2,069Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Star Wars.
Here we are again! Hope you are all well. Thank you to those that read the last chapter and again to those that reviewed. It is appreciated!
This chapter will feature some time skips as it covers a larger period, usually these chapters cover one year but this one covers the time period between 12 BBY/ 988 ARR and 10 BBY /990 ARR.
Review Responses from the Last Chapter…
Starpottergeek - I appreciate you and your support! Bare in mind though they will be keeping the fact they have it as secret as possible. They will be studying it like you say but they will be doing that very quietly. The Kalderans were really added to the story as I wanted a faction that isn't interested in power as such, they hate everything that isn't Kalderan and want to destroy it. As you will see in this chapter there is no limit to their hate. Palpatine will make his feelings known to Tarkin in this chapter. Some of the suggestions you made have been put down for the Kalderan Fleet! So big thanks for that. The evolution of the Viper is something that will continue, I just wish we knew more on the Mark 4, 5 and 6 before we get to 7. A small ship like Osiris, it did occur to me but I have already given them stealth ships and have something else in mind later. The Underworld Alliance is fun to write and I have some things in mind for them in the future. I wanted to do something with Ahsoka and Barris as we never got closure on that story, I was really surprised it was never really addressed and to this day we don't know just what happened with Barriss. As for Ahsoka I wanted to give her a chance of happiness as she always seems to be dealing with other things. Dune was tricky but I hope it fitted well into the universe. Paul was an idiot in canon as he inadvertently caused Chani's death by treating Irulan so poorly and for little reason as she had done nothing to him. But things for him will take a turn soon. Probably won't see most of their families but Obi Wan I have something planned for. Mass Effect? I have thought about it and they might appear. No Klingons or Tholians! Sorry.
Spot on! You get to see some of the ones you mentioned in this chapter. Arc Hammer? I might have a purpose for it later. We'll see. Some of the planets you mentioned will join the story later. We might see more of Winston and the Continental we might not, I only added it as I needed underworld factions to form the alliance. Ahsoka's brother, maybe.
Another BSG story? I have two concepts but am not sure just yet.
BlackWatcher1234 - I wanted to create more factions in this story than there is in canon because one thing I think Disney fails to grasp is just how big the galaxy actually is and there is plenty of room for more to be going on at the same time. They say they want an expanded universe but they never do things happening at the same time in different places except for the tv shows and they never join up so we don't get those special crossovers like the Arrowverse used to have. You will see those characters again. The Knight Errants are still doing their thing just quietly and will emerge again in time. At this point in time, I think Galen's wife is dead and Jyn would be with Saw. But there is something planned for them in the future. PROXY? Galen was never and never will be the secret apprentice in this story so how would he get him. Qi'ra will appear, not sure about Han but I might use Lando later. Kit Fisto and Shaak Ti remain in hiding. There will be some more factions in the future but not the ones you mentioned. Sorry.
dan . lew . upg - Thanks!
End of Review Responses, more at the end of the chapter.
Year Conversions -
12 BBY/988 ARR
11 BBY/989 ARR
10 BBY/990 ARR
On with the story…
Chapter 33 - Build Up
988 ARR…
The galaxy was settling into a very unstable situation as the Rift Alliance powers solidified their own position, fortifying their borders and building up their armed forces. The New Separatist Alliance was improving on their aging fleet and army, upgrading their technology while using a stripped-down version of the old Commando Droids to replace the dated B1 Battle Droids while upgraded versions of the B2 Battle Droids were their heavy infantry. All the different states that made up the Alliance were improving their own forces, not least the newest faction the Pasdisahah Imperium which was far behind the rest and needed desperately to catch up. The faster hyperdrives were spreading this technology around their space and their infrastructure was a major priority, but the Navigator Guild which had feared it was going to be replaced by the new and better drives had found a new purpose, they could find usable routes through hyperspace better than anyone and now were forming the vanguard of deep space explorers for uncharted space.
There had been other developments, the surveillance post on Dathomir was now fully operational and keeping a close eye on several Imperial sectors, Merrin had brought lightsabers to the Force Witches and Nightsisters who used the local bloodstones as their crystals, producing a smoky red or sometimes green blade that aided in focusing their magic.
The Underworld Alliance also was flourishing now it finally had access to a supply of weapons and equipment of not just reasonable quality but also that wouldn't bankrupt them to purchase and worked reliably.
On the planet Tsevuka the development of the primitive but strong willed Tsevukans was going well, now wearing Goblin steel armour in the Mandalorian style which they had altered to fit their bodies and industrialisation was starting to take shape, they had the facilities but kept them separate around smaller settlements while many of the species remained nomadic, riding the plains of their world on their five-metre tall eight-legged mounts the Kivaroa.
They were finally ready to join the fighting which for now had calmed down but that was only for the moment, the Mandalore alongside the other dukes and duchesses had recently decided it was time to expand once again and this time it was much more targeted and a much larger scale invasion than they had mounted before even with their previous expansion.
The build up for this was taking some time especially when they wanted to keep it hidden from the Empire until they were ready to make their move and the Empire was itself dealing with Kalderan raids on their colonies.
- x -
Imperial Palace, Coruscant…
Tarkin was screaming as he was personally tortured by the Emperor, the man had used numerous techniques on him so far but now he was resorting to force lightning to take out his frustration and Tarkin was now learning firsthand how little he understood the force and how much he underestimated it.
Force Lightning was Palpatine's personal speciality, in the use of this particular power he was a true savant and knew nearly everything there was to know about it. He could make it only sting slightly or the worst pain imaginable without any danger of killing you however much you wish it would.
Tarkin was screaming at the top of his voice and had no words left to beg for his life as the Emperor punished him for all the mistakes he had made, the Kalderans first and foremost who was now becoming a major problem for the Empire as they raided Imperial and foreign outposts. The only reason that Tarkin wasn't going to be killed for this was that it had actually given Palpatine plenty of argument to increase security on certain worlds and increase military spending. Until he could ensure that the regional governors had direct control over their territories and he had no need of the senate any longer.
This carried on for a number of hours until Tarkin was carried out to spend time reflecting on his failure and his demotion, he was no longer Grand Moff of the Outer Rim Territories and Palpatine had already appointed a replacement for him and Tarkin would need to prove himself to have that particular office again.
Palpatine smirked, glad to have put the arrogant man in his place and while the man was useful it was good to remind him just who the master really was in the Empire.
H'ratth, Inner Rim…
"The Hidden Path was looking for rumours of any surviving Jedi when we learned about an anti-Jedi operation here." Kalifa told Allara as they piloted Allara's Firespray towards the planet. It was covered in lush forests, rocky mountains and deserts like many other planets.
"Any more details than that?" Allara asked, not sure exactly what 'Anti-Jedi' operation meant since it could mean many things. Kalifa could only shrug as they had no idea exactly only that a sizable force had been sent there and according to Masters Kagame and Cordova the planet had once been home to a Jedi Temple where healers were trained but it had been abandoned for centuries. They didn't even really know if the temple had anything to do with it but there had been Purge Troopers sent here that they did know and that meant Jedi.
"Great." Allara said as she piloted her ship down towards the surface, she and Kalifa both felt something in the force, a chill running through them and without even thinking Allara piloted her ship towards the mountains which was the source of the disturbance.
There was a slight plateau alongside the rocky mountain tops, the sight of Imperial Sentinel class landing craft showed them they were in the right place, they landed a short distance up the mountain before sneaking over to look at the scene.
There was no one around which was suspicious but there was no obvious reason for them to be here which confused them both but then Kalifa tilted her head slightly and saw to her astonishment that there were slight openings in the rocks that would be almost impossible to see if you weren't looking at it from the right angle.
She grabbed Allara by the shoulder and showed her just what she had noticed and both shared a look of confusion before slipping down the cliff face and with a great sense of foreboding they both slipped inside the nearest opening.
They had expected a natural cave but instead there was clearly a manmade tunnel and they crept along it, their lightsabers in hand as it seemed like a good idea right now. They slowly went on and then saw a body surrounded by others lining the passage, Purge and Stormtroopers laid dead but then they came to the body on the floor that they recognised.
"Stass Allie!" Allara said in horror as they saw the Jedi Healer lying dead nearby, Kalifa in shock herself looked at the chamber just beyond and saw even more dead bodies, many stormtroopers and purge troopers mixed in with Jedi corpses, some they recognised from the Temple on Coruscant.
"This must be one of the hidden temples Master Yoda set up for Jedi to hide in." Kalifa said with worry that one of them had been discovered! How they had managed to find it confused her and deeply worried Kalifa as if they could find one then they might find other places too.
"No kidding." Allara said looking around and saw some of her own class of Jedi among the dead that both horrified and angered her at the same time. "The force is so…twisted here; I can't feel any survivors. Do you?" She asked and Kalifa shook her head.
Then they heard a noise to their right from one of the passages, they looked at the passage it came from and lit their sabers, blue and yellow blades springing to life expect more Imperials only to be surprised when a wounded Krevaaki stumbled into the chamber, one that both of them remembered from the temple.
"Master Baas!" They both cried out and rushed over to him, he was badly injured with a large number of extreme bruises and burns covered his body. They helped prop him up against the wall and he was breathing heavily as damaged carapace cracked before their eyes due to the burns it had received.
"Too late for us, destroyed anything that could lead them to other temples." Master Baas told them obviously in great pain before pressing something into Kalifa's hand. "The Tedryn Holocron, keep it safe! Now run! Before he comes!" Baas said urgently and Allara asked him trying to remember anything she knew about his species but they were so rare she had no idea how to tend to him and given how Kalifa looked as powerless as her she assumed she didn't either. But then just what he wanted them to run from became apparent.
A loud and creepy breathing sound reached their ears and they looked over to see the dark figure of Darth Vader appear out of the shadows. They sheer cold of his presence in the force was terrifying to both of them who tried to pick up Master Baas to carry him away but the Jedi Master used his own powers to push them away, they stumbled and saw him trying to use the force to push Vader back but it only irritated Vader he grabbed the Jedi Master with the force and choked him before snapping his neck with the force.
