The ship moved silently through the darkest recesses of space, her only company the winding ion efflux tail that followed her through the inky blackness. Stretching longer than any building was tall, longer indeed than most cities, the Valhalla cruised at an almost leisurely pace. Surrounded by the specks of distant stars, she seemed almost serene. To a casual observer, her deadly payload of weapons and starfighters might not even be noticed as she wound her way through the various constellations. But to those onboard the ship, there was no escaping the truth. The Valhalla was a warship, her slender dagger-like profile an arrowhead to be pointed at the heart of an enemy – both in a metaphorical sense, and in reality. As the flagship of the Black Fleet, it was the Valhalla that had spearheaded the attack on Kal’Shabbol, and the other worlds liberated by the Empire during and after the war with the Galactic Coalition.

In the darkened command room, the only sign of the great ship’s movement came from the rhythmic thumping of her engines through the deck plates. Those who served aboard starships for to long, upon returning to solid land, often said they missed the constant hum of the drives. It was for many a source of comfort, even joy – the uninterrupted flow of the engines spoke of power and grace that was matched by few living beings.

The figure asleep in the command room, spread on a small bed tucked neatly into one corner, was not the sort one would expect to see aboard an Imperial warship. Certainly not asleep in the chambers reserved for the commander of a great warship. Young, probably not yet even thirty years old, she slept with her dark hair spread around her like a black halo. That she was so young to inhabit a position of such power spoke greatly to her skills and experience – that she was female proved that she was good enough for the Empire to accept her on the same level as the rest of its higher officers.

Laying there, she looked restful, the light than shone in from outside bathing her in an eerie white glow. But her dreams this night were anything but. The weight of commanding the largest independent sector of the Empire had grown heavier during the war, and maintaining order without the threat of the terrorists to justify their actions was growing more difficult.

It was a strange paradox that in darkness there was power – as the Empire had proven time and time again – and yet it was when night was at its blackest that we are most vulnerable to invisible demons. Some would wonder if this proves that the true power lies in the light, where our minds are less able to frighten us and provoke us into rash action. But light to could blind one – and the Coalition had shown that light was not always the answer.

Where then, one must wonder, does the answer lie?

Darkness embraces one, surrounding them and feeding them power and serving them as they need it. Light does the same, but requires constant attention from its servants to keep from dimming and becoming useless. Darkness serves its users, while the users of light serves it.

At night, it was these thoughts that consumed the mind of Bhindi Drayson.

But around her, the Valhalla continued to move. The galaxy moved forward. Because somewhere, right now, it was light.

