Kaine silently watched the officers leave to their respective vessels. He turned and started to walk down a silent corridor, his boots clicking on the smooth surface of the floor.

Ciscero was staring out a port at the planet down below.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Yes, Ciscero, we sweep the board clean and set up the "Game of a Thousand Systems". The game that will determine the galaxy's fate.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"The military leaders are sometimes too trained, I feel." Ciscero said as Kaine approached. "They were too enraptured by the grand plan, they did not ask the most important of questions."

"And those are?"

Ciscero turned to face the General. "What about the seventh planet? What about the first two gates?"

Kaine looked hard at the Intel man and then smiled, which, truth be told, made the years fall from the General's face.

"Tell you what, Intel. Let's find out."



**


Satikan was continuously receiving reinforcements but even Ciscero was surprised by their numbers. His gaze watched as the 2nd gate was activated and it's surface turned water-like.

His trained eyes saw the many groups of specialized people awaiting the order to go though.

Kaine walked up. "Ready?"

Ciscero nodded gravely and before he crossed the event horizon he inhaled.



**


The room was not very big, but Spartans had already moved ahead of the General and Intel agent in defensive measures. The room was dimly lit, dust and the smell of stagnation reigned.

"This looks familiar..." Ciscero started.

But they were already moving out of that room to make way for the influx of soldiers, scientists, and support crews.

A sense of deja vu overcame the Intel agent as he vaguely began to recognize where they were.

And suddenly, it hit him.

"You have got to be kidding me?" he accused.

Kaine raised an eyebrow. "We are not ready for this pursuit yet, but we will be ready when the time comes."


"But how.."

"Do you really think with Thrawn gaining large stretches of space in the Unknown Regions for our Emperor, the Emperor wouldn't realize certain... ahh.. potentials?"

"He had one put here.."

"He did indeed. And now, it pays off."

"We could operate here indefinitely right under the noses.."

"When the pawns are put out, without powerful foundation pieces protecting them, of what use are the stretches of space they aquire?"

Kaine's eyes grinned. "And here, a foundation is laid. This is just the beginning."


"Siennar District.." whispered Ciscero as he noted a path prevously travelled, and the same fallen buildings... the testaments of how far decay had set in.

A hundred soldier and support crew poured through with their assignments already issued.

Then another hundred.


Then another...


and another..


and another..

Freughte.

A swirllng mass of green forests and lakes, overlapped with whisps of grey clouds-not white, no, for it was always ready to rain on some part of the planet and doing it on another.

This jaden gem sat at the middle of three lifeless moons, rotating around her in a most lazy fashion, one not even rotating on its own axis, a notion not common in the universe. Just beyond was the rest of the system and the dying star at its center.

Colonel Desaria admired its beauty and splendor. Then he looked to port.

There drifted the burning, charred, and flaiming debris of a Carrack-class Crusier, what was once part of the Brass Portectorate Fleet. Now, it floated on no power on a constamtly changing axis, jettisonning debris and flame into space. Actually, one could not even tell it was a Carrack Cruiser if not for the cylindrical shape and relative size. Desaria remembered the two squadrons of Clawcraft that had rocketed out of the planet's atmosphere, ignoring the ahil of fire raining down at them and then the missiles they launched at the helpless Cruiser. The fusilade had overwhelmed her, for the missiles were more powerful than they should hjave been.

The fighters were destoyed. But so were eighteen of DEsaria's own and nine hundred and sixty-seven lives on the Namorsa.

At all scans, there were no more Chiss in the system. Thus DEsaria had rboken his Fleet into its component patrol groups to chase about the system and route the others-there <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> were<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> others, and Desaria knew it. This was their base, and just two squadrons would just not do.

The Command Group now orbited Freughte, its canners going out in all directions, feeling for any sign of live not on Freughte, no, they would eal with that base soon enough.

Then, without warning and to the chargrin of those to arrogant to admit it, the fabric of space ripped apart near the starboard bow of the Command squadron. And out came...

" Two ships! One, Star DEstroYer-ish, and a small corvette sized craft. We're also tracking about forty Clawcraft."

Desaria needed not ask what Destroyer-ish meant, he had eyes. It was more slender than the Imperial-class, but longer than the Victory-class, and had an aft hull protrusion like the old Acclamators.

