Union of the Empires greatest Warriors (Thrawn, Vader)

Sorry I havent replied. Ive been on vacation. Nice updates dude!

 

Greetings friends, to a new update.

Although this is only a short one (the first part of a single scene) i hope you´ll enjoy it. Responsible for this is my lack of time at the moment and the fact, that i want an extra-post for the second part. When you have read it, i hope you understand (the second part i mean).




Union of the Empires greatest Warriors


On Brussia, the capital world of the Therilias-Autarcy, half a galaxy away from Coruscant Raal Lordaq was sitting in his office, studying the last reports from the borders and preparing for a meeting with the leaders of the Autarcies represantative-chamber.

The chamber served as an advisory-council for the rulers of the Autarcy and as law-giving body of this empire at the outer rim.

It consisted of elected members of different interest-groups that formed a society and the power of an individual member was dependent on the number of people he represented. A third of the chamber consisted of ordinary citicens, who had nothing to decide, but who could make suggestions and voice their thoughts and concerns. Those people were chosen by coincidence and present for one week, before they were replaced by new ones and it was ensured, that nobody was picked more than twice. As law-giving body this institution had little to do, since most laws and procedures had been optimized centuries ago, but sometimes things had to be changed to fit new developments. In that regard the represantative-chamber had a lot in common with a think-tank and discussion forum. To be able to be elected into this chamber one had to have successfully finished his military or social service of four years and to have worked in a different profession for another twenty years. This way the Autarcy tried to prevent the development of a caste of political functionaries and careerists and the development of an overboarding bureaucracy.

And while Raal Lordaq had free reign he was at least obliged to inform the leaders of this chamber about the current developments of the war.

The rulers of the Autarcy had nearly absolute power over their subjects, who accepted this rule in the faith, that the ruling person wouldn´t abuse this power and act in the best interest of all of them, but this faith was a two-way-door. And in all the millenias Raal Lordaqs family had ruled over the Autarcy, the only one who had lost this faith and with it his power had been Skriig Lordaq. To do Skriig justice, the mental health of the man had suffered with advancing age and so he had been replaced by his grandson at the age of hundred-sixty-three, but for the other members of the ruling family it had been a warning, that they wern´t immune to mental diseases.

Turning his thoughts from this unfortunate ancestor to the matters at hand Raal Lordaq studied a report about the increasing tensions at the borders.

The war hadn´t really started, but it had already come to smaller engagements. For inexperienced people that would have been reason to wonder, space was to vast, the distances between stars to huge for ships or even entire fleets to met by accident. But in practice the number of safe hyperspace-lanes, the division of important systems or key-points for navigational purposes reducuded the area where military forces could be assembled dramatically. Until now it had come to six incidents, one had been a stalemate, one had been decided in favour of the New Republic and the last four had been won by the forces of the Autarcy.

"That happens if you disarm." thought Raal Lordaq darkly.

Modern warfare was as different from ancient fighting as the production of enery by burning wood was different from the production of energy with a hypermatter-reactor. In ancient times it might have been enough to give a soldier sword, shield and a few weeks of drill, but today a soldier had to be highly trained to be able to execute the tactics and strategies of modern warfare as well as he had to be a specialist to handle all the sophisticated and therefor complicated equipment. Where many thousand years ago thousands o

 

Nice. I like the description of Mon Mothma. I never liked her either.

 

Not only do i agree with spike about mon, i like the fact you brought the almost impossible luck the NR/Rebellion has had. I always loved Thrawn and when i read his death i had a biitersweet feeling. Again luck & a unfaithfull servent cost the imperials the war. But at least he didn't loose the war in combat... (which granted is only a little thing because his death still made sure the NR won)

Anyway, you made a pleasurable update and i'm eager to see more. thx FTeik

 

Hope you aint abandoning the story Fteik.

 

Don´t worry, i haven´t abandoned this story, nor have i abandoned my other pieces if fan-fiction, although they are the reason things process that slowly. If i manage one update per week and per story and have three stories published then it takes at least three weeks for an update of a particular story.

