what the First Order called programming. None of them came up here with a family member or loved one. Anyone noticed getting too friendly with another member of their training class was immediately separated and reassigned. Attachment was forbidden, as was talking about stuff from back home. Here the whole focus was on the First Order and advancing its needs. They took classes on Home Galaxy history with a heavy First Order narrative. They were taught to revere Palpatine, Snoke and the two Rens as replacements for the worship Confederates encouraged of President Harris back home. They learned that not only was Empress Phasma a false Empress, but that the 2nd Galactic Empire was inherently weak because it had not been culled and forged in the cauldron of chaos that had occurred after titanic struggles known as the Battles of Endor and Jakku. Like the victories they had won back in their original galaxy, the First Order would bring order, then peace to the Milky Way, and these Earthlings would be part of it.
From what Finnigan understood, the Earthlings hadn't been brought up as replacement Stormtroopers. The First Order didn't trust them that much, and they had their own 23rd Legion under General Crisis besides. Twenty-three large military warships of the 7th Fleet of Conquest had helped overrun the Home Galaxy and then been sidetracked on a mission to a world called Wayland to retrieve some objects for the returned Emperor. It had been at Wayland that the 7th Fleet of Conquest had been sucked into a wormhole/ black hole/ Time-space vortex or whatever you called it that had blasted them across the universe and into the Milky Way. Those twenty-three ships carried only their crews through their long hyperjump, without any of the support crew needed to maintain a fleet.
Now here on Titan a virtual division of Earthling welders, carpenters, shipwrights, engineers and construction workers were being trained to be good, little First Order workers. They had brought up heavy construction and mining equipment from Earth and carved out a mighty subterranean base with a pressurized drive yard on the surface for ship repairs, currently occupied by the Slayer to repair the damage the Resurgent sustained at the recent Battle of New Mandalore.
The First Order overseers had been more focused on their programming efforts up until yesterday. Finnigan had been under the understanding that they thought of Titan as temporary housing, with the plan to occupy Nal Kuat and convert it to their permanent base of operations. He wasn't sure what had happened with Admiral Akfar's attack on New Thyfeeria but from the feeling he was drawing from officers on Titan a catastrophe had occurred. Since then they had redoubled their efforts to reinforce Titan by having their imported work force add the foundations for a series of heavy auto-turrets around the surface in only the past two rotations.
The more space they terraformed and dug up, the more equipment they could bring in. Which encouraged the First Order to bring up more workers for more projects. Finnigan had heard talk of starting a TIE factory up here, or perhaps X-1s to replace the First Order's losses. Finnigan didn't know all the details yet, but he heard losses at New Thyfeeria had been grievous. Of course, where they were going to come up with new pilots was anybody's guess.
How the war was going was not a large concern of Finnigan's. Space Force was advancing, despite whatever slowdown had occurred at New Thyfeeria. They hadn't been forced off any of their conquests. And while the President may still be infuriated about the recent Roblin Raid and that impertinent little Kazoookian's speech, the rest of Earth was still in a state of celebration over the reconquest of Mars. More importantly, tens of thousands of new converts were swelling the Guardians of the Whills ranks, increasing his own power base back on Earth. A power base that was infiltrating deeper and deeper into all reaches of the Confederate upper classes. When they finally secured the Imperial colonies he would turn them into a Dark Side, Terran paradise. Let the lower classes mire in the cesspool President Harris had made of their cradle. He would rule the ones he allowed off planet as the New Sith.
Located above Finnigan's head was one of several armored and pressurized sky lights, each about the size and length of a football pitch. The massive ringed world of Saturn filled most of the view as Titan slowly orbited the gas giant at a distance of 1.2 million kilometers. For Finnigan's generation, Saturn reminded him of Luna, though for the older generations who would eventually die out, they could remember a time when the Earth's moon was a solitary orb rather than the encircled sphere the Empire had once shaped it into.
Several space-time disturbances wavered into view as five warships emerged from lightspeed in Titan's orbit. Finnigan thought he was spending too much time on Titan because he recognized them as three Resurgents, an Imperial II Star Destroyer and a Maxima A heavy cruiser. All five of the ships were dwarfed by the appearance, several seconds later, of the massive shape of a Mandator IV Siege Dreadnaught. It was the Fatalizer, Admiral Jethran's flagship, and no doubt it had rushed back to the Sol System to give their version of the events at New Thyfeeria before the quickest Space Force vessel could possibly arrive. Even with their fastest hyperdrive, it would be three more days before an Earth vessel could get back from distant Kafrene Outpost.
If Jethran was back on Titan then he was here to give an accounting of the First Order's actions at New Thyfeeria. No doubt he would lay the blame on Space Force's doorstep. Finnigan knew his master would want him to witness her dealings with the Admiral. He had never been keen on being summoned. It had chafed when he was rising through the ranks of the Guardians, and though she was his master, it rubbed him the wrong way when she snapped her fingers and expected him to heel. He was meant to lead, not follow.
