Those Sector
Dathomir system
From the outside, the red globe that was once home to a race of magic-using witches looked exactly as it undoubtedly appeared to each of the survivors of the Nightsisters massacre. As an externally dark, unfriendly land for the weak and defenseless. A planet full of canyons, mountains, swamps, cliffs, and rarely forests and jungles. Home forZabraków and the female Dathomirian species, witches who practiced the dark side of the Force and what that path had to offer.
Overall, the planet, although inhabited for many hundreds of years, was still a primitive place. The locals were still organized according to a tribal structure, with the strongest and at the same time the smartest ruling. It was difficult to find cities there, especially since this type of urban centers simply do not exist on this planet. For this reason, any estimate of the population number on the planet was simply impossible and doomed to failure.
Although the planet was generally rich in various resources, and some Zabrak or witch clans conducted limited trade with other planets in the sector, due to the natives, their ferocity and the hostile nature of the planet, no attempt at colonization or occupation was ever made. Only various pirate gangs tried to extort tribute or hostages from a position of force from time to time, and sometimes it brought these results, but sometimes it brought steel, blood, plasma and death, a lot of death.
To anyone armed with this information and knowledge, it would therefore seem strange any reason why, in these troubled times of galactic civil war, a mighty Star Dreadnought, painted primarily in a shimmering gray paint, orbited over this planet. Although it was undoubtedly an older design, dating back to the times of Clone Wars, it still had very good armor and a streamlined shape. It was 8,000 meters long, and on each side there were 7 powerful turbolaser batteries, each with 4 cannons. In addition, dozens of smaller batteries, turbolaser and point defense systems had to be added, not to mention torpedo launchers. However, the ship's rear layout made it similar to the Executors.
An even stranger sight, however, were quite large objects on the surface, there were 6 of them in total, and their shape first brought to mind gears. Although similar to the large ring orbiting Kuat, these were much smaller, and although they were still shipyards, it did not have the capacity even remotely close to 1/20 of the production capacity of the previously mentioned planet, and an inextricably linked corporation.
As for the Star Dreadnought mentioned earlier, it was protected by a quite powerful but small fleet. In total: 14 Vindicator-class heavy cruisers, 8 Procursator-class Star Destroyers, and 6 obsolete but still dangerous Venator II-class Star Destroyers. Although the ships, especially, Vindicators, were capable of carrying up to 72 starfighters on board, constituted quite powerful firepower, especially on a tactical scale, their power was turning pale compared to the one upgrade Mandator II received. The mentioned improvement was a powerful and cylindrical turbolaser powered by a large kyber crystal. This system was built in place of most of the hangars, so that the Star Dreadnought could only have a few shuttles on board.
The atmosphere aboard this mighty ship was thick, but one particular place was the epicenter of the tense atmosphere, where an enraged Human woman raged almost unabashedly. She was around 21 years old, her hair was long and red, while her eyes could best be described as emerald green, full of emotions raging chaotically, especially at this particular moment.
The woman walked around the entire quarters of the ship assigned to her before the Battle of Endor, unable to gather her thoughts. The entire room was devastated, as if a band of plundering Tusken Raiders had entered and aimlessly plundered the cabin of a girl dressed in a tight black jumpsuit and a two-color cape draped over her back.
For the past few minutes, the redhead had been throwing objects left and right in pure fury, effectively destroying all the trophies she had collected over the years, from all the missions she had completed. One of the two items that remained intact was an elegant spear with exquisitely crafted inscriptions, and the reason it was not destroyed was very simple. It was difficult to destroy something - even if the individual was strong in the Force - when the item was made of Mandalorian iron. A souvenir from the time when she participated in the Great Purge of Mandalore, helping the commander of the entire operation in exterminating the brutes who could not live without war. The second was her lightsaber, with a distinctive disc.
Before the woman could do anything more, or even destroy the already damaged porthole in her quarters with numerous cracks and a significant dent, one of the Imperial officers entered, with a rank high enough - betrayed by two rows of squares, 5 red over 5 blue under - to don't worry about a possible attempt to kill him. He had short and neatly combed black hair in different directions, and a short beard concentrated around his mouth. However, his appearance was disturbing to say the least, half of his face - the left - was entirely cybernetic, as was his hand, covered under a black and adapted glove. Not to mention the cybernetic scarlet left eye that replaced the lost one. Additionally, difficult to ignore when describing this officer, was the presence of numerous wires or cables attached to specially prepared implants, on the skull and throat, to the larynx, or metal plates attached to the forehead.
"Inquisitor." The officer spoke with respect, but his voice was truly ghostly, ominous, metallic, and at the same time as if completely devoid of emotion or even traces of humanity. "Please forgive me for interrupting, but everyone has already gathered in conference room number 3. We are now just waiting for your arrival, although I see that it was probably not the best time for me to arrive."
"You're right, Admiral Hartz." The Inquisitor sighed heavily, tears almost falling from her eyes. "I had a special bond in the force with my lifelong friend, Third Brother, whom we sent to the Grand Moff Fritzen to build an alliance against the many factions stronger than us that will soon emerge."
