Deep Space, Outside the Algeron System...


The flotilla of warships swarmed around the gargantuan station as the Venerator Command Destroyer Rashion, Kaine's flag for the moment, slowly pushed it's way through, the various other surround craft parting as the Emperor's path was made to the new construct...


It was only appropriate, after the Imperial victory at Algeron, that the sytem be the location of yet another Death Star.

Larger and more powerful than the previous, utilizing the cloaking principles of the Shroud. The project was audacious as most of Kaine's plans were and he was now here to witness it's status to fully operational and be on hand for not only it's maiden voyage but active operation.


Besides Coruscant, there was not another safer place for him in the galaxy.


"Sure is something isn't it.." he whispered to himself as the nervous crewmen of the current bridge watch moved to carry out his wishes.

He still felt the faint loss of the Galactus as he watched the craft being prepared to be interred as a museum piece for the gawking privilege of Imperial Citizens galaxy wide.


He had outlasted all his enemies save a few and he was master of the galaxy.


Only pocket resistance remained and so the purpose of the new Death Star was realized. Already, the older veteran units were being recalled for upgrading and much deserved shore-leave. Promotions were the order of the day as Kaine would launch this new weapon at those few pockets crushing them once and for all.


And at long last, the fight would end.


"Everything will be realized."


"Sir?" the Captain of the Rashion asked hearing his musing.


"Nothing, Captain. Just thinking out loud."


"Very good, Sir."


"Sir? The Death Star, Imperial Legacy is granting us approach coordinates. We should be on station and able to transport you shortly."


"Prepare my shuttle, Commander."

***
***

Kaine had only seen bits and pieces of footage of the other two Death Stars never having set foot upon one. And as he stepped down the ramp, the lines of soldiers (Spartans and Stormtroopers), Officers and crewmen he truly felt the power of the Empire.

Such displays must surely shout their power from the ramparts!


The aging Grand Moff Zell was there in full uniform standing stiffly. His eyes glittered with an insolence all his own and Kaine smiled to himself.

"Well, old friend. First the trash gets taken off Coruscant and here we start up the greatest weapon we've ever built." the old man started without preamble.


"Zell, any word from the Onyxian Commonwealth?" the Emperor asked and the old man shared a private shark's smile.

"The death of Joren Logan was a godsend. Without him, his son is a lost cause. Give the boy prostitutes and he's happy."


Kaine chuckled to himself. "Then we know where we are to go.."


"The course is already set." the old man's eyes gleamed with the pleasure of realizing he will soon be causing great pain to those perceived enemies.


"Then let us not waste time, Zell." the Emperor suddenly ordered, rather gruffly now suitably motivated to see this display of power in action. "Set your course for Dameo."


"God's and Devils, eh Kaine?"

And the Emperor stopped and turned to the Grand Moff. "The God that can be touched is the God that can be killed, Zell. I will have Raktus' obeisance or I will have his nonexistance!"


The Grand Moff, by way of replay lifted his communication device. "This is Zell. Engage the cloak and prepare to get under way. Set course for the Tion Cluster, Dameo."


"Have the rest of the fleet hold station outside Mon Calamari. If memory serves, things should be getting ripe there."


Zell grinned. "So, it's Endgame once again?"


The memory of the old operation taking Kaine by surprise for a moment before he nodded, feeling pleased with the comparison. "Apt, Zell. Very apt. It is indeed the Endgame.


Of everything."

10 years earlier... Algeron System..



The floating wreckage of warships spiraled out of control, some striking each other as fires sparked and were blown out of existence by the lack of oxygen. Once the mighty arms of their individual captains, now silent crypts.


There were hundreds of thousands of such sights as the victors floated at rest, surveying what was only mere moments ago the battlefield.


The Galactus was flanked by to heavily damaged Venerator Class command ships and on the bridge of the Empire's flagship stood the Emperor.

The bones of his enemies, the Galactic Coalition and resurrected New Republic had thrown everything they had at the iron might of the Empire and their blade had chipped and shattered against it.

Surveying the damage to the Empire, as the listing of missing and dead soldiers and their fallen vessels continued to grow on a screen to the Emperor's right, he could not help but note that it had been a near thing.

In the headiness of victory, one might be tempted to lessen the prowess of one's enemies but truth be told, Kaine knew that the battle won was merely one result in the all out gamble everyone made.

For it was the Dragons that had tipped the scales in the Republic's favor. Regrad, as always, could be counted on to play out a certain way but even then, Kaine could not help but realize he had underestimated the Azguardian's diplomatic skills in forging a military alliance with the isolationistic Dragons.

The entire 5th Fleet of the Empire had been overrun and crushed at the onset of the Dragon's entry into the battle.

Their move cut off Grand Moff Bhindi Drayson's Black Fleet and would have seen to making the woman Moff go down fighting if unsupported.

The only response that Kaine could give was to drive the 1st, 7th and 3rd Fleets straight into the heart of Algeron and the combined New Republic/Coalition positions.

Bhindi had seen the manevuer setting aside a portion of her fleet in a delaying action that kept the Dragon's at bay long enough for her to push through the Coalition lines and link up to the advancing Imperial Emperor.

The drive split the combined enemy fleets and Lupercus Darksword's 2nd Fleet and Moff Trachta's 4th Fleet in reserve entered the fray to strike at the isolated remnants and finish them off.

The Dragons had tried a two front attack, one at Algeron and one in Imperial Space and it was on the tactical genius of Moff Telan Desaria's defending action that halted what would have been a devestating blow to the Empire.