Before one of her minions could track him down he turned away from the exercising Earthlings and started crossing the underground barracks facility. He quickly reached the tram railway that carried him to the Supreme Leader's Keep. One of the first structures built when the First Order came to Titan, the Supreme Leader's Keep was a large black, iron structure with massive braziers kept alight at all hours by a small squad of Ugnaught prisoners. The methane fires were the only light outside of the Keep in the cavern, giving the space a hellish aesthetic.
The interior of the Keep was lit by red lights hidden in long recesses where the walls met the ceiling. Horrible little figures covered in leather scraps and bindings cowered at Finnigan's approach and retreated away down servant hallways. Ugnaughts, Finnigan shuddered. They were disgusting little pig-men aliens before the First Order had seized their tibanna factory around Jupiter and moved it to Titan. Now, after a half year of captivity, they had been made even more horrific by their proximity to the Supreme Leader's experiments with Dark Side energy.
Vala Ren's main receiving room doubled as her throne room, or at least what passed for a throne room in the First Order. In one corner was a large black chair made from blasters welded together by her Ugnaught slaves. Finnigan had seen an old tv-series in college which had a chair made of swords which was constructed along similar lines. The solitary piece of furniture was illuminated by a large device along one wall. It consisted of four lasers focused and aimed directly at a holding clasp containing what appeared to be a chunk of a Benitoite gem imported from Upper California back on Earth. The blue gemstone was already cracking under the intense heat of the laser assault.
As Finnigan entered the room the shards of thousands of gems crunched under his shoes. The soft red lights in the chamber reflected off the haze of gemstone dust hanging in the air. The remains of hundreds of experiments her master performed to find the right combination for a weapon she sought to create. Finnigan thought he understood the process, but the concept of torturing a crystal with lasers and the dark side eluded him.
The door to the chamber slammed shut behind him, causing the room to echo. A low thrum of electricity could be felt as well as heard coursing through the room's massive speaker system. Finnigan knew two parallel walls were actually large speaker boxes designed to confuse and disorientate a foe. His unseen master's voice roared from the devices after several seconds of silence. "I did not summon you, apprentice."
Finnigan dropped to his knee. "I know, my master. It's just that I saw the arrival of . . ."
"It is good that you have come, nonetheless. We have had a breakthrough." Vala announced. She was in almost constant study of the devices her fleet had removed from Wayland, so what sort of breakthrough she was referring to could have been anything, Finnigan felt.
"Wonderful, my Lady. What have we achieved?" Finnigan asked just as the lights in the room cut out. Even the lasers blasting apart the gemstone ceased their ministrations. Finnigan didn't trust his ears. He knew she'd try to trick him with sensory overload. Instead, he reached out with the Force as she had shown him.
He could smell the smoke blowing into the room as the speakers crackled to life. At 130 decibels the base shook him, as the song Lose Control by Missy Elliot assaulted his auditory senses. He reached to his hip and removed the holding clasp on the phrik-constructed horseman's pick, feeling its heft in his hand as he removed it from its constraints. He smelled copper in the back of his nostrils as he mentally stopped a nose bleed from occurring.
Suddenly a red hue emerged from behind him, illuminating the smoky chamber. He raised his weapon in a block over his head mere milliseconds before a red phaser blade could cleave his skull in two. Sparks rained down on him from the strike. Vala Ren, clad in her black leather and chain mail garb flipped several times through the air, up and over the Earthling to land several meters in front of him. In her hand, she held a crackling, crimson long sword made of pure energy. It had a crossguard which emitted two smaller phaser hilts just above her hand grip. She pointed the long blade at her apprentice. He could feel her words more than he could hear them at the moment. "I have destroyed the soul of a Painite crystal and forged it to serve the Dark Side. I knew if given enough time I could find a worthy replacement from your homeworld, apprentice."
"We shall be on equal footing with the Jedi when next we meet." Finnigan asserted as he stared in awe. "You must show me how you crafted it, master."
"Perhaps. If you survive." Vala Ren screamed through the music as it raised to 140 decibels, the point of causing physical pain in humans. Finnigan had been expecting the attack. Nearly all of his master's lessons were combat related. Her emotions were held very near to the surface and at times he wondered if she really had anything deeper to teach him on the mysteries of the dark side.
The lights came back on but at a rapid-paced strobe. Vala Ren screamed a battle cry and lunged herself through the smoke straight towards the Earthling. Finnigan parried the thrust of her lasersword at the last second. She stood over him pressing the energy blade downwards into his horseman's pick. The phrik material was supposed to be resistive to such a weapon but it glowed red hot at the point of contact and Finnigan could feel his weapon begin to quickly heat in his ungloved hands.