The cybernetically modified officer from his wounds raised his right, unaffected eyebrow for a brief moment before lowering it upon realizing what must have happened. Unlike many officers, he did not deny the existence of the Force, he was perfectly aware of the existence of this force that has a huge impact on the universe. "Then I can suspect that your brother is dead."
"You're right." Her voice cracked as a few tears fell from her eyes before she controlled her emotions, focusing on the ever-growing anger and hatred within her, thus reaching for the dark side of the Force. "It no longer matters now, he is dead, and I will have more than one opportunity to exact revenge on whoever took him from this universe prematurely."
Vice Admiral Osvald Hartz took a few steps back and moved out of the way of the inquisitor, who Force summoned her blade to herself, and they both left her quarters and went to the conference room. In the meantime, a team of 7 technicians entered the building, who had been summoned by the Vice Admiral earlier and went inside to repair the quarters of one of the most important people in Black Command as quickly as possible.
"I'm sorry for your loss, my lady, if it's worth anything to you." His words, although intended to express sympathy, were devoid of any form of feeling, especially warm.
"Have you ever loved anyone?" She asked, then swallowed nervously and turned to him as the two of them continued walking towards their destination. "Have you ever been ready to give your life and sacrifice yourself for someone who, as one of the few, was able to provide you with happiness just by his presence and make your world make sense, that bright point?"
"Once, maybe, but it was a long time ago and I don't remember much about it." The Vice Admiral admitted completely honestly and without even a hint of irony, of which he was no longer particularly capable, much less of feeling joy. "Now, however, I no longer have feelings, I lost them when I had to undergo far-reaching cyborgization. Although, to be honest, I preferred to get rid of my feelings once and for all, because the only thing they gave me - like every living being - was eternal suffering, which prevents a person from making decisions. In this moment, free from this debilitating weakness, I can serve whomeverI'll admit it for the best for our failing empire."
"I appreciate your honesty." Came her quick reply.
"I have no intention or reason to lie about this matter, which is completely irrelevant at this point, Sixth Sister." He replied dryly and the pair no longer continued the conversation.
They didn't even have time to start a new conversation, because they quickly reached the door leading to the conference room, guarded by two special guards. They were dressed in black and full armor with night-black robes over them, with helmets with scarlet visors that gave them a sinister appearance and a lot of mystery. Additionally, each of them held one Lightsaber Pike in their hand.
Even though they looked similar to the Crimson Guard, they couldn't be further from the truth. These two were part of a 10-person unit of the elite Emperor's Shadow Guard, which was undoubtedly the elite of the elite, composed entirely of Force-strong individuals, trained in combat using the lightsaber pike and the Force itself. This unit was placed under the command of the Sixth Sister a few days before the Battle of Yavin, along with the Purification, as the Star Dreadnought was called, and the flagship of the Abyss Fleet, by the Emperor himself.
Without a word, the two passed by the representative elite guards and went inside, where, at a round table with a console for each of those present, all the other participants of the meeting - or rather a conference, considering the room in which it was to take place - were waiting, the primary purpose of which was the purpose of the meeting was to discuss their future and methods of action.
"Gentlemen." Sixth Sister greeted three men waiting for her, in elegant and carefully ironed uniforms. "I'm glad that all of you are here on time, and now I invite you to the table."
All 5 of them, including her, took positions behind identical-looking, swivel chairs. Among those gathered was the commander of her ground forces, Lieutenant General Xavery Teshik, an inconspicuous, not very tall, but clearly muscular man. Major General Blitzer Cain, a recognized scientist and engineer, specialized in logistics, construction of operational and profitable projects, who will be an invaluable asset to the small Black Command, limited by access to acquisition. Finally, an intelligence specialist who assisted Lord Vader in the Great Purge of the Mandalore, Moff Gideon. To all this also had to be added Vice Admiral Osvald Hartz, commander of all space forces.
"More than three weeks after the death of our Emperor, the empire has fallen into chaos, distinguished officers." She announced the obvious state of affairs to them in a solemn tone, and had to refrain from smiling as she recalled the moments when she had eavesdropped on almost all of the Galactic Empire's communication channels, where for weeks there had been chaos, perpetual overload, and constant insults or mutual accusations of treason. "After the Battle of the Endor System, Coruscant experienced, as you undoubtedly know, a massive uprising of that portion of the population that was highly dissatisfied with Imperial rule."
She then turned to Moff Gideon. "However, thanks to the reports of our spymaster, the uprising and the accompanying demonstrations are only growing in intensity. The garrison and local police forces had to withdraw from the lower levels, and even on the upper levels it became impossible to contain the chaos or maintain relative peace. Is there anything else you would like to add, Moff?"
The inquisitor sat down when she noticed the intention of the head of Black Command intelligence to speak directly about information, as a specialist in this field.
