Chương 54: THE ASSAULT
"If you're going to play the game, win." Moff Zabro made his words very clear – speaking from experience.
Talking her out of revenge wouldn't work. Her father understood that – he also had difficulty talking Zylas out of numerous situations. He's a man despised by most and feared by those who are below the ladder they cannot climb onto. One distasteful task after another, he made his way from solo missions from Imperial Intelligence to one of the highest positions within the Imperial Military.
He sees his little girl and a few moments later – he saw that she's no longer that his daughter has grown into someone else. Someone more terrifying that what Zylas could ever be.
"Do you know what I have become?" She asked. Holding her helmet between her two hands, not wavering from the stare her father was giving her. "I have survived in a galaxy that does not want me. And it would be a terrible mistake to go against me."
Her response didn't surprise him, she was raised to be a Sith. The kind of people who would want to be dominant in the conquest for power, revenge, someone who has no room for weakness believing that the strongest rule and those who achieve the most receive the greatest rewards.
Baras wanted to break her and failed. Failure to notice how much he built her to the top was an understatement, he was very much aware of how powerful she had become. It wouldn't be too long until she had reached the potential, he saw sleeping inside of her.
He could sense that radiant power flowing through her as she entered the chambers of the council, having to only see her through the holoterminal – it was disturbing to sense such raw power inside a child. "I am here. Let the war begin."
"Yes, time is of the essence." He agreed. Like him, Lord Sern wore the helmet with pride. Becoming a symbol of power as she continued to carry herself across the galaxy. "Lieutenant Pierce, Captain Quinn, bring my apprentice up to speed on our enemy's activity."
"Yes, my Lord. It is a fairly complex situation…" Quinn began the debriefing as both Moffs were silently at the sidelines. Having to hear this conversation again, Zabro stole a glance at Baras – wondering to himself on how long it's been since he saw the Dark Lord.
"General Fariare, the War Trust's most senior member, is garrisoned in a fortified wing of the Republic's main base. He's got a huge army protecting him, more reinforcements on the way. We're outnumbered eight-to-one." The Lieutenant gave the details of their current situation.
But Quinn began to correct the soldier. "My Lord, the Lieutenant's statistics are inexact, but the general thrust is sound. The numbers favor Faraire, but there are ways around that."
"Is that right, Moff Zabro?" She turned to her father, the Moff.
Zabro nodded in agreement. "To maximize our chances, we must coordinate three simultaneous strikes. One will destroy the base's power station, another will sabotage its spaceport force field to thwart any reinforcements, and the last will force he conscripted regiments of Faraire's army to flee."
"And what do these strikes entail?" The Sith Lord questioned.
"The details will be forthcoming, apprentice, but I do not need to hear them." Her Master spoke with confidence. "Quinn will coordinate from the base and you will lead the front line offensively. Beyond that, decide how to assign your men. Goodbye."
When Baras cut his communication – Zabro couldn't help but have this familiar feeling. His gaze went to the Captain and later his daughter. It was like his task on Hoth so many years ago, he was assigned to coordinate from the base while Zylas was assigned to lead the front lines.
"I'm the best choice for front line work," Pierce spoke in utter confidence – much like any black ops soldier. "You need a soldier."
"I disagree." Quinn did not hesitate on contradicting the statement. "If the frontal isn't handled correctly, your route into the command center will be clogged with run-over battlefield soldiers. In my opinion, Jaesa should join you. She can use her power to see into the hearts of the enemy and identify the insecure ranks."
"Alright then." She nodded. "I want Jaesa's insights on the battlefield."
"Very good, my Lord." Quinn approves – Zabro continued to observe. "That leaves Pierce and Vette to handle the power station demolition and the spaceport sabotage. If the traps and mines that protect the power station aren't circumvented in time, you'll be under constant turret fire inside the Republic base."
"Moff Zabro, who do you think is best for these assaults?"
"Lieutenant Pierce is a man who is familiar with the Republic systems, I can safely assure you, my Lord, that he can complete the assault on the spaceport sabotage." Moff Zabro seems to know what he's been talking about. "And from the background data, I have from you… Twi'lek friend, she can dismantle the traps and mines at the power station at ease."
"Unless Pierce locks the spaceport force field, Faraire's reinforcements will arrive in time to fight you inside the base." Quinn continued to reveal the plans to their Lord.
"Won't be an issue." The Lieutenant spoke with a hint of irritation.
"Boys, please." Zabro sighed as he turned his attention to his daughter. "Assaults have been assigned. Once you've cleared the way of the front, invade General Faraire's command center at will."
"Let's get this war started. My Lord, any final words for the troops?" The attention quickly shifted towards the Sith Lord.