Just as fast as she had attacked Ren withdrew. She ran towards the nearest wall and as she made contact ran straight up the barrier. She angled her run and started an insane parkour sprint that left her horizontal to the floor. She rounded the corner, her lasersword illuminating her bizarre dash between strobes. As she reached the wall with the blaster chair and gem-manipulation device she howled "Temptation!"
In the flash of an eye as if she could move at inhuman speeds in between the flashes of red light she reached the wall behind Finnigan, who almost couldn't turn fast enough to keep facing her. His pick was held ready for the counterstrike. "Imperilment!"
She was an amazing whirl of athletic energy. But Finnigan often wondered over the course of her tutelage if that was the extent of her powers. She seemed to have as much of a grasp of the mysteries of the dark side as he did. He closed his eyes and, guided by the Force, whipped his weapon over his head so that it was protecting his spine. It was just in the nick of time as her slash came down directly at the base of his neck. He had no idea how she had gotten behind him so quickly.
Vala Ren deactivated her weapon. As she did so the lights came on and the music dimmed to almost a whisper. The Mirialan alien brought her helmet close to his ear and hissed. "Submission."
"I have submitted to the dark side and all its power, master." Finnigan said as she let him regain his footing and stand once more.
"The temptation of the light can be strong for a Sith. You must always be alert to the danger." Vala Ren warned.
"Your weapon, master. It is magnificent. Is it as powerful as the one that Jedi used against us on the bridge in Amidala City?" Finnigan inquired. The spar being evidently over for the moment he tucked his pick back into his belt clasp.
"It is known as a lightsaber where I come from. A weapon much too civilized for this new place, and yes, it is on par with the Jedi's blade."
Finnigan was eager for her to instruct him in crafting a lightsaber of his own. "You weren't kidding, master. This breakthrough is momentous."
Vala Ren held up and looked at her weapon for a few seconds. An eerie chuckle came from deep within her helmet before she cast the weapon aside. Her lightsaber skittered across the cluttered floor before coming to a rest in the darkened corner by the chair. "It is merely a tool. A means to an end. It is not the breakthrough to which I referred."
"Then by all means, reveal what you have discovered so that we may use it to defeat our ancient foe." Finnigan hated the clipped, formalized way Vala Ren expected to be addressed. He also possessed no great urge to do away with the Jedi. That one on Mars had been scary enough and had even succeeded in wounding his master, he was more than content at leaving them on the far side of the Empire for now. He would leave them to the Supreme Leader and the President when the Empire surrendered.
"Follow me, apprentice." Vala Ren placed her hand on a hidden panel in the wall and pushed, revealing a secret doorway that slid out of the way to their left. Finnigan fell in behind his master and followed the heavy impacts of her combat boots. The vault ahead was lit by an abundance of mounted braziers holding strange white flames that caused shadows to dance across yet more shadows. Despite the presence of so many fires the chamber was seeped in an icy chill.
Various devices and gadgets were scattered on tables and shelves around the vault. Finnigan wasn't familiar with the alien technology and couldn't begin to fathom what any of it did or why his master was so intent on preserving it. On one wall of the chamber was a large mural of three figures. The center was a tall, skinny old man with a beard and high hat, flanked by a bald male alien with hate-filled black eyes and a pair of vertical red markings that ran down both sides of his face. The other figure was a blonde woman in a white gown. Finnigan's eyes were drawn to the strange alien owl that perched on her shoulder as he wondered who the three of them were meant to represent.
Vala Ren removed one of her gauntlets and held up her olive-green hued hand. With a wave two panels on opposite sides of the vault descended into the floor until they disappeared completely. As they did so they revealed two glowing white circles facing each other. The circles themselves looked to be over two meters across, large enough for a person to walk through without having to duck. Their edges were made of writing and symbols in a language Finnigan had no understanding of, and in fact had taken Vala some time to translate while she was recovering from her wounds. "You've deciphered the Vergeance Scatters?"
"It was not me. We were contacted by our true master on Exegol." Vala Ren revealed.
"Emperor Palpatine?" Finnigan had learned as much as he could spending as much time on Titan as he had. He had heard the rumors the First Order officers whispered when they thought no one else could hear. The would be god of the Sith Eternal, the icon of the First Order and the 1st Galactic Empire that had come before it, had always felt more myth than reality for Finnigan. Now though, Darth Sidious was starting to feel a lot more real.
"Indeed. The rightful claimant to the Imperial throne has reached out to us from the Void. No doubt he will guide us in the war against insolent usurper here in the Milky Way." Vala Ren referred to the young Empress who resided in this very Galaxy.
"How did Sidious know we were trying to make contact?" Finnigan asked.
