From the Archives: Transformers Armada - Rise of Unicron's Heralds

    Something I wrote up for some old fan comics I made a long time ago.

ARMADA: RISE OF UNICRON'S HERALDS

The Great War

   For a time, Cybertron was at peace under the rule of Sentinel Maximus, Supreme Commander of the Autobots. The Autobots were a faction that brought peace and justice not just to Cybertron but to the galaxy as a whole. They were divided into five divisions: medical, military, science, intelligence, and security.

    On one fateful day, a security bot by the name of Megatron seceded from the Autobots, seeing Sentinel Maximus as a weak ruler. He organized a group of like-minded Cybertronians, who came around to calling themselves the Decepticons. Seizing many city-states, the Decepticons overthrew the Autobot government and Sentinel Maximus was murdered at Megatron's hands. With Sentinel's death, the Primes seized command of the Autobots, with Optimus Prime at the forefront. 

    As the war raged, Autobot scientists discovered traces of a substance known as Angolmois, which was widely known as the essence of Unicron, the fabled Chaos Bringer. Not long after this discovery, a Decepticon named Slugslinger joined forces with the mysterious Sideways and awakened the Terrorcons, an ancient faction thought vanquished by Omega Maximus. Under the command of their leader, Scorponok, the Terrorcons robbed Cybertron of its energon, bringing it to a desolate state.

    Knowing that it would be no use in fighting for a dying world, three teams of Autobots left Cybertron in search of energon, led by Optimus Prime, Rodimus, and Bulkhead. Ultra Magnus stayed behind to command the remaining forces on Cybertron.

    Upon discovering the Autobots' departure, Megatron and his Decepticons took pursuit in their flagship, the Nemesis. They eventually followed them to the organic world of Earth, where all three Autobot ships crash-landed. In the midst of the chaos, the Autobot Landmine was captured and reprogrammed by the Decepticons while Jetfire fell into the Terrorcons' clutches. Meanwhile, the Decepticon Shockblast, who had been a prisoner aboard one of the ships, managed to escape. 

   After years without contact from either ship, Ultra Magnus sent his best agent Inferno to Earth. Upon arrival, he defeated two Terrorcons that had been sent by Alpha Quintesson, the true leader of the Terrorcons, and joined Optimus Prime's team.

   Soon, the Autobots on Earth would have more problems to deal with beyond the Decepticons. First, a human with mutant powers (which he channeled through a stick, which apparently made him a "wizard" of some sort) created a robot known as Dragonizer and would become a recurring threat for the Autobots. Not long after that, a third Terrorcon by the name of Cruellock was sent to Earth to retrieve Energon. The Decepticons were not without their own cards to play however, as the tactician Thrust unleashed the giant warrior known as Tidal Wave.

    Eventually, Jetfire was able to free himself from Terrorcon captivity and rejoined Optimus' unit. This was shortly before Optimus himself, along with Megatron, were captured by the Terrorcon Divebomb. Upon escaping, they were confronted by Shockblast and Dragonizer, forcing them to team up and fight them. After dealing with the rogue robots, Optimus attempted to convince Megatron to forgo his evil ways and call a truce. The Decepticon leader refused and returned to lead his army. At some point during this time, the mysterious entity known as the Energon Sun arrived on Earth, biding its time for the right moment to strike. 

    Soon, Unicron and his Terrorcons attacked Earth. Autobot and Decepticon alike were forced to join together to fight off this threat. Eventually, they were able to vanquish the Chaos Bringer thanks to an unexpected (and unintentional) sacrifice: Megatron, who in a craving for power threw himself into Unicron's maw and destroyed him from within.

    Following Unicron's defeat, the Energon Sun found the remains of Megatron and brought the Decepticon leader back as Galvatron. After reclaiming command of the Decepticons from his treacherous lieutenant Starscream, Galvatron confronted Optimus Prime and mortally wounded the Autobot leader. As he laid on his deathbed, Optimus Prime passed the Matrix of Leadership to Jetfire, who assumed command of the Autobots.

    Under Jetfire's leadership, the Autobots were able to defeat the Energon Sun, albeit at the cost of Inferno's life. Afterwards, Jetfire's unit were reunited with Rodimus and Bulkhead's. However, the Sun's demise resulted in the creation of the Black Hole, which eventually came to threaten both Earth and Cybertron. 

    Forming an alliance with Earth's natives, the Autobots constructed Energon towers to transfer energon from Earth to Cybertron. Seeking to stop the Autobots in their efforts, Galvatron summoned reinforcements to Earth and attacked the Autobots. The Autobots were able to hold their ground for a time until an unexpected turn of events: the arrival of the Heralds of Unicron. Led by Sideways. the Heralds infected both the Earth and the energon being sent to Cybertron with Angolmois.

    Realizing that desperate times called for desperate measures, the Autobot sage Alpha Trion, who was secretly one of the original Thirteen Primes, summoned his brother Vector Prime for assistance. With Vector's help, many Autobots who had been injured by the Heralds were rebuilt and Optimus Prime was miraculously resuscitated. The revived Autobot leader then took a new team of Autobots to find the four Planet Keys, which would unlock the Omega Lock and awaken Primus.

    Needing a new leverage in his battle with the Autobots, Galvatron sought out the ancient Guardians of Cybertron and awakened them. Coerced by the Decepticon leader, the Guardians reluctantly embedded him with their power, which also brought back the Decepticon Starscream.

    After losing three of the four Planet Keys to the Autobots, the Decepticon Thrust abandoned the Decepticons and sought out Unicron, who was still recovering from his defeat. As such, he agreed to grant Thrust a position within his Heralds on the condition that he retrieved the three Mini-Con weapons: the Star Saber, the Skyboom Shield, and the Requiem Blaster. After gathering a team of former Decepticons, known as the Seekers, Thrust set out to find these Mini-Cons.