Both Allara and Kalifa held their sabers ready, suppressing their fear while Kalifa put the holocron in the pouch on her belt. The red blade of Vader appeared and his breathing sound just filled chamber before he launched his attack.
Both staggered as he hit them with the force and he then chased after them swinging his lightsaber at them, it hit hard and both were struggling to hold it back. He grabbed Kalifa with the force and held her by the throat, she grasped at her neck but just couldn't breathe, Allara tried to push him back with the force to break the hold but he withstood it and she was forced to try to attack him with her saber, drawing on everything she had learned and managed to glance his arm.
He cried out in pain and released his grip on Kalifa but then he blasted them back with the force into the wall hard, slamming into it with considerable force. They both felt extreme pain but could not let up and did something crazy in desperation.
They both called on the force together and pulled hard at the ceiling above Vader, it cracked and rocked began to fall on him, Vader was distracted by the sudden collapse and the two young women used this as a distraction to run as fast as they could out of the temple as it started coming down around them and Vader.
They barely managed to make it out before the blast of escaping air sent them both flying, Allara nearly went over the edge of the plateau but Kalifa managed to catch her hand and hold on.
Pulling her back they both looked at the temple and breathed hard before they felt the cold presence of Vader still alive inside and raging inside the collapsed temple.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Allara said with disbelief that he had survived that but Kalifa said quickly knowing if he did get out here, they didn't stand a chance.
"We need to get out of here!" Kalifa said urgently, which Allara fully agreed with before both made their way back to the ship and barely managed to get away before the collapsed entrance was forcefully blasted open and the landing ship thrown over the side as Vader emerged, damaged and infuriated but very much alive.
At least there were old Jedi texts here that he could deliver to his master he thought, still infuriated that the two Jedi had managed to escape especially with the valuable holocron. He had killed thirty Jedi as well so he could gladly report that to his master too.
They would find the other Jedi hiding places he thought, one by one if they had too but they would find them. He would relish wiping them out he thought darkly.
Reijar, the Ordo System…989 ARR…
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" The crowd said as they gathered to celebrate one of their own finally coming of age.
Lelia Ordo was at last turning sixteen years old, finally a full legal adult in Mandalorian society and was at last celebrating not only that but her promotion to Akaan. She was smiling broadly as she had her party and her ascension as Duchess Qarl, while Lelia Ordo was her name, she held the title all the same and would from today take full responsibilities for her holdings.
That would she thought regretfully cut into her time with Duke N'Val who had been teaching her a great deal about ship design, he had helped her take her primitive sketch and start turning it into something. Taking the best elements from the Aden and Keldabe class warships and combining them into a new and much more powerful design, something that would one day be the best and strongest warship in the Mandalorian Fleet.
She received her gifts and smiled broadly, her siblings, nieces and nephews not to mention her in-laws and friends all around her and sharing her special day. She had all her favourite foods and music, her favourite activities and everything else you could imagine.
But as she turned to Haron, Deera and Vysa she had only one question she wanted answered.
"Will I be attending the meeting tomorrow?" She asked them pressingly, wanting to know if she would be for the first time allowed to attend the meeting of the House Leaders and Ministries. It was a critical one too, the one where the plans for the invasion of the next sector would be finalised before the invasion was launched. As it was her first time attending such a meeting, she was eager and yet nervous at the same time.
"Of course, you will." Haron said to his sister who now technically was one of his vassals. She beamed with excitement which amused her older siblings who knew the meeting was going to be far from exciting.
- x -
The Next Day…
"House N'Val will be leading an assault on the ship repair facilities on Delvox, if possible, we want them captured intact for our own purposes. The new facilities will be placed in your holding for completion of this task." Haron said, gesturing towards the star chart of the target sector. The House Leaders and his own council listened as he outlined the plan for the invasion.
It was complicated with many different fronts and one of the largest operations they had mounted since this war began. It was a daring plan to try and expand their territory but this was one of the few times in thousands of years that they had been strong enough to attempt it.
"Then finally the real challenge, Rodia." Haron said pointing to the world that was the effective capital of the sector. It was an important planet given that reason alone and better yet many Rodians opposed the Imperial Occupation of their planet so it should be relatively easy to get them to join them in exchange of freedom/protection from Imperial rule. "I will lead this assault personally."
They all nodded and he inwardly smirked at Lelia who honestly was looking bored, she did her best not to let it show but as he had warned her these meetings could get pretty boring.
"Make sure all units that remain to defend our borders are on high alert for any Imperial counterattack, now to your stations. May the force be with as is all of Mandalore." Haron told them and they all gave him a bow before leaving the room except for his family both biological and extended not to mention whoever remained behind to speak with him as did Duke Korkie and his somewhat exasperated aunt Bo Katan.
"Mandalore. Is this right? Invading other planets even if it frees them from the Empire." Korkie asked him and Bo Katan who thankfully would be the one to lead their family's warriors this time rolled her eyes having had this discussion with him several times already. Haron raised an eyebrow as his hand went to his helmet which was resting on the nearby desk.
"Better us than the Empire. We take care of our people; we build hospitals, schools, communities worth the name. We bring the necessities of life to those we protect and keep them from harm. It is far from perfect but much better than life under the Empire." Haron said which was true as they invested in the worlds they took and didn't suppress liberties like the Empire did.
Korkie nodded somewhat reluctantly before leaving and Haron took his helmet and put it on. It was time to go to work he thought with a smirk under his armour.
Zaadja, the Outer Rim…Two Days Later…
Zaadja was an icy planet that could give Hoth a run for its credits in terms of inhospitality, no one lived here now given how harsh it was to survive and although the Geonosians had established a hive here during the Clone Wars to support a factory there but they had not been able to cope with the harsh environment and abandoned it after only a few months.
Those that did try to investigate the planet hoped there might be resources under the ice to exploit but if there was anything there it was hard to get too. The Empire had a team over the planet to have a go but they soon found themselves under attack.
The forces of House Yusagi led by Duke Ijaa himself arrived with the Keldabe-class ship Merciless, his own flagship for this invasion. He stood on the bridge looking down with cold eyes at the Imperials who desecrated this planet in search of minerals. They had only one Star Destroyer to guard it given its proximity to the Mandalorian Border but the Merciless was accompanied by Mirshko-class heavy cruisers which also served as the carriers of the taskforce, flanked by Crusader class corvettes.
They launched into the attack straight away, swarming the lone Star Destroyer which then discovered the special weapons fitted to the Merciless. The mass driver cannon fitted to the front section, it roared to life and fired harden projectiles straight at the Star Destroyer's exposed bridge, blasting straight through and leaving the ship effectively headless.
Ijaa felt a great sense of satisfaction as his forces ripped the Star Destroyer apart, this battle was small but crucial as it was the first step in conquest of this sector, once secured it would act as a rally point for their forces and allow them to spread into the other systems but also this planet was important to the Mandalorians for another reason…a much more personal one.
Once many years ago during the 'Time of Chaos' as it was sometimes known, when criminals had run riot across their territory and many splinter groups of Mandalorians had formed either to exploit the situation or to stop it. One such group, the Journeyman Protectors had sought to try and protect their people but a large group of them had been lured to this planet by the criminals and trapped in frozen caves till they died by either the cold or starvation.
They were still there and Ijaa intended to honour their memory by finding their bodies and returning them to their own territory for proper burial and to return the armour to their families if they had them or to at least make sure it stayed in Mandalorian hands.
It was the least they could do Ijaa thought with a mournful look at the planet where so many brave warriors had been denied a true warrior's death by such cowards.
- x -
Tythe, the Outer Rim…Two Days Later…
Din Djarin was leading a strike force to Tythe, once as beautiful as Naboo or Alderaan it had been ruined by the industrial plants constructed by LiMerge Power, an industrial production company who had reduced it to a toxic desert wasteland.
The old factories were once again in service but now to the Empire, fuelling the expansion of the Imperial Military, Ara Ordo stood with Din Djarin as they looked at the damaged and ruined world. She grimaced and vowed to terraform the planet back to its natural beauty and make it an agroworld instead once the factories were levelled. They would be of little use anyway she thought given the outdated equipment and limited facilities.
"All Gladius and Halberd class ships, arm missiles and fire." Din said as he stood in the command centre of the Lucrehulk Cassius. The heavy corvettes/missile ships he had brought with him did as he commanded and let rip with their missiles along their destroyer counterparts, their light laser cannons making it impossible for TIE fighters to get close to them.
Modified Munificent-class and Dreadnaughts provided heavy firepower to engage larger warships protecting the planet but this was all a prelude to get the Imperials to adopt the tightest formation possible.
Then Din gave the order.
"Bring Silencer to bare and fire." Din ordered.
Outside the modified Silencer ship emerged from behind them and made sure that they had a clear shot, the megalaser roared to life and let out a great blast at the Imperial Fleet.
The laser made contact with the first and closest star destroyer and the massive blast ripped through the Imperial ships.
The Mandalorians averted their eyes from the explosion as the Silencer shut down, they still hadn't managed to overcome the issue with overheating and couldn't manage more than one shot at a time hence why they had needed to get them so close together for this to work.
Din saw to his relief that the Silencer had done its job though and the fighters launched from the Cassius would make sure none of them escaped before they pressed on with securing the surface. He honestly was astonished at some of the weapons they had to fight with and glad of it as it made fighting so much easier.
- x -
Iego, the Outer Rim…
The world of a thousand moons had been largely abandoned during the Clone Wars but some people did still live there, trading some spice to survive but it was also the sole source of a cure for the Blue Shadow Virus which had long ago devastated the Mandalorian people. It was for this reason while some would have ignored the insignificant world and its many moons, the Mandalorians had not. Neither had the Empire who had a base there to control the spice trade but there were no heavy ships, only fighters launched from ground bases.
This meant it was a battle largely fought by fighters and smaller ships.
Fenn Rau piloted his Mark 3 Viper through the dense but surprisingly stable field that surrounded Iego, his own ace pilots like him in either X-Wings or Vipers as they moved around the field engaging Tie fighters all across it. Fenn smirked as he managed to weave his way through a tight part of the field in his much more agile fighter and when the Tie fighter tried to follow it was not as agile as he was and smashed into an asteroid.