As it seems, this single scene will develop into a three-post. Despite that i hope you like and be prepared for a cliffhanger. And if you were bored, don´t hesitate to tell me.



Union of the Empires greatest Warriors


Taking a sip from a cup of stim-tea Raal Lordaq turned his thoughts away from the data-files, intelligence-reports and other stuff spread out on his table. Leaning back in his chair he allowed his thoughts to drift to the bigger picture, the entire concept of the coming war, the causes and reasons for the why, the now and the how.

On first sight no person from outside with a sane mind could made a bet on the Therilias-Autarcy. The New Republic contained close to three-hundred-thousand capital systems, not to mention millions of colonies and outposts, while Raal Lordaqs, as long as one ignored the "backyard", little empire contained only ten-thousand capital worlds, although two-thousand of those could compete with the gems of the core like Coruscant, Kuat or Commenor. The New Republic fleets ships numbered in the millions, the Autarcies in the hundred-thousands. So at first sight, the Autarcy was clearly at the disadvantage.

But if one was willing to take a closer look, the image would change dramatically. While Raal Lordaqs realm of influence was a solid, monolithic block with an uninterrupted history of six millenia, the New Republic was barely fifteen years old, consisted of countless different fractions which for a long time had only been held together by the same enemy, the empire. No less than two years had passed, when the events accompanying the discovery of the Bothan-involvement in the destruction of Chaamas more than fourty years prior had nearly ripped the New Republic appart. Those tensions had been barely solved in the last moment, but they had shown how fragile the New Republic really was. To take advantage of this situation was less a question about the use of military hardware, but psychological warfare. The majority of worlds was tired of great wars, what didn´t prevent them from wagging their own small and - from Raal Lordaqs point of view - insignificent struggles and feuds, which had been only interrupted by Palpatines tyrannical rule. The New Republics diplomatic corps and the Jedi-Knights barely managed to keep all those local little conflicts from exploding and more than enough they failed.

The inhabitans of the Autarcy and especially its leaders had always viewed themself as an ordering power and because of this those struggles were of great annoyance to them. In their eyes it was almost an obligation to intervene. By force, if necessary.

Another matter was of economic nature. Without knowing of the Old Republic it had been a part of, as well as during the time of the empire the Therilias-Autarcy had expanded into the Unknown Regions and the territories of Wild Space by colonisation and conquest. There were countless species and civilisations out there, the Old Republic had never encountered and many of those were less advanced or had followed different technological paths, than the galactic mainstream. Colonisation and conquest were expansive enough, but the integration of those species into the Autarcy, the creation of an infrastructure and the rise of technological and economic standards on those worlds was even more expansive. The Autarcy wasn´t simply interested in exploiting those worlds, they wanted to develop and to do business with them, but before that could happen they had to invest for twenty or thirty years before making a profit. Even the losses during the clone-wars and the efforts to keep Palpatine satisfied hadn´t been able to slow the advances of Raal Lordaqs people in those regions, but now the rate of expansion had started to outrun th

 

I was going to post a glowing review of a great chapter but i'm to busy glueing my jaw back to 1 piece again. My GOD that is one huge shocker you've got there. Was definatly worth the wait!

 

Holy crap!! Palpatine??? Of course red glowing means he's some kind of Sith ghost, like the Jedi are blue, the Sith red? Right?

 

Up!

 

what he ^ said

 

Don´t worry, we´ll find out about red-glowing Sith-ghosts in the next post.

Until then: Enjoy and don´t be shy with comments.



Union of the Empires greatest Warriors



For a moment there was silence, while both men watched each other, until Raal Lordaq started to speak again. ?Aren´t you supposed to be dead?? he asked with his blaster suddenly drawn and pointing the barrel at the former emperor.

?You are right, although i would prefer to claim the rumors of my death to be vastly exaggerated.? answered the other man. ?But yes, i´m dead.?

