Star Wars belongs to Disney, as much as I wish it didn't at times, SWTOR and Mass Effect belong to Bioware and EA.

So I'll address this right out of the gate; Yes the turians have a lightsaber, no, they will not be able to make more. They lack both the resources and the inclination to do so. Only the Sith will have lightsabers in this story, mostly. They'll definitely be the only ones making them.

Reviews:

Pater Richard- Thank you, I did.

heartfanglives- You are correct.

SurplusHool- Thank You.

kite15663-If I would compare this war to anything, it would be most like the invasion of France in WWII. The grand strategy of the Sith will be laid out below.

frankieu- Thank you for reading.

Coment9- I've not seen Muv-Luv, I'd have to before I tried anything with it.

EricFreak- Thanks.

M1stymix- The reason there are no biotics now is because they've not interacted much at all with Element Zero. That will change later.

Azai Jin- Here is what they do next.

Adryn 1997- You're closer with your prediction of the Batarians.

Guest #1 of 12/24-Thank you, I will do my best to.

Guest#2 of 12/24- Sith Intelligence and the STG will be getting along like two Beta Fish in a bowl.

Kagega- Thank you.

Jctherebel- Yes, the Reapers are still the Big Baddies of the overall story.

shypunk- Thank You.

Guest of 12/25- You are on to something there.

GodofGreed- I'm touched. Let's just say that asari and Sith Lords don't mix well in melding.

valkrus- I figured that since they have a completely different syntax from any human language, it just translates into the closest human equivalent in English, but I can make that adjustment.

Oscurosignore-51- No children of the watch here, sorry. Victus and Hackett won't come to blows, despite the fact that they both become two of the most important players in the last episode. This episode is really their origin stories as well. True, but it took the Council three months to do anything in the original timeline and the turians spent all that time attacking Shanxi, so far only about a week has passed so the Sith have ample opportunity to lay waste to the turians before the Council can stop them and having faced humiliation, the turians will try much harder to hide it all from the Council. Their reaction might surprise you, especially in comparison to the other tech samples.

Guest of 12/28- Yes, but they will never utilize it to the same effectiveness that the Sith do for a few reasons.

Regnak- In short, they will only ever have the one.

Asharzal- This will be discussed in the chapter.

Guest of 1/1- It will destroy him emotionally. He will be disgraced but won't have to worry about that for long. They will do as the Sith do when interacting with others.

Guest of 1/2- Thank you and don't worry, I will not be discouraged by others.

Now on with the show!

As the aftermath of the Battle for Shanxi rolls into its second week, Arcturus station is alight with new activity. As the majority of the fleets move to Shanxi as precaution against follow up attacks, only a selected few remain dedicated to the defense of the Sith Alliance's central station. From the nearby relay, however, emerges an additional Star Destroyer that flies off to the station. A shuttle departs and cruises into the uppermost hangar of the station, guarded by the heaviest turbolasers on the base. The shuttle lands and releases its soul passenger, Darth Vafrem.

The light armor pieces adorning his sanguine robes shine in polished silver and its red ornate markings glow red in the dim light. With a grin, he walks to the hangar doors, passed the guards, and into the station proper. The gunmetal architecture extends down the hall with crimson flags, statues of Dark Lords long perished, and works of art from across human and Sith history, including some of his own. He stops at once particular piece depicting a Dark Lord bathed in ghostly power fighting another, lesser Dark Lord titled, The Night has Overcome Death. He grins at it and moves on.

His journey lasts only a little while as he comes to the grand doors at the end of the hall guarded by a line of crimson clad guards and enters inside. Within lies a grand table emblazoned with the Alliance Emblem and a large holoprojector affixed at its center. Already at the table are Darth Ferrus, still in his armor and tapping his foot impatiently, Darth Tempestus, keeping his eyes upon a data pad. Joining them are five others, five men and one woman. Four of the men are dressed in Alliance official wear with differing emblems on their chests, the other two are dressed in luxurious suits.

"My oldest and noblest friends, worry not, for I have arrived precisely as The Force intended," Vafrem announces.

"And with exactly two minutes to spare," Tempestus puts down his device, "Had Chemos even left the planet by the time you departed?"

"No, but fret not my companions, I was in no dire hurry to get here," Vafrem replies.

"She'll almost certainly join us via holocall, I don't expect her here," Ferrus adds.

"She will most certainly be here if she knows what's good for her," Tempestus growls, "This is not just a regular assembly of High Command, this is about the future of the Alliance, and if she skirts on this for one of her projects…"

"No, now, there's no need to be so dour with our resident workaholic, she will be here when the assembly is called to order rest assured," Vafrem says as he turns to the other men at the table, "Minister Graham you look a bit heavy in the eyes, not sleeping well I take it?"

A man with dark bags under his eyes, white hair, and a gruff and wrinkled face sighs, "The Ministry of Warfare is up to its eyeballs in transfer requests, requisition forms, and enlistment applications. I can't go three hours without something needing my attention because for some reason everyone believes their direct issues are worthy of my attention."

"Don't speak to me about requisition forms, Graham," a blonde man says, "For every one you see, I have to deal with five more from every other department and organization under the ministry, plus every angry holocall from someone I've just denied funding or resources for. So much time wasted."

"Sod off, Guilliman. You try dealing exclusively with soldiers and then we'll talk."

"At least you're getting what you want, Graham," a man with dark hair and sharp eyes retorts, "Everything in my department is getting slashed for the sake of the impending war and you're commandeering my exploration fleets."

