[3 BBY]
[Landing Pad, Fort Revan, Stormhaven (formerly Mokivj), New Haven System (formerly Mokivj System), Trilon Sector, Outer Rim Territories, United Federal Empire]

'Home sweet home, and the fires of war burning' I thought to myself as I stepped out of my shuttle, the weather overcast, threatening of a rainstorm on the horizon. The damaged remnants of my taskforce were in orbit, currently being scoured for any remaining signs of infestation by my personal guard while repairs were underway by support ships. Purging the Vong troops themselves had been a brutal, but relatively quick, operation after we'd retreated from, and scorched earth, the Outbound Flight. But that hadn't dealt with the entirety of their filthy biological repertoire either, and, for now, the taskforce was in a quarantine clearance mode.

Which was why the Chiss Admiral Ar'alani's remain four ships were up there with them, also being screened and repaired as the Vong had also attempted to board her flagship cruiser. Or, rather, crashed into it and then taken advantage as the battle turned against the Vong and we looked to escape their trap. Yet it offered me no great comfort as two of my Star Destroyers, the All Seeing Eye and Vibrant Viridian, had been boarded and heavily damaged in the process – along with losing a third of my screen, and including those loses over half damaged enough to need yard repairs. I'd severely underestimated the strength of the 'Far Outsiders' scouting forces…

'Something that bodes ill for many worlds if they seem to have superiority on a ship-to-ship basis' entered my mind as I salute the soldiers waiting for me, as they saluted me. Then heading towards the waiting armoured groundcar, nodding politely and thanking the female twi'lek soldier dressed as chauffer, recognising her from the scars she'd earned in the Aegis guard. Things that meant she'd never fly again…well, after the bacta treatment she could, in fact, fly, but not to level she'd have wished I recalled as I got into the vehicle. Finding the waiting Solemite form of Jurdan Ironhill, dressed in the colony's defence forces uniform, trimmed with Imperial Fleet auxiliary command symbol.

I sighed at his unhappy look, waiting till the door was secure before murmuring "Ask away"

"That bad Daron?" he asked, in that knowing way of veterans of the old Aegis Guard "Blackout protocols, and then even Comm-Silence when you arrive in orbit?"

I accepted the proffered drink, a mixture of alcohol and berry juice shaking my head unhappily "Yes, that bad Jurdan, and things will get busy here with ISA, Fleet, and…a host of others. Long story made short; we have solid proof of the Far Outsiders, and have retained good relations with the Chiss Ascendency"

"That's Daron helping with morale talk" he said back with a snort "That bad indeed?"

"Yes. I've sent a coded Omega message directly to High Command" I said after a moment, sipping the drink and sitting back with a weary sigh. Sleep had been a limited thing these past weeks "We found the Outbound Flight as we'd planned…and then discovered the Far Outsiders had access to it for however long, and then had set a trap for us"

I shook my free hand side-to-side "Technically we could consider this a success, in that their trap failed, and we now have hard data, including bodies and other samples, let alone combat data. Plus their attempts to conduct boarding actions failed, and we deprived the enemy of the Outbound Flight upon our retreat"

Jurdan let out a breath, taking a drink from his own glass, muttering "I see the problem"

"Yeah" I couldn't help but agree with an unhappy headshake, looking out the tinted windows at the colony as we passed "I destroyed the Outbound Flight without getting the data-vaults, sure we got the last few weeks bridge data, but not the temple records I wanted. Nor did the engagement prove good things. From the fact they had nothing heavier than a cruiser in the field, to the forces assigned to shipboard defence were not your standard shall we say?"

"Aye, that would be so. Braika would be very mad if it were" my old friend ran a hand through his greying hair, frowning "You'll be wanting me to review the combat data"

I shrugged "And more I'm sorry to say. This is the safest port of call that's sufficiently far to delay, and control, outside investigators. I'm reinforcing with elements of Fifth Fleet…which is going to make a mess of things elsewhere, but…"

Shrugged again, hands out in a helpless gesture "Direct orders from the emperor. Can't afford to lose what little we gained during our lost engagement"

My Lordship, the colony here, had already been industrialised due to the secret Confederate cortosis mines, and heavily militarised since I'd taken control. It was a fortress colony world per records, and the farthest one towards the Unknown Regions that served as an Imperial Fleet support hub. Retreating home after a clear effort at pursuit, at least initially, via means unknown…means that were very clearly the whatever the fuck bio-logical bugs they'd deployed and were now being purged or sampled for later analysis. With my home colony likely already on the list of targets, and our standard hidden fallbacks not accessible without revealing them, it had seemed the best spot to refit and reorganise at. If the Vong were strong enough to strike here, we were already fucked after all!

