Chapter 10: A Taste of War
Jedi Knight Noth Armin rubbed his eyes in an effort to dispel at least a little of the tiredness he was feeling. He took a moment to try and remember the last time he'd slept and realized he'd been going nonstop for a little over four days now. Even with the force, it was slowly becoming clear that his body needed to get some rest. 'But not just yet. There's still far too much to do.'
Ever since the failed attempt to liberate Balmorra, the remaining Republic and rebel forces had been doing their best to try and recover their strength. Unfortunately, that was proving to be much easier said than done.
Noth knew that while he hadn't slept for several days, he was still one of the more fortunate survivors from the battle at the factory. Many others were suffering far worse than he was, not to mention those who'd failed to escape the factory. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of good men and women had perished in the battle and very few had managed to escape Darth Lachris' kill squads when the battle was lost and a retreat was ordered.
Originally, Noth had been hoping to escape Balmorra. He did not want to abandon Balmorra's people, but he knew that someone had to report the situation to the Jedi Council and he had no way of knowing if any other Jedi had successfully escaped the battle since his personal communicator had been destroyed.
However the shuttle's pilot had seen how quickly their other ships were being destroyed by Imperial fighters when they tried to flee and had redirected their shuttle towards the plains away from the battle. That action, Noth knew, was likely the only reason any of them survived but it didn't come without cost.
While escaping their shuttle had been damaged and they'd had no choice but attempt an emergency landing. It failed and became a crash landing when the shuttle's landing mechanisms failed and they crashed hard into a field.
The shuttle had already been loaded with many injured personnel and the crash had injured several more and caused the death of the pilot and four others. Noth was one of the few not to suffer more than a few small scrapes and had done his best to try and guide the survivors to safety.
Fortunately, the Force guided them well and it had taken less than a day for Noth and the survivors to encounter a rebel scouting party that led him and the others to the safety of the cave where they now resided.
Many of those with Noth wept, some out of joy for having survived and others mourned the loss of so many family and friends when they were all finally allowed to take some time to rest, recover, and not worry about being killed or becoming Imperial prisoners. Noth himself was tempted to weep as well, but certainly not out of joy.
The rebels who'd brought them to safety had also been monitoring the battle at the factory and had informed him of just how few had managed to escape the battle. The number of survivors was even lower than he would have guessed. Noth also learned that Ralon Nys, one of the few Jedi who'd accompanied him to Balmorra and someone he'd come to consider a friend, was confirmed to be among the casualties. 'There is no death, there is the force.' He thought while closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to calm himself. As much as he believed in the Jedi teachings, Noth wasn't blind to the effects the war was having on him.
While the death of his friend would have been bad enough, Noth was shocked to find out that he was the only Jedi that was confirmed to have escaped the battle as all others had either been killed or were unaccounted for. Noth had no time to even consider how he felt about that before he received yet another shocking revelation.
Right after learning about the outcome of the battle, the rebels had been contacted by someone who they only referred to as Command, despite the fact that Noth knew that Grand Marshal Cheketta, Defense Minister Vol Argen, and the other rebel leaders had all been killed or captured. A few moments later the rebels had returned saying Command wanted a word with him. Noth had wondered why the rebels had seemed so uneasy about that right up to the moment he stepped up to a terminal and a man's holo appeared. A man the Republic had been trying to locate for several years now.
Balmorran President Retheus Galthe.
Ever since they'd lost the capital city in the last war, the Republic and the Jedi Order had been attempting to locate the lost President and get him to safety. However, they'd never found a trace of the man and the Balmorrans refused to so much as speak whenever their President was brought up and all they'd get from them was anger if they tried to press them. So to say Noth was surprised to see the President appear and greet him was an understatement, though he tried not to let it show.
The President had admitted that he secretly remained on Balmorra after the capital's fall and had continued leading the resistance against the Empire behind the scenes with only a select few individuals even knowing about him still being on the planet. He also admitted that even Grand Marshal Cheketta had not known about his involvement with the rebels since his advisors, the few that remained, had warned him not to allow the Republic to learn of him.
Noth had been disappointed to learn that President Galthe, despite having once been a strong supporter of the Republic, no longer supported it like he once did. Oh, the President was still loyal to the Republic without question, but the Republic's withdrawal of support at the end of the war had created quiet doubts in Balmorra's leader. He'd said that the Republic's failed invasion had only caused those doubts to become louder.
Noth had said he didn't blame the man for his doubts, but questioned why he was revealing himself now. The President had looked very sad when answering, saying that with the loss of the Balmorran Arms Factory he felt he needed to take a more direct role in leading his people in their fight against the Empire. He said that he'd wanted to announce his return to his people, to let them know that hope was not lost, but his advisors had talked him out of it. 'Which was for the best. If the Empire knew he was still on this planet they'd throw everything they have at locating him.'
Instead, the President had decided on a different course of action. He would stay in the shadows if someone else would continue leading the rebellion in his place and while he didn't trust the Republic as much as he used to, he still believed in the Jedi very strongly. At the time, Noth had thought the President was talking about him becoming the new leader he spoke of and, while he would've been honored, he knew his first priority was to report back to the Jedi Council about everything that had happened and told the President as much.
President Galthe, however, had laughed at his words. He clarified that he didn't want Noth to lead the resistance, as many of the Balmorran rebels wouldn't trust or accept anyone who wasn't a Balmorran leading them, and had explained that he was attempting to locate a suitable new leader for the resistance but was having difficulty since he wasn't aware of who among the rebels were loyal Balmorrans and not secretly Imperial agents. The process was taking too long and the President couldn't focus on it and leading the remaining resistance on his own so he asked for Noth's assistance on the matter.
While the President could focus on finding a suitable figure for the Balmorran people to follow, Jedi Knight Noth Armin would learn all he could about the rebels still resisting the Imperials and send the information back to the President while also aiding those with him to the best of his abilities in any ways that he could.