[font='Arial Narrow']Imperial Centre[/font][font='Arial Narrow']<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']Shortly after the events of In the Hands of the Gods[/font][font='Arial Narrow']<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']Pax Imperium.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']That's what they were calling it. Above Imperial Centre were gathered the dignitary warships of all of the respective governments and commanders: the Viscount, the Dauntless, the Galactus, the Zenith...<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']Absent from the gathering was the Empire's flagship, the Ebony Vigilance II. Since her escape from the terrorists who attempted to waylay her Muunilist, she had not been seen by any save her escorts.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']The various commanders, Imperial, Coalition, and Sovereignty alike, were gathered aboard the largest of the Imperial ships to currently orbit the capital - the commanding presence of the Imperial Home Defense Fleet (and with the absence of the EBII, the Royal flagvessel of the Regent, Daemon Hyfe) - the Praetor.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']The Regent himself sat in his throne, his arms resting on its wide rests, his expression difficult to tell between excitement at the end of the terrorist war, and loathing at the site of the many aliens polluting his ship.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']Most of the Coalition leaders sat apprehensively, their gaze moving from the Regent to the other side of the room, where the Imperial Officers sat opposite, all adorned in their formal black and grey officer's uniform.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']All save one, who wore the pure white uniform of a Grand Admiral.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']But this was no mere Grand Admiral. As the occupants of the room (those who did not already know) were about to find out.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']Slowly, savoring every moment as the Coalition and Sovereignty officials watched him, he stood and opened his arms.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']"Ladies and Gentlemen." He began. "I am Simon Kaine. Grand Marshall of the New Order, and Supreme Commander of the Imperial Armed Forces."<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']There was silence in the room. Every person, from the officials (on both sides) to the guards who stood, blaster rifles in hand, by the doorway, had their eyes fixed on the man, waiting to hear what he had to say.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']"Today, we celebrate the end of this war. The terms of the Galactic Coalition and Outer-Rim Sovereignty's surrender have been negotiated. I will ask Commodore Gevel to please read them now."<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']The Grand Marshall sat, the only sound the scraping of his chair as he positioned it beneath him. Further down the line, the unsmiling Theren Gevel stood. He held in his hands a datapad, which he glanced at before clearing his throat and beginning.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']"I just want to say, before we start, that you guys really fucked up. I don't know why you thought you could win against the Empire, but you made a hell of a mistake."<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']That got some laughter from the Imperial side of the room. The Coalition and Sovereignty officials glanced at each other. None of them looked very happy.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']Gevel read out the terms of the surrender out slowly, evidently loving the effect this had on the enemies of the Empire. For their part, they listened and, at the end, offered a short round of applause.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']Then an aide brought two copies of the agreement, titled in bold print at the top Pax Imperium, and set them on the empty table between those of the two sides<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']Simon Kaine rose from his seat and took one offered at the table, pulling the copy of the agreement towards him and taking a pen in hand. Jan Dondanda and the Azguardian, Dolash, crowded over the other copy, glancing apprehensively at each other.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']Perhaps the full weight of what they were signing hit them then, but they nonetheless raised their pens and put their signatures at the bottom of the page. With a smile, Kaine did the same.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']An aide took the two papers, looked over them and added his own signature as witness, and handed them to a droid for filing.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']Kaine stood and looked around the room.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']"On behalf of the New Order, I thank you all. With the threat of war behind us, we can work together to usher in a new time of peace and prosperity."<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]


