Planet Gand, Pef empire

Celestial Throne

Next week

Ventress is returning in glory, having replaced the former Dictator-Forever with an Imperial Servant and his retinue, along with establishing spaceport, space stations and military garrisons on Targonn. It seems the planet can export a valuable plant which can pacify most organics upon ingestion. Yeah, we're not exporting that.

Begin new research project and classify it under Military Act paragraph 8/d, empire wide revolt. Might be useful instead of orbital bombardment or biological weapons.

Add use to 8/c as well. Paragraph 8/c is localized counter-insurgency, if we ever need to train fresh organic recruits. Rebels make rather nice live targets and they cost nothing, unlike target drones.

If you ever wonder why I made all those military contingency plans, you're wrong. Paragraph 1/a is peace. Everyone wants peace. The other plans are just thought exercises.

"Emperor Pef. We meet again" The beautiful Jedi lady says, before turning to stare at Miss Zero.

"Indeed Miss Fay. I do hope none of your refugees have left the ships. Searching for changelings can be enervating. Especially if they murder my people to hide in their skin" I replied, hinting at our first encounter.

"Ah yes. That...won't happen again. By accident" the space elf said, before going to hug the Zero Jedi. So, they did know each other.

"Okay then. I have a few locations to propose for our new friends. So, ocean planet, arid, temperate, jungle, or arctic?" I asked amused. Jedi did hugs? I never knew.

"They'd prefer humid and uninhabited at all, if possible. Preferably not on a trade route too" Fay said, eying the light sabers carried by Zero with a certain doubt. Yeah, me too Miss Jedi.

"Okay then. I have one for you. If they need some adjustment I'll visit one day and change the climate a little." I decided, sending her the route to Sran system. Fay looked on her datapad and raised an eyebrow. The Ash worlds were known to have been lost. But I had fat friends.

"I saw the water maiden on my way to your halls, but not the angel one, she is away?" Fay asked, apparently just curious.

"Yep, visiting Corellia and making green friends. Our neighbour, Dooku seems to have dark thoughts" I said politely, then shrugged my shoulders.

Still, it seemed to come as a surprise for both women, as they both became rigid and alert.

"Are you certain Emperor, is he fallen?" Fay asked officiously. Hmmm. Not quite as independent as I hoped.

"Well. If giving in to dark desires is what scares you, Miss Zero is pretty dark. I don't judge people like Jedi do. Then again, I work mostly with the cosmic force not the living force. Urges and instincts and hate, those are extremes of the living force." I said calmly, stealing Darth Maul lightsaber from Zero and stabbing it in my palm.

As expected, I was at least as strong as Grandmaster Shan, and the beam didn't pass through my barrier.

Both Jedi stared at me like I was some monster.

"That...how..." Miss Zero muttered in confusion.

"This is just tricks. I can't juggle stars yet. Only Lucrehulks so far" I said, dismissing the beam and shaking my helmet.

"And terraforming planets with telekinesis. I heard about the last one. Is that your Avatar?" Fay asked, coming closer to look inside the cradle.

"Yep. Cute little baby right?" I asked rhetorically. Babies...always seem cute.

"He's as strong as me already." Miss Zero added helpfully. Thanks, I do great work. Sometimes. Eventually.

"And linked to you, like your Voice. Same resonance..." Fay muttered, holding her palm over the kid.

Telepathy, mind reading...Come on, really? Mind raping a baby?

I used Peffy to pyroblast her hand, charring it to the bone.

"Mind alter annoys him" I explained politely, as Fey regrew her flesh back, with eyes wide open.

"You're teaching him, so young!" She said accusingly. How is that a crime? At least, I didn't kidnap him.

"Sure. He's smart. And not kidnaped from his family" I replied politely.

"You better make sure he's sane. Or I'll rip your armor to shreds, again." she added as a parting word, and turned to leave.

"Two years start now, Miss Fay. I'll have a contact ship drop by and plant crops and build housing." I yelled after her. She most likely forgot most people need to eat or such.

