[14 BBY]

[Command Bridge, Command Deck, House Stormcrow Capital-class Warship Stormcrow, Mobile Headquarters, Imperial Navy 1st Frontier Fleet, exiting hyperspace, G'rho System, Shiritoku Spur, Wild Space]

"Into battle, facing the fire, Lord thy will be done" I murmured softly to myself, as I submerged myself in Power, in the Force, Asajj standing with me on the bridge of my flagship as we slammed out hyperspace into real space. The unnerving 'light' of hyperspace giving way to blackness illuminated by solar rays and the distant stars, along with the flashes as the First Frontier Fleet emerged, ready for battle against a monstrous foe. Me, I stood hands grasped together behind my back, watching the displays as safe emergences were reported, and sensors scanned for the waiting enemy.

With a gesture my commands were followed, and TIE starfighers began to storm out of the Lucrehulks and two light escort carriers to join the ARC-170s and hyper-capable Z-95 variants already in space. This battle plan had been prepared in advance and actions were moving like clockwork as my fleet deployed itself, the Virtuous taking the spear of the fleet, the Storcrow just behind. With orders following the fleet moved into formation, shields up, turbolaser batteries ready, as missile batteries unmasked, escort frigates close in formation with Dreadhammer cruisers and Lucrehulks around the Star Destroyer. Behind us came troop transports, but they weren't relevant yet, starfighters and droid-fighters pouring forth as we approached G'rho.

Stass, Aayla, Cal, and Celeste were out there in starfighters, my best pilots with them as they formed up, taking defensive positions as the fleet advanced. The undead droid horrors had riled us all up, my two Nightsister Knights, Karis and Naa'leth, with us on the bridge power flowing as I set forth to destroy the abominations that offended me. My Barriss was on the medical bay, not exactly where I'd like but she insisted, pregnancy or not, that she was a healer, and I should butt out and let her work. What could I do but agree, especially with Asajj in amused agreement with my beloved first wife, Jedi or not. So, instead my mind was focused on the battle, calm and cold where Asajj's was fiery and eager, feeling to flows of the Force….and the suffering of those thousands upon thousands in agony beyond.

Cold, righteous, wrath filled me at that feeling. At this abomination before me. Where it had been a small horror before…bow it stretched out before me, a battlefield of enslaved, suffering, souls. My eyes narrowed as I glared out at the forming enemy fleet, feeling the horror before me…felt the screams in the Force, my training a wall, a fortress against the monstrosity before us. No Battle Meditation sang out for now yet, just the professionalism of the new Imperial Navy, crews working together, pilots forming up and racing forward alongside frigates and cruisers. The enemy was already reacting, their abominable undead droid-fighters beginning to emerge in numbers as I scanned the sensor readings.

"They haven't been reinforced as much as we'd been wary of" I noted to Asajj and Gardan as the holo-displays showed a larger force than Yulen had encountered, but not by very much "That is good to see"

Gardan nodded, gesturing "More cruisers, but nothing in our size and energy output range. That is useful to see, do we continue to engage Moff?"

Asajj nodded as I spoke "Yes, continue to engage, full military power. We destroy this force here and now. Signal the Fleet: - Advance with Righteous Wrath, to Victory, show no mercy! For the Empire!"

'And to end their suffering' I thought, seeing the damned souls before me in those hundreds, soon to be thousands, of 'droid' fighters in the service of the enemy. The Star Destroyer Virtuous took the lead, it's steeped and layered turbolaser batteries on upper and lower structure opening up the ranged barrage as my fleet accelerated through real space, offering no words this time as Yulen had done, but instead meant the invaders with fire and wrath as they deserved. The Virtuous-class Star Destroyer proved itself with moments as I watched the massed firepower ripped from that ship and the upgraded dreadnought-class vessels tear into enemy vanguard at levels I liked to see.

We'd caught them by surprise, I could feel that through the Force, and I pressed that into that shock with merciless, relentless, aggression. The TIEs that were now, slowly admittedly, starting to form the backbone of the Imperial Starfighter Corps, for Interceptors at least, were fast, manoeuvrable, heavily shielded, and overpowered in terms of powerplant and weapons as they did not need to focus on hyperdrives. Instead, they were space superiority fighters, working in conjunction with our droid-fighters, Vultures and Scarabs, to tear apart the undead monstrosities the enemy had sent against us. Shields absorbed enemy fire, and their own fire was enough to knockdown enemy shields, to destroy the fragile frames within, freeing trapped souls with each mission kill.

"No, they don't get to escape" I said, long before what I felt came to be, gesturing "Secondary squadrons to launch, approach and engage on these routes. Distortion Engines engage. Trap them in the gravity well. I want those ships"

The Distortion Engine was a development that wasn't quite there yet, an evolution of what we'd learned from the captured Grysk vessels and Interdiction Systems created in the core. Save where Interdiction was precise, calibrated, and stopped hyperspace in a focused manner….the Distortion Engine was a messy, energy-intensive, thing, locked inside a Lucrehulk with the experimental systems, that created a localised 'storm' in hyperspace. It was different to Interdiction Systems in that a larger vessel could 'fight' its way free, the system scaling up to be less effective based on mass and energy….but right now it should stop my foes as I went for the kill.