The final minister, adorned with white streaked black hair, raises his hand towards his fellows, his grey eyes focused and each word out of his mouth measured, "Calm yourself, Shin, everything shall work itself out soon. If our information is correct, this will only be a small setback in the grand scale of things."

"Well put, Minister," the red-haired man in the suit says.

Vafrem steps towards him and his female compatriot, "Consul Julius, it has been quite a bit of time since last we spoke at length during your election soiree. How has your son doing all this time? You spoke so fondly of him."

The man smiles, "He has grown, the missus and I believe he might be force sensitive, but she's hesitant to get the M-Test done to see. She wants to let him be a child for just a while longer, and this perspective war isn't helping her worries."

"I can see that," Vafrem nods as he approaches the only woman in the room, "My Dear Anita, how does this day find you."

She fights a grin as she schools her expression, "I'm afraid it's Consul Goyle while we're assembled, Milord."

"A shame really, you've such a lovely first name," he almost whispers to her.

Ferrus growls, "Oh for Hord's sake, take your seat and stow your sweet nothings!"

Vafrem huffs at his companion and returns his gaze towards Goyle, "Later then."

He takes his seat as the unnamed minister's data pad chimes, "It appears that Darth Chemos has arrived in the hangar, she'll be with us momentarily."

"And what of Lord Atrior?" Julius asks.

The rest of the assembled officials look at one of the empty seats, now occupied by the masked Dark Lord. He takes a prolonged look at every member already assembled before the main door opens. Chemos enters and marches through the room, her maroon robes waving about her with each quickened step. She takes her seat as she pushes her dark red hair out of her scarlet skinned face, "I'm here. Begin now."

"Very well," Tempestum says, "As the senior most member of The Dark Council, I hereby call this assembly of The Sith Alliance High Command to order. The Pyramid of Sorcerer's is present."

"The Pyramid of Arts, present," Vafrem says.

"The Pyramid of Warriors, present," Ferrus grumbles.

Darth Atrior raises his hand and nods

"Pyramid of Alchemy is present," Chemos says as she smooths out her robes.

"Consuls of Alliance Parliament, present," both consuls say.

"Minister of Warfare, present," says Graham.

"Minister of Logistics, present," echoes Guilliman.

"Minister of Expansion, present," Shin says.

"Minister of Intelligence, present," the last minister says.

"Very good, now our first order of business," Tempestus says, "A declaration of war upon the Turian Hierarchy. The Pyramid of Sorcerers votes in favor."

Ferrus raises his hand, "Pyramid of Warriors is for."

Vafrem, "Pyramid of Arts votes in favor as well."

"The Pyramid of Alchemy votes in favor of the war," Chemos adds.

Darth Atrior nods.

The Minister of Intelligence raises his hand, "The Ministry votes to declare war."

Goyle raises her voice, "Parliament votes for the war."

"Then with a unanimous seven votes, The Sith Alliance shall declare war on the Turian Hierarchy," Tempestus declares, "On to our next order of discussion. Via the efforts of our slicers and the Pyramid of Assassins, we have made a comprehensive analysis of our enemies. The Minister of Intelligence has compiled all this information for us into a presentation. Minister, the floor is yours to take."

The man nods and stands, activating the holo-projector at the center of the table. He types away at his personal data pad, "Gladly. After the Battle of Shanxi, we were able to slice into their ships' computers, a feat that was far easier than we had anticipated, and we extracted what we have translated as the 'Codex.' Contained within is a grand summation of our enemy's civilization, locations, history, language, and arts."

"That's preposterous," Ferrus says, "Why in Kalig's name would warships have that level of intel? This seems like an obvious ruse to make us charge in with false information."

"I assure you, Lord Ferrus, it is authentic," the minister says, "Every ship we sliced had this same information available, and the Pyramid of Assassins were able to confirm from the minds of the prisoners the integrity of this Codex."

Atrior nods in affirmation.

"Our enemies are either incredibly naive or incredibly self-assured," Chemos says.

"Well then, what are we dealing with, Minister?" Consul Julius asks.

The Minister of Intelligence presses a few icons on his data pad, "Turians, Consul, a militaristic race of avian descent. Their government operates directly as a military chain of command. The higher their service in the military, the higher they are ranked in society, hence why their civilization is called the Turian Hierarchy."

"An entire culture filled from every level with soldiers? How boorish," Darth Vafrem says, "No wonder they believed throwing troops and ships at our planet would defeat us. No appreciation of the finesse of battle from these types."

"Indeed, Milord," the minister nods to him, "We can expect strict adherence to military doctrine and a fight to the last man mentality. Holding their planets would be especially challenging because every citizen is drafted and serves in their military late in their adolescence. Their strategies are predictable, however, mostly because they've always had the biggest guns in their section of space."

"We shouldn't underestimate them though," Chemos adds, "Both times we have triumphed in space was because we held the element of surprise."

"An element that will almost always be on our side," the minister continues, "Their FTL keeps them in real space, therefore we should be able to detect their approach long before they're in range. It's also leagues slower than hyperspace, meaning we have the advantage in mobility on a grand scale."

"Exactly how much slower are they?" Goyle asks.

"Around fifteen lightyears a day, with necessary stops after fifty hours," the minister answers.

Vafrem bursts out laughing at the numbers presented, "A Day?! Forget holding the advantage, the only way these creatures will catch us is if we are standing still for them. Their day's journey is an eight-minute hyperspace cruse."

"They must make exclusive use of the relays to get very far," the Minister Graham adds, "If we blockade the Shanxi-Theta relay, there's no other way for them to invade our territory."

