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Like a bolt out of the void of space, the Raze’s Edge dropped out of hyperspace and entered the Endor system. “We have arrived, my master,” said Raze over the intercom. “Excellent, Lord Raze” replied Scourge. “Head for the orbital shipyards of the forest moon.” As the ship swiftly pressed on into the system, Buwat could see a large green planet come into view through the view port. It was the legendary Forest Moon of Endor. Buwat closed her eyes and tried to remember the history of this famous world. It was here, she thought to herself, that the heroes of the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic fought the legendary Battle of Endor many, many years ago. That defeat was a crippling blow to the Empire, and signaled the beginning of the end for the tyrannical regime. Now it seemed that once again, Endor would be a staging ground for the Empire. Only this time the motivation was to re-establish it, not destroy it. Similar this time around was also the fact that a weapon of mass destruction was being constructed here. Back then it was the Death Star II. Now it was Darth Scourge’s Hand of Devastation. This weapon was the brainchild of the Dark Lord. The concept of a weapon, which could annihilate a whole system, not merely one planet, in a single blow, was too tempting for her to pass up. This was her ultimate weapon to be used in the establishment of a new Galactic Empire ruled by her and enforced by Lord Raze. “Master…we have reached the platform and I am preparing to dock” said Raze. “Very well” replied Scourge. “You should consider yourself very lucky, Master Buwat. You get to witness the test firing of our new super weapon. How unfortunate for the New Republic. Bwahahahaha!”
Back at the Jedi Hospital, Lord Rusan was in her checkout procedure. She had been released with a clean bill of health nearly 2 weeks early, thanks in no small part to her daily healing meditations. She gathered her personal effects and departed the hospital, making sure to thank all the personnel on her way out. After exiting, she made her way towards the Temple. As she strode the path to the Temple, a great disturbance ripped through the Force. She felt a cold premonition of death and destruction flow through her. This unnerved her, so she instead headed for the meditation hall to silently contemplate what that premonition could mean. As she reached the main entrance to the hall, a familiar figure was seated in one of the chairs. “I did not expect to see you this early, young one. Have you completed your mission so soon” asked Rusan. Soran Zacom said nothing, but merely eased off the chair and stood up. With a grim look on her face, she raised one of the heavy chairs up with the Force. Lord Rusan stood in shocked silence, bewildered at what Zacom was doing. The chair was sent flying across the hall towards Rusan. She dropped her effects and raised her hand at the chair as quickly as she could. It stopped in mid-air about 10 feet from her, and Rusan flung it aside with her power. “What has happened to you, young one”, asked Rusan. “I sense the dark side in you.” The young Jedi didn’t utter a single word. She simply continued to lift chair after chair and throw them at Lord Rusan. After the barrage of throws and dodges was over, a small smirk came across Zacom’s face. “I see that my extended powers work well,” said Zacom. “Do not be foolish, young one. You are in a temple full of Jedi. There is no way you are going to go on a rampage here,” said Rusan. “I don’t intend to, Rusan” replied Zacom. “I am merely here to renounce my title as a Jedi and leave the Order.” “What? But why” implored Rusan. “To put it simply…revenge, Rusan. I seek revenge against certain individuals, and as a Jedi I cannot serve that need,” said Zacom. “Very well. If that is what you wish, then you may gather your belongings and depart, young one” replied Rusan. “Thank you, I’ll do that, Rusan,” said Zacom. As Zacom left the hall, Rusan was overcome with grief and guilt. Where has she failed in training the young Jedi? If Rusan had truly trained her appropriately then this would not be happening. She quieted her mind and she sat down on a meditating chair and contemplated.
“Welcome to my personal shipyard, Master Buwat” said Scourge. “I trust that we will make your imprisonment here as least comfortable as we can.” “You can do anything you want to me, Sith, but the Jedi will defeat you in the end” replied Buwat. “And I don’t know what you have done with the Ambassador, but she will be rescued from your evil clutches.” “Interesting you should bring her up, Master Buwat, for she is truly among us right now” replied Scourge. “Where” demanded Buwat. Slowly Scourge reached for her hood and removed it, revealing her face. “You” exclaimed Buwat in disbelief. “You…Ambassador…are a Sith! Traitor!” “Now, now, Master Buwat is that any way to treat your host,” mused Scourge. All three figures – Raze, Scourge, and Buwat – exited the Raze’s Edge and began to walk towards the main construction bay. Once they arrived at the docking station for the Hand, Buwat could not believe her eyes. “You see, Master Buwat,” said Raze, “this is a new class of Star Destroyer. It is a fully capable warship and is our new weapon of mass destruction. It is far superior to any of the old Imperial designs. It is 175% faster than a class II Star Destroyer. The shields and armor plating are more than 200% more powerful and sturdy. The weapons are standard advanced turbolaser turrets, concussion anti-fighter energy missiles, etc. And most important of all…our new Vacuum Bombs. These bombs alone will be the bane of many star systems. We will bring the New Republic to its knees.” “You will see soon enough what this ship is capable of, Master Buwat,” said Scourge. As they herded her to get onboard the Hand, Buwat tried to reach out telepathically to Lord Rusan through the Force. “Ah ah ah…I don’t think so,” said Scourge. She placed her hand on Buwat’s head and immediately the Jedi Master fell to the ground unconscious. “Lord Raze, pick her up and bring her onboard,” demanded Scourge. “Yes, my master” replied Raze. “Then as soon as we are ready, Lord Raze, set course for the Corellian system” said Scourge.
