Tarkin's Fist IV: Blood and Durasteel

by AshlaTi

A generation has passed since the devastation of the Empire-Earth War. Now a new conflict rages, this time the battles are fought among the stars themselves. A new enemy rises to threaten both the Empire and Earth's very existence. New characters and old raise arms against one another for the very fate of the Milky Way

38. The Legacy of Darth Sidious

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The Rhombus, Palpatine Prime, 2nd Galactic Empire

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"I still don't like this." The Minister said.

Fleet Admiral Aron Gentis and his adjutant, Captain Petrarc, came up short of stepping on the hem of their boss's robes. Gentis bit his tongue and willed himself not to look annoyed.

Jobal, the Imperial capital city, with its angelic, cascading waterfalls, art museums, universities and the masterpiece in architecture of the Yos Palace, was among the most beautiful places within the 2nd Galactic Empire. But, in the Imperial Supreme Commander's mind, there was one blemish on the otherwise perfect face of the Imperial capital. The Ministry of War building, better known as the Rhombus, held half of the Admiral's daily frustrations, the Confederacy of Earth Nations-First Order Alliance caused the other half. It was only a matter of time of day as to which one was more stressful.

They had only just passed through another security checkpoint, the third since their arrival at the Rhombus, and had been rushing to get through the last checkpoint and into the waiting War Room beyond where a critical strategy meeting had been called at the insistence of the Empress. Gentis felt the breast pockets of his olive gray uniform were going to wear through after all the times he had produced his code cylinders to inquisitive security troopers. The suspicious glances and barbed security questions that were ubiquitous at the Rhombus made him pine for the more straight-laced security one might find aboard a ship of the Imperial Navy. Only his boss's presence had allowed them to pass with anything resembling a sense of urgency. Gentis sighed. He had no time to waste in conferences.

War Minister Saria, Gentis's immediate superior, had stopped mid stride and turned to face him, obstructing the flow of foot traffic through the busy corridor. The Rhombus was a writhing Geonosian hive of activity, as officers and civilian bureaucrats hustled to and from offices, communication stations and strategy sessions. It had been this way since the attack on Nal Kuat, and was unlikely to simmer down any time soon.

The Fleet Admiral gestured towards a small alcove off the main corridor before the War Minister could continue speaking. Saria, mercifully, took his hint and stepped into the alcove. Gentis turned back to Captain Petrarc and leaned in close towards the Captain's ear.

"Keep an eye out, I don't want anyone eavesdropping. Bad for morale if this is overheard."

The Ualaq Aqualish blinked his four eyes twice in rapid succession before nodding his head silently. Gentis gave Petrarc a thin smile of approval. Coming from the Ordinance Department, with extensive managerial skills, the Aqualish had been invaluable in setting up the Kazoookians to work in the three Naval Factories on Nal Kuat and dismantling the damaged Star Destroyers caught in First Order raid on the drive yards. The Captain had proven himself to be a dependable officer in the four months since he had been appointed as Gentis's adjutant. With an officer like Petrarc by his side, he could expect a certain level of discretion.

Gentis stepped into the alcove with Saria while Captain Petrarc stood guard just outside to ensure that no one overheard the conversation.

"Minister, I will agree the timing of this conference is poor, but we've been over this..."

"Yes, we have." Saria interrupted sharply. "We've been over this time and again, and it still doesn't seem to have sunk in how reckless this meeting is."

Gentis resisted the urge to express his own impatience. Gentis was not an impatient man but his responsibilities were enough to generate insomnia in a Hutt. Civilians like the War Minister were like younglings sometimes; they needed constant soothing and reassurance when it came to every sign of danger.

"The Empire has to continue functioning, Minister." Gentis argued. "We've taken the necessary precautions. Admiral Birgaan has command of the fleet at Nal Kuat and we've been assured by Fleet Intelligence that the Confederate 1st Fleet is still as Kafrene Outpost. An attack is not suspected in the next fifty hours and by then I shall have returned to the Ares."

"The fleet may be secure for the moment, but what about its head? We thought we'd taken the necessary precautions before the war, and we nearly lost the Empress and our largest shipyard. I'm telling you Admiral, with this conference, one bomb is all it would take..."

"Don't speak like that. Please." It was Gentis's turn to interrupt. "We got caught with our trousers down once, but it won't happen again. There comes a point where you have to trust in the precautions we've already taken. Otherwise paranoia will cause the Empire to grind to a halt and fall apart at the seams. This staff meeting is critical to our overall strategy going forward. And it's the first time all important parties have been able to consolidate in one place. Though I do wish the Prime Chancellor hadn't insisted on no holograms."

"You and I wouldn't be attending if it weren't critical." Saria's brow furrowed as she looked down in thought. "But still, to have the most important members of the government and the High Command under one roof, in one room, it just doesn't feel right."

Gentis shrugged. "It's war. It's not supposed to feel right."

The Minister laughed harshly, loud enough for Captain Petrarc to turn briefly from his post. Gentis waved for him to resume his watch.

"What isn't right is the Prince Consort gallivanting off on a bombing run like he's still a flight leader, and not an important member of the House of Yos." Saria continued.

"You're still upset he didn't clear his involvement with you?" Gentis asked. The HoloNews was still basking in the afterglow of Roblin's Raid, as they called it. While Imperial Intelligence was insisting that that the overall damage to the Confederate war economy was negligible, the sight of the Empire striking back, combined with the confirmed destruction of a First Order ship by New Mandalore in yesterday's battle on Earth, had been a vital shot in the arm for an Empire desperate for good news. Gentis had spent much of the trip to Palpatine Prime studying scraps of reports on the Mandalorian battle. Imagine an entire battle where the warships never came within sight of each other. The HoloNews still hadn't reported it. They were still basking in the royal exploits. That the Prince Consort had bombed Confederate Center itself, supposedly with President Harris in residence, and gotten away without a scratch on him had catapulted Roblin and the Royal Family to new heights of popularity. The monarchy was seen by the average being, not as the pampered leadership of the Empire, but as their personal sword and shield, and that did much to bolster confidence in the war effort.

"It's not that I wasn't informed. If the rumors are true he didn't even tell the Empress until after their task force had arrived outside of Sol. I am upset by the fact that his need to prove himself could easily have turned into a disaster for our cause." Saria retorted, scowling. "So much needless risk, all for a short term boost in the polls. If he'd been shot down, or captured alive, it could have been the spark to set alight the Empire's funeral pyre. The propagandists on the Confederate News Network would have had a field day. Imperial morale would have plummeted. What's the point of having a Ministry of War if our operations can be so easily hijacked?"

"But it wasn't a disaster." Gentis insisted. "There's no point in fretting about what could have been."

"The War Minister of the 2nd Galactic Empire does not 'fret'." Saria said tersely. "What I'm concerned about is an underlying issue; beings are still acting recklessly. The recklessness of a few puts us all at risk, no matter what precautions we take. The Chain of Command exists for a reason after all."

"Would it surprise you if I said that, on that matter, I'm in agreement with you?" Gentis asked.

Saria's eyes widened slightly. She nodded.

"Perhaps it was reckless of Roblin to do what he did. And yes, the Chain of Command is critical. You're right, you probably should have been informed." Gentis said, while subtly glancing at a chronometer on the wall. They were going to be late if they didn't hurry.

"Roblin's wife is the Empress. Chances are he thinks she's the only person in the Empire he reports to."

"But he's also an Air Marshal. Which means in theory he should be reporting to me as well." Saria said. She raised her hands to stop Gentis from cutting her off. "I'm not trying to go on a power trip, Admiral, but how am I supposed to do my job when men like Roblin pull stunts like that? It encourages others to act impulsively. I feel that my opinions and position are being ignored."

"I'm not ignoring you, Minister. You have a point. To an extent." Gentis said, vowing to never again let Air Marshal Roblin have free reign to conduct half-cocked plans again. Right now there was nothing he wanted more than to be back on the bridge of the Ares. War was simple when compared with politics.

"We have to be cautious. But we can't be timid either. We have to pick a path and stick to it. May I make a recommendation?"

The Minister nodded. "Of course. I value your opinion Fleet Admiral."

"You spoke of the Chain of Command. You have valid opinions, my Lady, but the decision has been made. This meeting will happen. Roblin went to Earth and came back. It's done. Remember this about the Chain of Command. Gripes go up; not down. You voicing your displeasure about a decision in public, in the corridor, as you did just recently, when any of our subordinates could hear it is just as devastating to morale as the Air Marshal's hypothetical capture could have been."

Minister Saria bristled slightly at the Fleet Admiral's rebuke, but deflated after a moment and nodded her head in agreement.

"You're right, of course, Admiral. I should be more careful in how I express myself. I'm just concerned. Our enemies have proven themselves willing to do anything to get to us. And if the ISB is right we still have a Confederate spy running loose in the Empire. I just don't want to make their jobs easier."

"I understand, Minister." Gentis said, glancing again to the chronometer on the wall. He balled his hand into a fist behind his back in annoyance. "Believe me, if there were a way to have this meeting conducted remotely, then I'd be in favor of it. But we can't risk comm signals being intercepted and decrypted by the First Order. This has to be done in person, and we just have to trust that the beings in charge of security did their jobs. No matter how much you might want it, we can't have the Empress and the Prime Chancellor locked up in bunkers scattered across the Empire for the rest of the war. Now let's get a move on, or we'll be the last ones to the War Room."

"Thank you for your feedback, Admiral. It is appreciated." Saria said before making her way out of the alcove, past Captain Petrarc, and back into the corridor towards the War Room.

Captain Petrarc shot Gentis a knowing glance, but the Admiral shook his head and beckoned for his adjutant to follow. Now wasn't the time to talk about the boss's idiosyncrasies.

It'll all be worth it. Gentis thought to himself as he and Petrarc followed Saria down a flight of stairs towards the basement of the Rhombus. These were early days yet, and keeping Saria placated kept him in her good graces. And her good graces allowed him to organize the Navy the way it needed to be if it were to turn the tide against the CEN and its mysterious allies in the First Order. He just wished her good graces weren't so time consuming. He had a war to win, after all.

He needed all the help he could get, and would need even more to deal with the war council he was about to take part in. Having her on his side would make things easier.

After passing through another security sensor checkpoint the small party made their way into the dimly lit War Room.

Gentis disliked the War Room for its impracticality. It was a massive, impersonal facility whose drab gray duracrete walls and ceilings always threatened to suck the warmth out of his body every time he entered. The War Room was roughly triangular in shape, 40 meters long and 30 meters wide with an 11 meter high sloped ceiling. On the far wall across from the entrance a trio of massive holographic display screens transmitted data on military operations across the breadth of the 2nd Galactic Empire. The Fleet Admiral took particular note of a map of the Bloodstripe Run, with the rimward half glowing a sickly red, indicating that it had been lost to enemy control. He knew that that would be a sticking point in the coming meeting. In the center of the room sat a large circular conference table illuminated by a large ring of lamps suspended from the ceiling. 16 high backed chairs surrounded the table.

Gentis took all of this in as he stood in the entrance. He also took note of the half dozen or so whispered conversations echoing through the chamber. Even with nearly a dozen and a half people milling about the War Room felt largely empty. Gentis personally considered the room a waste of space. There was too much dead air in the facility that wasn't being properly utilized for his tastes. He imagined the obsolete Admiralty had wanted to impress and intimidate visitors with a spectacle of a meeting room when they had called for its construction, which he supposed was in keeping with the overarching theme of intimidation espoused by the Tarkin Doctrine.