Noth had accepted to help the President and his people, but only after he'd been informed that it was now impossible to leave the planet and return to the Jedi Council with the Imperial blockade still on high alert since the attack. 'And that was before another fleet arrived to reinforce the blockade.'
So Noth had focused on his duties. He'd reached out to as many remaining resistance forces that he could contact to ensure they stayed united and focused on building their strength while also attempting to limit Imperial control, but it wasn't easy. Many of those he contacted stated that they wouldn't trust him and had said they'd continue to fight for their home regardless of what it could cost them. He'd also wanted to at least make contact with the Jedi Council but learned that all off world transmissions were being carefully monitored by the Imperial fleet and he didn't want to risk revealing his location.
Noth took a moment to glance around the cave that he and his fellow survivors had been using as both a base and a place to try and recover their strength. They hadn't recovered much. Of the thirty-two people in the cave, twenty were still injured, eight so badly that they could barely move. Noth had attempted to heal them as best he could but his skills focused more on combat, not healing, and he'd been able to do little for those with him. He wanted to leave and get proper medical help for them but leaving wasn't an option. The cave had very few defenders and while their location was secret for the moment, there was no way to guarantee it would remain that way.
The Empire was still hunting rebels and the few remaining Republic forces. There were even some bounties placed on key individuals in the rebellion and Noth knew that some of those bounties had been collected, one of which was someone he'd spoken to over holo only two days ago who'd refused to listen to Noth's advice not to attack a nearby Imperial patrol. The Sith were still hunting and Noth knew they'd be found eventually, especially because of the recent probe droids in the area.
The Imperial forces nearby were likely getting restless as they'd recently released several probe droids across the plains, probably looking for someone or something to kill as was their habit. Three of the droids had actually gotten so close to the cave that the team watching the entrance had opened fire and destroyed them.
Noth had heard the shots and at first feared they'd been discovered until he reached the entrance, lightsaber in hand, to see the smoking remains of the droids. The team that destroyed them felt confident that the droids hadn't managed to send any intel before they were destroyed, but Noth wasn't so certain.
He wanted to move to a more secure location but to do that would mean calling in a transport to move the injured and there was no way the Empire wouldn't notice something like that.
Noth wanted to leave the cave. Ever since seeing the remains of those probe droids he'd had a bad feeling which was slowly getting worse. He reached out with the force, seeking answers, but none came.
"You really should stop brooding Noth. It's not a good look for you." A teasing voice said from behind him. It showed how tired he was that Noth hadn't even felt her approach or noticed her presence until she'd spoken.
Turning, Noth allowed himself a small smile when he saw who'd spoken. She was as tall as he was but even more muscular with dark skin, brown eyes, and an amused look on her face. She was also wearing armor that was clearly neither Republic nor Balmorran and looked more like something a gang member would wear, but Noth knew her well enough by now that it was simply what she preferred. Korin Norrus always seemed to enjoy teasing him more than anyone else with them, though why Noth didn't know.
Of all those who'd come with him, Noth felt Korin was the most reliable and trustworthy, despite her not actually being loyal to the Republic or the Balmorrans. Noth knew it wasn't unusual for some freedom fighters to hire mercenaries to fight with them, but he strongly doubted there were any out there like Korin.
She'd joined the rebels soon after the initial Imperial invasion and had remained on Balmorra all that time doing what she could to support the Balmorrans while also doing a fair bit of damage to the Empire as well. Noth had been curious what she was getting out of all this but when he'd asked she'd just given him a smirk and stayed silent.
Korin was giving him a similar smirk now. "See? That's a good look for you. Maybe if you smile more you'll find a decent girl once you get off this rock."
Noth shook his head but his smile remained. He'd explained to Korin many, many times that Jedi were not permitted to form attachments with others, but each time she just rolled her eyes and let out a long and drawn out sure. "Did you need something from me, Korin?" He asked instead.
Her amusement vanished and Noth was surprised to sense concern and worry. "You need to rest, Noth. I know you've been doing a lot of work for the President but I can tell you're going to burn yourself out at this rate. Do you even remember the last time you slept, or even had something to eat?"
Noth took a moment to think about that. He knew he hadn't slept in a while but he was pretty sure he'd eaten something recently, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't remember when.
"Just the fact that you're thinking about it so hard proves my point." Korin said slightly agitated before throwing something at him which Noth realized was a ration bar once he'd caught it. "Eat." She ordered.
Noth sighed. "Korin-"
"Eat." She said again with a bit more force. Noth just sighed again before biting into the ration bar. He really couldn't understand why Korin was so stubborn sometimes.
He reached his hand up to take another bite of the ration bar only to find his hand empty. Thinking he'd dropped it he looked down only to see the dark stone beneath his feet. 'Did I really eat the ration bar so quickly without noticing?'
Noth looked up and this time it was Korin's turn to sigh. "Yeah, you definitely need some sleep Master Jedi." Noth would probably have felt more than a little annoyed with how mockingly Korin had said the last two words, but as soon as Korin had finished speaking he felt all the tiredness he'd been keeping at bay rise to the surface as he let out a loud yawn. Korin laughed at that. "Seems that even your body agrees with me. Get some sleep Noth. We can watch things without you for a little while."
A part of Noth still wanted to protest that it wasn't necessary, but all signs indicated that it was so he gave in. "Alright, but wake me in case anything urgent comes up." He says with as much force as he can manage.
Korin just smiled. "Sure thing." She said before guiding him over to the darker area of the cave where the injured and other sleeping forms were located before gesturing to one of the unoccupied sleeping mats for him which he quickly fell onto. He closed his eyes and felt sleep approaching.
BOOM!
Only to be snapped wide awake as a loud explosion echoed throughout the cave. He snapped his head towards the entrance and before he could say anything the unmistakable sound of blaster fire could be heard along with the defenders' shouts.
"We're under attack!"
"Imperial battle droids!"
"There must be hundreds!"