    Meanwhile, the Autobots managed to locate the fourth and final Planet Key on the Giant Planet. However, before they could leave, they were confronted by Galvatron and the Decepticons. Just as the odds seemed to be against Optimus and his team, the Autobots were joined by another: Wing Saber, who combined with Optimus Prime and defeated the Decepticons.

    Returning to Cybertron (where Omega Supreme had been awakened), the Autobots inserted the four keys into the Omega Lock and awakened Primus, just as a reconstructed Unicron arrived. The Autobots then waged their battle against the combined strength of the Decepticons and Unicron's Heralds. When the odds started to turn against him, Unicron used his power to strengthen the Black Hole's power, forcing Primus' hand. While the Chaos Bringer escaped, Primus sacrificed himself to close the Black Hole. 

    Having been teleported to safety by Vector Prime, the Autobots and Decepticons decided to cease fire and agreed to work together to start building a new world for themselves. Thus ended the Great War.

CHARACTERS

Autobots

Team Optimus

   Optimus Prime-- leader. Mortally wounded by Galvatron, later revived by Vector Prime. 

   Jetfire-- second-in-command, leader of the Elite Flying Corps. Succeeded Optimus as Autobot leader.

   Blurr

   Hot Shot

   Red Alert-- head of the Medical Division.

   Scavenger-- former Decepticon. Perished in the first battle against Unicron.

   Smokescreen-- perished in the first battle against Unicron.

   Inferno / Roadblock-- sent to Earth by Ultra Magnus. Killed by the Energon Sun, later revived.

   Ironhide-- showed up to fight Slugslinger. Killed by Galvatron during the Heralds' assault.

   Overhaul / Leobreaker-- joined for the Planet Key quest. Upgraded while on the Jungle Planet.

   Scattorshot-- joined for the Planet Key quest.

   Wing Saber-- head of the Security Division. Apprehended Shockblast during the war on Cybertron.

Team Rodimus

   Rodimus-- leader

   Checkpoint

   Landmine-- captured and reprogrammed by the Decepticons. Later freed.

   Prowl

Team Bulkhead

   Bulkhead-- leader

   Cliffjumper

   Downshift

   Quickstrike

Others

   Alpha Trion-- one of the Thirteen. Protector of Vector Sigma.

   Backstop-- native of the Jungle Planet

   Defensor-- one of the four Guardians. Opposed Galvatron upon awakening and killed by him.

   Evac-- protector of the Earth Planet Key

   Metroplex-- leader of the Giant Planet

   Omega Supreme

   Override-- leader of the Speed Planet

   Rhinox-- Ground Force Commander.

   Sentinel Maximus-- leader of the Autobots. Killed by Megatron.

   Superion-- one of the four Guardians. Opposed by Galvatron upon awakening

   Ultra Magnus-- commander of the Autobots on Cybertron.

   Vector Prime-- one of the Thirteen

Decepticons

Nemesis crew

   Megatron / Galvatron-- leader. Perished with Unicron, brought back by the Energon Sun.

   Starscream-- second-in-command. Briefly assumed command after Megatron's death only to then be killed by Galvatron. Somehow brought back by Super Energon. Current whereabouts unknown.

   Cyclonus / Snow Cat

   Demolishor

   Thrust-- tactician. Left the Decepticons to join Unicron, formed the Seekers. Current whereabouts unknown.

   Tidal Wave

   Buzzsaw-- showed up with no explanation

   Mirage, Sharkticon, Six Shot, and Skywarp-- summoned to Earth by Galvatron

Seekers

   Dirge

   Nightscream

   Thundercracker

Others

   Bruticus-- one of the four Guardians. Sided with Galvatron upon awakening.

   Devastator-- one of the four Guardians. Sided with Galvatron upon awakening.

   Scourge-- leader of the Jungle Planet

   Shockblast-- prisoner of the Autobots, escaped upon arrival on Earth.

   Slugslinger-- ally of Unicron. 

Unicron

Heralds of Unicron

   Sideways-- leader

   Nemesis Prime

   Ramjet

   Soundwave

Terrorcons

   Scorponok-- leader

   Battle Ravage

   Cruellock

   Divebomb

From the Archives: Transformers Generation One Fan Comic History

    Something I wrote up for some old fan comics I made a long time ago.

GENERATION ONE

   At some point in history, the Quintessons found the planet Cybertron and enslaved the Transformer race. Accounts vary whether or not the Quintessons actually created the Transformers.

    After being entrusted the Matrix of Leadership by his masters, Primon was killed by the Liege Maximo, who took the Matrix and vanished. However, the Matrix Primon had been given was in fact a fake, the real one being carried by his brother Prima. After defeating the Liege Maximo, Prima was rewarded by the Quintessons with freedom. Prima used this against them however and attacked his masters, only to be summarily defeated. 

   After Prima's failed rebellion, the Matrix was given to Prime Nova, who was inspired by Prima's movement and gathered his fellow robots and revolted against the Quintessons. After a long, hard fight, the Quintessons were driven off Cybertron, albeit at the cost of Prime Nova's life. The Matrix was then given to Guardian Prime, who united the Cybertronian race under the Autobot banner.

    For a time there was peace, but it was short-lived as a second faction soon arose: the Destrons. Thus began the First Great War, during which Guardian Prime was killed. Eventually, the war was ended by a truce between Zeta Prime and Deathsaurus. For the next several millennia, peace reigned....