"Story goes that the architect of the Rhombus stole the design of this room from a Terran film." Captain Petrarc mused quietly, his four beady eyes appeared to be scanning through the latest data being put up on the holoscreens. More likely his adjutant was considering the roll call in the chamber for possible allies and enemies of the Fleet Admiral.

"I'll have to remember to ask Rear Admiral Cabbel about that." Gentis said, referencing his current supply Chief, who had once been a member of the Admiralty prior to its dissolution. Gentis eyed the small crowd. Yes, Saria had been right, in her own way. Surely President Harris would have been salivating had he known that the great movers and shakers of the Imperial war machine were assembled together under one roof. Huddled apart in small groups of two or three, the congregation of military and political leaders mingled and strategized.

Already seated at the table, Captain Bhao of the Bureau of Personnel, one of Gentis's men, was locked in what appeared to be a quiet but fierce argument with General Galveson, the Nautolan commanding officer of the 1st Legion, which was still undergoing training.

Over by the holoscreens, General Travles, the Director of the ISB, was having an equally animated, if less aggressive, conversation with Rear Admiral Murp of Imperial Intelligence and General Sodi of the 41st Legion. Travles and Murp were a power unto themselves, and while he considered Murp a friend, Travles of the ISB had never seemed for Gentis or against him. But Sodi was definitely one of Hinter's creatures, so there was some concern there. His 41st Legion was the last functional Legion still in service to the Empress, after the loss of the 501st and 212th.

Gentis's eyes flicked from the Intelligence agents to the table. Perhaps his new rank bars were making him paranoid, but even here in the inner sanctum of the Imperial Military he couldn't help but wonder, for the briefest of moments, if the enemy might try to plant a bomb somewhere. After the attempted assassination of the Empress and the sneak attack on Nal Kuat, there was very little he was willing to leave to chance, despite what he had said to the War Minister.

Saria seemed to sense his momentary unease. She smirked and folded her arms across her chest as she turned to him.

"Now you know how I've been feeling." She noted. Even the ghost of Aveo Yos knew what she was feeling.

Gentis ignored her and continued to scan the room while the War Minister walked over to the nearby refreshment table. Unlike the War Minister he was able to shake himself out of any feelings of paranoia he might develop.

Captain's Freyborn and Wolbam were standing by the refreshment table, downing what appeared to be their second helpings of caf. There was nothing to worry about from that quarter, the Naval Bureau Chiefs were on his side. Air Marshal Roblin was standing close to one of the holoscreens conferring with Admiral Vertitas. Vertitas was probably in Gentis's camp, so there was little concern for the Fleet Admiral there. Vertitas's strike at Ro-loo had made him the first hero of the war and the Lucrehulks that had carried Roblin to Earth had been under his command. His reputation was near the top of the mast in the Navy at the moment.

Which left...

"By the Gotra." Petrarc remarked. "Is she still wearing the same uniform she wore on Mars?"

Gentis followed Petrarc's line of sight to the left side of the chamber, before looking away. There, holding court with Prime Chancellor Runnerz and Sovereign Protector Ashla Ti, was Moff Hinter, freshly rescued from the fallen Fortress Mars. And Hinter was indeed still wearing the singed and torn uniform she no doubt had been wearing on Mars when she had lost it to the Confederacy.

"Not too subtle, our Moff Hinter." Gentis noted, pointedly making sure that she didn't notice that he'd seen her.

"It's disgusting." Petrarc snarled through his oversized tusks. "I heard she showed up here last week and all but demanded your job as Supreme Commander. When the Empress and Prime Chancellor refused she demanded command of Imperial ground forces. So far, Runnerz and Saria are considering it from what I've heard. She's all but accusing us of inaction by wearing that uniform to this meeting. Making herself out to be a battle bitten martyr."

"She's a preening schutta, Petrarc." Gentis admonished. Hinter had been a thorn in his side for ten years. Ever since he had won command of the Ares over her. She had accepted the command of Mars as a consolation prize and all but turned her back on the Navy, which she felt had betrayed her. "The worst thing you can do to her is ignore her. Kindly do so."

"I don't think that's going to be possible Sir. Here she comes." Petrarc warned.

"Fleet Admiral, so good to see you." A voice called out.

Gentis turned slowly. The voice in question belonged to the Prime Chancellor, Zain Runnerz, who was approaching Gentis with an outstretched hand. Hinter was hard on the Chancellor's heel with a mercenary glint in her eye, while Grand Master Ti hung back and observed what was going on.

Gentis took Runnerz's outstretched hand and shook it respectfully. For the hundredth time that day Gentis wished that politicians weren't so high maintenance. They were so hungry for praise and recognition that one needed to pay almost constant attention to them. It distracted from more productive endeavors.

"Prime Chancellor Runnerz, I believe congratulations are in order for your re-election." Gentis said. He half meant it. On the one hand, he had sunk some time and effort into getting Saria on his side, and he hoped he had made a solid impression on the Chancellor as well. So it would have been a waste of time to court the senior leaders of the Imperial Patriotic Party only to see them swept out by the rival Galactic Democratic League. But in the end it didn't matter to him whether Runnerz's IPP or the GDL was in charge of the Senate. He'd still take his marching orders from the Empress and have to answer questions before some Senate Committee after the fact anyways.

"It's not surprising that you were reelected. Your weekly "Pyre-Side Chats" on the HoloNet have been a boon for the morale of the Imperial Military, your Excellency." Petrarc added. "The beings in uniform are able to rest easier knowing that their leaders are addressing their concerns about the war in such a personal manner."

"Thank you, Admiral. And thank you, Captain. It is a privilege to know that, in such tough times, I have the support, not only of our Empress, but of the great Imperial beings as well." Runnerz said. "You arrived at the perfect time, Admiral. Moff Hinter was just regaling us with the story of her escape from Confederate forces."

Gentis's eyes narrowed as he resisted the urge to grind his teeth in annoyance. "I hope you haven't dragged me from the bridge of the Ares for war stories. I have a defensive campaign and counterstrike to formulate."

"Is that what you call what you've been up to?" Moff Hinter asked with venom.

Gentis would have said something, but Ashla Ti chose that moment to step in.

"I understand, Admiral that we have one of your commanders to thank for the successful return of the bomber crews from New Mandalore while Moff Hinter so nobly distracted and tied down the Confederate offensive. You both deserve a great deal of credit for your efforts. You've both made the Order's evacuation of imperiled planets much easier."

Hinter seemed to glow at the praise which she appeared to think was her birthright. Gentis nodded his head towards the Sovereign Protector in respect. He wasn't the biggest fan of the Jedi, but the Jedi of the Wadarae Temple only involved themselves when asked and had left him to run his navy in peace, so there was no enmity either. Before he could say anything the Jedi Master turned to the Chancellor.

"Prime Chancellor, I was hoping I could speak with you briefly in private before the meeting about Knight Kestis's proposals for the refugees from Zeptooine." She looked up to Gentis and Hinter to address them. "I hope you will excuse us."

Hinter said nothing, but frowned as she watched the Chancellor and the Jedi walk off.

Gentis watched them go for a moment, and then glanced over to his adjutant. "Could you get us some caf, Captain?"

Petrarc nodded and backed away, realizing that what the Admiral wanted wasn't caf, but some time to speak with Moff Hinter in private.

Hinter and Gentis glared at one another. There was no love lost between the two. Hinter had always seen Gentis as a rival who had deprived her of what she saw as her rightful command of the Super Star Destroyer Ares. The years had done little to help their relationship.

"Leida." Gentis said finally.

"Aron." Hinter growled.

Gentis made a show of looking Hinter's threadbare uniform over.

"You look like something the Sarlacc spat up. Surely you've had enough time since your return to the capital to change into something presentable. Especially if you're going to chat up the Prime Chancellor."

Hinter traced the outline of a scorch mark on her sleeve with a gloved hand. "What you see as damage I see as a badge of honor. A reminder to all that I act where others talk."

"You seem to have been doing plenty of talking when I came in." Gentis countered. "I didn't know you wanted to associate with Jedi."

Hinter shrugged. "One of Master Ti's Knights was of use during the battle on Mars. She even played a part in my rescue from Confederate capture, though she did get riddled with shrapnel for her trouble. I'm no Jedi lover, but they've proven to be a resourceful asset to the war effort. Unlike another group I could mention."

"You don't need to tell me twice." Gentis said, unable to resist the urge to kick his rival when she'd left an opening. "I happen to have this colleague who lost thousands of troopers under her command to death and imprisonment, making my job of finding the necessary manpower to prosecute this war even more difficult."

Hinter's face flushed red with anger. "Funny you should mention that, Aron, because I too have a very difficult colleague. A colleague with a Navy that he couldn't be bothered to use to rescue my troopers. A colleague who had access to a cloaked ship, but decided to use that cloaked ship as part of a raid to slap the Confederates on the wrist rather than save me and a few of my surviving command staff."

"It sounds to me like your colleague was more concerned with salvaging the Navy and keeping the Empire a going concern while you botched the defense of Mars as part of your personal quest for glory."

"After the Admiralty threw away the Limbo and Purgatory! Why, if I had had command of the Naval support..." Hinter began sharply.

"You'd still have found a way to lose. You had everything you needed to fend off a siege for decades and still lost in a matter of months. The Martian garrison was poorly disciplined and your security for the planetary shield generator was clearly a bad joke if saboteurs could infiltrate it as they did. I felt no need to exacerbate your failure."

"Your contempt for the troopers of the Empire is revolting." Hinter fumed.

"I don't fault the troopers, Moff Hinter. I fault a commander who is willing to hide their failure behind the sacrifice of those troopers." Gentis shot back.

Hinter sneered. "That's rich coming from a man who hasn't taken part in a single battle yet. The Orion War will not be won by commanders who plot and scheme behind the lines."

"Nor will it be won by a fool who fritters away men and materials lashing out wildly."

Hinter opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a loud clanging noise. Two blue robed royal guardsmen had entered into the War Room and taken up positions flanking the entry way. Both had clanged their Force Pikes on the floor to command the attention of the room's occupants.

Everyone turned towards the entrance and bowed. They didn't have to wait long. Empress Phasma marched into the room, trailed at a respectful distance by a young Jedi Knight in blue robes. Now, more than ever, Gentis couldn't help but admire and approve of the Empress, who had eschewed the voluminous robes and gowns of her office in peacetime for the simple Naval uniform of a Second Lieutenant.

The Empress acknowledged her subordinates quietly and gestured that they should take their seats before she made her way to the conference table. Hinter shot Gentis a withering glare before turning to make her way to her seat. Captain Petrarc returned from the refreshment table and handed Gentis a cup of caf.

"Looks like you managed to win that particular round, sir." Petrarc observed as the two made their way to the table.

"It was a waste of time." Gentis muttered before taking a sip of his scalding beverage. "I'd prefer to get into a fight with whoever runs the First Order, not Hinter."

"Scuttlebutt has it that we'll find out who that might be at this meeting."

Gentis frowned as he stared at his cup. "Hinter called this conflict the Orion War. Is that really the official name they're going with?"