He smirked as he and his ace pilots made mincemeat of the enemy, proving not only were they the better than their Imperial counterparts but also that they had far better ships. The Viper ran rings around the Ties and the X-wing could to a lesser extend while having greater resilience.
On the surface of Iego Duchess Ceta Farr led Kom'rk transports, U-Wing bombers and D-77 Dropships which sped down towards the surface of Iego, warriors dropping by jetpack once they close to support the landing. The ships opened fire on the limited Imperial forces and missiles started scattering their troops or taking out light walkers to make way for their ground units.
- x -
Christophsis, the Outer Rim…
The planet of Christophsis had be a prize both Republic and Separatist had fought over in the Clone Wars and the Empire had for some reason taken a great interest in the planet. They were also strip-mining it, looking for large crystals with great intensity and shipping any they did find to a location that even the local Imperial Regional Governor didn't know.
Whatever the reason though they had no less than three Imperial class Star Destroyers guarding the planet with accompanying support ships, this had left the Mandalorians little choice but to deploy the Null Cannons against them, one ship for each Star Destroyer under heavy escort.
Duke Harlan Caduruso and Duchess Morli Kast led the force sent to this planet, comprised of modern ships this time. Aden and Mirshko class ships flanked by Gladius and Halberd class support ships. They both watched as the Null ships fired their purplish blasts of energy that shut down the enemy ships on contact. Morli who had never seen it before was wide eyed, Harlan smiled, the duchess had little experience in leading campaigns but would gain that with time.
That was not to say they weren't taking losses Harlon thought with a grimace, the Crusaders and fighters were working hard but due to the enormous amount of Tie Fighters they were finding ways through their defences, the larger Aden and Mirshko class ships had impressive defence systems that kept them away as did the corvettes but the Null Ships did not. Two retreated from the battle and leapt to hyperspace but the third found itself completely surrounded and being continually strafed by the Tie Fighters and before the corvettes could reach it, their shields failed and the heavily armoured hull began to buckle under the strain before proton torpedoes from Tie Bombers finished off the stricken ship.
It exploded, killing the crew before they evacuated which pained the Mandalorians greatly and filled them with anger, deciding not to take any prisoners in retaliation. All Imperials would die here this day whether they gave up or not on the ground or space.
The locals though were excited by their liberation and agreed to join them immediately to ensure their protection after being let down by the Republic/Empire and being attacked/invaded by the Separatists, hoping for something new and shared with them the curious obsession the Empire had with obtaining large Kyber Crystals.
- x -
Erai, the Outer Rim…
Another system known for crystals was nearby and the Empire had been going through the moons of Erai in hopes of finding some of the incredible rare Eralam crystals, a very powerful and rare form of Kyber Crystals. They had been found on the third moon of the planet until an ancient Sith bombardment had shattered it and now the Empire was hoping to find more on its remaining moons or among the rubble.
They were finally striking it lucky on the second moon when the Mandalorians attacked.
This force was commanded by Duke Sarek Ralmiz, leading the force alone in a display of his own arrogance and need for glory which was a mistake but not as much as the fact that he was such a traditionalist he had eschewed all the more modern ships and charged into battle with the old and outdated Janus class heavy cruisers and only a few almost as old support ships. Ones Haron Ordo had detailed for home defence duties due to their outdated technology and considerable limitations and worse he hadn't told anyone in the main force that he was doing it.
The reason? Because it was the tradition and all the ships that he had brought were purely Mandalorian designs and without most of the upgrades modern ships received, determined to show that their tradition would triumph over their enemies without the need for 'tricks'.
He had soon released his mistake.
Two Star Destroyers with plenty of support ships were guarding the system and the ten Janus class ships found themselves faced with a modern and entrenched enemy. The heavy turbolasers of the Star Destroyers tore into the old and slow ships which struggled with fighting back, being torn apart by the swarming fighters and heavy ships that closed in around them. Although heavily armoured and well-built the ships were beginning to fail, breaking apart and exploding around them. Duke Ralmiz scowled as he realised that he had made an error of judgement but would not order a retreat, true Mandalorians didn't run from a fight he thought with disgust at the mere idea and ordered his helmsman.
"All ahead, full sublight." He called out the helmsman along with all those left on the bridge when they realised what that would mean but all nodded and did as he ordered.
The leading ship, the Crusher blasted it's still functioning sublight engines to full power and headed straight at one of the Star Destroyers. The ship shook as more weapons fire hit it but nothing could stop its momentum.
The ships collided with the Crusher smashing the control tower of the ship clear off with the collision and the force of its explosion on impact, beheading the ship and finally then one of the Janus class ships managed to get a distress call out for reinforcements now the duke was dead to not countermand the order.
House Orius picked it up and rushed to their fellow Mandalorians aid, arriving in time to see their forces in disarray and Duke Ge'Hark Orius took in the situation and scowled at the loss of so many on the actions of outdated opinions but scrambled his ARC-170s and X-Wings to engage the enemy from the Lucrehulk he was commanding while ordering the Providence class ships and others to harass the enemy.
The Providences were old but had been completely upgraded with modern technology and more pressingly had fighter support not to mention corvettes and light cruisers to engage the support ships and mop up any Tie Fighters.
It was a bloody scene Ge'Hark thought with sadness, wondering not just about how many warriors they had lost but what would become of House Ralmiz with its leader gone?
- x -
Velabri, the Outer Rim...
The planet Velabri had been enslaved by the Empire and its population used as a labour force, the locals were not that different from the Mandalorians in some respects warlike and with a strict code of honour but also a distaste for crime. Many of their people had been sent off world for some 'construction project' for the Empire only to never be seen again, something that was increasingly common across many systems.
The Mandalorian Special Forces had been extremely busy across the sector and Neville had been running several operations at once, this one would be carried out by Gundark Team led this time by Trilla Suduri.
Her team went straight to the largest slave camp and Trilla leapt from the ship followed by her warriors and used the force to cushion her fall before she started conjuring curses with one hand while using her lightsaber in the other to deflect blaster bolts away from her, her curses disabling or killing Stormtroopers while her troops followed, sniping or using heavy ordinance to clear the enemy.
Arriving at the gate it was firmly shut but with a wave of her hand, Trilla used the force to make it open. The Velabri inside watched astonished at the display especially the Mandalorians mowed down the Imperials, the enslaved people looked on in awe and joined the fight as quickly as they could. Grabbing weapons dropped by the Stormtroopers.
When it was over and Katale Ma'Gard contacted Trilla to let her know they had secured the other slave camps. Trilla and her warriors found themselves being treated as heroes by the locals who like them were warriors and appreciated them for their strength and honour and would be eager to join them.
- x -
Sevarcos 2, the Outer Rim…
Another world famed for spice, the Empire had taken firm control of the trade and its population to make the most profit possible from it and the Spice Lords were complicit in this as they now could make more without having to worry about short changing the clans of the world.
A squadron of Victory-class Star Destroyers stayed in orbit to enforce this blockade and occupation force, threatening to destroy any settlements that rose in revolt.
But using the Ordo's Revenge to provide up to date target data as the ship under cloak had approached the planet while the hyperspace missiles were being fired from an adjacent system.
Each missile was devastating as it hit each ship, smashing their hull to bits before ships belonging to Houses Lok, Yarlton and Ti'harn arrived. Duke Mors Lok, Duchess Amili Ti'harn and her husband Kyle Yarlton led the force, easily mopping up the devastated enemy before sending their forces towards the surface.
Warriors joined by Skytroopers of various models and Basilisk war droids dropped to the surface, attacking the Imperial occupational forces and their Spice Lord allies, the large Rancor models using heavy blasters and missiles to smash through Imperial Walkers and light tanks while Warriors, Skytroopers and smaller more traditional Basilisk models used lasers and grenades to cut down enemy soldiers.
When the battle was finally done at the end of the day, the clan leaders began negotiations with the Mandalorians who would embrace them and help them form a new government system to share the planet's wealth and to advance the planet's infrastructure and education and proper amenities for the planet's population, something the clans struggled with due to the Spice Lords edicts and would only make them eager to embrace their new freedom.
- x -
Carajam, the Outer Rim…
The galactic position of Carajam should have made it a galactic stopping point for ships moving through the sector but since it had limited facilities and small population most travellers would just ignore it. Not to mention the vast and inhospitable desert on its surface but would be a useful testing site for new weapons. But it would also serve as a military launching point for future expansions into enemy territory so it had value beyond what lay on the surface.
House Kane had moved quickly to secure the planet, eager to control such a vital planet for themselves. Eliza smirked as she deployed her pride the Gondwana and its new sister ship the Aay'han, using their drone fighters to take down the few Imperial vessels present. They had been stretching themselves thin to try and repulse the invasion but too thinly as Eliza thought with a smirk.
Her wife Vysa stood at her side with a smile, but it was dimmed slightly by who was leading the ground portion of the battle.
"She will be fine." Eliza reassured her wife but Vysa was still worried.
"It's her first battle." She reminded Eliza who shook her head at her worry for her sibling.
"She's been well trained and it has to happen sometime." Eliza said to her sadly, letting her see the real her, the only one she ever would. She just held her hand to comfort her, hoping she was right.
The dropships meanwhile rushed towards the surface; Lelia sat alongside her warriors feeling more nervous than she had ever felt in her life. She was now commanding the ground forces for this invasion. It was a low level one but still it was her command and she wouldn't have her siblings to bail her out this time. They had stepped back to let her see for herself just what command was like and she really wishing she had admitted that she would have liked one of them to be with her right now.
Too soon they arrived and the hatches opened, she took a deep breath and launched herself into the battle.
Overhead as fighters fought in the atmosphere, filling the sky with intense dogfights and explosions echoed all around alongside laser and blaster fire. Lelia had seen holos of battles before but to see it with her own eyes was both incredible and horrifying. She saw people on both sides getting cut down while Canderous Assault Tanks tore their way across the field, running some people over who couldn't get out of the way to make a clear path for their warriors.
