Chapter 9: Preparing for War Part 2

Darth Rhal stood on the bridge of the Imperial dreadnought Enforcer and was silently watching out the viewport as the massive vessel flew through hyperspace. There were stories about how staring into hyperspace could lead to madness, but Rhal thought such stories were nonsense. 'If anyone truly did go mad staring at these lights, they were probably already more than a little mad to begin with.'

So Rhal just stood there, quietly watching the blue lights while the bridge crew performed their tasks maintaining the vessel and preparing it for when they finally arrived at their destination. But while Rhal's body was quiet and unmoving, his mind was processing everything it could before the ship dropped out of hyperspace.

Making the necessary preparations for his departure had taken longer than he'd anticipated, but after a few weeks all was ready and, with the assistance of Rhal's newest ally, he had all the ships and forces he needed for his purposes.

"My Lord." An older voice addressed him from behind. "We will be dropping out of hyperspace and arriving within the hour." The speaker informed him and Rhal turned around slightly to lay eyes on the man.

His appearance reminded Rhal of Keeper somewhat, but with some notable differences. The man was older than Keeper and it showed with how wrinkled his face was and how gray his hair had become and, while Keeper's uniform was mostly unmarked, this Imperial's uniform clearly indicated his rank as an Admiral. His eyes were also blue like Keeper's, but darker and colder.

"Thank you Admiral Riserre." Rhal said while giving the Admiral a slight nod. "As soon as we arrive, contact the leader of the Imperial blockade and inform them I'll be taking a shuttle down to the planet's surface."

Admiral Riserre nodded at his words. "As you command, my Lord." He said before turning and resuming his duties overseeing the bridge crew. Rhal watched the Admiral for a few moments before turning and returning his gaze to the lights of hyperspace.

The force had truly smiled on Rhal the day he'd killed Lord Grathan. His death has allowed him to advance far more than he'd been expecting in such a short period of time. He'd known after looking through his files and discovering the upcoming traitor's invasion that he'd be able to gain a useful ally among the Imperial military and navy after transmitting the data and calling for the traitorous forces to be destroyed, but he hadn't expected it to be an officer as smart and competent as Admiral Riserre.

Rhal had learned quickly that the Admiral's impressive reputation was well earned. He ran his flagship and fleet nearly to perfection and had the loyalty and respect of all those who served under him. He was also a man who valued results and, since Rhal's intelligence and warning had won him another great victory against the Empire's enemies, he'd been more than happy to add his fleet to Rhal's forces as they made their way to the target planet.

The fleet itself was a strong one with three Harrower class cruisers, including the Admiral's personal flagship, as well as six Terminus class destroyers. However it was the occupants of the ships rather than the ships themselves that had Rhal believing they were strong.

All crew members and troops that were part of the fleet had fought in the last war against the Republic and had won many great victories during that time. In short, while the fleet was smaller than others in the Imperial Navy, it made up for a lack of numbers with battle experience and achievements. 'Something I plan to have more of myself once we arrive and I'm able to leave my first real mark on the galaxy.'

Less than an hour later, just as the Admiral had informed him, the fleet dropped out of hyperspace and a planet could clearly be seen. Even from space, Rhal could easily sense the death and destruction the world had suffered over the last few years and he was more certain than ever that Balmorra was indeed the best planet he could have chosen.

Possessing a strategic location on the border of the Colonies and the Core Worlds, Balmorra's position was only one of many reasons why control of the planet was critical. The main reason was the planet's many weapon and droid production facilities, which were some of the best in the galaxy. Most of the weapons used during the last war had actually been designed and created in Balmorra's factories. Control of such facilities would be a great advantage to whichever side held the planet, something the Empire had realized during the last war and had launched a full scale invasion to capture the planet.

The battle had lasted for years until the Treaty of Coruscant forced the Republic to surrender the planet to the Empire and withdraw the support they'd provided to the Balmorran rebels. However, what should have been a great victory for the Empire instead turned into years of struggle due to the persistence of the Balmorran rebels that refused to accept defeat and surrender.

Officially, the Republic had honored the Treaty and had withdrawn all support and military forces from the planet. Unofficially, it was all but certain that the Republic was still secretly supporting the rebels.

Fresh Republic supplies continued to be located in captured resistance locations and Republic troopers could even be seen on the front lines of the many battlefields that were still being fought over to this day. The Republic Senate claimed the supplies were stolen and sold to the planet's rebels by smugglers and criminals while the troopers were forces that had gone rogue and refused orders to leave the planet. They were obvious lies to those in the Empire, but proving those lies turned out to be extremely difficult.