"The dark side guided him, I assume." Vala Ren admitted. "The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be . . . unnatural."
You assume, Finnigan fumed at his master's lack of understanding. How could he continue to learn from someone so deficient? "So Sidious had one of these devices?"
"On Exegol. He was as surprised as I was when both sides of the World Between Worlds opened at once. I have informed him of our situation and he has offered his guidance."
Finnigan was worried. If contact was made, or if this thing really was a bridge between two places, then couldn't Palpatine send an army through it? One to enslave not only the 2nd Galactic Empire but the Confederacy as well. "What does he instruct?"
"Let us both see for ourselves." Vala Ren knelt in front of the Vergeance Scatter before her. The circle spun several times before coming to a stop. On the other side was a blackness darker than anything Finnigan had ever witnessed. White lines, like the outlines of highways stretched out into the distance. Suddenly blue flames crackled to life around the edges of the circle. Finnigan leaned away from the flames, but the Supreme Leader leaned towards them. "Master, it is I, Vala."
As Finnigan watched, nothing more seemed to occur on the other side of the circular entrance. It was obvious after several seconds that Vala Ren was either hallucinating or having an actual conversation with an invisible apparition on the other side.
The Mirialan turned to him. "The Emperor has noticed your confusion, boy. The World Between Worlds is a link between time and space. He says you should attempt to use the other gateway, though don't attempt to cross it as that is prohibited by practitioners of the dark side."
Finnigan raised a concerned eyebrow but did as his master instructed. He knelt in front of the deactivated Vergeance Scatter. He saw that Vala Ren was watching him, and somehow knew that an unseen Darth Sidious was observing him from across the universe. Despite the blackness beyond the gateway, Finnigan felt little in the way of coldness coming from the other side. He pushed his hand forward until it stopped. There was no obstacle or resistance. His hand simply couldn't go any further forward. The lettering started to spin along the edges of the gateway and the blue flames from Vala's device leapt to life on his own.
The darkness gave way to a world beyond. Almost like watching television, Finnigan thought he was looking in on a world that was not his own. It was an unpleasant desert world laid out before him, awash in dark side energy. Two flashes of red light could be seen atop one of the great dunes parrying and thrusting at one another in front of a cascade of purple lightning. Finnigan was stunned to see the electrical discharges did not originate from the storm above but from the two combatants themselves.
The Vergeance Scatter closed in on the fighters. Finnigan saw that one of them was a tall Sith Lord, dressed in a cross between what Finnigan had seen of Darth Vader's suit and Chinese medieval armor. He carried a light greatsword almost as tall as his opponent and had a lightsaber pike strapped to his back. His foe was a pale-skinned blonde girl with eyes yellow from the dark side about Finnigan's own age. She carried an amazing double-bladed lightsaber and spun it like the whirling blades of a propeller.
The man was older and to Finnigan's eyes more experienced than the girl. But as he advanced the sand shifted under his feet for the slightest of seconds. That was all it took for the smaller fighter to duck under his defenses and suddenly emitted black smoke from her hand in the form of a large tendril which reached under the man's arm and neatly sliced it off. His weapon deactivated as he dropped to his knees. The blow was mortal and everyone knew it, yet she held her weapon at the ready. She picked up his weapon and tucked it in her belt and then withdrew a holocron from the same location. She held it towards the man and started to chant in the ancient Sith language.
Strange, Finnigan thought. I cannot feel anger coming off the dying man. I feel instead . . . pride? The man looked up at the girl one last time. Most of what he said was lost in the desert wind, but Finnigan could barely decipher his last words. "The day has come when you have finally surpassed me. Prove you are now master and kill me."
She activated her weapon and drove it through his chest. As she did so he started to disintegrate, transforming into some kind of living energy that was sucked in a small whirl storm into the center of her holocron. "There can only be two; No more and no less."
Finnigan's breath was ripped away as the gateway closed in a ripple of blue energy. What had he just witnessed? What rule had he been shown? Did all Sith succeed their masters by murdering them? It was a familiar feeling. Vala Ren had pushed him into killing his mentor, Tony Stoen. Grand Master Panda's death was ruled an accident but it had thrust leadership of the Guardians of the Whills in his lap. If it was the only means to advancement in the dark side, why continue to train apprentices who would one day hold a blade to your throat?
"What did Sidious have to say to you, Earthling?" Vala Ren demanded as Finnigan regained his bearings. How long had he been watching the scene in the desert? Vala Ren appeared to have been waiting for him for some time after her discussion with the distant Emperor Palpatine.
"Nothing." Finnigan lied about his experience. How could he tell her about Sith apprentices murdering their masters? "He just studied me, weighed me and found me worthy of further advance in your teachings."
