AUTHORS NOTE:
I know right, notes at the start of the chapter? Well I thought I'd be kind and point out that this chapter will pretty much be a statistics chapter, with Aries organising his forces, counting up what numbers he has at his command and increasing his ground forces.
I love playing around with names and numbers, so we will see divisions of infantry getting numbered, nicknames etc, whilst Aries also begins combat training with his own Stormtrooper Legion.
I will also point out to a couple of DM's I've had; The reason for his dramatic change in personality is pretty obvious, delving into both the Dark Side and Dark Arts (two sides of the same coin in this fanfic) is corrupting him. I am trying to slow down the corruption and it will not be total, I refuse to make him a mindless beast. With that said, he will love his new wife, he will care for those he loves, however his hate and bloodlust will be amplified as time goes on. I will not go into intricate details with what he learns, it will more than likely be a general description as I am focusing more on the "Imperial" side of things, Aries reviving an Empire and making a new name for himself that isn't the "boy-who-lived".
Anyway, to the chapter!
Army Group Centre
Laying in bed with his wife Daphne, Aries thought back to the last few days. He had been invited to stay at Greengrass manor for the week to spend time with his wife until they organised a residence of their own, something he had been putting off until the situation stabilised, with the Dark Lord still at large he wasn't willing to put Daphne at risk in any way, shape or form. He had been impressed with the changes to the manor, with the detachment he had sent here for the Greengrasses' security having turned the place into a formidable fortress. Stormtroopers patrolled the perimeter of the wards at regular intervals and AT-ST's flanked the main gate. Unsurprisingly, Lord Greengrass had stopped receiving visitors from the wizarding world, lest questions about his new security measures were asked.
The meeting with Admiral Kiez had been a success, much to Aries' delight. Whilst the Admiral may have joined him due to a lack of options and not much more, he would not complain. He now had a formidable armada orbiting Jupiter and a new flagship, the 'Whelm'. Naturally, due to Imperial hackers attacking the muggle satellites, the governments of earth were none the wiser. Imperial spellcasters were also mindful to use well placed wards where possible, hiding what the hackers could not. Whilst the new influx of ships had also brought along a large contingent of Imperial ground forces, it was not enough for Aries' long term plans.
Whilst most of his plans for Earth revolved around using politics, he knew there would be bloodshed at some point. The noble houses supporting Dumbledore would never accept his rule and neither would the fanatical darker houses that supported Voldemort, such as the Lestranges. He had been surprised to hear from Lord Greengrass that he was currently in negotiations with the Rosier and Selwyn families, both houses known for their support of Voldemort. According to Lord Greengrass, both families were fed up with their treatment under the Dark Lord. This was something Aries could use to his advantage, garnering support with the darker families.
One problem that persisted was the lack of ground forces. He now had roughly four hundred thousand men of the Imperial Army and one hundred thousand Stormtroopers under his command. Twenty five Infantry Divisions, three Pioneer Divisions, two Mountain Divisions, six Mechanised Divisions and four Armoured Divisions. And that wasn't counting the ten Stormtrooper legions. Whilst more recruits arrived almost daily from an influx of deserting Imperials answering the calls put out by Moff Jeltran, along with the recruiters he had sent out with transports, he wanted to reach at least a million men before he would begin the occupation of the planet. He would then rely on recruiting earth's population en masse.
Aries, along with some of the Generals that had arrived with their divisions, had started organising the units properly and planning ahead ready for their attack on the New Republic, whenever that happened. The troops currently at their disposal would form the core of what would be 'Army Group Centre', which would be responsible for attacking and holding the Core worlds, the Expansion region and parts of the Mid Rim. Army Groups North and South, which had yet to be formed, would be responsible for the rest. Already, spies and emissaries had been sent out to planets that Moff Jeltran believed would support him. One of the key targets of his initial invasion would be the shipyards of Bilbringi. It was imperative he acquired a shipyard capable of producing capital ships, otherwise any losses he would suffer would not be able to be replaced.
Surprisingly when Aries had asked about the Rebel Capital, Admiral Kiez had stepped in, suggesting a blockade instead of a full scale invasion. Most of the Generals had reluctantly agreed, knowing full well what an invasion of the city planet would entail. Another major target was the Imperial fortress world Carida. It had been blockaded by the Rebel fleet, apparently unwilling to commit to a ground invasion for fear of losses. According to reports, there were five million Imperial military personnel trapped under the blockade, along with tens of millions of Imperial citizens. This however presented a problem for Aries, as both Bilbringi and Carida were rather far from each other. He would have to choose one or the other to attack first as he did not have the numbers to split his forces so widely.
