[Imperium] Chapter 2 of Fiction Update

2018/05/14, 8:25 PM, Quaestor - House Imperium

Chapter 2

There is a rift in the Force.

The Dark Side Adept pondered to himself over looking the stars.

I’ve seen many battles and filled many voids in people’s hearts. Yet today I feel something other...different. Two planes of land on different levels, two different pieces of existence. One going further into the ground, sinking into a pit of lava. One going higher, rising above an ocean. We must pick a path.

Kell Palpatine Dante stood on the edge of the bridge. Officers moved around him. Some would occasionally offer him a pad with his needed signature and he would sign.

Even though I have taken the position, the rift still remains. Lexiconus Qor...Ironius...Krennel… where and why? I cannot seem to see through. The future is cloudy.

“Sir,” Bridge Commander Arthur interrupted his thoughts, “The meeting is starting. We need you in the…”

“I was just about to make my way, ‘Roy.” the Adept grinned.

The Commander was hesitant to correct the renowned Force user, “Yes...sir...it is McElroy, sir.”

“I know,” Kell responded, “Thought I’d lighten the mood.”

The Bridge Commander faked a slight smile and put out his hand to the meeting room, “Please, sir.”

Arriving in the meeting room, a heated discussion had already started between the 12 officers.

“The incident left us without resources, Jaryd!”

“And yet you want to divert our leftovers to pure defense?!”

“Another round of cuts to defense would cripple us in surprise attack!”

“Who’s gonna surprise us? An alien race from a distant world?” the officer snarked.

“Who gouge out their eyes and use living tissue for fighters?” another carried on the joke.

“And resistant to the Force as well,” quipped a third.

“Quiet! All of you!” piped up Bridge Commander McElroy.

The rest murmured into a silence at the sight of the Dark Side Adept who had followed McElroy in. The Commander continued, “Bickering has, as always, gotten us nowhere. We need to formulate an emergency strategy in this session. We cannot leave the House and Empire unguarded like this, but we cannot fulfill…”

“I know your pain, gentlemen,” Kell interrupted. He grasped both arms into each other, becoming imposing. He continued, “We have a lot of work to do and not much time. We must safeguard the safe return of our former Imperator, Lexiconus Qor.”

An officer piped up, but McElroy shot his hand up to stop him.

Kell carried on, “And I know many of you may or may not like that I have taken control, but we already have enacted a small plan temporarily. I have a friend going over the refugees now. He’ll find our snippet of information.” Kell smiled.

The officer who was silenced spoke up, “I refuse to believe Lexiconus survived the attack initiated by Clan Naga Sadow.” Kell chuckled but the officer continued, “And I know you don’t believe us, but Commander Ironius is long gone as well, off on his crusade of sorts against the Colgates, or the Molagbalates or whatever…”

“...Moldren, I believe…” McElroy corrected.

“But anyways, I speak for all of the command staff when I say that we don’t trust your reports on the issue, even if you come from the Palpatine family. Even if you have the backing of McElroy.”

McElroy stood up and pressed a button on the command console, “Let me correct a rumor for you, Lieutenant.”

A map appeared and McElroy continued, “This map shows the planet of Moldren 12, where Dek Ironius II, under the command of Shadow Guard, was barely beaten by what he had called the Moldates. They are supposedly a group of clans fighting for equal portions of a system. Upon barely getting out alive, Mr. Ironius rallied a few of the remaining troops and some of the Force users around his cause of revenge. It is a placeholder for revenge against the Iron Throne for Cocytus, but one that worked.”

A new map appeared and Kell spoke again, “Not a single iota of intelligence points towards a Naga Sadow attack. Yes, intel reports than Jurdan is now in a second in command position in the Clan, but I believe Lexiconus is still possibly alive and doing better than...well...dead.”

“And what of the wookiee?” an officer said.

“Yorzhul?” McElroy questioned. “He’s been stopped from taking control. In fact, the mere presence of him means that Lexiconus may still have some form of control. He could not have known about the disappearance of Qor unless the command staff let it slip to the lower levels. It’s not common knowledge. So Yorzhul must know something that we don’t.”

“Anyways,” Kell continued, “Like I said, because of the attack on Lexiconus, we have an agent coming through the refugees right this instant. He’ll find our information.”

