And the Galaxy Fought Back

[Kyyrk]

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[youtube]https://youtu.be/fhwcQ-R60BQ[/youtube]​

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FILE RECREATION COMPLETE​

ERRORS: MINIMAL​

ACCURACY: 47% ACCURATE​

SECURITY: STANDARD ENCRYPTION​

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THIS FILE IS THE PROPERTY OF THE CONFEDERACY OF INDEPENDENT SYSTEMS. ANY ATTEMPT TO VIEW THIS FILE WITHOUT PROPER PERMISSION WILL RESULT IN LEGAL ACTION.​

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THE EVENTS DEPICTED ARE BASED ON SCATTERED REPORTS AND SECOND HAND ACCOUNTS. ACCURACY IS SEVERELY COMPROMISED.

THIS FILE IS FOR TRAINING PURPOSES ONLY, AND IS NOT TO BE TAKEN AS ACCURATE HISTORICAL FACT.​

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3637 BEFORE THE BATTLE OF YAVIN.

THE SITH EMPIRE, STILL REELING FROM ITS CONFLICT WITH THE GALACTIC REPUBLIC, IS ATTACKED BY AN UNKNOWN FORCE. SEVERAL OUTPOSTS IN WILDSPACE ARE DESTROYED, NO SURVIVORS.​

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AN UNKNOWN FORCE BREACHES SEVERAL SITH WORLDS, KORRIBAN AMONG THEM. ALL FALL BEFORE THE INVADERS.​

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DARTH MARR LEADS AN EXPEDITION TO WILD SPACE, SEEKING TO UNCOVER THE SOURCE OF THESE ATTACKS. WITH HIM, THE OUTLANDER, BELIEVED TO BE THE VERY PERSON THAT STRUCK DOWN THE SITH EMPEROR DURING THE BATTLE OF DROMUND KAAS.​

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THE EXPEDITION IS DESTROYED​

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SURVIVORS BEGIN TO RETURN TO CIVILIZED SPACE, REPORTING A MASSIVE FLEET OF UNKNOWN ORIGINS.​

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IT IS TOO LATE.​

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WITHIN THREE MONTHS, THIS NEWLY PROCLAIMED 'ETERNAL EMPIRE' HAS DESTROYED ALL MAJOR SHIPYARDS, CLAIMING NAVAL SUPERIORITY OVER THE GALAXY. ONLY SHIPS POWERED BY THE RARE ISOTOPE-5 ARE POWERFUL ENOUGH TO EVADE THE ETERNAL FLEET.​

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3636.​

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CORUSCANT, DROMUND KAAS, AND ALL MAJOR TRADE WORLDS HAVE BEEN BLOCKADED. THE END IS NIGH. THE DARK COUNCIL IS DISBANDED. SUPREME CHANCELLOR SARESH IS REMOVED FROM OFFICE. WITHOUT LEADERSHIP, THE REPUBLIC AND EMPIRE FALL. A CEASEFIRE IS AGREED UPON, AND THE TWO NATIONS DECLARE DEFEAT AT THE HANDS OF ZAKUUL.​

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DARTH ACINA RISES TO POWER, DECLARING HERSELF TO BE THE NEW SITH EMPRESS.​

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SENATOR MADON BECOMES THE NEW SUPREME CHANCELLOR.​

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INSTEAD OF JOINING FORCES, THE SITH AND REPUBLIC CONTINUE TO FIGHT AMONGST THEMSELVES, WHILE ZAKUUL WATCHES WITH DISINTEREST.​

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MAJOR WORLDS ARE SELECTED FROM A NUMBER OF CANDIDATES. ZAKUUL, IN PREFERENCE TO AVOID MILITARY CONFRONTATION, INSTALLS THE STAR FORTRESSES.​

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IN 3631, BOTHAWUI IS DEVASTATED BY THE STAR FORTRESS WHEN IT IS ACTIVATED TO QUELL RESISTANCE. THIS ACT OF TERROR IS MET WITH SILENCE. THE REPUBLIC AND EMPIRE ARE EITHER TOO WEAK, OR TOO AFRAID, TO RESPOND.​

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ZAKUUL REIGNS SUPREME OVER ALL THE GALAXY.​

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FROM THE SHADOWS, AN ALLIANCE HAS GATHERED TO FIGHT BACK. THEY ARE AIDED BY A NUMBER OF UNAFFILIATED PARTIES. GUERRILLA FIGHTERS. LAUNCHING A WAR AGAINST IMPOSSIBLE ODDS. ​

