Transformers Regenerated: Unicron Saga XI, Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

-Aquatron-

    "What was it you said about Cybertronians building underwater cities?" Ironhide asked Perceptor.

    The Autobot scientist did not respond for he, as well as the rest of Jazz's team, were utterly speechless. Standing on a platform that descended through a tube, heading onto undersea terrain, the seven Autobot marveled at the magnificent city of Aquarius. From its spiraled buildings to its low domes, it made Jazz think of a more curvaceous version of Cybertron.

    "Er, very impressive," Seaspray said to their guide, whom had introduced himself as Sky-Byte.

    The blue and yellow mech grinned. "Why, thank you. I truly do love living here."

    "It does seem pretty peaceful," Spiral said. "How were you able to avoid the war?"

    "By building our cities under the sea," Sky-Byte said in a matter-of-fact tone. "From the outside, Aquatron looks mundane and featureless. It's when you look deeper that you find it is more than meets the eye."

    "Interesting," Perceptor mused. "So how do you not rust under here?"

    "Aquarius is placed within an invisible yet solid dome to prevent it from flooding. It also masks energy and spark signatures."

    The Autobot scientist raised an eyebrow. "But when we first reached here, we detected at least a million spark signatures."

    Sky-Byte frowned. "That should not be possible...."

    The platform finally touched ground and the Autobots and their guide stepped out into the city. Bots of a similar body-type to Sky-Byte's moved about while others, bearing the forms of marine creatures, swam from outside the invisible dome.

    "Very impressive city," Jazz said, echoing Seaspray's words. "So, uh, can you take us to your leader or leaders?"

    Sky-Byte smiled again. "Why certainly. If you would follow me."

-Earth-

    Humans are such intriguing creatures.

    Huddled within the depths of the large cave he called home, Scorponok played back footage he had captured of Earth's society in his mind, marveling at the fact that they were little different in someways from Cybertronians. In fact, they had a striking resemblance to the Nebulans, both culturally and visually, save for the green skin.

    It was because of these resemblances that Scorponok saw them as the perfect subjects for his experiments. With his recent alliance with Abraham Dante, those plans would soon see fruition.

    Suddenly, his sensors beeped and his internal heads-up-display brought up a high indicator of Energon levels and spark signatures. Such readings could only mean one thing: Cybertronians.

    Impossible. He had only come across this planet by accident; because it was deep within the neutral territories, it was unlikely for any other Transformers to come across it, accidental or not. The only possible explanation was that his fellow Decepticons were searching for him. With their weapons primed to capture or kill.

    Scorponok smiled to himself. So someone had finally noticed his absence. How flattering.

*  *  *

    "This is your chance to prove yourself, Axer."

    The somewhat-encouraging tone in Cannonball's voice surprised Axer, given the air of derision he often felt among the Star Seekers. Nonetheless, he nodded in response. 

    Standing with Cannonball, Thundertron, and three other Star Seekers in a field, illuminated by the moonlight, Axer knelt down and traced his finger through the ground, at the same time scanning with his olfactory sensors.

    After a few minutes, the Star Seeker Backslash snidely said, "Why not bring out a full-on sensor array?"

    "Anyone can use a sensory array," Axer retorted. "It takes a real hunter to use what he has."

    Backslash opened his mouth to snap back at him but Thundertron silenced him with a glare.

    After several more minutes of "sniffing the air", Axer finally said, "I've got him. This way."

    As he converted into his gray Cybertronian car form, the other pirates did the same; Cannonball turned into a black Cybertronian van, Thundertron a white lion, Backslash a winged creature, Stronghorn a rhinoceros, and Nightclaw a violet feline.

    With a rev of hive engine, Axer said, "Let the hunt begin."

-"Ark"-

    Optimus Prime had never been this happy in his entire life.

    Seated in the Ark's lobby room- which had been repurposed into a bar- he looked on in merriment as his fellow Autobots convened, laughing and joking. This was his idea of a perfect life: no war, no Decepticons, just complete peace and serenity. And with his close friends- Elita and Alpha Trion- sitting by him, he knew that nothing could spoil his mood.

    "What about me?"

    Optimus froze at the sound of the voice. It sounded familiar, too familiar. It was like his, but darker....

    "I would hope you'd recognize me. I am as much a part of you as you are me."

    All around him, the party came to a stop, as if frozen in time. Bracing himself, Optimus turned in his seat to see himself, albeit with a more monstrous appearance and a black and silver color scheme.

    "Scourge," Optimus said coldly. "Last I heard, you were a high-level prisoner at Garrus-9. How did you escape?"

   "My body is still over there," Scourge hissed. "However, because of our... relationship, I found it simple enough to send my mind into yours, appearing to you as I am now."

    "A glorified hallucination," Optimus muttered. "And for what purpose?"

    "To bring ourselves back together." Scourge then chuckled. "And this time, I'll be more in control than ever."

    Before Optimus could do anything, Scourge unsheathed a scarlet blade and charged.