However, recent events had allowed the Empire to greatly strengthen their position on Balmorra. Thanks primarily to the efforts of Baras' apprentice and Cipher Nine, the rebel forces had lost control of the Balmorran Arms Factory and one of their most valuable leaders, Grand Marshal Cheketta, had been killed in the battle.

Darth Lachris, the Sith chosen by the Dark Council to oversee Balmorra and the planet's newest Governor, had changed her base of operations from Sobrik to the factory and was slowly tightening her grip on the planet. However, Rhal was uncertain that Lachris would be able to hold the planet.

Lachris was by no means weak or incompetent. Having been trained by Darth Marr, she was actually a good choice to oversee the planet, but Rhal had read more than enough reports from Balmorra to know that the rebels were far from defeated. More than once in the past few years many Imperial officers and Sith had wrongly believed the rebels' days were numbered but each time the rebels had managed to recover.

That was one of the reasons why Rhal had decided to come to Balmorra. He thought he knew how the rebels continued to find the will and the strength to continue resisting and, if he was right, then he had a plan that would both break the rebels and secure control of Balmorra for the Empire.

However, before he could put any of his plans in motion, he'd need to meet with Darth Lachris and speak with her on the issue. 'If she's anything like her master she should be able to understand the benefits of this plan, but that remains to be seen.'

As the ship gets closer to the planet, Rhal can start to make out the Imperial Fleet blockading the planet. A glorious sight. He also notes that Admiral Riserre is speaking to the Fleet Commander about going down to the planet.

"Apologies Admiral, but I'm under direct orders from Darth Lachris not to let anyone shuttle down to the planet without her permission." The Fleet Commander says.

Before the Admiral can respond, Rhal walks over and moves him aside slightly to face the Commander himself. "I am Darth Rhal of the Dark Council. Inform Darth Lachris that I'll be taking a ship down to Balmorra immediately and that I want to meet with her in person as soon as possible." He ordered, his words causing the Commander to go slightly pale.

"O-Of course, my Lord! I'll inform Governor Lachris immediately." The Commander says before his holo disappears.

With that done, Rhal turns to Admiral Riserre. "Admiral, keep your fleet in position for now. After I've spoken to Darth Lachris, I'll transmit the most recent reports and any useful intelligence from the planet to you. If you or any of your men find anything of value, contact me immediately. These rebels have been a thorn in the Empire's side for far too long."

The Admiral gave a sharp nod. "It will be done, my Lord." Admiral Riserre answered before Rhal marched past him with his guards and made his way towards the hangar.

Rhal knew that actually accomplishing his plans on the war torn world would be far from easy, but that only made him more determined to succeed.

'After all, if something can be done easily it probably isn't worth it.'

Balmorran Arms Factory…

Standing in one of the factory's larger hangars, Darth Lachris stood as still as the honor guard she'd assembled as she awaited the arrival of the newest Dark Council member.

During her training with her master, she'd only ever seen Darth Rhal briefly and had never interacted with him. As far as she knew, other than being Darth Jadus' son there was nothing remarkably significant about the young Sith lord.

However, she'd been unfortunate enough to encounter Darth Jadus once before his demise. He had simply passed her by in one of the Citadel's many corridors without even glancing at her, but that simple experience was one she'd never forget. Darth Jadus had radiated power and darkness even greater than that of her own master. Until that day, she'd strongly believed her master, Darth Marr, was the strongest member of the Emperor's Dark Council. Just being in Darth Jadus' presence for all of a few moments was enough to show her how wrong she had been. 'And now I'm about to meet his son and successor properly.'

While she had respected and feared Darth Jadus for his incredible power, she didn't have high expectations for his son once her master informed her that he'd claimed his later father's seat. At the time, he had no real accomplishments to his name and was only chosen since he was stronger than his sister Lord Zhorrid, Jadus' only other apprentice.

Recently however, Darth Rhal has improved his position almost unbelievably well. Lachris admitted to herself that she likely wouldn't have believed it had her master not been the one to inform her of the most recent developments. Almost immediately after gaining his council seat, Darth Rhal assembled Imperial forces and crushed the traitor Lord Grathan's rebellion without a single casualty on his side. As if that wasn't impressive on its own, Darth Rhal quickly learned through Grathan's files that another traitorous Sith was about to launch an attack on Kaas City, an attack that completely failed when Rhal alerted a nearby Imperial fleet and proved all the necessary information for the fleet to destroy the traitor and her forces as soon as they dropped out of hyperspace.

Such accomplishments were extremely impressive, especially since Darth Rhal had never fought in any true battles before then, or at least, none that Lachris herself was aware of. Still, she wasn't fully convinced of his strength until her master had contacted her after the latest Dark Council meeting where Rhal had raised the suggestion to grant Lord Zash the late Darth Skotia's position.

