> Soldier of Three Armies
>  by Mr Dorito
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Banishment
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equis

Canterlot

10 Days after the Elysium Incident

Princess Twilight Sparkle

A pitiful side indeed, the cameras flashed, the audience jeering, and the judges of her fate stared down at her with anger aside from Princess Cadence and Princess Ember.

The Former Princess of Friendship along with her assistant, Spike the Dragon, stood in the middle of the courtroom in nothing but rags, flanked by two guards, 1 Unicorn, and 1 Griffon.

Twilight looked perfectly healthy, but Spike, who stood a little taller than Twilight, had scars all over his muscular body, no doubt courtesy of the guards.

She can see her friends, her former friends staring at the both of them with malice off in the crowds.

Her brother, General Shining Armor, and her parents stood off to the side, her mother barely holding in her tears.

Twilight and Spike showed no emotion on their faces. They stood defiantly in front of the judges.

"Twilight Sparkle and Spike the Dragon, you have been accused of treason, in a unanimous decision, you both have been sentenced to banishment to Tartarus. Do you have any last words before your banishment?" Celestia said as she, Luna, and Cadence had their horns at the ready to banish them though tears were falling off Cadence's face.

Twilight and Spike have always been advocates of peace, unlike the other leaders who favor war against any species to absorb them. 10 days ago, the Alliance sent a fleet to invade a Chiss planet. Twilight voted for sending a delegation to form a peaceful relationship, but the Council voted to subjugate the Chiss. Twilight made a decision, she rallied around her supporters, including a Griffon Admiral, and gathered a fleet to defend the Chiss planet that was going to be invaded. Negotiations with the Commander of the Chiss fleet was tense as the Chiss Admiral did not trust them. However, the Alliance invasion fleet arrived days earlier than planned. The Chiss were furious and believed Twilight and her Rebels were trying to trick them. Before the Chiss could eliminate the Rebel fleet, they were engaged by the Alliance invasion force. Receiving fire from the Chiss fleet, Twilight gave the order to ignore the Chiss and engage the invasion fleet. The Chiss Commanders were astonished as the presumed "Vanguard" of the invaders engaged their apparent allies. Rejuvenated, the Chiss stopped firing at the Rebel ships and assisted them in fighting the invasion fleet. It was nothing short of a bloodbath. The Alliance fleet, expecting an easy victory, were picked off one by one. Their frigates and cruisers were easily destroyed in duels with Chiss or Rebel warships, and the Dreadnoughts were receiving concentrated fire from multiple ships. The Rebels did not go out unscathed however. 50% of their fleet was destroyed with Twilight's flagship disabled. Her ship was boarded by Alliance soldiers in the middle of the battle. The crew fought bravely, but they were outmatched by the Royal Commandos, the special forces of the Alliance. Twilight and Spike knew fighting was useless so they surrendered without a flight. The bridge have already escaped in escape pods per Twilight's orders. It was only after the Commandos brought Twilight and Spike to one of their surviving warships did the devastated Alliance fleet jumped to lightspeed. Now that the Chiss Ascendancy knows about the Alliance and their intentions, all invasion plans were put on hold. It was the losses that shocked the Alliance leadership to the core. 12 Troop Transports, 25 Frigates, 19 Cruisers, and 5 Dreadnoughts were destroyed. On top of all that, the Admiral of the invasion fleet was killed along with half of the Royal Commandos and a quarter of them wounded including Big Mac who became a Royal Commando not too long ago. The Council was furious at Twilight and Spike. Although, some of them pursued the death penalty, it was outlawed thanks to Twilight, Celestia, and Cadence. The next best punishments were banishment and slave labor.

After Celestia's question, the courtroom fell into silence, the cameras pointed at the defendants, no doubt, billions are watching them right now.

Twilight looked around at the audience.

"Citizens of the Celestial Alliance, you did not heed my warning our path of war, will only bring ruin to us. You all stand here, confident in the strength of the Alliance, not realizing that there may be other civilizations more advanced than ours. The galaxy is humongous, we firmly believe if we continue this path of violence, we will end up angering an enemy more powerful than us who will not offer us any mercy. I, Twilight Sparkle, have 1 more warning for the Alliance, we will not return begging for mercy, but we will return as conquerors. When we do return," Twilight looked up at her former mentor, "those who chose to lead us towards this path of violence will be brought to the sword. We will not stop until the galactic menace known as the Celestial Alliance, is no more, that we swear to you."

There was only silence in the courtroom.

"Is that all? Do you not wish to say goodbye to your friends and family?" asked Princess Luna.

"They are no longer our friends," Spike said as he looked at the other Bearers of the Elements with hate. "They forfeited that title when they betrayed us. They do not deserve mercy. As for our families, this is goodbye for now. We will meet again."

"Very well, your punishments shall be carried out immediately. May Faust have mercy on your souls." Celestia said as Twilight's and Spike's visions were blinded by a flash of light."

Tartarus

"Yeeeow, my back." Spike said as he stood up while rubbing his back. When Celestia, Luna, and Cadence fired that spell, it teleported them to Tartarus, a planet specifically chosen by the Alliance leadership, for anypony sentenced to exile. It was named after the real Tartarus in Equis.

"Ugggh." Spike heard Twilight behind him, and ran to help her off the ground. It looks like their handcuffs and the inhibitors weren't teleported with them.

Spike checked Twilight for any injuries.

"Are you alright Twi?"

"I think so." Twilight said.

They looked around their surroundings, the only sounds were coming from the birds.

"Well, what do we do now?" asked Spike.

"We survive Spike, that's all we need to do."

2 years later

Onboard the Star Destroyer Admonitor

Above Unknown Jungle Planet

Edge of the Unknown Regions, near Wild Space

Grand Admiral Thrawn

"Sir, we've arrived at our final destination, though I don't see anything interesting about this planet. It's just a jungle world."

"Looks can be deceiving Captain Niriz. We will never know if there's anything useful unless we check. After all, I was found on a seemingly uninteresting jungle world Captain." said Thrawn who was standing on the ship's bridge, staring at the planet with his hands behind his back.

"Yes sir."

"Captain Niriz, send the Probe Droids. I want to know everything about this planet. What is the status of the rest of the fleet?"

"They will be here in approximately 2 hours sir."

Tartarus

Spike

Spike was completely exhausted. What was suppose to be a simple hunt, turned into a fight for survival. Today, he hunted for these rodent-like creatures. It took him 2 hours just to find 1, and it turned into a long chase. He finally caught it, but then he realized the little bastard led him to the rest of his pack. They swarmed him which was the reason why he had a lot of scratches and wounds all over his body. Despite being exhausted and wounded, he killed off the entire pack, which will feed them for a while.

Twilight needs to make me a new shirt thanks to that little shit. He thought.

He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard a weird noise.

He quickly took cover in a bush and waited. It didn't take long before a weird, floating contraption wondered into his vision. It had appendages sticking out of the bottom of it with lenses all over the top half of it giving it a 360 Degree vision.

A Golem? I've never seen this one before. What's a golem doing in Tartarus anyway? Spike wondered.

Not far away, a swine-like creature was munching at some plants when it glanced at the approaching golem. To Spike's surprise, the golem fired a red bolt at the swine, killing it. It approached the dead body, in which, it seemed to be analyzing it considering how it was using its appendages to turn the swine over.

I've gotta warn Twi, but I need to be careful. Spike thought.

He was about to make a run for it while the golem was busy, when it then fired two bolts behind it.

There was a growling sound before the golem fired 1 more time and floated towards where the source of the growl came from.

Or maybe I should wait until it's gone.

It didn't take long until the he couldn't hear the Golem anymore and made a run for their hut.

The Hut

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight stood in the middle of the hut, proud of her work. To the left side of the room was Twilight's bed, and on the right was Spike's bed. On the back of the room were the weapons they crafted, knives, bows & arrows, spears, etc. They built shelves to hold everything else from eating utensils, to the clothes they made from animal fur. What was a mess in the morning, was nice and tity.

Hmmmm, now all I gotta do is wait for Spike to-

*BANG*

The door was thrown open by a worried Spike.

Never mind

"Twi, we've got a problem. Come with me quick!" Spike said as he dropped the bag full of his catch and dragged Twilight outside.

"Spike calm down, why are you in such a hurry?" Twilight asked as she ran right behind Spike in the jungle.

"When I was coming home, I found this floating golem scouring the jungle. Didn't seem like Alliance designed, so I assumed it's from a species we've never encountered. Maybe, they're Chiss Twi. Think about it, this is our chance to get off planet!" Spike said excitingly.

Twilight thought about it, "But what if they're hostile?"

"Well, the golem did shoot some animals and it began to analyze their bodies. I was thinking you can use your magic to trap it in a bubble shield and then we can try to find a way to contact its owners."

"You do realize we can end up getting killed right?"

"I know, but this may be our only chance."

They kept on running until Spike motioned Twilight to stop.

"What is it?" Twilight whispered.

"I heard it, it's nearby. Stay low, and follow me." Spike answered.

They crept among the bushes and trees. Twilight couldn't see what's up ahead because of Spike's body until he stopped.

"I found it, come here." Spike said, standing behind a large tree.

Twilight peered from behind the tree and saw a floating golem above the dead body of a large feline.

Twilight pulled back and whispered to Spike, "What's your plan?"

"I dunno." Spike said. He leaned out of his cover only to pull back quickly as a red bolt flew past him.

"Ok, so I guess it'll shoot at anything that moves." Spike said sheepishly.

"Ugh. You know what, do you have anything you can throw at it?" Twilight asked.

"Ummm" Spike said as he looked around. He spotted a large branch and picked it up. "I've got this?"

"Good enough." Twilight said with a nod. "Ok, when  I say now, you throw the branch at the golem. Ready?"

"Ready." Spike said as he prepared to chuck the branch at the Golem.

Twilight waited a few seconds, watching the Golem analyze the body.

"Now!"

Spike chucked the branch from behind the tree and just as Twilight predicted, it fired at the branch. Quickly, Twilight conjured a spell and trapped the Golem in a bubble. Just in time too, as the bubble absorbed a bolt intended for Twilight.

"Yes! We got it." Twilight said.

"Whooo! Come on, lets check it out."

They walked towards the Golem, but the Golem tried to break out of the bubble by firing at it. All of the red bolts simply fizzled out the moment it made contact with the bubble.

"So, what do we do now?" Spike said as he tapped on the bubble.

"Ummm, hello? Is there anybody there? Can you understand us?" Twilight said as she tapped on the bubble as well. "We're friendly."

Without warning, the Golem blew up, sending Twilight and Spike sprawling on the ground.

"Ugh, what was that?" Spike said as he held his head. He saw the tree they were hiding in was mere inches from his head.

That was too close

"The Golem blew up. It must've had some kind of self-destruct mechanism." Twilight said as she got up and rubbed her back. "If it weren't for that bubble, we would've been dead."

They both looked at where the Golem was which was nothing but small pieces now on some scorched earth.

"So....what now?" Spike asked.

Above Tartarus

ISD Admonitor

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Interesting, most interesting. Thrawn thought as he reviewed the footage from one of the Probe Droids. That purple creature, it trapped the droid in some kind of bubble. I don't believe I've ever heard of any force-sensitives that can do that.

"Captain Niriz, send a ground team to the Probe Droid's last location. I want these 2 individuals brought to me unharmed."

"Yes sir."

Lambda-class T-4A Shuttle

Echo Squad

Unknown Jungle Planet

Sergeant RT-3804 "Slash"

The trip was silent for Sgt. Slash and his squad. They were debriefed by Captain Niriz and were told to capture the 2 creatures that destroyed one of the Probe Droids alive.

"Ten Seconds." They heard the pilot say.

The squad stood up, ready to run out of the shuttle.

"Remember the mission lads. Don't screw this up. If we see them, do not stun them unless I say so."

"Yes sir!" He heard his squad shout.

The ramp to the shuttle opened.

"Go go!"

His squad ran out.

"Secure the perimeter." Slash said as he aimed his blaster at the treeline. His squad split up to different parts of the clearing around the shuttle.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Alright, the last location of the Probe Droid isn't far. Vector, Chemo, Dawn, you guys stay here and defend the shuttle with the pilots. Everyone else, with me." Slash said as the 2 pilots walked down the ramp of the shuttle, blasters at the ready.

"Yes sir." His squad said.

They trekked through the jungle. It reminded Slash of Maridun when he was just a private under General Ziering. The place was a literal hell and they were saved only by the now Commander Janek Sunber. All of the survivors received medals and promotions. Last he heard, Ziering became part of Grand Moff Zsinj's staff with Sunber. As for Slash himself, he was transferred to the Unknown Regions. At first, he thought it was some kind of punishment, until he realized he was transferred to Grand Admiral Thrawn's command. Being in the Unknown Regions does have its perks. It's usually quite, they don't have to worry about the Rebels attacking them, and the planets that resisted Imperial rule were easily put down.

They didn't find anything until one of his squadmembers spotted something.

"Hey Sarge, over here."

Slash looked at the trooper who was up ahead, waving his arm. He jogged over there and the rest of the squad converged on the location.

What he found was the dead body of a feline and near it, the ground was scorched with pieces of the Probe Droid. Small little fires still littered the area.

"Search the area. The HVIs shouldn't be too far."

ISD Admonitor

Grand Admiral Thrawn

On the bridge of the Admonitor, Thrawn stood at the window staring into space, eyes closed and hands behind his back. Everything he and his colleagues have worked so hard for is getting closer and closer to fruition. They can't afford to be arrogant however. Not all of the pieces are in place and in one wrong move, they can all expect ISB to be at their doorsteps.

"SIR! Something coming out of hyperspace!" He heard someone yell.

Thrawn opened his eyes in time to see 5 ships emerge out of hyperspace.

"Sound General Quarters. Launch all fighters but maintain defensive positions. We do not know if they're hostile yet. Captain Niriz, what is the ETA of the rest of the fleet?"

"They'll be hear in ten minutes sir."

Thrawn walked towards the holotable.

"Open Communications with the unknowns, I want to speak with them."

"Sir, one of them is trying to contact us." The Communications Officer said.

"Bring them up." Ordered Thrawn.

"Yes sir."

A blue hologram appeared of a humanoid creature wearing a uniform adorned with medals. Thrawn could tell this creature was of equine nature just like the Nazzar, but they seemed more Human-like.

"Greetings, my name is Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Galactic Emp-"

"Chiss" The Equine Commander hissed. "You Chiss dare come here and mock us?"

Thrawn was confused. "I assure you, I have no idea what you're talking about."

The Equine only sent a hateful glare, "Regardless, you will surrender your ship to the Celestial Alliance or be destroyed."

The hologram fizzed out, leaving behind a very confused Thrawn.

A lot of things must've happened while I was gone.

"Where's the fleet Captain?"

"They'll be here in a few minutes sir."

Thrawn turned to look at the enemy fleet. They had a box-like design, and Thrawn could just barely see the two large gun barrels on the fronts of the ships.

"Sir, enemy fighters closing in fast!"

"Tell all fighters to engage them. They're straying too far from their ships, we'll take them out here and the enemy's fighter force will be greatly reduced."

"But we're outnumbered sir!" He heard another officer yell.

"Not for long." Captain Niriz said as he gazed out the window.

"Sir, the Corvus and the Whirlwind have just arrived." The Comms Officer said.

"Excellent, tell them to pull in the rest of the fleet on my mark." Thrawn said.

It wasn't long before the view is full of TIE Fighters and TIE Interceptors engaging the unknown's V-shaped fighters. Thrawn read the reports coming from the fighters engaging them. While the hostile fighters can take more hits than a TIE, they are far less maneuverable and are much slower. It makes Thrawn wonder how well a Star Destroyer can last against the hostile ships.

"Sir, hostile ships closing in fast. They'll be in weapons range in 1 minute."

Thrawn's eyes narrowed at the ship in the middle of the enemies' v-shaped formation.

"I want the middle ship disabled. The rest are to be destroyed. Launch the TIE Bombers. Their orders are to destroy the enemy flagship's engines."

"What about us sir?" asked Captain Niriz.

"Do not worry Captain, we will engage the enemy fleet alongside ours."

CAN Harmony

Tartarus

Admiral Sun Strike

The Orange furred Admiral wiped the sweat from his brows. While his fighters engage the hostile fighters, his fleet has been engaging the enemy ship. In return, the enemy ship singled-out his flagship. The ship and its fighters he was engaging however, did not look Chiss designed at all, however, the enemy commander was clearly a Chiss. He was more confused than worried really.

"Shields at 75% and dropping fast! Sir, I advise we retreat and allow the rest of the fleet to engage the enemy ship" His Captain said.

"Negative Captain. Press the attack. I want that ship disabled for our boarding parties."

"Sir, enemy fighters closing in the port side." One of his officer's yelled.

"Order Magic Squadron to intercept them. All ships are to concentrate on that enemy ship."

He couldn't tell what's the status of the enemy ship's shields, but it was getting hammered by the combined firepower of his fleet.

'What a fool' Sun Strike said referring to the enemy commander. 'I would've retreated the moment a fleet attacked.'

Reports continue to come in and Sun Strike was not happy. His fighter force, to be blunt, was getting their asses beaten by the enemy fighters. His fighters simply could not keep up with the speed and maneuverability of the enemy fighters. Then, there was the report of 2 smaller ships appearing out of lightspeed behind the first hostile ship. The new unknowns were dagger-shaped like the first ship but were significantly smaller and each of them have four sphere-like structures protruding out of them. Strangely enough, they made no attempts to assist their apparent ally aside from sending fighters to assist.

'I've never seen the Chiss use these tactics. Aside from the new ship designs, they're behavior is abnormal.' Sun Strike thought.

All of a sudden, an entire fleet of warships dropped out of lightspeed right in front of his fleet. Sun Strike nearly fell as he stumbled back.

"By Celestia's arse. All batteries engage the enemy ships! Fire the main cannons!"

"But they need to be charged up sir."

Sun Strike silently cursed. "Then charge them up you idiot!"

He quickly turned his attention back to the enemy fleet.

'Precision Jumps? Impossible!' He thought.

Precision Jumps in the Alliance Navy were banned. Naval High Command tested the theory of Precision Jumping with a mothballed, obsolete cruiser. The result ended with the Cruiser crashing into a moon. They tested the theory with 9 more obsolete warships and only 1 of them were successful. The rest either pulled out too early, or crashed into the moon. They came to the conclusion that you either have to be extremely lucky, or extremely precise to perform a Precision Jump. Not wanting to lose lives over an extremely risky maneuver, they banned its use until further notice. To see an entire fleet perform a Precision Jump was simply jaw-dropping.

His ship continued to shake as it was being battered by the enemy fleet. 

"Status?" 

"Shields have dropped to 25% and dropping fast! We've lost the Everfree, Prosperity, and Unity. Loyalty's lost their shields and are trying to ram the enemy." One of his officers yelled.

Sun Strike began to sweat uncontrollably. That's 80% of his fleet gone.

"Set coordinates for Avalon! We're getting out of here!" He yelled.

"But what about our fighters? We just can't leave them behind!"

"No time! We need to leave now!" Sun Strike yelled at an officer.

"We've lost the shields! Hull breaches at levels 1-3! Heavy Turrets 2,3, and 6 have been kn-" The officer didn't get to finish that sentence before the ship shook, sending everyone to the floor.

Sun Strike slowly picked himself up.

"What was that?" He said as he turned to one of his officers who ran to one of the computers.

"Our engines have been knocked out sir."

Sun Strike started breathing heavily. From the viewport, he could see the hostiles have stopped firing at them and were holding their positions. He could see the wreckage of the Loyalty floating in space but his main concern were the intentions of the hostiles.

Knowing what they will do next, he addressed the crew of the Harmony.

"Attention all hands, this is Admiral Sun Strike. The enemy plans to board us to capture us and gain information. As members of the Alliance Navy, we will deny them that. I am very sorry. We all have friends and families back home, but we must sacrifice ourselves for their safety. If you must pray, now is the time, it's been an honor serving alongside all of you. Admiral Sun Strike out."

ISD Admonitor

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Thrawn watched as the Grey Wolf launched its shuttles carrying the boarding parties. The hostile fleet did a number on the Admonitor, bringing its shields down to 30%. One of the enemy ships, about the size of a Victory-class Star Destroyer, tried to ram the VSD Sceltor, but luckily, it was destroyed by the combined firepower of the Sceltor, the ISD Vanguard, the Strike-class Cruiser Daring, and the Nebulon-B2 Frigate Ludwick.

He was eager to find out, what happened to his people while he was gone. From what he heard from that Equine Commander, it would seem they do not have the best relations with the Chiss. If they're at war with his people, then Thrawn hopes he can persuade the Emperor to allow him to assist them.

To his horror, explosions dotted the enemy ship before there was a huge explosion that consumed the entire ship. The shuttles carrying the boarding parties maneuvered to avoid the debris. He could hear the transmission as one of the Lambda shuttle's wings was sheared off by debris.

"Mayday mayday mayday! This is Gamma 3. We're hit. We've lost a wing.

Copy that Gamma 3. Maru Ki is moving to assist.

Thrawn clenched his fists. He knew Gamma 3 will survive, but he was angry he could not obtain info from the enemy warship. He took deep breaths to calm himself down.

"Um sir?"

Thrawn turned around to find Captain Niritz standing behind him with a datapad in hand.

"I've received reports that an unknown, the size of a Lambda-class Shuttle, launched from one of the hostile warships before the engagement and headed planetside. We believe it's a troop transport."

"Hmmm, this is very good news Captain. Divert all of the shuttles aside from Gamma 3 to planetside to support Echo Squad. Alert Echo Squad as well of this development. I want that transport captured and as many hostiles captured for interrogation."

Then Thrawn came to a realization. That enemy commander looked similar to one of the unknowns spotted by the probe droid. What confused him was if this was a space faring species, why was that individual dressed in rags? A sudden thought almost made Thrawn smirk.

Maybe it's an exile like me. What are the odds honestly?

"I need to know if Echo Squad has apprehended the individuals. If they haven't, I want them found as soon as possible. We are running out of time before enemy reinforcements arrive."

"Yes sir." Captain Niriz said.

"Anything else?"

"Admiral Parck and Commander Stent are requesting to send a battlegroup with the Shadow of Bastion and the Pride of Corellia to assist."

"Tell them that will not be necessary. We will set course for Niruan as soon as we're done here."

"Yes sir. And one more thing sir."

"Yes?" Thrawn said giving Niriz a questioning look.

"Admiral Krennel and the Reckoning have returned from Coruscant with an extra Star Destroyer, sent by the Emperor himself."

Thrawn raised an eyebrow. "And what is the name of the Star Destroyer?"

Niriz looked at his datapad one more time.

"The Vendetta"
> From Exiled to Prisoner
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unknown Jungle Planet

Echo Squad

Sergeant RT-3804 "Slash"

"Well, they're not here. What do we do know Sarge?" asked Boom.

They searched the area where the Probe Droid was destroyed only to find no clues as to where the two HVIs were. After a while, they did find some footprints, but after following them out of the area, they seemed to have disappeared. The trail ended in a small clearing.

"We call it in. We're gonna need more bodies down here. A single squad isn't going to find them."

It was then that Slash received a transmission from the Admonitor.

"Echo Squad, this is Admonitor Actual. Have you secured the HVIs yet?" said a female voice from the Admonitor.

"Negative Admonitor Actual. We've found what's left of the Probe Droid, but the trail's gone cold. Requesting reinforcements to search the area." Slash said as he turned away from the footprints.

No need Echo Squad, the Grand Admiral has already diverted four squads to assist. Be advised, reports indicate a hostile troop transport has been seen heading planetside. Unknowns are described to be of Equine nature, similar to one of the HVIs. You have permission to eliminate them any way you can, but Thrawn wants prisoners. Is that understood?"

"Copy that Admonitor Actual. Echo Squad out."

"Hey Sarge?"

Slash turned around to see Hunter kneeling down near the footprints.

"What direction are the footprints pointing at?"

Slash kneeled near the footprints as he gazed at the direction the footprints were pointing at.

His eyes widened in realization.

"Oh shit."

Lambda T-4A Shuttle

Unknown Jungle World

Vector, Chemo, Dawn, and the Shuttle Pilots

The three members of Echo Squad continued to scan the treeline surrounding the clearing in silence. Near the shuttle, the two pilots were in a conversation while holding their blaster pistols. For Echo Squad, this was the first time they were deployed to a planet within the Unknown Regions. For the pilots, from what Dawn's heard from their conversations, this is the 6th planet they've been to. Being a female in the stormtrooper corps was hard for Dawn. She was constantly bullied, given unusual assignments from officers, and was even  almost raped by a Lieutenant when she was stationed at Eriadu. Fortunately, the lowly female private was able to fend off the Lieutenant and beat him senselessly before other stormtroopers restrained her. Dawn doesn't have much praise for Admiral Blitzer Harrsk, in fact, she hated him, but she was glad he sentenced him to death, carried out be her nonetheless. It was an incident that was televised and watched by many members of the Imperial Court and the Imperial Military. The Naval High Command wanted to show that rape will not be tolerated. Unfortunately for Dawn, the Lieutenant was part of a powerful family within the Imperial Courts and they convinced Harrsk to send her to a backwater planet. However, Thrawn, who watched the execution and the reports of the incident, saved her and had her transferred to his command. The family was seething with rage and even tried to convince both the Emperor and Grand Admiral Rufaan Tigellinus to have her sent to the spice mines at Kessel. Of course, the Emperor saw no need to punish her and refused. Meanwhile, Grand Admiral Tigellinus, as powerful as he is in the Imperial Court, holds no jurisdiction over Thrawn and is convinced sending her to Thrawn's command was a good enough punishment. This lead to the Lieutenant's father yelling at Tigellinus in the Imperial Court. He got too close to Tigellinus and made him spill his favorite drink on his uniform. Enraged, Tigellinus beat the man in front of everybody. He only stopped when the Royal Guards restrained him.

A few weeks later, Thrawn showed up for a meeting with the Emperor when the same man approached him. He began to yell at him and even grabbed the collar of his uniform. Thrawn simply grabbed the man's arm, and jabbed it with his other arm, breaking it. As the man held his arm on the ground in pain, Thrawn delivered the coup de grace and kicked him on the face, knocking him out cold. Even though Thrawn is probably the least influential Grand Admiral in the Imperial Court, he did send a clear message to all of them, no matter how powerful you may be, do not mess with a Grand Admiral.

Dawn was grateful what Thrawn did. When she became a part of the Empire of the Hand Command, all she received was sympathy and equality. Nobody bullied her for being a woman. There were plenty of women who were part of Thrawn's command whether they were stormtroopers or officers. In fact, there was a female Chiss Admiral in Thrawn's command. From what she's heard from some officers, Commander Stent, Admiral Siath, and Admiral Ar'alani had a falling out with the Ruling Families of the Chiss Ascendancy, and exiled themselves with their followers to hunt down outside threats. It was then when Thrawn encountered their fleet with a fleet of his own, and convinced him to join his command as members of the House Phalanx. They were eager to join and their fleet became part of Thrawn's squadron, knows as the Phalanx Squadron.

This story intrigued Dawn, and she conducted her own investigation to confirm its authenticity, until she was caught by the Grand Admiral himself. In a private conversation with Captain Dagon Niriz as a witness, he confirmed the story and even introduced her to Admiral Ar'alani when she visited the Admonitor.

Now, here she is, defending a shuttle and its two pilots who simply will not shut up.

"Yo you gonna watch Fight Night?" One of the pilots said.

"Oh, of course. My cousin's gonna be there though."

"For real? But tickets are at least 3000 Credits. You sure he couldn't use his money on something else?"

"Well he's a pretty successful business man. 3000 credits is nothing for him."

"By the way, did you see that chick in Viper Squadron?"

"Viper Squadron? Where are they stationed at?"

"Aboard the Sword of Kuat. Man she has a nice ass."

"I'm more of a tits guy."

It was then did Dawn had enough.

"Ok, will you guys shut up for once before I shove my blaster up your asses?"

Her two squadmates were snickering, obviously, they were listening to the conversation as well.

"Yo chill, relax. There ain't nothing to worry about. The Grand Admiral in all of his glory, beat the shit out of those hostiles. So it's all good. That troop transport probably got intercepted anyways."

"Don't be too confident. It's what got Grand Moff Tarkin killed." Vector responded with his deep voice.

"Well I ain't Grand Moff Tarkin aight? I'm not the commander of Space Station Eyesore. I'm a pilot of a Lambda, and part of a command in a region where there's hardly anything to shoot at. People in this command, besides exploring and patrolling, all we do is watch recordings of battles in the known galaxy, watch soap operas, watch governors humiliate themselves by doing something stupid like pardoning criminals, play games, and fuck."

Dawn narrowed her eyes at the pilot.

"You know that's not allowed."

The pilot opened his arms wide.

"Well who cares. You think Thrawn cares? Everyone forms relationships, you should try it one day. Even Thrawn has a girl he visits in Anaxes. Hey, maybe even Admiral Krennel has a girl, maybe a guy. Who knows? It ain't the first time I heard of a gay officer. I've always thought of Krennel as some kind of masochist. He's always coming back from sparring with bruises and cuts. Can't tell if it's because he enjoys fighting, or the wounds he sustained."

"You think he's gay and uses that cybernetic arm of his to fist someone?" The other pilot asked.

At that point, Vector and Chemo were laughing out loud. Dawn however, was not.

"Alright, that's disgusting. Why don't you just help us and scan the treelines for anything?"

One pilot raised his hands in a surrender motion.

"Alright Isard. Whatever makes you happy."

"Don't ever call me Isard." Dawn said angrily.

Beneath his helmet, the pilot smiled maliciously.

"Alright Iceheart."

Tartarus

Twilight and Spike

Twilight and Spike sat hidden behind a bush, watching these strange aliens communicate while guarding their ship. After the golem self-destructed, they took a look at what's left of the droid before they saw a ship come in and land somewhere in the jungle.

They walked for a while before Twilight decided to teleport them to save some time. What they saw was nothing short of strange.

When she saw them, she presumed this was what the aliens looked like. Then, she remembered that the soldiers of the Celestial Alliance wore armor that covered their whole body as well. This was further proven as it looked like two of them were talking each other, but Twilight couldn't see any mouths moving. There were five aliens in the clearing with their ship. Three of them have these white armor, and the other two wore some kind of black suits with helmets. The armors they wore blend in horribly with the environment. Twilight believes they either came unprepared, they were confident in their abilities, or they were just plain stupid. Twilight thought of coming out and try to communicate with them, but she saw the weapons they were holding and put that idea on hold in case they were hostile.

Twilight hopes it wasn't the latter. The ship they came with was very strange to them with their giant wings. There is no way a ship like this could've been hidden from any potential enemies. Because of the noise from the wildlife, Twilight and Spike couldn't tell what they were saying. It looked like one of the white armored aliens was arguing with one of the black suited ones.

"So what do we do Twilight? There's usually a patrol fleet above Tartarus, so how did these guys get here?" asked Spike.

"I don't know. I guess we wait and see what happens?" Twilight answered.

They waited for a while, watching two of the aliens argue while the others laughed at them, at least it appears they were laughing. It was then did Spike ran out of patience.

"Alright, forget this. They look friendly enough. Let's go meet them." Spike said as they stood up.

"Meet who?"

Twilight and Spike froze instantly when they heard that voice behind them.

"Hands behind your head."

They did exactly as instructed.

"Good, you can understand us. Now turn around slowly."

Twilight and Spike turned around and were met face to face with 6 more of the white armored aliens pointing their weapons at them, one of them had a white pauldron on one of its shoulders. On all of their shoulders, she can see some kind of emblem on them. It was some kind of circle with a fist in it. Not the strangest emblem for a military unit she's ever seen.

"We're not here to harm you, but if you try anything, we will put you down. Listen to my directions, and there won't be a problem. Now turn around, and walk towards the shuttle over there. Keep your hands behind your heads."

They did exactly as instructed in fear of what they will do if they disobey.

"Hold your fire. 8 coming out." They heard the alien say.

They emerged from the treeline to see one of the white armored aliens standing awfully close to one of the black suited ones, as if they're about to fight.

"Hey, knock it off you two. Don't want me telling the Grand Admiral what's going on right?"

Grand Admiral? Twilight thought.

The white armored one stood at attention.

"Yes sir. Sorry sir. It won't happen again." The alien said with a female voice.

The black suited one just lowered his head before looking back up.

"Alright alright, whatever." The alien said with a male voice.

They stopped before the white ship.

Behind them, they could hear the alien with the white pauldron speak.

"Admonitor Actual, we've secured the HVIs. We're on the way-"

"Hey guys? You here that?" One of the aliens spoke.

The group can hear the faint sound of an engine.

"That doesn't sound like a TIE or a Lambda to me." said another alien.

They could hear the sound coming closer.

"It's coming closer. South East!" said the female alien.

It was then, did they see a large dagger shaped ship heading towards them in what looks like a strafing run.

A Manticore! Twilight thought.

"GET DOWN!"

They all dove with one of them grabbing Twilight to the ground and laying on top of them.

There was the distinct sound of a missile firing before there was a loud explosion. Twilight could feel the heat from the explosion as the Manticore flew above them.

She felt the alien grab her as it stood up. From there, she could see the extent of the seriousness of the situation.

Everyone was picking themselves up, some slower than others, with one of the black suited aliens yelling at the Manticore as it flew into the clouds.

"My baby! You fucking asshole! I'm gonna murder you! I'll fucking snap your dick off, and shove it up your ass!" He said.

"Movement on the treeline!" Dawn yelled as she fired her blaster.

Yellow blaster bolts soon start pouring from the treeline as the aliens returned fire with red blaster bolts.

"Come on, move!" The alien with Twilight started pushing her towards the other side of the clearing, where two of the white armored aliens were already giving them covering fire from behind some trees.

Twilight heard a yelp as one of the aliens running was hit on the leg.

She turned to help her but one of them shoved her towards the trees.

"Don't stop, keep moving!" He said.

Twilight did as she told, but turned her head to see if the wounded alien was alright. Much to her joy, she saw Spike carrying her, using his body as cover.

When they made it to the trees, they got to cover, while Spike set the wounded alien down behind a tree. One of the black suited aliens and a white armored one immediately ran to her to attend her wounds.

She picked up her helmet and set it down. It was then did Twilight and Spike finally saw what the aliens looked like. She had brown hair tied into a ponytail, pale skin, small eyes, small nose, and a small mouth. Unlike a pony who have snouts, her face was squashed.

Twilight and Spike were simply mesmerized, ignoring the blaster bolts that flew past them. She just looked so alien to them.

The female alien looked at the two tending to her injuries. One of them was about to inject a needle with some blue liquid on her leg when she quickly grabbed the alien's arm.

"No, save it just in case. I can still fight."

The two aliens simply nodded before they jumped to their individual covers and fired back.

"Who are these guys?" One of the aliens asked as he fired a steam of bolts from a large blaster.

"Alliance troops. No matter what, do not let them capture you. Otherwise, they'll find your home planet and attack it." Twilight answered as a bolt skimmed the tree she was hiding behind.

"Rebel Alliance?" One of them asked as ducked behind his cover just in time as several bolts flew past him.

"Rebel Alliance? I've never heard of them. No, these guys are from the Celestial Alliance."

"Admonitor Actual, this is Echo Squad. We are under fire from hostiles. Our shuttle has been destroyed and there's an enemy gunship somewhere in the are. Requesting reinforcements." The alien with the white pauldron said. He must've been communicating with someone, but where Twilight wondered.

"Copy that Admonitor Actual. Hey guys!" He said calling out on the rest of the aliens. "Reinforcements are on their way. We just need to hold out until they arrive."

Twilight peeked from her cover, and saw the Celestial Alliance soldiers that were firing at them. Their blue and black armors were unmistakable. Their whole body was covered in armor with a black visor covering their faces. Some of them were Pegasi and Griffons who were identified by the wings protruding from their backs, unicorns and changelings from the horns sticking out of their helmets, and even two minotaurs indicated by their large size and the pair of horns on their heads.

She saw one of the soldiers, either an Earth pony or a zebra, took a bolt to the head and fell backwards. Twilight pulled back just in time as one of the soldiers fired at her.

"Uhhhh, guys? That ship is coming back!" One of the black suited aliens said.

From where they were, they all saw the ship breaking cloud cover and heading straight for them.

"Admonitor Actual where are those reinforcements!" The White Pauldron alien yelled.

Twilight and Spike then heard the faint sound of some kind of screeching noise.

"Look! TIE FIghters." One of them yelled.

Twilight saw two odd looking fighters chasing the Manticore and firing green bolts at it.

Two of the bolts hit the back of the Manticore. Flames started spewing out of its rear as the two strange fighters pulled away.

"Shit it's coming for us!" One of the aliens yelled.

With no time, everyone ducked and hoped for the best, but not Twilight.

If she doesn't do anything, they will all, or maybe most of them will die. If she survives, then she'll be stuck here forever. No, she will survive. They will all survive. Twilight Sparkle, the former Princess of Friendship, shall not stay in this planet any longer.

In a display of power, Twilight's horn lit up and just before the Manticore landed on them, it stopped in mid air. The aliens, noticing how there was no explosion yet, looked up to see the HVI some kind of power, very similar to the Force, hold the hostile gunship in the air.

Almost forgetting about the Alliance soldiers, Twilight used the Manticore as cover from the incoming bolts. Twilight stared at the cockpit of the Manticore to see two Pegasi pilots staring back, shaking in fear. They both saw the rage in Twilight's eyes.

The horn on Twilight's head glowed brighter and brighter, before the Manticore was sent into the air.

Among the Celestial Alliance soldiers, they saw firsthand, how strong the exiled Princess was. They stopped firing as they saw that she was using the downed Manticore as cover. Having enough of this, a Minotaur took out his rocket launcher ignoring the fact, the two pilots inside may still be alive. The death of the traitorous princess and the capture of new alien technology seems too good to be true. However, before he could fire, the Manticore all of a sudden was flung into the air. Realizing they all saw the Manticore heading straight for them and they all scattered for cover. It was all for naught as the Manticore landed behind the group and in a spectacular explosion, they were thrown off their feet.

Meanwhile, Twilight saw what she had done. She felt pretty satisfied about it too and gave a huff in relief, until she heard the roaring of engines.

Unknown Jungle Planet

Echo Squad

Sergeant RT-3804 "Slash"

Slash was in shock as he saw what that alien just did. She literally held that gunship in the air with Force-like powers, and through it back to the hostiles. He has never seen a force-sensitive use their powers before, except for old holovids of Jedis when he was a child. His favorite out of all of them was of the Jedi Masters Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, along with the Padawan Ahsoka Tano and Clone Captain Rex, hold off hordes of droids. The way they used the force and their abilities with the lightsaber was so mesmerizing. As a child, he wanted to be like them but his parents told him repeatedly, it is a rare gift and only a select few are born with the ability to wield the force. Accepting the fact that he's not a force sensitive, he began to watch holovids of Clones in action and signed up for the stormtrooper corps the moment he was old enough.

However, he noticed some differences. The horn on the alien was glowing purple. He's never heard of a force sensitive doing that. Then there's the fact the alien wasn't using its hands unlike other force-sensitives. According to Imperial law, all force-sensitives are to be turned in to the government. After what he's seen, he's not sure if this alien would be considered a force-sensitive. Also, after the display, this alien could've possibly beaten his entire squad, so why hadn't it?

"Lambdas! Reinforcements are here!"

Slash picked himself up and saw Boom, missing a helmet revealing a bald, dark skinned man, pointing towards the sky. He looked to where Boom was pointing and saw four Lambdas streaking towards them. He could see Vector raising his DLT-19 Heavy Blaster Rifle into the air with Dawn next to him, sitting behind a tree with a tired, but a content look on her face.

The group of four Lambdas slowed down as they were landing. Their ramps were not even fully opened before its occupants ran out, blasters drawn. Slash could see each Lambda carried a squad of Stormtroopers and either a pair of Storm Commandos or Death troopers. He expected them to start shooting the startled hostiles who were still picking themselves up, when they fired blue rings at them. Slash mentally slapped himself in his mind. The Grand Admiral wanted prisoners, of course their blasters would be set to stun.

The hostiles dropped one by one as they were stunned, though the Death Troopers and the Storm Commandos were content in hanging back by the shuttle and watching them work.

Out of one of the shuttles came an Imperial Officer. Slash could not tell the officer's rank due to the fact the officer had his back turned towards them.

Echo Squad, the pilots, and the two aliens stood there, watching the reinforcements sweep the hostiles. To Slash's left were Boom, who found his helmet and was helping a limping Dawn, and to his right were the two aliens.

It was then did a squad of Stormtroopers spotted the two aliens.

"Hostiles!"

"Wait! Hold your fire!" Slash yelled.

He was too late as several Stormtroopers fired their blasters and stunned them.

"Cease fire!" The Officer yelled.

Slash kneeled to check the pulses of both aliens before motioning for Vector to pick up the purple alien, and for Hunter and Chemo to pick up the larger one.

Slash got up to see the officer yelling at the squad of Stormtroopers.

"What was that Sergeant?"

"We spotted a hostile and acted per orders by the Grand Admiral to acquire prisoners sir!"

"The Grand Admiral ordered us to not harm the HVIs. Tell me Sergeant, why did you and your squad fire!" The Officer said, his face awfully close to the Sergeant's face.

"We were informed of the description of the hostiles sir! We assumed they were hostiles sir!"

"You assumed? Tell me Sergeant, were they carrying any weapons?"

"Um, no sir!"

"Then what reason were they standing with Echo Squad for?"

"Because they were the HVIs sir!"

"So why did you shoot?"

"We got overexcited sir! They were the same species as the hostiles so we assumed they were hostiles as well sir!"

"So if you were fighting Human Rebels, would you fire at Human civilians as well because they were the same species?"

"..."

"You know what? Don't answer that. If it were up to me, I would've kicked your ass all the way to Kessel. The Grand Admiral will think of a way to punish you and your squad. Next time, follow your orders accordingly. Do you understand me Sergeant?"

"Yes sir!"

The Officer turned to address Echo Squad and the pilots who were walking towards him with their wounded and the two aliens. The bigger alien had its arms over Chemo's and Hunter's shoulders as they carried it.

Slash stood at attention in front of the officer and saluted him. He was finally close enough to see his rank pin, indicating he was a Captain.

"Sergeant RT-3804, Echo Squad, 4th Infantry Battalion reporting sir!"

The officer returned a salute. "Captain Vel Gordi, 8th Infantry Battalion. Nice work. Get the HVIs on a shuttle and have your wounded checked by the medics."

"Yes sir!"

Twilight Sparkle

Inside Unknown ship

"Twilight wake up."

"Hey Twilight."

"WAKE UP!"

Twilight gasped as she got up, only for her face to hit something solid.

"Ooops, sorry Twi." She heard Spike's voice as she held her face, groaning.

As the pain went away, she opened her eyes and saw a metallic ceiling. 

Spike came to her vision, grabbed her hand, and pulled her up. She looked around to get a better look at their location.

"Where are we?" Twilight asked as she analyzed the metallic walls.

"Not sure. I think those aliens brought us on their ship." Spike said with a shrug.

Twilight checked herself. No scars to indicate any incisions and they're still wearing their rags. She turned around to see a glowing, blue transparent wall.

Spike saw what she was looking at. "It's a door. I saw one in another room disappear as they threw an Alliance soldier in. An alien pressed some buttons and the door reappeared. Just a warning, don't touch the door. I saw one of the soldiers touch it and was electrified. Not to death, but enough to knock him out for a while."

"So we're in a cell." Twilight got closer to see what's outside. She saw white armored aliens, each one of them standing in front of a cell while facing the prisoners, except for their's.

"Why are they standing there in front of the cells except for ours?" Twilight asked as she turned back towards Spike who was sitting on a bed attached to a wall.

"A unicorn used her magic to disable the door. I guess there was a silent alarm since a squad of those aliens came in and starting beating her. Now, they're here to make sure they don't try anything funny."

"But why not us?"

Spike only gave her a shrug. "Beats me."

They were both distracted by a faint hissing sound followed by a conversation.

"Captain Niriz. Are you here to interrogate the prisoners?"

"No, I'm just here for the HVIs. The Grand Admiral requires their presence."

"Very well, they're in cell A14. I will lead you to them."

For the next few tense moments, Twilight and Spike sat, waiting for their fates as the footsteps got closer. It must've been a small group considering the number of footsteps they heard.

They heard the majority of the group stop just short of their vision while a pair of footsteps got closer until one of the white armored aliens stepped in front of their cell.

"Back away from the door."

Twilight did exactly that. Behind her, Spike stood up preparing for what's coming next.

The alien pressed a few buttons on the wall next to their cell before the "door" disappeared.

"Step out of the cell." The alien said after backing away.

They hesitated for a moment before Spike stepped out first. He stopped outside of the doorway, looking around his surroundings. Twilight followed suit as she looked at the cells to her right and the ceiling.

"So you're the two who've caused so much trouble for us."

They both looked to their left to see an unarmored alien standing in front of them flanked by two black armored aliens. They noticed how their helmets had a squared shaped to it compared to the other helmets. The third alien had fair skin and light brown hair. It had an olive uniform with some kind of weird red and blue badge with six squares on it, and black boots. Its hands were behind its back and even though the alien had a neutral look on its face, Twilight can tell it was doing its best to hold back its anger.

"Come with me, the Grand Admiral would like to speak to you." The alien said as it turned around and walked towards an exit. Twilight and Spike followed him while flanked by the two black armored aliens.

They past by several cells, each of them with one or two white armored aliens standing in front of them. Inside the cells, the Alliance soldiers were either sneering at them, or were sleeping.

They finally came to an exit guarded by a squad of the white armored aliens. What surprised them two were the different alien species that were with them as well. There were four red skinned aliens with two large horns sticking out of their scalps with swords attached to their backs and carrying the same weapons as the white armored aliens, two large, ape-like aliens carrying a weapon similar to a crossbow, and three aliens that looked similar to the alien guiding them but with blue or green skin and two tentacles sticking out of their heads. They carried the "usual" weapons as well. What Twilight noticed were that all of them wore black armor with the same emblem as the other aliens. The armors of the giant apes only covered their chest while the rest had full body armor excluding their heads.

The group stepped aside to let them through the doors. While passing by them, she noticed the ape-like aliens sizing up Spike as he past by.

Once they were out of the room, they were met with a hallway full of aliens seemingly doing their jobs. The white armored aliens seem to be on patrols or guarding a room, the olive uniformed aliens were either just walking or busy with some kind of tacpad in their hands, and there were a pair of black, unarmored aliens with a weird helmet. Twilight can see they were fixing something on a wall.

Spike leaned down a little to whisper to Twilight.

"I thought we were facing only one species."

"I thought so too." Twilight answered.

"If you were encountered by any other command, then you would've only encountered us, the Humans." Twilight heard the alien guiding said. He slowed down until he was right next to Twilight.

"Is that what your species is called? Humans?" Twilight asked.

"Indeed. You've noticed the other species in the detention block?"

Both Twilight and Spike nodded.

"Well, the red skinned ones are known as Devaronians. The big guys back there are known as the Wookies."

He looked specifically towards to Spike. "I don't know how tough you are big guy, but don't mess with those Wookies. They'll tear you from limb to limb if you piss them off. They're largely friendly however."

"I'll keep that in mind." Spike said.

"And the last ones with the tentacles in their heads are known as Twi'leks. In the rest of the Galactic Empire, these non-Humans would never have been allowed to serve in the military. Many of them would likely end up as slaves."

Twilight was in shock. "You keep slaves?"

Maybe they're as bad as the Celestial Alliance after all.

"Unfortunately so. While they are helpful in making a lot of our toys, slavery seemed to do more harm than good for us. Rebellions popping out and we're basically spread thin. To end any threats of any slave rebellions, the Grand Admiral brought many slaves and their families with him here and he graciously freed them under one condition, all able-bodied individuals are to serve in the military. They'll be given the same food, the same weapons, the same medical treatment, whatever. Their families are allowed to settle in a colony under his protection."

"Your Grand Admiral seems to be a very nice individual." Twilight said.

The Human immediately stopped and so did the group. It then gave Twilight a cold look.

"The Grand Admiral does everything for a reason. He is not afraid to kill people under his own command or any civilians who oppose him. In fact, he's done it before. An entire species, death by orbital bombardment simply because he could not understand their art. Do not test him. That is my only warning." They then continued walking.

This Grand Admiral killed an entire species simply because he did not understand their art?

The Human lead them to an elevator. Twilight and Spike nearly stumbled as the elevator moved.

"Heh, you'll get used to it. Happens to all of the newbies."

Twilight looked at their armed escorts and finally back to their guide.

"So, um, I never got to introduce us to you. My name is Twilight Sparkle and this guy," She said while pointing her thumb at Spike. "Is Spike, my little brother."

The alien raised an eyebrow at her. "Captain Niriz. Um, I won't ask how your parents were able to produce you two." He said as he turned away.

"Oh, not like that. Spike is adopted." Twilight said. "I hatched him by accident."

Captain Niriz merely rubbed his temple.

I'm gonna need the strongest alcohol we have after this.

Then he jerked up in realization.

Dammit, I gave Voss my personal stash so I wouldn't get drunk on duty again.

"Is there something wrong?" Twilight asked.

"Nothing nothing, I merely remembered something. It doesn't concern you."

They next minute was complete silence except for the sound of the elevator moving.

Twilight and Spike felt the elevator slow down and nearly stumbled as it stopped.

As Captain Niriz walked out, she saw him with the faintest of smirks.

They followed him down a long, empty hallway until they stood in front of a door. It was guarded by two black armored Humans with green visors, the same ones they saw at Tartarus.

Captain Niriz pressed a button next to the door and it slid open.

He motioned for them to enter.

"You will wait here. The Grand Admiral will arrive shortly."

Spike was the one to enter first but Twilight stopped in the middle of the doorway to analyze the room. One of the Humans rudely shoved her in the back before the door closed.

"Wow. This guy must really love art." Spike said.

Twilight looked around. The entire room was full of art pieces from paintings hanging on the wall, to weird sculptures. There were even a few that looked like primitive cups on some displays.

At the end of the room was a large desk and next to it, was what looks like a dog's bed and a dog bowl.

Twilight was a little confused on how could an alien species who have never contacted hers could have dogs.

Or maybe they don't have dogs. Maybe they have something similar?

She noticed Spike standing in front of a painting. It showed what presumed to be a female Human in a black dress crying while sitting on the edge of the fountain with her back towards the viewer. She had brown hair, with a black dress and black flowers floating on the fountain. The rest of the painting was made up of vegetation as if the female was in the middle of nowhere.

Twilight looked around more until her eyes laid on a red book on top of the desk.

As she got closer, she noticed it had seen some better days with lots of tears and stains. On the cover was a golden hand print with a number three on it.

Wait, three? Did this book belong to someone in the Alliance?

She put her hand on the hand print and realized the hand print had six fingers.

Six fingers. What is this book?

Both Twilight and Spike were too encompassed by the paintings and the book that they didn't realize the door opening.

"You know, it's rude to touch things that don't belong to you." A voice said.

Spike jumped in shock and Twilight quickly put her hands off the book and turned around.

A Chiss She thought in shock. 

He was dressed in a white uniform with black boots, golden epaulettes, and a badge with six blue squares, three red squares, and three yellow squares.

Twilight backed off as he got closer to the desk. She saw him pick up the book and walked behind the desk while putting it in a drawer.

He sat down and looked at them to address them.

"If you ever touch this book again, I will throw you into an escape pod and launch it into the nearest sun. This book belongs to a friend of mine. Do not touch at all, do I make myself abundantly clear?" He said.

"Yes." They both said shakily.

"Good, now have a seat."

They both grabbed a chair and sat down, though Spike had a little trouble with it because of his tail.

"Please, introduce yourselves." The Chiss said as it leaned back on its chair.

"Well, my name is Princess Twilight Sparkle, sorry, excuse me, former Princess Twilight Sparkle, and this is my adoptive younger brother Spike." She said nervously.

"A Princess you say? Well, welcome aboard my ship your majesty. My name is Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Galactic Empire."

"You're Chiss aren't you? Wouldn't you be part of the Chiss Ascendency?"

Thrawn raised an eyebrow.

"That is a story for another time, but tell me, how do you know about my people?"

"Well, it's a long story." She said rubbing the back of her head nervously.

Thrawn leaned forward and looked at Twilight directly in the eye, as if he was reading her.

"I have all the time necessary. Entertain me. I want to know what happened to my people. I want to know why people under my command are killed by your species and its allies simply by encountering us. I want to know why the enemy commander recognized me as a Chiss and instantly became hostile. Tell. Me. Everything."

Twilight and Spike gulped nervously.
> Explanations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grand Admiral Thrawn

ISD Admonitor

Above Unknown Jungle World

Thrawn leaned back on his chair, arms crossed, waiting for possibly a long story.

To anybody that comes in his officer, it probably would be a strange sight to see the Grand Admiral in a conversation with two creatures that look primitive. As a Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy, he has been in many strange incidents.

For example, during a shore leave at Zeltros in which the crewmembers of the Admonitor, Grey Wolf, and the Vanguard partied for days and several stayed in the Red Light Districts. Of course Thrawn, being the outlier, took his time instead to visit the museums of Zeltros and even brought some art pieces back to the Admonitor from auctions. It isn't unusual for Imperial ships to have shore leave on Zeltros, in fact, it's a popular destination.

One day, when he was on the way back to his room holding a sculpture he bought, he found Captain Niriz passed out with two Zeltron women in his arms in one of the elevators. Around them were empty bottles from Captain Niriz's personal stash of alcohol. Needless to say, Thrawn was a little disappointed at Captain Niriz and awarded him with the "Moron of the Week" pin once shore leave was over.

The pin showed an angry cartoon version of Thrawn punching a faceless Imperial Officer on the face while yelling "Idiot".

It wasn't his idea in the first place actually, but from Captain Niriz himself when he use to award rookies his own "Moron of the Week" pin whenever they make mistakes. The old one showed a cartoon Niriz chasing a faceless Officer with a baton.

Ever since the Admonitor became part of Thrawn's command, he adopted Niriz's idea and used it to punish others. Nobody was safe from the "Moron of the Week" pin, even Admiral Krennel when he tried to damage one of Thrawn's paintings before his arm was cut off by Rukh.

Niriz seemed to learned his lesson since he gave his stash of alcohol to Admiral Parck, knowing Parck rarely ever drinks alcohol. Now, the "Moron of the Week" pin sat in one of Thrawn's drawers, collecting dust, waiting for someone to do something stupid.

Thrawn glanced at the drawer holding the journal this Twilight Sparkle touched. He made a mental note to never put the journal outside of the drawer when he's not in the room. If someone ever gets their hands on it and summon him, then let whatever's holy have mercy on their souls.

It's not safe anymore. He needs to come back and retrieve it as soon as possible. He thought.

His attention returned to the two in front of him who were whispering to each other.

"Well?" He asked.

They froze before Twilight Sparkle decided to speak.

"Alright, lets start from the beginning. My name is Twilight Sparkle, former Princess of Friendship, former student of Princess Celestia, the Element of Magic, and former member of the Celestial Council. I was born in Canterlot on the planet of Equis, the capital of the Celestial Alliance. I was not born with both the horns and wings however."

"So is it some kind of genetic mutation?" Thrawn asks.

"No, I will explain about that soon. The Celestial Alliance is made up of seven species, the Ponies, the Griffons, the Minotaurs, the Dragons, the Zebras, the Changelings, and the Yaks. Ponies have four subspecies, the Pegasi have wings which of course, allows them to fly, the Earth Ponies who have incredible strength, the Unicorns which allows them to use magic, and the Alicorns which have the attributes of the other three subspecies. They are the rarest of them all and all Alicorns are automatically royalty."

"Magic, is that what that power you did down there called?"

Twilight nodded, "Yes, all species in the Alliance can use magic to an extent.

Anyways, I was born a Unicorn. Growing up, I was very socially awkward and was a bookworm. Princess Celestia noticed my intellect and how powerful my magic was as a child and she took me in as her personal protege. For years, she taught me politics, magic, science, some military tactics, etc. One day-"

BEEP BEEP

"Oh, excuse me Miss Sparkle, Mr. Spike. I need to take this."

Captain Dagon Niriz

Bridge of the ISD Admonitor

Captain Niriz stood in front of the hologram of Grand Admiral Thrawn.

"Do you have something to report Captain?" asks Thrawn. "I'm a little busy right now."

"Yes sir, Admiral Krennel is demanding why you have not returned to Niruan yet."

"Pushy isn't he? Very well, tell him we will be going to Imperial Center first, then Niruan. I have a meeting with the Emperor. It is of most importance that I meet him. Make sure you tell him that."

"Yes sir."

Niriz stared off, his face full of worry.

"Is there something wrong Captain?"

"It's the Vendetta sir. Are you sure it's wise to allow the Vendetta join Phalanx Squadron? I've read the history of it. Bad luck follows it everywhere. Eriadu, Scarif, Yavin-"

"Do not worry about the Vendetta, yet at least Captain. I will conduct my own investigation on the Vendetta soon, but now is not the time."

"Yes sir."

The hologram of the Grand Admiral fizzed out.

Captain Niriz let out a sigh. "Alert all ships, set course for Imperial Center."

Niriz slowly walked towards the bridge's viewport. Awaiting him is First Officer Trof Vodelini. Average height, fair skin, black hair, and a native of Orinda, he's served alongside Captain Niriz for years aboard the Admonitor.

"So what did he say?" Vodelini asked.

"He told us to not worry about yet Trof. I don't like this Trof, something's not right."

"About the Vendetta?"

"No, not just the Vendetta. It's this whole damn war. I've seen holovids of battles with the Rebel Fleet. How does a massive fleet of Rebel ships pop out of nowhere completely undetected by the ISB?"

"Perhaps a failure of ISB perhaps?"

"No, when ISB wants to find something, you can bet they'll always find a way to get what they want. There should've been warnings years ahead. It was only after Yavin did the Emperor order thousands upon thousands of more ships. The Executors were designed years ahead, but construction didn't increase in pace until after Yavin. There's also the Battle of Scarif. With how important Scarif was, why were there only two ISDs protecting it? There should've been a fleet's worth of ISDs. Even after Yavin, we have so many ships, so many soldiers, ISB can literally reach anywhere in the known galaxy. So how does even with all this, how can we not have found the main Rebel Fleet and their Commanders yet? It's as if the Emperor wants this war to drag on as far as possible."

"What makes you say that?"

Niriz put a hand on Vodelini's shoulder and pointed at the ships in front of the Admonitor.

"Look at this Trof, the longer this war drags out, the more ships are produced from the shipyards. The more vehicles that are produced from the factories. The more soldiers that are produced from the academies. This is madness, we were promised peace and we can't seem to grab the mere idea of peace. Then there's the Emperor and Vader."

Vodelini gulped in nervousness. "What about them?"

"Look at Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik. He failed one mission and the Emperor sent him on a suicide run on the Hapas Consortium. Ranks mean nothing to him Trof. People like Isin-Il-Raz, Danetti Pitta, and Nial Declann do not deserve to be Grand Admirals. I've seen almost zero Naval accomplishments from them. The Emperor gave them that rank on a silver platter. Fucking Commander Pellaeon deserves that rank way more than they did. Then there's fucking Vader. Throwing good men and women away because they're worthless to them. Competence officers are personally executed by him for one mistake. Admiral Piett is among the lucky few, but come one. We've all sworn to protect and serve the Empire and its citizens. One single mistake warrents death? Even if they weren't their faults? We lost a fucking ISD chasing the Millennium Falcon through a asteroid field. Thousands of men and women lost because of Vader's obsession for them. No competent military commander will steer their entire fleet through an asteroid field."

They both turned their heads to watch as the fleet jumped into hyperspace.

At the other end of the bridge, a man in a an Officer's uniform with a Lieutenant's badge quickly walked off the bridge.

5 minutes later 

The Lieutenant quickly walked into his dark bedroom. He whispered to himself, "Director Isard needs to be informed of this."

"Oh no she doesn't."

A hand quickly grabbed him by the neck and threw him and landed on someone. Whoever he landed put a knife on his neck.

"Going anywhere Agent Roz?"

The lights turned on and he was met with a squad of familiar Stormtroopers. His eyes landed on a certain Stormtrooper with an orange pauldron.

"Kreel." Roz hissed. "You traitorous bastards. Is this what you do now? Turn your back towards the Emperor after Vader banished you guys here for your failures?"

Sergeant Kreel jabbed Agent Roz on the stomach.

"We are loyal to the Empire. We will do whatever we can to ensure its survival. Do you not realize where you are Roz? You are in the Unknown Regions, among the Empire of the Hand Command. We are full of people who believe in an Empire that was promised."

Kreel put his fingers on Roz's chin. "ISB may be powerful, but here, you are nothing. Welcome to the wilderness kiddo, your ass is mine." He said as he pulled out a vibroblade.

Throughout the hallway, the crew of the Admonitor heard the screams, knowing it belongs to yet another ISB agent. They all either ignored it, or stick a while to hear the screams of a "spook".

Grand Admiral Thrawn

ISD Admonitor

"I must say your majesty-"

"Please don't call me that. I'm not a Princess anymore. Just call me Miss Sparkle or Twilight."

"Very well Miss Sparkle. Your tales with your friends and your ascension is truly magnificent. What I want to know about is the Celestial Alliance."

"I already mentioned to you about the seven species that make up the Alliance. We had two other species that were part of the Celestial Alliance as well. They were known as the Caribou and the Deer. While the Caribou were one of the original founders, they rebelled to try and start their own slave empire. They were all religious fanatics and the Council voted to exile their entire species to an uncharted planet. Their species slowly died until they were extinct. The Deer were the last to join us. I led the negotiation to bring them into the alliance. They were a mostly peaceful species and I was friends with their leader, King Firehoof."

Thrawn raised an eyebrow once again. No matter how many times Miss Sparkle says the names of almost anyone from her planet, he couldn't help but laugh a little on the inside on how ridiculous they sound. Then again, his name would be considered ridiculous to them.

"So what happened?"

"The Alliance Council became more militant. The more species our scouts observed, the more did everypony began to think the species of Equis were superior. No other species we encountered could use magic and were primitive compared to us. The Council was no different, they felt they were superior and had the right to rule over all. Proposed by Princess Celestia, we started a campaign to subjugate aliens we encountered. Of course, we encountered fierce resistance and received many casualties by the supposed "Primitives". Angered, the populace and the Council became more intent in killing those that stood against us. The Subjugation Campaign quickly became a Genocidal Campaign. Entire populations wiped out to make way for Alliance Colonists. My own friends profited from this by expanding their own businesses in newly conquered planets. My friends refused to listen to me when I advocated peace. Within the Council, only I and King Firehoof were willing to stand for peace. Princess Cadence and Princess Ember were usually neutral in this. We did get the endorsement from my brother, Prince Shining Armor who became one of the top commanders of the military.

There was only so much the Deer could take however, especially King Firehoof. His old heart yearned for peace that was denied constantly. Finally, the Deer broke off from the Alliance and formed a neutral nation with their colonies. Angered, the Alliance ordered their colonies to be bombarded from orbit. I was in a conversation with King Firehoof via hologram when the order was given."

Twilight stared at a wall when she recalled the memories. Thrawn saw a single tear fall from her right eye.

"King Firehoof was like a second father to me. He told me a lot of things that made me doubt the Council. What if we weren't superior? What if we encountered a species that was superior to the Alliance? We did voice these questions and gained a large number of followers, but ultimately fell into deaf ears among the Council. Of course, I was angered by this and so many others as well. In one day, I made myself an enemy among the majority of the council. It was then did we encounter the most advanced species so far, the ones knows as the Chiss."

Thrawn leaned closer to the desk, his breaths unknowingly to Spike and Twilight, were getting quicker.

"Please continue."

"We observed the Chiss closely and myself and my followers were convinced the Chiss were proof that there are very powerful species out there. Our scouts were nearly caught several times but they did gather enough intelligence for the Council to order an invasion. I saw that technologically, they will beat us. However, the Council firmly believed that Magic will reign supreme, but of course, even I know Magic has its limits. I wanted to approach the Chiss peacefully, but that idea was shot down quickly."

"So what did you do?" Thrawn asked.

"I gathered all of my followers, especially those in the military, and formed a fleet to defend the targeted Chiss planet from invasion. They didn't trust us at first when we told them our story, but they changed their minds when we helped them defeat the invasion fleet."

"So how did they capture you?"

Twilight looked down, "My flagship was disabled and we were captured. I ordered the crew to evacuate. We were imprisoned and then sentenced to exile at Tartarus which is the planet you rescued us from."

"Hmmmm, and what happened to the rest of your fleet and my people's planet?"

"The majority of my fleet and the Chiss fleet survived. I don't believe the Alliance would make any moves soon on your people. The invasion fleet did consist of many of the most elite and experienced ships, soldiers, and commanders in the Celestial Alliance Navy. It will take many years and multiple campaigns on other species before the Council is confident enough to invade the Chiss without receiving a lot of casualties in return."

Thrawn glared at Twilight, "Did you meet any Chiss named Thrass?"

Twilight raised her eyebrows. "Ummmm, unfortunately no. That name doesn't ring a bell."

He instantly looked down in sadness and frustration.

Where are you brother?

"So now you're here. What do you intend to do now?" He said as he looked up.

Spike and Twilight glanced at each other before Spike answered.

"We intend to eliminate the Council and turn the Celestial Alliance into what it was meant to be."

"And that is?"

"To spread peace, prosperity, and equality throughout the galaxy."

Thrawn looked at Spike with an amused look. "Funny, that is exactly what the Galactic Empire was meant to be."

Twilight perked up. "So what happened to it?"

"A lot of things. You'll find out soon enough. Question is though, how do you intend to achieve your goal?"

"Well," Twilight rubbed the back of her head. "We couldn't do it alone, so we were thinking of joining your Empire, help prepare it for an inevitable war. Grand Admiral Thrawn, please, the Celestial Alliance is constantly expanding. Wiping out "inferior" species to expand. Sooner or later, they will find your Empire and they will attack."

Thrawn seemed to be in deep thought, before he pushed some buttons on his desk. All of a sudden, a hologram of the known galaxy popped up.

Lines formed until the majority of the galaxy was coated in red with some small pieces of blue and green in the middle of the sea of red.

"The red here is the Galactic Empire. We've encompassed the majority of the galaxy."

"What are those places that are not red though?" asked Spike.

"Those are places that are neutral or not part of the Empire like the Corporate Sector, the Hapas Consortium, and the Chiss Ascendancy. That's not important right now, but my question is, how do you think the Celestial Alliance conquer a large Empire?"

Twilight thought for a moment, before answering. "The most favored tactic by the Alliance Commanders are to send in Changelings to assassinate the leaders. They'll sabotage enemy ships, installments, factories, shipyards, you name it."

"The Changelings must be very powerful to be able to do that."

"Indeed they are. Changeling magic allows them to disguise themselves as any species they've seen. For example, if a Changeling was shown a picture of you Grand Admiral, that Changeling will then be able to disguise him or herself as you. Same voice, same body, everything but the mind. That, they usually do by capturing their targets and smuggling them back to Alliance territory for interrogation while the Changeling disguised as the target will gather as much info and cause as much damage as possible."

"Is there anyway to detect them?" asked Thrawn.

"We usually use magic to detect Changelings, but drawing blood from them, asking individuals questions, etc. can work."

Thrawn was about to say something, when he noticed something yellow crawling up behind Twilight.

Twilight noticed Thrawn looking at something. She looked behind her to see a lizard-like creature flicking its tongue at her.

She screamed and fell off her chair.

Thrawn watched with amusement, a small smirk on his face. Meanwhile, Spike was looking at the creature with curiosity.

"Whoa, what is that?"

"That Mr. Spike, is my pet Ysalamiri Lescah. Please don't scare him too much. The crew of this ship would be very disappointed. They even named him "Captain Lescah" and made an officer's uniform for him." Thrawn said.

Lescah just stood on top of Twilight's chair looking at his master. The yellow Ysalamiri had a red collar around its neck. Twilight was on the ground, her hand on her chest after that minor heart attack.

"Lescah, come." Thrawn said as he pat his lap. The Ysalamiri flicked its tongue before jumping on the desk and then settling on Thrawn's lap.

"Do not be scared of Lescah, he's very gentle and harmless." He said as Thrawn started petting Lescah. "There are other Ysalamiri's on this ship as well but only on certain areas. I advise not harming them. The crew loves their pets."

"Duly noted." Spike said as Twilight made her way back up her chair again.

"Now back to business. I believe your best bet is to join the Empire under my command. A lot of other officers in the military are very anti-alien."

"So you'll help us?" asked a hopeful Twilight.

"Of course, but I will need to introduce you to the Emperor and you must tell him everything. The galaxy is currently in a state of Civil War right now so I'm afraid the Celestial Alliance will be on the top of the priority list. You can still help us prepare of course."

Thrawn glanced at the hologram that is still up. "Where is the Celestial Alliance in this galaxy anyways?"

Twilight got up to get closer to the map. "Well, Equis is located around here," She said as she pointed to an area near the edge of the galaxy. "And I believe the last planet we conquered before our exile was here."

Twilight pointed to an area near the Chiss Ascendancy. "Of course, it may be bigger now since I'm gone. I advise interrogating the Alliance prisoners and analyze their equipment to find the exact size of the Alliance, though I believe it should be around the same size as I described.

So relatively around the same size as the CIS and Hutt Space combined.

"Do not underestimate them Grand Admiral. They may be smaller than your Empire, but they've invested heavily in expanding the military."

Kind of like us after Yavin.

Thrawn leaned back on his chair. "I will bring you to Imperial Center to meet the Emperor. Your rooms should be ready by now, however" he glanced at their clothing. "You'll need better clothing than that to meet him. I will have clothes sent to you immediately."

He pressed a button on his desk. They waited a few moments before two Stormtroopers walked in.

"Escort these two to their rooms."

"Yes sir." Both Stormtroopers said.

Twilight and Spike got up to leave the room. One Stormtrooper stayed in the front to guide them, and the other walked behind them.

As soon as they left, Thrawn sat frozen for a moment before pushing some buttons.

The map of the galaxy was replaced by a hologram of a meeting room. From Thrawn's point of view, it looked like he was at the head of the table.

To his left sat Admiral Delak Krennel, General Soontir Fel, and General Kron Dorst.

To his right sat Admiral Siath, Commander Stent, Admiral Ar'alani, and Admiral Voss Parck.

"I assume you've all listened to the conversation and have recorded all information?"

"Indeed, is it wise to introduce them to the Emperor Thrawn?" asked Admiral Ar'alani.

"Yes, I have plans for the both of them. They'll indeed become valuable to us in the war. If we just hide them, the Emperor will eventually find out and I'll lose his trust."

Admiral Krennel was reading from his datapad the whole time. "Her adventures with her friends, sounds like something from a child's fairy tail. I'm curious about these Elements though."

"If you're wondering if they're a threat Delak, then you should've paid attention the part when she said they only have effects on beings with magic." said Admiral Parck.

"I'm for retrieving these Elements and sending them to the scientists. Who knows, its power may be harnessed into a weapon." responded Krennel.

"I'd say that's a bad move," said General Fel. "We'll want to gain their trust. These Elements are not only important symbols to the ponies, but it means something personal to Miss Sparkle."

Krennel growled at him. "Who cares what a bunch of animals think."

"But I do Admiral Krennel," said Thrawn. "If we keep going this path, then we'll just end up from one war to another. We'll only be contributing to the vicious cycle of war."

Krennel might have hated Thrawn, but he still respects him and chose not to respond.

"Admiral Parck?"

"Yes sir?" asked the Admiral as he perked up.

"What is the status of the Wrath?"

"Well, out Commando teams have retrieved the late Admiral Strang's designs on Mustafar and Naboo, and they've salvaged pieces from the Conqueror's wreck. The Wrath is currently in drydock and its new weapon will be ready in a few months."

Thrawn turned to Commander Stent and Admiral Siath. "How are the rest of the fleets?"

"Nothing unusual, some smugglers ended up in our territory fleeing from authorities. A patrol group eliminated them." answered Admiral Siath.

"And any reports from Commander Vanto?"

"The Ruling Families still refuse to help us, but the common populace seem to have made you a hero. He's reported posters of you sir, everywhere. You've become extremely popular to the populace despite your exile." answered Commander Stent.

"Hmmm, excellent news. Anything to report General Dorst?"

General Dorst let out a sigh. "Nothing much sir. Troops are still high spirits, but are itching to fight the Rebels."

"Unless the Rebels trespass our territory, then they're of no concern to us."

There was a moment of silence before Thrawn spoke again. "If there's nothing else to report, then I must take my leave."

"Yes sir." They all responded before the hologram cut out.

Thrawn sat back as he watched Lescah drink from his bowl of water.

He took out and read the status of Phalanx Squadron.

Active

Mandator III-class Star Dreadnought: Shadow of Bastion

Bellator-class Super Star Destroyer: Purifier, Overlord

Praetor-class Battlecruiser: Star Fire, Fury of Eriadu, Pride of Corellia

Allegiance-class Battlecruiser: Divinity, Sword of Kuat, Justice, Fist of Mandalore, Domination

Imperial-class Star Destroyer: Admonitor, Vanguard, Grey Wolf, Fury, Disciple, Rage, Reckoning, Vendetta, Ravage, Rampage

Victory-class Star Destroyer: Stalwart, Sceltor, Iron Fist, Resolute, Storm, Victorious, Defender, Illustrious, Fearless, Valiant, Warspite, Repulse, Renown, Demoralizer, Ambition

Venator-class Star Destroyer: Resurrection, Warrior's Spirit, Liberty, Light of Hope, Unity

Providence-class Dreadnought: Indomitable, Divine Fury, Wrath of Mustafar, Hellstorm

Munificent-class Star Frigate: Divine Vengeance, Dagger of Raxus, Independence, Unmerciful, Phoenix

Recusant-class Light Destroyer: Immortality, Trailblazer, Freedom, Bandit

Lucerhulk-class Battleship: Firestorm

Secutor-class Star Destroyer: Swarm

Gladiator-class Star Destroyer: Watcher, Hunter, Raider, Brute

Procursator-class Star Destroyer: Procursator, Pride, Greed, Envy, Infallible

Immobilizer 418-class Interdictor: Corvus, Whirlwind, Trapper, Venom

Interdictor-class Star Destroyer: Dominator

Strike-class Cruiser: Ebolo, Daring, Diamond, Arrow, Fire, Fear

Nebulon B2-class Frigate: Betrayal, Ludwick

Nebulon B-class Frigate: Maru Ki, Merciful, Turncoat

Phalanx-class Heavy Destroyer: Harbinger, Warthunder, Rain of Fire, Scorch

Syndic-class Destroyer: Syndic, Loyalty, Destiny, Twilight Trascendence, Heretic, Order

Chaf-class Destroyer: Armageddon, Destruction, Vicious, Reign, Barrage

Dreadnought-class Heavy Cruiser: ID1, ID2, ID3, ID4, ID5, ID6, ID7, ID8, ID9, ID10, ID11, ID12, ID13, ID14, ID15

KDY Escort Carrier: EC24, EC25, EC26, EC27, EC28, EC29, EC30, EC31, EC32, EC33, EC34, EC35, EC36, EC37, EC38

Carrack-class Light Cruiser: CK12, CK13, CK14, CK15, CK16, CK17, CK18, CK19, CK20, CK21, CK22, CK23, CK24, CK25, CK26, CK27, CK28, CK29, CK30, CK31, CK32,

Lancer-class Frigate: LC33, LC34, LC35, LC36, LC37, LC38, LC39, LC40, LC41, LC42, LC43, LC44, LC45, LC46, LC47, LC48, LC49, LC50, LC51,
LC52, LC53, LC54, LC55, LC56, LC57, LC58

Inactive

Assertor-class Super Star Destroyer: Wrath

Thrawn let out a sigh. In the eyes of anybody else, this would be considered an impressive fleet, and it definitely is. Each ship and crew were picked by Thrawn and his commanders. Phalanx Squadron is not only the main fleet of the Empire of the Hand, but also an elite squadron. The majority of the ships excluding the Chiss warships, were sent by the Emperor himself. As for the Clone Wars ships themselves, both Thrawn and Palpatine knew the Unknown Regions is massive and Thrawn would need a large fleet to defend it. This problem was solved when Palpatine ordered old Republic and Separatist ships to undergo refit before being sent to Thrawn's command. Officially, they're listed as scrapped, unofficially, they're part of the Empire of the Hand Command.

While any other Commander would be very gracious for the Emperor's generosity, Thrawn isn't stupid. The Emperor sent these ships here to keep them out of the fight against the Rebels. The majority of the Imperial Fleet were sent to planets he knew the Rebels wouldn't dare attack. The rest are either sent along or in small fleets to protect unimportant planets. Meanwhile, he would send Death Squadron by themselves in a wild chase to hunt down the main Rebel Fleet. He knows by doing this, he'll keep the conflict going as long as possible.

The longer this conflict lasts, the more the Emperor can expand on the military.

He can't engage the Rebels since they have not attacked the Empire of the Hand nor have they discovered them yet. His orders were to keep it a secret from the rest of the galaxy. Thrawn wanted to stop this conflict and to stop all this madness.

If only I can engage the Rebels and end them as soon as possible.

He then glanced at the Nebulons on his datapad and let out a mischievous smile.

Yes, if only.

2 days later

Twilight Sparkle

ISD Admonitor

"Ugggh, how long until we there?" said Twilight who was laying on her bed.

Usually, she's never bored as she always has something to do or read. Unfortunately for both Spike and Twilight, they don't know how to read their written language.

"I dunno, why not ask Captain Niriz?" asked Spike as he laid on his bed on the other side of the room.

The both of them wore the clothes they were provided. Twilight was provided with an officer's uniform without a badge, and Spike was given a black armor to the Wookies. It only covered his chest, waist, and pelvic region leaving his limbs and his head exposed. It was all they had that would fit someone of his size. He did ask about that giant Stormtrooper they encountered earlier named Zuke, but he was told that it was a special order.

Spike then had an idea and sat up. "What if we talk to Thrawn again? Maybe he can teach us how to read their written language?"

Twilight looked at him. "Eh, fine. It's better than nothing."

They both got up and left the room. Their room was on the same floor as Thrawn's own bedroom and his office anyway so it was a short walk. The hallway was mostly empty aside from the occasional officer or patrol.

When they finally made it to his officer, the Stormtroopers recognized them easily and as per Thrawn's orders, opened the door for them.

As soon as the door closed, they heard talking. Captain Niriz and the other high ranking officers were all on the bridge. Twilight and Spike hugged the wall and got closer. She took a peek around the corner and could only see Thrawn, but she could not see the other individual unless she exposed herself. She could see Lescah sleeping on his bed near Thrawn's desk.

"You promised you would've killed him by now." They heard Thrawn said.

"Yes, I know. We all thought he was dead too." said another male voice they couldn't recognize.

Thrawn let out a sigh. "Fine, here. Take the journal. You should hide it somewhere more secure than throwing it down a Bottomless Pit."

"Look, how are we suppose to know it will end up here?"

"Then burn it then."

"You know I can't do that. Look, I promise this time we'll kill him."

"You better, not even Palpatine will be able to stand up to him."

"I know. Just give me the vial."

There was a moment of silence before Thrawn spoke again.

"I almost lost two squads of men looking for this. It's small but you can duplicate it."

"Thank you. I need to find the last journal. Max has it."

"Max has the last one? You gave it to him knowing Azarov and Steiner may find it?"

"I trust him."

*sigh* "Alright, I'm trusting you on this. Do whatever you can, even if it means recalling your nephew from the front lines."

"He won't like it, but I will."

"Before you go, how's your niece by the way?"

"She's an art professor believe it or not. I'm very proud of them."

"Then tell them both that I wish them good luck. Maybe one day, I'll meet them again."

"Very well."

There was sound of crackling energy before the room was filled with blue light.

"Wait Waddles! Come back. I'm sorry. I didn't know it was made of pork!"

"She's visiting?"

"Heh, yeah. The place is still a little gloomy without her brother around, but we can wait."

*BANG*

"Well I guess I should go now before she breaks something again. Until next time Thrawn."

"Very well. Good luck Sixer."

After a few moments, the crackling of energy disappeared before the room was filled with silence again.

"You can come out now."

Both Twilight and Spike froze. They dare not move after hearing Thrawn speak.

"There's no use hiding. I can see you through the cameras."

Both Twilight and Spike looked around until they both spotted a camera looking at them from a corner of the ceiling.

Twilight facepalmed while Spike turned around and banged his head on the wall.

They walked around the corner, heads down in shame.

"The warning still stand. If you speak of this to anyone else, I will personally throw the both of you into an escape pod and launch it into a star. And don't think your size will make a difference here Mr. Spike. I will always find a way. Now what is it do you want?"

"Well um, we have a problem. Spike and I cannot read the written language here." Twilight answered.

"That is unfortunate. What makes you think I have the time to teach the both of you?"

"Well, then is there someone else who can?"

They both heard the door open and turned around to see Captain Niriz walking towards them.

"Sir, I've come to report that Grand Admiral Grant has arrived at Imperial Center, it appears every Grand Admiral is there except for you sir."

"Very good Captain. Tell them I will be there in the next few days. One more thing Captain, these two do not know how to read our written language. I'm ordering you to teach them."

"Me?" Niriz all but yelled.

"Yes, you Captain. Unfortunately, I am very busy right now and it would be best if you teach them."

Niriz mentally cursed at Thrawn.

"Fine, but I get to have two weeks off."

"Five days."

"One week."

"Deal."

Niriz let out a sigh.

"Alright you two, come on."

Twilight and Spike followed Niriz out the door. He then told Spike to stay right below the blast door.

"Stay there, do not move."

"Why?" asked Spike.

"Just do it." Niriz hissed.

He tip toed past Spike and hugged the wall. Niriz made a quick peek around the corner to see Thrawn drinking a cup of wine, listening to classical music, and petting Lescah who was on his lap.

Niriz backed off as he leaned on the wall. He rubbed his temple in frustration.

