As dawn broke over the colony, still didn't know the name of it, on N'zoth, I stepped out onto a balcony overlooking a large courtyard nestled in the middle of the colonial citadel. There was a faint wind in the air that tickled my scalp and I could just make out the smell of ion engine exhaust in the air. The already familiar weight of my new lightsaber at my hip was supremely comforting.
Below me there was a great stamp as thousands of stormtroopers came to attention at the sight of me. I was looking down at the assembled strength of the 7,849th Legion. I could just see that some were fresh from the final fighting in the colony, smudges of mud, ash, and blaster carbon scoring defacing the snow white of their armor.
I raised my arms and felt how the bacta infused gauze pulled into the wounds on my wrist. It would be some days before the wounds healed up entirely and I suspected that I'd have a nasty set of scars for the rest of my life as a reminder. Such was the way of the Dark Side's power.
"Stormtroopers!" I cried out and felt how the assembled mass below tensed in their minds.
"The Emperor is dead!" The shout echoed off the far walls of the courtyard.
"He is dead!" I continued. "And the Empire he forged is dying!"
Despair and rage kindled in the minds of the stormtroopers below. I could feel contained rage coming from the local officers behind me. Less than the stormtroopers obviously. They're conditioning and training created a highly personal relationship between them and Palpatine.
"Rebels from the far reaches of the Outer Rim are burning a path towards the Core Worlds! Deviant alien races wage wars of extermination upon our people! The galaxy burns!" I roared.
I drew in a deep breath, allowing the last echoes of my words to fade before speaking again.
"But we are the Galactic Empire! Our great emperor gave us a mission when he ascended the throne: A safe and secure society for the galaxy!" The stormtroopers roared out their agreement. As I knew they would.
"We are being tested now my friends. But I promise you this: our Empire will emerge stronger than ever before! The rebels have only awakened a slumbering giant that will crush them into dust. We are fist of the galaxy, we are the keepers of its peace, we are its guardians!"
The cheering grew louder and out of the corner of my vision I saw the floating camera droids with the initials of the local Imperial HoloNews station on them.
"Rest assured, we are being tested now, my fellow soldiers. But we will move forward, and emerge all the stronger for our struggles. Our ten thousand years of peace will be taken back! For we have not yet begun to fight!"
I punched a fist into the air.
"Long Live the Galactic Empire!"
"Long Live the Galactic Empire!" The stormtroopers thundered back. Their chanting rose out from the colony's citadel and into the city proper. I lowered my fist and walked back into the citadel. Now if the media directors had done their job correctly and the COMPNOR public relations officers had enforced their orders properly, the crowds of colonial cities would also be shouting out their loyalty to the Empire in unison with the stormtroopers. Very good for local imperial morale after the near disaster of the Yevethan revolt.
"Fine speech my lord." General Benzenti stiffly told me as I passed him by. He fell in a step behind me, his gaggle of aides following suit.
"Just a remix of the classics." I demurred. "How are the evacuation efforts?"
"My staff have nearly finished the plans. The colonial officials will be here shortly to receive your orders."
"Good." I said. Our party walked into the citadel's command center. It was lit up by the blue holoscreens and holotables. The General and I walked over to the largest holotable in the command center. It projected a map of the ongoing purge. Tiny red and blue triangles danced across the continent, each minute tick representing a kilometer a unit had advanced, in real time thanks to the fleet's orbital supremacy.
"Brief me." I commanded, looking at the general.
"The advance has covered half the continent so far. The armored columns have eliminated or surrounded all rebel positions close to the city." Benzenti manipulated the holoprojection to zoom in on the relevant parts of the map. "Artillery companies have been deployed for strategic bombardment before we assault those positions."
"Why not use orbital bombardments from the fleet to remove those positions?" I asked.
"The artillerymen need practice."
"Continue."
He nodded. "Native refugee columns are moving away from the colony. I expect towards the planet's other non-human population centers that were spared from our opening bombardment. I have our mechanized units harrying them to encourage these aliens to stay on their current course."