" All weapons armed. Keep all sheidls even. Deploy one Defender squad per ship, and an Interceptor squad from each of the Destroyers."

Within moments, the whine of TIEs copuld be heard echoeing throughout the space aorund Freughte as the two fleets moved closer toegther.

Desaria glaned down at the weapons master.

-Fifteen seconds to range.

That he was here again, so .. <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> quickly..<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> amazed even the Intel Agent. In his time, Ciscero had seen a great many things, but this...


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> ... this took the cake.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->


Already, Siennar District was alive with activity. Oh sure, from the outside, the area looked as it always had, as dead as ever, but the interior rooms... these were now losing their musty smell, the gentle hums of portable air circulators working round the clock.

The gate had not closed down since he first stepped through it.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Sith knows how many people are here now?<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->


"Three Legions came over last night," Kaine responded when Ciscero had asked.

At the Intel man's questioning look, Kaine continued. "Before long, we shall have funnelled upwards of up to 20 legions through."

An interior wall started to come down and Ciscero was about to ask what was up with all the interior decorating when a familiar noise came from the gate.

Turning, he saw an AT-ST lumber down the ramp provided by the Imperial Technicians.

"Why has not an Inquisitor come through?"

"I don't wish to tempt the fates just yet. I wish to have an unassailable position first."

"Sir!" a young tech came running up. He had been carefully searching the lower levels. They were already well under sea level, close to what passed as a surface, but as aways, in this place, there was always something under you.

"What is it?" Kaine asked in slight irritation

The man pulled out a ..<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> bone?<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"The scans identified it as Taung."

Kaine's eyes narrowed. "You've found the surface?"

The man nodded vigorously. "It isn't far. There is a compound that is found in many natural ash deposits on some Imperial worlds. It adds credibility to this artifact."

"Indeed." Kaine said, half listening and half in thought.

He came to a decision.

"Show me."

Ciscero noted a company of Spartans move toward the General.

It took all the inner strength the Colonel had not to burst out with emotion, shouting orders and issuing commands that were laced with emotions. But that, other an excellent melodramatic display, would not get the job done any quicker, and would undoubtedly make his men think that their commander was somewhat daft.

" Bring the Intimidator to starboard, ahead one quarter. Attach to us the Rothgar and another Destroyer. Have all other ships fan out and create a perimeter- pattern Sigma-Eighteen. Move six Defender Squads forward and put them in foration around us. Another wing of the launched Interceptors in to move forward also, and to engage the Clawcraft-but only when they have left the saftey of close range to their own ships-Frell knows what kind of weapons they have on there."

" Aye sir." came the chorus of replies...

* * *

Pattern Sigma 18- a plan which entailed that all remaining ships not directly involved in an operation to create a crescent shaped defensive net pinning the prey to something, be it a gravity well or a planet-was executed perfectly. The three Star Destroyers, one Allegiance-class and two of the smaller yet notoriously powerful Imperial II-class , moved forward at a moderate speed, and the rest of the ships created a cul-de-sac which hemmed in the pair of Chiss warhips and their Imperial-like escorts. In a flair of paronia, Desaria detached another of his Destroyers and one of his Dreadnaughts to face aft of the formation in case the Chiss had other resrouces he did not want arriving. Thrawn had a way of doing either what you didn't expect-

-Or what you didn't want done.

The three Star Destroyers closed with the Chiss Destroyer and its corvette attendant. It was obvious whomever had schooled her capitan was Imperial in his ways, for he disptached half his fighters to eliminate the threat of the TIE Defenders, not seeing the Interceptors coming up on the aft of the small detachment.

The range closed between the two enemies, their fighters now battling. The Defenders juked and fought well, but were quickly aided by the Interceptors who found it quick going with 72 of their own number. These Clawcraft had no missiles, and were only shieled versions of TIE/lns.

As the fighters danced over, atop, and beside the grey-washed hulls of the Imperial titans, the range reached zero.

" Fire."

* * *
<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> aboard the Chiss Destroyer Bridge <!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->
-Anur'Ado.

-Aval?

-Chima!

-Kinya!. (turning) Remon'unit'in. Anur'Ado!!!