Busy my ass you sneaky motherfucker.
> Hail the Emperor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 Week Later

Imperial Center, Inner Core

Captain Dagon Niriz

ISD Admonitor

Niriz stood in front of the viewport of the bridge with a mug in his hand. From where he stood, he can see the many ships entering and leaving the capital of the Galactic Empire. Anybody that comes to Imperial Center can see the impressive Defence Fleet full of ISDs and VSDs. Today however, people are treated with the sight of a Super Star Destroyer. The Whelm, former flagship of Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik and the flagship of the Azure Hammer Command, awaited to escort the Grand Admiral back to Anaxes. Even though he no longer commands the Azure Hammer Command, they both had the same destination and High Command gave the go ahead for the gigantic warship to bring its former commander home.

Captain Niriz however, simply did not care about all this.

"Morning Captain. So how are you this past week?"

Niriz turned around to see First Officer Vodelini walking up to him.

He only shook his head.

"A lot of Rancor shit if you ask me. They learned the written language remarkably fast, but then, they demanded more."

"Like what?"

Niriz took a sip from his mug. "Mathematics, History, whatever. This is more of Admiral Parck's thing. He has more patience than I do and he taught the Grand Admiral. Well, at least I have the week off."

There was a pause as they just watch ships entering and leaving orbit.

"So how's our neighborhood friendly Agent Roz?" asked Niriz.

Vodelini shook his head. "Unfortunately, our dearest agent got drunk and fell into some machinery. All what's left of him are pieces I'm afraid. Scar Squad was the nearest to him but were too late to save him. I made sure his remains were sent directly to Director Isard."

Niriz smiled. Nobody liked the ISB. Director 'Iceheart' can complain all she wants about her agents who died due to 'accidents' in Thrawn's fleet, but without any evidence, she'll just look like a fool.

"So we should be expecting another agent?" Niriz asked.

"Hopefully not. I just hope the Grand Admiral returns before Iceheart sends another agent."

"So do I my friend, so do I."

Again, there was silence as they just stared out the viewport.

"So how's the coffee?" Vodelini asked.

"To be honest, it tastes like Tauntaun shit."

Vodelini chuckled. "So what's the story behind that?"

"There isn't a story, but it still tastes like shit. I hope they get better coffee this time."

Imperial Palace

Imperial Center, Inner Core

Twilight Sparkle

"Remember, do not speak, do not even look at anybody else in the Imperial Court. Remember to bow before the Emperor. Do not speak unless given permission, and if anybody in the Court asks you a question, ignore them and keep going." Thrawn told both Twilight and Spike.

They stood inside a shuttle, waiting for the ramp to be lowered, flanked by four Death Troopers.

"I understand the bowing part, but why do we need to ignore them?" asked Twilight.

"Simple, members of the Imperial Court are very powerful and do not like me in particular. Seeing you with me will mark the both of you as potential enemies."

"Why do they hate you?" asked Spike.

Thrawn turned around, facing the ramp.

"Simple, I wanted them to hate me."

Both Twilight and Spike were confused by that before the ramp was lowered.

What awaited them were two Humans covered entirely by red robes and a red helmet. They marched down the ramp following the Grand Admiral until he stopped in front of the Humans.

"Grand Admiral Thrawn. Welcome, I see you've brought guests." One of them said.

"Please, follow us." The other said.

"Very well, lead the way gentleman."

They followed the two red robed Humans into what Thrawn said was the Imperial Palace.

"So Kir Kanos, Carnor Jax, how have you been doing?" Thrawn asked.

They both glanced at Thrawn.

"How can you tell it was us sir?" One said.

"Very simple Kanos. I can remember people by their voices. So how has it been for the both of you ever since you were recalled by the Emperor? Both of your rooms are still empty in the Admonitor and I still kind of miss both of your presence."

"It's been boring actually Grand Admiral," said Jax. "At least we can listen to the many gossips and dealings made in the Imperial Court."

"I see. Anything I should know?"

"They still hate you Grand Admiral. Grand Admiral Tigellineus did a good job making you their worse enemy." said Kanos.

"Expected, but unfortunate. I used to think Tigellineus would at least be sympathetic when the Emperor inducted me into the Order."

Twilight walked a little faster until she was right next to Thrawn.

"Who are these two?" she whispered.

"Did Captain Niriz not mention them to you? These are the Emperor's Royal Guards."

Before Twilight can answer, Spike decided to ask Thrawn a question.

"After this, can we take a look around the city?"

"Absolutely not." Thrawn said.

"Why?"

"Not only will you draw attention, but you can easily get lost. I do not want to scour a planet wide city to look for the both you. Now please, be quiet, we are almost there."

Twilight and Spike held off anymore questions as they descended the stairs.

When they arrived at Imperial Center, both Twilight and Spike were gobsmacked by the planet-wide city. They thought it was impossible but here, they were proven wrong. They were even awestrucked by the defences. Hundreds of warships and defense platforms, but what caught their attention was the titan of a warship hovering on the planet's orbit.

When they asked Captain Niriz, he just said, "That's the Whelm, one of our Executor-class Super Star Destroyers."

Twilight began to explain how the Alliance Dreadnoughts were incredibly large, but she could see how the Executors are noticeably bigger.

Spike noticed how while Captain Niriz was listening to Twilight and was probably recording it, he seemed to have a bored look on the face. Of course with Twilight being Twilight, she went rambling on and the poor Captain nearly fell asleep.

The group walked down a large set of stairs before entering a large room.

Thrawn wasn't kidding when the Imperial Court was massive. There were people everywhere in fancy clothing, or wearing military uniforms.

The room was went nearly silent as every individual in the room stared at the newcomers. Even though she was told to ignore them, she can see many of them giving disgusted or hated looks at them. She could see some of them whispering each other.

Among the crowd, she saw a man with the same uniform as Thrawn push through the crowd and quickly walked up to Thrawn. Twilight's and Spike's eyes widened when they noticed he was a cyborg.

Imperial Palace

Imperial Center, Inner Rim

Grand Admiral Thrawn

"Osvald? Aren't you suppose to be with the others?"

The cyborg Grand Admiral had a worried look at his face before whispering.

"We have a situation. Delvardus has been removed from Zero Command."

"What?"

"Harrsk is the new commander. Delvardus has been transferred to Eriadu."

"And his little project?"

"Safe. Its hyperdrives, engines, and the bridge were completed luckily before he was removed. It's in Eriadu right now."

"At least there's some good news."

They were silent before Grand Admiral Teshik looked back at the two individuals following Thrawn.

"Who are they?"

"The reason why the Emperor recalled every Grand Admiral and Lord Vader. You'll hear the full story later on but these two will be invaluable to us."

They were silent as they entered another hallway, this one full of Royal Guards.

The group entered another series of hallways and stairs before entering an elevator.

Thrawn felt a sense of pity for Twilight and Spike. This palace is a maze and people can easily get lost the first time they come here. It'll take a few trips before they can memorize the layout of the palace.

The elevator finally stopped and they were met with another hallway.

Luckily, this hallway was shorter and they were met by a door guarded by several Royal Guards.

They stopped in front of the door as one of the Royal Guards did a short bow.

"Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik, guests, the Emperor is expecting you."

The guard opened the door and the group walked in.

Twilight noticed the room was mostly barren besides the large red curtains at the huge window and the chair in front of it.

There were ten other individuals with the same uniform as Thrawn standing near the window plus one indivual in black robes and had a blindfold.

Next to the chair was an individual clad in black armor and robes. He had his arms crossed. Twilight and Spike were visibly intimidated by the mere presence and the heavy mechanical breathing of said individual.

In front of the chair was an officer with a black uniform who was kneeling.

Finally, on the chair was a sickly, pale, and wrinkled man covered entirely in a black robe.

"General Mohc, it is unfortunate what has become of your project and we are glad you have finally recovered from your injuries."

"Thank you my lord. It is indeed unfortunate what has befallen the Arc Hammer. I implore you my lord, you have seen the capabilities of the Dark Troopers. Please, I need more funding to continue it."

"You must be mistaken General Mohc. Your Dark Trooper Project was terminated while you were incapacitated."

General Mohc looked up with a pleading look on his face. "B-but my lord, the Dark Troopers were very effective. You have to understand the value of these-"

"Need I remind you General Mohc. A single Rebel agent defeated your Dark Troopers and destroyed the Arc Hammer. This has spoken volumes that they're useless against a competent enemy."

General Mohc chose not to answer.

"You will retain your position as administrator at the academy at Carida. You should be elated General. I would've ordered your disposal had it not been for your service to the Empire and you were able to produce many of the best soldiers in the Empire from the academy. I can assure you, many of my own personal Royal Guards have attended Carida and have nothing but praise for you."

"May I make a suggestion my lord?"

Everyone looked at Thrawn.

"You dare speak out of turn you cretin?" Shouted a Grand Admiral.

The Emperor merely raised his right hand. "Be quiet Grand Admiral Pitta."

He turned to Thrawn with a smirk. "I am delighted you were able to join us Grand Admiral Thrawn. Tell me, what is your suggestion?"

"The pleasure is all mine my lord. I propose putting General Mohc under my command. You see my lord, I am short of experienced officers under my command. I require someone who can train my troops and for someone they can rally behind should the need arise."

"Is General Dorst not enough for you Grand Admiral?"

"General Dorst is indeed a competent officer and I am glad he is under my command, but my troops need someone who is well-known. I believe General Dorst and General Mohc will work very effectively together."

The Emperor was silent for a while before speaking up.

"Very well. General Mohc, you will be placed under Grand Admiral Thrawn's command. I trust you will follow all of his orders?"

General Mohc got up and bowed to the Emperor. "Yes my lord. I will not fail you."

"Very good General. You are dismissed. Now, I believe we have two guests that need to be introduced?"

General Mohc quickly walked up and stood one of the Grand Admirals. He was noticeably shaken.

Thrawn bowed at the Emperor and introduced Twilight and Spike to him.

"Yes my lord, this is Former Princess Twilight Sparkle and Spike, her adopted younger brother."

Twilight and Spike went up to the Emperor and kneeled.

"You may join the others Grand Admiral." The Emperor turned to the two newcomers.

"You two may rise." Both Twilight and Spike got up and stood at attention.

"Now, please explain everything."

They explained everything from their time before Twilight's ascension to their rescue by Thrawn. To them, it felt like hours while being stared at by some of the most powerful people in the galaxy.

While they were telling their story, Thrawn decided to have a conversation with those around him.

"I see you're now the Grand Inquisitor Jerec. Did you lose a third ship this time?"

The Dark Jedi sneered at Thrawn. "The loss of the Vengeance and the Vengeance II were unavoidable."

"Was it Jerec? When I was transferred, the Vengeance had one of the best crew I've ever seen. I personally molded them to an elite crew."

"They were expendable."

"That kind of thinking is exactly what will lead to your downfall. Watch your step Jerec."

Jerec would've killed the Chiss officer right then and there if it weren't for the fact, Thrawn is favored by the Emperor besides Lord Vader himself.

Twilight and Spike went on and on with their story. Finally, after she was done, the room fell into silence.

"This is preposterous!"

Everyone looked at Grand Admiral Danetta Pitta.

"You expect us to believe something so childish? Half of your story sounded like something out of a child's fantasy! Magic? Species that see themselves as superior? Everyone knows Humanity is the superior race. The Wookiees know it, the Twi'leks know it, everyone knows it!"

Grand Admiral Pitta pointed at Thrawn.

"This is a ruse by Thrawn to gain more forces under his command. There is no other explanation. He found a new, primitive species and are using these two to strengthen his own command."

A bearded Grand Admiral took a step towards Pitta, but then stopped, and stepped back with a grin.

"What is it Josef? Want to prove me wr-hrk"

Pitta quickly put his hands on his throat as he was choked by an invisible force.

Twilight and Spike eye's widened as they saw the black armored individual raise a hand as the loudmouth officer was seemingly choked by an invisible force.

Thrawn looked around to his everyone's reaction. Almost all of the Imperials had an impassive look on their faces. Grand Admiral Josef Grunger was smiling as he watched his rival suffer. Meanwhile, Grand Admiral Rufaan Tigellinus shook his head in a disapproving motion and Thrawn could barely hear him speak.

"Idiot."

Others must've heard that as he noticed both Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik and Grand Admiral Miltin Takel smirking.

"You are out of line Grand Admiral Pitta."

The deep voice of Darth Vader, the Emperor's enforcer and Dark Lord of the Sith, resonated throughout the room.

"You were summoned here to heed their warning, not to to ridicule them."

Vader put his hand down, releasing Pitta from the force choke.

Pitta gasped for air as he fell to the ground. He started gasping for much needed air.

"Do not push your luck Grand Admiral, otherwise, I will personally hand you over to some Wookiees."

The Grand Admiral's face paled as he retreated back to the group of his fellow Grand Admirals.

Grand Admiral Grunger chose that moment to tease him as he stood close to him.

"You know what? I always expected an idiot like you to get careless and get ripped apart by his own prisoners. I guess being choked by Lord Vader in front of all of us is good enough."

"Shut it." Pitta hissed.

The Emperor then addressed Twilight and Spike once again.

"A very interesting and unusual story. I am very interested in your magic. Would please provide us with a demonstration my child?"

Twilight bowed. "Yes your majesty."

She stepped back and her horn glowed. A purple aura surrounded Spike as he began to float in the air. Many in the room stared wide eyed, but Spike had an annoyed look on his face.

Twilight took a deep breath and in a flash, appeared in front of the Emperor who sat frozen and impassive. Some of the Grand Admiral moved to take out their blasters, Vader's right armed flinched as if he was about to grab something, and the Royal Guards had their force pikes at the ready and were about to charge before Twilight again disappeared in a flash, appearing right next to Spike.

The Emperor raised a hand to stop anyone from attacking as he chuckled.

"Very impressive my child. However, teleporting in front of me is very ill-advised. It will be seen as an attempt to attack me and I advise never to do that again."

Twilight gulped as she bowed.

"Many apologies your majesty."

"Now that you've told your story and have warned us, what do you plan to do?"

Both Twilight and Spike stood in silent as everyone else waited for an answer.

"With your permission your majesty, we would like to help your Empire prepare for the oncoming onslaught." said Spike.

The room fell into silence.

"M-my lord."

Everyone except for the Emperor stared at one of the Grand Admirals.

"We have the largest military the galaxy has ever seen. We have weapons that can destroy entire planets. We do not need more preparation. I believe we should hand these two over to Grand Admiral Pitta to learn more about their species."

Everyone knew being handed over to Grand Admiral Pitta is a death sentence. The Grand Admiral commands a fleet of prison ships who would capture large groups of non-Humans to be exterminated or experimented on by scientists.

"That will not be necessary Grand Admiral Raz. I believe we need to prepare for the worst case scenario. We should be grateful these two are willing to help us."

"But-but my lord-"

"That will be all Grand Admiral Raz. Grand Admiral Thrawn?"

Thrawn stepped forward. "Yes my lord?"

"You're fleet engaged with this Celestial Alliance. What do you suggest?"

"I believe my lord that Miss Sparkle and Mr. Spike would be more effective preparing my command. After all my lord, my command is the closest to Celestial Alliance territory and I have no doubt in my mind we will encounter them again before we defeat the Rebel Alliance."

The Emperor was silent as he put some thought into it.

"Lord Vader, what do you think?"

Thrawn could see that Twilight and Spike seemed to avoid looking directly at Lord Vader. They seem to be intimidated by his very presence.

"I agree with Grand Admiral Thrawn, however, I believe he would need more ships to reinforce his command."

Grand Admiral Pitta spoke up once again.

"This is ridiculous. This animal is playing us! He only wants-"

He was silent as the Emperor addressed him

"Grand Admiral Pitta, this is your last warning. Be quiet or I will have Lord Vader throw you out the window."

Pitta started sweating as Vader turned to him. He quickly backed off to avoid the wrath of the Dark Lord.

"Continue Lord Vader." said Palpatine.

"The Imperial Navy has plenty of Capital Ships guarding unimportant worlds and vainly chasing the Rebel Fleets. Plus, the Black Sword Command has two Executors under construction and a third completed. I suggest we send them to reinforce the Grand Admiral's command."

"A sound plan, but the Intimidator has not even fully acquired a crew yet and the Ravager and the Arbitrator are not yet complete. However, I do agree we should send more capital ships, don't you agree Grand Admiral Thrawn?"

Thrawn mentally cursed. "Of course my lord. I appreciate your generosity."

"As for the two individuals you have brought, I am incorporating the both of them into your staff. They will serve in an advisory role to prepare you and your command for the Celestial Alliance. Your command is the front lines Grand Admiral. You are correct however, you will most likely encounter the Celestial Alliance again before we wipe out the Rebel Alliance. Do everything necessary to keep them from gaining a foothold in our territories. Once the Rebel Alliance is destroyed, we shall turn our full attention on this Celestial Alliance. I trust you will not fail me Grand Admiral."

Thrawn bowed his head. "Yes my lord. I shall do what you ask."

The Emperor smiled. "Then go, everyone is dismissed. Lord Vader, Grand Inquisitor Jerec, and Grand Admiral Declann shall stay for a moment.

Imperial Palace

Imperial Center, Inner Core

Emperor Sheev Palpatine

Strange individuals indeed. Thrawn seems to be suspicious of my plans. I need to be more careful.

He watched as all of the officers and the Royal Guards aside from those he called, leave the room. Palpatine noticed Grand Admiral Pitta continuing to glare hatefully at both Grand Admirals Thrawn and Grunger. He nearly chuckled at the Grand Admiral's childish hatred for those two.

At last, the room was silent aside from the mechanical breathing from Lord Vader.

"What is it do you need my master?" asked Lord Vader.

"The two individuals who Thrawn brought in, Miss Sparkle and Mr. Spike. What do you make of them?"

Grand Admiral Nial Declann, dark skin and with a black cape, shook his head.

"I could not read them nor could I sense the force in them."

"Same here, it's as if I'm being pushed out every time I try to pry into their minds like there's a wall. Very curious, I have never encountered a species that can do that except-"

"The ysalamiri." Vader said.

"Exactly. However, the Ysalamiri's powers seem to be passive while Miss Sparkle can use it to teleport as we have seen."

"Then we shall learn everything we can about their magic from the prisoners Grand Admiral Thrawn acquired." Palpatine said.

"You are handing them over to Grand Admiral Pitta my lord?" asked Declann.

"No, that fool will end up killing them before actually learning anything. I will have my own scientists learn from them."

"My master, wouldn't it be wise if Miss Sparkle was placed under my command? I would like to test the force against her magic."

He wants another apprentice. I will not have someone like Starkiller delay my plans again. Palpatine thought.

"That will not be necessary Lord Vader. Continue searching for Skywalker and the Rebel Commanders. Once we deal with them, then you can worry about Miss Sparkle."

"Yes my master."

Imperial Palace

Imperial Center, Inner Core

Grand Admiral Thrawn

"I, uh, I cannot thank you enough Grand Admiral Thrawn."

"No need General Mohc. I am very interested in your Dark Trooper Project."

The two walked side by side flanked by a pair of Royal Guards with Twilight and Spike right behind them followed by the four Death Troopers.

"I have my own group of scientists. If needed, I will fund your project. Work alongside my scientists. I saw so much potential in your project."

"Thank you Grand Admiral."

"Take a shuttle. Meet me on the Admonitor. I've already alerted the crew that you are coming. We can discuss other things later."

General Mohc nodded before walking away.

Thrawn turned to address Twilight and Spike. Every passerby gave them weird looks including the occasional sneers.

"You did very well, though I can't say I approve how you demonstrated teleportation Miss Sparkle."

Twilight smiled sheepishly. "I'm very sorry about that. I just go carried away."

"No need to apologize. The most important thing is you two didn't end up angering the Emperor. I need to ask you a question before we leave. If I recall, you said you've healed yourself and your friends with you magic a few times. Is it possible you can heal someone who's suffered from a head injury and bring them out of a comatose state?"

Twilight glanced at the ceiling in thought.

"Well, my friend Rainbow Dash did suffer some head injuries in the past. I helped her heal. To bring someone out of a comatose state? I've never done that before but I have read some books that showed me how."

"Good, before we return to my command, I would like you to help someone in Eriadu."

"Eriadu? Where is that?" asked Spike.

"A planet in the Outer Rim. The mistress of an Imperial Admiral is in a comatose state. He's obsessed with finding a cure to help her and we fear he'll end up destroying himself and those around him."

"Well, sure. I'll do what I can to help." Twilight said with a smile.

"Good, head to the shuttle. I'll meet you there. The Royal Guards will escort you."

"Where are you going?" asked Spike.

"There's someone I need to talk to before we leave. Our first stop will be Anaxes, then to Eriadu, and finally to Nirauan where you will meet my staff."

"Um, okay." Twilight said, not too sure what the Grand Admiral has planned.

Thrawn stepped aside to let the four of them leave. He stared at Twilight and Spike before turning away to find a certain cybernetic Grand Admiral.

It didn't take long searching for Grand Admiral Teshik who was on the way to the landing pad with his escort of six Stormtroopers. Thrawn and his escorts fell in line with Thrawn walking alongside Teshik.

"I may have found the solution to get Delvardus."

"Oh? Do tell." Teshik said with an eyebrow raised.

"Miss Sparkle has a history of healing one of her friend's head injuries. She has never brought someone out of a comatose state, but she taught herself how to."

"This is a golden opportunity. I assume you will stop by at Eriadu?"

"Of course. Right after Anaxes. What about Zsinj?"

"Ziering and Sunber said they can't take that risk. Even though they're part of Zsinj's staff, Zsinj is not familiar with either one of them. We need someone who knew him personally and knows he strengths and weaknesses."

Thrawn sighed.

"Fine, I will stop by Taris and convince him."

"It's imperative we get to him. We need the Brawl and the Quelii Sector Fleet on our side."

Thrawn raised an eyebrow.

"I noticed you didn't mention Crimson Command."

"I was getting to that. Treuten Teredoc was promoted to High Admiral and now commands Crimson Command."

Thrawn hissed in frustration.

"I take it Zsinj and Kosh Teredoc are displeased?"

"Very. Treuten taunts his brother daily and Zsinj went berserk when he got the news."

"How so?"

"He throws things around like an animal and threw some chairs out the window of his office. None of his staff and assistants were willing to stop him and avoided him for a few days in fear he might execute them."

"That bad huh? I'll talk to him and calm him down."

"Grant will talk to Kaine in a few days and we were able to get Weblin, essentially giving us Black Sword Command. Losing Zero Command hurts and we lost Captain Needa. Vader executed him several weeks ago.

"That means Commander Pellaeon is the most senior member with us in Death Squadron?"

"Exactly. However, we can turn this into an advantage. Pellaeon's reported there's a growing distrust and hatred among the Death Squadron's Captains towards Vader. General Veers, Admiral Montferrat, Admiral Prittick, Captain Lennox, and Captain Kallic are on board with us."

"That's good news. Hopefully, Needa's death would not be in vain. I still prefer if we had Zero Command and Crimson Command under our control."

"Well we can't get everything. Takel is working on getting the Enforcer and both Grunger and Batch had the Aggressor and the Terror undergoing refits. Makati and Syn are stuck in limbo. They won't listen to us nor Tigellineus yet."

"Then we must have patience. I have a plan to end this farce of a civil war as soon as possible."

They were silent as they passed Grand Admiral Tigellineus who was talking to a group of nobles.

"I can't stand Tigellineus. By the way, I heard one of your former students is making a name for themselves."

"As an officer?"

"No unfortunately, as a crime lord."

Thrawn smirked, realizing who Teshik was referring to.

"He showed so much talent in the academy, but was nonetheless a criminal. A brilliant young man, but he could not fool me."

Thrawn stopped with Teshik and the escorts following suit. Teshik looked at Thrawn who was looking at the ground before looking back at him.

"I want any and every info on him sent to me. Once he makes his move, I want to assume command of all ships wherever he attacks if possible, even yours."

"Care to explain Thrawn?" Teshik said crossing his arms.

"I was the one who taught him and recognized his brilliance. I know his strengths and weaknesses. Any other commander in the Imperial Navy cannot stand against him in battle and I fear we may lose you, Grunger, Takel, or whoever engages him."

"But then we might lose you."

"Any and all blame should be placed on me. I should've handed him over to ISB, but I expelled him instead. This is my mistake, and I will deal with him personally."
> The Six Heads of the Hydra
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

SSD Whelm

Imperial Center, Inner Rim

Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik

It's been a while since Teshik walked the halls of his beloved former flagship. The Whelm is truly an intimidating, but magnificent ship. The mere presence of an Executor is enough to make enemies run, but there is always those brave few.

Destroying the Far Orbit and killing Coh Veshiv, in the view of certain Grand Admirals and the many politicians and nobles in Imperial Center, removed Teshik as a powerful player in the Imperial Courts.

Of course, the Emperor was angry at Teshik, but he did not regret his decision.

He trapped the Far Orbit with his fleet, and nowhere else to go, the traitors aimed to ram the bridge of the Star Destroyer Vindictive. With the speed of the Nebulon and how slow the Vindictive was to get out of its way, Teshik had no choice but to order his fleet to blow the escort frigate into smithereens.

Teshik was quite happy to end Veshiv anyway. The Imperial Adviser was corrupted and had a habit of blackmailing others. He tried to blackmail the late Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin and Thrawn soon after. Both of course were not intimidated by him.

What many did not know was how close Veshiv was to finding about all of the Imperials Teshik had allied himself with and their resentment for the Emperor.

Veshiv had to die and Teshik knew about the consequences. He had plans ready and alerted all of his allies the contingency plans in the event of his demise.

The Far Orbit's suicide run did surprise him however and he quickly forgot about why he originally needed to end Veshiv. Veshiv never contributed anything positive to the Empire anyway. The lives aboard the Vindictive was way more important to Teshik.

Teshik ran his left hand on the wall of the hallway.

It's good to be home. Even if it's just for a short time. Teshik thought.

The cyborg ignored his stormtrooper escorts who trailed behind him and everything around him.

He finally came up to the blastdoors of the bridge.

It opened for the Grand Admiral and he was met with a sight for sore eyes.

The bridge crew were hard at work, prepping for the Grand Admiral. Admiral Feyet Kiez was issuing orders.

What he noticed was that Kiez and many members of the bridge crew had smiles on their faces.

After all, they all saw Teshik as a father figure. He was there when they were all assigned to the Whelm. He molded the entire Azure Hammer Command into an elite fighting force. His decision to save the Vindictive made their respect for the Grand Admiral soar. Of course, when they heard of how the Emperor punished Teshik and pictures of his grievous injuries surfaced, pretty much everyone in Azure Hammer Command were infuriated. They were all willing die just to save their beloved Grand Admiral.

"Grand Admiral on deck!" Teshik heard Kiez yell.

Immediately, everyone snapped to attention.

Teshik's only surviving eye teared up a little at the sight of his old crew. He walked up to Kiez.

"At ease."

They all dropped their salute.

"I have no words to describe to see all of you once again. Others may see us as a simple command, but here, we are all family. My heart was shattered when I was removed from this family, but I did not regret saving the Vindictive. In my absence, I have been keeping tabs in all of you and I was very proud. You did not let my removal get in your way, but instead, used it to drive you further. My presence here is only temporary. Let's make this final trip to Anaxes a meaningful one."

Admiral Kiez stepped up.

"With all due respect sir, you are the father of this fleet. You have molded us into a force to be reckoned with and even put yourself on the line to save others on this fleet. We will follow you to the most dangerous places this galaxy can throw at us. We will happily die for you Grand Admiral. The Emperor may have removed you from command, but we are a family. Everywhere you go, you can be damn sure we won't be far behind to watch your back. You will, and have always been the commander of this fleet."

The entire bridge crew snapped to attention once again. This time, a single tear did fall out of his only eye. It was a sight many have not seen for a long time. The mighty Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik hasn't shown even a small hint of emotion since his injuries.

"Thank you, all of you. I cannot ask for a better crew, a fleet nonetheless. Now let's get back to work."

Grand Admiral Octavian Grant

Imperial Center, Inner Core

ISD Oriflamme

Grand Admiral Octavian Grant, a Tapani Noble and one of the weakest Grand Admirals in the Imperial Court, stood on the bridge of his flagship, watching the Whelm along with the ISD Eleemosynary, Teshik's personal squadron, and ships from the Azure Hammer Command jump into hyperspace.

Grant at first, didn't like any of the Grand Admirals. Some of them loved to mingle with politicians whom he hates, and others he saw were not even nobles to begin with like Grand Admiral Peccati Syn.

It took several war games before Grant finally had some level of respect for his peers. He was absolutely livid when he found out about Thrawn's promotion to Grand Admiral. Not only was he an alien, but to his knowledge, he was not a noble either.

During a war game over Validusia, Grant challenged the new Grand Admiral. Everyone expected the Grand Admiral who defeated the fleet of the legendary General Jan Dodonna to win. Many were completely shocked when the alien Grand Admiral utterly defeated Grant. Grant unexpectedly was not upset with his defeat, but was instead very intrigued.

He decided to set up a meeting with the new Grand Admiral to have a drink and learn more about him. There, Grant learned that Thrawn would be considered a noble. Although he was born a commoner, he rose through the ranks quickly in the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force and was adopted into the Eighth Ruling Family. Thrawn introduced to him his usual strategy on how he would beat his opponents, art.

Grant almost laughed until Thrawn explained to him how art helped him defeat his opponents. Nonetheless, Grant in the end believed it to be ingenious. He did know art, but Thrawn was able to use it to crush his opponents, something Grant knows he's incapable of doing.

Later on, he met privately with Grand Admirals Thrawn and Osvald Teshik where they told him everything, from the many wars of the past, the Sith, the Jedi, and even information about the Emperor and Lord Vader Thrawn discovered secretly.

Grant did not want to believe it at first, but the evidence Thrawn showed him seemed very genuine. At the advice of Teshik, Thrawn took Grant to both Naboo and Tatooine to see further evidence if he did not believe them.

It was then Grant finally hooked, the Third Head of the Hydra has joined them.

The first to leave Imperial Center was Grand Admirals Josef Grunger and Martio Batch, then Miltin Takel in the ISD Magic Dragon, Afsheen Makati in the ISD Steadfast, Peccati Syn in the ISD Fi, and Rufaan Tigellinus in the ISD Avatar.

The ISD Emperor's Disciple and the ISD Admonitor are still in orbit meaning Ishin-Il-Raz and Thrawn are still here. However, Grant did see two shuttle heading towards the Admonitor while there has been no activity from the Emperor's Disciple.

Only Nial Declann didn't have a personal flagship and spend most of his time in Imperial Center. Thinking back, Grant has never heard of Declann participating in any battles ever since his promotion to Grand Admiral. Even Tigellinus still performed regular naval duties, chasing pirates and destroying Rebel bases.

Grant's time is limited, Four of the Five Heads of the Hydra have already departed for Anaxes. Only Thrawn and himself are left. Knowing Thrawn will catch up, he gave the order to jump to hyperspace.

"Plot coordinates for Anaxes."

"Yes sir." He heard a voice behind him.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Imperial Center, Inner Core

ISD Admonitor

"Welcome back aboard sir, how was the meeting?" asked Captain Niriz.

Thrawn was back on the bridge of the Admonitor flanked by Twilight and Spike. In front of them were Captain Niriz and General Mohc.

"I think it went quiet well. Did you inform General Mohc about everything and what he should expect?"

"Yes sir. I've even warned him about...Admiral Krennel's behavior."

"Do not worry Grand Admiral. I've dealt with officers like Krennel before. Rest assured, I'll be fine with him around." said General Mohc.

"Very good. Now, set course for Anaxes."

"Yes sir." said Niriz.

Behind Niriz, Thrawn could see the Oriflamme jump into hyperspace.

"Make haste, we're already behind schedule." said Thrawn.

Thrawn heard the sound of someone grunting and the cracking of bones.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna hit the hay." said Spike.

"I'm coming with you, I need to read more about the Empire's history anyway." said Twilight.

Thrawn turned around to address them.

"Very well, get plenty of rest. We have a very long trip ahead of us."

"We will, goodnight sir." Spike said while the dragon and the alicorn gave him a salute before walking away.

As they were walking away, Thrawn took note of the muscles on Spike and the wings and the horn on Twilight. He would love to see how strong Spike is compared to Zuke from Scar Squad or a Wookiee. As for Twilight Sparkle, Thrawn noted to have someone cut holes on her spare uniform and cap for her horn and wings.

"Sir huh? Kids catch up quick." Captain Niriz said.

"Kids? Just how old are those two?" asked General Mohc.

"From what I was able to gather, Spike is only 19 years old and Twilight Sparkle is 25 years old. Gotta be hard for Twilight. Being 25 and was a very powerful individual in a galactic power. Heh, my 25 year old self would've probably destroyed this galaxy through stupidity if I was in her position." answered Niriz.

Thrawn turned back to the viewport and admired the many warships and defense platforms defending the capital of the Galactic Empire.

With the power we have, this Rebellion should've been crushed years ago.

"Alert the Ludwick and the Maru Ki. Tell them to head for Naval Station Validusia where they will rendezvous with the Merciful, Turncoat, and the Betrayal. The station commander has already been notified and they will receive new orders from there." Thrawn said.

"Yes sir. Anything else?" said Niriz.

"On the way here, I was notified that the Emperor has already ordered more capital ships to reinforce our fleet. Some of them will meet us in the Quelii Oversector. The rest of them will meet us at Eriadu in the Seswenna Sector. We will join Grand Admiral Octavian Grant's fleet on the journey to Eriadu. He will meet with Grand Moff Ardus Kaine while myself, Miss Sparkle, and Mr Spike have a meeting with Admiral Sander Delvardus."

"Very well sir. I'll alert the fleet." said Niriz.

Niriz and Mohc left Thrawn alone as he gazed out the viewport. The Admonitor and the rest of the fleet were getting into positions to make the jump to hyperspace. Due to the heavy traffic of Imperial Center, many ships from cruise liners and freighters passed by the Imperial fleet.

Thrawn wondered about Twilight and Spike. He knows the Emperor gave them advisory roles, but their actions to save that Stormtrooper squad and against the Celestial Alliance shows they could fight and have some experience commanding a large force. Maybe he can give them more than just an advisory role.

Both of them are very smart individuals. While Twilight Sparkle is the smarter of them two, has political experience, and was apparently one of the most powerful wielders of magic back at her home, she is quite physically weak. Thrawn took note to see if she can handle a blaster and use martial arts.

Spike on the other hand, can't use magic like Twilight, but his ability to breathe flames is a powerful weapon. He is very muscular, strong, and Thrawn wouldn't be surprised if he could use his flames and his tail to his advantage. In close combat, Spike seems to be capable of going toe to toe with even Rukh. With his strength, he should have no problem handling heavy weapons.

This will have to wait however, Thrawn has plans to make after all.

En route to Anaxes

ISD Admonitor

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight gazed at the datapad in her hands while laying on her bed. On the other side of the room was Spike, sleeping with his armor on the floor next to his bed. She counted herself lucky, the crew had no problem finding undergarments for her, but they had a little trouble finding one for Spike. Luckily, the Stormtrooper who addressed himself as Zuke had a whole wardrobe with him with plenty of underwear. He was about the same size as Spike and was the biggest Human she's ever seen thus far. Spike liked his armor, but sleeping with it would be annoying. Considering how Spike likes to toss and turn in his sleep, it would've been awkward if Twilight woke up to see his junk sticking out. It's something Twilight does not want to experience again.

Next to her bed was an alarm clock with a neatly folded uniform. In order to not wake up Spike, she lowered to volume low enough so it wouldn't bother the sleeping dragon.

For an hour, she scoured through the holonet, finding as much information as she can, especially on the individuals she just met.

Instantly, she had a distaste for several of the individuals. Grand Admirals Ishin-Il-Raz, Rufaan Tigellineus, and Danetti Pitta were some of the most hated individuals in the Empire. Only a few individuals such as Director Ysanne Isard of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, Darth Vader, the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Military, and the Emperor himself topped those three Grand Admirals.

The other Grand Admirals had some weird backgrounds. Martio Batch was never a military commander and was more like a scientist and Nial Declann was an Imperial pilot. Why the Emperor decided to promote them to such a high-rank was a mystery to her.

Curiously for Thrawn, there was zero information on his background prior to joining the Imperial Navy. All information started with him taking crash courses in an Academy and being the protege of a certain Voss Parck whom according to the holonet, was a Captain before being demoted to Commander. There was a time gap before all of a sudden, he emerged as an Admiral.

Then, there was something called a "Ghost Fleet" that was mentioned in both Parck's and Thrawn's bio. Apparently, there was a conspiracy going on among the Empire's populace. There were several Imperial ships including three Super Star Destroyers and their crew who never show up on any spaceports. Every once in a while, they were sighted but only on Imperial Center. The Admonitor itself was one of those ships listed as part of the "Ghost Fleet".

To Twilight's surprise, new information popped up while she was on the page about the Ghost Fleet. According to the very bottom, the Star Destroyers Admonitor, Grey Wolf, Vanguard, Stalwart, Sceltor, and Iron Fist with some escorts showed up on Imperial Center. Suspiciously, according the the writer, they showed up around the same time as the flagships of other Grand Admirals.

Considering how the Grey Wolf was the last known flagship of the then Vice Admiral Thrawn, they've suspected that this Ghost Fleet was in fact the personal squadron of Grand Admiral Thrawn. However, his base of operations and the location of the rest of the Ghost Fleet was still a mystery.

The rest of the page was just a list of warships suspected of being part of the Ghost Fleet.

Vector, Wrath, Sword of Kuat, Pride of Corellia, Purge, etc.

Curiously for Twilight, the page said the Vector and the Purge disappeared completely long before the rest of the Ghost Fleet disappeared from the known galaxy. Not even the families of the crew knew of their fates. According to Imperial High Command, the Vector and the Purge were listed as Missing in Action. There were rumors of supposed survivors who claim the crews of both ships were infected by a virus which made them into mindless mutants. The last command given to the Vector according to some Imperial Commanders, was to transport unknown cargo by orders of Lord Vader. Vader himself has made no comments about the Vector nor the mysterious cargo.

The rest of the page was just full of conspiracy theories that Twilight found outrageous.

A fighter that can destroy a star? The Emperor orchestrating the Clone Wars by playing both sides? Where do these people get these ideas from? Twilight thought.

Finding no more information that interests her, she decided to listen to a news network.

The screen switched to a brown-haired female Human in a black suit, giving a report.

"Breaking News, the Equality for All Movement has organized a new set of demonstrations. It has been reported that they are holding protests in many planets from Imperial Center, to Corellia, to Eriadu, and to Fondor. In order to avoid clashes with counter-protesters, law enforcement has been sent to either protect the protesters, or order them to cease and desist. This has come after pictures and videos on the holonet was leaked of Wookiee slaves on Kashyyyk, to even the kidnapping of Human slaves from Jabiim.

This has sparked outrage as people believe the Emperor is turning a blind eye on these criminal acts. It is no secret that non-Humans are treated as Second-class Citizens in the Empire, but a growing number of people are demanding equality. Many within the Imperial Military themselves have been open on their opinions. While Grand Admirals Ishin-Il-Raz, Danetti Pitta, and Rufaan Tigellineus were quick to denounce them as Rebel sympathizers, Grand Admirals Osvald Teshik, Thrawn, and Octavian Grant have announced their support for the movement. This was heralded as a turning point as people wave flags and posters with the three Grand Admirals. For Thrawn especially, he was seen as a hero to non-Humans. The alien surprised many when he was promoted to Grand Admiral by the Emperor himself.

Some Imperial Admirals have come out this week including Admiral Sander Delvardus, Teren Rogriss, and former Admirals Barton Coburn and Shoan Kilian. In response, Admirals Blitzer Harrsk, Treuten Teradoc, and Kosh Teradoc have denounced their colleagues and their movement.

So far, no Grand Moffs have denounced the movement but they have been publicly supported by Grand Moff Ardus Kaine who made a speech just last week."

The news showed a video of an Imperial Officer with gray hair on a platform in front of a huge crowd of people.

"Back then, I probably would never have supported the Equality Movement. I grew up around Humans and I was taught that Humans were the superior race. I carried that belief to my promotion to Grand Moff. The most astounding thing happened to me. During an inspection on Ryloth, the planet was attacked by pirates. Not only did they come for my head, but to also capture Imperial equipment and acquire Twi'lek slaves. It was truly an amazing sight, Humans and Twi'leks fighting together against a common evil, not seen since the Clone Wars. My life was even saved from a sniper by a Twi'lek named Sera who is here to join us today."

Kaine gestured to a light blue Twi'lek who sat on a chair behind him along with some other aliens and Imperial Officers. Sera was wearing a white dress and nodded to the Grand Moff with a smile.

"She along with everyone there have my eternal gratitude. From that day forward, I began to believe that a unified Empire is a stronger Empire. One where there is no slavery, one where everyone, Humans and Twi'leks, Wookiees and Trandoshans, can stand side by side as equals, fighting for one banner. If anyone in Imperial Center can hear me, in order for the Galactic Empire to move forward, we need equality now! When our children grow up, they should be viewing us with pride, not shame or fear! The Empire will not stand divided, but will be stronger and more powerful united!"

There was a resounding cheer from the crowd before the video cut off and returned to the news caster.

Many have accused the Equality Movement as Rebel sympathizers and traitors. However, many experts agree, the movement is not traitorous at all. Some of their demands do seem aligned with the Rebel Alliance, but experts say, the movement consists of people who agree with some of the Rebel's ideas, but will not betray the Empire. Their main objective, is to improve the Empire, not destroy it. Grand Admiral Ishin-Il-Raz just yesterday announced that the Equality Movement are all traitors that should be arrested and jailed. His comments have been heralded by many nobles and politicians. As for the Emperor himself, he has made no comment about the movement at all whatsoever.

Coming up next, the Admonitor and some ships of the supposed Ghost Fleet show up on Imperial Center. What could this mean? And later, the Crimson Command finds itself with a new commander, in the form of High Admiral Treuten Teradoc. What could this mean for Grand Moff Zsinj and his power within the Quelii Oversector? We'll be interviewing Admiral Nils Tenant on what he believes is 
an upset in balance of power in the region. Stay tuned, we'll be back right after this break."

Twilight stayed to see what else she could learn from the news network, attempting to deal with advertisements.

"Are you sick of piles of owls constantly blocking your landing pad? Well then you gotta get the Owl Trowel!"

Nevermind. Forget it. Twilight thought.

She decided to sleep. There will be more time for research later.

2 days later

ISD Admonitor

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Within one of the storage rooms of the Star Destroyer, Grand Admiral Thrawn and Sergeant Kreel were searching through some items they've collected over the years. Thrawn wanted to make sure, many of them were historical relics he wish to see them in museums in the future. Normally, he would have others do it for him, but Thrawn likes to admire some of them and Kreel has a habit of collecting things.

"Clone Commander Gree's helmet, check." said Kreel as he marked it off on a datapad.

Thrawn took out a blaster and a hat from one of the boxes.

"Cad Bane's LL-30 Blaster pistols and his hat. Check." Thrawn said as Kreel marked it off.

Kreel reached into one of the boxes and pulled out a droid's head.

"General Kalani's head. Check. Almost done sir. Why do you insist to do it yourself sir?"

Thrawn let out a sigh. "It's not just because I like to admire them, but I also needed time to think. Things do get quite boring when I only see the same art pieces in my office."

"So why not buy some new ones sir?"

Thrawn glanced at the Sergeant. "My time as a Grand Admiral leaves little room for breaks, though when I'm on leave, I usually spend my time with someone else."

"Is it that Imperial Court Painter I keep hearing about?"

"Former Court Painter. She now works as a painter in Grand Admiral Teshik's estate."

"Ah, so I guess this is why we're heading to Anaxes?"

Thrawn smiled. Kreel was one of the few who would break into small talk with his commanding officers and treat them like friends.

"Partially, I still have a meeting with some Grand Admirals at Teshik's estate. I'm only going to spend one day with her. One day is short, but I've got to make every time I have count."

"Makes sense." He pulled out a lightsaber.

"Eh? What's this doing here?"

Thrawn looked back at him as he placed a lid on a box.

"The lightsaber of Jedi Padawan Aubrie Wyn. Recovered from Jabiim. You can take it, it shouldn't be here."

"Thank you sir. This will make a fine addition to my collection." Kreel said as he clipped the lightsaber to his belt. "Well I gotta go, I have a wrestling match with Cav."

"Good, you're dismissed." Thrawn said.

Kreel saluted the Grand Admiral and walked out of the room.

Meanwhile, Thrawn zoned out for a while before walking away as well.

5 minutes later

Thrawn walked around the Memorial Room, paying his respect to every fallen crewmember of the Admonitor.

Hologram after hologram, they all showed stormtroopers, pilots, officers, etc. smiling and saluting. Near each hologram were pictures of the individual on the wall.

"Too many for my liking." Thrawn muttered to himself.

He turned around a corner and to his surprise, found Twilight Sparkle looking at the holograms as well.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you to be here." Thrawn said.

Twilight quickly turned around and sighed in relief.

"I got curious sir. There's just so many here. For a single ship, I wasn't expecting so many dead." Twilight said as she gazed at the hologram of a fallen Imperial Officer.

Thrawn walked up to her side. "Well, the Admonitor has seen a lot of battles. It's one of the most decorated ships in the Navy after all."

They were silent as the pair walked by several holograms.

"Were they all under your command?" Twilight asked.

"Most of them actually. Before I took command of the Admonitor, Captain Niriz and the crew usually hunted down pirates. It was only after I took command did they experience larger battles. Once a week, I come here to pay my respects."

"So do all ships have Memorial Rooms like these?"

"Most warships do, though a few ships who have never seen any battles have empty Memorial Rooms."

They stopped in front of the last hologram, a stormtrooper with freshly laid flowers on it. They saw many pictures of the stormtrooper smiling along with his squadmates. The picture that stood out however was a picture of troopers surrounded by snow holding a tattered Rebel flag. The trooper in particular was crouching on a crashed snowspeeder with two AT-STs in the background.

"A veteran from the Battle of Hoth. Killed by pirates when they wounded up in one of the planets in my territory trying to escape from authorities." Thrawn said.

"Do you feel regret for every death sir?" Twilight asked as she looked at him.

Thrawn continued to stare at the particular trooper. "I feel regret for every death. This is war and I learned to move on."

The comlink on Thrawn's belt beeped.

"Excuse me Miss Sparkle. I must take my leave."

"Alright sir. Have a good day." Twilight said.

"You too Miss Sparkle." Thrawn said as he walked away.

Unknown Location

Home One

Rebel Alliance Home Fleet

"Something's going on, the Admonitor has been sighted at Anaxes." said General Carlist Rieekan. The leaders of the Rebel Alliance all stood in the war room of the Home One.

"What's so special about this Star Destroyer?" asked Princess Leia.

"Not only is the ship part of this Ghost Fleet, but it is a possible flagship of Grand Admiral Thrawn. A few days ago, every Grand Admiral was present indicated by the presence of their flagships and ships from their personal squadrons. Now, we've accounted for six Grand Admirals present at Anaxes. This means something big is going on." said Admiral Ackbar.

"If I remember correctly, I thought there were only twelve Grand Admirals. Who is this Thrawn?" asked Leia.

"An alien."

Everyone turned to General Crix Madine.

"Prior to my defection, I learned there was a new Captain within the Imperial Navy, appointed by the Emperor himself. A lot of us were confused at his decision but we chose not to question it. He served with Inquisitor Jerec. None of us knew where he came from and was a species none of us have ever seen. His skin was completely blue but those deep red eyes, they were pretty intimidating. Somewhere along the way, he was promoted to Vice Admiral. Fast forward to a few years, Grand Admiral Demitrius Zaarin attempted a coup d'etat. He nearly succeeded in killing both the Emperor and Lord Vader, but was stopped by a certain Vice Admiral. The Grand Admiral was killed, and Thrawn was promoted to replace Zaarin."

"Should we be worried about this Thrawn?" asked Luke Skywalker.

"Very." responded Madine. "During a war game, he utterly defeated Grand Admiral Octavian Grant with minimal losses while outnumbered and outgunned. Remember, he defeated General Dodonna and Commander Sato's fleet over Atollon a few years back when he was still a Vice Admiral."

Everyone stood stunned. This Thrawn defeated the Grand Admiral who decimated General Dodonna's forces on Yavin and was responsible for his capture. Not only that, he handed the Rebel Alliance their first defeat. Before, they did not know who was leading the Imperial forces who was chasing them, nearly capturing Mon Mothma as well before the Alliance was founded.

"Anything else we should know?" asked General Rieekan.

"Yes, there are no records of how big is Thrawn's personal squadron nor the location of his base of operations. We need to assume the Ghost Fleet is his squadron."

"That's including three Super Star Destroyers and a Star Dreadnought, more firepower than the other Grand Admirals. Are you sure about this General Madine? I assumed the fleet at Atollon was his squadron." asked Admiral Ackbar.

"It was indicated that the 7th Fleet became Death Squadron as evident with the presence of the Chimaera, Judicator, Inexorable, Death's Head, Nemesis, and Stormhawk. Besides, it's better safe than sorry, my agents were able to attach a tracking beacon to the Imp Star over Imperial Center before it jumped into hyperspace. It's still active now and General Syndulla is itching for a fight after his cell was routed by the then mysterious Vice Admiral."

"Well then tell Syndulla to tread carefully." said Mon Mothma. "Admiral Ackbar, what is the status of the Viscounts?"

"Almost completed, we should have the first ship completed by the end of this year."

"Good, with how many Dreadnoughts the Empire has, we're bound to encounter one sooner or later."

Several hours later

Teshik Estate, Anaxes

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Thrawn walked down the beautiful halls of the Teshik Estate. In Thrawn's opinion, Teshik's ancestor certainly has good taste in art when he had the mansion built.

On his way to the meeting, he ran into Admiral Osted Wermis of Azure Hammer Command, Moff Laird Gustavu of the Fondor Sector, and former Republic Admirals Barton Coburn and Shoan Kilian. Admiral Coburn was using a cane to walk while Admiral Kilian used a hoverchair.

They all saluted each other.

"Greetings all of you, how goes the meeting?" asked Thrawn.

"Bah, that fellow Batch likes to complain too much." said Kilian.

"Agreed, is this what the Navy has turned into? He's just as bad as Admiral Ozzel." said Coburn.

"You have to forgive Grand Admiral Batch, he's not a military man, but a scientist. His head is on the line after all if his projects fail to please the Emperor." answered Thrawn.

"A scientist promoted to such a high rank? This galaxy surely has gone mad." said Coburn.

"It certainly is a strange and very chaotic time. I must take my leave, I have a meeting to attend after all." said Thrawn.

"Very well, good luck to you Grand Admiral." said Kilian.

"As to you, and remember, always watch your back."

They saluted one more time before separating.

After a short walk, Thrawn came upon an open door guarded by two Stormtroopers. He could see his colleagues sitting on some chairs in a patio overlooking a lake.

Grand Admiral Martio Batch was pacing back and forth while the others were drinking and listening to him.

"-and what are we going to do now? Ziering and Sunber refused to talk to Zsinj." said Batch.

"Relax Martio, we've got the Fondor, Bilbringi, and Sluis Van Shipyards, Naval Station Validusia, and Black Sword and Azure Hammer Commands. We should be celebrating that." said Grand Admiral Miltin Takel who took a swing from his drink.

"I didn't hear KDY or Grand Moff Zsinj in there didn't I Miltin?" Batch said angrily.

"Martio please, shut up and sit down. You're being more paranoid than Miltin was when he was high on spice." said Grand Admiral Josef Grunger.

Batch turned towards him. "And what about Grand Moff Ardus Kaine and Baron D'Asta?"

"Relax, I'll be meeting with Kaine soon. We get him, then we can get D'Asta and General Tagge too if we're lucky." answered Grand Admiral Octavian Grant. "Our dear friend Teshik here has a plan to get Admiral Sander Delvardus and Grand Moff Zsinj."

"Oh and what plan is that?" Batch sneered.

"Me." Thrawn said as he chose that moment to walk in. He took a seat next to Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik as he poured himself a glass of Corellian Brandy.

"You? What can you do?" asked Batch.

"Zsinj used to be a Captain in my squadron. I know him more than any of you. I can get to him."

"And what about Delvardus?" asked Grunger.

"You are all familiar with Miss Twilight Sparkle correct? According to her, she used to heal her friend who constantly has head injuries due to reckless acts. She has never brought someone out of a coma from a head injury however, but she taught herself a way to do it using magic and is willing to test it."

"Again with this magic. How can we be so sure it will work?" asked Batch.

"It's our best shot Martio, unless you've got a better idea, please enlighten us." said Takel.

Batch merely grumbled before taking a seat next to Grant.

"We still have that problem with Syn and Makati." said Grant.

Teshik chose to respond. "Syn is a wildcard, I don't know anything that can convince him to join us. However, Makati is loyal to whoever controls Imperial Center-"

"Or whoever can get him Kadann of the Sith Cult." finished Thrawn.

"Exactly, we don't know the location of this Kadann which is imperative that we get Delvardus and his intelligence network."

"And it's also imperative we get as many warship in our control as possible. I need to pull some strings to get the Enforcer to Takel, but we need to get Tagge in order to get the Annihilator. Deny our opponents any of the Super Star Destroyers." said Grunger.

The Grand Admirals continued with their plans. Meanwhile, Thrawn tuned out to whisper to Teshik.

"How is she?"

"Doing fine of course. She's been very impatient, waiting for your return. I assume you're going to see her after this is over?" whispered Teshik.

"Of course. It will only be a day, but I'll make it count. I'll try to visit more ofter."

Teshik smiled. "Then do it. I swear she created an entire art gallery to keep her busy, waiting for you."

For the next hour, the group argued and made plans. When it was finally finished, Teshik stood up to address the group.

"Gentleman, years ago, we were promised peace and prosperity by our Emperor. We have seen that this promise is nothing but a lie. Out there, Criminal Empires still run amok, the Rebel Alliance continues to divide this galaxy, slavery still exists, and discrimination is rampant. We have all learned the history, history the Emperor tried to erase.

Countless wars have been fought between the Jedi and the Sith with us, the non-Force sensitives, suffering the most because of them. Trillions upon trillions have perished because of their squabbles. The Emperor is no different, from his time as a Senator, to his rise to Chancellor, and finally to his rise to Emperor, he has manipulated the galaxy and sacrificed so many for his agenda.

I say enough is enough. No longer will the Force Sensitives manipulate this galaxy any longer. No longer will politicians squabble back and forth, while ignoring the cries and the suffering of the people of this galaxy. It is our time gentleman, to transform this Empire to the one that was promised years ago, free from the manipulation of the Jedi and the Sith and free from the control of idiotic politicians and corporations. The time is ripe gentleman. We may not survive this, but we will fight to give the galaxy the future it deserves. A future for our children to believe in."

They all stood up and held up their glass.

"Long Live the Empire!" They all shouted as one.
> That One Strange Imperial
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unknown Location

Home One

Luke Skywalker

For the first time, Luke saw what the mysterious Grand Admiral Thrawn looked like. In the ship's cafeteria, he sat with Leia and some members of Rogue Squadron. All day, he was holding on and staring at the hologram of the Grand Admiral escorted by Death Troopers.

Everyone noticed how the Hero of Yavin was engrossed with the hologram and it was then did Leia decide to speak.

"Luke? What's wrong?" Leia said looking at him.

Luke only continued to stare at the hologram.

"Luke?" Leia said while waving a hand in front of his face.

Finally, Luke shook his head and turned to Leia.

"Oh, sorry Leia. What is it?"

"You've been staring at the hologram of Thrawn ever since General Madine revealed a hologram of him. What's wrong?"

"Oh it's nothing to worry about Leia. He just...looks...familiar." Luke tried to laugh it off, but his smile slowly disappeared when he turned back to the hologram.

Wedge, who was sitting next to Luke, decided to butt in.

"Familiar? You mean you've seen him before?"

"Yeah. I think so." Luke answered.

"Think back. Maybe's it was during one of your missions, maybe it was before Yavin, maybe during your childhood perhaps?"

"Well that are certain parts of my childhood that was a little fuzzy."

"Maybe it was when you first encountered Imperials as a child, maybe it was when you were kidnapped by slavers according to Biggs-"

"Oh stop it Wedge, you're getting a little too personal. He'll figure it out on his own. Isn't that right Luke?"

Leia received no reply.

"Luke?" She turned to him and saw his eyes were as wide as saucers.

Slavers? Luke thought.

His memory was a little fuzzy, but he remembered a man wearing tan clothing, goggles, and a scarf covering his face looking down at him.

The man reached out to him.

"Are you okay little one?"

Those eyes.

Those intimidating red eyes.

He remembered now.

"No." Luke said while in shock.

Anaxes

Grand Admiral Thrawn

In the bathroom of a high-rise apartment, Thrawn stared at himself on the mirror. He was wearing nothing but his underwear.

Behind him, there was the sleeping form of a woman tucked into a bed.

He could not sleep because he was worried about his plans.

Thrawn turned on the sink and splashed his face with water. As he cleaned his face, his eyes laid upon the scar on his chest, where a small hole used to be courtesy of a Gaderffii Stick.

Memories started crashing into him.

Memories of his first assignment issued by the Emperor himself.

17 years ago

Imperial Center, Inner Rim

Cadet Thrawn

Thrawn stood in front of the door to the Emperor's office. Two Royal Guards stood on either side of the door. He made sure his uniform was straightened and opened the door. The Chiss was met with the sight of multiple advisors and a single Imperial Officer with red hair and a beard talking with his majesty.

The Emperor had his hands together with his index fingers on his chin. He finally laid his eyes on Thrawn.

Everyone must leave. I must confer with Cadet Thrawn here and Admiral Teshik.

The advisors and the Royal Guards quickly left the room though some of the advisors glared at the Chiss.

Both Admiral Teshik and Cadet Thrawn stood in front of the Emperor and knelt down in front of his majesty.

"Rise my friends." The Emperor said. Thrawn and Teshik stood at attention.

"Now, I amglad the both of you are here. How do you like the Imperial Academy so far Cadet?"

"I am elated to serve in his majesty's Navy and I was glad to teach many to serve and bring peace to this galaxy." Thrawn said.

"Please Cadet. Be honest here. Tell me more."

"While I have met many cadets who have a lot of potential, I have also met a lot of officers who abuse their powers."

"Ah yes, these officers will be dealt with momentarily. I am thankful you were truthful to me Cadet."

"Thank you your majesty."

"Now, for your first assignment. I have suspected that Lord Vader may be plotting to overthrow me."

Both of them raised an eyebrow. "My lord?" Thrawn said.

"For that case, I need someone I can depend on who can challenge Lord Vader should the need arise. I need you Cadet Thrawn, to learn everything you can about Lord Vader and to create plans to defeat him."

"Why not one of the Inquisitors your majesty?" Thrawn asked.

Palpatine was in thought for a moment. "I do not trust them. Just like Lord Vader, they are all aiming for the throne. Admiral Teshik here already has some information that can get you started. He will provide everything for you. It is imperative that you get every information possible. Do you understand Cadet?"

"Yes your majesty. Understood."

Palpatine leaned back. "Then go my friends. Do what must be done. Once you complete this mission Cadet Thrawn, your promotion to Captain will be much more swift."

"Thank you my lord." Teshik and Thrawn bowed before leaving the room.

Later, Thrawn and Teshik walked down the hallways heading towards the landing pad in silence.

"So, you're that alien everyone's been talking about huh?" asked Teshik.

"Yes sir."

Teshik glanced at Thrawn to see him staring ahead, as if ignoring the Admiral.

"You do not need to be worried Cadet. I have served among aliens when I was in the Republic Navy."

"Thank you sir, but that's not what I'm worried about."

"Then what is it?"

Teshik saw that Thrawn stared at a brown haired woman pushing a cart as she passed by. He noticed that she gave Thrawn a wink.

"Ah, you have a thing for the Imperial Court Painter I see. Well, since we're still here, you may say your goodbyes. After all, this mission may take months."

Thrawn saluted the Admiral. "Thank you sir."

"You're welcome. Once you're done, take a shuttle and head to the Imperator. I'll be waiting."

6 hours later

ISD Imperator

Cadet Thrawn

Thrawn stared at the pictures that lay in front of his desk in his room. They were pictures taken from within Vader's castle. According to Teshik, they were taken by some Royal Guards.

Next to him, Teshik was analyzing the pictures as well.

"Vader does seem to have a liking towards ships. Lots of tools in his hangar, but overall, his castle seemed empty." Teshik said.

"I'm more focused on the hangar. Look at what's in the glass case on the table."

Teshik saw a glass case next to the tools, but he could not make out what it's inside.

Something clicked in his mind as he recalled his time during the Clone Wars.

"A Jedi Padawan Braid?" Teshik says.

"Specifically made of Silka Beads, meaning it belonged to a hairless Padawan. Possibly alien."

"You're telling me, Vader could possibly be an alien?"

"No, what I'm saying is it belonged to someone meaningful to Vader. Now look at this picture."

Thrawn pointed to a picture of a sleek, silver yacht.

"A J-Type 327 Nubian Royal Starship. Used only by the Naboo Sovereigns." Teshik said.

"Yes, one most likely used by the former Queen and former Senator, Padme Amidala. Question is however, why would Vader keep it?" Thrawn said.

"Well, it is one of the most desirable ships for collectors. Thing is worth at least a fortune."

Thrawn stared at the ship in silence.

"I think I'd like to start my investigation at Naboo."

1 Day Later

Theed

Thrawn walked down the streets of Theed, holding on to a hologram of the Imperial Admiral in charge of Naboo's defense.

"I don't know what to tell you Cadet. The two stormtroopers that escorted Lord Vader to Amidala's tomb were officially ambushed and killed by the Queen's guards."

"And unofficially?" asked Thrawn.

"Lightsaber burns. They were killed long after the 501st eliminated the last of the Jedi, meaning it was Lord Vader that killed them."

Thrawn put some thought into it.

"Did you lead the invasion fleet Admiral?"

"Negative. That would be Admirals Jan Dodonna and Adar Tallon. I'm merely here for guard duty, still haven't fought in a battle yet dammit."

"I see, thank you for your information Admiral Declann."

"It was my pleasure Cadet Thrawn, it's not everyday a Cadet was given a special mission by his majesty. Good luck on your mission. Declann out."

Thrawn turned off the holoprojector and finally arrived at his destination, a tap cafe where he will meet a historian.

For a while, Thrawn looked around, until he noticed a blond haired woman in a blue dress, sitting at a table in a corner looking quite bored.

"Are you Miss Agolerga?" Thrawn asked, standing next to her.

"Ah yes, you must be Cadet Thrawn. Please, have a seat."

Thrawn took a seat and began asking her questions.

"So Miss Cia Agolerga. I was told you are a historian and the daughter of Maxiron Agolerga."

"Yes?" She asked quizzically. "I thought you wanted to question me about Padme Amidala."

"Indeed I do. You see Miss Agolerga, your father performed a ceremony in secret for a woman named Vere and a man named Set. Curiously, this Vere woman fits the exact profile of one Padme Amidala. Now, I would like to know, did your father know who they were and did he tell you?"

Miss Agolerga stayed quiet.

"You know Miss Agolerga, withholding information is enough to give you jail time, and I'm certain you don't want that to happen."

"Alright, just please don't jail me." She said.

"Of course, as long as you provide the information I need."

"Ok, my father did know who she is. Through many holovids, my father pieced the puzzle together and identified Vere as Padme Amidala."

"And the man?"

"He had a cybernetic arm and had a Jedi Padawan's braid."

"Interesting, from the medical reports after the 1st Battle of Geonosis, one Anakin Skywalker was reported to have an arm cut off which required a cybernetic arm. Am I correct to assume your father identified this Set as Anakin Skywalker as well?" Thrawn asked.

"Correct. My father saw many holovids of them during crucial times of the Clone Wars. Considering how Skywalker and Amidala were seen many times together, it was not hard for him to piece the puzzle together."

"Hmmmm, very interesting. I need you to come with me Ma'am."

"Excuse me?" She asked confused.

"Do not worry, you're not in trouble."

Cia Agolerga got up and cautiously walked with Thrawn. She kept an eye on him as they walked in silence.

A few minutes later and passing through some Imperial patrols, they arrived in an emptier part of Theed.

Thrawn grabbed her arm and dragged her to a dark alley.

"Unhand me!" She said as she struggled.

"Calm down, I'm not going to harm you. I just need to ask you some questions without anybody else listening."

He let go of her, but she was still angry.

"The corner of the tap cafe was not enough?"

"It wasn't now please calm down." He pleaded.

"Fine, just don't hurt me."

"Good. Now that you're cooperating, I need you to tell me everything about the House Palpatine and its lone surviving member."

In orbit over Naboo

ISD Imperator

Cadet Thrawn

As Thrawn walked up to Admiral Teshik who was viewing Admiral Declann's fleet from the viewport, he pondered about his next move.

"So how was your investigation?" Teshik asked.

"Informal. I learned a lot."

"So what's the next step?"

"Tatooine."

Teshik quickly turned to the alien.

"Tatooine?"

"Yes, however, I need to go by myself, keep a low profile."

Teshik was still confused for a moment.

"Well...what do you need?"

4 days later

Tatooine

Cadet Thrawn

Thrawn walked down the ramp of a civilian freighter. Dressed in tanned clothing, boots, a scarf that covered his entire head, and goggles, he would fit right in with the locals.

He could see a squad of stormtroopers inspecting the cargo that was being hauled off. One of them approached him.

"Identification." The stormtrooper said.

Thrawn handed the soldier an identification card with a fake alias.

The soldier looked at the identification before radioing in.

"Command, this is TK-4375, can you run a check on a certain Taz Forenda? Native of Serenno. Identification F7W019DMSFGF3."

There was silence for half a minute before the trooper got a response.

"Copy that. Everything seems to check out. Enjoy your stay." The trooper said while handing him back his ID card.

Thrawn put the card in a pocket and walked out of the spaceport.

Once he got out, he was, as expected, met with the sight of a busy city full of what people in the Core Worlds would call, "scum".

He walked among the streets, trying to find a place where they sold speeders. One passerby, tried to pickpocket Thrawn. Unfortunately, Thrawn noticed and twisted the arm of the robber.

With a yelp, the robber fell to the ground, clutching his arm. This action did not go unnoticed by the locals, as they stared at the mysterious man that quickly incapacitated the robber.

Without a word, Thrawn continued his search. He was distracted by some graffiti that was on the side of a building.

Thrawn did not know how long he was staring at the graffiti until a little boy came up to him.

"What'cya looking at mister?"

Thrawn looked down to see a tanned skinned Human boy with brown hair looking up at him.

"Just looking at some art."

"That's art? My parents say it's trash."

Thrawn chuckled, "Well, in the eyes of an artist, this would be considered art."

"You're an artist?" The boy said, looking at Thrawn with disbelief.

"Yes, you could say that I am an artist."

An artist of war. Thrawn thought.

"Wow, that's so cool. The only artists here are vandals and others left this planet."

"A shame really. Anyways, can you point to any speeder rentals?" Thrawn asked looking down at the child.

"Sure." The boy said with a smile as he pointed down the street. "Just go down four blocks from here and turn right. Follow the street until you're nearly out of town. You should be able to see the rental."

"Thank you very much." Thrawn began to walk when they boy stopped him. He motioned him to come closer.

"All of the rentals are owned by bandits. Be careful. Once you rent a speeder, they'll send bandits after you."

Thrawn smiled. "Thank you, I'll be ready for them."

10 minutes later

Thrawn was lead by a pretty old Devaronian in a black cloak who was missing a horn

"Villie has exactly what you need kind stranger."

The Devaronian pulled back the cover over a speeder, revealing a V-35 Courier.

"V-35 Courier. Completely brand new. Normally, Villie charge customers 2000 credits. For you, only 1000 Credits."

Thrawn eyed the speeder, noticing some scratches and bumps.

"Brand new?" Thrawn eyed the Devaronian suspiciously.

"Look, Villie is trying to run a business here."

Thrawn looked around and noticed the other speeders are in an even worse state.

"Fine, I'll take it."

"Excellent, Villie is pleased." Thrawn took out two Imperial Credit Coins and handed it to the Devaronian.

Thrawn hopped into the speeder. It took him about a minute to learn how the controls work before he was off towards the Jundland Wastes, noticing it was slower than he expected it to be.

2 Hours Later

A speeder sped through the desert, its passengers, searching for the man who rented a speeder.

There were four individuals on board, two Humans, a Rodian, and a Trandoshan.

"Over there!" One of the Humans yelled as he spotted a parked speeder at the bottom of a sand dune.

The Rodian turned the speeder off the road and parked next to the abandoned speeder.

For several minutes, the four bandits searched the Courier, finding nothing of value nor an occupant.

"There's nobody here. Someone must've warned him about us and fled." One of the Humans said as he holstered his blaster.

"U tinka he's still nearby?" The Rodian asked.

Before the Human could answer, a laser bolt struck the Rodian on the head. The other three took cover behind the Courier.

"Where is he?" A Human yelled.

"Top of the dune!" The other Human said as he took a pot shot.

The Transdoshan got up to fire his blaster, but was put down by two bolts to the chest.

"I got him!" One of the Humans said as he primed a Thermal Detonator.

"Wait no!"

The Human was shot on the chest once, causing him to fall along with the detonator. The other Human scrambled to get away but was too late as he was consumed by the blast of the Thermal Detonator.

Thrawn meanwhile, slid down the dune, holding a SE-14C Blaster Pistol. He check the bodies to find anything of value, and put a DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol in his ruck sack and decided to hold on to the Transdoshan's A295 Blaster Rifle.

He cursed as he saw the blast from the Thermal Detonator damaged the engines of both speeders.

Thrawn concluded he was closer to his objective than Mos Eisley.

Holstering the SE-14C and holding on to the A295, Thrawn set for the long walk to the Jundland Wastes.

3 Hours Later

3 hours of walking, Thrawn was completely drained. He thought trekking through the wilderness of Csilla was bad, Tatooine was worse.

Off in the distance, Thrawn could see a sand storm coming. Having no choice, he chose to move on, hoping to find shelter.

30 Minutes Later

This assignment, the galaxy just couldn't make things easier for me huh? Thrawn thought.

Luckily, Thrawn was wearing a scarf to cover his head and goggles to cover his eyes which protected him from the sand. However, he still had to fight through the strong winds, nearly losing the A295 a few times. Unfortunately, he ran out of water a long time ago. He cursed for not being better prepared.

After a while, Thrawn saw a dark shape in the storm.

Rejuvenated, Thrawn doubled his efforts, in hopes of finding shelter.

Once he got closer, he was able to make out a vaporator.

That means, there should be a farm nearby. He thought.

For the next few minutes, Thrawn searched the area, finding two more vaporators. Finally, his efforts were rewarded with the sight of a building.

Salvation. Salvation at last. 

Thrawn quickly ran to the door. Realizing it was locked, he started banging on it.

"Help! Please! Let me in!" 

The arch provided him with cover from the storm and he leaned on it with his left shoulder.

Finally, the door opened to reveal a woman in tan clothing.

"Come in quick!"

Thrawn quickly ran inside.

The woman closed the door quickly and turned to see the stranger breathing heavily and sitting on the floor, his back on a wall.

"Who is that?" Thrawn heard a male voice.

"A stranger. Please come quick, he needs help!" The woman said as she knelt next to Thrawn.

Thrawn seeing no point in wearing the scarf and the goggles, took them off.

The woman gasped as she saw the stranger's face.

Out the corner of his eye, Thrawn saw a figure. He turned to see a man holding a cycler rifle.

Quickly, the man aimed at Thrawn just as Thrawn aimed the A295 at him.

Before either could fire, the woman stepped in between them.

"Stop it! I will not have any fighting in this house!"

Thrawn could see a child peering from the man's leg, staring at him.

"But Beru-"

"No buts Owen. The man needed help and I let him in. Please, he is a guest in our house."

There was a moment of tense silent before Owen lowered his rifle, with Thrawn doing the same.

"Fine, but I want him to tell us what's he doing here, and what is he."

Thrawn opened his mouth but no words came out. After several tried, he still could not speak.

Beru, realizing the stranger was thirsty, ran into another room and came out with a glass of water.

He greedily drank the whole cup of water.

"Thank you, huf, ma'am." Thrawn said.

"You're welcome dear. Come on, get up." Beru said as she helped him up.

Thrawn chose to leave his rucksack and the rifle there as Beru helped him to a dining table in a room.

He sat down as Beru gave him another cup of water before sitting down. Owen sat down as well, but the child was no where in sight.

Thrawn could see that the rifle was still in his hands.

"Alright, speak. What are you doing here and what are you?"

"My name is Thrawn. I am a Chiss and a former Commander in the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force. I was exiled by my people and was forced to find a planet to call home."

"Chiss?" Beru asked.

"My people reside in the Unknown Regions. We are isolationist and prefer to not contact the rest of the galaxy."

"So of all places, how did you end up in the deserts of Tatooine?" Owen asked.

"I was chased by bandits out of Mos Eisely. Used my speeder as a bait and ambushed them. That's how I got the rifle. Unfortunately, my speeder and the bandits' speeder was damaged in the firefight."

"Bandits huh? You must be good if you were able to take out a bunch of bandits."

"I wasn't made a Commander for nothing."

Owen turned to his left to see the boy entering the room holding an Imperial badge.

"You're an Imperial." The man sneered as he took out his rifle once again.

Beru grabbed the rifle before he could aim it.

"Stop it Owen, you know the Empire doesn't allow Imperials in the military."

Thrawn sighed. "No, he is right." 

Beru was shocked and she lessened her hold on the rifle. Owen took aim at Thrawn.

"My name is Cadet Thrawn of the Imperial Navy."

"So, Cadet Thrawn. What are you doing here in Tatooine?"

"I was sent here to study the Tuskens, and find ways to stop them from ambushing Imperial Convoys and weary travelers. My first objective was to go to a known Tusken Village in the Valley of the Spirits. I mean you no harm, I only want to complete my objective and return to my superiors."

Owen stared at Thrawn intently for half a minute before lowering the rifle once again.

"Fine, but once that sandstorm is gone, you're gone too got it?"

"You have my word as a Chiss that I will leave and bring no repercussions to you nor your family."

Owen raised an eyebrow, noticing how he gave his word as a Chiss and not an Imperial.

"I noticed your confusion. Yes, I gave my word as a Chiss. Honor is a big part of our culture and I know how much people distrust Imperials in the Outer Rim."

Beru smiled at Thrawn. "I believe you Cadet. You can stay."

"But Beru-"

"Oh hush you. Do you want to be a bad example for Luke?" Beru said as the boy clutched Beru's hand.

"Now please, sit. Dinner's almost ready." Beru said as walked to a stove.

Owen sat down and stared at Thrawn.

"So why did they send a cadet for this mission. Shouldn't they be sending someone who is more suited for this field?"

"As an alien who is the top of his class in the Academy and has experience leading a large force, some high-ranking commanders wanted to test my mettle and sent me on this mission. Completed, than I'm looking at a promotion to Captain."

"And if you don't complete it?" Owen asked.

"Well, it's either I complete it, or die trying. I can't come back until it's complete."

"Must've been harsh."

Beru came in and set a plate of Bantha Steak in front of Owen, Thrawn, and Luke who took a seat near Owen.

"You met the Garrison Commander at Mos Eisely?" Owen asked as he cut a piece of steak.

"Not yet. Haven't met any commanders in the Outer Rim yet. Only Core World Commanders."

"Hmph, then you should probably tell your superiors about him. He's under the payroll of the gangs and bandit groups here." 

"Oh I will. I thank you for that information."

"Certainly, I was pretty angry when I saw one of my friends beaten and robbed by a gang, only for the Commander to release them the day after."

Beru took a seat, a steaming plate of steak in front of her.

"So tell me Cadet, how did someone like you end up in the Imperial military? Everyone knows they discriminate against aliens, but why you?"

"Please, call me Thrawn. Only my superior officers call me Cadet."

For the next two hours, Thrawn told his story, carefully altering it to avoid any mentions of the Emperor.

After he was done telling the story, Beru collected their plates and brought a sleepy Luke to his room. Meanwhile, Owen led Thrawn to a spare room.

"How old is your son by the way? He's been pretty quiet."

"Oh, he's not our son, he's our nephew."

Thrawn rose an eyebrow.

"So where are his parents?"

"Dead. His father was a navigator on a spice freighter. Died when the freighter was caught in a firefight between pirates and an Imperial warship and was destroyed. By whom, I don't know. As for his mother, she died giving birth to him."

Owen could see a pang of sadness on Thrawn's face. "Must be very hard on him."

"Oh, we didn't tell him yet. We just told him he was found abandoned on our doorstep."

Thrawn looked at Owen. "You know, this may backfire on you."

Owen sighed. "We know, but we just don't feel ready to tell him just yet."

He opened the door to a room.

"So, uh, here's the guest room." The room was empty aside from a bed and a small desk with a lamp on it. "We usually don't have any guests so we never bothered to decorate the room."

"No it's fine. Compared to the jungle I was forced to live in, this is paradise." Thrawn chuckled.

"Anyway, I'm sorry for pointing my gun at you. This is Tatooine after all, one can never be too careful."

"Oh I understand. I would've done the same thing too to be honest." Thrawn said as he set his ruck sack and his blaster rifle next to the bed.

"Heh, y'know, you're a good man. The only Imperials we've ever encountered were some nasty pieces of work, but you're different. Anyways, I have to leave early in the morning with Luke to get some supplies if the sandstorm lifts. G'night." Owen said as he closed the door.

Thrawn smirked, glad at Owen's change of attitude. He took off his clothing aside from his underwear and undershirt and sat on the bed.

In case of an emergency, he placed the SE-14C on the desk, the A296 leaning on the wall next to his bed, and put the DL-44 under the pillow.

He made an inventory check to see if he missed anything. So far, his water and his food have ran out, the last bits of water used to dampen his scarf in the sandstorm, he still has a Thermal Detonator, a knife, a blanket, an emergency beacon, a flashlight, and a holotransceiver.

Picking up the holotransceiver, he made a call for Admiral Teshik.

After a few minutes, the hologram of Admiral Teshik showed up.

"What's your status Thrawn?" Teshik asked.

"I'm currently sheltered by a moisture farmer and his family because of a sandstorm. I was ambushed by some bandits and my speeder was destroyed. From here, I calculate at least a day's trek to the Tusken Village."

"Understood, anything else?"

"Yes, where are you and the Imperator right now?"

"We're currently in orbit over Ohann, took out two pirate ships and a smuggler. We're currently on standby if you ever need help. Is there something you need?"

"Yes, I need you to investigate the Garrison Commander at Mos Eisely. I've been told by the locals that he likes to take bribes from criminals."

"Hmm, very well Thrawn. Be on alert, there's a fleet that's suppose to make a stop on Tatooine tomorrow. I don't know how this will interfere with your investigation, but better safe than sorry. I'm not too sure how the locals will react to the arrival of an entire Imperial fleet."

"How big of a fleet?" Thrawn asked.

"4 Venators, 2 Victorys, an Imp Star, and 3 Acclamators."

"That's pretty big for a backwater planet like Tatooine, where are they going?"

"No idea. The Acclamators are carrying some secret cargo to some place in the Outer Rim. I heard rumors such as a new battlestation and expansion to the Unknown Regions."

For the next few minutes, Thrawn told Teshik of his contingency plans, what he's learned so far, and what planets he planned to visit and investigate. Teshik was impressed of Thrawn's contingency and future plans. He secretly took note to try to have Thrawn under his command.

Once they were done, they bid farewell and Thrawn was immediately lights out once he placed his head on the pillow.

Next Morning

Thrawn woke up after a good night's rest. He couldn't hear the wind, indicating the sandstorm already blew over. Taking his time, he dressed himself, and holstered his SE-14C.

Once he was done, he made his way to the dining table. He noticed Beru was brewing some coffee.

"Morning ma'am." Thrawn said as he took a seat.

"Morning Cadet." Beru said as she put a cup of coffee in front of Thrawn.

"I told you to call me Thrawn ma'am."

"Then stop calling me ma'am then. It makes me feel old." Beru said with a smile.

"Alright then Mrs. Beru."

"It's Mrs. Lars actually." She said as she took a sip from her coffee.

"Pardon me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, we never told you our last names didn't we? Silly me. Yes, our last name is Lars."

"Very well then Mrs. Lars. Where did Mr. Lars go anyway?"

"Oh, he left early this morning with Luke to get some supplies from Mos Eisely. Should be back within an hour."

"Thank you." Thrawn took out a map and started analyzing possible routes to the Valley of the Spirits. Seeing Thrawn was busy and likely would prefer not to be disturbed, Beru left the room to do some chores.

For half and hour, Thrawn analyzed the map, looking for routes where it would make him a hard target for ambushers. Unfortunately for him, the fastest route is through some mountains, perfect places for an ambush. The safest route is through a dry river bed, but without a speeder, it's suicidal for him to reach it.

He didn't hear the knocking at the front door, nor the sound of Beru greeding someone.

"Hello there."

Thrawn turned around to find an aging bearded old man in a brown cloak. He noticed there were strands of gray hair on him.

"Ben, this is Cadet Thrawn from the Imperial military. Thrawn, this is Ben. He's a family friend of ours." Beru said as she gestured to Thrawn.

"A pleasure to meet you sir." Thrawn said as he shook Ben's hand.

Ben however, looked very confused. "What's an Imperial cadet doing all the way out here?"

"Well, if you have a seat, I'll tell you. It's a long story."

Thrawn told Ben the same story he told Beru and Owen.

"Very interesting. I didn't know the Imperial Military made exceptions."

"So...um."

"Just call me Ben."

"Ben, what's your story."

"Nothing much really, born and raised here in Tatooine, hunted all my life, and I was some sort of vigilante in my younger years. Warded off raiding Tusken parties, took down bandits who went after travelers, but I was warned to never do it again by the Garrison Commander at Mos Eisely so I stopped. He told me his troops will handle it from now on, but all I've seen were more frequent bandit attacks and no protection from Tusken raiding parties." Ben said sadly.

