[19 BBY]

[Executive Security Solutions City-ship/Capital-class Warship Stormcrow {II}, Republic Third Fleet 'Army of Light', In Hyperspace, On route the Cmaoli Di System, Brema Sector, Outer Rim Territories]

"I am still amazed that the Chancellor was a Sith Lord, and nobody noticed. He seemed so...weak? Harmless?" Asajj told me as she stood beside me on the bridge of the Stormcrow, watching the large cavern like room filled with crew and holographic tactical displays. I shrugged, standing with arms followed across my chest as our reformed battle-group, now fully fledged fleet, travelled towards the 'frontier' with the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

"Yes, much as I dislike the man, he is certainly competent and not to be underestimated despite recent setbacks to his masterplan. He got very, very, close to complete victory, before that, which is probably he had the likes of Maul and Dooku running about the nice visible threats while he played at being the kindly old Chancellor who everyone forced all those responsibilities upon. Not that that many will ever believe that I imagine...Religious Persecution, I should have thought of that angle..." I glanced at her "...anyway, you've known this since Mother Talzin and Darth Maul told me, you were there after all"

She nodded "True, but is another thing to see...he has destroyed the Jedi Order"

I hummed in thought, shaking my head "Perhaps the Temple, and many surviving Jedi will turn Dark Jedi in time as well, but the Jedi Order tends to be like cockroaches in being very hard to exterminate. There have been several Jedi Purges before, and this giant disaster area called the Galactic Republic will eventually find some accommodation with the survivors. The key is ensuring that a) our side wins, and b) that no more Jedi ruling over everything like little Force Users own personal Dictators. Palpatine came damn close with Order Sixty-Six, and that's after giving warning to the Council"

"I still do no truly follow why you desire them to survive, your...friends...within perhaps, but the Jedi Order. They are threat, now, even in their broken state"

"Hmm...it's difficult to explain, but there is a Balance to be maintained, of a sort at least. The Sith have always blinded themselves to defeating the Jedi, and every time they fail. Oh, they often succeed in the short term..." I nodded at the galaxy map "...but then they screw up the victory in the decades, hells often years, which follow after that victory. You've read the historical documents I gave you? Delusions of power, over-indulgence in the Dark Side, and the backlash comes. In that regards the Nightsisters have it right; your tribe did not war upon the Light Side witches of Dathomir seeking to exterminate them...because that would be stupid, throwing off much of the world's equilibrium in the Force"

Asajj cocked her head to her side a fraction, then shaking it "My sisters would likely argue that it would be because they are not worth slaying"

"Please, power shifts but there hasn't been any of the Jedi-Sith murder-on-sight Light-Dark thing despite the whole wars and others conflicts over the generations. I can live with a bunch of Light Side Monks as long as they aren't trying to arrest the rest of us for heresy, and even better don't have that power. There also very useful to have to clean up all the messes that imbeciles who Fall to the Dark Side and shit the bed afterwards as they cackle insanely while torturing puppies with Force Lightning. You *know* the type exists, and in Fallen Jedi...well, they often Fall hard"

She sighed "Yes, I admit that are many such weaklings out there"

"Uh-huh, there are indeed..." I replied turning back to focus on the tactical displays "...though I think all the glorious future plans require us to actually get to that point, alive and in some position of power. This means fighting, winning, or at least avoiding defeat in, the coming conflict and all that it entails"

"They will strike, without Dooku to guide them, Dua Ningo at the least..."

I nodded as Asajj trailed off "I happen to agree, the Confederates are clearly probing our outermost patrol areas, and the Sullustan will want to liberate Sullust. More importantly Grand Moff Tarkin agrees with you, and why we're heading out here. By all accounts Dua Ningo is on the move and this one of the hyperlanes home"

Sullust was...odd in that it had been a firmly Confederate world at the start of the war, and a long time rival of Eriadu regionally, but they'd had little trouble finding support to swear to merry band in this 'Conclave' or 'Assembly' back on Eriadu. Sure the Tarkins were human supremacists, or at the very least humano-centric, they were very clearly politically minded about achieving their interests. Shipyards were up and running, being pragmatic was ruling over any speciesism, and it wasn't hard to get cooperation;- not when much of the Separatist demands were being met by the nature of the rapidly thrown together quasi-Senate and trade bloc.

Intercepts indicated much of the Confederate command structure wanted to just do nothing, but with things as they were it wasn't surprising someone deciding to press an attack was likely. The Republic was fracturing, visibly so, and we'd rather publically told the Separatists where they could shove their demands so we were a 'reasonable' test bed attack I suspected. The Clone Legions might be getting pulped where they were isolated by 'loyalist' forces, or rallying to Kuat and other 'Chancellorist' worlds, but Republic border forces were still, seemingly, concentrated and battle-ready opposite the Confederacy and Mandalorians.