I folded my arms and stared at the map. "Hmm, good. But have a TIE squadron strafe the largest ones a few times. Never put it past an alien to resort to desperate measures. I want this clean up to be done by the end of the day."
"If I may my lord?" Benzenti asked. I waved a hand errantly to signal him to go ahead. "Is it really necessary to use local forces for the evacuation? With their recent performance, I have my doubts about their ability."
By local forces the general meant the Imperial Army forces assigned to the garrison. He accepted the special attention I gave the stormtrooper legion. How to put it in the way that didn't step on toes?
"They need the chance to end this mess themselves. It will repair the damages to their confidence that this revolt inflicted." I chopped my hand through the air to cut off the General. "This is not up for debate."
"Understood my lord." Benzenti accepted. "Has High Command transmitted new orders for the garrison units?"
Now my earlier fibs were coming back to haunt me. Time to pivot.
"That's no concern for us. We have a job to do outside of this system, general." I reminded him. "We'll take on the garrison units in the transports up to the anchorage and let orders find them."
"Of course." Benzenti said. I was pleased to see that he was dropping the topic.
A menial stepped up to the holotable.
"My Lord," She said, "The delegates from the colonial government are here, as you requested."
"All of them?' I asked.
She nodded. "Yes my lord, all of them. They're waiting in conference room three on the lower level."
"Execute the rest of our offensive on this planet, general. I have complete faith in you to complete this without my direct supervision." I said to Benzenti.
"It will be done my lord. These aliens will curse the day they raised their hands against the Empire for a thousand generations."
I stalked into the conference room with purpose. Shoulders set back, back arrow straight, head drawn slightly back so that the red eye slit of my helmet was staring down at everyone in the room, cape swirling behind me. I knew I was an intimidating sight and the way the gaggle of administrators shied away from me was gratifying.
They were a mixed lot, maybe fifty strong, dressed in a variety of pale gray and white uniforms. Men and women of middle age, generally unfit from an undemanding lifestyle. I scanned the room. All had dark bags under their eyes and fresh stress lines on their faces. These were the people who had successfully shepherded the various departments, committees and neighborhoods of this colony through the crisis of the last few days.
Good for them.
I walked up to the group. They straightened up, tugging on wrinkled tunics in a vain effort to make themselves look more presentable. I saw a few of them look towards the conference table in the middle of the conference room.
"Do not bother sitting down. This will be short." I addressed the room. "Which one of you is Tolman Rizin?"
"I am." One of the older men stepped forward. His gray hair was slicked back and he was wearing a white COMPNOR uniform.
I nodded at him. "You will be commended for your leadership in this crisis."
The reports said that Tolman Rizin had assumed command of the civilians after the unified colonial command had died with Commander Paret during the first hours of the Yevethan uprising.
"I only did my duty, but I'm sure my staff will appreciate your words." Rizin replied. Surprisingly humble for a COMPNOR man.
"Indeed." I agreed with him and looked around the room again. "All of you here acted competently during the crisis that engulfed this colony, that was noted. You succeeded again in this morning's event, that has been noted."
"We are loyal servants of the Empire." Rizin said for the group. His words were met with noises of assent from his colleagues and a general nodding of heads.
"Good." I said amicably. "The Empire requires you to leave this planet."
Bewildered confusion came over the crowd. Hushed murmuring rose up as my words registered and I sensed a bubbling mess of hurt and anger start to build in the Force.
Rizin was clearly confused as well, but masked his emotions well. His face remained stoic.
"Is there another threat to the planet? COMPNOR isn't aware of any." He said.
"COMPNOR does not know all." I warned him. "But the evacuation is not due to an outside threat. The rebels are advancing and the Navy needs every ship available to combat both them and defectors from the military, the warlords like Harrsk, Delvardus and Kaine that are seizing the Rim for themselves. Simply put, it is not in the best interest of the Empire to maintain this oversector. The Black Sword Command is being summoned back to the front."
"And with them goes our protection." Rizin said glumly.
"Our economy as well!" A salt and pepper haired woman spoke up. She was clutching a worn datapad with both hands. "No jobs, no resources, no industry!"
