SithLore

Kamar
0600 standard system time

Darkness, the edge of the galaxy writhes with the darkness of the void. Wild space lay between the world of Kamar and the depths of space beyond the galaxy. Like a beacon on the lost shores of the Corsica galaxy, Kamar showed through the darkness of wild space igniting the path for the forces to come. At the edge of the Kama system, the orbital relay and observation outpost KS 477 watched over the wilds towards the west and the nothingness of its existence.

The commander of KS 477 sat watching the array of screens laid before him with little interest. Nothing ever happens at the edge of the galaxy. It had been years since there had been any pirates or smugglers or even an unidentified freighter come into the system. Wild space had been quiet for a decade now. Noone knew nor cared why only that life was calm and quiet. The only traffic in and out of the systems had one destination, the orbital trade station that orbited the world of Kamar. The station was small and barley had enough traffic to stay operation but it managed to keep the few non-Kamarian populations of the system employed and sustained.

The bulk of the traffic to the system was through the commercial hunting organization which ran a standard hunting tour of the desert and mountain regions hunting the world’s indigenous predators, the Howlrunner. Groups from across the galaxy would spend a small fortune to get the chance to come to the world with the chance to find and kill one of the beasts. Many of the same die in the attempt. Beyond hunting and tourism, the world of Kamar had little else to offer the galaxy. This is how the majority of the citizens of the system like it. Out on the edge of the galaxy, anonymity is the most valuable commodity for the people who seek out the world. No one knowing who you were or where you have been is a wealth that appeals to anyone who seeks it beyond measure. A new life could be found there, a new start for the criminal running from an unforgiving government. A new home for a people expelled from their world. A place of safety among the wilds where they could feel safe and live as they wished. Kamar was a place for the lost and hiding.

Commander Mathis was one of these, he had come to the world in an attempt to start over. His life had been good and he had lived justly for years until he had met the wrong woman and had forgotten who he was. Now after his world set fire by the heat of her chaos, he finds himself here. The outer reaches of the Kamar system staring at a group of empty monitors content in the lazy life he had now found.

The shock of the incoming signals from the outer defense grid registering on the display before him slowed his response. He looked from monitor to monitor searching for something, anything that would have been detected by the systems hyperwave signal interceptor. Every screen before him lay empty. Nothing but darkness lay to the west and the wilds. Nothing there to set off the detectors. Nothing there for him to be worried about. He looked to the officer who had walked over to his station curious as to why Mathis was ignoring the contact.

“Mathis, WHat is out there?” asked the man now standing behind him. Mathis turned and looked over his shoulder to the man with a blank look. He had no idea why the alarm was going off or what was out there. No sensor but the Hyperwave sensor had detected the contact. None of the long-range sensors had found anything when he pointed them at where the Hyperwave sensor had designated the contact as being.

“Sir, I have no idea. The computer says something dropped out of hyperspace in sector seventy-four. If anything is out there we cant see it sir.” answered Mathis. The two men looked over the information then back at the monitors searching for anything.

“Keep looking, let me know if anything shows up” said the officer as he turned to go back to his post. Mathis nodded then turned back to continue watching for whatever had dropped out of hyperspace.



Wild Space
Twenty light minutes outside the Kamar system

Lash stood watching the images coming in from the Kamar system. Slowly the image filed in and the three-dimensional hologram floating above the large table in the center of the command center formed. The system of Kamar slowly took shape as the scout mapped the system.