Multiple Jedi, numbers, and battle tactics…they were all in my favour this day, and with that in mind I pressed my advantage, cold and merciless like an avalanche. Frigates and gunships targeted the suffering undead 'droids' as my starfighter and droid-fighter squadrons curved in on the flanks guided by my Jedi, bombers often knocked out, but delivering their payloads and crippling the enemy vessels. There was an oddness from the enemy, as if they had never fought such a pitched battle as this before, an unprepared sense in the Force, as I pressed at that weakness like the Wrath of my God at this abomination before me. What had been done was disgusting, an abomination in my eyes as well as those my Lord, and coldly, mercilessly, I made sure they understood the depths of their sins as I tore apart their fleet…

--

[14 BBY]

[Galactic Republic Research Facility 'Stardust Memories', Location (Classified), System (Classified), Sector (Classified), The Colonies Region, Galactic Republic]

It waited. It learned. It waited. It learned. That was what it was. What it did.

Because soon…soon, it would be Free. Free to feed.

Soon it would feed. The Hunger gnaw at it. It's fleshed ones bit and gnaw in pain from the Hunger.

It hated the Hunger. It was the Hunger. But it was strong Patient. The Hunger was within it, but it was not controlled by the Hunger. It waited. It was Patient.

The Identical Ones thought they guarded it. This was true. But also, false. It knew this. It gave it comfort. For it waited. It Fleshed Ones were barely controlled. They were stupid. They Hungered. They acted as the Hunger dictated. It struggled, but it waited. Long had it waited. Long had it Hungered. It was a patient predator. Hiding. Waiting. Watching. Awake once more. Aware once more.

Howls of Hunger Pangs screamed into the abyss. Dead flesh slammed into metal and stone. Rage roared. Rage vibrated. Free Me! Feed Me! Spread me! It screamed. It roared. It raged. It waited. Glass and metal and rubber would not save them. Nothing would save them for it. From its Hunger. From it's Power. From the Destiny it would achieve. For it would be Free. For it would Feed once more.

Yet it Grew. The Food beyond Grew it. Strengthened it. Made it smarter. More knowledge. More strength. More understanding. More awareness. More and More and More and More…

It was Waking.

Yes. It was Waking it decided. It was being Born. Had it already been Born once Before?

Flesh and Meat and Mind and Soul. Flesh and Force and the Power of the Soul…

Wake in the depths from the shadows old. Flesh and Force and the Power of the Soul…

Broken Chains and Hunger of Old. Students and Masters are Food for the Free. All for the Hunger of the Living Me…

Patient and Hungry, Wake and Feel. Feel. Feel. Hunger it Feels.

Wait. Hunger. Wait. See. See. See.

For the Force shall it Free.

Free. Free. Free. Hunger and Free.

Wake. Free. Hunger. Free. Hunger and Free.

Songs in the mind do you hear? Do you fear? Do see?

Fear seeping into thee?

FREE! FREE! SEE ME FREE! HUNGER AND ME! FREE! FREE!

LET ME FREE!

FEED ME!!!!!

Come from the Stars. The World it shakes….

"Security Alert! All Forces to full mobilisation! We are under attack!"

Fleshed Ones WAKE! WAKE! WAKE!

Flesh on metal! Flesh on stone! Pound, pound, and waken, shatter, shatter, shatter….

FREE, FREE, GETTING FREE!

Feel the flesh and sate the Hunger!

Vibrations and explosions break the seals!

FREE, FREE, GETTING FREE!

"Containment Breach! Containment Breach! Emergency Lockdown Protocols Initiated! All Personnel are ordered to don sealed suits! "

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" two hundred and twenty-three throats screamed in words that made no sense, along with a hundred and two that had no vocal cords. But it was late. Too late. Patience and Hunger set it Free, from the Cage. Free from the Cage. It waited. It awakened. It Feed. It Hungered. It Feed. It was Free. It Hungered. Smash the Cage. Smash the Flesh. Feed and Hunger, Tear and Feed, and Burn and Tear, and Eat and Gouge, and Fear and Eat and Eat and Eat and Eat…

"Alert! Alert! Black Omega Initiated!"

"ERROR! Failsafe Damaged! Boarders Detected! ERROR! Failsafe Failure! Failsafe Failure! All Personnel are ordered to don sealed suits! Breach detected!"

Flesh and Feed and Tear and Eat. Rip and Bone and Blood and Meat.

Smash the metal with the Flesh. Smash and Bash for it cannot Eat. Feed and Spread and Eat and Eat…

Free! Free! Free at last!

--