[font='Arial Narrow'] <o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']Later<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']Endor<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']The arrival of Imperial warships over Endor was not unexpected. Since her surrender to the Empire, survey crews and Army drop ships had visited the world on a regular basis, delivering supplies for the construction of a new base there.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']Today was different, however. Not since the days of the Battle of Endor, for which the planet was so well known, had ships of the size of these been seen in her skies. From the bridge of the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on">Valhalla</st1:place>, Bhindi Drayson watched the planet grow closer.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']“So this is where the Rebels got their break.” She thought out loud. “Where they managed to kill the Emperor and cripple the New Order.”<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']It was almost ironic that, years later, the Empire should return, victorious in all her recent wars, to reclaim the world that had once come so close to defeating them. There was a kind of poetic justice to it, Bhindi thought, as the kilometres-long warship entered a stable orbit.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']“Surveyor is reporting signs of Sovereignty probes in the system, Admiral.” One of the offices in the crew pit reported. That was to be expected. Even in their defeat, the terrorists would never truly give up.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']“Launch squadrons Three and Five. Have Surveyor relay the locations of the probes, and target them for destruction. I want the system clear.”<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']The TIE Defenders launched, passing up from their hanger bay and flashing by the bridge, waggling their wings as they went, before disappearing into the darkness. Moments later, their positions were once again revealed by the flashes of light as they engaged the probes left behind by the enemy.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']“Sensors report the Arc Hammer has entered the system, Admiral.” Stremmins Joda, the warships Captain, reported, climbing the stairs from the crew pit.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']“Thank you, Commander. You have the bridge. The Commander and I will be on the surface.”<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']Joda nodded, and with a salute turned back to the bridge, already issuing orders to put the ship into standby mode. Bhindi watched for a moment, a smile playing on her lips, before following Godridge towards the turbolifts.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']The surface of Endor was far different now than it had been when Han Solo and his commando team had destroyed the protective shield, allowing the rubble of the destroyed Death Star to rain nuclear destruction down upon the planet.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']The forests largely gone, transformed into masses of twisted and mutated trees, far too dangerous to even consider constructing a base in, and to much trouble to remove and repair.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']This they say as they passed over the planet, their Lambda Class shuttle sweeping low over the old forests and now-dry lakes.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']“This is where the Death Star shield compound was.” A voice said over the intercom. “It’s the hardest hit part of the planet, obviously. Some of the ruin fell within kilometres of here. Where we’re headed, the other side of the planet, the destruction isn’t nearly as comprehensive. And the repair teams had had a chance to fix up some of the damage over there.”<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']In the lead shuttle, identical in all but name to the ship Bhindi and Desusvult rode in, was Yuri Katarn. The scientist and developer, and commander of the Arc Hammer research station, had been on the planet for some time, as his command jumped across the galaxy to evade detection. But with the Endor Project nearing completion, the Arc Hammer had returned to Endor, bringing with it all of the necessary materials required to finish the project.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']The two shuttles covered the distance quickly, the landscape changing from black to grey, and then to brown and green as they made their way to the less-damaged parts of the world. Near the equator, they saw for the first time the steel and concrete towers rising into the sky.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']“Welcome to Black Mantis.” Yuri said. “And it’s almost complete.”<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']The shuttles touched down on the smaller of two landing pads, in actuality just grassy areas a short distance from the four massive towers. A speeder was waiting for them, a short man in the black and red uniforms of the project standing at the controls.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']He guided the group through the maze of machinery and workers to the nearest of the structures. Smooth from a distance, it was quite obvious this close up that they were more than just towers; they were marked with inlets and outlets, and the buzz of machinery could be hear from inside of them.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']“These towers will provide energy to the entire complex, when it is complete.” Yuri said. “It will be mostly underground, save for another tower and these, which also protect it from assaults by air. A demonstration.”<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']From behind the trees, a dozen light airspeeders came screaming towards the facility, firing weakened lasers. Before the first volley had struck, there was a loud crackling noise, and the increased hum from the tower they were nearest told Bhinid that shields had just come up between the constructs. A second later, laser blasts reduced three of the speeders into scrap, which burned up on the shield.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']The others broke and ran, four more falling before they cleared the range of the emplacements.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']“We utilise all of the technology we’ve developed over the past three years here.” Yuri said proudly. “The first discharge you saw were Disruptor batteries, the others long-range laser cannons. We’ve got the entire complex rigged through three XMAP computer cores.”<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']Bhindi nodded. She was familiar with the systems, but did not know their interior workings the day Yuri did, and unlike the scientist took little pleasure in learning more. Leave the nerds to their own work, she had decided.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']“Now.” Yuri said, his smile growing. “Let me show you the good stuff.”<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']He led them to a turbolift, which took them beneath the surface and into one of the testing ranges.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']“We designed these on the Arc Hammer, but most of the actual construction we’ve done here. And I think we finally have them ready for production.”<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']Bhindi smiled thinly.<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']“Spartans.”<o:p></o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']<o:p> </o:p>[/font]

[font='Arial Narrow']“They’re known as Spartan-IIs, actually. And soon, they’ll replace Stormtroopers as the symbol of the Empire.”<o:p></o:p>[/font]

“The forests around the base are a veritable breeding ground for monsters.” Yuri said, leading them out of the bunker and towards an armoured landspeeder. “Partly thanks to the radiation from the Death Star, of course. But this part of Endor has been untamed since the world was discovered, if reports are to be believed.”

“One would think,:” Bhindi returned, “that the Empire would have more than ample resources to eliminate any such threats.”

The scientist smiled.

“Of course. But why? We rarely venture into the forest, save for testing missions for the new soldiers or as a punishment. And the monsters provide a great deterrent to any curious locals, or would be spies. The base is quite safe, I assure you.”

That was enough for Bhindi, because she didn’t speak again until the speeder had passed through the double gates of the outer wall. A hundred meters away the forest wall rose up, dark and foreboding, but between the wall and the ground was blackened and dead – burned away by Imperial engineers.