A starfighter crashed nearby and the field seemed to go silent despite the incredible fighting going on all around her, Lelia was frozen for a moment…not able to fully grasp what was happening before a warrior knocked her as he left the dropship, shaking her back to the moment and she took another deep breath before drawing both her blasters and leaping into the fight head first.
It was strange as the force plus all her training took over, letting her act like a computer and stay focused on the task at hand. She engaged her pack and flew into the battle with her warriors, landing on top of an AT-AT walker, using her lightsaber to cut its cab open and with the force throw the section she'd just cut out before jumping inside, stunning both drivers with red blasts of magic from her hands before turning its heavy blasters on the troopers and lighter walkers below much to the cheers of her warriors.
It was so strange, she felt detached from everything as she blasted them despite knowing they were living beings. She and her warriors forced the Imperials back towards the deadly and harsh desert, a place that would be impossible to survive without special supplies that they didn't have. Lelia saw many soldiers surrender rather than face that desert which she allowed, they would be processed later and either released back to the Empire in a prisoner exchange or put on trial if they were guilty of anything.
The few that didn't Lelia gritted her teeth as she gave the order.
"If they don't surrender, take them out."
She felt horrible doing it but this was war she thought, trying to reassure herself. Her siblings had told her this many times, the reality of life was that to survive and succeed that you would have to do things that you don't want too. She sighed before realising the fight was finally over, it had been faster than she had imagined given the limited Imperial presence on this planet but it she still had the adrenaline pumping through her body and the force making her feel more alive than she ever had before. She leapt through the hole in the cab of her captured walker and stood on top of it as her warriors cheered from below. She smiled under helmet, wearing the special suit her siblings had kept for her and held her arm aloft in triumph which they all echoed as they cried out in joy at their victory.
Lelia honestly was cheering with them, feeling a bond with her warriors and eager to fight at their side again.
- x -
Rodia, Sector Capital…One Day Later…
The last holdout for the Empire in the sector was Rodia, the capital of the sector it was the most densely populated planet and home world of the Rodians. Many of their population protested against the Empire's occupation of their planet and other planets too but had no voice outside their own world.
One of the reasons the Mandalorians had given it such importance, so much so that Haron Ordo was commanding this battle personally.
"Aggressor, focus primary weapon on Star Destroyer Behemoth. Harbinger and Titan's Rage engage also." Haron ordered and watched as the brand-new Aggressor class ship brought its enormous main weapon to bare on the Imperial Star Destroyer.
The large ship took a moment to build up power for the main weapon before the large blue ion cannon fired first, its enormous blue burst of energy hitting the star destroyer and causing a temporary shutdown of all systems before another burst erupted from the second barrel beneath the first, a red plasma blast to be specific. With its shields down the ship had no chance of escaping the blast which ripped hard into the hull. Then the Providence class Harbinger and Star Destroyer Titan's Rage which they had captured earlier in the war began firing their own heavy turbolasers and flack guns into the stricken ship while the Aggressor did the same with its own secondary weapons.
Impressive, Haron thought as they tore the enemy ship apart before turning his attention to the rest of the battle.
"Aden focus all fire on Star Destroyer Ajax, Hammer and Anvil Squadrons provide support." Haron ordered, the large warship ship doing as he commanded with U-Wing and ARC-170 fighters being to strafe the Star Destroyer while it exchanged fire with another battleship.
Haron stood on the command deck of his command ship, the Leviathan a Lucrehulk they had refitted and using the holographic interface of the battlefield to direct their forces in battle. At his side to see his first battle was Markus Ordo, twelve years old he was here to learn how to manage a battle. His young face was looking at the battlefield display with great interest as he watched his father command the battle.
Haron himself smiled; his boy was twelve now. Merlin he was getting old he thought with exasperation, Harry thought but it was time now for his son to learn to direct the forces he would one day command. Markus watched intensely, hoping to learn as much as possible but still listened when Haron passed on pieces of wisdom.
"Preparation and deception are key tools in warfare." Haron explained to his son. "Making sure you cover as many points as possible but making sure you can keep the enemy guessing as to what you are going to do." Haron said, smiling as despite the situation it was nice to share something with his son.
- x -
As the ships in orbit were being brushed aside, the ground battle was equally as intense.
Along the roads of Rodian cities the battles waged, Canderous Assault Tanks and Basilisk war droids moved in formation through the streets while warriors, Mark 2 Destroyer Droids and Skytroopers moved with them in support. U-Wing gunships flew overhead with other starfighters battling Tie Fighters in the atmosphere high above.
The Mandallian Giants were in the vanguard of the attack using their large laser cannons and portable shield generators in their familiar two by two attack pattern. Deera who had been given command of the ground segment of this battle flew alongside their men and those of House Takan which had joined them for this assault.
"Missiles on the barricade at point two zero three." Deera ordered as she saw the Imperials had set up a barricade ahead, armed with heavy laser cannons, rocket launchers and mortars. She saw them bombard the Mandallions and seeing some go down irritated her so she and her people flew down and let loose with their missiles.
The missiles exploded on contact and scattered the barricade, sending the Imperials flying, leading to a cheer from her warriors as they pressed forward.
But then they found something else waiting for them.
A group of ugly looking aliens with twisted grey skin and faces, each holding up a large blaster rifle in one arm and a seemingly ridiculous physical shield in the other, large and round but resilient as it absorbed blaster fire well.
Deera wondered if these where the Ogami that the Empire now employed as mercenaries, she saw why they were fast becoming feared across the galaxy as they had had little fear, great strength and determination not to mention ruthlessness in spades.
"Drop grenades behind them, if you have rockets do that too." Deera ordered seeing it was pointless to try and break through their shields, so instead she would go over them.
She flew over them, dodging their fire while throwing grenades down behind the Ogami, going off right next to their backs and either knocking them off their feet or killing them outright, breaking their lines and letting her forces push on.
"Order the Mandallians to pull back and tend to their injured, Tsevuka units take over in the vanguard." She ordered and their newest troops eagerly took their place to prove themselves in battle. The Mandallians didn't like to retreat but they had to tend to their wounded and so obeyed the order. Looking ahead she saw the real target of this assault come into view.
The Senatorial Palace and the heart of Imperial Occupation, the large protective dome might have been a problem but she had brought something special to deal with it she thought with a smirk.
Two MZ-8 Mobile Pulse Cannons rumbled into position and the machinery inside whirred into life before they fired their purple pulses of energy at the dome. It shattered like glass under their power and left the way open for them to proceed.
Entering the palace Deera was uneasy, she shouldn't be as they were winning the battle but something in the force disturbed her. She hadn't felt anything like it before and it worried her. She kept her wits about her and pressed forward but with great anxiety.
Arriving at the trophy room where the late Senator Onaconda Farr had stored his trophies of the stuffed animals he had hunted in his youth, a snap hiss was the only warning Deera got of the danger. She raised her gauntlets in the direct of the hiss and it was only just enough to block the red lightsaber blade that had appeared from nowhere. Her beskar thankfully held and let her block the attack that would have taken off her head!
"So, the rumours are true." The human woman holding the red lightsaber said, she had red hair although it was more crimson than normal with startling light blue eyes which looked like an iceberg. "The Ordo Family are all force users. The Emperor will be intrigued by this." The woman said with complete calm, not excited or arrogant but as if she was merely stating fact.
"You won't get a chance to inform him." Deera said as she blasted her back with the force, the woman recovered swiftly but it was enough for Deera to draw and ignite her own viridian coloured blade. The two sabers met in a shower of sparks and then swiftly they began to exchange blows with each other. Deera was surprised as the woman held her own in the fight and asked her. "What are you? You are no inquisitor."
"Indeed, I am the will and might of the Emperor himself. His hand in all things." The woman said and they continued to engage blows and whoever she was Deera thought with gritted teeth, she was sneaky, using underhanded tricks to try and get the upper hand and strong in the force as when Deera tried to disable her with a body bind curse, she overcame it much to her surprise.
She had never seen anything like her and Deera then tried another tactic.
"Lumos Solem!" She called out and a blast of bright light emerged from her hands right as she engaged in a saber lock with the 'Hand' as she designated her. The woman screamed out in pain as it was right in her face and blinded her immediately while Deera was protected by the light filters in her helmet.
Deera took immediate advantage and severed the hands of the Hand while she was still crippled and pushed her against the wall with the force to keep her contained until they could question her properly but then without any hesitation the Hand activated a suicide implant that she had. She spasmed and then seized up before going limp.
Deera looked at her in astonishment, shocked that she had immediately killed herself rather than take the chance of being interrogated and potentially giving up information. Force sensitive assassins that were highly trained in both fighting and the force and fanatically loyal to the Emperor.
Something new to worry about she thought before going to secure the planet and have the body analysed just in case that they might learn something from it. She doubted they would but it didn't hurt to try.
Reijar, Ordo System…One Week Later…
Haron looked over the post invasion situation and nodded in acceptance as it had gone as well as he had hoped. With the Empire's forces stretched thin trying to protect themselves from the different forces of the Rift Alliance they had been able to operate as the overwhelming force they were designed to be. While they had been invading the neighbouring sector the different worlds of the Rift Alliance had been doing the same, launching operations to liberate worlds like Elom and others. There had been some Imperial Counterattacks but without a solid plan behind it they had been carried out by local Imperial commanders without official support or co-ordination.
Still Haron was uneasy as some worrying information had reached his ears.
Apart from the force sensitive assassin that Deera had faced on Rodia which worried him enough as Deera had virtually no warning of the attack before it came and if not for her armour could possibly have died. They had no idea just where these 'Emperor's Hands' came from or how well they were trained.
But then there was the death of Duke Sarek Ralmiz, he thought with unease. He cursed the foolish bastard for taking such poor ships into battle purely because of tradition when much better ones existed but apart from the appalling losses that they had taken at that battle including Duke Ralmiz himself, all the man's sons had been with him and he had no daughters so his entire line had been wiped out! Now the mantle of Duke Ralmiz fell on the ancient uncle who was he understood very sick and not likely to live long. There was no other member of the family that could take up that position and when the last Ralmiz died it was going to cause a succession crisis.