Petrarc shrugged. "Seems to be what most of the newly enlisted recruits are calling it. You'd know that if you got off that command bridge of yours more often. The war is being fought for control of the Bloodstripe Run, which travels up the Orion Arm from the Outer Rim to the Core. It makes sense, and is a lot catchier than calling it 'the Second Empire-Earth War' or some such rubbish."

The Admiral gave a noncommittal hum in response as he took his seat on the right side of the table. He was positioned directly across from the Empress. Petrarc took up position to his immediate right, while Admiral Vertitas sat to his left. Phasma was flanked by Air Marshal Roblin on her right and Grand Master Ti on her left, while the blue robed Jedi stood behind the Empress a few meters away.

"Still can't believe they're wasting a Knight on security detail." Petrarc whispered to Gentis. "We're stretched thin as is."

"Who would you prefer to guard the Empress, a Padawan?" Gentis asked.

"Perhaps not, but even after all these years I still have trouble trusting a Jedi." Petrarc admitted.

"May I remind you, a Jedi in this room once saved the Empress's life. Sometimes you have to take what you get and make do with it." Gentis murmured. He would have said more, but the Empress cleared her throat as the room fell silent.

Phasma looked around at the assembled faces and began to speak. "Ladies and Gentlebeings, thank you for arriving at the capital on such late notice. I am told that there is some critical information which needs to be brought to light which will impact how we conduct the remainder of this war. We'll begin with a report from the Supreme Commander; Fleet Admiral Gentis."

"Your Majesty," The Admiral began. "Commander Galalloy's cloaked reconnaissance of the Kafrene System estimates that the Confederate buildup of supplies and ships will allow the Space Force to resume its offensive down the Bloodstripe Run within the next 3-4 weeks. ComScan aboard the Ryclclopper intercepted and decrypted references from Admiral Akfar's forward command headquarters on Kafrene Outpost to a Confederate offensive plan entitled Operation Matchstick."

A series of low murmurs reverberated through the War Room before the Empress cut them off. "Do we have any indications as to the primary target of this 'Operation Matchstick'?" The Empress asked.

"We intercepted a list of over fifty target names. You, Your Highness, were mentioned as living on one of them; Target Rome. We can safely assume Target Rome is Palpatine Prime. Two other targets were frequently referenced in the intercepted transmission," Gentis answered. "Target Alexandria and Target Jerusalem. It was not indicated which of the two was the final target of their upcoming campaign. But, given the frequency of reference, we can assume they are the next locations to be targeted in the coming offensive."

A short bark of humorless laughter drew the attention of the War Council from Admiral Gentis to Air Marshal Roblin, who had covered his mouth.

"My apologies Admiral." Roblin said to Gentis. "But it seems that the Confederates have a rather sick sense of humor."

"Mind filling us in on the joke?" Admiral Vertitas asked.

"The Comms officer on the Ryclclopper informed me of Matchstick while I had been traveling back on her sister, the Pierceskimmer; well he informed his buddy, the comm officer on the Pierceskimmer, so I did a bit of research. According to Earth's historical records, the Great Library at Alexandria was destroyed in a terrible fire." Roblin explained. "As was the Second Temple in Jerusalem."

The officers and politicians around the table stared at the Prince Consort in grim silence. The Air Marshal shrugged and gestured with his hands. "Get it? Matchstick. Fire. It's like poetry."

"If that is the case, then their target is clearly a location of great value to the Empire." General Galveson hypothesized.

"Perhaps." Roblin responded. "Both cities were also the sight of multiple conquests over the years. The names could reflect a statement of intent to conquer. All of the other target names were ancient cities on Earth as well."

"I care little for the theatrical flourishes of the enemy." Hinter interrupted, dismissing Galveson and Roblin both. She looked directly at Gentis. "Do we have any indication as to the identity of Targets Alexandria and Jerusalem?"

Before Gentis could speak General Travles leaned forward between the two rivals. "We do not know the precise locations of either target as of yet, nor the battle plan surrounding them, but ISB is working on a potential lead. We do know the main First Order fleet has departed Titan and should join the Confederate 1st Fleet shortly. We hope to determine the precise targets in time to counter the inevitable resumption of the Confederate offensive."

The Empress's sharp eyes shot from Gentis to General Sodi. "I take it, General that the Legions we have in training will be ready before I find President Harris pounding on the front door of the Imperial Palace."

"Training for the new 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Legions is proceeding apace, Your Majesty." Sodi said through gritted teeth. "And the Navy has promised that the first batch of completed special units will be ready for deployment to planetside operations within the next four months, thus alleviating to an extent the disparity in numbers between the Empire and the Confederacy. However, I still insist that current recruitment policies are inefficiently distributed."

"You can't have any more of my sailors, Sodi." Gentis said, unable to keep the condescension from his tone. He had directed the comment at Sodi but had locked eyes with Hinter during the exchange. Sodi was Colonel Katarn's creature and had been present at the Christmas Martyrs Massacre. His star had risen as far as it could after being involved with that bloody debacle. Sodi bristled and inhaled sharply, causing his cheeks to puff in and out in a manner unbecoming of an Imperial officer.

Captain Bhao raised his hands up in a placating gesture. "Admiral, General, please. The Bureau of Personnel has been doing its utmost to speed along the process of automation without impacting the overall efficiency of either the Army or the Navy. The 1st Naval Factory on Nal Kuat's KX production line has been most promising."

"1 KX-Security Droid is able to free up 10 Imperial Sailors, Fleet Admiral." Sodi snapped. "Those men are of more use with a blaster in their hands down dirtside fighting the Legionnaires as Stormtroopers than they would be doing maintenance and standing around on guard duty on a ship."

"Upwards of 75% of the Imperial Navy's sailors are being replaced by droids." Retorted the Fleet Admiral. "I signed off on that at Captain Bhao's insistence. I need them to man new ships planned to come out of the driveyards next year, but you and Galveson want upwards of 95% of the Navy's personnel replaced, if not all of them. It's been hard enough keeping a competent officer corps intact, and you want to gut that. Need I remind you all of the bad joke that was the Separatist Navy? Droids need organics to command them if the fleet is to remain effective."

"Remain? That implies that the Navy has hitherto been effective in dealing with the enemy." Said Hinter, who jabbed her thumb at the map of the occupied Bloodstripe Run on the holoscreen.

Gentis refused to look in her direction. Instead he addressed the Empress. "Contrary to what some might believe, our overall strategic situation is sound. We have used multiple small scale skirmishes with the Confederacy to gauge the full potential of their ships and fighters, allowing us a better understanding of the Space Force's strengths and weaknesses, as well as the capabilities of the First Order brand of TIE Fighter, which we haven't seen since Nal Kuat." Someone, probably Hinter, let loose a skeptical cough.

"While roughly half of the Bloodstripe Run has been occupied by the Confederacy, upwards of 65% of the pre-war Imperial population along the Gallivanter Run and Carnificial Causeway were able to evacuate before their planets were taken, thanks to the efforts of the Navy and the Jedi." Explained Gentis, who was willing to throw Ashla Ti a proverbial bone, if only to ensure that she did not get too close to Hinter.

"Mars only got a sliver of its population offworld." Hinter asserted snidely.

"Yes, and that sliver will soon be either joining General Sodi's Legions or working in the Empire's fields and factories to support the war effort." Gentis retorted. "The territory we have lost will not have an overly detrimental impact on the war effort. Hell, most of our resource and industrial bases are located closer to Palpatine Prime than to Mars."

"I can back up that assertion, My Empress." Said the Prime Chancellor. "The Agriculture Ministry confirmed that the agricombines on Onasi V, Nal Moshen and Shilios will be able to produce enough foodstuffs to keep the Imperial population decently fed for the duration of the war, albeit with strict rationing. The factories and shipyards on Next 1, Jastawui, and Nal Kuat are now operating at full capacity, and our mining facilities on Nal Kessel and in the Vaedor System having been able to meet the expanded quotas we've requested."

"By contrast intelligence reports indicate that the Confederate hypermatter facility at Earth 2 is straining to the breaking point and their supply lines are over-extended. The First Order has yet to bring their captured factory at Titan online. Hopefully, King Wozz is still alive and hampering their efforts there." Asserted Gentis. "When our counterstrike launches in six months, we will be able to blunt their attacks with our retrofitted Quasar Fire carriers, and use those carriers as a mobile platform for our bombers."

"The last enemy offensive has been marked by the conspicuous absence of the First Order." War Minister Saria spoke up. "It is easy to forget about them since they have done little to the Empire since their raid on Nal Kuat, but sooner or later the might of the mystery fleets of the First Order will be brought to bear against us. We have been operating in the dark for far too long. If we are to win this war we must know who our enemy is and what they want. What do we know about them, and their intentions?"

Gentis saw Murp and Travles share a glance before Murp spoke up.

"We know enough, War Minister." Murp took out a small datadisk and inserted it into a dataport in the table. The holoprojector in the center of the table lit up as the intelligence officer spoke. "Ladies and Gentlebeings of the Empire, I give you the commanding triumvirate of the First Order's 7th Fleet of Conquest; General Crisis of the 23rd Legion, Fleet Admiral Perciv Jethran, and the Supreme Leader of the First Order, Vala Ren."

A holographic image of three beings materialized above the table, and Gentis leaned forward to get a better view of the face of the enemy.

They were a peculiar trio. An aurodium colored stormtrooper in a black cape and an older officer in a white uniform with a grey cape were flanking a strange barbarian female in armor that looked like it had been worn with pride by some primitive Nihil Marauder in centuries past. Their collective appearance only raised Gentis's interest. The Stormtrooper and the officer, Crisis and Jethran he assumed, wore armor and uniforms that both appeared to represent a natural evolution of the current Imperial design style. But the barbarian woman? This Vala Ren. What would possess such men to make what looked like an unwashed pirate their leader? And why would their enemy so readily appropriate the Imperial aesthetic?

"The intelligence we have acquired on the First Order has come from a multitude of different sources; interrogations from First Order advisor prisoners by the 212th while still on Olympus Mons, recovered bits of data from a crashed CIA shuttle during the retreat on MotherGarden, acquired enemy datapads and intercepted comm signals from deep in the Sol System. In addition we have received a treasure trove of intel from both our allies in New Mandalore and Kazoook." Admiral Murp continued, gesturing to the hologram. "These three images were taken from recovered communications logs found on a crashed First Order command vehicle in Amidala City, and smuggled off world by partisans attached to Moff Hinter's escape."

Gentis risked a glance at Hinter to gauge her reaction. He noticed that she seemed pleased to have been mentioned. She seemed to think that any success that could be attributed to her would diminish her failure to hold the Empire's only Fortress world.

General Travles cleared his throat before gesturing to hologram. "On their own, the various bits of data we've acquired were of a fragmentary nature. It has taken us some time, but the information we have managed to acquire and piece together does paint a rather...unsettling picture."

"And that picture would be?" Asked Gentis with exasperation. Bureaucrats loved telling over-complicated stories when they should have been more focused on making their point.

"That the situation is much different from what we might have thought, or indeed hoped." Travles said delicately, his eyes flickering from Gentis to the Empress and back again, as though he feared upsetting them.

"Out with it man!" Snapped Roblin. "How bad could it possibly be?"

"If this information is handled poorly, and released without the appropriate, uh, 'spin' it might very well cripple Imperial morale." Murp interjected. He looked around the table at the assembled officers, as though he was daring them to disagree with him.