A range of hundreds to thousands of troops was in line – ready to follow their commander on the battlefield. She thought about it carefully and she chose to fight, she chose war, she was aware that it is a path few turn from once the first steps are taken.
She saw the warnings, feeling the heavyweight inside of her chest. How the dark could be generous as well as dangerous towards herself and others around her. She wondered which way she should go, wondered what Arrun would think if he was alive to see what she had become.
There was no coming back from this. The pieces are broken – and she will always stay broken.
"We are setting out to fight the same war we've fought many times before, but the outcome will be different because we are different." Leena's voice boomed, catching the attention of the army. "The Sith Empire is a place of tradition and conviction. A place where the strongest rule and those who achieve the most receive the greatest rewards, that is what sets us apart from our enemy. In the Empire, war is a way of life. Conquest is a right. The strongest are entitled to everything they claim. The Empire is ruled by the strongest. The Empire is the strongest. You are soldiers of the Sith Empire, the greatest army to ever march the galaxy! Take up your weapons! Charge to the heat of battle and win! Now the Republic will face the true strength of the Empire, now they will face you! Join me in victory!"
The soldiers responded with a well-earned salute. This Sith Lord who will be leading them to the battlefield has proven herself worthy of the moral law.
It was useless to resist.
"Good luck, my Lord." Quinn bid. "I'll be coordinating the attacks via holo with Moff Zabro."
"Don't worry, Captain. The real soldiers have got this one." Pierce spoke as if these two men are going to start bickering again.
'Thank the stars I have daughters.' Zabro sighed once more.
She watched the soldiers march out of the base with their respective commanders. Closing her eyes, trying to calm herself down – it was never an easy thing to do. The Sith Lord never had an easy sleep ever since the attack on her wedding and the murder of her husband.
Leena chose to be a Sith even though she chose not to fully commune with the dark side of the Force. Other Sith would call her a coward for refusing such a gift, while Jedi would assume that she was like any other Sith Lord – brutal, angry, fearful, but she never underestimated the power and the viability of the dark side.
She has seen the light and seen the darkness and learned something. She knew that there was no good and evil, but the only perception. There is no light or dark, no white or black, but only categories she lay onto it. She understood that the Jedi are fools, their lectures on no emotion, but peace and harmony. Yet chose to have themselves mingle within the circle of a compassionate war. To deny their feelings – deep down inside they knew they couldn't live without war. Much like the Sith, it has become a way of life.
They refer to the dark side as evil, but without passion and determination – a person can be less. Without ruthlessness, she cannot do what must be done. To define good, to define evil – to define redemption, to define a fall will always lead to the final cruelty to the Sith and the Jedi.
They are two sides of a coin. Similar in so many ways.
Somewhere inside of her, she needed to be more Sith than what Tarun wanted her to be – something merciful, something more at peace. For a woman who has seen human nature at its core – she wasn't so sure what the Empire would gain besides another war. Complete dominance is what they want for there is no peace, there is anger. There is no fear, there is power. There is no death, there is immortality. There is no weakness, there is the dark side.
For she is the heart of darkness, a woman who knows no fear, but rather she instills it in her enemies. The destroyer of worlds – she knows the power of the dark side, the fire of hate. All the universe bows before her, she pledged herself to the darkness for she has found true life in the death of the light.
The sound of blaster fire slowly became louder as she moved closer to the base where Imperial soldiers were trying to eliminate Republic troops stationed outside of the field generator. Accompanied by her apprentice, both of them ignited their lightsabers only this time – Leena didn't seem to have any intentions of holding back.
Jaesa watched her Master hold both of her lightsabers. Blocking the blaster fire from left to right, she could take down a whole army – as Quinn would tell her from time to time. The apprentice stood on her ground, holding her lightsaber in silence as the blaster fire became lesser and lesser. The peace and justice of the galaxy will be guarded, and all life in any form is and will be respected – something that the Jedi taught her in hew few years in the Order.
Her ally is the Force, and she uses its powers to serve and protect the innocent from evil. She seeks goodness, and defend it from the dark side. To dedicate herself to the truth – she was the light – she is a more of a Jedi than a Sith.
Her Master lives in fear, the constant paranoia surrounded her. Perhaps things would have been different if the Jedi would offer her help instead of treating her as an immediate threat. Though they were not wrong, it wasn't also right to suddenly attack a Sith who refuses to attack first.
She believes in her Master, the influence the power she wields were of no match to the Masters in the Jedi Order. But the apprentice was afraid – to be on open warfare against the Republic and the Jedi was something she never expected in her whole life. She was just a simple Alderaanian handmaiden who was born with a special connection to the Force.
But her Master was also right, the Force is conflict – there was no avoiding this regardless of what faction she belongs to. Beings die in war, that is the price that must be paid.