"Gentlemen and my lady." Moff Gideon addressed the gathering in a solemn tone, despite the fact that he knew most of those present well and even had a friendly relationship with them, in some cases. "It's exactly as Sixth Sister said, the chaos on Coruscant is only getting worse. As if that wasn't enough, the rebels carried out a successful bombing of the Imperial Ruling Council, which Director Armand Isard, along with his daughter and Lady Sly Moore, was trying to lead. All advisors and military commanders present in the meeting room, such as Grand Admiral Afsheen Grunger, Grand Admiral Danetta Grant and Grand Inquisitor Jerec, did not survive this attack. In fact, the only survivor of the ruling council is Grand Vizier Mas Amedda, who - if my information is correct - was late for the meeting."
Then Lieutenant General Xavery Teshik, half amused and half disgusted by the whole situation, interjected. "So this makes the whole situation in the capital almost anarchic?"
"In principle, this state of affairs could be considered anarchy." Moff Gideon had no intention of letting anyone interrupt his report for too long. "The Coruscant police are helpless, the garrison is involved in heavy fighting, resulting in huge losses, primarily on the side of civilians, the inhabitants of the planet."
In his tone of voice one could feel a certain disgust, or even disgust, directed towards the decision-makers in the capital of the empire. This was quite surprising to almost everyone present, considering his involvement in the genocide of the people of Mandalore. "Many floors or entire skyscrapers are on fire, some districts have been taken over by criminal gangs, and factories or headquarters of large corporations - despite tight and good protection - are attacked almost every night or plundered, if the security gives in to the pressure of the attackers. Many districts are running out of food and even drinking water supplies due to the collapse of trade. It is no exaggeration to say that the planet is at risk of famine or even epidemics of infectious diseases. The quintessence of the whole situation is the helplessness of the Grand Vizier, who does not have even a small fraction of the authority of the late Emperor, and is completely helpless."
Moff then turned to Sixth Sister and looked straight into her eyes. "If you take everything into account, disconnecting devices, an empire of military commanders, local administrators throughout the galaxy, or rebels, their so-called New Republic, then we can talk about galactic anarchy."
As soon as he finished his report, Lieutenant General Teshik decided to express his own opinion on the situation. "Pure semantics and nothing more. Meanwhile, the galaxy is bleeding out while we have absolutely nothing to stop this state of chaos. Moreover, before we gain any significant human or material resources that could have an impact on a galactic scale, billions or even trillions of beings will die."
His statement - or rather his realistic conclusion to the whole situation - caused a gloomy silence in the conference room. Even the inquisitor, trained in the use of the dark side of the Force, in the art of darkness and destruction, was not satisfied with the current status quo.
For the last two decades, the Emperor, after the end of the Clone Wars and the proclamation of the New Order, maintained prosperity and stability in the galaxy. And yet there were people dissatisfied with the new state of affairs in the galaxy, who simply had to lead to this senseless civil war on a galactic scale, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives every day. The Sixth Sister thought darkly, her expression turning half sour and half contemptuous. First Endor, and a few weeks later the proclamation of the Alignment of Powers. The latter is even worse than the former, as it was the first overt act against the authorities on Coruscant, apart from the rebellion itself. Millions will die in this senseless fight, and many more will die before this madness finally ends. Although I'm curious who exactly in the structure of the newly created Alignment of Powers came up with the idea of separating from the empire. I am also curious whether Lord Regent Lanz is a real person or just a figurehead invented to blame him for all the failures. The latter is even more likely given the fact that neither my sources and informants, nor even Moff Gideon's spy network, have been able to find any information on this man.
The Inquisitor steeled herself to respond with as much calm and poise as she could muster. "Yes, the situation with various interest groups in this galaxy is truly terrible. Coruscant is torn apart by war, chaos and the death of hundreds of thousands every day, where there are still powerless officials whose position and influence will only weaken with each passing week. To a large extent, in the galactic south and east, specifically in the areas of the Outer Rim, the rebels are consolidating their forces, planets, resources and trying to prepare for large-scale militarization. In the New Territories, the Alignment of Powers is implementing new projects and, if the information is true, they are building a huge number of new factories and shipyards, not to mention plans to rearm the army, stormtroopers and navy with next-generation equipment."
In this respect, Major General Blitzer Cain had the most to say, as a specialist in technology and their projects, so he took advantage of this opportunity. "I have read the reports and I must admit that whoever is behind these arms plans is an extremely ambitious man. Nevertheless, this puts this faction out of the fight for control of the galaxy, at least for a few years. Armaments on such a scale, intended to rearm all major military formations, if carried out too quickly in combination with other investments, could cause them serious financial or raw material problems."
"But we cannot under any circumstances take this lightly." Interjected the slightly emotional army commander, who was well aware of how big problems this could mean for them in the future. "If the plan to expand the Alignment of Powers industrial complex and equip them with the best equipment available for mass production succeeds, it could mean really serious problems for us. We must react, for the sake of the distant future and perhaps the fate of this entire war."
"In my opinion, we should do absolutely nothing in this case." Vice Admiral Hartz spoke coldly, offering only reasonable analysis, without emotion or any sign of such involvement. "Our current base is in the New Territories and should we attempt any attacks on the Alignment of Powers. Regardless of the strategy used for this campaign. I don't even have the slightest doubt that this so-called Alignment Navy would easily track us down and destroy us. Especially when you consider the size of the installations here."