Now that Noth was wide awake, he reached out with his senses and felt his heart plummet. He sensed that the cave entrance, the only way in or out, was completely surrounded and, while he couldn't sense the droids, he could sense the many lifeforms among them and knew they were severely outnumbered.
Calling on the force, Noth's lightsaber flew into his hand and activated, causing a good portion of the cave to become lit in a green glow, before he rushed towards the entrance to aid in the defense.
It didn't take long to reach the entrance but when he did, Noth knew they were lost. Over half of those he'd been guarding the entrance were dead, literally blown to pieces either by a thermal detonator or a rocket launcher. The other half were firing outside the cave towards what looked like a sea of darkness with hundreds of glowing red eyes and just as many blaster bolts flying back at them.
It didn't take long for those blaster bolts to start coming towards him and Noth brought his lightsaber up to block and redirect the bolts away from himself and back towards the attackers. He could see a few of the glowing droid eyes flicker out when they were hit, but any gaps that were opened up were quickly filled by more of the Imperial killing machines and Noth knew it was a losing battle. Still, they couldn't just give up.
Noth turned to one of the remaining defenders. "Fall back inside! Defend the injured and-"
Noth's order was cut off as he felt an invisible force grab him and pull him out of the cave and into the darkness. Deactivating his lightsaber and using the momentum, Noth rolled when he landed and quickly got back to his feet and reactivated his lightsaber.
The light from his saber showed that Noth was now completely surrounded. Mostly by Imperial droids, but he could spot a few troopers as well. Each and every one had their blasters pointed right at him. He raised his weapon, fully prepared to make his final stand even if he already knew how it would end.
"Stand down."
The order caused every imperial droid and trooper to immediately lower their blasters and Noth turned to see who'd spoken. It didn't take him long.
Moving through the droids and troopers, approaching him slowly was a figure in black robes with his hood pulled up. Sections on his belt, shoulders, and chest glowing a sinister blood red and Noth noticed the lightsaber in his hand just as the dark figure moved past the last of the Imperials and stood before him. He also noted that the enemy forces had spread out and formed a circle around him and the dark figure who Noth knew could only be a Sith.
The Sith activated his own lightsaber, causing an amethyst blade to appear. Despite the darkness hiding his face, Noth knew the Sith was looking right at him. "The Jedi is mine." The Sith said before launching his attack.
Noth specialized in lightsaber combat. He'd been learning the way of the blade for as long as he could remember and had impressed many of the instructors over the years. He was by no means as good as the masters, but he was still highly skilled for a knight.
That's how he knew, after only a handful of strikes, that even at his best he couldn't defeat this Sith. And he certainly wasn't at his best at the moment.
He was tired, slow, and he'd drained himself keeping his exhaustion at bay for the past several days. The Sith, on the other hand, was strong, fast, and at the height of his power. Noth wasn't sure who this Sith was but he was definitely a Sith Lord at the very least, more likely a Darth.
Their duel, if it could even be called that, lasted barely a minute before the inevitable happened. Noth accidentally overextended on his thrust, trying to surprise his opponent and get past the Sith's guard, allowing the Sith to duck beneath the attack and when he rose, so did his lightsaber.
Right through Noth's right arm, severing it at the elbow.
Noth cried out in pain as his arm fell to the ground, still holding his lightsaber. Dropping to his knees, the young Jedi prepared himself for the coming blow, the blow that would surely end his life. 'There is no death, there is only the force.' He thought as he closed his eyes, ready for the end.
But it didn't come, and Noth opened his eyes to see the Sith just staring down at him. He wondered what the Sith could be waiting for before the amethyst blade vanished and the Sith turned to someone standing behind him that Noth could barely see.
"Stun and bind him." The Sith ordered before marching away, not bothering to spare Noth another glance. As the Imperial trooper approached his downed form, Noth could only wonder what kind of horrors he was about to experience.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, he didn't get much time to think about it before the trooper raised his blaster and fired a bright blue bolt that enveloped his form.
Balmorran Rebel Cave Hideout…
With the Jedi captured, Rhal knew that any of the remaining enemy forces would pose no real threat to him or his forces. 'Especially if they're as weak and tired as that Jedi was.' Rhal thought as he walked into the cave, still hearing some blaster fire further in.
Rhal couldn't help but give a slight shake of his head. When the enemy forces knew they couldn't win their resistance was just pathetic, not admirable like some fools claimed. What was admirable about fighting a battle you knew you were going to lose?
However the resistance quickly comes to an end when the blaster fire abruptly cuts off and Rhal starts hearing curses and cries for mercy. He can't help but be a little disappointed. These rebels had resisted the might of the Empire for so long he'd expected a much greater challenge from them but, aside from losing about a dozen droids, the 'battle' was little more than a slight skirmish. 'Still, if these rebels or that Jedi know anything about the President then this could result in a much greater prize.'
When Rhal made it to the center of the cave, he was surprised that there were still a few active terminals along with a handful of injured Balmorran rebels. The few Republic forces it seemed decided to go down fighting since none of those wearing Republic armor had any traces of life left in them. 'I would have thought they'd have been smart enough to destroy their equipment before destroying themselves.'
Glancing at the survivors, Rhal can see that they didn't surrender because they were afraid or they were smart enough to see they couldn't win. All five of the survivors were badly injured, three were on their knees with blaster wounds while the other two were being held up by Rhal's droids, each so badly injured they couldn't even stay upright on their own.
To their credit, Rhal sensed that none of them were afraid. They were all angry, tired, and suffering great pain, but there was no fear. 'Not yet.' Rhal thought as his approach was finally noticed by one of the captives who gasped, causing the other four to look in his direction.
Darth Rhal was impressed that his presence only caused two of the prisoners to feel fear. The other three only glared at him with pure hatred in their eyes. Rhal found it both amusing and satisfying as he now stood before the five of them.
"President Galthe. Tell me where he is." He said forcefully, hoping to catch them off guard with his bluntness.
