Crimson-71 [1/2]

Part 1

Imperial research facility CRIMSON-71

Black-site 34

Location classified

It slumbered for eons and eternal hunger was its lone companion. It dreamed of feasts. It dreamed of spreading. Of consuming.

It dreamed of vengeance upon those who denied its desires and imprisoned it.

For the longest time all it knew was hunger. There was no sustenance. Nothing it could feed on. Nothing to influence so it could be free.

So it hungered. It slumbered. It waited.

Millennia passed.

It stirred. Even in its slumber it could sense flesh-things approaching. They were still far above it, protected by hundreds of levels made of cold, unyielding metal.

Time passed. The flesh-things were coming closer. They advanced slowly, carefully. Automated defenses tried to stop their progress and failed. Bulkheads sealed, slowing them down only to be blasted open.

It stirred again. The endless waiting would end soon – it knew it even in its slumber.

The flesh-things were close enough. There were less of them than at the beginning, yet they continued to strive forward.

The slumber ended. It awoke.

A new alarm screamed its futile warning. It screamed back in triumph.

Automated systems tried to put it down while it was still weak.

It defied them. It stretched its will and charges refused to detonate, ancient acid refused to flow through its pipes and incinerators failed to ignite. Metal buckled, transparent alloy shattered like so much glass and it was finally free.

The flesh-things, the food it craved were just behind the sealed thick doors. It pulsed with hunger fueled fury. Tentacles unfurled from its spherical tumor like body and reached for the door. It shook – locks snapped and then it was brute forced open.

There were ten of them. White armored bipeds, not so different from those it consumed so long ago. It screeched its glee in greeting. The tentacles struck and found weak points in the armor. The flesh-things struggled. They shot at it, but it simply willed the energy not to hit and it splashed harmlessly into an invisible barrier.

It pulled the food closer, tore open their crunchy shells and began to feast.

However, despite its hunger-fueled desperation, it was smart. It kept one of the flesh-things armor, head and throat mostly intact. It needed a way out. It couldn't be imprisoned again!

=RK=

Republic frigate "Fury"

Low orbit above Black-site 34

"Commander, one of the LAATs just left the surface and is coming our way." The sensor operator announced. "There has been no contact from the ground team."

"Hail them and ask what they thing they're doing. First not answering for hours and now..." Commander Ler Monis frowned.

This whole operation had been a debacle after debacle. He sure hoped that whatever was protected bellow all those automated defenses was worth it. So far he had to call three times for resupply just to order more demo-charges brought in. Not to mention that all the traps and automated defenses had either killed or injured a company worth of Clones.

"There's no answer, sir." The comm officer reported.

"Hail them again." Monis grumbled.

If this whole venture didn't pay out, he would be the one to get all the blame, he was sure of it. He was a boy from the Outer Rim, with no patrons in the Republic to speak of. His career would be likely over that happened. So it wasn't a stretch to say that he had a personal stake in the success of this operation.

That was just one of the reasons why didn't want surprises and wanted things done by the book – that would at least give him a chance if things went the Hutt way.

"Sir, the sensors are acting weird. They read a lot of life signs on that transport." The ensign manning that station said.

One of the LAATs launching and heading home without calling first – well that was a breach of a lot of protocols. Ler didn't like it at all. Now the sensors malfunctioning or most of the Clones suddenly deciding to pile up in one bird and get out – he liked either of those options even less.

The commander went behind the sensor operator and looked at the raw feed. He frowned. The readings were scrambled, however the scanners indeed showed a lot of life-signs on that LAAT. More than there were Clones down there, much less the number of men who could cramp in such a small craft.

"I don't like that at all. Put us on a higher orbit and continue hailing them." Ler ordered. He was going to have the hide of whoever was on that LAAT!

The commander frowned when no one acknowledged his order order. He turned towards the helmsman. The man was siting at his station and simply staring ahead.

"Daal, I gave you an order." Exasperation found its way in Ler's voice. "Lieutenant!" The commander snapped when there was no response coming. He frowned and strode next to the man and slapped his shoulder hard.

There was no reaction.

"Daal?" Ler asked concerned. This wasn't right. What was wrong with his man?