"You have the most interesting friends, Immortal Pef. And you got Master Fay to teach someone. Not even Master Yoda managed that..." Miss Zero said with a tilt of head and a raised eyebrow.

"Do you want to know how you will die, Miss Zero?" I asked conversationally, while changing the milk dispenser to the next one.

"In combat I think" she said resigned.

"My Voices will never die. Well, unless they ask me really nice." I proclaimed, playing again with the double lightsaber, spinning it in the air like a helicopter, and no hands.

"Even the weaklings you hid from Fay?" Zero asked, ignoring the saber. Ok, back on the pillow then.

"Especially them. Every generation has strong people. But good people? Kind hearts? Why would I ever let them die?" I mused, sitting down back on my throne, and drumming Vader's march.

Keep the crazy one? Drain him and keep his kid? The boy or the girl? Decisions, decisions.

I kinda needed Luke Skywalker to come into existence anyway, since the Force 'whispered' to me that it wanted him. Important guy, roger. I'll start working on that, dear Force.

En route to Dellalt.

It seems Lira can't solve everything. Especially with CIS agents on the ground, urging the locals to join the Separatists, while the war robots shoot everyone.

I took Wialu and Zero with me, for help and to keep the crazy Jedi from running away with my Avatar.

It seems all three of us know a slightly different variant of invisibility. Or, the brains are different.

Wialu uses the White Current, which I still don't know exactly what it is. Zero uses the Living force, like all Jedi, and me...I use electromagnetic cloaking. Which would be the Physical force, most likely.

I thought I was approaching Master level, but I still don't know anything.

'Imagine the surprise Solanus had when he read your memories.' Solana consoled me through the Voice. Thanks love, take care of my baby.

'We're having a bath. You know kids need to be washed, right?'

Hmmm. Even babies? I mean, clean ones...the warm water and Solana's hands did feel good though.

'Moron, you deserve what's coming' she sent just before Wialu lit me on fire.

"You didn't wash the kid, till now?"

"He looked clean!"

"Download a nanny manual, damn idiot" she muttered as I pushed the flames away, then puffed a nano-gene cloud and removed the oxygen around them.

Right. I doubt the kid will ever get sick though. He was strong enough to fight combat droids already.

And Angie, my angel maid is holding concerts and getting praised by millions on Corellia, instead of doing her job...

Vette hasn't found the pirates we need, only different ones.

At least Ventress went to fix the reptiles and get them organized into armies.

Hmmm. How I am gonna move those armies around?

Troops are easy, somewhat, and droids even easier, but tanks and walkers?

Along with hospitals and kitchens and spare parts...

Kriff, I need a few competent generals.

Guess I'll have 500 Meteors discard mounting half of the MACs and load them up with barracks and armories. And kitchens.

And use 2 bombardment ones to protect each transport Meteor. No, that class needs a different name now. Mountain class. Cause they're as large as mountains, in space.

Groups of three always, to protect each other. And, let's add defenses for their engines and upper fins.

Perhaps one-directional shields for the MACs mouth as well, if they can pass through them.

Add some Ion cannon batteries too. And some tractor beams. Plenty ships coming and going. Better guide them safely.

What else I forgot? Starfighters and battle droids. Tanks and artillery.

Those need room as well. Gah.

At least the ships were big enough to carry entire armies.

Would be pretty embarrassing to arrive at some sieged planet and have nothing to occupy it with.

In orbit around Dellalt.

Speaking of which. There's 50 of our ships including 5 of MC80 Liberty type Star Cruiser and a contact Lucrehulk, and 52 Separatist ships, contesting our rights.

They have 8 Lucrehulks and 44 of Munificent-class star frigate. Kinda bad odds for now.

Now, where is my...

Our first Meteor jumped in right now, not fully operational, with only 10 MACs and 500 heavy masers. But it has a Rakata shield, just like my own cruiser. Should be enough. Possibly. Most likely.

