Rebel Interference

It was a highly annoyed Aries Black that paced the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer 'Whelm' in orbit over Earth, ignoring the noises created by all the various consoles and machines being worked on by the crew around the bridge. The naval ensigns watched nervously as he walked back and forth, clearly in a temper. Admiral Feyet Kiez stood aside, waiting patiently for the Black Lord to stop pacing and calm himself.

The reason for his ironically black temper hovered over a console in the form of a holorecording sent by the Imperial Ruling Council in the heart of the Imperial Remnant, demanding he present himself to the Council and relinquish command of his forces to them. 'Fat chance' he scoffed internally. But even worse than that, their reasoning was relatively sound. The New Republic had begun a new offensive on the borders of what was left of the Empire, quickly overrunning Imperial defences and advancing into the core of the Remnant. It was not something he could ignore, however it was an opportunity he could take advantage of.

Should he come to the rescue of what remained of the Empire, they would potentially see him as a saviour and flock to his banner, he could even gain the loyalty of the Council should he prove himself able to counter the threat that the New Republic posed. His immediate issue however lay on the planet below. It had been a week since he had revealed his forces for the world to see, and progress in the muggle world had been swift, quickly swiping away most resistance. Any country leaders that refused to submit were quickly dispatched, being replaced with men and women loyal to the Empire.

No, his problem lay with the Wizarding world. The Ministry of Magic in Britain was holding out thanks to a large number of witches and wizards holding down the actual building, with their wards practically impenetrable. The same could be said of Hogwarts, with most of the Wizarding population hiding in either location. He had surrounded both locations with troops and wards to keep them penned in; however if he needed to leave off-world, he could only leave a token force as his forces would be needed against the New Republic. He knew he had no real choice in the matter, he needed to go and assist the Empire. Stopping mid pace and turning to the Admiral, he began barking out orders.

"Order the fleet to prepare for a jump to hyperspace, it is time we returned to the Empire." A cheer sounded throughout the bridge from those Imperials that heard the order, but he ignored it and carried on. "The Star Destroyers 'Tyrannic, Maelstrom and Barricade are to remain guarding the system. The 4th Army is to remain in Britain and maintain its duties, inform General Royce."

The Admiral stood to attention, bowing his head respectfully before marching off, relaying the orders as he went.

Aries turned and stared out of the viewport at the planet he once called home, hoping that he could return quickly before he lost control of things on the ground.

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Earth's Surface, Britain, Hogwarts

The great hall was unusually silent; The students were currently kept in their dorms for safety, the teachers not risking allowing them outside whilst the castle was surrounded by enemies. The tables had been transfigured into something more practical for a group that were planning a resistance movement together; Headmaster Dumbledore, his Order Of The Phoenix and prominent members of the Ministry were sitting around the table, all discussing possible ways to fight back. It had been made obvious earlier on in the invasion that they stood no chance in open warfare against the Imperials. Even with magic, they had lost a full quarter of their Auror Force and half of their Hit-Wizards when they had attempted a breakout from the Ministry building.

Imperial Walkers had quickly bombarded the witches and wizards as they made a break for the ward lines that had been set by Imperial aligned Wizards, or 'Imperial Casters' as they later learned them to be called. It had been a slaughter which many of the older generation compared to the war with Grindelwald. Dumbledore himself looked like he had aged overnight, almost constantly looking lost in thought. He looked up at the arguing witches and wizards before withdrawing his wand and raising it in the air, casting a loud bang and clearing his throat, silencing them all.

"My friends, this bickering will get us nowhere. We must work together if we are to fight this tyranny that has been invited to our homes by… by Lord Black." The name tasted sour in his mouth, causing him to grimace. He simply could not understand how the once innocent boy he had met when Harry had first come to Hogwarts could have fallen so far, so soon. He mourned the boy he once was, and even now dreaded the idea of fighting him. Turning to Alastor Moody, he inclined his head for the grizzled Auror to speak.

