V.3-C.43│Sheev Palpatine III│

The Empyrean Squadron within the Yuuzhan Vong ship had finally decided what they should do next.

"We will take over the ship, and try to take these people as hostages... otherwise they will die." The captain said to his team, knowing that it would be better to kill them if they are unable to submit to their demands.

"Yes."

"Ok."

The men replied with differing replies, where all of them started to move towards the are that is most likely to be the command area. While being right underneath the Yuuzhan Vong peoples that are living just above them as they have figured out this ship is in fact a colonial ship, with which their people resided within.

While many would think of this as dangerous, the Yuuzhan Vong on the other hand did not because they have full confidence in their own biological technologies alongside their own peoples abilities.

The section they were within could be considered just underneath the main area the Yuuzhan Vong peoples resided within. Of course, it was like they were hiding within the floor underneath their house, which is a very accurate comparison to the current situation.

Those things, or tentacles, or whatever they were that the group encountered within the outer layers of the ship were apparent here as well. Strangely, for some reason it was underneath the ship as well, which lead to them considering the possibility that these things are in actuality much more than what meets the eyes.

From the readings the squadron received from above, there should be thousands of Yuuzhan Vong above, that are not just settlers of the species but also trained individuals as well.

Other readings indicated that certain drugs were circulated into the worldship's interior, which infused its incumbents with a sense of purpose and belonging in order to prevent them suffering mental breakdowns resulting from the stresses of a long journey across space to the Promised Land.

Again, this is not affecting these men within due to their advanced genetic manipulation, Force training and their advanced power armor keeping them protected from such things. Even after being exposed in any other way, their extra genetically modified and implants would work against the drugs being circulated throughout.

Making sure to avoid the tendrils, for they would not only alert the living ship and the Yuuzhan Vong of their presence, but also because of its connection to whatever sewage system is in place. While the synth marines didn't have to worry or have a care about dirty things before due to their previous machine nature, they began to develop things like disgust for things like that.

Especially since gaining these biological functions as well, not that they absolutely hated everything that came along with being like this due to their now enhanced connection to their creator, Anakin Skywalker.

Continuously moving, one of the squads members was keeping an eye out and watching their senses, determining whether or not they are at the right place. The analysis abilities of their suits were powerful, but specialization is a thing, meaning that everyone has their own role to play, likewise leading to squads having people skilled in certain areas coming together and forming a squad.

Not only that, but there is also a process of trying to match up and pair those that are compatible with another, through character, personality, goals and other things that come along as well. Of course, people could always have the freedom to choose something else for themselves, completely free in being able to decide for themselves about what they want or not.

"Move! We are almost there!" The analysis said, having finally gotten a proper location for them to burst through and take control of the ship, otherwise...

"Ok! Go!" Heading towards the location, the captain looked upwards as the analysis pointed towards the spot they should be prepared to go through. By now, the Yuuzhan Vong should be alerted of their presence for they were unable to dodge or avoid the tendrils in their way at this point.

"Right here..."

"We are going to go up, and then we should immediately disable those within. If they are non compliant, then we have every right to destroy them, then and there."

"Roger."

"Roger, roger."

"You got to stop that habit man." The captain sighted as he looked towards one of his men.

"What? I cant get rid of it, especially since it is something that was engraved into my coding before the transfer. It has become a distinct part of myself..." The one that was still a bit glitchy due to the transfer process kept this way of response and it would come up every now and then.

Not that it even mattered all too much.

"Ok. On the count of 3.... 1..." The captain started. "2..."

"3!" One of the more aggressive and very active members called out, before bursting through the floor that was extremely hardened and protected heading upwards.

"Damnit! Follow after him! Go, go, go!" The captain again called out, as while this may reflect on his ability to lead there are also times people within the military act like this. Especially those that are especially influenced by the chemicals streaming through their system, making them more aggressive and sometimes even disobedient.

Of course they would be completely obedient to the Emperor, but this is not here and now. The men followed after the first, and there seemed to a massive amount of conflict for when they came through the lights had been turned off.

This made it all the more harder for people to see, unless the Yuuzhan Vong had a way to blast through the fog of darkness, which they did. But, the Empyrean men as well had a way to see through the darkness as well, indicating that they are currently facing off against many, many people.

The Yuuzhan Vong had a strange weapon, capable of using multiple and varied attack methods, and one of the most important was its spitting venom or more likely poison attack. Amphistaffs were genetically engineered serpentine creatures that served as the primary anti-personnel weapons of the Yuuzhan Vong.

This is exactly the weapon the squad had to face off against, as they were sprayed down from every possible angle. It was like the Yuuzhan Vong were in wait after they had exposed themselves, not that they would give up now for the damage is minimal to their armor.

It was like acid, slowly working its way against the very resistant and advanced materials that went into enhancing the marines power armor. In exchange, the squad started to rely on their very own weaponry, which consisted of energy weapons that were much more advanced then the average blaster.

"Die!"

[]

Palpatine was a skilled manipulator and strategist, having orchestrated countless events in the galaxy, including the Naboo and Separatist Crises, as well as the Clone Wars, in order to secure a position of power which largely went according to plan.