"Do not underestimate Darth Rhal, my apprentice. He is nearly as powerful as his father was and perhaps as intelligent as well. Do not take him lightly."

Her master's warning was more than enough to make Lachris realize that Darth Rhal was worthy of being among the twelve most powerful Sith in the Empire. If he wasn't, Darth Marr wouldn't have even bothered to mention him. 'But not only did he mention him, he warned me to treat him with caution. My master has only ever done that once before when we met with Darth Decimus. If he's telling me to be careful so soon, I'll need to be very careful indeed.'

A few moments later Lachris noticed a small dot appear on the horizon. A moment after she realized it was an Imperial shuttle approaching she felt the incredible power of the Dark Side pouring out of it. 'Force…if he's already this powerful, how much stronger will he become?' She thought as she fought to keep her body still even as the Imperial guards around her started shifting uncomfortably.

Once the shuttle landed it only took a few moments for the ramp to descend. Three figures stepped out first, all dressed in red robes and armor. 'Personal guards.' Lachris thought. She'd been somewhat expecting to see members of the Imperial Guard but she figured it was only a matter of time before Rhal had a few of them by his side.

Speaking of whom, the newest Dark Council member appeared just as his guards assumed positions at the bottom of the shuttle ramp. Darth Rhal was wearing a black robe that covered much of his body, but Lachris could still see his face somewhat which was young and mostly unremarkable but it was his aura that was the most telling. He was someone who knew how to command respect.

Darth Lachris instinctively dropped to one knee and bowed her head in submission as the honor guard did the same. It was customary for all in the Empire, even Darths, to bow before a member of the Dark Council. Even if her own master didn't care for such things, it was still necessary when in the presence of others. "Darth Rhal. Welcome to Balmorra, my lord." She said, raising her head as she did so.

Years of training under Darth Marr had taught Lachris many skills, including how to read a person. However those skills failed as she searched for some sort of emotion in Darth Rhal's face and his presence in the force, yet she could only sense a very cold darkness within him.

Darth Rhal just stared at her with his cold blue eyes as he responded. "Rise, Darth Lachris." She did as he commanded while she quietly noted that even his voice gave nothing away. 'Well, almost nothing. He speaks without the usual arrogance that was common in so many other Sith.'

Once she was on her feet again she made to speak but Darth Rhal spoke first. "Is there a place where we can speak in private?" He asked.

Lachris was surprised for a moment before nodding her head and started making her way towards her personal office in the factory. Darth Rhal clearly didn't want to waste any time or words so she stayed silent as she led the way, even though Lachris did wish to speak about the state of Balmorra and the Imperial Occupation.

Ever since the Republic's failed invasion, Lachris had been working very hard to tighten her grip on the planet and its people. It was a painfully slow process, not helped by the persistent rebels that simply refused to accept defeat, but the Empire's position was still stronger than it had been in previous years.

She'd taken great steps to repair the damage done to the Balmorran Arms Factory so it could continue producing weapons for the Empire. Unfortunately, once that blasted Cheketta had realized defeat was inevitable he'd ordered his troops to sabotage as much of the factory as they could before they were captured or killed.

The damage the saboteurs had inflicted was severe, but nothing was beyond repair. According to the engineers and technicians, the factory should return to full operational status in a few months and production would be able to resume shortly after. 'If only the same was true for the Okara Droid Factory.'

The Okara Droid Factory had been one of several targets that had been sabotaged by Imperial operatives back when the Empire first invaded. The agents had succeeded in uploading a virus and the factory's droids had been turned into crazed killing machines. However, it soon became clear that the virus had worked too well and so far, Imperial technicians had been unable to deactivate or regain control of the droids.

Darth Lachris knew that the Arms Factory was the more valuable of the two, but she also knew regaining control of the Okara factory and its droids was still a high priority. She had recently assigned a newly promoted Imperial Colonel to solve the problem, but so far he'd had little to no success.

After a few minutes, Lachris arrived at the door of her private office with Darth Rhal and his guards. Once the door opened, she heard Rhal speak to his guards. "Wait outside with your men Commander. Ensure that no one disturbs us."

"Yes, my Lord." The Commander said. Immediately after, Rhal's guards took their positions on each side of the door while Rhal and Lachris stepped inside, finally giving the two Sith Lords privacy once the door slid shut.

The office itself was fairly large, originally intended for the factory's head overseer, having a giant window which allowed anyone in the office to look down and observe the main production line. There was also a desk terminal near the back of the room with several of Lachris' holopads on it, each one detailing Imperial activities currently taking place on Balmorra.

Lachris had expected Rhal to seat himself behind the desk, but the Dark Council member just walked over to the window and stared down at the production line. It was still being repaired so all there was to see at the moment were those repairs taking place. Since Rhal didn't take her seat, Lachris took her spot behind the desk.

