Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Star Wars. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This story is not created with commercial aim. I make no money from it.

Phase 21: Skyfall

=RK=

Part 1

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KDY HQ

Press Conference auditorium

There are days that change the galaxy forever, events that echo for eternity.

Some of those were a thousand years in the making – just like the Banite Sith engineered the Clone Wars, a conflict that took a life of its own and now ravages the galaxy. Others were committed born of insufficient planning, carried by men and women who saw themselves as people whose backs were to the wall and annihilation stared them into the face.

The Jedi Council was a prime example – their attempted coup, one borne of justified fears changed galactic history. In one fell swoop, the Jedi themselves caused more damage to their reputation and standing that the Sith could ever do, yet it would have been a price worth paying if only their sacrifice was sufficient to remove the plague upon the galaxy that is the Sith.

Another such event was Bothawui – it was the place where the galaxy finally remembered why the Emperor's Wrath was someone even the Dark Council of the long gone Sith Empire feared him. Put against impossible odds, trapped and left with no good options, a Sith Lord murdered a whole world and proved to friend and foe alike why his kind should be forever feared.

What was happening at Kuat wasn't so spectacular, even if its consequences would still echo into eternity.

=RK=

This is how it feels to be Jerrod Perrion, Jedi Master, Hero of Tython, Emperor's Bane and a man fanatically loyal to a Republic lost to the ages, one that might have never really existed in the first place:

You are the strongest Jedi in the galaxy. There is no real place for humility in that declaration, not even pride. It is a simple statement of fact – the Jedi Order that existed in this time were pale imitation of the giants who stood against the Sith and the Dark Side itself. It was you who finally rid the galaxy of the Sith Emperor. It was you who stood against the monsters of the Dark Council ruling the Empire and gave them pause. You have spent a lifetime mastering the art of the lightsabre, getting closer to the Force, always guided by its Light. On a thousand battlefields you embraced it, let it guide you and it never failed you before.

And all for that, it wasn't enough. Your beloved Republic was in ruins. Its armies scattered, defeated and destroyed. Your fellow Jedi – dead or hunted all across the galaxy. It was during the Republic's darkest hour, when you raced home for one last, doomed stand, when the Force itself intervened and threw you into this dark, wretched future. Seeing what time and the Sith had wreaked upon your beloved Republic broke you. If it wasn't for your precious wife, Kira, the love of your life, you would have ended up insane. Instead, you rallied the others flung into this nightmare, gave them purpose and through your actions and sheer determination, now the Confederacy is free from the taint and control of the Sith. It's something you know you should be proud of. Instead, even that victory tastes like ashes in your mouth.

Kira, your beloved wife is no more, now a puppet to that bitch Zash. The wretched Republic of this age has shed its mask and revealed its real colours – it is now a dictatorship ran by the Sith's Mandalorian puppets… and all too many people across the galaxy willingly or not support that monstrous regime. What you once hoped to be mere symptoms of corruption now you know for sure were merely the warning sights of the rot at the Republic's core. You were proven right, yet that brings you no joy.

You are a Jedi Blade-master, a weapon, and all you have left is duty. Duty and vengeance…

=RK=

This is what is to be Darth Zash, the last survivor of the first Sith Empire, Dark Council Member, scientist, an immortal and now, irony of ironies, one of the staunchest supporters of Satine Kenobi's Republic:

You had seen the irrevocable course of time ground to dust Empires and whole civilizations yet you preserve, too stubborn to become one with the Force. For a thousand years you had fought to preserve what it meant to be true Sith all the while everyone around you younglings let themselves be twisted by the whims of the Dark Side and pervert the long gone Empire that you were proud to call home. For a thousand years you were alone with only your research to keep you company and keep you sane-ish. It wasn't until the rise of a pair of odd Dark Lords, Baras and his apprentice, Vael, who would eventually become your own protegee that you finally dared to believe that the Empire under Vitate's durasteel grip could change for the better. Your apprentice brought you out of your long boring existence and the three of you shook the galaxy together.

You came so close to achieving your dream, when the Force itself snatched one part of your triumvirate away. After that, even the Empire's victory against the Republic you spearheaded didn't matter much. You and Baras simply lacked the raw power to win the civil war that followed even if you managed to drag all your enemies down with you.