He nearly smiled at their reactions. Each one's eyes widened before they tried to shift their expressions to either neutral or confused. It was more than enough for Rhal to confirm they knew something. 'But do they actually know his location or just have an idea of it?'
Before he could speak again, he sensed one of the Imperial techs he'd brought along from the outpost walking towards him. Turning towards the trooper, Rhal gestured for him to speak.
"My Lord, Commander Jakker's confirmed the area's clear and with your permission we'll begin looking through their terminals for any useful intel." Rhal was about to give said permission before a laugh caused him to turn back to the prisoners.
The one who'd laughed was a woman with dark skin and armor that identified her as either a hired gun or a mercenary. She had a blaster wound on her right shoulder and one on her chest that she was using her left arm to cover. She was on her knees but had a smile on her face. "Dig through those terminals all you want, but all you'll find are scrambled codes." She said mockingly.
Rhal sensed no deception when she spoke and knew it was probably true, but he was unconcerned and simply walked over until he was standing right in front of the kneeling woman. The smile left her face and she suddenly looked uneasy. "What do you want?" She practically spat the question at him, trying to hide her discomfort.
Rhal gave her no reaction nor did he allow any emotion into his voice when he spoke. "Tell me where President Galthe is." He demanded.
The woman just shrugged. "No idea." She said and the way she said it probably would have been enough to convince some of the less than observant interrogators that she was telling the truth.
Rhal was very observant and noticed that she was trying to hide something. Reaching into his robe, Rhal spoke again. "You're lying. You know something and since you know, I can only imagine that the Jedi knew as well." He said as he pulled out the lightsaber he'd taken from the Jedi's severed hand and dropped it in front of the wounded woman, who stared down at it with an unreadable expression. "A shame he went down fighting. Forcing the President's location out of him would have been fun." He said in a mocking tone of his own and even gave the woman a smirk when she looked up at him with utter hatred in her eyes. 'Take the bait.'
"He never would have told you where to find him." She hissed at him, causing his smirk to change from one of mockery to one of satisfaction. 'Oh but he will, especially since now I know he's got what I need.'
"Korin!" One of the other prisoners shouted at her, causing her hatred to shift to confusion then realization before it finally settled on horror as she looked back up at the Dark Lord. Rhal got the feeling that she was asking herself if she'd actually just said that.
"Yes." Rhal said simply before activating his lightsaber and, in a single swing, separated the woman's head from her shoulders before doing the same to two of the other prisoners, leaving only the two he'd sensed were afraid. Now he didn't need to sense their emotions to know they were terrified since their shaking bodies and crying faces were plain enough for anyone to see. "Take those two away." Rhal ordered while pointing at the two terrified rebels, with the droids dragging the last of the prisoners away a moment later.
With that taken care of, Rhal walks over to the terminal the techs are looking over. One glance at the flashing console proves that the woman wasn't lying. 'We won't be getting anything out of these any time soon. Not that it's a problem now. I'll just have to focus all my attention on getting what I need from the prisoners. Once I get the President's location out of the Jedi, perhaps I'll give him to Lachris for further interrogation.'
After looking around the cave for a few minutes, Rhal concluded that the rebels hadn't left anything behind that could point them towards the President or any of the other remaining rebel locations. He wasn't troubled by this, already knowing that he'd get his answers from the Jedi and their other two prisoners.
Bringing his arm up, Rhal activated his wrist communicator. "Commander Jakker, see to it the prisoners are sent to the holding facility at Sobrik and make it very clear that no one is to speak to the prisoners until after I have done so. Also make sure that any useful supplies these rebels had are transported back to Sobrik as well." Rhal commanded.
"At once, my Lord." The Commander's voice answered, after which Rhal deactivated his communicator and started making his way out of the cave.
His first battle against the Balmorrans was easier than he'd expected, but Rhal knew that this was just the start of the hunt and that finding and capturing President Galthe would be easier said than done.
A few days later, Sobrik…
Rhal looked down from the Sobrik Spaceport's observation platform, watching as over a dozen attack shuttles were filled with Imperial droids and soldiers. He thought about everything he'd learned the last few days.
After crushing the rebels hiding in their cave, the prisoners had been brought back to the holding cells at Sobrik. The two Balmorrans had been thrown into the cells as soon as they arrived, but Rhal had the Jedi taken to an interrogation table immediately and, as soon as the restraints were secure, the Dark Council member began his work.
The Jedi he'd captured, Noth Armin, had been one of the few survivors from the attack on the Balmorran Arms Factory and confessed that he was the only Jedi to have escaped the battle and, as far as he knew, was also the only Jedi on Balmorra still alive. Darth Lachris had been extremely pleased to hear that since it meant if there were still any Jedi left on the planet, their numbers had to be very low.
It had only taken a little while longer for Rhal to get what he needed. The Jedi confessed that he had spoken with President Galthe and confirmed that he was indeed still on Balmorra secretly leading the resistance. Despite some rather pointless resistance, the Jedi had eventually cracked and gave up the President's location.
It was both a good and a bad thing. It was good because they now knew the location of the Empire's primary target on Balmorra. It was bad because getting to him would be a challenge.
President Galthe was currently located in a secret bunker on an island just a few miles north of Sobrik. As infuriating as it was to know the President had been so close for so long, it still got worse.
The island was also where Lab 352 was located.
Lab 352, the genetic research facility where the planet's Colicoid infestation first began so many years ago. The entire island was crawling with Colicoids and it had gotten so bad that many locals had given the island the name Bugtown.
The island's infestation was so bad that neither side, Empire or Republic, had been able to completely exterminate the vicious, mutated creatures. For every Colicoid that was killed, at least three more seemed to appear out of nowhere.
All Intelligence reports indicated that the rebels had also failed to establish any kind of presence on the island, but they'd obviously succeeded at some point because Rhal was certain that the Jedi hadn't lied to him when he'd gotten the location because the other two prisoners had also claimed the President was located in Bugtown during separate interrogation sessions.