The moment she was seated Darth Rhal spoke, but stayed staring down at the production line. "You want to know why I've come to Balmorra, Darth Lachris." He said simply. She immediately knew it was a statement, not a question.

She had been wondering for quite some time why the newest Dark Council member would come to Balmorra now. She could think of several possible reasons, but she knew better than to make assumptions. "Yes, my Lord. I admit when I was informed of your imminent arrival I was quite surprised. With the rebellion here under control-"

"Under control?" Rhal asked, turning to face her. Lachris could now spot emotion on the Dark Lord's face and in his voice. The annoyance was clear. "Do you really believe that?" He asked. The way he asked sounded like he was speaking to a child and Darth Lachris felt her anger burn within her but she carefully kept it in check for the moment.

"With all due respect my Lord, the rebels are under control." She said slowly, trying to keep her irritation out of her voice. "With the Republic's failed invasion and the death of their Grand Marshal, the rebels have suffered a serious blow."

Rhal turned to face her fully before replying. She found his blue eyes slightly unnerving. "These rebels have suffered serious blows before and each time they've gone underground, rebuilt their forces, then struck again after our forces dropped their guards. A serious blow is not the same as a crippling one, which is what is needed to put these rebels down. Yet, instead of finishing them off, you've focused your attention on repairing this factory and its defenses while also transferring many Imperial forces here and away from Sobrik and other Imperial outposts." He said. Darth Lachris noted the accusation in his voice and she suddenly became nervous but kept her face like stone.

Lachris hated having to defend her actions, but she knew she had no choice. "This factory is a key resource. We need its facilities to produce weapons for our troops for the upcoming war against the Republic and we need to make sure it's protected, at least until its own defenses have been fixed. The sooner it's repaired, the sooner we can put it to use."

"Yes, its importance can't be overstated and I agree that repairing the factory's defenses is necessary." Rhal agreed with a nod before adding. "And while your attention is focused on the factory, the resistance will build up their strength again and cause the Empire more troubles in the future unless we either crush the resistance once and for all or show the citizens of Balmorra that our control over this planet is absolute. I've come here to do exactly that, Darth Lachris." Darth Rhal stated, catching Lachris off guard. 'It seems he does have some arrogance in him after all.'

A part of her had assumed that Rhal had come to Balmorra to seize control of the planet from her, but the way he'd stated his intentions made it sound more like he was here to help her. She knew there was more to Darth Rhal's presence than just putting down the rebels, there had to be, but she didn't have enough to even guess what else he could be up to.

She decided to see where this was going. "And how, my Lord, do you propose to do what so many other Sith have failed to do?" She asked boldly, taking a slight risk to see what kind of reaction her words would cause.

Rhal's lips twitched very slightly and Lachris assumed that he was suppressing a smile as he answered with a name. "Retheus Galthe."

Darth Lachris scowled at the name, she knew it well. After all, who on Balmorra didn't know the name of the planet's President? A President who had been missing for years now, despite the Empire's best efforts to locate him.

President Galthe hadn't been seen in public for years now. The last time he'd been spotted in the open was when he boarded a shuttle that had disappeared shortly before Imperial forces invaded and captured the capital city of Bin Prime. The capital had been captured during the last war and ever since, there'd been no new sightings of the President on Balmorra or anywhere else.

Normally, the Republic's leaders had limits to how long they could rule and Galthe's time as President should have ended but, with much of Balmorra's government either dead or in exile, electing a new President hadn't been possible. Balmorra's people still recognized Galthe as their president so, for the time being, Retheus Galthe would continue serving as Balmorra's leader. 'Unless of course he's already dead.' Lachris thought, knowing there was a good possibility that he had already died and his body simply hadn't been recovered.

She decided to voice that thought. "My Lord, with all due respect, I'm not sure the President is still alive. Even if he is, it's unlikely he's still on Balmorra." She said, wondering just what the young Sith's plan was.

She was stunned by what he said in response. "President Galthe is alive and I'm confident he's still on Balmorra."

"Lord Rhal, President Galthe hasn't been seen publicly for several years now. He's completely vanished and if he'd been spotted on Balmorra anytime recently I'd like to think I would have known about it." She said with as much confidence as she could manage. If Intelligence operatives had somehow located the President and he really was still on Balmorra, it would be an embarrassment to her abilities if Lachris hadn't known about it.