In the rare times that something occurred during those events that he did not initially plan for, he usually took the setback into account and reworked his plan to succeed regardless.

This trait of improvisation was especially evident with Queen Amidala's successful arrival on Coruscant during the Naboo crisis, which forced him to rework his plan from using Amidala as a martyr and drawing out the crisis long enough to consolidate power to instead having Amidala act as a witness to the events of the Trade Federation occupation to dethrone then Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum.

Upon his ascension to Galactic Emperor, he modified his transmissions via hologram to appear several times bigger than himself, to the extent that the only part of him that actually appeared in his transmissions was his head.

This was done for two reasons: The first was to intimidate his subordinates, and the second was as a means to easily hide aspects occurring in the room from subordinates that he did not wish for them to know. Prior to his ascension and reorganization of the Galactic Empire, however, Palpatine utilized holographic communications the standard way, both in his public persona and as Sidious.

Despite his exceptional skills in lightsaber combat and his mastery of the dark side, Sidious was no less susceptible to fear, one of the primary emotions of the dark side, than any other Sith. Sidious could fake fear easily, which lead to him also easily convincing and having the young, incumbent Jar-Jar Binks come under his command.

Who would of thought the Buffon had the capability to use the Force and be protected by it in such a manner? Of course, the Force wasn't actually protecting Jar-Jar but instead it was Jar-Jar instinctively using the Force to his advantage to combat his innate clumsiness and his vacuity.

Since Palpatine was in no position to reveal his Sith identity until the right time, he was forced to refrain from using his Force powers to protect himself while in an extremely dangerous situation that presented considerable risk to his life.

Fear ultimately proved to be the Emperor's Achilles heel as it caused him to constantly plot and devise schemes against his enemies, which ultimately would have led to the creation of the Rebel Alliance and the eventual downfall of his Empire.

In this timeline however, Palpatine feared Anakin Skywalker more so than he did before. What he represented, his power and his position within life, which lead to him doing things that are stupid, hindering his abilities within the Force but also from properly advancing his plans.

Despite his status as pure evil, he did have reservations toward certain actions. The Emperor 'would have been ashamed to use such tactics' as illusions calculated to break someone emotionally.

Palpatine is a person deeply flawed, so much so that one shouldn't even consider as a person but an animal that should be slaughtered. Even then, Palpatine shouldn't be considered even that for even animals are better than him.

Since his youth, Darth Sidious was focused only on the acquisition of power, and wore the identity of Palpatine like a mask in order to advance his career and reach a position of power in the Republic.

As a young man and ambassador-at-large for Naboo, he evidently found it useful to make it appear that he was in an amorous mood when it suited him, for he was known to the people closest to him, such as Vidar Kim and Kinman Doriana, as a ladies' man.

Always focused on the Grand Plan and the takeover of the Republic, Palpatine appeared, in his words, 'always eager to make friends,' using flirtation as a tool to advance his agenda of gaining political power.

As Galactic Emperor, Palpatine surrounded himself with concubines at the Imperial Court, and at least one of them, claimed to have been, at the very least, physically involved with him. In fact, most who claimed intimacy with the Emperor did so out of a desire to position themselves as power-brokers.

The legal details of a potential Emperor's wedding were specifically included in Imperial law, and in fact specified that the bride would forfeit her rights and become the groom's property.

The reason for this is properly something to do with Anakin, with Anakin having many brides, wives and lovers himself. Anakin has everything that Palpatine wants or wanted, but Palpatine himself may not even consider what Anakin has to be something he wants, other than his power and position.

The lovers may just be an extra to him in the grand scheme of things.

'The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural,' is a phrase Palpatine would use in description of the dark side or even his own abilities.

Trained to perfection by Darth Plagueis, Darth Sidious was considered by many, to be the most powerful Sith Lord in the entire history of the Sith Order, something he himself firmly believed.

Additionally, he was the only Sith Lord in a thousand years to achieve the ultimate goal of the Sith: to eradicate the Jedi Order and bring the galaxy under the rule of the Sith. He was also considered the one Force user to have successfully tamed the Dark Side of the Force, exceeding even that of Ulic Qel-Droma.

Of course, just because he is a Sith Lord that did Sith things the best, didn't mean he is the most powerful Force-sensitive ever. Even before him, there are beings that could be considered more powerful than Palpatine, like the existence of The One's family that included the Daughter, the Son and the Father.

Then there are other individuals that could be considered more powerful as well, for example Darth Revan. However, that doesn't mean any of these people managed to do anything similar to what Palpatine has accomplished after all... 'All except that blasted, infernal Empyrean Emperor!' Palpatine thought to himself very often.

Constantly comparing himself to Anakin, his powers, abilities, status, loved ones, loved, respected and possibly even feared by the people all at the same time. To Palpatine, Anakin has everything or at least it looks like he does and even more so he barely had any really powerful adversaries to go up against him.

The only possible candidates being himself, the Jedi Order or some unknown factor like the Yuuzhan Vong. 'At least I can take solace in the fact that I have at least reached the same level as that despicable being.' Palpatine thought to himself often as well, which began after his ascension as Emperor of the Galactic Empire.