Transformers Regenerated: Unicron Saga XI, Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

-Earth-

    Words could not describe the shock Abraham Dante currently felt. It had little to do with the presence of the Scorponok, or the fact that its massive claws were surrounding him, or that its deadly stinger tail hovered mere meters from him.

    No, it was the fact that it spoke perfect English.

    "Abraham Dante, I presume?" The voice was metallic and grating, but he understood the words perfectly. He stared in speechless awe at the giant scorpion, whose optical sensors bore into his eyes.

    "Allow me to rephrase that: Are you Abraham Dante?"

    Still finding difficulty in speaking, Abraham managed to nod.

    "Ah, excellent." The Scorponok made a sound similar to a chuckle. "I was worried that old Eugene was lying to me when he mentioned a grandson. You are the grandson of Eugene Dante, correct?"

    "Y-yes," Abraham muttered. "What's it to you? How can you speak English? How do you know my name, or my grandfather's?"

    The Scorponok laughed again, a sound Abraham cringed at. "One question at a time, please. I've been on your planet long enough to understand your many languages and cultures. As for your grandfather... he's no doubt recounted his encounter with me, is that right?"

    "Yes, but... he never implied a conversation."

    Another grating laugh. "Ah, because I told him to not bring it up! You wouldn't have believed him enough to venture out and seek me if he had."

    He gulped. "What do you want from me?"

    "You are the CEO of Epsilon Holdings, correct? A leading company in your country's industrialization?"

    "Yes... that is correct."

    "Excellent. In that case, I would like to offer you an opportunity in getting ahead of the game."

    Abraham blinked. "How do you mean?"

    The Scorponok said nothing. Instead, it skittered back and, much to Abraham's terrified astonishment, began to change shape.

    Its claws stretched out to form arms; legs sprouted out of its body while its tail folded into its back, ganging slightly over its morphed head. Where a giant scorpion had once been now stood a massive, humanoid figure in violet and greed.

    Something resembling a grin crossed Scorponok's metal face. "Impressed? This is nothing compared to what you and I can come up with... together. What do you say?"

    Thoughts of grandeur caused Abraham's look of shock to melt away and be replaced by a grin. "I say you've got yourself a partner."

-Aquatron-

    "Picking anything up, Perceptor?"

    "Negative, the scientist replied, reading the scanners on his M.A.R.B. Jazz's unit- consisting of himself, Perceptor, Seaspray, Arcee, Ironhide, Bumblebee, and Spiral- had covered a good portion of the vast, planet-wide sea, and yet with no results.

    "I thought you sad there were one million life-signs," Ironhide muttered.

    "I did, but they appear to be... cloaked." Perceptor shook his head in bemusement. "I don't understand."

    "What about that hovercraft over there?" Arcee said, nodding to a blue and yellow object fast approaching them. "Are you picking their signal up?"

    The Autobots slowed their M.A.R.B.s down as the hovercraft did the same, converting into a tall, somewhat graceful-looking robot form.

    "Fair tidings, strangers. What brings you here to my home, lovely Aquatron?"

    Jazz cocked his head, slightly taken aback by the native's unique way of speaking. "Uh, it's kind of a long story. Can you take us to your leaders? Or, at least a city?"

    "A city you seek? Look no further then, at Aquarius, yes?"

    "Um, right. Can you take us there?"

    "Why, of course. Follow me."

    The Aquatron native then reverted to his alt mode and sped off, with Jazz's team close behind him.

    "At least the folks on Velocitron spoke proper Cybertronian," Bumblebee murmured.

    Jazz smirked. "When you fare out into space, you're bound to run into something unusual."

-Nemesis-

    "We have arrived at Aquatron, Lord Megatron."

    "Excellent," Megatron said, grinning as he rose from his command chair. "Any sign of the Autobots?"

    "Affirmative," Soundwave said. "Ark detected near planet's equator, fifty miles northward."

    Megatron's grin broadened. No Autobots were going to evade him this time. However, before he could give the order to advance, the ship suddenly shuddered.

    "What the spark?" he exclaimed, nearly toppling over. "What's going on?!"

    "The controls aren't responding," Barricade said. "I think we're caught in a tractor beam."

    "More than that," muttered Knock Out. "We're being boarded."

    "Oh, how tragic," Starscream said snidely. "The magnificent Emperor of Destruction's warship is being boarded-"

    "Shut up, Starscream!" Megatron roared, firing his fusion cannon at the Seeker and sending him flying back. Turning to Knock Out, he growled, "Where are they boarding us?"

    "The hangar bay. And I'm counting a lot of spark signatures...."

    "Dispatch Blackout and Lugnut to handle them. And have them bring me their heads!"

    "That won't be happening any time soon, I'm afraid."

    All of the Decepticons on the bridge whirled around to see a mech- armored in silver, purple, and yellow- standing before them, a trail of Vehicon corpses left in his wake.