* * *

Both sets of ships fired at once, their barrages wreaking havoc on the other's shields. Some fighters were caught in the enfilade and were incinerated in a milliseconds. The Rothgar seemed to be the target of the Chis' aggression, so Desaria interposed the Intimidator between the Chiss and hte weakening Destroyer. As her boradside came into view, a wave of fire washed over the Chiss Destroyer. Explosions rocked her as her shields fell, hull plating flew away and goldne flame vomitted into space.

For a moment, the firing ceased, the Imperials having lost track of the Corvette. Then, without a warning, it darted from beneath the scrarred and now drifting hulk of her larger cousin and made for the Rothgar. As she glided past the Intimidator, she lossed a salvo of missiles on the command tower of the stricken destoyer, and where it had once been, debris remained.

Vengefully, ion cannon retaliated, Desaria wanting that ship for his own, only now realizing that it was a missile cruiser. In moments, from the combined fire of the Merciless and the Intimidator, she was subdued. Tractor beams were lcoked onto the Rothgar and control restored at the auxilliary bridge.

The Merciless came about and blasted the drifting Chiss Destroyer to bits, believing the cruiser was enough.

" Now, we land."

* * *

An hour later, transports were bound for the surface of Freughte, under the watchful guns of the Protectorate Fleet...

Freughte was not a teeming metropolis. In fact, the only inhabitants-other than the Chiss-were a completely unevolved species of human. Completely repulsive from scanner reports.

The laughter of the bridge having died down at the holographic display after Desaria remidned them all that their anscestors, several billions years ago, lookeed the same, the busines of battle began. The captured Chiss missiles cruiser had to be subdued and an ingenious officer from the tactical analysis department decided the issue as to how. " Release all atmosphere. But not normally. The droids on board-there are at least a hundred-can be remotely controlled and we can use one to cut a hole in the hull of the ship, venting the atmopshere. Then, the droid can patch it and route remote computer control to me. I will restore atmosphere to the bridge, gunwales, the engine, and a few other places which I think are officers' quarters."

Desaria looked at Captain Vorran, who nodded. Desaria looked down at the young lieutenant. " Execute."

Within twenty minutes, the ships atmosphere had been leaking into space, and what a site that was; from the viewpanes of the Intimidator debris and bodies could be seen flying out into the vacuum of space. One man cheered. When asked why, he said his best friend was on the bridge of the Merciless.

Stormtroopers were dispatched and the ship taken. The young now-lieutenant commander set out to making a completed form out of the puzzle of the Chiss computer system-all the Empire knew of the language was a few translated log entries from the late Thrawn.

* * *

Probe droids were dispatched down into the planet's atmosphere to glean as much information as possible from the surface. They would find where the Chiss were-and destroy them.

Probe droid 00976X-VB7 was responsible for relaying back the coordinates of the Chiss base-right before it dutifully exploded as a squad of blue-skinned soldiers were approaching.

" What do you think, Captain?" Desaria asked, eyeing the holo on one of the transparisteel panels.

Vorran looked up from his terminal in the crew pit. " They're fortifying sir. They've been expecting an attack for some time, and their spatial assault was only a diversion to buy them time."

" That is what I thought, as well." Desaria turned to the special officer sitting at a normally vacant portion of the bridge near the aft control corridor. " Commander Tallox. have your recordings been successful?"

" They have sir. But I only have holorecorders on the warships and fighters. If I am to record and then analyze the coming battle, I shall need to take my team down to the planet with the troops."

Desaria nodded, his gaze now a blank stare into the crew pit. he quickly came to, thinking about how to run the ground operations. " Your team will go in with the first wave. And disperse them, I want every inch of the field covered and not a shot missed."

" Yes si-"

A rather rotund officer then stormed onto the bridge, his uniform the dark tan of the Imperial Army, whose troops had been slected for the assault previously rather than stormtroopers or Fleet troops.

" Colonel Desaria! Why have you not begun landing my troops?" the officer impetuously asked. His grey mustache twitched.

The Colonel turned, slowly and with great measure, to face the Major General. " Major General Aradontin, a pleasure as always." Desaria was merely being nice. After this campaign he would be relegated to a desk in High Command and the Brass Protectorate would be rid of him for good.