"I regret to have to agree with the Admiral's conclusion." Moff Gideon interjected. "This so-called Alignment Security Bureau is an extremely effective machine that successfully eliminates any spies or saboteurs in its own space. My spy network in space controlled by the Alignment of Powers was forced to stop sending information under threat of total exposure. Although there is a positive side to all this."
"What exactly, Moff?" The question came from the inquisitor's mouth.
"Although New Territories Oversector is quite extensive, well-developed industrially and infrastructurally, however, the so-called Alignment General Staff, the governing body, decided to remain in its current territories and undertake preparations for war. In the short term, perhaps even over the course of a year, this excludes the Alignment of Powers from warfare."
"Gentlemen, let me remind you that this is not our greatest concern at this time." The Sixth Sister has spoken. "While the decision-makers of Coruscant will be powerless, quite a large part of the Imperial Navy will rally under the banner of Fleet Admiral Rae Sloane, a talented commander. I have no doubt that the military force subordinated to it will be focused on fighting this so-called New Republic. This means that only one faction in our region may become a huge threat in the long run."
"Grand Admiral Treuten Zsinj." Moff Gideon remarked grimly, then proceeded to tell him everything he knew about him. "One of the best and most unpredictable commanders in the history of our empire. According to my information, it and its territories will soon secede. Already, its shipyards and factories have begun mass production of both older models of Star Destroyers, smaller escort ships, and some new types of Starfighters."
"New types?" Major General Blitzer Cain asked, intrigued by what they could potentially be dealing with. "Do you have more information on this?"
"I can only speculate on the exact specifications." Moff admitted. "All I know is that it is to be a TIE series machine, definitely faster than outdated TIE fighters and at a comparable price."
"It's really not much." Major General Cain was not happy about this, as evidenced by his seemingly completely neutral expression, but with a distinct dark and slight frown. "Considering your reputation as a specialist in creating, managing, detecting and dismantling intelligence networks, this is all below my expectations at least."
"Perhaps, but any intelligence professional will tell you that sometimes you just have to - at least temporarily - stop and redirect all efforts towards maintaining existing structures, waiting for a better opportunity, rather than risk exposure." Moff Gideon responded deftly to the criticism. "While in the case of Coruscant or Admiral Rae Sloane's fleet, I can afford almost unrestricted infiltration or information acquisition, due to the paralysis of the intelligence services or ISB - even the rebel intelligence is quite leaky and susceptible to infiltration - Alignment of Powers and Grand Admiral Zsinj, they are extremely meticulous in this field. In the case of ASB, the commander is Lucian Pryce, and in the case of Intelligence of the Grand Admiral, it is Dedra Meero."
Sixth Sister had a hard time keeping herself from clearing her throat out loud in sheer disbelief. "Did I hear correctly? The younger brother of the disgraced Governor of the planet Lothal, the son of the rebellious planet? On the other hand, a fanatic disgraced by the Ferrix Massacre?"
"However, it is impossible to deny their effectiveness, Inquisitor, despite the many flaws in both of their records." Moff noted, looking at the representative of the institution that had collapsed shortly after the Emperor's death. "This, as I mentioned earlier, makes operating in the territories of the factions they belong to much more difficult and must be very limited. Fortunately, my spies and spy networks among the rebels operate efficiently and I receive a lot of information. First of all, the rebels are unaware of our existence, and all their attention is directed to the Imperial forces in the southern Mid Rim. The forces that they believe pose the greatest threat to them."
"Which means we now have complete operational freedom." Sixth Sister briefly summarized this long but important report. "As you can see, gentlemen, we can choose our battles quite freely, but it must be done freely."
"Indeed." Vice Admiral Hartz responded immediately. "We have very limited resources and we will have to use them very wisely."
"This means that multiplying our combat potential will be extremely difficult, especially in terms of new ships and fighters." The Sixth Sister folded her arms over the desk in contemplation, eyes narrowed.
"Not necessarily, my lady." Lieutenant General Teshik did not think so, and with quite good reason. "Although navy and space combat are not my main interests, I talked to several engineer friends of mine. Specifically, with Sienar Fleet Systems and Kuat Drive Yards. They are able to provide us with quite high-quality equipment for an appropriate fee. I think that in our situation, focusing on the best quality equipment, and not on numbers that we cannot afford, will be the most reasonable solution."
"What specific equipment are we talking about?" Vice Admiral Hartz asked, undoubtedly one of the most interested.
Lieutenant General Teshik just connected hisdatapad to the console in the table, and a moment later it began to display the ships that Black Command could receive. "First of all, the TIE/ad starfighter, known to those working on this project as the TIE Avenger. It is an extremely advanced type of starfighter, with shield deflectors, powerful weapons and a hyperdrive system. The second ship, although not original in design, the Venator III-class Star Destroyer, upgraded with the latest weapon systems, engine types and shields. The last and, in my opinion, the most interesting one that we are already using, the Vindicator-class heavy cruiser. Basically, in terms of firepower and starfighter transport capabilities, it is the small Imperial Star Destroyer. However, without such options for transporting troops and less firepower."