"Not to worry Ben, I've contacted one of my superior officers to investigate the Garrison Commander. His days are numbered." Thrawn said.

"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel confident."

"I can see why. Many Imperial Officers are corrupted, especially in the Outer Rim. Trust me, Admiral Teshik is a well respected officer. He is what many considered, a model officer. Very loyal, and has a clean record."

"I'm sorry, did you say, Admiral Teshik? As in Osvald Teshik?"

Now, Thrawn was intrigued. "You know him?"

"Know him? His name popped up several times in the holonet in the Clone Wars. A very well respected tactician so I've heard. Didn't know he was an Admiral now. What about the others?"

"Like who?"

"Jan Dodonna, Josef Grunger, Octavian Grant, Wullf Yuleran, Barton Coburn, and Shoan Kilian. I already know about Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin. Everyone in the galaxy knows him."

"Well, Dodonna, Coburn, and Kilian are currently retired. Grant and Grunger are Admirals now, and Yuleran resigned his admiral's commission and last I heard, he now holds the rank of Colonel. He must be pretty high up to be able to regularly confer with Tarkin, and Vice Admiral's Terrinald Screed and Dodd Rancit before the latter's demise."

"Oh? What happened to Admiral Rancit?"

"He was exposed as a traitor and Lord Vader had him executed."

Thrawn noticed a brief pang of sadness on Ben's face.

Before Thrawn could say anything, he heard shouting outside.

"Help! Someone help!"

"Beru!" Ben yelled.

Thrawn and Ben ran outside, to find Beru holding Owen who was clutching his right leg.

Ben took Owen's other arm to help him walk. Meanwhile, Thrawn led them to the living room where they set him down on a couch. He analyzed the wound on his leg.

"It's nothing serious. What happened? Where's Luke?"

Owen winced as he touched his wound. "Bandits took him. They were hunting for slaves to sell again. Couldn't stop them. Tried to fight back but they shot me in the leg as a warning. Their leader, I guess, got mad at the bandit for shooting me because I'm worthless in the market now. I was only saved when an Imperial patrol ran into us. There was a firefight and the bandits fled on speeders with Luke. I told them troopers what happened and they said they'll tell their commander. What a load of shit, that commander won't do anything so I came here to see if you could do anything Thrawn."

Thrawn looked at Ben before turning to Owen. "Where do you think they're holding him?"

"There's a warehouse to the west of Mos Eisely. Pirates in the past used it to sell their goods there. Only place where Imperial patrols never show up."

Thrawn turned to Ben. "Are you a good shot?"

"Can't be a hunter if I wasn't a good shot." Ben answered.

"Do you have a blaster with you?"

"An old DC-15S in my speeder. Still works fine though."

Thrawn nodded and walked to his room. He came out with his rucksack, a DL-44, and the A295.

"Take this." Thrawn said as he handed Ben the DL-44. "You're gonna need it."

"Are you sure about this? Wouldn't this impede with your mission?"

"Yes I'm sure. This is happening because of the failure of the Garrison Commander to perform his duty."

"Very well." The both of them made their way out the door. Owen tried to get up, but was held down by Beru.

They both hopped into Ben's X-34 landspeeder. Thrawn found Ben's DC-15S below the chair and took it out.

"So where did you get this?"

"Took it from a bandit who attacked some weary traveler."

"Ah, and do you know where you're going?"

"Know it?" Ben started the speeder. "I was the one who raided that place and stopped their business years ago. Looks like they came back."

They were silent as they sped through the desert.

4 Hours Later

Thrawn, with his goggles and scarf covering his head, peered around the corner of an abandoned building, A295 at hand. Next to him, Ben held his DC-15S with the DL-44 in a holster.

"This the place?" Thrawn asked.

"Definitely. Place hasn't changed one bit."

Thrawn could see the criminals guarding the place. He could see a sniper on top of the warehouse, and some bandits guarding the front entrance.

"They've got the place pretty locked down. How did you get in there anyway?"

"There used to be an underground tunnel that led there, but it was sealed up by the Imperials two years ago."

"Well, if anything, that sniper needs to go."

"I agree, so a frontal assault? Do you think you can handle it?"

Thrawn smirked. "These bandits are amateurs. I've trained with both the Chiss and Imperial militaries. I can hold my own. What about you?"

"I can handle them in my sleep."

"Wait wait." Thrawn said as he put his hand on Ben's chest. He motioned him to take a look and pointed at the front entrance.

Ben could see an Imperial Officer talking to a a bald Human, possibly the leader of the bandits.

"It's the Garrison Commander. Looks like he came to collect his bribe."

Thrawn could see the Bandit leader pat the Commander on the back before leading him inside.

"There is a front entrance and a back entrance. However, there's no way we can take the back entrance too as well without getting spotted by that sniper, so a frontal assault is the most feasible option."

"Got it, I can snipe that sniper from the inside of this building. I'll provide covering fire while you secure the entrance. Once cleared, we'll breach together."

"Got it." Ben had his DC-15S at the ready, while Thrawn hopped into the window of the abandoned building. He took a peek from another window and saw the sniper. It was a Human with a cycler rifle. However, he saw a big Rodian walk out the building carrying a Rotary Blaster Cannon.

Got to kill them fast or Ben will never make it.

Thrawn took aim at the sniper with his A295 first. He fired, striking the sniper on the head and quickly fired at the Rodian with two bolts to the chest and one to the neck.

Both fell in quick session and he began to fire at the other bandits as Ben quickly ran to a crate.

A Weequay tried to rush Ben but was quickly taken down by Ben's DC-15S.

Another Weequay tried to throw a Thermal Detonator at Ben's position, but he was quickly taken down by Thrawn. There was an explosion with three bodies flying out, telling Thrawn the Weequay primed the Detonator prior to his demise.

Hearing no more blaster fire and seeing Ben motioning him to come over, Thrawn ran out of the building to Ben who was trying to open the door.

"We've got a problem, they've barricaded the door. We need to move quick before they leave."

"How long has it seen we first opened fire?" Thrawn asked.

"About five minutes. Why?"

"Oh nothing."

Ben looked at him with a questionable look on his face. "Okay, so how are we getting in?"

They looked around until Thrawn noticed an undamaged Courier. Without a word, he hopped into it and starting it while Ben searched for anything such as explosives to get the door opened.

Finally, he saw the speeder heading straight to the door.

"Wait wait!" He ran out of the way just as he saw Thrawn jump out of the speeder.

The speeder smashed the door in and sparks started flying out of its engines when it stopped. There must've been some bandits near the door as evident from the number of bodies laying on the ground.

Thrawn brushed dirt off his clothing and walked up to an unamused Ben.

"You know, you reminded me of someone I used to know."

Thrawn smiled under his scarf and rushed inside, blaster at the ready.

Ben and Thrawn quickly took down two bandits who tried getting up. At the far end of the warehouse, they could see the Garrison Commander and the Bandit Leader making a run for it. Thrawn was about to chase them when Ben put a hand on his chest.

"Our objective is to find Luke. Those guys' days are numbered anyway."

Thrawn sighed. "Very well."

They took a look around the warehouse. There crates full of weapons everywhere and cages. Thrawn was disgusted, there were cages full of malnourished Humans, Twi'leks, and even some Yuzzems. One by one, Ben and Thrawn destroyed the locks to the cages, letting the occupants free. They were all joyful, hugging, kissing, and shaking the hands of their saviors.

Finally, Thrawn noticed the last cage, with a sleeping blonde boy. Thrawn put up his goggles and could see that Luke was not harmed.

He shot the lock and opened it. Thrawn knelt down and shook the boy. His eyes opened slowly and looked up at Thrawn.

"Are you okay little one?"

Luke was quiet and looked drowsy. Thrawn picked him up and walked to Ben, who was tending to a sick Twi'lek.

He perked up when he saw Thrawn carrying the little boy.

"Is he alright?"

"Just a little drowsy, but he's fine."

The boy looked at Ben, before falling asleep again in Thrawn's arms.

Thrawn looked up at the ceiling at the sound of a TIE Fighter flying by.

"Teshik." He said.

Thrawn handed Luke to Ben and ran out the rear entrance. He was met with the sight of several Stormtroopers and the kneeling forms of the Bandit Leader and the Garrison Commander. Near them were some speeder bikes. In the sky, Thrawn could see a shuttle heading towards them escorted by two TIE Fighters.

"Hold it right there." Thrawn saw two Stormtroopers aiming their blasters at him.

"Drop your weapon."

Thrawn dropped his blaster and took out his Imperial badge.

"I'm friendly."

The Stormtroopers continued to aim their blasters at him.

"Where did you get that?"

Thrawn saw the shuttle landing and the ramp lowering.

"From the Emperor himself."

One of the Stormtroopers laughed. "Likely story. Get on your knees. Put your hands behind your head."

Thrawn saw Admiral Teshik walking down the ramp.

"Stand down trooper. You're interfering with a mission assigned by the Emperor himself." Thrawn heard Teshik say.

The two troopers stood at attention and saluted the Admiral. Teshik walked passed them and shook hands with Thrawn.

"So I went to the Garrison HQ and to my surprise, the Commander wasn't there. Luckily, a local saw him and directed us to here. Wasn't expecting you to be here though."

"The nephew of the couple that was sheltering me was kidnapped by these bandits. A local drove me here in a speeder and we came in to rescue him. Thought I could also hitch a ride if I rescue the kid. I knew you were going to visit the HQ today so you weren't far if I needed help."

Thrawn and Teshik turned to see Ben walking out with Luke holding his hand. Behind them, the captives staggered out, blinded by the brightness of the sun.

"Looks like my hands will be full. You need a speeder?" Teshik said.

Thrawn turned to Ben. "Hey Ben, could you take me to the Valley of the Spirits after dropping Luke home?"

Ben shrugged his shoulder. "I don't see why not. Sure."

Thrawn turned back to Teshik. "Well there you have your answer."

Teshik looked at the captives who were being helped out by the stormtroopers.

"Vice Admiral Amise Griff is coming in to pick up these captives."

Thrawn turned looked at Teshik, not feeling too sure about this. "Griff is power hungry. He'll use this to paint himself as some kind of hero for a promotion. I don't like this."

Teshik dismissed his warning. "Admiral Grunger and Vice Admiral Damon Krell will keep him in line."

However, Thrawn wasn't too sure and was still reluctant, but he complied. "Fine."

He walked back to Ben and Luke, motioning to them that they're leaving.

Teshik saw Thrawn pick up his blaster before leaving and shook his head.

This guy is really something else.

4 Hours Later

Thrawn and Ben hanged back by the speeder, watching as Luke was reunited with Beru and Owen who was using a cane to walk. They were crying tears of joy.

Ben smiled. "A very happy sight indeed. I've almost forgotten what it's like to have a family."

"You and me both."

They stood there watching before Owen and Beru approached them with Luke holding Beru's hand.

"We'd like to thank you, both of you for rescuing Luke. We wouldn't know what to do without him."

"It's no problem ma'am." Thrawn said.

"Thank you though. You're welcome to visit us anytime."

Thrawn smiled. "Thank you. I'll come back and visit one day. Right now, I need to continue my mission. I don't want to make my superiors angry for getting sidetracked."

Ben and Thrawn hopped into Ben's speeder.

"I'm sorry for not trusting you earlier Thrawn." Owen said as he stood next to the speeder.

"It's alright. Just promise me one thing."

"Anything, what is it?" Owen asked.

"Raise Luke right. Raise him to be strong, to be a fighter. One day, when he's ready, he can join the Imperial military if he wants to. I'll look after him if he does."

Owen nodded. "We will. It's up to him if he wants to sign up, but I'm glad you're willing to look after him if he does."

"Well Thrawn, shall we leave?" Ben asked.

Thrawn nodded before turning back to Owen and Beru. "Until next time. Just keep your promise."

"We will." Owen said.

The speeder lurched forward, the family watching them disappear into the horizon. They'll be waiting for his return. It may take years, but in the meantime, they're determined to keep their promise.

6 Hours Later

"Are you sure you don't want me to pick you up or come with you? Tuskens like to roam around these areas." Ben said from the drivers seat.

"I'm sure. I can just call for Admiral Teshik to send a shuttle after I'm done. There's other planets I need to visit for my mission after all."

"Very well. May the force be with you Thrawn."

"You know, people don't say that anymore."

"I know, but old habits die hard."

Thrawn smiled. "Then good luck to you. Look after the boy."

"I will." Ben said as he drove off.

Thrawn turned to begin his trek on the dry river bed towards the Valley of the Spirits, blaster at the ready for any, unexpected surprises.

The Next Day

Thrawn searched the abandoned village. Earlier, he watched the village from a distance for hours, waiting to see if any Tuskens decide to visit. After seeing none, he decided it was safe to check out the village.

Inside, he found the place in ruins. The tents were kept up though, no doubt, the doing of any visiting Tuskens. This place has been revered as a holy, but cursed place for the Tuskens. Intel reported the Tuskens liked to send sacrifices here to appease the "ghost" that resides here.

Thrawn inspected the clothings littered everywhere, the owners having already decomposed long ago. He could see some unnatural cuts on them. Some seemed to have lost their limbs, their heads, and even some were cut in half. Not even the children were spared. On one of the tents, Thrawn found a perfect circle in the back of it.

They all screamed one word for Thrawn.

Lightsaber

He was interrupted from his thoughts as he heard the crackling of electricity. Somewhere in the village, there was a loud boom and a flash of blue. Thrawn rushed to where the weird phenomenon took place. He did not expect to find a Human in the village. From behind a tent, Thrawn had a clear line of sight on a man.

The man wore a brown coat, red shirt, a belt that crosses his torso, black pants, large brown boots, and cracked glasses.

"Damn thing dropped me off in some abandoned camping area in a desert. Could've at least dropped me off in the city, at least I'd get some help." The mysterious man said as he hit a device he was holding.

Thrawn donned his goggles to cover his eyes.

"Freeze!" He said as he aimed his blaster. Simultaneously, the man also aimed a weird kind of pistol at him.

The two of them eyed each other, none of them willing to make a move.

"Looks like we have a Mexican standoff." The man said.

"Identify yourself." Thrawn said.

"Whoa whoa there, I'm friendly. I don't want to harm anybody." The man holstered the pistol. "See?"

Thrawn however, was still cautious, but lowered his blaster nonetheless.

"Fine, but I want you to tell me who you are."

The man nodded, but then his eyes widened.

"Look out!" He said as he took out his pistol and fired a blue laser bolt at something behind Thrawn. However, Thrawn aimed his blaster at the man.

"Whoa hold on. I wasn't aiming at you. Look behind you."

Thrawn kept his blaster aimed at the man as he looked behind him. His eyes widened as he saw the body of a Tusken Raider, still clutching a gaderffii stick. He turned back to the man.

"I guess I owe you a thank you." He said.

The both of them were alerted as they heard the Tusken war cry.

"Tuskens." Thrawn muttered.

"Is that what they're called?" The man said as he took out his pistol.

"Listen, I knew you for less than five minutes, but I'm willing to work with you to get out of here."

The man took out the device from earlier. "Well, I could open up another portal to home."

Thrawn was confused. "A portal?"

"Yes a portal, one that leads to my dimension. We can go there, and I'll be able to bring you back to this dimension in let's say-"

He was interrupted as a slug flew past his head.

The two men quickly put down the Tusken who fired at them. Thrawn could see two more Tuskens aiming their rifles at them from a long distance. He quickly fired his A295, one of the Tuskens was shot on the head, the other was hit twice to the chest.

The mysterious man put down another Tusken with his pistol by shooting him on the leg, causing him to fall, and then firing one more time on the head as the Tusken tried to get up. He then went back to trying to get his device working, not noticing the Tusken sneaking behind him with a gaderffii stick. Thrawn couldn't get a good shot at the Tusken without hitting the man.

"Look out!" Thrawn said as he shoved the man. The Tusken swung, hitting Thrawn on the head, making him fall. As he was down, the Tusken then used the traang and swung down, stabbing Thrawn on the chest. He cried out in pain.

Before the Tusken could swing again, a blue laser bolt struck him on the head.

Thrawn's vision began to blur.

Poison. They dipped it in poison.

"Shit shit, hold on there." The man appeared in Thrawn's vision as he was blinded by a blue flash coupled with the sounds of crackling electricity. He could feel the man drag Thrawn.

His vision began to darken and he started losing his senses, but he could feel the ground transition from the sands, to a cold, hard, metallic ground.

He heard voices, but they were quiet as he began to lose conscious.

"Gruncle Ford, who is that?"

"There's no time. Get me my medical kit now!

4 Months Later

Thrawn stood once again, in front of the Emperor's Office. He straightened his uniform as the Royal Guards opened the door for him.

4 months of visiting multiple planets, learning about Vader's past.

Inside, the room was empty aside from the most powerful individual in the galaxy. He approached the seated Emperor and knelt.

"Is your mission a success Cadet Thrawn?"

"Yes my lord. I have learned everything and have drawn up plans to counter Lord Vader should the need arise."

"Then I assume you know his true identity?"

"Yes my lord."

Thrawn didn't look up, but he could hear the Emperor cackle.

Present Day

Thrawn walked to the landing pad at the Teshik Estate where a shuttle awaited him. He was genuinely surprised when he found a certain cybernetic Admiral waiting for him.

"Admiral Screed, I was not expecting you to be here."

Admiral Terrinald Screed motioned him to get closer.

"So I've talked to Osvald and Gilad." Screed whispered.

"And?"

"I'm in."

"You do know that you should probably free your two Twi'lek slaves right?"

"I did, but with no where else to go, they opted to stay and take care of my son, but they'll get paid though."

"Fine, but I everyone needs to do their part. I have a mission for you."

"Alright, say it."

Admiral Screed commands a large fleet consisting of warships smaller than Victorys, the largest being the Gladiators.

"Your fleet has been used to escort important convoys throughout the Empire. I want you to send to me the list of all cargos and to inform me of all future cargos and their destinations."

"Very well, I'll send them as soon as I get back to the Demolisher."

"And one more thing. Four years ago, you personally escorted a convoy from Kamino to an unknown location in the Deep Core. Curiously, it was at the same time when it was announced that all Cloning tech in Kamino was destroyed. Tell me, what was the cargo and what was the destination?"

Admiral Terrinald Screed, the former fight-hand man of the Emperor, a hero to both the Republic and the Empire, friend of the legendary Jan Dodonna, and currently falling out of favor from the Emperor and the Imperial Courts, was sweating nervously.

Two Hours Later

ISD Admonitor

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Thrawn walked down the hallways of the Admonitor, thinking of the new information he received from Screed. Lescah was perched happily on his shoulder, but there something else that troubled Thrawn.

His whole life, he's been plagued with war and violence. When he was younger, he and Thrass would often steal food and fight others to survive. When he was a Commander of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force, he fought hard to protect his people and eliminate any potential invaders. As an exile, he had to constantly fight to survive. In the academies, he was constantly bullied and was in many fights, all of them he won. Now, he's fighting two wars, one in the shadows, and one for all to see. Besides being with his "girlfriend", a term he didn't learn until he was out of the Academy, he's had almost no time for peace where he could forget about everything.

He was distracted as he came upon a room with its doors open. Inside, he could see many Stormtroopers, pilots, technicians, officers, etc. seated in front of a projector, waiting for a movie to start. Twilight Sparkle and Spike were in the back, standing, while General Mohc and Captain Niriz were leaning on a wall to the right.

The projector must've been encountering problems again as the screen only showed the Imperial logo slowly bouncing off the walls of the screen.

The seated audience held their breath, some of them standing and putting their arms around each other's shoulders.

"Wait hold it, hold it!" He heard a stormtrooper yell.

The Imperial logo then perfectly bounced off one of the screen's corners.

As soon as it did, the audience went wild, some celebrating, and some throwing food into their while they were jumping.

Niriz, Mohc, Twilight, and Spike openly laughed. Thrawn meanwhile, smiled, enjoying watching the childish antics of the men and women under him.

Even in times of war, the people that fight could find a time for peace, where they could forget all about their worries and relax.

These people all have parents, siblings, children, friends, homes, and dreams, and he would be damned if the Rebels and the Emperor would take it away from them. He swore, he would end them and finally bring peace to the galaxy as was promised years ago.
> Pest Control
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

En Route to Taris

ISD Admonitor

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Thrawn ducked as Spike swung at his head, followed by a quick punch which sent Twilight on her back. The Grand Admiral is wearing only his pants and his boots, showing his muscles for all to see.

Spike was wearing his armor while Twilight wore a sports bra, her pants, and boots. The dragon swung down, but Thrawn effortlessly sidestepped.

Quickly and knowing Spike was strong enough to support his weight, he jumped on Spike's hand with his left foot, and used his momentum to kick Spike on the chin.

He was sent sprawling on the ground, his hand holding his chin. Meanwhile, Twilight tried to attack Thrawn from behind, but the Chiss was quick to block her punch. They began to swing and block each other's punches, but after a while, Thrawn saw an opening and headbutted the alicorn.

Thrawn heard the dragon charging him from behind.

Clumsy He thought.

He sidestepped his swing, but unexpectedly, Spike used his tail to trip Thrawn.

Lying on his back, he rolled as Spike tried hitting him with his staff. Twilight tried to kick him, but her leg was grabbed by Thrawn as he got up. He then kicked Twilight's other leg, making her fall. She then tried to get up, but Thrawn jabbed her on the face, causing her to hold her face in pain.

Spike used his stick to try to jab Thrawn on his back, but the Chiss sidestepped once again and in a blink of an eye, chopped the wooden staff in half. The dragon was surprised for a second, but a second was all Thrawn needed.

He grabbed the dragon by the head with both hands, and kneed him, sending him on his back.

The Grand Admiral looked at his two opponents. Twilight was getting back up but Spike was groaning, holding his snout.

"Sir, you're needed on the bridge. We're approaching Taris."

Thrawn looked at the entrance of the room to find Sergeant Kreel, Zuke, Misty, Cav, and Shrap watching them.

"Very well Sergeant. Where is Aero and Mic?"

"Game room. Aero thinks he could beat Mic in any video game. Poor guy."

Thrawn smirked before turning to his two opponents.

"You two have fought well, an improvement from yesterday. Miss Sparkle, you need to build up your strength. Your punches aren't strong enough. Mr Spike, excellent usage of your tail, use it more. You are very strong, but you're still clumsy. That wooden staff won't be enough for you however. Once we get to Niraun, we'll get you something suited for you."

"Thank you sir." Both of them said.

"Good, get cleaned up. For the rest of the day, do what you want, study, exercise, try to beat Mic in video games, anything. I won't be available for a while."

The Grand Admiral walked out to get cleaned up and dressed. It hasn't been long since Thrawn started sparring with Twilight and Spike. With the assistance of Scar Squad, he's been training them in marksmanship and CQB. Thrawn reminded himself to teach them war tactics later.

15 Minutes Later

In Orbit over Taris 

Thrawn walked towards a waiting Captain Niriz, who stood in front of the bridge's viewport, looking at his datapad.

"Well, Grand Moff Zsinj has been alerted of your arrival and is awaiting your presence. There's a thunderstorm over the capital city sir so I advise you wear your cap and cape."

Thrawn sighed. "Very well. What is the status of our reinforcement fleet?"

"They're already here. I have a list on my datapad." Niriz said as he handed Thrawn his datapad.

Reinforcement Fleet for Grand Admiral Thrawn

Imperial Star Destroyer: Conviction, Conquest, Engager, Emperor's Will, Moonshadow, Predator, Punisher, Wolf's Claw

Immobilizer 418-class Cruiser: Claw

Allegiance-class Battlecruiser: Liquidator, Decimation

The Wolf's Claw is from Admiral Drommel's fleet. Looks like I've gained myself another enemy.

He then noticed something odd about the fleet defending Taris.

"Captain, where's the Brawl? I thought you said Zsinj is here."

"He is here sir. I never got any news on what happened to the Brawl."

"Well, then." Thrawn gave the datapad back to Niriz. "Looks like I'll have to ask him myself."

1 Hour Later

Taris

Thrawn walked down the ramp of his shuttle wearing his cap and his cape. Rarely do Grand Admirals ever wear either one of them, but for Thrawn, he chose a bad time to visit as severe thunderstorms and winds battered the capital.

In front of him were General Hastorn Ziering, Commander Janek Sunber, and two lines of stormtroopers, to greet the Grand Admiral.

"Welcome to Taris Grand Admiral." said General Ziering as he and Sunber saluted.

"Did I come at a bad time?" Thrawn said as he looked to the sky.

"Yes sir, however, it is indeed odd that such a storm appeared during the dry season." Sunber replied.

"Hm, very well. Lead on gentleman."

The two officers led the Grand Admiral who was being escorted by a squad of Death Troopers. They were all silent as they walked into the capital building. Thrawn couldn't help but admire the many artworks and the lavish hallways they walked through.

They came upon a huge door guarded by two guards. Thrawn have never seen them before, but he has heard about Zsinj's Raptors, and elite group handpicked by the Grand Moff himself within the Stormtrooper Corps.

Ziering walked in front of one of the Raptors and gave him a code cylinder.

"Grand Admiral Thrawn is here to see Grand Moff Zsinj."

The Raptor nodded before inserting the code cylinder into a dataport. Ziering motioned Thrawn to enter once the door opened.

Thrawn walked into a giant room, guards lined the walls with windows looking over the city to his left. At the far end of the room was a desk with the Grand Moff sitting behind it, looking at a datapad.

As Thrawn started walking towards him, Zsinj perked up and saw his former commanding officer.

"Guards, leave." Zsinj announced.

All of the guards marched quickly out of the room before the door closed.

As soon as they left, Thrawn walked up in front of the desk and shook hands with Zsinj.

"Been a long time sir." Zsinj said.

"You don't need to call me sir you know." Thrawn said as he took a seat.

"Yeah, but old habits die hard." Zsinj responded. The Grand Moff lit a cigar and took a puff. He took out a box and offered Thrawn one.

"I don't smoke Zsinj, you know that." Thrawn said as Zsinj put the box away.

"Eh, it's been years. People can change a lot."

"Hm, where's the Brawl by the way, I didn't spot it over Taris."

Zsinj sighed before turning on the holoprojector on the desk. It showed a hologram of an Executor-class Super Star Destroyer but a piece of the bow was missing.

"What happened?" Thrawn asked staring at the hologram.

The Grand Moff rubbed his temple. "Rebels tried to jump out of hyperspace close enough to the planet to crash land a Venator into the capital city. Apparently, the Brawl was on the way and they ended up ramming the bow. The Venator was completely destroyed, but they must've stored a lot of munitions in the Venator since the explosion took out a portion of the bow. A Rebel fleet jumped into the system but immediately fled after finding out about the botched operation."

"So you still have problems with Syndulla huh?"

"More than ever. Raiding convoys and bases, and inserting cells in cities. I wouldn't be surprised if there are rebels in the capital city right now. Enough of that however, I know you enough to know you're not here for small talk."

They were silent for a while before Thrawn took out a datachip from his pocket.

"Tell me Zsinj, what do you know about the Emperor and the history of the galaxy?"

30 Minutes Later

Zsinj sat in silence, pondering about the information that was dumped on him.

"I...this is unbelievable, but I know you enough to know you're not lying. I've fought for so long, lost so much to please the Emperor."

Zsinj turned to the giant painting behind him. The painting portrayed a female Imperial Admiral.

Thrawn took not of the sadness on Zsinj's face. "Do you think it was worth it Zsinj? You may be a Grand Moff, but in the eyes of the Emperor, no other Grand Moff will ever be as valued as Tarkin. You're just a pawn to him. Your mother loved you so much, that she would defy the Empire for you. You didn't see that until it was too late. What would your mother have done in this situation?"

Zsinj turned back to Thrawn, a single tear streaked down his right cheek. "You know I lost a piece of my heart when I finally killed her. I never thought about the consequences until after. Look at me now, I live a lavish life, command a powerful fleet, and I've even gotten fat, but none of that will bring mom back. She would've scolded me if she saw me now and probably would've launched a rebellion this very moment and now, I'm kind of inclined to agree with her."

Thrawn was silent as he watched Zsinj. He could see as his face transitioned from tearing up, to frowning.

"I'll join you if you do me some favors."

"Favors? Like what?"

"Two things, tomorrow, there will be an important convoy going to Dathomir carrying many supplies, Gravity Well projectors for some Immobilizers under construction, and parts for the Brawl which is in drydock. Normally, the Brawl would escort important convoys like this, but every other SSD is busy with another mission and I can't trust any of my naval commanders to protect them against Syndulla's Naval Fleet."

"So you need me to oversee the convoy's protection?"

"Exactly, with your reinforcement fleet here, I believe you can defend them."

"Alright then, and your second favor?"

"Help me eliminate Syndulla. He may be extreme, but he's smart enough to never engage me and the Brawl. Syndulla tried that in his first engagement and ended up losing Four MC80s."

"Hm, I've already engaged and humiliated Syndulla back when I was a Vice Admiral and I have no doubt he's out for my blood." Thrawn said as he was thinking of plans.

"So use yourself as bait?"

"I plan to not only protect the convoy, but to eliminate Syndulla as well. I've fought Syndulla before, he won't hesitate to send his own soldiers on suicide runs.

I have a plan, but I need to contact an ally of mine. If my plan succeeds, then you're looking at not only the death of Syndulla, but also the elimination of his entire fleet."

Zsinj took a puff from his cigar.

"Hmmm, so what do you need?"

4 Days Later

Near Halmad, Quellii Oversector

Convoy QC-17

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Thrawn watched from his viewport as a TIE Bomber squadron flew into the nebula the convoy was passing. His fleet, along with some Lancers, Carracks, Dreadnoughts, and Arquitens from Zsinj's fleet, escorted the convoy of thirteen Acclamators and twenty-five smaller freighters destined for the shipyards over Dathomir. Ahead of them was debris from a Clone Wars battle, full of the wreckage of multiple Republic and Separatist ships. It was a haven for scavengers until Zsinj became the Grand Moff of the Quellii Oversector.

Patrols often show up to apprehend scavengers and pirates, a few times they fought back. Thrawn took note of some wreckage of Arquitens, Tartans, and some pirate ships as evident of the turrets placed on them.

Among all of the wreckage though was a Venator. From a distance, it looks perfectly fine but under close inspection, one can see multiple hull breaches, one of the engines was missing, some of its heavy turbolasers were missing, and the bridge was burned out.

General Mohc and Captain Niriz stood by his side.

"Are you sure they would fall for it?" ask Mohc.

"This is a too good of an opportunity for them to pass up. I am sure." Thrawn said. "How are Miss Sparkle and Mr Spike doing Captain Niriz?"

"Sergeant Kreel says they're not ready yet but are getting there. Twilight seems to have taking a liking to pistols while Spike seems to like heavy blasters."

Thrawn rose an eyebrow as he glanced at Niriz. "You've grown accustomed to them."

Niriz crossed his arms as he sighed. "They remind me so much of my older brother and sister, behavior wise at least. If Rebels hadn't destroyed the Intrepid, they would've been serving aboard the Admonitor. My brother was due for a promotion and a transfer and my sister had her documents ready to transfer here. My sister was the smartest out of us three scientifically and would've loved serving under you sir as one of your scientists. My brother however was the top of his class and climbed the ranks in the army quickly. No doubt, he would've been a better general than Haverel."

Thrawn noticed the sadness on Niriz's eyes. He put a hand to comfort his friend.

"Then honor them by living on Captain. You told me before they were very loyal to the Empire. Keep fighting for the Empire. The doctors told me everything Dagon. We are here with you. Me, Voss, and Barris, we will always be there for you my friend. Think about it Dagon, you've come so far. Nobody wants you to give up now. Your siblings would've been proud of what you've accomplished."

Niriz sighed. He started thinking about old memories and could almost feel his sister hugging him from behind and his brother putting his arm around his shoulders. Of the three, Dagon Niriz was the weakest of them all. Scrawny as a child and a victim of bullying, his siblings were always there to defend him. After his siblings signed up, he thought enough was enough and signed up too. He worked hard to become strong and dreamed of becoming an Admiral one day.

"Thank you sir." Niriz said.

"Sir, ships coming out of hyperspace off the bow!" An officer yelled.

The three commanders watched as the Rebel fleet appeared out of hyperspace.

Thrawn made a quick count and counted one MC80 Command Cruiser, four MC80 Star Cruisers, eight MC30Cs, two MC40A Light Cruisers, three MC75 Cruisers, six Dauntless-class Heavy Cruisers, one Venator-class Star Destroyer, two Munificent-class Star Frigates, one Lucerhulk-class Battleship, four captured Dreadnoughts, four Marauder-class Corvettes, and multiple GR-75 Transports, CR90 Corvettes, and Nebulon Frigates.

He took note of the Marauders, multiple CR90s and Nebulons, and all of the GR-75s breaking off from the fleet and heading to the nebula.

Not what I expected, but they just made my job easier. Thrawn thought.

"Order the fleet to turn around. Let the Rebels chase after us. What is the status of Nova Squadron?"

"They say they're ready sir." Niriz responded.

"And the status of the bomb?" Thrawn asked turning to Mohc.

"Primed and ready. Just say the word and I'll detonate it." Mohc said holding a datapad.

"Not yet, wait until they call in for more of their friends."

By this time, the Rebel fleet bypassed the field of wrecked warships and began to launch their fighters.

The three commanders walked to a holotable to guide the fleet's movements and the Rebel movements.

For five minutes, Thrawn watched as the Rebel fleet was next to the Nebula.

"Alert Nova Squadron. They may fire when ready." Thrawn said.

"Yes sir." An officer responded.

"Turn the fleet around, this is where we're making our stand."

They held their breath, until they saw Nova Squadron emerge from the nebula. The Rebel fighters noticed them and gave chase. All of a sudden, there was a bright flash from within the nebula.

There was a giant explosion that consumed half of the Rebel fleet. Many warships including two MC80 Star Cruisers and the lone MC80 Command Cruiser were scorched by the heat. No ships were destroyed, but the explosion knocked out half of the Rebel fleet out of the battle.

"Now with half of their fleet disabled, Syndulla will continue to send the rest after us while a few ships stay behind to run damage control." Thrawn said.

He watched as the fighters from his fleet moved to intercept the Rebel fighters and bombers.

Explosions littered the space as Imperial and Rebel fighters engaged in dogfights. Some Y-Wing Squadrons did make it through, though they were immediately wiped out by the Lancers.

Finally, the main Rebel fleet moved into range of their turbolasers.

"You may fire when ready." Thrawn said. The turbolasers of the Imperial fleet fired in succession in selective targets. The ISD Grey Wolf drew first blood by destroying a CR90 Corvette.

Thrawn noticed that two MC80s were concentrating their fire on the Grey Wolf.

"Alert the Vanguard, Daring, and Ebolo. Assist the Grey Wolf and destroy those MC80s." Thrawn said.

He didn't turn around as Twilight and Spike entered the bridge. They watched as the crew worked and approached the table where the three commanding officers were conducting the battle.

"I am pleased you can join us Miss Sparkle and Mr Spike." Thrawn said.

"I thought Sergeant Kreel was suppose to train us today." said Twilight.

"Ah, my apologies. They have a mission to attend to."

Spike took a look at the holotable. "So where are they?"

A small blip showed up behind the Rebel fleet.

"Ah, they've arrived just in time." said General Mohc.

They watched as the small blip got closer and closer to the blip of the damaged MC80 Command Cruiser.

"Um, sir? It looks like your fighters are losing." said Twilight.

Thrawn could see the blips of his fighter force have taken significant losses, but he also took note of the missing blips of many GR-75 Transports, CR90s, Corvettes, and one of the MC80s that attacked the Grey Wolf.

"So it seems. Captain Niriz, initiate Phase Two and deploy the 181st, it's time we give these Rebels fighters a challenge."

Twilight and Spike were a little confused about what Thrawn said. They were not at the debriefing, but they did read up about the 181st. Supposedly, they were the most famous and elite fighter wings. From what they've read, they're more feared by the Rebels than a fleet of Imperial Star Destroyers. Imps Stars were designed to engage capital ships, not fighters, but an elite force like the 181st, they feast on squadrons of Rebel fighters and small ships like Corvettes and Transports.

To Twilight's and Spike's amazement, the twenty-five freighters in the convoy disappeared in the map and were replaced by the blimps of Imperial Fighters, Interceptors, and Bombers.

"Forty from each freighter. Plus the 181st, that'll give the Rebels something to worry about before we initiate Phase Three." said Captain Niriz.

Thrawn crossed his arm and turned to an Imperial officer who was leaning next to the blast doors of the bridge, flicking a coin into the air.

"So, are you sure Agent Kirtan Loor, the shuttle carrying Scar Squad is completely invisible to the Rebel's scanners?"

The ISB agent smiled, almost evilly. "I'm sure it is Grand Admiral. Why doubt me? I exposed every other ISB agent on the fleet for you and gave you dirt on General Evir Derricote and his projects. I'll keep doing favors for you and all you have to do, is keep me alive and oust Isard."

"I suppose." Thrawn sighed. "Oh Evir Evir Evir, how the mighty have fallen." He said as he turned back to the holotable.

Near Halmad, Quellii Oversector

MC80 Ryloth

General Cham Syndulla

"Hera, Hera listen to me. You need to pull all forces back now. Half of the fleet is out of action and the transports are never going to make it." Cham Syndulla said over the coms as he tried to plead to his daughter.

"Not until we finish off Thrawn. He took Ezra, he took Kanan, now he just took out Sabine's brother and sister. All of the transports are gone. If we concentrate all our firepower on the Admonitor and take out the bridge, we'll leave a devastating blow to the Empire." Hera said.

"That's exactly what he wants Hera. He wants you to attack him. Look at the fleet, our fighters are being overwhelmed, our ships are being picked off one by one, and top of that, you've got the 181st massacring our forces. The longer you engage Thrawn, the more casualties you'll take. Just listen to me, pull back to defend the damaged ships. Reinforcements are on the way. Once they arrive, THEN we can launch another assault. It doesn't seem like Thrawn is interested in retreating."

"Fine, but something doesn't feel right. I've got a bad feeling about this."

Cham sighed. He watched from the holotable as the blips of his forces began to pull back from engaging Thrawn's fleet. Around him, the crew worked frantically to get the many systems on the ship back online.

Just like many of the ships damaged from the explosion, the Ryloth's shields have been disabled, many of their batteries were not responding, some of the hangers were destroyed, and their engines are working at half power. The good news is the reactor has been stabilized.

It was to be a simple smash and grab. The convoy carried many ship components for Interdictors under construction at Dathomir including Gravity Well projectors, and parts needed to repair the damaged Brawl. As much as he wants to finish off the Super Star Destroyer, the defenses on Dathomir will shred his forces like nothing and none of his agents were successful in recruiting the Nightsisters. They were all either intercepted by the Imperials or the Nightsisters turned them down.

Turns out, a year back, they would've gladly joined in, but repeated losses and the strong Imperial presence on their planet left them doubting the strength of the Rebels. Hoth was the final straw for them.

*THUNK*

The bridge was dead silent when they heard that sound.

"What was that?" A Human officer said.

"Could be an asteroid." A Twi'lek answered.

"Can't be. Check the scanners for anything." Cham ordered.

One of the crewmembers checked the scanner.

"Scanner's not showing anything sir."

*BZZZZT*

Cham could see someone was cutting the ceiling of the bridge.

"Boarders! Alert the fleet quickly!" Cham yelled.

Before anyone could do anything, there was a small explosion that sent a few crewmembers to the ground.

Cham pulled out a blaster to repel the boarders. He was expecting Stormtroopers to jump down, but instead, two canisters fell in.

One of them landed in front of Cham. He tried to get away before it unleashed a cloud of smoke which left him coughing.

The Twi'lek General couldn't see anything as smoke filled his vision.

Red bolts could be seen streaking through the smoke. Screams filled the air as he heard members of his crew get taken down by the boarders. He leaned on a monitor, still coughing.

Cham aimed his blaster around him.

It was silent, no blaster fire, no yelling. Cham was getting paranoid as he looked around.

*CRUNCH*

Cham turned around to aim his blaster but was met by a fist to the face.

His visioned blurred as he held his face in pain.

"Well well well."

The Twi'lek looked up to see the form of some kind of Stormtrooper with a customized armor. The glowing blue visor of the Stormtrooper's helmet was intimidating.

Spec Ops Cham thought.

"This is Mic. I've found the target." The Stormtrooper said. He kneeled down to get closer to Cham's face.

"You know Chammy ole pal, I don't appreciate you killing my brothers and sisters. Also, when we sent people to kill your people, you killed more of our people. Not cool. Not cool." Mic said as he stood back up. "You have no idea how not cool that shit is. But I think you're gonna be up to speed shortly. Yeah, you are so gonna regret rebelling in the first place."

Cham couldn't see because of the helmet, but he could tell the Stormtrooper was smiling.

"Oh yes, yes you are." The stormtrooper lifted his foot and stomped on his face.

Near Halmad, Quellii Oversector

Captain Turr Phennir

181st Imperial Fighter Wing

Captain Phennir dodged incoming fire from an A-Wing chasing him. He flew through the many Imperial and Rebel warships battling each other. A Rebel Nebulon in front of him blew in half, causing him to use evasive maneuvers to avoid the debris.

To his disappointment, the A-Wing did not break off to avoid the debris.

"Well that's a shame." He muttered.

Phennir cut the engines, causing the A-Wing to shoot past him. As it passed him, he fired a burst and watched as the A-Wing catch on fire.

He restarted his engine and moved to finish off the A-Wing. Clearly, the A-Wing was not completely out as it continued to maneuver through debris.

"What's this guy doing?" Phennir said to himself.

After passing the debris from a Dauntless-class Heavy Cruiser and two Arquitens-class Light Cruisers, Phennir realized the target of the A-Wing.

He cursed as he saw the Turbolaser batteries of the Admonitor miss the nimble A-Wing. Phennir came to the conclusion that the A-Wing pilot intends to crash him or herself on to the bridge of the Grand Admiral's flagship.

"Oh no you don't." He said as he fired a burst. The A-Wing did a barrel roll in an attempt to avoid the fire coming from the Imperial Ace.

All it took was one hit. Phennir watched as one of the engines took a hit. The A-Wing pilot lost control and he smiled in satisfaction as the A-Wing crashed into the hull of the ISD.

Phennir made a half circle around the bridge tower and faced the last MC80 Star Cruiser. The doomed vessel was taking hits from multiple Imperial warships.

"Omega 2, Omega 3, form up on me." Phennir ordered on the coms.

Two 181st TIE Interceptors appeared and flew alongside him after finishing off a Y-Wing squadron.

Captain Phennir watched as the shields of the MC80 fail under overwhelming firepower.

"This is Grand Admiral Thrawn, all units concentrate fire on the last MC80." He heard the Grand Admiral over the coms.

"Hey sir, are we gonna hang back or are we going to let the bombers finish it off." One of his wingmen said as hordes of TIE Bombers converge on the last operating Rebel Capital ship.

"Of course not. The Grand Admiral ordered all units to concentrate fire on that MC80. How about a little strafing run on their bridge eh?" Phennir said.

"We're with you sir." The other wingman said.

"Good, then try and keep up." Phennir accelerated his Interceptor with his wingmen following suit.

The entire ship was on fire with multiple hull breaches, courtesy of the Admonitor and the TIE Bomber squadrons.

"Bridge tower is still intact. Let's finish them off." He said.

"Copy that, moving in for a strafing run."

The three TIE Interceptors formed up, heading straight towards the bridge. Phennir could imagine the horrified faces of the bridge crew as they saw three TIE Interceptors heading straight towards them. They fired their cannons, watching as they flew into the bridge. After a few hits, an explosion consumed the inside of the bridge.

The three aces flew past the bridge tower as more TIE Fighters and TIE Bombers finished their runs on the MC80.

"Hah, they're retreating. Let's pick off as many as we can."

"Couldn't agree more." Phennir responded.

They flew behind three X-Wings and quickly destroyed them.

"Hey, we've got bigger targets. 2 o'clock. A YT-2400 and a VCX-100."

"It's the Sato's Hammer and the Ghost. Let's get them then."

They banked right until they were behind the two Rebel ships. Their turrets noticed them and started firing.

"These things have shields, concentrate all fire on the Sato's Hammer."

The three TIE Interceptors continued to fire on the Sato's Hammer while the Ghost broke off get behind them.

"Amateurs. Whoever's manning the turrets are a bunch of amateurs." Phennir said as they effortlessly dodged any incoming fire.

In no time, the shields were down and they battered the freighter. There were two small explosions near the engine of the freighter as it began to trail smoke.

"Behind us!" One of his wingmen said as some laser bolts streaked past them, one of them gotten uncomfortably close to Phennir's cockpit.

"Evasive Maneuvers!" Phennir yelled.

The three TIE Interceptors broke off their attack to avoid the Ghost.

"It's still chasing us. Split up. They'll come after one of us. Whoever's not being chased, finish off the Sato's Hammer."

"Copy that."

They broke off but Phennir noticed he was still being shot at.

*sigh* "Of course it's me."

Taking advantage of the maneuverability of the TIE Interceptor, Phennir made himself a hard target to shoot at.

Meanwhile, while the Ghost is distracted, his two wingmen continued to fire on the Sato's Hammer.

Phennir noticed the Ghost stopped firing at him

"Shit, Omega 2 and 3, bogey heading back to you." Phennir said as he banked right to pursue the Ghost.

"Copy that. We're finishing off the target."

Phennir got behind the Ghost and peppered the ship. However, they refused to break off and fired at his two wingmen.

They noticed the incoming bogey and broke off their attack. The Captain smiled as he saw fires all over the Sato's Hammer including the cockpit which was engulfed with flames.

To his delight, the Sato's Hammer exploded into a brilliant ball of flame.

"Alright gents, lets finish off the Ghost and go home."

"Omega leader, you are straying too far from the fleet. Return immediately. The Grand Admiral is about to initiate Phase Three."

"Well shit. Another time lads, lets go home."

To the confusion of the Ghost crew, the three Interceptors broke off the attack.

Near Halmad, Quellii Oversector

ISD Admonitor

Grand Admiral Thrawn

"As you can see Miss Sparkle, while the Rebels do indeed have superior fighters, we not only have the superior pilots, but also the numerical superiority." Thrawn said.

"So you waited until the first wave of fighters softened up the Rebels before you revealed the hidden fighters?" Twilight asked.

"Exactly."

"Well sir, looks like Grand Moff Zsinj arrived earlier than expected." Captain Niriz said.

Behind Thrawn's fleet, Zsinj's fleet of twelve Imperial Star Destroyers, fourteen Victory-class Star Destroyers, seven Procursator-class Star Destroyers, ten Lancer-class Frigates, twenty-four Arquitens-class Light Cruisers, eight Carrack-class Light Cruisers, and one Secutor-class Star Destroyer appeared out of hyperspace to reinforce Thrawn's fleet.

Zsinj's hologram appeared on the holotable.

"So, it appears your plan is working." Zsinj said.

"Of course, years of fighting incompetent commanders have made the Rebels bolder and overconfident."

Zsinj frowned a little. "Are you saying I'm incompetent?"

"I wasn't referring to you. When this is all over, I need to inspect the academies and court martial incompetent commanders. One should not achieve high rankings simply because you know people."

"For that, I agree."

"Sir, more ships coming out of hyperspace." An officer said.

The commanders plus the alicorn and the dragon watched as another fleet of Rebel ships appeared behind the debris field.

"Phase Three?" General Mohc asked.

Thrawn waved his hand in dismissal. "Not yet, wait until they're in the middle of the debris field."

"Um, what's Phase Three?" Spike said.

Thrawn smirked. "Crushing their hopes."

The Rebel fleet was about the same size of the first wave, but including two more MC80 Command Cruisers and an Imperial II-class Frigate.

"Ah yes, the Rand Ecliptic. It hasn't been sighted since prior to the Battle of Yavin." Thrawn said.

It was at that point, the Rebel reinforcements were in the middle of the debris field.

"General Mohc, initiate Phase Three."

"Heh, with pleasure." Mohc said as he pushed a button on his datapad.

Within the debris field, the Rebel reinforcements were confused as the nearly intact and abandoned Venator had explosions dotting the hull.

In a blink of an eye, a large explosion consumed the entire debris field, and the reinforcement fleet.

Everyone on the Admonitor held on to something as the ship was rocked by the explosion.

Amongst the remnants of the first Rebel fleet, many smaller ships including an MC80 were completely destroyed by the explosion. The Ghost in particular, nearly crashed into the hull of a destroyed Nebulon due to the force of the explosion.

When it was over, Niriz whistled. "Wow, didn't know Rhydonium blew up so nicely."

Twilight however, was still shaken. "How did you know there would be enemy reinforcements?"

Thrawn looked at her. "It's easy Miss Sparkle. Rebels always have friends nearby coming to the rescue."

"So I guess this means Phase Four has been initiated?" Zsinj said crossing his arms.

"Indeed." Thrawn said.

As expected of Thrawn, a large Imperial fleet appeared where the Rebels came from. The entire fleet consisted of warships the size of Gladiator-class Star Destroyers and smaller with one Immobilizer 418 to keep the Rebels from escaping.

"Alert Admiral Screed to finish off the Rebels."

Near Halmad, Quellii Oversector

Gladiator-class Star Destroyer Demolisher

Admiral Terrinald Screed

"All batteries open fire. Alert the Black Asp to activate their gravity well projectors." Screed ordered.

"Yes sir. Right away." An officer responded.

Screed watched from the viewport of the bridge, his hands behind his back. The Remnants of the Rebel fleet were rushing them. The turbolasers from his ships continued to pick them off one by one, but they still kept coming.

Something isn't right. He thought.

"Sir! The Black Asp is breaking formation!"

"What?" Screed said angrily. "Alert them and tell them to get back into formation."

"But sir, they're not responding to any of our hails!"

Screed turned back to the viewport. All what's left of the Rebel fleet was a few fighters and a freighter. The Black Asp, which is now facing the other way, fell in with the Rebels.

"Traitors." Screed hissed. "Concentrate all fire on the Black Asp now!"

Without warning, the Rebels plus the Black Asp disappeared as they jumped into hyperspace.

Screed was seething. It was obvious to the crew as they watched him punch a wall with his cybernetic arm.

Near Halmad, Quellii Oversector

ISD Admonitor

Grand Admiral Thrawn

"Well that was unexpected." Thrawn said. "Captain Niriz, casualty report please?"

"Yes sir. We've lost four Arquitens, two Dreadnoughts, thirteen Carracks, eight Lancers, and two hundred and eighty-seven pilots. Among our capital ships, only the Grey Wolf and the Vanguard received some light damage."

Thrawn sighed sadly. "Unfortunate losses."

"So I'm going to presume we're assaulting Mandalore next?" Zsinj said.

"Of course, gather your fleet. Admiral Screed will assist us and I will contact Grand Admiral Octavian Grant, Admiral Kohrin, and Generals Immodet, Redd Wessel, Paltr Carvin, and Alix Balan to see if they can assist."

"Alright, I'll also contact Admiral Llon Banjeer. He's a good friend of mine and will be able to assist." Zsinj said.

"Immodet? Better be careful about him. Heard he's a real xenophobic asshole." Captain Niriz mentioned.

"Uh, is it necessary we need this many high-ranking officers just for Mandalore?" Mohc asked.

"Yes it is. We need capable commanders, not some members of nobility who paid their way to their ranks to assault Mandalore. Ever since the clans united, they've made turned their planet into a fortress world. The Emperor has already sent three assaults on Mandalore, all of them failed but he's barely even paying attention to them nowadays. It's protected by many defense platforms, and a fleet of Keldabe-class Battleships and Clone Wars era warships. Now that the Rebel fleet here has been destroyed, their defenses should've been thinned." Thrawn said.

"With the defenses Mandalore has, we need more than a bunch of Star Destroyers, but something bigger." Niriz said.

"Which is why I will contact Admiral Kohrin. The Enforcer without a doubt, will be very useful for us. Our reinforcement fleet will come with us as well." Thrawn said.

While they were discussing their plans, Twilight and Spike were whispering to each other.

"Do you get anything they're saying?" Spike whispered. "They seem oddly calm after what happened."

"I recognize some of the names but General Alix Balan and Admiral Kohrin. I couldn't find their names on the holonet. It must be very serious if Thrawn is gathering all of these officers just to assault Mandalore. They must've dealt with traitors in the past if they're oddly calm about it, unless they expected it."

Something beeped on Thrawn's datapad that silenced everyone.

He took a look before smiling.

"Well ladies and gentleman, it looks like Scar Squad has returned with a special guest who is being interrogated. Miss Sparkle, Mr Spike, Agent Loor, would you like to come with me and welcome our guest?" Thrawn asked.

"Um, sure?" Twilight said.

"Ah whatever. I wanna see how well Scar Squad is in interrogation." Agent Loor responded.

"Excellent, come with me." Thrawn said.
> Baptism of Fire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 Week Later

Taris, Quellii Oversector

Twilight Sparkle

"AAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"

"Twi, when will they stop? He already told them everything." Spike whispered to Twilight.

They along with some Imperial officers, were watching, through a one way window, Scar Squad and Agent Loor torture General Syndulla.

Despite getting all of the information they needed, they still wanted to have a little “fun” with the Rebel that has been a thorn in the side for a while.

The Twi'lek General had cuts and bruises all over his body. His right eye was swollen, blood coming out of his mouth and nose, and some fingers and toes were cut off. Mic was having fun with Syndulla by electrocuting him.

Kreel decided enough was enough. "Alright Mic, you've had fun here. Now lets give Cham here a chance."

The Sergeant walked up to the panting Syndulla and lifted up his chin. "Alright Cham, I want to play a game. It's a game to determine your wits and your determination to survive. You win and you will be spared. You lose, then we'll make sure what's left of you is sent to your daughter."

Zuke brought up some kind of crude device.

"I'm not sure if you're familiar with this trap used by hunters in woodland areas Syndulla." Kreel said as he pointed at it. "You see, hunters usually lay this on the ground, usually covered in vegetation, sometimes even put bait over it, and once something steps on it,"

Kreel clapped his hands. "The trap closes on your leg like a Krayt Dragon."

Zuke set the device around Cham's head and put some kind of metal piece into his mouth.

"However, this is different. Call it, reversed if you will. Instead of trapping the prey, this device will pry your jaw open...permanently. Right here, is a key." Kreel said as he put the key on Cham's right hand. "You will have sixty seconds to get your hands free from its straps and use the key to unlock the device from your head."

"Twi, does that look like..."

"A bear trap. I...I can't look." Twilight said as she turned away.

"Alright, ready?" Kreel asked Misty who had his hand on a timer on the back of the bear trap.

"I'm ready."

"Annnnnnnnd-”

The blast door behind them opened revealing two Imperial officers.

One was a pale skinned man with black slick backed hair while the other was a pale skinned man with short black hair, a full beard, and wore combat armor with his helmet held under his right arm.

“Hold it. Thrawn wants him alive SCAR Squad.” The officer in the regular uniform said as SCAR Squad saluted them.

“Get that device off of him.”

“Yes sir.” Kreel said, a little disappointed, as he and Mic moved to remove the device from Cham Syndulla’s head.

Twilight and Spike let out a sigh in relief.

“Who are those two?” Spike said.

A dark-skinned male Lieutenant near them decided to answer him.

“The officer on the left is General Mosh Barris of the 50th Imperial Army and the other in the combat armor is General Zafaya Fudensko of the 93rd Imperial Army. Both of them are part of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s command.”

“Why haven’t we seen them before?” Twilight asked.

“Well, Thrawn sent the both of them to scout for potential officers, units, and ships to join his command. Barris has a habit of picking excellent officers from the academies and Fudensko was known to be loud, but inspiring. Barris was known as ‘General Zillo’ and Fudensko was known as ‘The Rancor General’ for a reason.”

“How do you know?” asked Spike.

The Lieutenant smiled. “Easy, I was one of the officers Barris handpicked out of Carida.”

Command Center, Taris, Quellii Oversector

Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Every High-ranking officer taking part in Operation Fallen Star gathered around a holotable showing the hologram of Mandalore, its defense fleet, and the many defense platforms  protecting the planet. There were two captured Jovan Stations, some shipyards, and a single space station similar to Naval Station Validusia.

There were two Golan III Platforms that guarded the stations along with the bulk of the Mandalorian Defense Fleet. A single star destroyer assaulting a Golan III is near suicide, but they can be destroyed using overwhelming power.

The Mandalorian Defense Fleet consists of numerous Venators, Recusants, Lucerhulks, Munificents, Providences, Acclamators, Keldabes, and some captured Arquitens and Tartans.

For this battle, they've gathered a massive force to punch through their defenses and land their troops.

Grand Admiral Thrawn's fleet consists of two Allegiance-class Battlecruisers, ten Imperial Star Destroyers, three Victory-class Star Destroyers, three Immobilizer 418-class Interdictors, and two Strike-class Cruisers.

Grand Admiral Octavian Grant's fleet consists of twenty-three Imperial Star Destroyers, thirty-two Victory-class Star Destroyers, one Interdictor-class Star Destroyer, sixteen Lancer-class Frigates, and two Secutor-class Star Destroyers.

Admiral Terrinald Screed's fleet consists of twenty-eight Gladiator-class Star Destroyers, thirty-three Carrack-class Light Cruisers, twenty Dreadnought-class Cruisers, twelve Broadside-class Cruisers, twenty-five Strike-class Cruisers, forty Lancer-class Frigates, and twenty-seven Tartan-class Cruisers.

Grand Moff Zsinj's fleet consists of eighteen Imperial Star Destroyers, twenty-two Victory-class Star Destroyers, twenty-nine Arquitens-class Cruisers, twenty-three Lancer-class Frigates, thirty Carrack-class Cruisers, twelve Dreadnought-class Cruisers, fifteen Tartan-class Cruisers, two Immobilizer 418-class Interdictors, and one Secutor-class Star Destroyer. The rest of his fleet was left behind to guard planets and guard the Brawl which is being repaired over Dathomir.

Admiral Kohrin's fleet consists of the Enforcer, an Executor-class Super Star Destroyer, sixteen Imperial Star Destroyers, and twenty Victory-class Star Destroyers.

Admiral Llon Banjeer's fleet consists of fourteen Imperial Star Destroyers, eighteen Victory-class Star Destroyers, two Immobilizer 418-class Interdictors, fourteen Broadside-class Cruisers, and eight Lancer-class Frigates.

General Immodet commands forty-eight thousand troops along with numerous armored vehicles and thirty-three AT-ATs.

General Redd Wessel has twenty-seven thousand troops along with twenty-four AT-ATs and numerous armored vehicles at his disposal.

General Paltr Carvin brought with him thirty-three thousand troops with twenty-seven AT-ATs and many vehicles.

General Alix Balan's army consists of fifty-six thousand troops with fourty-five AT-ATs and numerous armored vehicles.

General Mosh Barris will be monitoring all special forces units and General Zafaya Fudensko will be groundside, leading Thrawn’s 87th Armored Division with General Wessel’s forces.

For a ground force this size, they've acquired Acclamators to transport the troops.

High Command, Emperor Palpatine, and Lord Vader have all approved of the plan. High Inquisitor Jerec has voiced his reason to send himself or one of his Inquisitors to assist. This was immediately shot down by Grand Admiral Thrawn who noted that he and his Inquisitors have a bad record with Imperial Officers. More often than not, they executed officers who disagree with them or show no disregard for the lives of the troops under their command and simply threw them into the fire. This has made many within the Imperial military to show a distaste to force users which would be counter-productive for this operation.

Emperor Palpatine agreed with Thrawn's reasoning and ordered Jerec to back down which he begrudgingly did.

"Reports say they've built an ion cannon to defend Mandalore from enemy warships. This could pose a huge threat to our capital ships." said General Immodet.

"Agreed, the Probe Droids will locate them for us. However, we need to disable or capture that cannon before we can start landing the Acclamators. After Syndulla's defeat near Halmad, we've captured damaged Rebel ships. The engines, armaments, and their shield generators were repaired, but many hull breaches were left unrepaired to trick the defense fleet into believing their survivors from Syndulla's fleet." Thrawn said.

"So you propose we use these ships to attack the ion cannon?" asked General Balan.

"Yes, they will carry General Wessel's and General Fudensko’s forces and carry fighters and bombers to attack the defenses around the ion cannon. It should be somewhere near Sundari according to Syndulla. General Wessel's forces will be split in two with half attacking Sundari, and the other half along with the heavy armor attack the Ion Cannon. General Immodet's forces will assist in the capture of Sundari as soon as they break through the defense fleet. General Balan and General Carvin's troops will be inserted in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere to wipe out military bases in their regions.

Wessel's forces will arrive on Mandalore first, followed by my fleet and trick the defense fleet into thinking we're attacking remnants of Syndulla's fleet. They will slip through their defenses to reach the capital city and the ion cannon. Concordia according to a recent report, only has a single base. The moon can be taken with a small task force.

We will use the Interdictors to our advantage. The Ion Cannon will be used to take out the priority targets, namely the Golan Platforms and any capital ships remaining.

For the defense platforms, they must be captured, but of course, destroyed if they become too much of a threat. It is essential however that we recapture the stations. Boarding Parties led by Storm Commandos and Death Troopers should suffice. Admiral Kohrin will coordinate with the boarding parties.”

"Sounds reasonable, but I feel like there's more to this." said General Wessel.

"Indeed there is. The clans of Mandalore are constantly at each other's throats but there is one clan represented by one man that holds them together."

Thrawn pushed some buttons before the hologram of Mandalore turned into a hologram of a man.

"This is Councilman Alrich Wren. He represents the Clan Wren and the sole reason why the Pro-Rebellion clans and the former Pro-Imperial clans are together. Being the father of Sabine Wren who united the clans and killed Governor Gar Saxon, he has a lot of influence. Kill him, and the Pro-Imperial clans will begin to lose hope in the Rebels and start fighting the Pro-Rebellion clans.  For that, I have instructed a squad from my forces, SCAR Squad, to hunt down Councilman Wren."

There was silence for a moment.

"I've seen those two purple abominations always around them. Please do not tell me you expect those two to be on the mission as well?" asked General Immodet.

Thrawn glared at the General. "Those two will indeed be a part of it. Their skills will be of value for this mission. I've seen your records and your xenophobic tendencies are no secret General. If you ever so much endanger this mission or even harm those two, I will have you sent to Imperial Center for a court-martial like I did to General Harveel." said Thrawn.

Immodet in return, glared at the Grand Admiral. "You would not dare."

"Oh I dare General. Remember who has the Emperor's ears. Your influence on the Emperor is nothing but a grain of sand compared to mine."

Immodet muttered to himself before answering Thrawn. "Fine, I won't touch them. If you weren't around, I would've thrown them into an escape pod and launched it into a star."

I've already threatened to do that twice to them. Thrawn thought.

"By all that is holy, do you seriously buy into that bullshit COMPNOR has been spewing Immodet?" asked General Carvin.

"I'm actually surprised someone of your level would buy into it." said General Balan.

"And many things they said are actually true!" responded Immodet.

"Doesn't mean it's right." said Admiral Banjeer.

"Gentleman, I believe we're getting off topic." said Admiral Kohrin.

Admiral Screed meanwhile, leaned in to whisper to Grand Admiral Grant. "They kind of bicker like Grand Admirals Pitta and Batch don't you think?"

Grant snickered. "Oh yeah. I remembered that time during a dinner they were arguing with each other, Miltin was high from spice and staring into space, Thrawn slipped out of the chaos to go to a nearby art museum, and Josef, Osvald, Rufaan, Nial, and I were making bets to see if they would throw any punches. I think Afsheen excused himself to get away from us idiots, Isin was worried the Emperor would walk in any moment, and Peccati tried to mediate before giving up and started making bets with us. Good times, good times."

The room became silent before Thrawn continued. "Now that we've stopped bickering like children, the probe droids will be inserted into Mandalore where they will locate all points of interest. Once the ion cannon has been located, Operation Fallen Star is a go. Now, are there any questions?"

He was met with only silence.

"Very well. This will be an important day for the Empire. Win this, and not only will you bring glory to the Empire and wipe out the Rebels from this sector, but you will all be celebrated as heroes. Lets make this count."

Shooting Range, Taris, Quellii Oversector

Twilight Sparkle

Within the shooting range of the Grand Moff Zsinj's palace, Twilight and Spike were practicing with their new weapons. Twilight seemed to prefer the DH-17 Blaster Pistol for its light weight. She decided to take two in case she "lost" one.

Spike however opted for the T-21 Heavy Blaster due to the massive damage it can cause compared to other blasters.

Like other non-Humans under Thrawn's command, they wore black armor with the emblem of his command on the right breast plate. Spike's, as usual, covered only the torso, waist, and his groin region. Twilight's armor covered her entire body aside from her head and like Spike, decided to not where a helmet.

Nearby, SCAR Squad was watching them practicing shooting holograms of Rebel troops and Mandalorian Commandos. Twilight was clearly the better marksman of the two as she's taken down more Mandalorians via neckshots.

Spike mowed down the Rebel troops easily, but he had a hard time hitting the necks of the Mandalorians. Torso shots only knocked them back, but didn't kill them. He figured he can keep knocking them down with his T-21 to annoy them and throw them off their focus. Occasionally, he would get some neckshots and even some headshots. Because of the power of the T-21, the Mandalorian's heads were pushed back either killing them, or paralyzing them.

"Alright, that's enough. We need to get ready for the operation. You two aren't quiet Spec Ops material, at least not yet, but good enough for now. Remember, don't get cocky just because the Grand Admiral chose you two to join us. Twilight's um, magic, will be beneficial in getting Councilman Wren. He's guarded by some of the best Commandos, but I don't think they'll be expecting some magic to be on our side." said Kreel.

"And what about me? Why was I chosen?" asked Spike.

"The Grand Admiral didn't think it would be wise to separate you two. Besides, we need another heavy weapons guy. Poor Zuke has been a priority target too many times in our missions." responded Mic.

"So I'm basically a meatshield then?"

"No not really, but we certainly do need some extra firepower to take on Mandalorians in their own turf." said Aero.

"Oi, we need to get on the Ryloth. We don't want to be late for the mission." said Misty. "We're lucky its General Wessel's forces we're tagging along with. I couldn't imagine what General Immodet would do to Sparky and Spiky."

"Huh?" said a confused Twilight. "What's with the nicknames?"

"Well, we voted and decided to give you two some nicknames last night if you wouldn't mind." said Zuke.

"Can...Can we not call me Spiky? I think Spike's just fine." said the dragon.

"Um, sure. Whatever you say big guy." said Cav.

Spike sighed before walking out the room.

"What's wrong with Spike?" asked Mic.

Twilight rubbed her temple. "It's a personal thing. It reminds him of some bad memories."

"Ah, okay. Didn't mean to make the fella sad." said Aero.

"Okay, we're done? We gotta get to the IDT. Wouldn't want to delay the mission because of our tardiness." said Mic. "Ayo let's go. Chop chop."

"Alright alright we're going mom." said Aero as he along everyone else walked towards the door.

"You forgot your lunch sweetie."

"Oh please, fuck off."

Mandalore

Ghost

Hera Syndulla

Hera sat on the cockpit of her beloved ship which was docked on one of the space stations. She watched as the predicted meteor shower race past her and the defense fleet into the planet's atmosphere. In less than an hour, they were to escort the Black Asp to the Home Fleet where Command will decide what to do with the Interdictor.

She was deeply worried, there was no word of her father nor the remnants of his fleet after Halmad. It was an utter massacre. Despite her warnings to Rebel Command to avoid Thrawn in battle at all costs, they felt eliminating someone of his caliber was top priority. Unfortunately, the only person she believed had a chance to defeat Thrawn, was in command of the Home Fleet and they couldn't risk losing their most experienced commander.

They were committed to defeat Thrawn and it costed them. They were lucky the Black Asp and its crew was there to bail them out. Never before had the Rebels captured or had an Interdictor defect to them.

"Hey Hera." She looked behind her to see one of the last surviving clones standing at the doorway of the cockpit.

"Oh hey Rex. Everything alright?"

"Yeah, mostly. Zeb's sleeping but Sabine locked herself in her room."

"Give her time. The only family she has left is her father. She wanted to stay and protect him but he denied it and felt she's safer with us."

"Yeah I can see why. He has a huge target on his back. I'd do the same thing." said Rex as he took a seat. "So, meteor shower eh?"

"It was predicted. Wish we were groundside to watch it though. Kanan and Ezra would've loved it." Hera said as she stared at the wall. A few years back, she etched on the wall, For Kanan and Ezra, to remind herself what they're fighting for.

"Hey, what's done is done. They wanted us to move on and are probably in a better place now."

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Hera said.

The two laid back as they watched the meteorites pass their ship.

Mandalore

Near Sundari

The probe droid watched Sundari from a distance during the night. It won't be long before the sun rises so they need to be quick. They had the city on lockdown with defense placements everywhere. However, unlike the other probe droids sent to scout for military bases, this one in particular was to find the ion cannon near Sundari and report the forces defending it.

Among the many Rebel and Mandalorian troops, there were two captured AT-ATs, four AT-TEs, eight AT-STs, and three Rebel T3-B Heavy attack tanks defending it. Normally this would be a problem for their ground forces, which is why air superiority is critical for the 1st wave. All of the fighters were on the ground in neat lines, perfect targets for their TIEs and their tanks are perfect targets for their bombers and the captured Rebel ships. Troops are either sitting in trenches, on patrol, or socializing without a care in the world. After three failed attempts to retake Mandalore, they have every reason to be overconfident. However, the probe droids could see the officers were more serious and some seemed nervous. They're all probably still recovering from the news of Syndulla's defeat.

Every other probe droid relayed a signal back to Taris indicating they're completed their objectives. Finally, the probe droid scouting the ion cannon sent a signal.

Operation Fallen Star has begun.

Taris, Quellii Oversector

ISD Admonitor

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Thrawn watched from behind a crewman as feed from the probe droids start streaming in. The crewman turned his head to look at the Grand Admiral.

"Sir, all targets have been located and mark."

"Good, begin operation."

"Yes sir." The crewman adjusted the mic attached to his earphones. "All units, the star has fallen. I repeat, the star has fallen.”

Taris, Quellii Oversector

MC80 Ryloth

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight, Spike, and Scar Squad sat near an IDT, watching as the other soldiers of General Wessel's Army got ready. The alicorn and the dragon were still a little nervous around their new friends, especially after watching the interrogation.

Misty was tinkering with his sniper rifle, Mic was playing some kind of game in his datapad, and the rest were playing a card game inside the IDT.

The ship shook indicating they've entered hyperspace.

"Lets go lets go. Move your lazy asses. Get your shit and go to your indicated transports now!" Twilight saw an Imperial Captain getting soldiers up and ready. His loud voice resonated throughout the hanger that was filled with Imperial Dropship Transports, Sentinel-class Landing Crafts, and Lambda-class Shuttles.

"Fuck, I quit." They heard Aero said as he threw his cards into the floor of the IDT.

"Heh, better luck next time flyboy." said Cav.

"Yeah yeah whatever you Gungan lookin as bitch." Aero said as he stepped off the IDT.

He walked up behind an unsuspecting Mic who was sitting crisscrossed, eyes glued to the datapad.

Aero then started pushing the screen on random areas.

"The fuck, fuck off Aero." Mic.

Mic froze when he heard the sound of electricity followed by screams and the splashing of blood.

"Fatality!"

"You fucking dick!" Mic said as he got up and chased after a laughing Aero.

Twilight and Spike watched as they ran through the crowds of stormtroopers and officers, some were smiling at their antics, others look at them with disapproval.

"Hard to believe these are the ruthless guys that tortured Syndulla." Spike said.

They stayed silent as they watched the Imperials prepare for battle.

"Say Twi, what happens after this war is over? Do you think the Celestial Alliance can withstand the Empire? What happens if we win? What about everypony we know? What happens to them?" Spike asked.

Twilight shook her head. "I don't know right now. We'll come up with something along the way. For now though, we watch each other's backs like we used to okay? I promise Spike, things will get better for us here."

None of the Imperials paid attention as the two hugged each other in comfort.

En route to Mandalore

ISD Admonitor

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Everything's set and on time just as he planned. Thrawn stood near the holotable with General Mohc, General Mosh Barris, and Captain Dagon Niriz.

Captain Niriz used the holotable to show some ship designs while holding his datapad.

"So sir, what do you think about the Imperial Mark IV? It comes as highly suggested by Grand Admiral Teshik."

"An impressive design. It would seem Teshik has taken a look into my notes. I agree with the design, KDY needs to start building them as soon as possible."

"Very well sir." Niriz said as he tapped on the screen of his datapad. "Next up is the Nemesis-class Super Star Destroyer."

The hologram turned into a winged, dagger shaped warship.

"Hmmm, so the designers have finally realized the need of anti-starfighter weaponry. Cheaper and smaller than the Executors. I approve."

"Alrighty then." Niriz said as he typed down what Thrawn said. "Next up is the Decimation-class Super Star Destroyer."

Thrawn frowned as he saw the hologram of SSD similar to the Executors, but with the middle front section removed for a second hanger bay.

"Denied. It may be cheaper, but despite the second hanger bay, it still carries less fighters and less armanents. On top of all that, it also lacks any anti-starfighter weaponry."

"Well, the only one to agree with the Decimation design was Grand Admiral Ishin-Il-Raz. Not even the Emperor like the design, noting it as a waste of resources. Alright, finally, we have here is the Warlock-class Star Destroyer."

Thrawn actually smiled when he saw the design of an enlarged Star Destroyer with the middle front section removed for a planetary-scale ion cannon.

"Designed to neutralize capital ships for the escorts to finish off and has sufficient defenses to defend itself from other warships and starfighters. The one flaw however is all weaponry will be shut down when the Ion Cannon fires which is essential the Warlock has escorts at all times. I believe this design here will be a game changer against not just the Rebellion, but the Celestial Alliance as well. I approve. This ship needs to be the second in KDY's priority list, above the Nemesis design but below the Imperial Mark IV."

"Then it is unanimous. Every Grand Admiral along with Lord Vader and the Emperor have approved of the design.”

“Tell me Captain Niriz, what is the status of  our territory?”

“Well sir, according to Admiral Parck, recruitment among the non-Humans are very high, and we’ve begun to reactivating Z-95s, ARC-170s, V-Wings, ETA-2s, V-19s, for the planetary defense forces. All construction of Planetary Ion Cannons and Hypervelocity Guns have been activated. Trade is still flourishing and slaves are arriving by the thousands every day.”

“Do the slave handlers suspect anything when they delivered them?”

“Negative sir. Admiral Parck made sure all slaves are freed after the handlers have left. About ten thousand slaves from Jabiim arrived along with Wookiees, Twi’leks, Quarrens, Nosaurians, Talz, but the ones giving the most trouble are the Mon Calamari slaves. Apparently, they’re divided because their homeworld has become the HQ for the Rebel Alliance.”

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I believe we are close to Mandalore now." said General Barris.

Thrawn sighed. "Very well, we can continue later Captain Niriz. Let’s get to work gentleman."

Mandalore, Quellii Oversector

Admiral Fal'Rikool

Lucerhulk-class Battleship Empire's Fear

"And you are sure of it Captain?" Admiral Fal'Rikool said as he sat down on his command chair. In front of him was a screen showing a group of battered Rebel ships that appeared out of hyperspace. Next to him is the Empire's Fear's Captain.

Admiral Fal'Rikool, an Elomin male, started off as a pirate hunter, using a modified freighter to hunt pirates in the Outer Rim. His reign came to an end when one of the supposed pirate ships he destroyed was actually an ISB Covert ship. Later on, he was cornered by a small task force of Arquitens and they captured him and his crew. Luckily, the Arquitens they were on was ambushed by a Rebel task force and they freed him. He was told they're searching for experienced officers and he gladly joined them.

So far, it's been a breeze for them. None of the Imperial Commanders that challenged the Mandalore Defense Fleet were tactically competent luckily. They simply charged their fleets into the defenses expecting their ships to wipe out the Rebels. None of their ships even reached the Golan Platforms. All he had to do was sit back and watch his fleet tear the Imperial fleets apart. Only someone brain dead had to lose to these fleet commanders.

"Yes sir. The MC80 Command Cruiser has been identified as the Ryloth, General Syndulla's flagship." She said.

The Elomin looked at the ships closely. According to General Hera Syndulla, Cham Syndulla's flagship and a significant part of his fleet were badly damaged by an explosion in a nearby nebula. The Rebel Admiral came to the conclusion that while Hera Syndulla and others escaped, Cham Syndulla was able to get his group of survivors out of the system and jumped to random locations to throw off his pursuers. It would explain why it took so long for him to show up.

"Any attempts to contact?" He asked.

"Yes sir, but we've received no response. Fighters who made a flyby reported that their Communications Arrays have been damaged. Curiously, all of their hangers have been sealed. Something's not right here."

The Admiral brushed it off. "Everything Cham does, it's for a reason. I trust him."

"Sir, ships coming out of hyperspace!" A Duro yelled.

Behind Syndulla's fleet came an Imperial fleet consisting of two Allegiance-class Battlecruisers, ten Imperial Star Destroyers, three Immobilizer 418-class Interdictors, three Victory-class Star Destroyers, and two Strike-class Cruisers.

"Put the fleet on Red Alert. Launch all fighters."

"Sir, according to the report from General Hera Syndulla, that fleet is Grand Admiral Thrawn's personal squadron. One of the Star Destroyers has been identified as the Admonitor." The Captain said.

"Mark that ship. We have our target. I want all ships to converge on the Imperial fleet. Today, we end one of the Emperor's chosen ones."

"But sir, we will be beyond the range of the Golan platforms."

"We have them outnumbered and outgunned. Our fleet is more than enough to take them out."

Fal’Rikool watched as Syndulla's ships sped up, trying to get away from the Imperial fleet. Meanwhile, Thrawn's fleet took potshots at Syndulla's fleet, a few shots landed, but the majority went wide.

The Ryloth and Syndulla's fleet passed them while the Imperial fleet turned around, seemingly recognizing the futility of chasing them.

"Sir, I strongly advise we pull the fleet back into range of the Golan platforms and the Ion Cannon sir."

"Negative Captain, if we defeat one of the Empire's Grand Admirals here and now, we will deal a severe blow to them and teach them to never touch Mandalore again."

"But sir-"

"Sir! Ships coming out of hyperspace!" The Duro from before yelled.

In front of Thrawn's fleet, Imperial ships of different variants appeared out of hyperspace.

10...40...80...130...190... Fal'Rikool thought. By the force, it's an armada.

Finally, one ship appeared that scared the Rebels to the core.

"Force help us, it's a Super Star Destroyer." The Captain said covering her mouth. "Order sir?" She said as she looked at the Elomin.

Fal'Rikool's face was pale. "Re-retreat. Pull all ships back to the Golan platforms."

The Imperial ships all opened fire on the Rebels. A Venator's core detonated after falling prey to the concussion missile barrage of two Victorys, a Providence broke in half after falling victim to two Star Destroyers and three Gladiators, and three Munificents were demolished by the turbolaser batteries of the Super Star Destroyer.

They haven't even completely turned around yet and the Imperials have already claimed their first kills.

In the midst of all this, Admiral Fal'Rikool completely forgot about Syndulla's ships which were nowhere in sight.

In atmosphere of Mandalore

MC80 Ryloth

General Redd Wessel

All General Wessel could see was clouds as his fleet descended to the surface. From what he's heard so far, everything's going well. The defense fleet is in full retreat towards their defense platforms, a task force of one Imperial Star Destroyer, three Victorys, two Arquitens, and two Acclamators broke off to assault Concordia. The Rebels don't seem to suspect a thing, letting his fleet pass unmolested.

At first, he was afraid the damaged Rebel ships would fall apart or get discovered. The ships were in no shape to fight a naval battle, but they have enough turbolaser batteries to provide fire support and the majority of the hangars were intact.

"Sir, we're breaking cloud cover." An officer manning a computer said.

"Good, alert all units to stand by." Wessel ordered.

Just like what the reports said, Mandalore was full of empty deserts. In front of them however, laid the domed capital city of Mandalore, Sundari. Near the city was the unmistakable shape of a V-150 Planet Defender, a planetary ion cannon. Wessel could see the cannon was surrounded by defenses, but his mind quickly turned to the ships docked with Sundari.

"Sir, scanners have found two MC80s, one Venator, two Munificents, one Acclamator, four Nebulon-B2s, numerous GR-75s, and eight CR90 Corvettes docked on Sundari with another two CR90s hanging above the city."

"This'll be a problem if we ignore them. Position all ships to surround the city. At my mark, fire all turbolaser batteries on the ships and the city's defense turrets. Split our bomber formations, one will target the ships, while the others will soften defenses around the ion cannon. Fighters will maintain air superiority and target any hostile fighters and provide fire support for our ground forces when needed. Escort ships will guard the capital ships while we unload the ground forces." Wessel said.

"Yes sir."

For the next several minutes, Wessel's fleet positioned themselves around the city, waiting for the General's order to fire. Wessel then noticed the fleet was getting a lot of attention from the locals. He could see crowds of people watching the damaged Rebel fleet from the landing pads. Unlike many Imperial commanders, Wessel did not want to fire upon the civilians as they're too close to their targets. However, he would have no choice. If they choose to stay and put themselves in danger, then that's their choice.

"Open fire. Launch all fighters and bombers. Put all IDTs on standby."

The turbolasers of Wessel's fleet fired with ferocity. As expected, the ships did not have their shields up to block the incoming fire. One by one, the ships were set on fire and fell from their docking platforms onto the sands of Mandalore. Wessel winced as he saw a Venator hit two landing platforms full of civilians as it went down.

The personal on the defense batteries of Sundari were still in shock as the TIE Bombers, Fighters, and Interceptors started taking them out one by one. Fires from the destroyed platforms and the defense batteries littered all over the dome of Sundari.

Lieutenant Zel "Lucky" Caroon

TIE/LN "Corellian Gambler"

Delta 13

Skies above Sundari, Mandalore

Lucky banked right and dived in his TIE Fighter. A few batteries were still active and gave the Bombers some trouble. He had his sights on an AA Battery. The turret was looking away from him and was firing at a Bomber formation heading towards the Ion Cannon.