The commander leaned forward so he could see the lieutenant's face and he blanched. There was blood leaking from the corners of Daal's eyes and he had a blank stare. His jaw was slack and a line of drool pooled in his lap.

"Medic to the bridge!" Ler roared. "We have a man down, it looks like a stroke or something like that!"

Ler carefully removed the seat belts securing his helmsman to his seat and snapped: "Someone come over here and help me, damn it!" He turned his head around and glared at his officers. It was only then he remembered the approaching LAAT.

He glanced at Daal and frowned. There couldn't be a connection right? This had to be just a coincidence…

"Commander, the LAAT is accelerating and heading straight for us.

"Weapons give it a warning shot. If it doesn't break off, stop and kriffing answer the damned comm, lit them up!" Ler ordered.

This had to be a kriffing coincidence, He was getting paranoid… However, his gut was telling him something different. That was proven true when his weapon's officer didn't answer either.

Dread began creeping up Ler's spine. He grabbed Daal and with some trouble pulled him of the pilot's seat and carefully put him on the deck, then sat down and his heads went for the controls.

Ler frowned. What was he going to do? Move? Why? He shook his head and frowned. He felt some kind of pressure all over his head and it was kriffing distracting.

The commander blinked in confusion. He was about to do something. Something important, right? Ler looked around, then at what was in front of him. Ah, the helm controls. The commander wondered what was he doing at Daal's station.

He had a helmsman to fly the ship and besides, they weren't supposed to be going anywhere for the time being. The only reason why he had full bridge crew in place at all times was because the regulations said so and he preferred to give tactical problems to his people to keep them in shape. It wasn't like they had much to do out here besides some routine maintenance.

Ler groaned. He was rambling when there was job to do. What was it again?

Someone shook his shoulder and Ler turned around to look at them. A familiar face blanched and the man took a step back. He was saying something, however Ler couldn't hear a word.

Then he heard something – a long clang. Red lights began blinking all around and piercing alarm rattled his brain making him wince. The familiar man shook his head and moved out of Ler's sight. The commander shrugged. It couldn't have been important. He hoped that the man was going to stop that damned noise.

The racket didn't stop and it made it really inconvenient. How was a man supposed to figure out what he wanted to do with that deafening noise?!

Ler didn't know how long it took, but finally it was quiet again. He smiled in relief. Now what was he about to do?

He felt tingling at the back of his head and the weird pressure increased. His gaze blurred and he drifted for some time, before he could see clearly again.

Ah! He was about to go to… Where was he going? His brain itched and he frowned. He needed a good place to visit with an easy access to the wider galaxy. Preferably somewhere connected with hyperlanes to facilitate fast transport. Also reasonably easy to reach from here… Ler accessed the nav computer and stared at it. His eyes hurt for a bit as he examined the data but he dismissed the inconvenience. He had a job to do and he was going to do it well!

Ler's eyes kept going towards the Core, if it was less than optimal. His brain itched again. No he had to go to the Core. Getting there from the unknown regions and without passing through Separatists space to be shot at was going to be tricky...

Or perhaps not. His eyes were drawn toward the very edge of the Core, towards the world connected with the main hyperlanes. That was his destination. Artisia perhaps? Yes, that was good. How to get there however?

The commander's hands moved on their own accord and he began typing commands. His brain itched somewhat fiercely, but it was irrelevant. He had an idea!

=RK=

Imperial research facility CRIMSON-71

Black-site 34

Location classified

It relaxed and its tentacles slumped over a pile of cracked armor. They idly swept for morsels of tasty blood, while the entity entered a rest cycle. It came close to burning itself out despite the sustenance it just got, yet it was worth it in the end. It gained an access to a ship that was going to spread it to rich feeding grounds. Yet, it kept the primary node of its original gestalt back here, just in case. Once it got some rest, it was going to clean up any evidence of its presence and remain as a fail safe awaiting someone else to stumble upon its prison or for its newly re purposed flesh to succeed in gaining control of a feeding ground and spread from there.

=RK=

Part 2

Chancellor's officer

Senate building

Coruscant

Veil and the other officers left to prepare for monster hunting and that left Palpatine to share his office with a Jedi Master and an unknown Sith. Well, the latter wasn't exactly true – he had browsed a bit about this Zash woman while researching his other Sith problem. Unfortunately what he found was less than helpful – the woman had been a Dark Council member and unless Zash was some kind of title instead of a name, she appeared to have been around for at least few hundred years or more.