    ...That is, until a group known as the Decepticons rose from the pits of Kaon, commanded by the barbaric Megatron. Sentinel Prime was slayed and the Matrix ended up in the safekeeping of Alpha Trion. For a time, it seemed that the Decepticons would be triumphant. The odds soon turned against them when a humble dock worker by the name of Orion Pax was chosen by Alpha Trion to carry the Matrix. Now under the command of Optimus Prime, the Autobots were able to turn the tide against the Decepticons.

    After several years of war, Cybertron was left depleted of energon. Optimus Prime gathered a crew of Autobots and set out to find more energon. Megatron and his Decepticons took pursuit and eventually caught up to the Ark, which they ended up boarding. In the midst of the chaos, both ships ended up plummeting to Earth, where the Transformers would remain in slumber for the next four million years. Upon awakening, they scanned new forms and continued their conflict.

    The events that took place during the Transformers' war on Earth were numerous, too many to list. Late into the conflict, Megatron upgraded himself into Galvatron, which gave the Decepticons the edge they needed to attack the Autobots' base. At some point, Galvatron was knocked out of commission, leaving Starscream and Shockwave to fight for command. Starscream ended up being destroyed by Shockwave, only to be rebuilt by Unicron into Nightscream. Not long after, Shockwave was dispatched as well, allowing Galvatron to take command once more and the Decepticons destroy the Autobot Base. He then built a space bridge to allow his remaining forces on Cybertron to invade Earth; however, the space bridge malfunctioned and the Decepticons vanished. The Autobots then begin construction of a city on Earth.

    Years later, the Decepticons emerged from hiding and attacked Autobot City. Optimus Prime was severely injured in the assault but was then rebuilt into Nova Prime by unknown means. Following their initial defeat, the Decepticons took the time to recuperate and received upgrades of their own. After summoning a great number of forces, Galvatron made his second assault on the Autobot City. This led to the Autobots converting the city into the mighty titan Metroplex. However, this was not enough and Autobot City fell to the Decepticons. Nova Prime rushed the surviving Autobots onto the Ark II and fled to Cybertron while Galvatron declared himself ruler of Earth.

    Upon returning to Cybertron, Nova Prime informed the Council of Elders of what had happened. To the surprise of many, including Prime himself, the Council elected to remove Nova from command and named the Autobot Hot Rod as his successor, Rodimus Prime. Enraged by this, Nova departed from Cybertron, taking the Matrix of Leadership with him.

    Elsewhere, in the depths of space, Nightscream came across the remains of Shockwave and unwittingly brought him back to life. After a brief conflict, Nightscream managed to convince Shockwave into joining forces so they could strike back against Galvatron.

    Meanwhile, Rodimus Prime led an attack on the Decepticons on Earth. However, the battle was soon interrupted by the arrival of Unicron, who was accompanied by a corrupted Nova Prime. The Chaos Bringer brought both factions to their knees and Galvatron was abducted by Unicron.

    Back on Cybertron, Shockwave and Nightscream arrived at the former's lair in Tarn. There the Decepticon scientist activated a space bridge that could reach into parallel universes and drew out an alternate version of Megatron. Meanwhile, Galvatron awoke within Unicron and was greeted by Nova Prime. The former Autobot leader convinced his one-time nemesis to assist him in conquering Cybertron.

   A defeated Rodimus Prime and his Autobots returned to Cybertron, at a loss on how to proceed. That was when Alpha Trion arrived with an unexpected surprise: an alternate version of Optimus, from a universe where he had not become Prime, and his version of the Matrix of Leadership.

    On Quintessa, Galvatron forged an alliance with the Quintessons, leading to the creation of a series of drones. However, the Quintessons ended up double-crossing him and created a fusion of Optimus Prime and Megatron, whom they sent to dispatch Galvatron.

   On Cybertron, Optimus-Two was accepted as Autobot leader to serve alongside Rodimus. At that moment however, the Autobots were attacked by Shockwave, Nightscream, and the Megatron they had retrieved. Megatron-Two swiftly defeated Optimus-Two and stole his Matrix of Leadership. Despite this defeat, Alpha Trion deemed Optimus worthy enough of the Apex Armor and bestowed it upon him.

    On Earth, the Decepticons' triumphant celebration was interrupted by the arrival of Nova Prime, who easily dispatched Megatron-Two. His subsequent attempt to take over the Decepticons backfire on him however as the Decepticons, knowing that he had once been the original Optimus Prime, did not take the idea of an Autobot (former or not) leading them too kindly. Shortly after Nova Prime was driven away, the Autobots arrived to fight the Decepticons for Earth.

   Elsewhere, the Liege Maximo found Galvatron's dying spark and used it to bring him back as Megatron before sending him to Earth.

    Back on Earth, Nova Prime decided to play one last trick up his sleeve. Using the powers Unicron had given him, he created Maximus Nova, a dark clone of Fortress Maximus, and unleashed the titan on the Autobots and Decepticons. This led to a four-way battle between Optimus, Nova, Rodimus, and Megatron.

    Eventually tiring of the pointless fighting, the Liege Maximo made his move. He tore the Matrix of Leadership from Nova Prime's chest and threw the former Autobot leader into the Pit. Optimus then took the Matrix from Maximo and used it to vanquish the ancient evil. In the aftermath, Megatron and the Decepticons fled from the scene, vowing to have their revenge. Rodimus Prime formally passed on full command to Optimus, who made it his duty to protect Earth from any and all evils that threatened Earth, Cybertron, and the universe.

   As they say, it never ends.