    Letting out a roar of rage, Megatron charged towards the stranger, arms outstretched to tear him apart. Before he could reach him, however, the lights on the bridge suddenly went out. Megatron then felt a mass of tendrils begin to seize him....

    "I'm awfully sorry," the mech murmured. "But we are needed elsewhere."

    And then darkness engulfed him.

Transformers Regenerated: Unicron Saga XI, Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

-Earth, 1901-

    Abraham Dante was never one for myths. He had heard plenty of stories about vampires and werewolves and the like, but even as a child he saw them as utter nonsense. However, there was one his father used to tell that always kept him up at night. 

    The Scorponok.

    It had been in the October of 1864. Abraham's grandfather had been exploring out in the country late at night. The shaking of the earth attracted his attention to a giant shape emerging behind a hill. The shape was that of a giant scorpion.

    Running faster than a roadrunner, Eugene Dante had went to warn the townspeople of what he had seen. But when a group of twenty men went to investigate in the same area he had been to, the Scorponok was nowhere to be seen.

    Abraham had never been able to ask his grandfather about how he had come up with the name before he died. But the tale had nonetheless spurred him to go hunting for the monster on the October of nearly every year. His wife called it a wild goose chase. He called it his dream.

    The moon shone brightly as he cautiously traversed the hill country. The night was silent save for the chirping of crickets and rustling of bushes. His trusted rifle in hand, Abraham kept his eyes on the hill he was now approaching; the same hill where-

    There was a shaking of the earth. Abraham's heart quickened its pace as he saw a large shape emerge from behind the hill; first a tail, then a pair of massive claws....

    The Scorponok came into view.

    He screamed.

-The Ark-

    "Okay... I know this is called the Water Planet and all... but how can any Cybertronian colonists be living here?"

    Jazz couldn't help but agree with Sideswipe as they began to approach Aquatron. Consisting of all sea and no land, he had to wonder how any Transformer could live there without getting a major case of rust.

    "Perceptor, are you picking up any spark signatures?" he asked the scientist.

    "Around one million," Perceptor replied. "Strange, though; that would imply the presence of cities, but I'm not detecting any."

    "Maybe they're underwater," Bumblebee suggested.

    "I'm not sure any Cybertronian would be able to withstand that much water long enough to build them," Perceptor murmured. "Unless they were already there to begin with...."

    "So how are we gonna get down there?" Ironhide asked. "No place to land the ship or even a shuttle...."

    "We have some Mobile Autobot Repair Bays in the cargo hold," Ratchet said. "We could drop down on those."

    Jazz nodded. "Then we'll use those. Sideswipe, bring the Ark down low enough for us to drop off."

*  *  *

    "Optronix a Decepticon? You a Prime?" Roller laughed as he carried a heavy crate. "That's some dream, Orion. Almost sounds like one of Dion's fantasy stories."

    "Um, yeah," Optimus said, smiling weakly. He was still struggling to accept the fact that his entire life had just been a dream, that he had been a dock worker all along, and this his name was again Orion Pax instead of Optimus Prime.

    It couldn't have all been a dream, he thought. In fact, this right now feels more like a dream. What's going on...?

    "Hey, Orion!" Optimus turned at the sound of Dion's voice. The orange and blue mech was standing besides a slender, magenta-colored fembot, who struck Optimus as familiar....

    "How about less daydreaming and more working?" Dion said. "Elita and I can't move these crates ourselves."

    "Elita?" Optimus almost did not recognize her; lacking the additional, weathered armor she had added during the war, she looked happier, more peaceful and... beautiful.

    He shook his head. It's an illusion. This isn't real.

    Nonetheless, he stepped forward and went to join the pair. He would play along with this false reality for now, if only so he could get some answers.

*  *  *

    Seventy-eight percent.

    Xeros frowned at this drop in percentage. The subject's disbelief within the virtual reality was slowly but surely increasing. This would not do, and Inquirata would not be pleased, but given his stubborn personality, he would refuse to see the virtual setting changed. However, Inquirata was not currently present.... 

    Throwing cautious glances around him, Xeros moved to the console that connected Optimus Prime to the falsehood reality and began to alter its coding.

*  *  *

    "Orion, look out!"

    Optimus heard Roller's cry but was unable to turn around in time as something heavy hit him in the back of the head, knocking him out cold. 

    When he finally came to, he was in the Ark's medibay, with Ratchet, Bumblebee, Ironhide, and Jazz standing over him.

    "He's coming to!" Bumblebee said excitedly.

    "About blasted time," Ironhide muttered.

    Optimus Prime groaned as he slowly sat up. "Ugh... what's going on? First I was captured, then-"

    "Yeah, about that." Ratchet smiled weakly. "You've been in stasis lock for seven orbital cycles."

    Optimus' optics widened. That was more than half a year. "It... doesn't feel like it's been that long."

    "Time passes differently for the comatose person than from the point of view of others."

    "But if it makes you feel any better, we've accomplished quite a bit while you were out," Ironhide said.

    "Like what?" Optimus asked.

    Jazz smiled. "We've won the war."