"Well, you always have to make some compromises at the expense of something, or you just won't move in any direction." Vice Admiral Hartz noticed. "I understand that for an appropriate fee both companies will sell us the plans for these ships?"
"In fact, at least for Venator III and TIE Avenger, we don't need Vindicator plans for obvious reasons." Teshik nodded in confirmation. "However, even considering the production capacity of all these secret shipyards, I don't think we would have the funds to purchase the plans, pay the workers or staff them once built."
"We don't have to worry about money, gentlemen." The Inquisitor assured them with a knowing smile. "As you probably know, we inquisitors - despite having huge assets and the ability to requisition entire fleets for our own needs - also had complete freedom in raising funds. Let's just say thanks to my quite big account banking and cooperation with some criminal syndicates, I managed to build my own financial micro-empire."
"How big?" Moff Gideon asked, completely surprised as this was the first time he had heard of this.
"Great enough to be able to hire skilled crews of workers, supervisors, and raw materials from the black market without noticing much of a difference in the size of my overall fortune." The Inquisitor did not intend to hide anything from them on this matter. "As for our strategy, I propose to temporarily focus on gathering resources and producing new types of ships. Not to mention the need to assemble crews, even skeleton ones."
"That last one will be the most problematic, I think." Lieutenant General Teshik remarked grimly. "Our resources and the planets we control, although I use that word very generously, are limited to say the least. We do not have any planets with large populations that could provide the recruits we need. Although we can also produce droids, if we provide ourselves with the appropriate technologies and build factories, in the case of pilots and ship commanders, this would have disastrous consequences for the droids."
"I have two solutions to this problem, neither of which are mutually exclusive." The inquisitor's words intrigued everyone. "Despite the failure of sending an emissary to one of the Grand Moffs, who could establish an alliance between him and us and thus obtain at least limited human resources for us, I still have a few who can be sent on missions."
Then she took out a rectangular communicator with numerous buttons attached to her belt. "Brother, sister, come inside."
Almost at the same moment, the door leading outside opened and a pair, a male and a female of different species, entered. A male, tall and slim Duros in a black imperial uniform without codes or markings and with a cloak. A female, red and slender Twi'lek with light armor and a black and red cape that flowed behind her with every step. Whatidentified These two had lightsabers strapped to their belts, with a characteristic built-in disk.
They both stood at attention in front of the round table, and then the male Duros announced with a sharp accent that perfectly matched his tone of voice. "Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister await orders, whatever they may be."
"Perfect, you first, brother." Sixth Sister and clearly their leader announced, once again gaining the attention of everyone in the conference room. "Take your custom TIE Advanced and proceed immediately to the Onderon system, where a single Aggressor-class Star Destroyer, named Consortium, will be waiting for you at the designated coordinates it will send you immediately after the meeting. On board, a whole company of mercenaries and your crew. When you get on board, I will send you the coordinates of where your target will be and then you will know all the details I know about it."
"Is that all?" Duros asked briefly.
"For now, yes, you can leave." The redhead replied and the male quickly left the room, only the female Twi'lek remained. "Sister, your mission direction is completely different. You will travel to Deep Core and will soon receive the appropriate coordinates that will allow you to travel safely through this high-risk zone. Your target is the Vengeance-class Star Dreadnought, with the same name as the class. "He will be in negotiations with self-proclaimed Grand Marshal Blitzer Mohc regarding a potential alliance, if at all possible."
"As you wish, sister." The redskin placed her hand solemnly above the arm, on the point where, in popular opinion, the heart in most species should be located. "Do you have any special instructions for me for this mission?"
"I don't think so." The redhead replied completely honestly. "I trust you will be able to complete your mission. If there are any concerns or any unexpected conditions, please contact me on the dedicated frequency and we will discuss the matter in more detail."
"As you wish." Fourth Sister turned on her heel and left the room without another word.
The silence that followed after a while, left full freedom and initiative on the part of the red-haired beauty. "As you can see I plan to recruit a powerful ally into our sphere of influence, or even turn him into our puppet under favorable circumstances. Regardless, we will have access to manpower and, in unexpected circumstances, a safe haven."
Her words drew a murmur of agreement from the crowd, but she wasn't finished yet. "As for my brother, his task is to obtain for me a very important facility containing cloning machines that would allow us to create additional soldiers. True, it will take time, but it is better than nothing."
While this could be considered a sensible solution, the prospect of their alliance with the self-proclaimed Grand Marshal was questionable.
"Is it really necessary to try to negotiate with someone like Blitzer Mohc?" Moff Gideon asked before giving everyone present a questioning look. "I have doubts whether the man I classify as at least unpredictable and ready to change the terms of the alliance whenever he sees fit. Not to mention the fact that the possibility of exercising any control over it seems doubtful."
"I'm afraid Moff Gideon is absolutely right here." Lieutenant General Xavery Teshik added from his side, then threw a rather unambiguous look at Sixth Sister. "I don't think an alliance with someone, objectively speaking, experienced on the battlefield and in politics, is the most reasonable solution. "However, I will not deny that he is currently the most likely future ruler in the Imperial Deep Core, which, despite its instability, is a region rich in strategic raw materials."
