NSD Excidium II
Bridge
Deep Space

“I’ve gone over the telemetry report and data three times, sir. There is no error in Knight-5’s report.” Said a nervous looking deck officer.

“So, Lieutenant…Is it what I think it is?” Thran replied.

“I’m afraid so, Admiral. They will arrive at the Cocytus System within the hour. The Fleet also reports that they are under attack by Clan Naga Sadow.” He affirmed.

Thran paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. He knew what prowled the endless darkness of space. Fear gripped his gut. He did not stifle the terror; the Force would give him clarity when he most needed it. Instinct had always served him better than honest planning, but he feared that not even the best laid plan could save the Empire. As the fear wrenched into his very being, he could feel himself at a crossroads. On one hand he could leave the Empire behind, damning them to extermination. On the other, he could return to defend the Empire he had help build knowing well the odds that he would not succeed. He could be a coward and alive or a symbol of power and perish, there was no middle ground.

In his moment of decision, an ancient voice called out to him. The voice, cold and ghastly spoke without words, it whispered to his soul. It passed him suggestions and clues; it told him where to act. He saw clear through the vacuum of space to a familiar place. The system was beautiful, with so much to offer. There it was engulfed in war. The jungles burned, the deserts glassed, the ice melted, and the Capital fell. Time stood for nothing, it spun freely backwards. It showed a time, where the jungle was a deep green. The moons above the forest were a brilliant blue. Nestled in the jungle was a device. A calm hand lifted a black and gold baton and the second moon began to burn. He had called out to the Force and it answered. It had been ages since he had last heard this voice so strongly. Perhaps, being infected and deprived of his senses had taught him to better appreciate its power. In a moment, the seed of a plan began to sprout. His concentration broke as the Ship’s Captain approached.

“Admiral…We need orders, Sir.” The rigid Captain asked, as if he demanded a course and heading.

“Set course for the Cocytus System. Put us in behind Ptolomea. Alert code Alpha, fleet wide. Get a coded message to the Emperor, inform him of our status. Send a priority message to the Sadow command; I must speak with them immediately.” Thran commanded.

Xan had scarce said a word in hours. He made a mental note to pin his jaws shut, as if it would hide his shock. He broke his silence. “What is your plan?” he asked, sheepishly.

“My plan? Dear boy…It’s impolite of you to ask such a question. But if you must know…The secret lies on Ptolomea.” He said.

RSD Final Way
Judecca
Cocytus System

The sky had erupted in volleys of turbolaser fire. There was something eerily beautiful about the chaos of a space battle. The vibrant lights illuminated bits of the hull as the streaked passed. The deflector shields shimmered in waves as they absorbed a slew of energized quills. They had caught the Forces of Scholae Palatinae unprepared and their guns were taking advantage of that fact.

Locke stood proud on the cold slab floor of the Naga Sadow Flagship. He would be the Consul that finally brought around the demise of Scholae Palatinae. His name would be hallowed in many halls across Brotherhood Space. Few among the Clans and Houses were as despised as Scholae Palatinae and he would be the one that watched them draw their last breath. All of Brotherhood desired to see Scholae Palatinae fall, but it would be Clan Naga Sadow that earned the privilege of ending the House of Palpatine. They had earned that right when Scholae Palatinae brought war to their doorstep.

His proud gleaming was interrupted when an aid approached him. He held in his hand a Holoprojector. Locke’s eyes glanced towards the figure upon it in flickering light.

“Consul Locke. I am speaking on behalf of the Empire. I trust I need no introduction.” The figure said.

“Of course not…What do you need Mr. Occasus? It is too late for your precious Empire.” Locke replied, excited to have broken the news.

“Yes, I fear that may be the case. I fully expected that my compatriots would be unable to defend against your fleet. I could just as easily bring my task force back to split every last one of your ships in two. I am not begging for you to spare the Empire, Sonjie. Instead, I will offer you a deal…Your life in exchange for your cooperation.” Thran said.

“Even as your Empire lay smoldering and dying, you would stand by and threaten me?” Locke replied in disgust.

“No offense meant, Locke. I just thought you would be as eager to save Naga Sadow as I am to save my Empire. Your life and the life of Clan Naga Sadow depend on it.” Occasus replied.

“We are not the ones in danger, Occasus…So perhaps, it is I that should be the one offering up deals.” The Consul replied.

“I figured you wouldn’t give in that easily. I admire that about you. I wouldn’t either. I guess it’s a Bakuran thing. However, if I have timed this communication appropriately, in 10 minutes time you will realize that I am not lying to you…I’ll let you make your decision then. But, it would behoove you to take my word for it.” Replied Thran.

“You seem every bit your confident self, Thran. Yet, your face says that you are troubled. Very well, go on.” Locke replied, noticing the distress the Warlord’s eyes.

“When we ran the enemy fleet out of our system, we noticed patterns of movement that made us believe they were rejoining another fleet for another assault of the Cocytus system. Those reports proved to be true. However, Zoraan’s forces were better equipped than we first believed. They are inbound for the Cocytus System. The Enemy Fleet has been supplemented with at least 10 additional Star Destroyers and their various support craft. And…” Thran said, holding back his final detail for measured suspense.

“And, what?” Locke replied.

“Well, the first bit should be enough to encourage your compliance. So, I will save the rest for insurance purposes.” Thran said with a mischievous grin.

“How am I to know this isn’t some kind of trick?” Locke replied.