"Shield-wise, ours are also far ahead of theirs in defensive capability," the minister resumes, "While ours can block anything with high enough energy, theirs is limited to kinetic projectiles. Coincidentally, this is also what their main guns fire. Their frigates are also equipped with singularity producing torpedoes."

"And how exactly do their weapons compare to ours?" Tempestus asks.

The minister takes a breath, "Their weapon's pose some threat. They out range us by far and their dreadnaughts can fire more rapidly than The Vengeance of Nox can, though nowhere near the same power output. Those gravity torpedoes do give me pause for concern, but only their smaller ships seem to carry them. However, since their barriers block solid objects, our turbolasers can bypass them and their armor is laughable at best. Proton based weaponry seems to cripple them immediately so they will be our greatest weapon against them."

"Proton ordinance?" Minister Graham questions.

"We've discovered that the technology that operates these ships, as well as the relays is called mass effect, and is sensitive to highly positive and negatively charged particles, such as the highly potent positive charge of proton torpedo ordinance.

"On a side note, they don't seem to effectively field fighters as we do. Theirs are much slower but more maneuverable and their mounted weapons are slower to fire. Like every other turian vessel, they're also unshielded against plasma, making them easy prey for our squadrons. All in all, if we keep our engagements at close range and destroy their frigates first, we should have no problems overpowering our foes."

The group nods and Darth Ferrus leans back into his seat, "So now that we know we can best them in space, how do their ground forces compare to ours?"

"In our favor," the minister says, "Our standard platsteel armor is much stronger than what they're using, our blaster weapons hold more destructive power, our walkers can gut their tanks, and they have no bacta equivalent to revive their soldiers. If this war were to drag out, we may even consider sending droids at the spikeheads, it might be our best bet to win by attrition."

"You say that like a long war doesn't seem likely," Consul Goyle says.

"Yes, and unfortunately it is not likely because we would win so easily," the minister responds, "Our enemies have allies nearly as strong as they are militarily, and richer in both resources and technology."

"And they will likely join the war effort if push comes to shove," Tempestus growls.

"Surprisingly, no," the minister answers, "The codex gives us quite a bit of insight into the galactic community. Apparently, we've broken their most damning law, we've been opening relays. However, the turians have also broken the law regarding first contact with new sentient races. In fact, their invasion has broken many of their central government's laws, codes, and mandates. In all likelihood, they are doing all of this without higher approval."

"Meaning that they want to keep this from their allies," Vafrem says, "And given their culture as a straightforward military civilization, they likely lack the creativity, and flexibility, to allocate large amounts of ships without notice."

"And using The Force, we can know when and where to strike," Tempestus says.

"Looks like the Pyramid of Arts can finally prove its worth," Ferrus jabs.

"Circling back to my point," the minister says, "If this Citadel Council, as they are called, discovers our war, they will likely intervene and coerce us into a peace treaty, and we can all guess which side the treaty would favor and who would be called the aggressors. As we are now, we lack the resources to fight the entire Citadel in earnest. Even fighting the entirety of the turians would stretch us too thin for my liking. The manpower of the Citadel would especially eclipse ours several times over with the number of civilizations they can draw from."

"So, this Citadel is made up of multiple races then?" Chemos inquires as she massages her temples, "By the Ghost of Marka Ragnos, it's the Galactic Republic all over again."

"Fortunately, they do not command that many resources or races. In a practicality, there are only a few races we must concern ourselves with."

He types into his data pad and an image of a turian appears on the holotable.

"By now we're all familiar with the spikeheads, correct?" all the attendants nod, "The turians control the majority of the armed forces in Citadel space. They have organic playing that gives them minor resistance to radiation but not enough protection to matter to a blaster bolt. They are also responsible for maintaining Citadel borders. A good percentage of their forces are dedicated to it, meaning they will never be able to throw their full might at us. Also, due to some fortuitous circumstances, Citadel law limits the number of dreadnaughts they can have."

"Why in Tulak Hord's name would they willingly limit their most powerful weapons?" Ferrus shakes his head.

"They somehow think it helps keep a balance of power, Milord," he presses a button and the hologram changes to an amphibious looking biped with horns, "Next are the salarians. They are a short-lived species with accelerated mental faculties. They learn quickly, react quickly, and think quickly. They are more suited for espionage and research than combat. However, we will likely have to be on the lookout for them wherever we go in turian space. They run the greatest intelligence network among all their races."

Atrior leans forward, the six eyes of his mask drinking in the image of the creature.

"Surely you're not threatened, dear minister?" Ferrus says, "I wager you'd be one to want to test your cloaks and daggers against theirs."

"My feelings are irrelevant to their activities," he responds, "If they make themselves into an issue for the Alliance, I will remove them from the equation as the galaxy spins on, none the wiser. Now we move on to our next race."

The hologram changes again. This time to a slender female humanoid with tentacle-like crests where hair would be. Most of the attendants gaze in awe of how similar it looks to humans and Sith. Vafrem whistles at the image, "Very fetching beauties."

"They are called the asari and may perhaps be the most dangerous and intriguing race in the Citadel," the minister continues.

"The pretty one's always are," Vafrem hums.

"Considering they bare such similarity to us, it makes sense that they'd be the superior race among these creatures," Tempestus says.

"They are a mono-gendered race that can live up to around 1000 years," the minister says, "They possess the ability to connect their minds directly with others and is actually a part of how they reproduce. They can mate with any life form, taking genetic traits from the 'father,' for lack of a better term, and produce asari offspring that bare minor attributes of them."