“Sir, the wizard is wanting a report.” said the Chiss man standing next to him. Ash closed his eyes and bowed his head. “I will contact him once the system is completely mapped. He will wait until then, I will not go into the system without knowing what we will find,” said Lash dismissing the man with a wave. Lash silently watched the hologram thinking about the man who had brought him to this forsaken corner of the galaxy. Salem had showed up on the world Lash and his people had been hiding with an offer Lash knew he could not turn down. He and his people had been excommunicated from the Ascendancy many years before and had on their own maintained the protection of the Ascendancy without purpose. They had stayed vigilant to their people even after they had been turned on and rejected. The Sith had found them there. Lash had no idea how the man found them or why he had them come all the way across the Corsica galaxy but he knew his people needed purpose. He knew the Sith would give them a reason beyond diligence. Lash had a reason beyond his people. He knew the known regions were chaotic. It was only time before they look to the east and the unknown regions and the worlds of the Chiss Ascendancy. When this time come Lash and his people would once again be needed and welcome back into the Ascendancy and could return home to their loved ones. This Sith beast Sal Normangochi was the way he and his people would get home. He would be the mechanization of Lash’s future.

“Open a channel” ordered Lash then waited for the communications officer to inform him the channel was open.

“Mister Normagochi, how can I be of assistance?”

Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer 'Hand of Fate'

The decks throbbed with the beat of armoured boots, a dozen identical battalions, row after row of emotionless visors lined and ready next to their drop shuttles, armed and waiting for the order to make planet fall. Years and broken promises had brought Salem Norongachi this far and now he could almost reach out and touch Corporate Sector territory.

"Home..." he spoke quietly before turning, the servo-motors of his Nemesis Armour whirring. His commanders waited before him, his brothers and most trusted soldiers. Each wore the battered and scarred armour they had been born into and had killed in for over a decade since he had found them. "Its almost time, are they ready?" he asked the leftmost of his brothers, Ayzen, the oldest and second in command.

The clone dipped his gun-metal helm a fraction. "All battalions are at their stations, all drop shuttles are prepped and ready to launch at a moments notice."

Once, long ago, he had swore to never again birth more from their shared genome. To never again force innocent clones be born only to die on the front lines of wars they had no choice in. 'For one to be free, all must be free', it had seemed like the right choice at the time, he'd believed in it with ferocity and conviction. It was a promise that he could never keep in a Galaxy such as theirs, tearing itself apart at the seams with petty warlords, rampaging Force Users and an unquenchable thirst for damnation. Still, he had made it before his brothers and although he could not see their faces behind the expressionless helms, the Force sang with an undercurrent of displeasure. None of them wanted to be in this position again and yet, despite themselves, they were.

"I have the Chiss on the line, sir." the disembodied female voice announced.

"Patch it through Emah," Norongachi replied and a moments later the ships A.I, the heart and the mind of the great warship, brought up the holographic image of Lash.

“Mister Normagochi, how can I be of assistance?”

Sal locked eyes with Lash, his face an unreadable mask. The Chiss played games, small childish games. Whatever power struggle he believed he was involved in was a fallacy but a useful one, it kept him busy, gave him hope that perhaps there was a future where he and, Salem suspected, the Ascendancy could come out on top in their arrangement. He had a useful mind, a powerful grasp of strategy and tactics, and one did not discard a weapon simply because it could kill you as well as for you.

"We're ready," he began and cast a glance at his brothers, still at attention, behind the holographic Chiss. He gave them a half nod and they turned in unison and made their way to their respective battalions. "How are the system defenses looking?"

Lash watched the man on the screen intently. He knew the man had not missed the twist Lash had put on his name. Norongachi was a puzzle box Lash would probe and test until the time he understood the man or the Sith tried to kill him. Lash knew the later was most likely going to be the outcome of his study of the man. Still, he would not sway until the Sith puzzle had been solved. Lash had known other sith, other grey or Jedi, or whatever they chose to call themselves. The Chiss were not without the force users as most of the races of the galaxy, None seemed void of the abominations. Still only a fool doubted their power and only the dead did not fear them. Like all beasts of the galaxy, their bite seldom rivaled their bark. This one though was by far the greatest enigma Lash had met to date. He would keep the man appeased as it suited his agenda and placate him until Lash sensed his time with the man was drawing to an end. Then Lash would break ties and vanish, this time no one would find him and his people.

