"And I looked as He opened the sixth seal, and behold there was a great earthquake. And the sun became as back as sackcloth, and the moon became as blood. And the seas boiled, and the skies fell."
- Revelation 7:12
Star Wars: The Jedi and the Mandalorian: Empire At War
Chapter 1- Long Live The Empire
Premise: As war looms overhead, the Empire sends its best to prepare.
Since ancient times, before the rise of the Republic, or the war with the Sith, Coruscant stood at the foothold of galactic affairs. Its planet-wide megapolis was often claimed to be the ancient homeworld of humans, serving as one of the founding members of the Old Republic and as the headquarters for over 25,000 years. The planet has since been at the forefront of galactic history, from the rise and defeat of the Sith, to the Mandalorian Wars. From the fall of the Old Republic, to the age of the High Republic. Coruscant, no matter how far from war or conflict, was still in the thick of it, and soon to be once more.
The subsequent Clone Wars and mass corruption of the Republic by the Sith under the grand plan ushered by Darth Bane over 1,000 years ago finally came to fruition. Which led to the rise of the new Galactic Empire in its place. Through manipulation, the Jedi were all but wiped out, rendering their Order in only the double digits. From the Core Worlds to the Mid Rim, from Wild Space to the Outer Rim, Imperial flags reigned across the galaxy. Legions of Imperial Stormtroopers marched across star systems bringing order in the name of their Emperor, Sheev Palpatine.
Yet not all hope was lost, as not everyone wished to obey the Emperor's rule. An alliance of rebel forces have banded together to combat the threat of Imperial rule. But the Empire wishes to do the same.
Floating in orbit over Coruscant, the Imperial Starfleet stood in defense of the galactic capital. Dozens upon dozens of Imperial-class Star Destroyers with their respective command ships, supported by the few remaining Venator-class Star Destroyers left from the Clone Wars. One such Imperial Star Destroyer stood out from the rest. Its hull had the imprint of some creature embedded on it. Its appearance made it seem that the creature was wrapping itself around the ship.
The ISD Chimera was the flagship of the Imperial 7th Fleet. This fleet was often tasked with missions in the Outer Rim, and to some extent the Unknown Regions, the most mysterious and uncharted section of the galaxy. Only now was the Chimera and its fleets called back to Coruscant for new orders, awaiting the return of its Admiral.
A Lambda-class shuttle flew from the surface of Coruscant flanked by two TIE Fighters. Their dual ion engines roared like banshees screaming in the night as they escorted the shuttle towards the Chimera. From the cockpit of the shuttle, one of the pilots opened communications with the Star Destroyer.
"Shuttle S197 to Chimera, we're starting our approach, requisition permission to land, over?" the pilot requested
It didn't take long for the Chimera to respond, "Permission will be permitted until proper clearance codes are transmitted, standby." the officer on the other end replied. The pilot proceeded to send the codes he was given for safe entry. After a minute or so, the officer responded.
"You are cleared to proceed, start your approach."
The shuttle then made its way towards the Chimera's lower hangar, as its TIE Fighter escort broke off from its escort and back down towards Coruscant.
A lone Imperial officer walked down one of the Chimera's corridors. He was an older man in his sixties, his skin fair, eyes blue, his hair gray, and a mustache across his face. His demeanor was one of professionalism and duty, no doubt picked up from his years of service. Like many officers in the Imperial Navy, his uniform was the standard gray, his cap was in his black-gloved hands behind his back as he walked. The rank plaque on his chest indicated his rank as a captain.
The officer continued his way down the corridor until he heard the presence of someone behind him. Turning around he noticed nothing until he looked up and saw a gray humanoid creature hanging from the ceiling. He was startled quite a bit as it dropped to the ground. Its gray eyes looked up at the man as it smiled.
"Captain Pellaeon." the creature greeted him
Pellaeon however was far from pleased, "Blasted Rukh, what in the blazes do you think you're doing?"
My job." Rukh retorted, "Come, it is not best to keep the Governor waiting."
Pellaeon furrowed his eyebrow as he watched Rukh walk off towards the hangar, "That we can agree upon."
Donning his cap, the two continued their way down the corridor, passing by the occasional officer, squad of stormtroopers, or a mouse droid before arriving at the hangar. A woman stood waiting for them. Her own Imperial uniform displayed her rank as a Moff, a governor of an Imperial sector. Her hair was black and cut short, while her demeanor was quite sadistic.
"You're late." she boldly chaized them both
Pellaeon wasn't one to back down however, "Late is not an option when I'm in command of the Chimera, Governor."
"Perhaps." she retorted, "But that is up for the Grand Admiral to decide."
The three then entered the lower hanger, a large and spacious room capable of holding TIE Fighters for quick deployment. They arrived just as the shuttle landed, a line of stormtroopers had gathered and stood at attention. One of the troopers stood out from them all, wearing jumptrooper armor with gold shoulderplates and red markings on his chest.
The ramp of the shuttle then lowered as a figure clad in black armor and a cap walked down from the ship, while his face was covered by a helmet. Both Pellaeon and the Governor recognized the figure as a member of the Inquisitorious, a highly secret Imperial division led by Darth Vader to hunt down the remaining Jedi. The Inquisitor was then followed by a man in an officer uniform, his rank held the title pof Grand Moff. He was slightly shorter and older than Pellaeon, but his demeanor was more serious, as if he were wasting precious time. Both men stopped at the bottom of the ramp and looked back up to wait for the last passenger.