"I was enthralled on their looks alone, but this takes it to the next level. Do you think if one were to mate with a Sith, their child would have a greater affinity for the Force?" Vafrem asks.

"A Force sensitive asari would be quite troublesome considering their entire race are natural born biotics," the minister answers.

"Biotics being?" Goyle asks.

"In short, individuals capable of manipulating mass effect fields on a limited scale," the minister clarifies, "They exist in limited amounts throughout most Citadel races but the asari are all naturally gifted with these abilities. They can pull you into the air, crush you with miniature singularities, or create barriers around them. We encountered some on Shanxi, but our data on them is limited at the moment."

Tempestus scoffs at his words, "Merely a cheap imitation of the power of The Force."

"Don't underestimate them, each of their soldiers has potentially centuries of experience," the minister replies, "However, despite their potency in combat, they seem to be the most diplomatic of all the races and would likely be the ones advocating for peace between races."

Ferrus snorts, "Peace, such tukata shit. Have they also committed genocide for the sake of such a self-serving ideal?"

"Yes, but that information isn't going to help us in our war."

Chemos spits in disgust, "It's always for the sake of peace when done to us, but the moment the Old Empire attempted something like it, it was called an atrocity. Ignorant creatures, the lot of them. Perhaps they need to go through the scare of annihilation once we've gained control of the galaxy."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Minister Graham says, "Any other races of note?"

"None that would pose any kind of threat to our war if discovered. The rest are either too sparse, weak, or separated from the council species to be worth discussing."

"Then what is our plan of attack?" Goyle asks.

"Lightning warfare," Minister Graham affirms, "Use the speed advantage granted to us by hyperspace to overwhelm them before they can prepare and ambush them at the relays. If we can only engage them as long as the Citadel Council is unaware, we must be swift."

The rest of High Command nods in agreement as Tempestus comments, "I say we send them a message. Torch one of their worlds like they tried to do to ours and slaughter their people while we're at it. Show them what we can do to them. I propose that we enact the Malak Protocol on a turian colony world. The Pyramid of Sorcerers votes in favor."

Chemos perks up for the first time during the whole assembly, "You know, I have racked up quite a collection of concoctions that are just sitting away in my laboratories, and more than a few that would benefit quite a bit from testing on live, sentient subjects."

"A chemical weapon born from your alchemic experimentations sounds just marvelous," Tempestus replies.

Chemos grins, "The Pyramid of Alchemy votes in favor."

"The Pyramid of Warriors votes against," Ferrus says.

"Oh?" Tempestus raises his brow, "I'd have thought you'd be the first to support killing spikeheads. Didn't you throw a fit when the rescue fleet left without you?"

Ferrus narrows his eyes, "These aliens need to be taught a lesson, I consent to that much. If we slaughter their soldiers by the millions, billions, or trillions without ceasing, I would be first on the battlefield and the last off it, but laying waste to a planet wholesale, including countless civilians, that is where you've lost me. There is no glory to be gained in killing those who won't fight back, even if they all have training."

Vafrem laughs at his two fellow Darths bickering, "My, my, I never thought I'd see the day where Ferrus gives a more eloquent response to such a brutish suggestion from you, Tempestus."

Tempestus glares at him while Chemos rolls her eyes, "I take it that this means you're against the idea, correct?"

"Indeed," he answers, "This is beginning to look to me like the Old Empire's dealings against the Galactic Republic. I'd rather us wage a winnable war over a decades long slog of off and on active combat. The turians, we can defeat, but if we irritate this Citadel Council enough it will turn into a massive drain on our civilization, and I'd rather we save our strength for the Reapers. I vote against wiping out their colonies."

Tempestus says nothing to that but turns to their silent companion, "Atrior, what say you?"

The masked Sith says nothing in response, he doesn't even so much as move a muscle.

"So that's one vote of neutrality," Ferrus says, "As well as two for and two against. What say the Ministry and Parliament?"

The two Consuls give each other knowing looks before Goyle speaks up first, "I say against. Like it or not we will have to face the Citadel Council eventually, though the later the better, and I'd rather we not have to deal with foreign bureaucrats whining about killing civilians more than we have to."

"The people are angry, they demand an answer to these alien's crimes," Julius retorts, "If we cannot deliver, then they will lose faith in us. I vote for."

Vafrem smirks, "Politicians. So, the Parliamentary vote is neutral as well. Well, Ministers, what say you?"

"For," Graham doesn't hesitate, "Too many of my officers are out for blood, and I'm inclined to agree with them. I have faith that our military is strong enough to deal with what comes."

Guilliman shakes his head, "Against. Wiping out civilians is a one way ticket to total war with the Citadel. We lack the manpower to control so much territory and a cold war will only stunt our growth. We'd be spending more resources on controlling our gains than actually building ourselves up and fortifying our current standing."

"Cold war or no, my exploration isn't going to cease," Minister Shin says, "While I truly mourn the people we've lost, I also believe that wiping out a colony or two will not do that much to make a difference in the outcome of the war. I will defer to the majority."

All eyes return to the Minister of Intelligence, "Against. We can destroy a turian colony at any time and I'd rather keep our options open for now."

Tempestus drops his fist on the table as Ferrus smirks, "And with the ministry's vote, that's three against, two for, and two neutral. Razing a planet is off the table."

Chemos tsks, "I suppose I can make do with using Atrior's scraps as test subjects. What would you suggest we do in retaliation then?"