"Yes, the system. The outer sensor station has limited weapons and at most a squadron of defensive craft. The starport in orbit also has limited defenses, The planet has a small starport with three defense pickets and there is an old hammerhead in orbit. I can not tell if it is armed or a museum. Either way, I will dispatch it once we arrive. I have telemetry for our jump in." Lash looked away and nodded to someone off-screen. "It is being sent to you now. We will be bypassing the outer outpost and jumping in within weapons range of the planet. I will clear a lane for your vessel to approach and a beachhead on the surface for your forces to land." said Lash as he once again looked off away from Salem at something off-screen. "We will jump in five minutes. Good hunting Mister Norongachi' said Lash fighting a grin breaking at the edge of his lips.

Salem took all this information in and like pieces of a puzzle the coming hours came into focus with sharper clarity. His job was not in space and when he and his men had departed the Fate, she would default to Lash's command. He trusted the man completely in matters of war, even if he didn't trust his motivations. It was a feeling, Norongachi was sure, was reciprocated.

"Telemetry data received." Emah announced in the background.

Sal nodded at the Chiss then slipped on his helmet, his voice became tinny as it came from the helms speakers. "Good hunting, Commander." the connection died at that and the smirk that came across his lips went unseen by Lash. The small victory had been noted by Norongachi but what the Chiss didn't know, or hadn't considered, was that if it came down to it he would flip the table and take the whole universe down with him.

"Emah," he spoke, picking up his Prax Energy Rifle from its place leaning against the bridge command chair. "Get ready for war." with that said he marched toward the hangar, his troops waiting for his arrival and the inevitable subjugation of Kamar. Hopefully, if all went well, the powers that be would turn their eyes to this bloody incursion, then the real work would begin.

"I'm always ready." he heard as he left the bridge and stepped into the turbolift and a few minutes later looked out across the total of his force. Beneath each helmet was a face he was all too familiar with; his own.

Lash watched as the man places the helm upon his head then as the image closed and nothingness hung in the air where the Sith had been. Lash preferred the emptiness, Humans were so unfortunate a race. They seldom lived up to their self-important standard when reality came into play. Like the other lesser races of the galaxy, Humans would never reach the level of enlightenment the Chiss had. He felt a flicker of sadness for the man and his race then that was gone, It was time to work.

"Tactical ready your post jump solutions based on the last transmission from our probe, once we enter the system guns are free. Communications Transmit the surrender request upon entry then flood all channels with static. Jam any communications in the system and jam hypercoms. We do not want anyone outside the system to know what we're doing until it is time. Have the Interdictor bring two of its generators up but leave the other two down for now. Have all command stations sync chronos to our jump clock." Lash spoke to the group on the command and control deck watching each to make sure they understood his words.

"Jump Commander you have the con." said Lash to a Chiss standing at the front of the command deck. The man nodded and turned to look at the large timer at the front of the room.

"I have the Com" said the officer as he turned back to Lash to confirm. The mand input a code into his console and the timer rolled down to one hundred seconds. "Time set to One, on my count all motivators synced." said the man looking at an officer behind the communications console. The man nodded and the Jump Officer continued. "Mark." said the man as the timer began to count down. the timer counted down the seconds as the deck plating below their feet began to vibrate. Massive amounts of energy poured into the vessel's hyperdrive motivators rapidly charging, building up the energy needed to create a tear in hyperspace, and propel the massive hull of the ship into it.

Twenty-second until jump" said the officer as he watched the time counting down. when it hit ten seconds the Chiss began counting with the numbers as the fell to zero. "Jump initiated," said the man as the star field before then warped and distorted with a flash vanishing replaced by the blurred multicolor streak effect of Hyperspace.

"Twenty-second till reversion," said the Chiss man looking back at Lash then to other members of the command crew. The chrono counted down once again as the vessel and its escorts streaked through hyperspace destine for Kamar and the unsuspecting fodder of the system They were not important. The system was nothing in the grand scheme of the galaxy. It was a place holder for Norongachi's machinations. It meant nothing to Lash or his men, just a stepping stone, a diversion for the powers that be. A shot across the bow of the galaxy announcing Norongachi had returned.