Star Wars: Vergence IV, Chapter Fourteen

 CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Ord Talavos

Drakmos the Despised sat at the end of a long table that spanned the entire length of the Grand Hall. On either side of him, crime lords and prominent members of the Malvis Cabal feasted on the food that had been provided to them. Gaar Tandoon was enjoying a bottle of Bellorian ale, Mikus was injecting algae into his apparatus, and Fehkla Gorr was stabbing at a piece of thookah-steak. Even Madame Maeva seemed to be enjoying her dish of oven-roasted Burra fish. Drakmos had made sure that the food his servants produced would be the best the galaxy ever had to offer. 

As much as he hated them all, he wanted them to enjoy one last good meal before they all had to die.

The only thing that was missing from this perfect picture was Malvis himself. The victory feast had already begun and yet there had been no report of his vessel entering the system. Drakmos had tried questioning his Pa’lowick aide, but Sal Orbego had been uncharacteristically absent-minded and even he didn’t seem to know where Malvis was.

Something was not quite right about the whole thing, and Drakmos intended to get to the bottom of it.

“So, what now?” asked Gaar Tandoon as he poured himself another glass. “Now that we have succeeded in putting our man in charge of the Galactic Alliance, where do we go from here? Does anyone else have plans? Does Malvis have plans?”

“I don’t know about you freaks, but I intend on going back to pillaging Outer Rim worlds,” mumbled Fehkla Gorr. The black-scaled Huralok chewed loudly on his piece of steak. “This political stuff always made my head hurt.”

“As if you had any role to play,” Tandoon said snidely. “I was speaking to the more… intellectual minds at the table.”

“The House of Maidens will continue operating as it always had,” said Madame Maeva. The crimson-skinned Zeltron sipped gingerly from her glass of wine as her golden eyes roamed from one face to the next. “I’m sure the same can be said for most of us, at least until Malvis gives us further directions. Speaking of which, has anyone seen him?”

“Nope,” grunted Mikus. “I don’t think anyone has ever seen him in person, besides maybe that little runt of an assistant he’s always got running around. Personally, if you ask me, I don’t think he even exists.”

“Oh, he must exist in some form,” said Maeva “I recall seeing him in some holographic form during the early days of the Cabal, back when it was still the Society. He spoke to its members and everything.”

“Yeah? What did he look like?”

Maeva tapped her chin with a white-gloved hand. “You know… he always looked different each and every time he appeared. He was always human but had a different face, whether it was his hair, his eyes, even his skin color… I don’t think I ever saw the same face twice.”

“Means he must be hiding something,” Mikus muttered. “Question is, what?”

“There is nothing to hide, my good friend. Not anymore.”

The room went silent at the sound of the booming voice. Drakmos stirred and rose in his seat as a tall figure entered the Grand Hall. Dressed in shimmering golden robes, the tall man had a twisted appearance, his body angled slightly to one side while his gaunt face was heavily scarred. As Sal Orbego rushed out from behind him to pull out his designated seat at the table, the tall man took a moment to give an appraising look to the assembled members of the Cabal before him, a gleam in his small blue eyes.

“It is an honor to meet you all in person,” Malvis said. “You have all done incredibly well.”

Drakmos put on a smile as he rose from his seat and bowed. “Malvis. The honor is all mine. I welcome you to my humble abode.”

Malvis chuckled as he took his seat. “Don’t be so modest, Despised One. Ord Talavos has served as an ideal location for the Cabal and its operations.”

Drakmos inclined his head. “Indeed. Now then, since we are all here… I would like to interrupt this meal to give a toast.”

He picked up his glass of Talavosian ale and raised it in the direction of the rest of the table.

“First of all: a toast to Malvis, for organizing this elegant scheme to take control of the Galactic Alliance and by extent the galaxy itself!”

Hearty cheers rang out from all around the table. Malvis merely nodded in acknowledgment, steepling his fingers as he watched Drakmos.

“I would also like to give a toast to the many, many leaders of the Cabal that all had a role to play, including the ones that could not make it to this day. Hahgalor Mos, the Dowager Sareth….”

The mention of these names drew some yawns and jeers from those at the table. Drakmos chuckled as he sheepishly raised a hand.

“While I jest with Hahgalor Mos, the Dowager nonetheless played a pivotal role. After all, it is her firstborn son whom we have worked so hard to put into the office of Chief of State. Her other heirs have also done great work to give the Cabal the financial support it needed to get to where it is today. Unfortunately, not all of them have lived long enough to see this moment either. So, a toast to them as well.”

Drakmos paused, giving himself a moment to compose himself. This was it, he thought. This was the moment. 

“And a toast to Drakmos the Dreaded, my father who ruled Ord Talavos before me. He met his unfortunate end at the blade of Darth Vader, but his legacy nonetheless continues strong through me. I have spent my entire life working to restore this world to the glory it lost a millennium ago.

“A toast to the late and great Prince Xalren, who violated the privacy of my homeworld and brought his band of criminals here to occupy my abode. A toast to the magnificent Sal Tyrius, who helped me trade one oppressor for another by introducing me to the Cabal and only further solidifying the corruption of my once magnificent homeworld.”

A tense silence had fallen over the table’s patrons by now, with many looking away from their food to stare at Drakmos with incredulity. Only Malvis remained expressionless, watching the Despised One keenly over his steepled fingers.

“Ten years ago I had hoped to keep my home, my people, free from the diseased touch of the rest of the galaxy,” Drakmos went on, lowering his voice. “Now, it has become plagued by criminals of all sorts—assassins, smugglers, thieves, bounty hunters, con artists…. Were my father still alive, he would look on me in shame for allowing such filth to stain our beautiful home. But today, I intend to amend that. Today, I will fix the mistake I made a decade ago.

“Today, the Dragon shall feast.”