    Optimus' optics dilated even further. "What...?"

    "Yeah, we kind of went against your orders. After Lockdown captured you, we went back to Cybertron, gathered Magnus and the others, and launched an all-out assault on New Kaon. Now Megatron and all of his Decepticons are being cozy at Garrus-9."

    Optimus was speechless for a moment, taken aback by this news. When he found his voice, he said, "But... the AllSpark. Cybertron...."

    "Don't worry, Prime," Ratchet said. "We are continuing the quest, though its now easier without the 'Cons to get in our way."

    Optimus shook his head in wonder. Nearly a thousand years of strife, ended in mere months. A feeling of pride surged through him as he regarded his comrades.

    "Thank you, for going on in my absence."

    Jazz grinned. "Hey, it's what you would have wanted. What else could we have done?"

    "We're still celebrating in the lobby room," Bumblebee said. "Care to join us?"

    Optimus smiled. "Gladly."

*  *  *

    One hundred percent.

    Xeros smiled in satisfaction. Sometime it was for the best that the assistant was left with most of the work, if only to correct the mistakes the boss had made....

Transformers Regenerated: Unicron Saga XI, Prologue & Chapter One

PROLOGUE

    "I trust that you had a safe journey, bounty hunter?"

    Lockdown smirked as he walked down the boarding ramp of his ship, the Death's Head. Taking not of the heavily-armed guards surrounding him, he regarded the tentacled alien before him with mild disdain.

    "Indeed, Inquirata," he muttered. "At least as safe as my job allows."

    Inquirata smiled knowingly... or at least, Lockdown assumed it was a smile. The alien's bulbous head had bizarre curves, making its face barely distinguishable. 

    "Glad to hear it. Now then, did you succeed in acquiring your target?"

    "Yes, he's in the cargo hold," Lockdown said, gesturing at his ship with his hook hand. "But first, I would like to receive my payment first."

    Inquirata's smile vanished. "Not until we make sure you did indeed complete the job."

    "If you trusted my abilities enough to hire me, why do you now doubt me being able to finish a job?"

    The guards on either side of the alien tensed at the challenging tone in Lockdown's voice, but the bounty hunter remained defiant in his stance. Inquirata stared coldly at him, no doubt attempting the stare him down. After a moment, the alien smiled again, albeit less mirthful. 

    "Very well. Jaxis?"

    One of the guards stepped forward and handed Lockdown a handful of credits. The bounty hunter eagerly accepted them before turning back to his ship and remotely opening the ramp to the cargo hold. Placed there, held withing a stasis pod, was Optimus Prime.

*  *  *

    Axer had only been a Star Seeker for a few days and he was already hating it.

    Everywhere he went on the Tidal Wave, he was given looks of disdain and even beaten up by other crew members. No doubt this was because of his vehicular alt mode while pretty much everyone else had a bestial one.

    He was half-tempted to eject himself out the airlock. It was only the knowledge that Thundertron, the Star Seeker's leader, was after something valuable that kept him on board. Whatever it was, Axer intended to have a piece of it.

    Making his way to the bridge (Thundertron only tolerated his presence there as long as he shut up and worked), Axer found the crew working hard to bring the ship out of hyperspace. The navigational computer was beeping wildly.

    Walking up to Cannonball, the only other Cybertronian on board, Axer said, "What's going on?"

    "We've struck gold, apparently," Cannonball gruffly replied. "Looks like Thundertron's finally found what he's after."

    "And that would be...?"

    Cannonball said nothing, instead nodding to the viewport. The hyperspace tunnel vanished and a blue-green world came into view, consisting of mostly water and land.

    Axer snorted. "Nothing special."

    Cannonball grinned. "Oh, it's not the planet itself we're after, but rather, what's on it." The grin broadened. "Or should I say, 'who?'"

CHAPTER ONE

    "Okay, Perceptor, repeat that again, except with one hundred percent seriousness."

    Seated near the viewport on the Ark's bridge, Perceptor frowned. "Gigantion isn't there."

    "Maybe we miscalculated the jump," Jazz murmured, sitting in the command chair.

    "I never miscalculate jumps," muttered the pilot Sideswipe.

    "I'm afraid he's right," Perceptor said. "We're in the system, going by the Caminus asteroid belt floating nearby and its star Gigalonia being present, but Gigantion is nowhere to be found."

    Jazz groaned, slumping in his seat. As if their quest for the AllSpark couldn't get any worse: first, their leader, Optimus Prime, got captured by a bounty hunter, and now their destination for the third AllSpark shard was missing.

    "Are there any other colony worlds we can visit?" he then asked Perceptor.

    "There is Animatron, the Jungle Planet," the scientist replied. "Aquatron, the Water Planet; Combatron, the Iron Planet...."

    "Well, we'll have to visit all of those eventually. Let's start with Aquatron- do we have any water-based Autobots on board?"

    "Just ol' Barnacle Butt, Seaspray," Ironhide grunted. "I guess I should apologize to him for callin' him useless."

