A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…
The New Sith Wars engulf the galaxy in flame and destruction. The New Sith Empire, led by Darth Ruin,
continues to expand throughout the Outer Rim forcing the Galactic Republic into the Core Worlds.
With the help of the Jedi Order, the Republic fights back against the Sith threat. However, the Jedi’s
interference only brings the war to a stalemate as the two forces vie for territory from each other.
Not too far from the world of Botha’wui, a fleet of Republic ships have been stationed there to defend
against the Sith. The suddenly arrival of the Sith fleet throws the two forces to battle one another for control
of the planet…
Ren Incerto stood at the bridge of the Republic warship Enlightenment, his blue eyes staring out at space. The stars glittered in the dark void that was almost mesmerizing. It had been such a long time since he had a view of space, not since he had been promoted to Jedi Master.
Jedi Master, Ren repeated as he unclasped his hands from behind his back. He ran one of them through his black hair, almost unsure of his position. The rank of Jedi Master was not easy to attain, especially when one such as him managed to keep up with his peers. Then again, the rank wasn’t easily given, not after his mission… after he met her.
A smile of nostalgia spread on his dark face. It had been many years since he last saw her, but he still remembered her face vividly…
A hand brushed against the armored pad on Ren’s left shoulder. “Master?” a voice brought him out of his thoughts.
Turning around, Ren saw a young Zabrak, barely a woman, beside him. While the technicians and soldiers aboard respectively wore red uniforms and white armor, this one wore a long cloak around her, similarly designed to Ren’s own brown Jedi robe. The cloak itself did not hide the tattoos lining her concern face and the horns slightly poking from her brown hair.
“Yes Elara?” Ren asked his Padawan.
Elara stared with her green eyes. “Master, General Dodonna has reported Sith ships have dropped out of hyperspace. He’s engaging them right now and asking for assistance.”
The Jedi Master almost sighed, wishing he would just watch the stars a little while longer. Nonetheless, he told Elara, “Order all troops to ready their stations. We’re heading for battle.”
As Elara left, Ren turned back around to face the window, his eyes no longer on the field of stars, but on the Republic warships in the foreground, along with battle cruisers of the New Sith Empire. In the back of his mind, Ren swore he felt a familiar presence in the heat of the battle.
He shook the thought away and stared ahead. The floor shook ever so slightly as the Enlightenment began to move and head towards the familiar shapes of warships exchanging fire.
To say the battle looked like a mess was an understatement. Other Republic warships–Hammerhead and Thranta-class–were spread wide and thin across the starry plain, engaging the sickle-shaped Scimitar-class vessels of the Sith fleet. Colorful lights filled blackened spaces in between as ships and starfighter were shot down in the chaotic haze.
Another battle in the long war against the Sith.
Upon entering the fray, the Enlightenment shook from laser fire. Keeping his balance, Ren turned to the inner workings of the bridge and called out, “Elara, what’s our status?”
“Shields are holding, master,” his Padawan reported from her station, her eyes never leaving her computer terminal. “Our pilots have yet to man their starfighters, but our cannons are active.”
The Jedi Master returned to the window and saw the Sith battle cruiser in front of him. Against Ren’s hopes, the element of surprise wore off rather quickly, and the Enlightenment was being bombarded by the Sith lasers. “All forward batteries return fire!” Ren ordered. “Have our starfighters ready for deployment!”
Murmurs spread across the bridge as the Jedi Master’s orders were carried out and it was not long afterwards that the Enlightment’s cannons fired. It became an exchange of lasers between the Enlightenment and the Sith battle cruiser. Ren hoped that he would fight off this enemy and get to the next ship.
Then Elara’s voice rang out once again. “Master, another Sith cruiser is approaching us! It’s the Ragnos’ Scepter!”
With wide eyes, Ren looked at his Padawan. “Are you sure about that?”
Elara nodded and he turned back to the back to see the said ship closing in…
The Sith warship, the Ziost Frost, shook again from laser fire, making Sith General Eliza Jade almost lose her footing. Her hair ruffled around in the air with her cape, and she shuffled her black boots to keep herself standing, despite the weight of her Sith armor bearing down on her.
Standing upright, Eliza whirled pale face around. “Status report, now!” she shouted over the sound of battle.
