[2 BBY]
[Private Study Room, House of Wisdom, House Stormcrow Capital-class Warship Stormcrow, Taskforce Thunderclap, Fifth Fleet, Imperial Navy, in orbit Eriadu, Eriadu System, Seswenna Sector, Outer Rim Territories, United Federal Empire]

"Back in uniform again Rahm?" I asked as my fellow Force Sect Leader, and now, once more, fellow Admiral of the Imperial Navy, came to sit across from me, rising to shake hands. The other Jedi, his hair grey but neatly trimmed, sighed at my words "I thought you were retired for good from all that business"

"You know damned well why I am being appointed Daron"

I gave a bemused smile "Aye, and better you than me!"

Rahm Kota let out a snort "Heh…as if they'd send you anywhere near the Trade Federation"

Which was completely true of course. I, and my allies from decades past, had formed from groups like Executive Security Solutions and other mercenary forces whose job had been to fight the Trade Federation and its proxies. And that was before the Battle of Geonosis and the start of the Clone Wars and Fall of the Galactic Republic. So sending me, or Asajj, who'd been Dooku's hatchet-woman before changing sides, would be up there in the insulting enough to scupper diplomatic relations. Very badly needed diplomatic relations, but also one needing the blunt problem of Force Users to be dealt with, not just the new Sixth Fleet being formed to support operations from the Bothans to the Trade Federation 'Allied Regions'.

Really it was a deal designed for the immediate threat of the New Republic by forming 'one state', but also with protections in place long enough that we'd all be long dead by the time every provision was met and everything properly integrated. But, right now, it was a military and economic alliance, but also one that opened doors for Force Users in the Trade Federation which had been a…shoot on sight star nation for Jedi-like groups up till only a few years ago. Oh, they'd claimed otherwise, but there were likely only a handful of Force Users in the Trade Federation, and none of them would be Official Anything in Federation terms. So, some avoiding of mad Darksider criminals skipping out from Imperial territory to now sort-of-Imperial territory was to be avoided, if possible.

So I gave a smile, a sigh, sitting back into my chair in the library-study room, surrounded by printed tomes of older sects "Oh, that would be inadvisable. Though I was always the most sympathetic to their, well, the Separatist, talking points all those years ago. If they hadn't been led by such….well, scum, back then, I think people might have been more willing to listen to those talking points"

"Perhaps, all is so much clearer to see from the advantages of hindsight" the old human said rest back as well, for it was a moot point, one that was lost to history now, even if Darth Sidious hadn't been manipulating things in the background. The Galactic Republic had been doomed for the same the reason the New Republic was intent upon its current madness; such was the nature of the galaxy and sentients desires "Still, such actions mean I am summoned back to this task, and away from my other tasks as Grandmaster"

"I'm sure you'll manage" I disagreed mildly "I have had to, though the true concern is how quickly the reconquest of the north is going, and the Far Outsiders appearances of late"

"Forceless abominations…." Rahm Kota trailed off, shaking his head "I remember Outbound Flight and some of those aboard…."

He paused looking at me "They were experimenting on the wreck?"

"As best I can tell. These Far Outsiders had access, and successfully did it under the nose of the Chiss Ascendency, for years at the very least" I answered unhappily, hands on armrests "Even the fact we know, to some degree, they are extra-galactic and coming from the galactic north direction probably, but…"

"But the New Republic Navy are curving around Ord Mantell, and the Confederate Fleet is pushing aggressively Spinward from Telos beyond hyperlanes"

I could only nod unhappily "Aye. The Confederates are crippling the northern defences, and this pact with Nouane and other states at the edge of the Trade Federation is less a sign of great success than those minor powers have lost faith in active resistance. It's been just over a year now, and we had hoped it would be several before a conquest could be achieved. Now…that seems unlikely, and even if the NRN are stalled we're still going to lose much of the watch-stations established through Ex-Gal"

Outright conquest of various hard pockets of resistance, such as the droid forces at Mygeeto, or the great fortress systems like Ord Mantell or Muunilinist, was likely to take much longer. And much cost in blood and iron but losing the watching network was something that was concerning as the Confederates were pushing outwards aggressively. The battle at the Outbound Flight had been a wake-up call for me, and the fact we hadn't located the main body of the Vong fleet was…worrying me. Especially since said Yuuzhan Vong were proving far more active than my memories of another time indicated they should be, and the New Republic was growing progressively crazier and more totalitarian with each passing month.