"That's why the damages caused by the aliens aren't being repaired." The man who spoke now looked scandalized. "The public won't stand for this! It spits in the face of the principles of the New Order!"
Now that was an overstep. A wave of my hand sent the scandalized man sprawling to the floor. Those closest to him shied away, trying to avoid association now that he had been singled.
"The Empire decides what the public will stand for." I lectured the crowd, all while keeping the outspoken man pressed firmly into the floor. I felt that his pained groans helped punctuate my point. "The Empire has decided that this planet and this colony no longer serves a greater purpose. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes.." The grounded man croaked out. I dropped my hand and he was now able to stand back up.
"Where will we go?" Rizin asked, spreading his hands out plaintively. I could sense the nervousness in his mind. He did not want to be sent to another empty world and restart a life's work, not at his old age. He felt that his days of laying foundations were over. These thoughts and feelings were echoed in the other administrators in the room.
I could use fear or terror to make them pliable, what was more years of hard work and late knights to be taken into the cruel care of an Inquisitor? But I would not, it would be too much effort and counterproductive to my own goals. Because I hadn't received commands to relocate the imperial colony on N'Zoth, Yiaso hadn't been bothered to mention them at all in his commands to me. I doubted that he even knew this colony existed.
But his negligence could be used to benefit me. These men and women were true believers and they governed a city of true believers. A regal gift to the right people.
"Ottabesk." I informed Rizin. "It is a planet similar to this one in the rimward Deep Core, currently governed by COMPNOR. I have recently purged it of deserters, so you will be safe there."
My words sank into the administrators. It wasn't a glamorous new home, but it wasn't a wild planet they'd be expected to tame.
The details of the evacuation will be distributed to you by General Benzenti." I told the crowd. "Begin work immediately once you receive them. Haulers and Star Galleons from the fleet will transport you to Ottabesk. Long live the Empire."
"Long live the Empire." The administrators chorused back.
It would be a welcome gift to Major General Alimari Chigor of COMPNOR. As the highest ranking loyalist COMPNOR officer, the job of governing Ottabesk had fallen on her after Teradoc's rebels had been defeated. Tens of thousands of trained and doctrinally loyal citizens being given to her would surely keep me in high opinion with her.
Ottabesk was the most developed world in that part of the Deep Core and it rested in the middle of the bundle of worlds I had retaken from Kosh Teradoc's nascent empire during last my campaign. According to all the reports that I had been able to access, the pocket remained intact and had been somewhat reinforced with spare units from the Core Worlds in the absence of my fleet. Most importantly for me, the minor officials and officers I had made contact with during the campaign were mostly still in the positions of command I had given them. So while my overt command of the area had ended when Yiaso had tightened his chains on me, my own brand of soft power still existed.
If the winds turned against me, that pocket would be my best chance of staying alive and relevant as a warlord.
Always plan for the worst.
The hologram flickered to life as a low humming filled the room. The holoproject must not have been serviced in some time. A zabrak's head and shoulders appeared, made blue by the hologram. Ja'ce Yiaso, Grand Inquisitor. His sulfur yellow eyes, though they too were blue from the hologram, seemed to pulse. Then the enchanted stone embedded in my left forearm came to life, searing heat ripping through my flesh. My left hand convulsed wildly as the pain shook my body.
I knelt before Yiaso.
"My master." I forced the horrendous words out and the heat and pain from the stone suddenly stopped.
"Ninth Brother." The Grand Inquisitor intoned, savoring the words. "Report."
"The Black Fifteen Shipyards have been brought under my control, Grand Inquisitor. All ships berthed at the yard have been brought under my command."
"The Intimidator?" Yiaso asked, hunger in his voice.
"It was in drydocks for final outfitting after a test journey." I told him in an emotionless tone. "That means there is still work to be done across the ship, and it is still lacking its full complement of crewmen."
"Good, good. It will be trivial to staff the ship with loyal men." Yiaso's gaze sharpened. "Tell me of the other ships you've recovered."
I quickly rattled off the ship's names and classes to him.
"An acceptable start, Ninth Brother. Prepare these ships for departure to Imperial Center, so that I can begin assembling my armada."
"I have a request, Grand Inquisitor."
