“They don’t seem pleased to have visitors…” May pulled Revan through space, an evasive path that slipped between sheets of turbolaser fire. “Do you want to deal with them, or should I?”
“I’ve got it,” Dan chuckled as his eyes brightened to lances of blue. A casual sweep of the space around them brought silent explosions to the fleet around them. “I expected a good sized navy, but Darth Tenebrae really outdid himself…”
They had jumped into the Dromund system, close to the capital of the hidden Sith Empire, Dromund Kaas. More than half the system was packed with heavy cruisers, eight-hundred metres long and surrounded by escort vessels. They represented a fraction of the Empire's total ships, a fleet that would one day storm the Republic and bring it to its knees.
Or it would have… now it turned to ash and fire, reduced to fragments as Dan's vision carved a lazy path through their ranks. He had no need to study these vessels, unlike the ships of the Eternal Fleet, so they were best removed from play.
“All done,” Dan gave the system a final scan, but no Sith forces remained in open space. Even the orbital station had been vaporised, sent to join the growing ring of half-cooled scrap. “Let’s check the state of the planet itself…”
A part of him wanted to shove the entire thing into the sun and save the effort of conquering the place. The population were all descendants of the ancient Sith, a race the Jedi had almost purged from the galaxy. They all had some level of Force sensitivity, something that disqualified them as Joiners to the Killik hives.
“We’ll do a sweep for military forces to make HK‘s job easier, but the main goal is Darth Tenebrae,” Dromund Kaas’ dense, storm wrapped jungles rose to meet them as they dipped below the atmosphere. “He’s one of two bodies this Sith has under his control, both Emperors of different Empires.”
“Alright,” May nodded her head, eyelids half closed as she cast a spell. Starlight filled her eyes, bright lines that pointed her toward the Force sensitives of this world. “Most of the people here can use the Force, but a few signatures are far more powerful than the rest.”
“That’s probably him…” Twin lines of blue lanced from Dan’s eyes as he spoke, to carve molten lines across a vast citadel hidden in the jungle. “Keep an eye on them, we’ll disarm the planet and destroy any way off this world before I say hello to Tenebrae.”
This Sith Emperor was most gifted in mind control and the manipulation of souls. His power was less than Palpatine, he had no ritualistic absorption of generations of Sith power to boost his might after all. Tenebrae was still dangerous, enough so that Dan and May planned to strike as one.
He would obliterate the Sith’s body, while May would entrap his soul in a sealing gem. No more body swaps for the creature formally known as Vitiate. Palpatine’s twisted spirit may have been too powerful for such a thing, but Tenebrae was only immortal because of a dark ritual.
Two more temples fell, alongside a military base and three spaceports. Burned to ash under Dan’s gaze, or seared from existence by May’s spells. Only the central fortress of the Sith Empire remained, a citadel of stone, carved from the face of a mountain. Dan took a breath, prepared to spear into the rock, when an enraged voice slammed against his eardrums like a hammer.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“WHO ARE YOU!!!” Crimson lightning streaked from the citadel's peak, blocked with a sweep of May’s staff. A red skinned Sith stood atop the capital of his empire, hands wreathed in green-red lightning. “You have destroyed centuries of work, and your power… GIVE IT TO ME!”
A mental storm followed Tenebrae’s command, a prickle against the labyrinthian fortress that protected Dan’s inner self. Lips set in a frown, he left May in place and blitzed the Sith’s position. He had faith in his ability to repel such attacks, but safe was better than sorry. A mind controlled and possessed Kryptonian would burn this galaxy to ash.
Dan held nothing back, body pushed to near light speed in an instant. Tenebrae’s hands still inched through the air, coiled by overpowered force lightning. Dan’s fists closed to within a dozen metres and the Sith’s eyes widened in terror as he moved to flee.
Dan angled to follow as Tenebrae twisted aside, a sigh on his downturned lips. Sidious had at least been able to move at these speeds, even touching upon light speed. This fellow could barely inch along and Dan had yet to break the light barrier in this fight.
Dissatisfaction tickled under his skin as he pulled next to the Emperor. His left hand slapped out, no longer even balled into a fist. Palm connected to chest, and Tenebrae’s body vanished below the neck.
“Now!” Dan seized the Sith by the hair and tossed his head toward May’s position. Crystal in one hand, she weaved a web of runes with the other. Cast as Dan shouted her way, the spell pierced into Tenebrae’s skull and ripped his soul from its twisted cradle. Light faded from the ancient Emperor’s eyes, even as his mouth opened in a silent howl.
“I’ve got him…” May bit her lip, focused as she continued to print runes on the air. The crystal in her hand shifted from clear to inky black, a reflection of the soul that now called it home. “He’s got a powerful mind, but it’s nothing compared to Merlyn… there we go!”
The finished formation spiralled into the crystal, unbreakable chains that held Tenebrae in a prison without perception. Dan flicked his heat vision over his blood stained hand and glanced at the gothic structure below. They had scanned the entire planet, no civilians existed here, just members of the Sith. An entire civilization in service to the empire's military.
“Let’s bury that thing on a lifeless world,” Dan returned to May’s side and gestured to the skies. “I’m going to destroy this place, one less thing for HK to deal with.”
“Destroy this base, or…” May glanced at the storm weathered landscape that unfolded as they rose. “This place is pretty far gone, but we both know there are children here.”
“I know…” Dan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He knew better than May. He could see them, even as they drifted into orbit. Small Sith, from infants to young adults, existed in every facility on the planet. “But what are we supposed to do with them… there are thirty thousand Force sensitive children from the most hated species in the galaxy on this planet.”
“Why not toss them to Canderous and Jolee?” May fiddled with Tenebrae’s crystal, eyes locked with Dan’s. “They’re doing well with the Kryptonians, and a viable population of Force sensitives will be good for your research.”
“Fair enough, but it seems more sinister to abduct a whole civilization of children than it does to count them as casualties of war,” Dan shook his head and sent a signal to HK-47. The droid was now free to jump ships into the system and begin his work. “Both options are a bit…”
“Distasteful?” May flicked his forehead. “I know that people are going to die in this war, but sometimes the pragmatic choice is also the more moral choice… these kids will grow up in a better environment, free of Tenebrae’s influence…”
“...and we get more data on Force sensitive genetics,” Dan slipped an arm around May’s waist and kissed her cheek. “I know, but I still feel weird about it.”
“More weird that you would killing them all,” May raised an eyebrow. “That's a bit odd, you know?”
“I suppose,” Dan scratched at the back of his neck. “The memories from Omniman are still enough to normalise that kind of thing for me, I suppose.”
“Well denormalise it!” May bit the tip of his nose, just enough to leave a mark. “It’s a lazy path, and wasteful! We both know it’s better to gain assets than it is to sweep them away with the chaff.” She waved at the planet behind them, now surrounded by Kryptonian ships created by the Starforge. “Don’t forget, you get a bonus from your quest for any forces you add to your banner!”