General Grevious was a brilliant tactician and it showed with the targets he picked. And his technologically advanced weapons of war carved up the Imperial Fleets in detail before the last Dragon had fallen.

And now it was over.


The Empire had sustained over 50% losses and the battlefield of Algeron was littered with it's remains.


But such was the price for ultimate victory as the nations that those enemy fleets represented lay bare.


The time to strike was now!


Emperor Kaine turned from the window and walked along the upper catwalk towards his waiting Admirals and Fleet Commanders.

"You've done well." he started nodding to everyone present. "But our job is only half done." He toggled a holographic projection of the galaxy and Algeron's relative position inside.

"Our enemy's fleets have been smashed. It is time to follow close on the heels of those retreating and destroy them utterly!

Bhindi, your fleet and Trachta's are going to secure the Coalition. I don't care where you strike but it must be into their industrial heart!" Kaine's eyes narrowed. "I want you to burn everything! You come across convoys, smash them. You find agricultural planets, set them ablaze! Shipyards to are to be torn down and broken! We are not there to capture anything intact."

He turned to the other Admirals.

"We have neither the time or the resources to capture and hold them. So I want these ..aliens..to feel the fury of the Empire for their presumptuousness. Smash everything and then head back here. There is no limit to casualty numbers or targets. I want them driven into a depression so next year, we can return and sweep away anything they may have erected in the meantime."

"I am bringing Moff Desaria up from the Defense Fleet to pursue aggressively our elusive New Republic enemies that seemed to have come out of hiding."

He could see the disappointment on some faces but they couldn't all go on the attack after all.

"My Lord?" one asked and the Emperor nodded. "What of the Dragons?"

A silence fell.

"Leave them." Kaine said at last. "But we will be sending some nice images for them to think about."

At the look of confusion, Kaine smiled. "Lord Lupercus has captured the remains of a barely alive General Grevious. I think throwing their General in carbonite would send the right message."

The Admirals and leaders chuckled a bit.







Present Day....

Death Star


The Emperor walked around the dark slab in quiet contemplation as he had done for so many years. The ten year old slab showed no signs of the passage of time and Kaine smiled a bitter smile. For he had aged while the encased droid general merely sat preserved.

If it still functioned if ever thawed.

His desire was for the droid to be revived hundreds of years later obsolete, the organs serving as his eyes to see before losing consciousness forever the height of Imperial Society's rise.

Still, the bittersweet part of that plan was that, even if for a few seconds, the droid would see things that he could never.

He pushed the thought aside.

Perhaps when the Death Star blasted Dameo to ruins, he'd leave enough of the planet to stick the damned carbonite slab as a fitting tomb for the Dragons.

"You almost had me, you damned bastard!" the Emperor whispered harshly thinking back to that old battle. "Your soldiers fought well enough but in the end they too were swept away."

His mind did not really reflect the outcome of those making up the Dragon armies. There was one woman captain or admiral (he forgot which) that warmed Zell's bed for a while. He never knew what the old retired Moff ever did with her but she had disappeared after a few years and Zell found other women.

"We will be paying your God a visit soon.." he whispered as if the droid could hear.


The Emperor of War felt the lingering hand of time even then as if he were plotting to get as much done in his short life as possible before the force of Kaine's own hand dissipated and was forgotten.


"Everything dies..." he whispered harshly.


"Even Gods."

Mon Calamari



Grezzur watched as the numbers of the sick and dying began to rise. He turned to a military leader who was speaking...


"If the oceans continue at their present rate of decline, all life within will be extinguished in a year." he said with finality. "We must begin thinking of evacuation now! Before we cross the point of no return and our race is doomed!"


"What of the Onyxian-...?" someone brought up.


"Leave Logan's son out of this!"

The Military leader sighed, "They are sending their inventory of transports, for which we are grateful. But we have more to worry about than what our compatriots are doing or not doing."

An older Mon Calamarian nodded and Grezzur wholeheartedly agreed. "This Red Tide is nothing like anything we've experienced before and is an ecological disaster of such devestating consequence that ALL of our efforts should be poured into dealing with it."

Grezzur spoke up then, "Do we know if this disaster is natural?"

The others turned to look at him, the older one in dismay, as the younger military leaders seated in the audience began to ask the same question.

"Was this a weapon? From the Empire?!" they shouted.

Grezzur swallowed hard knowing that he had just maneuvered the meeting to last another few hours.

400 Years into the future... Dameo



~ Is it dead? came the inquisitor Diosynes. Other Dracconis parted to make way for the newcomer as Visyons checked the readings on the antique device.

~ We shall soon find out. A deft hand moved over the controls and a solid substance formed between the ancient controls and the hand. Tendrils of Phage-induced nanomachines crossed the narrow distance quickly moving to reconnect old pathways and infuse energy into the long buried mechanism.

At first nothing happened.

Until, ever so suddenly, a glow began to appear as the ancient carbonite began to melt away revealing an injured and crippled General Grevious.

Despite the being's broken cyborg limbs, Visyon though he detected a slight cough.







"The Empire rules the galaxy with an iron fist. There is no planet able to resist, there are no forces left to marshall. You awaken to defeat." Dracconis were not used to voice as a conveyance of thought and such primitive action left them unsettled.

But one did what one must when information was to be transmitted to this creature of the past.

General Grevious had, at once, tallied his damage and new that he would not live long. The ancient lightsaber battle with the Dark Lord Lupercus Darksword had gone against him and his was a condition that he knew Lupercus had enacted. He wanted the General to live long enough to see the futility of their actions so long ago in fighting the Empire at Algeron.

