The Enemy of My Enemy

[Veskasa Vel Aath]

ABOARD STARSHIP "CASTOR"

RUURIA SYSTEM


"How are they?" she asked, watching them through a thick transparisteel viewport. It was as close as she would ever allow herself to get to those... creatures, Inquisitor Yuuma resolved. Bad enough they were already almost five feet tall at the shoulder, but to be Force Sensitive as well?

"Dangerous," the agent standing next to Inquisitor Yuuma answered. "And they only answer to her. Understandable, but still. No one is invincible."

Vel Aath was down among the four monstrous, winged, force-sensitive (did the woman have any sense of overkill?) reptiles and was treating them like they were pets. A connection of sorts had to be forged between them and her, not only for them to be docile enough to be commanded, but to amplify Vel Aath's strength in the Force. It was part of the reason they were so large already, she knew. The larger and healthier they were, the more she could siphon from them without killing them.

The viewport began to retract to each side of its frame, a signal that Commander Vel Aath was finished with the creatures, but she did not move from them.

"Inquisitor. Agent. Are your missions completed then?" she asked, her voice echoing up to them while she caressed and whispered 'hush, darling, hush,' to one dragon which eyed the two on the observation platform balefully.

"Yes," the agent responded. Inquisitor Yuuma glanced over, but remembered herself and called down her own affirmative.

"So the Sons of Coruscant are interested in a meeting?" Vel Aath asked, standing and making her way through the now curled up forms of her pets. She smiled. "Exciting."

"They are," Yuuma answered. "I cannot say for certain, but I believe they may have already known that we are harbouring Imperial fugitives."

"Oh?" Vel Aath asked, stepping onto the lift, which silently activated and brought her up to the observation deck where the former Inquisitor and the Agent waited.

"I have no hard proof of this. Only a suspicion."

Vel Aath shrugged nonchalantly.

"No matter if they knew or not. You are dismissed, Agent. I'll be sending you another mission soon."

Yuuma shifted on her feet.

"When and where?" Vel Aath asked, turning to look at Yuuma curiously. Yuuma opened and closed her mouth.

"They did not say," she said finally. "Only one word response to my transmission for a meeting: 'Agreed.' After that, no matter what I tried, I received nothing."

Vel Aath's eyebrows rose while she sat on a divan, curling her legs underneath herself.

"Really?" she asked, visibly pondering the new nugget of information. "Hunh. Wasn't expecting that. But I suppose with a group like that you can't assume you're going to know what they're going to do, can you?"

"No Commander." Yuuma really wanted to leave.

"You know, maybe they didn't like you," Vel Aath said, looking as if she were thinking out loud. "Perhaps you weren't charming enough."

Yuuma found herself sliding towards the open viewport, and her insides twisted. She looked back to Vel Aath, who was still visibly thinking.

"Please, Commander—"

"We're not so desperate for people now that displaying such a lack of common sense and common courtesy should be more harshly punished, don't you think?"

She was now almost to the viewport, and she could see the dragons below, lifting their heads and looking up at her.

"I tried, Commander, there was no response—"

"I mean, really. I could have sent a transmission to them and made the same results. Why would I send someone if I didn't expect a more personal approach?"

Vel Aath was now looking at her. Yuuma whimpered, desperately pushing back to keep herself from falling into the dragons' den. The Commander of the largest group of fugitive Imperials tsked and shook her head slowly.

"What am I going to do with you, Inquisitor?" Vel Aath asked. "You were unable to satisfactorily complete even such a simple task?"

"Please, Commander—"

The communications system buzzed.

[Damien Kantrael]

On the other end of the line Damien Kantrael tapped impatiently on the arm of his chair. From his position atop his throne he could see the entirety of the Charon's bridge. All around his staff busied themselves. Plotting courses, checking weapon systems, and generally making themselves look as important as possible. Good impressions can only be made once, and this time he was adamant to speak to whomever was in charge, and not the servant that had been cast before him last time. The Grand Inquisitor of the Sovereign Galactic Empire in Exile, Head of the Sons of Coruscant, and the Emperor beyond the Stars, would not lower himself again.