Rhal knew that the upcoming attack was going to be far more difficult than the previous one. Unlike the few tired and injured rebels that were in the cave, the Colicoids wouldn't even hesitate to attack him or any of his men on sight and they would almost certainly outnumber them at least two to one.
Worse was that while the Colicoids were already a problem, due to the actions of that fool Pirrell killing a Colicoid Queen, every Colicoid on the planet was currently enraged, out for blood, and the ones they'd be facing were the oldest and strongest on the entire planet. Rhal wondered how the Balmorran President could have possibly remained hidden among so many of the crazed bugs for so long, but dismissed the thought for the time being. 'Perhaps, after he's in chains, I'll ask him.'
Knowing that he'd need assistance and that she'd want an update on the search, Rhal reported his findings to Darth Lachris. At first, she'd denied even the possibility of the President hiding in Bugtown, saying it was more infested with Colicoids than the tombs of Korriban were with K'lor'slugs.
There had only been one attempt made by Imperial forces to try and establish an outpost on Bugtown, mainly for the purposes of researching the Colicoids and seeing what information could be gained from the overrun research facility, since the island's location was of little significance. The attempt was a failure and the entire team sent had been swarmed and killed by the mutated creatures. Since then, only probe droids have gotten anywhere near the island.
However, those probe droids gave Rhal what he needed to convince Lachris to aid him. The droids' scans proved that there was indeed a heavily shielded bunker on the north side of the island and, from what the droids could gather, the bunker was large and mostly underground. It really was an excellent place to hide.
Lachris had agreed, though Rhal could sense she still had her doubts, and the Dark Council member had gained control of a good portion of the Imperial army on Balmorra and fully intended on killing every Colicoid on the island if it meant getting to the bunker and pulling President Galthe out of it.
Despite the many troops and wardroids now at his disposal, Rhal still was uncertain if they would last long enough to reach the bunker and capture the President. A part of him wished he'd brought Ralesk with him instead of leaving the Sith assassin on Dromund Kaas, but he didn't trust the little Sith to not try and stab him in the back during the battle and with what he was soon to be up against, Rhal knew he couldn't afford any distractions. 'Not that I won't have any Sith joining me.' He thought as he felt a powerful Dark Side presence approaching him.
Turning, Rhal saw that a female Pureblood Sith wearing the armor of a Sith Sorcerer was walking towards him. The Dark Council member guessed she might have been considered beautiful by some, but Rhal just saw her as another opportunity.
The Pureblood's name was Lord Minax and Darth Lachris had sent her to aid in the assault, or so she claimed. Rhal had assumed at first that Minax had been sent to spy on him or possibly even kill him, but he had his doubts. Minax was powerful but not nearly enough to be any threat to him and her frequent outbursts of anger and lack of control made her a poor choice for a spy. Rhal had a feeling that Lachris had sent Lord Minax hoping she'd die during the attack on Bugtown, getting rid of someone who could be problematic to her future rule of Balmorra without it looking like an assassination. 'Unfortunately for Lachris, if that is the case then she's going to be quite disappointed when I make sure Minax comes back alive.'
As soon as she's close enough, Rhal speaks. "Lord Minax, are the forces prepared?"
She doesn't even try to hide her annoyance as she answers. "Yes, my Lord. All the preparations are complete. As you commanded, I saw to it personally." She grumbled, clearly viewing such a task as beneath her.
Ignoring her tone, Rhal simply nodded. "Good. Come with me." Rhal said, walking past the Pureblood and heading for the nearby turbolift that would take them down to the attack shuttles. The young Darth knew that turning his back to a Sith Lord was dangerous, but Rhal was confident that Minax was at least smart enough to realize that trying to stab a Dark Council member in the back right before a major attack wouldn't end well for her.
They made their way to the hangar in silence, both Sith quiet as they descended the lift and Darth Rhal only spoke when he and Minax stood before the Commanders that would be joining the assault. "Are all forces ready?" He asked them, causing a spike of annoyance to come from Minax as she'd already confirmed everything was ready.
"Yes, my Lord. The operation can begin at your command." One of the Commanders responded and Rhal nearly smiled as he said his next words.
"It's time then. Begin the assault." Rhal commanded. The Commanders started shouting orders while running towards different squads of Imperial troops around the massive hangar. A few moments later and the shuttles around the hanger started rising into the air as Rhal and Minax made their way towards one of the shuttles where Rhal could see a few of his loyal guards waiting.
As soon as they've boarded the shuttle, Rhal can feel it lifting into the air. Minax isn't even trying to hide how eager she is, though whether it's for the battle itself or the bloodshed it promises Rhal can't say. The young Dark Council member uses the time on the shuttle to prepare himself physically and mentally and when the pilot informs them that the island is in sight Rhal feels as if he could destroy an entire army all by himself.
'Perhaps one day I will.'
One Hour Later, Bugtown…
The Colicoids numbers finally seemed to be exhausting. Rhal had known that the entire planet's Colicoid infestation had started on the island, but he never would have imagined just how many of the mutated bugs were hiding on it.
Ever since learning that the Balmorran President was hiding on the infested island, Rhal had spent quite a bit of time learning all he could about the Colicoids looking for any sort of weaknesses and trying to determine the best ways to combat the beasts. There was a lot of information on the creatures, but there wasn't much for how to deal with them and Rhal again cursed that traitor Pirell for killing a Colicoid Queen. 'These creatures were bad enough when they weren't angry. Now, I doubt even the best Beast Master among the Sith could control one of these things for long before their rage overcomes the technique.'
In truth, Rhal knew that having a Sith Beast Master could give him and his forces a major advantage in the battle, even if they could only confuse the creatures slightly. Unfortunately there were no such Sith on Balmorra so Rhal had to find a different way to burn the creatures out.
He'd briefly considered orbital bombardment, Admiral Riserre's ships had more than enough firepower to level the entire island, but dismissed the idea quickly. Rhal wasn't sure how strong the President's bunker was and he couldn't risk a stray shot accidently taking it and President Galthe out.