His mind reeled at all that had been lost. The great Black Dragon Empire, now living machines forced to exist underground on their wasteland planet called Dameo.

The Death Star, Empire's Legacy had not destroyed the planet as Tarkin did to Alderaan. No. Kaine made sure that the now lifeless planet remain as an example to all that opposed him.

To know that the old Emperor Kaine had succeeded in completing a fleet of Death Stars sealed the New Order's claim on the galaxy for a thousand years. And even though only four hundred had passed, there was nothing left to throw at the Empire.

Pax Galactica they called it.

Despair would have taken over Grevious at all that they had been reduced too but there was a calculation to these so-called Dracconis that arrested his attention.

The review of the aftermath of Algeron was "Kaine this" and "Kaine that". The Emperor Strategist had died at the ripe old age of 104. In his sleep no less!

He left Imperial Center impregnable.

He left the Core and hyperlanes patrolled by a ring of Death Stars.

He has smashed the Chiss and in the last decade of his life, turned the Jedi Corps against the Sith scattering the force users to the four corners of the galaxy.

And with the demise of the Sith and the old Jedi Order, the Jedi Corps was dissolved at last and fed into the fires of the New Order Policies.

Kaine hated force users with a passion.


If he didn't hate the man already, Grevious would have saluted his old foe with grudging admiration.

So what could these Dracconis about it?


"Our unique nature, our connection to the Phage, allows us to create things that are considered perversions by the Taj and his Order. However, one of those perversions allows for one to be transported back."

"Back where?" Grevious asked as the Dracconis fell silent.

"To the past! To undo this ..this..." the Dracconis waved his hand about the cave structure they were inside. "Our surpremacy must be assured!"

If Grevious had a mouth of flesh, he would have smiled. "Our downfall at Algeron?"

The Dracconis paced in clear agitation. "That is the problem. We can only send one back and we can only do it once. But when? Where? We have to have an assurance of success or we are doomed!"

The phrase reminded Grevious of some gold droid he had briefly seen during his campaign during the Clone Wars that his memory could barely access. He knew what these Draconnis wanted from him.

He was the only surviving heir to that time period and therefore, the only surviving expert.

The Empire's arrogance in allowing him to survive in carbonite rather than melt him down to slag would be their undoing!

Would be Kaine's undoing!

For how could Kaine ever fathom such a thing? How could he prepare for something that was, and practically still is, an impossibility?

Simon Kaine was a product of his time and Grevious knew that no one would guess a strategy from the future to upset every gain.

The irony was delicious and Grevious relished it.

"There was one who had to die first before Kaine could be made Emperor. If that person did not die, who's to say that Kaine would ever become Emperor?"
the General asked.

The eyes of the Dracconis lit up in anticipation. Yes, this was indeed what they were looking for.

The General settled back, his mechanical enhancements to his mind trying to grasp at an ellusive memory. "It was during the launch of his famous warship... the Galactus I believe it was.."

And he held the Dracconis' undivided attention from that point on.

Dameo




"Captain, you may fire when ready." the Emperor ordered unswayed by the look of beauty the capital world of the Black Dragon Empire displayed. Already the carbonite slab with their greatest of machine Generals was on it's way towards the world and Kaine would have it interred on a barren wasteland.


The various crewmembers went about their duties to carry out the finale order of their Emperor to wipe away the last of the Empire's enemies and usher in the true Pax Galactica.

The New Galactic Order.

And the primary weapon of the Death Star fired...




"The power has been scaled down, my Lord Emperor." the Captain said as Kaine watched the blast strike the industrial heart of one of his greatest of enemies.

Conqueror of a Thousand Worlds and now a Killer of Gods.


"Total destruction." the Captain relayed the response of the team going to the surface to bury the carbonite slab.

In a few months, there would be a call for aid from the Mon Calamari as the altered plankton began the spread of red tide across their oceans destroying the remaining life there.

The massive Coalition relief effort would tax their ships, their economy and would nearly bankrupt them..

Then we'll strike! Kaine thought confidently.


And at this moment, Simon Kaine, Emperor of the Galaxy relaxed.


"When they return, let's set a course for Imperial Center."


It was over.






Twenty Years Later....




An aging Simon Kaine walked slowly through the ranks of Spartans, the old Stormtroopers having been replaced decades ago. The 1000th Legion of the Empire, newly dedicated to the service of the Emperor, stood before him rank and file and Kaine approved of the pageantry and display.

The various Commanders pointing out specific achievements of certain soldiers sure to make quick advancement within the Imperial ranks and each stood straighter and prouder after drawing the notice of their Emperor.

For with such baubles men are led...

Simon Kaine felt an inner sense of peace as the last of the purges had finally finished, Xa Fel being completely obliterated by the two Death Stars sent to engage the last of Lupercus Darksword's adherents.

He had grown and nutured the Jedi Corps to the point of finally unleashing them enmasse on the whole of the Sith faction protected these many years within his Empire.

Even catching the unsuspecting organization unawares, they fought like devils and the Emperor had no choice but to apply overwhelming force.

Millions of voices cried out cursing his name and suddenly fell silent. He felt no pity for them.

His ninetieth birthday approached and he knew he didn't have much time.

So why waste it on pondering might-have-beens?

The dead were dead.



The inspection had lasted the better part of the morning and when Kaine returned to the Palace he was greeted with even better news. General Order 501 had been executed flawlessly.