They entered the forest, and immediately the roadway narrowed, the beaten track disappearing in favour of grown-over lanes only a little more worn than those on either side. It was apparent that rarely did the Imperial vehicles venture beyond the walls.

“We have little need to take speeders beyond the gate.” Yuri said, seemingly reading her mind. “Most of our supplies come by shuttle, and Lord knows there is no entertainment district on Endor. The base does have a rather high suicide rate, I’m afraid.” He said this with a slight smile, taking pleasure in the pain of others, no doubt.

The forest canopy cut off all but a faint glimmer of light. The speeder’s headlamps lit the forest maybe half a dozen meters in front, but presently the pilot turned these off, and the light disappeared.

Yuri brought a comlink to his mouth and spoke a few words, then turned to the vehicle’s other occupants and grinned.

“Watch.”

For minutes nothing happened. Deusvult was about to question Yuri on why they had been brought out here when two creatures – each at least fifteen feet high – emerged from the woods in front of them and let out a ferocious roar.

“Bu’ranas. They’re distant relatives of the Rancor.” The scientist said. “We’ve learned a lot about them since our arrival here.”

From the both sides of the speeder now came soldiers, adorned in the Black Spartan armour they had seen in the base shortly before. These ones carried rifles and equipment belts, strapped to which seemed to be a number of grenades and other devices.

There were six in all, and though they themselves were quite tall (being some 2.5 meters in height, respectively), the Bu’ranas towered over them, roaring and hissing at the Spartans. One of the men, evidently the squad commander, raised his right fist, and the troops sprang into motion.

Two from each group fired, advancing slowly and purposefully towards their targeted beast. The weapons seemed to have only a slight effect – evidently the Bu’ranas’ hide was thicker than most animals.

The other two vanished, and it was only after a moment than Bhindi realized they were on their stomachs, pulling themselves towards the massive beasts.

Within minutes, it was over. The two beasts were laying in the dirt ahead of them, one of them howling with pain. The other’s body had been reduced to charred ash, the smell of overcooked meat filling the air around them. One of the Spartans placed his rifle to the head of the wounded beast and fired several times, reducing the skull to fragments and silencing the beast.


“Your creations are very impressive.” Bhindi said, sitting now at a conference table back at the base.

“They are nearly perfected. Soon, they will be complete; the absolute achievement in cyborg warrior.” Showing his yellow teeth, he looked at the lone Spartan-II who guarded the doorway. “It is almost a shame that these experiments will all have to be destroyed, when we begin manufacture.”

The soldier did not respond. His face was invisible behind his mask, but Bhindi knew it to be expressionless. The Spartan-IIs were designed to be incapable of emotion, built to serve and die for the Empire.

“They do not feel pain, they do not feel pity, they do not feel anger. They follow orders, but they retain enough of their original wit and sense to improvise, when necessary. They are completely independent. And perfectly, one hundred percent, loyal, to the Empire.”

“It’s like playing God.” Deusvult said.

“It is playing God, my boy! We destroy who they are, put new ideas and pieces into their head and make them believe what we tell them to believe. You could tell a Spartan-II that Imperial Centre is a tropical paradise and they would believe it!”

The commander frowned, but Yuri only went on, his smile growing with each minute.

“We’ve removed everything that made them men. They’re more machine now than man – no heart, no organs, nothing. They do not need food, sleep, entertainment. They simply are. They exist for the sole purpose of serving the Empire. They have no other purpose.”

“What makes them different from druids, then?” Bhindi asked.

“Simple. They have a brain. Not a mechanical droid brain, but a real one. A brain taken from an elite Imperial soldier, connected to their new body just as their old one was. We clone the brain, and insert it into a modified body. They are conditioned, of course. Modified. They do not remember their previous life, only their service to the Empire. All of our Spartans are experienced in war – they have been fighting since Kaine was a mere General.”

“And their bodies. They are modified, as well?”