The previous communication had been brief. There were many plans that needed to be struck to make preparation for the meeting. A location safe from Tarkin's eyes and the Alliance's ears, a suitable honor guard to protect himself, and of course he had to prepare himself for the journey. His armor was polished and the lenses of his helmet gleamed red. Behind his throne stood a pair of similarly armored men. Head to toe in dark durasteel armor and terrifying helmets. They, like him, were products of the so called Project: NIGHTMARE, and he did his best to make sure they lived up to that name.

Enough time had passed since their open rebellion against Tarkin's administration that there were few men under his command that remembered what Damien Kantrael looked like underneath his armor. A few of the other Nightmares may remember Junior Inquisitor Kantrael, but they would never dare speak of it. They knew of the punishment that would come to reveal their commander to be anything other than an immortal god thing.

Tap...tap...tap...tap...

[Veskasa Vel Aath]

Yuuma flinched, desperately using all of her will to keep from being pushed over the edge of the receded viewport. Vel Aath's eyes were fixed on her intently, while the comm buzzed again.

"Answer the comm," Vel Aath called in annoyance as it buzzed again. The buzzing suddenly halted.

"Commander Vel Aath, it... it is someone calling themselves the Emperor Beyond the Stars."

Vel Aath's eyebrows pinched together daintily.

"Did I hear capital letters in that?" she asked the voice of the Inquisitor who'd answered the comm.

"There is no response from the comm now, Commander. He will only speak to you, I believe."

Her brows unfurrowed.

"Oh, well, patch him through then, hurry up," she called. The comm in the observation deck hissed slightly and there was silence. Vel Aath and Yuuma remained silent for a moment, waiting for someone to speak, but there was nothing. Vel Aath glanced at Yuuma.

"Hello?" the former Inquisitor said finally. "Is this thing working? Do we honestly need to get the comms fixed again? I thought we had nipped that problem before it hatched."

[Damien Kantrael]

His comm's officer nodded his head, indicating the line was open.

"This is Grand Inquisitor Damien Kantrael of the Sons of Coruscant; soldiers of the True Empire. Although your associate reached out to me for a meeting, I insist that I speak to you personally so there can be no miscommunication.

There are few worlds I can tread without retaliation. Oba Diah is a crime riddled outer-rim world rarely traveled. It will provide a suitable venue; unless you have objections."

Ah, yes. Oba Diah. An inhospitable planet of sharp obsidian mountains. What little life developed on that desolate rock has dedicated itself to self destruction. Pyke gangs roam the planet engaged in bitter turf wars with each other. There is civility to be found, but it is a pale shadow of what can be found in the Core. Still, the Pyke have proven useful to the machinations of the Sons of Coruscant, and even now he was manipulating them into a position to assist them in their endeavor to drag this entire galaxy kicking and screaming back to the flames of war. They will be safe there.

[Veskasa Vel Aath]

She frowned. Yuuma whimpered.

"Oba Diah? Well, I suppose." Honestly, why were there so many systems in the galaxy? It was almost like they could be made up on the spot, and it was impossible to memorize them all.

"We've found the system, Commander."

"Yes, yes..." she sighed, and with a negligent wave of her hand, pushed Inquisitor Yuuma into the dragons' pit. "Oba Diah it shall be I suppose. We'll be on our way shortly, ehm... Emperor Under the Stars? Or is it Over the Stars? I know it's one of them. Titles are such a pain. Give me a nice, simple one. Easy to remember, still has that thrill of power."

"Commander?"

"Yes!" She stopped. "Yes?"

"We are en route to the Oba Diah system. It should take us about thirty six hours."

Vel Aath frowned, but her force talents did not include making hyperspace travel any faster, so she closed the comm connection. She stood and walked over to the viewport overlooking her babies and looked down, where Yuuma was holding onto the lip of the viewport.

"Quick thinker," Vel Aath said approvingly. "Just the sort I need. Welcome aboard!"