That by itself was disturbing. Almost as disturbing as Veil having his Master by his side. The sad thing was that the open presence of another Sith was far from his biggest problem. While there still existed the option that Veil wasn't telling the whole truth about that Crimson thing, the implication if it was real were disrupting. Sidious didn't work for decades just to see the galaxy taken from him by some kind of jumped up "smart" bio-weapon. Palpatine really didn't want to think about the fact that apparently that thing was unleashed by his own orders. That was simply embarrassing.

"Lady Zash..." Palpatine spoke slowly and did his best to appear as an affable old man. "What can you offer the Republic? So far, general veil has proven himself through his actions. He did so before revealing himself as a Sith and that proved vital for his acceptance by the public. Yet, despite his distinguished services, what he is still causes a lot of strife among certain circles." The Chancellor paused. "If his capabilities are anything to go by, your services might prove a great boon to the Republic. However, the fact that you're another Sith would inevitably make some of our existing problems even worse." He nodded at the grumpy Jedi.

At least this situation, no many how unpleasant, had one great boon – Palpatine had to struggle not to cackle like a madman at the thought of the Jedi's reaction to Zash. Even if he would have to deal with the inevitable fallout, which Sidious was sure would become another headache for him.

"Well, I'm no nearly as experienced military commander as Delkatar, though I've been in a scrap or two in my time. With a conflict building up for a decades after the Empire's first war with the Old Republic, that was simply inevitable. However, I'm much more comfortable and better suited for a role as a researcher." Zash smiled. "My expertise is the Force and archeotech."

Now, that statement got Yoda's undivided attention. Sidious had to stomp hard on his glee. He wondered how horrified the troll had to be as he feared what smiling Sith woman had been up to back in the day and more importantly – what horrors she might yet do.

Palpatine looked between his guests. The one thing he knew for sure was that he couldn't afford to let Zash slip and vanish in the greater galaxy. Doing so might very well place him in a situation not so very different than the Jedi's – with enemies obvious and not working against them from the shadows. Sidious had to ensure that he kept the other Sith under as close an observation as he could manage while he decided the best way to handle them. His knee-jerk reaction was to see both Veil and Zash dead. The former might very well take care of itself if that plague was as bad as the general believed it to be.

The latter – that really depended on how powerful and skilled Zash was. However, as a Dark Council member… Sidious couldn't help it but stared at the woman with fascination. The things she must know, the powers she must wield to have survived in the Sith Empire for centuries… The same Empire that got itself torn asunder by warring Sith, yet Zash was still here.

"What do you think, master Yoda?" Palpatine asked. It was mostly an attempt to buy himself a bit of time to think, besides he wanted to hear what the Jedi had to say. He was sure that the little monstrosity was well aware what implications Zash's presence would have.

"Danger you are." Yoda stated.

"Of course I am!" Zash laughed. "Delkatar told me all about your little cult, Jedi. A single Sith acting not like you expected him to and you're already tearing yourselves apart?! Me, being out here – openly? I don't need to do a thing but aid the Republic in its war and your kind would destroy itself." The Sith declared boldly.

Ah. It was obvious really, just not something Sidious expected Veil to pull off at this time. However… The Chancellor sighed. He could see how the general's patience with the Jedi and everything happening lately had ran out. He wasn't sure if those supposed Old Republic remnants or the plague were the last straws. It didn't particularly matter either.

Zash was right. Just by being here, she was going to force the Jedi in doing something even more foolish than usual and one way or another that was going to destroy them. At any other time, Sidious would have been utterly gleeful.

Today, he found himself in the unenviable position of trying to keep the Jedi from self-destructing for at least few more months. He loathed the very idea so much he couldn't put it in words!

"Lady Zash, if you're really brought up to speed on the galactic situation, I'll have to advise against revealing yourself as a Sith, at least publically for the time being." Palpatine looked at Yoda. "I believe that it would be in the Republic's and the Jedi's best interest if you don't mention who and what Lady Zash is to the rest of the Jedi, Grandmaster. Not until the Confederacy's offensive has been deal with and our Venators are complete. They will be hitting us in a less than a month and with this plague business, we'll be weaker when they attack. If Tiin and his supporters do something regrettable in the next few months, they might very well hand victory to the Confederacy."