“Of course. Muscles have been conditioned. They can run faster than any man, lift weights hundreds of times heavier… and they can be beaten to a pulp and still survive, so long as they remain operational.”

“But they can die?” Desuvult said, curious now.

“Oh, yes. They are ‘alive’, you might say. Their hearts still beat. They still need air to breath. A shot to the heart, or the brain, will kill them. They are simply stronger, faster. Better.”

“When will they be ready for production?” Bhindi asked, looking too at the soldier who guarded the room.

“Within the month.”

The ship looked like nothing Yuri Katarn had ever seen. With grand, sweeping lines giving it an almost organic, claw-like appearance, it could well have been something designed by the Mon Calamaris. Had it been smaller, it might even have looked like the latest SoroSub personal transport.

<o:p> </o:p>

This ship, however, was neither. Stretching more than one thousand meters it was only slightly smaller than the Empire’s infamous Imperator class Star Destroyers. Smaller in stature, and grossly smaller still in tonnage and carrying capacity.

<o:p> </o:p>

It was, in spite of this, amongst the deadliest warships in the Empire.

<o:p> </o:p>

Or it would be, if they could get the damned thing working properly!

<o:p> </o:p>

They had spent a month on the new Dreamweaver engines. The design had been taken from the Shroud stealth ships, but adapting them to the infinitely more massive ship they now powered had been far more trouble than anyone had anticipated.

<o:p> </o:p>

Nonetheless, they had done it. The Dreamweaver engines had the unique characteristic of running almost perfectly silent – the exhaust they produced was fed back into the ship in any number of ways, from being used to heat water (thus saving energy for other purposes) to being fed into weapons systems that then used the toxic emissions to increase their damage to enemy vessels.

<o:p> </o:p>

Of course, should the ship not be able to fire its weapons in that time for whatever reason, the ship could store these emissions for up to a standard week before being required to vent them.

<o:p> </o:p>

Lacking any standard emissions of the kind most sensors were attuned to, the Dreamweaver engines were nearly impossible to detect: indeed, once the ship was moving one might believe that it was simply coasting, so ‘silent’ where the engines.

<o:p> </o:p>

With the engines finally installed and working the test crew had been able to finally move the massive prototype, dubbed the Endor IP for the moon above which it had been built, and commence its first proper testing.

<o:p> </o:p>

Which is exactly what had led Yuri Katarn to the bridge of the Star Destroyer Black Mantis, to watch the first test run of the new ship.

<o:p> </o:p>

The ships emerged from hyperspace above a world. None of the crew knew its name, nor did anything immediately give them a clue as to where they where. The planet was simply a non-descript world that could have been one of any hundreds in the Mid or Outer Rim.

<o:p> </o:p>

With one notable difference.

<o:p> </o:p>

This planet had orbiting it a Rebellion-era Bulwark class Battle Cruiser, a massive monstrosity that had cost the Rebel Alliance more to maintain than it could conceivably have done damage to the Empire during the course of the war.

<o:p> </o:p>

Yuri Katarn watched with mild amusement as the crew went about their tasks, bringing the ship’s weapons online, securing targeting locks, and beginning their assault. As a warship, the Endor was unique: any other warship of its size in the galaxy would carry turbolasers, yet the Endor carried not one. Nor were laser weapons in much evidence aboard the vessel: only a small number of laser gattling canons strategically placed to ward off starfighters.

<o:p> </o:p>

The strength of the Endor lay elsewhere.

<o:p> </o:p>

“Endor is launching fighters.” A voice said, and Yuri (out of interest) pulled up the data on a nearby console. The fighters were not the standard TIE Interceptor fare of the Imperial Fleet. These ships resembled if anything the ancient starfighter of the Clone Wars. There, though, the similarity ended.

<o:p> </o:p>

The Empire’s newest and most advanced Tactical Fighter, the first Imperial design since the Scimitar Assault Bomber to have an independent pilot and gunner, were a step towards a new proficiency in the Imperial fleet.