From out of the shadows, all around the Grand Hall, cloaked figures jumped out and lunged at the dining patrons. Greshna, Drakmos’ chief lieutenant, plunged a dagger into the back of Gaar Tandoon, drawing a pathetic cry from his lungs. A Tiss’shar assailant drove a spear into the eye of Magistrate Mikus. A brutish Dashade grabbed Fehkla Gorr and hoisted him up in the air, bringing the Huralok down on their knee.

Not all of the patrons were caught off guard quite as Drakmos had hoped, however. Madame Maeva grabbed the arm of a knife-wielding Cosian that had been approaching her from behind, expertly disarming him and using the knife to slit his throat. Some of the other assassins had chosen their targets poorly, such as a spindly Rodian assailant going after a Houk crime lord, or a diminutive Vulptereen taking his chance with a Dowutin. For all the coordination and planning Drakmos thought he had given this moment, clearly it had not been enough.

And then, there was Malvis.

The leader of the Cabal rose from his seat, calmly, as if there wasn’t a massacre unfolding before his very eyes. He straightened his golden robe, stared directly at Drakmos with cold blue eyes… then, he vanished into thin air, his holographic image winking out of existence.

Drakmos’s eyes widened in rage as he let out a furious roar. Spreading his massive draconian wings, he launched up in the air and landed directly in the middle of the table, splitting it in two and sending food and silverware flying everywhere. He picked up the piece of the table in front of him and tossed it aside, giving him a clear view of a petrified Sal Orbego. Upon seeing the enraged Drakmos, the Pa’lowick turned on his feet and started to run for the door, but Drakmos was far more faster than him. Within seconds he was behind Orbego and had him pinned to the floor, looming over him with his clawed hands bared.

“WHERE IS MALVIS?!” the Despised One boomed, his voice rocking the fortress.

“I—I don’t know!” Orbego squeaked. “I—I had no idea he was a hologram! I swear—”

“LIAR! YOU MUST KNOW SOMETHING! NOW TELL ME, WHERE IS MALVIS?! IS HE STILL ON HIS SHIP?!”

“N—no, he can’t be! He—he left with me on the shuttle….”

“You’re lying. I know you’re lying. I will not be deceived! I will not! I. AM. DRAKMOS!” 

With that, he drew himself up, lifted his foot, and stomped on Orbego’s prone form, crushing the Pa’lowick with a sickening crunch. He then took off towards the door, smashing his way through and scanning the area before him. There were numerous starships parked outside of the fortress; any one of them could have belonged to Malvis. Perhaps he should not have been so hasty in executing Orbego, so that the Pa’lowick could have identified it for him. But no matter. He would just have to destroy them all.

Just as he was about to set off to begin his rampage, he heard a voice speak from behind him. He recognized it instantly as Malvis’s voice.

“A commendable attempt, I will give you that.”

Drakmos whirled around, but saw no sign of Malvis; only the carnage that was still unfolding in the Grand Hall. “WHERE ARE YOU?!” he roared.

“I am all around you,” Malvis said. “I am in your head. Just as I have always been.”

“Impossible,” Drakmos breathed. “No man has this kind of power.”

“But I do. The dark side of the Force lends itself to such talents.”

“You… you’re one of them, aren’t you? A Sith. Like Vader.”

“No. Not like Vader. Although, now that you mention it, I would have liked to have his grandson be the one to personally dispatch you. It would have lent itself to a poetic kind of irony.”

Drakmos clenched and unclenched his claws, spinning around aimlessly in a blind fury. “What are you, then? Where are you? What is the meaning of all this?”

“There is no sense in giving you my location,” Malvis replied. “You will never find me. As for what I am… I suppose I owe you such an explanation, after this long.”

Drakmos started to breathe heavily, awaiting Malvis’s words with bated breath.

“I—or rather, Malvis—was nothing more than a mask. A façade designed to gather you and your ilk in order to carry out my plans; plans that I could not entrust with my many other minions spread across the galaxy. I had my hands deep in the political world, but not the criminal one, and using my true identity would have jeopardized my position in either one. So I created Malvis to ingratiate myself to the Society and gather the assets I needed to form the Cabal and carry out my schemes for it. I kept my distance from you and your others so that you would not sense my true nature; believe it or not, I do find you to be an intelligent being, and I’m sure you would have figured out my true nature before long had you known me personally enough.

“But now that the Cabal has fulfilled its intended purpose, there is no need to wear this mask. You have already saved me the trouble of tying up the loose ends that the other crime lords posed, although some of them may continue to be of further use.

“As for what I am… I am the Supreme Leader. I am Snoke.”

Drakmos suddenly felt cold as a large shadow fell over him. He looked up towards the sky and saw a massive shape blotting out the sun, hovering over the fortress of Vostal, the abode of his ancestors.

“And you are no longer of any use to me.”

A great green bolt of energy shot down from the sky and Drakmos knew no more, his world enveloped in a bright white light.

*  *  *

Far above the city of Vostal, Snoke watched as the fortress of Drakmos the Despised burned. He almost found it a shame that things had to come to this point; while he had always intended to get rid of the Cabal leadership one way or another, Ord Talavos itself had proven to be a useful location and he had hoped to make further use of it. Still, it was a beautiful sight if only in a tragic way.

Beside his command seat, the creature known as the Xylini slithered beside him, curling up at the armrest of his throne. The Xylini—whom Snoke knew as Xyl’skr—had been a useful asset in making sure that the Cabal’s operatives carried out their tasks in a successful manner. While he had helped Drakmos in his betrayal to the rest of the Cabal, his true loyalties lied with the Supreme Leader, as they had for many, many years.

“And so another chapter closes,” said Xyl’skr, his white face grinning, “as a new one begins.”

“Indeed,” said Snoke. “Now, we can move on to more pressing matters.”