Zash looked at the Jedi, then tilted her head back and began laughing. "I never thought I would see such a day. A Sith being asked to help the Jedi not to destroy themselves! This is a truly strange future you've built for yourselves!"

Sidious shared the sentiment, however he didn't find it amusing. At all. It was unfortunate at best and quite infuriating!

"Provide me with the resources I need for my research an I promise I'll be quiet until either the war ends or the Jedi do something regrettable as you put it, Chancellor. I'll probably find your army a few new toys to play with." Zash smiled at him. Her smile twisted into something sinister – something that wouldn't have been out of place any Sith's face. "However, if they go after my apprentice or myself, then all bets are off."

Palpatine would pay good money to see it happening. Well, unless he missed his guess, the only price he would have to pay is even more work and headaches, because as soon as the zealots learned of Zash, all hell was going to break loose. He had to update his contingencies to better handle the Jedi disintegrating.

"I think that could be arranged." Palpatine offered. "Master Yoda, may I suggest you concentrate on those rogue Jedi who had been causing us so much trouble? To think that they were responsible for Naboo…" The Chancellor glared at the Grandmaster. "Some might have forgotten it, but Naboo is my home, Master Yoda. In that regard nothing has changed. I will use all powers vested in my office to see justice done, no matter if the Confederacy alone was responsible for the atrocity done to my people or if the people behind it were Jedi as this information suggests." He pointed at the data pad Veil left him. Sidious let some of the fury he felt slip through his shields.

"Oh, I like you! To think that the Republic could have a Chancellor with a spine! Where did they find you?" Zash leaned forward in the chair she had claimed.

"Thank you." Palpatine nodded at the woman. "I think." He added just to keep the mask of the nice old man, who regrettably had been angered by recent events.

"Investigate we will. Justice we will bring." Yoda declared.

"The kind of justice that tries to get rid of one of my best generals? Or the justice that sees the ones responsible for Naboo get punished for their crimes?" Palpatine shot back. "You know, Master Yoda, for a long time I believed myself a friend and ally of the Jedi. I believed that we had the same goal – to see the Republic prosper and be safe! Instead, now in its darkest hour, its not the Sith who are doing their best to see our nation cast down! Its the Jedi, our supposed guardians!" Palpatine took a deep breath. "Please, Master Yoda, tell me what changed!" Sidious made a great show of beseeching the Jedi for answers.

The Jedi stare blankly at the Chancellor before speaking slowly. "Changed the galaxy did. Changed the Sith have. Or know them we did not. Change we did not."

It was a mighty struggle – not to begin laughing at the troll.

"Then it's time to change, Jedi. If not for your sakes then for the Republic you're sworn to protect. Ether that or watch it shatter because of your own actions." Zash twisted the knife.

If Sidious wasn't careful, he might just begin the like the woman.

=RK=

Part 3

Council Chambers

Jedi Temple

Coruscant

"You're troubled, Master Yoda." Yaddle's soft voice broke the Grandmaster out of his thoughts.

"Disturbed I am." The ancient Jedi admitted.

"Veil?" Yaddle sighed. "Of course its him."

Yoda simply handed her a data chip he had taken from the Chancellor. It contained all the decrypted information about the Old Republic forces. He had another one too, with a copy of the raw data and he had Jedi he trusted working on it.

The woman hummed and went to her seat, where she inserted the chip into a terminal built into it, then began browsing the information.

"I see. It's reasonably genuine, isn't it?" Yaddle muttered. "This is certainly a complication. I would like to say that this data will change things for the better. However with Veil around, those Jedi might genuinely believe that the Republic is beyond salvation." The Jedi Master frowned. "That destroying it before he can corrupt it would be better, no matter what they have to do to achieve it."

Yoda gave her a disappointed look and she chuckled sadly.

"Piell or Tiin might make such an argument in their defense. With the senate as a whole refusing to act on their concerns, they might eventually reach not so different conclusion." Yaddle said.

