[14 BBY]

[Grand Army of the Republic Security Site Delta, Galactic Republic Research Facility 'Stardust Memories', Ocras Marbh Research Colony, Uquine System, Commenor Run, Colonies Region]

Ocras Marbh was an ancient facility in terms of age, though the actual facilities were as modern as the Galactic Republic could make them even the years of its decline into pacificism and civil war. It dated back to the Pius Dea Crusades era, as did the far more settled world of Uquine whose system it was in, though none of those ancient systems remaining, all having been long since replaced. The primary purpose of the facility, and its secretive nature buried within the mining world itself, had remained throughout all those millennia of the rise and fall of the Republic that controlled it at various stages.

It was given different name, by different organisations, but all were similar…special weapons research was the name most normally applied to it. Ironically that long history, and dismantling, long ago, of the Old Republic organisations once responsible for it had allowed the massive mining complex that covered the rocky, air-less, world, to expand into the millions to the feed the nearby Uquine Shipyards ever constant demands. So, as the years grew darker, such old facilities were modernised in secret, upgraded and integrated, and ready even before a new Supreme Chancellor took charge and further expanded a new successor organisation to take possession of the facility.

Such reasons were also known on old registries and data-cores available for an ancient conflict that had once taken place in this system. So, hyperspace routes not even known to the Supreme Chancellor that had expanded the facility as they were small, useful only for smaller craft, were rediscovered and, as once they had been before, used to attack the facility by others claiming his title. Fearful of his power they struck along those hidden routes, starfighters and modified LAATs racing into real-space and beginning their assault on the facilities hidden deep within mining colony. Secure doors were breached with explosives, troops drawn from two nominal enemies, led by Jedi, then charged through, deeper into hell.

That was Senior Scientist Niman Talvar's mental image of things as he once again confirmed the seals on the Security Site adjacent to the Research Facility as he rushed into his bio-hazard suit, screaming at the clones and other troopers present to do the same as alarms blared. Security droids and system cameras were being eliminated several miles distant, but the human already knew that everyone down there was now dead, even if they didn't know it yet. He suspected everyone here was dead, himself included, even as he desperately got into the armoured sealed suit awkward as always, even if the sealing systems had the security sites separate from the main facility.

No, what frightened the man was that the outer facility walls had been blown by the enemy so that they could get access to the labs. Labs from which the earth was shaking as the explosives caused a mine collapse according to the systems in the command centre that he was in. He thanked whatever ancestors were looking out for him….them…that the secondary fail-safes initiated as Project Blackwing was clearly released, and the air supplies broken in GenHab of the colony. Massive slab quarantine doors locked down in the transport shafts up to the two surface spaceports…

But, that was it as Niman finished getting into his suit, calming enough amidst the shrieking alarms to get back to the computers and starting to mute them all, and, instead, having something useful to grasp "Do….do, we have contact with any of the other Security Sites? The corporate security forces?"

"Negative Sir" one of the clones replied, which one he wasn't sure of as they were all white clad now instead of the prior colour coding "Traitor forces have knocked out the communications grid"

Niman glared "HyperComms?"

"Down too Sir, enemy strike craft hit the…"

The rest of the message blurred into a general litany of chaos, horror, and failure as the enemy assault teams and the security forces fought it out…

Even as the test subjects got free. As Niman watched the clones die…and then rise with shocking speed, a hundred times faster than during the tests. It was mutating already. Learning just as they'd feared based on the notes from the ruins and the fragmentary historical records made available to Project Blackwing by the Supreme Chancellor. Niman calmed himself, for now…alive, but the bio-hazard filters were starting to blare as infected test subjects ran, kriffing ran, towards the mining operations and GenHab through the breaches in the cave systems as the lab sank at an angle per sensors. The airborne variant of Blackwing was free…

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[14 BBY]

['Jedi Interceptor' Republic Navy Firestarter Squadron, in orbit Ocras Marbh mining colony, Uquine System, Commenor Run, Colonies Region]

"We've lost contact we both Masters Farr and Darté and their strike teams…" Jedi Master Koffi Arana called out as the operation against the Sith's new secret weapon turned from near success to disaster. He was speaking as he twisted his Actis starfighter in a swift and aggressive manner to evade the attacks from the arriving enemy V-wings "Enemy forces are arriving. We need to withdraw. This…this was a trap"

For that was the only conclusion he could draw from the sudden sealing of the colony below, trapping the two Jedi Masters and their padawans, troopers, and the efforts of this joint operation with the militarists. Master Farr had fallen for their lies, but it had been a brief moment of unity once again to serve with him, and to strike at the Sith. Instead, it had all come apart within the hour as the reserve teams had been unable to breach the massive, and very, very, solid, doors that were not meant to be there on any colony plans. No, the hundreds of troops sent into the colony to strike at the 'Project Stardust Memories', a believed Sith alchemical bio-lab to create Sithspswan Abominations as if from the Sith Empires of old.

Koffi Arana agreed with Grandmaster Kenobi that such horrors must be eliminated before they could be created…but, instead, the Sith had tricked them all once again. Just as the damnable old monster had been doing all these years, with his dark fleets slowly expunging the light as they advanced to cheers and acclaim of the simple-minded fools that were the citizenry of the Republic at large. In that Koffi could no longer agree with Grandmaster Kenobi and those like Skywalker around Kenobi. No, the militarists had many sins, but they were been proven correct that the rot within the Republic had been allowed go on too. Too long had the honeyed words of the Sith been allowed to corrupt and fester and spread. Words were Violence as the militarists argued, and Violence like that could only be met with Righteous Violence to purge that rot.