The Imperial pilot from Corellia let out a stream of green lasers and watched as the turret exploded in a fireball. He pulled up to rejoin his wingman.

"All AA Batteries eliminated. Sundari Task Force, launch immediately and land on the platforms. Fighters maintain air superiority and assist the bombers in taking out the Ion Cannon's defenses."

"Delta Squadron, take out the bogeys near the Ion Cannon before they take off."

Everyone from Delta Squadron responded to their squadron leader with a yes sir.

The TIE Fighter Squadron flew ahead of a flight of TIE Bombers and a trio of TIE Punishers along with a squadron of TIE Interceptors.

Lucky could see the defenses that surrounded the Ion Cannon. The fact that they haven't been fired upon means they're still scrambling from the surprise attack. Not even their fighters have gotten off the ground.

Trenches, bunkers, and E-Web nests were all ready to repel a ground assault. However, Lucky didn't know if they were confident in their defense fleet or not, their heavy tanks and their starfighters were in the back in neat rows.

Perfect targets for them.

"Delta Squadron. Target the fighters first. Dive dive dive!" The Squadron leader said.

One by one, the TIEs banked right and dived for the parked fighters.

On the ground, the Rebels heard the infamous roar of the TIEs and scrambled for cover.

Lucky and a wingman picked out a line of Fang Fighters and fired a barrage of green bolts. One by one, the fighters exploded, denying the Rebels a chance to regain air superiority.

They pulled up as the Rebels returned fire.

It was then did the Bombers swooped in for a devastating blow. He whistled as he saw masses of Proton Bombs were dropped on the Rebels. Not even the captured AT-ATs survived the onslaught.

"All units be advised, Rebels fighters are launching from Sundari. Keep them away from the transports at all costs."

Lucky saw what could only be described as a horde of X-Wings, A-Wings, Y-Wings, and Fang Fighters coming from Sundari. He saw two X-Wings chase after the TIE Punishers.

"Damn, keep those blasted Rebels away from the bombers!" The Squadron leaders ordered.

"Roger, Delta Thirteen going in." He said as he dived towards the two X-Wings.

Sundari, Mandalore

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight fired her pistol, trying to kill the last Mandalorian Commando who was hiding behind some crates. The fight on the landing pad was short for SCAR Squad. Only a few Rebels and Mandalorian Commandos opposed them.

Spike seemed to do better than her, blasting a Rebel's head into pieces with his Heavy Blaster but Twilight had no such luck.

Her blaster pistols cannot pen the Mandalorian armors.

"Enough of this!" Twilight used her magic to lift up the crates the Commando was hiding behind.

Everyone stopped firing, including the Commando that looked up in confusion at his cover which is now floating.

Twilight threw the crates down upon the Commando, crushing him.

The Alicorn walked up to the groaning Commando and fired at his neck.

"Damn, I think you've better off using your magic Sparky." Mic said.

"I prefer to keep my magic usage to a minimal. Don't want anyone, Imperial or Rebel, get any bright ideas." She said.

Twilight heard a vehicle moving and looked behind her. Aero drove up on a hovercraft carrying the rest of the squad and Spike.

"Get onboard laddies. We're going on an adventure." said Aero.

Twilight could tell Mic was smiling as they climbed aboard.

Aero drove the hovercraft into the city. Civilians were still panicking and military personal were rushing to repel the Imperials.

Some civilians saw the hovercraft full of Stormtroopers and pointed at them, trying to alert the Rebels. However, in the midst of the confusion, many soldiers didn't hear and were busy trying to calm down the panicking populace.

Up ahead of them, they saw a hovercraft full of Rebel soldiers heading straight towards them.

"Top of the mornin laddies!" Aero shouted to them while passing by as Mic and Aero waved at them.

The Rebels instantly turned around to give chase. The two sides exchanged fire.

"Damn Mic, we rolled up on the wrong neighborhood." Aero said as he ignored the bolts that whizzed past his head.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Spike yelled as he blasted a Rebel off the hovercraft.

"Of course I do. Just...give me time. I'll find a way." Aero said as he turned right.

"You fucking dolt. You were suppose to make a left!" Mic said.

"I know where I'm fucking going! That's the store you and I went last time when we were searching for the last Commander Doom figurine."

"We're not here for a sightseeing tour! Sundari has at least five of the same stores! Make a left here so we can get back on track."

"Have it your way Mom!" Aero yelled.

Twilight did her best to ignore their arguments and continued to fire at the driver of the hovercraft.

She must've gotten lucky as the driver slumped backwards and the hovercraft rammed into a building.

"Well lets hope we can get back on track before Wren escapes. Nice shot by the way Twi." Kreel said.

She blushed at his praise but at the same time, she was quite surprised at the amount of patience he was showing to Mic and Aero.

Space Battle over Mandalore

Grand Admiral Thrawn

ISD Admonitor

From the Second Line, Thrawn watched as Banjeer's, Screed's, Zsinj's and Kohrin's fleets engage the Mandalorian Defense Fleet.

The Grand Admiral frowned as he watched a Keldabe ram one of Banjeer's Star Destroyers, destroying the both of them.

He then sighed as he watched a burning Victory ram a Lucerhulk, causing a magnificent explosion.

Even with an Executor, they were being slowed down. They just need to destroy the Golans for the Acclamators to break through and land the troops.

"Sir, the Allecto's shield are at fifteen percent. Should we break formation to assist?" Niriz asked.

Banjeer's flagship. Thrawn thought as he continued to watch the battle from the viewport.

"Order the Second Line to break holding pattern and reinforce the First Line. Alert the transports to get ready. Maneuver the Admonitor in front of the Allecto."

"Sir?" said the confused Captain.

"We're going to perform a Marg Sable Maneuver. I believe you've heard of it?" Thrawn asked.

"Of...of course sir. It's just a tactic not discussed much in the academies but I'm familiar with it."

Thrawn sighed. "Figures. Looks like I'll have to talk to the Emperor about the training in the academies. Since you're familiar with it, then proceed. The rest of our squadron will be right behind us to take out the targets."

"Yes sir."

He watched from the holotable as his squadron rushed to the frontlines. Banjeer's, Screed's and Kohrin's fleets have taken a beating with some Star Destroyers knocked out of the battle. The enemy fleet has suffered the most losses however including three of their Lucerhulks. The remainder of their fleet has stayed within range of the Golan III platforms. Not even their bombers could make it through their defense line.

Thrawn saw some Star Destroyers break formation and retreat back to the Transports to lick their wounds. Every capital ship lost makes things harder for them to break through.

As the Admonitor passed the Allecto, the ISD maneuvered to present the underbelly of the ship to the enemy whist covering the wounded Allecto from enemy fire.

"Divert all power to shields. Squadron, take out all ships firing at us."

The ship shook as the hostiles targeting the Allecto diverted their attention to the new foe. From the holotable, Thrawn could see the rest of his fleet along with their bomber squadrons move in for the kill.

He smiled as he saw the bombers shred through the enemy ships while his fleet fired their turbolasers, giving no quarter to the enemy.

"What is the status of the shields?" He asked.

"Shields have dropped to fifty-two percent. In exchange, our little stunt took out four CR90 Corvettes, three Nebulons, five Munificents, two Venators, and two Providences. Quite a catch sir." answered Niriz.

"Indeed it was." His holotable beeped before it showed the hologram of Admiral Banjeer.

"Thank you Grand Admiral, we weren't going to last much longer." said the Admiral.

"No thanks are needed Admiral. Pull your ship back, we need to break through now."

Thrawn watched as his beloved flagship tear a Munificent to pieces. His eyes darted back and forth between the Golan III platform before them and the Lucerhulk hanging beside it.

Definitely the flagship. The Chiss thought.

“Get me General Fudensko”

General Zafaya Fudensko

Near Planetary Ion Cannon

Mandalore

Fudensko chuckled as he watched the AT-ATs of the 87th Armored Division, the “Vicious Stampede”, pick off the retreating Mandalorians and Rebels from the AT-AT “Planetshaker”.

He heard his coms beeped and took it out from his pocket. Standing on his right hand, was the hologram of Grand Admiral Thrawn.

“General Fudensko, I require a status report.”

“The Rebels are on the run and their defenses around Sundari and the Ion Cannon are falling. Some Storm Commandos and Death Troopers went ahead to take control of the Ion Cannon.”

“Good job. Try to take prisoners this time Zafaya.”

“Heh, fine.” Fudensko said as the hologram cut out.

“Put me on the loudspeaker.” He said to the AT-AT’s driver.

“Yes sir.”

Fudensko adjusted the mic attached to his helmet before he made his announcement.

“All units. Hold your fire!”

The Imperials complied while the Rebels froze in confusion.

“Attention Rebels, this is General Fudensko and before you stands the men and women of the 87th Armored Division, the Vicious Stampede. Your fleet is finished and there is no help coming to your aid. Surrender now, and you have my word you will all be spared.”

He saw one Rebel take out a rocket launcher and fired at his AT-AT. Unfortunately for the Rebel, the rocket didn’t even leave a scratch on the behemoth. In retaliation, the AT-AT fired its cannon at the offending Rebel and obliterated him.

“Any others want to take their chances?” Fudensko said.

Immediately, he saw Rebels and Mandalorians slowly come out of their defensive positions with their hands up. However, he knew the Rebels defending the Ion Cannon control room didn’t hear his announcement.

Sergeant Gril "Joker" Randof

Ion Cannon Tunnels

Storm Commando

Joker ducked behind a crate just in time as a wave of blaster bolts flew past his head. To his right, his friend Sergeant Teedon "Tee" Doric fired his E-11D blaster at the Rebels guarding the door to the control room.

"Why are we always the only ones doing this shit?" Joker yelled as he got up and fired his CR-2 Heavy Blaster Pistol. Two Rebels, a male and a female, took the full brunt to their faces.

"Better question, where the fuck is everyone else?" Tee said as he threw a Thermal Detonator.

"Get out get out get out!" They heard yelling before an explosion threw three Rebels out of their cover.

Seeing only dead bodies, the two advanced with their weapons drawn until they were in front of the door.

"I guess this is what we get for putting a pink paint bomb in one of the toilets in the Admonitor." Tee said.

"Yeah no kidding. Think you could get this door open?"

"Heh, child's play for me. You keep watch."

Joker did just that, but searched the bodies as well for anything useful. In a female body, he found a picture of the woman in an Imperial Technician's uniform in front of a window showing Coruscant and its defense fleet.

"Traitor." He sneered as he fired his blaster on the woman's face until it was nothing but smoldering pieces of flesh.

"Oi, I'm almost done. Get ready." He heard Tee say.

Joker posted up near the door with a Flash Grenade ready.

After a few seconds of waiting, the door opened and Joker threw the Flash Grenade inside. He heard shouting inside before there was a loud bang.

The two Storm Commandos rushed in, gunning down the dazed technicians and officers inside.

One officer rushed Joker with a knife and tried to swipe him on his neck. He leaned back and grabbed the officer's arm as it missed, followed by firing his blaster at the officer's stomach with his right hand.

The officer groaned before Joker pushed him to the floor. He finished him off by stomping on his face until it was nothing but mush.

"Fuck, I think I got some brain tissue on my boots." He said as he inspected his bloodied boot.

Tee ignored him and looked at the monitors around the room.

"They're mostly intact. I'll contact the General to send in the technicians."

Twilight Sparkle

Sundari Royal Palace

Mandalore

Twilight peered around the corner and watched SCAR Squad decimate the hostiles in front of them. Spike joined in by providing suppressing fire, downing a Rebel and a Mandalorian.

Not wanting to be left out, she got out of her cover and fired her blaster, hitting a Rebel on the head and another on the back as he tried to run away.

"Clear! Nice shot Sparky." Kreel said.

Her eyes went to the black scorch mark on the Sergeant's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not hurt. We need to move before Wren escapes."

They advanced quickly but cautiously down the hallway.

She saw movement and fired her blaster, striking an individual on the back of their head as they tried to flee.

"Watch your fire, you just killed a civie." Kreel said.

Twilight glanced to the now dead person in brown robes and let out a sigh.

"A servant. Don't worry about it. Nothing we could do now." said Zuke as they advanced through the hallway.

Her mind wondered to the servant she killed. If there's anything she learned about war prior to her exile was that there will always be civilian casualties.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

ISD Admonitor

Above Mandalore

All that stands between them and Mandalore was the two Golan III platform and the multiple ships staying within its range. Destroy them, and they have a clear shot to Sundari, but any and all advances were met by concentrated fire. Screed's already lost two Strike Cruisers, Banjeer lost one Victory, and Kohrin lost a Star Destroyer. Thrawn's, Grant's, and Zsinj's forces are mostly intact, aside from one of Zsinj's ISDs falling prey to a suicide run from a Keldabe, and the Enforcer's shields are down to thirty-four percent.

"Status of the Ion Cannon?" Thrawn asked Niriz.

"Technicians say its ready to fire."

"Tell them to fire at the Lucerhulk first. Have all bomber squadrons at the ready."

"Yes sir."

On the holotable, Thrawn watched the every bomber squadron form up in preparation for an attack on the last Lucerhulk. Fighter squadrons were still spread out everywhere, keeping the Rebel fighters busy while protecting the Imperial ships from Y-Wing bombers. The Imperial Fleet however were stuck in a slugging fest with the Rebel fleet. It appears to Thrawn that the Rebel Commander wasn't concerned with their losses, only on how much damage they could inflict. As for the Imperial Commanders, damaged ships were pulled back to the Interdictors as soon as possible. That number thus far totaled eight Imperial Star Destroyers, three Victory-class Star Destroyers, six Arquitens-class Cruisers, one Strike-class Cruiser, and one Lancer-class Frigate.

They're focusing mostly on capital ships to deal the most damage to the Empire. The populace wouldn't bat an eye at the loss of an Arquitens or a Lancer, but a Star Destroyer would be a massive propaganda boost for the Rebels. However, this will be their downfall. The Commander must be confident in their Planetary Ion Cannon. Unless... Thrawn thought before his eyes shifted to the Enforcer. They must be waiting for the Ion Cannon to be online to target the Enforcer and then concentrate all fire on it, namely the bridge tower. Even with the fall of Mandalore, the loss of a Super Star Destroyer would cause many more planets to break away and join the Rebellion. Same could be said for any Commanders here. I hate to say it, but the loss of two Grand Admirals and a Grand Moff would eclipse everything else. Fortunately for Zsinj, Grant, and I, an SSD is easier to hit by a Planetary Ion Cannon than an ISD, especially if many ships are blocking them.

Thrawn looked at the hologram of the Lucerhulk.

Unfortunately for them, they've already lost that advantage.

Mandalore, Quellii Oversector

Admiral Fal'Rikool

Lucerhulk-class Battleship Empire's Fear

"Where's the damn Ion Cannon? I want that Super Star Destroyer down now!"

Fa'Rikool could barely contain his anger. His initial plan was to have the Ion Cannon disable the SSD followed by every ship and starfighter concentrate all fire on it until it's a burning hulk. He had Y-Wing Squadrons sent to take out the Admonitor and hopefully kill the Grand Admiral, but it was foiled when they were all wiped out by squadrons from the infamous 181st.

"Sir they're not responding. Sundari has reported to be under attack by Imperial forces as well." Said a female Twi'lek manning a computer.

"What? How did they get through!" The Admiral yelled.

"Reports say they came from Syndulla's ships." said a male Duro.

Fa'Rikool froze.

That means they got Cham. I should've listened to Hera when she said she doesn't believe anyone else escaped. He thought.

"Ion Cannon firing!" Someone yelled.

The Lucerhulk shook before systems began to fail. Everywhere, crewmembers panicked as they tried to get any systems, whether they're weapons or shields online.

He began to walk to the viewport amidst the chaos and watched as squadrons of TIE Bombers escorted by TIE Fighters made it through his fleet, though not all made it, but enough to destroy the Lucerhulk.

Silently, he watched them begin to bomb his flagship. With no shields and batteries to defend itself, the Lucerhulk began to falter under the might of the mass number of TIE Bombers.

It would not be long before they destroyed it.

So using Syndulla's ships, they landed troops to not only assault Sundari, but to also take over our Ion Cannon and use it against us. They also used one of their Grand Admirals and his squadron to attack and then feign a retreat, tricking me to moving my fleet beyond the Golan Platform's ranges. The rest of the Imperial fleet jumped in to take out as many ships as possible before I retreat back. By then, it's a slugging fest in which our Clone Wars-era ships, even with the improvements, are outclassed by our Imperial counterparts. They even blocked us from reinforcing Concordia.

He looked on as two TIE Bombers were heading towards him.

Well played Grand Admiral, well played.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

ISD Admonitor

Above Mandalore

Thrawn hummed as he watched the final Lucerhulk blew up from the holotable. The rest of the fleet did their part, tearing the Rebel ships to pieces. Inside however, he was irked that many of these Clone Wars-era ships were destined for his command when the Rebels stole them. He was fine in receiving Clone Wars ships, but he wanted to keep the number of new Imperial ships to the bare minimum so the majority could be used against the Rebellion.

"Concordia has fallen. I repeat, we have taken Concordia." Thrawn heared through the coms.

"Excellent, all ships, concentrate all fire on the Golan III Platform at Sector Two Thirty-Five. Alert the transports to began their advance."

The Imperial fleet pounded the Golan III and the remnants of the defense fleet. The space was littered with the debris from various Clone Wars-era ships. Their ships went down one by one, but even the Golan III's shields stood firm.

"Ion Cannon firing!"

Two red beams from the planet struck the Golan III Platform and he watched the defense platform go quiet.

"Launch boarding parties to capture that Golan III. All forces, form a blockade. Disable any defense platforms and do not let any ship escape Mandalore. All Acclamators, proceed to your objectives." Thrawn announced.

Twilight Sparkle

Sundari Royal Palace

Mandalore, Quellii Oversector

Twilight pulled back behind a wall as the Mandalorian Commandos returned fire from the hallway. The rest of the squad hid behind the corners of both sides of the entrance to the hallway leading to the throne room.

On the otherside, Sergeant Kreel fired blindly from around the corner only for his E-11 Blaster to get shot out of his hands.

"Dammit." The Sergeant said as he took out a SE-14C Blaster Pistol.

"Now's a good time for your damn cannon working Zuke! Are you guys done yet?" Kreel yelled.

Next to Twilight, Mic and Zuke were busy fixing the big guy's Z-6 Rotary Blaster Cannon which malfunctioned.

"I think we got it." Mic said as the two of them got up. "Zuke, test the cannon to see if it works."

Zuke nodded and revved up the cannon. After a while, he fired into the wall.

"It's working! Give me some covering fire and I'll handle these guys!" Zuke yelled.

Both Twilight and Kreel peered around the corner and fired their blasters at the Commandos.

Zuke ran lugged the cannon around the corner and fired his Z-6.

"Hahahaha, cowards!" Zuke yelled as one by one, the Mandalorians fell to the wave of blaster bolts from his cannon. He grunted when a Commando returned fire and hit his shoulder plate.

After seeing all of the Commandos dead, Zuke stopped firing to let his cannon cool down.

"Clear!" He yelled.

The rest of the squad moved up with their blasters drawn and stood near the door.

"Remember, the target is Councilman Wren. We want him dead or alive. You guys ready?"

Kreel received only nods.

"Zuke?"

The big man grunted and charged the door, breaking it and the barricade full of chairs behind it.

SCAR Squad quickly ran in, blasters drawn.

In front of them, a squad of Mandalorian Commandos aimed their blasters at them and on the rear was their target, standing next to an exit.

The entire room was silent as the opposing forces stared at each other.

Misty saw an opportunity at Wren and fired his sniper rifle, but at the last second, a Commando jumped in front of the target, killing himself.

Wren panicked and ran off as the two groups fired at each other.

One by one, the Commandos were either dropped or ran to the exit, but SCAR Squad didn't come out unscathed.

Mic was hit on his right arm, forcing him to take out his blaster pistol instead.

Cav was hit on the head. Fortunately, the blaster bolt only grazed it but it did knock him down.

Aero's blaster was shot off his hand and he took out two blaster pistols to keep firing.

A Commando took out a smoke bomb and threw it down on the floor, filling the room with smoke.

“Quick! Everyone after Wren!” Kreel yelled.

Under the cover of smoke, the squad ran to the exit to chase Wren. Kreel however, saw movement in the smoke quickly moving to intercept his squad.

“Oh no you don’t!” Kreel yelled as he used his jump pack to tackle the offender to the ground.

The offender quickly punched Kreel on the head, forcing him to back off.

“Sarge!” He heard Cav yell in the coms.

“Continue with the mission! Get Wren! I’ll deal with this bastard!”

The smoke quickly dissipated, revealing a Mandalorian Commando he recognized through intel reports. He grinned under his helmet.

“Heheh, looks like I got myself a big one.” Kreel said.

"Don't be so smug, we Mandalorians are tougher than you think. We'll only rise again." said the female Mandalorian.

"Just because you beat that imbecile Saxon and his cronies doesn't mean you'll beat us. Your fleet is nothing but burning wrecks and your ground forces are on the run. The Rebel Alliance aren't coming to the rescue." said the male Stormtrooper.

"That may be so, but our deaths will inspire millions more to rise up."

"Good." Kreel said as he ignited his green lightsaber. "That means our prey are plentiful."

"You Imperials are ruthless, blood thirsty thugs."

"Is this coming from a former member of Death Watch?"

"No, but someone who believes in a free Mandalore."

"Then bloody good job you did removing Duchess Satine and installing a tyrant."

"Shut up! You don't know anything, what pain I had to go through to free Mandalore!" She said as she ignited her Darksaber.

"Pain? My whole life, I've been forced to fight in the fighting pits of Chagar IX to the amusement of criminal warlords. I watched as my father was mauled in the arenas. My own mother died before I could even remember. I had no family and was beaten and tortured until the 501st came in and freed all of us. You don't know real pain."

The woman stared at the stormtrooper. “Why do you fight? You’ve obviously seen the atrocities committed by your Empire. You Imperials always say you fight for the greater good, but then commit these horrifying acts.”

“Oh I have. I’ve definitely seen the good and the bad in the Empire. Even if the Empire falls and replaced by you Rebels, do you honestly believe the violence will stop? Do you really believe ‘hope’ is enough to bring peace in this galaxy? You believe all Imperials are bloodthirsty hypocrites. I will tell you right now, you don’t know half of it. You don’t know how many have worked in the shadows behind the Emperor’s back. This Rebellion, you truly are naive. The Emperor wanted your Rebellion to exist as long as possible. We work to end it as soon as possible. I fight, not for the Emperor, but for the ideas the Empire was founded upon. Peace, justice, equality. The first step for us was to cull the herd. To remove the corrupt. The Rebellion, you all are in our way. I swear I will cut down every last one of you to reach our goals.”

“You talk nonsense.” The Commando responded.

“You call it nonsense because you refuse to believe it. Either way, you’re on my way.”

“I’ve fought for as long as I can remember, taught by the best. Do you really think you have a chance?”

“Let’s find out. So how about it? Wanna dance Bo-Katan Kryze?”
> Turning Point
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle

Mandalore, Quelii Oversector

Princess of Friendship of the Celestial Alliance (EXILED/WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE)

Phalanx Command Operative

“Come on, let’s get a move on!” Aero said before using his jetpack to slam a Mandalorian Commando to a wall.

SCAR Squad besides Sgt. Kreel rushed down the hallway, chasing after Councilman Wren and his Commando bodyguards.

Twilight fired her blaster around the corner as she saw Councilman Wren and the Commandos climb up a waiting Republic-era LAAT.

They fired their weapons while running, in hopes of hitting the Councilman before he escapes.

“He’s getting away!” Spike yelled as the LAAT started flying away.

“Zuke!” Misty yelled.

“On it!” said Zuke as he threw down his Z-6 and took out his rocket launcher.

“Take that bastard down!” said Mic as they reached the balcony.

Zuke fire his rocket launcher at the escaping LAAT. His rocket flew straight and true as it hit the LAAT’s rear.

Smoking and on fire, they watched as the LAAT lost altitude before it disappeared behind a building.

“Dammit, we gotta act fast in case he survives.” said Cav. “Overseer, this is Spade 2, we shot down the target’s transport and it fell somewhere in the city. What’s the status of the ground forces?”

“Storm Commandos and Death Troopers took the dome control room. Wessel’s and Immodet’s forces are flooding the city and pushing the Rebels back. I suggest you get the target before he finds a way to escape. Good hunting. Overseer out.”

Cav sighed before looking at the rest of the squad.

“Alright, we gotta get to the crash site ASAP.” Cav said.

“Um, so how are we going to get down there?” Misty said as he peered over the edge. “Only Mic and Aero have jetpacks.”

Twilight flapped her wings in response.

“I can carry all of you down there. It’ll be difficult because of the weight, but I can do it.”

“And how are you going to do it?” Mic asked.

To respond to his question, Twilight’s horn lit up and she lifted an annoyed Spike into the air.

“Right, magic. In a galaxy full of space wizards, I should expect nothing less. Next, you’re going to tell me that out there, an army of Humans lost a war to a bunch of flightless birds. Anywho, I’ll see ya’ll down there.” Mic said as he and Aero jumped over the edge.

Zuke shook his head.

“Always on the move.”

The rest of the squad was lifted up by Twilight’s magic. She flapped her wings but they could see she was visibly struggling under all that weight.

Once they landed on a deserted street where Mic and Aero were waiting, Twilight immediately collapsed on the ground panting.

“You alright?” Cav asked.

She felt someone put a hand on her shoulder and looked up.

Shrap used his other hand to turn her head to make sure she was alright before nodding and helping her up.

“Um, thanks?” Twilight said to the silent member of SCAR Squad.

“Why hasn’t Shrap said anything this whole time?” Spike asked.

“His sister died when they were kids. Every anniversary, he mourns for two weeks in silence.” Misty explained. “Look, we gotta go now. Spike, you carry Twilight. We gotta double time it.”

“Copy that.” Spike said as he lifted up Twilight and put him over his shoulder.

“Hey!” Twilight yelled in protest.

“Sorry Twi, but we can’t have you lagging behind.” Spike responded as the squad ran off towards the crash site.

“This is ridiculous.” Twilight huffed.

“Tch, trust me, with Mic and Aero around, this won’t be the strangest thing you’ll ever see.” Misty said running alongside Spike.

Sergeant Kreel

Sundari, Mandalore, Quelii Oversector

SCAR Squad Leader

Back and forth, neither the Imperial Spec Ops Sergeant nor the Commander of Mandalore’s Forces could best each other. At first glance at least.

Bo-Katan was infuriated. She should have beaten this Stormtrooper easily, but every time she made a move, he countered it easily.

It’s as if he studied her tactics.

She should’ve known better. Bo-Katan was pissed at herself for not listening to the Ghost Crew.

This Stormtrooper is a Spec Ops Sergeant of the infamous SCAR Squad, likely under Thrawn’s command. Thrawn more than likely, prepared this squad to fight her and her commandos. Before that, according to Luke Skywalker, his squad fought them twice. The first time, they nearly wiped out their entire team when they hijacked a Star Destroyer.

The second time, they were soundly defeated when they were jumped by Red Squadron. It was almost unbelievable to the point where they weren’t viewed as threatening any longer.

Never mind the fact they captured and killed a Admiral Verette while wiping out all of his bodyguards and destroyed an entire Rebel base and every single Rebel inside without sustaining any casualties.

The force works in mysterious ways. Just another stupid Jedi quote in Bo-Katan’s opinion.

Or maybe, some higher being is out there, purposely making her frustrated for his amusement. 

That thought only made her angrier.

“Who taught a Stormtrooper like you?” Bo-Katan asked as she blocked Kreel’s lightsaber.

“I taught myself how to handle a sword in the fight pits of Chagar IX.” He said blocking Bo-Katan’s Darksaber before punching her helmet.

The Mandalorian staggered back, but held her saber at the ready.

“Then, I learned how to wield a lightsaber from Lord Vader himself!” Kreel said as he used his jetpack to launch himself at Bo-Katan.

Their lightsabers met once again, but the force of Kreel’s strike pushed her all the way to the wall behind her, pinning her.

Such Brute strength. Bo-Katan thought.

Kreel studied Bo-Katan’s fighting style via holotapes taken in the Mandalorian Uprising together with Thrawn.

Both of them were excellent martial artists. While Bo-Katan is faster than him, he had brute strength. To give himself the edge, he trained not to be faster, but to think quicker.

He studied her body movements, her tactics, the way she thinks.

If they weren’t enemies, he would love to spar with her every day.

Bo-Katan quickly started thinking of getting out of this situation, and before Kreel could react, she head butted him.

Kreel grunted as he staggered backwards.

Both warriors paused to gather their breaths.

“You fight well. So how about after this war, wanna spar? Just you and me?” Kreel asked.

Bo-Katan laughed and pointed her sword at him.

“If you survive, then sure. So come and get me soldier boy.”

Kreel switched his stance, holding his lightsaber blade down, drawing parallel to a Togruta Jedi Padawan Bo-Katan knew.

“Don’t mind if I do.”

Head Counselor Alrich Wren

Sundari, Mandalore, Quelii Oversector

Head Counselor of the Mandalorian Council, Father of Sabine Wren and Tristan Wren (DECEASED), husband of Ursula Wren (DECEASED), WANTED DEAD BY THE GALACTIC EMPIRE FOR HIGH TREASON

Alrich groaned as he rubbed his head in pain as he sat on the floor with his back to the wall.

“Sir, we need to get you out of here. Those Imperials will be closing on us soon.” said a Commando who was kneeling in front of him.

Alrich knew the risks of joining the Rebellion, but they all thought they were safe when they liberated Mandalore.

After the Imperials failed to break through the defence fleet three times, they got even more confident.

Their overconfidence costed them, losing almost all of their Alliance Capital ships, almost all of the most experienced Mandalorian Commandos including his dear Ursula and his son Tristan, and General Cham Syndulla, one of the Rebel Alliance’s most experienced commanders. A celebrated one too.

Now the Empire has busted down their doors and are running rampant on Mandalore. He cursed Bo-Katan for staying behind to deal with some “lowly stormtroopers”.

Now those “lowly stormtroopers” were hunting them with their main forces closing in on them. Hopefully, the leader of the Mandalorian Commandos was able to escape and rendezvous with them.

“Sir come one.” The Commando said as helped Alrich up. “Are you alright sir?”

“I’m fine. Just feeling sore right now.”

Alrich looked around and found only three surviving Commandos. The wreckage of the LAAT laid no far from them, on its side and on the middle of the street.

“We need to move now. We’ve stayed here for far too long. The Imps gotta be closing in.” said a Female Commando as she scanned the rooftops.

“So where are we going?” Alrich asked.

“Plan A was to fly out of here and get you to a hidden CR90 Corvette hidden in the Kryze Mountains, but well…” A Commando said.

“And Plan B?” Alrich asked.

“There’s a secret tunnel in the sewer system that will lead us outside of the city. We have some speeders hidden there we can take to the Mountain.”

They heard grunting sounds and they all turned to the third Commando who was lifting up a cover of a manhole.

“We better get going before the Imps get here.” said the Commando as he motioned for them to get in.”

20 Minutes Later

Councilor Wren was annoyed. The Commandos wore helmets that protected them from the smell of the sewers, but not him.

It was no secret that many Commandos were annoyed with the civilian leadership, preferring their military commander, Bo-Katan Kryze, to have full power.

They didn’t like how the Council implemented rules of war.

No execution of prisoners, all prisoners are to be treated humanely, torture was forbidden, and an operation is not allowed to proceed if there are high risks of civilian casualties. They have to give it to the Imperials though, their commanders were allowed to do everything necessary to win.

Some Commandos even wondered if it would be better fighting as a Commando under the Imperials. However, those who did fight under the Imperials confirmed they were given no restraints when it comes to warfare.

Many dreamed that one day, the bonds that held them back would be broken and there were talks of a coup d’etat and install Bo-Katan as the one leader of Mandalore. They would be separate, away from the Imperials and the Rebels, and build a Mandalorian Empire to challenge the two titans.

Ulrich silenced these talks by giving the military more power, more funding. To avoid any scandals, Ulrich and Bo-Katan agreed to send Imperial prisoners directly to the Rebel Alliance. They simply couldn’t trust their own soldiers in putting the Mandalorians at a good image.

“We need to be careful down here. No explosives or flamethrowers. This place is full of methane and could blow us up if we’re not careful.” One of the Commandos said.

*SPLASH*

The group of 4 quickly looked behind them to see a stormtrooper peeking his head through a manhole.

“Found them lads!” The Stormtrooper yelled before pulling his head back.

“Run!” A Commando yelled.

They sprinted, away from the Imperials with Wren in the middle of the group until they came upon a ladder.

“Quick! Up the manhole!” A Commando said as he climbed up followed by Wren.

“We need to go sir!” The First Commando said has he helped Wren up.

*BOOM*

The duo looked down the street as fiery explosions emerged from the sewer, and coming straight for them.

“GET OUT!” The Commando said as he held on and flew up with his jetpack, lifting Councilor Wren.

They weren’t quick enough however. The manhole they climbed out of exploded with the force of the explosion sending them flying.

Wren yelped in pain as he landed on his back.

The Commando wasn’t as lucky. There was a sickening crack as he landed head first on the ground.

Alrich groaned as he surveyed the scene. The street...was just gone. Only a giant trench with fire and smoke everywhere. To his right, the Commando laid motionless, likely dead.

He knew the Imperials wouldn’t be far. Wren got up and took the dead Commando’s blaster. All he needs to do is find allies to help him escape.

Wren hobbled into an ally in pain to get away from the Imperials. As he walked, he muttered to himself, saying sorry to his family and hoping Sabine at least gets to live happily.

“Do it for Sabine. Do it for Sabine.” Wren said as he kept wobbling as fast as he can.

There was a blaster shot and Wren tumbled. He felt pain on his chest and put his right hand where his heart is. All he felt was a hole with a burning feeling and blood.

Darkness began to creep into his vision, until Alrich Wren knew no more.

Twilight Sparkle

Mandalore, Quelii Oversector

Princess of Friendship of the Celestial Alliance (EXILED/WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE)

Phalanx Command Operative

Twilight huffed as she lowered her blaster, seeing the Councilman stopped moving.

Mic and Aero landed next to her, followed by the rest of the squad that jogged to meet up with them.

“Nice shot Sparky.” Mic said padding Twilight’s shoulder.

Zuke came up to the body and nudged it with his foot.

“He’s dead alright.” He said as he put the body over his shoulder.

“So what are we doing with the body?” Twilight asked.

“Easy, we’re going to send a message.” Aero said.

Sergeant Kreel

Sundari, Mandalore, Quelii Oversector

SCAR Squad Leader

Kreel breathed heavily. His armor had a lot of cracks, the right side of his helmet was scorched, his blaster pistol was cut in half midway through the fight, and he was awfully tired.

Maybe I should’ve stuck with what I knew. Kreel thought to himself referring to the lightsaber form he tried teaching himself recently.

Thrawn warned me not to play games and I didn’t listen.

On the other side, Kryze wasn’t looking too good either. She lost her helmet when she threw it at Kreel to distract him, she lost her blaster pistol as well, she down to one grenade, and blood was coming out from her mouth where Kreel punched her.

“You’re good you know?” Kreel said.

“You too.” Kryze answered.

“If it weren’t for this war, we would’ve gotten along.” He said as he readied himself.

“Maybe so. But you know how this will end.” Kryze said as she readied herself as well.

“You defeated on my feet?”

“Don’t make me laugh Stormtrooper.”

“Huh, it’s Kreel by the way. Sergeant Kreel of SCAR Squad.”

Bo-Katan smiled.

“Bo-Katan Kryze of Clan Kryze”

“I already know that.”

Kreel launched himself towards Kryze with a jetpack.

Bo-Katan ducked as he swiped downwards at her as she swung back as he passed, cutting his lightsaber in half.

The Sergeant rolled on the ground before quickly getting on his feet.

“So it’s true. You Stormtroopers suck at aiming.” She said.

“I didn’t miss.” Kreel said as he readied himself.

Kryze heard sparks and looked behind her. Her jetpack has a slash mark with sparks flying everywhere.

Thinking quickly, she took off her jetpack and threw it at Kreel’s direction. Halfway through, the jetpack exploded, sending smoke everywhere and obscuring Kreel’s vision.

He looked around to see if he can spot her silhouette in the smoke.

Kreel heard footsteps and only had time to brace himself as Bo-Katan landed on him. He grabbed her right hand with both of his to prevent her from cutting off his head.

“End of the line for you Sergeant Kreel.” Kryze sneered.

She was confused as he began laughing.

“Got you.” He said before pushing a button on his left wrist with his thumb.

Electricity coursed through Bo-Katan’s body as she screamed and tried to get away. However, Kreel’s grip was firm, keeping her in place.

After what felt like hours for her, Kryze stopped screaming and slumped on top of Kreel.

The Sergeant breathed in relief.

“Well, that’s that. Wonder how everyone else is doing?”

Twilight Sparkle

Mandalore, Quelii Oversector

Princess of Friendship of the Celestial Alliance (EXILED/WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE)

Phalanx Command Operative

Twilight and Spike looked on in confusion as Mic and Aero were spraying graffiti on a wall.

It showed a long-nosed cartoon character peeking over a wall with the words “Kilroy Was Here -Task Force 99 SCAR Squad” next to it.

“So what’s the purpose of this?” Spike asked.

Zuke just shrugged.

“Ole tradition among many Imperial units. In every enemy territory taken, we need to leave our mark to show we were here.”

“But who’s Kilroy?” Twilight asked.

“Heh, no idea.” Aero said. “Heard it first from the lads from 34th Infantry and we started doing the same. Yo by the way, anybody seen Shrap?”

They all looked around and noticed he was nowhere to be found.

Shrap

Sundari, Mandalore, Quelii Oversector

Member of SCAR Squad and Phalanx Command Operative

Shrap peered around the corner of an alley.

He watched as a Stormtrooper was kicking a dark skinned Imperial Lieutenant on the ground.

“Want to say it again huh traitor? Fucking say it.” The Stormtrooper said as he kept kicking him.

The lieutenant only responded with silence as he started defiantly at the stormtrooper’s visor.

Shrap however heard enough as he walked around the corner and got closer to the stormtrooper.

“What’s going on here?” He asked.

The Stormtrooper stopped kicking the Lieutenant and glared at the man that interrupted him.

“Nothing, just beating some sense on a traitor.” He snarled.

“Really? Under who’s orders?” Shrap demanded.

“General Wessel. You got a problem, take it up to him.” He said as he turned his attention back to the Lieutenant.

“Really? He sent one lowly Stormtrooper to teach the LT a lesson?”

“My squad dispersed trying to look for him.” The Stormtrooper said turning his attention back to Shrap.

“Is that so? And they didn’t bother showing up to help you?”

Shrap was only met with silence.

“You know, I always had a feeling. There’s gotta be at least one person in the invasion force who didn’t belong. One who isn’t part of any units here. Officially at least. And I believe I’ve found the needle in the haystack wouldn’t you say?”

Shrap noticed as the Stormtrooper slowly reached for his blaster pistol.

In a flash, Shrap took out his blaster pistol and shot the Stormtrooper on the chest, throwing him on top of the Lieutenant.

“I’ve always hated Isard’s lackeys.” Shrap said as he holstered his blaster.

The Lieutenant pushed the body off of him and got up slowly.

“You alright?” Shrap asked.

“A little bruised, but I can make it back to my unit. Thanks for the help.”

“Don’t mention it. What was all that about?” Shrap asked.

“Made a small joke about the Emperor. Bastard didn’t take it lightly.”

“You with Wessel’s forces?” Shrap asked as he looked around in case there was someone watching.

“Immodet’s actually. Part of a recon group when this asshole knocked me out and brought me here.”

“Huh, typical ISB. Want my advice? Spread the word among Immodet’s units. Kill all of Isard’s bootlickers.”

“Wouldn’t we be accused of treason though?” The Lieutenant asked.

“What these agents are doing are going undercover in units without approval from the unit’s commanders and are kidnapping and killing members of the military. What THEY are doing is treasonous, even with the Emperor’s approval. Remember in the academies, we swore to serve the Emperor and the Empire. It is now time to choose either one.”

The Lieutenant was silent as he processed what Shrap said, but his concentration was broken when the sound of a large, distant explosion ripped through the air.

“Enough of that. Come on, we’ve got a fight to finish.” Shrap said.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

ISD Admonitor, In orbit above Mandalore, Quelii Oversector

Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy, Warlord of the Empire, Commander of Phalanx Command, Head of the Empire of the Hand

“Very good work Sergeant. Do you require assistance? And where is your squad?” Thrawn asked as he looked at the hologram of Sergeant Kreel.

“No sir, just a little tired and bruised, but nothing I can’t handle.” Kreel said.

“Very well. I will send an extraction team soon.”

“Roger that.” Kreel nodded before the hologram cut out.

Thrawn put his gloved right hand on his chin, thinking for a moment.

“What’s the status of our forces groundside Barris?” Thrawn asked looking at the General across the table.

“Well, Dome Control has been successfully captured and all outer batteries have been silenced. The Ion Cannon has been secured, Fudensko has about two hundred prisoners, Concordia has been captured, and all objectives have been completed aside from Sundari.

General Wessel’s forces are meeting stiff resistance and General Immodet, well…”

“Well what?” Thrawn asked.

“He’s met almost no resistance and put his own AT-AT on point to the palace. Immodet’s determined to kill Bo-Katan Kryze and Councilman Ulrich Wren himself, but there’s a problem.”

“And that is?”

“SCAR Squad has reported Wren to be dead and Kryze captured. I’ve tried explaining to Immodet, but he cut me off and hanged up. Said something about lies made up by the aliens.”

Thrawn frowned.

“He’s heading straight into a trap. Alert General Wessel to double time it. I want SCAR Squad aside from Kreel to assist Immodet.”

General Immodet

AT-AT Thunder 1, Sundari, Mandalore, Quelii Oversector

Commander of the 33rd Army

“I want all units to advance towards the palace. Double time it. Anyone standing in our way must be eliminated with extreme prejudice.” Immodet said looking at a hologram of a light-skinned Colonel.

“But sir, shouldn’t we send in scout groups to make sure there aren’t any traps before sending in heavy armor?” The Colonel said.

“I will not be beaten by a bunch of aliens. We will get to that palace now or I will hang you and use your body as a decoration for my AT-AT.”

“Yes sir.” The Colonel grumbled before the hologram cut off.

“But he’s right sir, what if we run into a trap? And what if Kryze and Wren have already been dealt with?” One of the AT-AT pilots said.

“Those Mandalorians are nothing compared to our might. And those aliens are weak. They would never get past the palace security.” Immodet said as he peered through a periscope.

The two pilots only looked at each other with uncertainty.

Meanwhile, Immodet looked ahead with the periscope. In the back of his mind, he was afraid he was heading straight to a trap. But the ultimate prize of getting both Kryze and Wren was just too good.

The elimination of two well-known Rebel leaders would make his name known. His career will skyrocket. Emperor Palpatine will see him favorable, he’ll receive a promotion, and command a Sector Army. Immodet was determined to make his name both praised and feared throughout the galaxy.

All of a sudden, the ground shook.

“What happened?” Immodet said as he held on to the periscope.

“The ground’s collapsing! Brace for impact!” One of the pilots said.

Immodet watched as Thunder 1 began to lean forward. He closed his eyes as the ground got closer.

The AT-AT fell and General Immodet fell into unconsciousness.

10 Minutes Later

Immodet groaned as he opened his eyes. All he could see was the ceiling of Thunder 1’s cockpit.

He slowly got up and looked around. Sparks were flying everywhere from the damaged computers, the windows were cracked, and both pilots were slumped in their seats.

The General checked his own body. Aside from bruises and cuts, he was fine. He felt multiple scratches on his helmet, and war relieved to know it could’ve been worse.

Immodet quickly turned around when he heard the door behind him open. His eyes widened and he backed away when a Mandalorian Commando walked in, blaster aimed at the general.

The Commando fired her weapon, striking General Immodet on the chest. The impact of the blaster bolt sent the General reeling, putting his hand on the wound as he glared at the Commando.

“Imperial scum.” She said as he aimed at his head this time.

Before she could fire, a large figure appeared behind her and she was flung behind the door.

Immodet saw it was one the giant lizard alien she saw before. Next to the lizard, the purple equine alien rushed to check on him.

He couldn’t speak as he was sweating profusely and was running short of breaths.

“Don’t speak. We’re here for you.” The equine said.

At the AT-AT’s neck, the lizard and the Mandalorian fought each other.

Unfortunately for the Commando, the lizard was much tougher than she thought as he caught her punch with his left claw, and punching her head with his right.

The punch sent the Mandalorian’s helmet flying, revealing a dark-skinned, red tattooed female.

As she struggled to focus after the punch, the lizard kept a tight grip on her and brought her face closer to his.

She regained her focus and her eyes laid on the growling lizard holding on to her. The lizard opened his mouth and she saw something getting brighter coming from his throat.

Her eyes widened as small flames appeared before a bigger fire appeared in front of her vision and heading straight to her face.

While the purple equine put her hand on his wound while trying to heal him, he was transfixed at what he was witnessing. The purple lizard was quite literally, cooking the Commando’s head alive with his fiery breath.

She screamed as she tried to get out of his breath. Her efforts were all for naught as her screams died down and her body went limp.

The lizard dropped the Mandalorian as her head continued to burn.

“Twi, how is he?” The lizard asked.

“Bad, we need to request a MEDEVAC.”

At that moment, a Stormtrooper with glowing blue visors rushed in.

“Shit, Overseer this is Spade 5. I’m requesting a Priority Alpha MEDEVAC. I repeat, a Priority Alpha MEDEVAC.” The Stormtrooper said.

“Copy that Spade 5. A shuttle is on its way. Make your way to LZ Victor.”

The Stormtrooper pointed at the two aliens.

“We need to get him on the speeder. Twi, give him bacta. Spike, you carry him.”

Immodet continued to stare at the dead Mandalorian as the equine stabbed him with a needle before the lizard picked him up and carried him bridal style.

They carried him through the wreckage of Thunder 1 before emerging through a hole.

Outside multiple AT-ST Walkers and various Stormtroopers were in a circle around Thunder 1 as they fired at Rebels and Commandos firing at them.

The rest of what Immodet recognized as SCAR Squad waited for them on a speeder while firing at the Rebels.

“Get him on board!” A hooded Stormtrooper yelled at them.

The lizard put Immodet on a seat before the rest climbed on as well.

“Go go go!” One of the troopers yelled before they took off down the street.
Two more speeders full of Storm Commandos and Death Troopers linked up with them. Above them, multiple Imperial Jumptroopers ran aerial escort.

“Incoming!” One of the troopers yelled.

Behind them, five speeders appeared from the alleys carrying Rebels.

The Imperials fired back at them, trying to shrug off the Rebels attempting to kill the wounded Imperial General.

“Eat shit!” A Storm Commando yelled over the COMs as he fired a rocket which blew up one of the Rebel speeders.

One of the Rebel speeders caught up to them and flew side by side with them.

A Rebel took out a rocket and aimed it at them, but before he could fire, the driver of their speeder rammed into them.

The Rebel speeder wobbled as it struggled to regain to control, but the were too late as they crashed into the leg of an AT-AT in a ball of flames.

“This is Spade 2. Be advised, we will be coming in hot!” A Stormtrooper yelled.

“Copy that Spade 2. Thunder Two-One has a little present for them.”

Immodet’s surroundings turned from the buildings of Sundari, into the deserts of Mandalore.

They stopped at an area where a company of Stormtroopers were waiting for them with several AT-STs.

Above them, a Nemesis-class Gunship hovered above them.

“Light those fuckers up!” A Stormtrooper yelled.

The Gunship opened up with its Hellcaster Cannon and Concussion Missiles, blowing up the Rebel speeders and tearing any survivors into shreds.

“Show me what you’ve got bitches! Show me what you’ve got! HAHAHAHA!” The gunship pilot yelled as he laughed maniacally.

Immodet’s vision began to blur as he struggled to breath.

“Stay with me General. You’re going to be okay.” said the purple equine as she looked at the General with a reassuring smile.

“Where’s the damn shuttle!” A Stormtrooper said.

The General felt himself getting weaker and weaker. His vision began to blur before he fell into unconsciousness once again.

A Few Hours Later

Throughout the galaxy, people were going on with their lives, as if the war was not happening. They all stopped as every screen in every city and hope lit up with the words “Breaking News”.

A dark-skinned news reporter appeared in everyone’s screens.

“Breaking news out of the Quelii Oversector. A combined Imperial force led by Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Admiral Octavian Grant, Admiral Terrinald Screed, Grand Moff Zsinj, Admiral Kohrin, Admiral Llon Banjeer, General Immodet, General Redd Wessel, General Paltr Carvin, General Alix Balan, General Mosh Barris, General Rom Mohc, and General Zafaya Fudensko have finally succeeded in capturing the Rebel stronghold of Mandalore.

It has been confirmed through our sources that Councilman Ulrich Wren has been killed in a Special Forces Operation along with Admiral Fal’Rikool. General Cham Syndulla and Bo-Katan Kryze have also been confirmed to be apprehended by Imperial forces.

This comes after it’s been reported that a fleet led by Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Moff Zsinj, and Admiral Terrinald Screed have wiped out an entire Rebel fleet at Halmed.

Previously, the Imperial Navy has attempted to break through Mandalore’s defences three times and all have failed.

Stay tuned as there will be more to come.”

Throughout the galaxy, people either cheered or wailed in despair. There was much celebration among the Empire’s High Command, but worries and sadness in the Rebel High Command.

Meanwhile, a certain Twi’lek punched the wall of her bedroom in anger and a Mandalorian wailed in sadness as she heard the fate of her father and Mandalore.

1 Day Later

Immodet slowly opened his eyes to the cold ceiling of a ship.

“Where am I?” Immodet said as he looked around.

Next to him, Grand Admiral Thrawn sat on a chair looking at him.

“Took you long enough.” Thrawn said.

“What are you doing here? Where am I?” Immodet sneered.

“Nothing wrong with checking to see if you’re alright. And you’re on the hospital ship Second Chance. You missed the celebrations.”

“We won?” Immodet asked.

Thrawn nodded.

“Indeed, but we took casualties that could’ve been avoided if you had listened.”

Immodet was silent as he accepted his mistake.

“Did those two abominations make it out?” Immodet asked as he stared back up the ceiling.

“Their names are Twilight Sparkle and Spike.” Thrawn said.

Immodet noticed there was a hint of anger coming from Thrawn.

“They saved your life and you owe them a thank you.”

“I owe no one.” said a stubborn Immodet.

Thrawn shook his head.

“Times are changing Immodet. Xenophobia is a thing of the past and people like you refuse to look forward. I can’t help you with that. You have to help yourself.” Thrawn said as he got up.

It was then did Immodet noticed the flowers and balloons with the words “Get better soon” on the desk next to his.

“Did you send these?” Immodet asked.

Thrawn stopped at the door.

“No. What you called ‘abominations’ sent those. They decided to skip some of the celebrations to make sure you pulled through.” Thrawn said before walking out.
Immodet’s eyes widened. He continued to stare at the flowers and balloons contemplating his life.

Classified Location

Bo-Katan’s eyes opened slowly. She looked around and noticed she was suspended in the air in only her undergarments.

Near a blast door monitoring a computer was the Stormtrooper she fought.

“So Sergeant Kreel, what are you going to do now? Are you going to beat me? Rape me?” She said.

Kreel didn’t look up.

“Raping you would be beneath me and is truly disgusting. Beating you however is nothing new to me, but I have orders not to harm you. It was a good fight you know. I hope we meet again after this war to spar. That duel was pretty damn fun.” Kreel said.

He looked up at her.

“Well, I gotta split. You’ve got a visitor by the way.”

The blast doors opened, revealing Grand Admiral Thrawn as he stepped in.

“And there’s my cue. See you later sometime Kryze.” Kreel said as he picked up a rucksack and walked out.

Thrawn and Bo-Katan only stared at each other in silence.

“I believe this yours.” Thrawn said as he put the darksaber on the monitor.

“What do you want Thrawn? Why did you keep me alive?” Bo-Katan said, anger in her voice.

Thrawn smirked.

“Just because you’re with the enemy, doesn’t mean we can help each other out?”

“Help each other? What game are you playing?” Kryze asked in confusion.

“The long game Miss Kryze. You see, Emperor Palpatine and Lord Vader won’t be around forever. When they are gone, the Empire will need new leaders. Fresh faces to bring the galaxy into an age of prosperity and unity. Heal any scars Palpatine has inflicted into the galaxy.

Throughout history, the warriors of Mandalore have always been a threat. I don’t want Mandalore to be a threat, but as friends. And you Bo-Katan Kryze, will lead them. You want to redeem yourself for your sister’s death, then here’s another opportunity.”

“You know, what you speak of would be considered treasonous.” Bo-Katan said.

“Of course. Myself and many other Imperial commanders would be considered traitors in the Emperor’s eyes. But he doesn’t need to know that.”

Thrawn inserted a data chip on the monitor before a hologram with the emblem of the Empire of the Hand appeared.

“This is voice activated. Ask any questions about what myself and my colleagues envision, what we’ve learned about Palpatine, the Jedi, the Sith, and what we plan to do. I have other things to do. In a few hours, the guards will come in to escort your to your room.”

Thrawn began walking out before Bo-Katan called out to me.

“What makes you think I will comply. What’s stopping me from getting out of here?”

Thrawn looked back at her.

“That would be unwise. I’ve given Grand Moff Zsinj permission to Base Delta Zero Mandalore should you try to escape. I believe that once you’ve learned everything from that datachip, you will comply.”

Thrawn walked out of the room, leaving Bo-Katan to her lonesome.

After a while, she decided to try and learn what she can.

“Hello?”

“Voice Recognized. Bo-Katan Kryze. Welcome.” said a robotic female voice from the monitor before the hologram changed into her face.

“So he wasn’t lying. Computer, show me what Thrawn envisioned.”

Nirauan, Empire of the Hand

Admiral Voss Parck

Admiral of the Empire of the Hand Navy, Member of Phalanx Command

Parck sipped on his cup of coffee as he stared out the window of the space station he was on.

He could see the Wrath in drydock as engineers worked double time to get the giant ready.

Nearby, the Purifier stood among the ships of Phalanx Squadron as they guarded the capital of the Empire of the Hand. Freighters and civilian ships passed them either going to the city below, or to other planets within the territory.

Her sister ship, the Overlord was docked with Naval Station Nirauan with many other capital ships.

Near the Wrath, were six incomplete Bellators and two incomplete Assertors that were modified. They were acquired when construction of the eight dreadnoughts were halted in Kuat and work was diverted to complete the Eclipse. They were due to be scrapped, but the Emperor sent them Thrawn’s way instead.

Coming out of hyperspace, Parck saw Task Force Swarm which consisted of the Carrier Swarm escorted by four Victorys and eight Carracks. They were sent to eliminate a Black Sun Flotilla and a base they constructed that was detected in Empire of the Hand territory.

The Swarm was different from her sisters. While most Secutors were neglected with more starfighters being sent to the Imp Stars instead of them, the Swarm carried around 500 fighters like it was designed to.

Other Secutors in the Empire of the Hand were given the same privilege.

Parck’s datapad bleeped. He looked at the messages he received.

The factories for General Mohc’s droids were nearly completed, and he received a message from the Empire of the Hand’s chief warship designer.

Fractalsponge: All ships will be refitted or completed in a few months. I was able to recruit more workers though the Mon Calamari were the most hesitant. I’ve also received word we’re getting more ships. Is this really necessary?

Adm_VictoriousParck: Wasn’t mine or Thrawn’s choice. We can discuss more face to face. Wanna grab some lunch planetside?

Fractalsponge: Reddo’s Seafood. Lakeside. I’m buying this time.

Parck turned off his datapad and sipped his coffee.

“Life’s good.” He muttered.
> The Devil Among Us
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Agent Kirtan Loor

ISB Field Agent

Imperial Palace, Imperial Center, Inner Rim

“Careless, we were careless.” muttered Agent Loor.

He was walking down a hallway in the Imperial Palace alongside one of the most hated, but also the most feared, individual in the known galaxy.

“Excuse me?” The woman next to him said.

Loor looked at Director Ysanne Isard.

“What I’m saying is we’re too careless. We should’ve known about all of these assassination attempts on the Emperor and on top of that, we’ve failed to detect Rebel fleet moments. I don’t recall the last time we’ve eliminated a high ranking member.”

“Are you criticizing how we work Agent Loor?” Isard asked.

“To be honest ma’am, yes. I don’t enjoy it, but the first step in improvement is to recognize your mistakes and weaknesses.”

Isard laughed.

“You’ve been hanging around Thrawn for too long Agent Loor. Let me worry about the state of ISB, and you worry about your assignments.”

Loor stepped in front of Isard causing the woman to stop.

“I don’t mean to criticize you ma’am, but there’s too many holes in ISB and our field agents have been outsmarted countless times by the Rebels. I suggest a complete overhaul. We need our agents to not just be able to fight, but to think wisely. We are lacking the latter.”

Isard’s eyes narrowed.

“Then maybe you’re interested in training them personally?”

Loor frowned.

“Maybe once I’ve completed all of my assignments. I’m just suggesting we should revive Yuleran’s tactics.”

“Yuleran was weak. He lacked the killer instinct we needed.”

“And yet, he and his agents have had a very successful record.”

“Except for Kallus.”

“Except him for which, I will personally deliver his head to your desk.”

“Good, I believe you told me earlier that you found something as well?”

“Yes ma’am, I’ve had, some suspicions about General Derricote.”

“And what did you find?”

“Two things. One, I’ve learned that Derricote was able to create a virus that only affects Humans. I don’t have concrete evidence as of yet, only the testimony of one of his assistants before he died.”

Isard looked away in thought before looking back at Loor.

“That is problematic if someone got their hands on it and captured Derricote. Keep an eye on him and do whatever you can to destroy that virus. What else did you find?”

“Well, I took a peek at Derricote’s personal income and found it drastically jumped recently. Me thinks he stole from the treasury.”

“How do you know?”

“I found that a very small part of the treasury went missing a few days ago. Too small to be noticed if not watched carefully, but enough to make someone filthy rich for the rest of their lives.”

Isard frowned.

“Whatever that fat slug is planning, he doesn’t stand a chance. As much as I want him chained up in front of me, we have other priorities to attend to first. In the meantime Agent Loor, continue with your assignments.”

The Director of ISB walked passed Loor.

“Oh and Loor?”

Loor turned to Isard.

“Stay in your lane. We wouldn’t want you to end up in an accident now won’t we?” She said with a smug look on her face before walking away.

The ISB Field Agent watched the woman walk away with a snarl. He turned around and walked the other direction, cursing quietly.

He was too busy thinking about his plans that he didn’t notice the two Royal Guards before he bumped into one.

“Oi, watch where you’re going!” Loor yelled at the two Royal Guards who continued walking as if he didn’t exist. 

He continued walking down the hallway, a small smile on his face as he tucked a datachip into his pocket.

4 Hours Later

Level 1313, Imperial Center

A cloaked Agent Loor stood amongst bodies of multiple criminals, two smoking blaster pistols in his hands.

“Huh, I did say please.” Loor said to himself as he pulled back his balaclava covering his mouth and nose.

He approached a giant holoprojector as he holstered his blasters and inserted the datachip.

Loor took his time as he made up a bunch of different messages before sending it.

“Lets hope this was important.” He muttered.

There was a loud banging noise coming from the door, before a group of four criminals stormed in. They surrounded the ISB agent and pointed their blasters at him. Two his sides, one behind him, and one in front of him.

“Looky here boys. We got ourselves a hotshot here.” A scarred Human in front of him said. “Now why don’t you put down your weapons so we can talk like gentleman.”

Loor masked himself once again before responding.

“I am surrounded by dead men.” He said as he slowly reached for his blasters.

They looked at him confused, giving him ample time to react.

Loor ducked as took out his blasters and fired at the two men to his sides, striking one on the head, and hitting the other on the neck.

He quickly turned around and hit the blaster out of the hands of the criminal behind him before using him as a shield.

The scarred Human froze, as he noticed the predicament he was in.

Giving him no chance, Loor unloaded on the scarred Human, leaving holes all over his body.

“Should’ve walked away from this one.” He whispered to his meat shield before finishing him off with a shot to the head.

In the distance, Loor heard the sounds of police sirens getting closer and groaned.

“Oh fuck me. I can’t catch a bloody break.” Loor said as he ran off into the alleys.

Jek Lawquane

Saleucami, Outer Rim

A tall, orange, Twi’lek/Human hybrid wearing a grey helmet with goggles, black vest, a white shirt underneath, brown pants, and black combat boots hopped off his speeder bike, carrying a bag full of parts as he walked towards his house.

Ever since the end of the Clone Wars, Jek and his sister Shaeeah both found a significant other and got married. They all decided to move back their family farm where they expanded it to accommodate the growing family.

They helped their father renovate their house and built two more houses, one for Jek’s family, and the other for Shaeeah’s family. At least, when she finds a family. Her husband was off in the war fighting for the Imperials somewhere. He would always come back whenever he’s on leave.

Their family profited greatly, but not for a good reason in their opinion. Many farms in the Suolriep Sector were devastated in battles between the Empire and the Rebels. As such, the Lawquane family were one of the few that survived unscathed after their battles ended up in a stalemate with both forces withdrawing. Besides the occasional skirmishes, the Suolriep Sector became largely quiet.

Due to the high demand, they began using a large number of droids and workers to keep up with their competitors.

They allowed their animals to graze happily in large fields where they would be slaughtered when they were old enough for high quality meat, many ending up being sold to high-profile people. To Jek’s surprise one time he looked at a list of their customers, one of their usual customers turned out to be the Imperial Grand Admiral Octavian Grant.

Jek’s father, Cut, said he’s heard of Grant but wouldn’t say more other than calling him “a damn noble who got lucky at birth.”

“Honey! There’s a message for you!” A female voice yelled from the kitchen as he walked in.

“Thank you honey.” He said back.

Jek walked into a room where there was a holoprojector and noticed there was a message for him. He checked to make sure it was from Coruscant and it’s subject which read “Superhero comics”.

Wordlessly, he forwarded it tow four different planets where they would be received by four other allies. Then they would be forwarded to eight planets, then sixteen, then twenty-four and so on. Each of them full of a jumbled mess of different messages from grocery lists, to random designs of speeders.

However, only one of them contained the actual message.

ISD Pride of Tarlandia

In orbit over Endor, Outer Rim

The Communication Officer aboard the modified and enlarged Imperial Star Destroyer looked at the jumbled mess of messages he received at once.

“Something wrong?” a female voice said behind him.

He looked back to see the captain of the ship standing behind him.

“I’m just, confused at why I received a bunch of messages at once ma’am. A lot of them look like reports of troop movements and ship designs.” He said.

The Captain peered over his shoulder and looked at the messages on his screen.

“Who are they addressed to?” She asked.

“Um, all of them were being sent to the ISD Admonitor ma’am. Message is from Carida.”

“Hm, send them forward.”

The officer looked at her confused.

“Ma’am?”

“Those are messages intended for Grand Admiral Thrawn, some of them are likely crucial reports the Grand Admiral would need without delay.”

The officer nodded.

“Yes ma’am.”

Grand Admiral Thrawn

ISD Admonitor

In orbit over Mandalore

Thrawn sat on his chair behind his desk, Lescah not far from him biting a stuffed toy. He only received the messages a few minutes ago, but he knew what he was looking for and sorted through them all for the actual message quickly.

His holoprojector turned on, showing the hologram of one of the Emperor’s Guards.

“This is Cipher. I did some digging around and found some...interesting things. A huge amount of funds including personnel are being transferred to Byss in the Deep Core. For what, I’m not sure.

I also checked the records again. At the same time the Executor was being constructed in Fondor, another SSD also called the Executor was built in Kuat before it disappeared. Couldn’t find where it went. Found the info in the archives under the codename “Lusankya”.

The Chief of the Underworld Police, I met up with him. He’s confirmed to join us but only if Palpatine and Vader is gone. Same for the commander of the Imperial Center Defence Fleet but on the condition his brothers are released from prison. The Emperor’s Personal Fleet is in limbo but will answer only to either Grand Admirals Nial Declann or Afsheen Makati.

Got some bad news too. Kanos and I are being transferred to Byss to act as guards for the Emperor’s personal physician. Heard he’s pretty greedy so I’ll see what I can do with him.

Kanos...doesn’t know yet. I’m a little afraid to tell him, but he’s either or. He’s loyal to Palpatine, but he’s also mad at him for forcing him to kill Lemmet Tauk. The two were basically brothers and Vader gave me his scar because of their friendship. I’ll find a way to get him. If you can, please establish contact with Tauk’s family. I believe I have an idea.

Because of my transfer, I will require a new way to contact you. Let me know as soon as possible.

Remember, Climb Mount Tantiss.

Jax out.”

The hologram shut off, leaving behind a worried Thrawn who stared at the playful Lescah as the ysalamiri made squeaking sounds by biting the stuffed toys.

Twilight Sparkle

Training Room, ISD Admonitor, In Orbit over Mandalore

Phalanx Command Operative

“Again, what does this do?” asked Spike.

The two of them stood in their armor carrying melee weapons in front of a droid.

“Kreel said it’s a Sith Training Droid, one of many Thrawn salvaged from a planet called Kamino. He had them produced to train his troops better.” Twilight said. “He said it can turn into many warriors separated by classes.”

Twilight took out two swords she found in the armory while Spike carried a battle axe.

“They can turn into jedi and sith too, but their blasters and weapons won’t kill us. Aero said it’ll hurt a lot though. Thought we could use some training if we run into any force users like SCAR squad did.” said Twilight.

“So how are the warriors classified?” asked Spike looking at Twilight.

“Well, the easiest ones would be A class with the hardest being S class.”

“Sounds interesting. Droid?”

The droid lifted its head and looked at Spike.

“Yes trainee?” It asked.

“Give us an S class. Any would do.”

Twilight looked at Spike with uncertainty.

“Wait Spike-”

“Very well trainee.”

The droid then transformed into a tall cyborg and laughed menacingly.

Twilight and Spike looked at the droid slackjawed before Twilight glared at Spike.

“Spike?”

“Yes Twi?” Spike said with a nervous smile.

“I’ll make you reorganize the ship’s entire library after this.”

The droid’s arms split into four before four lightsabers ignited in its arms.

“I will beat you with two...no, THREE hands behind my back!”

1 Hour Later

“I must say Miss Sparkle, but that was awfully stupid of you two to do that. Nobody here fights an S Class unless they really need to, or they want to be sent to the infirmary.” said a female doctor as she bandaged Twilight’s arm.

Twilight glared at Spike who’s head was being bandaged by a female nurse.

“Actually Doc, I was not the one who requested an S class.”

Spike looked away sheepishly.

The Doctor chuckled.

“Men. Always biting more than they can chew. I had to deal with SCAR Squad, Death Troopers, and Storm Commandos every week after fighting an S class. At least SCAR Squad learned how to deal with an S Class effectively after their failure at Crait, but the Death Troopers and Storm Commandos? They’re improving but there’s always several ending up here.

Even when they’re backed up with Wookiees, half of them are sent here but that number is dwindling thankfully.”

“So what do the droids do when nobody’s using them for training?” asked Twilight.

“Well, the crew like to pit the droids against each other for bets. So far, the Obi-Wan Kenobi vs General Grievous fights are proving to be the most popular followed by Anakin Skywalker vs Count Dooku and Ahsoka Tano vs Assajj Ventress.”

Aero walked by the open door of the infirmary and noticed the two bandaged aliens.

“Whoa, looks like you two went through the wringer. Get yourself patched up and head to the mess hall for breakfast.”

30 Minutes Later

Twilight sat on the table, surrounded by SCAR Squad and Spike as she was reading from her datapad.

“Can she go one day without reading from that datapad?” asked Misty.

Spike shrugged and took a bite out of his meal.

The rest of SCAR Squad had their helmets off to eat.

Kreel had pale skin, bald, and his face was heavily scarred.

Aero had olive skin, blonde hair, and a bandage on his right cheek,

Mic had light skin, squinted eyes, and short, black hair.

Cav was dark skinned, a light stubble, black hair, and an x-shaped scar above his left eye.

Misty had a hard face, with a heavy stubble, and brown hair.

Shrap had tan skin, chevron moustache with a light stubble, brown hair, and had a burn scar near his eyes.

Zuke, the giant of their team, had the looks of a gentle giant. He had a full beard, black hair, and was always smiling as he was stuffing himself with food.

“She’s always been like that. Even as a royal. Twi had a habit of leaving books and her notes everywhere. Guess who had to clean up after her?” Spike said.

Zuke laughed as he patted Spike’s back.

“No worries brother. You don’t have to do that anymore here and if you do, I’ll help you out.”

“Brother?” Spike asked.

“You’re one of us now right? That makes you a brother.” said Aero. “Ever been to a strip club Spike?”

“Um, well no?”

Misty looked at Aero.

“Ain’t he underage though?”

“We all gotta start somewhere.” replied Aero. “I had a single mother who was a stripper. She had nobody to look after me so I’m always in the backroom of the strip club she worked at. Trust me Spike, I’ll hook you up with somebody.”

“I dunno about that Aero. Maybe you should let Davry do that.” Mic said.

“Davry’s gay. You think he would know?”

“Uh, yeah? Who do you think hooked Misty with Shaeeah?”

“Oh yeah. Good point. So tell me Spike. Are you an ass man, or a titties man?”

Spike looked at Twilight pleadingly in which she responded by giggling before going back to her datapad.

Across the mess hall, Echo Squad ate in silence as they watched SCAR Squad and the two aliens they retrieved from the unknown jungle planet.

“Man, I’d tap that ass.”

Slash looked at Boom.

“You say that to about every woman on this ship.” Slash said.

“Except for Dolores-”

The lone female on their table cleared her throat.

“-and Dawn. I ain’t gonna mess with someone who’s called The Nutcracker.”

“Damn right you won’t.” Dawn said taking a bite with her food.

“But you’ll bust a nut when she’s not around right?” commented Vector.

“Hell nah. I am a respectable gentleman just like how my momma raised me.”

“Like that time you slapped that Zeltron’s ass and you were in the infirmary for a week?” Hunter said.

“Ok maybe I’m not what most considered a gentleman.”

Walking past them, a stormtrooper carried a tray full of food, not noticing the wet spot on the ground from someone’s drink.

The stormtrooper slipped, sending his tray into the sky, and conveniently landing on Slash’s head.

“Sorry, sorry sir.” The Stormtrooper said noticing the pauldron on Slash.

Around them, the mess hall was quiet, until a Lieutenant jumped on a table.

“Food fight!”

Immediately, everyone scrambled for cover, with entire squads turning tables over to use as a barricade.

Food flew everywhere, striking many.

Meanwhile, on the bridge

“We will be leaving for Eriadu sir. The last transports are getting ready to leave Mandalore.” Niriz said standing next to Thrawn on the bridge.

“Very good. Do and try get some rest Dagon.”

Niriz rolled his eyes.

“Fine, but you need rest too.”

The two then noticed a crowd gathering around a computer monitor near the blast doors.

“What’s going on?” Niriz hollered as the two walked closer to the computer.

The group snapped to attention.

“There’s another food fight in Mess Hall B sir.” one of the officers said. “We were just making bets on who will win in the end.”

“You are members of the Imperial Navy. Making bets on a petty food fight is way beneath you. Take the Grand Admiral here for ex-”

Niriz noticed Thrawn left his side and look around to no avail.

“I would like to make a bet please.”

Niriz looked back at the group to find the Grand Admiral standing among the officers.

“Sure sir. Who are you betting on?” one of the officers asked.

“One Hundred Credits on Twilight Sparkle.”

Niriz facepalmed.

30 Minutes Later

A lieutenant stood on top of a mountain of food. He wore a makeshift crown, a cape, and carried a flag depicting a giant pink cake. Near him, a group of Stormtroopers using plates as extra armor stood by him.

“I, King Lorez, claims this area as territory of the Pink Cake Kingdom! Bow before me!” He yelled.

A piece of food flew into the air and struck his chest, making him stagger.

“My subjects, help me! I have been shot!” The LT said as the Stormtroopers carried him behind cover.

Across the Mess Hall, SCAR Squad plus Spike used a bunch of tables and turned it into a fortress.

“Is it ready?” Zuke asked.

“Almost, hold on.”

Behind Zuke, Mic and Aero tinkered with a giant bag attached to a modified rotary cannon Mic made to fire food.

The rest had plates used as extra armor and carried sacks of food for them to throw at everyone else.

Misty came by and shoved Zuke’s bag full of food.

“My brothers, today we defend our title. Forever, we will always be the Kings of Food Fights, but today, we welcome a new brother.” Cav said motioning to Spike.

“Wait, where’s Sarge?” Spike asked.

“Sarge doesn’t like to be in the food fights and usually sneaks away to do who knows what.” said Aero as he helped put food into Zuke’s bag.

“We are ready brothers!” said Mic. “We have five minutes to win this!”

Zuke put on the bag and revved up the cannon.

“Oorah!” Zuke yelled as he through a table out of the way.

The rest of the squad jumped out and began hurdling food at everyone, with Zuke mowing down many with his cannon.

“Fuck you!” A stormtrooper yelled charging Mic who was then met by a wave of food, throwing him backwards.

The group stood on top of a pile of food and debris and saw nobody else was standing unscathed, though they themselves were hit, but not as much as everyone else.

“My brothers! We have successfully defended our title. We are victorious once more!” Aero yelled.

The rest of the group yelled out at approval.

“Hold it there SCAR Squad.”

Everyone turned to the entrance of the mess hall to see the Grand Admiral walking in.

“If I recall, whoever has the least amount of food hit them within the hour is the winner correct?”

“Um, yes sir. That would be correct.” said Shrap.

“Excellent, would you come out of your hiding spot Miss Sparkle?”

There was silence in the mess hall before a purple alicorn head popped out of a miniature fortress in the corner of the room made out of food plates. Not a single piece of food was on her.

“Is it over? I was reading my datapad when they were fighting.” Twilight said as she climbed out.

“We have found our winner.” Thrawn said as he walked out.

Everyone sans SCAR Squad rushed Twilight cheering, while SCAR Squad and Spike looked on slackjawed.

Someone put a crown on Twilight and they lifted her into the air.

“My brothers and sisters, we found our queen!” someone yelled.

“QUEEN!” They yelled in glee.

“We have a queen! This must be the way!” Someone yelled who was conveniently below Twilight.

Outside of the mess hall, Niriz and Thrawn looked at the festivities.

“So undisciplined.” Niriz muttered.

“Come now Captain. Let them have fun. They know the drill, they’ll clean up afterwards.”

“I know sir, but what if someone outside of our command finds out about this?”

“They won’t. Just remember Captain. Treat your troops like they were your own children, and they will gladly follow you into hell.” Thrawn said as he walked away.

En Route to Eriadu

1 Week Later

“Once again, we travel to the other side of the galaxy. Then, we have to travel to Nirauan which is in the other side of the galaxy. Something important in Eriadu?” Kreel asked.

“Indeed, and it involves Admiral Delvardus.” said Thrawn.

Thrawn, Niriz, SCAR Squad, Twilight, and Spike stood on the bridge of the Admonitor. Any moment now, they will reach Eriadu.

“So why is Admiral Grant coming along?” Zuke asked.

“Grant has a meeting with Grand Moff Ardus Kaine. We’re also expecting new additions to our fleet there.”

“And apparently, the Rebels tried and failed to assault Eriadu.” said Niriz looking at his datapad.

“Another one?” Misty asked.

Niriz nodded.

“Rebel fleet got wiped out, but half of Delvardus’ fleet is destroyed or out of commission. Sluis Van’s gonna have their work cut out for them. Rebel’s got wiped out when Kaine’s Scourge Squadron jumped in. Didn’t stand a chance against the Reaper.”

“Heard rumors of the Rebels attempting to create ships that could go toe to toe with our Imp Stars and Dreadnoughts.” Mic said.

“With those Mon Calamari shields? For once, overwhelming numbers may prove to benefit us.” Aero said.

“Haven’t you guys always used overwhelming numbers?” asked Twilight.

“For the majority of the Empire, yes. But Phalanx Command never really needed overwhelming numbers. One Imp Star is enough to take out a Rebel flotilla. Two would be overkill unless the commanders are incompetent.” Shrap said.

“Which is almost always.” Kreel said.

Thrawn sighed.

“Unfortunately.”

They were silent as they all stared out the viewports.

“We’re coming out of hyperspace.” Niriz said.

Their view changed into real space, and to their surprise, debris everywhere.

“Shit. Brace!” Niriz yelled. The crew stumbled as the Admonitor rammed into debris.

“Alert all ships. Increase power to shields.” Thrawn said as he looked out the viewport.

“Those are pieces of Rebel ships.” Zuke said as they passed half of an MC80.

“They failed to notify where the debris was.” Niriz said as he gritted his teeth.

The group looked on as they got closer to Eriadu and the massive defence fleet guarding it.

“So that’s the Reaper eh?” Aero said.

“There’s more ships here than Scourge Squadron and Delvardus’ fleet combined. Hail the fleet.” Thrawn said.

Thrawn along with Niriz walked away towards the holoprojector. They waited a moment before the hologram of a young Captain appeared.

“Grand Admiral Thrawn. It’s good to see you sir. Welcome to Eriadu.”

“Identify yourself Captain.” Thrawn said.

“Captain Moden Canady of the Solicitude sir.”

“Who is your commander?”

“Admiral Garrick Versio sir. We were ordered to join your command. He’s groundside with Grand Moff Kaine sir.”

The hologram of Grand Admiral Grant appeared.

“I must say, what the hell’s going on?”

“Grand Admiral Grant sir. Orders from High Command. You are to escort Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax to the Black-15 Shipyard in the Koornacht Sector where he will transfer his flag to the Ravager and form his new squadron. From there sir, you are to help Grand Moff Weblin defend Black Sword Command and help speed up construction to 100% readiness.” Canady said.

Grand crossed his arms and looked at Thrawn.

“Your doing?”

“Teshik actually. Weblin said he fears a slave rebellion may come to reality and he needs help finding officers under his command who have been mistreating the workers. Escorting Rax though, was not our doing.”

“Of course it has to be Rax that bloody bootlicker.” Grant muttered. “I’ll see you groundside.”

Grant’s hologram fizzled out.

“You’re dismissed Captain.”

Canady saluted before his hologram disappeared as well.

“SCAR Squad, Miss Sparkle, Mr. Spike, you’re with me.”

10 Minutes Later

Thrawn walked down the ramp of his shuttle surrounded by SCAR Squad, Twilight, and Spike. Outside, their landing pad was surrounded by flora, with a single path leading to Kaine’s headquarters, a tall building rivaling the Governor’s palace.

“Beautiful place, except for the heavy pollution in the air.” Spike said looking at the sky.

“What a shame really. If the air has always looked polluted and depressing, no wonder Tarkin was always an asshole.” Mic said.

Zuke looked to his left and noticed the other shuttle where Grand Admiral Grant and his stormtroopers were greeted by another group of stormtroopers.

“Looks like our welcoming party was late.” Aero said.

Ahead of them, an Admiral wearing a white uniform walked towards them escorted by three troops in black specialized armor, and a group of stormtroopers.

The Admiral walked up to Thrawn and saluted.

“Greetings Grand Admiral Thrawn. I apologize for being late, but Captain Canady’s message arrived late. He told me his holoprojector was malfunctioning.”

“At ease Admiral Versio. There is nothing to be worried about.”

Thrawn noticed the three black armored soldiers.

“And who are they?”

Versio looked at the trio.

“These three are Inferno Squad sir. Special Forces Commandos. This is Commando Iden Versio,” He said pointing to the lone female. “Agent Gideon Hask, and Agent Del Meeko. You have nothing to worry about Grand Admiral, with them around, you will always be safe.”

“The Grand Admiral doesn’t need extra protection from three edgelords.” Cav said as he approached Iden and sized her up.

“I can kill you nine different ways.” Iden responded.

“I can do ten motherfucker.” Cav replied.

Mic stepped between the two.

“Both of you calm down. Go find a room someplace and get to know each other.” Mic looked at Cav. “So what size condom you need?”

Both Cav and Iden smacked Mic’s helmet.

Admiral Versio rose an eyebrow at the spectacle and looked at Thrawn.

“How much liberties do you give your troops Grand Admiral?”

“A lot, and in return, I expect the very best of them when needed.”

Hask leaned to whisper to Meeko.

“I think we hit the jackpot.”

Meeko chuckled.

The group began to walk down the path, with some of Thrawn’s party taking in the sights. Admiral Versio noticed to two oddities however.

“So who are they sir?”

“Two agents that work under me Admiral. You will find them...interesting. Do you know where Admiral Delvardus is? I must speak with him.”

“In fact, I do sir. He’s in the infirmary working.”

“Working in the infirmary?”

“He wouldn’t leave that woman’s side so he had his desk and essentials moved to her room.”

“Ah, true love. Brings a tear to my eyes.” Kreel said.

“You...read romance novels Sarge?” Aero asked.

“Romance novels? Nah Sarge here watches romantic movies, comics, hell he’s even got posters lying around. I think you’ve even gotten a special pillow hidden don’t you?” Zuke teased.

“I don’t.”

“Yeah, of course you don’t. Sergeant Kreel here is not Human. He doesn’t have a soft side.”

“Yeah I do. I just so happen to like fat, furry, animals to hug.”

Aero decided to butt in.

“You like fat, furry animals to hug...because you’re a fur-”

“NO!” The rest of SCAR Squad yelled at Aero.

Hask and Meeko allowed themselves a small laugh before they silenced themselves when they noticed Admiral Versio was glaring at them.

The regular Stormtroopers stopped at the entrance of the building where they stood at attention while Thrawn’s and Versio’s entourage walked passed them.