'Of course they are...easier to focus on staring down the enemy in front of you than turning on friends of differing opinions' I thought studying the known Galactic deployment map. Large swathes of the GAR were only nominally loyal to the junta on Coruscant, but there was no way in the nine hells they'd be any use putting down internal dissent, or fighting Jedi or the Supreme Chancellor. If the Confederates were smart, and patient, they'd wait and let that quasi-unity dissolve while the focused on the Mandalorians, but their public was so certain they'd won and that worlds just waited to be liberated. I tapped my chin; it was just a matter of waiting for the hammer to fall and start the avalanche...

--

[19 BBY]

[Hidden Location, Deep Underground, Belsavis, Belsavis System, Bozhnee Sector, Outer Rim Territories]

Shaak Ti was in pain, silent, phantom pain, that had nothing to do with the travesty in the Force taking place before her eyes as the ancient horror before her whirred and rumbled as she stood with the 'loyal crew' of the mad Sith she'd been enslaved by. For once her 'Master' wasn't said ancient horror as the hologram of the...whatever it was...stood silent, watching, listening, waiting...

Calling the inhabitants of this world her children, it was enough to make Shaak Ti shiver. How long had this thing been unshackled? How long had it been hidden from the eyes of the Republic and the Order, creating life itself?

...which brought back the crushing weight of her pain. The Temple destroyed, the Order broken and scattered with the Supreme Chancellor publically revealed as an immensely powerful Sith Lord. One who had almost succeeded in wiping out all Jedi and seizing control of the Republic under her very nose. She had guarded the man, saved his life...

'Would that I had failed!' she almost shouted to herself mentally, then calming with effort. Darth Imperious had just *looked* at her at that revelation, before going on a mild rant about what the Force was wrong with the 'modern Jedi Order' and 'In My Day!' to her. Crushingly she could find little fault in the failures she had been a part of; so badly they had failed that the non-Sith controlled parts of the Republic were calling for the arrest of all Jedi till they proved their loyalty. Worse she was so near to freedom...yet so far as the fast freighter supplied by the Hutts snuck through the hyperlanes under the control of GAR-South to whatever world they were now upon...

Her attention snapped back into place as the 'Great Mother Machine' hissed and almost gasped as the second chamber that had descended opened up, the power of her 'Master' reigniting and washing over her. There, yet different than before as the now weak Force presence of the body the Ghost possessed, an Artel Darc, remained where it had entered the other 'life' chamber as the thing called it. Gases swirled out as a red skinned humanoid stepped out...a Sith, a true Sith, grinning as he strode forward to look down on them, hands coming to rest on his hips. The irritanting Twi'lek crew-woman whistled happily, giving a double thumbs up gesture as Shaak Ti brought her hand up to the bridge of her nose and rubbed at as the Sith spoke.

"Minions! Ohhh...that's better, I sound like me! MINIONS! Heh Heh, Minions. Good to see you all in my own body once again! Bow before Darth Imperious!"

Shaak Ti groaned "First, somebody please give him some Force damned pants!"

"Hmph? Oh, yeah, forgot that..." the first ancient horror muttered absentminded reaching out with the Force and, thank the Force, pulling robes towards himself as he turned to the other ancient horror "Love me and leave me eh Ashaa? Not even a pair of robes?"

"I am unsure such would fit your ego Lord Kallig"

"Heh! You've learned sarcasm! Good on you, that's why you're the best Mama Machine!"

"I am the only Mother Machine..."

Shaak Ti ignored the creepy banter between ancient horrors as the Sith threw on the robe, gesturing at the Twi'lek and Trandoshan "...oh, and someone grab Artel, he's going to be out for...yeah a while after I drained him to be reborn. But he's alive, so hurray for that I guess"

Then hummed to himself, stretching his arms as he strode towards Shaak Ti as two of the crew did as reborn Sith commanded "Well Apprentice! Back in the saddle, time to go save the galaxy from...itself basically, and possibly alien horrors from BEYOND THE GREAT BARRIER!!"

She sighed wearily, rubbing at the headache distracting from the other pain "Do you just love the sound of your own voice Master"

The Sith grinned back, smirked really "Yes, Yes I do...I shall be doing a lot of it in the future Apprentice! Yes indeed! But first we must plot my first move to restore the Empire! First I think we shall save Mon Calamari, according to the Tour Guide it has so many attractions, and Xalek had such interesting things to say about his people as well"

'Ughhhhhh' was her primary thought as the aggravation returned as she forced herself calm, serene "You are...planning your moves off a Good Foods of the Galaxy Tour Guide? And on Mon Calamari remains free and untroubled"

"Right now it is, but by the time we get back to the refitted flagship I imagine that'll change!" he chirped happily "And, No...not just that guide, it and the Howling Hutts Guide to the Galaxy for Idiots! Why apparently they've got the best seafood in that Sector, along with friendly people, a proud history, and extensive shipyards! What's not to love!"

He gestured and Shaak Ti followed obediently with the others "Now Onwards My Loyal Crew! Murder and Mayhem Await!"

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