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BOTHAWUI WOULD HAVE BEEN UNANSWERED.​

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BUT THE DESOLATION SAID OTHERWISE.​

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THIS IS HER STORY.​

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Voph stood aboard the Desolation, looking out over the black expanse before him. They had taken shelter at the edge of an asteroid field, where Zakuul Patrols might not find them. The Desolation was one of the few ships capable of fighting Zakuul, and possibly even winning. They'd considered it a victory over Denova. Commenor was a success. But still, they were losing. And unless that Alliance started proving its worth, this war would eventually be over. Six years, they had been fighting without end. Zakuul was strong as ever. But rumors had begun to spread.

The Outlander had returned.

Voph smiled simply at the thought. The Outlander would have once been his greatest foe. His greatest challenge. Yet now, he could only see the Outlander the same as the rest of the galaxy. A hero. Hope that this war might one day end. That one day, the galaxy might be free. Voph turned from the window. That, of course, had been a year ago. With no further news from the Outlander. People were beginning to lose hope again. It had been a long, grueling war. But Voph was determined. The massacre on Bothawui would not go unanswered. That much he knew.

"Section commanders, report to the war room. We have a new target."

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Voph leaned over the briefing table as the others filed in. Imperial and Republic alike. He was no friend of the Republic, nor they of him, but they knew there was a common enemy. Voph was willing to defy orders to do something about it. And that drew sympathizers. There was murmering in the room. Voph was not dressed in his usual garb. Instead, before them stood the hulking brute that many had come to know before the war. An impenetrable wall of beskar and durasteel, the smiling skull of a helmet sitting on the table near Voph's hand.

Voph did not look up as his officers gathered. "I've decided on our next target. Anyone who disagrees with this target will be left on the nearest habitable world."

A somewhat empty threat, as he opened every briefing like this. But this time there was an edge to his tone, one that suggested he wasn't joking. Voph looked up at the nervous shifting and muted coughs. "We're attacking Bothawui."

Cries of disbelief and outrage filled the room. "We'll be slaughtered before we clear the system! Didn't you see what happened to Captain Lark??" Voph let the bickering continue for a moment, then raised his hands, straightening to his full height to signal silence. "My friends. I am aware of the dangers that this...this suicide mission presents. But we are men of the Empire. We are the Emperor's chosen. If not us, who?"

The room fell silent. Voph looked around, arms spreading to his side, inviting someone to speak up. "Who?"

Heads began to hang. No one had the guts to stand up to Zakuul, particularly not a Star Fortress. "We fight for our brothers back home. We fight to show Zakuul that the Sith are not to be trifled with. We fight to give others hope." Voph fell silent for a moment. "And right now, that's exactly what the galaxy needs. They see only the destructive might of the Star Fortresses, and their inevitable demise at the hands of Zakuul. But we have a chance to show them that they are not unbeatable. They are not unbreakable."

"If you've any qualms about the mission ahead, leave now. Our course of action has been decided upon. Helm will set a course for Rishi. Any who do not wish to engage in this fight can leave then. Until then, prepare your people. We set course immediately."

 

[Kyyrk]

Infiltration. Deception. Cunning. Steps had to be taken before the assault could begin. That much Voph knew. But he was beginning to chaff under the delay. The team hadn't reported in. And they were late. Transponders rigged to deadman's switches made for a rudimentary indicator that they were alive and undiscovered. Voph sighed as he leaned over the holotable erected in the small Rishi camp. He wanted to review the plan again. This was bound to be the most impressive military offensive of the war. He just needed to make sure his team could do it. Otherwise it would be the most impressive massacre...

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BOTHAWUI SURFACE​

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0200 HOURS​

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CONTACTS: HEAVY​

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BEGIN RECREATION OF BOTHAWUI SKIRMISH AT THE BUNKER​

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​AGENTS HAVE BEEN SENT BY DARTH VOPH TO INFILTRATE BOTHAWUI AND ASSESS MILITARY READINESS. THEIR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE IS TO SCOUT THE SHIELD BUNKER RESPONSIBLE FOR PROTECTING THE STAR FORTRESS, AND DISABLE IT IF ABLE. THE TEAM IS LED BY AN OLD CONTACT OF VOPH'S, A SENIOR INTELLIGENCE AGENT UNDER THE CODE NAME CIPHER 87. THOUGH CERTAINLY OVERSHADOWED BY THE LEGEND OF CIPHER NINE, EIGHTY-SEVEN WAS A FORMIDABLE AGENT IN HIS OWN RIGHT, AND A NATURAL PICK FOR A MISSION OF THIS SEVERITY...​