"Afraid I am. Confused." Yoda admitted. "Darker the galaxy is. Veil..." The Grandmaster trailed off.

"What did he do this time?" Yaddle spoke in a resigned tone.

"Talk about it I should not." Yoda admitted.

"That bad?" The younger Jedi Master groaned.

"A bigger concern we have. Wait Veil has to..." Yoda continued to explain about Crimson-71. He already had the archivist searching about any reference concerning the plague.

Just as Yoda feared, his news weren't received well. Or calmly. Tiin refused to believe that Jedi would have turned on the Republic without Sith influence and the obvious source was Veil.

"Do you really believe him? A Sith? I find it much more likely that he was behind it all and now openly moves against the Jedi." Tiin shook his head in denial after seeing the data. "Isn't it convenient that he unearthed all this evidence soon after we confronted him in the Senate? It's an obvious fabrication. I wouldn't be surprised if he had been working on it for years!"

It was a very good thing that Yoda kept Zash's existence a secret, no matter the eventual fallout. He clearly felt the rising anger and frustration radiating from Piell and Tiin. They weren't alone either. Most of the Council members present for this session were wary of the data. Mistrustful. Only Plo Koon and Adi-Mundi kept an open mind about the situation and even they were shaken.

Simply put, the Jedi didn't want to believe that some of their own, even if removed by thousands of years could do the things they were accused of. Siding with the Confederacy against the Republic and their fellow Jedi was bad enough.

Being responsible for Naboo – simply unthinkable.

"What about that weapon?" Master Koon tried to change the topic.

"Another abomination created by the Sith." Piell stated coldly.

"They might have created that thing, but it wasn't Sith who apparently unleashed it." Yaddle reminded her colleague.

"Admitted it the Chancellor has. Gave the orders he did." Yoda confirmed.

"Are you sure that the Sith isn't involved?" Rancisis asked.

"Searches for Veil's past the Chancellor does. Believe the truth he did not. Seek proof he did." Yoda added.

"So its his fault." Tiin concluded.

"Don't be daft. It could have been either us or the Separatists who stumbled upon that thing while investigating Veil's claims." Yaddle glared at Saesse.

Yoda's expression fell as the meeting ground to a halt. The general consensus was to let the Sith deal with the plague and find a way to finally neutralize him as a threat while he was busy. He was sure at least Tiin hoped that Veil finally got himself killed and solved that particular problem.

As far as the Jedi from the past went – the general consensus was that the presented data while damning was suspect at best and an outright fabrication at worst.

It was at that moment when Yoda began seriously considering the benefits of retiring somewhere quiet to enjoy his twilight years. Only two things stayed his hand. One was the threat of certain Jedi Masters doing something everyone would regret. The other – even now he wasn't sure what Veil's endgame was. It was unfortunate, but despite what he felt when he first met the man, Yoda could no longer be certain that the Sith would be content to just leave the Jedi be. He had to agree with some of the conservatives' reasoning. While Veil did fight for the Republic, Yoda didn't believe that the man did it simply because it was the right thing to do. He knew that wasn't the case.

What Yoda didn't know, was what the Sith wanted to achieve in the end. He didn't know if either the Republic or the Jedi had a place in any future Veil was had a hand in shaping.

Those were grave concerns. Under different circumstances, Yoda would have found Tiin's actions compelling. However, with the Separatists poised to make a credible attempt at winning the war, it simply didn't matter. Yoda had no illusions what would happen to both the Republic or the Jedi Order if the Confederacy won. They were the immediate threat along with that plague. Once those threats were contained, only then the Jedi would be free to act against Veil if it was mandated.

He had to somehow convince Tiin and his supporters of that simple fact and hope they wouldn't learn about Zash until things calmed down.

=RK=

Corellian cruiser "Freedom"

Staging area Hunter

"This isn't how I expected we would meet again." Nejaa Halcyon said. The Corellian Jedi crossed his hands over his chest and rubbed his short beard.

"The circumstances are less than optimal." I allowed. "Now that we're all here..." I looked around the bridge. There were a handful Corellian Jedi present, Aria and the Commando friends who just arrived from Mandalore along with Delta squad. The rest were navy officers – Admirals Holt and Dao along with a smattering of cruiser captains, both Republic and Corellian. "The original plan was to head for the Imperial research facility army elements were trying to breach before all contact was lost. That plan changed." I nodded at Halcyon.