And finally, there was the strangest piece of information, the Empire had been looking for Kyber Crystals and extremely large ones too.
That confused him the most, Haron thought with a puzzled look on his face, not sure just what to make of it. He knew of their uses of course but not why they would be seeking out such large crystals.
Haron therefore descended to the holocron vault, he had the code obviously and felt the force surround him as he stepped inside. He approached the holocron of Revan, perhaps the most informative one they had and knelt, meditating with the force.
The holocron flared to life and lifted itself into the air, a projection of Revan appeared.
"Greetings Mandalorian. It has been some time since any one sought my knowledge but I sense your power has grown considerably since you last accessed this holocron. How may I help you?" Revan's projection asked, Haron took a breath before telling him.
"My enemies have been gathering large kyber crystals for a reason we don't understand. Has this happened before and if so, why?" Haron asked dearly hoping Revan could answer his questions.
Revan's projection paused for a moment as it went through its own records and then gave him what it knew.
"In the past large Kyber crystals have been at the heart of several superweapons used by the Ancient Sith and others who understood their great potential. If your enemies are searching for such crystals then they too might be creating a superweapon but what kind I cannot say." Revan's projection said before Haron nodded in gratitude and closed it down.
A superweapon, he thought with concern. They were rare and usually quite devastating but he had no idea just what kind of weapon they might be creating. He knew they wanted the crystals and more than one for whatever it was and that they had been taking slave labour from many worlds too so whatever it was it had to be big.
Haron frowned, they needed more pieces of the puzzle to see just what the Empire was up too but they were covering their tracks too well. He and Luna would need to see if they could gain any visions that might help give them some more clues because he had a great sense of foreboding about this, especially if the Empire was going to extreme lengths to keep it secret.
Kaitain, Pasdisahah Imperium…
Paul Atreides sat in his office looking at the immense number of documents that passed across his desk every day with a feeling like he was drowning, not matter how many he cleared there was always more coming in.
Handling the technological revolution that he was trying to implement didn't help matters, the Imperium was so far behind the rest of the galaxy it would take a minimum of ten years with concentrated effort and everything going right to catch up.
The Mandalorians were a big help in this, he thought with gratitude as they provided assistance and much needed lessons in modern science and technology. It was only thanks to them that his revolution was possible, he was facing a real uphill battle with the traditionalists who didn't want any change whether it improved things or not. Getting them to use datapads instead of paper was a struggle in itself.
Irulan had been a true gift from the force he thought with a great deal of relief that she was at his side during this, being trained in politics and the ways of the court she could twist this people around her finger with ease and get them on board with the advancements. Honestly, he wouldn't have made half the progress he had without her.
Something he was very grateful for.
Chani though was not taking to palace life so well, he thought with worry. She was used to life in the desert and so the ease of having everything done for you was difficult for her to adapt too. She was helping him in every way she could and had even done her best to befriend Irulan which was fraught with tension but at least they were trying.
Paul sighed as he just wasn't sure how to make things easier for her, he had already given her the job of helping overhaul the military but even that was perhaps not the best thing as while she did it with great effort, she was still a largely physical person so being 'office' bound was very hard for her.
At least though she had found some interest in it, he thought with relief. She had been helping to push their ship designers to create new and more efficient designs that would take advantage of their new technology and operate without ridiculous numbers of crew required which would let them spread the personnel out to more ships.
Smaller but more of them and of better quality.
Already they had been provided with the T-65 X-Wing which would serve a good frontline starfighter for their navy, especially given how easy to operate it was and to maintain but they would need more.
Then Irulan and Chani, both interrupted him by entering his office and despite the tension he was glad to see them, smiling at the women in his life and gladly left his desk to have dinner with them, taking one of each arm.
He could do this he thought hopefully, run this empire and convince these two beautiful women to accept him and each other.
Sera, the Outer Rim…
Sera was a backwater planet in the galaxy, site of a colony that had continuously been fighting wars and then periods of uneasy peace. Ignored by most of the galaxy as it had nothing to offer and so it had sat out the last few centuries. It hadn't even been a part of the Republic.
That was however until a recent discovery made after a race of insects came up from below ground, a new and powerful fuel source called Imulsion, as efficient as hypermatter but organic and could be grown in a lab or on mass so it was renewable. The Empire immediately took notice and Tarkin to ensure his own restoration to the rank of Grand Moff and more importantly his respect in the Empire had taken quick advantage of the situation.
"Report Admiral." Tarkin questioned his long-time aide and right hand and now Admiral Bili Vist. The man was ambitious and Tarkin knew well to keep an eye on him especially given his recent marriage to a particularly rich and well-connected family from Phriparmar and making sure a child was born to keep his foot in the door, but he was still one of the best officers to have ever served with him and he needed someone who could get things done, especially now.
The war was turning dramatically against the Empire, with the recent losses in the other areas of the Outer Rim and little to no success the Empire really needed a boost right now. The desperation he could take advantage of with this new power source and some new ships that would soon be joining the Imperial fleet to correct some short comings in the existing arrangements. In fact, the recent invasion and losses had been to his betterment as it fell on his successor's head and not his own. Making it easier to regain his old power.
"Local governments have been dismantled although some of their military units, Gears as I believe they are called have gone underground. Construction on the grown and refinement facilities is proceeding well with local forced labour. The local insects have been dealt with but just to make sure the population stays loyal we have begun deploying the Hammer of Dawn Satellite Weapon System, ready to scorch the surface of the planet if they forget their place." Vist said with a cold grin.
Tarkin nodded, that would make sure they remembered their place serving the Empire. The new fuel would be very useful to the fleet when they could produce enough of it to accommodate it. He expected his reinstatement as Grand Moff to come very soon as he went about his duties.
All the while counting the days till his master piece was finally completed and he could lead the galaxy into a new age of order and leave such antiquated things as the Force where it belonged, in history, his own pride and arrogance not able to accept that something was bigger than himself.
- x -
Home One, in orbit of Levithia, the Mid Rim…
A Rift Alliance Taskforce stood around the planet Levithia where a situation had developed that had drawn their attention.
Levithia was a fairly developed planet, much like Naboo in many ways if a bit less stunning in its beauty. It sat on a crucial pair of hyperspace routes that contributed much to its income and value in the strategic stakes. It was ruled by the Graff, a version of a king and had been for hundreds of years now, the latest Graff Vynda-K was unfortunately a tyrant and one in favour of deepening ties with the Empire in hopes of growing his power. He had recently taken a small taskforce from his own planet to help suppress uprisings in the Outer Rim.
While he had been away though his half-brother had led a revolt against him and refused to allow Vynda-K to return. Aware that the Empire would almost certainly back Vynda-K given the planet's importance the people had reached out to the Rift Alliance for help and so a taskforce had been sent under the command of Admiral Ackbar to secure the planet against attack. A mixture of Mon Calamari and Corellian ships orbited the planet while the admiral and Garm Bel-Iblis negotiated its entry into the Rift Alliance.
"A detachment of our ships will be stationed here but that is only to reinforce your own orbital station, you can liaise with them to protect your world." Ackbar said as he sat at the table across from the Levithia representatives.
"And what is to stop you from enforcing your will on us? What's the point of kicking out one empire only to welcome in another?" The first representative asked and Garm who was tired of this spoke plainly.
"We are looking to liberate the galaxy from tyranny not replace it. Those ships will be there only if you want them, as part of the Rift Alliance you would have full rights as a member planet which includes the right to stand alone if you want it." Garm told them and they seemed to accept his words before they got up from the table and told them politely.
"We will return to the surface to discuss them with the new Graff and our noble council, we will deliberate on the matter but I suspect it will turn in favour of membership." The Representative said with a nod before making their exit.
The moment the door closed both Ackbar and Garm sighed quietly to themselves in relief it was hopefully over.
"I certainly hope they do; this planet would be a really useful position for the alliance." Garm said seeing its strategic significance. Them having control of it would not only deny the Empire use of the routes but let them launch raids and other operations into enemy territory with ease.
"Maybe, but we still must deal with the Graff Vynda-K. While he has little to no support on his own world the Empire will at least try to put him back on the throne." Ackbar said, knowing they still had to be prepared for that. Given recent losses and Kalderan raids the Empire might not sent a large force here but they would definitely send something.
"I agree, which is why we are here." Garm said knowing a fight was coming if not what exactly they would be facing.
- x -
The Next Day…
It was early the next day when the Imperial Force came.
It was however clearly a token force, sent either because they didn't want to assign any precious Imperial-class vessels so they dispatched a few aging Victory class Star Destroyers instead but there was a new ship accompanying them, similar in shape only with an open landing bay on the flattened bow. These were the brand-new Gladiator-class Star Destroyers.
That meant for the first time, the Rift Alliance forces not only outnumbered them but actually outclassed them.
The Mon Calamari had not only Home One, an MC80 Star Cruiser but they had two MC30a Frigates and an MC55 fighter carrier, the Corellians on the other hand had on Imperial-class Star Destroyer 'Corellia's Pride' which had been under construction at the time of the uprising. They had finished it and now it was the flagship of their navy, Garm's personal flagship.
Accompanying it was a powerful force; Two Thranta-class Light Cruisers, two CR90 Corvettes and 4 Foray class Corvettes. All modernised and improved and waves of X-Wings, B-Wings, HLAF-500 Light Attack Fighters and Vanguard class Heavy Assault Gunships poured out alongside them.
Onboard the Graff Vynda-K was infuriated at this as to his mind it was delaying him from reclaiming his rightful throne, the fleet commander though was heavily against engaging. He saw that they were at a considerable disadvantage and his patience after dealing with the whiny Graff had strained his nerves. His thoughts were that they should retreat and return with a larger force but the Graff would not hear of it.
"Full Speed! Smash them out of the way!" He called out and with considerable regret for what was about to happen, the commander gave the order.
TIE fighters screamed ahead of the larger ships only to find themselves being shredded by the fast-firing laser cannons of the corvettes at the same time Home One and Corellia's Pride opened fire with their large and powerful turbolaser batteries, focusing their fire on the slow and lumbering Victory class ships, which took longer to get into position while squadrons of fighters began to harass them and the Gladiators.