[Damien Kantrael]

"It is Grand Inquisitor." he corrected sharply. "I am not Emperor. Not yet. Oba Diah it is. I am transmitting coordinates for the rendezvous. Until then."

---

36 Hours Later

The surface of Oba Diah was a wasteland of jagged mountain peaks filled with unending fog. The illicit nature of it's inhabitants made it the sort of place that few traveled to, and even fewer returned from. The criminal clans of the Pykes, especially the ever growing Pyke Syndicate, were not to be taken lightly. It was a hidden, backwater planet full of clever, scheming criminals. The Empire and the Alliance had no time for such a place or people. They had no place in the the civilized galaxy. This is where Damien had established one of many bases in the galaxy. The spoils of his war on the galaxy were eagerly accepted into the Pyke coffers in exchange for safe harbor. They were not allies. That much was accepted between them. They were partners, and only so long as the exchange remained beneficial.

He had no doubt they would sell them out the moment goods stopped flowing in.

The Tung-Blaph Spaceport was built into one of the planet's many obsidian spires. Over the years it claimed the entire mountain below it, forming a tower of docking arms, platforms, and fueling stations. It was a city within itself. The lower levels housed the residential areas, trade quarters, and other less desirable areas. The higher you went the more prestigious it became. He waited at the docking bay the Pyke's had allowed them to use. Three of his own Sentinel-Class Landing Crafts sat against the wall, leaving plenty of room for his guests to arrive. As always he was fully armored, with a contingent of his soldiers at his back in a measured show of power. He contemplated having more Nightmares present, but he did not want them to lessen the value of his appearance. Very few were allowed to become Nightmares. The armor and cybernetics was a gift only his greatest soldiers received. He would not want it to appear commonplace.

[Veskasa Vel Aath]

In the space above Oba Diah, a fleet arrived.

Given that both Vel Aath and Kantrael were former Imperials, fleet was a term indicative of a size on a galactic scale rather than a planetary one.

Given that both Vel Aath and Kantrael were former Imperials, it should be understood neither had the resources for a fleet the size of which they would deem respectable.

So Vel Aath's fleet was seven ships, not the thirty one she'd hoped and dreamed she would be leading so soon after her withdrawal; but things must as necessity dictates. Six were standard Imperial design, though only one was a respectable Imperial class warship. The seventh was rounded, not unlike Mon Calamari designs, but also much different. It wasn't larger than the Imperial-class warship, but it wasn't smaller than the other ships in her fleet.

From this one ship one shuttle of equally odd design embarked, and once it was flanked by two shuttles from the Imperial-class destroyer, and lead the way to the planet. The rounded shuttle's ramp opened in time with the Lambdas' and two columns of Stormtroopers marched out, flanking one solitary figure clad in a dark black military cut uniform and a cloak coming from the rounded shuttle, whose interior was hidden from view.

'I'll never get tired of a good entrance,' Vel Aath thought to herself. 'Now, what was his title again? Grand Inquisitor? Emperor? My Lord? Sir?'

The extended silence grew as she tried to remember what the prickly terrorist leader called himself.

[Damien Kantrael]

Hidden behind the helmet his face screwed up in a mask of frustration. If she was not such a necessary evil he would have never agreed to this meeting. He needed her help, her troops, and supplies. The Sons of Coruscant were only getting so far on their own. Small scale acts of terrorism, sabotage, and raids on the outskirts of space was all they were capable of. Oh how he wished he could gather all his troops and ride straight into the teeth of the Empire. That would be a glorious death. One that would accomplish nothing. Instead he had to play the coward, the rogue who slipped in and out of the shadows and stabbed from behind.

One day he would have the power to make a stand. One day they would fear him. And Vel Aath was the first piece to that puzzle.

"Kantrael will do fine." He said when the silence went on for several seconds too long. "Welcome to Oba Diah. We meet at last Inquisitor Vel Aath. I remember you. From before the Empire failed us."