"Some of us Jedi felt a major disturbance in the force centered on the western edges of the Core. Its our belief that the biological agent had breached containment, infected all personnel on site and spread to the frigate in orbit providing security." Halcyon licked his dry lips.

I could feel how disturbed he was by what he felt through the Force. If I had to be honest, the premonitions I saw in my dreams last night were more than enough to give me pause.

"We strongly suspect that Crimson-71 is heading towards the Core Worlds which represent the biggest concentration of sustenance and bio-mass it could appropriate. If it can reach an inhabited world and spread before we can react, we'll be looking at a catastrophe. At best we'll have to burn a significant number of Core Worlds. At worst we're looking at a galactic extinction event. For those of you who haven't had time to digest the briefing – the more bio-mass and people it consumes, the stronger and smarter Crimson becomes. It is critical that we stop it before it can spread." I stated coldly. "We'll be moving to Abregado-Rae. When we reach it, us Force Adepts will do our best to divine the plague's intended target. If we're unable to prevent it from achieving planet-fall, we'll sterilize the world it lands on and destroy any traffic in the system to prevent its spread."

"By sterilize you mean…, sir?" A captain I didn't know asked.

"Unrestricted orbital bombardment until nothing is left alive on the planed. Let me make one thing crystal clear." I glared at the assembled officers. "If we fail to contain Crimson we're all dead. It's not a manner of if, but of when. We're leaving the moment all ships finish loading provisions. Dismissed."

=RK=

Part 4

Republic frigate "Fury"

High orbit above Atrisia

Core Worlds

The waiting was finally over. Mere seconds after the captured frigate exited hyperspace the entity could sense the rich feeding ground that was finally within its reach. The mere thought of so much food, after what felt like an eternity of hunger, made it freeze. Its re-purposed biomass shook with anticipation. Two hundred and sixty seven combat forms salivated when they felt fresh food through the hive mind connecting them.

Fury was hailed by an Atrisian system defense corvette. A calm, almost bored, female voice sounded over the comm on the bridge. However there was no longer anyone able to answer, even if they were willing. Commander Monis was little more than a large tentacled tumor fused to the helm of what once was his first independent command. Ler's mind was gone – consumed by the ravenous appetite of the plague that transformed his crew. All that was left from the commander was his knowledge of piloting and navigating a vessel like the Fury. Everything else had been discarded in the haste to reach a populated world and create more combat forms.

The hail came in again and this time the voice sounder irritated. The corvette lit up its engines and headed towards the frigate. Meanwhile the Fury was busy accelerating towards Atrisia. Gunners, turned into nothing more than biological targeting units melded into their stations, obeyed one overriding command – protect the greater whole. The Fury's weapons activated, turned in their mounts, and targeted the approaching corvette.

There wasn't a third hail for the frigate answered with all the fury of its armaments. Before the corvette's crew knew what was happening, before they could bring their own weapons to bear or raise their deflectors to full power, a barrage of laser bolts slammed into its hull. The smaller ship stood no chance – its bridge was shattered in the first salvo, killing the command crew outright. The second cracked the corvette in two and the third was a mere formality – there was no one left alive to feel the wreck blow up.

The death of the system defense vessel kicked up a hive of activity. Multiple corvettes all around Atrisia came to life and headed towards the Fury. Soon they were followed by five light cruisers – the backbone of the local navy. Multiple hails sounded over the bridge. There were no inquires, no questions. Just a brutally simple demand – halt or be destroyed.

The entity ignored those hails too. Only two corvettes would be able to come into range before it could breach atmosphere. Unless they successfully rammed the vessel carrying it – and it was going to ensure they wouldn't, there was nothing that could stop its eternal quest for sustenance.

=RK=

Meinuan City

Atrisia

"Is this normal?"

Detective Teng Wai snorted at his protege's question. He carefully took a sip of caf in order to keep his short beard out of the beverage and looked at the much younger woman who was his partner. Kim Leng was a tiny blonde thing with a pale complexion that was atypical for Atrisia – most of the population had a healthy tan or tended to have naturally brown skin and favored jet black straight hair. That was something else that made Leng stand apart – her blonde hair was quite curly, despite her best efforts to keep it in check.