You believed that the dream of a restored Sith Empire you could be proud of died with Veil above Korriban and with it the only thing you could really care about besides your precious research. When you awoke in Jedi custody, somehow thrown in a strange and fascinating future, one where there was no Sith Empire, merely Republic, their Jedi and a civil war of their own making, you believed that at best all you had to look up for was the content of research, only for the impossible to happen. You felt your long believed dead former apprentice. Even as a spirit bound to a desecrated corpse locked within a stasis pond your connection was strong enough that there could have been no mistake. You called for help and he answered. What followed…

You smile and look at the ceiling, paying no attention to the small minded people filling up the auditorium. You know your apprentice. What was happening nowadays wasn't his intention. He would have been content, happy even to be away from the spotlight and galactic affairs. They were so, troublesome, as he put it. Not worth the effort, something that Zash would usually agree with. After all, she had been the same way for century upon century. The vaunted Republic was all but gone nowadays, replaced by a dictatorship in anything but name, somewhat loyal to Veil. From such a starting point and with a war to reforge it into an Empire, her home might be finally reborn upon the ashes of the Republic and wouldn't that be a delicious irony? You could already see it happening. The future Empire could continue to resemble the Republic on the surface, for years, perhaps decades, it wouldn't matter. However, those who supported Satine's ascension to power already adhered to the underlining principles of the Sith Empire even if they didn't admit it to themselves. In the end, it was power that mattered and when wielded by the right and sane people, as it was their right, they could use it to impose control. They could reshape the very galaxy itself.

Your smile grows predatory. There are just a handful of people who could ultimately oppose the rise of your Empire, because with ever passing day that Satine and company ruled, they gained more and more legitimacy; they became the status quo, the way things had always been. Given enough time, to consolidate, even if the war couldn't be won, it wouldn't be lost and in the fullness of time, you had no doubt that the future Empire would triumph against both the Confederacy and all those who broke away from Satine's, your "Republic".

You always knew that Jedi Master Jerrod Perrion would come for you – that had been inevitable ever since you took over his wife's body. You counted on it – that man was the greatest threat for both you in particular and the Empire of your dreams in general. He had to be dealt with.

The only issue was that you never knew when he would actually come and if you would be ready for him when he finally showed up. Today, you didn't know if it was the day you would either triumph or finally join your long lost family within the embrace of the Force and for some reason that uncertainty made you feel more alive than you've felt in years.

=RK=

Part 2

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five hours before Skyfall

Flag Bridge

Kuat Star Dreadnought Defender

dark space

Admiral Reno Panka nervously rubbed his forehead before drawing his arm through his greying receding hair. His unease was strong enough that I sensed it long before I stepped into the Flag Bridge and thanks to his bearing the staff supposed to run Defender and her fleet were in less than stellar state of mind. When he saw me, Panka's unease turned into fear.

"General, we haven't received clearance to return to Kuat. It's not necessary either – the security forces can handle a few Bothan malcontents."

What he was actually saying was that he was terrified of doing anything without explicit order from Onara Kuat or barring that a strong suggestion from KDY's board of directors. Panka was a perfect creature to be in charge of the fleet in peacetime – he lacked a thought in his head that didn't originate within KDY boardroom and the thought of him gaining enough support for a coup was laughable.

Obviously, that was exactly the wrong kind of man to be in charge of one of the strongest fleets in the galaxy during wartime… at least as long as said fleet was on my side. I would give whole sectors if we could swap him and his friends for the likes of Trench – then the war would be a wrap.

"I'm sure that Kuat's Security Services can handle Bothan's who had lost their mind over what happened to Bothawui. I'm not so convinced on how well they would do when faced Bothan Spy Net agents with nothing left to lose, especially if they're augmented by Jedi strike teams. The last time those got deployed you lost a star dreadnought." I didn't even bother to look at Panka and instead concentrated my attention to his staff… and whoever else was listening, like the Defender's captain for example. "Both your government and KDY's board of directors agreed – this fleet is under my command for the time being." I put enough sneer when mentioning that group of functionaries to make it clear to the crew what I thought about them. "Prepare the Defender for hyperspace travel. We're heading for Kuat and will wait in hyperspace to see if the information uncovered by your security services is correct. I want a battalion of marines ready for orbital insertion when we arrive in system. If nothing notable happens it would make for a good training anyway. I'll be ready to deploy with them if there are Jedi troublemakers on the ground."