"The information is, frankly, difficult to believe." Travles said, his voice laced with a tone of resigned disgust. "You must promise not to laugh us out of the room for what we have to say."

Roblin glanced to the Empress and smirked before turning to face Murp. "Go ahead and try us."

"Thankfully the biggest revelation about the First Order can be verified by a separate piece of information." Murp admitted. "Our recent first contact with the Wookiees and Earthling outcasts of Kazoook has revealed that, although the Wookiees had settled Kazoook over five centuries ago, their ancestors only departed from Kashyyyk just after the end of the Clone Wars, which from our point of reference only ended some 35 years ago."

"Wait, what?" Exclaimed Captain Freyborn. "That makes no sense. I wasn't informed about this. And what do they have to do with the leadership of the First Order?"

Gentis frowned. But before he could urge Freyborn to keep his peace, the Empress spoke up. "You are being informed now." Empress Phasma said, clearly as impatient at the interruptions as Gentis was. "We are all being informed now."

"The situation with the Wookiees only serves to reinforce what I am about to reveal." Explained Murp. "According to all of the information available to us, the First Order came into prominence some 40 years after our own departure from the Home Galaxy."

"But...we've only been gone from the Home Galaxy for 26 years." Phasma said, her eyes widening as she realized what these facts implied.

"Exactly." Said General Travles. "We have confirmed a theory that some in the scientific community had been postulating for decades now. The Wookiees, the First Order, and the beings of Tarkin's Fist all underwent the 'big jump'. That 'big jump', however, not only displaced us in space, but in time as well."

The War Room fell deathly silent as all contemplated the ramifications of what they'd been told.

"So...where...when, are we?" Asked Captain Petrarc as he shrunk down into his chair. That they were all castaways from the 1st Galactic Empire was a given they had all grown accustomed to, but even in their wildest dreams they had never realized the depth of their removal until that point.

Murp shook his head. "There's no way of knowing whether we traveled forwards or backwards in time. Nor is there any means of determining how far we traveled in time. The only way to find out would be to find the Home Galaxy, go there, and take stock of the situation."

"And in a universe with billions of galaxies, the chances of us finding the Home Galaxy in our lifetime is nearly nonexistent." Chancellor Runnerz remarked, his tone ambivalent. Gentis could imagine why. In the Milky Way he was the second most powerful person in the most important stellar nation in known space. In the Home Galaxy he would have been a nobody.

"But this is incredible!" Proclaimed General Sodi, turning in his chair away from the group to process what he'd been told, his face ashen. "Is time travel even possible?"

"If you asked the average being on the roadway, I'm sure they'd say it was impossible." Prime Chancellor Runnerz said with shrug, seeming to take the revelation in stride. "But the Old Republic did ban research on time travel. Perhaps they knew that it was more than a theory."

Grand Master Ti chose that moment to speak up. "There have always been isolated stories of beings who were able to escape the shackles of linear time. The Jedi and the Republic both saw the dangers inherent to the manipulation of time, and so halted any further research into it. Whether you believe those stories or not is irrelevant. The Kazoookians and the First Order were displaced in time. It is reasonable to assume that we have been similarly displaced. That is the only explanation for the discrepancies between us."

"But how can the First Order be from the Home Galaxy's future?" Gentis asked. "These treacherous raiders have weapons and technology based off of our own, but they can't be proper Imperials! They skulk about where the Empire would project its power! How could the 1st Galactic Empire have tolerated this Ren woman absconding with a fleet's worth of assets?"

"Because there wasn't an Empire left to oppose them." Hinter announced, unable to keep the smugness out of her voice, despite such a damning pronouncement.

"Excuse me?" The Empress asked, as shocked as everyone else in the room.

"This was the sensitive information I had referred to earlier, Your Majesty." Murp said carefully. "Every piece of intelligence we managed to acquire corroborated the First Order's backstory. It seems that the 1st Galactic Empire fell into civil war a decade after our departure for the Maw Installation."

"And you're suggesting that this civil war destroyed the Empire? Ludicrous." Saria spat with venom. "The Empire was one of the most militarized states in the history of the galaxy and was in the process of undergoing a massive armaments buildup when we departed. I doubt the Separatist holdouts had the fire left to do any damage."

"It seems that the war was not with the Separatists, Madam Minister." Moff Hinter said. The deposed Moff pulled out a datapad containing the intelligence reports her agents had gleaned before Mars fell. "In the years before our departure, everyone at this table heard of the various, disparate rebel cells opposed to Imperial rule; the Partisans, the Neo-Republicans, the Sectorists. After our departure, it appears that these rebel cells unified under a single banner and around a common cause, inspired by the acts of a few surviving Jedi. The Galactic Civil War, as it was apparently called, appears to have been fought between The Empire and a group referring to itself as 'The Alliance to Restore the Republic'.

"Unlike the Separatists, who sought to leave the Old Republic and bring half of the galaxy with them, this Rebel Alliance took the form of a government in exile; it's leadership comprised of Senators who had been Republic loyalists during the Clone Wars. These Rebel Senators claimed that the Emperor had taken advantage of the chaos of the Clone Wars to acquire powers denied to him by the old Galactic Constitution. Where the Separatists held territory, the Alliance was largely stateless in nature, relying on hit and run attacks from remote bases in deep space to undermine the Imperial war machine, with the intent of deposing the Emperor and restoring the Republic."

"But that makes even less sense." Proclaimed Captain Bhao, who slammed his palm on the table to emphasize his point. "The CIS had a dedicated war industry and controlled economically vital worlds across the Mid and Outer Rims. That's why they were such a threat. But you're saying that a rag tag band of insurgents managed to bring down the Empire? Surely the Death Star would have annihilated any Outer Rim planetoid that harbored these Rebels."

"The Death Star...was destroyed. And Grand Moff Tarkin with it." Travles announced solemnly. Gentis felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. While its construction had been top secret, to those who had known of its existence the Death Star had been a symbol of the Empire's invincibility. Its inevitable completion would have one day signaled to the galaxy that the Empire's rule was for all time. For in the end, who could possibly stand against such raw power? The additional blow that Tarkin, one of the great ideologues of the New Order, and the reason for their presence in the Milky Way, had been killed was a difficult one to process.

"That...that cannot be." Phasma gasped. "The Death Star was supposed to have had enough firepower to rival half of the Imperial Starfleet. You said that these Rebels were a stateless band of insurrectionists. Where could they have gotten a fleet large enough to destroy the Death Star?"

"They evidently didn't need a fleet." Travles explained, fidgeting all the while. Gentis wondered what had gotten into the man. "Our sources all agree that the Death Star was destroyed by a single X-Wing fighter."

"Oh please, now I know you must be joking." Exclaimed Roblin. "A single fighter destroying the Death Star strains credulity. But that it was destroyed by a mere X-Wing? The TIE fighter squadrons on the Death Star would have surely swept them from the skies."

"Do not be so proud of your technological terrors, Prince Consort." Ashla Ti intoned. "I assume that these rebels must have found some sort of hidden weakness in the battlestation."

Murp nodded his head. "Master Ti is correct. It seems that the Rebel Alliance obtained the plans for the station through a commando raid on the archive world of Scarif, and exploited a design flaw to destroy it roughly a decade after our departure. Even then, they were unable to destroy the station before it made use of its primary superlaser."

Roblin cleared his throat dismissively, unimpressed by the answer he'd been given. "So Krennic, Lemelisk, and Tarkin finally got to shoot their big gun. What Outer Rim dustball did they waste?"

"Alderaan." Murp said, his voice a dead monotone. A loud gasp tore through the room. War Minister Saria, who had been taking a sip from her cup of caf, choked and spluttered as she resisted the urge to spit out her drink in surprise. Gentis felt his head spin.

"You're certain of that?" Gentis asked as he leaned towards the Intelligence operative. Murp nodded his head.

"They blew up Alderaan?" Phasma leaned back in her chair, stunned. "They destroyed a Core World?"

"They destroyed a loyalist Core World populated by pacifists." Gentis exclaimed, more to himself than to the others. For a moment he tried to wrack his brains to develop a reasonable explanation for why the Empire would ever want to destroy Alderaan. It was a planet largely devoid of weapons. It had no armaments industry, its people weren't prone to radicalism. How could affairs in the Home Galaxy have changed so dramatically in the years after their departure?

"Well...surely there must have been a good reason." Wolbam exclaimed, running his hand through his receding hairline. "They may have been pacifists, but perhaps the entire planet was engaged in some sort of civil disobedience, or perhaps they were disseminating traitorous propaganda."

Gentis could tell from the mood of the room that such an explanation was unlikely to be accepted.

"And that warranted the annihilation of an entire planet and all of its inhabitants?" Ashla Ti asked.

"Perhaps...if they were traitors. The planet could have been in revolt for all we know." Wolbam said defensively. Even he seemed unconvinced by the excuse.

"We don't know the precise details surrounding Alderaan's destruction." Travles admitted. "But we do know that, apparently, Grand Moff Tarkin targeted Alderaan to compel a senior leader of the Alliance to name the location of the main Rebel base, and after they confessed, the Governor deliberately chose to destroy Alderaan anyways in order to make an effective demonstration of the station's power to the wider galaxy."

"The First Order didn't try to cover up this atrocity? Or downplay it? Or pin it on the Rebels?" Asked Phasma.

"No, Your Majesty. As a matter of fact, all references made to Alderaan's destruction are conveyed with a sense of pride. The First Order seems to believe Alderaan's destruction was an ideal means of showing the galaxy just how uncompromising the Empire could be." Travles explained.

"But that's insane! It's in direct violation of the Tarkin Doctrine!" Gentis exclaimed, slamming his fist on the table. "Rule through fear of force, rather than force itself! If demonstrations needed to be made, the ideal target would have been the lawless and chaotic cesspits of the Outer Rim, not against one of the pillars of galactic civilization! Destroying Alderaan would have been completely disproportionate!"

"The Tarkin Doctrine was always flawed." Ashla Ti asserted. "Fear leads to anger, and anger to hate. To rule through fear and force, rather than through establishing harmony, creates resentment. Violence, once inflicted, breeds a desire for justice against the perpetrators. It seems that a great many beings grew fed up with Palpatine's regime. Suffering is the only byproduct of an Empire governed through fear."

"Can the Emperor truly be blamed?" Petrarc asked. "General Travles himself said that Governor Tarkin gave the order. Perhaps he did so without the Emperor's permission."

"We all knew Palpatine." Murp asserted. "It's why we all signed on with Tarkin's Fist. Little escaped his notice. According to our findings Palpatine dissolved the Imperial Senate and gave full administrative authority to the Moffs and their military garrisons shortly after the announcement of the Death Star's completion and shortly before Alderaan's annihilation. I have to conclude that there was likely coordination between the Emperor and the Grand Moff based on the timing of the events. Tarkin would not have been able to destroy Alderaan without the Emperor's blessings."

"Perhaps, perhaps not, Sir." Petrarc retorted. "There were always the rumors that the Emperor was...not what he used to be. And that certain advisors of his might have overstepped themselves."

Gentis winced. Even now it was an uncomfortable topic to bring up. There had indeed been rumors, in the years prior to the departure of Tarkin's Fist, that the Emperor had entered into a period of mental and physical decline. The theory had made sense, to an extent. The man had been in public office for decades, and had shepherded the galaxy through a titanic war. It was logical to suppose that an old man, who had gone into seclusion, might have effectively abrogated his powers and handed the day to day running of the Empire over to those on his Ruling Council. And while senility could easily be cured by a licensed telepath, the condition needed to be acknowledged and treated in order to be cured. Was it possible that the likes of Pestage, Dangor, and Amedda had been propping up the Emperor on his throne while hiding his debilitation? If so, had they gone mad with power?