"Five seconds till reversion" announced the Chiss officer to all assembled on the command deck. The ship shuddered again and the streaks were gone. replace by the massive sphere of Kamar before them. The world had been quiet and hidden for far too long. Time had come for it to burn bright for the rest of the galaxy. Time for it to sound the klaxons of conquest. Time for the galaxy to look to the west and see a threat that would need to be dealt with.

The formation emerged from hyperspace in a chevron formation with The Termigant at its head. The massive ship opened fire losing its turbo lasers and ion cannons in a flurry of fiery death targeting multiple locations on the world before it and the hammerhead vessel in orbit. To its port flank the Hand Of Fate opened up its own weapons targeting the defensive satellites of the world. To its starboard, the Interdictor slowed and came to a stop engaging two of its four gravity well generators. the remaining three vessels move in formation with he two large vessels ready to support and defend if needed.

Lash watched the world before him as small expanding circlets of light bubbled on its surface. Likewise, the shielding of the Hammerhead and the station before them rippled as fire struck them.

"Inform Mister Norongachi his forces are cleared to make landfall," said Lash as the weapons of the combined vessels cleared a way for the assault craft to descend. "Tactical cease-fire. Let's let the landers through then we all engage again" ordered Lash. The guns of the fleet went still, Space was once again calm and quiet. "Let's see what kind of reaction we get" said lash clasping his hands behind his back. The world of Kamar lay before him silently for an instance. "Launch the attack craft" ordered Lash as he stared out into space and the world of Kamar.

It was quiet in the dark hold of the troop transport. Bodies pressed shoulder to shoulder, each holding a rail above them as their only means of support when the atmospheric descent started. No one spoke. It seemed surplus to requirement on a ship of Force users, any thoughts or fears they might have were all intimately known to everyone around them. There was just calm, a silent peace to the waters of the Force, a radiating stillness about the certainty of things to come. They all knew their job. They were bred for it.

In Salem's helmet he heard Emahs voice, the time until reversion and the start of the days work. A slight tremor rose up from his boots when the ebon dagger punched into realspace and through a video-link on his HUD he saw the A.I unleashing death alongside the Termigant. Turbolaser bolts lit up the darkness in silent fury, ripping into the planets meager defensive satellites and punching the hull of the unprepared Hammerhead cruiser into slag and shattered metal. It was quick and it was brutal.

"All dropships, all dropships. Prepare for sortie. Good hunting." Emah announced and instinctively they all gripped tighter to the handrail as the Imperial Star Destroyer accelerated toward the planet, getting the more fragile transports as close to the upper atmosphere as she could. Then they were out with a jolt, their pilot bringing them into formation with the others as they fell from the stars and their noses flamed through the atmospheric friction.

The A.I watched them go and watched the Chiss launch attack craft, while a mad thought zipped across her processes that she could join them. Drive her great bulk through the clouds of the trembling world, cut swathes of carnage through whatever defenses might stand against them. She was built for it and there wasn't a damn thing anyone could do to stop her. Only, and she gave a mental sigh, it wasn't her job.

"Hand of Fate to Termigant. Drop complete." she spoke across the void to the Commander.

* * *

The deck shuddered and bucked as they hit patches of turbulence, the dark specks of the ships like comets above the dunes of the desert world. Whatever inhabitants would have greeted them were gone, blasted to atoms in an expanding radius of cooling glass that refracted the harsh sunlight like a field of diamonds. The ships cut thrust and only the groans of the cooling thermal plating could be heard around the soldiers before a kick of g-force announced the activation of landing repulsors.

The hatch opened and Norongachi jumped down, his boots shattering glass under the weight of his armour and scanned the surround. He wouldn't be here if he had just witnessed that orbital bombardment but you never knew and it never hurt to put caution before assumption. No shots came and by now his men had made planet fall and taken up defensive positions, their respective transports moving back into atmosphere at speed. They were alone, with the sound of the desert wind and the plink-plink-plink of cooling sand turned glass.