"I doubt they'll get to hold it long" Rahm Kota said back, and I frowned at him questioningly "The Confederacy"

"Ah" I murmured, then gave a nod "Aye, you are likely correct in that. The New Republic are not to be trusted, and I'm befuddled that the Confederate Parliament cannot see that fact. Especially when their military clearly can"

I'd read the communications intercepts after all. The Confederate Fleet in the galactic north was getting, and was going to be even if everything went smoothly, badly over-extended in the next year or two should they succeed. They couldn't afford to transfer from the galactic south thanks to us, and yet…despite our best efforts, and the Bothans and Federationists, the Confederate Parliament continued to push for an expansion to match the New Republic's. Oh, they were sending aid to help resist the New Republic, but it was a pittance compared others, and nowhere near enough to counterbalance what was being lost to their advances. And that was where that 'aid' wasn't simply any attempt to buy control of various planetary governments into accepting readmittance to the Confederacy.

Rahm Kota had a wan smile on his face "Ah, how different to the old Republic Senate and how it treated the Jedi and Judiciary?"

I sighed, nodded. Yeah, that was very true…

Let the other, older, Force User continue, to answer his own question as well expand upon it "Exactly, that is the nature of things sometimes, as we learned to our own misfortune. They are unlikely to stop, and when they are winning, as they believe they are…then there is no reason to stop in the minds of citizens for the Confederate forces to stop, now is there?"

"No, not when they can take it" I agreed, shaking my head "The trouble is in the holding of it…and in the troubles it creates for us"

"Rarely does the enemy do what we want" Rahm Kota argued back, and I nodded as he continued, for, unfortunate as it was, it was true "Nor do we have sufficient proof to risk breaching secrecy over the Far Outsiders"

I shrugged, then frowned "Even then….such as our neighbours might take advantage of it, and argue, wrongly, that it solely our battle. Till we locate their main strength, in this galaxy or beyond, then…."

"Silence is our only choice. Just as it was for the Council" Rahm Kota let out a weary sigh "We truly need to interview Master Yoda"

"Well, don't enrage the Neimodians by trying to do so. We've opened channels to him, just I have Knight Tano aboard for you to meet later" I nodded to him "Time, just…patience is all we can achieve here"

'And I'm not having Yoda march back in here and causing friction with his old ways' I didn't have to say either, as the old Jedi Order was broken within the Empire, and that was a good thing from most positions. The last thing anyone needed was another round of chaos with Force User Sects just as we had to confront the insanity of the New Jedi Order. I doubted the old Grandmaster would be so, but many former Jedi did fear such, so I had to adopt that position since most of those radicals were with me, or associated with those still settling upon Solem as Jedi rather than directly with my House of Wisdom Sect. That and I suspected we knew basically everything the old Council knew baring what the old Master of Shadows would have known…and they were gone now. Just like the old Council's Forbidden Records were.

"Hmm, patience, just as you are patiently rallying support on the border?"

I shrugged "We have to, after Skye, then my debacle with the Far Outsiders….weakness invites attack, and our recent victories have left me a repeat of the Clone Armies to deal with. Yet I've been on the Druckenwell border, off into the Unknown Regions, and now here, above Eriadu for a vote…"

I let out an exasperated sigh "I know, you have been just as stretched, tis just frustrating. It just feels as if…"

"We are war once again?" Rahm stated, and I nodded.

"Aye, that"

"The shots have not been fired, but at war we are" the other Admiral said back "All the pieces are being laid upon the board. If we were stronger, in a stronger position, with better logistics…but are not"

'If we were stronger, we'd have struck at the NRN directly in the galactic north rather than just via mercenaries, or at the CIS' I silently agreed, giving a sad nod, hand reaching up to my chin "Not yet. That shall be your unfortunate task then in ensuring our…mercenary forces…are adequately supported, and they have the escape route needed at the end of the conflict"

Because many of those officers, ensigns, and support groups would be inducted into the Imperial Fleet soon afterwards. We had new Star Destroyers and hordes of escorts replacing our older equipment, the decade of yard expansion having borne fruit at long last. When war came, with the New Republic, with the Vong, I intended for us to win it….