Now the range was closing the smaller rebel ships added their own smaller turbolasers to the battle while the Foray's began unloading missiles from their newly added launchers to deal more damage.
The Fleet Commander sighed as he saw his ship being shot out from under him, nearby one of the Victory-class ships the Star of Coruscant had its bridge blown off and it was out of control, colliding with two more ships before its hull broke up.
He muttered a prayer to himself as he knew he wouldn't likely live for this but then gave the order in his heart he knew he must give.
"All ships begin a retreat. Full retreat." He said quickly. The Bridge crew were shocked but immediately followed his orders, like him they saw they were losing this battle. The Graff on the other hand was incensed and screamed at the Fleet Commander.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO RESTORE ME TO THE LEVITHIAN THRONE THAT IS MY RIGHT!" He yelled at full volume, spit flying from his mouth as he did so but the fleet commander remained calm and merely wiped the spit off his face before replying quietly.
"We are outmatched and cannot win this fight. It isn't logical to waste all our ships and lives when victory is impossible." The Fleet Commander said and that only made the Graff act more unhinged, grabbing the Fleet Commander by the throat and squeezing hard in front of the shocked bridge crew.
"I DON'T CARE HOW MANY OF YOU DIE AS LONG AS I RECLAIM MY THRONE! DO AS I COMMAND!" He screamed but then was shocked as a stormtrooper, a young recruit shot the Graff. The complete astonishment on his face was almost comical as they looked at him and then the soldier who shot him as the Graff fell to the floor dead.
The Fleet Commander nodded to the soldier and continued to organise the retreat, no one would know what just happened he thought, he would swear the crew to secrecy and at least the soldier would be protected from reprisals. He knew he was likely flying towards his own death but the lines of hyperspace were a welcome sight all the same.
- x -
Garm watched, glad of the retreat and proof to the Levithians that the Rift Alliance could protect them. He was now certain of their joining the alliance.
But at the same time, he saw something he had been unaware of before coming here, the Empire had established a small reserve fleet yard on the planet's third moon. The facility had little there but about two dozen retired Dreadnaught-class Heavy Cruisers.
They were old and in great need of maintenance but despite the high crew rate they needed and the limitations of the existing design, Garm saw a potential use for them and how they might be made to fight again.
Aldorax, Mid Rim…
Aldorax had incredible wealth in chemicals and had been under Imperial Occupation for years now as the Emperor wanted free and unrestricted access to this immense source of wealth and power.
But the local population were being forced to work in a poisonous environment that was causing an incredible rise in medical conditions across all levels of society except for the very rich who had taken to living on orbital stations to avoid the contamination on the surface. This of course combined with the exploitation of their people made the population of Aldorax extremely angry and eager to overthrow them. Rebel groups from across the planet, emboldened by the recent defeats the Empire had suffered in the Outer Rim had decided now was the time to act.
Liber8 had learned of this and had come to aid them in their struggle, Anakin and Rex who had joined them for this battle fought on the surface wearing breathing masks to protect them from the harsh atmosphere. Ghazhak, one of their Noghri bodyguards had joined him too but was being silent as he moved as was his custom.
"Just like old times General." Rex said with a smirk and Anakin nodded back, glad to have Rex fighting at his side again. They pressed forward with Liber8 troops and local rebels forcing their way into the factories to shut them down and stop the poisoning of the atmosphere. When they reached the control room and Anakin hit the facility's shut off, he felt a great sense of accomplishment as the poison stopped being pumped into the air. It wouldn't solve the problem straight away he knew sadly but it would at least stop the situation getting any worse. Anakin pressed his communicator as the people around him cheered and told Padme who was on the other end.
"The Factories are down, hopefully everyone can breathe a little easier." He said not able to resist the pun and he could feel Rex and Padme rolling their eyes.
- x -
Rebel Base, Aldorax…
"Ha ha Anakin." Padme said with a shake of her head at his childish behaviour however much she found it funny before becoming more serious. "But I am sure the people will appreciate it. Make it back safely." She told him with her usual worry for his hijinks and he told her.
"Intend too, see you are dinner." He said before cutting the connection.
"I will reach out to the Rift Alliance and see if any of them can help you find some way of clearing up your atmosphere." She heard Kagame say as he spoke to the planet's rebel leader.
"That would be appreciated, medical aid would likewise be helpful." The Leader, a man named Severil told them. Padme nodded, seeing the pitiful way the people of Aldorax lived and they would need all the help they could get.
Kahr was already running the makeshift hospital with what equipment they had managed to pull together and take from the station in orbit when they had captured it. HK-47 was protecting the supplies from looters and surprising handling security at the hospital with great skill.
"When can we fight alongside you and dad?" An insistent voice said from the side and Padme turned to see Leia looking at her expectantly. Luke and Mace were behind her alongside the long-suffering C-3PO and R2-D2 and their second Noghri guard Kohvrekhar. She sighed before telling them.
"Not until you are grown up! It's very dangerous what we do and I don't want any of you fighting at all if I can help it." Padme told them sternly but while Luke and Mace nodded in acceptance of her words but Leia stamped her feet in anger and almost shouted.
"But you and father get to fight! Why can't I?" She demanded and Padme felt her worries for her daughter rising again, Luke and Mace were level headed young boys, careful and listened to their reasons for keeping them away from the fighting. But Leia was far too arrogant and full of herself, challenging authority, she was a real handful that had to be constantly watched Padme thought with a tired look in her eyes. Try as they might they just couldn't get her to calm down and it was worrying her and Anakin a great deal. She was as strong as her father and brothers in the force and had so many gifts but was as impatient and raw as Anakin had once been…maybe worse.
If the Emperor got hold of her, Padme shuddered at the mere thought of her precious daughter falling into his hands. Kagame had many of the same concerns and spoke sternly to Leia.
"Going onto the battlefield before one is ready gives your enemy an advantage, so does going into battle full of pride. You have a great deal to learn before you are ready to fight with us." Kagame told them but while Luke nodded accepting the sage advice Leia huffed and went back to her room.
Padme watched her go, hoping dearly that this was just a phase and not a sign of trouble to come.
Imperial Palace, Coruscant…
"Excellent. You have done well, but I will expect more relics shortly." The Emperor said coldly to the archaeologists that he had sent to Korriban and other Sith Worlds in hopes of finding Sith artifacts and sources of knowledge that might benefit him. Recently a pair of ancient holocrons had been discovered in the deepest tombs of Korriban in the Valley of the Dark Lords. He could feel their great aura and was almost beside himself with excitement at the thought of unlocking their secrets.
The leader of the expedition nodded nervously before fleeing the room, he had lost many people to find those holocrons and no doubt would lose many more trying to probe deeper but had no choice as who knows what horror the Emperor would inflict on him if he failed.
Palpatine watched, a sinister grin on his face as he felt his fear and revelled in it. If it made sure they kept discovering new treasures for him he would gladly keep pushing them.
The spice from Arrakis had proven even better than he had hoped, slowing his slow rotting and sickness and increasing his power in the dark side. It had he was discovering mutating effects on is body that were undesirable not to mention the addictive properties but he was far too disciplined to succumb to that! He thought, scoffing at the idea he would become an addict.
But to stave off the degeneration of his body, the sickness and the mutative effects of the spice he had been forced to take drastic steps.
His cloning operation on Byss, his own secret hideaway had expanded and improved. Now he was producing clones of himself that while absent in the force served as a useful source of fresh organs and body parts of him…so he let them live and one day he would discover a way to make a perfect clone for him to inhabit.
The attempt to clone Jedi from the samples he had taken from the Jedi temple were helpful in his task he thought and had made the clones more stable; he was even on his way to making a stable clone to inhabit if the need arose even if it wasn't his own.
Recent losses in the Outer Rim and so did worry him slightly as he could feel the future shifting and not see the outcome. This angered him so much that lightning raced along his fingers just waiting to be unleashed on some unsuspecting victim and the air became as cold as Hoth in the night time.
He had seen the fools with so much faith in their machines and creations, each vying for his approval as sickening as he found it. This stupidity and infighting had forced him to take action to get the fools back into line and make progress in suppressing this enemy groups that had risen up against him.
The Star Destroyer that had become the symbol of his empire had been redesigned into a more deadly version that would serve better than the previous model, he had ordered these Imperial Class-2 Star Destroyers into production immediately with the largest scale building scale since the Clone Wars and soon he would have all hundreds and then thousands of these lethal ships.
He had even selected a new fighter to complement the design, the Tie Fighter had become as much a symbol of his Empire as the Star Destroyer and now aside from the regular fighter and bomber variant a new faster version, the Tie Interceptor would join them to combat the rebels and their fighters.
While he left these pathetic rebels to the supposed officers of his empire, he would continue to expand his own power and abilities so that no Jedi would ever rival him.
Partisan Base, Unknown Location…
Saw Gerrera stood in his base, planning his next wave of attacks on the Empire to take advantage of the chaos being created by recent shifts.
He was still reeling from the deaths of his own Jedi who had been slaughtered by their own kind, he thought spitting with anger at the cowards that had come after those that were fighting the real fight rather than go against the real enemy. He was just glad that those brave and true Jedi had left him with leads that he had used to find some more survivors that he could draft into the fight. They weren't the greatest, he conceded as the prickly Hanna Ding proved with her rigid and unmoving stance but they were useful and capable enough.
It raised the moral of his people and this time if any of the cowardly Jedi tried to interfere again, he would kill them on sight Saw swore to himself.
Zantia, border between Inner Rim and Expansion Region…990 ARR…
Zantia was a normal planet that was much like Dantooine with large open grasslands and forests, pleasant weather and a reasonable level of technology.
It was officially listed as an agroworld and while not as big a scale of Dantooine it was a close second. It even had a small planetary defence force which was unusual for a planet of its kind as it had seen significant problems with pirates in the past.
The planet was a bit different to other planets in a specific way though, gender norms on this planet were very rigid. Not in the way that one gender was above the other but in terms of job roles there was a strict code to follow. At home men and women were equal, it was not expected for one to stay in the home and keep house or take care of children and on farms both would work on it.