    Jazz nodded. "Right. Aquatron then. And let's hope it's actually there this time."

*  *  *

    "The Autobots have altered their course."

    Still mending his wounds from the battle on Junkion, Megatron lifted his baleful gaze to Soundwave. "Where to?"

    "Uncertain at this point. They have just left the Gigantion system, presumably in an attempt to throw us off."

    "I did not ask for presumptions, Soundwave," Megatron snapped. "Keep working until you figure out their course."

    As the emotionless comm officer went to work, Megatron sat back and mused over past events. How many more times would he be robbed of the opportunity to kill the mech whom he had once called brother and now called his arch-enemy? The list of encounters were endless:

    The first encounter on Cybertron; Trypticon turned on him and detracted him from his goal.

    The Raid on Tesarus; the Aerialbots bombed the camp and rescued Prime.

    The Battle of Vextor XI; the native razor-slugs were disturbed by the fighting on the surface and intervened.

    The Siege of Massunstrad, the Vorsk Offensive, the Rorsha Campaign... the list went on. And now Junkion, with Lockdown capturing Optimus Prime and leaving for parts unknown. How could nearly a thousand years-worth of opportunities pass while denying him the chance to satisfy his lust for vengeance?

    He was interrupted from his thoughts when Soundwave spoke again. "I have them, my lord."

    "Well?" Megatron said impatiently.

    "They are headed for the colony world Aquatron."

    "Why would they head for one colony only to go to another instead before they even reach the first one?" Barricade asked, to no one in particular.

    "Stop asking stupid questions and make way for Aquatron!" Megatron barked. As the Nemesis began to change course, the Decepticon leader made a mental note to not let Prime's fellow Autobots elude him again as well.

*  *  *

    Optimus Prime awoke to find himself on Cybertron.

    This was not possible for two reasons: the first being that he had purposely left Cybertron to find the AllSpark. Second of all, it was certainly no longer as beautiful as it was now.

    Rising up from the recharge slab he had been on, he looked down at himself and saw that he was in the body he had had long before he became a Prime. When he was Orion Pax....

    "Well, look who's finally up."

    Optimus looked towards the door to his quarters and saw his old friend Roller standing there, practically filling the door frame.

    "R-Roller?" he murmured. "What are you doing here? I thought-"

    "What, that I'd take up Dion's dare to skip work?" Roller laughed. "I'm not that brave and stupid, pal."

    "Dion?" Optimus shook his head. "No... Dion is dead."

    "No, he's not. At least, last I checked, he wasn't." Roller tilted his head, looking concerned. "You feeling okay, big guy?"

    "Yeah, I'm fine," Optimus lied, jumping off the recharge slab. "I just... had a bizarre stasis dream. I'll tell you about it on the way to work."

    "Sure thing," Roller said as he converted into a large armored van. "I told you to go easy on those energized energon cubes."

    "Um, right," Optimus said as he transformed as well. "I'll... keep that in mind next time."

*  *  *

    "Status."

    "The subject is ninety-eight-point-nine percent within the virtual reality. One-point-one percent of him is mildly aware that he is no longer in the true reality."

    Inquirata grimaced. "We'll have to do better than that, Xeros. We need him one-hundred-percent within the virtual reality in order to commence the experiment."

    "Understood," Xeros muttered. "However, I'm not sure if this 'setting' is the best. Too much has happened to him for him to simply disregard it as a dream."

    "It will work," Inquirata said sternly. "I have calculated the probabilities again and again, and I am without a doubt certain that this will succeed."

    "I'll take your word for it," Xeros murmured, returning to his work. "I have no other say in the matter."

THE DARK AGE

Part 4: Secrets in the Depths

Star Wars Endgame: Episode IV, Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN

    Once Relin had tool him his tale- about the Lignan, the Harbinger, and the conflict with his former apprentice- Jaden recounted it to the gathered Jedi Council. Once he was done, the twelve Jedi Masters contemplated it.

    "If there truly is another ancient Sith on the loose, then we must deal with them," said Grand Master Kro Sadoon. "These events must be connected somehow, no doubt to the person who stole the Sith relic on Begeren."

    Jaden nodded. "Right. The Sith dreadnaught should still be there near the frozen moon. Relin told me that he destroyed the hyperdrive, so it shouldn't be going anywhere."

    "Let us hope you're right," muttered Master Plun Kil. "A wandering Sith warship is the last thing we need."

    Kyle Katarn, Jaden's former master, leaned forward in his seat. "What did you find on the frozen moon, Jaden? Answers to your vision?"

    Jaden shook his head. "Not exactly. We found an abandoned Imperial research facility. It was home to these clones, some of familiar faces: yours, Master Kam Solusar's... and they claimed that I was one of them."

    Kyle raised an eyebrow. "And did you believe them?"

    "No," Jaden said quietly. "But I do wonder why they made such claims."

    Master Odan Murk waved a dismissive hand. "They had probably lost their sanity when they were abandoned. They either mistook you for someone else or were trying to trick you."