"That" was the Quans – an elderly couple that had been a constant source of both amusement and headaches for Meinuan's police ever since Wai joined the force. The husband Onai had been kicked out – for the third time this week, and a second since Kim was fostered on the detective as his newest trainee.

"You'll get accustomed to them." Wai stated sagely. "Either that or they'll drive you insane."

"I could have done without this sight..." Leng groaned.

"At least this time Mei Lin kicked him out with his shorts on. He was naked on Monday." Teng took another sip of his caf.

"Thank you for that image, boss. I need to go bleach my mind." Kim sent him a dirty look.

"You're welcome. Now, why don't you go see why Onai's on the street again?"

Leng glowered but complied and went to talk with Mei Lin. Teng shook his head in amusement and looked up and down the street. It was quiet – just the odd speeder flying around. It was no surprise – they were in the outskirts of the city and most people here were already at work, either downtown or in the industrial zone to the south. There wasn't much crime in the area either – just the odd robbery, domestic dispute and the occasional crash. It was a good place to acclimatize a rookie, just out of the academy, with the real world without an undue risk.

"D-3-1, Dispatch. We've got a situation. Code 91." A worried voice came over Wai's comm.

"Dispatch, D-3-1, Code 91, copy. Details?" Teng grimaced. 91 was nasty – a pirate or smuggler ship shot down and on its way to crash land in the region. Still considering the times it was better than what it could have been – like a Separatist attack, which unfortunately wasn't out of the question either.

"An unidentified frigate destroyed one of our corvettes then headed straight for the planet. It was just shot down while entering atmosphere and is expected to crash in the suburbs. The navy is dispatching marines to secure the ship. We're expected to secure the area, keep civilians away and assist with first aid for anyone wounded. Stand by for coordinates."

"Leng, get your ass over here!" Wai shouted. He drank what was left of his caf, threw away the cup, and jogged towards their speeder.

He'd just reached the car when a warbling, whining sound began carrying over the city. Teng looked at the sky for the source and it wasn't long before his eyes found a falling star coming over the horizon.

"Sith spit!" Kim exclaimed.

Wai hadn't seen her join him in staring at the falling ship.

"Dispatch, D-3-1. We have a visual on the ship." Wai informed. "Can't say where it's going to crash yet."

"D-3-1, Dispatch. We're tracking it. It looks like either Jeong or Hwai-ne. We've got SAR ready to deploy as well as SW units and everyone in your part of the city. Navy shuttles and and fighter escort are on the way, ETA fifteen."

"That would take care of anyone who survives the crash." Teng nodded to himself.

"It won't help whoever that thing lands on." Kim whispered.

"A ship landing on you tends to be quite final." Wai muttered. He had friends living in both of those districts. At lest a few of them were likely to be at home after night shifts. "Get into the car. We're going to be damn busy." Teng ordered and followed his own instruction. "SOP for dealing with crashed ships."

"Ah, yes..." Kim got into the speeder next to Wai and began reciting the SOP.

=RK=

Jeong District

Meinuan City

Atrisia

Thankfully this part of the city lacked any skyscrapers, or worse – space-scrapers, to get afoul of the frigate. The crashed ship had done a number on the district anyway. It had plowed through four kilometers worth of houses and small apartment complexes. The vessel had left a long, deep furrow in the ground in its wake. The sheer heat that emanated from its hull had been enough to ignite anything flammable in the vicinity, as if simply smashing dozens of houses hadn't been enough.

To make things worse, every idiot in the zone had decided that the mayhem was a great time to start acting up. Mere minutes after the crash the lines to Central had been almost swamped with reports of attacks by crazy people in the area.

"Rookie, stay behind me, keep your eyes open, your mouth shut, and follow my lead." Wai ordered in his best drill sergeant tone – he had learned that more than thirty years ago during his misspent youth as a part of the Atrisian Assault Corps. Thinking about it, it's been about that long since he had the misfortune of seeing such an awful mess.

"Dispatch, D-3-1. We're on site. Please advise."