The General sneered. " Why haven't my troops begun their landing? You want the planet taken, you can't do it with TIEs and Destroyers?"

" You're right General. Captain Vorran, begin deploying the Army troops immediately. Drop all sheilds to insure better communication, and keep all aerial support aloft, for it cannot win battles."

The eyes widened. " That's sucicide!"

" yes, it is. What's even worse is you suggested it. You want me to begin landing your troops before the rest of my patrol groups have reported in and established an Abolisher field. Without defenses, a Chiss Destroyer could park itself under our prow and pick off every landing barge and transport with great ease. And I would be able to nothing about-except continue to launch your troops towards the planet. -That is, though they would probably never reach the planet."

The General blustered, but was able to keep iron from his words and simply saluted, turned on his heel before a return, and marched away.

DEsaria smiled.

***
An hour later, Abolsiher fields were raiased, the Patrol Groups were in advantageous positions, and the landing could commence. And commence it did.

One, then two, then a dozen troop transports swarmed down to the surface like so many Ithorian wasps, under the murderous hail of the Fleet's big guns. In five minutes, 6,000 Army troops, their officers, and an entire company of heavy walkers, with three supporting light walker detachments, were penetrating the atmosphere of the Chiss sepratist world.

On the surface were three thousand Chiss soldiers-in an excellently prepared and well-dug in position. Four concentric lines of defense had been organized around a rather large hill. On the top was a series of bunkers and communications equipment. No walkers could be found; what could were heavy anti-armor weapons, projectile mortar battereies, and Small-bore concussion missile launchers.

The transports of the Empire came in over the blazing guns of the Chiss and landed around the perimeter. As the hive cam down, massive explosions rocked the ground-Imperial planetary fire at its best. Bunkers exploded, launchers were torn apart, and entire sections of earthworks were seemingly lifted out of the ground and scattered about the landscape. The Fleet had eliminated over a dozen heavy weapons emplacements, as those were the only ones its droid had seen. The remaining emplacements fired in rapid succession, felling shuttles from the sky. Blaster bolts crisscrossed the valley as the Empire moved in.

In twenty minutes, four thosuand of the attacking troops had ben landed and were moving up to distract the first line of defense. And a marvelous job they did.

Their distraction paid of, as well. With Chiss cannon aimed at supporting assault shuttles and light repulsor tanks, gigantic walker barges touched down. Their bows opened as if a steel mouth was yawning, and out marched the jungle-camouflaged splendor of the Imperial All-Terrain Assault-Transports. They formed into two wedges which plodded over the tall grass and weeds, stomping on the enemy when they arived. Their chin cannon never ceased to fire, tearing up whole strips of earth and changing them from lush plant-ridden into barren waste.

The troops on the ground followed the penetrations made by the walkers and vicously assaulted their enemy. Many at virbo-bayonet point.

It was then that the Chis fell back, in a most unorganized way. They ran away from the walkers. Laughing at the aliens, the Imperial followed hotly, until it was too late-

The Chiss had fallen back on either side of the penetration to form entirely self-capable defensive rings. From the side of the hill-one of the bunkers, actually, came a long barreled cannon. It fired only once, its jade bolt striking a walker in the chin. The bow exploded and the rest of the walker fell to one side, crushing dozens of its allied soldiers.

On the other side, the concussion missile batteries that survived now ceased firing at the incoming shuttles and bombarding the walkers. Two more were lain low by the missiles before a frantic call to the Rothgar's starboard gunwales silenced them with a mighty clap from her turbolasers.

There were now four thousand troops on the surface, and two thousand Chiss.

" send in the TIEs."

moments later, three squadrons of TIE Interceptors and three squads of Scimitar asault bombers were wreaking havoc on the Chis, enfilading their entire breadth of defense. They fell back to a final ring around the bunkered hill, and a made a valiant stand. The walkers and their smaller counterparts fired mercilessly, the Army troops attacked with all the courage the Empire could afford.

In another thirty minutes, Freughte was declared secure. Only fifteen Chiss were taken prisoner, one of them a naval ensign and another a major of engineers.

* * *

" That bunkered area is already fortified and we have troops to defend it. land the Inquisitor and his 'team.' let us see what they can accomplish before I send him th gate..."