"We pit might against might, the way it ought to be," Ferrus replies, "We succeed where they failed, take one of their planets, and when they bring in their reinforcements, we introduce them to The Vengeance of Nox."

"I agree with that at least," Graham comments, "Show them just what we're capable of."

"Hopefully we can avoid the casualties we sustained in the battle over Shanxi," Guilliman adds, "Fifteen Star Destroyers have been taken out of commission, Fifteen! That's 3% of our Harrowers gone in a single battle. And don't get me started on our Terminus Destroyers. We'll be reeling for years if these losses continue at that rate. We can offset it a bit by halting all non-war essential projects and going into a full war economy, that should get our ship numbers up again and accelerate the completion some of the nearly finished Harrowers and The Strength of Imperius. This war is going to give me such a headache, I just know it."

"Not if we play it smart Guilliman, we may already have a way of ending this war before the attrition will ware on us," the Minister of Intelligence soothes.

"How so?"

"Our slicers have extracted everything from their Codex, we know what communication frequencies they use, where their central space station capitol is, even how their fleets are divided up and how many there are. They make no efforts to hide anything of value from us."

Chemos narrows her eyes and shakes her head, "They're just like the Galactic Republic. Such arrogance."

"Most importantly, we have the locations of their worlds," the minister says.

Minister Graham's eyes light up, "Then we have access to the location to their home world? Perhaps we could launch a surprise attack against their home and cut the head from the body."

The hologram changes to a map of the galaxy, marking Sith worlds with the Sith Alliance emblem. The territory is mapped with relay locations and hyper lanes connecting the worlds together. Outside Sith space, a web of thinly connected lines branches out across the galaxy. At the end of one tangent, a system sits highlighted to the northwest of Sol with nothing but one other smaller branch and dot between them.

"Yes, this is their home planet, Pavalen, and it's not too far from our controlled space, but there's a problem," the minister admits, "Between us and them is another race's home system and worse, unexplored space. The limitations on their FTL have apparently led to a complete disregard for exploration beyond the immediate proximity of the relays.

"However, if we can get through, we can launch an assault against their home world and end this war in one battle. It may take some time and we will lose some vessels, but it will save us so much more in the long run."

Minister Shin speaks next, "Exploration is dangerous work for hyperspace travel, it will take us a considerable amount of time to find a viable path to their world."

The Minister of Intelligence nods, "Unless we can come across more extensive maps of the space between us, we're stuck fighting a war through their inhabited space."

"And moving too fast through there means a high risk of our discovery by the Citadel Council," Ferrus grumbles.

"While moving too slow does runs the risk of them figuring out the turians are up to something," Chemos finishes.

There is silence for a few seconds before Ferrus speaks up, "So we have two options; pour all of our manpower into a straightforward blitzkrieg and hope that the Citadel Council doesn't react fast enough to stop us or use the front line as a way to thin out their forces while we fumble through uncharted space to their home world. I call this to a vote; I favor a total blitz."

"I vote to find their home world," Chemos counters.

Atrior points to her.

"The Force will show us the way, I vote in favor of finding their home world," Vafrem says.

"And I agree with the three of them," Tempestus says, "Unless either the Ministry or Parliament want to make any arguments, we have a majority vote."

"I vote to blitz," Julius replies.

"I vote to find their home world," Goyle follows up.

The ministers all nod their heads at one another before Guilliman speaks, "The ministry votes for finding their home world."

"Parliament has voted neutrality and the ministry is for the majority. We will focus part of our efforts to chart a course to their home world," Chemos says.

"Our forces cannot allow this information to slip," the minister of intelligence says, "If it is discovered, it will destroy any chance we have of victory without involving the Citadel Council."

"Obviously," Ferrus says, "Henceforth these efforts shall be known as Operation… Coruscant."

"A bit on the nose there," Vafrem comments.

"Perhaps, but they don't know that," Minister Graham adds.

"So long as we all know what we're talking about, it works," Chemos says.

"I suggest that we start with taking over one of their worlds and skirt around their known space," the minister of intelligence says, "Obviously they're fearful of exploration, if their codex is any indication, so there should theoretically be very little there to contend with and even if our exploratory vessels did find any citadel presence… well, accidents happen in space travel."

"And who shall be the one leading this campaign into enemy territory?" Julius asks.

"I would recommend Admiral Drescher," Graham says, "Unlike some military officers, she handles her own issues personally, granted she flies off without orders at times, but I'd rather have a commander that takes the initiative over one that just waits for problems to be laid out in front of her."

"I agree," Tempestus adds, "Besides, her and her direct subordinates have the most experience fighting these turians."

"They fought one battle against them," Guilliman retorts.

"That's more than you have," Ferrus growls.

Guilliman leers at the Dark Lord but turns away as Ferrus returns it with a glare of his own. The Minister of Intelligence picks up the discussion, "And for our ground forces?"

Ferrus speaks up, "I nominate General Williams. He's shown mettle beyond his station and any man that can take to the field to mount a counterattack with half the effectiveness that he did is worthy of being a commander of Sith Lords."

"Such high praise from Ferrus," Tempestus comments, "The Pyramid of Sorcerers votes in favor of instating Admiral Kastanie Drescher and General Andreus Williams as the commanding officers of the campaign."

All members vote in favor, "Good, are we done here?" Chemos asks, "I can't think of any more actions that require executive attention, but I can think of many other projects that I need to oversee back on Korriban."

Tempestus rolls his eyes, "While I would prefer to stay and discuss the finer details of our strategy, there is no other order of business that requires our vote at this time. This assembly of The Sith Alliance High Command is officially adjourned."