The Jedi Corps barracks had been infiltrated across the galaxy and it's members poisoned or killed during their daily orientation. Such mandatory orientations being implimented a decade earlier when Kaine knew the Corps usefullness was close to an end.

They had acheived their purpose in destroying the force users hunting the those of the old Order down mercilessly and finally with the downfall of the Sith.

But that left force-uses still alive in the Corps and that was more than Kaine would allow.




He retired early and called for his personal servant.

Ciscero did not move as quickly as he used too and as he heard the call for the servant he knew it was not worth bothering with prosthetics.

Let Kaine see him!

And so he walked out, decked in the servant's garb carrying the nightcap for his 'Emperor'.

Kaine did not look up from his datapads as he sat up in his bed, a soft light overhead providing a glow.

"Thank you, Uli." The aging Emperor responded mechanically as the tray was set by the bed. The servant bowed and Kaine's hand picked up the drink and sipped it while reading.

As the servant turned his back and started to leave, the voice of the Emperor called out. "Or should I say, Ciscero?"


Ciscero stopped his departure feeling ironically proud at having been discovered.

"It has been a while, my Emperor. I wondered if you remembered." he responded with a smile.

"I suppose I should have guessed Imperial Intelligence did not tell me the truth when they reported your death decades ago." Kaine murmured petulantly.

"The day you destroyed Isard was the day you alienated Imperial Intelligence." Ciscero replied.

"So have you come to kill me?" Simon asked, as if the question were but a tired trifling to him.

"You were dead the moment you took the drink," Ciscero informed and Kaine merely nodded as if he had already guessed the strategy.

"If you think you've beaten me you are wrong, Ciscero! The machinery of the Empire will continue even after I am gone. It is invunerable!" the Emperor hissed.

Ciscero let out a tired smile of his own. "It has always been about will, Simon Kaine. And while alive and in power, your will dominated others. But dead? Lesser men will come to power. Already another Rebellion is formenting from the information of your death camps being spread. The new people in power will not understand it and try to impose a heavy hand but without your unifying strength and brilliant strategies, their efforts will pale."

The former Imperial Agent gave the other man a grudging respect, "You always had this 'humble soldiers' attitude that separated you from the rest of the Imperial hierarchy. You were patient, methodical and did not go to pieces when defeated. That alone made you difficult to predict and defeat. Now? You've created this cocoon of invincibility that your predecessors will be overconfident in. Tonight is just the beginning."


"What can you do but kill me?" Kaine asked a bit too smugly. He was too old to fear any death for he had accomplished what he set out to do. It was almost appropriate that his death would coincide with that of the Jedi Corps.

"This." Ciscero responded and the large monitor opposite Kaine on the wall came to life. The encrypted copies of Kaine's orders upon his death as well as his instructions for succession were displayed decrypted. Blood rushed to Kaine's face as he began to realize what the former agent was about to do. He tried to rise but found that for some reason his legs wouldn't work. With a few taps of the interface in Ciscero's fingers the file was deleted.

"The machinery cannot run smoothly if there are no instructions.." Ciscero quipped and Kaine suddenly felt an exhaustion tugging at his body.

"But it will plunge on ahead. Your grand leaders will fight for the empty throne and sow confusion but even then, your Empire will continue. And then the true Rebellion will come!"

Kaine's eyes began to close until Ciscero stepped closer whispering, "Do you remember the children of the old Republican Senator during your takeover of Coruscant?"

His eyes opened and the Emperor tried to speak and found he couldn't.

"They grew up to be Jedi and the people will rally around them as a beacon of hope. Of freedom from your oppressive Empire."


Ciscero continued his gloating but the Emperor was no longer listening. In his mind he saw the years of conflict that would ensue by the agent's act of erasing his last will.

Laid low by such a simple act.


And the exhaustion become even more overwhelming as the frustration slipped away.


Simon Kaine...

Emperor of the Galactic Empire


An innocent boy torn from loving parents by the scheming of Chancellor Palpatine..

A hardened young man having lived a brutal existence against a predator alien species..

A cold lieutenant having his last love burned out of him by the warlords..

A man who felt if he could bring about Order to the galaxy no matter the costs, moral compromises or sacrifices it would somehow 'fix' the emptiness of his life..



"Mya... if only.." he managed to whisper before darkness claimed him forever.



And Simon Kaine died.






Ciscero stood there watching the body of the Emperor. He had disabled the internal security measures so there would be no record of his visit. The medics would claim age being the cause of death and he would be interred on Corsucant somewhere.

The people would build a monument in his name, probably something opulent and large but then they would forget.



And a New Republic would arise once more...

**


Epilogue

"You are sure?" Visyon asked of the damaged General hating to be relegated to audio communication. The General was going fast, his flesh organs shutting down and his power cells failing.

"Of course I am sure you dimwit!" the General shouted, using up his reserves only to end up in a coughing fit.

How he could cough was a mystery to Visyon and one he really didn't have time to investigate.


~ Then we proceed came the instruction from Diosynes and Visyon nodded.


It was time.


The thought of the Taj negotiating with the New Republic brought his anger to surface and his Phage-encrusted skin flared with indignation.

Their glory ended with Kaine and so to Kaine's life they would go.

The nemesis would be undone and their superiority over flesh ensured forever.


He will not be made Emperor!


~ Set the time!


And Visyon stepped through the glowing sphere...

*

Taken from Apparitions: Faces of the Dead:


Regent Daemon Hyfe smiled as his shuttle approached the flagship of Simon Kaine. The coverage of the ship he felt was too much for what it represented in his opinion.