    "Probably." Jaden shrugged. "Shall we contact the Alliance for help in dealing with the dreadnaught?"

    "While I would prefer to keep the Alliance out of our affairs, we may require their help, especially if this dreadnaught tries to attack," Sadoon said. "Master Corran Horn is currently commanding Rogue Squadron, so they may be willing to assist us."

    Jaden nodded. "Good. Arsix should be bringing my fighter back from Fhost now, so I will be able to join them."

    "One last thing," said Master Noran Raun. "Is it true? Is Toah Jarsan back?"

    Jaden smiled. "As far as I know, yes. He has a habit of wandering away, so I'll have to keep an eye on him."

    Kyle laughed. "Yes, that's Toah for you. It just doesn't do for him to stay on just one planet for a day."

*  *  *

    Saes sat in a darkened cell. Armored footsteps sounded outside and he could sense the approach of the man who would be speaking with him. The human was strong in the dark side, but he certainly wasn't a Sith he knew.

    The door to his cell slid open and a tall, hooded man stepped through. Most of his face was obscured by shadow, leaving only his mouth and jaw visible.

    "Saes Rrogon, I presume?"

    "Yes," the Kaleesh snarled. "And you are?"

    "Varon Krul."

    "The dark side is strong with you. Are you a Sith? I can't say I recognize you."

    "Yes, I am a Sith, and I doubt you would." A mirthless smile flashed on the human's face. "After all, you have been away from the known galaxy for over five thousand years."

    "What?!" Saes shot out of his seat but was pushed down by an invisible force. "You speak lies. I demand to see Lord Naga Sadow."

    "I'm afraid that's not possible," Varon said. "He's been dead for just as long."

    Saes could not believe what he was hearing. Glaring angrily at Varon, he growled, "Why should I trust your words?"

    Varon shrugged. "Honestly, I don't care if you do or not. All I want to know is one thing: where is the rest of the Lignan crystals?"

    Saes tilted his head. "What make you think there's more?"

    "The same thing that led me to your ship," Varon said. "I found records left behind by Naga Sadow on Ziost. One of them mentioned two dreadnaughts being sent to Phaegon Three's moon to retrieve Lignan ore. I deduced one of these ships to be the Harbinger. What is the name of the other?"

    The Kaleesh sneered. "I doubt you'd be able to find it. If what you say is true, then it is probably long gone."

    Varon's face darkened. The air in the room seemed to decompress. "Tell me the name of the ship."

    Saes hesitated and he suddenly felt his neck constrict. "O-Omen!" he croaked. "Though I don't know where it is! Y-you'll never find it!"

    Varon grinned. "Oh, I very much doubt that."

    A snap-hiss sounded and the last thing Saes saw was the flash of a red blade.

*  *  *

    "Identification."

    "Cal Sulet," the Zabrak male said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

    "Destination?"

    "Lianna. And make it snappy."

    The Sy Myrthian receptionist glared at him with her red eyes. "Please wait to be called," she said coldly.

    Cal grunted and sat in the waiting area. He was eager to get off Coruscant and get as far away from the Galactic Alliance as possible. Besides, he had a reputation on Lianna to get back. With the war over, he could now enjoy the life he had been forced to leave behind.

    The life of Salvan Tai.

    His comlink buzzed and he answered it. The loud roar of a Wookiee greeted his ears.

    "Sharbrook," Cal muttered. "Can you put me through to Remar? You know I don't speak Wookiee."

    The Wookiee grunted and shortly after, a man's voice spoke. "Hey, Cal. How did it go on Coruscant?"

    "Girdun screwed things up and now I'm on the run," Cal said bitterly. "I'm going back to Lianna to live my old life again. No more hired work and conspiracies for me."

    "A shame," Remar said. "Especially since Black Sun's just got a new bounty up."

    "Remar, I told you-"

    "The head of Kadar for a million credits."

    Kadar? A million? Cal's heart began to pound against his chest. "Black Sun wants him dead that bad?"

    "Come on, you've heard the news; he's killed all of their Vigos. It would make any Underlord mad. But, I guess if you're not interested, then-"

    "No, wait! Deal me back in. I'll meet you on Ord Mantell." Ending the connection, he rushed over to the receptionist's desk. "Forget Lianna. Book me for Ord Mantell."

    "Whatever."

    The Zabrak walked away with a twisted sense of glee. At last, he had his chance to take revenge against the man who had caused him to lose his old life. And he would do so not as Cal Sulet, not as Sergeant Saltai Deen, nor as Baron Salvan Tai... but as General Merlok.

    The last general of the Glorian Empire.

TO BE CONTINUED

Star Wars Endgame: Episode IV, Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN

    General Hawk took a sip of coffee as he sat down comfortably at his desk. Standing before him in his quarters were former General "Face" Loran, Commanders Sharr Latt and Bhindi Drayson, Director Heol Girdun, and General Borath Maddeus.

