SSD Midas

The deep hum of power buzzed quietly through the corridors of the immense space black Executor-Class Super Star Destroyer as Union cronies went about their business and the mobile headquarters of the Union carved its path through deep space, always staying out of sight of the galaxy. Several Committee members were on board, several always were, making personal reports to the Chairman about their own businesses, knowing that the Chairman likely might already know, his own spies spread carefully throughout the Union as well as carefully inserted into many other organizations. The real focus though was upon the holding cells currently, creatures were held here primarily for either torture or execution. One being, in particular, sat within his cell, in the darkness, quietly rocking back and forth in the far corner.

How long have I been here? They've already done so much to me, but they can't stop the Shift, oh no, I'll bring about the change... it is inevitable...

The being gave an insane little chuckle at this thought and then looked up, hearing the sound of footsteps outside of his cell. He paused and looked up as the door slid open and a small group of Union guards stepped in, the being chuckled again.

"Already time for my next beating?"

"On the contrary, time for your release, Birka."

Birka Zaphyr looked in shock as the white suited Chairman stepped into the room, his white suit and shoes quite distinct in the dark cell. Birka could see the Chairman's eyes upon him, looking at the mutilated face that had been created out of the daily beatings and torture sessions the Union had put this man through.

"Release? After all I know, you're just going to release me?" Birka asked and laughed, his laughter going from sane to the opposite very quickly.

"Indeed, because you aren't going to tell anyone about the Union," the Chairman replied.

"Oh really, what are you going to do? Pull my tongue out and cut my hands off?" Birka gave another burst of insane laughter.

"Oh no, we've decided to fund the Galactic Shift."

The laughter stopped. Birka stared at the Chairman in disbelief and then laughed again.

"I must be asleep and dreaming! You'd never make a deal like that! You told me I'd be in here..."

"Til I found a use for you," the Chairman said calmly with a cold smile.

"Ooooooh, what's happened? Something serious if you're willing to let me loose, the Empire gone and pissed you off?" Birka laughed again, this time though there was no trace of insanity, only a deep and serious ruthlessness to it.

"The Empire has been, how shall we say, intruding on Union affairs. It obviously does not know this but that is no excuse to me. I'm letting you loose to set out to do what you intended."

"I knew this day would come, when my great cause could finally be recognized and come into full being," Birka's eyes glazed over a bit but he still smiled.

"Indeed, so it is time for you to return to the galaxy and begin your New War, Birka."

The Chairman smiled and turned, leavingh the Union guards to pick up the battered, broken man and carry him off to the medical station.

One Week Later

Birka Zaphyr sat quietly in his makeshift headquarters on Courscant within the lower levels, quietly wrapping his head in clean, white bandages. As he did so, his lieutenants sat before him, watching in quiet awe as their mutilated leader calmly covered the scars given to him by the Union, humming an oddly cheerful tune as he did. Once completely wrapped, he reached down and placed the black sunglasses on, hiding his eyes completely. Those there merely watched, waiting for their leader to address them, to send forth the wrath of the Galactic Shift upon the Empire. Birka held them with his hidden gaze and then spoke for the first time.

"Brothers, our time has come at last! The Galactic Shift will now finally be able to reach out and strike that which has been in place for too long. The Empire has grown fat and greedy with its conquest, hurting billions of beings in its efforts to control everything. Now is the time to strike! Now is the time to kill! Now is the time for the New War!"

The lieutenants grinned the grin only those with no real love for the lives of others could have. They were all in it for the killing really, but those below them didn't know that. The thoudsands of poor slobs bought into the Galactic Shift's ideals like crazy, even willing to kill themselves to further the movement. Few people could achieve such fervor, but Birka Zaphyr was, if anything else, charismatic. His speeches, spread secretly through the black markets had reached many ears and the cause was growing throughout the worlds of the Empire. The Galactic Shift had only been small for a while, especially after Birka disappeared. No one but he knew where he had been, what had given him all the scars. However, that did not matter, the speeches were being dispersed again, Birka Zaphyr was back and his following was growing.

"All praise the Shift!" Birka said with a raised fist.