Security jobs like the local police and planetary defence force were male dominant, administration jobs including planetary governance meanwhile was female. Legal professions were female dominant while pilots were male. It was not illegal for individuals to cross over into other professionals held by another gender but it was rare.
As an agroworld it wasn't a high priority planet but that had changed with the unexpected discovery of minerals below the surface, it was a perfect for fuelling starship production and so the Empire had moved to take those resources by force.
They hadn't however imagined that the locals, protective of their world and its beauty would fight back so ferociously. Using what ships that they had and commandeered freighters they had fought with all the will and effort they could manage, even employing suicide tactics as they had no time to call for aid. Using civilian volunteers on top of all their personnel they managed to drive the Empire off on their own.
They had managed to secure their own freedom but at a truly awful cost, nearly all of the planetary defence force was dead beyond a couple of pilots that had been injured and managed to make it home. All their ships were either destroyed or wrecked, and now even most pilots were dead. This included a considerable part of the male population.
All these issues shocked the planet's leaders and put them in a terrible position, they had no real pilots left and not enough to train new people or replace the lost craft. The latter they could replace with time but pilots and trained military personnel would a far more difficult obstacle to overcome.
The planet's leaders immediately realised they were in a great deal of danger if the Empire discovered the situation, they would be invaded again immediately but feared reaching out to the Rift Alliance or Rebel Alliance for help in case they were exploited due to their situation. Finally, they decided to create an illusion of a defence force that was still operating with the few pilots they had left and hopefully that would buy them enough time to rebuild it properly and feel more secure for asking for help.
Profundity, Unknown Location…
The MC75 Star Cruiser that served as the flagship for Admiral Raddus sat in the void of space, serving as a meeting point for the Rebel Alliance high command. This was a key summit that would hopefully expand the Alliance and develop a much more powerful fighting force against the Empire.
Bail Organa and Mon Mothma could not attend unfortunately, both were being watched closely on Coruscant and couldn't leave right now without leading their enemies to them. Garm Bel-Iblis and Padme Amidala however were able to attend, Padme speaking on behalf of Bail and Mon since Garm was bound by his dual commitment to the Rift Alliance and the Rebel Alliance.
Across the table sat three powerful individuals that they hoped to bring into the Rebel Alliance; Admiral Raddus who was representing his people, Tarfful the powerful Wookiee Chieftain and Harrl the chieftain of the Bethany race. But also, there was an old colleague of hers from the Senate, Senator Dewell Bronk who had been doing his best the last few years to help people under threat from the Empire escape before having to flee himself, like them he had been setting up some rebel cells around the galaxy but they were independent of the Alliance.
Padme was somewhat nervous as she hadn't been involved in high level discussions like this for a long time and it was like she was being named Queen of Naboo all over again, she thought with all her inner anxieties rising up before she suppressed them. She could do this she thought to herself but what didn't help was the fact that Anakin had insisted that she have HK-47 with her for protection, she had ordered him not to speak during these talks because the last thing she needed was for it to start talking and ruin everything with its acid mechanical tongue she thought hoping he did as she told him.
"It is good to see you, some of you I know…some I don't but what we all have in common is that we all want liberty and truth and for that sadly we have but one choice. Fight." Padme said with a heavy heart knowing that they were in for a long and hard war where many would die but sadly if they were going to be make a better galaxy and restore the freedoms that had been taken away then they would need to tear the Empire down. So many were going to die but there was no other choice she thought with dismay.
"That is why we asked you all for this meeting." Garm said adding his support which she was grateful for. "While others outside the Empire fight to force their way inward the Rebel Alliance will work from within to topple it. Erode it from the inside." Garm said hoping that with one group pressing inward and another attacking from the inside it would help bring about the fall of the Empire so much faster.
Tarfful spoke in his native tongue, unfortunately they had to rely on HK-47 to translate but thankfully the droid was somewhat polite for a change.
"Bored Statement: Interesting idea but very ambitious." HK-47 said and Harrl barked out a laugh and said with a big smirk on his face.
"I like your droid!"
Padme could only sigh as she could see trouble brewing, Raddus thankfully was already on board with this.
"With the combined forces of the Rift and Rebel Alliances we can do it. Defeat the Empire!" Raddus said with confidence but the rest of them all had much more doubt that it was going to be that easy.
"Annoyed Declaration: Then get on with it! Why waste time with pointless words like idiot meatbags and just do it!" HK-47 said impatiently.
It stunned everyone and Padme just put her face in her hands in humiliation before the rest of them started laughing much to her surprise.
"Never have I known a droid to speak so much sense." Raddus said with a laugh. "So, like it says let's get on with it. We all are in agreement so let's get to work on the details."
The rest of them all started nodding in agreement which only made Padme wonder if Anakin had intended this when he insisted that she bring the droid with her but it was never going to be allowed near such important diplomacy again if she had it her way she thought with anger, not everyone was going to respond to that kind of taunting in the same way that they had.
She did try to take some small comfort in the fact that at least she had gotten the Mon Calamari, Wookiees, Benathy and Dewell Bronk with his own network on board. The Alliance was expanding she thought and the more it expanded, the more the galaxy would see that it wasn't going to go away, but keep going till it did what it set out to do and end the Empire.
Aq Vetina, Mandalorian Border...
The border planet of Aq Vetina was one of the most reinforced colonies in Mandalorian Space, after a raid by the CIS before the Clone Wars and Haron Ordo had come to power as the new Mandalore he had seen to it that their border was heavily fortified against any further attack, it had been a long process and delayed by territorial expansions but had finally been achieved. A space station and ground and satellite-based weapon systems supplemented it with its own small craft ready to go and not far from major reinforcements if the all-clear signal was cut off by jamming.
Being a system that bordered with the Empire it was easily one of the most vulnerable positions in their territories so it was constantly being watched, although when it did finally come under attack it was not by the ones they had expected though.
The surveillance scanners picked up incoming ships and immediately the station personnel concluded it was an Imperial attack but as they rushed to alert stations and called for reinforcements but as they scrambled their own fighters and corvettes not to mention powering up the large weapons, they realised that the ships coming in were not of Imperial design except for the Imperial Class Star Destroyer that was leading the pack.
The smaller ships were all angular and vicious looking with a red blood like paint job, they rushed into without any thought of self-preservation. The station and ships opened fire but even the deadly storm of laser, turbolaser, ion and missile fire coming their way didn't deter them. They just came at them without hesitation, fighters that moved at unbelievable speeds rushed in and Vipers, X-Wings and ARC-170s all began exchanging fire with them while corvettes joined in but these fighters moved ridiculously fast at least in a straight line and even the Vipers were struggling to match it. The enemy fighters were agile but flimsy but they still strafed the station and some even tried going towards the planet before they were intercepted by the defence fighters.
The attackers were in no mood to identify themselves but symbols painted on the sides of the ships allowed one of the station officers to identify them as Kalderan. The Mandalorians were shocked as they had never done anything to anger the Kalderans or make them an enemy but they were being attacked by them anyway! The new designs were something they had working on ever since they had driven the Empire out, they only used some of the ships they had seized like the Star Destroyers now for their firepower.
But then as the local sector fleet arrived including the Aden-class Warship Wrecker, their presence did seem to intimidate the Kalderans enough to make them withdraw but not without one last act of defiance.
One of their ships specifically one of their destroyers with a barbed front charged forward and without any thought of self-preservation used full sublight power to slam itself into the Wrecker!
The ship was small but it was loaded full of ordinance and created a powerful explosion that rocked the ship and did considerable damage. Thankfully due to its command centre being deep within the vessel and its heavy armour and rugged construction it weathered the blast but it still caused a great deal of damage. The ship would likely be facing a year in drydock to fix the damage and more than that it unnerved people, there had been no reason to do that…they hadn't even destroyed the enemy but that the Kalderans were willing to go that far just to spite someone.
Dorin, Expansion Region…
Anakin Skywalker was not sure why he was visiting this planet, there were others better skilled at such matters than him but Kagame had sent him to meet with the Baran Do Sages and try and see if they would aid them against the Empire.
If he could even find them, Anakin thought with exasperation. The Baran Do Sages were famed for their secrecy, even the Jedi Archives while they still existed had only had the faintest amount of data on them and no idea of just where they lived.
Anakin therefore had no idea where to even start! He wandered around for hours hoping that he might sense some trace of them but there was nothing, he had meditated as deeply as possible and found nothing. He honestly was starting to wonder if they had left the planet or died out even but then as he sat in the local cantina having a drink to try and relieve his stress, he felt someone sit next to him and a familiar voice speak.
"Greetings young Skywalker. It has been sometime."
Anakin looked up in astonishment and saw Master Plo Koon sitting there opposite him with a long cloak on.
"Master Plo? I didn't sense you." Anakin said, impressed at how well the master hid himself and Plo Koon in his calm way just said without arrogance.
"The Jedi do not know all the secrets of the force. Other orders have found talents and skills they can only guess at, the Baran Do Sages as you now know how to hide ourselves in the force completely and dedicate ourselves to keeping those on our world with the force safe from the Empire. How is Ahsoka? I see her through the force sometimes but she is difficult to follow." Plo asked and Anakin smiled before telling him.
"She is good, living on her home world with her family while teaching her brother. She's even dating now." Anakin said not sure if he liked that but she was a big girl and it was her life to live. Plo Koon nodded with a sigh.
"It is good to know she is doing something for herself." Plo Koon said, wishing he had managed to make amends after her trial but he had wasted too much time and missed every chance of trying to mend things with her. Still, it eased his worries that she was doing well and finally making her life the way she wanted.
There was a silence before Anakin admitted to him.
"I was sent here to see if the Baran Do Sages would help against the Empire, but I think it best that I report that you have no interest. Would that be correct?" Anakin asked Plo who nodded slowly.
"The Baran Do Sages have survived by their secrecy, besides the fires of hope are rising across the galaxy. Wider than you know, there may yet be years of struggle ahead but stay the course and you will triumph." Plo told him before Anakin nodded and then to his astonishment, Plo in the moment he had blinked had disappeared as if he was never there.
