Iokath was Atiel's next stop.

As the Archon's shuttle landed on the planet, the Chiss agent couldn't contain her sheer excitement. As contained as she usually was, she learned to distinguish those rare times her lord showed emotions. They were subtle and invisible to most, usually the smallest changes in his expression, eyes, or his hand motions. Today was no different. As each piece of the puzzle fell together, her lord felt the sheer anticipation, and he shared this delightful feeling with Atiel, who could sense the aura of rejoicing coming from him. It was time they saw the fruits of Aster's labor.

"First Archon, Ninth Siren! Welcome, I'm so happy you could come!"

The Third Creator was in a rather cheesy mood once the duo walked into a metal hall. The entire facility has been repurposed as Jadus's command base. Once Aster and his scientists cracked the code of Purifier droids in the area, they reprogrammed them with a code Jadus shared with them.

"I assume you have something worthwhile to share," Jadus said coldly.

"That I do! Follow me."

Aster led Jadus and Atiel to the largest chamber at the bottom level of the facility, the one that Aster proudly called the God's Seat. When the group entered, they saw a restored colossal machine being, Nahut. Atiel has never seen a droid with such power in its body and arsenal; even simply calling it a droid felt wrong. This was a weapon of mass destruction, much like the eradicators that Jadus once used, much like the Void Hammer itself. A machine colored in ebon and azure with blades in its hands and weapons that were capable of annihilating armies stood there in silence.

"Witness the jewel of Zakuul's past, a god in his full glory!" Aster smiled with pride. "All under our control…I could never believe that I would live to see, much even make a discovery of such magnanimous proportion! Thank you, Archon, thank you!" All this gratitude, all this fanaticism and veneration. Ariel despised it. She knew that it was hypocritical on her part, considering her own veneration of Jadus and all of his work, yet something about Aster's praise was hollow and unnatural. He was only in this endeavor for glory and pride that this discovery would bring him. He never cared for Jadus's ideals and his goal of making the galaxy a better place, a perfect world where only the worthy ones persevere, those who withstood hell and earned the right to live. He only cared for himself and his own satisfaction; it made him easy to manipulate and control, yet it made him absolutely pathetic in Atiel's eyes.

"Is it operational?" Hades wondered.

"I have already uploaded the schematics into your database, Archon, but allow me to explain." He spoke with excitement. "I restored Nahut's combat capabilities to their original state. For better or worse, I couldn't restore his previous conscience in any form; he will have to be piloted from within to unleash his full capabilities."

"This is not his primary purpose." Jadus undercut him, allowing mild impatience to show in his voice.

"Yes, of course…" Aster said in a quieter tone. "I connected him to the Void Hammer, too. I sent you recordings of our successful tests, too…The pantheon was the strongest weapon Iokath creators ever forged; one of them is enough to sustain the Void Hammer, and that is why I connected him to the core. The energy Nahut cultivates will become the Hammer's main source, and the best part is that it can send those transmissions remotely. There is, however, one complication…"

"Speak."

"There is a missing link in this chain. Nahut will send his transmissions directly to the complex to which the Hammer is attached, but someone needs to redirect the source of energy to the weapon. There was an automatic technology for that, but it was damaged before repair."

"You wouldn't have called me if you didn't have a solution."

"I do, Archon. There is an alternative method, which is to use a number of living operators who are able to redirect those impulses. The conditions of those hubs would kill anyone who enters them. I suppose the pressure was designed specifically for that extinct species. There is an opportunity to upload someone's consciousness into one of the purifier drones. However, this will allow them to complete complex tasks, and they can operate the system…"

"Have you done that already?"

"I…I would've if only I had the subjects. That's why I called you, Archon. Perhaps you could deliver some slaves from Odessen to us?"

"No." Jadus shook his head.

"Eh…What do you mean, no?"

"They have value as hostages, this isn't your duty. It is yours. Scientists with a mind bright enough to take upon this task, they are here, not on Odessen." Jadus spoke with apathy and detachment, making Aster tremble in fear. Atiel knew this feeling well, she felt exactly the same when she met Jadus on Dromund Kaas. His aura didn't change, but her perception of it did. Other people were far less lucky.

"You propose…"

"Your team restored the Hammer, the task I hired you for, but here is your final opportunity to serve. Upload the consciousness of your group into the drones and put them as operators."

"My Archon, isn't this a tad radical…"

"You wouldn't want to share the credit with others, would you? Not when you've led this research and dedicated yourself to it."

"I…"

"Are you going to do it?"

The Third Inventor shivered, but he didn't have it in him to deny the Archon. Atiel witnessed it all. She watched as a squad of purifier drones cornered the proud scientists, watched them fall on their knees and desperately beg for mercy. I watched their minds and identities torn apart as they became a part of the collective consciousness. Cogs were in her lord's plan, just as all of them were fated to become. She watched this process until only Aster remained.

"I…It's done, my Archon! I…I did just like you asked, I…"

With a single snap of the neck, a witness was removed.

And with this, the final steps in the Void Hammer's construction were complete.

But by the time Cassian's shuttle landed on Copero, Vaylin had already felt her heartbeat increasing from excitement. The first time she visited this planet, she still was far from certain about what her future will be. Jadus and Atiel used her as a pawn; that much was clear, the best she could allow herself was to try and trust them until a certain point before using them to have her revenge on Zakuul. But now, she found another friend, someone who she trusted against all reason and logic, someone who she wanted to trust, someone she wanted to see triumph by her side.