He pressed a control on the right armrest of his seat and spoke into the open comm channel. “OneOne-FourDee, this is your master speaking. Have you succeeded in your mission?”

“Yes, Supreme Leader,” responded the droid known as 11-4D. “I have determined the location of the Resistance’s base. It is on D’Qar, located in the Ileenium system within the Sanbra sector.”

Snoke grinned, his smile creasing his scarred face. “Excellent work. I want you to transmit the location through this channel; it should send it to all ships within the First Order’s fleet.”

“As you command, Supreme Leader.”

Within seconds, the transmission had been sent. Satisfied, Snoke leaned back in his seat and ordered the pilot of his ship to depart from Ord Talavos. It was time to leave the planet—and what had once been the Malvis Cabal—behind.

Ahead of him, victory awaited.

Star Wars: Vergence IV, Chapter Thirteen

    Happy May the 4th!

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Galactic Justice Center

“Is Girdun back yet?”

Lon Shevu lifted his eyes to look at the young freckled man standing before him at the front desk. “Not that I know of, Lekauf,” he replied as he looked back down at his work.

“I heard that you guys brought in a someone important,” Jori Lekauf went on, not picking up on the dismissal in his superior officer’s tone. “Braxon even suggested that it might have been a Jedi.”

“Don’t you have work you need to get to, lieutenant?”

“I’m on break.” Jori then placed his elbow on Shevu’s desk and leaned forward conspiratorially. “Do you ever stop to think about just exactly what it is we’re doing?”

Shevu sighed as he shook his head. Jori was a well-meaning kid, but sometimes Shevu felt that he was a bit too outspoken and optimistic for this kind of work. His cynical side felt that the only reason the kid got as far as he did was because his grandfather had been a high-ranking officer in the Empire and even served as a clone template. Given that the Centrists and other figures with more pro-Imperial leanings had gained prominence in recent years, it made sense that someone like Jori would be pushed into the spotlight thanks to his family’s history.

“We have a job to do and we do it,” Shevu said simply. “That’s all there is to it.”

Jori raised an eyebrow. “Is it? Come on, captain, everyone has to have their limits. Even you. Everyone’s got a line in the sand that they need to draw.”

Shevu huffed exasperatedly as he slumped back in his chair, giving Jori a weary look. “Where are you going with this, Lekauf?”

Jori glanced around. The two of them were alone in the office at the moment, thanks to it being the night shift, but anyone could walk in on them at any moment—including Girdun himself.

“My grandfather was about my age when he served the Empire,” he then said quietly. “He even worked as an aide for Darth Vader himself.”

“I am aware of this. Your family’s history is on file.”

“But do you know what my grandfather did for Vader?” Jori pressed on. “He helped the Empire hunt down the Jedi, because they were seen as traitors. Then the civil war happened and people’s views shifted. Now the Jedi were seen as heroes and allies of the restored Republic. And now… now we’re arresting them? Does that not seem strange to you?”

Shevu stared back at the younger man, chewing on his lip. “It’s not my job to judge,” he said carefully. “Besides, rogue Jedi are a thing. Maybe this one stepped out of line and was caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to do.”

“You were the one who led the arrest, weren’t you?” Jori asked. “What exactly was he doing?”

Shevu opened his mouth, ready to reprimand Jori for sticking his nose in matters that weren’t his concern, when the door to the office opened to allow a pair of guards inside. Each of them was holding a restrained captive—both female humans, one with violet hair, the other with red—and they brought them before Shevu’s desk.

“Look what we found in the underlevels,” said one of the guards, a gruff man by the sound of the voice coming from behind his masked helmet.

Shevu looked from one captured woman to the next. “You’ll have to fill me in,” he said.

“This one’s Vixen,” said the guard holding the violet-haired woman. “A woman wanted for the murder of Jon Skip. Also has ties to the Malvis Cabal.”

“And this is Alyson Dorn,” said the man holding the red-haired woman. “A wanted bounty hunter, also with ties to the Cabal.”

“Huh. Good work.” Shevu pressed a button under his desk to open a nearby door. “Go ahead and take them in to be processed. I’ll let Director Girdun know about this.”

“Oh, Girdun doesn’t need to know about this. Just let us in and we’ll be on our way.”

Shevu frowned at the peculiar tone in the man’s voice. For some reason, he felt compelled to echo back the words and let these two guards through without sending any word to Girdun. But that went against protocol, and it wouldn’t make sense for him to do that. Plus, why would this guard—whom Shevu didn’t even recognize—want him to do that in the first place?

As soon as realization dawned on him, he hit the button to alert Director Girdun. Before he could even speak, the guard drew a baton and slammed it into his face, sending him into darkness.

*  *  *

Toah gasped as the headset was pulled off of his head and he collapsed forward onto the interrogation table. Through the haze of pain and confusion, he could make out Girdun pacing back and forth in front of him, talking to another figure standing in the room. 

“Send as many officers as you can to the front desk!” Girdun was ordering them. “Find out what happened to Shevu and secure the perimeter! No one gets in or out on my watch!”

While the other officer left the room to carry out his orders, Toah stirred and Girdun snapped his attention back to him, his face twisted into an ugly sneer.

“It would appear your friends have come to rescue you,” Girdun growled.

“That’s what happens when you arrest a Jedi,” Toah mumbled back. “Bad things happen.”

“Which is why the whole galaxy would be much better off without the whole lot of you.”

With that remark, Girdun turned to leave the interrogation room, his hand mere centimeters away from the door controls. Suddenly, he stopped before slowly turning his head over his shoulder to look back at Toah, his dark eyes narrowed.

“In fact,” he murmured, “why don’t we start the cleansing by getting rid of one?”