Vice Admiral Osvald Hartz hummed loudly and thoughtfully before expressing his opinion on the matter. "A difficult decision, but the envoy has already been sent and each day of delay can only mean ever-increasing difficulties and an increasingly uncertain situation for us. I propose to take the risk and, in the meantime, divide our fleet into smaller strike groups, each concentrated around Venator II Star Destroyers."
It was then, after gaining approval from the most influential party, Sixth Sister, that he began to explain his plan. Division of forces and subsequent launch of concentrated and pirate raids on trade routes in the Trans-Hydian, which due to belonging to the Grand AdmiralTreuten Zsinj, did not expose them to retaliation from the Alignment of Powers. At the same time, if the fleet of the Grand Admiral discovered where these pirate raids were coming from, it could mean a potential conflict on the Zsinj-Tagge line.
"This is a very good plan, giving us the opportunity to gain valuable resources and deplete the enemy's forces." The Sixth Sister concluded. "I consent and give Admiral Hartz full freedom to implement this project. I trust there will be no major objections to this?"
Without noticing any, the inquisitor proceeded to do what was expected of her at this point, considering she had taken the initiative and had previously gathered all these important and quite powerful figures. She gave orders to each of them and assigned them missions. There were quite a few things to consider and analyze, such as their current supplies of tibanna gas and fuel. Also, an important issue was the condition of the crews, their morale and capabilities in the event of combat. As it turned out very quickly, although the pilots and technicians had received appropriate training and their theoretical capabilities were acceptable, the level of their coordination - especially in the case of the former -he left there really is a lot to be desired. Something that could have had disastrous results during the battle.
Despite her best efforts, the meeting dragged on into the next day and many controversial or controversial topics were discussed. Not everyone was able to master mind manipulation to the point of actually forcing his subordinates to accept his vision. Even more admirable was Sixth Sister's persistence and desire to perpetuate her first work as a completely free entity with no one above her.
The inquisitor's life's work, Black Command, was what she intended to make possible union many different factions under one banner to regain control of the galaxy. To stop everything she remembered from her early childhood. Memories that came back to her more often than she ever would have liked.
Run Mara, run!The memory came flooding back once again as Sixth Sister returned to her repaired quarters and lay down on her bed to rest.
A memory of when an uprising broke out on her home planet, during which the rebels had no qualms about robbing and burning the homes of imperial officials or those who in any way supported the Imperial presence on the planet. As for the fate of women...
The Inquisitor shook her head nervously as she lay back on the pillow, her smooth red hair flowing freely across the bed. It seemed that just when the chance to rest after hard work was practically at hand, the nightmares from the past began to return.
"Run Mara, run!" The Inquisitor hoped it was just a voice in her head. A voice from the past, but when she opened her eyes, her worst fears came true.
"NO!" The redhead whispered, then panic and trembling entered her voice, as did her eyes. "Not this! Just not again!"
Even though she knew what was coming in one and the same nightmare, she was never able to get used to it. The emotions of seeing the sight of the burning city on a dark night, with hundreds of corpses and a sea of blood in the streets, overwhelmed her once again. All this, however, was only the lightest parts of a dream.
"Run Mara, run!" Once again that desperate cry rang out.
The inquisitor turned back and, to her horror, saw a bruised woman in torn clothes, accompanied by males of various races groping her and tearing the remains of her clothes. Her red hair and emerald eyes glowing with flames left no doubt as to her relationship with the main character of the nightmare.
The woman sobbed as more layers of herairy and once elegant robes were stripped off, and the males took action as soon as their prey's private parts became sufficiently exposed.
"Run away!" The woman screamed once more before she started moaning, but not from pleasure, quite the opposite.
"There's another one of those Imperial scumbags." He noticed one of the attackers, who, with a blue-skinned Twi'lek standing next to him, moved towards Sixth Sister. "Kind of a small spawn who, when he grows up, will become one of these parasites."
The redhead took a few sharp steps back, then turned completely backwards and ran away with a silent scream. She had no intention of sharing the fate of her mother, whom she would never see alive again.
She ran like this for hours, not stopping even for a moment. She saw piles of bodies, dismembered and twisted in a way that would make any healthy being feel sick. The only time she allowed herself to do this, where she stopped for a few moments, was outside the city. In a mountainous desert area where she loved to walk with her parents. What caught her attention was a puddle of water, undoubtedly spilled quite recently. She saw that he was that scared child again, approaching the age of 10, lost and at the mercy of a cruel universe.
"There she is, the little daughter of the bantha!" The man with what she assumed was dark skin chasing her and the stranger with him shouted.
Without wasting a moment longer, she moved forward until she finally reached a relatively straight area with no other alternative to escape. There wasn't much she could do when, halfway to the dunes, the attackers finally caught up with her and pinned her to the ground.
"I've always wanted to try and do it with a human girl, preferably a young one." The Twi'lek announced with a cruel gleam in his eyes, then showed his fangs and licked his ears lewdly. "It will be even more pleasant because I'm dealing with an imperial whore."