"All praise the Shift!" the lieutenants replied and did the same.

"And now, brothers, let us see just how well the Empire can defend itself from all those people it has hurt, all of our brethren."

Two Days Later
Imperial Plaza

A man dressed in a somewhat bulky coat walked calmly to the center of Imperial Plaza and put down a small stand connected to a miniature holoprojector and speaker system. As he did so, several stormtroopers approached but found he curiously had the necessary media pass, then again stormtroopers were not the best at recognizing forgeries. Left to finish setting up, the man clambered onto the stand and activiated the system. His image appeared above the plaza as he began to speak.

"Brothers and sisters! Hear me! For I am a messenger of the Shift! We are all oppressed by an unfair and unjust government! Controlled only by fear! Fear of what will happen! Fear of suffering! But fear no more! Rebellions have failed before, but we of the Galactic Shift shall not! We shall bring the Empire to its knees! We shall strike out and destroy the Empire! Piece by piece! Planet by planet! Nothing shall stop us...."

"Grab him!"

A squad of stormtroopers surged forward, grabbing the man off the stand, not noticing he wasn't even fighting them.

"The New War is upon you all!"

The man laughed insanely and pressed the small remote he'd been holding in his hand, setting off the harness of thermal detonators he had been wearing beneath his bulky coat. The explosion was immense and vaporized everyone within the blast radius, leaving a large smokeing crater directly in the center of Imperial Plaza as well as knocking over the small monuement they'd been close to. Black smoke billowed into the skies, a people ran and screamed, the ensuing chaos immense. This was the first act but not the last as the Galactic Shift began the New War.

...or, to be fair, that is what would have happened if things were thought out a bit more. But, alas, for the union..or the galactic shift or whatever crack-pot organization who thought simply calling himself "an organization".

The attempt of this so-called galactic shift left many holes in their so-called planning.

It was evident to the lowest member of Imperial Intelligence that no one could simply penetrate security within an Imperial District of Coruscant with only a fake press pass.

The press on Coruscant was a tightly controlled and managed system and was a war machine in itself. A propaganda war machine.

No one spoke out loud in public the way these fools from the galactic shift were attempting too. The purchase of holoprojection equipment as well as an attempt to tie into the Official INS News Stations was flagged by the ISB as well as Imperial Intelligence.

The pickup was never made as the crews were arrested.

Typically, such equipment was purchased outside Imperial Districts but then one would have the problem of transporting it to Imperial Districts but we won't go into that. The galactic shift never got that far into their planning.


This group (for one cannot deign to call it an organization, given it's lack thereof) also never quite realized just what the Black Market was.

It was a market outside of official trade centers and for the most part unregulated. The Empire tolerated such things for the higher-ups had appetites for things that could not be purchased or barted through official channels. Also, black market kick-backs were enjoyed by Imperial Officials to look the other way and were an excellent source of secondary income.

This group called the shift did not seem to know the nuances of black market commerce and such a lack of knowledge made doing business with them for any black market entrepreneur.... well, just plain stupid.

The black market is also not a news and information service. The scattering of idiotic messages that amounted to: Galactic Shift Good/Empire bad! was something to attract notice. The thought that people would want to forward these types of messages to "all the worlds of the Empire" without some form of massive upfront payment is plain stupid. And what form should this message take? Paper? Datapad? Purchasing airtime on a local holonet that's monitored by INS?

Not only did this organization not pay but it to distribute this message in a week to every place in the Empire? Such piss-poor planning indeed. Some planets you couldn't reach in a week, let alone search for small brained individuals to be suckered by the nonsensical messages.

Of course the Empire was bad! So why piss them off?

If a citizens were down on their luck, the last thing they needed was more problems from the Empire? Why flirt with bad luck because, in the end, the galactic shift offers nothing.


Why die for nothing?

If there was a religious element, then maybe such idiocies could be explained but an unsanctioned religious element within the Empire would alert the parishes of the Citadel and thereby alert the IHC. And unsanctioned religious groups did not want to come under an Inquisition from the Citadel.

All in all....suffice to say, this so-called New War died before it was even born.

Arrests were made and the 20+ members holding secret meetings at bedrock level were summarily executed.