"I wouldn't put much stock in that theory. So long as the Emperor drew breath, he commanded the Empire with a quadanium fist." Ashla Ti asserted.

"And you would know that, how, Master Jedi?" Asked General Galveson with a sneer, his head tentacles swishing around his head as he turned to regard the Jedi Master. "Can you really just conjure the truth out of thin air?" Gentis sighed. This meeting was already taking far too long. He didn't have time for it to devolve into an argument.

"Unfortunately, it would seem that what evidence we have leans more in support of Master Ti's assertion." Admiral Murp interrupted, seeking to defuse an argument before it started.

"This is all rather fascinating," Said Roblin. "But what does it have to do with the First Order?" It was a sentiment that Gentis found himself in agreement with.

"We are getting to that." Reassured General Travles. "To make a long and apparently complicated story short, the destruction of Alderaan, the destruction of the Death Star and the death of Grand Moff Tarkin in rapid succession legitimized the Rebellion's cause in the eyes of many citizens. Alderaan's destruction was seen by many as an excessive display of force. An increasing number of citizens came to the conclusion that, if a Core World of pacifists could be destroyed, then no one was safe under Imperial leadership. This, coupled with the Senate's dissolution, appeared to many to validate the Rebel claim that Palpatine was an uncaring tyrant out to usurp all power for himself."

"And those who remained loyal to the Empire tended to swing in the opposite direction." Continued Murp. "The dissolution of the Imperial Senate and the Destruction of Alderaan were rationalized as part of a heroic effort to finally do away with the last remnants of a corrupt, decadent era, and remake the galaxy into a truly strong and vital entity. The Empire, in their minds, was proving its strength by going to lengths others were incapable of going to in order to achieve their goals. Obviously there could be no compromise between the two factions, and so open warfare broke out. Unwilling, or unable, to allow their ultimate symbol of might to be so callously defeated, the Empire accelerated construction of the 2nd Death Star. A Death Star without the flaws of the 1st."

Gentis looked away from Murp and quickly scanned the room, taking in the reactions of the men and women around him as they processed what they were being told. Empress Phasma seemed terribly dismayed. General Travles glared angrily as Murp continued to speak. Hinter shook her head in contempt, while Captain Bhao rubbed absently at his cheek in shock. Each member of the War Council reacted in their own way to the news that the Empire they'd left behind had seemingly gone mad.

Out of all those assembled, Gentis noted that Ashla Ti was the only one among them who seemed completely unsurprised by what she was hearing.

"After years of open warfare, the Rebels learned of the 2nd Death Star, and launched an assault while the weapon was still under construction in the Endor System." Hinter explained. "Their attack was timed to coincide with a visit to the construction site by both the Emperor and Lord Vader. The attack was successful, the 2nd Death Star was destroyed, and Lord Vader and the Emperor were both killed."

Gentis let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, as he oddly felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He noticed that the other members of the War Council had mixed expressions of shock and even relief on their faces. For a significant portion of his adult life, Darth Vader had loomed in the background, larger than life and ever vigilant in his quest to destroy all who offered less than utter devotion to Palpatine and the Empire. Even lost in the Milky Way, there had always been a small concern as to what would happen should Vader ever find them. That they had abandoned any efforts of ever returning to the Home Galaxy and pledged their loyalty to a Fleet Admiral, and later his daughter, would have secured every being in the 2nd Galactic Empire a death warrant had Vader found them.

"I'm not surprised that it would take a Death Star exploding to bring Lord Vader to his end." Gentis finally said. "But even with the death of the Emperor and the Dark Lord, the Empire should have rallied against this Rebellion."

"They might have, if not for the Emperor himself." Murp said.

"What are you suggesting?" Phasma asked.

"The Emperor never designated an heir." Murp explained. "Nor did he clarify the line of succession should he fall without an heir. It's vaguely implied in the Declaration of a New Order that the Senate would play a role in selecting the next Emperor, but as the Senate had been dissolved years prior..."

"There was no one universally recognized with the right to claim the Imperial Throne." Phasma concluded.

"Precisely, Your Majesty." Murp confirmed before gesturing to a holoscreen on the far wall. An image of the Emperor appeared on it. "However, just because he did not designate a successor, doesn't mean he had not thought of the future. As Moffs, Grand Admirals, and Surface Marshal's declared their right to the throne, or broke away to form their own petty fiefdoms, warlordism and infighting tore through the Imperial ranks. The Rebels reorganized themselves into a New Republic and, bolstered by their successes against the Empire and mass uprisings across Imperial space, began to make headway in their efforts to take control of the galaxy. Atop the mounting chaos, a message was received by all surviving Imperial forces."

The recording on the holoscreen spoke out, and Gentis heard once more the rasping voice of the man he had once called his Emperor.

"Operation: Cinder is to begin at once. Resistance. Rebellion. Defiance. These are concepts that cannot be allowed to persist. You are but one of many tools by which these ideas shall be burned away."

The image and voice of the Emperor faded away from the screen as Murp turned back to address the Empress.

"Imperial Intelligence has run every analysis we could think of to verify this message. There has been no tampering with the recording, and the voice print heard here is a complete match with other recordings of the Emperor we have on record. That message is authentic, and could only have been recorded by Emperor Palpatine."

"After what I've heard so far, I'm almost too afraid to ask. But what was Operation:Cinder?" Captain Bhao asked.

"A widespread plan of orbital bombardment of planets across the galaxy, designed to punish the Galactic Empire for having failed to prevent the Emperor's death." Admiral Murp explained.

"To punish the Empire?!" Phasma asked, aghast. "That's insanity! Why would they gut themselves when they should have redoubled their efforts against the Rebels? What possible use could they find in burning down the galaxy?"

"The First Order prisoners we've managed to capture all seemed to agree that the Empire had strayed from the Emperor's vision of perfection." Hinter explained. "They felt there were too many opportunists and embezzlers amongst the Imperial ranks; not enough true believers. If the Emperor's vision was to truly succeed it needed hardened fanatics who would do anything for the Emperor's cause. The Empire, in their mind, had become bloated, undermined from without and from within. As far as they were concerned it deserved to burn for failing to accomplish the Emperor's mission. Operation:Cinder was meant to separate the wheat from the chaff, as the Earthlings would say. To determine who was hardened and loyal enough to follow any order, no matter the consequences, and who wasn't."

"In addition, many felt it better that the Rebels be left with nothing but ash than let the galaxy be corrupted by anti-Imperial ideas." Travles added while tapping a key on a nearby panel. On one of the holoscreens on the far wall a list of names began to scroll by. Fondor, Burnin Konn, Naboo, Abednedo...

The names went on and on. Planets, all attacked by Operation:Cinder. Gentis felt his stomach twist into knots. He was a soldier, and understood more than others the unpleasant realities of war. The 1st Galactic Empire had always been ruthless with its opponents. It had been that degree of ruthlessness that had compelled most of the members of Tarkin's Fist to partake in its original mission. There had been no love amongst the beings of the original four sector fleets for the more grisly brutalities that the Empire had inflicted.

But it had always been rationalized, by Gentis at least, and perhaps by others, as a necessary evil. The galaxy had needed a firm hand to cleanse it and build up an entirely new civilization. It had been seen as necessary to use force to bring the benefits of civilization to the chaotic regions of the Outer Rim. That was how men like him had been able to sleep at night. It would all be worth it...one day.

But what he had seen here had not been constructive. The 1st Galactic Empire had not brought order to lawlessness, or civilization to barbarity. It had inflicted annihilation over petty slights. It was cruel for the sake of cruelty. Chaos that begat yet more chaos. It was insanity.

"NO!" A loud shout tore Gentis from his own thoughts. The Admiral turned to his right to see Captain Petrarc had leapt from his chair, his palms slammed onto the table as he leaned forward, his four black eyes wide and moist as he stared in growing rage at the screen.

"No, it makes no sense." He muttered, walking around the table and approaching the screen. The Aqualish reached out a furry hand and touched a single name on the screen.

Vardos.

The Empress looked from Petrarc to Gentis, clearly looking for an explanation for the outburst. Gentis grimaced.

"Vardos was the Captain's homeworld." He explained.

"We were hailed across the galaxy as an Imperial utopia." Said Petrarc, more to himself than to the others. "We believed in an Empire that would rule for 10,000 years. There could be no rebels on Vardos. We were all unconditionally loyal. Mother taught us to thank the Emperor each day for the food we ate and the air we breathed. Mother! Father! My family! Oh why? Why? Why would they attack us? whywhywhy..."

The Captain's legs buckled. His body shook and jerked as he repressed violent sobs. Before Gentis could say anything his adjutant tore away from the screens and made for the door.

Gentis watched him go. For a moment he wanted to follow and offer him some comfort. But his place was at this meeting. After a moment Gentis turned back from where Petrarc had left, and looked to the Empress. "Please forgive him, Your Highness. This would be a terrible shock to anyone."

Phasma tore her eyes from the holoscreen. She had been transfixed all the while by the list of planets that had been targeted by Operation:Cinder.

"There is nothing to forgive, Admiral." She said, her voice thick with unexpected emotion. "This would be trying information for the very best of us."

"I'm afraid that the worst is yet to come, Your Majesty." Murp spoke up, glancing furtively from Gentis to Phasma.

"What could possibly be worse than learning that the Empire we left behind went stark raving mad?" Asked Roblin.

In due time, Your Highness." Travles said, sounding tired. Gentis wished they'd get on with it. He supposed though that any further revelations would require some additional context to make sense.

"The aftershocks of Operation:Cinder were profound." Travles continued. "Some worlds, such as Vardos, were completely devastated and depopulated. Others, such as Commenor and Naboo were damaged, but ultimately spared from total destruction. The Emperor's last wish, that the galaxy be burnt to the ground for failing him, went unfulfilled. But Operation:Cinder's secondary objective, of separating the fanatics from the mainstream, was successful. Those hardened zealots then abandoned the known galaxy and absconded with large numbers of arms, munitions, ships, and capital, before fleeing to secret redoubts in the Unknown Regions."

"Those zealots would go on to form the First Order." Moff Hinter concluded.

"By the stars, so that's what we are dealing with. An armada of Eritech's!" Said General Sodi. Phasma's head snapped in his direction, and her glare was enough to cause the General to visibly shrink in his seat. The arch-traitor, the man who had murdered Emperor Yos, Phasma's father, and nearly destroyed the Empire at the height of the Empire-Earth War in the name of his obsessive devotion to Palpatine, was still a sore subject with the Empress of the 2nd Galactic Empire. Any mention of his name was still informally forbidden in Her Majesty's presence.

"We are dealing with a band of fanatics." Moff Hinter said. "Who have spent the better part of 30 years ruminating on their failures and dreaming of revenge against those who toppled the Empire."

"So, they think we're not loyal enough? And that's their reason for attacking us?" Roblin asked.

"That would seem to be their initial reasoning." Murp said quietly, his eyes darting from Travles to the Empress. Gentis wondered just what was up. All throughout the meeting both Murp and Travles had been acting oddly. They were on edge about something. Uncertain. What could possibly be unnerving them?

