[17 BBY]

[Personal Bedroom, Personal Deck of Moff Daron Stormcrow, Eriadu Authority Capital-class Warship Stormcrow, Republic 5th Fleet, Naboo System, Chommell Sector, Mid Rim]

Bariss half-slept, looking ravishing as she lay there, but had half-sleepily waved me away after we'd kissed and another 'day' had begun for me. My fault, she was spent, and I'd had energy to burn…till I didn't, and now sleep had restored some of it to me, Bariss feeling of amused annoyance to me as I stole another kiss. Then getting swatted away sleepily as I ran a hand over her body, her rolling unto her side away from me, mumbling about sleeping and my going to work. She was right, and I was just teasing as I stood up under the stars, images projected inside from the outer sensors. It was very beautiful despite all the wrecked ships out there, and the damage the planet had taken.

But…she was right, my time had come, and war waited for no Solemite, certainly not when my new Apprentice's amusement and eagerness sang through our Force Bond. The result of her desire to know more, and then the need to change the future as requirements had been fulfilled. Surprisingly, but they had been, and I knew Asajj on a level beyond any other, even my Bariss here. Embracing the Lord in her heart as it were….or perhaps it was that she had accepted War into her heart as the Force had been bent to Our Will in that moment in time. Now I was not alone in that regard, another secret known, another mind protected with defences unlike any other.

For now…I cleaned myself in the fresher before dressing in the uniform that represented the Republic that had betrayed me in many ways, just as I had been forced to betray it to save something of its ideals in the days to come. Seeing through the visions…through each other…the futures that might have been, and no longer would be…

The Galactic Republic as it had been was dead, and the Dark Side was Ascendant. Failure was always hard to face after all, and all that could be done now was for War to come. Oh, there would be peace, often length peace, but…not the peace that had been, but worlds would burn, where chaos reigned. Though the lack of the Galactic Empire meant that the scales of death would balance differently as without Palpatine this time of the Dark Side would see less drawn-out misery and organised slaughter than chaotic, creative, freedom-loving, battle slaughter. From Chaos, cometh Order…eventually.

'But first, we have to live through those dark years of chaos that lay ahead' I thought looking at Moff Daron Stormcrow looking back in his Mandalorian style armour. At myself, and what I'd become. What I was becoming, and what would have to become. All I had been able to do so far was win battles and ensure the galaxy fell to the Darkness in a more violent and chaotic manner. This battle had killed the Galactic Republic, though it had already been long dying, and the Force would fight to bring back its narrative through a mirror darkly if it could. I nodded. Time to get to work then.

"About time" Asajj greeted me at breakfast as such "Oh I may have starved in the time it took you to ravish that poor, helpless, padawan. Should I have sent Tano to rescue her? Or would she have fallen in…ah, battle, too?"

"Good day to you too Asajj" he replied as I sat, rolling my eyes "It seems you are recovered"

"Ah, mostly" she replied with a nod as we awaited a meal from my own self-built and checked droids "It was…quite the experience"

"Must you?"

She smirked "Yes, a little, I am allowed I think considering what was held back, hmm?"

I sighed, smiled wanly "Now, now, you too will be keeping secrets for a very, very, long time too you know"

"I do know, bone deep now" Asajj agreed as she looked at me "Those futures where we did not exist…"

"Will no longer be, but, yes, they were futures that would have been" I answered with honesty as our serving arrived to begin the day "But events are in motion now. I…we…are about to get dangerous attention, if we did not have it already"

So, I sighed, taking up the cutlery into hand, hungry "Which means, yes, you will be gain access to holocrons, but only on a control basis. Just as I do. Which means we will first be teaching you the rituals needed to safely engage with them. With what time we have available during the aftermath here"

Asajj nodded slowly "It's more valuable, for now, for me to ensure I have a position of authority in whatever emerges from this on Eriadu"

"In truth…yes, for both of us. For those around us" was my view on things as we talked in this shield area, protected by both wards and technology "I don't know exactly what's going to happen….but we both felt it in the Battle Meditation. The ripples from this will spread. Much as I dislike such things…we have to take advantage of what we can, have a peace if we can"

"Do you think that likely?"