Thankfully, Rhal shook his head. "The President hasn't been located by Intelligence, but I'm certain that Retheus Galthe is on Balmorra." Lachris' confusion must have been visible on her face since Darth Rhal continued a moment later. "President Galthe was well loved by his people and he loved his people in return." Rhal rolled his eyes at that before continuing. "During the start of our invasion it was the President himself who led the Republic forces against us until we captured Bin Prime. He fled, yet he stayed for as long as he could before escaping at the very last moment, still shouting orders to the troopers even as he boarded his escape shuttle. Imperial ships had already established a blockade and never detected the shuttle leaving the planet and there have been no reports of President Galthe being anywhere else. A man like that, so devoted to his people, would never abandon them. He is still on Balmorra Darth Lachris, I'm certain of it."

Lachris had to admit that he had made some good points. Galthe was a rather well known individual and the Empire had sent out agents trying to locate him ever since he disappeared but they had always come back empty handed. But was it truly possible he had stayed? Had the President really been operating right under their noses for so long without them having any idea? 'If that is the case, and I almost hope it isn't, then how are we supposed to find him if he's been able to stay hidden for so long?'

As if he'd read her mind, which Lachris thought was a very real possibility, Rhal spoke once more. "Before the battle in this factory, the two individuals who had been leading the majority of Balmorra's rebellion were Grand Marshal Cheketta and Balmorra's Minister of Defense, Vol Argen. Both of them died during the battle, shaking up the rebel leadership, yet Intelligence reports the rebels are still receiving orders from somewhere. One of our spies in the rebel ranks recently reported that after the battle, the rebels started receiving their new orders from an old cave system in Markaran Plains, west of the Okara Droid factory." Rhal informed her. Lachris noticed a flash of anger go across the Dark Council member's face when he mentioned the droid factory, but it was gone as soon as she blinked and she could tell it wasn't directed at her so didn't think much of it.

She took a few minutes to think about the information. There wasn't much to the west of the factory except for a few small settlements and outposts before reaching an ocean that went on for many miles. She would admit that it was a good place to hide, especially since the Empire had never sent any forces towards that area due to a lack of targets.

Still, Lachris had her doubts. "You believe the President of Balmorra will be hiding away in a cave of all places?" She asked, the doubt in her voice obvious.

Again, Rhal shook his head. "No. But I do suspect that at least one of the rebels there will know of his whereabouts, and even if they don't they are still the ones giving the remaining rebels their current orders. Another blow to their leadership so soon after the last battle will devastate the rebels morale." Rhal added, getting a nod from Lachris.

It wasn't a bad idea. Even if Rhal was wrong about the President, the rebels were in a bad position right now and to lose even more of their leadership could be the crippling blow Rhal claimed they needed. 'And if we actually do find out something about the President, all the better.'

After a few moments, Darth Lachris nodded. "Very well, Lord Rhal. I'll begin preparing my forces for an assault-"

"No." Rhal said, cutting her off. "Such preparations would take too long and if the rebels notice your troops leaving the factory they may suspect something. I've already ordered Admiral Riserre to land my own forces in Sobrik where I'll meet up with them before going to deal with these rebel leaders myself." Rhal stated, getting a somewhat reluctant nod from Lachris.

Balmorra was hers and she wanted to be the one to finish off these troublesome rebels, but she knew better than to try and argue with a member of the Dark Council. She'd learned the consequences of that from her own master years ago and she'd never forget the painful lesson that had followed. 'And my master was in a good mood that day. I can't imagine how much worse it would have been if I'd been foolish enough to press the issue any further.'

"You seem to have everything you need for your plan, my Lord. Was there anything else you required of me?" She asked, expecting a denial and a dismissal.

Yet again, Darth Rhal's words surprised her. "Actually yes. I'd like your assistance in dealing with a certain matter in Sobrik before I depart with my troops."

If Rhal's words had been meant to gain Darth Lachris' attention, he succeeded as she asked, almost eagerly, "What exactly is this certain matter, Lord Rhal?"

The Dark Side began pouring out of Darth Rhal in such force it nearly made even Darth Lachris, a Dark Lord of the Sith, shiver. She had known his power must have been great, but she'd never imagined his anger would be so intense. However, all thoughts of Darth Rhal and his power went to the back of her mind as her own anger began rising rapidly as the Dark Council member gave an answer to her question. Just a single word.

"Betrayal."

A Short Time Later…

The speeder was flying through the air so quickly that one might think the Emperor himself was after it. However the speeder's passengers were consumed by rage, not fear.

Rhal had known that Darth Lachris was Darth Marr's apprentice, but it was only after he explained the situation in Sobrik to her did he realize just why Marr had chosen her for an apprentice. Her fury was more than ready to boil over, but incredibly she had managed to keep it in check and even took the time to put a few things in order before they and their guards entered the speeder that was currently racing towards Sobrik. 'A great deal of power and excellent control. With the proper training perhaps in time she'll find herself among the Dark Council when a new seat opens up.'