"Leave something for me, friend." His human companion replied with a gurgling chuckle as he held the almost helpless girl to the ground. "I have waited too long for this moment to finally take revenge for what you Imperials have done to the galaxy. For what your parents did, child."
"The Empire brings only peace and stability to this galaxy, you savages!" The redhead screamed loudly growl. "And…"
"Silence, whore!" The man roared, then pulled out a blaster pistol from his belt and punched the girl in the jaw so hard that the bones cracked and her mouth quickly filled with blood. "You are lucky, what you will experience now is only a fraction of the suffering that you supporters of the empire deserve."
The redhead felt the two males trying to tear her pants off and she began to squirm as much as her current state would allow. In a fit of panic, she kicked Twi'lek square in the jaw, causing him to stagger back. This only worsened her already unenviable position. They both started beating and kicking her until several of her ribs broke, as did a bone in her right leg, and blood, a lot of blood, started flowing from her broken nose.
However, in this mixture of fear and panic, anger arose in this innocent child, anger at the people surrounding her at that moment. On these ingrates. After all, in her opinion, the Empire brought peace and stability to the occupied planets, so why did these savages have to return the favor in this way? Why did these uncivilized excuses for rational beings have to cause pain to her mother and cut off your father's head?
Twi'lek had already taken off her pants when he grabbed her panties, but at that moment something in the girl woke up, some inner strength that was just waiting for the right impulse.
With a roar of despair and rage, she was able to tear her hand free from its confinement and aimed it at the animal with two lekku. To the redhead's surprise, the gesture pushed the blue creature back until it hit a rock which shattered its skull, much to her and her human tormentor's surprise.
She wasted no time and after a while she also pushed the dark-skinned man away. At that moment she felt a strange connection, as if everything surrounding her constituted one coherent whole, despite being separate and completely different entities from a material point of view.
"What?" The man got up and angrily aimed his blaster at the girl as soon as he noticed the limp body of his companion in crime. "You little imperial whore, you will pay for this…"
At that moment he froze in place, blaster aimed and eyes wide, unable to do anything.
Then, however, the red-haired girl felt an extremely strong presence that emanated with cold, so she looked at the top of the nearest dune, and at the top she saw a figure, which, however, due to the omnipresent darkness, resembled a shadow and the only thing that stood out was the panel on the chest. It didn't take long for the redhead to hear the extremely strong sound of inhaling and exhaling, undoubtedly amplified by some mask, filters or modulators.
A moment later, with a loud hiss, a figure shrouded in black activated a cylindrical device from which emerged a crimson energy blade that the young girl knew from her parents' stories. Lightsabers. Defend the traitors who tried to assassinate Chancellor Palpatine, the architect of the new order and peace in the galaxy.
Crimson light revealed the figure of a humanoid cyborg, dressed entirely in black, with a cape, mask and helmet, moving forward.
At the same moment, squadrons of TIEs began to arrive and began an almost immediate air attack on the rebel positions. Behind the starfighters, came three mighty ships and the pride of the Imperial Navy, the Imperial Star Destroyers.
"You have great potential in the Force, child." The cyborg announced to the girl, who was still lying on the sand with her pants down to her knees, and only corrected herself after a while. "I sense great anger and hatred within you, born of fear and loss."
"Who are you?" The surprised girl asked him, surprised more by her own boldness than by his arrival.
"Someone who fights and carries out missions in the Emperor's name, and who has chosen to come to a planet ravaged by rebellion." The black-clad cyborg replied firmly and continued walking until he was a few steps away from the child. "Your raw potential in the Force caught my attention, as mine undoubtedly caught yours."
"Yes, I can't explain it, but I feel the power emanating from you, and also the coldness, but I don't understand why." She replied, looking straight into the interlocutor's crimson lenses. "What is this?"
"This, child, is the dark side of the Force." Cyborg replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "A power that only a few can harness and impose their will on, and then it becomes a powerful servant."
Fascinated by his words, the red-haired girl took a few steps. "Can you teach me how to use this?"
"Yes, I can, child." Cyborg nodded slightly, but there was more to his words. "You meet most of the criteria to begin your training, but you must prove to me that you are worthy to wield this power, to obey any order the Emperor gives you."
"What should I do?" The girl stood up, her eyes expressing pure determination.
With a quick but strong hand gesture, Cyborg only pulled the rebel, unable to speak, closer to their position. He then handed the activated blade to the child.
"Be careful, it's heavier than it looks." He warned her, and she carefully and with considerable difficulty took the lightsaber into her still rather small hands. "This rebel has committed treason against the Empire, killing Imperial citizens and causing anarchy on the planet. The penalty for this is death, and you are to be the executioner and obey my orders."
Even though she was only a small child, she understood the implications of these words very well and with a smile filled with revenge, she looked at the walking corpse that needed only to be executed.
She did not intend to limit herself to just killing, because she felt an almost instinctive desire for revenge, intensified in some way that she did not understand. Once she was sure she had a steady grip on her lightsaber, she grabbed the condemned man through the Force and with her left hand. Not knowing what to do, she simply focused on her desire to take revenge for all those who died during the massacre in the city.