A haven for a man that would depose me at the first opportunity.

Hyfe eyes burned. He was not going to give the man such an opening.

He would arrive first and take command of Kaine's bloody ship. And when the Grand Marshall (he thought the title mockingly) arrived, he would find the tables turned. The ship only had a skeleton crew aboard for he knew Kaine was not really prepared for the early launch. The Regent had moved up the date suddenly in hopes of catching the Marshall off guard. And it seemed to be working.

He turned to the pilot. "When does Kaine arrive?"

"Not for another hour..." the pilot responded nervously and Hyfe smiled broadly. The design of the warship by his relative Gormul would make everything that happened aboard, stay aboard.

He would have the skeleton crew eliminated and no one would be the wiser.

He had maneuvered events in such a way to bring about the future he desired.

And yet, why was he feeling a disturbance in the force? Why was there a growing sense of wariness?


"We are arriving, Galactus main hanger set to receive." the pilot droned and Hyfe pushed doubt aside and felt nearly as good as he had when he arrived on the Second Death Star, that traitor Vader walking beside him.






Jaero’s signal board lit up as he accepted the transmission from the flagship of the Empire. “Port Authorities, this is Galactus. We have Him.”

“Copy that, Galactus. Tracking the Grand Marshall’s shuttle enroute from Quarro District.”

There was a slight pause.

“Thanks for the heads up, Port Control.”

Jaero and Hersch grinned at each other. The return of the ship’s master must have the crew in quite a flurry. Kaine’s reputation for preparedness was second to none though the Grand Marshall did have a soft spot for the military men and women that served the Empire. Still, it was a soft spot no one felt encouraged to take advantage of.










The hiss of the lowering ramp echoed into the empty hanger as the Regent strode down with a confidence born of power. He was accompanied by no one which spoke volumes.


But, surprisingly, he was not alone.


For waiting to greet him was Grand Marshall Simon Kaine.


Daemon Hyfe kept his face expressionless. "This is an unexpected pleasure, Marshall." he slowly said, his voice conveying neither surprise nor pleasure.


A voice overrode any response from Kaine, sounding throughout the hanger: "Port Authorities, this is Galactus. We have Him."


The voice sounded human but Hyfe knew better. "Your AI is working overtime, Marshall." he commented dryly. "Masking the fact that you have no one aboard."


He stretched out with the force and found himself suddenly beset by various power fluxuations within the warship. This ship was nowhere near completion!


His eyes widened in surprise as Kaine simply stood there quietly watching his Regent.


The Regent's eyes burned a reddish tint as his anger began to mount and his lips curled in disgust.


"So, the little orphan boy thought to entrap his master?"


Kaine's eyes registered surprise at the comment but his face remained impassive. "How long have you been a slave to this force?" he asked quietly.


Daemon Hyfe's voice rose to dangerous levels. "Slave?" he asked, the quiver in his voice a warning of power barely restrained. "You've no idea who you are dealing with do you?"


Simon sighed and shook his head sadly, "Give up the Sith posturing. Lupercus does it better."


And that was when Daemon snapped. His fingers extended from the sleeves of his royal robes and lightning shot forth engulfing Simon.


Simon screamed in pain at the sudden attack as he fell to the floor.


Daemon's voice was full of scorn. "Fool! You plan and scheme and spend all your energies on a Empire that means nothing! IT IS NOTHING BUT MY TOOL! MY TOOL FOR CONTROLLING ALL YOU PITIFUL ANIMALS!"

And as Daemon screamed at the fallen soldier, he let loose another round of lightning.


As Kaine lay on the hanger floor engulfed, Hyfe slowly began to encircle the fallen Grand Marshall, his lips twisted with scorn.

"Poor, Simon Kaine. I killed your mother and made you kill your father! You were nothing but a pawn!" The Regent's mouth was hanging in laughter, his eyes angry. "And here you are working to make my empire the greatest in the galaxy! What a fool you are!"


Kaine struggled on the ground as the his uniform began to smoke from the attacks the Regent dealt out. As the Regent was speaking, the meaning behind his words began to register in Simon's mind and his rising anger began to focus beyond the pain.

"Y.. you aren't Daemon!" he shot back in pain.

"Daemon Hyfe?" the Regent retorted. "Daemon Hyfe? This shell of a man with no more imagination than a pregnant Bothan?" Daemon began to laugh some more, his cackle becoming more frantic.

The situation was spinning rapidly out of control as Simon saw his plans falling apart. He had expected Hyfe's powers to be overwhelming but he did not expect the Regent to be out of his mind.

"W..who are you?" he gritted his teeth as the pain began to subside.

Daemon walked over to Kaine as the other was just trying to sit up. The Regent put his boot on Simon's shoulder and pushed him down once more. "For a man who's intelligence is revered throughout the galaxy, you are rather dense. This fool of a man you call Regent journeyed to far-off worlds in hopes of learning the secrets to harnessing his newfound force abilities. He drank everything in like a man dying of thirst."

A twisted smile formed, "And in that ancient alchemy, he found me."

The smile widened. "Or, rather, I found him. He was rather easy to control."

The Regent's eyes narrowed. "There must have been signs! Spectres of the truth popping up here and there. Even a fool like you should have seen them." His voice cackled again. "Apparitions everywhere."


The Regent's face twitched with unseen apprehension. "And as I stare out at this galaxy... so different from when I ruled, I see what I saw back then. You, the people, everyone... ALL OF YOU!... merely faces of the dead!