One last officer exited the shuttle, flanked by two Death Troopers. He was taller than anyone else in the hangar. His hands behind his back as he walked slowly yet with precision, an act that gave off an aura of command and authority. His demeanor was ever neutral and analytical, showing little to no emotion. Unlike the gray uniforms worn by most officers, this guy's uniform was white with a pair of gold epaulets on his shoulders HIs rank plaque displayed his own rank, that being the rank of Grand Admiral. While appearing to be human, he was obviously not, given his blue skin and red eyes. HIs hair was a blueish matte black and cut short and slick.
He lead his two guards and guests from the shuttle and down the line of stormtroopers before arriving at the end to Pellaeon and the others.
"Captain Pellaeon." he greeted his subordinate in a calm and emotionless voice
"Grand Admiral." Pellaeon replied cordially, "Welcome back sir, I assume your presence on Coruscant was informative."
"Indeed it was Captain." the Grand Admiral answered until the old Grand Moff addressed them both. His tone was rather impatient, "If I may be so blunt Admiral Thrawn, but might I suggest we proceed with our meeting?"
Thrawn then turned to him, "You're quite right, Governor Tarkin. We shall proceed at once."
The cabal of Imperial personnel then left the hangar and convened in Thrawn's office on the Chimera. It was rather spacious and decorative for an Imperial officer's office space. Two stylised chimera's adorned the back wall, paintings of various artwork depicting battles were seen along with statues. One such display was Twi'lek in origin. The biggest piece was actually a slab of concrete from the side of a building that displayed the image of a purple starbird.
"The Emperor has grown increasingly worried at the current state of the galaxy." Tarkin addressed the group in a rather condescending tone, "War is on the horizon, the Rebel Alliance has grown only in strength. Despite Governor Pryce here locking down her own home planet of Lothal and the destruction of Phoenix Squadron in the Attollon System, the insurgents have only been invigorated. "Your actions have made time an ally of the Rebellion."
Pryce frowned in displeasure, "You can blame Agent Kallus for such matters. That traitor will pay for his betrayal."
"Agent Kallus' defection to the Rebellion was an…unfortunate revelation." Thrawn stated, "Nevertheless we must move on from such matters."
"I agree." Pellaeon added, "This bickering is pointless. We must regroup and plan a new course of action, before more lives are lost."
"Agreed." Tarkin continued, "Which is why the Emperor has personally requested the 7th Fleet for such a matter. The Imperial Security Bureau has intercepted encrypted reports of Rebel spies conducting investigations into the Grand Admiral's personal backyard: the Unknown Regions."
That got everyone's attention. Everyone in the galaxy knew that the Unknown Regions were unknown for a reason. Only a select few knew how to navigate it, one of them being Thrawn himself.
"They wouldn't dare…" Pryce muttered
"Secret Rebel hyperspace lanes will be troublesome." Pellaeon added, "They will be undetectable and could strike anywhere."
Tarkn was quite pleased to see them all understand, even if he didn't show it openly, "That is why we must act accordingly. Before such an aspect becomes a frightening reality."
Rukh, who was being silent the entire time, made his way over to the Inquisitor standing in the corner. The noghri sniffed him as the armored figure stared down at him blankly.
"Why is he here then?" Rukh then asked, regarding the Inquisitor's presence
Thrawn proceeded to stand up from his seat and went across the room to the Twi'lek artifact. Picking it up he began to examine its design.
"Marrok's skills be beneficial to our cause, Rukh." he explained, "The encrypted message mentioned name a great many times. One that I hold at the highest of respect and one you are all familiar with. A certain pilot in the Rebellion: Hera Syndulla. With her seemingly involved, I speculate that it only means we will be dealing with adversaries allied to Syndulla…Jedi."
Thrawn then returned to his desk and activated the holoprojector. An Imperial wanted poster materialized, depicting that of a boy in his teens with bluish black hair, light copper skin, and electric blue eyes.
Pryce growled at the image, "Bridger…"
"Lieutenant Commander Ezra Bridger of Phoenix Squadron." Thrawn said, "Former con artist turned Rebel, and Jedi Padawan to Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus. Reports say he disappeared following Phoenix Squadron's destruction over Attollon alongside the Mandalorian Sabine Wren before reappearing as part of the now larger Rebellion. He was last seen four months ago on a failed mission to the planet Garrel."
"He is most likey dead then perhaps." Pellaeon suggested
"Knowing Bridger, he makes things difficult." Pryce said to him, "I nearly had his friend Wren in my custody at the Skystrike Academy until Bridger intervened. That Jedi scum has been a thorn long enough."
Tarkin then addressed them all, "It is the Empire's duty to bring order to the galaxy. Preventing war is our duty. The Jedi are no more, and soon the Rebellion. Make sure of it."
Tarkin then made his way for the door, not even bothering to alt them in respect. He stopped just as the doors opened though and turned back to face Thrawn, "Long Live the Empire."
The Grand Moff then left the room as Thrawn stood firmly in place.
"Long Live the Empire."
Next on Empire At War...
Chapter 2 - Solitude