As they walked through the halls of Kaine’s headquarters, Thrawn noticed the lack of a lavish furniture and expensive decorations which is unusual for a Grand Moff.

“I see you’ve noticed.” Admiral Versio said. “Grand Moff Kaine is constantly visiting planets with Scourge Squadron and Admiral Delvardus is always either in the infirmary, or in his flagship.”

“I see. Hopefully, today changes.” Thrawn said.

“You have something that can heal her?” Versio asked.

“Miss Sparkle may have something that can heal here. I am here to see if it works.”

Versio glanced at the purple alicorn who was surrounded by SCAR Squad and Spike.

“Miss Sparkle is an alicorn, a sub-species of the Equestrian race. The lizard you speak of is her adopted brother Spike. His species call themselves Dragons. We haven’t really made up a name to classify his species as of yet.” Thrawn said.

“Does the Emperor know about them? Where did you find them exactly?”

“I already presented them to the Emperor and he instructed me to include them into my staff. We found them exiled on a jungle world in the Unknown Regions. I will forward you more information later.”

They finally found themselves in the infirmary. The group stood in front of a very wide window, of a room. Inside, a beautiful woman with blonde hair laid on the bed. She laid peacefully with a heart monitor next to her.

Next to the bed, an Imperial officer with brown unkempt hair worked furiously behind a desk. Multiple datapads and empty glasses littered his desk. A droid came by and laid a glass of coffee next to the officer.

Thrawn walked up to the Stormtroopers guarding the door to the room.

“When was the last time Admiral Delvardus slept?” He asked.

“The Admiral would stay up for days sir, drinking unhealthy amounts of caffeine and energy drinks to keep himself awake. He does pass out occasionally from lack of sleep, but he still wouldn’t listen to the doctors sir.” One of the stormtroopers said.

“Normally, Admiral Delvardus would be removed from command. Is Grand Moff Kaine actively helping Admiral Delvardus?”

“Yes sir. It was a secondary objective of the Grand Moff’s to find a way to wake up Seledra-Zin.”

“Hm, very well. Miss Sparkle, Mr. Spike. Come with me.”

The trio walked into the room.

Admiral Sander Delvardus looked up in shock. He stood up and quickly started throwing trash off his desk before trying vainly to straighten his uniform.

“Sir!” Delvardus said saluting Thrawn. Besides the unkempt hair, they noticed his uniform was a complete mess complete with a missing belt that laid on the floor.

“At ease Admiral. You’re not in trouble.” Thrawn said.

Delvardus instantly relaxed before he fell back into his chair.

“I’m...I’m sorry sir. I was just busy and-”

“It’s understandable. You have nothing to fear.”

“If I may ask sir. What are you doing here and who are they?” Delvardus said pointing at Twilight and Spike.

“These two are Miss Sparkle and Mr. Spike. Miss Sparkle may have something that can heal Seledra-Zin.”

Delvardus’ eyes switched its attention between the three quickly.

“You’re...you’re joking right? Please tell me you aren’t joking.”

“Fortunately sir, we’re not.” Twilight spoke up. “In my past, I have experience healing my friend’s head injuries and I’ve learned ways to help her should her head injuries become severe such as your mistress’ injury.”

Delvardus looked in shock before he rubbed his forehead.

“I suppose I have to turn myself in then? Attempted murder. I tried to kill her one day when we argued. She never rose her voice against me you know. She always loved me even when I was angry at her. Next, you’re going to tell me that I didn’t appreciate her love.”

“We will do no such thing and no, you will not be put under arrest. You will have an important in the oncoming future and I refuse to have someone with your resources and talents squandered in a prison.”

“I can work right away, but I’m gonna need total concentration. That means, I need everyone to leave. One mistake can have severe consequences.” Twilight said.

“What kind of consequences? Don’t you dare hurt her!” Delvardus said.

“Then leave and we won’t find out.”

“I will not leave her again!”

“Admiral Delvardus! Please, let Miss Sparkle do her work. You want her healed don’t you?” Thrawn asked.

Delvardus sighed.

“Fine, just give me a moment.”

Delvardus fixed his uniform and put on his belt. He came up to Seledra-Zin and pet her head.

“I’ll be back my love. I know you can hear me. Please stay strong.” Delvardus said as he started tearing up. He kissed her forehead and walked towards the door, his eyes not leaving his lover.

“Is there a way to close the windows?” Twilight said as she stood next to Seledra-Zin.

Thrawn wordlessly pressed a button on the wall which shut the windows from anyone looking in.

“Is that enough?” Thrawn asked.

“Yes, thank you sir. Can the um...droids leave as well?” Twilight asked eyeing the medical droids going around the room.

“Of course. Will all droids leave the room please?”

The droids then began shuffling out of the room.

“Anything else?”

“No, that will be all. Thank you sir.” Twilight said as she put a hand on the patient’s forehead.

Thrawn and Spike walked out of the room and shut the door. Spike stood in front of the door, blocking anyone from coming in. Everyone else stood by, idly chatting while Delvardus walked back and forth.

Inside, Twilight looked at Delvardus’ mistress. She was beautiful, the scars on her head where Delvardus struck were nearly invisible. Twilight recalled when she and Aero looked at a picture of a happy Delvardus and Seledra-Zin in a gala. Aero commented someone like her could easily be rich from being a model.

Twilight admired her. Aero was right, but this woman decided to follow her passion and worked to help people of all species as a refugee aid worker. The couple struggled as they became a target for the higher class. It was pretty unusual for someone in the higher class like Delvardus to be in love with a commoner like Seledra-Zin.

The former Princess took a deep breath.

“Alright, here we go.”

She closed her eyes as her left hand remained on the woman’s head. Her horn glowed brighter and brighter before there was a flash.

Grand Admiral Octavian Grant

Headquarters of Grand Moff Ardus Kaine, Eriadu, Seswenna Sector

“He’s ready to see you.” said a female assistant.

“Thank you ma’am.” Grant said as he strolled into Kaine’s office with the door shutting behind him.

Unlike the rest of the building, Kaine took the time to decorate his own office, with multiple art pieces, including those from his homeworld.

“Octy my old friend! Haven’t seen you in a while.” said a smiling Ardus Kaine as he stood up from his desk.

“Indeed, it’s been a while Ardus. How are things?” Octavian said as he shook Kaine’s hand.

“Honestly, I’m kind of liking it here. It would’ve been nearly impossible for me to gather such a following in the Inner Rim. I’m constantly getting thank you letters from children throughout my sector.”

“Well, you did help build schools, hospitals, orphanages, and you crime’s down thanks to you.”

“I guess. Just never imagined an Imperial to be receiving thank you letters in the Outer Rim of all places. Where are my manners. Please seat. Must’ve been a long journey for you.”

Grant took a seat in front of Kaine’s desk as the Grand Moff opened a bottle of wine.

“I heard about your battle at Halmed and Mandalore. People are going crazy about it. The Emperor seemed delighted, but there are rumors circulating that the Rebels are building dreadnoughts to tackle our own.” Kaine said as he filled a glass and giving it to Grant.

“Oh please, it was all Thrawn. I was merely there in a supporting role. Unfortunately, I heard those rumors too and I’m kind of worried as well. Those Mon Calamari are damn good in making shields.” Grant said downing the whole glass at once.

“I would love to get my hands on the Mon Calamari shipyards. Knowing the Emperor, he would give the damn thing to Ennix Devian.”

“Hmm, say Ardus, do you have any intentions of coming back to the Inner Rim?”

“Why should I? I love it here.”

“You told me you hated it the first time you came here.”

At that moment, a light blue Twi’lek in a white dress walked in holding a datapad.

“Hey Ardy? Some Imperial officer just came by looking for you.”

“Must be Rax. Thank you Sera. How are the kids?”

“I had to put them on timeout. They snuck into the kitchen again.” Sera said.

“Heheh, kids am I right?” Kaine said looking at Grant before looking back at Sera. “Sera, please relax for once. Why don’t you go to the spa or something with your husband. You’re not a slave anymore.”

“Old habits die hard. I’ll see you around Ardy.” Sera winked as she walked out.

Grant looked at Kaine with a small smile.

“Ardy?”

“Oh shut it. It’s a pet name my wife gave me. She told Sera and now Sera’s using it. There was a small incident where a reporter heard it and thought I was cheating on my wife.”

“Anyways, what do you think about the Emperor Ardus?”

“Eh, I thought he had good intentions and brought the galaxy together. As this war went on, I saw he became more obsessed with the military and letting incompetent fools gain high positions. I mean seriously, who promotes someone with no military experience like Isin-Il-Raz to Grand Admiral?”

“My thoughts exactly, and you heard Devian’s getting closer and closer to the Emperor?”

“I heard the same.”

“Envision this Ardus. Ardus Kaine, Grand Moff of the entire Outer Rim.”

Kaine was silent for a moment.

“I’m listening.”

“You see, myself and many others see the Emperor’s becoming mad. Doesn’t help that his health hasn’t gotten better. We want to remove all of the Imperials who are corrupted and turn the Empire into what it was suppose to be, a beacon of hope for the galaxy. And all that, it starts by keeping force users like the Jedi and the Sith from ever gaining a high positions. Too many have died from their endless feuds and this Civil War is no different.”

Grant put a datachip on Kaine’s desk.

“Read at your own leisure.”

Kaine looked at the datachip before storing it in his pocket.

“I don’t know how you’re going to get rid of the Emperor and I don’t want to hear it. But when the music stops, I’ll be obliged if Devian finds himself without a chair.”

Grant smiled.

“Talk to Teshik. You will learn more from him.”

The blast door opened and walking in was an Imperial officer with black hair and pale skin.

“Ah, there you are. I’ve been waiting to see you Grant.”

“Ever heard of knocking Rax?” Kaine said frowning.

“Oh please. Don’t be like that. I only came to see the man who will deliver me to my new squadron.”

“And?” Grant asked.

“You are exactly who I thought you would be. See ya.” Rax said turning around and walking out.

The two frowned as the doors closed.

“What in the world?” Grant said breaking the silence.

“Rax’s a spook. Best you keep an eye on him.”

“I see. Good thing we have the people necessary to counter him. One is in this planet.”

“Delvardus?”

“Well, more like he’s going to join.”

“I see. Well, I suppose you can go for lunch?”

“Yes please. Anywhere as far away from Rax would be fine.”

The two laughed as they got up to walk out of the office.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Outside Infirmary

Thrawn would be lying if he said he wasn’t frustrated.

He looked at his datapad given to him by Admiral Versio. Apparently, Admiral Versio’s fleet was commanded by the Emperor to join Thrawn’s command. Capital ship that should be going after the Rebels.

Fleet under Admiral Garrick Versio

Imperial Star Destroyer: Eviscerator, Solicitude, Warrior, Skyhook, Resolution, Red Gauntlet, Nihil, Malice, Immortal, Colosses, Badi Dea, Adarga

Allegiance-class Battlecruiser: Demoralizer, Apocalypse, Event Horizon

Secutor-class Star Destroyer: Thunder Child, Sunset Rider, Undying Loyalty, Vicious Cycle, Redeemer, Redemption

Raider-class Corvette: Corvus, Strange Man, Dark Entity, Reincarnation, Heartland

How many ships out there are named Corvus? Thrawn thought.

“Commander Versio was it? Did you name your ship the Corvus?” Thrawn asked the Inferno Squad Commander.

“Uh, no? It was already named the Corvus when we first got it.”

“Hm, they’re getting lazy naming these ships then.”

“Agh fuck you. I had a draw four!”

The two glanced at SCAR Squad who were playing a card game. A frustrated Mic broke away from the squad’s little circle and approached Thrawn.

“Sir, when is Twilight gonna be done?”

“I’m not sure. Best you ask Mr. Spike, he knows her more than I do.”

“She’s experimented on animals before, takes a while usually. Never tried it on a pony, or a Human in this case, so I’m not sure how long.” Spike said.

Delvardus meanwhile, kept muttering as he walked back and forth. Thrawn could barely make out what he was saying. Mostly how he was going to apologize to Seledra-Zin, how he promised to never lay a hand on her, how he was going to divorce his current wife, and marry her.

In his mind, Thrawn wondered why Delvardus took so long. It was no secret that both Delvardus and his wife weren’t faithful with each other. He heard Delvardus caught his wife have a relationship with multiple men which led Delvardus to look for mistresses. The then Captain Delvardus finally stopped when he met Seledra-Zin. Contact between Delvardus and his wife became absolute zero and many began to wonder when he would marry Seledra-Zin. Finally, it took one of them to be sent into the hospital for the other to finally gain the guts to ask the other’s hand in marriage.

Thrawn couldn’t help but smile. Many high-ranking Imperials knew how close the two were, and Delvardus’ staff would mention how he would always leave meetings in a rush to meet up with his lover. They all began to make bets if they would ever marry and who would be the best man. The Grand Admiral placed his bet on Grand Moff Ardus Kaine and it looks like he’ll win this one.

“Admiral Delvardus can you please just calm down?” Thrawn asked.

Delvardus ignored him and kept walking back and forth. The others eyed the Admiral who ignored the superior officer but Thrawn merely sighed and went back to his datapad.

Finally, the door to the infirmary burst opened and stumbling out, came a clearly tired Twilight. Spike grabbed her before she could fall.

Delvardus ran up to Twilight.

“Is she okay?”

Twilight gave a weak smile.

“Take a look.” She said.

Delvardus walked past Twilight and found a confused Seledra-Zin who looked around the room before her eyes laid on the Admiral.

“Sandy? Where am I?”

Tears flowed out of Delvardus’ eyes before he rushed his lover and gave her a hug.

“My love. I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.”

The others watched before they closed the doors to give the couple some privacy.

“So, you’ve achieved your objective sir? I don’t see what kind of benefit you have by doing this sir.” said Admiral Versio.

“Think none of it Admiral. I am merely doing this so Admiral Delvardus wouldn’t be so distracted anymore. Now, he can turn his full attention in fighting the Rebels. However, I still need to have a word with him to make sure he will perform his duties.” Thrawn said as he continued to stare at the door.

“Why not just ask him earlier?”

“He was not in the right state of mind. His attention was still on the status of Seledra-Zin’s health. I need him to focus.”

“Do you require my presence?”

“There will be no need Admiral Versio.” Thrawn turned to look at his new addition to his staff. “Return to your ship and take Inferno Squad with you. We’ll be taking our leave shortly.”

“Very well Grand Admiral.”

Versio motioned for Inferno Squad to follow him as he walked away. Thrawn looked at Twilight.

“Miss Sparkle, if you are exhausted, I believe it would be beneficial if you went back to the shuttle and take a rest.”

Twilight lifted her hand weakly in protest.

“But...but I need to see the library here. The wildlife. The city. There’s so much to learn.”

Thrawn looked at Spike.

“Mr. Spike? Would you please?”

Spike nodded.

“Sure.”

Spike swung Twilight over his shoulder and marched down the hallway.

“Hey, put me down!” Twilight protested.

“Damn, someone’s gotta make sure they don’t get lost.” said Shrap as he followed them.

Kreel walked up and stood next to Thrawn who was staring into the distance.

“I don’t trust Versio.”

“Which one?” Thrawn asked.

“Correction, I don’t trust neither Admiral Versio nor Inferno Squad. Loor did warn us about them.”

“You are correct. They cannot be trusted and pose a danger to our plans. I’ve read about each of them thanks to Loor.”

Thrawn looked at Kreel.

“Their weakness is Versio’s daughter. I want you to keep an eye on her. Report to me of any findings.”

“Will do. Should I alert Cipher to prepare Niruan for them?”

“Of course. I want them watched, and tell them to try to bug the Eviscerator and their Corvus. Also, tell them about that...droid Commander Versio is carrying around. They’ll know what to do.”

Kreel nodded.

“I’ll get right on to it.” Kreel said as he walked away to their shuttle.

The door of the infirmary opened and out came Admiral Delvardus. He stood in front of Thrawn and saluted him.

“I would like...to express my gratitude to you Grand Admiral, and that creature that came with you. I thought I would never get my dear back.”

Thrawn dismissed him.

“There is no need Admiral. Think of it as a token of goodwill. And the creature you speak of is Miss Sparkle, Twilight Sparkle. Is there...somewhere we may talk in private?”

Grand Admiral Octavian Grant

Eriadu, Seswenna Sector

ISD Oriflamme

4 Hours Later

“Didn’t think someone like you would be close to Thrawn.” said Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax as he stood next to Grant, watching Thrawn’s fleet jump into hyperspace.

“He’s actually a very friendly person, but he always has this...professional attitude. Not the kind of person you want to hang out with for fun, but the kind of ally everyone should want.” Grant said.

“Oh I disagree, a man like him always has something planned behind everyone’s backs.”

“You can literally say that about everyone.”

“Perhaps, but you know the punishment of acting against the Emperor’s wishes.”

“Or maybe you can stop licking boots for a sec and just relax.”

Rax glared at Grant.

“You dare insult me?”

“I dare. While you’re here, try to be less of an ass and just relax. Go read a book or something instead of looking at pictures of Emperor Palpatine.” Grant said as he began walking away.

“Using the Emperor’s name as an insult would be punishable by death you know.” Rax shouted out as he turned to look at the Grand Admiral.

“Honestly, I don’t care what you have to say boy. So please do shut up.” Grant shouted back.

Rax huffed in annoyance until Grant left the bridge.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

ISD Admonitor

En Route to Nirauan, Capital of the Empire of the Hand

Thrawn was more or less, happy. Now that Admiral Sander Delvardus is on board, they have a reliable intelligence network that can compete with Isard and her loyalists. The many field agents, Storm Commandos, and Shadow Troopers at his disposal would come in handy.

To top it all off, Delvardus knows the commander of the Novatroopers very well and Project Knight Hammer is in their hands.

Now they need to develop weapons specifically to counter force users so they can start making moves.

Admiral Versio and Inferno Squad may become a problem due to their ties with ISB, but they’ll be dealt with eventually.

Now, he needed to visit his favorite prisoner and one of two test subjects meant for Nirauan. Thrawn walked down an empty hallway leading to the bow of the ship until he came upon blast doors guarded by two squads of Storm Commandos and Death Troopers.

“How is he?” Thrawn asked a Storm Commando.

“Responsive and behaving so far.” She said.

“Good. I need to see him.”

“Yes sir.” The Storm Commando said before she opened the blast doors.

Thrawn walked into a large room, full of Ysalamiri, Storm Commandos, and Death Troopers walking around monitoring computers, or chatting.

In the middle of the room, protected by a ray shield, was a young man with long blue hair suspended in the air. He had some scars in his body and was only in his underwear.

The Grand Admiral stopped in front of the ray shield and cleared his throat.

Inside, the young man weakly opened his eyes and looked at the Chiss.

“What do you want?” He asked.

“My apologies for not checking on you earlier but I’ve been caught up in some things. I bring news for you. I’m sure you remember Mandalore?”

Lieutenant Ander Rendrake

ISD Vendetta

In orbit over Nirauan

The Comms Officer of the Vendetta stared out the viewport for what seemed like hours. He could never imagine the treasure trove he’s stumbled upon after the Vendetta was transferred to Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Command.

At the same time, he was worried. Thrawn had been busy, carving his own little Empire in the Unknown Regions. Massive fleets supplied by the Emperor with manpower and supplies delivered daily. As a bonus, they were taking advantage of the resources from the planets they discovered.

In short, they were ready to wage war and fight as long as they want to.

What worried Rendrake the most when he arrived were the Dreadnoughts being constructed and the many ships being modified. He’s also heard of ships being constructed underground in Nirauan and other planets, but he had no solid proof of it. Just rumors.

Thrawn is a well-known tactical genius, perhaps the best there is. He wondered what kind of modifications the Grand Admiral was giving to his ships, especially the massive Assertor-class Super Star Destroyer.

Having enough staring at the magnificent array of warships, Rendrake made a beeline to his room. He checked if there was anyone in the long empty hallway and was satisfied after finding nobody.

Once inside his room, he took out a transmitter from his drawer and turned it on, showing a hologram of a shackled fist.

“Alright, here we go for like the hundredth time. Han, can you hear me? This is Wyvern. Pick it up, come on. Where are you?”
> Just A Little Detour
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Canto Bight, Cantonica System, Corporate Sector, Outer Rim

ISB General Jahan Cross

Codename “Cipher”

“I still don’t trust Loor General.”

General Cross walked out of a stadium after watching a race with an ISB Lieutenant and their security which included a squad of Shadow Troopers.

“Why?” Cross asked putting hit cap back on.

“He just seems...untrustworthy. Especially how close he is with Isard.” The dark-skinned female Lieutenant said.

“You have nothing to worry about. Loor despises Isard just like me.”

“Was it because he was passed over promotion many times?”

“Yeah, you can say that.”

The group got on a speeder with a trooper on the wheels. They quickly sped down the street, nearly running over a drunk who wandered into the street.

“Should we be worried if Isard finds us here? And why do we need these Separatists anyway?” The Lieutenant asked.

“Isard knows I’m here and she knows I’m meeting the Seppys.”

“Wait, she knows? Kind of odd, thought Isard preferred killing them.”

“She does, but these orders came from the Emperor himself. He wants me to convince these Seppys to join us and halt their dealings with the Rebels.”

“I feel like there’s more to it.”

“Of course, Thrawn wants me to convince them to move all of their resources to his command where they will be allowed to sell legally to us instead of risking it all with shady business deals.”

“But why does Thrawn need them?”

“Build ships, make droids for his command, you name it. He plans to have his forces be a mixture of Humans, non-Humans, and droids. Something about using the best of all worlds.”

“Against the Rebellion? Makes me wonder why they would resist civilization.”

“There is no such thing...as civilized. We have always been a barbaric society. Everytime a planet comes close to becoming civilized, they are ruined by criminal organizations, the Republic, the Empire, the Rebels, or whoever is out there with a flag.” Cross said.

Their speeder stopped in front of a large building guarded by mercenaries. They marched through the front door, with the mercenaries giving them cautious looks.

“Remember, we may never become a civilized society, but we can try to reach as close as possible.” Cross said as he straightened his white uniform.

“Is this coming from the man who has sex with every woman he meets?” The LT asked smiling.

“For the record, you approached me first.” Cross said.

The LT smiled, letting out a small laugh.

“Make it quick and we can go for round 2.”

Cross smirked.

“I like to keep women waiting. It builds up anticipation.”

They came upon a large set of doors made out of gold.

“Showtime.” Cross said as he pushed the door open.

Inside, sitting on chairs around a large table, were a group of both Humans and non-Humans. All of them were the heads of corporations, former Senators, scientists, or surviving military officers from the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

“Ladies and gentleman, I have a proposition for all of you.”

Twilight Sparkle

ISD Admonitor, Corellia, Corellian Sector

Phalanx Command Operative

“Oh look lads, another fucking pit stop. For fucks sake can we just get to Nirauan? I wanna try out that new theme park.” said Aero.

“Shut it Aero. Thrawn said we won’t be here very long.” said Kreel.

Twilight glanced at the Grand Admiral who was talking to the hologram of Admiral Versio on the other end of the bridge before turning back to the viewport.

A massive Imperial fleet protected the world of Corellia, but in the center of it all was the Super Star Destroyer Aggressor and a weird looking ship known as a Torpedo Sphere.

“What’s so great about this planet anyway?” Spike asked.

“Well, from what I read, Corellia is very divided between Imperial and Rebellion support. It’s the birthplace of many Civil Rights Movements after the Empire’s rise, and many high-profile people came from this planet whether they’re Imperial, Rebel, or just criminals.” Twilight answered.

“A hotbed of crime.” Shrap said. “My advice is to keep your pockets secured whenever you’re down there.”

It was at that moment when Thrawn came up to them.

“SCAR Squad, on me.”

“Is there a reason why we’re here sir?” asked Zuke.

“It was a sudden change of plans. Grand Admirals Takel and Grunger wanted to meet me.”

“Is that all sir?” asked Kreel.

“I want you there as a protection detail, but also to keep an eye out for Inferno Squad. I have no doubt Admiral Versio will deploy them to spy on us.”

1 Hour Later

“How convenient, the Corvus just landed outside the HQ.” said Kreel.

The group walked down the hallways of the Imperial HQ on Corellia on the way to the meeting. Along the way, Imperial personnel saluted Thrawn, though some they noticed were sneering at the alien Grand Admiral.

“The disrespect…” said Aero.

“Leave them be. They will learn in time, but ignore them for now.” said Thrawn.

“Fine, just wanna let you know sir that we skipped out on lunch.”

“That’s why I came prepared.” said Zuke pointing to the large backpack he was carrying.

“Zuke, I love you.”

“No homo?”

“All the homo.”

“Please don’t. At least try to look professional out in public.” said Misty.

The group came upon blast doors that were guarded by both Stormtroopers and Imperial Army Troopers.

“Zuke, Mic, Aero, Twilight, and Spike, you will stand guard outside. The rest are with me.” Thrawn said.

They split apart accordingly with the guards saluting Thrawn as they passed.

“Who are these freaks?” One of the stormtroopers muttered the moment the blast door closed. “I thought we don’t let freaks join the military.”

“What’s wrong with that trooper?” Zuke growled.

The stormtrooper who had to look up at Zuke immediately backed off.

“Uh no-nothing.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Guard duty huh?” Aero said as he sat on the ground with Mic. “I haven’t been ordered to guard duty for a long time and it’s still boring as shit.”

“You trooper!” Mic said pointing at one of the Army Troopers. “Can you get us some snacks? I’m a little hungry.”

“Mic, I brought food.” Zuke deadpanned pointing at the bag he laid on the ground.

“Yeah but, I want some good Corellian food ya know? Haven’t been here for a while.”

“Maybe next time buddy. There’s still that amusement park to look forward to.” Aero chuckled as he patted Mic’s back.

Sergeant Kreel

Empire of the Hand Operative

Imperial HQ, Corellia

“Man I tell ya, one wrong move and ISB will be busting down these doors.” Cav whispered to Kreel, Misty, and Shrap.

“They can try, but one of those Deathtroopers will break their spines before they can cry for help.” Whispered Misty mentioning the Death Troopers, Shadow Troopers, and Storm Commandos.

The security detail in the room all stood guard, making sure nothing goes wrong. In the middle of the room, three Grand Admirals sat on a circular table, discussing plans.

“Just keep an eye out. I don’t like delays and I wanna bring the Thanrax pelts back to Niruan.” Kreel said.

“Gonna turn the pelts into a cloak?” Cav asked.

“And use their skulls as a second helmet yes. Gotta make sure we wipe out the Markono Clan before this war ends.”

“Get in line. I wanna burn that Tula bitch first.”

“Gotta train the Thanrax we’ve got first though.” said Shrap.

“Quiet, keep an eye out. I feel like we’re being watched.” Kreel said.

Their eyes scanned the room while listening to the three Grand Admirals.

“Admiral Kohrin has agreed to be placed under your command Miltin. Both of his fleets are combat ready, but he has two conditions.” said Thrawn.

“And they are?” asked Takel.

“For one, he gets to keep the Enforcer. His last request is the Enforcer be refitted with the latest weapons.”

“What kind of weapons?” asked Grunger.

“Lets just say my own people have designed some interesting weapons.”

“Very well. Just remember the danger of using droids Thrawn. Memories of the Separatists are still fresh in the mind of many.”

“Don’t worry. Their usage will be strictly in my domain.”

“Psst, hey Kreel.” whispered Shrap.

“Yeah?” asked Kreel.

“I feel like we’re being watched. Anyone else or are Sarge and I just going crazy?”

“Nah I got the feeling too.” said Misty.

“We should split up. Walk around see if there’s something fishy.” Cav suggested.

“Agreed. Get to it.” Kreel ordered.

Mic

Imperial HQ, Corellia

SCAR Squad Operative

“This is good. And you said it’s imitation meat?” Twilight asked happily as she munched on a sandwich.

“Eeyup. My sis was a vegetarian so I needed to learn how to cook veggie dishes whenever she dropped by.” Zuke said.

SCAR Squad outside of the meeting room were all eating food Zuke brought with him while the rest of the security detail glared at jealousy.

“So what kind of meat are you guys eating?” asked Spike.

“Thanrax. Nasty bunch of creatures I tell ya. We got marooned on this moon you see when our shuttle got jacked. All of us had to fight against a horde of these beasts.”

They all ate happily while a monitor on a wall was playing a news broadcast.

“In other news, scientists are baffled by the disappearance of a species known as Thanrax native to the moon Hubin.”

Twilight and Spike looked at Mic, Aero, and Zuke in shock.

“We may have gone overboard with it.” Aero said sheepishly.

“Don’t worry though, we did spare some pups. They’re at Niruan being taken care of. We plan to train them.” Mic reassured them.

“Hey Twilight, what’s that?” Spike pointed at something green sticking out of her sandwich.

“Oh, that’s kale. Found a few on the Admonitor. You like it?”

5 minutes later

Spike and Zuke stood waiting in front of a stall occupied by Twilight.

“Geez, didn’t know she couldn’t eat kale.” Zuke muttered.

“At least you’re wearing a helmet so you couldn’t smell her gas.” Spike said.

“You’re not bothered?”

“Not the first time she’s had stomach issues. I had to help her every single time. Not as bad as the first time, but not the kind of smell I’d wanna linger around with.”

The door to the stall was thrown open, showing an annoyed Twilight clutching her stomach.

“Um, sorry about that Twi.” said Zuke scratching the back of his head.

Twilight sighed.

“It’s okay, you didn’t know. Can I go back to the Admonitor?”

“I mean I guess. Want me to bring you guys back to the shuttle?”

“No it’s okay. I know how to get there.” Twilight said as she hobbled out of the restroom.

“Guess I gotta go with her.” Spike said.

“Yeah you go ahead. Let me know if there’s any problems alright?”

Spike nodded before following Twilight.

15 Minutes Later

When the two arrived back at the shuttle, the pilots at first didn’t let them in without confirmation. It took several minutes before they received the go ahead from Zuke, Captain Niriz, and Admiral Versio. After that, they had to wait several minutes until Air Traffic Control gave them clearance.

“Are you okay?” asked Spike as he strapped himself in.

Twilight shook her head.

“I just...need some rest. My stomach still doesn’t feel good.”

“You should go check in the med bay just in case.”

“Chariot 1, you are cleared for takeoff for Papa Beacon.”

“Copy that Corellia Control.” One of the pilots said.

The two non-Humans felt the shuttle takeoff slowly before it jerked forward as it sped up.

They sat in silence thinking of their plans once they got back before they heard the pilots yell.

“The fu-, someone’s locked in on us!”

“Missile detected!” The computer blared.

“Missile! Ten o’clock. Bank right!”

Twilight and Spike held each other for dear life as the shuttle desperately banked right. There was a loud boom as sparks flew everywhere.

“Corellia Control this is Chariot 1, we’ve been hit. Losing altitude. Going down five clicks from HQ.”

“Copy that Chariot 1. First responders have been notified and are on the way.”

“TERRAIN PULL UP! TERRAIN PULL UP!”

“Brace brace brace!” One of the pilots yelled.

Spike leaned toward Twilight and pulled her closer to protect her. Twilight meanwhile conjured a spell to form a shield around the shuttle.

However, she was not fast enough as the shield only covered the two before the shuttle hit the ground.

Their bodies jerked as the shuttle slid on the ground. The straps were the only things that kept them from flying, but multiple equipments were thrown everywhere.

Spike unfortunately was hit on the head by a large crate, knocking him out. Twilight meanwhile didn’t know what happened to her. She felt the back of her head hit her chair hard before something flew and nailed her right on the head knocking her into unconsciousness.

When she came to, her vision was completely blurred but the shuttle at least was still. All of a sudden, she could make out what appears to be several people entering the shuttle.

“Are you sure this is the right shuttle? I don’t see the Grand Admiral anywhere.” One of them said.

“Something must’ve happened, change of plans maybe?”

“Who the heck are these two?”

“Don’t know but they look important. Take them.”

“I thought Imperials don’t allow aliens in the military.”

“Which is why we should take them to find out what’s going on.”

“What about the pilots?”

“Both are dead.”

Twilight’s hand twitched before she rubbed her eyes.

“One’s a breather!”

“Sedate her!”

The alicorn flinched as she felt a sharp pain on her neck before she fell back to unconsciousness.

Misty

Imperial HQ, Corellia

SCAR Squad Operative

Moments earlier

“-and as for Kuat, it will be secured by either Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik, or General Cassio Tagge. I will contact the both of them later. Remember, this is only in the event the Emperor has died. We must secure all Dreadnoughts in case any Admirals go rogue in which, I have no doubt there will be. Pitta, Tigellinus, Il Raz, and Declann cannot be trusted and we must be ready if Isard does anything rash or Blackhole returns.” said Grunger. “Operation Darkfire must succeed if enacted, or the Empire will fall.”

The three Grand Admirals knew they were either being watched, or someone in their security detail might slip so they carefully chose their words to pretend they were planning at the Emperor’s behest.

“I agree. We cannot afford any mistakes. Be careful for the slaves as well, they may end up doing more damage than the Rebels themselves.” said Thrawn.

Kreel, Misty, Cav, and Shrap meanwhile were circling the room, making sure nobody was watching. The Death Troopers and the Storm Commandos all stood still, but they scanned the room as well.

As Kreel passed a Storm Commando, the Commando tapped Kreel’s shoulder.

“What?” Kreel asked.

The Commando pointed at a ventilation shaft high up on the wall of the room.

“Has anyone checked there yet?” The Commando asked.

Kreel wordlessly flew up to the shaft and opened it for inspection. Satisfied there was nothing there, he flew down to the floor.

“All’s cleared so far.” He said.

“Is there something wrong Sergeant?” asked Takel.

“Just making sure sir. Call it a gut feeling, I think we’re being watched.”

“You’re not the only one.” said Thrawn.

Misty however, noticed a shaft at the bottom of the wall used by Mouse Droids to travel through the facility.

“Anybody checked that shaft?” Misty announced as he approached it.

He kneeled down and to his surprise, he found a Mouse Droid.

“Shit!”

Misty reached in to grab the droid but the droid drove away and out of his reach.

“Droid got away! Alert security now!” Misty yelled.

The security personnel got closer to secure the Grand Admirals before alarms blared throughout the HQ.

“That alarm’s gotta be for something else.” said Grunger.

“Crystal Actual, we have an Alpha 1 Security Breach. Alert all personnel to apprehend all Mouse Droids within Sector 7A.” Said a Storm Commando.

“Affirmative Diamond 1. Be advised, Shuttle Delta 1 has been downed by insurgent fire in the city. Some security teams have been diverted to secure the crash site.”

Thrawn stood up right away.

“That’s my shuttle! Who authorized it to take off?”

“Sir, Shuttle Delta 1 was authorized to take two members of Task Force 99 back to the Admonitor due to a medical emergency. Admiral Versio and Captain Niriz authorized it.”

“Who was on the shuttle?”

“This is Zuke! I’m at the crash site. Both pilots are dead but they’re gone!”

“Who’s gone?” asked Thrawn.

“Twilight and Spike! They’re gone!”

Commander Iden Versio

Raider-class Corvette Corvus, Imperial HQ, Corellia

Commander of Inferno Squad

“Well I don’t believe that alarm was meant for the droid.” muttered Hask.

The three members of Inferno Squad huddled around a screen aboard the Corvus showing the camera feed from the Mouse Droid.

“He’s right. No way could their reaction time be that fast.” said Del Meeko.

They watched as the Mouse Droid navigated through the many personnel who ran to their stations after the alarm went off. A few times, the droid was accidentally kicked, sending it spinning.

“This is making my head hurt.” Meeko said. “Why couldn’t we use ID10?”

“Because ID10 is too valuable. Imagine what would happen if they caught ID10 and extracted all information?” said Iden.

“But we’re all on the same side though.”

“That’s what we need to find out. I feel like they’re planning something behind the Emperor’s back.” said Gideon.

“Well lets be honest here, everyone has plans behind the Emperor’s back.”

“Quiet! Droid’s getting closer.” Iden ordered.

Inferno Squad returned to the screen which showed the droid getting closer to the Corvus.

“Come on you blasted droid.” Gideon said.

Without warning, the screen went dark.

“What just happened?” Del Meeko asked.

“I don’t know.” Iden said as she pushed some buttons to try to get the screen working again.

Meanwhile, Gideon Hask walked over to the viewport to see what happened. Outside, he saw an officer yelling at the pilots of an AT-ST where the pieces of a familiar droid laid next to it.

“AT-ST stepped on the droid dammit.”

“Can you get it?” asked Iden.

“Well I got nothing better to do anyway.”

Hask put on his helmet and walked out, leaving Del Meeko and Iden by themselves.

“I don’t trust them.” Iden said.

Del Meeko looked at her with a questionable look on his face.

“Who, the Grand Admirals?”

“All of the Grand Admirals except for Tigellinus, Declann, Il Raz, Pitta, Syn, and Makati have been in constant contact with each other, more so after Zaarin’s coup. They were also pretty close with General Gentis too.”

“Maybe it’s because they’re worried about the Emperor’s safety?”

“Then why didn’t they counsel the others then?”

“Well,” Del Meeko started before taking a seat. “Tigellinus did turn the elite against Thrawn, Declann doesn’t have any experience in fleet battles, Il Raz never served, and Pitta is downright disgusting. Syn and Makati however, I have no idea.”

“You think they’re planning their own coup?” Iden asked taking a seat as well.

“After Zaarin’s coup, who knows? It looks like every officer either have their eyes on each other, or looking at the throne.”

“The Emperor was almost killed in what, three attempts? Anybody would be emboldened. Every coup was used with minimal forces. Imagine if six Grand Admirals with a large chunk of the military commanded by them and their allies were to launch a coup. They’re all tactical geniuses by their own right with some of the best officers under them. Coupled with Batch’s ingenuity, I don’t think this is a coup the Empire could survive.”

“The Emperor’s Empire.”

Iden looked at Del Meeko, suspicion on her face.

“Excuse me?”

“None of them see to intend on joining the Rebels, maybe they just want political change?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve been listening to the Solidarity propaganda.” Iden said rolling her eyes.

“I don’t know what’s going on anymore Iden. Can you promise me something?”

Iden could see the fear in his eyes before smiling and taking his hand in comfort.

“You’re afraid aren’t you? You’re afraid of fighting for nothing.”

“I don’t want to end up fighting for the wrong thing, to sacrifice so much in vain.”

“We ARE fighting on the right side. Trust me, you’ll see.”

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Imperial HQ, Corellia

Head of the Empire of the Hand, Warlord of the Galactic Empire

The three Grand Admirals now stood in the command room, overlooking a hologram of the planet along with the positions of every Imperial unit and the ship entering and leaving the planet.

“If we were to halt all traffic, it would severely hurt Corellia’s economy. Not to mention, it would bring too much attention. Just how important are they?” Grunger asked.

“Important enough for the Emperor to value as an important asset. We need them alive Josef.” Thrawn said crossing his arms.

“But still, halting traffic would hurt the economy here and scouring the planet for them would be time consuming.” Takel said.

“We don’t have to scour the planet, there is a tracking beacon implanted into their armor. I’m just waiting for Captain Niriz to home in their location.”

An Imperial officer came up behind Thrawn and whispered into his ear. Thrawn’s eyes narrowed and the two Grand Admirals thought his eyes brightened a little.

“It appears I am needed on the Admonitor. Josef, Miltin, get everything ready as well. I believe we should be expecting something major sometime soon.”

Grunger nodded.

“Very well. Take care Thrawn.”

Thrawn wordlessly walked out of the command room with his security detail. A few Imperials still frowned at Thrawn but nobody, even the most racist, could deny the tactical brilliance of the Emperor’s favorite strategist.

15 Minutes Later

ISD Admonitor

In orbit over Corellia

“Oh boy are they gonna pay. I’ll fucking skin them all if they touch them. I’ll cut them up, send them to their families and-”

“For fucks sake Mic will you calm down for a sec?”

SCAR Squad were all gathered around a table with their equipment on it while Mic continued to circle them, muttering to himself. Zuke tried to calm Mic down but was ignored.

“No point. He’ll just ignore you.” said Aero.

“So what happens now?” asked Misty.

Kreel checked his blaster before setting it down on the table.

“We wait for Captain Niriz to get a precise location. He says they’re in hyperspace.”

“Makes me worried though. What if the Rebels kill them?” asked Aero.

“Unlikely. Rebel leadership like to imprison Imperials in hopes they’ll join them, but Twi and Spike are gonna be a special case.” answered Misty.

“Would bring more unnecessary attention to the Grand Admiral though.” said Shrap. “All it takes is one scout ship and the Rebels will turn their attention to us.”

They all stopped what they were doing when they noticed Niriz and Thrawn walk into their room.

“Did you find them sir?” asked Kreel.

Niriz nodded.

“We homed in on their location.”

Taanab, Inner Rim

1 Day Later

When the fleet appeared at Taanab, they were met with a Terrestrial planet devoid of almost any traffic despite being on a major hyperspace lane.

“Sweep the system. They’re still here. I want all ships identified.” Thrawn ordered. The crew of the Admonitor got to work with the rest of the fleet moving into a loose formation.

“This is deep in Imperial territory. Rebel’s got guts.” said Niriz.

“With General Madine in consideration, it shouldn’t be surprising. What I did not expect was for Madine to send people to try and kidnap me.”

“But what they got instead was a very important asset. Think Miss Sparkle will tell them about her people and try to talk the Rebels down?”

“She will and it’ll shake their leadership, but I doubt it’ll be enough to give up. They’ve come this far, why stop now?”

“Sir!”

Thrawn and Niriz turned to an officer manning a computer.

“We’ve detected one ship on the other side of the moon. Identified as the cargo freighter Freedom’s Prayer originating from Corellia.”

Thrawn nodded.

“Good, alert all Interdictors to activate their gravity well generators and alert the Grey Wolf, Corvus, and Strange Man to intercept.”

“Yes sir!”

The two officers turned back to the viewport with Niriz letting out a sigh.

“You know, what are the chances we only find their armor?” Niriz asked.

“I’d like to think they’re aboard.”

“And if they’re not?”

“Then we keep looking. Leave no stone unturned.”

General Crix Madine

CR90 Corvette Speed Runner

Head of Rebel Intelligence

En Route to Lola Sayu

Madine stared at the two creatures with a frown. They were suspended in the air with a mask attached to their faces. Non-lethal gases kept them sleeping for which Madine was glad, the lizard-like creature looked like he could break his spine no problem.

At first, he was disappointed that they couldn’t nab Grand Admiral Thrawn, but now he was intrigued by the newcomers.

“Imperial armor, non-Human, and using a shuttle without any escorts with them. Since when did the Empire recruit aliens?” Madine muttered to himself.

“Well...there is Thrawn.”

Madine turned his head to a male officer who was monitoring the heart beats of their prisoners on a computer.

“He’s a special case. But it confuses me how a new species would fight for the Empire.”

“Wasn’t the mission to capture Thrawn?”

“It was and we only got more questions.” Madine said turning back to his prisoners. “Maybe the Empire found their species and subjugated them? Pressed their people into service? Wouldn’t make sense though since the Empire would’ve enslaved them instead. Maybe Thrawn thinks they’re a special case?”

The officer rose an eyebrow as he listened to the General mutter to himself.

Madine shook his head before rubbing his temple.

“Things were much more simpler before I defected.”

“Well now you’re here.”

“Now I’m here, in a position I would never imagine. Being led by people who are struggling in the propaganda war and various Jedi always stopping us from doing operations that risk civilian casualties. Always fighting commanders with questionable methods.”

“At least the Jedi didn’t have to deal with Saw Gerrera.”

Madine smiled.

“Guess the Empire actually did something right don’t you agree?”

1 Day Later

Thrawn stood in front of a mirror in his bathroom. His face soaking wet and wearing only his underpants, the Chiss has been staring at his face for the past several minutes.

Failure is something he’s already accustomed to. No, what he was worried about is what the Jedi would do to Twilight and Spike.

He didn’t show it unlike the rest of SCAR Squad, but Thrawn became fond of them. Thrawn was amused with Twilight’s eagerness to read every book in his library in Niruan, and Spike’s almost childlike innocence when it comes to more romantic things.

The dragon was big, but he was still quite a child mentally. Perhaps it was Twilight’s own doing, not letting him read anything mature. He almost scoffed at that idea considering the dragon has killed before.

He thought that Twilight was being ridiculous, and it didn’t stop some members of SCAR Squad showing Spike some of the more mature areas of the holonet.

They were like children, and Thrawn and Niriz were their guardians. When it came to training, they were always serious and followed Thrawn’s teachings by the book.

Spike was a titan, able to take on multiple enemies and win. His tail and ability to breath flames gave him an edge over most species. However, his marksmanship was average at best and his tactical mindset was lacking.

Twilight meanwhile was proficient in military tactics, and could very well end up being better than other Imperial commanders should he decide to teach her once they reach Nirauan. She was also a better strategist and a better marksman, but her physical attributes was something to be desired. Her punches, while fast, lacked the strength to take on a seasoned opponent.

They were vital to prepare them for the oncoming onslaught and if his suspicions were correct, she could very well rally survivors of her rebellion to help them in the fight. Maybe even help mend a relationship between the Chiss and the Empire with help from Eli Vanto.

The Emperor would be displeased. He would be furious, possibly execute him. Or worse, he’ll send him back to the Academy. The shame- Thrawn stopped himself, his eyes widening. Where did that come from? Oh right, Twilight. Reminded of how I was when I was little.

A small smile appeared on Thrawn’s face before it reverted back to a frown.

No more delays. We act now and get them back.

He heard his communicator near the sink bleep.

“Thrawn here.” He said after pushing a button.

“Sir, we’ve interrogated the prisoners. You may wanna hear this.”

Twilight Sparkle

Citadel Station, Lola Sayu, Belderone Sector

SCAR Squad Operative

“Ugh my head.”

Twilight moaned as she regained consciousness. She felt a pillow under her bed and a very uncomfortable bed under her.

“Twilight?”

Twilight looked to her left to find Spike laying on a bed across from her. He wore an orange jumpsuit and after looking at herself, she found she was wearing one herself.

“We gotta stop waking up like this Twi.” said Spike as he sat up.

They looked around their room. Between their beds was a toilet and a sink. The metallic walls were purely black and the only exit was blocked off by a ray shield.

Spike walked up to the shield to look around. Their cell was part of a panopticon with one tower in the middle of it. Four walkways connected their level with the tower. He backed off as two Rebel Prison Troopers walked past their cell.

“Hey the fresh fish are awake!” Spike heard a prisoner from across the panopticon yelled.

“They can’t be Imperial. Since when did we allow aliens?”

“Big boy looks like he can break some skulls.”

“Hey big guy, lets bash some Rebels skulls once we’re out eh?”

“These guys must be working under Thrawn right?”

“Thrawn’s coming here?”

“They’re one of us now right?”

“Fresh fish! Fresh fish Fresh fish!”

Spike watched in wonder as the many prisoners chanted in unison. He noticed they were all Human and considering how the guards were Rebels, the prisoners must be Imperial POWs.

Twilight walked up next to Spike and put a hand on his shoulder. They watched as a group of guards escorting a Rebel officer walked down the walkway and towards them.

“What in all that is holy going on here?” The Officer yelled.

The panopticon fell into silence before the group stopped in front of Twilight’s and Spike’s cell.

“Well look who’s awake. What’s a bunch of rejects like you working for the Empire?”

Spike and Twilight said nothing, but the dragon’s eyes narrowed.

“Tough guy huh?” The Officer said. “Open the cell.”

The Officer took out a stun baton while the other guards looked at each other with uncertainty.

“Warden sir, do you really think that’s unwise? General Kota ordered them to not be harmed.” One of the guards said.

“Kota’s not here. Open the damn cell.” The Warden snarled.

The guarded hesitated before nodding. He turned to the tower and radioed them to open the cell. Everywhere in the panopticon, guards and prisoners alike, held their breaths as they watched the ray shield disappear.

“This is for Mandalore.” The Warden said. He swung his baton, but his hand was caught by Spike’s claws.

Steam came out of Spike’s mouth and nostrils. The guards pointed their blasters at Spike ordering him to drop the Warden.

“Want him?” Spike said addressing the guards lifting the shocked Warden. “Go get him.”

Spike threw the Warden out of the cell. The Warden let out a scream as he flew over the railing. To Spike’s and Twilight’s amazement, the Warden’s body stopped mid air.

“What is the meaning of this?” They all heard someone yell.

Everyone froze as a booming voice echoed through the panopticon.

The Warden slowly floated back to the front of the cell and was let down gently. Spike and Twilight backed off as they watched the Warden nervously stand in attention in front of someone out of their view.

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop abusing the prisoners?” A male voice said.

“M-many times sir.” The Warden said.

“Then why do you keep doing it? Why do you constantly stoop to the level of the Imperials?”

The Warden was silent as he began to sweat nervously.

“Out, all of you.”

Nobody moved.

“I said now!”

The Wardens and the guards scrambled and went the other way. Spike and Twilight moved back to the wall and held their breaths, waiting for their visitor.

Walking into their cells was a group of five, four men and one woman.

“I must apologize for the actions of the Warden. He will be disciplined.” The man in front of the group said with a smile.

“Should’ve gotten rid of him Kota.” One of the men in the back said as he leaned on the wall.

Kota shook his head at the man and turned back to the two prisoners.

“Where are my manners. My name’s Rahm Kota, the officer in the back is General Madine, the boy in black is Commander Skywalker, the girl next to him is General Organa, and the man leaning on the wall is-”

“General Quinlan Vos, at your service.” The man said waving his hand.

The irritated Kota let out a sigh.

“Must you interrupt me every time I’m doing introductions?”

Vos cracked a smile.

“Always Kota, til my last dying breath.”

Kota rolled his eyes and turned back to Twilight and Spike.

“May I have your names please?”

Twilight and Spike only stood in silence.

“You’re a fool to think they’ll cozy up with you Kota.” said Madine.

“Heh, I agree with the Imp.” Vos said which caused Madine to scowl.

“Well at least I’m trying Crix, after your agents screwed up the mission.”

“You were after Thrawn weren’t you?”

Everyone looked at Twilight.

“That’s why we’re here, not because you wanted to capture us, but because you got the wrong target.”

Madine nodded.

“I can tell she’s smart. And you’re right, we wanted Thrawn. However, I’m more intrigued. Why would the Empire recruit non-Humans?”

“Because the Empire didn’t recruit us, Thrawn did just as he did to many others.” Spike said.

“Thrawn did?” asked Leia.

“If you haven’t heard, the Imperial military is divided on their views on reforms. Many want the end of the Human High Culture, mostly those from the Mid-Rim, Outer Rim, or those who grew up around non-Humans. The rest are from the Inner Rim, mostly from rich families.” Twilight said.

“So Thrawn’s and the other’s views are more aligned with the Rebellion?” Leia asked crossing her arms.

“To an extent.” Twilight shrugged. “But they recognized the dangers of a total regime change so it’s more like pushing these views while preserving the Empire.”

“But in order for actual change, the galaxy needs to be rid of the Empire.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed.

“To bring back the highly corrupted Republic? I read your history, and going back is not the solution. You’re advocating for rapid change, demilitarization, but you don’t know what’s coming the moment you topple the Empire.”

The group stiffened as they heard Twilight’s words.

“What’s coming? Is there a danger we’re not aware of?” Kota asked.

“We came from another empire, a coalition of species that believe in Magia Regnum, a belief that every species that cannot wield magic are inferior and must be wiped out.” Spike said.

“Where?” Madine asked.

“Beyond your known galaxy. We were part of the rebellion that wiped out the Extermination forces and set back further invasion plans. The both of us were captured and were exiled for years before Thrawn rescued us. Between those years, they’ve been building armadas, raising armies to invade the known galaxy. We’ve heard of your Rebellion, but we chose to side with the Empire not just because we owe Grand Admiral Thrawn a debt, but because the Empire’s industrial strength severely outmatches yours.”

The cell fell into silence.

“Can I speak with you outside Kota?” Madine said. The two walked outside and started whispering.

“Sounds like an outrageous story, but I’ve heard of crazier things. What do you think?” Madine whispered leaning on the wall and crossing his arms.

“I agree. As fantastical as it sounds, Mothma and the others need to know.” Kota said looking at the ground.

“You sound oddly calm when she said magic.”

“I’ve dealt my fair share with the witches of Dathomir.”

“But if what she says is true…”

“Then we may need the assistance of the witches. I’m willing to strike a deal with them.”

“Not necessarily, we just gotta learn their tactics and be prepared.”

“And they can help us.” Kota said looking at Madine.

“They’re with the Empire Kota. As much as I hate to admit, but she’s right, the Empire does outclass us in industrial strength.”

“We can convince them.”

“With what Kota?” Madine said walking up to Kota. “We open up one factory and show it to them? Politicians are too busy with propaganda that they forgot that we don’t need to raid Imperial convoys and bases for weapons and parts. Every time I put forth a plan, it gets shot down for being too ‘radical’, too ‘Empire-like’, and we ‘needed to win the hearts and minds’. Our New Republic won’t last a damn century.”

“Trust the force my friend. We will find a way.”

Madine rolled his eyes.

“Oh here we go with this Force crap. You Jedi always say that. Sometimes, I regret leaving the Empire and Karreio behind.”

“You would allow the Sith to rule the galaxy? The Jedi Order fought for freedom, for peace General.”

“And look where that got you lot.”

“So you’re saying you would prefer living under Sith rule?”

“No, I’m saying maybe you blasted force users should stop fucking up this galaxy.” Madine muttered.

Kota watched in disappointment as the brilliant tactician General Crix Madine walked away, once again questioning his loyalties.

“Wish Ahsoka was here.” Kota said.

He heard his communicator bleep and took it out.

“Kota here.”

“Sir, Admiral Ackbar has called for a meeting. Your presence along with General Organa, General Vos, General Madine, and Commander Skywalker are required.”

Kota sighed.

“Very well, we’re on our way.”

2 Hours Later

Spike tossed and turned on his bed. His grunts echoed in the cell as he tried to find a way to feel comfortable.

“Spike can you stop that?” Twilight asked. She was leaning on the wall near the ray shield, using the wall to block the tower’s view on her head.

“Sorry Twi, these beds are so uncomfortable.” Spike groaned.

Twilight rolled her eyes before closing them to concentrate.

“What are you doing Twi?” asked Spike.

“Trying to locate what’s emitting the ray shield in the wall.” Twilight said.

“You can do that?”

“More like an experiment. I studied the works of Clover the Clever and Starswirl the Bearded. They tried various spells to try and use magic through solid objects, kind of like an invisible extra hand. Unfortunately it never got past the experimentation stage and nopony tried it after that.”

Spike sat up.

“But even if you disable the shield, we still need to get through the guards.”

“Let me work on that, but I need to test the spell first. Be quiet please? I need to concentrate.”

Spike groaned in boredom before he walked up to the shield to look outside. He could see many of the Imperial prisoners doing various things like exercising, communicating through hand signals, talking to prisoners in cells next to each other, while guards patrolled and he could see two guards in the tower playing Dejarik.

He scratched his chin at thought. Usually the towers in a standard panopticon can open the cells and no doubt they can control the walkways as well. They would have to be quick though to avoid alerting reinforcements and from what he’s read about jedi, they wouldn’t last long.

“Got it!” Twilight said with excitement.

The dragon looked at his sister.

“You found it?”

“Yeah I fo-ohhhh”

Twilight leaned on the wall and held her head. Spike immediately went up to her to see what was wrong.

“What’s wrong?” Spike asked with worry.

The alicorn shook her head.

“Don’t worry. I-I just need to rest a little. Utilizing that spell too long drained me. Luckily I know what to do now.”

Twilight walked over to a bed and crashed down on it.

“Twi?”

“Let me rest a little Spike, then we can plan okay?” Twilight said before quickly falling asleep.

Spike let out a huff before going back to analyzing the panopticon and its occupants. He noticed several of them had their eyes scanning the room, no doubt making plans of escape.

1 Hour Later

Jedi Master Rahm Kota

Senior Rebel Commander, Commander of the 2nd Army

Kota let out a frustrated sigh as he looked over the map of the galaxy along with several senior commanders via hologram along with those with him.

The situation for the Rebel Alliance was not good. Losing Mandalore and a few senior commanders have emboldened the Imperials. Forces under Grand Moffs Zsinj and Ardus Kaine have launched counter-offensives to regain territory they lost in their sectors. 

A fleet under Grand Admiral Rufaan Tigellinus destroyed one of their fleets and is laying siege to Keskin.

One of their ears, Dexter Jettster, was said to have met an ISB Field Agent and soon after, he left aboard a freighter that wasn’t on the registry for an unknown destination. One of their agents heard Dex was seriously considering leaving the war behind and rebuilding his life and there was talk that Dex was actually the one who approached the ISB Field Agent.

The few times Kota met Dex was nothing but business. However, he felt Dex was becoming increasingly wary of the war. Dex was anything but a traitor, but that just left more questions about their whereabouts.

Before his disappearance, Dex was tasked with finding the whereabouts of Grand Admiral Martio Batch and his stealth program. The multiple convoys harassed by Imperial Stealth Fighters have put Commanders on edge.

“The situation is not good my friends. We need to hold back the Imperial Offensive until we can start deploying the Star Defenders and the Nebulas.” said General Walex Blissex.

“We will get hold them back Walex. Have faith. I suggest attacking at another front to force them divert their fleets.” said General Hera Syndulla.

“Faith? Faith isn’t enough young Syndulla.” said Admiral Gial Ackbar. “Your father clearly talked and opening another front will serve nothing. The Imperials have plenty of fleets and armies to fight everywhere at once. No, what we need is to knock out their best commanders.”

Hera frowned.

“Like who then?”

“Well, for starters, there’s Grand Admiral Thrawn.” answered General Duron Veertag. “You know, the one your friends failed to take out?”

“Do not underestimate Thrawn Duron.” Hera said angrily. “If I had to choose a commander to lead my fleets and armies, I would pick Thrawn over all of you every single time.”

“Calm yourself Hera.” said General Vanden Willard. “We’re not here to antagonize you.”

“It’s just that you and some of your crew have bragged about taking out Thrawn so imagine our surprise and annoyance that not only did he come back, but with more forces.” said Admiral Adar Tallon.

“And now because of him, we lost experienced officers and ships that will take awhile to replace.” scoffed General Airen Cracken.

“With the new ships, we’ll be able to push the Imperials all the way back to the Inner Rim.” muttered Noirah Na, a Jedi Padawan.

“Oh great, she talks. You’re not even supposed to be here.” Veertag said rolling his eyes. “I’d prefer if General Dass Jennir was here.”

“I am just as capable and you know it! Master Jennir was busy and left me to attend this meeting on his stead.” Na shouted.

“And if I know Master Jennir well, he ordered you to be silent and learn by listening did he not?” questioned Kota.

Na bit her lip in silence.

“Just as I thought. Master Hudorra was wise to tell you to leave the war and the Order behind. Ever since you defied Kai’s wishes, you joined us and once again, you’ve painted a target on your back.”

“Master please, you need all the jedi you can get.” Na pleaded.

The Rebel commanders watched on uncomfortably as many of them were unfamiliar with the way of the jedi.

“Na, you’re angry and you’re scared. Please, listen to Master Kota and Master Jennir.” said Ahsoka as she tried to comfort the padawan.

“We need you to calm yourself Padawan Na. Being angry won’t help you whatsoever.” Kota said.

“Well…” Quinlan Vos said looking away.

“Shut it Vos.” Kota whispered to him.

“Fine, just saying sometimes being angry does have pros as long as you can control it.”

“Oh I wholeheartedly agree. I like this jedi. Can he join me?” asked Veertag.

“We can talk about it later. What other news is there?” Leia said breaking her silence as Luke looked on.

“Actually, I did receive some info from a worker at Kuat.” said General Madine who was on his datapad the whole time. “I believe Walex, you are familiar with an engineer named Ansel Hsiao? Goes by the name Fractalsponge sometimes.”

Na snorted in amusement but quickly wiped her smile away seeing nobody else was amused.

“Yes I do.” General Blissex said. “He was one of my assistants. Very smart man and extremely gifted. What about him?”

“Well, the worker said he no longer works at Kuat. Curiously, he apparently works for Thrawn now.”

Blissex froze.

“Why would a Grand Admiral need an engineer like him?” asked Kota.

“Nobody can deny Thrawn’s talent as a commanding officer, but if he has someone like Hsiao working for him? We need to tread carefully. Most likely, they’re building something.” Blissex said.

“How dangerous?” asked Ackbar.

“Given enough funding and time, probably more dangerous than me. He can design ships, starfighters, and ground vehicles like nothing. Man is a workaholic. Give him a week and he’ll have a design ready. A month, and he’s already had the first starfighter or ground vehicle prototype. A quarter of a capital ship as well. How long has he worked for Thrawn?” asked Blissex.

“He left Kuat...eleven years before Yavin.” Madine said his eyes widening.

Blissex was notably sweating.

“If he’s been working for Thrawn all this time, then he could’ve built an entire fleet for him by then. Ahsoka, Crix, can we have agents find the whereabouts of Thrawn’s bases? This is top priority and I’m very much afraid that we don’t even know where they are.”

Ahsoka nodded.

“That can be arranged. I highly suspect Grand Admiral Thrawn commands one of Palpatine’s secret fleets. Just like how he had secret fleets until they showed up during the Battle of Coruscant.”

The following hours consisted of them discussing battle plans with the Jedi continuously arguing back and forth about possible civilian casualties and how Imperial prisoners are to be treated. Unknown to the other commanders, General Veertag received multiple calls from Mon Mothma, but he simply ignored them wishing to not involve a politician with their battle plans when they already had to deal with the jedi.

Meanwhile, Madine was sitting back using his datapad. Assistants walked back and forth replacing the cups of coffee the General emptied consistently. He went through reports sent by his agents and sent orders to a select few to focus on finding the locations of Thrawn’s bases.

The reports intrigued him. A steady flow of ships carrying slaves and supplies were being sent to unknown locations. Their routes zigzagged throughout the map of the galaxy, with no consistent routes. Along with the number of senior officers and the many personnel missing from known bases, Madine was worried at the power Grand Admiral Thrawn had in his hand.

This isn’t normal. Not even the other Grand Admirals had this amount of power at their disposal. The location of his bases is vital. Madine thought. Where is his damn location?

Madine smacked his datapad as he saw the reports of the Admonitor’s location were buffering the whole time.

Of course the blasted beacon is malfunctioning.

He smacked it several more times and smiled when he saw the reports started piling in before drinking from another cup of coffee.

Madine’s eyes widened before he spat out his coffee spraying the holotable.

“What’s going on?” asked Vos as the others looked at him in confusion. The General ignored him before he started barking orders at the personnel in the room.

“Sound the alarm! Alert the fleet to recall all patrols now!” Madine yelled.

“Crix, what’s going on?” asked Kota.

Madine looked at Kota.

“I just got a report. Thrawn, his fleet is coming here!”
> Every Journey Begins with a Single Step
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emperor Sheev Palpatine

Emperor’s Personal Office

Imperial Palace, Imperial Center

Director Ysanne Isard was known to be cold-hearted and fearless. No one, not even her father scared her. Only one person in all of the galaxy could make her feel those emotions and he sat in front of her, going through various documents on multiple datapads like she never existed.

Isard shifted nervously, watching the Emperor sign or dismiss documents sent to him. This went on for several minutes before he acknowledged her presence.

“You wish to speak to me?” Palpatine asked without even looking up.

The woman took a deep breath before answering.

“It’s about Thrawn.”

Palpatine signed off another document before looking up.

“What about him?”

“His Command, he’s created a his own little Empire and I’m afraid he would use it to fight us.”

The Emperor’s mouth curled into a smile.

“You’re not worried my lord?”

“Of course not child, I did approve of it after all.”

Isard blinked in confusion.

“But why my lord?”

“An experiment both of us wanted to conduct. We wanted to see what kind of society would be more effective and it’s a way for us to hide any important assets from anyone who pokes their noses in places it shouldn’t be. Now? It serves as a first line of defense against outside enemies.”

“But my lord, Grand Admiral Thrawn is dangerous.”

“It’s better to keep someone as dangerous as him satisfied and on my side.”

Isard let out a frustrated sigh which made Palpatine raise an eyebrow and his smile disappeared.

“You wish for me to rid of my most valuable commander? Don’t try to act as if I didn’t know you cooperated with Tigellinus.”

“I thought Lord Vader was your most valued commander.”

“I wish he was, but he still has a lot to learn as do you my child.”

“Like what?” Isard asked tilting her head a little.

“For one, not wasting the Empire’s investments.”

Isard was silent for a second before she responded.

“You mean the officer corps?”

“Every officer we lose, especially those of high-rank, is a loss of investment. He’s taken steps to restrain himself.”

“But he killed Captain Needa.”

“Yet he’s spared Admiral Piett. It’s a small step, but at least he’s finally learning the benefits of not executing officers out right, which your agents haven’t realized yet.”

Palpatine went back to his documents in silence. After about a minute, he saw Isard hasn’t budged.

“You’re still here.” He said looking up.

“Thrawn’s been meeting many high-ranking officers lately including many in the ISB. Even General Cross has stopped listening to me. I fear he’s manipulating them against me and several others in the chain of command.”

“Good, I wish you were able to control your own officers and manipulate others like he can.”

Isard’s mouth froze in open shock.

“But my lord-”

“I don’t trust you because you’re a woman like what some say, I don’t trust you because you’re not as smart as you think you are. You’ve discredit many officers in the past, but Thrawn’s been able to beat you in your own game while managing his own Empire and fighting a war. I’m very tempted in making him my heir believe it or not.”

“You-you would prefer Thrawn over me?” Isard stuttered.

Palpatine leaned forward.

“I would trade you and every high-ranking officer for Thrawn. He gives me results and solutions. You on the other hand gave me nothing but piles of dead bodies and no results.”

“But I have given you results…”

“Small, but nothing substantial. My biggest regret after Yavin was I didn’t recall Colonel Yuleran when I had the chance. I didn’t listen to Lord Vader about how capable Yuleran was and now I’m stuck with a bunch of children too busy trying to oust each other than doing their jobs.”

“If Thrawn was to betray you…”

“Even so, you’re a fool if you think you’ll be the one doing it. My child, every time you think you’ve got something on him, he’s already ten steps ahead of you.”

Isard tapped the table several times nervously.

“So you would deal with him if he does?”

The Emperor was silent as he pondered those words.

“I will.”





Grand Admiral Thrawn

En Route to Lola Sayu, Belderone Sector

ISD Admonitor

“Exiting hyperspace in five seconds.”

Thrawn and Niriz stood side by side as the fleet exited hyperspace. Five Allegiance-class Battlecruisers, twenty-three Imperial Star Destroyers, three Victory-class Star Destroyers, three Immobilizer 418-class Interdictors, two Strike-class Medium Cruisers, six Secutor-class Star Destroyers, and five Raider-class Corvettes challenged the Rebel fleet protecting Lola Sayu.

What surprised Thrawn however, was the size of the Rebel fleet which consisted of eight MC80 Command Cruisers, eighteen MC80 Star Cruisers, fourteen Dauntless-class Heavy Cruisers, and numerous Nebulons, CR90s, and Quasars.

“Somebody’s important here no doubt. No way would the Rebels commit this large of a force to protect a single prison.” Niriz commented.

“Indeed.” Thrawn said, but then he noticed the Shield Gate on the planet was activated and was being guarded by some Rebel ships. “And they knew we were coming.”

Niriz looked at Thrawn.

“You think the spy on the Vendetta notified them?”

“Unlikely, nobody at Niruan knows we’re here, at least not yet.”

“Then what alerted them?”

“As of right now Dagon, I don’t know. Right now we have two prisoners to free.”

Niriz nodded.

The two approached the holotable where the holograms of the fleet’s commanders awaited them.

“Have all fighters stay within range of the fleet as we advance. Skyhook, Resolution, and Nihil will stay with the Interdictors. Everyone else will advance until we are just outside the range of their turbolasers.” Thrawn ordered. “We need to punch a hole in their lines, big enough for some ships to slip through and take out the shield gate. Admiral Versio, I am assigning you to punch through their lines. You will take your ship along with the Event Horizon, Wolf’s Claw, Liquidator, Conviction, Warrior, Emperor’s Will, Iron Fist, Daring, Ebolo, Thunder Child, Corvus, and Strange Man through the asteroid field and destroy that shield gate.”

“Sir, I must inform you that the Shield Gate is and incredibly hard target to destroy and we may be wasting time before Rebel reinforcements arrive.” said Admiral Versio.

“I agree Admiral, that is why the next step is crucial so listen very carefully.” informed Thrawn.





Twilight Sparkle

Citadel Station, Lola Sayu

Prisoner of the Rebel Alliance

“This is it.” Twilight said to herself. She flapped her wings a little so it wouldn’t feel so stiff when she uses it. Outside, the guards seem to be on high alert for reasons unknown to them. However, some prisoners noticed the newcomers were on to something and word spread through hand signals. They eyed Twilight’s and Spike’s cells but inconspicuously to not attract the attention of the guards.

Twilight starting breathing faster to psych herself up before she put her hand on the wall. Near him, Spike stretched a little waiting for the signal.

A light glow emitted from Twilight’s horn while a purplish, almost transparent mass of energy surrounded her hand before it disappeared into the wall. Inside the wall, the energy weaved through the many wires inside the wall until it stopped at a box directly above the entrance to their cell. It was connected to the projectors via cables, Twilight deduced the box powered the ray shield. All of a sudden, the energy shot into the box, causing it to short circuit.

Immediately, Twilight’s eyes shot open.

“Now!” She said.

The ray shield disappeared, immediately grabbing the attention of several prisoners and the guards in the tower where one of their computers sent out an alert.

On que, Spike grabbed Twilight with one hand and ran out. Using the momentum, he threw Twilight towards the tower. Her wings opened up, gliding her towards the windows of the tower. Conjuring a spell, she fired a beam of energy shattering the window and blasting the guard closest to it away.

Landing gracefully, she sprang into action against the remaining two surprised guards. Twilight pounced on the guard on the left who was getting out of his chair. Her horn pierced through the guard’s neck causing blood to leak out onto her head. The other guard fumbled trying to take out his blaster pistol. Grabbing the dead guard’s blaster from his holster, she turned around and fired twice into the guard’s chest.

Outside, Spike fell back into their cell when some guards fired on him.

“Guard tower! Shoot the prisoner in the tower!” One of the guards yelled. The rest complied and started firing at Twilight.

Twilight ducked behind the computers as a hail of blaster bolts sailed over her head. Her right hand searched through the many buttons, trying to find one that does something. She stopped when she felt her hand on a giant button.

“Here goes.” Twilight said as she pressed it.

As one, every single cell opened up. The guards stopped firing as they processed was going on. Roars filled the air as the furious Imperial prisoners rushed out and attacked the confused guards. Many were thrown over while the rest were ganged up and beaten to death by the prisoners.

Spike meanwhile grabbed a guard closest to him and chucked him into the air. He grabbed another from behind and threw him on the guard. Using his immense weight, Spike jumped into the air and landed his feet on the poor guard’s head causing blood, flesh, and brain matter flying everywhere.

“My brothers and sisters!”

The dragon looked at a red headed Imperial next to his cell lifting a blaster into the air.

“This is our time! Raise hell on these Rebel scums!”

Around the panopticon, other prisoners roared in approval lifting blasters taken from dead guards into the air.

“You all know what to do! Go before they can react!”

The other prisoners scrambled in teams, exiting the Panopticon to wreak havoc on other parts of the prison.

Twilight jogged up to Spike and hugged him after the guards were dealt with.

“Good throw Spike.” Twilight said.

“Ahem.”

The two looked at the red head prisoner who was looking at them with a smirk.

“Thanks for getting us out. We planned for an escape in two days but we won’t get another chance like this eh?”

He offered his hand at the two.

“Major Sil Sorannan, 6th Sector Army, probably heard it as Black Sword Command.”

Twilight shook his hand.

“I’m Agent Twilight Sparkle, the dragon behind me is my little brother Spike. Phalanx Command.”

The Major’s eyes widened.

“Phalanx Command? You mean Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Command?”

“The one and only.” Spike said.

“We’ll explain later.” Twilight commented. “I think we need to get out of here first before we exchange stories.”

Sorannan nodded.

“Fine.” The three began to walk out before he stopped in his tracks. “Wait, little brother?”





Grand Admiral Thrawn

Over Lola Sayu

Imperial forces continued to advance with the Rebel ships holding their positions. However, Rebel starfighters were noticeably forming up ahead of their fleet.

“Typical.” Thrawn said looking at the holotable. “All fighter wings, stick with your home ships. Prioritize the Y-Wings only.”

The squadron commanders complied and they began circling their ships. Just as Thrawn expected, all of the Rebel starfighters started heading towards the Imperial fleet, splitting into groups.

TIE Fighters and TIE Interceptors moved to intercept the Rebel starfighters. To the confusion of the X-Wing and A-Wing pilots, the Imperials completely ignored them and flew past them. Not even bothering to fire at them even though the Rebels took down a few of them. That was when the Rebel Commanders came to a sudden realization when the Imperials started swatting the Y-Wings that were behind them.

“Take out the Y-Wings and their X-Wings won’t be enough to make a difference.” Niriz said.

Quite easily, entire Y-Wing squadrons were disappearing from the holotable while the X-Wings and A-Wings continued on their path.

“Hmmm, it appears they have placed much confidence in their X-Wings.” muttered Thrawn.

Without the Y-Wings, the other Rebel starfighters continued their path and leaving their comrades to be slaughtered.

The larger Imperial capital ships put up harrowing fire, but they were almost useless against the nimble fighters. However, the Rebels soon ran into a problem rarely seen in most engagements against Imperial fleets.

Imperial Escort ships moved in to intercept them. Small in number they may be, they can cause significant casualties on the Rebel Squadrons. Rebel pilots silently thanked the force there were no Lancers among the Imperial fleet.

“And into the mouth of the dragon.” Niriz said with a smile.

To the horror of the Rebel pilots, Concussion missiles were launched from the Victorys and Raiders en masse and headed straight to them. Imperial commanders silently cheered when they saw the missiles forced the Rebels to panic. They immediately broke formation, but many of the missiles started to track them.

Explosions dotted the space before the Imperial fleet as many of the Concussion Missiles found their mark, blowing Rebel fighters into space debris. The ones that didn’t hit their targets, were still able to detonate near Rebel fighter. Enough at least, to scramble their sensors and damage them enough to force them to retreat. In order for them to retreat, they would have to go through the Imperial fighters who were still busy picking off the Y-Wings.

Turbolasers from the Imperial ships continued firing away at the fighters who were down to half their number due to the Concussion missiles.

“Brace!” Thrawn yelled. Crew members held on to something as three X-Wings made a run for the Bridge tower. Proton torpedoes struck the bridge tower, causing the ship to shake and making some of the crew to fall to the floor.

“Damage report!” Niriz yelled.

“Minimal damage sir!” An officer yelled. “Shield down to 90%. I’m receiving reports sir that the Solicitude is down to 40% on their shields and have taken serious hull damage.”

“Tell Captain Canady to pull his ship back.” Thrawn ordered. “Let’s give them something to worry about. All Squadron leaders, engage the Rebel ships. Prioritize their turbolasers, hangers, and engines.”

After mopping up the Y-Wings, TIE Bomber wings flew out of the hangers to join the fighters on the attack. By this time, both fleets were already in range of their turbolasers and started exchanging fire.

Seeing their fleet was being engaged with no fighter cover, the remaining X-Wings and A-Wings broke off from engaging the Imperial fleet to protect their ships.





Captain Turr Phennir

Over Lola Sayu

181st Imperial Fighter Wing

“Shit.”

Phennir maneuvered out of the way as a CR90 in front of him exploded, courtesy of a salvo from the Event Horizon.

Besides him, four other Interceptors from Omega Squadron flew alongside him.

“Omega Squadron, lets take out that Quasar.” He said referring to the Quasar that lost its shield in front of them.

“Copy that sir.”

The five Interceptors approached the almost defenceless Quasar Fire. Its two light turbolaser batteries fire at them though all went wide against the nimble Interceptors.

“Smoke them.” Phennir said.

Once they were in range, the group of five unleashed a hail of laser fire. Green laser bolts dotted and punctured holes into the holes of the unfortunate Quasar. The ship, no longer able to sustain anymore damage, started breaking apart before an explosion sent fiery debris in all directions.

“Ha, scratch one flattop!” one of the pilots celebrated.

“Shit!” A group of five X-Wings flew past the debris of the Quasar, making a beeline towards them.

“Evasive Maneuvers!” Phennir ordered.

The two groups managed to fire short bursts at each other as they past.

“I’ve got this blue fucker!” Phennir said as turned around and had his eyes set on the middle X-Wing, presumably the squadron leader.

The X-Wing pilot, seeing they had an Interceptor behind him and her comrades were busy engaging the other Interceptors banked right towards a Dauntless-class Heavy Cruiser.

Phennir fired short bursts, but the pilot in front of him was experienced. He kept her X-Wing moving, denying her chaser a clear shot.

He then noticed where he was leading him.

“Clever girl.”

Laser batteries from the Cruiser fired at him and forced Phennir to dodge and weave. Phennir fired his cannons whenever the X-Wing was right in front of him. He saw the Dauntless’ shield flicker out before explosions raked the hull.

The Rebel pilot hugged the hull of the Dauntless with Phennir giving chase.

“Come on.” Phennir said, sweat trailing down his face.

Finally, one of his laser bolts struck the rear of the X-Wing. Fire belched from its rear.

“Yes!” He cheered.

It was short-lived however when one of the turbolaser batteries from an ISD struck the hull of the Dauntless right in front of Phennir. The explosion threw his Interceptor off his flight path. Warning sounds filled his cockpit with a few sparks spewing.

“Blast.”

From the corner of his vision, he saw the X-Wing he wounded flying into the hanger of the Dauntless as the ship was taking fire from a combination of Admiral Versio’s task force and TIE Bomber squadrons. There was a huge explosion in the rear of the Dauntless followed by TIE Fighter squadrons strafing the hull of the Cruiser, taking out its turbolaser batteries.

Seeing he would do no good in a damaged Interceptor, he radioed the Admonitor.

“Admonitor Actual, this Omega Lead. Requesting an emergency landing. I need another Interceptor prepped and ready for me.”

“Copy that Omega Lead. Hanger crew have been notified.”





Twilight Sparkle

The Citadel, Lola Sayu

“Where’s Spike?”

Twilight yelled as she crouched near a doorway with Major Sil Sorannan as the prisoners exchanged fire from the retreating guards using stolen blasters.

“How did we lose a giant purple lizard!?” Sil yelled.

“No idea. What’s so important about him?” asked another prisoner.

Down the hallway, two Rebel guards continued to fire their blasters to slow the prisoners down. Behind them, the blast doors of an armory laid behind them. The klaxon blared throughout the prison as more and more prisoners escaped from their cells.

All of a sudden, a crate flew from outside of their vision and smashed into the head of one of the guards. The other one, caught completely off guard, was then riddled with blaster bolts from the prisoners who took advantage of the distraction.

Walking into the hallway from the left, Spike strolled in holding a tub of ice cream.

“Spike?” Twilight said as the group approached him.

“Hey Twi.” Spike said. “Look, I found ice cream!”

“Well at least you’re here now big buy.” Sil said. He then dragged one of the bodies to the blast doors. The Major took the right hand of the dead guard and put it on a touch screen besides the door. There was a beep before the doors opened.

Inside, a multitude of blasters lined the walls. Riot Shields hung from racks alongside batons and electrostaffs. On the table in the back, there was a Z-6 Rotary Blaster Cannon, clean and polished.

“I call dibs!” Spike said as he rushed for the cannon. The others made haste as well, taking weapons of their own choice.

Twilight however, walked around as other scrambled for weapons. She stopped behind Sil who was fishing through a crate for stun and ion grenades.

“So what’s the plan of escape?” She asked.

Without looking behind, Sil answered her question.

“There’s a pad outside of the prison full of transports we can take. Mostly U-Wings. We already have groups spreading out all over the prison to disable or capture the air defenses. From there, we can fly out and head towards the nearest Imperial outpost.”

“But do we know what defenses they have in orbit?” Twilight asked.

Sil bit his lip.

“Unfortunately, nobody knows what’s up there. If we can take the command room, perhaps we’ll find out. For now though, all of us here would rather die trying to escape than rotting in the cells and forced to build for the Rebels.”

Twilight was hesitant with the plan, but didn’t say anything since she couldn’t think of a better idea. These prisoners know the prison more than she does.

Her eyes then laid on a box, obscured in the corner of the room. Nobody seemed to bother with it as there was a lock with a keypad. Once she got closer, Twilight can feel some kind of energy emitting from it which intrigued her.

“Screw this.” She said. Using her magic, she blasted the keypad and blowing the lid open. Others jumped from the loud noise and watched her.

“The hell was that?” A female prisoner asked.

Twilight was shocked by what she found. Inside the crate, an elegant sword laid inside. The blade was purple and luminescent. Its hilt was a very dark black. Not as much as vantablack, but still very dark.

Something urged her to pick it up, but another voice inside of her told her not to.

“What did you find Twi?” asked Spike who was revving up his cannon.

Wordlessly, she picked up the sword. It was light, super light. As long as a lightsaber and probably just as deadly.

“Child.”

Her vision started to darken and she felt woozy.

“Twilight?” Spike asked worryingly.

Before she knew it, Twilight blacked out.





Inside Twilight’s mind

Everything was blurry. Twilight scrambled to her feet as her vision began to clear. Her jaw dropped, as she found herself in her library from back home.

Back in her palace in Equestria.

“What an interesting home you live in.” said a masculine voice.

The alicorn turned around. On the other side of the room reading a book was a male figure. He wore dark robes and a hood that obscured his face. Next to him was a woman, wearing dark robes as well. However, she could see the lower part of her head. Pale skin, black lips, and gray hair.

“I was hoping for a force user, but I guess you’ll do. Better than that thunderhead Warden that found the sword.” said the man.

“She’ll do fine. There is much anger in her. She seeks vengeance against those that wronged her and many others.” said the woman.