A moment later, both the redhead and the cyborg could hear the sound of bones breaking, flesh being torn and the intense moans of the tortured person.
The girl unleashed all the fury and dark desires her mind could muster on her now victim. The result was easy to predict, and the convicted rebel was bleeding from the mouth, eyes, nose, teeth falling out, and one of the nails on the middle finger of his right hand fell off and only more blood flowed.
The tortured person moaned pitifully and almost whimpered, perfectly fitting the definition of a savage who laughs when he causes pain and harms others, but screams when they hurt him.
Redhead gloated that she absorbed the sight and his pain for a moment longer before she let go of him, grabbed her lightsaber in both hands, and clumsily sliced him across the chest, but not completely. As a result, the person sentenced to death died in a few seconds and extremely painful death.
The redhead wanted to give the cyborg her lightsaber, but he summoned this elegant tool to himself through the Force and told her. "Well done, child, you deserve a place in the structure of the Galactic Empire."
Without waiting for a response, a cyborg grabbed the cylindrical communicator in his hand and activated it. "Major Veers."
"Yes my lord?" Came a question from an Imperial officer.
"You have complete control over the pacification of the rebels, let none of them survive." The order came extremely quickly. "Also inform Commander Motti, that his new order is to send a shuttle to my location, I am returning to the Devastator."
"Of course, Lord Vader." There was a quick response from the same officer and the conversation ended.
Cyborg then turned to the child once again. "What's your name?"
"Mara." The girl replied a bit nervously. "Mara Jade, Lord Vader."
At that very moment, the dream ended and the Sixth Sister opened her eyes nervously. She was covered in cold sweat and her breathing was labored. She almost activated her lightsaber before realizing she was in her quarters on Purification, then tossed the cylindrical weapon into a corner and a moment later put her feet on the durasteel floor.
"It's just a dream about the past, there's nothing to worry about." The Inquisitor told herself before she staggered towards the bathroom.
This room was directly adjacent to her quarters, so she was inside in a matter of moments. There, she was practically exhausted, but she was able to take off the cape, the tight jumpsuit, and everything underneath until she went inside and she took a warm shower, which almost always helped her calm down in such situations. That was the case this time, only 5 standard minutes were enough for her to quell her inner turmoil and regain much of her mental strength.
With that, she wrapped a towel around herself and stepped out, wiping the water from her smooth skin and hair, and then she went to a mirror large enough to allow her to conduct a certain internal monologue that was necessary for her.
"Calm down, it's just the past." She said to herself, and then a smile appeared on her lips, perfectly fitting of the strong, resourceful, domineering and cunning woman she always was paying attention. "Mara Jade is dead and so are her parents. This weak girl, at the mercy of the cruel world, is no longer there. You have duties towards the empire and the ideal for which you have fought so far and for which you killed all these enemies of the state."
Exactly what point will all my kills make if I fail to save the empire? She continued this in her thoughts and sighed, but then she slapped herself lightly on both cheeks. Enough of this thinking, you have to move into the future, because the world will not wait for you.
With these thoughts in mind, she dried and carefully combed her hair before getting dressed again and heading out to deal with whatever challenges the galaxy could throw at her.
AN: That's it, I hope you had fun and it wasn't boring for you.
A chapter definitely darker than the others. What I wanted to convey here, and what I've always missed in Star Wars - apart from maybe Andor - is to show that rebellion - although in the case of a movement within the Galactic Empire it could be described more as a revolution - is not something that can be easily controlled. Moreover, it is something that often escapes the organizers' control, and the resulting creation can - metaphorically - take on a life of its own.
To tell you the truth, what I always missed in Star Wars and in the case of the rebellion was the demonstration that the rebels, trying to restore the Old Republic and its system, could cause no less damage than the empire. It will probably not be surprising that a civil war on a galactic scale will claim many hundreds of thousands of victims every day. Even before that, a rebellion on a galactic scale would have required countless victims on any given day.
I want this story to be indirectly about just that, about a brutal fight in which on both sides there are disgusting people or those who believe in the cause they are fighting for with all their hearts. My intention is not to childishly present "good" or "bad", but to create situations and circumstances in which each side sees itself as "good" and "justified". If you, as readers, feel bad and uncomfortable reading these story, and not being able to choose either side, it means that I have achieved my goal.
By the way, the nightmare scene was heavily inspired by what is happening in Ukraine, but also by descriptions of the Breakup of Yugoslavia, the civil war that caused it, and massacres such as the one in Srebrenica. I also drew inspiration from descriptions of how the Soviet Red Army "liberated" Poland, the Baltic States and other countries.
In fact, I was planning to present the perspective of Prince Admiral Zsinj and his staff, but I decided against it and decided to reserve it for another time or not at all. Already, quite a lot of sides and points of view have been presented, so I wouldn't want to intensify it if it would be unjustified in terms of the plot.
Also, I decided to split the Interlude into two parts to give everything more depth and to be able to expose everything more explicitly.
That's all for now, have a nice day and see you next time.
