CHAPTER TEN
“I am most impressed with the progress you have made, my apprentice.”
Kneeling before the holographic form of Supreme Leader Snoke, Kylo Ren lifted his head up to see what he hoped was a genuine smile on his master’s scarred, twisted face.
“In a matter of days, you have successfully gotten rid of three Sith from the failed order of the one who called herself Darth Sedriss,” Snoke went on. “Most impressive.”
“I eliminated Vizun Naris and Su Koda, but Tyr Valmar still lives,” Kylo Ren replied. “However, I do not believe he will be posing a threat to us any time soon.”
“Yes, yes, I am aware of Valmar’s… condition. I have just heard word that the Houses of Serenno have already removed him from power and replaced him with a new Count. I’m certain they will be able to take care of him for us.”
Kylo waited a moment for his master to continue speaking. When the Supreme Leader said nothing further, the Knight of Ren then said, “I have discovered the possible location of Darth Sedriss herself, as well as the insurgent Taral. They are on a planet called Damosus.”
“Damosus,” Snoke repeated, stroking his chin. “I believe that is in the Tralon system, is it not?”
“Yes, master. It is deep in the Ojoster sector, not far from Taris.”
“Interesting.” The ghost of a smile twitched onto Snoke’s lips. “Do you plan on going there?”
Kylo shifted slightly. “I do,” he answered, choosing his words carefully. “You gave me the task of eliminating whatever remained of the Sith legacy. Once I eliminate Darth Sedriss herself, as well as the man who usurped her, then the last remnants of Darth Vorath’s Sith Order will have been swept away.”
“Not quite,” Snoke said. “There is one last target I will have for you in that regard. But I will save it until after you have taken care of Sedriss and Taral.”
“Why not give it to me now?” Kylo asked, only to immediately regret it.
Snoke’s eyes narrowed into slits. “You will understand once I give it to you. But first, Sedriss and Taral must be eliminated.”
Kylo bowed his head. “Yes, master. And what of the remaining three? Viron, Voldess, and Reaper?”
“They can be dealt with in time. Once Darth Sedriss is no longer in the picture, they will have little to no motivation in putting their failed Sith Order back together.”
“By your will, it shall be done, Supreme Leader.”
“So it shall,” Snoke muttered, before his holographic image faded from view.
As Kylo Ren rose to his feet, an alert came from his chamber’s comm.
“Lord Ren,” came the voice of General Enric Pryde, commander of the Steadfast. “We have arrived in the Tralon system.”
“Prepare my shuttle, General Pryde,” Kylo Ren responded. “We have an appointment with Governor Varonus that cannot be missed.”
* * *
“General Hux has already begun the occupation of Lothal. General Engell is moving the Absolution to the Tion Cluster. Generals Quinn and Parnadee are on standby for transfer once our positions in the Dominus, Ojoster, and Tion sectors are secure.”
General Enric Pryde listened to Admiral Griss’ report as he stared out the viewport of the Steadfast, gazing upon the world of Damosus. So far as he knew, the planet itself had not much strategic value, at least in comparison to other planets in the sector such as Taris and Denova. However, the planet was ruled by a governor who had been installed by the Empire nearly sixty years ago and had remained in that position even after the fall of the Empire. Due to its remoteness, it was unlikely that the people of Damosus were even aware that the Empire was no longer in power… and provided the Supreme Leader’s plans came to fruition, they would perhaps not even notice the difference when the First Order took its place. Should the governor of Damosus agree to align himself with the First Order, then subjugating the rest of the sector would be made even easier. And even if he did not, he was old enough to be quietly replaced without stirring too much unrest among the populace.
Still, there was one thing about this whole operation that had thrown Pryde for a loop. Just as the Steadfast had been about to depart for Damosus from Skorrupon, a TIE silencer carrying the Supreme Leader’s assassin, Kylo Ren, had dropped out of hyperspace from along the Hydian Way and requested a pickup, before ordering Pryde to take him with them to Damosus. Unsure if Ren was acting on the Supreme Leader’s orders or not, as he had not been informed beforehand, Pryde had nonetheless complied, knowing better than to get on the Knight of Ren’s bad side. He had heard enough second-hand accounts from officers under his command to know that Kylo Ren was a… less than emotionally stable individual, to put it lightly. He could only hope that Ren’s presence would not jeopardize this operation.
Once Admiral Griss had finished his report on how the operation was proceeding, Pryde thanked him before turning sharply on his heel and striding down the bridge, heading for the turbolift that would take him down to the hangar bay, where his and now Kylo Ren’s command shuttle awaited. He made a silent prayer for the success of the mission as the lift descended through the levels of the Star Destroyer.
* * *
Ever since its founding five thousand years ago, the settlement of Roth’s Town had served as a safe haven for those who did not fit in the more prestigious cities of Damosus such as Alon and Raln. Even after the fall of the Great Houses of Tralon, those cities had remained exclusive to the remaining nobles and upper-class individuals who had continued to rule Damosus under the guidance of Governor Paron Varonus for over two generations. Only Roth’s Town had managed to remain free from their control and its residents had practically formed their own civilian government, assembling a council that made its own decisions free of the governor’s influence. It was also one of the only settlements on Damosus where non-humans were allowed to live peacefully rather than suffer oppression or serve as exotic attachments to wealthy socialites.