"He doesn't mess around.." he heard one of his clones speak beside him and Norongachi nodded.

"The locals should be thankful he didn't raze the entire settlement." he responded and then with a hand signal they set off, breaking into squad sized elements to envelop and annihilate any resistance in the nearby hub of 'civilization.

Lash stood silently watching as the Emah moved into a low orbit of Kamar. Behind her, the fighter squadrons launched by Termagant fell into the formation using her hull and her shielding as cover. The massive ship came to a halt and launcher her transports. Like a swarm of angry hornets, the fighters sped in and surrounded the transports following them down through the atmosphere and towards the decimated area designated as Landing Zone one. As the group nears the surface the fighter wing broke off and swept out in a spoke away from the landing zone in all directions. For now, they would act as sentinels and scouts scanning the surface for any resistance and relaying the information back to Norongachi and the Termagant.

"Landing operation complete sir." said one of the Chiss officers from Lash's left. ash said nothing and continued to watch video feeds from the fighter wing. So far they had found nothing but Lash knew better. His intel said there was a small garrison on the world, and his info was always right. Lash turned and walked to his command throne and sat down. The first part of the operation was done. It was time to move into stage two.

Captain, Load one defoliator into tube one. If Mister Norongachi runs into something he can not counter we will assist." ordered Lash. the weapon would not be used but Lash always wanted to have a back-up plan in case the situation on the world became untenable. "Sir, Tube one loading" replied the Chiss standing at the forward command station. Lash closed his eyes and considered the situation so far. They had seen little to no opposition as of yet. That did not mean they wouldn't. For now, Lash would wait and see how the scene evolved.

Blaster fire kicked up sand as Salem and his squad moved, at speed, toward the buildings on the outskirts of the settlement. They had E-web positions set up, spewing bolt after bolt at the invading forces and bought precious time to form a defense in the settlement itself.

Norongachi's shoulder hit the wall of the prefab, above him flashes of red darted out into the desert and his men. A clone risked a glance out, enough time to judge the height and width of the window then unhooked a thermal det from his belt and went still for a moment. The squad felt the tremble of the Force as a mind pressed upon it, channeled it for purpose, and then underhanded the live detonator up in the air where it curved, beyond all the laws of physics, directly into the target window. The flash sheared the upper right half of the building in a perfect sphere and the E-web died along with its crew.

Across what barely constituted a road he saw another clone barely break his stride as he raced across the desert and leap. The arc took him high and the descent was perfectly calculated. The E-webs fire sloshed up and toward the descending soldier but it was driven by panic and did little to stop the clone disappearing from view and a gout of Force driven fire snapping out into the desert sky. Another gun silenced.

Salem and his squad moved toward the edge of the building, the only way in from the southern side of the settlement, and he dipped his head out and snapped it back. The blaster bolt punched a fist sized hole into the permecrete corner and was followed up by a dozen more in rapid succession.

"They have a 91 Walker..." he growled to his Squad.

Lash sat watching the video feeds from the troops on the ground. Norongachi's force was moving rapidly on the settlement and the small group of defenders now offering resistance. "Sir, There is a group of mechanized infantry approaching our forces on the surface." said a sensor officer from across the command deck. Lash watched as the image zoomed in from one of the scout fighters above the battlefield. The group of three walkers slowly drudged towards Sal and his forces.

"Tactical, Mark the three walkers and designate them Target one for the bombers," said Lash watching the small mechanized walkersopen fire on Sal and his force. A moment later the large holo display in the center of the room zoomed in as three icons appeared with targeting data attached to them. Lash watched as the three icons moved slowly towards Norongachi's position which was marked Wizard One on the holo display. From the corner of the image, six icons appeared moving rapidly across the holographic image toward Sal and the walkers.