The frown that crossed Raal Lordaqs face caused his bushy eyebrows to meld into a single line. ?You want to tell me, that you are some kind of spectre, a wraith?? the old man asked with disbelief.

A mocking smile appeared on Palpatines face. ?You are correct as always old friend. You´ve always been a quick one.? He pointed at Lordaqs blaster. ?And because of this you won´t need a blaster. It would be useless anyway. So why don´t you put it back into its holster.?

Now it was Lordaq, who smiled. ?Let me be the one, who decides about this.? And with that he pressed the trigger of the weapon.

The beam shot through the red-glowing figure and hit the wall behind the ?spectre? without causing any harm.

?No, i´m not some kind of hologram. I´m sorry to disappoint you.? stated Palpatine.

?Don´t worry about me.? grumbled Raal Lordaq. If the sight in front of him would have been a hologram, the shot with his blaster should have caused at least some minor interference with the three-dimensional projection. Unless somebody used a technology totally new and superior to everything the old ruler had ever seen. Perhaps he was dreaming? After all it had been a long day and it was late in the night. An ordonance or assistent might enter his office and discover him sleeping and snorting over his work. That would give his underlings something to talk about. Lordaq could already hear them: ?The old fossil is human, too.? or something like that. Smashing his fist against his table Raal Lordaq confirmed, that he wasn´t sleeping. You don´t feel pain, even if you are dreaming to be hurt.

So he was awake.

Was somebody influencing his mind?

That should be impossible. Nobody would have ever dared to think of Raal Lordaq as weak-minded and even if that would have been the case, surgical alterations at his brain should make it impossible to influence him or any other high-ranking official of the Autarcy with the force. Perhaps something similiar like the people of Hapes used for their ?gun of command?? That was as much a probability as a totally new holo-technique, a possibility incredible small, but a possibility nevertheless.

?No, you are not dreaming and nobody is influencing your mind.? the spectre of Palpatine stated. ?Why don´t you accept it for now and lets come to the point.?

Leaning back in his seat Raal Lordaq made himself as comfortable as possible. At the same time the thoughts behind his forehead were racing.

?I´ll have to accept that, since i have no way to prove or disprove your claims for now. However, considering your past talents of deception and lying, this won´t be an easy task.? He made an inviting gesture towards the spectre. ?But you can try.?

A low chuckle escaped Palpatines lips. ?Everything i tell you is a lie, isn´t it? And even if i tell you the truth, what might be my intention??

?We know each other.? answered Lordaq. ?Enough to understand. That is perhaps the only thing we can agree on.?

?Always the pessimist.? stated the Palpatine-spectre. ?How disappointing.?

?On the contrary. I hope for the best, but have learned to expect the worst.?

?So did i.? a grim smile appeared on Palpatines face. ?It was this insight, that allowed me to become emperor. Everybody craves darkness, so everybody can be manipulated. Even you.?

Raal Lordaq watched the glowing form of the former emperor through slitted eyes. Something felt wrong, but the old Ruler wasn´t able to put a finger on it. He would have expected more from a man, who had re

 

Cool update! Esp. loved the small thing bout the nudge Palpatine gave Leia to defeat Thrawn.. It actually would be something i'd account Palpatine to do. Great!

 

Glad you liked it. And according to the DarkEmpire-Sourcebook Palpatine did something of that kind.

I only wonder, if somebody will notice the reference to ANH?

 

you've got me there.. i read it another 3 times but couldn't quite figure out what it would be. Guess i got to go and see it again, don't i?

 

Without leaving choke-marks we will slowly thighten our grip in a way, that systems won´t slip through our fingers, but that the coal will be turned into diamond over time.?

That the one ur talking about?

 

Yes. Spike gets 100 points out of 100. Now who said the original quote and in what context?

 

It was Leia talking to Tarkin saying:
"The more you tighten your grip Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."

Then there was a big KABOOM!!