Indeed, even as a child, Varon Sendor had always felt the most at home in Roth’s Town, an impression he never felt when visiting any of the larger cities. The settlement had served as the Sendors’ home for over two hundred years after they had been forced to relocate from Alon following the shame and humiliation that Count Damus Sendor and his relatives had brought to the Great Houses’ reputation. The Sendors had lived in reclusion ever since, though they had briefly reentered the public eye when his uncle’s cousin Naya overthrew the then-reigning Count of Tralon during the Clone Wars and made way for a Separatist sympathizer to assume the throne. After the Empire came in and took over the planet themselves, the other Sendors were quick to disassociate themselves from Naya and her actions, to the point that even her very name was considered verboten in the Sendor household.
For many years, Varon had never known about Naya or indeed much of any of his family’s history. After killing his uncle and brother and leaving to be trained as a Sith, he had sworn off the very name of ‘Sendor’ and had instead adopted the name of ‘Krul’, derived from the ancient Sith Lord Kaox Krul. After finally turning his back on the Sith following the Battle of Mandalore and returning to Damosus, he had decided to reconnect with his roots and delve into his family’s history. His partner Lysira had also helped him in that regard, seeing as she had been part of the same dark side cult that Naya Sendor had been. While he had made much progress in the past year, uncovering ancestors of his that dated as far back as the Old Sith Wars, there was still much more to be found, gaps to be filled.
Unfortunately, he did not think he would get a chance to fill in those gaps any time soon.
He had been in the market plaza of Roth’s Town, accompanied by his wife and five-year-old son, when he had spotted the Star Destroyer in the sky. Judging by the distance and the angle, it appeared to be headed for the capital city of Alon, which was hundreds of miles away from Roth’s Town. Even so, he could still see it as clear as day and distance alone did nothing to lessen the feeling of dread that was now taking over him.
He glanced at Lysira, who shared his expression of disquiet, and she quietly set down the basket of food she had been carrying before tugging on her son’s arm.
“Come on, Kalon,” she said. “We have to leave.”
“But we just got here,” Kalon whined.
“We can always come back another time,” Varon said, knowing that it was a lie. “Let’s get back to the speeder.”
Without further complaint, Kalon followed his parents as they pushed their way through the busy plaza.
* * *
“I must say,” said Paron Varonus, governor of Damosus, “that this is a most surprising but very welcome visit.”
“I’m sure it is,” General Pryde said stiffly, standing before the governor in his office. Kylo Ren stood beside him, hand hovering over his lightsaber, while a squad of stormtroopers flanked the governor from either side of his desk. Varonus did not appear intimidated however, leaning back in his seat as he clasped his withered hands over his round stomach.
“To be quite frank with you,” the governor went on, “I had come to the impression that the Empire had forgotten about us. I believe the last time I heard from Moff Dradon was… forty-five years ago? Fifty? Something like that.”
“Many things have happened in the past few decades,” said General Pryde. “The Emperor has long since passed and someone else now sits on the throne. However, our capital of Coruscant has been taken by a group of rebel insurgents and we have spent the last forty years fighting to take back control. In recent months, we have begun making progress towards restoring our Empire and it will only be a matter of weeks before the galaxy is ours again.”
“Splendid!” Varonus exclaimed. “So what brings you here to Damosus then?”
“Your planet provides us with a strategic point from which we can take back control of the sector, along with its neighbors, from the rebels. If you would have us, we would like to set up operations here on Damosus so that we may carry out the will of our Supreme Leader.”
The governor spread his hands. “You don’t even need to ask. Damosus has been a loyal ally of the Empire for half a century; regardless of whoever is in charge, that fact will never change so long as I am governor.”
Pryde smiled thinly. “That is good to hear, Governor Varonus. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.”
“Of course, General. It would not be very prudent for me to—”
With a sharp gesture from Pryde’s hand, the stormtroopers raised their blasters at Varonus and opened fire. As the eighty-year old governor slumped lifelessly in his seat, General Pryde turned on his heel to face Kylo Ren.
“I will arrange for a figurehead to be installed in the governor’s place,” he said to the Knight of Ren. “They will keep the populace in check while we proceed with the next stage of operations. Will you be joining us in that?”
“Eventually,” Kylo Ren said vaguely. “I have a more personal matter to take care of here on Damosus. But once that is settled, I will be rejoining for the rest of Damosus’ takeover.”
Pryde nodded curtly. “Very well, then. I shall inform the Supreme Leader that—”
“General!” A young woman in the uniform of a First Order officer barged into the room, snapping off a sharp salute. “We’ve just received word from our agents on Coruscant.”
Pryde raised an eyebrow. “And…?”
“It is done, sir. Operation: Upheaval is a success.”
At this, both of Pryde’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Even Kylo Ren was tilting his head in a display of interest.
“So it has already begun then,” the Knight of Ren said quietly.
“Yes,” Pryde replied, allowing a genuine smile to appear on his face. “So it has.”
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