"Their initial reasoning?" Phasma asked. "What other reasons do they have for attacking us?"

"It...that is...Your Majesty." Murp said. "It might not be wise to say in present company."

"If you have intelligence to report on then do so, Admiral." Phasma said sharply. "We haven't the time to dance about the issue."

"Very well." Murp said, a look of extreme reluctance crossing his features. "During the first attack on New Mandalore, the Mandalorians acquired a downed First Order pilot named Jad Galek. During his interrogation, Pilot Galek confessed that one of his associates in the First Order was a signal intelligence officer native of Naboo, who happened to notice that the 2nd Galactic Empire's former capital city had been named after a former Queen and Senator of Naboo."

"Yes, I felt that my late mother deserved some recognition for her lifetime of public service." Phasma said with some sensitivity. The Empress had rarely spoken of her mother, in private or in public, but Gentis knew enough to know that she held both of her parents in high regard. The Admiral didn't understand the direction the conversation was heading in. What had the Empress's mother to do with the First Order? Whatever it was had Murp and Travles sweating blaster bolts.

"After conducting research over our own HoloNet, it seems they discovered the connection between yourself and the late Queen Amidala." Murp explained. "Intercepted transmissions from the First Order indicate that they have been using your parentage as propaganda against our Empire."

"What has my mother to do with any of this?" Phasma demanded, a low growl creeping into her voice.

Travles visibly gulped before he spoke. "She appears to have gone down in history...not only as a onetime Queen and Senator...but as the mother of two of the Rebel Alliance's greatest heroes...and as the wife of Darth Vader."

Gentis struggled to maintain his composure. The day had certainly proven itself full of surprises. As Gentis looked about the room, he noted that the Jedi Ashla Ti was the only one aside from him to maintain a passably neutral expression; an arched eyebrow and a glance in the Empress's direction were the only sign of interest from the Jedi Grand Master. The rest of the War Council had proven unable to hide their surprise and disbelief. The strongest reaction, however, came from the Prince Consort, who began to laugh.

"Oh, please, now I know you're trying to pull something on us." Roblin said between fits of laughter. "I mean, sure, claiming that Palps went nuttier than an Ettel nut tree. I could buy that. The rebels pulling together to overthrow the Empire? A stretch, but you managed to sell it. But this is just...I mean it's just..."

The Air Marshal looked around the room, his hands splayed out in front of him as he looked for someone to back him up. Then he looked to his wife, and his expression faltered.

Phasma Yos, in that moment, was a portrait in contradictions; her expression as hard as duranium, and yet as brittle as glass. There was shock, of course. Shock at this sudden insight into her family's history. Rage, that the First Order would use her in such a manner to undermine the Empire. And also...Gentis wasn't sure, but he thought he saw, for the briefest moment, a twinge of fear.

"Explain yourself." Phasma demanded, her voice suddenly quiet and choked with emotion. Roblin reached out and clasped her hand in a reassuring squeeze.

Admiral Murp took another datadisk from his pocket and inserted it into a nearby port. "We have, all of us, expressed incredulity and shock at the idea of the Empire being deposed. The odds the Rebels found themselves against were overwhelming. Their survival, and eventual triumph, can be attributed to a small group referred to as the Heroes of Yavin." Murp explained as he tapped a series of keys in front of him.

A new hologram appeared at the center of the conference table, replacing the image of the leadership of the First Order. The new image depicted an eclectic band of individuals in some sort of great hall. Standing on a dais in front of several vine encrusted stone columns and a selection of officers and droids stood four individuals; two human men, a Wookiee, and a human woman. There was more than a slight resemblance between her and the Empress, Gentis noticed.

"Never have I seen more vitriol and hate directed towards a group of beings than I have seen in the First Order's descriptions of the so-called Heroes of Yavin." Said General Travles, as he mopped his brow. "This holopic was taken following the Battle of Yavin, which saw the Death Star's destruction. These beings; Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo, and the Wookiee, Chewbacca, were responsible for securing the schematics for the Death Star to the Alliance's High Command. Skywalker himself would prove to be the pilot responsible for the Death Star's destruction. In the years that followed the Heroes of Yavin would prove themselves to be the cause of multiple Alliance victories against Imperial forces. Ultimately, Leia Organa would become a public symbol of the Alliance, and later cause the death of Jabba the Hutt, while Skywalker, as a Jedi in training, would go on to play a critical role in the deaths of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine."

"Wait a minute, you cannot mean that that is the Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan!" Exclaimed Prime Chancellor Runnerz. "She was the heir to the throne! It was rumored that she might even succeed her father Bail in the Imperial Senate. No wonder Alderaan was destroyed if she was such a senior rebel!"

"Her adoptive father." War Minister Saria corrected her superior. "As I recall the House of Organa made no secret of the fact that their only child and heir was adopted. It was all over the gossip columns, but was overshadowed by the establishment of the New Order."

"She can't have been that bad if she rid the galaxy of that filthy ball of fat and slime that called himself a Hutt." Said Moff Hinter.

"So our fire did not go out from the galaxy." Said Ashla Ti softly. Gentis might have been mistaken, but he thought for a moment he might have seen a tear forming at the corner of the Jedi Master's eye.

"The name Skywalker should not go un-noted." Ashla Ti continued, whose eyes were locked on the figure of Luke Skywalker. "Anakin Skywalker, the Hero With No Fear, distinguished himself as a Jedi Knight during the Clone Wars. He was also known to be a close confidant of Chancellor Palpatine."

"It appears that Vader and Anakin Skywalker were indeed the same person." Travles paused, clearly uncomfortable with what he was attempting to convey. Gentis wondered idly what could compel a man to slaughter his own kind and hunt the survivors down with such ferocity. Force-sensitives were ever a mystery to him.

"Your Majesty." Murp further addressed the Empress, taking over for the General. "According to the intelligence we have acquired, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa were actually brother and sister, separated at birth, and their biological parents were revealed to be Darth Vader and Padme Amidala some seven years prior to the departure of 7th Fleet of Conquest from the Home Galaxy."

Phasma stared intently at the image of Leia Organa, her gaze occasionally flicking over to Luke. There was a sense of melancholy longing in her expression that made Gentis wonder just what she was thinking in that moment. It amazed him how greatly Organa's life had diverged from Phasma's. Though both were royalty, one had risen to the position of Empress, whereas another had become a revolutionary. And the boy, Skywalker, was a Jedi! That it had been Lord Vader's own children who had risen to such heights in the Rebellion was all the more amazing.

Gentis also wondered where the Empress's father factored into all of this. Had Padme Amidala cheated on Vader with Aveo Yos? Or had she cheated on Yos with Vader? Or was it a simple case of one relationship falling apart and another blossoming, the one after the other? The idea that Vader was capable of a relationship utterly baffled the Fleet Admiral. Perhaps, he thought darkly, Amidala had been a less than willing participant. Regardless, Gentis knew better than to ever raise such questions publiclly.

"So Vader was one of ours after all." Ashla Ti said sadly. "What could have made him turn?"

"I imagine, Master Ti, that Palpatine played a role." Travles said with hesitance. The Jedi turned her attention from the hologram of Luke Skywalker and focused on the General.

"There's proof?" She asked, her voice tinged with an uncharacteristically desperate hope.

"Proof of what?" Asked Admiral Vertitas, who appeared thoroughly confused.

"Proof of what I've claimed for so many years." Ashla Ti said passionately. "That there was no Jedi plot to take over the galaxy. That Anakin was right when he warned my Master of the threat lurking at the heart of the government. That the Jedi were not traitors rebelling against the Republic, but its last guardians, seeking desperately to save the Republic from the machinations of the Sith."

"I cannot call it proof." Said General Travles. "But based on the interrogations of our prisoners, and the data found on the files we recovered, it appears that the First Order does believe that Emperor Palpatine was a Sith Lord. At the very least, Palpatine's allegiance to the Sith Order was considered an open secret by certain elements of the Imperial Court by the Battle of Endor."

Gentis massaged his temples as he felt a burgeoning headache in the making. "But how could Palpatine have been a Sith? I thought blood tests for Force-sensitivity had been mandatory in the Old Republic. Surely he would have been screened after he was born."

"Mandatory in theory, perhaps." Retorted Minister Saria. "But hardly enforcable. The Republic had quadrillions of citizens, with trillions born every day. And Force-sensitivity is extremely rare. There are a thousand ways a blood test could be avoided if a parent truly wanted such information suppressed."

"The Palpatines were a rich family." Mused the Prime Chancellor as he stroked his chin in thought. "Perhaps his parents paid to have a blood test falsified."

"Didn't we already establish that the Emperor was insane?" Asked Roblin. "Just because the man claimed he was a Sith, doesn't mean he was a Sith. Crazy people claim to be all sorts of things."

"You know nothing of the Sith, Air Marshal." Ashla Ti chided. "Lord Vader was a Sith who flaunted his connection to the Darkside. And yet he called Palpatine Master and offered him obedience. The Sith do not submit themselves to the rule of others willingly, especially not to those blind in the Force. To the Sith, Force-sensitives are a master race destined to dominate the galaxy. Vader would only follow the Emperor if he was even stronger in the Darkside than Vader."

Ashla looked from Roblin to Phasma. "It is, in hindsight, a sign of the Emperor's twisted genius. The Sith spent millennia warring against the Republic from the outside, but were unable to truly destroy it. So instead, they worked from the inside. Pitted faction against faction until civil war broke out, and used the terror of that conflict to accrue absolute power and destroy all who might stand in their way."

"Fat lot of good all that genius did him if this Skywalker kid was able to do him in." Said Roblin.

"But where does the First Order fit into this picture?" Admiral Vertitas asked.

"We are finally getting to that point. The Galactic Civil War concluded with a victory for the nascent New Republic, which then demilitarized aside from a small peace keeping force." Explained Moff Hinter. "The First Order contented itself with gathering strength, troops, and armaments in the Unknown Regions by funneling supplies, materials, and wealth through criminal enterprises and front companies, while other Imperial Remnants contented themselves with fighting one another and micromanaging what little territory they still held. The Heroes of Yavin moved on to better things. Organa married fellow rebel Han Solo and became a Senator in the newly reconstituted Galactic Senate."

Roblin nudged the Empress in the shoulder. "Seems like good taste in men runs in your family, sweetheart." Roblin said, pointing at the Corellian bloodstripe on Solo's pantleg before gesturing to his own bloodstripe. Phasma smirked but said nothing.

Hinter cleared her throat before continuing. "Skywalker is said to have spent the years after the war traveling the galaxy, recovering lost Jedi lore and doing battle with Imperial warlords before finally training a new generation of Jedi. It is at this point that things take a sudden turn. Organa's son, Skywalker's nephew, proved strong in the Force, and became one of Skywalker's apprentices. However, said nephew turned to the Dark Side at the provocation of Snoke, the First Supreme Leader of the First Order. The nephew destroyed Skywalker's work and became Snoke's apprentice, Kylo Ren."

"Snoke? Wasn't that the name of our last Ambassador to the Confederacy?" Asked War Minister Saria.

"It's a fairly common surname on Coruscant, I think." Moff Hinter figured.

"And this Kylo Ren?" Inquired Chancellor Runnerz. "What relation does this Kylo have to Vala Ren?"

"Both were members of the Knights of Ren, who served the First Order." Explained Murp. "Some Dark side cult, or some such. There wasn't much on them in the records we found."