Panka began to sweat. He had a decision to make without being able to consult with his friends in KDY – something I doubted he had done in a long, long time. Kriffing political appointees…

"We should contact Kuat and ask for instructions..." Panka hawed and hemmed. His attempt to find his misplaced spine failed miserably along with any shred of respect he might have had among this Kuati fleet… and the whole fleet was listening thanks to a suggestion reinforced with the Force I made to Defender's skipper before heading for the Flag Bridge. If I had my way, by the time Mandalore was secure, most of this fleet would be mine and they would be eager to back certain changes that Onara would be suggesting for Kuat's future. One of the obvious steps towards those goals was to subvert the or win the loyalty of the current leadership, which so far was turning easier than it had any right to be. Panka, who most certainly didn't deserve his exalted title and his clique of friends certainly weren't any real obstacle, on the contrary…

"We should be leaving for Kuat. We can ask when we arrive in system." I finally looked Panka in the eyes. "I suggest you retire to your quarters, admiral. You don't look well." I reinforced my suggestion with a push against his mind and the man practically fled after a wave of relief flooded him because he didn't really have to make a decision right now, especially one that his masters might frown upon. After all, one of the primary reasons why KDY's directors approved of the deployment of this fleet was to keep me busy and as far away from Kuat as possible. I was quite certain that at least a few of them suggested to Panka to do everything within legal bounds to keep it that way.

Once the sorry excuse for an admiral left, I returned my attention to his staff and smiled. About half of them were as bad or worse than Panka, however the rest were salvageable and quite amused by what they just saw. That I could work with.

=RK=

Dry dock Delta 2

KDY Orbital array

Kuat

Ever since the Rape of Bothawui, all Bothans within Republic space had been under close observation by local security services and the slowly rebuilding Republic intelligence agencies. To a lesser extent the same was true for their friends. However, with resources stretched thin by the war and ONI's treason, it was inevitable that things would slip through the cracks and that was before one took into account that for centuries the Bothan Spy Net had been the premiere intelligence service in the galaxy.

It didn't help matters that Bothans were far from the only people with axe to grind with the Republic and little to lose. Some had lost family and friends at Sullust, Geonosis and Bothawui, others saw what was happening on Coruscant as treason that had to be opposed and then there were the usual weaknesses people had – money, blackmail, honey traps…

The ringleaders of the Bothan Spy Net on Kuat knew that their activity couldn't remain unnoticed, especially when they planned for a coordinated series of attacks. They didn't even try, instead they spread misinformation and set up a number of their supporters and even cells as a bait so that local security services would be patting themselves on the back for a job well done. They had a bigger fish to fry.

Ever before the war began, the Bothans had multiple agents working on the Orbital Array and with the start of the conflict and the huge demand of skilled labour, it was easy to slip even more, some of whom were anything but Bothan. That exercise now paid dividends – there were three agents working in various places of the space station whose loyalty no one suspected. Even more importantly, two of them had their families on Bothawui and now were in the perfect position to avenge them. The hardest obstacle they faced was their demons and it took a lot of convincing for them not to act until the time was right so their sabotage would have the greatest of effects.

It took months to engineer such a situation and even better, it was going to be both a strike against the Sith controlled Republic and the Sith themselves, if not exactly the particular monster who butchered everyone upon Bothawui…

One of those Bothan agents was an engineer working upon the Republic cruiser Dao, named after the admiral who died protecting Duro and slowing down the Separatists grand offensive. Said ship was day from launch. She had her systems installed and it was in the process of final checks and fuelling while her crew was being assembled. He entered engineering carrying an innocuous looking sphere in one of the pockets of his working clothes along with an array of advanced data spikes built from the ground up with perfect knowledge of the Republic computer systems and the software protecting them. He walked to the terminal controlling the hyper-matter reactor, checked its fuel levels – which were just enough for his purpose and a manic smile appeared on his face. He removed the sphere and pressed its only button before gently placing it one the terminal. A soft hiss emanated from it and immediately he felt tingling sensation. Even with an antidote racing through his veins, the nerve agents would kill him in a short order… just not fast enough.

The other engineers working in the compartment began twitching before simply collapsing without a sound. Internal sensors detected the chemical spill, alarms blared and armoured doors slammed shut, sealing main engineering. Before anyone could override the lock-down or cut their way through it would be far too late.

"Soon, my love..." The dying man began whistling lullaby, the same one he sang his daughters before Veil murdered them along with their mother. He inserted the data spikes and began the arduous process of engineering a critical reaction in the hyper-matter reactor.

=RK=

At the same time, more than two thousand kilometres away, within a section of the station containing warehouses, another saboteur was busy setting up the warheads of concussion missiles for detonation. Meanwhile, his accomplice, an infiltration droid masked as a maintenance one was busy spoofing sensors and keeping the cameras on a loop showing that there certainly was no one there up to no good...