Chemos wastes no time removing herself from the room as the others mingle and discuss options for their efforts in the war.

In just two days, Sith High Command primes and organizes their forces into the new Alliance 1st Assault Fleet with Admiral Drescher and General Williams at the helm. With their forces ready to charge and their intel indicating the retreating fleet has finally stopped at a turian world, they move to begin the war.

The crowds of people gather within the streets Lowell City, the largest settlement on Korriban outside of the Sith Academy. The Dark Council, sans Darth Chemos, enter out onto the civil government building balcony overlooking the masses of Sith citizens.

"So much time on ceremony," Ferrus says, "And most people are watching via broadcast anyway."

"Having a live crowd helps with aesthetics, makes us seem closer to the people that we lead," Vafrem says, "Besides, fiery speeches to the masses are mainstays of wartime culture throughout human and Sith history, we would be remiss in neglecting to indulge in such a tradition. It allows us to control public opinion, keeps enlistment rates up, and mitigates fears that come with wartime."

Atrior nods and turns his head forward, casting his gaze to the people.

"Remind me why it is that I am the one announcing our declaration of war?" Tempestus asks.

"It is expected of the Dark Lords to do these things and you're the best public speaker of the five of us," Ferrus answers, "Chemos didn't care enough to show up, Atrior's mouth only moves when he's lying, Vafrem can't get in front of a crowd without sounding like a pompous ass, and I'm too blunt for the public at large. You are the least of all evils here when it comes to dictation. Although, I'm not certain as to why it is that you're complaining; you love the sound of your own voice."

"Fine, you've made your point," Tempestus says as he takes to the podium and his fellow Dark Lords take their seats behind him.

"And here to address us now is our glorious Dark Lord of the Pyramid of Sorcerers, Darth Tempestus!" a robotic voice introduces him.

The crowds cheer as Tempestus takes his place, and it takes some time for them all to calm down enough to get the message across. Tempestus looks out into the crowd and then to the cameras, puts on his best concerned face, and begins his address.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good citizens of the Sith Alliance, my dearest friends and companions in The Dark Side… A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, the Old Empire met the Galactic Republic, and from that day, there was war. War brought upon our people by the despots of the Republic and their Jedi dogs. War shaped our ancestors, it forged them into the mighty Sith they would become, and it taught them irrefutable truths about the nature of The Force. So powerful were they that it took the combined strength of an entire galaxy to lay their empire low, and yet they persevered. Though with great sacrifice, they endured through the genocide at the hands of the Republic, twice might I add, and then the Reapers. It was through their sacrifices that we are here and have the tools to ascend to the stars today.

"Now we face a similar conflict to what they endured well over 50,000 years ago, war on astronomic scale. Upon opening the Shanxi-Theta relay, our colony suffered an unprovoked attack by a never-before-seen alien civilization calling themselves the Turian Hierarchy. They cowardly fired upon a fleeing civilian vessel and held innocent Sith lives at gun point, all for a law they sought to yoke us beneath, under a council we never knew existed. They believed that we needed to be shown our place in the galaxy, that we were an infantile race prattling about space, that our people needed to be reprimanded like children.

"Yet, for all their pomp and pretension, they fell and fled before the might of our fleet. Their numbers eclipsed ours, but we drove them back and wiped them from our world. Some cowards may say that this was a simple misunderstanding, that this violence shouldn't escalate any further. My answer to those fools is this: it ceased to be a misunderstanding when innocent Sith people were murdered! They wanted our people in their clutches as their, 'client race,' to serve them like conquered slaves, but the Sith shall never be slaves. Like our ancestors, we would risk annihilation before subjugation.

"To all Alliance space, in a unanimous vote, the members of Alliance High Command have officially declared war on the Turian Hierarchy. We shall show them exactly where we stand in the galaxy. For The Force is with us. The Dark Side has chosen us and empowered us with its gifts. We are the Sith Alliance, inheritors of the Old Empire, children of Earth and Korriban, and the greatest civilization to grace this galaxy. We will fight for our people, fight for our planets, and fight for victory against our enemies!"

Tempestus raises his fist into the air as the crowds across space cheer at his words. They rave about the destruction of their new enemies, the vengeance the Sith fleets will inflict upon turian worlds, and the potential conquests across the stars. Tempestus grins at the reception of his words as a feeling passes over him to speak one last thing.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion," he begins as the crowd joins him in reciting the rest of the ancient Sith Code.

"Through passion, we gain strength.

Through strength, we gain power.

Through power, we gain victory.

Through victory, our chains are broken.

The Force shall free us."

The crowd's cheering reaches new heights. The Force trembles at the fanaticism of the Sith and the Dark Side fills the hearts of all present.

The broadcast concludes aboard the Judgement of Marr as it hovers near the Shanxi relay along with hundreds of other vessels. Admiral Dresher stands from her seat at the bridge to address her crew and fleet via holo-comm, "All personnel of the Alliance 1st Assault Fleet, today is the day we make history. Before this day, no military had ever dared launch a campaign into turian space. We are not just any civilization, however. We are the Sith Alliance's army, navy, and Order of Lords. At this moment, the remnants of the enemy invasion fleet are stopped at what we assume is one of their worlds. This world will be the first conquest of the Alliance, even if we must kill every single turian soldier on it. Prepare for combat, and shall The Force be with us."

The bridge cheers as Dresher takes her seat again, Vice-Admiral Hackett takes a stand at her side, "A very inspirational speech, ma'am."

