-my office, the Morning-Star-
''How goes the recruitment of new cobra troopers?'' I asked Ereshkigal over on the secured communication lines directed to Ziost.
''According to my estimates, COBRA can increase it's forces to over 10 billion within the next six years, my lord. And a few thousand sithspawn to aid in Operation: Abyssal Rise, your campaigns will succeed.'' Ereshkigal replied.
''Snoke only informed me that Palpatine will die by the 4th year after the Battle of Yavin, which is next year. Only other few things he told me is of Operation: Cinder though Prisca will take care of it. While I'm certain that many imperial admirals, generals and moffs will carve out their own territories, the alliance will eventually become a New Republic. Six years worth of information that not even Snoke of all people could provide me. Station some hundred million in Coruscant's underground levels. That will help me in the eventual retaking of Coruscant as it was one of the few things Snoke knew.'' I ordered her.
''Of course. Perhaps with more funding and armament, the people of Coruscant can be recruited in greater numbers to be used as cobra troopers, my lord.'' Ereshkigal suggested and I took out my data phone.
''Consider it done.'' I said as I transferred the funds and made orders for new shipments. ''What is Roxanna doing currently, Ereshkigal?''
''About that, my lord. The dark side cult called the 'shapers' have rejected COBRA's offers and openly declared war. Miss Roxanna is preparing a task force to eliminate them. She wondered if you would like to join her.''
''How I hate it when they don't just surrender but then again, I do enjoy a good campaign.'' I said as I looked over some data. ''I will join her shortly.'' and then the transmission ended.
I grabbed hold of my helmet and then opened it. White vapour came out as my helmet was removed. I placed it on the table and took a deep breath. My hair and face was covered with warm sweat and I walked up to the bathroom to wash my face. I put the shampoo down on my hair and washed my hair also. I grabbed the towel and dried my face and hair. I looked at my face and hardly much changed aside from the visible aging. My skin still sickly pale from sith medicine trying to heal the Vong chemical attack I sustained years ago. My hair was still as smooth and black as it was. My eyes were saphirre blue from spice intake though I missed the black color with which I was born with.
Prisca suddenly entered and was a bit surprised. ''Oh, Sal. Sorry but did I disturb you?'' she asked nervously but I merely shrugged it off.
''As if I could call your presence near me a disturbance, Prisca. It's always good to see you no matter how brief. Do come in.'' I said and she sat down.
''I understand that you required my presence but as to why I still do not know. Care to tell me, Sal?'' Prisca asked me.
''Yes. As you already know, Gallius Rax is the one trained by Palpatine himself to engineer the empire's downfall and lead loyal imperials to the Unknown Regions to establish a new order. Before Operation: Abyssal Rise can be initiated, I need you to carry out for me Operation: Chaos.''
''Operation: Chaos? What is that? First time you mentioned it to me.''
''It's simple actually. When the emperor dies and the second Death Star destroyed, Gallius Rax will order Operation: Cinder. You already know the details.'' I said and gave her a new data card. ''This data card is one you must activate upon Operation: Cinder's activation. It will broadcast a special signal that will trigger a virus in the emperor's crimson messengers that will divert the resources to you. You will then eliminate Gallius Rax and take control of his ships and initiate the 'fortress world strategy'. Most of the Outer Rim and Mid Rim will easily become our territory. Even with Operation: Cinder being a success, many imperials will start to carve out their own little empires. You have to recruit as many as you can to my cause or... do as you like with those who refuse. Assassinate them or whatever... just make sure resources aren't too spent fighting them. We still need to build up our forces.''
''I understand, Sal. You can trust me with Operation: Chaos. But do tell me, who in your mind will become the major threats?'' Prisca asked and I was deep in thought.
''Grand Moff Ardus Kaine, warlord Zsinj and... Ysanne Isard.'' I answered.
''Isard? You once did tell me that if I wasn't involved in your plans, I could still become an extremely powerful warlord, though high on the target list of other warlords and the rebel alliance so it's not surprising her of all people can become one.'' Prisca remarked at her rival. ''Still, I know just how powerhungry Isard is. She's the type of woman who'll happily spread her legs to the emperor if it means climbing up the ladder. She tried to seduce you too in a bid for gaining more prestige.''
''My, my, are you being possessive, Prisca?'' I asked and she slightly blushed. I chuckled at her reaction. ''You look cute when you do that.''
''Sal, stop it.'' Prisca said, embarrased a bit before taking a deep breath and composing herself. ''Anyways, how powerful will she become? Just want to know which intelligence agency director will come out on top.''
''When I had free time, I decided to do a bit of hypothesizing. Imagining how the future will play out. Zsinj as a fellow warlord will no doubt be the most powerful of them all. Ysanne Isard will be second as she will hold Coruscant, at least from what I imagine since the Imperial Intelligence director is close to Palpatine. If she does hold Coruscant, she will have access to the Lusankya, an executor class super star destroyer buried beneath Coruscant.'' I said, shocking Prisca regarding the Lusankya.
''A dreadnought that is 19,000 meters long, buried in the planet's surface? How did I not know about it but Isard does?'' Prisca asked, unable to understand how she, head of the ISB, was unaware of this.
''Multiple reasons actually but two main ones are this. 1, you are still quite young, not even 30 yet. 2, Palpatine knows we are married. He needs us but knows that if we are given too much power, we can stage a successful coup. He grants us power and authority but not enough to pose a serious threat. Funny really as I could indeed start a coup if multiple factors weren't taken into considerstion.''
''What factors, Sal? And you are one of the 10 highest officials in the empire.''