He turned away from the door and started to walk over to Toah, drawing a blaster from its holster. There was a crazed look in his eyes, bordering on gleeful, as his mouth split open into a nasty grin.

“Your death would be easy enough to cover up,” he said. “The blame can always be pinned on someone else… or, maybe no one even has to know about this.”

He raised the blaster and leveled it at Toah’s head. Toah simply stared back at him, unconcerned by the blaster as his eyes bored into Girdun’s.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Toah said.

Girdun snorted. “Why not? It would certainly make things a lot easier for all of us.”

He pulled the trigger and the blaster went off. At that instant, Toah mustered enough strength to call upon the Force and wrench Girdun’s arm upward, causing the plasma bolt to sear into the wall above Toah’s head. Taking advantage of Girdun’s momentary confusion, Toah gathered all of his energy to push the table with the Force and send it crashing into Girdun, pushing him against the wall with enough force to knock him out cold.

Toah braced himself for guards to come rushing back to the room upon hearing the commotion, but none came. Apparently whatever was happening elsewhere in the building was really keeping them occupied. Taking a deep breath, Toah focused his attention on the shackles around his wrists and ankles. The sonic headset they had forced onto him had scrambled his senses, although not quite enough to wholly ruin his connection to the Force (the table-flattened Girdun was already proof enough of that). He just needed to concentrate properly to work the shackles off his hands and feet, provided that no one and nothing came by the room to interrupt his concentration.

Unfortunately, such an interruption came when a loud siren began to wail all across the facility. Sighing in frustration, Toah took a moment to recompose himself before attempting to free himself again.

“Oh my. What an unfortunate predicament you’ve found yourself in.”

Toah’s eyes snapped open, immediately searching for the source of the voice, but there was no one else in the room with him besides the unconscious Girdun.

“How narrow-minded. Surely a great Jedi such as yourself should know by now that physical presence is not always required to have a conversation.”

Toah’s heart skipped a beat as his body seized up. His mouth was dry as he forced himself to say the name of the man speaking in his mind.

“Vorath.”

“Jarsan. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I apologize for not reaching out to you sooner, back on Naboo. I was… preoccupied with other matters.”

“You’re supposed to be dead.”

“I should be, shouldn't I? To be honest with you, even I am not sure how I have returned. In fact, I wouldn’t even call it a proper resurrection; my spirit has been restored, but I am forced to possess the body of my grandson. At least your old master got his body back in the process….”

Toah closed his eyes, clenching his fists as he tried to keep his emotions in check. “How much of this is your doing? The Malvis Cabal, the First Order… how much influence have you had over any of this?”

“Hardly any,” Vorath dryly responded. “The First Order was the doing of a former accomplice of mine, but his ambition evidently went well beyond my own. As for the Cabal… oh, have you not pieced it together yet?”

“Pieced what together?” Toah asked.

The ancient Sith Lord chuckled in his mind. “Credit where it is due, even I was blind to how layered his schemes were. Admittedly, I was focused on my own plans at the time…. Still, I cannot help but be impressed.”

Toah scowled. “Are you ever going to give me a straight answer, or are you just going to keep on talking cryptically? Why are you even speaking to me in the first place?”

“Oh, it’s not you I’ve come to speak to. You were simply nearby and I thought it would be nice to catch up. No, I’ve come for the one who is here to rescue you. The one I’ve summoned here to rescue you.”

Toah’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t be so obtuse, Jarsan. I know you know about her. I have for quite some time.”

Suddenly, Toah heard the sound of a lightsaber being ignited, followed by blasters being fired. Each shot was deflected and he heard bodies falling to the floor or being knocked against the wall. Those sounds grew louder as whatever was making them made its way closer to the room he was in.

“And soon… she will be mine.”

Toah moved with a start as a yellow blade of energy pierced through the door and slid its way down, cutting through the lock mechanism and forcing the door open. Standing there on the other end was a young woman with black hair, clad in the uniform of an Alliance guard as she gripped the yellow-bladed lightsaber tightly with both hands.

“Hey,” Sare Valrisa said. “Remember me?”

Toah said nothing at first as he stood up, holding out his hands for her to cut the shackles off his wrists. Once she had taken care of the ones around his ankles, he put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him with confused dark eyes.

“Listen to me,” he said carefully. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Uh, can it wait?” Valrisa said. “We’re still not out of the woods yet.”

“We won’t be until I’ve told you what you need to hear,” Toah insisted. “You need to know the truth. About your parents.”

Valrisa stared back at him incredulously. “How do you know anything about my parents? Hell, I only know about my mother; I don’t even know who my father is.”

“I do,” Toah said. “And I know who your real mother is.”

Valrisa stepped away from him, continuing to eye him warily. “The Dowager is—was my mother,” she murmured.

“No. She stole you from your real mother. The same mother who tried to bring you back to her on Ord Mantell.”

Valrisa closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think you do,” Toah said calmly. “Search your feelings. Queen Kestora—Danielle Kieran—is your mother….”

He could sense her building apprehension, her refusal to believe what she was hearing. Nonetheless, he forced himself to say the words she needed to hear.

“…and I am your father.”

“And that,” the voice of Vorath interjected, “is how you do a family reunion.”

Valrisa stared at Toah, her mouth hanging open in shock. Before she had a chance to form a single word, another figure in an Alliance guard uniform—this one wielding a red-bladed lightsaber—appeared in the open doorway.

“Are you two ready?” Zarin Kal asked. “We need to get out of here. The Renegade is waiting outside.”

Valrisa did not seemed to have heard him, still staring at Toah with a mixture of emotions. He considered putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder but thought better of it, instead nodding his head.

“We will discuss this later,” he said quietly. “Let’s move.”