The battle had been won on the surface of the planet, and now its true conquest began-the submission of the world to the whim of the Empire. The real, true, and powerful Empire.

Two thousand Imperial soldiers had fallen to capture the forested rock. Three thousand Chiss lay dead at the foot of a bunkered hill, pocked with the gaping holes of mortar shells and high-altitude bombardment. It was a testament to the might of the Empire. Nothing, even the Chiss, could stop the ever-growing expansion of the New Order-

Inquisitor Barrius was interrupted in his thought by one of his aides, an Intelligence agent named Rottin. " Sir, we have rounded up the Chiss prisoners."

" Count?" asked Barrius, gazing onto a small lake near the battle zone, upon which the rays of the two visible moons reflected beautifully. It was shame that he could not enjoy these scenes more.

" Fourteen."

" I thought there were fifteen."

The young agent swallowed. " There were. One committed suicide when we were tending to his wounds."

Inquisitor Barrius gave an evil smile, and turned abruptly, striding back towards the bunker where the prisoners were being kept. Once beyond the egde of the forest, the hill was in full sight, with mounds of bodies being incinerated and Imperial troops put into graves-on the order of the Inquisitor.

The small bunker was a dreary place, the stench of death surrounding them-a concussion grenade had eliminated the crew of a repeating blaster inside, and their immolated flesh still infested the area after the corpses' removal. Barrius did not mind-he had spent far too much time in the company of death to become concerned with such things-but he hoped the Chiss might.

" Good day, descendants of Thrawn."

The Chiss tood immobile, at an eerie attention; their faces were impenetrable masks of iron will. They could not be broken. <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Yet.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

Without another word, Barrius drew his outlawed-except to Intelligence-disruptor pistol and strolled down the line to a man wearing a uniform that could be conceived as a sergeant. Barrius raised the pistol to the head of the soldier and fired, all while the eyes of the victim and tormentor met, each showing no emotion. The remnants of the body fell to the floor, and the rest of the Chiss did not move.

Cocking an eyebrow at the lack of reaction, Barrius nodded to the agent at the door, who shut the durasteel cover and lcoked it. Many of the soldiers outside, tending to wounded comrades and gathering weapons could not help but look at the site of the screams and cries of anguish now emanating from the former gun emplacement.

***

Barrius, holstering his pistol stepped outside into the morning air, looked to his left at Agent Rottin. " That went well, don't you think?"

Coughin, the other replied," somewhat sir."

Barrius gave another ominous grin. What is the status of the gate?"

We've found an underground complex benath the bunkers that were using as a command center and dispensary. We're going to move it in there. Our pet scientists are working on the activation sequence on board the Intimidator."

" EXcellent, bring it down. They'll have a better time here, I think. With the proper motiviation, I think it should be operational in three hours. Relay that to Colonel Desaria."

" As ordered sir."




The gate came down as scheduled.


It worked as planned, twenty minutes ahead of schedule.

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> Bedrock... Several meters below Seinnar District...<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->




"Very interesting," the General had murmured as the scientist showed him the artifacts and his eyes flashed silently.


Ciscero looked at the remains but was more impressed with the activity going on around him. At this level, he felt as small as an ant.


"Get the necessary funding from the Education Department... I want to know more.."


"Yes General."


"General!" came a voice from behind. "We've recieved the signal from Satikan. Colonel Desaria's group has reported success!"


"Excellent. Prepare them for my arrival. Come Ciscero, we've wasted too much time here.."


The Imperial Agent silently followed the New Order's General back to the secured confines of Siennar District. The Twentieth Legion group assigned to Sentinel II was already getting settled in.

"Some AT-ST's are being deployed at bedrock level to secure areas important to our plan. However, most of the equipment will be kept at Siennar until we are ready."


"That's why they are being disguised as damaged and old equipment?"

"People believe what they see mostly.." the General replied.

"But how will you disguise a force this large when it taps into the existing infrastructure."

"Ciscero, the existing infrastructure is fragile enough. We will be supported through the gate for now."


The gate loomed above them as Ciscero asked one last question before being enveloped.

"How will you maintain secrecy?"

Kaine actually smiled at that. "By travelling to Krake's Planet and speaking to Director Isard on my own terms. She will be too overwhelmed to be annoyed."