Vala peered at him for over a minute. He sensed her eyes behind her helmet boring into him as if looking for a crack in his lie. "Sidious has made us his Inquisitorius here in the Milky Way. We are to establish the Sith Eternal here instead of continuing to seek a path back to the Home Galaxy."
"With Nal Kuat on pause for now, Titan seems the best bet for setting up our own temple. Its proximity to Earth and Mars gives us access to a large Living Force source."
"Sidious is greatly concerned with this New Jedi Temple in the Empire. He wants it burned down and the Jedi ground to ash without delay."
"We are certainly trying. Akfar's little adventure at New Thyfeeria may have set us back a step or two." Finnigan admitted.
"Do you trust Sidious, Finnigan?" It was rare for Vala to use his given name.
"Of course."
The alien woman cocked her head to the side as she continued to stare at him. She seemed to be weighing his disposition, considering whether he was worthy of what she would ask of him. "He needs your help, apprentice."
"What do you mean?" Finnigan was confused. How could he help a man galaxies away?
"He is depending on you. . ."
"For what? I don't understand."
". . . to be the eyes, ears and voice of the Sith, Finnigan. I am appointing you to be my personal representative on President Harris's cabinet." Vala Ren announced.
"Me? A Cabinet Minister?" Finnigan paused, his eyes widening. "I'm overwhelmed, master. But the President appoints his own members. The Senate used to have oversight, in theory, before they were disbanded but now no one commands Harris. He will never accept it."
"Palpatine thinks he will. Harris needs you. More than you know." Vala Ren said with conviction.
Finnigan bowed his head. He was not willing to argue with the Supreme Leader on the subject, especially when his thoughts were still preoccupied by the vision he'd been granted from the Vergeance Scatter. "I will return to Earth at once. I know exactly who I must deal with first to grease the President's wheels. Or do you need me here to help redress Admiral Jethran and the other officers fresh from New Thyfeeria?" Finnigan asked.
"Do not interfere or concern yourself with the First Order's affairs. I have them well in hand." Vala Ren pointed to the vault door. "Now leave me and fulfill Lord Sidious's plans for us."
Finnigan turned to go. Vala Ren was not one to bother with farewells and had already turned her attention to another Sith artifact on a nearby work bench. Yet Finnigan needed to know one last thing before he left. "Master, why does Palpatine concern himself with this Galaxy? It's not as if he can reap some benefit from it."
"He plans to come here." Vala Ren admitted.
"But how? We've theorized the gateways can only be accessed by someone awash in the lightside before a dark side user can utilize it." Finnigan was confused. Was there some other method of reaching the Home Galaxy he wasn't aware of?
"Sidious has told me he is awaiting the arrival of someone on Exegol. He's hinted she may be a relative of sorts. Blood relations are good. He will use her through means only he understands to open the gateway and travel to us. We must make the Milky Way ready for his arrival."
By making the entire Orion Arm burn apparently, Finnigan thought. He realized he would get no more answers from the Mirialan Sith on the matter. He nodded and left the vault and his master to her own machinations.
As he left the Keep he could feel the grotesque eyes of dozens of mutated Ugnaughts watching him from their hiding spots in the shadows. They dared not cross paths with him. At the entrance, however, he did cross paths with the high command of the First Order.
Admiral Jethran led an entourage of a dozen Naval Captains. Accompanying him was the gold-armored General Crisis, who turned and stared at the Sith apprentice as he walked past the party. Jethran didn't bother to acknowledge him, but Finnigan could feel hate-filled daggers coming from Crisis's gaze. The officers had no reason to trust an Earthling who had embedded himself so close to their Supreme Leader. He wondered what they'd think if they knew he had just received orders, in a round-about way, from Emperor Palpatine himself.
He quickly reached his personal Rhino Beetle shuttle, the workhorse of the Confederate Space Force. Designed around an old Sheathipede shuttle the First Order had given them, a wag with an artistic eye thought the things looked like the black insect when they were parked and the name stuck. He gave flight instructions and his destination to the First Order lieutenant who acted as his pilot and settled into the passenger compartment. As he meditated on what had occurred within the Keep, the shuttle quickly escaped Titan's gravity well and hyperjumped for Earth. Fifty minutes later they dropped out of lightspeed and made contact with Luna Orbital Control. Gone were the days of controlled burns for orbital descents. Ships based off Home Galaxy designs had little trouble entering an atmosphere with their futuristic shields and armor and soon the chilly, gray waters of the Pacific were flashing past underneath the shuttle.
The Rhino Beetle picked up an escort of four F-55s, which was pretty standard fare these days. From what he had heard, air traffic was only a small fraction of what it had been before the Empire arrived and was primarily limited to military traffic, with only 1st and 2nd Classers allowed access. Because of this there was little demand for the production of airplanes after the Earth-Empire War. They were the only aircraft Finnigan spotted as the shuttle descended for a landing. He set down several minutes later to a rather pleasant summer day.