"Mako one to squadron, Line up and watch your screens. We have friendlies down there." said the major Kirij. The six Y-wing bombers flew in a nap of the earth formation along the surface of Kamar. "Ten klicks out, arm proton bombs" said Kirij as he brought up the weapons menu on his controls. His second, sitting behind him manning the Y-wings defensive turret and electronic jamming systems, double-checked the calculations for the run then transmitted them to Kirij. "Good to go Boss, Should we contact the ground forces about the danger close proximity." asked the man sitting in the back seat of the y-wing. Kirij smiled a bit then replied. "No they are force users the hair on the back of their neck should stand up or some crap like that letting them know." said Mako one with a snicker. His wingmate siled as well and went back to scanning the sky for any incoming resistance.

"Mako squadron, begin attack run, formation Delta three, bombs free" said Kirij as he looked down the bomb site of the Y-wing now a kilometer out from Norongachis position. The six bombers slpit off from their line abrest formation each spreading out with Mako one at the front. The bombers raced across the worlds surface meters above the ground towards the walkers now very visible in the distance. "Bombs away!" said Kirij as he pressed the release button then pulled back on the sick bringing the Y-wing straight up and off into the higher atmospheres of Kamar. Below him the bombs of the six craft fell onto the surface like a wave of fire cleansing the area in a line of proton energy. Fire engulfed the walkers and the troops hidden in the small structures just outside the settlement. Kirij's second watched as the fire spread over the area in waves as bomb after bomb detonated rippling across the surface. Then a money later he saw the last few bombs stike a shield which had been put up around the settlement. "Boss, you may want to let them know they have a shield up down there."

Aboard termagnt Lash watched wth interest to see how close the bombers got to Norongachis position. lash had no idea where exactly he or his men were but he knew they would be close enough to the show to have the hair on their wizard demon heads singed. He grinned a bit at the thought of Norongachi reporting back with no eye brows. The thought passed as one of his officered reported.

"Sir, The Commandos are launching now." said a man standing at the holo table. "Very well General Thinj, inform me when they have reached the station." said Lash to his militant force commander. He returned to watching the fire spread over the forces then the shield which had been risen over the settlement. "That would slow him down" said Lash watching the last of the bombs explode ripleing the shield. " Target the shield captain but do not fire." said Lash as he considered the shield and the forces on the surface. "Let's see what mister Norongachi does".

One breath. Two Breath. Attack. Sal's squad darted around the corner, the heavy launcher falling onto a clones shoulder as the rest drew fire. He sighted the target, the metallic amalgamation of death, forming in the launchers sights. The lock counted down, a low buzzing in the clones ears and then they were thrown. The shock wave of the proton bombs impact shattering walker and building, tossing them like confetti in a hurricane.

Despite the protection of his armour the wind was driven from his lungs on impact with the fusion formed road. It took him a minute to get his bearings, the impossibly blue sky travestying his vision in strobes of light and dark and then he was pulled upright, his knees shaky, his mind a monotone noise that showed no signs of stopping.

Somewhere in the world of the living part of him registered a solider pointing to the slagged walkers but beyond that it made little sense to Norongachi. He felt himself be manhandled to the side of the road into cover and then an impact hit his helmet, causing his vision to cascade into confusing patterns.

"Hey! Get your kark together! We ain't got time for your kark ass sissy sessions!"

"Hardock..?" he asked, his voice sounding like it had come from someone else.

"Tooth Fairy MD, at your frakking service." the t-shaped visor danced in and out of his vision, leaving dark trails across it but the voice made him focus.

"Sitrep." Sal croaked out, shaking his head to get his brain back in sync with reality.

"We got bombed. By our own frakkin' people. Oh yeah! And they gots a shield over the central part of the settlement. So, simple krak huh?" the clone, one of his commanders wandered off toward his own command screaming insults and generally abusing anyone that got in his way.

Norongachi reached up and tore his helmet from his head, baked air rushed in and did little to help his general state of mind but something psychosomatic made him feel better about that first lungful of desert air. "Is the perimeter clear?" he asked one of his squad, the emotionless helm nodded.

"Not a problem." he said and detached the pair of thermal dets from his belt. "On me."