Both Master and apprentice fight through the Republic troops who dare to stand in their way, with several Imperial soldiers standing behind them with blasters on their hands. Having to lead the front lines was a worthy task and yet, deep down inside Lord Sern – she didn't want to be there in the middle of the battlefield.
The shields were down and they marched inside of the compound. Slaughtering men, dismantling droids with a single swing of a lightsaber. Leena turned off her lightsaber as the doors slid open to find many soldiers inside.
"All alert, the enemy is sighted!" A commanding officer from the Republic side spoke through his communicator. Soldiers started to scatter around the room in a more defensive position, having their aim on the Imperials and their Sith commander.
Leena couldn't help but chuckle in delight under that mask of hers, which caught the attention of her young apprentice.
"Sith, you are massively outnumbered. You will not invade General Faraire's headquarters. Turn away at once." The commanding officer gave a fair warning to Lord Sern. It was something everyone in the room knew to be futile – there was no way a Sith would turn her back on a challenge, let alone leave the room without slaughtering anyone.
"Jaesa." She simply said. There was no need for further instructions, her task is to identify the weak link among the Republic troops. Jaesa nodded and proceeded with her task at hand.
"I sense it again." There it is. Master Cyrus's voice inside of her head. "The pain inside your heart. I wish to help you, Leena. I truly do."
"I sense much strength and conviction in most of these men…" Jaesa's voice was heard the moment the Sith Lord silenced Cyrus's voice. "…Wait. There! An entire column of soldiers who are forced to be here."
"Keep the other forces at bay." The Sith Lord commanded as she raised her hand, choking one of those weak scums until he died. Having the blasters of the Imperial soldiers aimed, the rest of them ran for their lives – the majority of the Republic troops however remained. They still had the numbers – but that never stopped Leena to get what she wanted.
"Conscripted scum!" The Republic officer shouted in frustration. "We still have numbers! All attack!"
To have both lightsabers ignited, her feet were light as she jumped from her position right into the heart of her enemies. The Force assisted her well, it guides her at the same time she controls it. In the end, Leena knew that the shadow and the darkness would be all she has left in her life. To wage war on the past, will leave its scars.
No words were spoken, it only gave way to more actions – she did not show mercy, witnessing sacrifices – feeling hate and anger, these pure moments of expressions were consuming her bit by bit as she continued her slaughtered. Something similar to what she did on Balmorra.
For a man like General Faraire – she honestly expected a Jedi somewhere inside of the compound. He should have known that a Sith would be leading the assault, though they were all trained to bring down her kind – he wasn't so confident that she could be killed so easily without a fight.
The Sith suddenly felt a tingle in the Force as the open fire continued. Something didn't feel wrong this time, it felt rather… right. It was something or someone with power that could be compared to hers, a more experienced dragon inside of this individual within the building. It was familiar. It was frightening.
When the slaughter was done, her holocom made the sound – she immediately answered. Quinn was giving his updates. "My Lord, I have updates from the other fronts. I'm pleased to report that the Republic power station has been destroyed. Vette went through their traps like they were infant toys. From her report, I doubt anyone else could have achieved it. Moff Zabro was right in assigning her to strike the power station."
"He knows what he's doing, Quinn. Did you, or did you not, provide personal data to Moff Zabro while I was away?" It was a curious question – even though Zabro had a knack for doing background checks in his early years.
"That is abundantly clear." He answered professionally. "And no, my Lord – I did not provide Moff Zabro with any information other than the ones needed for these assaults to happen."
"Bring me up to speed."
He nodded. "With base security systems down, you'll endure no automatic turret fire on our way to Faraire's command center. And on the other front, Lieutenant Pierce was able to sabotage and lock the Republic spaceport force field controls."
"Seems like Moff Zabro is to be commended on assigning him for the job."
"Yes," There was an odd tone on it – somewhat a disappointment. "It seems under that insubordinate exterior lies a very capable soldier." Jaesa felt jealously from miles away from the Imperial base to where she stood. "Now, when Faraire's reinforcements land inside the base, they'll be trapped behind the force field and unable to join the fight. Still, the General's elite guard clogs the way to the command center. They are quite formidable."
She couldn't help but smirk behind the helmet. "Danger only makes things more fun." The beating of excitement was there – with a task like this, she could show Baras what kind of a monster he made for himself.
"Then this may be the most fun you've had yet." Quinn acknowledged. "There's no time to waste, my Lord. Faraire's command center awaits. Good luck."
"I'm going to die down there, aren't I?" Jaesa asked as Leena raised her hand, giving her father's Captain a signal to scout the area of other Republic troops.
The apprentice didn't need to ask if they would go down there alone without anyone else – she knew Leena would do something so reckless to challenge herself. Faraire's base was a deathtrap for a Sith.
"While I'm alive you won't die, I promise."
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực