The Rebel Faction

Days had passed since word was heard from Supreme Administrator Sully Anre, since the leader of the armies of the Black Tion Hegemony, General Grevious, made his decision to make his new home here, on Zonama Sekot.

It wasn't really deserving of its name, the High Castle of Grevious. Not in the general's estimation, anyway. Short and dirty, its stonework ill-fitting in places and as alien as the race that had built it, it squatted uneasily between two of the larger crags on what was left of an ancient volcanic cone. Still, with the rest of the rim circling around in the distance, General Grevious could allow that the natives had at least found some good scenery to build their castle on. Their castle, or headquarters, or whatever. It had been a good place for a general to move into, if only because the natives of Zonama Sekot seemed to hold the place in awe. Then too, the dark castle that filled the center of the crater provided a suitably hidden landing site for the Black Dragon Empire's endless stream of supply shuttles for their armament foundries.

But it was neither the scenery, nor the events on Caluula, nor even the Black Dragon Empire that held the general's thoughts as he stood on the castle terrace and gazed down into the rows of newly built hovertanks being inspected by the natives of Zanoma Sekot. It was, instead, the strange flicker he'd just felt in the Force.

He'd felt it before, this flicker. Or at least he thought he had. Threads to the past were always so hard to follow, so easily lost in the mists and the hurryings of the present. Even of his own past he had only glimpses of memory, scenes as if from a history record. He rather thought he remembered someone trying to explain the reasons to him once, but the explanation was long gone in the darkness of the past.

It didn't matter anyway. Memory wasn't important; concentration wasn't important; his own past wasn't important. He could call upon the Force when he wanted to, and that was what was important. As long as he could do that, no one could ever challenge him, or take away what he had built.

This new order of the Black Tion Hegemony.

His new empire.

General Grevious looked around the terrace. Yes. This wasn't the home and world he'd chosen to mold and command as his own. This wasn't Argai. This was Zonama Sekot, where he was waiting for.... someone?

He stroked his mechanical fingers over his silver metal armor, forcing himself to concentrate. His senses felt another was coming here. It was not Sith or Jedi, but another. A warrior in the art of wielding the Force.

He smiled inwardly. Who he sensed felt familiar. But even as he tried to remember in his mind, the details skittered away like straws in the wind. It had been too long ago.

Long ago... like these flickers in the Force had been.

The general's metal fingers slipped away from his polished armor, to the lightsaber dangling on the clip of his mechanized hip. Squeezing the handle against his mechanical palm, he fought against the mists of the past, trying to see beyond them. Yes. Yes, he was not mistaken. These same flickers had come at times before in the past few seasons. Had come, had stayed for a time, and then once again had gone dormant. Like someone who had learned how to utilize the Force for a time, but then somehow forgotten.

He didn't understand it. But it was of no threat to him, and so wasn't important.

Above him, he could sense the Black Dragon Empire fleet in high orbit, far above the clouds where none of the others on Zanoma Sekot would see it. Administrator Anre had now contacted him once more in a wary state... declaring the chancellor had arrived from an unknown source to here, on Zanoma Sekot. A location where no one is supposed to know in the entire Black Tion Hegemony, except within the Black Dragon Empire. The Chancellor of Caluula was to arrive here personally to negotiate terms with the Imperium. He sensed the shuttle of the chancellor descending toward the castle.

The general pulled away from the terrace, and retreated back into the sanctuary of his castle to rest and await the Chancellor's arrival.

Hours later...

General Grevious awakened suddenly, his black-edged dreams giving way to the sudden realization that someone was approaching.

For a moment he lay there in the darkness, as his newly designed metal helmet sank downward and attached itself against his scarred face as he breathed, his mind reaching out through the Force to track along the road from the High Castle to the cluster of spaceports at the base of the rim mountains. It was hard to concentrate-- so very hard-- but with a perverse grimness he ignored the fatigue-driven pain and kept at it. There... no... there. An entourage of natives, humans, and soldiers on transports, laboring over one of the steeper sections of the roadway. The chancellor had arrived. And with the message from the Caluula government. Something trifling, no doubt, but something they felt the general of the army should know.

The entourage below was approaching the High Castle gate now. Reaching out with the Force to call his grey cloak to him, Grevious got out of his sleeping chamber, feeling a brief rush of vertigo as he stood erect. Yes, it had been difficult, that business of taking command of the Black Dragon Empire's ground forces on Lowick, dealing with incapable officers, and dealing with the sudden appearance of the rebels, in which he would have eliminated if it wasn't for the resistance attack on the stronghold. It had gone beyond any previous stretch of concentration and control, and the mental aches he was feeling now were the payment for that stretch.

He clipped the cloak around him, thinking back. Yes, it had been hard. And yet, at the same time, it had also been strangely exhilarating.

General Grevious smiled tightly in the darkness. The chancellor was going to be in for a surprise. Because when the other Force user finally got here, there would be two of them... and who could tell what might be possible then?

The entourage had dismounted from their transports and was standing beside the gate now. They would wait at the convenience of their general, no matter how long that wait might be.

Giving his grey cloak one final tug, General Grevious headed through the maze of darkened rooms toward the door, to hear what his new subjects wished to tell him...

Days seem to pass slowly as the Supreme Administrator of the Black Tion Hegemony had once again returned to the castle of General Grevious on Zanoma Sekot. There were more updates to be discussed, more plans to be arranged and carried out. Sully Anre felt unsettled as he made his way to meet the cyborg general, accompanied by a small entourage of aides and dark-armored stormtroopers.

The Supreme Administrator rejoined the tall, mechanical general on his balcony, sheltered from the brutal weather and heat of Zanoma Sekot and overlooking a huge parade ground. Below them, hundreds and hundreds of polished black-armored stormtroopers, armed with blaster rifles and wearing the insignia of the Black Dragon Empire on their metal chests, marched and drilled with all the precision of programmed droids. Entire formations, each made up of hundreds of stormtroopers, moved as one.

"Magnificent, aren't they?" General Grevious commented with a hint of haughtiness. The sight reminded him of past history of the Galactic Empire and the Clone Wars. Once again, history will soon repeat itself.

Administrator Anre looked toward the mechanical general, to see his eyes glowing with pride as he looked out upon their creation. There were no ethical dilemmas as far as the cyborg leader was concerned, the former captain of the Sleeping Death knew immediately.

General Grevious looked to him, smiling wickedly behind that polished helmet, prompting a response, and the administrator offered a silent nod. Yes, they were magnificent, and the former pirate could only imagine the brutal efficiency this group would exhibit in battle. And with the combined forces of the Farfalen under Kyric Zen, they would soon become the biggest threat the Tion Cluster would soon face.

"So has our beloved chancellor returned to relay our message to the government of Caluula?" Sully had now known of the events that transpired between the general and the official of Caluula.

"He has," Grevious replied bluntly, "and it is most pleasing to know he is well versed in the Force. I hope to encounter him in battle, soon." The cyborg general turned to his superior. "What is the status of our fleet? Are they ready to depart to Caluula?"

"Yes, General Grevious. The fleet has tracked the navicoordinates to Caluula for its jump to hyperspace. Our forces and agents have commenced their journey to rendevous with the rest of our fleet." The administrator replied with a slight arrogance in his voice.

"Excellent. I want Sleeping Death at my disposal when my shuttle arrives here." His gaze met the administrator's as he mechanically sneered.

Sully Anre swallowed tightly and continued. "Is there anything you need before I make my way back to my fleet? I am sure they awaits your presence to proceed to Caluula."

"Indeed," the general replied, his gaze now returning to the parade grounds. "I need our agents, Sij Olith and Zem Renneyn, to investigate the location of a Force user, especially the one named Zen Elara, the Chancellor of Caluula. He has presented to my attention that both the Jedi and the Sith order have taken an interest in me, either to eliminate or recruit. Either way, he needs to be silenced. He may have went underground when I exposed him for who he was."

From the shadow of his grey cape, a small holoprojector appeared in the mechanical palm of the general's hand. An image of a man flickered to life and spun for the supreme administrator to see.

"This is Zen Elara. Our hidden holocameras took this footage of him as he wandered in my castle," the general spoke in his deep, mechanical voice. "It seemed he was taking survellience photos of our arms foundries as he posed as the chancellor. Unfortunate, that what he has taken will not be of any use when Caluula is ours."

He continued. "Your agents will be dispatched to Caluula, Dellalt, and Tahlboor to find Zen Elara and reveal his location. They will then come to Zanoma Sekot to update me on his whereabouts." The holoprojector flickered off and his metal palm slipped back into his cape.

"When I find him, I will put Zen Elara to death."

Adminstrator Anre nodded slightly, "Yes, General. I would certainly hope your efforts in finding him will be noted by Taj Heir Raktus."

"I am sure it will be," was the general's reply. "For the moment, I am sure Zen Elara is on the surface of Caluula, convincing everyone to rally arms and resist our coming. For that, he deserves to die for giving hope to these people, when it is apparent there is none to offer."

A wicked smile flashed again behind the general's helmet.

"For now, return to your ship and begin to prepare our ground forces for loading and departure. I sense my shuttle arriving to take me..."

An unpleasant feeling began to stir in the pit of Lieutanant Polum's stomach as he checked his board's status readout. Thus far, the General's assault onto the surface had lost several TIE fighters and sustained superficial damage to their forces of ground hovertanks and AT-AT's, compared to the Caluulan rebellion's ground emplacements and the Z-95 squadrons. Granted, the Black Dragon Empire vastly outgunned the defenders. And to add, several Action IV transports who attempted to escape the surface, had been successfully tractored inside the Sleeping Death's hangar bays. They had acquired prisoners, as well as needed information and supplies.

But still, Polum had wondered, with a certain private contempt, just what had given Administrator Anre the right to have a Force-user like General Grevious to lead the raid on the educational facility, and as well take control of it? There were many BDE officers who were just as qualified to lead this mission and possibly even carry it out more efficiently. The thought of having a Force-user on board, and now to be soon commanding the entire force of the Black Dragon Empire did not help matters. But he knew better than to question his superior.

"Getting another set of transmissions," the communications officer reported. "It is the last of the remaining updates of our ground forces on the surface. General Grevious and his army have taken more prisoners and are now being transported to our hangar, as well as the weapons caches which were hidden."

"Excellent. If our strike teams have taken the educational facility, have General Grevious head to the capital and make the preparations to spearhead our forces into taking it. Get the Sleeping Death's turbolaser weapon systems online as soon as possible," Administrator Anre ordered.

Shaking away his musings, Polum glanced across the holo. A newly flashing circle was quickly moving away from the surface and the escaping convoy of refugee ships. It was identified as a small freighter and was appearing to attempt a quick escape out of the system. A squadron of BDE TIE fighters were engaging it, trying to prevent its jump.

Polum tapped the comm to the Wing Commander of the engaging squadron. "Commander, I need that freighter crippled," he ordered.

"Belay that," Anre ordered. "He'll make the jump to lightspeed before our fighters can finish the job. They may be in range, but even they cannot prevent its escape. No matter, the planet will be fully ours before any reinforcements can arrive. We might as well let the remnant of the Tion resistance waste its resources rushing useless forces to the rescue. In fact--" the administrator of the Black Tion Hegemony consulted the chrono on the display, "--I believe it's time for us to commence our orbital bombardment of Caluula's capital before our proud general arrives. Order our weapons station to ready themselves and order the rest of the ground forces back to their previous positions to avoid our fire; all turbolaser batteries to target the capital's position as soon as our fighters and ground forces are clear."

Lieutanant Polum tapped keys at his station, giving the Sleeping Death's weapons a quick diagnostics check. "How many cities should we target on the surface, Administrator?"

"As many as possible," Anre told Polum. "According to our intel, that educational facility was the source of the rebellion's hidden weapons cache. With that being compromised, along with our bombardment, and the arriving of the forces of General Grevious, Caluula will have no choice but to surrender."