"Master Ti?" Asked the Empress.

The Grand Master leaned back in her seat, lost in thought as though she were attempting to recall a distant memory. "The Knights of Ren were a small band of marauders operating on the fringe of known space. Unlike the Sith, who sought to bend the Force to their will, the Knights subjugated themselves to what they thought was the will of the Darkside. As such they trended more towards chaotic acts of plunder and terror than any organized attempt to build a base of power. They were largely considered to be mythical in nature."

"Clearly they were real enough if Organa's son was able to join them." Roblin said. "Speaking of which, what happened to her?"

"The revelation of Organa's true parentage soiled her political career." Said Moff Hinter. "When the First Order revealed its existence it initially hid its military buildup. Because of this, the New Republic saw it as just another struggling Imperial Remnant, like the others that had faded away with time. As such they didn't take them seriously until it was too late. Organa apparently saw the warning signs, but her warnings fell on deaf ears. The galaxy had been through two full scale wars already, and was unwilling to bear a third if they felt it could be avoided."

"Instead, Organa founded a small Resistance dedicated to gathering proof of the First Order's preparations for war." Travles said.

"And Skywalker?" Phasma asked.

"Went into exile. Reasons unknown." Said Travles with a shrug.

Murp reached forward and tapped another set of keys into the pad in front of him. "Unfortunately it seems that Organa's Resistance was unable to acquire the proof it needed in time to prevent the completion of this."

A new image came into being, and this time Gentis felt real anger.

"They didn't..." Gentis sneered.

"They did." Said Murp succinctly.

Phasma stared at the image, of a planet with a massive trench carved into its surface and filled with machinery. She was utterly dumbfounded. "They built another Death Star?!"

"No." Said Ashla Ti, her voice a low snarl. "That...that is Ilum. They took a world sacred to the Jedi...and turned it into a weapon of mass destruction."

"That," Said Moff Hinter. "Is Starkiller Base. Designed, not to destroy a planet, but entire star systems from half way across the galaxy."

"How stoopa are these clowns?" Demanded Capatain Bhao, rising from his chair in disgust. "You'd think that after the first Death Star got blown up that they'd just throw away the entire idea of a massive planet killer. But alright, let's build a second one, just to prove that we won't be intimidated. After all, the last one got destroyed because of a simple design flaw. We'll just fix the flaw and move on. But no, the 2nd Death Star gets destroyed in a completely different manner. That should be the point where you swear off planet killing superweapons altogether." Bhao shook his head in contempt. "But these...psychopaths. They actually decided to build a third one, except it's even bigger and supposedly even stronger. It's a complete waste of resources and manpower."

"The First Order is clearly comprised of proud fanatics." Ashla Ti noted. "They could never admit that they were in the wrong. That they would repeat the failures of their forebears and expect a different outcome only underlines the insanity of their cause."

"Let's not throw out the youngling with the bathwater." General Sodi cautioned. "Perhaps the Empire depended too much on the concept of a planet killer, but that doesn't discredit the idea of having a potential superweapon in one's arsenal as a deterrent." Gentis however rolled his eyes at that assertion. More could be done with a good fleet than a superweapon in his opinion, as conventional forces were much more flexible.

"Please don't tell me that this Starkiller Base was used." Phasma asked. Gentis could tell though from the expression on Murp's face that the Admiral would be unable to fulfill the Empress's wish.

"After decades of military buildup in the Unknown Regions, the First Order announced its campaign to retake the galaxy by using the destructive power of Starkiller Base to annihilate Hosnian Prime, which was serving as the capital world of the New Republic at the time."

"Another Core World!" Phasma exclaimed with disgust. Gentis shared her distaste at such needless destruction, while also wondering idly to himself why the Rebels had chosen not to continue utilizing Coruscant as the galactic capital. He supposed though that the reasoning didn't truly matter.

"Yes." Moff Hinter said. "Another Core World, and with it the government of the New Republic and the bulk of its fleet were destroyed. With the Republic decapitated the First Order believed that the galaxy would fragment and fold under the weight of a First Order offensive, unwilling or unable after decades of galactic war and upheaval to tolerate even more disruption. They then launched eight fleets of conquest which over ran large swaths of the Home Galaxy."

"But something went wrong." Gentis figured. Hinter glared at him for interrupting, but Admiral Murp chose to interject.

"From the First Order's perspective, yes, something went seriously wrong." Murp turned from Gentis to address the Empress. "Leia Organa's Resistance was able to find a method of disabling Starkiller Base's defensive shields. A follow up attack managed to successfully destroy the base, robbing the First Order of its greatest weapon. Shortly thereafter Supreme Leader Snoke was assassinated, supposedly by the last apprentice of Luke Skywalker, if the official First Order reports are to be believed. And though the Resistance suffered extensive casualties in the opening days of the war, the organization was spared from complete destruction at the Battle of Crait, during which Luke Skywalker returned from exile and distracted the armies of the First Order while the Resistance made its escape, though he himself reportedly did not survive the battle."

Gentis rubbed his chin in contemplation. "It sounds to me that the First Order was banking hard on the power of Starkiller Base to terrify an emotionally drained galaxy into submission. I can see how the loss of the Base, their leader, and the continued survival of the Resistance would undermine their efforts at psychological warfare. But if the remnants of the New Republic were demilitarized and the Resistance decimated, I imagine that the First Order would have still been able to acquire control over most of the galaxy."

"Your supposition is correct, Fleet Admiral." Said General Travles. "However, said control over the galaxy proved itself to be fragile at best. The destruction of Starkiller Base and Skywalker's last stand at Crait convinced many that the First Order wasn't invincible. Kylo Ren would assume Snoke's position as Supreme Leader, and his heavy handed tactics against worlds like Tah'Nuhna, Mon Cala, and Ikkrukk drove many to found their own resistance cells on planets from the Core to the Outer Rim."

"I'm not surprised that their grip was so brittle." Ashla Ti noted. "There are always fools in every society who believe the galaxy would be better off under the yoke of one despot or another. And the First Order likely took full advantage of such collaborators. But after all we've heard of the depravities of the later years of Palpatine's reign, I can see that the great majority of the people were cured of any love they might have had for those who held the lash. Popular support, once lost, is very difficult to regain."

"Palpatine's actions thoroughly poisoned the well of public support." Travles continued. "A fact which the First Order High Command only came to realize after they had begun their occupation of the conquered territories."

Travles smirked and actually chuckled lightly, as if recalling a pleasant memory. "The reports composed by First Order officers about the population's reaction to their presence make for some rather amusing reading. They actually expected to be welcomed back with open arms. In actuality most beings were reluctantly compliant at best. The First Order rank and file could not understand why beings weren't throwing parades in the roadways for them. Though most of its membership did not know this, one year after the start of their campaign to retake the galaxy, analysts working for the First Order Security Bureau concluded that, if a mass uprising took place galaxy wide, the First Order would be unable to counter it. They needed more ships and more firepower to solidify their hold on the galaxy and crush the few remaining free worlds outside of their grasp."

"Hence their willingness...to enter into an alliance." Said Admiral Murp pointedly, his eyes glancing about the room as they had before. Gentis assumed he had yet another bombshell to drop on them.

"An alliance?" Phasma asked. "With whom."

"With...with Emperor Palpatine, your Majesty." Stammered Murp.

"But you claimed the Emperor was dead." Asserted Captain Freyborn.

"He was...and then he wasn't. Somehow." Murp shrugged.

"Alright, clearly we are working with bad intelligence." Began General Galveson, who was looking ready to begin another rant.

"No. We're not." Everyone in the War Room turned to Ashla Ti, who had risen from her chair. The Jedi Master raised her hand toward the General. Galveson's chair suddenly shot out away from the conference table. Galveson looked about wildly as the chair moved, seemingly of its own volition, with him sitting atop it. The Jedi raised her hand into the air, and sure enough the chair and the General rose into the air before them.

"When will you stop doubting?" Ashla asked, a hint of exhaustion seeping into her otherwise level tone of voice. "You do not believe that which you have not seen with your own eyes, and thus you leave yourselves vulnerable." She lowered her arm, and the chair and the General sank harmlessly to the floor.

"I have seen so many doubt the power of the Force, and each paid the price for their lack of vision. The Emperor was a Sith, and if any would seek a means to cheat death, it would be the Sith."

"With respect, telepathy and telekinesis are one thing, Master Jedi." Gentis argued, with no small amount of incredulity. "But are you seriously suggesting that you can use the Force to resurrect the dead?"

"I cannot." Ashla said. "If there were an easy or ethical means of resurrecting the dead, then we would do so all the time. The Darkside of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some would consider to be unnatural. The Sith believed that there was no life after death, and so were obsessed with achieving the means of immortality. Legends tell of some Sith who were able to transfer their consciousness from one body to the next. It was the closest method they had of achieving true immortality, but it came with extreme risks."

"What sort of risks?" Phasma asked with morbid fascination.

"A person's soul needs a body to tether it to the physical plain." Ashla explained. "A Sith would want to transfer their consciousness into a Force-sensitive body, to acquire that Force-sensitive's power. But most trained Force-sensitive's have strong mental barriers that would prevent a foreign spirit from taking control of their body. The longer a disembodied spirit has no physical vessel, the likelier they are to dissipate and become one with the Force. Clearly such a method of prolonging one's own life is morally repugnant, as it necessitates the death of the original person whose body was taken over."

"Were there any other methods that could be used?" Hinter asked.

"Draining a person of their life force and absorbing it into your own body was often used by certain Sith to prolong their own lifespan." Explained Ashla. "But that is, for obvious reasons, as immoral a means of living as any. Nor was it a perfect means of immortality, as it did not prevent one from being murdered."

"Is it possible for a non-Force-sensitive to transfer their spirit into another body?" Phasma asked.

The Jedi Master shook her head. "To the best of my knowledge it isn't possible, Your Majesty. Not without the aid of a Force-sensitive being. The closest equivalent non-Force-sensitives ever came to transferring their consciousness without the aid of a Force sensitive was by scanning brain patterns and uploading a copy of those scans into a droid. But all that does is create a copy of someone. A perfect copy, perhaps. But just a copy."

"That would more or less confirm Palpatine's connection to the Sith." General Galveson conceded, his head bowed in defeat.

"Master Ti's description of circumventing death does seem to correlate with the descriptions found in our intelligence files." Said Admiral Murp. "In a report made to the First Order Supreme Council, Kylo Ren explained to his generals his encounter with Palpatine on the Unknown Regions world of Exegol. Evidently Palpatine had amassed a cult of Sith worshippers over the decades and sequestered them on Exegol. Using Sith alchemies and Kaminoan cloning technology, Ren claimed that Palpatine had been able to transfer his soul into a clone body following his original death on the 2nd Death Star."

Ashla turned her head away, her faced scrunched up in disgust. "I assume, Admiral Murp, that the transference was horribly mangled."

Murp was surprised. "Yes, it was. How could you know that Master Jedi?"

"Because transference into a clone body would have had an extremely low chance at success." Explained the Jedi Master. "A clone body would need an extremely precise injection of alchemical substances and genetic manipulation to withstand the raw energy of a new, powerful Force-sensitive soul being placed in it. If there was even a minor deviation from the desired formula, or a minor delay in the timing of the procedure, then the clone would be ravaged beyond repair, and the soul would find itself in a crippled, dying body."