He was interrupted from his thoughts by a small and delicate hand running down his thigh, making him shiver slightly at the touch. Turning his head to face his wife, he saw Daphne grinning up at him, causing him to grin back at her.
"You looked like you needed a distraction…" Daphne stated in a seductive tone.
"You have no idea…" Aries mumbled back before turning over and climbing on top of her, resuming their love making from the previous night
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Scene Break
It was a few days before Aries and Daphne were due to return to Hogwarts, a fact that irked Aries to no end. He had half a mind to not bother returning, however the possibility of recruiting his peers to his cause was heavy on his mind. Naturally the return to Hogwarts warranted a trip to Diagon Alley, and so both Aries and Daphne decided to go together, along with Aries' personal guards, of course. Stepping out of the emerald flames and into the Leaky Cauldron, the new husband and wife made their way through the pub and out into the alley through the brick wall, flanked by two of the black clad guards.
They spotted many of their peers along the way, most of whom were shocked both by the fact they were together and Aries' change in appearance. He was fully aware of how different he now looked, lacking his glasses and having shot up past six foot two. He was also acutely aware of how pale he now was, almost porcelain skinned with dark shadows around his eyes. He had read that it was a minor side effect of delving into the Dark Side, and Aries could not help but agree with the fact that it was considered minor. With the power he now felt coursing through his body, it was more than worth looking a tad sickly.
He was also surprised to see several Slytherin students nod to him respectfully, something that apparently was the result of his taking up the Lordship of House Black, according to Daphne. Whilst most students in Gryffindor resented the politics that revolved around the Wizengamot and a lot of the traditions that came with it, most Slytherins grew up with it being ingrained into them by their parents. His biggest surprise came when a Slytherin seventh year, Josephine Rosier, heiress to the Rosier family after the death of Evan Rosier in the first war, spotted him outside of Ollivanders. She had given him what could only be described as a seductive smile, something that caused Daphne to tighten her grip on his hand. Aries had to admit, Josephine was on par with Daphne when it came to looks.
Daphne none too gently dragged him inside of the shop, her face scrunched up in annoyance. Aries sighed internally, knowing Daphne was feeling jealous. He didn't understand why, considering the fact that they were married, perhaps he would discuss it with her once they returned to Greengrass manor.
Once inside the shop, they glanced around to see if they could spot the old wand maker, and were startled when a voice sounded out from behind the shelves.
"Ah, Lord Black, a pleasure to see you again. And you as well, Lady Greengrass. Or would that be Lady Black now?"
Daphne nodded, her face a cold mask. "Indeed it would be, Mr. Ollivander."
Ollivanders face popped out from behind the shelves and gazed upon them both curiously. "I must admit, I did not expect to see either of you here again. How might I help you both?"
Aries simply withdrew his wand from his holster and held it out to the old man. "My wand feels… different. It still works perfectly fine, however it does not respond the same way it used to… I was wondering if you could explain why?"
Ollivander's face contorted slightly in surprise before schooling his features. "It is a rare thing for the bond between a wand and the wizard to change, however that would seem to be the case. It can happen during times of major emotional upheaval, amongst other things…"
Aries nodded curtly in understanding. He did not wish to go into detail over his feelings, especially not with someone who was an old friend of the Headmaster.
"Then it would appear I would need a new wand, Mr. Ollivander." He stated, rather bluntly.
Ollivander stood then to his full height, all business once more. "Very well Lord Black, I shall select a few out of our stock and we shall find you a good fit."
What proceeded was an hour of Aries trying different wands, all of which either reacted badly to him or did not react at all. One of the wands actually turned to ash in his hands, something that unnerved Ollivander. Aries was beginning to get angry at what he felt was a colossal waste of time by now when Ollivander brought out a dusty box from towards the back of the shop. For the first time, the man looked nervous.
"Yew, thirteen inches, unyielding and a dragon heartstring core… I will state now that this one has had one previous owner, Lord Black. This wand once belonged to Grindelwalds foremost Lieutenant, Vinda Rosier. It has seen death and destruction on an unprecedented scale…" He removed it from the box and held it out for Aries, who took it without hesitation.
It felt cold in his hand, yet it felt right. Twirling it around in his fingers, he gave it a quick flick "Periculum" he said quietly, sending out bright red sparks.
Ollivander stared at him. "I think my statement from when you first came here still stands, Lord Black. We can expect great things from you…"
Aries looked up at the ageing man, a toothy smile on his face that held no hint of friendliness. "Great and terrible things no doubt, Mr. Ollivander."