    The Supreme Commander of the GA Defense Force gestured at the sundry chairs and sofas in the room. "Please, make yourself comfortable."

    Face and his two Wraith Squadron leaders sat down in a wide sofa while Girdun and Maddeus took separated armchairs.

    Hawk took another sip of his drink before saying, "Someone please tell me what the kark is going on."

    Girdun did not hesitate in answering. "Sir, Garik Loran has reformed Wraith Squadron without permission from me, you, or the Chief of State."

    "True," Hawk said, "but I know that Director Kalenda authorized it before she got the boot, so it's technically official."

    Girdun scowled. "In that case, I 'officially' disband them."

    "Fair enough," Face said before turning to Hawk. "Permission to reform Wraith Squadron as Dinner Squadron, sir?"

    Girdun shot out of his seat. "You have been relieved of your rank, Loran. You are in no position to-"

    "Girdun, put your blasted rear end back down," Hawk snapped. "Loran, you're general again."

    "What?" Girdun bellowed, his face flushed red with anger. "You can't-!"

    "I am the Supreme Commander here," Hawk said coldly. "Don't tell me what I can and can not do."

    Still fuming, the Director sat back down, his arms crossed. Hawk then returned his attention to Face.

    "I am overruling Girdun's disbandment. Wraith Squadron is back in business, and without the secrecy."

    Face nodded. "Thank you, sir."

    Maddeus cleared his throat. "As much as I support General Loran and Wraith Squadron returning, what do we do concerning Moff Lecersen's arrest?"

    "We shall look into the Wraith's accusations of Lecersen being involved in a conspiracy," Hawk said. "Whoever is wrong or right, things shall be dealt with accordingly... or we can just forget all of this happened."

    "What about blowing Captain Sacul out of the sky?" Face asked, eyebrows arched. "Girdun did arrest me right after that happened."

    Hawk glanced at Maddeus, who was partially in charge of Coruscant's defenses. "Anything to say?"

    The general shifted slightly in his seat. "We started to suspect Captain Sacul of wrong doing after he left Coruscant unofficially authorized. I did not order the firing on his ship; someone down the line acted out of accordance."

    "I see. In that case, in order to prevent any more instances of utter stupidity, I am appointing General Loran as co-head of Intelligence."

    "WHAT?!" Girdun roared.

    "If you keep shouting like that, your voice is going to give out," Face said snidely. "Not that I would complain about that, mind you."

    While Face and Girdun glared daggers at each other, Sharr Latt gave Hawk a quizzical look. "Is this a wise move, sir?"

    Hawk smirked. "Well, if they ever start whipping blasters at each other, I'll be the first to know."

*  *  *

    "Can't this airspeeder go any faster?"

    Hrym Mawarr glanced at his Quarren passenger as their airspeeder zipped through the airways. "If I go anywhere above the speed limit, the police will be on our tails. That's more attention than we need."

    Prodd muttered something under his breath but Mawarr paid him no heed. They were fast approaching the spaceport; he wouldn't be dealing with the griping Sith for much longer.

    Suddenly, something thumped against the back of the speeder. Mawarr craned his head around and saw a man clad in white Mandalorian armor standing there.

    "Hello, Kadar," the Skakoan said. "Care for a ride?"

    The bounty hunter did not say anything. Instead, he threw a thermal detonator into the back seat before taking off with his jetpack.

    Mawarr sighed. "Is that honestly the best he can do?"

    Quickly grabbing Prodd, the Skakoan activated the rocket boosters on his back and shot out of the airspeeder seconds before it exploded. Upon spotting Kadar on the roof of a building, Mawarr lowered himself down onto it and Prodd shot out of his grasp, charging towards the ex-Mandalorian while sending out blasts of lightning.

    Kadar staggered from the initial assault but managed to recover himself. He then raised his right arm and fired a rocket. It impacted near Prodd's feet and caused the Quarren to jump back in surprise.

    Mawarr then stepped forward and aimed a rotary cannon built into his arm. He fired it at Kadar, who narrowly avoided the shots and fired his own cannon from his abdomen. The firefight went on for a while until Prodd lunged at Kadar again. Just as the Quarren was about to use the Force lightning again, Kadar activated his flamethrower and aimed it at the Sith.

    Prodd shrieked as his entire body caught fire. He flailed about in a futile attempt to ward off the flames. In the midst of his confusion, he did not see where he was going and fell over the edge of the roof. Mawarr watched his plummet down the building until it was abruptly ended by a transport speeder colliding into the Quarren's body. The Skakoan bounty hunter winced at the gruesome demise before turning back to Kadar.

    "Well then," Mawarr murmured. "That's that then. No sense in quarreling any further, not that your target's dead, right?"

    Kadar was silent.

    Mawarr cleared his throat. "The Quarren was your target, correct?"

    Still silence. Then, the ex-Mandalorian spoke. "I have no way of knowing whether or not Mal Banvor truly is still alive or not. I may have had my revenge on Metalorn all those years ago after all. Or he's still out there, and I haven't had my revenge yet. Until I know for sure...."