At the moment, Lachris was focused only on getting their speeder to Sobrik as quickly as possible to unleash her rage upon the one who had caused her such anger and embarrassment. Rhal didn't blame her for her feelings. He very much wanted to get his hands on the traitorous fool himself.

Still, Rhal took some time to examine the landscape as the speeder flew past it. Obviously it would take quite a few years before the damage done by the Republic and the rebels had fully healed, but Darth Rhal understood that in times of war such destruction was a common sight. It didn't take long before Sobrik came into view. Lachris had been pushing the speeder's engines so hard that Rhal was a little surprised they hadn't overloaded.

Rhal was impressed by Sobrik. The city, or rather fortress, was well shielded from any sort of artillery or orbital bombardment and, despite having been under siege for many years, the city itself was in remarkably good condition.

However, the same could not be said for the troops that Rhal noticed once they landed. As they marched towards their destination, Rhal looked around and could tell the city had just barely enough troops to defend it. The troops that were standing guard near defensive positions were also quite telling. Reaching out through the force, Rhal could tell that just about all of the troops were tired, frustrated, and just barely had the will to continue doing their duties. 'This will not do. If Sobrik was attacked now most of these troops wouldn't be able to put up even a decent fight before throwing down their arms and surrendering. I'll need to talk to Darth Lachris about getting some fresh troops or at least more droids here.'

Darth Rhal's thoughts came to a halt as he, Lachris, and their guards reached the building that their target operated out of. Lachris wasted no time before storming in and being greeted by a gray protocol droid. "Welcome to the office of Colonel-"

The droid's greeting was cut off as Lachris raised a hand towards the droid and quickly closed it into a fist, causing the droid to collapse in on itself with a quick but loud screech of metal. Without even looking, Lachris used the force to hurl the now useless droid away before using the force to open the durasteel door to the Colonel's office, startling the man inside behind the desk. "What the? Who-"

The man's jaw closed so quickly that Rhal could hear the Colonel's teeth click. As soon as he entered the office and got a good look at the man, Rhal felt his fury could surpass Lachris' at that moment. The man stank of fear and cowardice and any doubts Rhal might have had about his suspicions completely vanished.

Colonel Pirrell was a recently promoted Imperial officer after his superior, Colonel Sartius, made one too many mistakes and was arrested by Admiral Ivernus. Shortly after, Admiral Ivernus and his guards were killed in the spaceport by a Cathar assassin who Pirrell claimed to have killed himself before escaping. Just seeing the man was enough for Rhal to know that he couldn't have possibly killed the assassin and he strongly doubted that was the only thing the incompetent had lied about.

The cowardly man quickly got up from behind his desk and rushed to kneel before Darth Lachris. "M-My Lord. F-Forgive me I…I was not expecting you." Rhal couldn't help but shake his head at the weakling's words. 'How could someone so pathetic become an Imperial Officer?'

Lachris just smiled down at the trembling man, keeping a tight hold on her fury for the moment. "Colonel Pirrell, it's not me you should be kneeling to when you're in the presence of a Dark Council member." She said, her voice surprisingly calm considering how much anger Rhal sensed from her.

Pirrell's head shot up and he rapidly looked between Lachris and Rhal himself several times before he rushed over and dropped to his knees before Rhal. "Please forgive me my Lord! I meant no disrespect, I swear on the Emperor!" The man sounded like he was about to cry and while Rhal's face was blank, his rage was actually causing his fists to shake as he wanted nothing more than to beat the life out of the pathetic worm with his bare hands.

Instead, he let the rage continue building while he spoke as calmly as he could manage. "Colonel Pirrell, you were present when Admiral Ivernus was recently assassinated. Tell me what happened, in your own words." Rhal asked, or rather demanded.

Hesitantly, the man told his story. He'd gone to the spaceport to greet the Admiral and receive his promotion to Colonel when a female Cathar assassin appeared out of nowhere and opened fire on them. He claimed he fought valiantly and did eventually manage to kill the assassin, but not before she'd already killed the Admiral and his guards. Pirrell swore he'd done everything he could and had never seen the assassin before that day and knew nothing about her. The man's obvious lies only served to fuel the fires of rage burning within the two Sith.

Once he was finally finished, Rhal asked a simple question. "You swear on your life that you knew nothing of the assassin and that she acted alone?"

Pirrell nodded quickly. "Yes, my Lord. I'd never seen that beast before that day and she was completely alone." Pirrell lied once more and Rhal decided enough was enough.

"Do you take me for a complete fool, Colonel?" Rhal asked, allowing the Dark Side to flow off him and causing the man to go pale and start stuttering.

"M-M-My Lord…I-I don't-"

Rhal cut the man off by pulling out his holocommunicator and displaying an image. It showed Pirrell holding the arm of the Cathar assassin with a smile on his face.