The brown haired, green eyed Human had spoken to hundreds of people already today.

“What’s another transport?” Ulfsark was telling himself as he accomplished his task directly from the acting Imperator.

Lots of ‘nothings’ or ‘sorries’ from the crowd today. He had a good feeling about this one though.

“Excuse me, sir?” the Savant inquired to an old man. The old man was dressed harshly, and definitely stunk of rotten juice. At least that’s what Ulfsark thought it was.

“Ooooiiiii! Eehh?! Waddaya need, brunty?”

“Uhhh, sorry to disturb you, but have you seen any suspicious characters around recently? Anyone out of the ordinary?”

“I had eh farm, y’know. ‘Twas out on the fields of Grand Kello! Man-eh, man-eh lots of grannies!”

“Of course, but sir, the here and now. Anything you can tell me about this moment?” Ulfsark as beginning to think this man had lost his mind.

“I asked eh man, ‘Where ya from?’ An’ eh said, ‘Grand KAYllo’! Not Kello, but KAYllo. Why would eh man lie about ehs origins!”

“Do you know where this man is?” Ulfsark thought he was onto a trail.

“Did I say man-eh? I meant eh young granny! So grouch-lek too! Over to the yondeh!” The old man pointed to a central market area.

“Do you remember what she looked…” but Ulfsark could not finish his sentence.

“Her! She!!” the old main pointed out a woman not kept neatly, but still better looking than most. Ulfsark and her immediately met eyes. Her face was behind a black visor, but they both knew they were looking directly at each other.

Ulfsark started to walk towards her. She immediately jumped through a small market cart and ran through a crowd. Ulfsark immediately ran after her.

“Close off the blast doors!” he bellowed into his wrist link.

“Out of the way!” he shouted at people, but he was afraid he would lose her. So he snapped his lightsaber into his hand and ignited it’s crimson hue. The refugees immediately screamed and yelled, ducking down and out of the way.

He ran with saber in hand, slowly edging the Force throughout his legs and torso. He slid through the small pathways made by the refugees, leaping into different parts of the cargo bay after the woman.

The blast doors started closing, but she threw out a device that hit the control console. A few shocks later, and it started opening again.

“Blast door C isn’t closing!” Ulfsark shouted.

The woman escaped through the doors, with Ulfsark close behind her. Throwing the saber in an arc towards her, she leapt into the air to dodge the whirling blade while simultaneously throwing out a knife from her waist. Ulfsark, keenly aware of a counterattack, stepped into an open side door to avoid the bladed weapon. As he came back out, he pulled his saber off the ground, but could not see the woman.

Only one place she could go!

Ulfsark sped down to the makeshift hangar bay, where his own ship would be along with a few other personal fighters. He came in through the mechanics room, where he grabbed a small device and ran into the hangar. He saw a black chrome ship starting to rise into the air. He immediately threw the device as it hit the hull. It stuck itself to the underside, immediately beeping dark red.

“What’s the matter, ‘Roy?” Kell shot while on the bridge again.

“We have someone launching an unrecognized fighter. Ulfsark said the hangar bay crew is either dead or incapacitated.” McElroy read another screen, “Scramble fighters.”

Kell approached the screen himself. A beeping lit up his commlink and he answered it, “Ulfsark? Yes...I understand...good job, soldier.”

Kell brought himself over to the bridge trench, “Order the fighters to hold off on destroying the black jet. Allow it to escape.”

“Are you mad?” McElroy spat out.

“DO IT!” Kell commanded.

The officers complied, sending new orders.

“You are either insane, or have a…”

“Yes,” Kell responded, “there is a tracking device.” He grinned, “But I might also be insane.”

The TIE fighters whisked in and out between the transports, firing and ‘missing’ according to their orders. The black fighter twirled to avoid the incoming fire and hovered close to the transports, using them as cover. When it was ready, it turned off and immediately jumped into hyperspace.

This is the second official update for Imperium's fiction. I hope it has interested you.

As a side note, I'd like to congratulate Sparky (Wagglehorn) on becoming our newest Battleteam Leader of Pallaeon. You'll hear from him soon on BTL matters.