As the Hand lurched out of hyperspace and unto the Corellian system, Master Buwat awakened. “Welcome to the Corellian system” said Master Scourge. “Legend tells us that this system was actually created by an unknown alien race using planetary repulsors eons ago. So, in theory this system should not even exist. We shall now make it so. Take one last good look at this system Buwat.” She silently nodded to Lord Raze. “Fire at will, commander” said Raze. The ship bucked slightly as two massive Vacuum bombs ejected from the forward tubes. They were aimed directly at the Corellian sun. Buwat looked on in fear as the raced towards the bright center of the system. As they finally reached the star, a small shock wave emanated from their detonation. “This is your grand weapon,” mused Buwat. “How pitiful!” No one said a word or even acknowledged her, but simply looked on. Suddenly, the star’s light began to fluctuate. It also seemed to be shrinking at a rapid pace. All at once, the star imploded unto itself…and in its place a massive black hole formed. “Fire up the negative ion engines” commanded Raze. The ship seemed to be sucked towards the vortex as well, but when the ion engines kicked in, it slowly began to retreat away from the dark hole. All of the lingering gases from the star by this time had been sucked into the void. The planets of the system were now beginning to approach the vortex at a rapid rate. One by one, each planet and its moons were materialized into millions of pieces and then sucked into the void. Finally, after the last planet and its moons had been consumed, the black hole seemed to freeze. “Nova shields up,” commanded Raze. Without any warning, the black hole exploded in a magnificent burst of radiant star energy and heat. “Brace for impact” said Raze. The fast moving shockwave from the supernova ripped into the Hand, but the ship emerged from the blast unscathed. As soon as the wave had passed and the now empty system stabilized, all aboard the ship jumped up in cheers and whistles of triumph. All except for Master Buwat of course. A chant of “Long Live the Empire” pervaded itself through the crew as they paid homage to the two Dark Lords of the Sith who commanded the bridge. Tears began to stream down Master Buwat’s face. The sudden loss of life had ripped through the Force and through her like a million stabbing lightsabers. The nearly 10 billion inhabitants of the Corellian system had just been murdered. What’s more, Corellia Prime was one of the core worlds and its loss would be a huge blow to the New Republic. “Impressive, isn’t it Jedi” said Lord Raze. “Murderer” said Buwat as she continued to weep. “Indeed…that is why we are known as the Dark Lords, Jedi,” said Scourge. “Lord Raze, set a course for home base. Once there, we shall mass our forces and summon our allies, the Ssi-ruuk aliens, to do the same alongside our fleet.” “Yes, at once my master” replied Lord Raze.
Back at the meditation hall, Lord Rusan let out a piercing scream…and another…and another…then violently fell off of the chair she was seated upon. She began to go into convulsions when she hit the floor. Immediately a group of about 7 Jedi stormed into the hall and saw Lord Rusan on the ground. They quickly ran over to her. Using their combined powers, they were able to stop the convulsions and calm her body. “My Lord”, said one of the Jedi, “what has happened?” “Corellia…has been destroyed. I can feel it. I heard billions of voices cry out in terror, and then they were suddenly silenced.” As if that weren’t enough already, a messenger came running into the hall with ravings about terrible news. “My Lord”, exclaimed the messenger, “we have lost all contact with the Corellian system. We are sending a task force to investigate as we speak. Our spies also have brought word of a fleet of old Imperial warships massing in the Endor system. Hundreds of Ssi-ruuk spacecraft have also been spotted entering our space near the galaxy’s western quadrant.” “Mother of the Force” cried out Lord Rusan. “All of you must go to the Defense Minister to ensure that all of our Star Defenders are being recalled for defense of Coruscant space. Meanwhile I will go to the Chancellor to brief him on what is happening.” And with that, all of the Jedi departed the hall and hurried on their way.
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