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Seven crouched in the bushes, peering through the darkness at the impressive shield pylon that stood before them. His macrobinoculars filtered as much light as they could, but he still couldn't see the finer details as well as he'd like. He was always concerned with detail. Greatly concerned. But the thing that concerned him most was the patrols. If they attempted a broadcast now, they'd be found. And that wasn't in the plan. But he couldn't contact Voph to form a new one.

He leaned back against the tree he was perched against, chewing his lip in thought. He'd known the rather enigmatic Sith since the Dread Wars. The two had worked well together over the last half decade, and right now, Seven was counting on it. He had no time to coordinate with Voph to make a new plan. So he'd have to do the next best thing.

Make a new plan and pray to whatever gods might be listening that Voph caught on.

The guards changed shift in the next five minutes. That's what they were waiting on. Seven stowed his macrobinoculars and clutched his rifle tight. He moved forward to a crouch, and began signalling to the rest of the team. Voph couldn't assault the Star Fortress till the shield was down. Until that time, there would be no reinforcements, no resupplies, and no extraction. They'd have to do it right the first time. There wasn't a second chance.

As Seven's chronometer sounded, he was already sprinting through the darkness, the sounds of his fellow soldiers moving silently behind him. The blast door was their top priority. If they could get inside, they had a chance. From there, they just had to hack into the elevator, take it below to the generator controls, fight past the energy shield barring the way, and shut the generator off. Seven couldn't wait to see how this wouldn't go to plan. A shout was heard, gruff and robotic. A skytrooper had noticed them. A shot rang out, and the alarms began to sound. The blast door was sliding shut. Soon the night was ablaze with the sounds of gun fire, bright flashes of blue and green illuminating the darkness. "GO! Get to the blast door! Don't let it close!"

Seven's rifle came up, firing once, then twice, taking down a pair of Sky Troopers. A shot grazed his shoulder, causing him to stumble, but he regained his footing. One of his men had made it inside. Then another. And a third. Seven launched himself forward to dive through the door right before it shut, sealing them inside. Seven removed the data disc from his belt and held it up at his shoulder, already turned to take a position by elevator to cover the door. Without a word, one of the other operatives took it, and inserted it into the elevator's control panel. They were close....

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BRIDGE OF THE DESOLATION​

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The atmosphere within the Desolation was electric. There was no other way to describe it. The anticipation was visible. Palpable. Even Voph himself was feeling mildly nauseated from the pure adrenaline dumping into his system. It was nearly time. "All stations, standby for departure." Voph looked back to his communications station. "You're sure that's what the message said?" "Aye sir, clear as day. Zakuul Priority One distress beacon from Bothawui." Voph nodded. Only one reason for that.

"Helm, take us to Bothawui. Drop us as close to that station as you can get us."

Voph released a silent sigh to let off extra tension, then held his helmet above his head. "Engage." The helmet lowered over his head, and the familiar snap hiss of locking vacuum seals greeted his ears. Voph pulled his hood up over the skeletal helmet, leaving only the glowing red eyes and fanged smile visible. The twin spikes at his shoulders shone brightly under the lights in stark contrast with the midnight black Beskar Plating. The man was a walking armory, with enough lightsabers, grenades, and other tools to equip a small regiment.

"Once we're through, I want all shuttles ready to depart. Once we have confirmed the shield is down, open fire on the Star Fortress. If intel is able to find a weak spot, shoot it. If not, find one. Strike Team Alpha will launch final offensive against the Station and attempt to find a weakness from within. Remember. Our priority is the destruction of the Star Fortress. Nothing more, nothing less. If our brothers fall today, they will be remembered. Do not let fear or anger blind you. Embrace it. Turn it against those who would enslave us. Show them what it means to be Sith."

Voph fell silent and gripped the hand rail in front of him as the Harrower hurtled through hyperspace. "All hands, prepare for realspace. Arrival at Bothawui in Five! Four! Three! Two!"

Voph drew a deep breath, and let it hiss out. Zero Hour. No time for doubt. No time for panic. Now was the time for action. For valor and glory. For vengeance. For the Empire.