'Look where it has gotten us, allowing it to fester' he thought wearily, twisting and diving his starfighter, eliminating yet another Sith-servant pilot, his own mind calm and focused even as he filled the servants of the Dark Side with fear. That was as it should be. The Dark Side should serve those who used the Force, who fought for the Republic rather, than the twisted scum who served their enemies. There would be reckoning for this Koffi swore…

But, for now, they merely sought to survive as the defenders from the Uquine Shipyards, along with the rest of the mining colony's defenders managed to get spaceborne to engage the remaining true defenders of the Republic with him. Even with his Force enhanced skills and speed Koffi could barely keep up the swelling enemy numbers, and, at long last, the began to break away and race to escape the system. His own starfighter's hyperspace drive module fitting had slowed him greatly in the battle now served to save him as he and the remaining pilots guarded the retreating, and in many cases enemy bar the pilots, LAATs from the arriving Sith servants.

All Koffi could do was hope that his comrades had succeeded in their sacrifice, and that last reports they had sent, of destruction of the laboratories, made their deaths worthwhile. So many Jedi were now dead, or worse, turned traitor to the True Order and True Republic. Pain filled Koffi as they hit hyperspace. The pain of more lost comrades, and the pain from all those innocents that had died in this effort. This painful, but necessary, action in the face of the evils of Darth Sidious and all the traitors that had flocked to his vile banner of a new, Sith, Republic.

No matter what, they would not be allowed to succeed….

--

[14 BBY – Six Standard Days Later]

[7th Legion 'Coruscant Guard', Ocras Marbh mining colony, Uquine System, Commenor Run, Colonies Region]

CC-1010 'Fox' still found it unnatural to have so many clankers with them, as did his soldiers, but the potential nature of the traitors' threat meant he'd use what had too. His own armour, just like the rest of the clones present, was 'Special' armour, designed for both space combat as well as threats that might beyond these massive doors being cut into by his combat engineers. The colony beyond was silent, the hardlines damaged, but the lack of any transmissions from within had ensured that the two spaceports on the surface had been evacuated, the population brough to a secure facility to ensure none were infected with the Jedi Bio-weapon.

Anger burned inside CC-1010 at that. Yet another vile action of the Jedi monsters they had been bred and trained to serve once upon a time. How any clone could serve them still CC-1010 could not understand, but holo-net droids were with his Legion as they prepared to investigate whatever abomination the enemies of the Republic had unleashed here. They would show the galaxy the barbarism and evil of the enemies of the Galactic Republic once more. CC-1010 merely hoped he and his men survived whatever had been done to the innocent people who'd been here, aiding the war effort. Them and the scientists involved in researching methods to counter horrors like the Jedi had supposedly unleashed according to High Command. Rak'ghul protocols were no joke, and now in effect.

"We have breached the outer cordon Commander" CC-4477 'Thire' stated as they stood at the mobile headquarters over a mile distant, screens displaying the camera footage before CC-1010 "Vanguard squads preparing to enter entrance shaft"

"Continue breaching" he replied watching the feed, ensuring it was transmitted to the Star Destroyers in orbit of the colony "Bring up the helmet-feeds from advance squads. Clankers in with them in support"

The troops didn't like that anymore than CC-1010 did, but it was necessary he'd been ordered, and so he complied, watching as the outer cordon was moved through, squads descending down into the colony of millions below. Behind them defensive positions were established, a further 'sealing' location established for decontamination as CC-1010 watched the helmet-cams, seeing nothing as the squads moved further and further down the passage. GenHab-06 should be bustling with activity, as it was the general market area per the colony blueprints…but there was no one. Not even bodies on the screens as the squads advanced further in, attempting to make contact with the Security Sites, or, ideally, the surviving R scientists.

Yet….there was nothing. Minutes passed by swiftly as the icons illuminated the squads, but no life signs showed up in the sensors, and even with the caverns and tunnels snaking through the rocky airless mining world there should be plenty showing. His forward squads were unnerved, for something was wrong, but the General aboard the Star Destroyer Vector demanded they continue their advance and move to secure the labs buried deep inside the colony. Why there were so deep CC-1010 did not know, nor was very happy about right now as he watched what had been a trail of battle and destruction that the enemy had…

PINGPINGPING

Then, suddenly, the life-scans were shrieking and the sensor displays went crazy, flashing uncounted numbers of lifeforms all over the colony and…

"AAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Command Fox moved to cover his ears, though with the helmet that wasn't possible, every clone around him doing the same as an ungodly shrieking roar, as if from the depths of Corellian hells, seemed to ring the world like a bell. Shaking himself, overcoming the wave of nausea and discomfort upon him CC-1010 gripped at the railing of his command unit, the screens showing…

Showing…

At first the clone did not understand what he was seeing, as his vanguard squads struggle to recover, several thrown into the air, or blasted backwards by invisible force as a wave rolled towards them…

A screaming, shrieking, wave made of the colonists, those in clone armour, those in enemy armour, their faces torn and bleeding, skin the pallid colours of death. It was a wave of horror and nightmares, the droid-cams recording and feeding it Fox, as it was fed to the Star Destroyers per the Supreme Chancellor's orders. Even as the stunned clone commander managed to recover himself and begin shouting out orders…the wave of undead flesh washed over the squads in their way. Unnaturally fast the former people moved, lightsabers flashing into existence at the tip of the spear as the wave charged towards entrance way.

"All Squads Fire Plan Omega-Dark! Fire Plan Omega Dark!" he ordered at as, suddenly, something, prevent the initial seals from re-closing on the lower tunnels. Then gestured at nearby units "Reseal the Shaft Doors! Reseal them Immediately!"

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