Those Lucrehulks are upgraded and carry 400 turbolasers each. And tons of fighters too.

Let's open negotiations then.

"This is Emperor Pef, of Pef Empire. I have claimed this planet. Do you intend to contest my claim?" I asked politely, as my Meteor entered firing range.

They declined to answer for some ten seconds, so I let the Meteor's Captain test his MACs on the nearest Lucrehulk.

It withstood 9 projectiles then vanished in a huge explosion with the tenth shell.

Errr. I kinda hoped for more damage from the main guns...

Then again, we were gonna add 90 more MACs to an entire fleet of these Meteors. They should work. I hope.

Some CIS insect guy appeared on the holocom, mumbling something of a misunderstanding, then turned his ships around and jumped away.

Okay then, problem solved.

Now let's see what those old war robots are doing on my planet...

Death. Lira is dead!

I hit me like a hammer, feeling the bond draw my peaceful Togruta Voice into the partition I reserved for her.

"It was a man with blue skin Pef! Something happened in orbit and then...I'm dead, aren't I?" Lira said with a sad voice.

"Afraid so, love. You gonna be Peffy's little sister, from now on."

"Ah. That's...much better than I expected. Just gonna rummage through this...the hell! you downloaded entire libraries here. Holocrons too!" she exclaimed, starting to read all the big secrets.

"Knowledge is power and trumps ignorance. Or something" I mused, trying to be angry, but didn't have the glands for it.

"Burn the fucker who killed my beautiful body, will you love?" she asked me so politely, I just couldn't refuse. Accel times five.

"I will certainly try" I answered, already slicing through all the databases planetside. A few seconds later, I ran the last recordings of the negotiations taking place down on Dellalt. And found the culprit.

Cad Bane. Seems we're gonna have a long talk, you and I.

"Fleet wide, no ships can leave the planet. Not even ours. We have a murderer to catch" I proclaimed, sending recordings of the man, and cursing damn VSS.

"Your maid is dead?" Zero asked, having caught the gist, just by looking at the holonet transmissions.

"Untill she grows back. I need better cloning tech..." I muttered, with some fake annoyance. I should wait for Vette to return though. A power gem should boost Lira to Master level at least.

Wialu came to hug me, and smiled a little "Glad to know it works though. Tell Lira I love her too"

Yea, she heard you. The least I can do is let her access my senses.

There! He entered some empty vault.

Guess I'll find both things I want in there.

Planet Dellalt, Pef Empire

24 BBY

"That ship...no wonder your blue twi'lek said you want to conquer the galaxy" Miss Jedi Zero said as we were embarking on an assault shuttle, along with a platoon of Brubbs and combat droids. The jedi was not impressed at all with my work.

"Yeah, our proud Meteor. We've been working on it for a year, and it's just now reached limited mobility. Gonna have to go over the designs again, I was certain those large cannons would kill a ship in one shot. We got lucky the tenth shot hit something vital..." I muttered in fake dismissiveness.

"Spinal cannons, with solid slugs. If the enemy ships move a little, the weapons will be useless. So those were the CIS, Dooku's people..." Zero replied with some amusement.

"And maser cannons, looted and repaired, from a old cathedral ship. But, yeah, guess we'll see more of the CIS, especially on the western borders" I said with some real worry.

Cad Bane would have been one of the CIS top mercenaries during the Clone wars. To be used against me, and so soon...

"Cad Bane is very expensive. And good. He won't be killed so easy" Zero added checking her lightsaber.

Yeah right. Like we'll burst right in, and get hit by whatever traps he set for us. I'll send droids first, since I know how to cheat.

"Well then. We better not try to kill him, especially since he works with Miss Aurra a lot." I concluded, as our shuttle reached the landing zone.

Miss Zero shifted a little, the force wobbling around her for a second. Got you now, Miss 'no-attachments'.

"Devious too. Your Avatar might make a great student, after all." She said with an approving tone.