Among the gray-clad Sith officers at the computers, a man reported from his station, “Primary batteries are at full power and shields are holding, my lady! However, one of the secondary batteries has been damaged!”
“Have the engineers fix it! I’m not going to lose this ship!” Eliza ordered.
Then, another Sith soldier, one donned in full black armor, reported, “My lady, a Republic warship has joined the battle! Hammerhead-class and has yet to deploy its starfighters!”
Eliza almost snarled, turning to the battle before her. There was one Republic warship standing out from the constant laser fire between the other vessels. Just like the soldier reported, it was a Hammerhead-class warship and it was closing in on the Ziost Frost.
Eliza’s sickly yellow eyes stared at it, surprised at its sudden appearance. But there was something as well. She swore she could sense something familiar on aboard. A presence she had not felt in years.
“My lady, your orders?” the same soldier asked, catching the Sith general’s attention.
After a moment, Eliza ordered, “Have all guns to focus on that ship! We need to hold it off as long as possible!”
The crew of the Ziost Frost carried out her orders, and Eliza turned back to the battle before her. Yet that same presence she felt before continued to nip at the back of her mind.
“My lady, the Ragnos’ Scepter is closing in!” announced another Sith officer.
Just as she heard, Eliza saw the Ragnos’ Scepter, the flagship of the Sith fleet, approaching. She was surprised to see it all and even more surprised to see smoking rising from its battered hull. “What is Balor doing?” Eliza muttered to herself. “He’s supposed to be leading the Sith into battle!”
Just then, yet another officer called from his post, “My lady, we’re detecting a strange anomaly from Lord Balor’s ship!”
“Can you detect what it is?” she inquired.
“Yes my lady, I…” the officer’s eyes widen at the new information on his computer terminal. “My lady, Lord Balor’s ship is trying to jump into hyperspace!”
That was unexpected. Traveling into hyperspace in the middle of a battle was one thing, but doing so with fault engines could bring… unexpected results.
Eliza’s temper flared as she roared to her crew, “Just what is that fool thinking?! Get us away from here, now!”
Her orders came a little too late. Everyone on board saw the familiar blue lane of hyperspace appeared and the Ragnos’ Scepter flew into it. However, the hyperspace lane remained, and the Ziost Frost and the Republic war vessel were being pulled towards it.
“Son of a hutt,” she cursed as the hyperspace portal swallowed her ship whole.
The golden eyes of a pony snapped open as she shot up from her bed. The mare took in deep breaths of air to calm herself and she felt relaxed in moments. Still, a shiver ran down the mare’s white coat as she wondered what was going on.
“Are you alright?” she heard the deep voice.
Pushing aside her golden, flowing mane, the mare turned to the stallion beside her. He was an alicorn, just like her, with wings and a horn, but he had a dark coat, and his mane was a deep purple. “I’m fine,” the mare breathed. “I just need relax a little.”
As he sat up, the stallion’s purple eyes stared at her. “You sensed something, haven’t you?”
“I have,” she nodded. “There was a strange surge of energy in the barrier. It was like a mixture of emotions. Something has arrived… something powerful.”
Her tone made the stallion uneasy as he asked, “Do you know what it is? Could it be Cerberus?”
The mare shook her head. “I don’t think so. Cerberus is still in Tartarus. Whatever this is, it felt like it doesn’t belong here.”
The stallion silently pondered what about his bedmate said. “I will have our guards to locate the source of this disturbance tomorrow morning,” he finally spoke. “It shouldn’t clash with our upcoming meeting.”
The mare gazed at him curiously. “Meeting? You mean with those ambassadors from Equestria, right?”
“Our new neighbors, yes,” the stallion yawned as he lied back on the bed. “They’ll be here in a few days. Hopefully we can figure this disturbance out before they arrive.”
She lied next to him. “Will our daughter be safe?”
“She has dozens of guards watching over her. She’ll fine,” the stallion assured the mare, hugging her with a dark wing. “And when we find this disturbance, we’ll be ready for it. Don’t worry.”
“I know, dear. I’m just worried that’s all,” the mare nuzzled him.
The stallion smiled and closed his eyes, the mare following suit. As the two drifted off to sleep, the mare’s mind was on the disturbance she felt, as well as a certain little filly sleeping in a nearby chamber.
“Celestia.”