Rhal also knew that stealth wasn't an option. While the Dark Council member was certain he'd be able to conceal himself from the Colicoids, he wasn't sure what kind of defenses or forces that the President would be hiding in his bunker and, even if he could get past all the defenses and get to the President, he would never be able to get out when the Colicoids would inevitably be drawn to the sounds of fighting and the smell of blood.
Which led to the current situation. While orbital bombardment from capital ships and bombers wasn't an option, the attack shuttles were strong enough to perform strafing runs across the island without being strong enough to damage the President's bunker by accident. So the shuttles had been flying across the island raining fire on it until it was considered safe enough to land the troops.
However the sheer number of the Colicoids was causing them to make far more runs than expected. Rhal had seen quite a few Colicoids on the surface shortly before the attack runs began, but it quickly became clear that the majority of the creatures were hiding underground.
Now though, scans indicated that the number of the remaining Colicoids had dropped to a more manageable level and it was considered safe to finally begin landing troops. All the pilots were waiting for Rhal's command to do so.
He gave it right before opening the hatch and jumping out of the still airborne shuttle down towards the island. Rhal had been waiting to engage the Colicoids himself for long enough and decided it was time to join the battle and he saw a Colicoid emerge from the ground directly below him.
Using the force he called his lightsaber to his hand, activated the blade, and let out a cry of pure rage right before landing and swinging his lightsaber with such strength that the massive insect was completely cut in half from top to bottom. Its guts poured out onto the ground, the green slime smelling worse than an unbathed Hutt.
Rhal actually had to keep himself from gagging. The smell of just the one dead Colicoid wouldn't have affected him in the slightest, but the bodies of hundreds, perhaps thousands of Colicoids now littered the island and their stench combined with all the smoke was nearly overwhelming.
Minax landed next to him with her own crimson lightsaber activated but nearly dropped it as she doubled over and started gagging and coughing for several moments before getting herself under control. "Ugh! I know they deserve to die but do these insects need to be as disgusting in death as they are in life?!" She said while waving her free hand back and forth in front of her face.
Rhal didn't have any time to answer the pointless question as ten smaller Colicoid drones emerged from the ground in front of the two Sith. He didn't even hesitate before jumping forward, ducking under the Colicoid's bladed appendage when it swung, and taking its head off with a single swing of his lightsaber before summoning force lightning from his hands to burn three more to ash. Rhal then threw his lightsaber towards three other Colicoids that were quickly approaching him and, guided by the force, the lightsaber decapitated all three of the mutated beasts before returning to Rhal's waiting hand.
Looking over, Rhal could see that Lord Minax had the last three Colicoids taken care of. Two had nearly been turned to ash by Minax's lightning and the last had its two front legs cut off by Minax before the Pureblood slashed through the Colicoid's head. The giant bug was dead before it hit the dirt and Minax had a very satisfied smile on her face.
"Lord Rhal!" Commander Jakker's voice caused Rhal to turn and see the shuttles had begun landing and were deploying troopers and droids that wasted no time opening fire on all Colicoids in sight that weren't already dead. The Commander was running towards him with a half dozen men right behind him. "My Lord, scans show the President's bunker is located Northwest of our current position. Flametroopers are ready to begin burning a path through the bugs and their nests." The Commander informed him.
Rhal nodded. "Excellent Commander. Inform the troopers to start clearing a path, but make sure they leave the Colicoid nests undisturbed." Rhal ordered, his command drawing a look of confusion from the Commander.
"My Lord?"
Rhal shook his head. "I can sense many more of these creatures still hiding beneath the surface Commander. It seems that at least some of them have enough sense to not impede our hunt. But I've seen what happened when our shuttles hit any of the nests during their runs, no less than two dozen Colicoids would emerge crying out in fury. We can't afford any delays or distractions. We retrieve the Balmorran President then pull our forces out, nothing more." Rhal explained, causing a look of understanding to enter the Commander's eyes before he nodded and went to relay his orders.
Minax, however, was not quite as understanding. "But Lord Rhal, surely we devastate what's left of the bugs-"
Rhal fixed her with a look that had the female Pureblood freeze and snap her jaw shut. "Need I remind you that we did not come here to kill a few bugs. Our only objective is capturing President Galthe."
"Why not simply kill him?" Minax questioned. Rhal was certain that Lachris had been hoping Lord Minax would die on this island, but he wondered if she expected the Colicoids to finish her or Rhal himself once he tired of her annoying questions.
"Because this man has been leading the rebellion against us on this planet for years now. The information he possesses could allow us to fully bring Balmorra under our control and, even if it does not, I can still think of several ways we can use the President to our advantage." Rhal stated before allowing the Dark Side to seep out of him, causing Minax to shiver ever so slightly. "However, if he dies, and the rest of Balmorra learns we killed him, then bringing this planet fully under the Empire's control could become far more difficult, perhaps even making it an impossibility. The current resistance would use him as a martyr, their ranks would swell, and riots would break out across the planet. Balmorra has resisted the Empire for far too long already so Lord Minax, do I need to explain to you further why we need this man alive and in our custody?" He asked, his voice containing a dangerous tone.
Minax swallowed. "N-No, my Lord." She got out after a few short moments.
"Good." Rhal said before turning and marching back towards the battle before he had to deal with any more pointless questions. He saw that his forces were doing fairly well burning the Colicoids out of their path, but they were still suffering casualties either from the Colicoids that managed to get close enough to cut one of his men down or the ones that stayed back and shot their acidic mucus to burn his men alive.
As he watched another of his men get covered by the Colicoids acid and fall to the ground screaming, Rhal used the force to jump over his forces and the nearest Colicoids, landing far enough behind the Colicoids lines that he wouldn't need to worry about being burned by the flametroopers.