Finnigan stepped out of the Rhino Beetle and took in his surroundings. Tokyo was one of the most important cities in the Confederacy. Resupplied and rebuilt by waves of Pacific refugees during and after the Empire-Earth war, it had become an economic powerhouse thanks to reverse engineered alien technology. Its planetside ship yards were amongst the biggest on the planet, rivaled only by New York and Hamburg. One out of five Space Force warships had started life out here. Constructed from durasteel stripped and refined from every corner of the world. In the distance, Mt. Fuji still had spots of snow near its summit, testimony to the work that still needed to be done to fix the Earth's weather by the Baffin Island Project.
A team of Secret Service agents met him at Tokyo's Showa Space Terminal and escorted him to a waiting convoy of armored SUVs. Finnigan was thankful he hadn't announced his return or he would have been met by a small army from his Guardians of the Whills followers and his temple staff. He watched the modern city of Tokyo race by the bullet and phaser proof glass of his SUV. Most of its ancient wood buildings had been replaced with office buildings constructed with an eye to Confederate modernism. It was one of the few places on Earth outside of New Mandalore with buildings over ten stories tall. Finnigan wished he had come during cherry blossom season, but it was already late June and the heavy pollution the planet had endured over the last year had greatly diminished the spectacle.
None of the agents spoke with Finnigan as they passed through the large metropolis, which was just as well. They were fully invested in the Confederate caste system and knew their role in it. They may have been 2nd Classers, no 3rd Classer was ever recruited into the Secret Service, and had earned the right to address a 1st Classer like Finnigan, but what does one say to their betters? Nothing of any import, that was for sure.
The convoy came to a stop at a large sports complex outside of the city. Once called the National Stadium it had served host for two Olympics back when the Earth had time for such frivolities. A large crowd had gathered around an observation stand to watch a strange vehicle undergo its paces on the large grassy field in the center of the stadium. The machine was some sort of walker, of a type Finnigan had never seen before, though he'd be the first to admit he was no expert on the military machines.
Several people around the review stand, seeing his escort and who he was, made way for the young temple leader. At the top of the review stand were several Defense Ministry officers gathered around a squat robot and an older woman in a gray-blue pantsuit, the colors of the Confederacy. Like many of the politicians around her she wore a small CEN flag pin on her lapel.
"Ah, Mister Incite, or is it Grand Master now?" First Lady Jill Harris greeted Finnigan as he entered the review stand. All eyes stared at the newcomer as the President's wife held her arms open for a warm hug. "I didn't know you were on Earth."
"I only got back about an hour ago." Finnigan admitted. His voice was kept low as to not be overheard by anyone too far away. Most of the attention had turned back to the armored walker demonstration.
"And you came straight to see me. What would your father think?" Harris smiled. Truth be told, Finnigan did not care to see his father. Dr. Incite terrified him on a level only Vala Ren had ever approached. Not that it wasn't reciprocated, as the good doctor had barely acknowledged him ever since he had left the confines of his upbringing in Groom Lake.
"I'm actually unaware of my father's whereabouts. I've heard he might be on Mars. I, however, was with the First Order." Finnigan admitted.
"You weren't part of Operation Matchstick were you? I've heard horrible rumors. My husband has ordered Admiral Akfar back to Confederate Center. He's due in about two days."
"No, I was on Titan with the Supreme Leader. Admiral Jethran is already back. I don't know the details but people were looking pretty grim up there." Finnigan disclosed.
"As well they should. Somebody screwed the pooch at New Thyfeeria." A woman in the uniform of a Vice-Admiral in the Confederate Space Force declared as she joined Finnigan and Jill.
Jill gave the Admiral a hearty handshake before gesturing to Finnigan. "Ah, Admiral Hollander, may I introduce you to Finnigan Incite, interim leader of the Guardians of the Whills, and a close friend of my two boys. He recently has been attached, as an advisor for my husband, to Supreme Leader Ren's headquarters on Titan."
"A pleasure, Admiral." Finnigan said, affecting a friendly expression as he reached out to shake the Admiral's hand.
"I know you well, Master Incite." Hollander tapped a small ribbon sewn onto her cuff, demonstrating that she was a illustrious member of the Guardians of the Whills. "I've seen some of your speeches in person before the Youth Council."
Finnigan smiled at the Admiral. "I am one with the Force . . ."
"And the Force is with me." Hollander bowed her head respectfully. Finnigan resisted the urge to smirk. His work might well be cut out for him.
Turning back to the First Lady, Finnigan had to ask. "And what of Cameron and Griffon? I haven't heard from them in months. We've all been so busy."