Valrisa seemed to hesitate for a moment before reluctantly nodding back and leading him out of the room, following Zarin as they made their way through the Galactic Justice Center.

*  *  *

“Blast it, guys. Where are you?”

Kyla gritted her teeth as she piloted the Renegade to circle the Galactic Justice Center once more, keeping an eye on the roof. Gunships continued to circle around the freighter, firing on them as they tried to apprehend the larger ship. Wiskin and Typha were on the guns, but Kyla had given them explicit directions to not shoot any of the gunships down. The last thing they needed was the entire Defense Force on their rear ends. Instead, the two were simply firing warning shots to scare off the gunships, whose pilots likely knew that a single blast from the freighter could bring them down. Even so, she knew it was only a matter of time before the Guard brought in the big guns; then they really would be in trouble.

Down below, she saw some Guards running out of the building, their blasters aimed at the Renegade. Before they could fire, a young man with a long vest came out from behind them and took them out with dual wielding blasters. He then looked up at the Renegade, gave them a quick salute, and ran off into the dark streets of Coruscant.

“I wonder who that was,” Ace murmured beside her.

“Don’t know, don’t care.” Looking over her shoulder, Kyla said to Bedo, “Any word from Zarin and Valrisa?”

“They say they’ve got Toah,” the Ortolan replied from the comm station. “They’re heading up to the rooftop right now.”

“Good, ‘cos I don’t know how much longer I can shake these guys off.”

After the Renegade had completed another lap around the building, Kyla spotted an opening on the rooftop from which Zarin and Valrisa were emerging, accompanied by Toah and their two “captives.” Kyla dove the ship down and lowered the landing ramp as she brought the Renegade as close to the rooftop as she could. Zarin allowed Valrisa and Toah to run ahead of him, turning around to deflect blaster bolts coming from Alliance guards that came through the opening after them. While Valrisa and Toah quickly got onto the ship, Vixen and Dorn lingered behind, watching Zarin as he held off the guards.

“What are you waiting for?” Valrisa called from the ramp. “Let’s go!”

In the blink of an eye, Dorn unsheathed a vibroknife and plunged it into Zarin’s back. The Kiffar cried out in pain as he fell to his knees, still holding onto his lightsaber. As Valrisa cried out, Toah moved to come to his fellow Jedi’s rescue only for Vixen to draw a blaster and begin firing on them. A stray shot hit the controls of the Renegade’s landing ramp and it immediately began to close up, sealing them off from their fallen comrade.

“Lower the ramp!” Valrisa called out to the cockpit. “We need to save Zarin!”

“I don’t know how much longer we can hold out here!” Kyla called back. “These guys are swarming around us and they just keep coming!”

Despite Valrisa’s continued protests, the Renegade began to move away from the rooftop, drawing the gunships’ attention away from Zarin. Peering out the cockpit, Kyla saw the Kiffar ex-Jedi still on his knees, his lightsaber now in the hands of Alyson Dorn as she held it up to his neck. The guards had stopped firing on them and did not seem as if they were about to arrest either Dorn or Vixen. Almost as if their presence was welcomed….

“We need to leave,” Kyla said quietly.

“I mean, theoretically, we should, but—” Ace started to say.

“No, I’m serious. We need to leave Coruscant. I think we’ve all been played.”

“That’s certainly what those two ladies were alluding to.”

Kyla shook her head. “I think it runs deeper than what those two were talking about. Maybe even deeper than what they are aware of.”

Ace looked at her, an inquisitive eyebrow raised. “I get the feeling you’re about to suggest something….”

“We need to go to Ord Talavos,” Kyla said. “We need to bring an end to this charade, once and for all.”

*  *  *

As the Renegade flew off into the night sky, Zarin Kal sat calmly on the rooftop of the Galactic Justice Center, grateful that the others had wisely escaped when they could rather than try and rescue them. He almost forgot about the scarlet lightsaber blade that was behind held at his neck by the red-haired woman standing behind him.

“I know you’re not deaf,” Alyson Dorn hissed into his ear. “Now tell me: where is my sister?”

“What makes you think I know where your sister is?” Zarin quietly replied.

“You were a Jedi, weren’t you? You were there when Ossus was attacked. My sister must have been as well. Is she dead? Is she hiding with the rest of your kind? Tell me!”

“Natia is no longer a Jedi,” Zarin sighed. “She fell to the dark side and was indoctrinated by a Sith cult. I know not where they reside now or if they’re even still alive.”

“You know this and yet have done nothing to save her?” Dorn spat at the floor in front of Zarin. “You Jedi make me sick.”

“I am no longer a Jedi.”

“Whatever.” Releasing him, Dorn stepped away from the Kiffar and shut off his lightsaber, attaching it to her belt. Nodding to the Alliance guards in front of her, she said, “He’s all yours now.”

“Thanks,” grunted a Tholothian guard. While his partners moved in to apprehend Zarin, he directed his attention to Vixen. “You can be assured that this incident will be left off your record. I understand that Senator Naberrie holds you in… high regard.”

Vixen smiled thinly. “You can add Generals Thaal and Jaxton to that list, but yes.”

Dorn scoffed as she shook her head. “You are a real piece of work.”

“You have your profession, I have mine.” 

As the guards hoisted Zarin up to his feet, Vixen walked over to the Kiffar and pressed herself against him, putting a hand on the back of his neck as she brought her lips close to his ear. Zarin braced himself for an unwanted kiss but instead she merely whispered a single word into his ear.

“Sedratis.”

With that, she pulled away from him, sliding her hands down his armored chest, and sauntered away. Zarin eyed her warily as the guards escorted him back into the building, not looking away until the doors closed behind him and he saw her no more.