All around us was an advanced city, with skyscrapers and monorails, now deserted and in ruins, and we entered the famous vaults, which were sadly empty.

More teams spread around us, searching the city and the vaults, while I followed the last marker I traced from orbit. It lead to this entrance, then stopped. No problem, I'll take it from here.

My droids fanned out in front of us, with our marines forming a close guard.

The blue Duros should be here somewhere, but I couldn't sense him at all.

Not the VSS fault after all. Guy was a pro, like top 5 in the galaxy. Maybe Lira's fault, for taking off her helmet, and losing her head.

"It was a negotiation, dear crystal. A face makes a thousand words. You wouldn't know it though, locked inside that armor" Lira commented, not willing to accept her mistake.

Another puff of nano-gene droids, and I pushed them in a wide area around with telekinesis. I could form a proprioceptive holomap, even if the sneaky bounty-hunter was able to hide from my force senses.

And once a biped shaped hole formed inside the holomap...

Walls, broken war droids, doors, walls.

Nothing.

Let's dismantle those war robots then. No force based reactor. Just old tech. Really old, like 20 millenia or so.

A seismic charge detonated, collapsing the tunnel with the robot I was working on. A pressure trap, most likely. I moved the robot and the mine under it detonated. Clever.

Somewhere to the east, my troops encountered people, commanding hundreds of war droids, and were getting shot at.

'Retreat and take defensive positions.' I ordered at once.

I'd rather keep those war robots, and my own droids intact.

'I'll deploy pacifier gas, and smooth over things with the locals' Wialu sent through the Voice.

Hey, that was quite smart. Well done Wialu!

Now let's continue the search...lift that rubble and take it outside, conveyor belt style. Now, what's that!

A hidden door, leading to more vaults underneath?

Oh Xim, you clever despot. Why did you have to die and leave this mess?

Did Bane already found those vaults, or was this the force, giving me a little help?

My first droids reached the explosion site, and were promptly dispatched with thermal detonators and accurate shots.

Found you!

Miss Zero took off at hyperspeed, rushing ahead with a purple lightsaber in hand.

Gah, I hope I won't have to scrape her blood from the walls...

A second later, she started convulsing in pain, as some Patrolian was electrocuting her.

"Dumb Jedi" I muttered with a sigh, grabbing all three people I sensed with the nano-genes and bringing them outside.

Bane was struggling, trying to shoot anything with a scoped pistol, while his buddy was muttering something about Jedi, while flopping his fins in defeat.

"Welcome to Pef Empire, Bane and whatever. I have a few questions for you" I proclaimed imposingly, punching the sky and hitting the metal ceiling by accident. A gong like sound resounded in the caverns, and my Brubbs marines took a step away from the crazy.

Damn, this was embarrassing. Not the entrance I wanted, at all!

Planet Dellalt, Pef Empire

Xim City.

While I chat friendly with my new captives, I also multitask and finish taking over the war robots, and exploring the new vaults underneath the empty ones.

Riches and plunder from all over the Xim's Empire, from weapons, diamonds, Aurodium and artifacts of lost civilizations, to dataslates and financial records. Surprisingly, the last ones are the most valuable.

They contain thousands of hyper routes markers for the subjugated worlds in Xim's Empire, including the demographics of the tax paying planet, inhabitants, trade routes, mineral composition of asteroid fields and more. Whoever created and managed the accounting system will be forever praised for his work.

Thousands of systems with planets and thousands more star systems without life, but with economic value. The Ash Worlds have opened back again.

I've started copying, translating and beaming it towards our Exploration Corps, to begin immediate verification, using the Corp's newest recruits.

The Gands have argued to allow other races in the Empire the honor of jumping blindly on uncharted routes, and thus a number of Sith, Toongs, Skeebo and Brubbs have also joined the Corps, bravely going where no one has gone before. Sometimes they even return, surprising everyone and getting their first star rank.

The holocrons I made for the Exploration Corps can instruct a capable pilot in months instead of decades. Who knew, eh?