She felt Cassian's anticipation, and it reached its peak the moment two of them finally laid their eyes on his family estate. A fortified stronghold standing in a golden valley away from large cities is a perfect silent resort for one to relax in and forget about the galaxy and its worries, forget anything that lies beyond those walls. They landed at a safe distance near the mountains. The estate was visible, but they weren't too close to be spotted immediately.

"So, what's the plan?" Vaylin looked at Cassian. "Do they have any traps? Elite guard? Walls made of…I don't know, something the force can't break?"

"No, nothing of the sort, and they shouldn't be expecting our attack. We can crush them in less than an hour if we focus. That said, they might have the Voidcaller, so be ready for that."

"I'm planning on crushing them before they even grab their weapons." Vaylin boasted.

"My clan built a fortune on building weapons and selling them; they are very proficient with their own creations, so be careful."

"Ha, careful…Not like it worked out for us before, I'll just rely on speed."

Of course, no anticipation that Vaylin felt could match Cassian's turmoil. This must have been a defining moment for him, and Vaylin understood why. She heard the stories of abuse and dismissal, of how much pain his parents caused him, and today was an opportunity to pay them back for all they did to him. Those Chiss never harmed Vaylin; she didn't even know of their existence until recently, yet she felt excited…Far more excited than she ever was to kill citizens of Zakuul.

"If you get yourself in trouble again, that's…"

"That's on you." Vaylin chuckled. "I know you'll save me again either way." Cassian just sighed in response.

"Come on, I know this place very well. There's a guard post near the entrance, and those who work there watch over the core alarm control. Once we deactivate it, the whole place is ours for the taking."

"Sounds like a plan. Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Just follow me and have fun."

"I can do that."

The two wasted no more time as they rushed towards the guard post, which Cassian had planned to take over. With their first move made, all they had to do was end this quickly before someone noticed their ship. Eventually, the two of them approached a silver tower rising above the grassland and connected to the durasteel wall that surrounded the stronghold. There were two Chiss men standing by the entrance and looking around, most likely the guards on their duty. Cassian and Vaylin made their moves carefully, going from one spot of tall grass to another until they finally reached their goal, allowing the patrol to notice them.

"What the…Who are you!"

"Stand back, boys, we mean you no harm!" Vaylin announced playfully just a few moments before Cassian tossed his lightsaber forth, quickly decapitating both of them and grabbing the hilt by force, much to Vaylin's disappointment. "Is this your idea of fun?! They didn't even understand what was going on!" She said and pouted.

"I'm not risking it before we deactivate all alarms. Come on, no need to wait for long."

Cassian took out one of the guard's keycards and inserted it into the door, allowing a passage to open. There was no one in the narrow hall in front of them, but Vaylin knew that it was better to stay careful until they laid their eyes on the enemy. There would be no fun whatsoever in allowing them to have an advantage.

"We're close…" Cassian said quietly. The main room is up ahead; that's where the guards gather most of the time. When we enter…"

"Spare no one?"

"We need the foreman to unlock the path for us; their armor is usually colored in gold; you'd recognize them."

"But other than that…"

"Yes, kill them all."

When the two entered the main room, it was largely as expected. A dozen Chiss, most of them armed, though none expected an invasion. Vaylin could even hear the echoes of them talking to each other.

"Wasn't Aristocra Dezuno supposed to visit Alderaan?"

"I think so, but his plans changed. Not sure why, but either way, that's his…" The Chiss stopped speaking the moment Cassian and Vaylin entered the room. Some of them recoiled in shock, others took out their weapons and aimed them at invaders, and some froze and stared at Cassian in disbelief. This gave Vaylin a split second to look over them and notice the foreman. He was here, wearing a golden armor jacket. This was the only target who needed to live for now, and the realization of just how close they were to real joy made Vaylin smile. She unleashed an array of lightning, immediately slaughtering everyone in the room except the foreman. The lone survivor shrieked in horror as his comrades fell without letting out a single sound, leaving him all alone before the might he had no hope of resisting.

"W-what…" He raised his rifle and aimed it at Cassian, but the Sith quickly plucked it out of his hands with a single swift force-pull. The foreman was powerless. "No, no…It can't be you!" He shouted as he stared into Cassian's crimson, merciless eyes. "Delaoso…"

"Remember me?" The Sith said in a mocking tone. "I remember some of you, too, as much as I hate it."

"What…What is the meaning of this, and who is it? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" He shouted, prompting Vaylin to respond.

"Oh, poor you, just doing your job, and then all this…I don't even want to torture you too much."

"What…Why…"

"At a loss of words?" Cassian smiled maliciously and kneeled to the foreman. "Want to know the truth? It's simple, I've come to kill you. I will kill my parents, their advisors, and everyone in this estate who dares to try and resist. But first, I will prove them wrong…See how pathetic you are in the face of the force. Do you really think our people were right to reject it and fear it? If they didn't, perhaps I would've been one of Copero's greatest champions, but now I will give them all a real reason to fear and beg for mercy. And you will help me with it…You know the code to the security system, and you'll deactivate it if you want a quick death."

"I…I would never betray Dezuno! I swore to serve him until the end of my days, and I…I am not afraid."

"I thought you'd say that, and I prepared for it, too. Vaylin?"

"My pleasure." The woman smiled and raised her hand, allowing the dark side of the force to flow through the foreman's spirit. She didn't have to listen to his agonized screams for too long; his giving in was inevitable. He would do anything to stop this agonizing, endless pain, even betraying his own master. Thankfully, he didn't live long past deactivating the security system in the estate. The only thing left was to rain terror and pain on the conspirators who hid inside, and this, though, made Vaylin smile with pride and anticipation.

This was where the fun began.