Reaching up he grabbed the edges of his helmet, releasing the seals with a pop and pulling the helmet free to reveal pale skin and a shaved head. The troops at his back became visibly uncomfortable with the removal. The lenses in his cybernetic implants spun, focusing on her face. Perhaps she would recognize him as well. Unlikely. He was only a junior Inquisitor in those days, but a member of the accomplished Project: Nightmare division of cybernetically enhanced Inquisitors. Several of which were now under his control, serving as his Nightmares, and wearing heavy armor such as his own.

[Veskasa Vel Aath]

"Oho," Vel Aath hummed. "Project Nightmare? You are old era, aren't you? I don't remember you in particular, but that works out better for everyone. If I don't remember you, it's fairly certain my old teacher, Atrapes, won't remember you either. And that is an advantage we will need. But I'll have some of my people inside try and find out what he knows about you."

A low pitched growl interrupted the proceedings, and a large reptilian head emerged from the depths of the rounded shuttle, and tilted to take in the group with a yellow eye.

Vel Aath smiled.

"Kantrael, meet the most formidable of my creations. She has not chosen a name yet, but she's been partial to words meaning 'fear'. It's a humorous emotion for her sense, apparently. Shall we go inside? We've much to discuss and I'd rather not do so out here standing the entire time. I've been on my feet all day, and would relish a chance to sit down for an hour or so."

[Damien Kantrael]

Kantrael, and his men, flinched at the sight of the creature emerging from the shuttle hold. His own hand reached for the blaster at his thigh, but stopped halfway when he saw the smile on the Inquisitor's face. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. As an Inquisitor he knew of the Empire's plunges into the occult, but something like this was entirely different. He wasn't sure how it made him feel, but he definitely was less warm to the idea of an animal instead of flesh and blood soldier boots on the ground.

"This way." He said finally, slowly turning, not wanting to take his eyes off the thing until he was forced to rotate his head with his body.

A large cargo turbolift at the core of the tower sent them upwards. At the top of the tower was where the rich and powerful lived. Any royalty, or clan lords, along with their families and important members of the trade community. A suite had been set aside for Kantrael's use. A table had been prepared on the large balcony, looking out over the gray mists and mountain peeks of Oba Diah. A fruit bowl sat alone in the middle of the table. Gesturing to a seat, Kantrael took the other. The frame groaned under the weight of his armor.

"I appreciate this meeting. As enemies of the Empress there is no reason why we should not cooperate."

[Veskasa Vel Aath]

"Excellent!" Vel Aath said, sitting down with an almost orgasmic sigh and ignoring the fruit. She closed her eyes and leaned back, stretching her legs out slowly, one after the other, alternate between them multiple times. "I won't have to convince you of the intelligence of working together. One less thing to worry about."

Her eyes slowly opened and she turned to look at the leader of the Sons of Coruscant.

"My organization has, through my placement in the former Corporate Sector, the largest if not one of the largest populations of Imperial civilians, soldiers, and scientists, and maybe number of ships fleeing the Imperial Knights' purge of malcontent elements against the Empress. I hear things about another out there, but I haven't had the time to search him or her out, if it is indeed a him or her and isn't some blasted insectoid species. So hard to relate to them most of the time with their hive minds and segmented mouth parts. Unfortunately, this is not as large a number as one would hope for; the Imperial Knights are establishing a reputation for efficiency and ruthlessness that is astonishing me. I have a reasonable amount of informants within the Empire, a stable research and development corps. You have the largest stockpile of old and classified Imperial technology outside of the Empire. And a planet."

Veskasa Vel Aath regarded the intimidatingly armoured figure sitting attentively in his chair, which was visibly straining to hold him. She was visibly jealous of the man and his planet.

She hadn't yet found a gifted subordinate to coordinate all the smaller, mundane necessities of running what was essentially a group of racist, militaristic refugees. An intimidating horde they made, yes, but without the organization and infrastructure to support themselves they'd just as soon wither out in the vast black of space unless they were horribly unsubtle and ravaged every world they came across for supplies and sustenance.

Vel Aath wanted to at least try running a more disciplined organization before giving up and becoming a Barbarian Pirate Queen. Even if she'd look amazing in a Wookiee-pelt and with a cybernetic eye-patch. The lack of dental care was something she didn't want to think about.