"You claimed you never saw the assassin before that day and didn't know anything about her, yet Imperial agents noticed the two of you make your way towards the spaceport docking area where Admiral Ivernus was killed and while you were making your way there you even called the cathar by her name. Murghir, I believe it was?" Rhal asked, allowing some of his anger to show now.

Pirrell looked like he was trying to speak. His jaw was moving but no words were coming out. Rhal gave another slight shake of his head before continuing. "You also said she acted alone, yet when agents noticed you run from the spaceport after the Admiral's death another heavily armored figure was also seen leaving the dock where the Admiral and his men were killed." Rhal leaned in close to Colonel Pirrell's face, which now had tears running down it. "Tell me everything."

Pirrell immediately broke and began begging forgiveness before revealing all he'd done. Rhal didn't think it was possible for his anger to rise any higher, but with every word the man spoke Rhal felt his rage growing greater and greater until it was at a point where he didn't even know how he hadn't lashed out and killed the man. He imagined Lachris was probably wondering the same thing while also plotting the most terrible fate she could come up with for the traitorous coward.

Colonel Sartius and all of his failures had been the result of sabotage by Pirrell and the second bounty hunter he'd hired to carry out his plans. The lack of progress gaining control of the Okara Droid Factory? Pirrell. The recent spike in Colicoid attacks? Pirrell. The escape of several important resistance leaders? It was all Pirrell sabotaging his superior so he could gain his place.

When he finally finished after revealing that it was actually the second bounty hunter who killed the Admiral and the Cathar assassin, Darth Lachris finally decided she'd had enough and blasted the traitor with force lightning. Pirrell's screams of agony and spasms of pain were enough to get a smile out of Darth Rhal as he watched Lachris give the traitor a well deserved punishment.

When she stopped, Rhal was surprised to sense that the treasonous coward was still alive. "I think a quick death is far too good for one such as him." Lachris said with a predatory grin. "No, I think he'll suffer for quite a while yet."

As Lachris began describing the highly detailed and gruesome horrors she's going to put the man through, Rhal walked over and sat at Pirrell's desk and started looking through his files. 'Hopefully I can find some way to salvage at least some of this mess the fool has caused.'

Unfortunately it quickly became clear that Pirrell's actions wouldn't be corrected easily or quickly. A code scrambling virus, like the one his slicer had entered into the Okara Droid Factory, meant that any progress Colonel Sartius had made in deciphering the computer's command codes had been completely erased and they would need to start all over again. The Colicoids were still enraged over the loss of their queen so aside from killing them when they attacked, there was little to be done about them. The resistance leaders that had disappeared offworld could be located in time, perhaps he could get their location from those issuing the rebels their new orders, but Rhal doubted they'd be found so easily. 'Balmorra's already proving to be a much greater challenge than I thought.' He thought as he leaned back in the seat.

Rhal lowered his eyes and put his hands under his chin as he thought about his options. Admiral Riserre was more than capable of taking Admiral Ivernus' place in overseeing Balmorra's military so that solved at least one problem and would have the added bonus of allowing Rhal to stay well informed on any new situations that arose once he eventually left the planet. His troops would also be able to conduct operations more effectively and allow some of the other Imperial soldiers a chance to rest. 'But that's still not good enough and the Admiral doesn't have near enough troops for the entire planet. We need to find a way to get the Okara Droid Factory under the Empire's control. Its droids will be of great use to the Empire and Balmorra. But how?'

Rhal looks up as he senses Darth Lachris approaching, the female Sith Lord's clearly quite nervous. "My Lord, I must apologize. I should have interrogated this fool immediately after the Admiral's death, instead I trusted his report and dismissed the matter as closed. I sincerely apologize for this failure." She said, bowing her head. When she didn't raise it after a few moments, Rhal realized that she was expecting some sort of punishment.

It made sense, such a failure should have consequences. However, inflicting pain wasn't the only way to punish someone. "Lift your head, Darth Lachris." Rhal commanded, causing Lachris to look up at him with slight confusion. "If you wish to apologize for your actions, the first thing you can do is see to it that Colonel Sartius is restored to his former position and then see to it that Admiral Riserre is given the late Admiral Ivernus' place in overseeing the Empire's military on this planet." Rhal stated.

Lachris' confusion was replaced by shock and slight anger, but her resignation was also obvious. She knew what Rhal was trying to do and knew she was in no position to argue against it. On the surface it made perfect sense for the two experienced officers to take such positions, but since Darth Lachris was the Sith overseeing Balmorra such a decision should normally have been made by her.

By making such a choice for her, Rhal was taking a small amount of power and control from her. It served as both a punishment and a way for Rhal to increase his own power on the planet in a way that Lachris couldn't fight against.