The Colicoids shrieked and charged at their new target. A fatal mistake as Rhal became a blur of movement, cutting down each and every Colicoid that got close enough and using force lightning to fry the ones that tried to spit their acid at him from a distance.
Rhal knew he must have cut down dozens, if not hundreds, of the mutated bugs before he saw his own troopers approaching his position and the Colicoids, finally showing that they weren't completely mindless, started to flee. Either burrowing underground or running away as fast as their four legs could go.
Commander Jakker approached, looking no worse than when Rhal had last seen him though he noted that his bodyguard was breathing rather heavily. "My Lord, the Colicoids may be retreating now but it's possible they are just taking time to regroup for another attack. I recommend pushing to the bunker as quickly as possible before they can strike again." The Commander advised him.
Nodding Rhal raised his lightsaber towards the direction of the bunker. "Push forward Commander. We've been delayed long enough. It's time to get President Galthe." Commander Jakker nodded at his words and a few minutes later Rhal was personally leading the remainder of his forces towards the President's bunker while he, Minax, or his troops killed any Colicoids that attempted to ambush them along the way.
After an hour, or what Rhal assumed was an hour, they finally reached their destination. The massive durasteel door was well hidden in one of the island's ravines and Rhal saw the remains of a small landing pad that had collapsed quite some time ago. 'Seems the President can't flee, but that doesn't mean he intends to. I'll need to stay on guard for any possible surprises.'
"At last!" Minax nearly shouted and Rhal could sense she'd had quite enough of this infested island, even if she did take great pleasure in cutting the Colicoids to pieces. "Now we can finally do what we came here for and get off this festering island!" She said as she stepped up to the bunker door with her lightsaber in her hand.
But right before the lightsaber made contact with the door, Rhal felt the force scream at him in warning. "Minax wait!" He shouted, but it was too late and the lightsaber cut through the door while Minax turned back to him with a questioning expression.
A moment later and a loud alarm started going off, but it wasn't just coming from inside the bunker. Rhal could hear it blaring across the island and the Colicoids, the ones that had remained underground, immediately became agitated and the young Dark Council member knew they were about to have a huge fight on their hands. "Get through that door now!" He shouted, knowing they were about to have far more problems to deal with in a few moments.
Minax quickly realized what was happening and quickly cut a hole in the durasteel door large enough for a small group to go through. However, as soon as she used the force to move the cut action out of the way, a wave of blaster fire made its way out of their newly made entrance. Minax was able to block a few of the shots and get behind cover, but four troopers behind her weren't as fortunate and were killed before any of them could return fire. 'This is not good. The rebels are just going to dig in and wait for the Colicoids to either kill us or force us to retreat. I will not let it happen.' Rhal thought as he grabbed Minax and turned her to face him. "Minax, we can not let the rebels hold us back any longer! Take a dozen men, clear the bunker as quickly as possible, and bring me President Galthe! Is that understood, Lord Minax?!" He screamed at her and the Pureblood's look became one of fierce determination.
"It will be done, my Lord!" She shouted back with just as much intensity before signaling to several troopers to join her as she started advancing into the bunker despite the heavy blaster fire.
Rhal, as much as he wanted to join them, knew he had to remain where he was as the enraged shrieks from the Colicoids were now sounding dangerously close. Rhal took a moment to gain the attention of his remaining forces before he spoke. "We've come this far and now these bugs are seeking to stop us when victory is within our grasp! Soldiers of the Empire, will you march with me to victory?!"
Cries of victory went up among his men and not a moment later the Colicoids started appearing.
The battle was the most intense action that Darth Rhal had ever experienced. Wave after wave of the creatures appeared and fell just as quickly, either by his hand or by the hands of his men. Explosions, shrieks, cries of pain and anger, Rhal couldn't allow himself to focus on any of it as he continued cutting down each and every Colicoid that stood in his path.
His lightsaber took their bladed arms, legs, and heads. His lightning fried the ones that didn't approach. He even used the force to lift a group of Colicoids into the air and caused their bodies to implode in a mess of blood and gore. He continued killing for so long that he had absolutely no idea just how many Colicoids he'd slaughtered, but he was certain it must have been hundreds.
But more kept coming.
Even when it looked like they'd finally gotten the bugs down to a more manageable number, more would just appear out of the ground as bloodthirsty as all the others. They were relentless and unyielding, determined to slaughter their prey even as they themselves were being slaughtered.
Rhal had immersed himself in the battle, allowing all the death and feelings of anger, pain, and suffering to fuel his power. It had been going on for so long now that Rhal was feeling stronger than he'd ever felt in his life even though he'd been fighting for so long without rest. 'The Jedi truly are the greatest fools in the galaxy. Why seek peace when conflict is where true power can be found?'
Gathering his power, Darth Rhal prepared to unleash all of his energy upon the murderous beasts. If the Colicoids had even the slightest idea of what they were about to experience, Rhal was certain that each and every one would flee as fast and as far as they could.
Right before he unleashed his wrath, Rhal heard Commander Jakker's voice once more. "My Lord, Lord Minax has returned with the President! We-"
Darth Rhal didn't wait to hear the rest and unleashed all the Dark Side energy he'd built up over the course of the battle. The force storm surged across the battlefield, consuming each and every Colicoid in its path as the lightning seemed to almost dance from one bug to the next with the sound of thunder drowning out any and all other sounds. The storm continued for what Rhal thought might have been an eternity before he finally let his arms fall to his sides and the exhaustion nearly caused him to fall to his knees right there.
Reaching out with his senses, he knew the battle was over. Every Colicoid that had been on the surface as well as a few that were just below it had completely burned to ash by the storm and, while Rhal could sense a few still hiding deep underground, they clearly recognized what they were up against now and were staying hidden for good this time.
After he's certain his exhaustion isn't showing, Rhal turns back to his forces, all of whom are staring at him in fear and awe, including Minax. Darth Rhal nearly smiles at what he senses from his troops as well as the unconscious man Minax is carrying over her shoulder.