"Oh? Go ahead."
"The two Tector-class star destroyers in the docks, I want them to be added to my fleet." I said, my gaze still locked on the floor. "It will greatly enhance my fleet's capabilities in a straight fight. And their design is invalidated in your armada by the presence of the Intimidator."
I wanted to say more in favor of the Tectors being given to me, but held off. I had a feeling that being too weedling about this would result in me feeling the stone's burn again.
There was silence for a minute or two as Yiaso let me stew before he answered.
"Very well, consider this an investment on your continued success, Ninth Brother. When do you intend to have my ships depart for Imperial Center?"
"The current plan is for the system to be devoid of imperial ships in three days-"
"Do it in two."
I smiled beneath my helmet. "Yes, Grand Inquisitor."
"You will provide me with regular updates, Ninth Brother. I expect to know about every ship you claim for the Inquisitorius. Fail to do so, and my mercy will be withheld." Yiaso warned and after sending another jolt of searing pain through my arm, ended the transmission.
I rose up from my kneeling position and was thankful for the armored kneepads in my armor.
"How…generous of the Grand Inquisitor." I said aloud, testing a suspicion I had. "I will do everything in my power to ensure that all of his generosity is repaid in full with interest."
I looked down at my left forearm. The stone remained inert.
"Good to know." I grunted before walking up to the hologram console and punching in a new address. Then I slid my code cylinder into the console to ensure the proper high level encryptions were used for this transmission.
When the helmed face of the Ninth Sister appeared, I nodded in greeting.
"He suspects nothing in particular." I told her.
"And the stone?" She asked, the words made harsh by her helmet.
"As long as you're oblique enough with your thoughts and words, it does nothing." I replied. "He awaits the delivery of my hunt on Imperial Center but I can't say if this is due to greed or need. Is anyone in our circle still there?"
She shook her head. "We were redeployed, you were just the first one to leave. But the atmosphere at the capital continues to worsen, my contacts tell me. He may be feeling the pressure of the other ruling council members."
"I'm projected to be out here for another month, maybe even two, depending on how spread out Black Sword Command is." A lot could happen in just a month.
"Heh, he's sent me along the Ag Circuit. The rich and powerful are worrying about starving it seems." Which meant she'd be suitably isolated for the immediate future.
"So, have we made contact?" I asked.
"Have I made contact, you mean." The Ninth Sister saccharinely retorted. She was enjoying the power dynamic reversal. Women, I scoffed in my head.
"Yes, yes. Have you?"
"I have." She revealed. "He's accepting of the premise for which we approached him but the first offer was too low for him."
I scowled. "What have we used for our new offer then?"
"A favor from each of us. Anything he would want us to do. No time limit." The sharpness in her voice told me that my Ninth Sister didn't like this development either.
But what choice did any Inquisitor have these days, if they wanted to be free? A bitter swill to swallow still.
"Haha." I managed to . "I give my ascent to this deal. When can he deliver on his end?"
"As soon as I get back to him with our individual answers." She told me. Neither of us bothered to suggest that a member of our group would turn down the offer.
"Then I expect to talk with you again soon."
"Agreed." The call ended and I ejected my code cylinder from the console. Then I wiped the call history from the device.
It had been surprising that the Ninth Sister ended up being the communication lynch pin of our group of likeminded Numbered Inquisitors. It wasn't a talent that you'd think the brutish woman had. I certainly didn't.
Another reminder that everyone had depths they concealed from the world, not just me. I resolved to keep a closer eye on my Ninth Sister going forward.
Hidden talent aside, this was probably the best deal we'd be able to make in order to get these stones out of our arms.
"Why couldn't it have been Tremayne?" I complained. "Isn't he still alive?"
"Fucking Jerec!" I spat. It would be him, wouldn't it. Nothing good ever came from Jerec.
I took a deep breath.
Any port in a storm, I told myself. Any port in a storm.
And from my point of view, the chains of Jerec were looking a lot looser than the chains of Yiaso.
A/N: Daylight Savings Time is kicking my ass, but I was able to finish this up. Hope everyone enjoys it. On to monday! Bleh.