<o:p> </o:p>

The new ships easily outstripped the TIE Interceptors launched by the Mantis, racing towards the planet… remarkably undetected by the rebel ship in orbit. It was not until Yuri saw his sensor board light up with trackers from the multitude of missiles launched by the fighters that the ship responded, raising shields and firing in an attempt to destroy some of the ordinance headed in its direction.

<o:p> </o:p>

It was too late for that, however: explosions bit into the flanks of the great ship, sending shudders through her armour plating (where it remained).

<o:p> </o:p>

“Endor reports she is firing.” And now, Yuri thought with a smile, we see the Empire at work! It took only a second for the great ship to lock on, and then… nothing.

<o:p> </o:p>

Yuri watched with anticipation, his heart beating painfully fast.

<o:p> </o:p>

Then, as if from nowhere, a series of explosions erupted along the hull of the Bulwark cruiser, these ones far greater than those that had come before. The ship began to shudder violently, buckling as secondary explosions continued to erupt inside of her.

<o:p> </o:p>

Then, it a great ball of flame and debris, she exploded.

<o:p> </o:p>

Seconds later, so did the Endor.

"One of the cannons jammed up and misfired." The designer said, pointing out the weapon that had caused the problem and offering a shrug. "It literally blew itself up."

Yuri said nothing. That the Endor had proved effective was no surprise - the ship had been in the developing stages since the Arc Hammer II had been comissioned.

And yet, it had still failed: the prototype had been lost, after only its first live trial run.

"It will be corrected in the next ship, Sir." The designer assured him, pulling up the changes made to the design in the wake of the disaster.

Indeed, the guns had been redesigned entirely, and there was no chance of a similar mistake occuring aboard the next of the class.

Still, the problem had delayed the project by almost a month, and High Command was itching to put the vessel through the first of its proper trials.

They would have to be sedated, though, in the meantime by her sister-ship - the droid-operated Stand-On Attack Ship had passed her final tests and was now being built in limited numbers, mainly under Bhindi Drayson's yards in the Ubiqtorate. And the keels laid for those ships could be quickly adapted to the design of the other, assuming they worked out these final bugs before major construction began.

"And the fighters?" Yuri asked, turning his gaze from the blueprints for the Endor.

"Approved by High Command, and being deployed to a limited number of ships at the present, Sir."

"Good." Yuri smiled thinly. If these four ships were seen as a success within the Empire, the doors would be open to a much greater vessel that Yuri had already begun to put together.

"Endor II isentering the station's firing range now, Sir." The watch officer reported from his console, bringing the image of the ship up on his displays. The ship was all but identical to her sister in appearence - the same graceful, sloping wings that impied a ship of great speed, a bird of prey of some far ancient civilization.

The ship was slow - painfully slow for her size. The station that was her primary target was a massive Golan III platform, some three times her size and armed to the teeth. It began to fire as soon as the Endor entered her effective range, missiles and laser blasts streaking out to meet the Imperial ship. Many missed, the 'skipping' Phantom-style cloaking field of the EMPIRE project proving its worth in the first seconds of battle - coordinated fire was all but impossible for the enemy. Those shots that did strike home the Endor merely shrugged off, her hefty shields too showing their worth.

The station's guns were heavy, mounted for range and power, and it took another moment before the Endor closed the gap to a range in which her own guns could return the fire. But close the gap she did.

"Endor is in range of the station now, Sir." The watch officer said in the same official tone as before, "Commencing firing."

The first shots that lanced out from the ship came from the Super Turbolasers mounted along her central body - a pair of massive cannons that would have rattled a lesser ship to her core.

And then the smaller guns opened up, fire pouring from all ports of the Endor. The sheer size of her target meant that nearly all her guns could rotate to hit the station - the Endor was designed as the Star Destroyer was, for frontal and broadside firing, and she proved her designers to be good here.