"Griffon is in Australia at the moment. Performing some of his father's duties." Harris revealed.
"Here's hoping Bacara and Taumata capitulate and surrender New Mandalore soon. Then we can release some of our forces down under for service down Confederate Hyper-route One." Hollander gave the unpopular, yet politically recognized moniker of the more well-known Bloodstripe Run. Finnigan got the impression that the Admiral was serving as a military advisor to the First Lady.
"And Cameron?" Finnigan asked, knowing that, as a Space Force officer, his movements were most certainly classified.
"The Yangtze was at New Thyfeeria." Jill Harris said, then perhaps seeing the concern on Finnigan's face as it matched her own, she continued. "Don't worry. His ship was untouched. Phasma's flyboys focused on our ally's larger ships from what I understand. His corvette came through with hardly a scratch."
"Wish I could say the same for the rest of the fleet." Hollander scowled. "First reports are damming. Four First Order vessels and our own Lady Liberty. If it's confirmed, then she's the largest ship sunk in Earth's history."
"I fear the rumors are true." Finnigan said. He'd heard enough around Titan to know what was happening at the front of the advance. The First Order just had better hyperwave gear, but the Earth was gradually closing the gap.
"Akfar won't be able to survive this. He's embarrassed us in front of our ally. By now they know about this in New Mandalore, which will lift their morale and only prolong the fighting." Hollander admitted.
"That's why your war plan should be submitted immediately. Akfar is going to be replaced by someone, and your plan is the most logical one." Harris told the other woman.
"You are one of the options to replace Akfar?" Finnigan asked, pleasantly shocked. Akfar had been a force within the Confederacy since before Finnigan had even been born.
"Several names have been put forth. But Admiral Hollander has a sound plan and my endorsement." Jill explained.
"May I ask what it is?" Finnigan asked.
"I can't go into details in such a public setting, but I'd like to focus on secluding and cutting off the Kuat Spur from the rest of the Bloodstripe. The hyper-route narrows at Judicar further down the Orion Spur." Hollander explained. "The next planet coreward is a sparsely populated colony world that's largely been abandoned. It's also within long-distance airstrikes from Kafrene Outpost. I wish to make a landing there and build an airbase. Nothing too large to tip our hat. Once that is complete we can not only reach Judicar from there but the Empire cannot hit us back as their TIEs do not have the same range as our X-1's. Once Judicar has been reduced we shall make a landing and cut the Empire in two. Fleet Admiral Gentis can either protect the Kuat Spur and his shipyards or he can try to stop us from burning everything down to Palpatine Prime, but he cannot do both." Without laying out the details, the Admiral had revealed quite a bit.
"I suppose our friend down here will be of some assistance." Finnigan pointed at the sixteen-legged walker below the review stand. Nearly twenty Legionnaires were piled into its open top behind a large turbo-phaser turret.
"The AMP-6 is barely out of prototype stages. It's based off an Imperial AT-OT that, as far as we can tell, they decommissioned after the last war. RK-B2, here, has been helping with some of the modifications. We'd have them up at the front by now if we had more durasteel." Hollander indicated the robot. Finnigan had seen some of its model up on Titan and on a few First Order ships. Theirs were normally black and gray, not the blue and white color scheme RK-B2 sported.
"Perhaps, I can help with your endorsement." Finnigan said.
"How?" Lady Harris raised a questioning eyebrow to the young man. "Jon decides who comes and goes from his Cabinet, but he's likely to ask for the advice of his remaining ministers. She will need several cabinet votes to take Akfar's place as Defense Minister and secure an appointment. Ministers Falk and Volodin are not our friends on this matter. We only have Minister Buffet on our side and that's because the Admiral here had to promise adoption of his armed convoy proposal."
"Which is not a bad idea, considering the Empire may be running a new kind of stealth ship behind our lines now. Space Force allegedly spotted something like it at Kafrene Outpost before it vanished again." Hollander stated.
"I don't know about all that, but I do know Supreme Leader Ren wishes to appoint me as her personal representative to the President's cabinet. I can support Admiral Hollander's appointment if you can get me an immediate audience with your husband to convey the Supreme Leader's wishes." Finnigan explained.
Both women's eyes went wide at the implication. No one told President Harris what to do. No doubt there was need of closer ties to their ally, but this was nearly crossing a line. Finnigan was honestly curious if the President would allow the move or see it as the First Order playing in Confederate politics.
"What about Volodin? He is already our Foreign Minister. Isn't it his job to ensure good relations with the Supreme Leader?" Hollander asked.
"And he can continue to do so. My role would be to facilitate the opinions and instructions of the Supreme Leader so that the First Order may render assistance to the Confederacy as quickly and efficiently as possible." Finnigan smoothly lied to his fellow Earthlings. Both were strong, intelligent women and he dared not use the Force to influence their decision.