Despite how drained he feels, Rhal uses the force to pull the unconscious man away from Minax towards him. Once he's close enough, Rhal grasps the man by the throat as the sudden action snaps the man awake and, once he realizes his situation, he looks at the young Darth with fear in his eyes. At that, Darth Rhal finally allows himself to smile.
"Hello President Galthe."
Two Weeks Later, Balmorran Arms Factory…
Darth Lachris watched from one of the hangar's overhead balconies with a blank expression as Darth Rhal and the last of his forces prepared to depart Balmorra. Their shuttles had all been fueled and they were just finishing the final checks before the Dark Council member and his allies would at last leave her planet. 'Well, most of his allies anyway.' Lachris thought with more than a little frustration and anger.
In a way, Lachris was admittedly somewhat glad Darth Rhal had come to Balmorra. His actions had greatly strengthened the Empire's grip on the planet in a very short amount of time and now they even had Balmorra's leader as their prisoner. Not to mention he'd removed an incompetent and highly treasonous Imperial officer from his position while at the same time giving Lachris a way to vent her frustrations when needed.
However, Lachris recognized that while he may be a useful ally, Darth Rhal was far more trouble than he was worth.
Despite being on the planet for just a little over a month, Darth Rhal's actions would be felt on Balmorra years from now. He'd devastated the resistance and captured their leader while also strengthening not just the Empire's position, but his own as well.
She'd done as Rhal had instructed and Colonel Sartius had been reassigned to his previous position and Admiral Riserre was now overseeing Balmorra's military, replacing the late Admiral Ivernus. Truthfully, Lachris knew both officers were well suited to their positions, but they still hadn't been chosen by her and she knew who their true loyalties belonged to. 'And they aren't even my greatest concern. No, that honor belongs to the new Darth Minax.' Lachris thought as she clenched her fists remembering when she'd heard about Minax's new title.
Immediately after returning from the battle, Rhal had ordered Minax to kneel before him and, in front of all those in the hangar, Darth Rhal had given Lord Minax the title of Darth for her strength in battle and her capturing of President Galthe. The hangar erupted in applause and when Lord Minax rose a Darth, she actually thanked the Dark Council member for such a great honor.
Darth Lachris considered it more of a clever move than an honor. In a single move, Darth Rhal had gained a powerful Sith ally as well as ensured that Lachris could take no further action against her. 'Perhaps he guessed that I had sent Minax to die on that worthless island and turned it to his own advantage. If so, well played Lord Rhal.'
Minax was, to put it bluntly, a danger to Lachris and her rule. More of a liability than an asset, the female Pureblood was quick to anger and slow to think. Her master had sent her to Balmorra saying she'd prove useful, but Lachris was convinced her master had sent Minax either to test her or keep her away from his own battles.
Either way, Lachris had known that as long as Minax was on her planet she'd surely cause her problems either with her words or actions. Since she'd only been a Lord and Lachris herself was a Darth she'd still held at least some control over the Pureblood, but now that Minax was also a Darth that control was all but gone. 'Oh, I could still give her orders as the Sith overseeing Balmorra but there's no guarantee she'd follow them.'
Lachris shook her head. Darth Rhal had left her with quite the headache to deal with but she knew it was better than provoking the young Dark Council member. She'd known Rhal was smart and powerful, he'd have to be to be given a place among the twelve most powerful Sith in the Empire, but she'd failed to see just how powerful he truly was until he'd unleashed that force storm on Bugtown.
A force storm that had covered nearly the entire island.
Darth Marr was one of the greatest warriors in the Sith Empire, but Lachris doubted that even her powerful master was capable of such a display of power. The scans she'd gotten from the battle droids present during the event as well as the probe droids that were monitoring the island all showed that the storm had killed over half the bugs on the island. Nearly a thousand of the mutated, bloodthirsty bugs were wiped out almost instantaneously by the power of just one Sith Lord. Lachris had never met someone she feared as much as her master and she didn't believe she ever would, but now she would privately admit to herself that she feared Darth Rhal's power nearly as much as Darth Marr's. 'All the more reason I need him gone.'
Fortunately she hadn't needed to do anything to get the young Darth to leave. While she had been looking for a way to get Rhal to leave Balmorra after she'd heard of the Bugtown Slaughter as the troops were calling it, surprisingly the Dark Council member had recently come to her saying that he was returning to Dromund Kaas due to new developments. 'Of course he didn't feel it necessary to inform me of just what those developments were.' She thought with some irritation before shrugging. 'No matter. He's leaving Balmorra. That's good enough for me.'
As if on cue, Lachris watched as two more of the shuttles left the hangar leaving only one left. Its passenger was standing at the bottom of its ramp and seemed to be finishing a conversation with some Imperial officer whose name Lachris couldn't remember. The officer nodded and started walking away while Rhal turned and walked up the shuttle ramp.
A few moments later the shuttle raised its ramp, engaged its engines, and flew out of the hangar. Once the shuttle was finally out of sight and Lachris no longer felt Darth Rhal's presence she let out a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding. 'Perhaps now I can finally focus my attention on remaking this world in my image. But first, I think I'll pay that fool Pirrell another visit. He's been allowed to rest for long enough.'
A.N.
Merry Christmas! Consider this my gift to all of you, an extra long chapter for you all to enjoy. I'd planned to make this chapter two parts, but I'd say this works better considering the timing. I also got a review from a guest asking what kind of armor Rhal wears. Darth Rhal is currently wearing the Phantom Armor Set without the mask and with the hood over his head. I really hope you all like this chapter because I was struggling for a while on certain parts but overall I think it turned out alright. Rhal's time on Balmorra is over, at least for now, and he'll be going back to Dromund Kaas to deal with a few things before heading out again. Also, just in case anyone is curious, the next planet Rhal goes to will NOT be Nar Shadda. But where will he be going? Wait and find out! That's all I've got for right now, have a Merry Christmas everyone and I'll see you all next time I can update!