"She will want a part in this.." Ciscero agreed and both men stepped through the gate to arrive on Satikan.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> But what part remains to be seen General.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->



****


<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> Satikan, Asation<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->



"All gates save for Location X and the one under Colonel Desaria's command have been secured by the fleet."


"Excellent. We shall take them to a secured location soon enough." Kaine responded to those running up with reports on operation success and figures.


After taking a minute or so to glance over the reports, Kaine pointed to a gate, "This the one?"

"Yes sir, it's ready."

And both men stepped through to find themselves on Freughte.



***


<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> Freughte<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->


Ciscero had never been on a Chiss world before and was impressed at the order that had been maintained.

"And this is simply a fringe group?" he asked.

A soldier looked up (from Brass Protectorate), "Yes Sir. The records here are amazing. Strategies, tactics, history....this "clan" for lack of a better word until we learn Chiss semantics, was shunned for their adherence to Thrawn's vision."


"Thrawn.." Kaine muttered disgustedly and Ciscero remembered his own time on Ossus.


"Yes Sir. Well, anyway, these "clans" are proud of their heritage no matter the views of other Chiss families .. in fact, they all are llke that.."

"It's a wonder they aren't in anarchy.." Ciscero observed when a scientist looked up.

"Actually, Sir, they are. There are references to the Chiss homeworld being destroyed by ice.."

"Ice?"

"Yes Sir. about..50 - 60 years ago...but it doesn't give a location."


"Natural causes most likely," Kaine said. "An Ice Age of sorts."


"Any reference to attacks on other planets?"


"Yes General. Quite a few of them and coordinates. It seems they only record the attacks by this particular group."

"Reasonable.. what about defeats?"


"Actually, yes. There is one location listed here where they were defeated by The New Alliance....and subsquent raids were similarly unsuccessful. The planet was listed as Onyx.."

"Yes..yes.." Kaine waved impatiently "but what about.."

"I was getting to that sir. In their report it makes mention of a device very similar to the hypergate we dropped here."

"How about a planet Arcadia? And if so, the conqueror?"


The man was silent a moment. "Yes Sir."


"That's what I wanted. All this information has been copied and forwarded to Imperial Intelligence and the Military High Command?"

"Colonel Desaria has seen to it personally."

"Excellent."


"You are chasing ghosts of your past?" Ciscero asked when the soldier had left.


"Yes.. Ciscero. I am. But it's not what you think. There is a plan in place. A plan that Labyrinthine is merely a piece of. There is more to the story of my childhood on Arcadia, Ciscero. Much more... and with that...


...the goals of Grand Admiral Zell, Grand Admiral Hyfe, General Ming and myself will finally... <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> finally<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> reach fruition."


"It all started with the Muunilist attack didn't it?"


"No Ciscero, only the motivation was renewed. It started much earlier... much much earlier.."


The General turned and looked at the Imperial Intelligence agent.

"Ciscero, it's time for you to know your part in all this... and why you cannot inform Isard."


"Wheels within wheels, eh General?"

"All moving the machinery of the Empire.. as the clock for our ascendancy moves ever forward."


"What time is it, General Kaine?"

Simon grinned a tired grin, "Time for Phase II"


"Major! When I've returned to Satikan, have the gate removed from Freughte and returned to the Victory."


****


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Time to correspond with end of Geonosis Campaign<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->


<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> Aboard the <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Galactus<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->


"Sir? We are getting a general recall from the Military Command Center. No reason as to why.... just to report back to port."

"Well, it's time we left anyway. Helm, bring the fleet about and set course for Muunilist. Has the Gree Gate been secured?"


"Yes Sir. Imperial Aid for their natural disaster is no longer required. Self sufficiency has once more been established."


"Poor fools. It was a sad thing for them to undergo."


"What was that?" Ciscero asked as he walked onto the bridge.

"Gree. Their planet suffered a solar flare... destroyed most life on the planet...though some survived."

"Poor @#%$..." Ciscero responded.

"Yes.. poor @#%$ indeed." Kaine said distantly as he stared at Asation one last time.

"Hyperspace in 5.....4.....3.....2...1.... "




And the Sentinel Second Division entered hyperspace for Muunilist.



~ END