I have unleashed a new power against your famed Bastion Conclave and soon Theren Gevel will become one of those faces."


Kaine hissed, "You are dead!" and Daemon let out a chuckle.


"Ironic isn't it?" The Regent sighed. "Theren Gevel and his conclave will die. You and yours will be dead as well. And I?... I will be Emperor. And when I raise my powers to even greater heights, it will be toward your slut Moff. I will enjoy rendering her planets to cinders!

Lupercus Darksword and his band of idiots will bow to my power and we will set this galaxy aflame!"


Daemon's boot dropped to Kaine's neck. "I thank you, Simon Kaine. As Emperor, I destroyed your family and tossed your life away like a skinned animal. And you were quite the little resilient animal weren't you?

Imagine! Grand Marshall of the Empire! Supreme Commander of all it's military might! A step away from becoming Emperor yourself!" His boot tightened.


And as Kaine lay on his side, a gloved hand emerged from a pocket pulling a small remote and pressed down on a contact.


The floor began to vibrate as the hanger bay door slid along the ventral side of the ship, cutting off the bay's access to space. The Regent's pilot in the shuttle called out in surprise to his leader and the Regent's boot lifted from Kaine's neck.


"What's happening?" he commanded as his force perceptions began to scream warnings at him.


"Sir! Sir! The hanger doors are...are... they've closed!" the pilot called out over Hyfe's personal communicator.

"You cannot escape, Emperor." Kaine gasped out, a hand running across his throat.


"What have you done?!" Hyfe whirled around. "You think that by trapping me in your ship's hanger bay, you'll defeat me?!" he asked incredulously.


"No.." rasped Kaine. "Just delay you."


"For what?" Hyfe's voice dripped scorn. "You are not a force sensitive. You are less than pathetic!"


"Inevitability, my Lord. Inevitability." Simon began to stand. "Your tool has become a machine! Your tool will take on a life of it's own and not even the title of Emperor will be left untouched."

It was Kaine's turn to drip scorn, "You think you are the future of the Empire? You think your power is so unassailable?"

Kaine laughed harshly and stretched out his hand towards a door along the far wall of the hanger. "I give you the future!"

And the door slid open revealing six people, four men and two women, dressed in black and gray (unrecognizable uniforms) each face grim and serious.


The Regent laughed. "Children? CHILDREN!!? This is your future?"



Daemon Hyfe shot out a hand towards the newcomers and lightning was sent forth from his fingertips. Much to his surprise, the electrical discharge was deflected and he suddenly felt the warning from within the force, the self preservation of the dark side, finally solidifying. These six people, while individually holding inferior power, began to link their force tendrils into something far more potent and the Regent felt the pressure exerted to contain him.

"NO!" shouted Hyfe as the electricity began to strike different places; everywhere else but where he aimed it. Sparks flew across different computer systems and alarms began to sound.

Kaine's voice was hard. "By themselves, they would not stand a chance against you or the Sith. But they operate together. They do not answer to some damned antiquated Jedi or Sith Code but to Imperial Law!"


"What... What is this abomination you've set upon me?!" the Regent raged.


Kaine's smile became cruel, "Behold, Emperor, the Jedi Corps!

The new guardians of security and order within the Empire where LAW is paramount! The answer to the destruction wrought by you force users! Soon, they will be everywhere in the Empire!"


The possessive spirit within Hyfe sought memories from his host and enlightenment followed. "You never destroyed those... those primitive people! They were to be my personal guard!"


Kaine shook his head, "I had hoped that Daemon would have retained some individuality. That he might be saved.."


The Regent enslaved laughed harshly, saliva spilling from his mouth. "I will never let him go!"


Kaine's eyes became distant, a sad expression filling his face. "Then you have to die."


The Grand Marshall walked over to a nearby storage panel, opened it and pulled out a blaster.


"You want to be Emperor!" Hyfe shouted, raging against the restraining force imposed on him by those of the Jedi Corps.


Kaine's arm lifted, the blaster pointed at a man he once called friend, now possessed by some evil incarnation of something believing themselves to be Palpatine.


"I'm sorry.."






When mapping events along a historical arc that endures the passage of time, what historians invariably do is find one particular experience and use that as a starting point. The circumstances surrounding the launch of the RSD Galactus could be classified as such.

It was an arc marked by a singular event. From that event emerged a great many points of divergence from the previously known (likely) result derived from probability data.

Divergences such as changes in cultural identity have their beginnings marked by experiences (sometimes tragic) that spread their effects over subsequent generations.




An entire history unfolded when Kaine fired the blaster that changed the arc of the Empire for an eternity. Hyfe fell to the hanger deck floor dead, his final purging of force powers contained by the Jedi Corps.


The Serapis warship, having been made to look like the Galactus, exploded as Kaine and his people secretly departed, the final ruling of the demise of the ship being a malfunction causing a cataclysmic systems failure that killed their Regent.

Rumors of Kaine being injured and undergoing bacta treatments persisted and five days later, Kaine made his first public appearance. A state funeral for their fallen Regent was issued to all worlds of the Empire.

And amid this, in an effort to bring order to the chaos that seemed to happen more frequently, Kaine annouced the final element to that which was missing in the Imperial equation. A return to the fold of those guardians of peace and justice that served the Old Republic so faithfully. Before the Order perverted its teachings and made them take up arms against the Empire's leadership after the Clone Wars.

The Jedi Corps was made official under the COMPNOR charter.

Simon Kaine's popularity was unmatched and he elevated himself to Emperor.