 

aaahh i think i remember that.. Tarkin was pretty cool but i never did like the deathstar.. i'm more of a ship (ESD, SSSD, ESSD ASD pref.) guy.

 

Expect an update for tomorrow.

 

Expect a reply as soon as i've read it.

 

no update

 

Sorry for the delay, but somehow i wasn´t able to log in on sunday. My humblest apologies. On the other side, i´m confident, that the coming post is worth every time you had to wait for it.

Here it comes:



Union of the Empires greatest Warriors




?I will succeed, where you failed, emperor.? Raal Lordaq stated with absolute confidance in his voice, while carefully watching the spectre through slitted eyes. A slight shift of the fleshless body was the only reaction, but Lordaq had noticed it. It looked like the provocation had been successful.

?We will see.? answered Palpatine after a moment. A moment to long. ?What about your other reasons??

?My other reasons?? muttered the Ruler of the Autarcy. ?Oh yes. Although the reason already told should have been enough. Well, there might have been a small chance to succeed even then, but i´ll have to admit i´ve never excepted the rebellion to win at Endor. During more than thirty years as head of the government, first as chancellor, then as emperor you haven´t made a single mistake. There was always a back-up plan, a way for you to cut your losses or to still achive something. So this defeat came as a total surprise and cought me and my people totally unprepared.?

?Unprepared? You were only a few days away from attacking Coruscant, when the battle of Endor took place. Your Autarcy would have probabely been the next target of my fleet there.?

Lordaq sighed. Despite that he still played along.

?Coruscant as the seat of the central authority of the galaxy. Not Coruscant as the capital of an empire, that was crumbling.? The old man collected his thoughts. ?As i said the imperial defeat at Endor cought me totally by surprise. Within a week former Admirals Harrsk, Teradoc and Drommel had broken away from the central authority of Coruscant. Not to mention Admiral Zsinj, Grandmoff Kaine or the Grandadmirals Grunger and Pitta and others. So i decided to sit back and to watch how the situation would develop.? the grim expression on Raal Lordaqs face would have scared Rancors and Kraytdragons away.

?Must have been hard.? stated Palpatine with false sympathy.

?Hard?? answered Raal Lordaq. ?You have no idea. I was sitting on my ass, while the entire ?civilisated? galaxy seemed to break apart.? He glared at Palpatine. ?Your minions were smart and tough enough to reach their positions and to have ambitions for more, but they weren´t able to cooperate when it became necessary. All they achived was, that they wasted their ressources by fighting each other. I would have been a bad ruler of my people, had i decided to join such a mess with questionable outcome. My ships and my men are to precious to be wasted in such a way.? A humourless smile appeared on the face of the ruler of Therilias. ?The following events like your sudden return proved me right.?

That caused the Palpatine-spectre to raise its eye-brows. ?You knew??

?About you hiding in the deep core? No. But while i watched your minions fighting each other and tried to decide, what to do, with whom i could ally and who had to be eliminated, i noticed something obviously nobody else became aware of: Squadrons, task-forces, entire fleetgroups seemed to have vanished. What especially caused my suspicions to rise was, that the majority of the empires real big ships was among them.?

?They could have been destroyed by the imperial infighting.? suggested Palpatine.

?True.? admitted Lordaq. ?But in what battle? And an entire fleet at once? And why did none of the victors bragg about the destruction of an Executor, a Vengeance-Class-Battlecruiser or a Super-Class-Stardestroyer??

?If those were your sources, it seems you have been the only one, who interpreted them right.? said Palpatine.

?Well, there weren´t that many people, who had a real idea about the size of your military forces.? answered Lordaq. ?And how many beings out there truly understand how many forces are needed to keep an entire sector of space under control? Especially, if you have no central government, that supports you with th

 

Whoa. Now that was not expected.

 

Could you please stop doing that? I mean you made me break my jaw again



Seriously though great update and indeed it was worth the wait.

 

Glad you liked it.

Now just to make sure you understood everything and payed close attention: What are Raal Lordaqs motives?