Moody began immediately, disgust lacing his voice. "The boy has gotten us pretty good. As you are all aware, Hogwarts and the Ministry are tightly cordoned off and surrounded. Those who did not make it to either in time have either submitted to the Imperials or gone to ground. Casualties amongst Ministry personnel from the breakout attempt were heavy to say the least." The scarred veterans' magical eye whizzed around the table, taking them all in one by one.

"However, we have had visual confirmation that the ships in orbit are grouping up and by the looks of it, getting ready to depart. We managed to capture one of the crew members who was here on leave, who has confirmed that Lord Blacks' presence is required somewhere else and that most of the fleet shall be leaving with him."

The resistance members around the table all began murmuring to each other, nodding along and looking intrigued.

Clearing his throat, Moody continued. "If this is true, then it will be the perfect time to strike. With most of the enemy away from the planet, we can perhaps overrun the garrison or at the very least, escape our self made prisons. With any luck, we could prepare at least Britain for whenever Lord Black returns."

The crowd continued to murmur and many began nodding, agreeing with the assessment.

The Headmaster however, could only lower his head in sadness. He had long thought the days of war of this scale were truly behind him, and yet these days it was beginning to look more and more like he would be leading once again. It was not something he could ignore, he was after all, the leader of the light. If he stood back and allowed Aries Black to have his way, the world would be consumed in darkness. And if what they had all heard was correct, it would not just be their world.

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Super Star Destroyer 'Whelm'

In the personal quarters of Lord Black, the Lord himself lay in a large and extremely comfortable bed, his wife's leg draped over his own as he stroked her hair, lost in thought. He was not ashamed to admit that Daphne, despite the fact that they had been unable to spend much time together, was a massive bright spot in the dark patch that was his life. Her smile could light up a room even in the most dire of situations, and it made him love her all the more.

She had proven from the get go that she was not a woman who would simply take orders and submit quietly. She was a proud and independent woman, who had a dark sense of humour that tied so well with the new personality that Aries had developed during his time training. She had supported him, even when she disagreed with his decisions. He knew now that the decision he had made regarding her however, would not be appreciated.

"Daphne… you are aware that I must go away, correct?" He began, his voice soft.

She stilled, slowly turning to face him, her eyes narrowed. "I am aware that WE are to go away, yes."

He grimaced. "I'm afraid it will only be me, Daphne. Now hear me out!" He held a hand up to pause her as she looked poised to interrupt.

"I require your presence here on Earth, and specifically in Britain. Even though our efforts with the Wizengamot were pretty much wasted, there are still families that would join us and if I am honest, we need them. With your training as a Pureblood Heiress, and my wife, YOU could be the one to secure their allegiance." He eyed her wearily, waiting for an outburst which apparently, wasn't coming.

He continued, feeling slightly more confident. "Not to mention I am heading directly into an active warzone, it is no place for you until you have been trained. Upon my return, I shall begin your training in earnest so that you may join me on occasions such as these. Agreed?"

Her eyes remained narrowed for a full minute, staring at him before she sighed and gave a slow and reluctant nod.

Aries sighed in relief internally. Give him battles any day of the week over an angry wife, he thought to himself.

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Earth's Orbit

In orbit over the planet, hundreds of vessels had gathered in preparation for the jump to hyperspace. Thousands of transport vessels ferried men and materials from the surface and back to the fleet, leaving only a token force on the planet as a garrison. Millions watched in wonder as these ships that made their own level of technology look primitive flew to and from space.

This lasted an entire day before slowly but surely, the fleet began moving in formation around the Super Star Destroyer, changing direction before jumping to hyperspace and back to the Empire.

AUTHORS NOTE:

Hey guys! I'm sorry for taking so long with this update, however I have recently broken up with the mother of my child and it's hit me pretty hard, having to move back in with my dad and going through custody talks has not been easy.

Now that things are a little bit more settled I hope to get updates back to a regular rate. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Please leave a review!