“You will know in…6 minutes. I’ll be expecting your answer then. I would coordinate with the Imperial Fleet, if I were you…If you will excuse me; I have some matters to attend to.” Thran said smiling even as his frosty blue image faded away.

Locke motioned to one of the corporate drones near him. He issued a set of very succinct orders, which were quickly met by the swarm of naval personnel. He stared out the large viewing window once again, as the sparks of laser fire began to die. Both sides had simply stopped firing. Scholae Palatinae was on its heels he need only plunge the dagger into their heart. He could end them now, but the Warlord had sold him on the impending doom. He stood, waiting in silence. Counting the seconds until Occasus’ prophecy proved true or false, the Consul waited to make his next call.

ISD-II Warspite
Judecca
Cocytus System

“I’ve sent the message to the Sadows and they’d be smart to listen. They’ll have no choice.” Spouted the flickering blue projection of Thran Occasus.

“Well, if it’s like you said, we’ll have to work together with them.” Xen’mordin replied.

“Just drive that beast towards Ptolomea.” Thran replied.

“What is at Ptolomea, Thran?” Xen demanded.

“When we surveyed Alberigo for the first time we found something buried there. Some kind of old machinery, I guess. Well, we put the puzzle together, it proved to be something more powerful than I could imagine. It was a weapon, Xen. I had it buried until we could have it perfected and understood. I never thought anything of it. But the weapon has potential.” The Warlord said, releasing more secrets of his own Imperial administration than he ever had in one sitting.

“What kind of weapon are we talking about here, Thran?”Xen inquired.

“If I knew what it did and how it worked I wouldn’t be speaking to you now. But, I can tell you it is powerful. Haven’t you ever wondered why Zanche is always burning, Xen? It’s that kind of power.” Occasus said with deep conviction.

“What will become of the weapon after?” Xen asked.

“I am more concerned with the now, my dear friend. If you value your head, you’d be focused there too. Get your fleet together and draw them to Ptolomea.” the Consul Emeritus said as his visage faded away.

As the last words of caution came to an end, Xen looked up and over the fleet. In the distance the glint of a horde of inbound vessels appeared. A peppering of ships appeared over Judecca, further filling the space. Thran’s words were manifesting before his eyes. There among the blackness of space and wave of enemy ships appeared a leviathan.

The vessel dwarfed anything on the field. She measured the length of seven destroyers. The blackened steel hull was so massive she blocked out swaths of the stars. Alarms sounded about the Quaestor, but they all seemed mellow under the sting of shock. The monster loomed in front of them and his hope was all but lost. The eight kilometer vessel seemed to lumber as it came about to face the mass of Sadow and Scholae vessels.

“Get me a secure line to the Sadow flagship.” Xen said with a calming power.

Imperial Palace,Ohmen
Judecca
Cocytus System

“The resistance here is strong, sir. I don’t know if we’ll be able to break through by morning. We need reinforcements. I Repeat. We need reinforcements. Over!” screamed the Sergeant.

“Negative. Cannot comply. The fleet has been engaged any further drops would be too risky. The company cannot afford that risk. You’re on your own, son.” Squawked back a typical white collar Commander.

The blaster fire filled the air of the Palace Courtyard. It wasn’t until they had reached the palace that the Dlarit squad had squared off against uniformed enemies. The Scholae guards were as tenacious as the rebels in the streets, but with significantly improved training and weaponry. It made them deadly. The Sergeant had lost nearly half his squad already and the odds weren’t improving. Their ammo was running low and morale was falling fast. He prepared for the squad to move. If they stayed there they would die.

With a flurry of hand signals, the group moved between the pillars and benches. After a few shuffles and moves between blocks, calm befell the air. The sky grew dark. Something was not right. The Scholae Palatinae Imperial Guard clamored back to their positions. A shadow grew over the city, darkening the halls of the Palace. The Sergeant glanced through a damaged window. A swarm of dropships fell from the sky, thick enough to shade the entire city of Ohmen.

They stared intently as the vessels hovered and crashed to the ground, each one opening up a new billow of smoke where it landed. The men of the Dlarit Special Operations Group backed up to join their Scholae counterparts. Every man among them knew that they were now fighting together to avoid mutual destruction.

They would be forced to put aside hatred for past injustices and the current war. Vengeance could wait for another day.

RSD Final Way
Judecca
Cocytus System

“Yes. Our ground forces are already reporting cooperation among the ranks. It seems the boys on the ground knew what was best for them before we did.” Atra remarked, his holoprojection a shimmering blue.

“Yes, and we can’t abandon them here…but Scholae Palatinae seems encouraged to run for the outer planet of the system. They are hiding something there, I am sure of it. Thran is there and he is planning something. Assemble a team to go out there and meet Thran’s fleet. They must leave immediately. We’ll be underway shortly.” Lock replied, issuing orders to his Proconsul.

“I will see to it personally.” Atra said with a slight nod.

“You have to uncover what he’s up to. He’s hiding something. Prepare for our arrival there. We’ll hold out here for as long as we can.” Locke said, scratching his head.

“Understood…” Atra replied. The hologram winked out of existence

On the surface, the Proconsul rushed off to gather a team of Sadow’s elite. They had minutes to leave before the intense fighting began. The combined fleets wouldn’t last very long fighting the new menace before them. He couldn’t help but shake the feeling that they were headed towards another sudden but inevitable betrayal at the hands of Scholae Palatinae. He was concerned with meeting Thran face to face, but he was prepared to do his duty.

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Week 2 of the CNS/HSP feud is live! Events can be found on the website found here. Once again thanks to Thran for providing the fiction. Good luck with Week 2!