"So the capital will be taken, commanded by that... Force-user?" Polum murmured, and turned back to his displays.

"I know you are displeased with me using a Force-user to do our bidding," Anre said quietly, as if reading Polum's thoughts. "But you must be aware... Grevious is only a tool in the general aspect of things. Once he has been used, he will be quietly dismissed from our service in the Tion Hegemony and reassigned to help in the subjection of Allied Tion and the Cronese Mandate. For now, I will grant him power to command our forces. Mind you, he has an army to control as well. My troops assigned to the Tion Hegemony are loyal only to me and Heir Raktus. If he attempts anything, the Dameuns will be sure to deal with him."

"Yes, sir," Polum nodded, forcing his voice to remain steady. Administrator Sully Anre had proved time and again that he knew what he was doing. Still, Polum couldn't help but wonder uneasily if the leader of the Black Tion Hegemony recognized the extent of the power he'd recruited when General Grevious came aboard during the Cadinth takeover.

The administrator nodded. "Good. Have our weapons crew painted our targets? And what of our status on the surface?"

"Yes, sir," he nodded. "Status reports have come in from the surface as well. Control of the facility has been restored by our BDE forces and its networks are back online. General Grevious has taken command of the establishment. The remaining rebel prisoners are locked up in the lower levels. Our fighters and shuttles are finally arriving to place them on board."

"Excellent. Resistance will be minimal by this time," Sully said with easy confidence. "As soon as our targeting computers have made the precise calculations, have our turbolaser batteries ready to fire, quickly. Caluula's surrender is inevitable."

"Yes, sir."

Minutes later, the Star Destroyer of the Black Dragon Empire suddenly began to hurl volleys of turbolaser fire onto the surface of Caluula, singeing parts of the capital and laying waste to its inhabitants...


Directly ahead, the star was a marble-sized yellow-orange ball, its intensity moderated by its distance and by the viewports' automatic sunscreens. Surrounding the small freighter were the stars, a spattering of blazing white pinpricks in the deep blackness of space.

And secluded in this sector of Tion space was a small caravan of Caluulan refugees, comprised of three Action IV transports and a YT-2400, commanded by Zen Elara, a Jedi dispatched to investigate the invasion of the Tion Hegemony, who posed as the chancellor of Caluula to conduct his infiltration. The caravan had jumped out of hyperspace and were awaiting the final calculations from the navicomputers to attempt one more jump, before finally arriving at the planet of Dellalt in the Tion sector.

Standing at one of the side viewports of the freighter, Zen Elara watched the star charts as the navicomputer charted the last trajectories that would take them further into the Tion Hegemony. Here, this band of refugees could finally be secure from the ever-prying eyes of the Black Dragon Empire for now. This sector was scarcely patrolled, and was considered the backwater sector of the Hegemony. The caravan had been holding position for nearly an hour. All that was missing now was the order to make the jump.

Slowly, feeling almost furtive about it, Zen turned his head a couple of centimeters to the side. Behind him and to his right, his pilot was seated at his command station, his face expressionless, his eyes focused on the bank of status readouts wrapped around his chair. He hadn't spoken or moved from that position since the attack, and the Jedi could tell the crew was beginning to get restless.

"We're not going to make it, are we?" Zen's pilot finally uttered as he watched the displays.

"You will," Zen reassured. "All of you, will... but not me," he whispered. "He's after me."

"Who?" his pilot inquired.

"Grevious..." he replied, with a tinge of grief from giving hope to those he left behind. "And he won't stop until I am found. For that, you must get far away from me as possible, in order for your passage to be safe."

"What should we do?" the pilot asked again.

"Drop me off on Dellalt," he ordered quietly. "I will wait for him there. General Grevious will make this planet his next target for invasion."

"As you wish, Jedi..." he answered with a tinge of reluctance. He knew better than to convince him to come along. Zen had been a great leader in the Tion rebellion, but now it was time for him to make his stand.

Possibly his last...