“Come now Traya. I thought you agreed not to make another Sith.”

“I don’t intend to, but this anger could be very useful. And it’s Kreia, how many times do I have to remind you?”

“No, you’re still Traya to me.”

“Maybe this time you’ll help me do something Vectivus. Watching the barbaric deeds of this Celestial Alliance has become tiring.” said Traya.

“Sorry, but watching them get humiliated by the Chiss was so satisfying.” responded Vectivus.

“Who are you?” asked Twilight causing the two mysterious figures to quiet down.

“That’s not important right now.” Vectivus said. He closed the book Twilight noticed was titled ‘Pony Sutra’.

“You need to wake up child. Get out of that prison and return to your friends. We will watch you carefully.” Traya answered.

“But how do I wake up?” Twilight asked.

Vectivus calmly stood up with Pony Sutra. He approached her silently until he was directly in front of her. Twilight looked up to his face which still could not see for some reason.

Then, he bonked her on the head with the book.





Back to reality

“What’s wrong with her?” Sil asked as he kneeled down next to Twilight who was unconscious on the floor.

“No idea what this is all about.” Spike muttered. He began to poke her face. “Wake up Twi.”

He was met with silence while the other prisoners continued stocking up on weapons.

“Hey we better hurry up.” A dark-skinned prisoner said. “We gotta move before one of the Jedi get here.”

Spike nodded and moved to pick up Twilight, when her head shot up.

“AHHHH!” She screamed before she held her head in pain.

“Twilight? Are you okay?” Spike asked.

“Ugh, he hit me on the head.” Twilight said clutching her head.

“Who hit you on the head?” Sil asked.

Twilight froze before she looked at the sword inside the box.

“The sword.” she muttered. Twilight got up and started walking towards it. She lifted up the sword and laid it on her hands to inspect it. Others saw it as well and watched in awe.

“‘Tis beautiful.” One of the prisoners said.

“I agree, but what’s so important about it.” Sil asked.

The alicorn shook her head.

“I don’t know, but it’s certainly something worth investigating later on.”





Admiral Garrick Versio

ISD Eviscerator

Task Force Versio

Over Lola Sayu

“Sir! The Warrior has taken massive hull damage and have lost the majority of their heavy turbolasers!” An officer yelled.

“Alert the Warrior.” Versio ordered. “Order them to pull back and contact the Emperor’s Will to cover their retreat. Request the Punisher to take the Warrior’s place.”

He stood in front of the holotable just as Thrawn was doing in the Admonitor. He could see red dots on the Warrior indicating the damage.

Gonna be on drydock for a while. Versio thought.

“Sir! Grand Admiral Thrawn has complied with your request and has assigned the Punisher under your command.” Another officer yelled.

“Good.”

Versio was instantly alerted when he noticed an MC80 was heading towards the Eviscerator. He saw the Rebel warship was already damaged after battling the Star Destroyer Warrior.

“I want all batteries to concentrate all firepower on that MC80!” Versio yelled.

Instantly, every turbolaser battery on the Eviscerator started pouring fire on the MC80. In return, the Rebel warship did the same, but at a noticeably less volume than the unscathed Star Destroyer.

The ship rumbled as it was hit on the port side.

“What was that?” Versio muttered.

He looked to see on the hologram that a burning Dauntless was concentrating fire on the Eviscerator as it was being bombarded by the Event Horizon.

Trying to take down a flagship I see. The Admiral thought.

“Shields holding at 65%!” An officer yelled.

The MC80 got closer and closer. As it did, both intensified their firepower. However, the MC80 with an already almost depleted shield, was taking massive hull damage. Fires were started from stem to stern, turbolaser batteries were being knocked out one by one, and two huge explosions rocked the mighty ship as the Eviscerator hit critical components.

Versio gripped the holotable while the ship continued to rock. The Rebels were giving their all, for which he somewhat admired.

“Shield down to 30%!” An ensign yelled.

A violent explosion rocked the ship. Versio almost fell due to the intensity of the explosion, but other crew members were taken by surprise and fell to the cold, hard floor.

“Sitrep!” He yelled.

The hologram of the Eviscerator was enlarged on the holotable.

“We lost all of our heavy turbolaser batteries off the Starboard Quarter!”

On the holotable, the hologram of Captain Niriz appeared.

“Admiral Versio. Is everything alright sir? We’re seeing a massive fire off your Starboard Quarter.”

“We’re fine.” Versio responded. “Rebels destroyed our heavy turbolaser batteries there but we’re still functioning.”

“The Grand Admiral is asking if you want to retreat your ship.”

“Negative.” He looked at the holotable where the MC80 they dueled was heavily damaged and dead in space. The Liquidator and the Event Horizon were approaching it while the rest of his Task Force were mopping up survivors. Elsewhere, the rest of the Imperial fleet were in a stalemate with the Rebel fleet. “We’ve nearly broken through. Just keep the rest of the Rebel fleet busy.”

Niriz nodded.

“Will do. Niriz out.”

“Sir, a Rebel patrol fleet just jumped out of hyperspace. Bearing 280. One Dauntless and 5 CR90s.” One of the officers yelled.

We’re running out of time. He thought.





Jedi Master Rahm Kota

Jedi Council Member

Commander of the 2nd Alliance Army

Citadel Prison, Lola Sayu

“Not one step back!”

Kota blocked a blaster bolt from a prisoner away into the wall before beheading him. Behind him, a team of Rebel Commandos led by Clone Trooper BL-1707 also known as “Able”. Behind them, Luke Skywalker used his lightsaber to redirect shots away from General Leia Organa who was firing at the prisoners in return with a blaster pistol.

There were three prisoners left, firing one last effort to take down some of the Alliance’s most important commanders.

“Enough!” Kota yelled.

He sent a massive force push that sent the final three prisoners flying. They landed hard on the floor, letting out sickening cracks. Finally things died down for them to gather their breaths.

“Didn’t know they were this organized.” Able said walking up to Kota who deactivated his lightsaber.

“That only means they’ve been planning this for a while. Even I was not expecting this.” Kota took out a portable holoprojector. “Shield Gate’s still up, but for how long I have no clue. Our fleet up there is outnumbered.”

“So there’s no way to contact reinforcements?” Leia asked walking up to the Jedi Master.

“We can’t, but likely our fleet has and Madine’s alert during the meeting should be enough of a message. Hopefully Master T’ra Saa or Master K’Kruhk can help us, but I believe General Syndulla’s fleet is the closest.”

“Master Yoda?” asked Leia.

“Master Yoda used to attend the meetings via holoprojector, but he refuses to fight any longer and hasn’t shown up lately.” explained Luke. “Likely, Master Corwin Shelvay will replace him.”

They began walking down the corridor cautiously in case any of the prisoners were playing dead or any ambushes up ahead.

“And Master Marek?” The Alderannian princess asked.

Kota bit his lip.

“He was never a Master despite his skills General. Galen refuses to be involved in this war any longer and we shall respect his request.”

“We should also have a chat with the Warden after this. I don’t believe there’s enough guards here to contain this many prisoners.” Leia said looking at a dead female prisoner, presumably an Imperial officer. “By the way, the Warden showed me this sword he found in the black market. It was purple, and he said it was made of Songsteel.”

That moment, Kota and Luke stopped and held their heads.

“I sense...darkness.” Luke said.

“A dark presence.” Kota said. “No, two of them. Impossible!”

Kota’s eyes were wide in shock. He took out a holoprojector and contacted Master Vos. Immediately, it showed a hologram of Vos busy deflecting blaster bolts.

“Vos! Did you feel that?” asked Kota.

“I felt that. Don’t know who they are, but they’re definitely ancient and it’s close.” Vos responded. “I’ll investigate as soon as possible.”





The Galaxy

All over the galaxy, force users of all types held their heads. Many Jedi were deeply disturbed and were instantly on alert.

The legendary Jedi Master Yoda sat on the roots of a tree, a frown on his face.

“Vectivus.” He muttered.

In Coruscant, Darth Sidious was going through even more datapads. Annoyance evident on his face as he found more and more ridiculous requests from politicians and Grand Moffs. All of a sudden, he held his head.

Sidious swiveled his chair to face the window. He had a snarl on his face.

“Impossible!”

On an unknown snow planet, Darth Vader found himself surrounded by Rebel soldiers who ordered him to surrender.

The disturbance caused him to hold his helmet for a second when he heard the Rebels demanding his surrender once again.

Annoyed, Vader ignited his lightsaber and dashed forwards towards a surprised Rebel soldier.

Deep in the Unknown Regions on the forgotten planet of Zakuul, the shimmering force ghost of an old man stood on a mountain, watching over a city in the distance. His facial hair and his white armor would be instantly recognizable to those who studied ancient history.

There was not a frown, but a smirk on his face the moment he felt a disturbance in the force.

“I knew it.” The man said.





Captain Turr Phennir

Over Lola Sayu

181st Imperial Fighter Wing

Phennir glanced as the last targeted Rebel capital ship was disabled. The turbolasers of the Dauntless were destroyed by fighter squadrons while the engines were destroyed by the Bombers. Losses among the fighter and bomber squadrons were relatively light, but the capital ships sustained multiple hull damages. Many, if not all of Task Force Versio had some fires, disabled turbolasers, or hull damage. Nonetheless, the majority of the ships were still combat ready.

The rest of the Imperial Fleet were too busy holding off the remnants of the Rebel fleet and returning patrol fleets. Casualties were higher as several ISDs sustained heavy damage and had to be pulled back. For Task Force Versio, its heaviest casualty was the Warrior which was pulled back.

Many capital ships will be in drydock for a while and there will be more if they aren’t quick enough. Grand Admiral Thrawn ordered all commanders to penetrate Lola Sayu’s defenses and rescue the prisoners from the infamous Citadel Prison before reinforcements arrive. 

Deep inside, Phennir was glad they had a commander like Thrawn on their side. Too many Imperial commanders would’ve thrown away their Star Destroyers so carelessly.

“So what’s the plan?” asked a 181st pilot.

The 36 TIE Interceptors flew in a formation around the Eviscerator as it approached the disabled Dauntless along with the Wolf’s Claw. Back at Nirauan, the other 36 pilots of the 181st closely defended the capital planet of the Empire of the Hand.

“Thrawn said the capital ships are to use their Tractor Beams and catapult the disabled ships into the Shield Gate.”

“Has this ever been done before?” asked another pilot.

“Not that I know of.” A female pilot replied.

They watched as the Eviscerator and the Wolf’s Claw got on either side of the disabled Dauntless. It took a while, but the disabled Heavy Cruiser started getting dragged by the two ISDs.

“Well you look at that. Must be taking a lot of power though.” Phennir commented. “So that’s why he ordered the engines and the turbolasers to be prioritized.”

Elsewhere, the Battlecruisers Event Horizon and Liquidator nabbed an MC80 Command Cruiser while the ISDs Conviction and Emperor’s Will dragged another disabled Dauntless. The nearly undamaged Punisher was ahead of the Task Force, blasting asteroids to clear a path for them. Behind the Task Force, the escorts Iron Fist, Daring, Ebolo, Corvus, and Strange Man hanged in the rear with the carrier Thunder Child which carried the transports and strike teams assigned to rescue the prisoners. They were to follow the Task Force as they punched through.

There was still the matter of the ships guarding the Shield Gate. However, they were few and none of them were any bigger than an ISD.

“Task Force Versio, fall into formation. We are taking down that Shield Gate down now. 181st, you are to escort the transports. Everyone else, maintain positions once the Shield Gate is down.” ordered Admiral Versio.

“Uh Cap?” One of the pilots asked.

Phennir noticed escape pods being launched from the disabled warships.

“Ignore them. They’re not our objective.” He ordered.

Behind them, IDTs began to launch from the hangers of the Thunder Child.

“Deactivate all tractor beams!” Versio ordered. At once, the Imperial ships disabled their tractor beams and slowed their engines. Because of the momentum, the disabled ships were slowly hurled at the direction of the Shield Gate.

“All units, advance!”

The Imperial Task Force began moving forward. Admiral Versio wagered the Rebel ships would be conflicted on whether to shoot the disabled warships, or shoot the Imperial ships coming after them. He smiled when he saw the few Rebel ships began firing away at their disabled allies along with the turbolasers of the Shield Gate.

Among the Imperials, turbolasers from the ships began raining hellfire on the distracted Rebel warships. At almost the same time, three CR90s exploded when their reactors went critical. One of the disabled Dauntless Cruisers began to break up into pieces after receiving concentrated fire.

Close to it, the other Dauntless missed its mark as it hit the shield itself and its hull shattered. However, the disabled MC80 found its target. The massive warship flew through a Rebel Nebulon Frigate, cutting it in half. Turbolaser batteries fired relentlessly at the incoming danger, but it was all for naught. Rebel crewmembers on surviving ships in charge of defending the Shield Gate watched in horror as the MC80 cut through the Shield Gate, almost mirroring the destruction of the Shield Gate over Scarif.

Both Imperials and Rebels alike stopped what they were doing and watched. The shield that protected the planet of Lola Sayu disappeared and following that, both fleets began receiving a multitude of transmissions coming from the planet.

“The Shield Gate is down! All transports, launch immediately!” Versio ordered.

While the task force dealt with the Rebel ships, IDTs began flying from the hangers of the Thunder Child.

“There they are. 181st, we’re going in!” Phennir said. The TIE Interceptors of the 181st flew in formation in front of the transports. Behind them, the two Raider-class Corvettes Corvus and Strange Man descended towards the planet as well.





Jedi Master Rahm Kota

Jedi Council Member

Commander of the 2nd Alliance Army

Citadel Prison, Lola Sayu
Kota dashed forward, blocking blaster bolts. He forced pushed two prisoners into a wall while slashing another prisoner carrying a blaster pistol. Front flipping over a table, he landed in front of a surprised male prisoner before beheading him. The Jedi Master raised his lightsaber quickly, blocking a blaster bolt and sending it back to the eye of a female prisoner. Her mouth was agape, almost surprised she was actually shot, before falling backwards.

He then looked around, finding no more opposition in the cafeteria. Bodies of both prisoners and guards laid strewn everywhere.

Behind him, the Commandos checked the bodies for information while Skywalker and Organa looked around for any survivors.

“Pretty well thought out plan. If we didn’t have any Jedi here, they would’ve easily taken the command center.” A Commando said.

“Thank the Force for that.” Kota said. “Wonder what persuaded them to launch their uprising now of all times?”

“Perhaps, they’re working in unison with the Imperial fleet up above?” Leia suggested. “You know, to weaken the defenses here for a landing?”

“But how is the question. Unless…” Kota raised his COMs. “Madine, do you think the two prisoners you brought here purposely let themselves get captured?”

“That is certainly a possibility, but we can think about that later. Hanger has reportedly been secured and the prisoners there were forced back. It’s only a matter of time before we got this uprising under wraps.” Madine said back at the command center.

Kota smiled.

“That is certainly good new-”

“-mperial fleet is picking us off one by one. Where are those damn reinforcements!?”

“I’ve lost all fighters. All units retreat!”

“Belay that order! We will stand firm!”

“This is Syndulla, hold tight. My fleet is on its way.”

The Jedi Master’s eyes were open in shock.

“M-Madine. Did you hear that?” He then looked up into the ceiling.

“I...heard that. Shit, that means the Shield Gate’s down. I’m burning everything.”

He then turned to the group who heard everything.

“Change of plans. We’re evacuating.” Kota walked passed the group who followed.

“But what about the prisoners? Shouldn’t we put them down before the Imperials rescue them?” Leia asked walking besides Kota.

“The Imperial fleet’s going to turn this prison into rubble whether they succeed in rescuing any prisoners or not. I don’t know about you Princess, but I would rather be far from here as possible. Don’t listen to others, a jedi planetside is just as exposed as anyone to a hostile fleet in orbit.”

Leia looked down and muttered to herself.

“So much for all those invincible jedi stories.”





Captain Turr Phennir

Lola Sayu

181st Imperial Fighter Wing

“There it is lads.”

Through the clouds, the 181st finally found their target, the infamous Citadel Prison. At a distance behind them, the IDTs flew in formation waiting for the all clear.

“I see four defensive towe-SHIT!”

The four defensive towers swiveled and aimed their cannons at the oncoming Imperials.

“Evasive maneuvers!” Phennir ordered. At once, the Imperials scattered. Captain Phennir maneuvered through the AA fire while they were busy trying to shoot down his comrades. He let out a burst from his cannons at the nearest tower as he passed. To his dismay, they dissipated the moment they struck the tower.

“They have ray shields!”

“Incoming!”

Rebel X-Wings appeared from down under, nearly throwing the Imperials into a panic.

“We need to shoot them down before the IDTs can land!” Phennir ordered. He got behind one of the X-Wings, and struck its engine. Smoke belched from the engines of the unfortunate X-Wing, before it lost power. Phennir watched as the X-Wing then took a dive and out of his vision.

“This is Kreel. ETA on when the airspace is clear for landing?”

“Phennir here. We’ve got a problem. Airspace is not clear and they have ray shields on the prison’s defensive towers. Where are the Raiders?”





Twilight Sparkle

The Citadel, Lola Sayu

The group ran out of a set of blast doors leading outside and looked up in awe. Above them, the skies were filled with X-Wings and TIE Interceptors fighting over control of the air. Near their location, a defense tower fired away into the sky. They watched as an Interceptor took a hit and spun out of their view.

“So we weren’t abandoned after all.” A prisoner teared up.

“Come on, we need to take down those towers!” Sil ordered. They ran forward heading towards the base of a tower, where a group of Rebel soldiers were busy looking up at the battle in the sky. Spike got his T-21 Blaster ready while Twilight carried a DL-44 blaster on her left hand, and the Songsteel sword on her right. Finally, one of the Rebels noticed and stepped back in shock.

“Open fire!” Sil ordered. Taken by surprise, the Rebels didn’t stand a chance as the prisoners unleashed a wall of blaster fire. After the last Rebel fell, they came upon a hatch on the bottom of the tower. “Anyone got explosives?”

Spike light pushed Sil out of the way and gripped the handle. He grunted as he pulled, the hatch giving away little by little.

“Need help?” Twilight asked with concern. Spike said nothing. He gave one final almighty pull which broke the hatch open and sent it flying.

Behind the hatch, two Rebels looked at them wide eyed. One was on a chair, controlling the tower while the other was seemingly there for support.

“Hi.” Spike said baring his teeth. Instantly, the two Rebels rose their hands in surrender.

“Get out.” Sil said. They complied and were forced to kneel under the gaze of the prisoners. “Anyone know how to use this thing?”

Around him, none of his fellow prisoners answered.

“Fine.” He sighed. “Guess I’ll do it. Protect me will ya?”

The Imperial Major got inside the tower to take control of it.

“So now what?” asked a prisoner. At that moment, a blaster bolt came out of nowhere and struck the prisoner directly on his head.

“Contacts!” A prisoner yelled. They looked at the other side of the open area and found a group of Rebels rushing them.





Captain Turr Phennir

181st Fighter Wing

Lola Sayu

“What in the world?”

When Phennir made a pass over the prison, he saw one of the towers have stopped firing. Below it, he could make out blaster fire.

“Admonitor Actual, this is Alpha Lead. Do we have any forces inserted in the prison beforehand? I’m seeing people fighting each other down there.”

He banked right when a spinning X-Wing missing a wing flew past him.

“Negative Alpha Lead, combatants are likely rioting prisoners. The Grand Admiral is ordering all forces to double time it.”

Looking at the prison, Phennir was surprised when one of the towers began firing at the others.

“Anybody seeing this?” a pilot asked.

“Prisoners have taken control of one of the towers. This is our chance!”

He banked right and got behind an X-Wing that just shot down one of his comrades. Green bolts of energy peppered the X-Wing before it burst into flames. Spinning, it descended until it crashed into the side of a cliff in an explosion.

“That’s two, I’m getting slow.”





Spike

Citadel Prison, Lola Sayu

“Hold them back!” A prisoner yelled.

The groups besides Sil fired back at the Rebels who were trying to regain control of the tower. Using piles of rubble and crates left behind, the prisoners picked off Rebels who were caught in the open. Twilight and a few prisoners were upfront while Spike and the others were in the rear.

“They just keep coming!” Spike said. He fired his blaster directly at the chest of a guard which sent the man flying. In the background, a tower exploded after taking multiple hits from Sil’s turret.

“Last one!” Sil shouted from the control room of the turret. His turret swiveled to the last tower which did the same after the gunner realized where the fire was coming from. Both fire at the exact time.

Sil held on to his seat as the tower was rocked with explosions. Warning signs popped up on his screen.

“Blast.” He said. The Major got out and looked at where the opposing turret was. Satisfied to see it burning as well, he allowed himself a smile. “Turrets have been disabled.”

Spike looked to his right where Sil joined him behind a pile of rubble.

“How’s everything?” said the Imperial Major.

The dragon grunted.

“They just keep coming. Twi’s the only one upfront now.” He said. Both of them peeked over to see indeed Twilight was the only one upfront. In front of her, several bodies of guards laid on the ground along with other prisoners that were with her.

“Twilight! Pull back!” Sil shouted as he gave suppressing fire alongside Spike. Unfortunately, it fell on deaf ears as Twilight continued to fight.

“Look out!” Someone yelled.

They looked to the sky where an X-Wing was diving at them.

“Get down!” Spike yelled. He grabbed Sil and threw the both of them to the ground. Above them, the X-Wing fired two proton torpedoes in their general direction. One hit the middle of the tower Sil occupied previously, and the other hit somewhere upfront.

Now worried, Spike looked over the cover and to his horror, he saw Twilight on the ground unmoving.

“Twilight!” He yelled. The dragon tried to break cover but instantly pulled back when the guards turned their attention to him.

In front of the body of Twilight, a giant hole was left on the ground from where the proton torpedo hit. Cracks soon echoed in the air as the ground near the hole began to give in. Hearing the cracks, Spike took another peek and saw Twilight’s body start sliding towards the hole as the ground gave way.

“NO!”

Her body fell out of view. They then all heard the tower groan as it too gave way.

“Look out!” Sil said pulling Spike back. The tower collapsed in the direction it was hit. Around them, the ground shook when the tower fell on the hole Twilight fell in. Dust was thrown everywhere obscuring everyone’s vision.

When the dust settled, Spike only found the remains of the tower, sealing off the hole from the outside world.

Tears began streaming out of his eyes as he stared at where Twilight was.

“Spike?” Sil asked. He came up behind the dragon to try and comfort him. All of a sudden, a growl came from Spike which caused the surviving prisoners to step back.

“They killed her.” Spike muttered.

He began to grow in size. To their amazement, they watched as the already giant of a being, start growing. His clothes tore into pieces. What they were left with was a titan, barely able to fit in the huge hallways of the Citadel.

“By the stars.” A female prisoner said in open shock.

Smoke spewed out of Spike’s nostrils. With a roar that shook the ground, Spike let out a huge green ball of flame at the entrance where Rebel Guards were beginning to collect themselves. They could not react in time as a giant wall of flame slammed into them.





Commander Iden Versio

Inferno Squad

Raider-class Corvette Corvus

“What in the world was that?” asked Hask.

The three remaining members of Inferno Squad watched from the bridge of the Corvus as a green flash emitted from somewhere on top of the smoking prison.

“Probably nothing, so what’s the gameplan?” asked Del Meeko.

Iden crossed her arms.

“Strange Man will provide cover for us as we land at the landing pads of the prison. We’ll take in as many prisoners as we can. Once we’re full, we’ll take Strange Man’s position as overwatch while they evacuate prisoners. IDTs will follow us in.” She explained.

“Wait.” said Hask. “Don’t we need to find the prisoners first?”

“According to Phennir and the 181st, they saw the prisoners have taken control of the landing pad. Full blown riot. They also took out the defense emplacements.”

“Huh, wonder what’s so important about those two creatures that would force the Grand Admiral to send the entire fleet here.” Meeko commented.

Inferno Squad’s commander put on her helmet.

“The Admiral wants to know as well. We won’t get answers if they’re dead.”





Twilight Sparkle

Citadel Prison, Lola Sayu

Twilight’s head was in pain. When she came to, she found herself on the floor of a hallway. Debris laid everywhere. Above her, what appears to be one of the defense towers sat obscuring her view of the outside world.

“Where am I?” Twilight asked. She looked around now noticing the bodies of both prisoners and guards laying everywhere. The alicorn tried to lift up the defense tower with her magic, but she could not concentrate.

“Forget it, I need to find the others.” She said to herself. Luckily, Twilight found the Songsteel sword not far from her. Unfortunately, her blaster was lost but at least she had plenty of options laying around near the bodies.

Get out of here.

“Wha?” Twilight was confused when she heard a female voice from her head. “Aren’t you that woman I saw in my mind?


Are you deaf? Get out of here! A male voice said this time.

The alicorn complied and began hobbling down the dark hallway. The lights flickered, but as she continued down the long hallway, the lights got dimmer. Eventually they cut out. Explosions rocked the Citadel and she could hear the faint sounds of Imperial and Rebel fighters in the sky. Sounds of blasters echoed in the halls as the guards attempt to put down the prisoners.

Twilight quickly conjured a spell to emit light from her horn. Finally, she noticed the wounds on the bodies.

While the Rebel Prison Guards had scorch marks from blasters, the prisoners had lightsaber burns.

"I gotta get out of here." Twilight whispered.

Behind you!

"There is no escape."

The alicorn quickly turned around. She heard footsteps getting closer.

"Kota and Madine want you alive." A green lightsaber activated in the darkness, revealing the Jedi named Quinlan Vos if Twilight remembered. "But from the damage you've caused, I don't believe that's possible."

Twilight rose her sword with both hands in defiance.

Nut punch. Kick him in the balls just like my wife did to me the first time we met. The male voice said.

This is a jedi we’re talking about. Who are you people? Twilight responded.

Now’s not the time child. The female voice said. This imbecile is too busy reading erotic books. Just get out of here. You’re no match for this jedi master.

Twilight walked backwards while Vos advanced towards her slowly.

“So that’s the Songsteel sword the Warden bragged about huh?” Vos said. “Do you have any idea what you’re holding?”

She didn’t answer as she continued to back up. They entered what appears to be a foundry where prisoners are forced to work. A huge hole on a wall revealed the outside world.

“Nowhere to go.” said the Jedi Master.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed.

“You sure about that?”

Using her magic, she flung crates and debris at the Jedi. Vos growled as he began cutting through them.

Seeing an opportunity, Twilight flapped her wings and flew towards the hole.

“You think you can escape from me?” Vos yelled. He reached out with the Force and pulled Twilight towards him. She let out a yelp but had her sword ready.

Songsteel Sword and a Lightsaber met in a clash of sparks.

“First time I’ve seen Songsteel to be honest.” Vos said. He applied more pressure which was more than Twilight can handle. She began to falter under the strength of the old jedi. “Disappointing, I’m going easy here.”

Thinking quickly, Twilight used her magic to teleport to a distance behind Vos. The Jedi’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw his target disappear. He turned around to find her standing behind what looks like a wall of purple, transparent energy.

The “wall” then flew towards him, forcing him to jump over it. He was not prepared when he landed, when another “wall” slammed into him and sending him flying backwards.

Vos growled as he got up. Using the force, he picked up a variety of equipment and sent them flying towards Twilight.

Yelping in surprise, Twilight formed a dome around her. The projectiles bounced off the dome, but each hit caused the weakened alicorn to flinch. Vos then dashed towards her with the intent to cut her down. Twilight flew into the air before he could reach her. Conjuring a spell, she sent a blast equivalent of the force push towards him. Vos responded by sending a force push. Both prepared for a test of the strengths of their powers, but were surprised when both were sent flying immediately.

The alicorn landed on the ground hard. She groaned as she held her head in pain.

Interesting. So the Force and your people’s magic will simply unaffect each other. The female voice said.

Twilight got up quickly, her sword at the ready. On the other side of the room, Quinlan Vos emerged from a pile of debris with a snarl on his face.

“Oh crap.”

Oh crap indeed young one. I’d help if it weren’t for the fact I’m bloody dead. The male voice said. But I’m not too keen in letting this sword fall into the filthy hands of the jedi so you better think of something.

She then quickly hid behind a crate to hide. Vos rose an eyebrow as he could still see her horn, wings, and tail sticking out.

You idiot! This is what you can think of?

The Jedi threw his sword at her horn. Sensing the danger, Twilight threw herself down the floor just in time. She quickly crawled to another hiding spot, out of breath.

“There’s no hiding from me!” Vos said as he walked towards her position.

Breathing hard and sword at the ready, Twilight sent debris flying towards him and charged.

SCAR Squad

Citadel Prison, Lola Sayu

“Go go!” Kreel yelled. SCAR Squad and a squad of stormtroopers called Echo Squad ran out of the landed IDT. Near them, other squads ran out of their IDTs to support the prisoners holding back the Rebel guards trying to retake the landing area. Behind them, the Corvus landed. Its turrets provided both anti-air support and fire support.

SCAR Squad ran up behind a U-Wing where some prisoners were inside firing at their former captors. Near them, squads of Death Troopers and Storm Commandos began pushing the guards back.

“Clear the platform!” A Storm Commando yelled. “Prisoners, get to the transports!”

As the prisoners fell back to the waiting transports, their rescuers advanced pushing the guards all the way back to the blastdoors.

“Transports full and on bingo fuel. We’re pulling out.”

The IDTs, now full of prisoners, began lifting up and flying into the clouded skies. Near them, prisoners were filing into the Corvus. Cav noticed three familiar individuals running towards them from the Corvette.

“Well look who it is.” Cav said gaining the rest of the squad’s attention.

“We have a situation here.” said Commander Versio.

“What kind of situation?” Kreel asked.

Hask stepped up.

“Even if we fill both the Corvus and the Strange Man to the brim, there will still be prisoners left and the IDTs will take too long.”

Aero looked around at the abandoned U-Wings.

“How about we take these U-Wings then?”

“Can you check if they’re fueled and ready to go?” Zuke asked.

“Give me five.” Aero said before he ran away to check the other transports.

“This is Thunder Child Actual. Second wave of transports are on the way. ETA ten minutes.”

“So where’s the two creatures we were looking for?” asked Iden.

“You mean Twilight and Spike?” responded Shrap.

Immediately, the blastdoors leading inside were thrown open in a huge green explosion.

“I think that answers your question.” said Misty.

Through the flames, a group of prisoners led by a male red head ran towards them in a panic.

“Help us! The fucking lizard’s on a rampage!”

“Oh fuck.” Each member of SCAR Squad said in unison.

Coming out of the doors, a giant purple reptilian crawled out. Smoke emitted from its nostrils and its mouth and claws were coated in blood. Its eyes widened when they landed on SCAR Squad. They noticed tears were coming from its eyes.

“Spike? That you?” Zuke yelled.

The overgrown lizard made a beeline towards the squad, causing Inferno Squad to aim their weapons at him.

“Wait don’t!” Yelled Zuke. “Put your weapons down!”

“But that thing-” said Iden before she was cut off.

“Anger Spike when he’s in this stage, and we’re all dead.” Cav announced to Inferno Squad.

Inferno Squad hesitated, but finally complied. Spike stopped in front of the squad. Around them, the Storm Commandos and Death Troopers paid no mind as they were busy helping the prisoners and getting the U-Wings prepped for evacuation.

“Spike?” Zuke said. He slowly walked up to the dragon who had a sad look on its face. The stormtrooper removed his helmet and gave the dragon a worried look on his face. “Everything’s okay Spike. We're here for you."

The others watched as Zuke pet Spike gently on his snout. Amazingly, they watched as Spike slowly shrunk. Tears now streaming from his eyes. Instead of smoke, mucus came out of his nose.

Now back to his normal size, Spike rushed up and hugged Zuke for comfort.

“There there.” Zuke said petting the dragon’s head. “You’re among allies now little brother.”

*Sniff* “It’s Twilight.” Spike said.

Zuke stopped and then pulled back to look Spike directly in his eyes.

“What about Twilight?”





Jedi Master Rahm Kota

Jedi Council Member

Commander of the 2nd Alliance Army

Citadel Prison, Lola Sayu

Kota’s group rushed through the hallways with intention to leave the prison-turned deathtrap.

“If I remember correctly, there should be speeders up ahead. We can take them to a waiting CR90 not far from here.” Able said.

“We shouldn’t be letting these prisoners off so easily.” Leia muttered.

“I don’t want to either Leia.” said Luke. “But think about Han. If we stay any longer, we’ll just end up as victims to an Imperial bombardment. We’ll get them another day.”

“Wise words young Skywalker. Hopefully with the new dreadnoughts, we can end this war sooner. After this, we WILL have a talk with everyone on how to deal with Thrawn.” Kota said.

At the mention of Thrawn, both Leia and Kota noticed Luke was disturbed.

“Something wrong Luke?” asked Leia.

Luke shook his head.

“I’ll tell you guys another time.”

They were distracted when there was blaster fire down the hallway. Walking into their vision, they saw Commandos and members of the Command Centre returning fire at an unknown enemy.

“There’s prisoners here?!” Able yelled.

The group formed up with the other group they encountered and were in complete shock. Down the hallway, the guards of the prison were firing at them.

“Why are they shooting at us? We’re allies!” Leia shouted as she returned fire with his blaster pistol.

A man came up beside them and fired from his blaster pistol.

“Good, you guys made it.”

Kota deflected a shot and sent a force push which sent a guard down the hall.

“What’s going on Madine? Why are these guards shooting us?”

Madine snarled.

“The blasted Warden, the guards, and the pilots here. I just found out they’ve been selling information and captured equipment to the black market. Seems to be in kudos with one Tyber Zann.”

“And now they’re trying to escape?” Luke asked. He deflected a few blaster bolts, returning one to its owner.

“Exactly. Even if he escapes, he’ll be in both our’s and the Empire’s bingo books. Not the kind of position you wanna be in unless you know some people.”

They pushed back the guards until they came upon a hanger. Too late, they watched as a group of landspeeders full of guards and crates no doubt full of valuables, flew out. On one of the speeders, the Warden gave the Rebel commanders a two finger salute.





The Warden

Outside Citadel Prison, Lola Sayu

The Warden laughed as he opened a crate full of captured Imperial equipment. They flew through the rocky surface of the planet feeling elated.

“We’re gonna be rich people. For the rest of our lives, we’ll be living like kings and queens!” He announced in the coms. The other guards on the other speeders cheered in approval.

Inside though, the Warden was a little displeased. He lost the Songsteel sword, likely taken by the prisoners. No matter though, it was just a sword.

“Where to?” asked his driver.

Smiling, he patted the young woman on the shoulder.

“Not far from here, a CR90 Corvette lies in wait. While the Imperial and Rebel Fleets tear each other apart, we’ll make our escape. And then sweetheart,” He leaned to the woman’s ear. “I’ll make all your dreams come true.”

The woman blushed at his statement but smiled.

All of a sudden, they heard a dreadful sound which shook them to the core.

He looked up to see several TIE Interceptors diving at them.

“No.” The Warden said with his face pale. “Where’s our pilots?”





Jedi Master Rahm Kota

Jedi Council Member

Commander of the 2nd Alliance Army

Citadel Prison, Lola Sayu

“Well, serves them right.” said Madine.

They watched from the hanger as the group of speeders were swarmed by the TIE Interceptors.

“That’s bad news for us too sir.” said Able. “That means we don’t have control of the skies.”

Kota sighed.

“Is there another way out? We go out this way and we’ll be too exposed.”

Madine tapped his chin in thought.

“Actually, there is an entrance to a cave system attached to the prison.”

The Jedi Master nodded before activating the coms on his wrist.

“Vos where are you? We need to get out of here.”

“I’m a little busy right now. Call me back later!”





Twilight Sparkle

Citadel Prison, Lola Sayu

Sparks flew as Twilight and Quinlan Vos blocked each other’s swings. Both were covered with bruises after throwing each other around. Vos with the Force, and Twilight with her magic. A few times Twilight tried teleporting to take the Jedi Master by surprise, but she realized in her tired state that she’s depleting her energy quicker.

Now the two were locked in a duel, and the Jedi was winning. Years of learning how to use a sword from her brother paid off, but she quickly realized her physical strength paled compared to her opponent. Vos recognized this and continued to press his attack.

Their weapons locked once again giving out sparks. Twilight visibly struggled against his strength, causing Vos to smirk.

“You don’t have a chance. Why continue to fight?” Vos said.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed in defiance.

“I die now, and I won’t be able to help stop the oncoming tide. Don’t you see I’m trying to save lives by doing so?”

Vos’ smile disappeared.

“So are we.”

“By weakening the galaxy? I don’t think so. You don’t really sound like the Jedi I’ve read about.”

“Ah, then it’s a good thing I’m not like other Jedi. The old Jedi Order is dead and good riddance.”

“And now you strive to bring back the highly corrupted Republic, the one that caused this mess in the first place.”

They continued to back up. Vos noticed Twilight’s back was towards the hole on the wall leading outside.

“Maybe, but the Sith was a major factor.”

“Then it’s time the galaxy suffers no longer from the conflicts between the Sith and the Jedi. Thrawn was right, it’s time Force Users are removed from all power and influence.”

Vos’ smirk returned.

“Foolish, the New Jedi Order will stand in victory.”

Before Twilight can react, Vos used a force push to send Twilight flying. Her back hit the edge of the hole with a crack. She slid on the ground stopping just before the edge. Her sword landed not far from her right hand.

Sp-Spike. Help, where are you? Twilight thought as her horn sparked with magic unconsciously.

Child, do you mean that dragon that was with you? The female voice said.

Twi? Where are you?

Twilight’s eyes widened.

That’s the first time that worked! Spike where are you?

This time, her mind was met with silence. She got up, but her legs were wobbly. Her head hurt a lot and she felt pain on her back. The alicorn tried to flap her wings, but was only met with intense pain.

“No more flying this time.” Vos said walking to her slowly, lightsaber in his hand. “Your powers surprised me, and I’d like to learn more. NOW, I will accept your surrender.”

Twilight lifted her sword, her breath haggard and sweat visible on her.

“Fat chance.”

Vos frowned.

“Well that’s a shame.”

They both stopped as they heard the sounds of engines. Twilight turned around, just in time as a U-Wing flew up to her level. It’s doors were opened, and to her relief, revealing SCAR Squad, Echo Squad, and Spike. All had blasters at the ready.

“OPEN FIRE!” Kreel yelled.

A hail of blaster fired met with Vos who did his best to block them. He retreated further under the concentrated fire from the Imperials.

“TWI! COME ON!” Spike yelled.

Twilight jumped the gap, and was caught in the arms by her brother.

“We’re all aboard!” Slash said to the pilot. “Get us out of here!”

Vos walked to the edge after the firing stopped. He gazed into the sky where a group of IDTs, U-Wings, and a pair of Raider-class Corvettes escorted by TIE Interceptors flew upwards.

“Blast, gotta get out of here.” He said with a frown. Seeing down below was one of Lola Sayu’s deadly rivers of sulfur lava, he elected to find another route. The Jedi turned around and quickly dashed out of the room to find an exit.





Admiral Garrick Versio

ISD Eviscerator

Over Lola Sayu

Versio grimaced at the reports of the state of the fleet. Outside his task force, almost all of the capital ships in the Grand Admiral’s fleet were in a state of damage. It wasn’t a surprise really, considering Thrawn took the brunt of every single attack to shield his task force. Even the Admonitor lost its bridge shields.

All in all, they were lucky not to lose any of them as the Rebels have concentrated everything on the capital ships while leaving the escort ships alone. 75% of the fleet will be in drydock for a while. However, if another Rebel fleet were to appear and concentrate their attacks with fresh forces, they’re gonna lose a lot of ships quickly.

Time was ticking, and he would rather be on the other side of the galaxy than face a Rebel fleet with weakened forces.

“What’s the status of the transports?” Versio announced.

“Transports are away. The prison has been cleared of any prisoners and the Thunder Child has begun receiving the first transports of the second wave.” An officer said.

“Good, I want heavy turbolaser batteries to fire on that prison! Deny the Rebels from using it again.”

“Yes sir!” said the Chief Gunnery Officer.

“Once that’s done, I want all ships to retreat and rejoin the rest of the fleet. Lets leave this blasted dump.”





Grand Admiral Thrawn

ISD Admonitor

Over Lola Sayu

“What is the status of Admiral Versio’s Task Force?” asked Thrawn.

“Objective complete sir. Citadel Prison is now rubble and Admiral Versio says he’ll join us momentarily.” said the Communications Officer.

Thrawn nodded. Around him and Niriz who stood in front of the holotable, sparks flew from some damage computers and medics carried injured crewmen out of the bridge. Some injuries, but none fatal according to the medics.

The klaxons activated once again.

“SIR! I’m detecting ships coming out of hyperspace at Sector Delta! It’s the Rebel reinforcements!” An officer yelled.

Thrawn let out a sigh in frustration. It wasn’t the first Rebel fleet that caused the most damage, but the constant Rebel battlegroups that appeared to reinforce Lola Sayu. Each time they were wiped out, they did significant damage to the capital ships to the point almost every capital ship will be in drydock for a while, including the Admonitor. The constant counter-attacks caused many crewmembers and pilots to suffer from fatigue.

Many pilots that have returned to their ships had to be carried out of their starfighters due to exhaustion. Normally Thrawn would’ve called for reinforcements, but all of his calls were jammed. He suspected this was Grand Admiral Rufaan Tigellinus’ doing as the nearest fleets were commanded by officers close to him.

“Sir, I’m getting a signal from one of the Rebel ships.” said the Communications Officer.

Both Thrawn and Niriz stared at the holograms of the massive Rebel fleet which consisted of 12 MC80 Command Cruisers, 24 MC80s, and numerous escort ships. If healthy, Thrawn could’ve handled them, but not with so many damaged Star Destroyers.

“Put it through.” Thrawn ordered.

Immediately, the hologram of a familiar green Twi’lek appeared.

“Ah, General Syndulla.”

Hera frowned.

“Grand Admiral Thrawn. I swear could smell your stench all the way from here.”

“I assure you General, I use the best shampoo the galaxy has to offer. Would you like me to send you a sample?”

The Twi’lek General rolled her eyes.

“I’m surprised you committed so many of your forces for a prison.”

Thrawn smiled.

“If only you knew General Syndulla. Just like the rest of the Rebel High Command, you all fail to see what’s really going on.”

“Then entertain me Grand Admiral.”

“But would you believe anything I say?”

Hera thought for a second.

“Good point. I can see many of your ships are damaged. Not so tough now are you?” Hera said with a smirk.

“I never claimed to be invincible. Though I’d say your response time is severely lacking. You’re too late.”

In the meantime, Niriz ordered the entire fleet to plot coordinates for a hyperspace jump.

“Where is he?” Hera snarled.

“The Emperor’s in Imperial Center, I assure you.”

“You know who I mean.”

“Ah yes, Kanan Jarrus. A little over there, some over there. But all in all, he is spread out everywhere in Lothal. I believe a Stormtrooper presented to me his charred middle finger. A final insult to me I may add.” Thrawn said.

Hera’s face turned red.

“I’M TALKING ABOUT MY FATHER!” She exploded.

“Somewhere my dear, somewhere. I am surprised you didn’t ask for Ezra Bridger. I’m under the impression you truly cared about him.”

“Where are they?” She snarled.

Thrawn smirked.

“Aboard my ship General Syndulla. Both of them are onboard with me. So close to getting them back and having your friend Sabine Wren call off her search. Unfortunate, but I must take my leave. Until next time General Syndulla. Be quicker next time, and give my regards to your son.”

He immediately cut off the connection before she could respond.

“Anger can lead to careless mistakes. Smart move. She’ll do anything now to get you.” Niriz commented crossing his arms.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about Captain. Simply, I’m just having ‘fun’ and teasing her. Just like what you and Voss taught me.”

Niriz shook his head with a smile.

“I shutter at the thought of you getting shitfaced drunk and going wild.”

“Remind me to tell you about my childhood then Dagon. You’d be very surprised what the younger me was like.”

Aboard the MC80 Cruiser Geist, Hera watched as Thrawn’s fleet jumped into hypserspace. Her face was red and tears flowed from her eyes. Crewmembers watched on, but gave her space acknowledging the pain she was going through.

“So close. I was too slow.” She said to herself.





Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik

Imperial Naval College, Prefsbelt IV

“And he has chosen, the ISD Grey Wolf under the command of Grand Admiral Thrawn!”

From a balcony, Grand Admiral Teshik looked down at the graduating class of officers picking the warships they want to serve on. A young man on a stage in an Imperial officer’s uniform lifted up a holoprojector showing the Grey Wolf with its name under it. He had a smile that stretched from ear to ear while his class congratulated him. Not far, his family were yelling in celebration with an older woman, presumably his mother, covering her mouth and tears flowing down from her eyes. He then came up to the audience to hug his family while the announcer called up the next officer to pick the available warship of their choice.

“I thought I’d find you here.”

Teshik didn’t look as Grand Admiral Afsheen Makati walked up right next to him.

“A beautiful sigh eh?” said Makati. “Watching young men and women proudly serving the Empire with their families in support.”

“It would be, and it should be.” Teshik muttered. “But many of them will be forced to commit heinous actions and will be put under the command of incompetent officers.”

“Don’t be like that Osvald.” Makati looked around the full auditorium. “This is a time of happiness.”

“It would be, but as one of the people who know what’s really going on, that’s not possible. None of these people know. Ignorance is bliss.”

“Then help me Osvald. Help find Kadann.”

Osvald looked at Makati silently.

“Or maybe, you should put your petty hatred aside and do it for the good of the galaxy. I’ll help, but you’re asking for something useless and a waste of resources.”

He then turned and started walking to the exit.

“Call me when you grow a pair.”

Makati watched on as his friend walked away.

“And she has chosen, the ISD Eleemosynary under Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik!”

He glanced at a dark skinned woman who celebrated with the hologram of Teshik’s flagship.

“Poor dear. At least Osvald won’t throw your life away so needlessly.” Makati said.





Grand Admiral Peccati Syn

Sacred Way Cemetery, Taris

One of the most powerful men in the Empire sat cross legged on the grass, with his eyes closed and a peaceful look on his face in front of two tombstones. Other visitors of the cemetery pointed and looked at him, but gave him space. They viewed him as a traitor to their religion, but chose not to antagonize such a powerful man.

“It’s been a while mother, father.” Syn said finally opening his eyes. “I know the two of you detest what I’ve become. Still though, I have a feeling you two still loved me despite what I said before I left. After all, you two were wonderful parents.”

He sighed and scratched the back of his head.

“I’m so sorry. I regretted everything I said. A terrible son like me doesn’t deserve forgiveness.” He then laughed. “I can imagine you mother, slapping me for calling myself terrible. You’d go on a speech of how I’m a smart boy and a wonderful son. Sometimes, I felt like you spoiled me like father said.”

Syn’s face turned serious.

“Hopefully you know by now that I’m a Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy. It’s uh, a very VERY high rank with a lot of power. I’ve killed and ruined many lives.”

The man gave a pause as a gentle breeze rolled in.

“There’s...division among my fellow Grand Admirals. One side is extremely loyal to Emperor Palpatine, but the other...want to bring change against the Emperor’s wishes. I want change too, but I also don’t want to betray the Emperor.”

He rubbed his forehead in frustration.

“I know neither of you would ever imagine being in a position like I am, but I have to ask mother and father. Which side would you have chosen?”





Admiral Sander Delvardus

Classified Location, Eriadu

Delvardus sat on his desk, a smile on his face with a datapad on his hand. He was clean shaven, his hair groomed, and his uniform straightened. The Admiral hummed a happy tune while officers walked to and fro carrying out their tasks.

A tan skinned woman in an officer’s uniform came by and put down a steaming cup of coffee.

“No no my dear.” Delvardus said looking up. “No coffee for me today. I shall sleep and rest soon.”

The officer looked at him with surprise.

“Are you sure sir?”

Delvardus smiled.

“Absolutely. Why don’t you take it. Seems to me you need it more than I do.”

She smiled at him.

“Thank you sir. It’s good to have you back.”

The woman took the cup of coffee and walked away to finish her tasks.

Delvardus watched as she walked away. Before he found the love of his life, he would’ve tried to hook up with the beautiful woman. In the time his lover was in a comatose state, Delvardus realized his life of licentiousness made him no better than the criminals he hunted. He strived to change himself, and the result was a changed man with a new purpose.

“Oooof, that’s gotta hurt Thrawn.” Delvardus said reading the new reports of his battle over Lola Sayu. “But at least you completed your objective there. Take some rest will you?”

The Admiral noticed the time on his datapad and smiled.

“Finally, I can rest.”

He swiveled his chair to face the large window. Outside the window, an all black, nearly completed Executor-class Super Star Destroyer sat hidden underground, in the wilderness of Eriadu. Workers continued to work in secrecy. No slaves, just paid workers assisted by construction droids. Only a select few knew of its existence. Not even the Emperor nor Lord Vader knew of its existence. A secret weapon, the twin of Grand Admiral Martio Batch’s project.

“Ah Isard. If only you knew what I have in store for you.”
> We Happy Few
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Admiral Voss Parck

Commander of Imperial Forces of the Empire of the Hand

Hand of Thrawn, Sanctuary, Nirauan

High on top of one of the five towers of the Hand of Thrawn Fortress, Admiral Voss Parck sat silently while sipping a cup of tea. The Admiral known by the citizens as the mentor of the Grand Admiral and the de facto leader of the Empire of the Hand while Thrawn was absent, watched the fireworks being launched from the city. Whenever news reached the civilians of any of Thrawn’s victories, mostly freed slaves and refugees, they would celebrate with fireworks.

The people loved this little piece of heaven in the galaxy. While planning their own little piece of Empire, Thrawn’s inner circle made a rule to never over expand the cities on the terrestrial planets. Most cities laid on the edges of the largest body of water on the planet while conserving the rest of the planet’s natural habitats. Nirauan was a prime example of that.

The bustling city full of many different races was constructed quickly by a mixture of the refugees, freed slaves, Imperial engineers, and their infinite supply of construction droids. Sanctuary also had many residential areas, though an area closest to the forests were set aside for the Wookiees who wasted no time in building their homes, though without outside help. On the edge of the city, a huge lake known as Lake Thrass, was constructed along with beaches and piers where anyone can come to relax and enjoy life.

Not far from the city and the shores, a portion of the city was built above water which connected to a residential area. It housed the aquatic denizens of Nirauan which included the Mon Calamari, the Quarren, and the Karkarodon. Thrawn elected to have the civilians form their own police force of course, funded by him. Basic requirements included the ability to speak Basic, so there were massive problems to integrate certain species including the Wookiees, into their police force.

Sanctuary was surrounded by military bases, a planetary ion cannon, a few W-165 Planetary Turbolasers, a few HVs-2 Hypervelocity Guns, and there were plans to build an automated anti-air defence system to guard the city from air attacks.

If that wasn’t enough, a horde of TIE Strikers, the city’s militia, Sanctuary Police Department, five division worth of Stormtroopers, Imperial Army Soldiers, Chiss soldiers, and two Imperial Armored Divisions were ready to defend the city to their final breath. 

For the militia, they were given ex-Republic equipment and were armed with a slew of vehicles including AT-TEs, AT-APs, HAVw A6 Juggernauts, AV-7 Anti-Vehicle Artillery Cannons, BARC Speeders, LAATs, TX-130 Saber-class Fighter Tanks, ARC-170 Starfighters, BTL Y-Wing Bombers, V-19 Torrents, Z-95 Headhunters, and for the more skillful pilots, ETA-2 Actis-class Light Interceptors and Delta-7 Aethersprite-class Light Interceptors.

While not state-of-the-art like their Imperial and Chiss allies, the militia understood and were grateful considering many of these equipment were already available. All they had to do was fix them and upgrade them.

To meet with the demand to defend the Empire of the Hand, many factories, including some in Nirauan, were built for blasters, vehicles, and even droids. Workers were paid with a livable wage and were treated fairly, much better than in other Imperial territories where they would have either been enslaved, or given starvation wages.

A civilian council was set up consisting of one member of each species. The military never interfered unless it was something that involved them or contradicts with their plans. There were of course, racial tensions and in the few instances where the situation got out of hand, Riot Troopers had to be deployed to assist law enforcement.

The populace recognized if the Rebels were to discover their part of the galaxy, they would come to destroy what they built. Same could be said if Grand Admiral Thrawn doesn’t appease to the Emperor. As long as Thrawn continued to bring results to the Emperor, their haven would be left alone. Their Navy may not be enough to stop both sides should they attack, which is why many experienced shipbuilders were employed to not just build ships, but also teach others.

Parck smirked. Thrawn, himself, and other high ranking officers worked together with their chief designer, Ansel Hsiao, to create warships unseen by the rest of the galaxy.

The Archer-class Star Destroyer was meant to not only devastate an enemy’s starfighters, but assist other warships from a distance with their missiles. While shielded, it was not a brawler. Its hull wasn’t designed for close combat and its turbolasers were only a little less than the standard Star Destroyer.

Consolidator-class Corps Assault Ships were designed to replace the older Acclamators. While relatively weak, they are defended by hundreds of TIE Fighters, it can be used for bombardment duties, and can land to be used as a Forward Operating Base (FOB).

Compellor-class Star Cruisers were essentially fleet carriers. Around the same size as a Praetor, its firepower was much less but made up for it by its ability to carry hundreds of starfighters. Designed to lead battlegroups, they were still expensive, so their numbers were still few.

Impellor-class Fleet Carriers were cheaper and smaller than the Compellors who they were based off of. Their firepower was even less than their cousins but carried nearly a thousand starfighters.
Indictor-class Electronic Warfare Star Corvettes weren’t originally stealthy, but thanks to connections Thrawn had with Grand Admiral Martio Batch, they were able to give the little bugger cloaking technology. While small and can easily be destroyed, they were very fast. Indictors have the ability to hack into an enemy ship’s systems, identify targets for friendlies, and use in scout missions.

The Empire of the Hand didn’t leave the starfighters alone. They even made models not seen in the known galaxy such as the TIE Demolisher, TIE Mangler, LAAV/I, Missile Boat, and the Alpha-class XG-1 Star Wing.

For Ground Vehicles, Thrawn found his expertise in them lacking so he had General Dorst assist. The result was the MAVr A7 Broadsword with the Self-Propelled Light Artillery Turbolaser (SPLAT), Aerial Dominance Denial (ADD), Fast Armored Carrying Transport (FACT), and the Battery Light Yielding Artillery Tank (BLYAT) variants, the All-Terrain Storm Walker (AT-SW), HAVr A10 Scythe Heavy Repulsortank and Variants, All-Terrain Siege Platform (AT-SP) though they’re still low in numbers and a method of transport is in the works, and the All-Terrain Shock Enforcer (AT-SE). 

With all these new vehicles recently going into production and the high approval rating among the populace, the future of the Empire of the Hand’s defense was in good hands. But alas, all good things must come to an end. The Rebel Alliance still control a third of the galaxy, mostly in the Outer Rim. Isolated Imperial strongholds like Eadu and Kessel deep in Rebel territory have caused the Rebels to divert some forces. Luckily, they have yet to discover The Maw, but for how long many Imperial commanders wondered. Any attempts to reestablish contact have failed due to the blockading Rebel ships.

Meanwhile, while the Empire struck a blow by taking Mandalore and raiding Lola Sayu, the Rebels have responded by taking Naboo. The loss of the homeworld of the Emperor didn’t faze the Sith Lord one bit, but it did dampen morale.

Parck and others on the Empire of the Hand were nervous. The recapture of Dantooine by the Rebel Alliance brought them closer and closer to the planet Bastion, the only gateway to the Empire of the Hand. Grand Moff Ardus Kaine’s attempts to stop the Rebel Offensive have been severely hampered with many capital ships being transferred elsewhere, thus reducing his numbers. Last he heard, the Reaper was never in one planet for more than a few days. Admiral Ar’alani has suggested sending some ships under Parck to assist Kaine, but Thrawn was very determined to keep the Empire of the Hand from the public eye as long as possible.

As a result, Thrawn ordered his commanders to shore up defenses on planets near Bastion and to transfer all Jedi and Sith artifacts from Mortis to Nirauan.

The transfer in question however, brought up questions. Particularly from the commander of the 181st.

“So, would you mind telling me why you had my pilots running escort duty?”

Parck looked to his right across the table where General Soontir Fel sat, not having touched his cup of tea at all.

“You didn’t drink.” The Admiral said pointing it out.

“I drank earlier.” Fel responded.

Voss Parck was silent for a while before he put down his drink.

“Honestly, I was quite surprised Thrawn didn’t tell you yet.”

“Well,” Fel said rolling his eyes. “He told me to learn about the Jedi and the Sith before asking again. That was before he left.”

“And now you know.”

“I know as much as what the library here allows me. At least I know every major players in the past.”

Parck nodded.

“Fine, come with me.”

10 Minutes Later

“This is it?” Fel asked. The two high ranking officers stood in front of a blast door guarded by four squads of Storm Commandos and Death Troopers who have Ysalamiri with them.

“This is it.” Parck said. He put his hand on a pad on the wall which then analyzed his body with a blue ray.

“Admiral Voss Parck. Welcome.” said an automated voice.

The doors opened slowly allowing the two officers to stroll into the dark room. Once the doors closed behind them, the lights immediately came on and blinded Fel. Next to him, Parck was not fazed as the slightest.

Once the General’s eyes were adjusted, his mouth was agape in awe. All over the walls of the room were hundreds, if not, thousands of lightsabers and holocrons. Crates were stacked everywhere and there were holograms of maps on some holotables.

“What is this?” Fel said scanning the room as they walked.

“This my friend, is the most valuable treasures acquired by the Grand Admiral.” Parck started. “You see Fel, Thrawn made the most of his time under High Inquisitor Jerec. One day, he found a book, the journal of Sith Lord Darth Traya. He became enamored by what he read and set off on his own mission.

Thrawn knew the amount of artifacts Jerec was discovering would not only pose a danger to the Empire, but the galaxy as a whole. Such dangerous knowledge cannot fall into the hands of Jerec or the Emperor. It was no secret for Thrawn that Jerec intends to overthrow Palpatine with these artifacts.”

“So what did he do?” asked Fel.

Parck smirked.

“Turns out, having so many of those artifacts do have a negative side. The spirits of the Jedi and the Sith were displeased in being in the hands of someone undeserving like Jerec so they annoyed him every single minute. Thrawn tried to talk to these spirits, but he quickly found out he could not since he wasn’t a force sensitive.”

“Like us.”

“Yes, perhaps even now the spirits of the Jedi and Sith are mocking us and we just don’t know it.”

They finally came upon a single small chest at the end of the room.

“So how did Thrawn get these artifacts away from Jerec?”

“Easy, Jerec was constantly annoyed by the spirits so all he had to do was convince Jerec to sent all of them to Coruscant. The Arquitens carrying the artifacts ‘appeared’ to have been lost in a hyperspace accident which enraged Jerec to no end. In reality, they were simply sent to Mortis and then finally here.”

“But wouldn’t Jerec and the Emperor sense their presence?”

Parck laughed.

“My friend, that’s why we have Ysalamiri. But Thrawn’s mission is not done.”

“Oh?” Fel asked. “What else is he looking for?”

The Admiral thought for a second.

“Lets see. There’s trying to find Zakuul, the Valley of the Jedi, hidden artifacts in Korriban, but his last visit to that planet was very productive. Thrawn found a tomb before Palpatine or Jerec could find it.”

Fel’s eyebrow rose in question.

“What did Thrawn find exactly?”

Parck opened up the chest. Inside, a lightsaber laid on top of black tattered robes right next to a white, skull-like mask.

“The Tomb of Darth Nihilus, Lord of Hunger.”





Emperor Sheev Palpatine

Emperor’s Office

Imperial Center/Coruscant, Inner Rim

*Thunk*

For the love of...Sidious thought.

The most powerful man in the galaxy sat on his chair behind his desk in his personnel office. Before him stood three figures in dark robes.

But what displeased him was the dead body of an Imperial officer lying in front of him.

“What is thy bidding my Emperor?” asked the Human male with light armor, a black cloak, and jedi attire.

“I summoned the three of you here for a particular reason Kaleeto Jorn.” Sidious said. He then stared at the dead body on the floor.

“This trash?” Began a male Cathar in Death Trooper Armor sans the helmet and a black cloak.

“Rynuk Tonan. When I assigned this officer to accompany the three of you as an advisor, I expected positive results.”

The final figure on the Cathar’s left, a Human male in old Clone Trooper armor minus the helmet, stepped forward.

“Milord, with all due respect, this officer was too slow for our tastes. Because of him, the Jedi escaped.”

Sidious was seething.

“From the reports I have read, he advised using an orbital bombardment to avoid a Hypervelocity Cannon. The three of you ignored him and ordered your ships closer resulting in three heavily damaged Star Destroyers and the Rebels escaping including the Jedi.”

“Well milord, High Inquisitor Jerec wasn’t exactly the greatest in picking officers.” Kaleeto Jorn said dismissively. This caused Sidious to stand up. Immediately, the three Dark Jedi were consumed with fear.

“I was the one who assigned him to you three. I was under the impression that the three of you would be wise enough to listen to his expertise.”

The Emperor let out a sigh.

“It appears, I WAS WRONG!”

Before the three could react, Darth Sidious sent Force Lightning towards them which launched them all the way to the other side of the room. They writhed in agony as Force Lightning coursed through their veins.

Just as sudden as it began, the lightning stopped. The three Dark Jedi groaned in pain on the floor as Sidious approached them slowly.

“I will give you three one more chance. This time, you will be under the direct command of Grand Admiral Thrawn. You will listen to his orders word by word, and you will follow them. If I hear you refused and you cause the deaths of any of his troops and officers, I will have Lord Vader throw all three of you into an escape pod and jettisoned in hyperspace. Do I make myself clear?”

Still in pain, they could only say yes in desperation. Satisfied, Emperor Palpatine turned his back to them.

“Then go. Do not fail me again.”





Grand Admiral Afsheen Makati

Space Station Memorial, Coruscant

People who visited the memorial glanced in wonder as one of the Grand Admirals strolled in to the memorial without an escort. Many of them were simple visitors to the memorial, but there were families there as well to mourn someone who lost their lives in the Death Star.

Makati continued walking down the path, passing many people. His eyes never leaving the black wall on the side of the path with the names  and pictures of the fallen etched on to the wall. Flowers, pictures, flags, and even stuffed animals were laid on the ground.

He stared in sadness as he passed a woman with her baby who was silently crying next to a picture of a Stormtrooper. Another family he passed were trying their hardest to pry an old woman off the wall who was wailing as she would not let go of the picture of a fallen Imperial officer.

The Grand Admiral finally stopped. Silently, he stared at a picture of a smiling Imperial Officer who stood proudly with a Star Destroyer in the sky behind him. Makati walked closer. Trembling, his fingers touched the face of the man as if he was there.

Below the picture, a name was etched on the wall.

Captain Rolisch Makati, 501st Legion

A single tear slid down his cheek as Makati placed his forehead on the wall.

My son, I’m so sorry. While Lord Vader and Thrawn spoke up, I was silent. I should’ve spoken up about the Death Star, how it was a waste.

He stepped back and he turned to stare at the Imperial Palace which he could see in the distance.

I promise you, I will make things right.





Grand Admiral Thrawn

ISD Admonitor

En Route to Nirauan

“And how long have you been hearing these voices?” Thrawn asked sitting on his desk. Before him, Twilight and Spike sat explaining to him what they saw in Citadel Prison.

“Not just hear.” Twilight explained with her hand on the Songsteel sword. “I saw them too. In my mind when they blacked out.”

“Saw them?” Thrawn looked at her questionably.

“Yes, a man and a woman. Both in dark robes.”

“Interesting.” He rubbed his chin. “Do you know their names?”

Twilight thought for a second before responding.

“The man called the woman, Traya, while the woman identified the man as Vectivus.”

Thrawn’s face was stone, but he was deep in thought.

Vectivus AND Traya? Looks I don’t need their holocrons for now. Now all I need is Malgus, Vitiate...wait, does this mean she is able to see Force Spirits? Thrawn thought.

“This is interesting. Not only did you come into contact with two Sith Lords, but we may have also missed an opportunity to kill some of the Rebellion’s most celebrated leaders.”

“Wait, but didn’t we blow up the prison?” Spike asked.

“Admiral Versio did.” Thrawn confirmed. “But General Kota is no fool. I am certain he left with the other commanders before the bombardment began.”

“So what’s this about Sith Lords?” Twilight cut in.

“Darth Vectivus and Darth Traya.” Thrawn said. “I learned much about them when I served under High Inquisitor Jerec, but Vectivus is known only by other Siths and the Dark Jedi serving the Empire. Traya was legendary, a Sith Lord I began to admire when I found her journal. Meanwhile, Vectivus was a Sith Lord who achieved something other Sith Lords have failed to do.”

“And what’s that?” Twilight asked.

“Vectivus lived a fulfilled life.” His communicator beeped. “Excuse me.”

Thrawn pressed a button that activated his communicator.

“Thrawn here.”

“Sir, we’re approaching Nirauan.”

“Thank you Captain Niriz. Have a shuttle prepared, we’re heading towards the fortress.”





Lieutenant Ander Rendrake

ISD Vendetta

In orbit over Nirauan

Like other officers on the Star Destroyer, Rendrake stood in front of the viewports of the bridge. While the other officers were casually conversing, Rendrake was silent and deep in thought.

When he heard the Vendetta was being transferred to Grand Admiral Thrawn’s command in the Unknown Regions, he thought his usefulness as a Rebel spy was over. However, after receiving info on what to expect, Rendrake finally he realized he had a golden opportunity here. He can find out about the Imperial buildup in the Unknown Regions, copy star maps, gather information of the forces here, and identify the high-ranking officers to be detected.

What he found once they arrived in Nirauan was beyond what he imagined. Not only does the Grand Admiral have a massive armada with multiple Star Dreadnoughts, shipyards, new warship and vehicle designs, but he found cities full of former slaves and refugees seeking to get as far from the war as possible. Turns out, many of the slaves were meant to be utilized for slave labor by Thrawn, but instead, they were freed the moment they stepped foot in his territory. The Lieutenant was very surprised to find that they utilized both droids and real workers very well to build their ships, cities, etc. very quickly.

Most of the denizens wished to be far from the Galactic Empire’s discrimination, but they also do not wish to bring back the Republic which caused all this to begin with. He walked around Sanctuary and asked the civilians some questions.

Yes much of what they built was from a combination of the resources of the Unknown Regions and from the pockets of the Galactic Empire, but they detest the Rebel Alliance just as much as the Empire for daring to try and bring back the Republic. He discovered quickly that many of them had Separatist backgrounds. When asked about the Sith and the Jedi, he was met with only silence, but he noticed the anger in their eyes.

It was then that Rendrake understood their opinion, much of the conflicts in the galaxy were caused by the feud between the Jedi and the Sith.

Just like now.

Ander Rendrake was also quiet surprised when he met Thrawn’s species, the Chiss. There were many soldiers, engineers, and scientists here that were Chiss. Their ships served alongside the Imperials. While they were considered renegades for assisting the exile known as Thrawn, his support continued to grow among his people and many young Chiss wish to flock to his banner. They were much more cooperative when he questioned them, but they also had a distaste for the Sith and the Jedi although not as much as the others.

He could be down there, trying to find out more, but he was recalled back to the Vendetta for two things: The testing of a new unmanned warship, and the arrival of the Grand Admiral.

Near the Nirauan Defense Fleet, a ship constructed entirely by droids using material from the scrapyards and operated by a group of people down at Nirauan, floated away from the planet. It was a radical design, drawn up by a former Separatist who was imprisoned for questioning Count Dooku and now an assistant for Ansel Hsiao.

“Ship ready to jump to hyperspace.” said the coms.

The ship’s engines lit up and got brighter. Instantly, the ship disappeared as it jumped into hyperspace. Everyone waited patiently before the coms came to life again.

“Connection severed. Testing is a failure, we have lost all contact.”

Officers around Rendrake groaned in disappointment.

Honestly, Rendrake was a little relieved. He didn’t know what that ship was capable of, nor did he want to know.





Twilight Sparkle

Over Nirauan, Capital of the Empire of the Hand

ISD Admonitor

“We’re home lads!” Aero yelled. Throughout the bridge, crewmembers cheered. SCAR Squad plus Niriz and Thrawn watched as the fleet exited hyperspace in front of Nirauan. The long trip took a toll on many as they wanted to get back to Nirauan as soon as possible. Twilight and Spike meanwhile spent a long time in the med bay and retelling their story while imprisoned to not just officers who needed to write reports, but many crewmembers. It would seem their escape made them instantly famous.

Turning into a giant enraged lizard that decimated the prison guards and dueling the legendary Jedi Master Quinlan Vos and surviving? That’s extra points right there.

SCAR Squad was quick to remind them to not let the popularity get to them. Kreel explained to Twilight that what happened was most likely luck. Vos had no idea what he was dealing with. Now that he knew, chances are Twilight won’t survive the next fight.

They all came to an agreement that they should hang around Sanctuary for a while and have fun. After that, they need to go back to training and shoring up defenses. According to Thrawn, the Chiss have been able to push back all invasions but have found themselves surrounded. That means no more ships and troops coming from the Chiss Ascendancy. Sooner or later, they will find the Empire of the Hand and they must be prepared.

“So what’s the first thing you’re gonna do sir?” Kreel asked.

Thrawn thought for a second.

“Hmmm, I think I’m going to go get myself a Jogan Milkshake.”

Niriz smiled, knowing he was the one who got Thrawn to fall in love with Jogan Milkshakes. It was on their first outing, where the Captain tried to get Thrawn to relax and enjoy the nightlife. Long story short, Thrawn ended up addicted to Jogan Milkshakes and Niriz passed out drunk in a strip club prompting the Grand Admiral to drag him back to the fortress.

“Look,” Zuke said as he brought out a datapad. “I’ve made a map that shows the sights we should show Spike and Twi. Starting from the Fortress, to the Bottomless Pit.”

“Wait, but we’ve never been to the Bottomless Pit.” said Shrap. They then looked at the Grand Admiral who shrugged.

“I’ll allow it, as long as you don’t fool around.”

Mic and Aero high-fived.

Twi and Spike however continued to take quick glances at the defenses of Nirauan. The massive armada that surrounded the planet and the many defense platforms are for sure to give any invaders a beating.

“Twi?” Spike whispered.

“I know. If we ever reestablish contact with our troops, we should try to relocate everypony here.”

Spike nodded and smiled.

“I’d say the future looks bright.”

Behind them, SCAR Squad were chatting and planning excitingly until Aero shouted for everyone to hear.

“TONIGHT, WE’RE GONNA GET SPIKE LAID!”

Hand of Thrawn Fortress, Sanctuary City, Nirauan

Hundreds of Stormtroopers, Officers, Engineers, Death Troopers, Storm Commandos, and Army Troopers stood at attention in the hanger as a Shuttle began landing. Before the Shuttle, Admiral Delak Krennel, General Soontir Fel, General Kron Dorst, and Admiral Voss Parck stood at attention. Admiral Siath was in charge of the fleet over Nirauan in Parck’s absence and both Admiral Ar’alani and Commander Stent were either monitoring the events at the Chiss Ascendancy or were going from planet to planet to shore up defenses.

When the ramp was finally lowered, the first to come down were SCAR Squad...and two creatures they didn’t recognize. It took the high-ranking officers a while before they remembered the holograms Thrawn sent them.

Finally behind the squad, the Grand Admiral walked down the ramp followed by General Zafaya Fudensko and General Rom Mohc who was busy with a datapad in his hand. The General kept muttering to himself, with the only words people can make out were “Guri” and “IG-88”.

SCAR Squad stepped aside to let the Grand Admiral walk ahead of them.

“Sir, welcome back.” said General Fel.

“Thank you Soontir. I trust everything is on schedule?”

“Well…” started Admiral Parck.

Before Parck could continue, the blast doors on the other side of the hanger opened up revealing a short, dark gray creature in brown clothing running towards them.

“My lord! *Huff*” The creature stopped in front of them and bowed before Thrawn. “I apologize. Admiral Krennel informed me you were arriving on a different hanger.”

Thrawn glared at the xenohobic Admiral who rolled his eyes.

“No need for apologies Rukh.” said Thrawn. “Have you at least learned your lesson?”

Rukh nodded.

“Yes my lord. I’ve learned how to restrain myself with the help of General Fel.”

The Grand Admiral nodded in approval.

“I’m glad to hear that my friend. Come with us, we have much to discuss.”

Rukh eagerly walked in step alongside the Grand Admiral while the others followed them.

1 Hour Later

After taking an extensive tour of the Hand of Thrawn, the center of Thrawn’s Empire, Twilight and Spike found themselves strapped in an enlarged Land Speeder with the rest of SCAR Squad before the Fortress’ gates.

“Alright kids.” Said Aero who was on the driver seat. “Stay in your seats, have your seat belts fastened at all times, and don’t annoy Mommy and Daddy.”

They were about to leave when Mic, who was riding shotgun, noticed an Imperial officer walking towards them. Behind the man, a group of aliens in Imperial uniforms were doing jumping jacks in front of some drill sergeants.

“Hey SCAR Squad! Heard you idiots made it back.” The man said once he was right next to the speeder.

“Ha, takes more than an army of Rebels to kill one of us.” Mic boasted. “Twi, Spike. This is Daric LaRone. He’s in charge of training all of the non-Humans here.”

LaRone tipped his cap in respect for the two.

“Heard about you two. Not bad for a bunch of newbies at Mandalore and Lola Sayu.”

Twilight smiled.

“Well, we’re hardly what you call, newbies.”

“Hey wanna have a drink with us later on?” asked Misty.

LaRone chuckled.

“Nah, I’m stuck training some recruits. Do me a favor and get me some Glaze Cake would you?”

Zuke took out his datapad to check his banking account.

“How many? I’ve got enough to feed an entire city.”

LaRone thought for a sec.

“One Glaze Cake for me, Sweet Cake for Korlo, Puff Cake for Taxtro, Jogan Fruit Cake for Saberan, and Nanana Twist for Joan.”

The big stormtrooper wrote all that down on his datapad.

“Porto’s Bakery opens until 9. I’ll make a call but you owe me.”

“Thanks big guy. Anytime.” He looked at Twilight and Spike. “Hey watch out for Mic and Aero. Chances are, they’re either gonna pass out drunk, or they’re gonna try their hardest to get you two laid.”

Both of them blushed.

“I’m already with someone.” Twi muttered.

“I don’t think I’m ready.” The dragon whispered.





Rebel HQ, Mon Calamari

In the command room of the main Rebel HQ in Mon Calamari, sounds or arguments filled the room giving those who stayed silent massive headaches.

“We should attack Kalinda!”

“Our forces in that sector are tired after taking Naboo. We should attack the Hutts! Imagine the manpower and resources we can acquire from taking their territory.”

“Are you mad? They’ll just ally themselves with the Empire!”

“I propose we launch an offensive to take Tanaab, Kashyyyk, Onderon, and Umbara. Doing so will secure an alliance with the Hapes Consortium.”

“What about Korriban? The Imperials have been using it as a staging point to raid our planets.”

“ENOUGH!” 

Every Rebel Commander became silent when Jedi Master K’Kruhk rose his voice. Jedi Masters K’Kruhk, Dass Jennir, Tr’a Saa, Rahm Kota, and Quinlan Vos were the only Jedi present. The others like Masters Minos Fel’Kona and Zao were all engaged in battle.

Of all the present Jedi, only Dass Jennir was there physically.

“I believe esteemed Generals, Admirals, that General Crix Madine has something important to say.”

The hologram of Crix Madine stepped forward in front of the group, a mixture of holograms and actual people in the room.

“For a while now, we’ve been pushing the Empire back, humiliated them in battle after battle. We’ve had the galaxy’s population at our side. That is until, one man stepped up: Grand Admiral Thrawn.”

Some of the Generals and Admirals glared at the hologram of Hera Syndulla who glared in return.

“Grand Admiral Thrawn has completely divided public opinion. Half are with us, while the other half idolize him and his inner circle. His recent moves including the recapture of Mandalore have emboldened the rest of the Imperial Navy to launch counter-offensives everywhere.

They’ve begun to realize that we cannot take losses like them. While our industrial strength is strong, we pale compared to the Empire’s.”

Madine paused as he looked around. Some around him were angry and disappointed.

“His bold attack on Lola Sayu has revealed something.”

A hologram of Twilight Sparkle and Spike appeared.

“Who are they?” asked Mon Mothma.

“My agents are working on their identity. However, they seem to be extremely important. From what I’ve learned, Thrawn set up a meeting with all of the Grand Admirals, High Inquisitor Jerec, Lord Vader, and the Emperor himself.”

This caused nervous murmurs to travel through the meeting.

“We don’t know what their species is, but we know they are highly important. Luckily, we’ve attached a Beacon to the Grand Admiral’s flagship in Coruscant.”

A map of the galaxy appeared mapping the planets the Admonitor visited.

“After Lola Sayu and rescuing the prisoner including the two HVTs, Thrawn went straight to the planet of Bastion, an Imperial stronghold.”

A red dot appeared where Bastion was located.

“Here’s the interesting part.” Madine said.

The next stop the Admonitor appeared at according to the Beacon was in the Unknown Regions. Immediately, the room exploded into shouts.

“The Unknown Regions!”

“Impossible. How are we supposed to attack without accurate star maps?”

“Calm yourselves my friends.” Madine said calming everyone down. “We have a plan.”

Next, the map zoomed in on Bastion.

“As of now, the Beacon is still active. That is good news. With other Imperial forces fighting in other fronts, we have an opportunity here.”

Rahm Kota leaned forward.

“Are you saying General, we should attack Bastion?”

Madine nodded.

“Yes, the only main opposition in the sector is Scourge Squadron under Grand Moff Ardus Kaine and the SSD Reaper. With our recent attacks and the recent capital ships transferred to assist the Imperial Offensives, Kaine’s forces have been stretched thin thus leaving Bastion virtually undefended. If we can capture Bastion and acquire any accurate star maps of the Unknown Regions, we can open up another front.”

Hera Syndulla looked at Madine with an intense glare.

“This is risky General. We don’t know what awaits us in the Unknown Regions. There could be massive fleets, secret projects. We need a sizeable force that can capture a foothold and build bases.”

The head of Rebel Intelligence nodded.

“I agree. I propose sending General Hera Syndulla, Admiral Hiram Drayson, and General Quinlan Vos to lead the assault.”

“General,” said Hera. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to send Admiral Ackbar?”

Mon Mothma stared at Hera.

“Hera, Admiral Ackbar is needed for the attack on Endor. Not to mention, you have experience fighting Grand Admiral Thrawn, despite the fact he survived.”

“Yes bu-”

“The decision is final.” Mothma said. “General Madine, the Jedi Council, and I have already agreed. Does anyone have any objections?”

There were some murmurs or disagreement, but largely nobody stepped forward.

“Then the decision is final, meeting dismissed.”

People started stepping out of the room and holograms disappeared, leaving behind only Dass Jennir and the holograms of Hera and Madine.

“To be honest Hera,” Madine said. “This all mostly Mothma and the Jedi. I merely gave them a list of commanders and gave the info. Only Kota and Jennir objected. Kota wanted to lead himself.”

Hera nodded.

“I know Crix. So they were right when they said the Jedi and the politicians are slowing us.”

“Deep inside me Hera, I feel regret for leaving the Empire behind.”

Jennir picked up his hat from the table and put it on.

“The Force is clouding my visions, but I have a bad feeling about this.” Jennir looked at the holograms. “Hera, an old friend of yours will rejoin your fleet while Rex joins Ackbar. Alexsandr Kallus and Garazeb Orrelios will help you in your offensive. Oh, and do keep Sabine Wren on a tight leash. I don’t want her to go AWOL simply because of a rumor Ezra is alive.”

“But you said yourself he was alive!” Hera said. “You said you could sense him every now and then.”

Jennir sent an intense glare at her.

“While that may be true, it is not important right now. We can worry about Ezra Bridger later.” Jennir fixed his reddish cloak. “We have a war to win.”





SCAR Squad, Nirauan, Unknown Regions/Empire of the Hand

“~Shut the fuck up
You're a fucking cunt
Shut the fuck up
You're a stupid cunt, suck my dick
Shut the fuck up
Stop being a fucking cunt
Shut the fuck up
Nobody even wants you here~”

The rest of the squad were staring at their surroundings while their speeder flew down a highway. They did their best to ignore the singing from Mic and Aero up front.

Their speeder stopped when a stoplight turned red. Pulling up next to them, a hover truck full of scrap metal with an old Devaronian and a Wookiee stopped. Aero looked at the occupants and waved at them.

“Hey Villie, Chak! Got anything good?”

<”Come around the shop. We have some cool things you can check out.”> said Chak.

“Villie will give you a discount as a welcome home present ho’kay?” said the old Devaronian.

“Will do.”

The light turned green and their speeder flew down the highway once again.

“You can understand the Wookiee?” asked Twilight.

Aero shrugged.

“The things I do when I’m bored.”

“Besides jacking off?” teased Kreel.

“Oh you’re very funny Sarge. At least I wasn’t the one browsing kinky furry shit.”

They passed a residential area on the edge of a forest consisting of giant tree houses. Twilight and Spike could see many Wookiees walking about in the neighborhood.

“Red light.” Kreel said.

Aero waved him off dismissively.

“Don’t play with me. I didn’t pass a red light.”

5 Minutes Later

Aero crumpled the ticket in his hand as the blue (and admittingly hot according to Mic) female Twi’lek police officer in a white helmet, black sunglasses, blue uniform, and black boots walked back to her police speeder bike parked behind their speeder.

“Fuck the police.” Aero snarled.

30 Minutes Later

The group was down the highway on the outskirts of the city entering a forest when Spike broke the silence.

“So that was Sanctuary City huh? Looks nice.”

“A testament of what the Empire could be like under the right leadership.” Shrap said.

“Where are you taking us next?” asked Twilight.

“A hole. You’ll understand when we get there.” Misty answered.

As they drove through the forest, they passed multiple patrols and convoys although there were civilians who were hiking.