Instead, I was to secure 'my prizes' and to prepare them for inspection and redeployment by the Imperial Security Agency, Fleet Intelligence, and the various other groups involved at the highest levels of Project Phantasm. Which wasn't very many people in truth, hence the need to lockdown things – something I could do here, at home, where I was Lord of this world. Something I was doing now, even as I sent word to my wives to get the Stormcrow plus escorts back here…with the official cover that another round of troubles with the Grysk or Unknown Regions species was underway. That would be believable to our neighbouring states should they get wind of it, while certainly being enough to handle internal questions within the Imperial Senate.

"How many bodies do you have?"

"Several hundred relatively intact. Not just of enemy soldiers, but of cloned beasts perhaps, and other…things" I answered, hummed in though "No prisoners though. Fanatics the lot of them, though I think they might be suicide charges within them. It is difficult to tell, as they are completely biological in nature. From their ships, to weapons, and I suspect even the armour was grown like bone rather than produced as we would. Even how they fought is very different; honestly, they are completely alien to us and most every species of the old Republic as best I can tell"

I'd known that, from knowledge from a lifetime before mine, but it had been deeply unpleasant experience to live it, and then have the issues arising in my mind. Not only was the New Republic morphing into a monster with every passing report, but now this threat that had seemed so far away still…was here, at least the scouts were, preparing the way for the greater invasion. Good scouts too clearly, as they understood Imperial tactics based on the battle we'd fought; a personal insult to me it felt like, after all the efforts I'd made in my life with ensuring the Empire wasn't insanely evil or Palpatine led…

'And here I get a lunatic New Republic and a more dangerous Vong. That's the Force at work I suppose' I sipped my drink, nodding at Jurdan's unhappy look "That's how I feel about the matter as well"

"So, how are we responding to this Daron? You have that overthinking things look on your face"

"It's more my; 'I'll have far too much to do in the next few months now look' actually" I retorted with a snort, then chuckling "I'll be summoned to Eriadu soon enough to brief on this, but I also have to continue dealing our Chiss guests, here, thanks to this complication. Let alone the fact my Fleet is going to need redeploying, and that'll anger various people and give me mountains of paperwork to complete"

Followed up by the obvious "In practical terms there isn't much we can do here, beyond analyse the data we've recovered and increase defensive readiness. So you'll have Braika and the others visiting for an extended period to do that. Probably an increase in numbers in my personal huscarls and the colonial defence forces if I can beg, borrow, and whatever allowances and/or support from Eriadu to do so. I shall have to talk to my wives on the matter"

"Asajj?"

"She is Dark Lady of Rattatak, but we're already fairly stretched with expansions to industry and military, and Fleet is stretched dealing with the clone armies of Skye" I murmured, shrugging unhappily "Let alone the situation in the galactic north. As I said Jurdan, there isn't much, practically, that can be done by us despite what occurred. Beyond my plans to spend time at home with family has come earlier, but for a shorter period unfortunately"

"That won't make them happy my friend" and I couldn't help but give an unhappy chuckle at his words "But, that is the…"

"Joys of command and being a noble, yes. I know" was my grumble "Foolish me in accepting such things. Do didn't think you'll be getting out any easier my friend, this place is going to a Corellian Circus of special operatives and other top secret marked idiots soon enough. People you, my responsible, veteran…"

"Ughhh, you always were the stormcrow, the bringer of conspiracies and paperwork, weren't you?" Jurdan rolled his eyes "Can't an old solemite even retire in this day and age?"

"No, like me you decided to go to war and get all fancy titles and rewards" I told him clearly "We all get to be foolish together. So, I need to know what's been going on here before that trade caravan arrives here…"