"It would help with my appointment, and that will lead to shortening the war and saving countless lives." Hollander conceded.
Jill Harris nodded her consent. "It may be possible, but Jonathon will not allow this appointment lightly. This move by the Supreme Leader is disturbing."
"I understand." Finnigan respectively replied. "But frankly, allowing this might be our best move. The First Order is convinced Akfar cost them four of their Star Destroyers and thousands of their service men. My appointment will smooth things over and prevent a fracture in the alliance."
The First Lady appeared to consider Finnigan's suggestion, but she still seemed hesitant to voice her support for it. Finally, she appeared to make a decision. She looked uncertainly at the young Grand Master.
"You'll be on the cabinet. But I fear the President will not grant you the title of Minister." Harris stated.
That was a genuine shock to the young Sith. He had thought the title and privileges already his. "What?" Jill Harris and Admiral Hollander must have sensed his surprise and narrowed their eyes to deeply study his reaction. "How can that be? This is outrageous. It's unfair. How can you be in the Cabinet and not be a Minister?"
Hollander and Harris looked nervously at each other. The First Lady noticed that many eyes were turning away from the demonstration and towards Finnigan's small outburst. She motioned towards several empty seats nearby. "Take a seat, young Incite."
Finnigan checked and controlled his rising anger. He must have been spending too much time in Vala Ren's company these days, he reasoned. He bowed his head to the First Lady, before taking a seat between the two women. "Forgive me, my Lady."
Harris smiled to the crowd to assure them that nothing was amiss. She waved at RK-B2 and several engineers from the Ministry of Improvement to start the live fire demonstration of the walker's main armament. With a mighty boom the cannons crackled to life and the air in the stadium was filled with the smell of ozone and plasma energy.
Finnigan leaned close to the Admiral. Their intentions were on the same path and for better or worse they were now allies. "What kind of nonsense is this? Put me on the cabinet and not make me a Minister. It's never been done in the history of the Confederacy. It's insulting."
"Calm down, Finnigan. You'll be given a great honor if we secure your appointment. To be in the Cabinet at your age; it's never happened before. And you'll still have a vote. That's what really matters." The Admiral sighed and leaned closer to whisper out of earshot of the First Lady. "The truth of the matter is you're too close to the Supreme Leader. The President doesn't like it when she or Jethran interferes in Confederate affairs."
"I swear to you. I didn't ask to be put on the Cabinet."
"But it's what you wanted." The Admiral had an uncanny way of reading him, Finnigan thought. He'd have to watch her closely in the future. "Your friendship with Supreme Leader Ren seems to have paid off."
"That's nothing to do with this." Finnigan swore.
"The only reason the President will approve your appointment is because the Supreme Leader trusts you."
"And?"
"Incite, I am on your side. I didn't want to put you and our temple in this situation." Hollander was being coy about something.
"What situation?"
"I've been privy to high level meetings between Space Force and the government at Confederate Center. The Cabinet will want you to report on all of the Supreme Leader's dealings. They want to know what she is up to. That's the only way they'll consent to your appointment."
Finnigan looked at the Admiral as if she were suddenly speaking in tongues. "They want me to spy on the Supreme Leader? That's a terrible breach of trust. We are allies in a war."
"Finnigan," Hollander began to say.
But Finnigan would not be interrupted. "The Supreme Leader is not a bad person, Admiral. She's befriended me. She's watched out for me ever since she arrived here. Through the start of the war and the Grand Master's death."
"That is why you must help us." Lady Harris cut in, letting them know she had been listening the entire time. "Finnigan, our allegiance is to the Earth, not to some alien leader who's managed to ingratiate herself into the needs and wants of the Confederacy far further than any outsider has the right to."
"The Cabinet demanded we accept her help. The Empire is too big a threat to ignore a helping hand."
"Yes, but search your feelings, Finnigan. Something is out of place." Jill said.
Finnigan grit his teeth and sighed. He didn't know what to feel. Hours ago he had fumed to himself at Vala Ren's limitations as a teacher. Now all of a sudden he was defending her. He had been looking forward to finally taking his rightful place as one of the leaders of Confederacy. But he saw now that he was being pitted between his master and the Confederates in a greater political game.
"You're asking me to do something against the values of the Guardians of the Whills, against the Alliance, against a mentor and a friend. That's what is out of place here. Why are you asking this of me?" Finnigan demanded. How long would he be compelled by others to do what he did not want to do? Why couldn't he just do what he wanted to do without others dragging him down?
The First Lady looked to the floor for several seconds. When she looked up again there was heartbreak in her eyes. She knew exactly what she was doing. She was forcing him to make a choice. The First Order, or the Confederacy. He could not be part of both. "The President is asking you."
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Up Next- A New Strategy