“This place reminds me of the Everfree.” Twilight said.

“The what?” asked Cav.

“A forest near our home, I mean, was our home.” replied Spike.

They came upon a gated base, guarded by two AT-STs and a few squads. Up on the walls, they could see guards walking about with some Scout Troopers and Twi’lek snipers on the guard towers. A Stormtrooper Sergeant approached their vehicle.

“Welcome back SCAR Squad, the Grand Admiral said you would be coming here.” She said before looking up at the wall where a Chiss Officer was staring down at them. “Open the gates!”

The giant steel gates began to slide open revealing a bustling base. Mic drove the speeder slowly through as Twilight and Spike took in the scenery. Parked AT-ATs were being serviced by engineers, an Imperial officer was watching over a group of Chiss, Humans, and Twi’leks doing push ups, a group of soldiers were cheering on a pair of Wookiees arm wrestling on a table, a squad of Storm Commandos rappelling down a building in a training exercise, etc.

“Welcome to Fort Nether kiddos.” Zuke said. “One of many bases scattered around the forests.”

“Why is it called Fort Nether?” Spike asked.

“Heh, you’ll see.” said Misty.

Directly in the middle of the fort, a giant circular building stood guarded by multiple squads of soldiers. They stopped just in front and disembarked. Near them, a group of Imperial officers and Chiss Officers gave them weird looks, especially towards Twilight and Spike. Kreel meanwhile was typing a password on a keypad when Aero pointed out a group of Zeltron approaching the new additions to their squad with hungry looks on their eyes. The alicorn and the Spike didn’t seem to notice as they were too busy observing the base.

Immediately, Zuke walked up quickly and put himself between the two and the group.

“Get them inside.” Zuke said to Kreel before looking down at the Zeltrons. “I know how you guys do things, they’re off limits.”

“Not even a taste?” A barely legal Zeltron female asked licking her lips.

Zuke glared at her through his helmet.

“Touch them, and I’ll feed you to our pets.”

The group backed off knowing how ferocious SCAR Squads pets could be. Silently, Zuke turned around and walked inside the building to meet up with the rest of his squad.

Inside, he found the squad looking down a giant bottomless pit. Surrounding the pit, various scientists were monitoring equipment. Zuke nor the rest of the squad didn’t notice when Thrawn walked up behind them with a cupholder and four cups of Jogan Milkshakes.

“Welcome to the Bottomless Pit.” Thrawn said getting their attention. The squad whirled around to find an uncommon sight, the Grand Admiral drinking a cup of milkshake with more at the ready.

“Bottomless Pit?” Spike asked.

Thrawn paused for a sec before answering.

“Well, one of countless actually.”

“What do you mean countless?” asked Twilight.

“Well, how should I put this?” Thrawn walked up to the edge of the pit and dropped one of the cups of milkshakes. “It’s an anomaly. It shouldn’t exist yet it is here. The theory of multiple universes is actually true. I believe Miss Sparkle has already explained how she believed she’s traveled to another universe correct?”

The rest of the squad nodded.

“This pit is a gateway. Jump in it, and you have a 50% chance of ending up spat out of another pit in another universe. However, we’ve discovered that if you jump back in, you will have a 100% of returning to your home universe. At least, that’s what the scientists say. Almost fell in the first time I found it.”

“How did you find it exactly sir?” asked Shrap.

Several Years Ago

Clad in hiking gear, Thrawn looked down the giant hole he found. He hummed while thinking before dropping a stone the size of his hand in it. The Chiss waited, but didn’t hear a sound.

“Just how deep are you?” He asked nobody in particular. Thrawn couldn’t react in time as an object flew out of the pit and nailed him directly on the chin. The victim of the object fell backwards and groaned in pain. Getting up while rubbing his chin, Thrawn looked down at the offending object lying on the grass.

It was a damaged red book with a golden six-fingered handprint with the number 3 on it.

That imbecile. He thought.

Present Day

“I was hiking when I just found it. Ever since, our scientists haven’t exactly found out why it was like this or how.”

The group silently thought as they stared back at the pit.

“Mind if we jump in sir?” asked Mic.

Thrawn shrugged.

“Well, we’ve yet to have a fatal accident. So I suggest if you do, return at the first sign of danger do you all understand?”

SCAR Squad nodded.

“Good, then I must be off. Try not get yourselves killed.”

Immediately, Mic and Aero jumped in together, followed by Kreel, Shrap, Misty, Cav, and Zuke leaving Twilight and Spike to look on in confusion. Thrawn rolled his eyes.

“Always on the move.”

The Grand Admiral walked away, sipping on another milkshake.

“Should we jump in Twi?” asked Spike.

Twilight shrugged.

“I mean, I guess? I’m not too keen on sitting here to wait.”

Spike fist pumped the air.

“Yes!” He grabbed Twilight in a bear hug and dashed for the hole.

“Wait Spi-” She didn’t finish as he jumped into the abyss. The scientists shook their heads as they heard her terrified screams grew further and further away.





With Mic and Aero

The two goofballs were sent flying out of the hole. Acting on instinct, the two activated their jump packs and landed on the ground.

“Well, now what?”

They looked around to find they were on a desolate landscape. There were many fires everywhere.

In the distance, they heard booming sounds.

“Slugthrowers?” asked Mic.

“Got nothing better to do, we should check it out.”





Kreel

Sergeant Kreel of SCAR Squad landed on his feet when he was thrown out of the pit. He looked around to find the bodies of unknown aliens everywhere alongside many vehicles.

“Where am I?” He said.

“Identify yourself.” said a deep masculine voice.

Kreel whirled around to find a green armored warrior, pointing some kind of gun at him. The unknown’s golden visor showed the reflection of the Stormtrooper.

“Peace.” Kreel said raising his hands slowly. “I mean you no harm.”

“Are you UNSC?” The unknown asked.

Kreel stared in confusion.

“What’s UNSC?”

They froze when they heard sounds in the distance.

“WORT WORT WORT!”

He watched as the unknown turned away to aim his weapon at the direction the sounds came from.

“Look, as long as you’re Human, can you fight?”

“Is that a question?” Kreel took out his blaster and aimed at the same direction.

“Listen, we have hostiles coming this way. We can skip formalities and fight them off first. Agreed?”

The Sergeant smiled underneath his helmet.

“Very well. Name’s Kreel by the way.”

He looked at the unknown who nodded.

“Call me Chief.”





Shrap

The pyromaniac watched from a hill at hotel pool, where a bunch of these nude furry creatures were either relaxing, or, for lack of better word, fucking each other.

None of them seemed to be worried about it. In fact, from Shrap’s view at the city, all of the inhabitants were walking around in the nude and some were having sexual intercourse in public for all to see. It didn’t matter what gender they were, some switched to love making from the same sex, to the opposite sex.

Basically a land of lust and debauchery.

“Yo.”

Shrap looked behind him where one of these wolf-like furry males stood behind him. His cock was erect and wet from being sucked by another male like him who was laying on the grass jerking himself off.

“Couldn’t help but notice you lonely here.” The wolf said who then started stroking his cock. “Wanna have fun?”

Wordlessly, Shrap took out his flamethrower.

“Burn in hell.”





Misty

Misty whistled an Imperial patriotic tune as he sniped another one of these black and red armored warriors with skull masks. He was quiet surprised when he saw these Humans throw literal fire at him.

Luckily, he retreated up a hill where it would be harder for them to catch him. For hours on end, he hasn’t stopped firing his rifle. Thus far, he’s eliminated an entire battalion.

“All this because I refused to bow to that princess or whatever the hell she is.”

The last warrior fell to a bolt on the face, just another casualty in the field full of the dead. In the distance, another battalion was marching up but froze when they saw the dead bodies of their comrades.

*Sigh* “Now I’m bored.”





Cav

“FINISH HER!”

Cav looked at the dazed bug lady and approached her. Picking up the spear of this “Emperor” he kicked on the balls from the ground, Cav stabbed the left foot of the bug lady and pinned it to the ground.

Wordlessly, he grabbed the other leg and started to pull. She screamed in pain as he continued to pull.

Her pelvic region split in half in a shower of blue blood. Cav pulled again, causing the split on her body to go up to her stomach region. The stomach and intestines spilled onto the floor.

“Hmph.” Cav then stopped and dropped her to the ground, leaving her just alive to die slowly.

“Impressive.”

Cav looked behind him to see the “Thunder God” he heard so much about stare at him. The Thunder God’s red eyes bore deep into Cav’s soul.

“I thank you warrior, for defending Earthrrealm.”

“Eh,” Cav said wiping some blood off his chest. “Give me more targets will you? Kind of feel bored with nobody to fight.”

“Very well then. Do you know of a sorcerer named Shang Tsung?”





Zuke

The giant of a man landed face first on the dirt causing him to groan in annoyance.

“Ach, why the head?”

He stood up and looked to his left, where a wooden sign next to him said “Bottomless Pit”.

“Well that’s convenient.”

Zuke looked around to find himself in a wooded area and was enthralled on how peaceful it seems.

“Beautiful.”

His eyes then laid on a wooden building not too far away.

“Well, at least there’s civilization.”





Twilight and Spike

“We did it Twi! We saved the planet!” Spike yelled with glee on top of a forested hill. However, his sister wasn’t so sure.

“Uh, not really sure about that Spike.”

Up in the skies, many rotary aircraft chased after the blue-skinned natives flying some kind of flying reptilian creatures. Down at the bottom of the hill, Human soldiers wearing masks with some riding mechs, chased after the natives and corralled their prisoners into a singular area.

From where they were, they could make out the smoke from the fire Spike started that burned the contents of a trailer they found deep in the jungle.

All of a sudden, a giant explosion rocked the land. In the distance, one of the larger crafts sped away after dropping what appears to be bombs at a certain area.

“This is Valkyrie 1-6. Target destroyed. Heading back to base.”

“Copy that Valkyrie 1-6 good job. All units, this is Papa Dragon. Maintain sweeping operation. Take down as many of them as possible before they skedaddle. Target with extreme prejudice.”

Nearby, they could hear the coms of the Humans from one of their downed aircraft. At first, they were lost, not knowing what was going on. Then, they witnessed Humans being overwhelmed by the blue-skinned aliens. Spike elected to help them, but Twilight wanted to wait to get a better understanding of what was going on.

Long story short, Spike found a lone trailer in the jungle. Already irritated by the weird air on the planet, he sneezed and ended up burning everything inside the trailer with his fire. Then the aliens started to become disorganized and faltered. Seeing this, Spike thought he did a good thing.

“I think we just did a great thing Twi.” Spike said with a huge smile on his face, completely oblivious to a group of Human soldiers massacring alien prisoners not far behind him.

Twilight facepalmed.

“Whatever, lets just go back. The air here is irritating me.”





Back on Nirauan

Scientists looked on as Thrawn walked back and forth on the edge of the pit. Surprisingly for them, he looked worried. The stone-faced Grand Admiral really does care for those under him, but he usually doesn’t show it. They noticed Thrawn staring at something before taking some steps back.

He let out a sigh of relief as Mic and Aero were the first to come out. However, he stared in confusion as Mic had markings depicting some kind of double-headed bird while Aero had marking of red skulls on his armor.

“NO MERCY NO RESPITE!” Mic yelled at Aero’s face.

“BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!” Aero replied.

“THE EMPEROR’S LIGHT IS MY TORCH!”

Thrawn cleared his throat to get their attention.

“We...may have gone overboard.” Mic said sheepishly.

Next to come out was Kreel who had medals adorned on his armor.

“I became friends with a super soldier and blew up an entire planet.” Kreel deadpanned.

Besides Kreel, Misty appeared at the same time as Shrap.

“Target practice. Met some people who could throw flames and I told a princess to piss off.” Misty said.

“I committed genocide.” Shrap answered causing the room to fall into silence.

“Honestly Shrap,” Kreel said. “That’s something I can see you doing.”

Zuke then came out causing the squad to jump out of the way to not get crushed by the giant man. The Stormtroopers were wide eyed when they saw the giant’s armor full of glitter, stickers, and drawings created by a child.

“I came full of stories of adventure. Also, I have made some friends and they will not be harmed.” Zuke announced.

Behind Zuke’s head, a fat pig and a little girl with braces, brown hair, a skirt, and a pink sweater that made Misty’s eye hurt appeared.

“Hi!” She said.

While the squad was fixated at Zuke and his new companions, Thrawn looked at the girl and put a finger on his slip, telling her to keep quiet. The girl understood and made a zipping motion on her lips.

“Zuke, brother.” Misty said. “You can’t just bring people from other dimensions. I think that’s against the rules.”

Zuke looked at the Grand Admiral and pleaded with him.

“Sir, please. Can I at least show them around?”

Thrawn shook his head.

“Bringing an individual from another universe may prove harmful. It would be wise to put her and her, um, pig back.”

“Aw.” Zuke reached behind and held the pig and the girl, each on his two hands. “I’m sorry, but it’s time for you to return.”

“Will you visit?” The girl asked sadly. He then looked at Thrawn who shrugged before looking back at her.

“I most certainly will.”

He turned around and held them above the pit.

“Tell your brother he looks cute with that blonde by the way.”

Zuke dropped the two and waved goodbye as they disappeared into the abyss.

Before he could react, two bodies appeared and collided with his torso, causing him to fall backwards.

Thrawn looked with amusement as the dazed Twilight and Spike got off of Zuke.

“We...may have doomed an entire species.” Twilight said holding her head.

“Hmph. So it appears none of you excluding Zuke listened to me. Then again, I should’ve expected this.” Thrawn said. He walked up to the edge and put his hand out. They watched in confusion as nothing happened. “Give it time.”

Suddenly, a cup of milkshake flew out of the pit and landed perfectly on Thrawn’s hand.

“Now,” The Grand Admiral started. “I advise you finish having your fun before we get into serious matters.”





Admiral Delak Krennel

ISD Reckoning

Over an unknown planet

First thing the xenophobic Admiral did after Thrawn  arrived was bolt of there, coming with the excuse of "continuing exploration for new planets and species".

Unknown to many in High Command, the Admiral has been using a small flotilla of escort ships with his Star Destroyer flagship to unleash a reign of terror on any new planets he's encountered. In his path, planets were burned and species extinguished under the incinerating fire of his orbital bombardments. No planet would be given mercy, at least except for Zakuul. Krennel heard the rumors and had plans on what to do with that planet.

"Is this live?" Krennel asked he comms officer.

"Y-yes sir." The nervous officer replied.

Krennel stared intently at a computer screen, depicting some kind of colorful, human-like mutants in front of some kind of school, inspecting the probe droid. One of them in particular, reminded him of the alien scum known as Twilight which to him, was very creepy.

Without warning, a pink creature appeared on his screen with a huge smile that made the Admiral step back in surprise.

"SURPRISE! Hello. Anybody there? Aliens can you understand me?" The alien said in a high-pitched, female voice.

"Tch, disgusting." Krennel said. "Begin bombardment starting with the probe droid's location. I want no survivors."

Immediately, the bridge crew rushed to their stations to follow the Admiral's orders.





Admiral Voss Parck

Hand of Thrawn Fortress

“-concluding the meeting between the many civil rights group, they have agreed to unify as one. Our sources have learned they have renamed themselves. The unified civil rights group, who have called for the end of the war and for Emperor Palpatine’s resignation, have called themselves, the Vox Populi. What this could mean and how this could affect the already divided Imperial High Command is questionable. Joining me today is Civil Rights advocate and former Senator of Pantora, Riyo Chuchi-”

Parck turned off the monitor and walked towards the balcony in one of the Fortress’ towers. He looked down at the courtyard, where all of the members of the 181st stood at attention in their dress uniforms. Before them, holograms of fallen aces of the 181st stood before them. General Soontir Fel stood in front of his comrades, with flowers in his hand.

“After this, Fel will be busy looking for new members.” Parck said to himself. He then looked at his datapad and smiled. “Perhaps, I can assist them in another way.”

On the datapad, Parck studied the design of a formidable fighter, the TIE Defender.





Cav

Bottomless Pit, Nirauan

The room was silent, only a lone scientist reading a book on a lawn chair at the edge of the pit.

"They always seem to forget about Cav don't they?" He said flipping a page on the book.

Suddenly, a hand appeared out of the edge. The scientists merely rose an eyebrow, but didn't react as the last remaining member of SCAR Squad climbed out of the hole.

Cav's armor was caked in blood, but also cracked in many places. He had a bloody skull tied to his waist.

"I...have been climbing...FOR THREE HOURS!" The Stormtrooper then rose one of his knives in the air. "BUT I LIVED AND FINALLY KILLED THE DAMN SORCERER!"

"You finished?" The unamused scientist asked.

"Yeah." The exhausted Stormtrooper said. "Where's my squad?"

The scientist shrugged.

"Beats me. I'd check the fortress if I were you."

Cav huffed in annoyance.

"FUCKERS FORGOT ME AGAIN!" He yelled before running off.

"Somehow, I think it's just a higher being messing with you." The scientist said.

To his surprise, a tiny hand then reached out of the hole. He remained stone-faced when a pudgy boy with white hair, pale skin, and some kind of blue dress suit climbed out.

"Excuse me sir, can you help widdle ole me for a sec? Have you seen this red journal with the number 3 on it?" The boy asked.

"Yeah." The scientist said before taking out a CA-87 Blaster. "It's back the way you came."
> Skybound They Roam
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Captain Wind Blast

Colus, Celestial-Occupied Chiss Planet

Twilight Force

“RAAAAGH!” Wind Blast roared as he dueled with his opponent, an Alliance pegasus piloting a single-seat Comet just like he was. Like every member of Twilight Force, they had their wingtips colored in purple. Every ship and ground vehicle had purple strips and soldiers wore purple armor. This was all in honor of their exiled Princess, Twilight Sparkle. Every single member, would die for her and now fight in the hopes of reuniting with her.

Before her ascension, most knew her as a nerdy librarian. However, she took everypony by surprise by personally leading Twilight Force everywhere. No current leader would’ve done so except for Luna but that was a long time ago. Now every leader would lead from the rear, except for the Element of Magic.

Her brother Shining Armor was proud to be a Royal Guard, dutifully protecting Celestia wherever she goes. Once he became a General, he betrayed his own unit by diverting the best to serve under his little sister. This caused many units to look at the then Twilight Guards with contempt. With the expansion of the Celestial Alliance, the Twilight Guards were turned into the Twilight Force, an army of hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers, hundreds of fighters and bombers, and nearly 50 warships. Considering how aggressive they were utilized, they were the biggest and most experienced single force in the Alliance.

Ponies, Changelings, Zebras, Griffins, Minotaurs, Dragons, etc. all ready to die for their beloved princess who saved them countless times.

When they finally found out what happened to the inhabitants of the planets they conquered under Magia Regnum, many members of Twilight Force were put on suicide watch. None had the stomach to do so, as it was seen as abandoning their princess who needed them. The genocide of the Deer for denouncing Magia Regnum was the last straw. Twilight Sparkle declared herself a member of the Rebellion along with the entire Twilight Force. Her friends, who profited or supported Magia Regnum were immediately revoked of their honorary membership of Twilight Force.

Twilight Force rendezvous with forces under Admiral Red Talon, a griffin, and Admiral Tidal Wave, a unicorn. They were the most senior officers left in the rebellion after the capture of Starlight Glimmer. With a fleet number in more than 100 and 2 million soldiers, they set for the next target of the Celestial Alliance: the Chiss Ascendancy.

Negotiations were stagnant on the planet of Suilo as the Chiss believed they were invaders. Only when they engaged the Celestial Alliance invasion fleet did the Chiss trust them. With their combined forces, they destroyed every single transport, killing almost a million CA soldiers, and completely demolished their fleet thus disgracing Admiral Sun Strike, the commander of the fleet. Coincidentally, Big Mac who was a dear friend of Princess Twilight and the husband of Fluttershy, lost his arm in the attack. This caused Fluttershy to be completely against Twilight eliminating any sympathies her friends had on Twilight.

This also gave the CA military a huge shock as none have ever delivered a resounding defeat to them. It wasn’t a complete loss however as they captured their Princess and her brother. Ever since then, the Celestial Alliance have surrounded the Chiss Ascendancy and have tried multiple times to break through. They’ve captured planets but could not hold them for long before a Chiss-Rebellion fleet would come in to liberate it.

Colus was no different. It was a frozen planet on the edge of Chiss space. They controlled the surface, but could not take the underground cities of the Chiss. Just trying to capture one was a challenge, straining Alliance logistics and denying their ground troops any air support. So they resorted to the one thing they could do, cut off the cities from supplies.

And this is where he was, an ace dogfighting another ace over the frozen planet. Up above them, the Celestial Alliance fleet was being decimated though more ships keep arriving by the minute. 

Admiral Tidal Wave promised to return Colus to them so he unleashed the entire Twilight Force on the planet. Things were going great for Wind Blast. He downed his 54th kill when he noticed an ace among this enemies, a Comet with the Mark of Death. Every ace, whether they were loyalist or rebel, had their fighters painted with a burning skull of their species with a spear stabbed through the jaw and out the cranium. This one in particular was a pegasus like him, considering the pony skull with wings in the background.

The two duel each other, flying between broadsiding ships and wreckage when Wind Blast dived into the planet to take their fight to an area without interference. For nearly an hour, they weaved through the mountains trying to gain the upperhand. Both of their Comets were smoking from taking multiple hits and Wind Blast’s nose was bleeding.

“COME ON YOU BASTARD!” Wind Blast yelled. They were just above a half frozen lake with Wind Blast dodging and weaving all of their laser bolts fired at him. He looked back and had his hand on the landing gear switch.

Deciding the time was perfect, Wind Blast flipped the switch. There was a bang and he saw one of his landing gears flying towards his enemy after hitting the water. Sensing the danger, his adversary banked right just in time as the landing gear barely scraped the cockpit window.

“It was a good shot.” He said to himself.

For another 30 minutes, they dualed each other through the mountains though neither gained anything. Both pilots were fatigued and their starfighters were just about ready to fall apart.

*BEEP BEEP*

Wind Blast’s thoughts were broken when he looked at his fuel indicator. He froze when he saw it was on zero. Looking to his left where his opponent was flying next to him, he could see the red blinking lights coming from the cockpit indicating the same thing.

The Pegasus dug through his pocket and took out a single picture. It showed a blue Pegasus Mare with a white mane in her purple pilot’s uniform waving at the photographer from the top of her Comet. She had the biggest smile on her face which made Wind Blast smile.

“I’m so sorry Lime Light. My flower, forgive me.”

He put the photo back in his cockpit and started breathing heavily to psych himself up. Without warning, Wind Blast banked left towards his enemy. The enemy pilot’s eyes went wide eyed as he did not expect such a suicidal move. Their wings collided and shattered due to the damage they took in the fight. Wind Blast closed his eyes as his starfighter spun out of control.

“I love you Lime Light!” Wind Blast yelled as he felt the ground get closer. There was a loud bang before his head hit his cockpit window and the Pegasus was immediately knocked out.

30 Minutes Later

“Ugh fuck me.” Wind Blast said as he regained consciousness. “Why ain’t I dead?”

He saw around his cockpit that all of his equipment was destroyed by the impact. The cockpit window was shattered and there was blood pooling down to the ground. Wind Blast unstrapped himself and got out of the window. To preoccupied by the pain, he fell onto the snow lying face first.

“Ow fucking hell.”

Painstakingly, he took off his helmet, revealing it was cracked and heavily damaged, though possibly saving his life. His eyes then noticed smoke in the distance. Wind Blast searched his cockpit, but to his dismay, could not find his medical kit.

“It’s fucking cold, too far from friendlies, and I’m gonna freeze or bleed to death. Might as well make sure I get the kill.” He said to himself. Getting up, he took out his sidearm and trudged through the snow slowly.

For five minutes, Wind Blast slowly walked through the snow.

Just over the hill. He thought to himself as he walked up a small hill. When the pegasus made it over the hill, he was not prepared for what he saw.

There, bleeding and leaning on the wreckage of a Comet, a grey Pegasus with red hair stared at him with tired eyes.

“Wind Blast?” asked the Pegasus.

“Fire Storm?” Wind Blast asked. He limped towards the Pegasus until they were right in front of each other. After a moment of silence, the two hugged for about a minute or so. The only sounds to be heard was the wind.

“Never thought I’d see you again.” Fire Storm whispered.

Wind Blast didn’t say anything as they both collapsed to their knees.

“You do know we’re not gonna make it right? We both loss too much blood.”

The Rebel Captain chuckled.

“I fully expect a story to made about us. Two orphan boys who became aces, only to kill each other. At least...Cheerilee, Octavia, Vinyl, Lime Light and Filthy Rich will be okay.”

“For the moment at least.” Fire Storm replied.

“Yeah...for the moment.”

They laid down on their backs, side by side and staring into the sky. Both knew they weren’t gonna make it so they held each other’s hands.

“How did it come to this. As the older brother, I was supposed to watch over you. All of you.”

Fire Storm turned his head to look at Wind Blast.

“Come now, we’re not even related… by blood at least. I’d say you did a good job Wind. Cheerilee’s a teacher like she wanted, both Octavia and Vinyl are famous musicians, Lime Light’s kicking ass somewhere, and Filthy Rich, well, is rich. Down side is his wife sucks ass and his daughter is a spoiled brat, but I’d still say you did a good job being our older brother.”

“And now, I’m laying here with my younger brother, both of us bleeding on the snow after beating the shit out of each other in the middle of nowhere.” Wind Blast turned his head to look at his younger brother. “But we had a good run didn’t we?”

Fire Storm smiled.

“We made our marks in history, as one of the best aces.”

“In our history. I bet there are better pilots out there in the rest of the galaxy.”

“Yeah you’re probably right.”

The two Pegasi stayed silent, enjoying each other’s company, as their visions begin to darken. Up above breaking through the clouds, they could see Rebel and Chiss transports flying past them.

“This is Admiral Tidal Wave. We have broken through the Loyalist blockade. I repeat, we have broken through the Loyalist blockade. Onwards my brothers and sisters. To victory! Destroy the Loyalist dogs!”

Wind Blast smiled despite darkness clouding his vision.

“Long live her majesty.” He whispered before the darkness overtook him.

Princess Celestia Galaxia

CAN Soul of Equestria

Over unknown planet

A frustrated Celestia in her golden armor, slammed her fist on the holotable. Yet again, they’ve been pushed out of Chiss territory. There were a few high commanders who proposed destroying the Chiss planets outright, but that only denies the CA of resources and new territory for them. So for now, they need to continue pumping out personnel and warships to overwhelm anypony that stands in their way.

Luna somewhat respected the Chiss however. They made sure no vital information fell into their hands, including information of missing Chiss warships and high-ranking officers. Celestial Alliance High Command were extremely curious with such Chiss like Thrawn and Ar’alani other than the fact they were highly experienced and talented commanders. What worried them was neither were ever encountered by their forces.

Then there was the fact that they found the wreckage of Admiral Sun Strike’s patrol fleet over Tartarus. There no survivors found and the exiled Twilight Sparkle and Spike were also missing which worried her greatly. The Rebels never mentioned their return in their propaganda holovids, so where were they?

“Your majesty, General Iron Wall says he has a situation ground side. He couldn’t explain so he asks that you meet him ground side.” the coms said.

“Very well. Have a transport ready.” Celestia said. She rubbed her forehead in frustration. Their efforts to spread the idea of Magia Regnum started off so well, but they’ve begun encountering big obstacles as they got closer to the Core of the galaxy.

30 Minutes Later

“So what am I seeing here?” asked Celestia. She stood just below a hill where a transparent figure sat with its legs crossed and its eyes closed. Next to her stood General Iron Wall, an elderly gray Unicorn with a black mane, and General Rolling Block, a brown Earth Pony with a blonde mane wearing a Stetson hat. Both of them wore golden armor with the sun emblazoned on their chest.

“Some kahnd awf ghost maybe? Perhaps we’ve encountered another race that kay-yun use magic like us?” General Rolling Block said with a thick Appleloosan accent.

“If that’s the case, we should approach the unknown peacefully. If we play our cards right, we can convince them to join us.” Iron Wall said with an accent hinting at his Canterlot origins. He looked at Celestia who was glaring at the figure. “Do not antagonize him Celestia. For once, show some restraint.”

Celestia let out a huff.

“Look at the figure. Whoever he or she is, they believe themselves superior.”

Iron Wall smacked the back of Celestia’s head causing Rolling Block to snort. Celestia looked at the elderly general but faltered at his intense glare.

“We can’t go around wiping out every race we see. I’ve won wars for you, some without firing a shot. The unknown is baiting you into making an irrational decision.”

The Princess’ horn lit up a little.

“What makes you think you can hit me and get away with it?” Celestia snarled. However, Iron Wall remained impassive.

“I’ve saved your life countless times. I’ve also warned you about Magia Regnum how you will only awake a sleeping giant. I’m not one to physically punish a petulant child, but I will if I have to.”

“Nobody would know if I got rid of you.”

“I know you won’t do it.” Iron Wall waved off her threat. “You need me. Besides, we both know Director Jackpot Star would know.”

Celestia continued to stare at the elderly, but highly experienced and popular General. After a moment, the light on her horn dimmed and she turned to march up the hill.

"Feel like sumthing's wrong with her.” Rolling Block whispered to Iron Wall as they followed their princess.

“They haven’t been the same since Princess Twilight Sparkle’s betrayal.” Iron Wall responded. “Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, Tidal Wave, Red Talon, the entire Twilight Force, but it was Princess Sparkle’s betrayal that seemed to push the Princesses off the edge.”

"Celestia an Luna seemed mo-wr angry, irrational. Cadence looks depressed, an Shinin' Armor won't tawk ta nobody.  Heard 'e almost gawt into a brush with thuh other Elements.”

“Not really surprised when they pushed their own interests ahead of their own friend. Best we follow her before she does something stupid.”

The two climbed up the hill after their princess. Their white cloaks flying from a breeze. Behind them, a division worth of Celestial Alliance troops waited for the go ahead. All of them itching for a fight and it shocked them that the one thing stopping their advance on the city in the distance was a single figure.

When Celestia stopped in front of the sitting figure with her two Generals, the figure did not react. Rolling Block was slack jawed at how the unknown was transparent though Iron Wall was more intrigued. Possibly thinking the benefits of making an alliance.

“Speak creature. What is the meaning of your interference?” Celestia said with her arms crossed.

And there it is. Iron Wall frowned and gave her a disapproving glare.

This time, the creature opened its eyes and stood up. It looked elderly with its wrinkles and gray hair. Its elegant white armor and black robes spoke of someone of power. Iron Wall noted how its body structure was similar to the Chiss with its hair only covered the top of its head, the jaw, and just below its nose.

The gray eyes bore deep into their souls causing their stomachs to drop, even Celestia herself.

“Who...who are you?” Celestia asked shakingly. She felt fear, 2nd to a dream a while back where both herself and her sister encountered a creature in black robes, a skull mask, and wielded a red sword.

At first, the creature did nothing but stare at them as if they were children. Finally, it spoke.

“I am the former Emperor Valkorion of the now defunct Eternal Empire. You dare come to home planet to conquer it?” The figure identified as Valkorion said in a deep voice.

“Defunct?” Rolling Block asked.

“If you haven’t realized, I’m dead. Been dead for thousands of years in fact and my Empire fell not long after my death.”

“You’ve got it wrong your majesty.” Iron Wall said causing the two others to look at him curiously. “We’re here to offer your species an alliance.”

“An alliance?” The creature asked with a hint of amusement. “Why would my people ally themselves with an alliance that would perform genocide on them?”

“What do you mean?” Celestia asked.

“My people are known as Humans, we reside all over the galaxy. Zakuul is merely one planet out of many Humanity has called home. As for me, there are a small group of people that wield powers such as myself where our strengths vary. All I had to do was lift a finger to stop your division from advancing.”

“But you’re dead.” The alicorn said clenching her fists.

“Clearly, your knowledge is still limited Princess Celestia Galaxia. You know nothing of what awaits you and I will be damned if I let my planet fall victim to a pitiful child such as you and the rest of your little council.”

“You dare insult me?” growled Celestia who’s horn glowed causing the two Generals to back off. Lightning began coursing through the arms of Valkorion and his eyes began to glow.

“I dare. I must thank Vitiate of all the knowledge he acquired before he was destroyed. Now, I can be my people’s eternal guardian.”

Celestia wordlessly fired a great yellow beam at Valkorion. To their shock, he slapped the beam out of the way and they watched as it punctured the hull of a low flying CA Corvette. A huge explosion occurred midship causing the Corvette to break in half signifying a reactor detonation.

“Kneel before, THE DRAGON OF ZAKUUL!” Valkorion roared as he started floating. He lifted an arm and lightning flew out of his fingers. The lightning struck a Changeling officer before it started hitting other soldiers, until an entire Battalion’s worth of troops laid on the ground with their bodies smoking.

“OPEN FIRE!” Celestia ordered. The troops were still in shock and shook with fear but complied nonetheless. Valkorion stood still as laser bolts harmlessly went through his transparent body.

“Pathetic.” He whispered before he jumped high into the air.

The three ponies looked up to see Valkorion coming down towards them, a fist at the ready with lightning emitting from his fist though much, much brighter.

Thinking quickly, Iron Wall grabbed both Celestia’s and Rolling Block’s arms and conjured a spell. They were teleported just in time as Valkorion made impact with the ground.

CAN Soul of Equestria

Three bodies appeared in the air in Iron Wall’s room and landed on the floor with a thud. The elderly unicorn groaned before his fellow General helped him up his feet. He looked to Celestia who was standing in front of the window. Her eyes stared at a spot of the planet where they could see flashes of lightning.

“I warned...all of you.”

Celestia looked at Iron Wall who was tired from the teleportation spell.

“We don’t know what else is out there. There could be more...like this Valkorion.” He said between breaths. “But none of you listened. Not then, not now, not later.”

The alicorn stared at the respected General. Wordlessly, she walked passed him slowly and out of the room.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Command Centre, Nirauan, Empire of the Hand

In a long, empty, hallway, Grand Admiral Thrawn briskly walked in a hurry. Next to him, Admiral Voss Parck accompanied his friend. The sounds of their boots echoed throughout the hallway.

“Infrastructure projects going smoothly, the MRT in Sanctuary was completed while you were gone, and the droid factory is nearly operational. All in all, things are mostly going as planned.” informed Parck.

“And what of the population?” asked Thrawn.

“More or less, happy. We still have Mon Calamaris here and there refusing to work, some racial tensions, last week’s festival was a disaster, luckily law enforcement was on standby,”

“No free alcoholic beverages next time then?” interrupted the Chiss.

“Absolutely.” Parck grimaced. “Having a bunch of drunk Wookiees is not a pretty sight. All in all, the entire population in our territories is happy. You’re up 10 points in recent polls at 95% approval rating while the Emperor has stagnated at 0.”

“Any intruders?”

“A few here and there. Yesterday, a Zygerrian slave hunting fleet stumbled into the Onager while it was testing its cannons with its escorts.”

“Casualties?”

“No casualties for us and no survivors among the few thousand Zygerrians. About 2000 slaves freed, mostly Twi’leks and Togrutans. Recently however, Battlegroup Swarm took down a Black Sun fleet that intruded on our territories. Hostiles eliminated, but about 60 wounded when a Black Sun ship rammed the Swarm.”

“Good. I want defenses increased on planets closest to Bastion.”

Parck rose an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“Kaine’s forces are being stretched thin. Bastion’s left unguarded several times and the Rebel advance into Kaine’s sector is threatening the secrecy of our territories. I’d send ships to defend Bastion itself, but we would need them here and we’re running the risk of exposing ourselves to the public too early.”

The two entered a room in the hallway guarded by some Death Troopers. In the middle of the large room was a conference table, where the holograms of the Hydras plus Vice Admiral Terrinald Screed, Grand Moff Zsinj, General Jahan Cross, and Admiral Sander Delvardus.

“Gentlemen,” Thrawn began as he took a seat at the head of the table with Parck taking a seat to his left. “Our plans are near fruition. Once the Emperor’s plans on Endor are completed, we make our move to eliminate the Emperor and Vader.”

“I’m sorry if I’m lost here,” Began Screed. “But how exactly are we going to eliminate them?”

“Before I begin Vice Admiral.” said Thrawn. “We will all be assigned to our units and put on high alert. Until we learn whether the Emperor is victorious or not, we will remain on DEFCON 3.”

“Whether?” asked Zsinj.

“With the Emperor’s ego. You never know. He screams a comic villain who would snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.” commented Teshik.

“But how do we put them out of the picture?” asked Delvardus.

“I can answer that for you.” said Cross. “Thanks to Thrawn’s extensive studies on both the Sith and Jedi Orders, Thrawn, Teshik, and I devised a plan. You see, the Sith are ambitious, always striving to learn and best their Sith masters. We all have already known the few plots by Vader to get rid of his majesty correct?”

The rest of the conference nodded in confirmation.

“However, there is one person that has been gathering force users to usurp Palpatine and Vader.”

Screed looked around to see the Grand Admirals were silent, knowing exactly who he was talking about.

“Y-you’re talking about Jerec aren’t you?”

“Correct. Over the years, Jerec has been gathering followers of his own and is in a position to eliminate the Grand Inquisitors and place himself on top. That’s not enough however, he strives for the throne as well. With the Inquisitorius against the Emperor, we need to get the Prophets of the Dark Side to turn against the Emperor as well.

“I’ve been in contact anonymously with Cronal, aka Blackhole. I told him if he can eliminate Palpatine, he would have the throne. In return, Cronal wants Kadann and the High Prophets eliminated.”

“That’s where we reel in Makati?” Grant asked.

“Indeed. But we all know the power Palpatine and Vader have and both the Inquisitorius and the Prophets of the Dark Side may not be enough. So I made contact with...a sworn enemy.”

“Wait, the Jedi High Council?” yelled Batch. “Are you mad?”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” said Thrawn. “We tip off the Jedi Council of Palpatine’s and Vader’s location, and they won’t be able to resist. Whether the Emperor or Vader survive, maybe both, they will travel back to either Coruscant or Byss. In order to do so, they must make a series of stops. I proposed the ambush to be on Takodana, a planet full of bounty hunters, mercenaries, criminals we can pay off to hunt down the Emperor and Vader. While Death Squadron will be busy mopping up the Rebels and guarding the second Death Star, the two will travel via a single Star Destroyer in triumph.

Once they jump out of hyperspace over Takodana, we will pull the ships of the three groups via gravity well generators in front of the Star Destroyer simultaneously. Thanks to our friend Batch here, he was able to create a few cloaked Interdictors. As a precaution, we have a few sleeper agents in the Majestic ready to disable the reactor and the engines. We will let them fight each other and hopefully, Vader and Palpatine are out of the picture.”

“But what if, by some miracle, the two survive?” asked Grunger.

“That’s where Takel comes in.” said Teshik. “Takel’s fleet alongside the Enforcer, will be the closest Imperial fleet to Takodana. Once they receive the SOS, they will jump in and eliminate everyone by any means necessary. Base Delta Zero...is authorized.”

The room fell into silence, knowing what Base Delta Zero is.

“Whatever it takes.” Thrawn said. “Even Vader and Palpatine cannot survive Base Delta Zero. General Gentis proved the Emperor is nothing but a mortal man. In the event that they still survive all of our attempts, we cut our losses for now and continue to do our duties like normal. Should they start getting suspicious to any of us, Cross and I have planted evidence to incriminate Tigellinus, Pitta, and others. After that, Loor and Cross will stage a ‘coup’ on ISB and eliminate Isard and her inner circle, planting evidence that she knew of the plot but refused to act in order to give an excuse to eliminate any competitors to the throne.”

“So even if we fail, we will still have control of all of our forces plus the ISB.” said Grant. “By then, we wait for another opportunity no?”

“What’s my job?” asked Delvardus.

“You will keep Isard busy.” Cross said. “Recently, she’s begun drawing up plans to have you arrested and take control of your Storm Commandos and Shadow Troopers. Your intel network should be enough to give Isard a headache and keep her attention away from us. Your troops are loyal to you. When the time comes and if things go according to plan, you will be the one to finish off the Ice Queen.”

“Hmmmm, things would be much easier if we had the others.” Takel muttered.

“Gentis let his emotions take control. His ingenuity would’ve been a vital asset to us. As for Trachta and his group, they were fools who could not work together. Trachta and Kadir were huge losses. Having someone like Trachta close to the Emperor and Commander of the Coruscant Security Force would allow us to lockdown Coruscant when the Emperor dies.

We may have control of the Coruscant Defense Fleet, but we are still looking at a long ground battle once that bastard is dead.” responded Teshik.

“All in due time my friends.” Thrawn said. “Now, we will discuss what areas of the Empire each of us will secure and who we may be facing.”

“What about me?” interrupted Screed. “I’ve given all of you information of secret hyperspace routes, the Emperor’s secret fleets, and his bases. What do I do if things fall in place?”

“Patience Screed. You must remember that your name is still well-known and very popular.” reassured the Chiss Grand Admiral. “You will have an active role, but that comes later. Your current predicament my friend, is a temporary setback.”

The Happy Bird

Downtown Sanctuary, Nirauan

Deep in downtown Sanctuary, off duty servicemen hung around The Happy Bird, a popular nightclub among Imperials. Some jumped as the door was kicked open but was soon was followed by laughter as they saw Spike, Aero, and Mic carry a knocked out Cav.

“Can’t fucking believe he followed us all the way here, got drunk, and tried to start a fight.” said Mic beneath his helmet as he carried one of Cav’s leg.

“Well, we did forget about him...again. I’d be pissed too.” Aero commented noting the cracks and dents along with the blood that still coated the CQB specialist’s armor. “Alright, in we go.”

They threw Cav into the backseat of their speeder and jumped right in. In no time, they were going down the busy street. Around them, civilians of all kinds of species were enjoying the nightlife. A group of Human, Twi’lek, and Trogutan teens walking down the street laughing, a drunk Transdoshan and a drunk Wookiee passed out together outside a bar, a Twi’lek woman and a Human male barring any clothing being arrested by the police for public indecency, etc.

“Damn I love this planet.” said Mic as he relaxed in his seat.

“For sure. Just hope everyone stays the fuck away and let us live a good life.” Aero responded.

The trio was silent as they went down the busy downtown. People were so happy here, but for how long they wondered.

“Hey Mic, what were you saying back there?” asked Spike who was on the backseat with Cav’s head on his lap.

“Hm? You mean when I was a little buzzed?” asked Mic looking back at the young dragon.

Spike nodded.

“I was thinking man, about how you don’t have wings but others of your race does. Just...what if you use that magical fire of yours to do other things ya’know? Like cover yourself in some kind of fire armor or use the fire to form some kind of wings to let you fly?”

“Ah yes, you’ve been playing too much Blockcraft. The game where everything’s a fucking block. Created by that douchebag Botch or something. I’m telling you you’re addicted.” Aero said.

“No I’m not.”

“Dude, last week’s briefing you yelled that you got a Diamond Sword Sharpness 3 or some shit and something about Level 10 Sand. Nerdiest fucking things I’ve ever heard.”

“Says you who has a collection of Nyarf guns and watches Ghost Harassers non-stop.”

“Bitch please, at least I didn’t have a childhood crush on Cuga Booding Jr.”

While the two were arguing, Spike was staring off into the distance in thought.

Hmmm, can I?

Captain Dagon Niriz

Hand of Thrawn Fortress, Nirauan

Niriz watched with interest as some members of SCAR Squad were practicing against target droids. He watched as Zuke attached a device to his rotary blaster cannon. Immediately, a huge blue shield big enough to protect the hulk of a Stormtroopers appeared. The barrels of his cannon stuck out of the shield just enough to allow him to fire back.

“YEAH! GET SUM!” Zuke yelled as he began firing everywhere like a mad man. Niriz noticed a retractable white and black Power Hammer attached to his back vertically on his waste instead of a thermal detonator. A Smart Rocket Launcher was strapped to his back but painted with the words “Friendship Launcher” in pink.

Near him, Misty was whistling a tune while blasting droids away from a distance with his sniper. Instead of his usual helmet, he was wearing a prototype created by Mic. On the outside, it looked like a normal Stormtrooper helmet though the visor was blue. It gave Mic the ability to have targets marked, a radar, heartbeat monitors of the rest of his squad, and can be switched to both night vision, and thermal vision.

Mic had helmets suited like this for the rest of his squad but for Twilight and Spike, they had specialized goggles that functioned the same way.

On his wrist was a gun that fired poison darts of his choosing. Considering his days studying botany and his hunting experience, Niriz knew it would come in handy.

Shrap meanwhile, besides his usual flamethrower, had incendiary grenades attached to his waste. Instead however, they were all inside packs for protection so he wouldn’t run the risk of one of them getting show and blowing him up. Curiously, a stuffed porg toy was sticking out of one of the packs.

Finally, there was Kreel who was slashing away the droids with his green lightsaber on one hand, and firing his blaster on the other. Nothing much changed among the Sergeant’s inventory aside from a holo communicator attached to his wrist. Last time Mic, Aero, and several other personnel took a whole army’s worth of holo communicators and created a giant rave party consisting of personnel from all over Thrawn’s territory. Having enough, Kreel had Mic create holo communicators attached to everyone’s wrists.

It wouldn’t come as a surprise for Niriz if Mic added some personal touches to give him more opportunities for shenanigans.

“Enough of this.” Kreel said. He deactivated his lightsaber and put it away. “UNDEROOS!”

Immediately, 9 young adult Thanrax dropped from the ceiling and began mauling the droids. Once that was done, the Thanrax started panting with their tails wagging happily. One began licking Zuke’s helmet causing the man to laugh.

“Alright gents, now we can all rel-”

Kreel was interrupted when his holo communicator activated, showing a woman making out with another woman. Moans echoed throughout the room.

Wordlessly, Kreel slapped his holo communicator, deactivating it.

“MIC!” Kreel yelled into the air.

And, there it is. Niriz thought unsurprised.

Niriz turned around to the alicorn he was teaching. She was hunched over a holotable, frustration evident on her face as her fleet was yet again destroyed in a simulation.

“I don’t get it! Everything I do gets countered!” She said in frustration.

Taking position on the other side of the holotable, Niriz looked at her situation. It was an open space battle, no obstacles. On her end were 15 Star Destroyers and 2 Immobilizer 418s that were now floating wrecks. Her opponent was an entire squadron consisting of 18 Star Destroyers and 1 Super Star Destroyer.

“You still don’t get it don’t you?” Niriz asked.

“Get what?” She asked.

“Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle. Know yourself but not the enemy, every victory you will also suffer a defeat. If you don’t know yourself and the enemy, you will lose every battle.”

Twilight was silent for a moment.

“Wh-what do you mean by that?” she asked.

Niriz began pushing some buttons.

“Let's start with this, we will switch sides.”

The outnumbered fleet was now in Niriz’s side while the SSD and its battlegroup was now in Twilight’s control. Both were on different sides of a solar system and neither Niriz and Twilight could see each other due to fog of war.

“Attack me.” Niriz said.

5 Minutes later

Twilight stared, mouth agape. Her fleet with superior numbers was now a floating debris field. Captain Niriz sent scouts throughout the system and found her fleet quiet easily who stayed in formation with the SSD in the center. A group of 4 Star Destroyers with the 2 Interdictors immediately jumped in her system.

When she moved to intercept them, the Interdictors activated their gravity well generators and pulled one of his Star Destroyers out of hyperspace, right in front of her SSD’s bridge tower. She couldn’t react in time as the Star Destroyer detonated in a massive explosion, taking out the bridge tower and disabling her flagship while also killing her senior staff.

With nobody to lead them, her fleet fell into disarray and launched an attack on the small group. This was the time when the rest of his Star Destroyers jumped in and began picking off her disorganized fleet one by one until none were left alive. Except for the hull of the SSD however which Niriz commented he could capture, repair, and turn it into a valuable asset.

“You...you sacrificed a Star Destroyer and all those people!” Twilight said in shock.

“Not sacrifice my little Twilight,” Niriz said playfully with a smirk. “But necessary losses. I’m not Thrawn who probably could’ve done something without sacrificing a Star Destroyer, so I did everything to the best of my abilities. I also knew you would choose the SSD as your flagship and would never sacrifice your own forces.”

“Wait a minute.” Twilight said analyzing the battlefield. “Know your enemy and know yourself. You knew I was lacking in naval strategies. Are you suggesting I should’ve conceded and retreated my forces before?”

Niriz nodded and he smiled.

“You were facing a stronger and numerically superior enemy. If you had stopped and thought for a minute, you should’ve retreated as it was a battle you cannot win. Better to retreat and fight another day than to lose all your forces in a gamble.”

“But if I sacrificed a Star Destroyer-”

“Would you have stomached that idea if I hadn’t shown you?” Niriz asked with an eyebrow raised.

Twilight shrunk sheepishly.

“No.”

“Exactly, your only logical choice was to retreat. Now,” he pressed some buttons and reset the simulation. “Instead of the computer, you will face me.”

Csaplar, Csilla, Chiss Ascendency

Commander Eli Vanto, Imperial Liaison to the Chiss Ascendency

From a rooftop cafe, Eli looked down from his seat as the street below was filled with protesting Chiss, mostly young Chiss.

“We have been attacked, again and again by this Celestial Alliance. While we sacrifice ourselves, the oligarchy sits on their endless wealth. They insist we stick to the old ways where we let them attack first. Enough is enough, we must tear down the oligarchy and bring change to the Ascendency. The galaxy is changing and so must we.” said an elderly Chiss through the speakers in the middle of the crowd.

“We must follow the example of Mitth’raw’nuruodo and establish relations with this Galactic Empire. Only then will we have a chance of survival. Down with the oligarchy!”

The crowd roared in approval.

“Bring out the guillotine!”

“Power to the mass!”

“Seize the means of production!”

Eli smirked a little, knowing these protests are pushing the ruling elites to establish ties with the Empire. At first, they rejected his offer but after every meeting, he noticed the elite were shaken little by little. The protests at first were small, but began to grow in size due to the CA invasions and news of Thrawn’s achievements Eli leaked to the media.

“Only a matter of time. Either they relent or the people will drag them out of their homes.” Eli muttered stirring his cup of coffee. “Then, and only then, can we actually put a stop to the Celestial Alliance’s plans.”

“And you are certain, this Galactic Empire can stop the Celestial Alliance?” Asked the female sitting in front of him.

“If the Hydras succeed, then yes. It’s a gamble but what choice do you guys have really?” Eli said. His eyes never left the protesters down below.

“Fine, you’re right. But I would still need to establish contact with your Emperor.”

“Not the Emperor. That wouldn’t do you any good. Best you establish with Grand Admiral Thrawn first. His command is the closest to the Celestial Alliance and I’ve heard, he’s already encountered them.”

“So you’ll help me run the CA blockades right?”

Eli looked at his companion with a smile. She was a unicorn, wearing a purple shirt with a leather jacket. Normally Eli would be nervous around intelligence agents of any kind, but his time working with the turncoat Celestial Alliance Intelligence Division agent (C.A.I.D.) was in his opinion, a pleasure.

“Sure, so let's get down to business Agent Sunset Shimmer.”
> Riders of the Dawn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Agent Kirtan Loor

Level 1313, Coruscant, Inner Rim

ISB Agent

*CRASH*

Loor stared at his adversary with an impassive look on his face. The young man with white skin and blonde hair wore a black uniform, standard for ISB Agents. His opponent breathed heavily, cuts and bruises all over his body as he laid on the remnants of a glass table after Loor threw him. Meanwhile, Loor wore black combat boots, black pants, a black and orange leather jacket, black leather gloves, and a gas mask.

“I’m honestly surprised, not on your lackluster fighting ability of course, but your intel gathering was better than even some veterans I knew.” Loor said.

The other ISB Agent looked at Loor with fury in his eyes.

“I always knew something was up with you. The fact you casually bad-mouthed the Emperor in the bar and how you liked trashing other high-ranking officers.”

Kirtan Loor rolled his eyes.

“And what else?”

“You-you’re working with conspirators to remove the Emperor. That alien trash Thrawn and the other Grand Admirals. Didn’t think someone like you would hang with alien filth.”

“Heh,” Loor let out a laugh. “If you think it’s because I like Thrawn, then you’re clearly mistaken. Think, how would you feel if worked for so long and dedicated almost fanatically, but your career stagnates?”

He was met with silence.

“Of course you don’t know. You’re the son of some snobbish noble born with a silver spoon up your rectum. Everything was given to you until you decided to become an agent.” Loor said and then pointed at the open balcony. “You could’ve become something else in the outside world but you got seduced by the propaganda. Stupid kids like you stick your nose in places where they don’t belong.”

The other agent snarled.

“General Cross will know something’s up.”

Loor took out his blaster.

“Cross sent me as well rookie.”

He smirked when he saw the eyes of the young agent widen.

“But...but…”

“We have people everywhere. From the Grand Admirals, to ISB Generals, to the lowest ranking Stormtroopers. If things go well, maybe now I can finally move up the food chain instead of being in the shadow of Isard. I did have an interest in you. When I first saw you and your record, I thought I can turn you to help us like some of the other rooks that joined with you-”

As he was monologuing, the young agent took a sharp piece of glass and hurled it aiming for Loor’s face. The veteran agent sidestepped and noticed his adversary charging him. Quickly, Loor fired his blaster, hitting the rookie agent on the stomach causing him to stumble and fall.

“You sly dog, you tried to get me as I was monologuing!” Loor said laughing. He ignored the painful groans from the rookie who was clutching his stomach. “Good attempt, but not good enough.”

A single blaster bolt rang out, before the building fell into silence.

1 Hour Later

Leaning on the wall of a building, Loor now without his gas mask but replaced with a black helmet, goggles, and a scarf around his neck, watched as the fire crew fought the blaze that engulfed the building he killed the rookie agent in. He made sure the body was vaporized, after putting it on top of a pile of explosives and incendiary grenades.

Other civilians watched the situation nearby, none suspecting the perpetrator was literally next to them.

“Hmph, sneaky brat.” Loor said. He walked down an alley where his speeder bike waited for him under a tarp. However, he felt he wasn’t alone and froze.

“Your work?” said a female voice behind him.

“I admit, you’ve got guts to be here Tano.”

Loor turned around, meeting the gaze of the former Jedi Padawan who wore a black cloak that covered her entire body.

“The Emperor and...Vader are not on the planet. The only times I can come here.”

The ISB Agent eyed her get up.

“Please tell me you’re wearing clothes under that cloak. Last agent I met was really annoying. Hired her from a brothel or something?”

Ahsoka blushed.

“She was...quite unorthodox, but she does get her job done. Currently spying on some rich businessman on Malastare.”

He rolled his eyes.

“Of course she’s slutting around. Can’t really argue since Cross gets intimate with a lot of women. Anyways, yeah it was my work. Had to keep someone from ratting us out.”

“And the info?”

Loor held out a datacard.

“6 of Isard’s lackeys, the location of an Admiral in Grand Admiral Rufaan Tigellinus’ staff who’s on shore leave, and a biochemical research facility under the command of General Evir Derricote.”

Ahsoka reached for the datacard but Loor pulled it back.

“Our deal?” Loor asked not amused.

The former Padawan sighed. She paused and took out a datacard.

“Locations of 12 bases under Garm bel Iblis’ faction and the location of the remnants of Saw Gerrera’s Partisans.”

“But not Garm bel Iblis himself?”

“Give me Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik’s location then.”

Loor smirked.

“I’d give you Grand Admiral Rufaan Tigellinus’ location but that would be too suspicious.”

They exchanged datacards and looked at each other.

“I know what you’re thinking Tano.” Loor said. “Yes you can hold me prisoner and extract every last bit of intel, but remember that the only reason why Cross hasn’t ordered the destruction of every single one of your bases on the frontlines and paving the way for an Imperial offensive is he and the others want to take out the bad apples first. I’m also sure you don’t want Jan Dodonna’s head on a spike either.”

The Agent got on his speeder bike.

“I know where Ezra Bridger is.” Ahsoka blurted out making Loor pause.

“Yeah, I tapped into Thrawn’s coms. Quite unfortunate Hera Syndulla was too late.” He said, but noticed Ahsoka seemingly looked desperate.

“Who else? What other jedi does Thrawn have and why couldn’t you tell us the locations of the Inquisitors? I thought you wanted to eliminate them?”

“Sorry Tano.” Loor sighed. “I’m too valuable for this operation. If we start eliminating Inquisitors, they’re gonna get suspicious. We want to stay as low as possible.”

The alley fell into silence until he turned on his speeder.

“As for what other jedi, you’re right. Thrawn does have another jedi. Why he has two captive Jedi without the knowledge of Palpatine I have no idea. I do know who she is though and you do too.”

“I do?”

“Of course.” Loor said smiling and revving his speeder. “She did cause you to leave the Jedi Order after all.”

Before she could respond, Loor sped past her and turned out of her view. She looked down in thought.

“Thrawn’s not keeping them for no reason.” Her eyes widened. “He’s trying to learn how to defeat the jedi.”

The Togrutan ran down the alley with her holocommunicator in hand.

“Fulcrum to Command. I have a priority message Alpha.”





Twilight Sparkle

Nirauan, Empire of the Hand

SCAR Squad Operative

Twilight hummed to herself as she held a marshmallow over a campfire. Around the fire, Spike, SCAR Squad, Niriz, and Thrawn himself did the same.

“Aw shit.” said Shrap holding out a burnt marshmallow. The squad all had their helmets off.

“So this is how we’re spending the rest of our downtime eh?” asked Kreel.

“I like it honestly.” said Mic holding out a stick with 5 marshmallows. “It’s peaceful, quiet, and we have the wilderness around us.”

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” said a grumpy Misty. “We’re not even five feet outside of the fortress walls. In fact, we’re still inside the fucking compound. We even have Parck and Fel watching us.”

The group looked up at the Hand of Thrawn fortress where Admiral Parck and General Fel looked down on them from a balcony.

“Don’t pay attention to us.” shouted Fel. “Just keep doing what you’re doing!”

“This is ridiculous.” Misty grumbled. “At least set up camp in the wilderness and not here!”

Thrawn looked at Niriz and nodded.

“That can be arranged.” They both said.

1 Hour Later

“This is not what I had in mind.”

Misty looked up at the wall that surrounded the research facility where the Bottomless Pit was located. A lone Stormtrooper looked down on their little campfire group.

“Suh dude.” She said before walking away.

The sniper sighed and his eyes laid on Mic who had his helmet on, his visor glowing blue.

“What’s Mic doing?” He asked. The rest took notice when they heard him giggle. In response, Zuke pulled the helmet out of its owner.

“Hey!” The pilot protested. “I was watching the latest episode of Depravity Falls!”

“Isn’t that the one rated M cartoon that belongs to the evil Laugh-O-Gram Corporation?” Niriz asked.

“Well, what don’t they own these days? They probably own this entire galaxy and we don’t even know it. Imagine how stupid it would look. All black and white instead of morally gray like it really is.” Shrap said.

Thrawn lifted up the bag of marshmallows and noticed the corporation’s logo imprinted on the back, tiny enough where most wouldn’t notice it.

“Hmmm, reeling corporations like them in needs to become part of our agenda later on.” He muttered to himself. “Can’t have them going around like this.”

His communicator beeped and he took it out as SCAR Squad paid no mind, debating things that didn’t concern Thrawn.

“Thrawn here.” He said. His holocommunicator showed his fellow Chiss Admiral Ar’alani.

“Thrawn. Am I interrupting something?” She asked.

The Grand Admiral looked up to see Zuke and Mic were fighting over Mic’s helmet.

“Nothing important. Report on the new planet with the shattered moon?”

“Things went well on the negotiating table. They chose autonomy but will be under our protection. We believe this planet was once used for research by scientists of the Eternal Empire. I’m leaving a scientific team and a flotilla while I explore more planets. Star Charts should be updated soon with this planet designated Remnant.”

“Good, I look forward to visiting when I have time.”

“You said the exact same thing to me when we were supposed to go to a dance in our youth. You never showed up.” Ar’alani smirked as she crossed her arms.

“We never saw each other that way remember? And I did make up for it by getting you tickets to that concert you always wanted.”

Ar’alani laughed.

“Just teasing you. Yeah I remember. You’ve come so far from that shy and nerdy boy. Now you’re a cold, ruthless Grand Admiral.”

“I have a heart too you know. I can be cold when I want to. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have a girlfriend wouldn’t I?”

“Then I’ll be looking forward to your wedding when this is all over.”

“Wai-” Ar’alani disconnected before Thrawn could respond, causing him to huff in annoyance. “Typical.”

“Is it true?” Niriz asked.

“About the wedding or…” Thrawn said looking at Niriz while putting the communicator away.

“Talking about the shy bookworm you used to be.”

Thrawn looked up into the night sky and sighed.

“Yeah, I was. Thrass was the brawn while I was the brain. We would always get into trouble by stealing and pulling pranks. Half of my childhood was spent reading in libraries. Now that I think about it,” Thrawn looked at Twilight who was laughing at a story Misty was telling to the rest of the squad. “I was kind of like Miss Sparkle here in my youth.”

“-so there we were, stuck in the middle of the forest after slaughtering this whole pack of black wolves. Fucking Aero here went to take a piss on the brush right? Turns out, this girl with this black outfit and red hood was spying on us. Had this giant scythe and everything.” Misty said telling Twilight and Spike one of their adventures. “Her other friends were spying on us too. Only when the girl jumped out of the bush did we find out Aero just pissed on her. Turns out the blondie in their group was her sister or something. You know what Aero said before he got decked by her for pissing on her sister?”

“What?” asked both Twilight and Spike trying to contain their laughter.

“Hippity hoppity, this girl is now my property.”

SCAR Squad roared in laughter while Niriz covered his mouth, barely containing his laughter. Meanwhile, Thrawn allowed himself a smirk.

“Oh yeah, imagine the awkward conversation when their headmaster or something asked Thrawn via holocom why one of his soldiers pissed on one of his students.” Zuke said pointing at Thrawn.

“I assure you, our conversation was civil.” Thrawn said.

“Wait a minute.” Zuke continued stroking his beard. “Does this mean Aero is a pedo? She was a minor.”

“I did not have sexual relations with that girl.” Aero stood up and declared. He pointed at Zuke. “I did not get turned on nor was it on purpose.”

“Admittingly, she was kind of cute.” said Kreel. “Kind of like a small puppy. Give her a cookie and she’s all over it.”

“Well Twilight, Spike.” said Shrap. “We shared with you one of our adventures. Mind telling us one of yours?”

Twilight looked down.

“Well, we had a lot of adventures with our friends. Too many to count.”

“Anything specific?” asked Spike to the squad.

“How about how you ended up on that planet? What led you to defect?” asked Mic.

The alicorn sighed and looked at Thrawn and Niriz. Thrawn nodded at her.

“You already told us. I think it would be beneficial if you told your own squad as well.”

Twilight sighed before looking at her newfound friends.

“Fine, I suppose we start with the subjugation of Aroncia.”





Aroncia, Edge of Celestial Alliance space

Princess Twilight Sparkle, Commander of Twilight Force

(SONG)

Aronicia was a beautiful, forested planet. Its population of dog-like creatures who stood on their hind legs were the dominant species of their planet. They were largely pacifist, but ferocious if attacked. Their society was completely about nature. Despite having advanced tech, their cities were located in forests, they built their buildings by hand, still catch their food themselves, but they also created holograms, laser-based weapons, and power armor.

In short, they were the perfect friends for the former scientist and rebel leader Starlight Glimmer.

All was peaceful in a forest, that is until two blurs flew by knocking animals to the ground from their breakneck speed.

“Gotta be faster than that Twi!” Rainbow Dash yelled. She was wearing green camo pants, black boots, a gray tank top, and goggles.

“Why must everything be a race!” Twilight yelled while dodging trees. The alicorn was wearing black combat boots like Rainbow, but also wore black pants, a green poncho over her gray shirt, and carried a green backpack. “This is just a recon mission!”

They had intel that a small party of rebels were retreating to an evac point after the fall of the planet’s capital. Starlight Glimmer was among them and she seemed to have created a giant rock golem. Both Twilight and Rainbow opted to scout and see what they were dealing with.

“Loser has to try out Rare’s new dresses for a week!” The pegasus yelled narrowingly missing a tree branch.

Twilight thought about the things she needed to do and grimaced at the thought of wasting so much time being Rarity’s model. She grinned when an idea popped up and she flew up into the sky. The Princess gritted her teeth as she flew through the foliage, passed formations of surprised birds, and into the clouds.

Beautiful. Twilight thought. All she could see was clouds and the enormous forests through the holes among the clouds. No time to waste, she quickly dived down towards the forest. Her eyes stung a little from the speed she was going. At the very last moment before the ground, Twilight pulled up and raced at incredible speeds to overtake her friend.

Meanwhile at the spot the alicorn pulled up, a rabbit laid on the ground after a major heart attack.

Almost there! She thought. Twilight saw the outline of her friend leisurely weaving through the trees thinking she was far ahead of Twilight.

“Hey Rainbow!” Twilight yelled.

Rainbow Dash looked back just in time as Twilight flew at speeds that disoriented the pegasus.

“YES!” Twilight yelled finally coming out of the forest and into a clearing where her forces set up camp. Some dropships were in the air and a single low flying corvette was overhead. She stopped in the air to gather her breath. “I finally beat Rainbow!”

Without warning, Twilight was tackled on her side and grunted in pain when she landed on the ground.

“OHMYGOSHWASYOURMISSIONASUCCESSDIDYOUSEESTARLIGHTANDWHATISWITHTHERABBITTHATHADAHEARTATTACKSHYWASTALKINGABOU-”

Twilight quickly covered the mouth of the pink menace.

“Tackling me hurt you know Pinkie?” said an unamused Twilight.





Present

“Wait wait timeout.” said Mic.

“What for?” asked Twilight as the rest looked at Mic in confusion.

“Doesn’t this Pinkie remind us of someone?”

Zuke stroked his beard.

“Now that I think about it, she does.”

“I can think of two.” said Misty.





Flashback-Remnant

“ICANNOTBELIEVEYOUGUYSAREALIENSAREYOUGOINGTOPROBEMYBRAINANDINVADEUSHAVEYOUBEENTOOTHERPLANETSALLHAILTHESANDVICH-”

Aero tried to cover the girl’s mouth but was unable to because she was hopping at inhuman speeds.

“All in favor to never let her drink any caffeine say aye.” said Kreel. Immediately, SCAR Squad and the group of what they called super-powered teens plus a third wheel blonde boy said aye.

“I always make sure her coffee are decaf.” said the boy in a green shirt. The girl then appeared next to him and poked his cheek.

“WHAAAAT? Ren you traitor!”

A riot baton then activated from Mic’s left arm.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to do that.” He said sheepishly as he put it back.

“Alright.” Misty said calming everyone down before patting the head of a shy girl with bunny ears. “We’ll meet your...Headmaster or whatever he is. First though, we gotta get back to our crashed ship to get supplies and the rest of our weapons-”

“WEAPONS?” A short girl with black hair that graduates to dark red, silver eyes, a black long-sleeved dress, black waist clincher, black stockings, black combat boots, and a red hooded cloak appeared right in front of the sniper “Can I see them?

“Sorry edgy shortstack.” Misty said messing with her hair. “They’re off-limits.”

“Please?” The girl pleaded with puppy eyes.

“Part of our special training was to hang around a race with puppy eyes and resist them so that tactic won’t work.” Misty deadpanned.

All of a sudden, flames appeared around them and the girl’s eyes turned red.

“SHOW ME YOUR WEAPONS OR YOU WILL SERVE IN THE COOKIE MINES FOR ALL ETERNITY!” said a deep, demonic voice from the girl’s mouth.

Just as quick as it appeared, the flames disappeared leaving behind the same innocent looking girl. SCAR Squad backed away in a mixture of surprise and fear. Her friends did the same thing who were also in shock.

“Why are you guys backing away from me?” The girl asked innocently.





Present

“Interesting.” said Thrawn. “Looks like I will stop by Remnant when this is all over. The last part however just sounds like a figment of your imagination. Unless of course this girl has the ability to make you hallucinate.”

“Nah, that’s not her power...or whatever they call it there. Kind of forgot.” said Shrap. “This other girl does have that power, but she’s a baddie so Zuke punted her out of a stadium.”

“We’ll tell you guys our adventures there later. Can we come with you sir if you go to Remnant?” asked Kreel.

“The entire time you wouldn’t stop petting Blake and her mom you fucking furry.” said Mic.

“Oi ya little shits.” yelled Misty. “Let Twi finish the story alright? You wankers keep bringing up Remnant, we can talk about that later.”

They all looked at Twilight to continue.

“Anyways, flash forward to the meeting…”





Flashback

“-priority is Starlight Glimmer. Capture her alive, the others are fair game.” said Twilight. She stood in front of a holotable surrounded by various officers of Twilight Force along with Celestia and Luna. General Iron Wall was present as well.

“Clearly, they believe their rear guard was sufficient to hold us back. Give them props however, Admiral Tidal Wave has done an excellent job in securing their evac point and keeping our fleets from bombarding them.” said General Iron Wall. “I highly suggest your forces leave immediately otherwise we lose Starlight Glimmer again.”

“A traitor does not deserve praise General.” said Luna.

“I disagree.” Countered the General. “Tidal Wave was one of the best among us. He led your personal fleet to many victories. Tell me, do you hate him because he disobeyed your orders many times and ended up being right, or is it because you had an affair with him?”

“That’s irrelevant.” Luna snarled. “I suggest you hold your tongue.”

“I suggest you keep your temper in check then. Last thing we need is for you to send your own forces out in anger only for them to get slaughtered.”

“Enough.” Celestia said. “General, please stop antagonizing my sister. Luna, he’s right. Keep your temper in check. And Twilight? I assume your task force is ready?”

Twilight nodded.

“Twilight Force is converging here soon. While I lead the forces I have here, the rest of the fleet and ground forces will arrive soon. From there, we can prepare for the fight against the Chiss we’ve heard about.”

“Very good Twilight.” Celestia smiled. “Now go, bring us Starlight Glimmer in chains.”

The youngest princess looked at those who were gathered.

“It will be done. We’ll return with Starlight Glimmer before dark.”

She along with officers from her staff took their leave.

“Your majesty.” said Captain Wind Blast, one of her best aces. “Are you sure you won’t require air support?”

“I agree.” said Lieutenant Lime Light, another ace. She was a blue pegasus mare with a white mane. “What if they have air assets?”

“This operation requires speed and stealth. If we sent up any fighters and bombers, the radars at the Rebel evac points will detect them and alert Starlight Glimmer.” Dismissed Twilight. “However, I want you all to be ready if this operation goes south.”

“Makes me wonder, why didn’t Glimmer use a transport to reach the evac point?” wondered Wind Blast.

“Same thing.” answered Lime Light. “If she did, we would’ve detected them and shot them down. Intel says her party didn’t have speeders at hand when they slipped through our lines last time. For them, going by foot is not the fastest, but it is the stealthiest.”

“Correct. And now we will use our speeders to track them down.” Twilight said.

They stopped in front of a speeder bike. Behind it were the rest of the Elements plus a large group of soldiers of the Twilight Force on speeder bikes. At least, those who are able to ride them unlike larger dragons.

The Princess got on her bike and looked at the two aces.

“You really buying the idea of Magia Regnum Princess? I thought you were close to the Deer and King Firehoof. If I’m the first, then let me be the first to say I did not sign up to commit genocide. We all heard the rumors of the other species we pacified.” blurted out Wind Blast.

Twilight looked down on her bike with a sad look on her face and then sighed.

“I know, I’ll conduct my own investigation later. Something this large can’t be hidden forever and I refuse to believe Celestia would allow something like this to happen.”

“Everypony has their own faults Princess, even Celestia.” said Lime Light. “Whatever’s really going on, remember that we of the Twilight Force will have your back.”

The alicorn nodded with a small smile on her face. Pulling up next to her on a bike, an officer held up the flag of the Twilight Force which depicted Twilight’s cutie mark with a pair of white wings on either side and a white sword pointing up in the background.

“TWILIGHT FORCE!” The officer bellowed.

“OORAH!” 

“ONWARDS!”

Nearly a hundred speeders shot forward. All over the base, troops stood aside and cheered on the task force.

“YEEHAW!” They all heard Applejack. Twilight looked back at her friends with a concerned look on her face. All of them in a way, benefitted from Magia Regnum and the rapid expansion of CA Colonies. Every planet taken meant a new settlement. A new settlement meant more customers for the Apple family’s products, a new boutique for Rarity’s rapidly growing clothing line, a new bakery under the Cake family’s name with Pinkie having a large share, and for Fluttershy, more nature preserves and animal hospitals. She couldn’t tell if they knew what was really going on, or worse, they knew but money talks.

Fluttershy did say she wanted to have a family after marrying Big Mac and securing the future for their kids, and Applejack’s home was no longer under threat from being seized ever since the CA’s expansion started. Ever since Granny Smith passed, Applejack slowly began to ignore that her produce was feeding settlers on stolen land when she was finally able to send Applebloom to the Canterlot Institute of Technology, one of the most expensive and best universities.

They entered the forest on a dirt path when Rainbow snapped her out of her thoughts.

“What’s wrong Twi?” She asked. Fluttershy was sitting behind Rainbow, holding on to her tightly while shaking.

She was silent, thinking of what to say.

“Do...do you think what we’re doing is right?” Twilight asked.

“Whaddya mean?” The pegasus asked.

“I mean, we’re taking all these planets and then settlers come in and reap the benefits. What happened to the natives? I keep hearing they were shipped off somewhere but where?”

“Wherever they send those without magic.” Rarity dismissed pulling up next to her.. “Besides, who cares? Look at us, almost free of problems and the standard of living has shot through the roof!”

“No more debts, feeding everypony, and Applebloom’s gone to college!” Yelled Applejack.

Whatever Fluttershy tried to say, none could hear because she was speaking too quietly.

“See Twilight?” said Rainbow. “Nothing to worry about. We capture Starlight and we’re home free!”

She looked at her smiling friends. Applejack was wearing her regular stetson plus a white, button up shirt, blue jeans, brown boots, and a duster. Fluttershy was wearing a green sweater, white pants, brown shoes, and a pink backpack with a bunny’s face on it. Rarity was wearing a black sweatshirt, white pants, and brown boots from some expensive brand Twilight never bothered caring about. Finally, Pinkie Pie was wearing a blue and white shirt, a pink tutu, blue jeans, and blue sneakers.

Most would have second thoughts having this group of apparent civilians join them in battle, but their constant adventures toughened them all and now they all display exceptional skills.

Applejack was the tank, able to use heavy weaponry and her punches and kicks were enough to crack standard armor. Rainbow Dash with her obvious flying skills, was an excellent skirmisher who utilized hit-and-run tactics to chip away numerically superior forces. As a fashion designer, Rarity had excellent eyesight, allowing her to spot small details most would miss. Converting that skill to the battlefield, Rarity was their best shot which was why she had a sniper rifle. For Pinkie, it would be impossible to explain. She would always popped in random places and had this weird tendency to blow things up or start a fire to distract enemies. Finally for Fluttershy, the sight of an ally getting wounded was enough to throw her into a fury. The normally pacifistic pegasus would charge the enemy, dodging incoming fire like she had a sixth sense, and beat the hostiles with her fists. Surprisingly, they hurt as evident from the broken personal armor found on wounded enemies.

The six were a force to be reckoned with. For the five, things were alright, but the peace known as their friendship was on thin ice on the eyes of the sixth. Twilight can only hope the rumors of the natives they displaced weren’t being killed off were wrong.

30 minutes later

In a large clearing, a group of around 50 defective CA soldiers with a giant rock golem in the middle marched towards the evac point in a spread out formation. In the lead, Starlight Glimmer wore the purple armor stolen from a dead soldier from Twilight Force and wore a black beanie.

“Evac’s point not that far.” She radioed to the rest of her group. “Keep an eye on our six in case they catch up to us.

“Anypony hear that?” asked a female griffin in the coms.

They turned around and heard the sounds of speeders getting closer and closer.

“INCOMING!” Starlight yelled. Right on cue, a horde of speeders flew out of the brush and right in front of the pack, was the youngest Princess.

Caught by surprise, many rebels were instantly taken down. The giant rock golem let out a roam, before scooping a handful of dirt from its giant hands and threw them at the soldiers of the Twilight Force. 7 troopers were hit, causing them to fall off their bikes or in one case, cause one to serve and crash into another bike.

Starlight pulled out a blaster pistol and started firing at any enemies coming towards her. She nailed a bike’s engine causing it to explode and sending its driver flying.

“Surprise!” Before she could react, a bat hit her face which sent her sleeping.

“WOOOOO! I got her guys!” Rainbow Dash yelled on her speeding bike while raising a bat into the air.

“Focus on the golem!” Twilight yelled. She saw the golem was already proving to be a threat as it grabbed a passing speeder and threw it far into the dense forest. There was a distant explosion which Twilight could only hope its driver survived. Next, the Golem slammed a hand down, causing two speeders to collide with it and explode. Nothing seemed to work as blaster bolts and rockets were merely shrugged off.

To the element’s horror, the golem grabbed Rarity from her speeding biker causing her to shriek.

“LET GO OF ME YOU BRUTE!” Rarity yelled. The fashionista took aim with her sniper rifle and began firing at the golem’s face, trying to find a weak spot.

“WE NEED TO HIT ITS MOUTH!” An officer yelled.

Thinking fast, Twilight conjured a spell that took hold of the golem’s hand causing it to let go of the unicorn. It roared at her but the princess pulled. Catching on, other unicorns used their magic and sent beams at the golem’s legs which roped around them. Now panicking, the golem used its free hand to try and sever the beams and found to its dismay that he could not touch them.

“PULL!”

At once, the unicorns used their magic to pull the legs and causing the golem to fall backwards. The ground shook as the giant rock golem fell on its back.

“I got it!” Pinkie yelled. She was now curiously wearing a helmet with a mortar round stuck to it, carried a rocket launched, and wore these weird looking boots. The eldritch abomination pointed the launcher on the ground and fired. To those around, they were slackjawed to see the Earth Pony fly into the air from the ensuing explosion.

“SCREAMIN EAGLES!” They all heard from Pinkie as she flew straight into the air. Pinkie landed upright on the golem’s chest with a sickening crack that didn’t affect her at all.

“You were loud and ugly and now you’re DEAD! Amen.” Pinkie said. She reached behind her and took out a wrapped up present which she threw into the golem’s mouth. A huge explosion blew the rock golem’s head into pieces which caused all around to jump to the ground.

“Pinkie?” Twilight called out while getting up. When the smoke settled, they found Pinkie still on the golem’s chest, but she was sipping a mug of coffee with one leg on a cardboard tombstone she erected.

“Today’s a good day.” She said looking off into the distance.

“Who are you talking to?” asked Rarity looking up at her friend. Pinkie looked down at Rarity who was covered in dirt after being dropped and let out a gasp.

“Son, your fashion sense has gone AWOL!” Pinkie said pointing at Rarity. Out of nowhere, she pulled out a hose and blasted Rarity with water.

“PINKIE!” Twilight heard Rarity yell. The alicorn chuckled and shook her head at her friends’ antics. She looked down at the unconscious and bloodied Starlight Glimmer, thinking about what made the former scientist rebel.

5 Hours Later

“Where did you even get those?” asked Rainbow Dash behind the door with Pinkie.

“Oh it’s easy Dashie!” chirped Pinkie. “I met this wizard with a talking book and I guess he got annoyed or something so he sent me to hell! Somehow he teleported me to this fancy room where the devil was making some kind of deal with this doctor before the devil sent me back to the world of the living with all these cool stuff and here I am!”

Twilight rolled her eyes at Pinkie’s story and continued to stare at the imprisoned Starlight Glimmer who was behind a cell. The unicorn’s limbs were shackled, her horn had an inhibitor, and her clothes were replaced with an orange jumpsuit.

“Why?” Twilight asked.

“Why what?” asked a dejected Starlight.

“You know why. Starlight, you were one of the most brilliant scientists out there. As immoral as it was, you also spearheaded our super soldier program. You could’ve lived a life of fame and luxury. Why did you rebel?”

Starlight looked down on the ground before her face morphed into pure anger.

“You don’t know? Are you that ignorant?” Starlight asked. She was only met with silence. “You will find your answer on the planet Nexus V.”

Twilight looked at her in confusion.

“Nexus V? There isn’t any planet named Nexus V.”

The unicorn scoffed.

“Of course you don’t. Celly and Lulu like to keep secrets from you. Ask Director Jackpot Star, he knows where it is.”

Twilight’s eyes fixated on Starlight. She could see the unicorn was full of anger but not particularly at her.

“How do I know you’re lying?”

Starlight smirked.

“If you don’t believe me, then so be it, but Director Star has no reason to lie and you know how he is. He didn’t get to where he is by being close to the rich like many others.”

The alicorn couldn’t find no fault. Director Jackpot Star, while having a habit of scooping up dirt on others in his free time, was highly critical of Magia Regnum and on the Council. He gained attention when in a televised conference, the Intel Director shouted down the other leaders but especially on Princess Cadence and Ember for being so soft on Magia Regnum despite their calls for peace. However, the unicorn was loyal to the bone. He could not be bribed, and was always critical of the elite.

Director Jackpot Star and Admiral Tidal Wave were a formidable duo, but only the Admiral had the guts to rebel. Losing both would deal a severe blow to the CA’s Command Structure and they worked hard to not harm anypony close to him. Jackpot Star was a dangerous individual indeed, but he is teetering between open rebellion and loyalty to the CA’s leadership.

It also didn’t help that his cousin, Field Agent Sunset Shimmer, went missing in action and he had strong suspicions on her fate.

Twilight sighed and looked down.

“Yeah, you’re right about that. For the record, I never hated you. Especially when I learned of how you created the super soldiers.”

Starlight’s face grew depressed.

“My biggest mistake. I worked so hard to appease Celestia only to find out who my children were going to be fighting.”

Twilight backed up and knocked on the metal door behind her.

“You’re gonna have to live with that. See you in court.”

The door opened lighting up the room. Twilight backed out before shutting the door, bathing the room in near darkness once again. It was all quiet before sobs could be heard.