    He raised his missile launcher arm.

    "You'll do for now."

Star Wars Endgame: Episode IV, Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

    Relin Druur watched as the Mon Calamari Jedi healer studied the scanners that showed his vital signs. Off to the side stood Jaden, Toah, Khedryn, and Marr, the latter two looking nervous about being the only non-Force users in a Jedi Temple.

    After several minutes of silence, Master Cilghal looked down at the ancient Jedi. "I have healed the worst of your injuries, though you will need to spend a few days here to recover. Would you like a prosthetic replacement for your hand?"

    "No," Relin murmured. "A Jedi should not let the loss of flesh hinder him; to replace what has been lost would be a sign of weakness. Though that's probably not what they teach nowadays, is it?"

    "As you wish," Cilghal said, ignoring the mildly condescending tone in the ancient Jedi's voice. Putting away the scanners, she walked over to Jaden and the others. "He's in good health. However, I must question your claim of him being over five thousand years old."

    "You've heard the way he talks," Jaden said. "He mentions things like the Sith Empire and the Great Hyperspace War as if they are recent or current."

    "He could be delusional," Cilghal said, quiet enough so that Relin would not hear her. "But I could not find nor sense any mental illness."

    "And even if he was delusional, how do you explain the Sith dreadnaught he arrived in?" Toah noted.

    Cilghal slowly nodded. "That is true. I shall speak with the others on the High Council regarding these events. In the meantime, stay here with him and try to find out more on how he got to... our time."

    With that, the Jedi healer left. Jaden and Toah started to move over to Relin's bedside, but were stopped by Khedryn.

    "Er, if it's all the same to you," the smuggler said, "Marr and I will be leaving. We've done what you've asked, so...."

    Jaden smiled. "The credits have already been transferred to your account."

    Khedryn blinked. "That fast? Well, then, uh... thanks."

    "Don't mention it. Fly safely, and may the Force be with you."

    "Right, sure." With that, Khedryn and his Cerean companion headed out of the room. They were barely a few feet away when Khedryn turned back to them and smiled sheepishly.

    "Uh, could someone show us the way out?"

*  *  *

    Impatient finger taps echoed through the Harbinger's second bridge. Saes flickered his gaze anxiously at the communication officer, who was attempting to contact the Sith Empire on Korriban. He could not handle the wait any longer. The Kaleesh rose from his command chair, ignoring the pain it gave him in doing so.

    "What's taking so long?" he snarled.

    "No one's responding," the officer replied. "All I'm getting is static."

    The tribal mask of Saes' people concealed the worried expression on his face. Why was the Dark Lord not responding- or anyone, for that matter? Usually, if Lord Sadow was too busy to answer calls, someone like his regent Shar Dakhan would do so instead.

    "What about Captain Korsin?" 

    A moment passed as the officer tried to contact the Omen. "Negative."

    Saes slumped down into his seat. No communication, no hyperdrive... they were all but lost to the rest of the galaxy.

    Hour passed by, with no one saying a word. Saes knew that the crew had all accepted their fates; they would die here, out on the edge of the galaxy. No one would notice their absence. No one would come to-

    "Captain, look!"

    Saes lifted his gaze to the viewport. Dropping out of hyperspace was a ship unlike any he had seen before; sleek yet vast, it was thousands of meters in length and shaped like a dagger.

    "They're hailing us," the communications officer said.

    "Answer them," Saes ordered.

    The voice of a male soon spoke through the Harbinger's intercom. "Unidentified ship, this is Vanguard of the Imperial Remnant. State your name, allegiance, and business."

    "Harbinger of the Sith Empire, transporting Lignan crystals to the Dark Lord Naga Sadow. Our hyperdrive is damaged, so we can not reach Korriban."

    Silence reigned for a long time. Finally, the Vanguard's commander said, "The Sith Empire, you say? As far as I know, the Sith haven't had an empire for over a millennia."

    Saes was taken aback by this. Was this man stupid? Or had he been out for longer than he thought...?

    Before he could respond, the Vanguard's commander continued. "However, we have been expecting you. Prepare to be boarded; my men will transfer the Lignan and your crew from your ship to ours."

    Expecting us? Saes was skeptical about the man's statement, but he nonetheless agreed to it. As he watched the larger ship slowly come up to become parallel with the Harbinger, he said to his Massassi warriors, "Be wary of them. If I give the order, kill them all."

*  *  *

    "It would appear your hunch was right," Admiral Vin Borgas said to the cloaked man standing next to him. "Consider me impressed."

    "It was never a hunch," the other man hissed. "The dark side willed it to be so."

    Borgas shrugged. "Nevertheless, the results are the same. What is to be our next destination after you speak with the Sith captain?"

    "You are to take the Lignan to Borosk. Meanwhile, I shall take my fighter into Sith Space. Until you hear from me again, speak nothing of this."

    Borgas nodded. "As you wish, Master Krul."