And in the years that followed, their enemies were finally brought to heel culminating in an out of the way system called Algeron.


Kaine's plan was masterful and it worked.


The New Galactic Order became a reality.








But this was not to come to pass..


Unfortunately, all this was soon to be erased and history cleaned like a white-washed canvas.


Where once a masterpiece had been set now sat nothing.





Alien entities known as the Dracconis some 430 years in the future would not be satisfied with their lot in life. And, according to the Imperial point of view, rather than dealing with it, they decided to change the very history that survived after Emperor Kaine's death.


Events, Relationships, Triumphs, Tribulations...


All wiped away by a simple act that set history along another path.



A path that would prevent Kaine from firing the killing shot at his Regent.

*

FROM WHAT WAS TO WHAT IS...

It was at that moment when Kaine's finger began to press on the trigger of his blaster that an orb appeared between the two men. A transparent orb that began to grow in size and crackle with energy. The six members of the Jedi Corps blocked their eyes, momentarily losing their concentration giving Daemon the opening he needed to strike.

Energy shot forth from his fingers engulfing Kaine's Jedi and they began to scream in pain as if a thousand razor blades were running up and down their bodies.

A silhouette appeared inside the orb and the sphere began to flash a brilliant bright radiance that caused even the Regent to cry out in surprise.

And as the light died, standing where a transparent sphere was only mere moments ago, was a tall creature... part man, part machine... all Dracconis.

The creature ignored the Regent and turned it's focus toward the Grand Marshall. A voice appeared in the minds of everyone present.


~It worked! Diosynes would be pleased!


"Who are you?" Kaine asked, his voice shaking and his weapon poised with unsure intent.


~I am Visyons of Dracconis. And I am here to kill you.


Everyone stood shocked for a second and a grin formed across the bitter features of the Regent. His chuckle was heard behind the creature and his voice betrayed an immense joy. "It seems you've pissed off more people than you know."

Hyfe placed a hand on the creature's shoulder. "Eliminate him."

The creature's gaze did not leave Kaine's.


~ Unhand me flesh! You are worthless to me!


"How DARE you!" Hyfe was livid and his grip turned the creature to face him and the creature named Visyons backhanded the Regent.


~ I look upon you and see a face of the dead. You are dead. In my past. Killed by this man.


He pointed to Kaine.


~ This man rose to become your empire's Emperor and that empire of flesh soon grew to crush all it's enemies. Even our ancestors. Even us.


"You are from the future." Kaine took the news calmly though his mind began to race with the implications.

~ Your insight will serve you well. At least, it would have. But you must die for your empire to fall.


"And how do you know my death would cause it's fall?"


The creature's sharp teeth shined as it smiled.


~ I don't. But when I return, I shall see what I shall see and if further actions are needed, they will be made.


~ This is a divergence point.


The creature pointed to Kaine.


~ It is time for you to die.



At that moment a voice came in over the ship's comm system distracting the creature.



"I track the Marshall’s shuttle arriving in about 20 minutes."


Daemon Hyfe turned to Kaine and a slow smile appeared. "Very clever Kaine. No one knows you are here."


~Enough.

The creature pointed and from his hand a piercing beam shot out. Kaine, however, was already on the move.


"COMPUTER DETACH CABLES AND ENGAGE ENGINES!" he shouted to the Reign Class AI.

The vessel lurched wildly knocking everyone to their knees.

A call from the tracking Port Authority came in, “Galactus? Is there a problem?”


The AI was ready with a response, “Port Control, we are going to execute intermix startup from here.” Came an unemotional voice.


“Galactus, this .. this is highly irregular.”


“What He wants.. He gets, Port Control.”


“Understood, Galactus. Port Control out.”




And while the AI was interacting with the outside world, Kaine had come up firing his blaster at the creature. The shot staggered the creature but he did not go down.

The hanger was just too open to reach any cover so Kaine moved the only direction he could. Towards the creature. And just as Visyon's arm shot another beam, Kaine deflected it with his arm, knocking the beam against several panels sending more surges throughout the incomplete wiring network.

The creature was just too strong as his left hand clamped down on Kaine's shoulder forcing him to his knees.

Visyon looked down, his estimation of a man he'd only known through half damaged and ancient accounts rising slightly. But only slightly for the man was flesh after all.


~ The death of this flesh marks the rise of the Dracconis!


The creature stared at Kaine one last time.


~ Good bye.


And Hyfe's fist punched through the creature's body, his hand enveloped in a force bubble, his eyes fiery over the casual dismissal by the creature named Visyons. As the Regent withdrew his hand from the shocked creature's body, he grasped the spinal column and drew the creature back, it's head falling back and resting on Hyfe's right shoulder.

"If anyone is going to change history," he whispered, "it's me!" And he pulled violently as the creature screamed in his mind.


Kaine kicked away from the both of them and tried to quickly get up.


The creature's shaking hand pressed something on it's palm and a brilliant flash of light appeared the space the creature had occupied exploding and throwing the Regent back. Kaine was tossed like a rag doll across the floor and the unconscious Jedi mauled by the debris of torn durasteel and plating.

*

And as Kaine came too, alarms were sounding throughout the ship.


"Autodestruct sequence initiated.." droned the AI. It was the final order for any shipboard AI if capture seemed imminent and the ship's main systems non-functional. With half the ship gutted and carved as befits a major refit, and the damage being done aboard it, the AI cognitive matrix began to unravel.