Lachris realized this quickly and Rhal could tell it burned her, but what could she do? If she argued against it or tried to make other suggestions, it would appear that she did not trust Darth Rhal's judgment or make it look like she knew better than a Dark Council member and, considering recent actions could call her own judgment into question, such an act would not be advisable. Rhal knew there was a slight possibility that Lachris would give the positions to other officers once he left but he figured she was wise enough to know that such actions would have consequences of their own.

"I'll…see to it at once, my Lord." Lachris said after a few moments of silence. "Is there anything else you require of me, or may I take this traitor and go?" She asked as she turned her head and looked at the smoking and whimpering form of the disgraced Imperial.

Rhal waved a hand in dismissal. "I believe that will be all for now, Darth Lachris. Once my troops have arrived we'll leave for the rebel base. I'll contact you with anything we find after the rebels are killed or captured."

Lachris simply nodded at his words and started walking out of the office before using the force to drag the coward behind her.

The sight made Rhal call out to her. "And Darth Lachris?" Once she turned back to him, Rhal offered her a small smile. "Please see to it that Pirrell doesn't die quickly."

This got Darth Lachris to smile back at him. "Oh don't worry, my Lord. I don't plan to let this one die for quite a long while yet." She said simply before turning a corner and disappearing with her guards and her soon to be victim. Rhal made a mental note to praise Darth Lachris' abilities at the next Dark Council meeting. 'She might not have known about Pirrell's schemes, but she's effective and dedicated. She'll do well with this world if she can hold it.'

Several Hours Later, Vanguard Outpost…

The sun was beginning to set on the war torn world of Balmorra as Rhal watched the last of the dropships finally finish deploying his forces.

The outpost where he and his troops were currently located was small and held little value aside from watching for rebel activity and dealing with dangerous wildlife that got too close. It was also the outpost closest to the cave where his spy had reported that the remaining rebels were receiving their orders.

Still, Rhal had wanted to be certain so, while waiting for the rest of his troops to arrive, he'd ordered a dozen probe droids to be deployed to the surrounding area. Nine had been intentionally deployed away from where the cave was supposed to be located. He did this just in case the rebels had scouts watching and Rhal didn't want to deploy so many droids to the same area to avoid suspicion. Those nine droids had returned without incident, but the other three droids hadn't returned at all.

However, their surveillance records had still been transmitted and they were more than enough to prove that there was a cave of rebels nearby. All three droids had caught sight of the cave before the signal from one of the droids disappeared, two of the droids had caught movement inside of the cave before another signal was lost, but it was the last droid that provided the most interesting piece of intel.

Mere moments before the last droid's signal was lost, it transmitted an image of the entrance of the cave. Three figures could be seen inside, two were dressed in outfits common to those who joined the Balmorran resistance, but Rhal was far more interested in the third figure.

The third figure was wearing the armor of a Republic soldier.

That was enough for Rhal to confirm that whoever was giving the rebels their orders was either hiding in the cave or sending their orders to said cave to be relayed. 'Either way this is a very good chance to locate President Galthe or at the very least, someone who knows where he is.'

"My Lord." Commander Jakker addressed him as he approached and gave a slight bow. "All units are prepared to move on your orders." He informed him.

Rhal nodded. "Very good, Commander." He said as he gestured for the Commander to join him over by a holoterminal with an image of the cave entrance displayed. The scans from the probe droids had revealed that the cave didn't go too deep into the mountain, but it was still large enough for a force of thirty to forty rebel troops to hide in. 'Fortunately, I have over twice as many men and that's not even counting the droids.'

"Once the sun sets, we can use the darkness to cover our approach. Droid units will be on the front lines just in case these rebels have any surprises for us. Commander, make it very clear to the men that I want the rebels leaders alive for interrogation. Capture some of their troops as well if possible, but kill them if they prove to be too much trouble. Understood?" Rhal asked, fixing his gaze on the Commander who quickly nodded.

"I'll see to it at once, my Lord." The Commander said before moving back towards the troops while Rhal returned his gaze to the holo of the cave hiding his enemies.

It reminded him of when he'd slaughtered those spies on Dromund Kaas, yet he knew this was spies weren't soldiers, these were and they would likely fight to the death rather than be captured. 'Unfortunately, I don't plan to give them such a choice.' He thought as he watched the last sliver of Balmorra's sun disappear below the horizon, leaving the world only slightly illuminated by an orange glow that was slowly dimming.

'When darkness descends on this world, we will descend on our enemies.'

A.N.

Well, that's the chapter. Sorry it took so long to get out but I hope the wait was worth it. As always, please tell me any and all thoughts you have and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can. I'll try to get the next chapter out to you all sooner but I make no promises. Have a great day everyone and I hope to see you all soon!