''It's more complicated than you realize, Prisca. Both Palpatine and I need each other. I need the funding and resources he gives me that my own companies have no access to and in return, Palpatine requires my knowledge. The emperor believes I am a tool he could use but he is mistaken. I would never be satisfied playing seconds when I could be first. Part of his contingency says that he will transfer his essence to clone bodies and he honestly believes that I will see to the end of that bargain. He believes my ship designs will aid in his 'thousand year vision' and universal domination but they follow my orders. Till Palpatine outlives his usefulness, which is next year, he still has his worth.''
''I... see.'' Prisca said, slowly understanding the situation. ''In the event that Isard does control Coruscant and it falls, I'll be sure to capture the Lusankya. With the ISB's flagship, actually... it's more of my own, the Dying-Light and Rax's super star destroyer, your faction will possess 3 dreadnoughts, Sal.''
''Until I return to the wider galaxy, you are in command of the splinter faction, Prisca. As director of the ISB and when you reveal your status of marriage to me, no imperial will question your legitemacy.'' I said as I looked at new reports.
''Until you return?''
''Yuuzhan Vong have gathered sufficient forces at the edge, Prisca. Grysk too have became more feral. It will be years until I can return to the wider galaxy but with me will be a war hardened army, starfighter corp and navy. If Operation: Abyssal Rise goes as I envision, nothing will stand in the way of my empire. No, our empire.''
''In that case, I'll just have to ensure that I run everything smoothly for your return.'' Prisca said then left my office. I continued looking at the new reports then used the infinity gate to reach Roxanna's forces on Kro Var, home to the shapers.
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-Kro Var, planet of the shapers-
On the planet of Kro Var were an isolated group called the shapers. They disliked the use of invisible force techniques like telekinesis and mind tricks. Instead, they preffered to 'bend' or shape the natural elements like air, fire, water, rocks and lightning along with ice, sand and more. They weren't truly sith and were classified in the same category by the jedi as the Nightsisters of Dathomir. A group to keep close eyes on but nor destroy. The shapers had unique powers that, if not for superior technology and firepower, turned this fight into a slaughter.
According to Roxanna's report, the planet had deposits of metal that could greatly benefit COBRA. She came to them with offers of riches and technology, to be part of the Sith Eternal, but they rejected her. They foolishly declared war and now... above the space of Kro Var were my warships raining fire on the planet. ''That's enough I believe. We need the population destroyed, not the surface burnt. Ground units, deploy droids to draw out survivors. If there are any left.'' I ordered on the comm link.
''Lord Salazar. So glad to see you could join me.'' Roxanna said to me as I recieved her transmission.
''I don't shy away from a conquest, my loyal marauder. Make sure to deploy the new droideka models. This is the perfect oppurtunity to test out the new sith droideka sentinel and oppressors.''
''Of course, my lord.'' Roxanna ended her transmission and gunships flew down to Kro Var.
( planet surface)
After the first droids confirmed survivors, they engaged the enemy. New B-34 extinction class bombers, updated from the old sith bombers, were called to deliver proton bombs as waves of cobra troopers and droidekas came down to slaughter the shapers. I was surrounded by 4 sith marauders as we attacked the shapers. I ignited my lightsaber to cut rocks thrown at me and unleashed force lightning on the one who threw them. A large fire came upon me but my assassins created a force shield. I then unleashed my own blue force fire that killed half a dozen of them.
A shaper shot a powerful gust of wind at us and blaster fire from cobra troopers was ineffective. I put my hand down and sent lightning to the caster. As she was shocked, I pushed her away and she got impaled by the sharp rocks. I lifted several dozen rocks, strengthening them with force lightning and fire and then threw them at the shapers. Bombers came circling again and they dropped the torpedos. We charged at the shapers and I managed to impale one in his stomach. I used the force to shield myself from a fire attack and used my lightsaber to block a lightsaber swing. I charged at the shaper then split his body into two.
Elsewhere, Roxanna as always, enjoyed the fighting. She jumped up and impaled a shaper in the shoulders. She sent a stream of red force lightning and then charged straight to cut them apart. She cut off a shaper's legs then impaled another one in the stomach. Her hidden elbow blade came out and she stabbed another one in the eyes. The shapers threw rocks at her but she charged forward and then cut them apart. She was trapped in a rock dome but she phased right through and continued her massacre.
''Why?'' asked a shaper woman, crying over the death of her brother. ''What was the point? I don't see it?''
''Correction.'' I said and she turned her head around, only to be blinded by a lightsaber swing on her eyes. ''All you see is red.'' I said and continued to the gunship. ''Take the survivors to further study. Bring in mining equipment to harvest the doonium, iridium, dolovite and more.''
''Understood my lord.'' Roxanna said and the gunship left Kro Var.
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-sith citadel, Exegol-
The war meeting on Exegol was held by me and the military heads of both the sith and my imperial forces. A sith marauder came to brief us on the situation of the Vong. ''The Sith Eternal have 13 outposts, my lord. 4 in the galactic north are where Yuuzhan Vong forces are gathering.''
''And of the southern side?'' I asked.
''No such confirmed activities, my lord.'' the marauder replied.
''And of the Grysk? The Ssi Ruu and the others?''
''Forces have been deployed per your instructions.''
''Good. Then we can focus on fighting the Vong and dedicating much of our time on them. Continue to keep me updated on galactic events.'' I ordered the marauder. ''The empire has won the Battle of Hoth but the rebel leaders have escaped. Though it may be years till we can return to the known galaxy, I assure you gentlemen, the galaxy will be a different place. But fret not because it will change according to our design.''
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