Perhaps the second act of this ill-thoughtout play would hold more promise with those subscribers to Terrorist Weekly.
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Birka Zaphyr sat calmly in his makeshift base, listening quietly to what his men said, failure to distribute the most recent tapes was nothing, the ideal would still spread. People were stupid, they searched for hope anywhere and the poorly planned attempt on Imperial Plaza had simply been a message. The Empire was large, the Empire had manpower, it also had intelligence, but it wasn't insane, a severe distinction between it and Birka Zaphyr.

"It's all going along, brother. The Imperials are doing what they are so good at, controlling the situation," reported one of the lieutenants.

The others merely nodded and watched Birka, whose hands idly tapped on the desk in a rather rhytmical tune. He was not upset about failure, he'd gotten over being upset about anything after the Union got through with him. Courscant was but a message, perhaps the Empire thought the Shift was stupid, it's leadership pathetic from this obvious and poor planned action. It was just a calling card. Things were moving slowly, the Shift would quietly rear its head again, much more subtley every time, but it would do what it had to. What the Empire could not grasp was that some people became absolutely fed up with authority, to the point where they would do anything. The Shift would use that pent up hatred and frustration for there were many men and women who had lost family to the Empire.

"Do you think the Empire will learn anything?" asked another lieutenant.

"No, they arrested the peons, the idiots who know nothing. Not even pocket leaders know much, they are all pawns. The only thing the Empire will get out of them is the drivel I keep spewing out to rally followers to our cause. The Empire is arrogant, they'll assume we're fools after the Plaza attempt, think we'll do something stupid like that again. We'll only prove them wrong with the next attacks."

"But, brother, what of our message? How are we to spread it? The Empire has a lot of control over commerce, even the illegal part. They also have a hold on the holonet in their space"

"So they do, but such control leaves gaps. I have already sent out others to preach the word of the Shift. You see, brethren, they will think they have stopped us, before the real war begins. Imagination is everything, which most Imperials lack on specific issues and areas of thought. They are grand conquerors, oh yes, so very grand, but they do not fully understand hatred, they know xenophobia, but not pure, burning hatred. Hatred for them. It is why the Rebellion was so successful, thus it is why the Shift will succeed. Emotion is everything, control is nothing. We will strike again and the next time, it will be the true attack."

The men nodded and then left, leaving Birka alone in his chamber, humming before turning as a figure wearing a two tone mask walked in, looking around calmly, moving quietly.

"Quite intriguing, so you wish to lull the Empire into a false sense of security with that failed attempt?" Omega Thrax asked.

"Oh yes, they'll pass us off as nothing. You see, they don't even know I'm here, on Imperial Center, they arrested a bunch of half-wit followers who know nothing. I merely did it to provoke them. The shift is a web of pocket groups, none of them ever know much, they just follow instructions. Attempting something so stupid as a hit on Imperial Center for any real reason is worthless, but I did it just to let them know that people are still willing to try to hurt them. Poor fellow they caught, he'll scream for ages probably before they execute him."

Birka gave a maniacal laugh and Omega Thrax eyed him curiously.

"I assume this is the mental state known as insanity?"

"I don't consider myself insane, just enlightened. The lives of my followers mean nothing to me, just as long as they do their job."

"Indeed, the Chairman sends word that he hopes your next attacks will be more... effective."

"Oh, they will, I'm not hitting here again, I'll be away from Imperial Center within an hour. The Empire will assume its won, strut and fluff its feathers, and then, the Shift will strike. For now though, I must depart, my transport awaits and I have a busy schedule, you know. Bombings to plan, people to slaughter," Birka said with another manical laugh.

"Very well, I'll inform the Chairman of your strange methods, Mister Zaphyr.

Birka Zaphyr merely nodded and left the bare chamber, idly walking to a turbolift that took him out to a waiting Corellian freighter bound for another world. The New War was still in motion, the Empire just was foolish enough to think its new adversary had the IQ of a nerf, all thanks to the failed attack. What was thought and what was really there were always two different things.

Meanwhile, the stock for gauze wraps goes up and Bacta salesmen complain.