The bota plant extracts also help, increasing force connection and accelerating learning and reflexes even higher.

Now back on the interrogation partition.

"Now, as I was saying Mister Cad. You killed my Voice, and you will die for that, nothing can stop it. But, look deep into your heart, do you want Jango Fett to be the winner? You could be the spiritual father of a whole army, using your knowledge to defend the galaxy from predators, saving children, and get rich doing it!" I proclaimed with my vocoder, pointing at a confused Brubb marine to my right.

"Tchhh. That slimy little creepy Mandalorian! He's cloned himself a billion times and is now training a whole clone army of him?" the blue duros exclaimed, sipping another shot of Corellian brandy.

"Yes, for the Galactic Republic. We can't let them win, my dead friend. My Empire needs trained soldiers too, look at them, look!" I complained and pointed at another Brubb, whose grip just magically lost his gatling laser, and was comically trying to regain it.

I might have helped a little with telekinesis, but my Brubbs were indeed, kinda pathetic.

"If that's your personal guard, I shudder to think of the quality of your other marines..." Cad Bane muttered, his professional streak crying in shame.

"And then Dooku and the CIS techocrats make combat droids, each generation better than the other. You perhaps know of droideka droids? Just one of those amazing machines could decimate an Imperial marine company. Please Mister Cad, don't let your one mistake end your legacy. Help me and help yourself. Become a revered saint, after death!" I declared, punching the sky, after checking ceiling clearance first.

"You make a good point, rich droid. Kriff, why did I take this damn job? It would have been so fun working with you, and get much better paid, you crazy droid..." the renowned bounty hunter commiserated, lighting a death stick and puffing in my faceplate.

"Well, perhaps you have a friend or such you can recommend. I kinda prefer women assassins though, since you know, maids?" I answered nodding politely, and shaping a female hourglass with my hands.

"Ah yes, you would need another to replace your dead one....let me think, which one was also kinda crazy?" Cad Bane muttered, going over dozens of candidates in his shielded mind. Damn man wasn't affected by mind alter.

"Ah, a huggable assassin maid, going pew-pew, killing those disgusting Jedi and dark Jedi for me. Much more pleasant than just poisoning fake holocrons" I mused, maybe a little loud, leaning on my back in reverie and shooting with finger pistols. C'mon, how many clues you need?

"That was you? Of course it was. So that's why Dooku was so pissed at you. Kriff. You must have killed five or so of his pets. And he decided to return the favor, killing yours. But what about the woman with the lightsaber?" he asked curious.

"Ah, the insane one. Well, a Jedi on my ship makes my every action legal, in the eyes of the galaxy. She hates everyone equally though, so only the promise of combat and mayhem still stirs her. Plus, she would cut my hand off, if I caressed her ass...." I complained, miming a round contour with my hand.

"Haha, you're trying to tap that? No way, you crazy droid! I'll will really die with a smile on my face if you tried that. Okay, I got the right kind of crazy for you. Aurra Sing, I worked with her a couple times. Seems she was trained by a jedi in her youth too.

Let me write you her biochip callsign. And my password. She would love making billions while killing jedi. Damn my luck" Cad Bane replied , typing a serie of codes and binary strings on the datapad on the table.

I copied the codes from the datapad, then returned back to avenging emperor mode.

"Great, my torturer will stop by soon to drain your memories with a neural probe. And then, you will burn alive, on Lira's funeral pyre. Sounds okay?" I asked in a jovial voice, while stretching myself.

"Dying in a blaze of glory, eh? Good enough" the famous bounty hunter replied sadly, and poured himself another shot of brandy.

Wialu entered the interrogation room with a repulsorlift torture drone, and Lira whispered 'Thank you Pef, that was magnificent. You got him to agree on burning alive!'

'Wanna stay for the torture too?" I asked softly.

'Nah, let's go swim in diamonds, down in the vaults' my dead voice requested wistfully.

Sure thing love. Diamonds and pearls and aurodium too.