"I'm sure that's not all you have, Kantrael. Just as what I've already told you about what I've put together isn't all of what I have."

Even if it was most of it.

"What do you need from me? What do I have to offer you?"

[Damien Kantrael]

"What I have is a well oiled machine. An aggressive recruitment program keeps my army full. I have recruiters all over the galaxy actively recruiting more patriots to the cause. Every settlement I attack yields men, women, and children to recondition. They join or die. Stocks of resources are brought back here, or hidden around the galaxy in disconnected cells. There are a dozen operations going on at any one time. An Imperial colony to raid for materials, an Alliance city to attack as a false flag, and all the while I gain more notice, more fame, which attracts more recruits.

And at the front I have the Nightmares; cybernetically enhanced supersoldiers worth an entire platoon. They can infiltrate, assassinate, and otherwise destroy the enemy from within. They were made to be the ultimate weapon in a galaxy devoid of the Imperial Knights. That is what I need from you; a way to kill the Knights. They are the vanguard of the Empress, and the final obstacle that keeps me from kicking down her door and strangling her atop her throne. If half the things I heard whispered about you in the Inquisition are true, than you should be more than capable of creating a suitable weapon. In exchange I have soldiers, weapons, starships, and resources. And they grow more plentiful every single day. You are the means of accelerating my plans. Otherwise I will have to gather power for longer before I can make my strike at the core, or reignite the flames of war. Whichever comes first."

His long winded speech came to an end, and his body relaxed. Speaking of the Knights caused his body to tense; his hands tightening into fists and his face becoming distant as he stared off into the mist. The Knights were becoming more plentiful. It was rare to run into one. Wrong place. Wrong time. When it happened, though, his forces found themselves routed. They were not trained to deal with such a foe. The threat of Jedi and Sith have always loomed on the Empire, and they were roughly trained during academy, but it was nothing compared to the Imperials Knights. They were not some fledgling force user capable of mere parlor tricks. They had the resolve of true Imperials and came prepared for war.

They were unlike anything he had ever encountered before, and even the Nightmares had difficulty defeating one. It would take a whole squad of them and dozens of troops, and the casualties would still be high. He simply did not have that many Nightmares, and the ones he made were not as impressive as the originals. Cybernetics was a dying form and the resources were difficult to come by, as were the scientists necessary to complete the augments.

This was a technology arms race, and he was losing it.

[Veskasa Vel Aath]

"The Knights are far from the only element keeping you from usurping Tarkin's — forgive me, Palpatine's — throne," Vel Aath said blandly, reaching forward and pulling one of the fruit toward her with the Force. It fell into her hand with a soft slap, but she did not take a bite from it. "There is also the matter of the largest galactic military, even with its purges and dissension, in galactic history. As far as I've read anyway. When you go back past the Hyperspace War and to the accounts of Jedi and Sith wars in ancient history, things get a bit incredulous. Starships shaped like wooden galleons? Please, spare me."

She paused, only a moment from taking a bite of her fruit.

"Imperial Intelligence is still the best funded Intelligence Agency in the galaxy, with the most personnel and experience, and ruthless enough to waste lives to achieve their goals. You'll have to dodge them before tangling with the Imperial Military proper, or even simultaneously if you're particularly unfortunate. And now we can add in the difficulty the Imperial Knights add to any such endeavour. Is it just me or are these chairs supremely comfortable?"

She leaned back, luxuriating in just sitting down for the first time in what seemed like days.

"I have a significant amount of former Inquisitors whom have thrown in with me. While they are probably our best chance to stand up to the Imperial Knights, we can't rely on them to do so. Inquisitors are meant to be secret police. If we use them to puppeteer a criminal syndicate or three, none of the big ones so it's not too noticeable, we'd have much better luck casting a screen over our actions."

She lifted her hand once more to take a bite from the fruit in her hand, before stopping looking at Kantrael intently.