"Endor reports minimal shield loss in the front quarters." Indeed, her shields were holding well. Better than had been anticipated, even - if the ship had been the Victory Class Star Destroyer that was her nearest match in size she would no doubt he dead in space by now. The sensors showed no change in her shield integrity, but Yuri knew that to be a lie: the ship was equipped to distort sensor readings, a light layer of shield energy that fooled their scanners into believing that she still had complete shield strength across the board.

And it was beginning to take its toll on the Golan. Her fire was becoming more hectic, her battery commanders clearly intimidated by the tiny (relatively) ship facing them and soaking up damage with barely even a shudder. Even the mightiest weapons of the space station could scarcely shake the Endor, and all the while the ship's guns were eating away at the station, not with any terrible speed but an alarming rate of regularity.

The turbolasers of the station had lost their rythym, each desperate gunner firing as fast as his gun could recharge in a futile effort to halt the progress of the opposing ship. Already Yuri could see systems blacking out as their circuits were fried from overuse - the station was nearing the breaking point.

Even as he thought it he watched the shields fall across the frontal section of the station, the practised gunnery of the Endor taking its toll. The STLs thundered again, this time finding armour and eating away it to reveal the inards of the station below.

There was precious little time left now for the station.

"Bombers?" Yuri asked lightly, knowing that the Endor's fighters had been launched but had remained unseen thus far behind their cloaks.

"Incoming." The watch officer reported, conferring with the Endor's computer.

And indeed they came, streaking in from behind their host at speed that rivalled that of the old TIE fighter, their missile bays loaded and their target below them.

The warheads found their marks, their payloads sinking teeth into the already delicate station. It was too much for the battered Golan: it shuddered and finally cracked, debris spilling from both sides as the missiles broke it in two. One half died instantly, going dark and drifting listlessly away from the other.

The second half continued to fight for a moment, before it realized that the fight was hopeless and gave in. All was silent.

The battle had taken less than fifteen minutes in all. If this had been a true enemy, their reinforcements would only just be departing.

Yuri smiled. Good.

"Fighters launched." The report came to Yuri where he stood again on the bridge of the Mantis. This was the final test of the EMPIRE Project - already the capital ships and Assault Fighter had been approved and were entering production. Now the final run of the faster, space superiority fighter, was underway above Endor.

"Sensors report unusual activity in sector eight." The officer in charge of the scopes said, unfamiliar with the EMPIRE designs, reported with some puzzlement. "No match in our computer, Sir."

He was obviously confused, and with good reason. The 'skipping' cloak system employed by the ships, lifted from the old TIE Phantom design, prevented any sensor from establishing a good lock on the ship. It was all but impossible to identify, and even harder to target with any degree of success.

"Enemy starfighter launch confirmed." The officer reported, clearly relieved to know what he was talking about.

The enemy ships were Rebel designs - A-wings, X-wings, even a couple of E-wings from the New Republic era. The EMPIRE SF outstripped all of them, the ships firing thier first volleys (a dozen enemy fighters fell, mostly reckless A-wings that had moved out in front of their comrades), and peeling away. The enemy ships gave chase, but none were fast enough to touch the SF, the small vessel speeding along at twice the speed of the fastest enemy vessel and dancing through space to avoid their fire.

And all the while the SF sprayed fire in all directions, eliminating fighter and fighter with apparent ease. Twin turreted mounts, controlled by a seperate gunner, ensured the best accuracy one could hope for, while giving the other the ability to focus entirely on piloting the craft.

Yuri smiled thinly at that. The ship, of course, had no pilot, nor gunner. Not by any traditional standard, anyway. Cloned brains, samples taken from the best the Empire had to offer, where wired directly into the controls - expert efficiency, without the need to feed or cloth them, nor did the pilot need to worry about such trivial things as sleep or the effects of high-g manouvers.

The project was perhaps the most twisted yet undertaken by the Black Mantis facility. But judging by the success of the fighters, perhaps the most effective.

"Send word to the Grand Moff." He said, turning away from the viewports (the last flaming E-wing was spiralling away from the battlefield), "EMPIRE SF is ready for deployment."