I considered, then nodded after eating a bit and swallowing "It's hard to know, but I'm not sure things can keep going as they are for us, or the Confederates. I suspect we'll have a truce, largely as both of us have exhausted our forces utterly, though it could lead to a peace treaty as terms were discussed, and it would be much more palatable for the Tarkins and those around him to accept such now"

"Because we won"

I nodded "Aye, because we won and aren't retreating anymore. In fact, I suspect we, as in our fleet, might be put on raiding duty in the immediate future"

Asajj considered, eating, and then gave her own nod of agreement "Because we're one of the few intact….mostly intact, fleet formations"

"Yeah, Zsinj and Kota's fleets are shattered. Not destroyed, but it'll take time to regenerate them, same with Lucas Geen's fleet now they've sent that to reinforce the fight at Christophsis" I paused, shaking my head "In that end that leaves us and Tarkin's own fleet available to do anything in this section of the galaxy, and his fleet is going straight back to Eriadu I imagine. At least after we're finished here in-system"

The Confederates had taken far worse losses after all, and left a vast array of vessels, a few intact, many semi-intact, and some destroyed but potentially useful. All with the wreckage of hundreds of thousands of droid-fighters, starfighters, and the shattered armies on Naboo below. Our own ships were battered to all hells as well, and it'd be months before they'd be back in service, and that was without factoring in the captures such as the massive Mandator series vessels that Toth's fleet had possessed. They'd wrecked much of Rahm Kota's fleet, but we'd taken them….it just needed many, many, months of work to get them back into service I very much expected.

What state the Confederates were in…depended on how willing they were to take losses elsewhere if they redeployed fleets from other fronts. Because Kleeve's and Trench's fleets weren't going to cut it now, not with the state that they'd retreated in, and the droid-fighter and escort ship losses they'd suffered. Thanks to Magic Mountain and other sources we had a decent understanding of what the Confederates had in the galactic south, and sensor nets covered the rest. That had advanced in relatively Republic inclined systems to get to where we were after all, and that ensured we had a steady stream of intelligence beyond what my Stormcrow might be capable of monitoring.

My forces were battered badly too, but we were intact enough to raid….and we had to, even if Tarkin was ready to sign a peace treaty tomorrow. We couldn't afford to let the Confederates regroup in the short term, and right now they had numerous supply hubs that wouldn't be heavily guarded. For a short period of time they'd be panicked, disoriented, and vulnerable…even if Tarkin didn't suggest it, I would. Best to be let off the leash now and do as much damage as possible while we could than letting the opportunity slip away. At the very least it would prevent them securing their conquests and keep them off balance.

Asajj agreed with me on that "That is…true. They will be hurting after this"

"One hopes so" I murmured as we ate "You will be my aide when I meet with Grand Moff Tarkin later today. It also keeps you away from Celeste"

"Always good that, yes" she hummed in amusement "No parades, celebrations?"

"No, it's war" I replied sipping my kaff "We get those if we win…actually, more if we survive and get counted as winning the war rather than the battle. Naboo below is ruins, the human side anyway, the gungans are intact enough by didn't of better defences and being underwater, with a proper army in the way"

She gave a snort "Lucky them"

"More history, what with the Naboo trying to exterminate them in the past and learning the lesson of peace comes when you can defend yourself and remind the other side you can do that" I mused, shaking my head at such things "Then Naboo became pacifists. Sucks to be them right now I suppose, but that is that. No, we'll be offering aid to them and raising fresh recruits from the angry and desperate for vengeance survivors. Also, playing nice with the Jedi under Rahm Kota"

"You know, with the Sith revelation…"

I shook my head "Means nothing. We need a stable part of the galaxy, and making sure the Jedi Order that emerges is, at the very least, tolerable. Just as we've shown what a proper force of Force Users can do in battle"

She looked "What you can do"

"Yes" I murmured, sighed "Yes, very much so, it's a bargaining chip and I plan to use it, and, no, it's not something that's going to get easily trained at. If at all, it's a temperament and belief thing so much as simply being strong in the Force. Though we have other training to do with others"

"Karis and Naa'leth"

"Yes"

She was fine with that "Others will come, after this"

I could only nod, a little unhappily I'll admit "Oh, yes, I'd expect so. Which is what is what we're going to talk to the Grand Moff about now he's got an up close and personal view of what the Force can do…."

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