Outside, Twilight sighed as she put her palm on the door.

“I see your conversation with her has ended. Was it beneficial?” asked a voice behind her. She turned and met the gaze of the Head of the Alliance Intelligence Division (A.I.D.). He was a red unicorn with a brown mane, wore aviator glasses, and wore a black business suit with a blue tie.

“Where are my friends?” Twilight asked thinking Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie was waiting for her.

“Went to get some chow. You look like you want to speak to me about something? Starlight probably told you some secret Celly’s been hiding.” He asked.

Either I’m that readable, or he’s scary good at his job. She thought.

“On point, think we can talk somewhere privately?”

“Well Princess,” huffed Director Jackpot Star. “You’d have to buy me dinner first.”

He saw that Twilight was not amused.

“Kidding, kidding. Come with me then.” He turned around and walked towards the base’s entrance with Twilight following him. The guards did not stop them as two of the most powerful individuals in the Celestial Alliance walked past them.

“Why out here?” She asked gazing around the huge empty field. “What if we get ambushed?”

“Well Princess, I believe the Ardent Prayer is enough protection as it is.” Jackpot Star looking up at the low hanging Corvette.

“Your ship?” She asked.

“No, Point of No Return is in drydock so I’m stuck with the old Seeker of Truth. Anyways, you wanted to speak to me about something?”

Twilight at first hesitated. Jackpot Star could easily rat her out and alert Celestia that she knows something she shouldn’t.

“Take my word, I will not say a thing to Celestia. She can fuck right off for all I care.” He assured. “What did Starlight Glimmer tell you?”

“Nexus V.” Twilight blurted out.

Jackpot Star froze before looking down.

“I...see. For the record, I never supported the idea but if word got out…”

“What’s on Nexus V Director?” Twilight demanded.

“Nexus V is um...a barren world. Barely habitable. Apparently it once was the home of a civilization before they went extinct. Now it’s...hell.”

“Hell?” Twilight asked. “What do you mean by that?”

“Are you familiar with the term genocide your majesty?” He asked with a nervous look on his face.

“Of course, what do you mean by...that?” She trailed after catching on to what he was implying.

“Nexus V is a planet specifically used for camps housing any species that cannot use magic like we can. Work camps, or extermination camps. The fit are sent to work camps to make whatever Celestia, Luna, and the others order. If they’re not, they’re sent to the extermination camps.

I’ve seen many disturbing things, but this takes the cake. Old and young, shot to death, burned alive, eaten by animals, raped by guards, experimented on, you name it.”

“And Celestia and Luna authorized this?” She asked, her face horrified.

“The camps are guarded by both Solar and Lunar Guards. They were also the ones to show me.”

“Who else knows?”

“Well, every member of the Council except for you.”

Twilight gripped her chest and her eyes gazed downwards.

“Cadence? Shining Armor? Ember? Thorax?” She seethed.

“They all knew, but chose to stay quiet. None dared to cause more division.”

“And you?” The alicorn asked as she looked up with fury in her eyes.

Jackpot Star backed away.

“I may have dirt which I could very well use on them, but I would like myself and my family to live as well.”

“Then show me. SHOW ME THE COORDINATES!” Twilight yelled.





Pious-class Supercarrier Emerald Princess, Flagship of Twilight Sparkle

In orbit over Nexus V

“Yo-your majesty. It’s a pleasant surprise.”

In the bridge of the Emerald Princess, Twilight looked at the hologram of the garrison commander of Nexus V. Her eyes, full of fury, bore deep into the Solar Commander’s soul.

“Is something wrong Commander?” asked a furious Twilight. Spike then walked up beside her in his purple armor with a poleaxe in hand.

“It’s just...it’s just…”

“It’s just what?”

“You’re not...supposed to be here?” asked the very nervous Commander.

“And why, am I not supposed to be here?”

“The Council said you’re not allowed to be here, let alone know about the planet.”

“I AM the Council and I ORDER you to send me all information about the camps. How many have been killed, how many are working, and who visited the camps. Unless of course, you want me to come down there?”

“Dear Celestia. Okay okay, I’ll send everything.”





Canterlot Palace, Canterlot, Equestria, Equis

Deep in the palace in a war room, a meeting between the Council and the High Command concluded with frustration. Efforts to trap the Dreadnought Sublime Transcendence, the flagship of Admiral Tidal Wave, was fruitless as the force sent to ambush Tidal Wave under Admiral Red Talon ended up defecting. An entire fleet consisting of the Dreadnought Impending Revenge and an escort fleet of around 300 warships consisting of Supercarriers, Assault Carriers, Battlecruisers, Cruisers, Destroyers, Frigates, and Corvettes joined Admiral Tidal Wave’s fleet of 400 ships including the Dreadnoughts Sublime Transcendence and Divine Retribution.

This was the second time an ambush on Tidal Wave’s fleet resulted in total failure. The first time Admiral Tidal Wave lured a fleet into a gas giant where missiles were launched into the core by one of the rebel ships before quickly escaping. This resulted in the gas giant going nova and destroying nearly 300 Celestial Alliance ships. Since then, High Command have grown cautious of Admiral Tidal Wave’s ability to eliminate large forces.

The loss of so many ships was a concern because of two things: while they recreated their own “Star Forge” using the first designs drawn up by the legendary Infinite Empire which allowed them to build ships at a fast rate, but large amounts of materials would be needed to replace the lost ships and they don’t come cheap. Secondly, the loss of so many experienced officers and veteran soldiers was a big blow as well.

Celestia looked down on the holotable with frustration. Their fleets were massive, but the Rebels with defected warships numbering in almost a thousand plus an unknown number of civilian ships converted to fighting the war was nothing to be laughed at. They can keep replacing ships, but not the experience of those killed or defected. As far as she’s concerned, Twilight Force is the most experienced unit in the Celestial Alliance.

Used as their primary weapon in their subjugation campaigns and battles against the Celestial Rebellion, they were battle-hardened. However, even then High Command isn’t confident in them. They fought multiple Celestial Rebel fleets, but never Admiral Tidal Wave’s personal fleet who always held them in reserve unless they were after a very important target. 

Especially the fact that Twilight Force would be severely outnumbered and lacked a Dreadnought thanks to the enemies Twilight made with members of the High Command, Celestia silently thanked any diety out there she hasn’t fought the Admiral yet.

She looked up after hearing yelling. Through the crowd of officers piling out of the room, Princess Twilight Sparkle strolled in with the fury of a thousand suns. This time, Twilight wore her purple armor with a hooded cloak. She roughly shoved a General out of her way and glared at Celestia.

“All of you, out of the room.” Twilight said. “Except for Princess Celestia.”

A Minotaur General scoffed.

“We don’t take orders from you little mare.”

Twilight’s eyes glowed white and computers, chairs, etc. started floating in the air.

“I SAID NOW!”

Immediately, every officer scrambled out of the room. None wanted to see for themselves what a furious alicorn would do.

Once the room was cleared, Twilight dropped everything to the ground. Celestia on the other hand, seemed unfazed. Internally, she was surprised to see Twilight this angry.

“Is there a reason you came here, trashed this room, and had everypony else run in fear?” Her mentor asked.

Twilight calmly walked up to the table and threw a datapad in front of Celestia.

“What’s this?”

Celestia picked up the datapad. She sighed and looked at Twilight.

“Luna did say it’s a mistake to hide it from you.”

“Why?” Twilight asked. “I don’t appreciate being used as a weapon of genocide. Me and everypony of Twilight Force, we all fought for the good of the Celestial Alliance. We all thought they were simply being moved to other planets, NOT PUT ON DEATH CAMPS!”

“You weren’t even born yet when the Grysks and their allies invaded! The horrors we lived through was nothing you could ever imagine Twilight. The only reason we survived was because we found ancient plans, the first designs of the mythical Star Forge. Not as powerful as what the legends say of the actual one, but it served our needs.” Celestia took a deep breath. “That’s why the Celestial Alliance was born, so all of us could thrive and to make sure we’re no longer the underdogs.”

“So that’s the idea of Magia Regnum? An excuse to condemn any civilizations we encounter to death? Are we really any better than the Grysks?”

“You don’t understand Twilight. Many that we encountered are the same ones that allied with the Grysks and devastated our homes.”

Twilight slammed her fist on the table.

“We are not gods! What right do we have over all the others?”

Celestia crossed her arms.

“Other species don’t possess magic like we do. We have them for a reason, to bring peace to a galaxy that knows nothing but war.”

“But there won’t be peace this way!”

“Unless of course, we’re the only ones standing.”

The younger princess looked down and sighed sadly.

“The Grysks made you and all the others that xenophobic huh?” Twilight asked. She turned around and started walking towards the exit. “From now on, my forces will no longer take part in your campaigns.”

Twilight walked out of the room and into the hallway where Spike waited. He also wore purple armor with a black kama. His poleaxe was strapped to his back and carried a heavy blaster on his arms.

“Where to now?” he asked.

“The Infinite Luck. It appears we have an ally.”





Infinite Luck, Over the Sea of Tranquility

“Your majesty, welcome.”

Twilight and Spike stepped off the Manticore transport and onto the hanger of the Infinite Luck. Awaiting them was a Griffin servant in a black suit. The ship was an old Celestial Alliance Corvette, decommissioned and stripped of any vital parts. Before it was scrapped, it was sold to the Celestial Empire’s most powerful media mogul who turned the ship into both a pleasure yacht, and his personal headquarters. Currently, the ship hovered over the Sea of Tranquility with many nobles and elites on board for a party.

“Take me to Director Jackpot Star.” Twilight ordered.

“As you wish.” The Griffin bowed. He turned and led them across the hanger. Many personal crafts lined up the hanger. Some just arrived, dropping off their ultra-elite passengers.

They were led through a hallway with entrances to various rooms, including a restaurant, a strip club, and several shops.

“Reminds me more of a shopping center.” Spike whispered to Twilight.

“Well, the elites like to hang around the elites. Considering how many visitors this place gets, I’m not surprised.” Twilight whispered back.

The Griffin led them to a huge casino where the celebrities, businessmen, nobles, etc. came to enjoy themselves. She even spotted some dragons who were small enough mingling around. High up on a balcony, Twilight spotted a big dragon two heads taller than Spike looking down on the visitors, no doubt a member of the security. There was a device attached to the orange dragon’s head that seemed to act as some kind of binoculars.

Probably on the lookout for cheaters as well. Twilight thought.

Finally, they came upon a poker table full of disgruntled elites along with a happy and familiar spymaster who had amassed a pile of poker chips.

Director Jackpot Star laughed in the faces of the nobles around him.

“Ha, a commoner beat up a bunch of snobs in a game they play regularly, eat shit losers!”

A unicorn noble slammed his head on the table.

“I played against a guy who’s name is literally Jackpot Star. Somepony kill me.” The noble muttered.

The Spymaster got up behind the brooding noble and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“In due time my friend.” He then spotted Twilight and Spike approaching him. “A lot closer than you think.”

“There a reason you called us here?” Twilight asked.

The Intel Chief smirked.

“Come, we have a meeting with a very important pony.” He said before straightening his suit and leading them to the stairs to the balcony.

The dragon up on the balcony looked at who dared entered a restricted area, but quickly averted his eyes when he saw a princess and the Intel Chief. Jackpot Star led them to a lavish hallway where two of his agents awaited them, a female Changeling and a male Zebra.

“Status?” Star asked the agents when they fell in line.

“Two guards in front of his office and he’s by himself. He’s expecting you. Security cameras will be on a loop and we have a team ready to extract us just in case. We have a window of about 15 minutes.” The Changeling said.

“Good.” He reached out to Twilight. “And the info from Nexus V?”

Twilight was in thought as she handed a datachip before her mouth formed into a small smirk

“Oh I get it now. You’re gonna expose the death camps.”

Star smiled.

“That’s Phase 1.”

“And Phase 2?” Spike asked.

“I’m gonna blow this ship with everypony on it.”

They came upon a wooden door guarded by a male unicorn and a male pegasus.

“He’s here.” One of the guards said into a mic. They opened the door to let the guests in. Jackpot Star snapped his fingers and his two agents stopped in front of the door.

The trio stopped as the door closed behind them. Before them, a lavish room full of expensive paintings awaited them. In the middle of the room, a fat, grinning unicorn in a business suit sat behind his mahogany desk with a computer.

“Ah, welcome your majesty and Director Star to the-”

Before the unicorn could finish, Director Star took out a suppressed slugthrower pistol and shot him on the head.

“Shut the fuck up you obese bastard.” Star said putting his pistol back in his blazer.

“Was that necessary?” Twilight asked looking at the body, the face frozen in shock.

“Tub of shit needed to die anyway.” Star scoffed. He walked up behind the desk and inserted the datachip to the computer. Twilight and Spike watched as he typed away. “Light security. Fuck me sideways for not believing my own intel. He really did get that cocky.”

“You can broadcast everything from that computer?” Twilight asked.

“Everything.” Jackpot Star laughed. “Bastard wanted power so he had the power to broadcast anything he wants at the tip of his fingers.”

“But for what purpose?” Spike questioned which Jackpot Star shrugged.

“In case anypony fucks with him, even Celestia and Luna, he can broadcast any dirty secret he knows. He was an asset of mine, but I only wanted to get close to have easy access to him.”

The two looked at each other, noting the potential he had to help, or even hurt them.

“Annnnnnd done.” The Director said looking up at them. “Everything about Nexus V and the Death Camps will be broadcasted to every screen in 15 minutes. So lets unfuck this part of the galaxy eh?”

He walked past them and opened the door. Behind the door, the body of a guard tumbled into the room with blood seeping out of their mouth. His agents nodded at their boss before walking down the hallway with the trio following them.

“Say nothing, do nothing. No matter what you see, just act like nothing’s wrong.” Star said to Spike and Twilight.

“Why?” Twilight asked.

“Just do it.”

When they were further down the hallway, the Griffin servant from before exited a room with two guards pointing their blasters at them which caused them to halt.

“Halt, what was your business back there Director?” A minotaur guard asked.

“Just...good business.” Star smirked.

Before the two guards could react, the Griffin servant pulled out two knives and slashed both guards on their neck from behind.

Twilight and Spike looked in shock as the bodies hit the floor.

“You’re-” began Spike.

“An agent? Of course, why would the good director entrust a random servant to guide you?” The Griffin responded.

“Come, we’re wasting time here.”

The Griffin fell in line with them, but Twilight and Spike began to look around, wondering who else was an agent.

“Had this placed bugged for years. Not a single camera on board can see us. We might as well be ghosts.”

When they came upon the balcony, the dragon from before was gone. However, none of the guests seemed to notice as they continued to gamble and drink. Twilight spotted a security guard looking up at them and nodded. Said guard turned around and quickly walked towards the exit leading to the hanger.

“None will leave this place alive.” Jackpot Star said. “Lets go.”

The group descended the stairs. Most of the guests didn’t seem to even acknowledge their presence as they were too busy gambling or were too drunk. Almost to Twilight’s and Spike’s surprise, the male Earth Pony dealer from the table the Director was gambling on stopped shuffling the cards and join their group.

“Hey! Where are you going?” Asked a noble wondering why the dealer just left them behind.

“I owe you one.” Star whispered to the dealer.

“No need. It was a pleasure seeing their frustration.”

Next, they passed a table where a Minotaur businessman was celebrating with a large pile of poker chips. On either side of him, a female unicorn and a female pegasus acknowledged them and join their posse without the Minotaur noticing.

“See? Going to the casino was useful after all.” The pegasus whispered to the unicorn.

Exiting the casino and going through the hallway to the hanger was surprisingly uneventful as no more agents joined them. The hanger was quieter than before however. Only a few technicians walked around checking the many transports. Right next to their Manticore, the dragon guard from before stood next to it, yawning.

“Oi!” Jackpot Star yelled. “Is the transport ready?”

The dragon pointed at a transport not too far where a male unicorn with a green flight suit and goggles was tinkering with some electronics.

“It is, but our pilot has something stuck up his ass so I stayed away from him until you guys were done.”

“Hey you fucks!” The pilot yelled at the group. “I’d been sitting on my arse waiting forever! Some stupid shit scratched the paint of my baby while ya’ll were sitting on a dick gambling away!”

Jackpot Star chuckled before turning to Twilight and Spike.

“Well, this is where we separate. Best we leave now before things get hairy.” Twilight and Star shook hands. “In the meantime, I’ll try to stay in contact while you go off doing what you need to do.”

“And what about you?” asked Twilight.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll do more good here without them suspecting a thing.” Jackpot Star took out a paper note and put it on Twilight’s hand. “Use this to contact Tidal Wave. I’ll holler if I need your help. Now run along. Save the galaxy from this madness.”





10 Hours Later

Emerald Princess, in orbit over Equis

Twilight and Spike watched with suspicion from the bridge of the Emerald Princess as the armada that was supposed to defend the capital of the Celestial Alliance jumped to lightspeed in different directions. Behind them, the holotable showed multiple feeds of ongoing riots throughout Alliance space.

Within a few hours after exposure of Nexus V and the death camps, a portion of the population took to the streets and rioted. Buildings were burned to the ground and law enforcement were overwhelmed by the rioters where many stole transports in an attempt to join the Alliance. Sensing the opportunity, Rebel fleets attacked in multiple fronts, either raiding convoys or providing distractions to allow those seeking to join them to escape the authorities.

What saddened Twilight was when one news feed showed Sweet Apple Acres burning. Everything from the Apple family’s home to every single tree in their property. Such fond memories, but to Twilight, they mean nothing compared to all the lives lost because of her forces.

As soon as the news spread, many members of Twilight Force attempted suicide for inadvertedly helping a genocide to occur. Luckily, Twilight thought ahead of time and had those who were the most troubled kept an eye on.

“Where are they going?” Spike asked.

“No idea, I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” The two walked up to the table where Twilight gave an order to the comms officer. “Send traffic.”

“But your majesty.” said the male pegasus comms officer. “We don’t have any direct connections to the Sublime Transcendence.”

“Then use an open channel. No need to hide it anymore.”





Secured Bunker, Below Canterlot Palace

Princess Celestia Galaxia

“Ummm, your majesty?”

Celestia looked at an officer manning a computer in the bunker.

“What is it?”

“A message was sent out on an open channel by one of our own ships. You may want to listen to this.”

A whistle was heard the instantly made everyone in the bunker pause.

“One of ours is defecting?” asked a female Griffin officer.

“Which ship is defecting.” Celestia asked with a hint of anger in her voice.

The officer took a good long look before his eyes widened.

“It...it’s the Emerald Princess.”

Instantly, the room was filled with a mixture of shock, sadness, and anger.

“Tw-Twilight?” asked a very shocked Celestia.





Emerald Princess

“It is done.” Twilight said. “Surely Tidal Wave heard that.”

“Ma’am!” Yelled an officer who ran up to her with a datapad. “I just received two conflicting orders.”

“Go ahead.”

The male zebra squinted his eyes.

“One of our orders was to position our fleet behind the moon by orders from Admiral Sun Strike. Our second order is from Princess Celestia herself. She’s ordering us to hold position?”

Twilight nodded.

“That means Sun Strike probably didn’t hear our message. Good news for us, but that means they’re planning to ambush Tidal Wave.”

“Again?” Spike muttered.

“I mean, it’s certain. His fleet was spotted in the next system over. Any competent Commander would attack Equis when the majority of forces are too busy handling the unrest.”

“YOU! YOU MONSTER!”

Twilight looked up to see the rest of the Elements walking up to her, with a seething Applejack leading them.

“DO YOU HAVE ANY ID-” Using her magic, Twilight shut Applejack’s mouth which made her angrier.

“No need to yell.” Twilight said, her voice indicating she was tired. “I know what I did and I have no regrets. I’m gonna guess Celestia told you about Nexus V.”

“Yeah she did!” Rainbow Dash said. “But you couldn’t stay quiet couldn’t you? You had to ruin everything for everypony! Look at how everypony’s prospering.”

“Oh so all those in the death camps don’t count?”

“As horrible it may be, you could’ve done things more subtle.” Rarity stepped in. “Make changes more peacefully instead of all this madness. Sweet Apple Acres was burned down, many of my boutiques and the Cakes’ bakeries were ransacked or burning,”

“Mr. Cake’s in the ER after a crowd beat him.” said Pinkie Pie who looked like she was about to cry.

“What I’m saying is Twilight, you should have more patience.”

Twilight’s eyes glared right into Rarity’s.

“Patience? PATIENCE?” Twilight marched right up to Rarity’s face. “I was deceived this whole time after so many campaigns subjugating planet after planet. They told me they were being moved elsewhere, to a different planet. I was used as a tool for genocide! Every second, a prisoner in the death camp falls dead and you want me to be patient?”

The rest of the Elements backed away, never seeing Twilight so angry.

“There will be no more waiting. We have become the very thing the Celestial Alliance was against and all of you are benefitting from it! Rarity, Applejack, both of you are filthy rich! For Celestia’s sake, rebuild! Pinkie! The Cakes have money like you! Mr Cake will be fine with the healthcare they can afford.

Rainbow, you’re finally going to command your own squadron regardless of what happens. Stop whining! And Fluttershy, I admit I don’t even know why you’re here to begin with when nopony’s attacking your nature preserves and pet hospitals.”

“Oh, I’m just tagging along.” Fluttershy said quietly. “Big Mac messaged me too. He said he’s confused why he has orders to arrest you.”

The bridge was then bathed in silence. Even Twilight froze as her magic that kept Applejack’s mouth shut fizzled out.

“I’d say you deserve it.” The Earth Pony said.

Twilight shook her head.

“At this point, I don’t care. I’m more disappointed with the fact that you, my so called friends, are okay with this.”

None of the Elements responded as she continued.

“Look at yourselves. We went on many adventures together when we were younger. Forces of good as what others called us. Now look what happens when the cash rolls in and you get what you want. ‘I got what I wanted so screw others’ is the message you five have adopted huh?”

Twilight reached into a pouch on her waist and took out her crown.

“Take it.” She said as she tossed it at Rainbow Dash who caught it. “If I knew this was how it was going to be, I would’ve destroyed the Elements when we first found them. Now go.”

“We’re not going anywhere.” Rainbow said.

Crewmembers and soldiers in the bridge pointed their weapons at the five.

“That’s not a suggestion.” Twilight said before turning her back on them.

Reluctantly, the five walked out of the bridge surrounded by soldiers of Twilight Force.

“Seems harsh don’t it?” Spike asked standing beside her. He took out his datapad and allowed a chuckle. “Not even out of the ship yet and Rarity’s begging me to convince you to reconsider. Even pulled the Spikey Wikey card.”

“Your majesty?”

They turned around to see the comms officer standing at attention.

“Admiral Tidal Wave wishes to speak to you.”

Twilight nodded.

“Put him through.” She said as they got back to the holotable. The holotable lit up, depicting a tall green unicorn with a blue mane. He wore a black naval officer’s uniform with his ribbons on. A golden medal depicting half sun, half moon symbol was right below his neck indicating his title as “Hero of the Alliance.” The Admiral also wore black boots, black gloves, a black cloak, and a peak cap.

“I see her majesty was graced me with her presence.” The deep voice of the Admiral said as he gave a little bow. “For the record, you’ve always been my favored Princess. So, this has to be important. No reason for you to strike up small talk with me.”

“I come with a warning Admiral.”

Tidal Wave rose an eyebrow.

“Oh? Please go ahead.”

“It’s another trap. Admiral Sun Strike has positioned 5 fleets a jump away from Equis. They’ll encircle you the moment you enter the system.”

“5 huh? My intel said 2 fleets. I’m not prepared to fight 5 fleets simultaneously. Judging by how you contacted me, you want to join us?”

Twilight nodded.

“I do. Me and all of my forces. Starlight showed me...things that horrified me. Your ‘friend’ also helped me. If you want to know where Starlight is, I’m sorry to tell you this but she’s now in Princess Luna’s hands.”

“Somepony with your status in open rebellion is unprecedented unless you count Nightmare Moon. Nonetheless, your actions have been a pleasant welcome for us. We will send you coordinates where we can rendezvous. From there, you can prove your worth by assisting the Chiss. Now if I were you, I’d get moving. You did announce your defection through an open channel after all.” Tidal Wave said with a smirk which Twilight replied with a nod.

“Thank you Admiral. I look forward to our meeting.”

The hologram disappeared, returning Twilight back to the silent bridge.

“I’ve received the coordinates your majesty.” One of the officers said.

“Good.” She replied. “Send them to the rest of the fleet. We’ll go there imme-”

“ALERT! Admiral Sun Strike has just jumped into our sector!” An officer yelled.

The holotable lit up, now showing 5 total fleets jumping in to intercept the Twilight Force.

“Do not engage!” Twilight ordered. “I want all power to the engines now! All crew to their battlestations!”

“GENERAL QUARTERS! GENERAL QUARTERS! ALL CREW TO YOUR BATTLESTATIONS!” The speakers blared as the klaxons were activated.

Twilight gripped the holotable hard. She stumbled as the ship shook, taking a hit from a missile from a bomber.

“Jump now!” Twilight yelled. “All ships jump now!”

“Ma’am! There’s a frigate in front of us!”

The alicorn looked at the viewport at a frigate they were closing in on quickly.

“Ram them!” She ordered.

Without any indications of slowing down, the Emerald Princess rammed the smaller Frigate. Crumpling like a piece of paper, the Frigate broke in half violently with a huge explosion. The Supercarrier continued on, undaunted. Around the Supercarrier, ships of Twilight Force disappeared as they entered lightspeed.

“Route is clear! Initiating jump now!” yelled an officer.

Twilight and Spike stood side by side, watching from the viewport as their flagship entered lightspeed, forever leaving its home behind.





Present day

“From there, we Admirals Tidal Wave and Red Talon. They welcomed us with open arms and commented on how they were ecstatic of having an experienced and very mobile fleet. To prove our worth, they sent us to a Chiss planet to warn them and prepare for the eventual invasion.

Not going to lie. Negotiating with the Chiss leaders was so frustrating. They carried this aura of arrogance and didn’t listen to me. Only when the invasion force arrived and we assisted in the defenses did they finally listen. We lost the Emerald Princess that day and I personally cut Big Mac’s arm off in self-defense when his squad joined the boarding parties.

Our crew escaped fortunately, but the two of us were captured. Roughed us up in prison and the council sentenced us to exile on Tartarus. You know the rest.”

Around the campfire, the rest of the group sat in silence taking in the story.

“That…was fucking badass holy shit!” Mic said.

“I’m sorry?” Twilight asked.

“It’s just that, you rose against the system despite the risks and I visualized that ram which is godly. You Twilight, have balls of steel. Well, your a girl though so, unless you’re not? Are you both?”

“Mic?” Zuke said.

“Yeah?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“This, Jackpot Star. Think he’ll help us?” asked Cav who sharpened a knife.

“Likely.” Spike responded. “But we haven’t been able to contact him so we’re not sure how things are at his end.”

“We’ll cross the bridge there.” Kreel said. “In the meantime, I’m glad you two opened up to us. We’re a squad now. We’re family. We hunt together, heal each other, know each other-”

“Suck each other’s dicks.”

“-No we don’t Aero. I swear I’m gonna murder you.”

“Jolly bunch eh?” Niriz said.

“Oh fucking estatic.” Misty said. “Between Mic’s and Aero’s bullshit, Kreel being a furry, Shrap not knowing how to cook since he burns everything, Cav being a perpetual asswipe hogging all forms of media for watching sports, and Zuke’s overprotection and love for kids he’s basically borderline pedo-”

“Hey!” Zuke yelled in protest.

“-so yeah Captain. You can say we’re a jolly bunch. Only ones who are sane are Twilight and Spike, even with Twilight literally being that kinky librarian stereotype as I’ve found out walking into the Admonitor’s library and Spike trying to bite shit that looks like gems when they’re not.”

“Oh and what about you Mr. Edgelord Supreme?” Jumped in Mic. “Considering you’re a farmer, you’re probably into that beastiality or naturist shit.”

“No, that shit’s weird.”

“You know, there is this video that strangely looks like Mic streaking through a town.” Aero said with a smirk knowing it’s a lie. The rest of the squad caught on quickly.

“Oh yeah, there was also a package the other day. Strangely, there was a dildo shaped like some kind of animal’s in it addressed to Mic specifically.” Kreel said.

“He also has a contact on his list named ‘daddy’ thought you guys should know.” Cav added in.

“Also makes some weird self-insert fanfictions of him getting ganged up on by a group of brolic black dudes-” Shrap butted in.

“OK ENOUGH!” Misty yelled.

The rest of SCAR Squad laughed loudly at their sniper’s expense.

“Hey come sit with me little brother Spike!” A jolly Zuke said. Spike happily got up and sat next to the titanic man who went on about a life story of his. Twilight watched with a smile on her face. Truly, she felt she found a new family.

When nobody was paying attention, the alicorn got up and quietly walked into the brush contemplating her thoughts. She leaned on a tree as tears began falling. Deep inside, leaving everyone she left behind still hurt her, but not more than the fact she assisted a genocide.

“When we first met, you told me a different story.”

Twilight jumped with a yelp and looked behind her. Thrawn stood with his hands behind his back.

“So, which story was true?”

She didn’t answer as she choked up.

“Twilight?”

“THE SECOND ONE! The one I just told was the real story okay? I was afraid to tell you the truth because-”

“Because in a way, you were responsible for the genocide happening.”

Twilight nodded sadly. Thrawn put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

“Remember that you have a family here now in the form of SCAR Squad. If you have issues, don’t hesitate to ask for their help. They WILL help you. I and the others worked hard together to pull Captain Niriz out of his depression and I don’t want you to fall into the same pitfall he was in. Understood?”

The former Princess nodded.

“Good. I expect you to be more truthful. No more hiding.” Thrawn looked back and could see the rest of their group were still enjoying themselves. “Let’s go back. The night’s still young, is it not?”





Paradise, Empire of the Hand

“Whoa!” A little boy said. He and a group of friends full of Humans and non-Humans stood on top of a hill looking down a valley. Down on the bottom, they could see the crash site of an Imperial Prison Barge and a Star Destroyer. Pieces laid everywhere with fires here and there.

“Come one! Let’s check it out!” A Twi’lek boy said supported by a young Wookiee child who roared in agreement.

“I’m not sure about this.” The boy said.

“What could go wrong?” A little Zeltron girl said. “It’ll be fun!”

The rest of the children ran down the hill to explore the crash sites leaving the boy behind.

“Ah screw it.” He said running down the hill.

Unknown to the rest of the kids, they passed a piece of the Star Destroying leaning on a tree. I black lettering, the piece of durasteel had the words “Vector”.





General Kron Dorst, Hand of Thrawn, Sanctuary, Empire of the Hand

“Interesting plan. Considering how much of the populace are former Separatists, this might be seen in a positive light.” General Dorst said.

In his personal quarters, General Dorst convened around a holotable with General Mohc who was showing Dorst the droids he plan to produce with the nearly completed droid factory.

“And with the funds available, we can produce an army.” Mohc said. Various droids from the Clone Wars-era were planned to be produced including droid starfighters alongside Mohc’s Dark Trooper program.

“But strictly for planetary defense.” Dorst commented.

“Indeed, the Rebels won’t expect it if they do show up here. Now,” Mohc turned off the holotable and pulled out a datachip which he stored into his pocket. “I need to make sure things run smoothly. Destiny awaits us Kron.”

Mohc turned and walked towards the door.

“Take all the time you need Mohc.”

Once the door closed behind Mohc, green flames engulfed Dorst and the Human was then turned into a Changeling.

“Take all the time you need.”
> The Wolves of the Empire (The Hydras)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Hydras


Grand Admiral Thrawn "The God of War"



Flagship: No preferred Flagships

Known Subordinates:

Admiral Ar'alani "The First Lady of War"



Flagship: Syndic-class Star Destroyer Frontier

Aurek Company "Vader's Middle Finger"



Description: Elite 501st unit under the command of Grand Admiral Thrawn

Captain Dagon Niriz "The Dragon of the Unknown"



Flagship: Imperial-class Star Destroyer Admonitor

The Hand of Judgement



Description: Trained the non-Human members of the Empire of the Hand Ground Forces. Also known as "Thrawn's Hidden Blade", the team is usually called up from their training duties to take on suicide missions.

Admiral Siath "The Guardian of the Hand"



Flagship: Phalanx-class Star Destroyer Battlehammer

General Soontir Fel "Ace Supreme"



Description: Commands the elite 181st Imperial Fighter Wing. "Officially" not under Thrawn's command to avoid any suspicions or jealousy from the Grand Admiral's peers. Trained many aces who fight for both the Empire and the Rebellion.

Commander Stent "The Shield of Thrawn



Flagship: Ascendancy-class Star Destroyer Thrawn's Hand

Admiral Voss Parck "The Mentor"



Flagship: Assertor-class Super Star Destroyer Wrath

General Rohm Mohc "Toughest Ole Bastard"



Description: The brain behind the Dark Trooper program, the disgraced General was given a chance to redeem himself by creating a droid army for Thrawn.

General Mosh Barris "Moshpit"



Description: Oversees all Special Forces Operations in the Empire of the Hand.

Imperial Rangers



Description: Formed by General Mosh Barris, they were the best of the best among the Scout Troopers. Often inserted first to provide recon for other Spec Ops groups.

General Zafaya Fudensko "The Berserker"



Description: Commander of the Armored Divisions in the Empire of the Hand, he was known for his aggressiveness and brutality to his enemies. Favors using Blitzkrieg tactics using Repulsor Tanks and Speeders with Walkers as fire support.

181st Imperial Fighter Wing "The One Hundred and Eighty-Worst"



Description: Once called the "One Hundred and Eighty-Worst" due to their poor records, the pilots soon became the greatest in the Empire's Starfighter corps under Soontir Fel. The pilots embraced the unit's nickname, describing it as an honor to be considered the worse starfighter unit anyone would want to face.

Grand Moff Ardus Kaine "Tarkin's Bane"



Flagship: Executor-class Super Star Destroyer Reaper

Grand Admiral Octavian Grant "Noble Warrior"



Flagship: Imperial-class Star Destroyer Oriflamme

General Hastorn Ziering "General Fair and Care"



Description: Earned his cybernetics due to wounds during the Battle of Maridun, Ziering was known to be a very just man who took great care for not just his troops, but also civilians to survive the battlefield. His survival in the Battle of Maridun saved the career of Commander Janek Sunber from demotion due to false accusations from a Captain in Ziering's unit.

Commander Janek "Tank" Sunber



Description: Protege of General Hastorn Ziering, Commander Janek "Tank" Sunber was wildly known among the officer corps as the childhood friend of Rebel Alliance leader and Jedi, Luke Skywalker. Criticized by fellow officers, he was shielded by the powerful members of the Hydras who saw the "young blood" had a gift in being a real leader in the battlefield.

Captain Apwar Trigit



Flagship: Imperial-class Star Destroyer Implacable

Captain Brandei



Flagship: Imperial-class Star Destroyer Judicator

Colonel Ivan Cronus



Description: In charge of the construction of the stealth Super Star Destroyer Night Hammer under the command of Admiral Sander Delvardus.

Captain Dorja



Flagship: Imperial-class Star Destroyer Relentless

General Freja Covell



Description: One of the greatest officers in the Empire's Armored Corps. Currently travelling throughout the Empire "officially" to see the status of the Empire's Ground Forces throughout the frontline for Emperor Palpatine, but in reality is recruiting officers for the Hydras.

Captain Gilad Pellaeon



Flagship: Imperial-class Star Destroyer Chimaera

Grodin Tierce



Description: Starting off as a Stormtrooper, Thrawn recommended him to the Emperor's Royal Guards which the man passed the training with flying colors. As one of the Emperor's Guards, he was often present in the Emperor's meetings. In reality, he was a spy placed by Thrawn to keep tabs on the Emperor's plans so the Grand Admiral can be ten steps ahead.

Maarek Stele



Description: A Force-sensitive and member of the Emperor's Hand in the 181st, Stele greatly questioned the Emperor's motives after touring the Outer Rim and seeing his plans firsthand. Was recruited by Soontir Fel and became extremely loyal to Grand Admiral Thrawn's Empire of the Hand.

General Maximilian Veers



Description: Became one of the most famous Generals in the Galactic Empire after being chosen by Vader and his victory on Hoth. However, he was injured during the battle and while hospitalized, he was visited by Thrawn himself. The Grand Admiral presented to him his motives and the history of Palpatine. Veers entertained with Thrawn's offer to join his circle considering the General owed Thrawn his career. Soon, Veers became the primary recruiter for the Hydras within Death Squadron. His first recruit? Captain Gilad Pellaeon.

Colonel Meizh Vermel



Description: Commander of the Stormtrooper Corps aboard the Chimaera and close friend to Captain Gilad Pellaeon, Vermel also had a captured Rebel CR90 Corvette stored aboard the Star Destroyer to perform infiltration operations behind Rebel lines.

Admiral Sander Delvardus



Flagship: Praetor Mark II-class Battlecruiser Thalassa

Grand Admiral Josef Grunger



Flagship: Executor-class Super Star Destroyer Aggressor

Grand Admiral Miltin Takel



Flagship: Imperial-class Star Destroyer Magic Dragon

Grand Admiral Martio Batch



Flagship: Executor-class Stealth Super Star Destroyer Terror

Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik



Flagship: Imperial-class Star Destroyer Eleemosynary

Carnor Jax



Description: A force-sensitive within the Emperor's Royal Guards, Jax had reservations for Palpatine ever since he was inducted. He jumped at the chance to bring down Palpatine the moment he met Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Kir Kanos



Description: Appearing dog loyal to Emperor Palpatine, Kir Kanos became disillusioned little by little each time he was forced to kill one of his personal friends during training for the Royal Guards. The doubt was at first small, but the damn broke once he was assigned to guard Thrawn with Carnor Jax when the Grand Admiral explored the Unknown Regions. Now questioning his loyalties, Kanos seeks to find the best path for the galaxy's future.

Kirtan Loor



Description: A feared ISB Agent close to Director Ysanne Isard, Loor became frustrated when he found his career has stagnated. He believed he would've been rewarded if Colonel Wullf Yuleran was still alive, but no such praise or any promotions came under Isard. He joined Thrawn's inner circle at the chance to kick Isard off her throne and boost his own career.

General Jahan Cross



Description: Known womanizer and the greatest field agent in ISB's history, Cross had a strong distaste for Isard, especially in her inability to defeat Crix Madine's intelligence network. Thus, started a trifecta between Jahan Cross with his faction within the ISB full of Yuleran loyalists, Kirtan Loor with his close position to Ysanne Isard, and Admiral Sander Delvardus with his own intelligence network and special forces units.

Grand Admiral Afsheen Makati



Flagship: Imperial-class Star Destroyer Steadfast

Grand Admiral Peccati Syn



Flagship: Imperial-class Star Destroyer Fi

Grand Moff Weblin



Flagship: Imperial-class Star Destroyer Gnisnal

Admiral Jhared Montferrat



Flagship: Imperial-class Star Destroyer Devastator

Captain Xamuel Lennox



Flagship: Imperial-class Star Destroyer Tyrant

Admiral Karyn Faro



Flagship: Eclipse-class Super Star Destroyer Eclipse II

General Cassio Tagge



Description: Seen as a rival to Darth Vader, Tagge was instructed in the mundane task of overseeing the defenses of Kuat, Byss, and Coruscant instead of the frontlines like he wanted. His position however came with many positives and he sold himself to join Thrawn's circle as long as Vader is dead and TaggeCo survived the onslaught. Along with Tagge came a fleet of Tagge Battlecruisers and Modular Taskforce Cruisers which were in excellent position to help take over the fleets over Coruscant, Kuat, and Byss.

Task Force 99 "SCAR Squadron"



Description: Special Forces unit under Grand Admiral Thrawn whom he took a liking, the squad was known to be "unorthodox" but they always came back with at least something in any suicide missions.

Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod



Description: Disillusioned with the idea of building another Death Star, he became easy pickings for the recruitment by General Veers. He was tasked to slow the construction of the Second Death Star as much as possible without rousing any suspicions.

Vice Admiral Terrinald Screed



Flagship: Gladiator-class Star Destroyer Demolisher

Commander Eli Vanto



Description: Close friend with Grand Admiral Thrawn, he became the official ambassador to the Chiss Ascendancy and was tasked with recruiting Chiss to Thrawn's cause and riling up the populace against the Oligarchy.

Admiral Teren Rogriss



Flagship: Imperial-class Star Destroyer Agonizer
> Beast in Black
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

ISB Marshal Gideon [DATA REDACTED]

Codename “Chicken Man”

Sundari, Mandalore

“Do not antagonize her, win her over. Do you understand Marshal?”

Gideon rolled his eyes at the hologram of General Cross. The Marshal sat on a table on the balcony of the Sundari Royal Palace. He wore the white uniform of the ISB with black pants. Standing on guard behind him are two ISB officers in black uniforms, one a tall man with dark skin like Gideon while the other was a short man with tanned skin and short hair. In the far back, another ISB officer who appeared to be an elderly gentleman with light skin, was bald, and had a beard, leaned on the wall staring at the hologram with his arms crossed.

“I gain nothing from antagonizing her General.” Gideon said. “You have my word.”

Cross nodded.

“Very well. I’m trusting you on this Gideon. Wouldn’t want you to go out in an embarrassing way like being taken down by a crippled old man eh?”

Gideon let out a laugh.

“I think you should be worried about contacting any STDs with the number of women you sleep with General.”

The General laughed before he cut communications. A stormtrooper sergeant marched in and stopped before the table.

“Sir, the prisoner is here.” The Sergeant said.

“Host Sergeant. She is our host.”

“I...yes sir. I mean host.” The Sergeant said while Gideon gave an approving nod.

Coming around the corner, Bo-Katan Kryze was escorted by two Stormtroopers who led her to the table. Instantly, Gideon’s face fell into a frown.

“What is this?” He said gesturing to the prison garbs the Mandalorion still wore along with her cuffs. “I said specifically to let her dress herself. And seriously? Cuffs? After I said no?”

“Don’t berate them.” Bo-Katan said. “I told them to bring me to you right away.”

There was a moment of silence before it was broken by chuckles from Gideon.

“Bo-Katan you are definitely one interesting individual.” He said as the Stormtroopers released her cuffs. “Come, sit. Have some tea with me.”

The former Death Watch member sat and her eyes instantly narrowed on the officer in the far back.

“The Cleaner.” She hissed.

“Still mad I took out your squad?” The elderly gentleman said with a straight face. “You Death Watch thugs aren’t so tough.”

“They were good men.” Bo-Katan seethed.

“Don’t lie to yourself.” He dismissed. “They killed civilians who weren’t in the game. Bet you still blame yourself for your sister’s death hm?”

This time, Bo-Katan was silent.

“She was noble, but incredibly foolish like you.”

“What are you doing working for the Empire?” She slammed her fists on the table causing some tea to spill. Gideon looked at the wasted tea with some sadness before looking at Bo-Katan.

“Calm yourself Miss Kryze. We’re all friends here.”

“No we’re not.” She responded harshly.

“For the record,” Gideon’s elderly bodyguard continued. “I was imprisoned by the Empire when I heard my son was killed by your Rebel friends. Naturally, I offered my service if I could get the guys who killed him.”

“Stormtrooper?”

He shook his head.

“Peace Officer. Rookie. Beaten to death by civilians on Lothal when your friends ‘liberated’ the planet. Good kid never harmed anyone. Deal was I get to be the Ghost Crew’s executioner.”

“You’ll never get them.” Kryze seethed.

“Enough, both of you.” Gideon said. “We are not here to discuss any of that. We are here to find out Miss Kryze’s decision.”

Bo-Katan looked at the Marshal.

“I didn’t think some ISB spook would ally themselves with someone like Thrawn.”

Gideon smirked.

“I wish you met Yuleran. As for me, I don’t really care if you’re Human or a Wookiee. Many like me choose sides we know will further our careers. It just so happens that I see opportunity by aligning myself with Thrawn’s circle. If you haven’t realized,” Gideon looked out the balcony where local construction workers assisted by Imperials were repairing the city’s buildings. “Palpatine’s slowly steering the galaxy to ruin. His most ‘loyal’ subjects are waiting for him to be gone so they can take claim whatever is left like a pack of hungry dogs. Smart thing is to be safe and make sure I’m in a strong position. Unify with those with a common goal and then eliminate the rats.”

“And you believe...your group can get rid of the Emperor? Vader, the Inquisitors?” She questioned.

“Miss Kryze, force users they may be, they’re not invincible. We have our ways. Once that is over, we are still debating what to do with the Rebel leadership. It really depends on their actions, but Grand Admiral Thrawn is open to welcoming them back, especially the defectors.”

He didn’t receive a response this time.

“Now Grand Moff Zsinj asked me to take the Darksaber as a precaution that you may attempt an escape. I may not be from Mandalore, but I have a certain interest in your culture. Now Sergeant Kreel, the man who defeated you, have no intentions to lead your people and wishes for you to do so instead.”

Gideon took out the Darksaber and set it on the table.

“So what will it be Miss Kryze?”





Twilight Sparkle

Glacier A-1, Frozen Planet Legong De, Nirauan System

“Show me what you got girl.” said Vectivus in her mind.

Standing on a glacier, Twilight held her Songsteel sword with both hands while wearing a thick fur coat and boots. In front of her, Thrawn wore a white fur coat and white boots. His hands were spread out with his right holding a sword pointed down.

“Makashi.” Twilight whispered while the duo circled each other.

“Good.” Thrawn said. “I see you have read the Jedi books we had available in the library.”

“Did you learn it too? From the books I mean.”

Thrawn shook his head.

“No, I learned this form from a dueling master back in my youth. I just find it preferable, especially against my brother who favored what the Jedi call Shii-Cho. Was always the better duelist betwe-”

The Chiss didn’t finish when he rose his sword to block Twilight’s swing aiming for his right.

“Only a fool would be truly distracted by monologuing.” He said holding her back effortlessly.

Twilight disengaged and jumped back.

“I did quite enjoy the available holovids of Count Dooku fighting.” Thrawn whispered. “There will be a day where magic fails you Miss Sparkle. Improvise, adapt, overcome.”

He charged her this time and swung towards her left. Twilight blocked it easily, but it left an opening. Thrawn sent a quick jab to Twilight’s face which sent her reeling, followed by a shoulder check which sent Twilight on her back.

“Still stiff, still clumsy. How can you expect to defeat Celestia and Luna when you can’t even defeat someone who has neither magic nor Force abilities?”

The alicorn smirked and wiped some blood off her lip.

“To be fair, you’re probably one of the greatest military minds in the galaxy so you’re not exactly normal.” She said getting up.

Thrawn shrugged.

“I’m flattered really, and you do make a good point. However, I’m not doing anything too special.”

Twilight charged him once again, they clashed and parried in a flurry of strikes. The Equine grit her teeth in frustration. Meanwhile, her opponent blocked every single one of her strikes in mild amusement.

A kick to her womanhood was all it took to send Twilight down on the ground reeling in pain.

“Ch-cheap shot.” Twilight groaned holding her pelvic region.

“Death does not wait for you to be ready! Death is not considerate or fair. And make no mistake: here, you face death.”

She quickly rolled out of the way just in time as Thrawn stabbed the ice where her head used to be. Before Thrawn could react, she kicked the back of his leg causing him to fall on his back.

A Songsteel sword finally found itself pointed at Thrawn’s neck.

“Zuke gave me a protective cup. Now yield.”

Thrawn looked up at Twilight and smirked.

“You haven’t beaten me. You have sacrificed sure footing for a killing stroke.”

He tapped the ice near Twilight with his sword. The ground cracked, and the ice gave way right below Twilight’s feet.

10 Minutes Later

Below a tent near a Dreadnaught Cruiser where Snowtroopers and Chiss Commandos worked to set up a base, Twilight huddled under a blanket. She shivered and muttered a thank you to a Chiss Commando who handed her a cup of hot coffee.

“Without magic and under Celestia, you learned how to fight 6 men.” On the other side of the tent, Thrawn filled his own cup of coffee. “With me and with your friends trapped in that sword, you will learn how to engage 600.”

Kinda like this guy. Vectivus said in Twilight’s mind.

“You will learn patience, ingenuity. You don’t have to defeat your enemies by showing yourself or using outlandish displays of bravado.” He turned to Twilight. “Neither of us have overwhelming physical strength like Spike or Zuke, so you must use your mind. That is your greatest weapon.”

Twilight glanced outside the tent where she saw a squad of Snowtroopers escort a group of criminals, including Black Sun operatives out of the base and into the unforgiving snow. Not too far behind were some Broadsword Repulsortanks with their cannons aimed at the group of prisoners at all times.

“Who are they?” She asked.

“The worst of criminals.” Thrawn said standing next to her while staring at the group. “Rapist, slavers, murderers, you name it.”

“So what’s going to happen to them?”

Thrawn gave a slight shrug.

“Justice. Crime cannot be tolerated. Criminals thrive on the indulgence of society’s understanding.”

He could sense anger welling up inside Twilight, considering she was gripping her towel much harder and her breathing became erratic.

“A fitting...punishment for the ones who betrayed Spike and I.”

Thrawn chuckled and put his cup on a box next to Twilight.

“But do you really believe that?”

Immediately, Twilight froze at his comment.

“Deep inside, I know you still long for the old days. A part of you still cannot believe they would do such a thing.”

“But it’s just...it’s unlike them. It’s like they’ve become totally different people.”

“I don’t know them personally Twilight. What I do know is power and money corrupts. Maybe you didn’t notice it before, but perhaps they were changing little by little.”

Twilight sighed.

“No, I know they’re not themselves. I just need to find proof.”

The Grand Admiral smiled.

“One day you’ll catch yourself wishing the person you loved had never existed so you’d be spared the pain.” He patted her shoulder reassuringly. “There are those who must be fought without hesitation, without pity. I hope you won’t hesitate just because you were friends once.”
Thrawn walked out of the tent and into the busy base.

“Let me know when you’re ready to train again!” He yelled without looking back.

Twilight looked down at her cup of coffee. He was right, she does long for the old days and she’s afraid of hesitating once she encounters her old friends again.

You know, you’re too kind for your own good. Traya said in her mind.

But she does have guts, I’ll give her that. A little rough around the edges but we can work around it. Vectivus responded.

So when are you going to teach me? Twilight asked.

Patience young one. For now, we have a task for you.





Grand Admiral Thrawn

Funna Research Base, Legong De, Nirauan System

Thrawn stepped into the command tent near the landed Dreadnaught with a huff. Inside, Commander Stent who wore the black uniform of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force but with the emblem of the Empire of the Hand on his shoulder, and General Mosh Barris crowded around a holotable.

“The situation...is not looking good.” Stent said looking at a hologram of the galaxy.

“It irks me that we cannot interfere should we risk the secrecy of our territory.” Barris said.

“All we can do is shore up defenses. I believe our forces are sufficient?” Thrawn asked. The two officers finally noticed his presence and separated to give the Grand Admiral room on the holotable. “So Kaine’s territory is shrinking faster than anticipated. On the other hand, Imperial forces on other fronts are gaining ground. Not good, but not terrible either.”

“And Grant’s made it to N’zoth.” Stent said. “But apparently, there’s going to be an expected uprising according to Loor’s contacts.”

“Expected.” Thrawn nodded. “Weblin is short-sighted and doesn’t have a good history appointing capable officers. I sent Major Sorannan specifically to help Grand Moff Weblin understand the Yevethan people. Hopefully, Weblin takes Sorannan’s advice.”

“But it doesn’t make sense though.” said General Barris. “Why would the Yevethans rebel now when Imperial forces are still strong, especially when none of the slaves are working in the shipyards? Are they aiming to kill Grant, Weblin, and Rax?”

Thrawn shook his head.

“No, the Yevethans are smarter than you give credit for. They would never have rebelled at this moment if they didn’t receive help. While the Yevethans distract our forces and draw them planetside-”

Stent’s eyes widened.

“A Rebel fleet jumps in to attack the fleet there with their backs turned.”

The Grand Admiral smiled.

“Precisely, which is why I alerted a friend of ours on standby should the Rebels attack.”

The hologram expanded to show a wider view of the area of the galaxy.

“As we speak, a fleet under Grand Admiral Martio Batch with his stealth SSD Terror lies hidden, cloaked on the planet of Galantos. When the alert has finally been sent, Batch will jump in with his fleet and we will finally see his creations in action.” said the Grand Admiral. He pressed several buttons which turned the hologram of the galaxy into a black Executor-class Super Star Destroyer and the designs of the new TIE Phantom.

“What the…” Barris said looking at the holograms slack jawed. “How come we don’t have this?”

“Because Mosh, Batch is an expert in this field and he’s only recently created them. Do not worry, we will have the same soon enough. Meanwhile, we have our own toys.”

With a push of a button, the hologram turned into eight titanic warships.

“The Legator-class Super Carrier. Can carry up to 1,500 starfighters. Original design didn’t have hangers and was purely a ship-of-the-line, but I’m restructuring our Naval forces around Carrier Battlegroups. Fleets will now center themselves around our Secutors, Venators, Lucrehulks, and Legators. The Legators can pack a punch, but less armaments than a Bellator. They’re real strength lies on the starfighters it carries. However, no carriers in our Navy may be allowed without escort.

Rebel forces have defeated Imperial fleets multiple times due to their tactics revolving around their superior starfighters. Well, I plan to change that.”

“So where are they?” Barris asked. Thrawn responded with a smile that confused Stent and Barris.

“You’re standing on top of one.”





Assertor-class Super Star Destroyer Wrath

Ansel Hsiao, Head of Shipbuilding and Naval Research

In orbit over Nirauan

“What the hell is this?”

Wearing the uniform of an Imperial engineer but wearing black officer’s cap. The bearded man frowned at the design presented to him on his datapad.

“Well sir,” said a young engineer standing beside him nervously. “It’s the design of a new Star Destroyer presented by the guys in R&D.”

“This...Xyston-class, is a piece of trash.” Hsiao looked at the engineer. “It’s basically an ISD I with a big gun slapped on to it. Not to mention, the gun itself is a major weakness.”

“Yes sir. I’ll let them know your opinion of the Xyston design.”

Hsiao nodded.

“Good, now go. And message Pellaeon on the progress of his own designs.”

The engineer quickly left Hsiao who hummed in thought about the progress the Empire of the Hand made to be self-sufficient. At this point, it might as well be a completely separate government. Palpatine and his inner circle never interfered with other than sending new forces to bolster Thrawn’s already massive power. His thoughts were interrupted when his datapad beeped and he looked at it.

“Hmmm, Turbulent and Resurgent. Now these designs look more promising.” He said to himself.

While he was busy, engineers worked relentless around him. In the middle of the room, two projectors, one on the ceiling and another on the floor slowly lit up.





Imperial Palace, Coruscant, Inner Rim

Emperor Sheev Palpatine

The Emperor’s personal office

Being the Emperor of the Galactic Empire brought many benefits to Sheev Palpatine. Lavish parties where the most powerful people in the galaxy work hard for his praise, the most powerful Armed Forces the galaxy has ever seen, an apprentice who is nearly all powerful, and the cursed Jedi are on very thin ice.

“-therefore, I believe it would be beneficial for the Empire if you can my Emperor, lift up restrictions on travel to the Unknown Regions which is a gold mine of untapped resources.”

Palpatine continued to stare at the nervous Human businessman. He’s heard this before so many times from Thrawn. Businessmen would approach the Grand Admiral to have his blessing to reaped the resources in the Unknown Regions. Every single time, the Grand Admiral would decline.

The Emperor saw the wisdom in Thrawn’s decisions. Unnecessary corporate involvement increases the chances of exposing Thrawn’s work to the galaxy. Doing so anyways is just asking to get blackmailed.

He couldn’t be more clear to the powerful elites that he has placed his trust in the Grand Admiral and fully support his decisions. Any protests to the Emperor’s decision was ignored completely, but that didn’t stop greedy businessmen and politicians to try and find ways to open up the Unknown Regions. Last he heard, one businessman tried anyways and went to the Unknown Regions personally with a mercenary fleet. The businessman’s plan was to set up shop on a planet using a map of one of the few known planets in the Unknown Regions and take the resources.

They were quickly intercepted by one of Thrawn’s Carrier Battle Groups and were wiped out. Palpatine was pleased that Thrawn was using Carriers to their full potential. He always had headaches whenever he heard any news that an Imperial Commander tried to use a Secutor like a Star Destroyer which ended up getting destroyed.

These things aren’t cheap. Palpatine thought bitterly.

The elderly Emperor continued to ignore the businessman until he felt a disturbance in the force, causing his eyes to widen a little.

“Leave, I wish to be alone.” He declared.

The Royal Guards bowed before swiftly leaving the office, but the businessman stood his ground.

“But, my lord. My proposal-”

“Denied. I’ve said it a thousand times and I’ll say it again. I fully support Grand Admiral Thrawn’s decision to close off the Unknown Regions.”

Internally, Palpatine relished in the man’s disappointment and he smirked as he saw the man leave in a hurry. The elite continued to believe they can do what they want. Perhaps, they need to be reminded that he couldn’t be pushed around like his predecessors.

Once alone, Palpatine let out a sigh and closed his eyes, determined to find the disturbance.

Here we go again. He thought.





Sweet Apple Acres, Equestria, Equis

Applejack

Inside the rebuilt home of the Apple family, the sole resident tossed and turned on her bed. She gritted her teeth with tears forming underneath her eyelids. Her head was in pain and the many voices plagued Applejack.

“I have been every voice…” echoed Granny Smith’s voice.

“...you have ever heard…” followed by her father’s.

“...inside your head.” finalized by a deep, demonic voice.

Wha-what is this? Applejack thought.

“Applejack, my dear. Are you alright?” comforted her mother’s voice.

Ma what is this? What’s going on?

“Outside forces, somepony’s trying to invade your mine. I-”

“Well well well, isn’t this peculiar.” interrupted and unrecognizable voice of an elder being.

“You, you are not welcome here!” her mother all but yelled.

“So the Sith Empire’s Project Nightmare half-succeeded. You live yet, so so weak.”

“GET OUT!”

There was silence as whatever that unknown was left her mind.

What was that Ma?

“That...is somepony dangerous my dear. There are beings out there who would destroy our society. You have listened to my word all this time, don’t stop now. Follow my every word and we will stop the evil forces. We will stop the rebels, the dark forces out there, even Twilight Sparkle. For Applebloom, for all of us.”

Applejack’s body stopped shaking as it relaxed.

“Yes ma.”

Across the galaxy, Emperor Palpatine sat on his throne and cackled. Another potential tool for him has been found.





Black Fifteen Shipyard, N’zoth, Farlax Sector

Grand Admiral Octavian Grant

“Have to say it, I’m very impressed.” Grant said. The Grand Admiral was walking down a hallway of an orbital station alongside Grand Moff Weblin, a new addition to their group.

“Thank you Grand Admiral. Thanks to the recent offensives, pressure in this sector has been relieved and we were able to finish far ahead of our schedule.” Weblin said as they stopped in front of a window. The Grand Moff was a prim and proper man of average height. He had a narrow shaped face, light skin, black hair, and a painters style mustache.

“Yes, and now we have more tools to be used. Though, we do have a little problem.”

They looked out the window which gave a perfect view of the Black Fifteen Orbital Shipyard. 5 ISDs plus 39 Victory-class Star Destroyers were stationed in the multiple shipyards around N’zoth. Another 34 ISDs, 42 VSDs, 44 Dreadnaught-class Heavy Cruisers, and various Strikes, Lancers, and Tartans acted as a defense fleet.

However, the main powerhouse were the 3 Super Star Destroyers docked with Black Fifteen itself: Ravager, Intimidator, and Arbitrator. Ravager was fully equipped and its crew arrived recently, all waiting to be taken command of by Gallius Rax.

Meanwhile, the Intimidator was fully completed though its crew have not yet arrived. Only a skeleton crew manned the titan.

Arbitrator was nearly completed, only missing a few engines and some turbolaser batteries.

A fourth Super Star Destroyer meant to be part of the Dark Fleet, named the Razor’s Kiss, was being finished in Kuat. More effort can now be placed in finishing Dreadnoughts being constructed in both Kuat and Byss thanks to the Imperial Counter-Offensives.

The downside is the Empire suffered heavy losses in earlier campaigns so capital ships had to be pulled from certain fleets like Grand Moffs Kaine and Zsinj to assist in the counter-offensives. This made the hydras worried as some of them landed in the hands of rivals like Grand Admiral Rufaan Tigellinus. 

With Tigellinus’ sieging Keskin and securing the sectors surrounding Hoth and Bespin while Death Squadron headed for Endor, Syn relieving the besieged Imperial forces on Kashyyyk, Takel taking Bothawui, Grunger taking Onderon, and Makati taking Ajan Kloss in an effort to relieve Kaine’s forces, the Imperial War Machine was threatening to overextend itself.

That is why it was imperative to finish the construction of reserve fleets like the Dark Fleet. It couldn’t come fast enough as word is Kaine’s forces are being stretched thin.

“I take it our little problem is Gallius Rax?” Weblin asked.

“Yes,” Grant said crossing his arms across his chest. “Too bad he’s taking the Ravager. Now we gotta figure out a way to get it back. Every Super Star Destroyer not in our hands can deal serious damage.”

“Sir!”

The duo whirled around to find an Imperial officer standing in attention in front of them.

“Ah, Major Sorannan.” Began Weblin as he shook the Major’s hand. “Glad you’ve arrived. Terribly sorry about your imprisonment, but I’ve read your files. You’ll be a valuable member to my staff.”

Sil’s face remained impassive.

“Sirs, I should inform you that Grand Admiral Thrawn inducted me into your group.”

Grant and Weblin froze.

“So no need to be so discrete then?” Grant asked.

“No sir. I have a message from Thrawn however.”

Weblin nodded and motioned him to continue.

“The Grand Admiral said to beware of the Yevetha. He believes they will stage an uprising at the right moment.”

Grant thought about it for a minute.

“Hmmm, if I were the Yevetha, I would stage my uprising when onboard the almost incomplete Star Destroyers and take control.”

“And the Black Fifteen Shipyard has fearsome defensive armaments. Those bloody turrets can hold the defense fleet back long enough for them to take control of the SSDs.” Weblin said. “Not to worry Major, I took precaution after meeting Thrawn and had them placed on the planet when construction is nearly complete.”

“Sir, if I may. You’re underestimating the Yevethans. They’re smarter than that.”

The Grand Moff blinked in visual confusion.

“What are you saying Major?”

“I’m saying sir, Grand Admiral Thrawn believes the Yevethans are prepared  to fight Imperials forces led by you, but likely, not under Grand Admiral Grant or Fleet Admiral Rax.”

To their surprise, the klaxon blared right after the Major’s statement.

“GENERAL QUARTERS! GENERAL QUARTERS! ALL HANDS MAN YOUR BATTLESTATIONS! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL!”

“We need to get to the command center!” Grant said before he sprinted down the hallway. Not far behind, Sorannan and Weblin followed.

It didn’t take long before they bursted into the command room where officers fractically worked.

“I need the sitrep now!” Weblin yelled while the trio approached a holotable. “What the bloody hell is going on!”

A dark-skinned female officer walked up to the holotable and the hologram of the planet was then littered with red dots.

“Sirs! Roughly 10 minutes ago, we received reports of riots and unknown ships appearing over cities and the shipyards groundside. The Governor said he had the situation under control and told us not to worry. Then, he went dark and we received this.”

She pressed a button and the hologram was replaced by the bloodied body of the Imperial Governor with a Yevethan Male standing over it.

“My name is Nil Spaar, and this is the fate of all you Imperials.” Nil Spaar said before sticking a flagpole in the Governor’s right eye. “Death I say to all of you and your families. This is only the beginning!”

The recording stopped and it was only then did the trio realize the room was quiet.

“Well,” Weblin shrugged. “Can’t say he didn’t deserve that. Never liked that creep.”

Grant waved his comment off.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m taking command temporarily if that’s okay with you.”

Weblin grimaced. He preferred being in control, but even he knew his limits. Someone highly experienced lik Grant can get things done quicker and smoother.”

“Very well, I assume everything will be on the table?”

“I’m not the kind of person to order a Base Delta Zero, but I will if I have to. Right now, our problem is we still have personnel down there.”

“Don’t forget the ships down there too.” Weblin said. The hologram turned into a shipyard down on the surface showing 12 VSDs, 7 ISDs, numerous Lancers, Strikes, and Tartans, and a pair of Immobilizer 418s. They were organized in two lines.

“This is live?” asked the Major, watching the shipyard defences and personnel fight off the natives with the air filled with ball-shaped ships with engines and turrets slapped on them.

“Unfortunately.” Commented Weblin as he saw a pair of the ships strafe a docked Tartan causing it to explode. “We need to deploy all of our fighters too.”

“No,” Grant said while staring at the hologram intensely. “We’ll send 7 Star Destroyers to secure and evacuate besieged positions. 2 will go to the shipyard and a group of escorts. Clear the skies so the ships can be launched. Another 10 will be on standby to assist if necessary. It would be foolish to commit all of our forces.”

“You suspect something?” asked Weblin.

“Yeah.” Grant said quietly. “From the limited knowledge I possess of Yevethans, they’re extremely crafty. I have a feeling they have something up their sleeves.

Weblin nodded and turned to a group of officers who were listening.

“You heard the Grand Admiral. I also need one of you to alert Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax on the Ravager of what has transpired and I need one of you to alert Coruscant immediately.”

“SIR!” The officers saluted before carrying out their tasks.

“I need to head back to the Oriflamme to coordinate the battle. Major Sorannan, you will assist me.” Grand said to Weblin and Sorannan. “Weblin, do you have a flagship?”

The Grand Moff nodded.

“The Gnisnal. It’s currently guarding Black Fifteen with the Adarga, Invincible, Redoubtable, the VSDs Harridan and Valorous, and a modified experimental Victory currently called the Rakehell under Project EX-F. Currently, the Rakehell doesn’t have a commanding officer.”

Grant turned to Sorannan.

“Do you know how to command a ship?”

“Well sir, I used to be a pilot but I did spend time in the Naval Academy. Got kicked out because I beat the instructor several times in the simulations and he didn’t like it so he got me expelled through some trumped up charges. Also learned a bit under Thrawn and my cellmate was a Star Destroyer Captain who taught me everything I needed to know in commanding a Star Destroyer.”

The Grand Admiral smiled.

“Very good. Change of plans Major, you’ll command the Rakehell.”

Sorannan was flabbergasted.

“Wha-but sir, I’m just a Major.”

Grant’s face turned serious.

“Well you’re now in the Navy. Anybody who has a problem has to deal with me. Now go and get to your ship Captain. You're long due for a promotion anyways.”

The red head’s mouth was agape as a fish. Both Grant and Weblin snickered as Sorannan walked out to carry out his duties, his face never changing.

Now up two ranks and in the Navy? It’s like...a dream coming to reality. The Major thought.





Admiral Voss Parck

Command Centre, Nirauan, Empire of the Hand

“-do you all understand your mission?”

Before Thrawn’s hologram stood pilots of the 181st and several naval officers. The audience filled the entire command centre. General Soontir Fel stood to his left with Admiral Voss Parck to Thrawn’s right.

“I have a question sir.” said Turr Phennir who raised his hand. Thrawn responded with a nod. “Would this expose us if we are captured?”

“That’s IF you get captured Captain.” answered Fel. “The Storm Commandos taking part in this mission are from Grand Admiral Rufaan Tigellinus’ command and the cloaked ships are loaned from Grand Admiral Martio Batch’s command. However, our scouts are from here.”

“The ones who are at most risk being captured are the Storm Commandos who have no knowledge of what’s going on here. Only a select few know the 181st are under the Grand Admiral’s overall command. However, in the slim chance anyone of you or crewmembers of our scout ships get captured or in danger of being captured, you will all be issued suicide pills.” finished Parck.

“Make no mistake.” Thrawn said stepping forward. “This is another chance for you all to shed Rebel blood, to send a message. As much as I dislike Grand Admiral Tigellinus, I am inclined to provide assistance considering a Jedi Master will be present.”

Many eyes widened at that thought. They’ve heard of the feats of the Jedi in the battlefield, especially when fighting Inquisitors, but their deployment to the Unknown Regions means they never got to face them.

“I know all of you are eager to take on a Jedi,” said Admiral Parck. “But they are foes not to be trifled with. Timing is of the essence here. Considering what we learned from the spooks, if we time things right, the higher ranking Rebel officers will be planetside forcing the Jedi to command the fleet. Doing so removes another threat from the Storm Commandos.”

Before they could continue, a Lieutenant walked up behind Parck and whispered to his ear.

“Sir, the guest is ready for the welcome party.

Parck nodded and turned to Thrawn and Fel

“I’m sure the pilots will be do their job. Just let them know, don’t let Weir leave alive.”

Thrawn nodded.

“Don’t worry. Delvardus has that covered.”





Darth Vader

ISD Reprisal

Zygerria, Chorlian Sector, Outer Rim

“Why? Why are you doing this?”

Vader looked down at the hologram of King Atai Molec of the Zygerrian Slave Empire.

“Because at this point your majesty,” Vader said. “Your little Empire no longer has any use for us. Now, you’re merely an annoyance. We’re here to tie in loose ends.”

“Then...then we’ll join the Rebellion. We’ll get you back for this treachery.” Molec snarled.

“Good. Do so, but I believe even the Rebels would applaud my work here.”

Whatever Molec was about to say was interrupted when rubble landed near the King before the hologram fizzled out.

Satisfied, Vader calmly strolled to the viewport of the bridge. Beside him, Commander Demmings gazed as the Imperial fleet bombarded the capital from orbit. Floating around the planet was the planet’s defense fleet, once proud, now burning hulks.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Demmings said. The Dark Lord said nothing, but he agreed. 

As a reward for Hoth and pushing the Rebels’ plans back, the Emperor gave his apprentice command of a fleet led by the Reprisal for a “redemption tour”. Vader brought the fleet to various planets that have earned his anger in the past starting with the planet Jazbina where he bombarded their planet and killed their princess.

His redemption tour ended here, in Zygerria where his desire to end their pathetic slave empire started back in the Clone Wars. Curiously, Vader refused to go to Tatooine.

The fleet had to penetrate deep through Rebel territory, razing planets and bases to get to the besieged slave empire. Fortunately for the Imperials, the Zygerrians believed they were a relief force meant to break the Rebel siege. However, they soon found Vader’s intentions when the 30 strong Star Destroyer Fleet devastated Zygerria’s defenses with minimal casualties.

His redemption tour comes to a close, now the fleet needs to retreat back to friendlier territories leaving behind a devastated slave empire. Vader was no fool however, he knew his master’s intentions.

With the Empire clearly betraying the Zygerrians, the slavers will then turn to the Rebels for help. On one hand, if Mon Mothma accepts them, it relieves many of their forces to fight the Empire but at the cost of public opinion. If they don’t, they’re looking at a longer siege which will draw Rebel forces away from the Imperial offenses.

Vader honestly liked the plan, and it sounded like Thrawn had a hand in it. This was it, once back in Imperial space, Vader returns to his fleet on Endor while the 30 Star Destroyers return to Admiral Karyn Faro’s command on Byss.

Endor, Lord Vader had an issue with the battle plans. He favored someone like Thrawn or Osvald Teshik having command of the fleet, but his master wanted Nial Declann to use his battle mediation when the time comes. Even Vader knew Declann was a weak tactician.

But his master’s word was final. Hopefully, in Vader’s mind, something good will come out of this for him personally.





Spike

Hand of Thrawn Fortress, Nirauan, Empire of the Hand

Breathe, just breathe.

High up on a balcony, the little brother of Twilight stood straight with his eyes closed.

Breathe.

His eyes opened slowly. He gazed at the bustling city. Fists clenched, a steady stream of green fire seeped from his mouth and surrounded his body. Spike groaned in frustration trying to concentrate.

If one were to look closer, two lumps of fire began to protrude from the back side of his “fire armor”. Never before, had he focused this hard. Without warning, a brief vision of Twilight falling into a lake after the ice under her collapsed with Thrawn on the ground nearby distracted him.

Focus lost, the fire armor disappeared and Spike collapsed with a groan.

“You okay?”

Spike looked up to see Aero crouched down near his head.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just...lost focus.”

The pilot helped Spike up.

“Well big guy, if you really need help in concentrating,” Aero motioned for Spike to get closer so he can whisper in his ear. “Ask Thrawn when he gets back if you can learn a little from the AWOLs downstairs.”

“AWOLs?” Spike asked.

“If anyone asks, I didn’t say anything. Alright?”

Before they could continue, a loud explosion from the downtown grabbed the attention of everyone in the Fortress.

“The hell was that?” Aero asked.





Taxtro Grave

Hand of Judgement

Downtown Sanctuary City, Nirauan, Empire of the Hand

Civilians screamed and speeders swerved on main street of Sanctuary City’s Shopping District. 3 Speeder Bikes flew by.

On the most forward speeder bike, a Human male wearing blue pants, brown boots, and a red leather jacket fired his blaster pistol back at his pursuers.

“Son of a bitch! This guy’s gonna get civies killed!” Shouted out a man on a pursuing speeder bike. He wore a customized TIE pilot uniform with armored pieces attached to his chest, shoulders, and knees. On his helmet was a giant white X-mark that crossed across his face.

“Thanks for pointing out the obvious Joak!”

Beneath his pilot helmet, Joak Quiller frowned and gave his friend on the other speeder bike a middle finger.

Riding the last speeder bike, a Stormtrooper with black armor wore a black hood and a scarf wrapped around his neck with a bow and quiver strapped to his back. Much like Mic, the visor on his helmet was not separated but was colored red.

“Are you going to fucking shoot him or not Edgy Taskmaster?” Joak yelled.

“He’s heading towards the industrial district. Streets should start clearing as we get closer!”

Taxtro Grave was feeling very irritated. The duo were suppose to meet Daric LaRone, Korlo Brightwater, and Saberan Marcross at a cafe. They got a call that a suspected Black Sun operative was in their area and were ordered to apprehend the suspect. A simple smash and grab quickly turned into a pursuit after a landspeeder that ran a red light nearly hit them.

The trio swerved through traffic, no doubt getting the attention of the local police. Some civilians on their own speeder bikes even followed them while recording the chase with datapads.

“Any day now!” The pilot yelled.

Once the road became cleared, Taxtro smiled.

Now!

Taxtro stood up on his bike, carefully balancing so he wouldn’t fall. The sniper pulled out his customized bow and explosive tipped arrow and took aim.

Civvies want a show huh?

He let go, watching the arrow fly at unbelievable speeds. The arrow flew past the Black Sun Operative’s head causing his eyes to widen. Before he could react, the arrow exploded which sent the criminal and his bike flying.

Taxtro and Joak watched the criminal’s body tumble multiple times on the road before coming to a stop. The two Imperials quickly stopped their bikes and rushed to check on their target. Joak had his SE-44C Blasted at the ready while Taxtro notched another arrow, one that was blunted with multiple small spikes on it. Electricity coursed through the arrow tip.

“Dead?” Taxtro asked.

Joak kneeled down to check the man’s pulse.

“Just unconscious.” Joak said with a sigh of relief. “Barris would’ve grilled our ass if he died in what was supposed to be a simple arrest.”

“You guys done?”

The duo looked to their left and was surprised to see the leader of their squad just sitting on a chair in front of a cafe drinking tea.

“When I said you guys need to meet me at this cafe, I didn’t expect a high speed chase ending right in front of me and every police officer from all corners showing up.” said LaRone.

On cue, they heard multiple police sirens in the distance.

“Aw fuck.” muttered Taxtro.





Ezra Bridger

Jedi Padawan/Imperial Prisoner

Hand of Thrawn Fortress, Nirauan, Empire of the Hand

Ezra could not describe how strange it was for him. He was offloaded Thrawn’s flagship, flown over a bustling city, and then brought all the way down to the basement of this fortress by some officer who claims to be Thrawn’s mentor.

“So...how was training Thrawn like?” Ezra asked. The group of Death Troopers and Storm Commandos following them glared at the back of his head.

“Pleasant, he was better than I admittingly in the end, but he took my teachings to heart.” Parck said keeping his eyes forward down the empty hallway.

“Did that include bombarding a city with innocent people in it?” Ezra asked with a glare towards the Admiral. He could sense the anger building up among the troopers behind him.

“No, but I didn’t disagree with Thrawn’s strategy either. I would’ve done the same. He did tell me that he shouldn’t have low balled your Rebel cell. Was too merciful to Admiral Konstantine and Agent Kallus, and should’ve taken drastic measures to change the command staff given to him. Most of all, he admitted that he severely underestimated the powers of a Jedi like you, Ezra Bridger.”

Ezra smiled a little after being reminded that he one-upped the Grand Admiral.

“Privately, he told me, even with all of the books he possessed, he can’t truly understand the Jedi or the Sith without being one. That itself, is an impossibility as he doesn’t have Force Abilities.”

They stopped in front of a blast door.

“So he decided to work around it.”

The Jedi Padawan felt his handcuffs taken off followed by a push in the back towards the door. Parck eyed the beard Ezra grew and the orange jumpsuit as the younger man glared back at him.

“I’ll be sure to send some fresh clothes and a shaving kit. Now go meet your new friends.” Parck said before the blast door slid shut.

Ezra continued to glare at the door before he relented with a huff of annoyance.

“Friends? What did he mean by that?” He turned around and saw light coming from the corner. “Guess it’s time to find out.”

Bridger cautiously walked around the corner and gasped at what awaited him.

It was like a lounge, with sofas, a monitor on a wall, and a table filled with food. But what surprised him were the people occupying it.

On a sofa watching some kind of sports game was a man in a black and white Mandalorian armor, a black-haired male Human in dark gray and black robes, and a female Human with dirty brown hair wearing brown Jedi robes. Nearby on a table, a Togrutan female was playing with a datapad with an annoyed look on her face while a Zabrak female wearing black pants and a leather jacket was annoying her.

At the other side of the room, a group of people were huddled around a holotable watching what appears to be a battle. Among the group, there was a tall male Human with a black cloak, and black armor covering his body except his head which had brown hair and a scar going down his right cheek. Next to him, Ezra could only describe him as a Tusken wearing Jedi clothing which sent weird vibes to Ezra. Laughing at something he was witnessing on the holotable, another man in a black cloak and light skin had cybernetic attachments to the right side of his face.

At a corner nearby, a Shistavanen male in brown clothing with some armor pieces on him was curled up on the floor sleeping peacefully. Right next to the sleeping alien, an elderly Abyssin male in a brown cloak sat in a meditative position.

It was weird for Ezra. He felt warm, but also cold? There was a weird mixture of both light and dark that confused him.

“Oh you must be the new guy, Ezra Bridger right?”

Ezra jumped a little and looked to his right. A woman in slim black armor with the Empire’s crest on her shoulder held her hand out for a handshake. He couldn’t tell who she was because she was wearing a black helmet similar to the Inquisitors he fought.

She noticed what Ezra was looking at and chuckled.

“Sorry, forgot it was rude of me.”

The woman grasped her helmet and took it off. Bridger gasped as he was met with the friendly smile of a Mirialan female that reminded him of someone.

“My name is Barriss Offee. Pleased to meet you.”





General Hera Syndulla

MC80 Star Cruiser Geist, Plooma, Outer Rim

Hera stood before a holotable projecting the map of the sector plus the holograms of officers in her fleet including Sabine, Kallus, and Zeb.

“-while Grand Moff Ardus Kaine’s fleet is distracted elsewhere, we will take Bastion while their defenses are down. The reinforcement fleet will arrive soon after to keep the planet in our hands.” Hera explained. “Sabine and her Commandos will infiltrate Bastion’s HQ and hack into their databanks so we can have an accurate map of Thrawn’s territory. We leave the moment the reinforcement fleet arrives.”

She looked around at the determined faces of the officers in her fleet.

“This may define the outcome of this war. We don’t know what Thrawn’s been doing, but whatever it is. We will put a stop to this. For the Rebellion, and for all those that blue-skinned bastard took away from us.”

The officers cheered in agreement and clapped at their superior’s declaration.

“Now go, get your ships prepared. We strike Bastion now!”

All of the holograms disappeared, all except for 3 familiar ones.

“Are you sure Ezra is Thrawn’s prisoner?” Sabine asked.

The Twi’lek nodded.

“I know Thrawn enough to know even he wouldn’t turn Ezra over to be twisted by the Inquisitors.” muttered Kallus. “He would rather keep him for himself and use him for his own agenda. That agenda, I have no idea. What I do know is that he’s likely planning something behind the Emperor’s back. I’ve heard he’s had disagreements with the Emperor before and had some kind of conflict with Vader.”

“To hell with him.” Zeb said. “He can throw anything he wants, we can take it. We’ll free Ezra and whoever Thrawn has imprisoned. Then, we can take the Grand Admiral back with us kicking and screaming.”

Hera smiled at the mental image but quickly grew serious.

“Whatever happens, we stick together. No more mistakes.” Hera sighed sadly. “We do this for Ezra...and for Kanan.”





Force Ghost of Emperor Valkorion

Zakuul, Unknown Regions

The ghost of Valkorion stared up into the sky with his hands clasped behind his back. Not far away, another one of these Celestial Alliance Frigates fell to the ground in a mess of fire and steel. Just another kill for Zakuul’s local military with his assistance.

“So Sidious, you’ve found Nightmare finally.” He said. “You’ll find that an entity like Nightmare who can invade someone’s mind at its full potential is a double-edged sword. But you won’t live long to find out.”

Valkorion disappeared. Not far, in a cavern inside a mountain, the ghost reappeared among ancient artifacts sitting all around him.

“Your arrogance, shall be your downfall. From your ashes, shall rise a new galaxy.”

He stopped before a giant contraption that was surrounded by smoke. With a wave from his hand, the smoke dissipated to reveal what Valkorion has hidden from the galaxy.

In front of the ghost and attached to the machine, a feared warrior of old was frozen in carbonite.

“Your time to rise again is near. Patience is a virtue my friend. Once again, you will charge the battlefields and destroy all who stand in the way of destiny.

Warrior of the past, come forth. DARTH MALGUS!”









END OF ACT 1