"So we are agreed on an alliance, such as it is? I'm sure many of my people would absolutely adore the chance to turn their snooty noses up at your planet, and any chance to relieve me of their presences, as unfortunately necessary as some of them are, I'll gladly take just to get something accomplished. If so, let's move on to the next thing then, our next moves. For the moment, I'd like to base operations around Oba Diah, but keep a significant portion of my or our forces in the former Corporate Sector. If we establish links to some of the worlds there, we can have a stable base of sympathetic peoples to support and hide us as necessary. Some shell corporations, perhaps? Buy up some land and establish ourselves with factories and bases. We can get steady supplies of food from them, and they will not turn down steady exports of technology to them, or protection from the pirates that infest that region of the galaxy.

"In that vein, perhaps our first joint venture should be to shore up our weaknesses, hm? Kidnap some leading mind in cybernetics, perhaps? Or maybe we can just get by stealing some research and technologies and learn ourselves through trial and error. I have enough Stormtroopers to throw away for it after all. We'll have to take a look and see if there's a conference or something we can use to gather up resources and people who know how to use them. We both have need of the technology after all. My children can't speak except to me and even then its only in impressions. A properly interfaced vocabulation technology would do wonders for them. And the Nightmare project, while intimidating, is aging. The Inquisition was working on Force Sensitive cyborgs before I was sent off to attempt our latest foray into cloning sensitives. Much potential, yes, but it didn't succeed and only Atrapes made out in the end during that."

She frowned, stared at the uneaten fruit in her hand, and with a lazy flick of her hand sent it floating back into the dish on the table.

"Such a troublesome man he is. Anyway! Thoughts? Suggestions? A drink, maybe? I'm quite parched."

[Damien Kantrael]

"Bring drinks." He said with a snap of his finger, a simple action made difficult by the armor he was wearing. He still managed a sharp, metallic sound. One of the troopers at his back bowed and disappeared back inside. A returned moments later with two glasses and a pitcher of cold muck cider, as the locals called it. It was quite a refreshing beverage for something made from ugly phallic fruit grown in the permanent shade of the mist.

"Land can be purchased here on Oba Diah to build factories and mines. Much of the planet is considered uninhabitable to the locals. Deep valleys and mountain peaks cover most of the planet. Mountains can be moved. The mist will hide everything. They will gladly part with land. They are greedy. It'll bring in much desired trade revenue into this planet. Something perhaps more valuable as it will buy their cooperation. The Pykes are a greedy and opportunistic people. They will not hesitate to sell us out should be become less valuable to them."

It was only through the filling of pockets and city coffers that this meeting was even happening. Damien was not worried. He had much resources and credits to give to the Pykes. They had no reason to betray them. Not yet. A greater offer from the Empire or the Alliance might persuade them otherwise, but for now those two had no idea he was here. No offer could be made when they had no idea where he was or who was harboring him. There was a bounty on his head. That much he knew, but it was not yet a number great enough to outweigh his value to the Pykes.

"Yes. Cybernetic experts are in great need. I have none of the original Nightmare team that created us. They have all been relocated within the Empire. They have no allegiance to the Nightmares. They are only scientists. I could not sway them to my side. I have done what I can with what few I have acquired, but none of them are capable of producing additional Nightmares. Augmented soldiers yes, but Nightmares they are not. We will have to look inward into the Empire to see if any such gatherings are on the agenda. My small fleet can strike deeply."

[Veskasa Vel Aath]

"Good!" she said, sitting up and clapping her hands. "Good. I love a plan of action."

She accepted her drink and drank deeply from it, smacking her lips and letting out a breath of satisfaction after she finished the glass.

"Another," she commanded, handing the glass to one of Kantrael's men. She leaned forward, propping herself up with one elbow on her leg, and fixed her counterpart with a serious look. "That will be our first order of business then. Accumulation of resources."

She smiled in satisfaction.

"The galaxy is already poised on the edge of a blade," she said, her satisfaction spreading from her lips to her eyes. "All it requires is a... push. A strong one, undoubtedly; even now things are starting to atrophy into a status quo."

She accepted her refreshed glass and drank from it again.

"I might have said this before, but I feel this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." She winked at Damien and finished the glass. "Oh, and I'll take another."