Anakin smiled though. Clearly, he had been learning some new skills of his own recently, well done Master Plo he thought with amusement. Clearly the Baran Do Sages would not be joining their side in the war but Master Plo's words reassured him.
He would leave this world and report back to Kagame, knowing he would likely understand their reasons.
Ithor, Mid Rim…
The Ithorians were experts of terraforming, probably the foremost experts in the entire galaxy and they held their secrets very close and refused to share them with anyone. The Empire wanted those secrets for themselves, so they had decided to take them by force.
The Ithorians were not going to let that happen without a fight, so they gathered together their large herdships and did their best to protect their planet from the ambitious Captain Alima and his Star Destroyer Conquest.
Normally the Ithorians would have no chance of stopping a fully equipped Imperial class Star Destroyer but they had reached out to the Rift Alliance for help, and thankfully The Separatist Alliance and the Corellian Defence Force had sent ships to aid the Ithorians.
Two Providence class dreadnaughts clashed with the Conquest while Vulture fighters fought alongside HLAF-500 starfighters against the Tie Fighters. Starbolt-class Assault Carriers, heavily armed aided in surrounding the Star Destroyer while YM-2800 limpet ships clamped onto its hull and delivered both troopers and battle droids onto the disabled ship.
On the bridge Captain Alima and his subordinate Lieutenant Ardan were desperately trying to get control of the situation but the rebels had taken over the power plant and cut off energy to crucial systems, leaving them dead in space. The Ithorians were meant to be a peaceful species they thought with distress, this was supposed to be an easy job to gain status within the Empire. That was why they had come with only one ship; one was all they had thought they would need.
The sounds of fighting could now be heard on the other side of the bridge blast door, the two officers looked at it and grimaced as they knew having it closed bought them time but only so much. Then they heard a strange sound and the door began to discolour as a pair of blades one green and one blue emerged through it. The blades slowly before their eyes cut a hole in the door and the section that had been cut out was pushed in with great force, knocking a slow officer down before two figures charged it with lightsabers aloft and behind them men and women dressed in combat suits who were wielding more convention blasters.
Alima and Ardan both shot at the intruders with their few remaining soldiers but the Jedi who were leading the assault blocked their fire and sent it right back at them. They felt their pistols being ripped from their hands and then being stunned shortly after.
When they woke up, their bodies aching it was an awful moment when they realised that they had been locked in their own brig! The shame of it they both thought with humiliation which had probably been why the rebels put them in here. The door opened and three figures walked in, all human and two of them were the jedi from the bridge earlier. However, it was the third figure, a young woman with dark brown hair and a confident smirk on her face dressed in a Corellian Military Uniform that spoke first.
"I do hope you are enjoying your present accommodations." The woman said with a Corellian accent. "They are only temporary though, soon we will be transferring you down to the planet so the Ithorians can put you on trial." She said with a taunting excitement. Alima scowled and said coldly.
"I demand to be released this instant!" Alima said angrily. "I am a captain in the Imperial Starfleet and this vessel is the property of the Galactic Empire. Their retaliation for this theft will be harsh and swift." He said with a scowl but the young woman just shook her head in rejection of his statement.
"I highly doubt it, no-one cares about a nobody like you and besides if you have forgotten you came here to steal important Ithorian secrets so I don't think they will care that much." The woman said before adding. "Forgive, rude to not introduce myself. Lieutenant Qi'ra of the Corellian Special Forces. These fine people are Jedi Knights Fy-Tor-Ana and Roblio Darté who graciously have come out of hiding to aid in our fight against the Empire. They are here to interrogate you and I was fascinated to see just how a Jedi does it." She said with an expectant look in her eyes at the two Jedi who looked uncomfortable at mention of what they were about to do, use the force to extract information but it might prove useful they thought.
Qi'ra watched with fascination as they worked, her role in the Special Forces had meant she worked with the Jedi from time to time but never like this she thought with interest. She was loyal to her home world and Garm Bel-Iblis in particular who had approved of her training and joining the special forces. He needed people he could trust in places that were sensitive and she was one of those people she thought with pride!
He was busy enough running Corellia she thought knowing how much work the man had to do especially with the Dreadnaughts they had captured being converted into new Assault Frigates for the Rebellion. They would be awesome she thought when they were finished.
But she couldn't help but think of Han though and wished he was here with her, the last that she had heard he had joined some underworld outfit in Hutt Space to get the credits together for his own ship and acquired a couple of weird droids to travel around with. A part of her wished she could be there with him but at the same time she was making a difference in the galaxy she thought to herself with confidence. That was what she had always wanted she thought to herself with a pang as she just wished they had been on the same page and wanted the same things.
Thisspias, Expansion Region…
The home world of the Thisspiasian people had been under a brutal Imperial Occupation for years, massive numbers of their people had been brutally enslaved and abused while the crown prince was held as a hostage. They had hope that the powers that were fighting the Empire might come to save their world, hopes that were growing slightly as some worlds not far away were liberated.
But it would not be the Rebels or the Rift Alliance or any of their members that liberated them, instead their salvation would come from their own world. Something that had been hiding for nearly nine years until it was finally ready to strike.
The day began as any normal day did, the call to work waking the people at a ridiculous hour for most of the day and night shifts. They all slithered to their work stations with an air of depression but as they settled in to work the guards on the gantries above them were suddenly ripped away into the crowd with their necks snapped by an invisible force.
The people were confused and shocked, not understanding what was going on but as they looked around, they saw more and more of the occupying forces being killing by something that they couldn't see. It might have cheered them but they were scared that whatever was killing them would soon turn their attention to them but they didn't need to worry as whatever was doing this only focused on the Imperials.
Another strange thing that started happening was explosions in the offices and homes of high-ranking Imperial officers, some of which had been planted years before as the mind behind this had planned long in advance.
This uprising had been long in the planning, every single part had been thought out to the smallest detail to make sure that they would succeed. The mastermind behind it had been training his disciplines for years to make sure they were ready and that everything was in their favour.
Oppo Rancisis used his battle meditation to co-ordinate his people, making them fight to the best of their ability and with greater unity than would have been possible otherwise. He felt a great deal of satisfaction as his new Blood Guard as he had decided to name his disciples achieved everything that he had hoped they would. Seeing the heir to the Blood Monarchy die was an acceptable loss he thought as the Empire no longer had any leverage over them. Just as he predicted, the murder of their prince and the brutal treatment they had received was enough to get the people to rise up and work with his acolytes in getting rid of the now confused and disorganised Imperials.
Oppo Rancisis was quite pleased with the outcome, going exactly as he had planned and with the throne vacant, he would assume the seat he himself had once rejected. Ruling over his people to make sure they would remain free and the work to restore their planet would begin. If the Empire did dare to return, he would be ready for that but for now he took comfort that the Blood Guard, his Jedi Order would flourish now they were out in the open and thrive in protecting their home world.
Reijar, Ordo System…
Luna was moaning in pain as she gave birth to her first child, it had been a great blessing to find she was finally pregnant and now would finally have a child of her own.
Her husband was away on an expedition, she didn't mind he would have likely fainted at the sight of blood anyway and she could tell he would be a good father.
Instead, Neville and Hannah were staying with her, holding her hand and mopping her brow as she brought her child into the world. She was grateful that they were here at her side; she knew Haron and Ara would be camped outside the room too along with Deera if given the choice but all were currently busy with important issues and would be down when they had the chance. She had a great selection for godparents she thought with a tired smile.
After a long and hard effort though she cried out before finally she managed to push out her first child.
"It's a boy." Hannah told her with a warm smile, allowing the medical droids to do their jobs before she handed the small child to Luna. Luna's eyes widened as she felt the tiny human being in her arms, her son! She thought as she gently kissed him on the forehead and he snuggled into her, seeking comfort in her warmth.
"Lorcan, his name is Lorcan." Luna said with a warm smile on her face, choosing her son's name. She had always wanted to name her son that.
Thank you for reading, please leave a review and let me know what you thought.
Halberd and Gladius ships were inspired by their Halo counterparts.
Levithia is a planet I found in Doctor Who 'The Ribos Operation' with a similar situation, a deposed tyrant trying to regain power.
Zantia is a planet from the Buck Rogers TV series from the 1970s, where they faced a similar situation.
Sera is of course from the Gears of War franchise.
Much of the Kalderan Fleet was inspired by ships from Star Citizen which Starpottergeek suggested to me. The Perseus, Galaxy, Retaliator Bomber, Prowler and Javelin all come from Star Citizen so if you want to know what they look like check it out. The main fighter the Kalderans use though is Arwing Fighter from Starfox.
More Review Responses from the last chapter…
hanower - Thank you!
e10620ac - Hope this is enough for now!
Rosier1389 - You are assuming that Haron likes the Republic. He doesn't and is committed to his people first and foremost. They can talk all they want but after the Galactic Civil War will they want another war? Especially with an organised and powerful Mandalore? That is not to say that there won't be friction between the Rebellion and Mandalorians in the future. Besides the Mandalorians wouldn't be alone as bear in mind a lot of their allies including the Separatist Alliance, the Salient Republic and others were betrayed by the Republic. Would they want another?
Guest - Thanks!
halla - You make some strong points.
megacarroll - Mon Mothma is especially in the new canon not a good leader to my mind, I have a great deal of problems with her and think that the Alliance needs a new leader. Galen and Juno? I have an idea for that but haven't decided yet.
mind liger - Never really liked the character and his later story I think would put him at odds with Ahsoka.
Angeloux - I know, I really shouldn't have changed them but at the time it seemed the right thing to do. Sabine Wren when talking about her suit of armour actually said she forged it with her family, the Tribe is an extremist sect of Mandalorian Culture and only one person there seems to know it. It appears to be a rite of passage as far as I understand it.
KingSayan - Probably not, there might be some more factions borrowed in the future but not LOTR or Halo, sorry!
Next Chapter - The Galactic Civil War continues; Luke and Leia have an adventure of their own. Inside Mandalorian Space however there is a crisis and they find themselves facing an enemy on the outside that is a test of their metal.