“My people and I arrived in the galaxy five years ago, and in that time we have come to find the Republic wanting,” Dan’s image, transited by holonet, brightened countless homes, watched by the majority of the Republic’s population. “The Jedi have fallen, hidden or dead, and their guidance is responsible for the stagnation at this government's heart…”
A flick of his wrist directed Venom’s transmission to include the empty temple below, the monolithic home of the Jedi that had stood for thousands of years. A starlit aura billowed free of his skin, a halo of living fire that mocked the skies above.
“Today, my people begin a campaign to free the outer rim from the mismanagement of this bloated Republic,” Dan drifted forward, gaze locked into the holo-projection and the trillion eyes behind the feed. “Today, we make a statement to you all…”
His feet touched down on the Jedi Temple’s roof, a contact that spread his aura onto the ancient stones. It reached out to wrap the ziggurat as a whole, the largest structure in the world, in the palm of his ‘hand.’
“Krypton has arrived…” A tremor accompanied his words. Distant cracks echoed over the planet, and the temple under his feet shifted an inch closer to the sky. Arms spread, Dan zoomed the broadcast out as the ancient structure lifted into the air, alongside the mountain that formed its foundations. “We shall not abide by the rulings of the Republic, nor bow to the remnants of the Jedi.”
Slowly, as if lifted by the hand of god, kilometres of stone pulled free of the world and drifted into orbit. For the first time in thousands of years, Coruscant fell silent. Vehicles halted and starships stalled, while the population turned a united gaze to the skies. A new moon was born, settled in place as Dan returned the broadcast to his face.
“All who seek protection and peace are welcome under our banner, but any attack against us will be met with the swiftest retribution,” Another well timed shift of the holo-cast changed the audience's perspective, and Dan tightened a single hand into a fist. The Temple below compressed under his biofield, a smooth transition into a uniform orb. “No injustice in this galaxy can avoid our sight, no honest call for aid will go unanswered!”
The ten thousand Kryptonians with May at the lead, bodies covered in armour and faces exposed to the world, rose up to hover at his back. Flashes behind them, captured by the broadcast and transmitted to the galaxy, signalled the arrival of Krypton’s expansionary fleet. Countless vessels, from heavy destroyers to interdiction and picket ships, all centred around Gladius’ monstrous hull.
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“Nothing will stand between us and our goals, though this corrupt Republic is welcome to try,” Dan dispelled his ki and returned his biofield to its naturally invisible state. He opened his arms to take in the heavens above, eyes still focused straight into those opposite his broadcast. “Today, the liberation of the outer rim begins, a herald of what is to come!
The broadcast finished with Dan and May, framed against the forces of Krypton, shoulder to shoulder as they stared down the citizens of the galaxy. Dan motioned and the Kryptonians jumped away, one by one, followed by the starships to the first target of the campaign. Only May remained by his side, focused on the planet below.
“I can detect a large number of force sensitives secreted away in that endless city,” May shook her head and cancelled her spell. “Most of them are untrained, unnoticed by the Jedi because they live in the lower levels.”
“We’ll return for them later,” Dan warped his arm around May’s shoulders, prepared to jump. “If we start abducting children right after that display, it might send the wrong message.”
----------------------------------------
“Sir… what should we do?” A Republic soldier fiddled with the holo-com, hands unsteady. “That… who are they?”
“He’s the Emperor of an independent Empire, located in the depths of the unknown regions,” Carth sighed as he patted the young crewmen’s shoulder. “As for what we do… that depends on what decisions the senate makes.”
Carth turned his gaze out the viewport, to the starfield above his homeworld of Telos. He was still unsure where his loyalties lied. The Republic couldn’t hope to stand against Krypton’s fleets, let alone its Emperor. He’d witnessed Dan-EL and May pull entire planetary defence forces apart, fleets reduced to ashes by their bare hands.
“What if they order us to fight…” The crewman flinched, eyes unfocused. “We can’t win against something like that… he ripped kilometres of city from the ground like nothing!”
“You’re right,” Carth increased the force of his grip, until the youth’s shoulder creaked under his fingers. The focus returned to the com-officers eyes, driven home as Carth gave a shake. “We can’t win against them, that’s as plain as day…” a twist of his arm turned them both to the viewport. “Look at this place, my home… it represents the greatest restoration effort the Republic has undertaken since the war.”
Telos hung, centred against its sun. The bulk of its surface was an inhospitable brown, with a small edging of green around the massive orbit locked space station. The ‘full’ investment of the Republic had indeed returned life to his homeworld, but progress was slow, impeded by corporate greed.
“The restoration has come this far, but more and more of the work has been handed over to companies like Czerka,” Lights flickered in the space around the planet, a halo that resolved into a vast fleet of Kryptonian vessels. Carth slammed his hands together to silence the shouts of alam from the bridge crew and signalled to the com-officer to broadcast his words to their forces. “This is an escort fleet for a humanitarian mission, we don’t need to move to defend.”
Three massive ships emerged from the centre of the Kryptonian fleet and drifted to separate locations above the surface. They sank into the atmosphere, until they hovered less than a hundred metres from the ground, and activated a resonant pulse of energy.
“As a part of their efforts to reclaim order in the outer rim, Krypton has sent three terraformers to Telos,” Carth set his shoulders, mind clear. Dan-EL had upheld his part of the deal, if this technology worked as it was supposed to, Carth’s side in this was clear. “Within the year, this planet will be reclaimed, as will all other worlds impacted by the Jedi’s war.”