Dresher hums an uncommitted response before speaking, "Let's get the fleet moving, the longer we wait, the more likely that the enemy vessels will move on."

"At your command," he replies.

"And make certain every ship reengages their deflector shields the moment the relay launches them; I won't be giving them any chances for an ambush."

"Of course, Admiral," Hackett nods as he steps away.

Williams steps beside her as the ships maneuver into position, his face scarred, his chest riddled with cybernetics, and his posture stiff, "Let's give these thing hell Admiral."

"Of course, General," she replies with a smirk.

Within a few minutes, the Judgement of Marr cruises towards the relay, and is shot to its correspondent receiver. The other Alliance ships follow suit until the fleet arrives on the other end. Once all ships are confirmed and in formation, they blast off into hyperspace along the tracked path of the turian dreadnaught.

It takes twelve days for the failed pacification fleet to limp the Gaulium system, taking many long breaks to ease the burden of travel on their damaged vessels. During this time, Septemus seldom leaves his quarters, leaving the day-to-day affairs to Victus. The defeated Admiral stews in his frustration and anger, thinking of the many thousands of lives lost to the Sith in the battle both above and on Shanxi. He puts a gag order on all his subordinates not to disclose any information on the battle before he makes his report. When the turians at least reach the planet of Torix, Septemus sends his report to Palaven, and not long after, the Primarch himself calls directly.

"Driven back?! What do you mean, driven back?!" the Primarch shouts.

"The intel we gathered suggested that they lacked the ability the travel outside their home systems, due to a lack of Element Zero on their ships. However, it appears that they're the first race in recorded history to find a method of FTL that doesn't rely on it. A fleet of their heavy cruisers appeared in close combat range before we could react and tore us to shreds."

"That's impossible, every race uses Element Zero," the Primarch responds.

"Tell that to the thousands dead in space and on the ground thanks to bolts of concentrated plasma. Spirit's sake, they might even have swords made of the stuff."

"I'll not tolerate your outbursts," the Primarch hisses.

Septemus bolts up from his chair, "Listen here! I've lost nearly everything I had in this failure of an invasion, and I've had to deal with things that go against everything I've ever been taught about warfare. We're taught to end fights at a distance, they get their cruisers as close as possible as fast as possible. We're taught that fighters are for defensive screens, they send theirs in to pick our defenses clean before bombing us. We're taught that the biggest gun wins, they put all their power towards their damned shields and armor."

The Primarch glares at the Admiral, fury apparent even through the hologram. Septemus meets his glare with defiance and pride. After a moment, rational kicks in over emotion and the Primarch sighs, "You are correct. We flew in blind and must redouble our efforts before the Council discovers our actions. Do not think that you won't be punished severely for your failure. Get your repairs and return to Palaven at once, we will decide your fate here, and makes sure not a word of this escapes your forces to the wider galaxy. In the meantime, we will assemble a secondary force to defend the Gaulium system from any possible retaliation attacks that may come."

"Yes sir," he replies with veiled frustration.

The communication line cuts and Septemus lets out a long groan as he flops into his chair. He rubs his talons against his forehead and leans his head back. After a few minutes collecting himself, he contacts Victus over the comms.

"This is Victus."

"Commodore, what is the status of our ship repairs?"

"All critical repairs are taken care of for now, though most are only temporary fixes until we can get them to a proper drydock, though a good number will likely be scrapped for parts, it's a miracle some of them were able to make it back at all."

"And you're making certain nothing about what happened in Sith space is getting leaked?"

"As much as I reasonably can sir."

Septemus nods to himself, "Good… Very good… Commodore?"

"Yes?"

Septemus ponders his words a moment, "What do you think the Sith's next move will be and hypothetically what would you do to counter them?"

There's a pause at the other end before Victus' voice returns, "Well, we can't be entirely certain without a comprehensive understanding of their technology, however, assuming that they can crack our cyber security, they will likely follow us back here to Torix and attack our world as we did theirs. Taking into account their vindictive nature and tendencies, they will likely keep attacking us now that we've shown weakness. Like a predator that has just drawn blood.

"If you want my honest thoughts about defeating them, I'd say they'd be very slim. Depending on the resources they control, we may have fought their full might at their planet, or we only got a look at their vanguard. If it is the case that we fought a good portion of their full naval forces, then the most effective strategy may be to wear them down in a prolonged campaign that exhausts their resources and manpower until we can cut them off from their supply lines and counterattack while all their forces are away. Again though, I would need a full understanding of the capabilities of their technology to give you anything concrete."

Septemus hums, "Wouldn't it be more time effective to overwhelm them and stop their momentum before they reach too far into our systems?"

"It would sir, but, in my blunt opinion, look how well that turned out for us in the battle. That strategy may work against their light cruisers, and it is something we should utilize when engaging them in isolation. However, their heavy cruisers can sustain so much more damage than any of our ships, we'd exhaust ourselves against them before getting picked off."

"I see."

"Anything else, sir?"

"No, just get the repairs done so we can report back to Palaven," Septemus replies to his first officer.

"Yes Sir."

The disgraced admiral slumps in his chair for a while after his conversation. For the space of a few hours, he meanders, paces, and dawdles around his chambers as the fleet continues its repairs. It is in one of these meaningless moments that the alarms blare and Septemus is summoned back to the bridge. He runs through the ship and to the command deck where he witnesses the emergency for himself, Sith ships emerging from nowhere and surrounding him and his forces. Before any orders could be given, the Sith are in knife fighting range, where his dreadnaught is useless.