Murp's eyes widened. "That...that does correspond almost exactly with the description of Palpatine Ren gave to his Supreme Council."

"But why would they want to ally with a dying cripple?" Roblin asked.

"Palpatine had been pulling the First Order's strings all along." Explained General Travles. "Snoke was revealed to be an artificial being created by the Empire's gene farms to serve as the Emperor's puppet ruler of the First Order while he tried to recover his health on Exegol. Palpatine used Snoke to divert some of the First Order's ill-gotten construction materials to build his own fleet of Star Destroyers, each equipped with a planet cracking superlaser, crewed entirely by his cultists."

"But why would Palpatine need a cult? I thought the First Order was comprised of Imperial fanatics." Phasma reasoned.

"While the First Order was indeed obsessive in its veneration of the Empire, the First Order's rank and file were not guaranteed to be unconditionally loyal to Palpatine himself. Many were, but not all." Said Murp with a shrug. "If Palpatine was left crippled and ill, and was still publicly the head of the Imperial Remnants, then he'd have to worry about upset and ambitious subordinates perceiving him as weak for losing control of the galaxy, not to mention worrying about Skywalker finishing what he'd started. Snoke appearing as the strong public leader of the First Order would allow Palpatine to pull the strings without having to fear chronic assassination attempts. One can only assume his reaching out to Kylo Ren was an attempt to reassert the control he lost with Snoke's death."

Roblin let out a low whistle as he rested his elbows on the table. "Palpatine really couldn't let the whole planet buster thing go, could he? So what happened? I know this Skywalker died, but what about that Jedi apprentice of his you mentioned, and Organa's Resistance? Judging by the way this story has gone so far, I assume they blew up this fleet of planet killing Star Destroyers too."

"We don't know." Travles confessed. "The 7th Fleet of Conquest was diverted from occupational duties in the Trans-Hydian Borderlands to the Ojoster Sector. Vala Ren was ordered by Palpatine and Kylo Ren to recover certain technologies and artifacts from one of the Emperor's hidden treasure troves on the planet Wayland. They were then to return to Exegol to assist in the final destruction of Skywalker's last apprentice, the Resistance, and to usher in the establishment of a new Sith Empire. Before they were able to return to the Unknown Regions, however, the 7th Fleet underwent its own 'big jump', and ended up being transported here to the Milky Way."

"Where they ran into the Kazoookians, learned of the political climate between ourselves and the Confederates, and evidently decided to exploit us all to their advantage." Concluded Phasma. "I have to confess though, I'm still surprised the Confederates were willing to enter into an alliance with a non-Terran polity, given their xenophobia."

"It's not that shocking." Said Air Marshal Roblin. "I'm sure this Vala Ren and her flunkies dangled some of their fancy new technology in the Solars' face in exchange for starting another war. Not that the Earther's needed an excuse. They've been champing at the bit to go another round with us for quite a while. The First Order gave them the means to fight us on a more equal playing field."

Admiral Murp sighed as he doffed his cap and closed his eyes, exhausted. "It would appear that the First Order forces in the Milky Way have transferred their hatred for the Rebellion and its successors to us." Murp said. "I've watched the recording of the New Mandalorian interrogation of the First Order pilot three times now. The contempt they hold us in is overwhelming. They see us as traitors, worse even than the Rebels. To them we're a pack of revisionists who've appropriated the iconography of the Empire, but diluted its message with holdovers from the time of the Old Republic. They see themselves as the only legitimate successors of Palpatine and his Empire. That a comparatively small, underpopulated, democratic Empire of just a hundred worlds would dare to challenge them for that claim infuriates them beyond reason."

"They are Palpatine's successors, if the Emperor truly had risen from the dead to command them." Said Admiral Vertitas glumly. "But what does that make us?"

Fleet Admiral Gentis felt his blood begin to boil as it all sank in. "It was all a lie from the beginning." Spat Gentis with disgust. Palpatine hadn't simply gone insane after their departure. That he could have lived with. He had always been that way, waiting for the opportune moment to reveal his true self. The fundamentals of the Imperial creed had been revealed as a sham from the start, a smokescreen to cover up an unprincipled power grab. In theory, the 1st Galactic Empire had been meant to be an atheistic state, though in practice such a policy was unenforceable. Despite this, officers had been taught to be scornful of the supernatural, and open displays of belief in the Force ensured that an officer's career would stall.

Vader and the Inquisitorius had always been viewed as an exception to the rule and a necessary evil to be disposed of once the Empire had truly established itself. It was a mindset that Gentis had cared little for, as most religious practitioners he had met were usually harmless. But Palpatine's status as a practitioner of the Sith religion revealed that parts of the Imperial doctrine were designed from the beginning, not out of a genuine belief in them, but to pit the Empire's citizens against themselves. Gentis, and most other citizens, had believed that the Empire had been meant to create something new for the galaxy, but in reality it had been a tool to settle an ancient feud with the Jedi. It was all a hypocritical method of divide and rule. And it went completely against idea of united galaxy, an idea that had initially attracted him and most others to the Imperial cause. The Empire hadn't been meant to build a better galaxy. The galaxy had simply existed to be the Emperor's personal playground.

"No." Asserted Phasma as she stood from her chair. "We cannot allow ourselves, or our people, to think that way. Our Empire may not be the Empire Palpatine envisioned, but it is the Empire that he first promised the Home Galaxy. It is the Empire most of its subjects hoped to one day live in. We are an Empire of laws! Of order! Of true order built from both force and harmony. Our people are free and safe! Governed by a single enlightened ruler and an august body of the people's representatives!" The Empress glared at all of them, as if daring them to challenge her assertions.

"Perhaps the First Order sought to dishearten us with this information." The Empress suggested, her voice growing louder and more passionate with each passing moment. "But they can't break us with it. We have achieved all that Palpatine claimed the 1st Empire would achieve without resorting to the destructive tactics that set the home galaxy aflame. We honor our past, but we will not be defined by it. The First Order will not manipulate us as they did with the Confederacy and the New Republic. The Orion War will not be a repeat of the Empire-Earth War. We will not allow our enemy to slip away to lick their wounds and plot their revenge. This time we will not be satisfied with anything less than total victory!"

Fleet Admiral Gentis stood up from his chair to address the Empress. "That is all well and good, Your Majesty, but such rhetoric is useless without a solid strategy. We need a plan."

"If it is a plan you are looking for, Fleet Admiral, I suggest we learn from the mistakes of others." Suggested Minister Saria. "It seems to me that so much chaos and bloodshed was caused by a lack of designated survivors in the governments of the Old Empire and the New Republic." Saria turned her attention to the Empress. "Your Majesty, I would be happy to present to the Imperial Senate and to you a comprehensive continuity of government plan to ensure that, should our senior leadership be destroyed in a sneak attack, someone will remain in all branches of government to take over and lead the Empire."

"Unlike Palpatine, I fully intend for my Empire to outlive me." Said Phasma. "I'd gladly support any reasonable continuity plan. The Empire must always have a monarch...and a Senate." She added, likely to placate Runnerz and Saria.

"As long as that plan doesn't involve separating our children and locking them up in a bunker for the duration of the war, I'd be willing to sign off on it." Roblin interjected.

Minister Saria looked like she wanted to say something, but Roblin cut her off. "You can split up Senators, ministers, and Generals with plans for them to take over if their superiors are killed, but my kids are going to have a normal life, come hell or hard vacuum, even in the middle of a war." Roblin pointed to the Empress. "Our children aren't going anywhere without me, I'm not going anywhere without her, and she isn't going anywhere."

Saria slumped in her chair as she conceded any argument she had hoped to make. "I suppose we could simply tighten security more around the palace and set up some escape routes in case of emergency." She muttered.

"The Jedi will be pleased to serve in any manner the Empress and the Senate see fit to defeat this new evil." Said Master Ti. "As healers, peacekeepers, negotiators, even as commanders and commandos if need be. But this time around we will leave the running of the military to its Generals. I do not wish for us to be embroiled in political squabbles, as was the case in the Clone Wars."

"What of New Mandalore?" Inquired Prime Chancellor Runnerz. "Ambassador Birgaan calls my office every day asking about what aid the Empire can give to New Mandalore."

"Give him nothing!" Snapped Captain Freyborn. "We need every last blaster bolt for our own stockpiles. Despite what Admiral Gentis said earlier the loss of the tibanna plant at Earth 5 put a dent in our ordinance output that is only now being rectified. The clones and the Kiwis are doing alright enough on their own if they were able to take out that First Order Star Destroyer. I say let them sit out the rest of the war behind that shield of theirs. No point in risking men and materials on supply runs for the clones, especially after they stabbed us in the back in the last war."

"Leaving aside our personal feelings on the clones." Said Gentis forcefully. "From a purely military point of view a second front in and around New Mandalore will draw pressure and attention away from ourselves. Keeping New Mandalore around will be beneficial to us in the long run. I would propose limited supply runs to and from New Mandalore utilizing cloaked ships like the Ryclclopper."

"Very well." Said Phasma, agreeing to the plan. "We will offer them critical supplies in addition to coordinating on intelligence gathering, but only on a limited basis. We cannot afford to be too generous, nor can we risk losing the element of surprise our cloaked ships can afford us."

"And what of Operation Matchstick?" Asked Hinter. "We cannot wait for the Confederates to simply enact whatever their plan is."

"If I was still a gambling man I'd bet all of my credits on the Nal Kuat system playing a part in Operation Matchstick." Said Admiral Vertitas."Or perhaps a run around directed on the Vaedor System for our fuel reserves."

"I don't think they care about Nal Kuat, but will hit us at Jastawui. I'm still surprised they didn't completely destroy the dockyards and our fleet at Nal Kuat when they had the chance. Almost as if our facilities were beneath their notice due to their orbital status." Said Captain Wolbam. "I assume though that all planet-side shipbuilding facilities are a target that the First Order and the Confederacy would prefer to capture, rather than destroy."

"Let's not forget, the driveyards at Nal Kuat are the most extensive in the known galaxy. And they protect New Thyfeeria and Nal Kessel." Said Admiral Gentis. "We know sooner or later that the Confederates and the First Order will try to take the Nal Kuat system. Perhaps it would be wise to ensure that, when they arrive, they arrive on our terms."

"It'll be no picnic for the solars, Admiral that much is for sure." Said Captain Wolbam, a hungry grin alighting on his face. "Our automated SAM launchers and heavy turbolasers have been installed across the ring at Nal Kuat. If Space Force gets within half a parsec, they'll be blown straight to one of the nine Corellian hells by a volley of proton torpedoes!"

"They might go after New Thyfeeria instead, if Nal Kuat is too well defended." Minister Saria suggested. "It would be a devastating blow to lose our main supply of bacta, even if Canir Lusix Tanax and some of her hive were relocated."

"What do you have in mind, Fleet Admiral?" Empress Phasma asked, ignoring Wolbam and Saria's comments. "Do you suspect a feint or a trap?"

"We've been teasing the Confederates and the First Order for months now, holding our fleets in reserve, hitting and fading in minor sorties. They're just itching for the chance to entrap the bulk of our Navy."

"What's our next move then?" The Empress asked.

Gentis grinned. Now that he knew just what he was up against, he could plan accordingly. "Spring the trap."

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Once more hot of the presses is another contribution by my betareader RKB, capturing his second major character POV