Kaine had not banked on the craft sustaining battle damage (especially on the inside) and as he slowly picked himself off the floor, one arm dangling uselessly by his side, he walked over to the fallen form of Daemon Hyfe.


The Regent was spitting up blood as his eyes focussed on the Grand Marshall staring over him.


"So..." he rasped. "You will be Emperor after all..."

"We both are dying here. The Autodestruct was engaged.." Kaine whispered and for the first time, Daemon Hyfe's eyes showed fear.


"No!" he whispered but his broken body would not respond. "NO!" he shouted madly with a sudden force and then his body fell limp to the floor.

Kaine stared at the body for a few seconds before coming to a decision.

And as he bent down, he noted the Jedi groaning as they slowly came to their senses.

*

Full Circle...



“Damn.. that’s a fine looking ship” Jaero murmured in admiration and began to stand up. “I’m thirsty.. Want anything?”

Hersch was still staring when he shook his head, turning slightly, his eyes still remaining on the flagship. “Not thirsty. How about some food?”

“Food?” Jaero chuckled to himself. “I’ll see what—“

The Control Tower’s lights suddenly turned a blue hue and a piercing red light drew their attention.

“What the-?“



And outside their viewports, set against the crystal beauty of Imperial Center and surrounded by passing support ships and patrolling TIEs..




..the Galactus exploded.

*

The shuttle had been caught in the gravimetric wave of the exploding warship as it was leaving.

Grand Marshall Simon Kaine opened his eyes, wiping the blood from his brow as he felt the shuttle jolt as if something had attached itself from the outside. He began to smell a burning aroma as flashes appeared in a circular fashion against a wall and soon troopers and medics were coming though the hollowed out opening.

Six younger people in black and gray uniforms and an unconscious Regent were sprawled on the floor with the pilot's seat being occupied by the Marshall himself.

Captain Quinn entered the craft stepping around the attending medics and raised an eyebrow to a tired Simon Kaine as he put a cloth to his own brow.

"Get him to a bacta tank, Captain." he said in exhaustion, answering Quinn's unspoken question (for now).

*

The tank bubbled and swirled as the body inside underwent the healing miracles of the bacta liquid. Shadows fell across the surface of the transparent glass as the injured was unaware he was being watched.


Grand Marshall Simon Kaine stared intently at the floating figure of Daemon Hyfe, his mind lost to the events that transpired mere hours ago.


"Something has happened, Quinn." he murmured as the Captain walked up. Quinn, one of the three leaders that served with him on Sotel those many decades ago.

Admiral Chandler was overseeing the mess the destruction of the Serapis had created along with the cover story of the Marshall's own injury.

The fate of the Regent in the balance as those in the Empire feared him lost to the destroyed warship. A warship that the public thought was the Galactus.

In fact, that was supposed to happen.


The loss of control Hyfe displayed throughout these latter years had become a growing concern. A threat to render the machinery of the Empire inert.

Simon had always held out hope that his friend and mentor would have pulled himself out but upon finding out that their Regent was behind the assassination attempts on Grand Moff Zell, the reality of Hyfe solidifying his position and power motivated Kaine to action. The fact that Hyfe himself revealed being behind the vicious attacks upon Theren Gevel's Bastion Conclave merely justified Kaine's plan further.

Hyfe was supposed to have been vaporized with the Serapis and Simon Kaine would have assumed the title of Emperor, pushing forward the final aspects of the self perpetuating political entity of Empire.


"I would have shot him, Quinn. And everything would have been different."


"If not for that creature from the future?" the Captain commented still trying to wrap his mind around the tale the Grand Marshall had relayed.

"The Empire survived even my eventual death, Quinn. The plan would have worked."

"And now?"

"Now.." Kaine whispered. "The creature's meddling distracted Hyfe. The self destruct of the warship drove the madness away where everything else failed."

"Then history has been changed, hasn't it?"

"I wonder, Quinn. I wonder. What Tale of Endings would have transpired if not for the future intervention? Would the cold hand of time make our crown of victory weigh heavily? How long does our war last?"

Kaine sighed. "Now everything is different."

His eyes watched as the figure within the tank twitched as if in a dream. "Hyfe lives and our Tale of Endings has changed.


But to what?"

He turned to the Captain. "To what?"

***

The Former Grand Marshall, Simon Kaine, now simply the Commander of the Imperial Armed Forces walked into the chamber from his interviews. The Empire had breathed a collected sigh of relief at the information that Hyfe had survived.

And, as Daemon Hyfe healed, the birth of policies and organizations transpired to integrate the society of the Empire into a tighter knit entity that would perhaps prove to be impervioius to any threat of rebellion, whether external or internal.

The New Order's Mandatory Initiatives.

The Jedi Corps.




He stopped as the door to the chambers opened and Daemon Hyfe stood before him dressed in white.


Kaine knelt. "My Lord, it is time."


Hyfe nodded and motioned Kaine to rise. "I will not forget your contributions to my Empire, Commander."

Simon Kaine silently rose as Hyfe began to walk towards the bright light in front of him.

Hyfe murmured, "The state of our Empire is strong." A smile appeared. "I liked that phrase."


And I will not forget your treachery, orphan!


Daemon Hyfe walked into the light and into focus came hundreds of thousands of voices.


"Citizens of the Empire!" came the voice of the Royal announcer. "Daemon Hyfe, Emperor of the New Order!"


The rows upon rows of soldiers and officers stood at attention as the 2nd Emperor of the Galactic Empire advanced to take his place in the annals of Imperial History.

*

But to what future?

END