The Sith then open fire on the cruisers and frigates that remained from the invasion of Shanxi. Septemus' dread increases further as over a hundred more Star Destroyers emerge from hyperspace and surround Torix, their split prongs aimed at the surface if the world. Septemus takes control of the panicking bridge.

"How did they manage to get so close to us without alerting our sensors?!"

"Their first wave just appeared around the Palaven's Hammer's position and pinned us down before we could do anything. They're in such close proximity to our ships that our main guns are useless and the sith's barriers are blocking our GUARDIAN lasers."

"Request support from the surface then!"

"We did, they're still taking time to assemble their fighters."

"Have you contacted Palaven High Command?!"

"Nothing's working sir! I think they may be jamming our long-range communications, until we are out of range of their ships, we won't be able to reach the Hierarchy."

"Then that means the people planet side are likely facing a blackout as well,"

"They're likely trying to keep this from getting out to the wider galaxy," Victus says.

"Then why aren't they attacking the Palaven's Hammer?" Septemus asks, "They have us surrounded, outnumbered, and outgunned"

His comms officer then alerts him to a hail, which he orders to be put on and Admiral Drescher appears before him via hologram, her eyes burning against him, "So, you are the disgrace that thought he could overcome the Sith Alliance, how very disappointing."

"How in the spirits' names did you savages assemble so many ships so quickly?" Septemus bites back.

"Oh, so we've been promoted from primitive to savage now?" Drescher rolls her eyes, "I'm honored that such a weak and pathetic civilization has recognized that we may not be as beneath them as they first thought."

"Answer me!"

Drescher huffs at him, "Did you sustain brain damage in our last engagement? What reason do I have to bow to your whims? Last I checked you failed to subjugate us into a client race, I currently have the stronger warships under my command, and this time you don't even have numbers on your side. You're clearly the more advanced race, you figure it out."

Septemus scrapes his talons across his chair, "Have you come solely to mock me?"

"From where I'm standing, you are the one making more of a fool out of yourself," she takes a deep breath, "I am here to deliver to you my people's response to your attack on our world. As of two Earth days ago, The Sith Alliance has declared war on the Turian Hierarchy, and unlike you creatures, we have the decency to do so before attacking one of your worlds. Personally, I believed such measures of civility too good for your kind considering you held no issue murdering our people."

Enraged he stands and points a talon at her, "Enough of your insults, sith, your kind did something irrefutably dangerous and needed to be shown your error. We are the strongest military force in the galaxy, you are just a race of upstarts with plasma weapons. What right have you to call us uncivilized?!"

Drescher's snarl returns in full force, "Do you remember the transport that tried to flee from Shanxi's orbital station when you destroyed it, the one that was defenseless save for the destroyers that sacrificed themselves in vain to save it? The one filled with our civilians that you and your kind fired upon?!"

"Do you expect me to care at this point?!" Septemus shouts at her, "I've just suffered the greatest defeat and humiliation my race has ever seen. The moment I return to Palaven, I'll be court marshaled, stripped of my rank, and executed. I've much more on my plate to even give a passing thought to the deaths of you savages!"

Admiral Dresher flares her nostrils as Hackett enters the hologram, "Admiral, the fleet is in position, and we've located several military installations on the planet."

"Thank you, Vice-Admiral," she turns glares back at the turian admiral, "You invaded us, Admiral, you murdered our people, and you wanted to bind us to your will like a damned servant. If you feel no remorse for your deeds, then I have nothing more to say to you. Go crawl back to your masters and tell them that they can expect us on Palaven very soon."

She turns to the side, "Begin the initial bombardment."

At her order, the scores of Star Destroyers fire upon the planet. Plasma rips through the atmosphere and tears into the planet's surface. Destruction rains down upon military outposts and airfields killing thousands in the assault. To the terrified and panicking sentients on the planet, it is as if Hell has come to Torix. The reality is not too far off.

The Star Destroyers surrounding the Palaven's Hammer and her escorts break formation, allowing the dreadnaught the opportunity to flee. Septemus scoffs at that, "Do they think I will run without a fight?"

"They've left us no choice," Victus says.

Spetemus gets into Victus' face, "Withdrawing from their system was one thing, but this planet belongs to the Hierarchy, and I'll be damned if I let it go without a fight!"

"And you'll be dooming whatever force the Hierarchy is sending to fortify it!" Victus shouts back, "If we cannot get clear of this system to warn the Hierarchy, our people will be ambushed on this side of the relay and wiped out. If that happens, how many more planets can they conquer before we can stop them? We are the only ship they are leave the system, if not us, then who?!"

With uncontained frustration, Septemus orders the ship and any others capable to withdraw to the relay, realization dawning on him that he was used as a trail blazer for the Sith back to turian space.

Not a lot of action, but a whole lot of talking. I wanted to get to know the Dark Council here primarily because they are a handful of characters that will be appearing in every episode and will play large parts in the setting. What did y'all think of them? Who was your favorite? Who annoyed you a bit? I can't tell you how much back and forth there was about Malak-ing a planet for me. Ultimately I decided not to because of how I need the story to go, and I hope the debate between the Dark Lords and Ministers was enough to show why it didn't happen. That does not mean the turians are in for a gentle occupation, oh no, this planet will never be the same after the Sith are done with it. Not much more to say about that, the counter invasion will be covered in the next chapter, which is being a bear to write so expect it to take a while.

If you like my work, leave a review or comment to help me make it better, y'all are amazing. See y'all next time!