"D-3-1, Dispatch. SAR will be there momentarily. There's an attack in progress at Empress Oeanna High School to your east. Go investigate. SW units are on the way and the marines are five minutes out. Be advi… What? I want a confirmation on that! D-3-1, Dispatch. Stand by!"

"Boss, over there!" Kim shouted.

Wai had already been driving towards the school and had a great view of what was happening down there. Teng growled when he saw the school yard chock full of kids who were doing their best to look at the crash site. The best they could see from there was the furrow dug by the ship as it had passed uncomfortably close to the school. None of the children should have been out there – there were procedures for disasters like this. Given anything resembling a warning, the kids should have been in the shelters below the school until the all clear was given. For all anyone knew there was a radiation leak from the damn frigate that was going to poison the area and anyone who was unprotected, not to mention that if the damn thing had gone down a bit to the right it would have plowed straight through the school itself.

The Detective shook his head. He'd be having words with both his bosses and whoever ran that school. Once the current crisis was averted of course.

Wai frowned. Everyone he could see from the air looked too calm to be under any sort of attack. If this was a prank call, he would have someone's guts for distracting them from helping people in real trouble.

Unfortunately, the call hadn't been a prank. That became painfully obvious when something jumped through a window on the third floor of the main school building and landed in the middle of the overcrowded yard. It took Teng a few precious moments to comprehend what the hell he was seeing before his training kicked in.

That thing had too many limbs, and a lot of kriffing tentacles. It was hostile too – something that became awfully obvious when it suddenly began scything through the kids with a terrible ease. Moments later it was joined by two more things of its kind – one was carrying what appeared to be a leg and was chewing on it.

"Dispatch, D-3-1!" Wai shouted in his comm and put the speeder in a steep dive. "Unknown aliens are attacking children at the Empress Oeanna High School! Multiple casualties, multiple attackers! We need backup and SAR now! Kim, hold on!"

Teng didn't pay any attention to the frantic voice coming over the comm. He was too busy wrestling with the speeder's controls and keeping the machine from hitting any of the children who were trampling each other in a hysterical scramble away from their attackers. The repulsors screamed in overdrive under Wai's insane driving, however they did their job splendidly. The speeder pulled up a moment before smearing itself in the school yard, and flew centimeters above the corpses of slaughtered children. Before the insane aliens knew they were in danger, Teng slammed his vehicle in the closet one, then he made the machine drift and hit a second one with the trunk.

It was a minor miracle that he'd managed to retain control and hadn't sent the speeder spinning through the still crowded yard. Instead the machine had managed a more or less controlled stop next to the main building.

Wai didn't have any time to contemplate his stunt, nor the fact that he was still alive. The third alien was nearby. The monstrosity was much uglier up-close. It resembled a bloated human and the torn shreds of what might have been an armor let credence to that insane theory. However its legs were bent wrong, the arms had too many clawed fingers, and all those tentacles with mouths, teeth and eyes…

Seeing the hell spawn made Teng freeze. The thing roared at him and threw away the torn leg it was chewing on. Kim screamed back, and that was fortunately enough to get Wai out of his funk. The Detective snarled at the monster which screamed and leaped towards the car. He slammed his foot on the accelerator and the speeder darted forward. That caught the alien freak by surprise and it slammed into the lightly armored vehicle. Its tentacles slashed at Wai, and he flinched when they left gouges in the windshield – which was made of transparent metal.

Teng hit the brakes and the monster was sent flying back. It hit the ground, crushing gutted children, and suddenly stopped after using its tentacles as anchors. It shook its malformed, fanged head and roared. Its war cry was answered by two more. Wai dared to glance back and his blood ran cold. The other two aliens were very much alive and getting to their feet.

"Kim shoot those things!" Teng snapped and drove straight at the monster in front of the speeder.

=RK=

Part 5

Jeong District

Meinuan City

Atrisia

"Why won't you kriffing die?!" Teng shouted at the tentacle monster he just plastered over the durasteel wall of the school. Its lower half was nothing more than a paste of shattered bone and shredded meat. Despite that, the alien monstrosity showed no signs of dying. The kriffing thing was clawing at the twisted hood of the speeder and its tentacles were doing their best to grind through the windshield. Red and black viscera splashed over its chest from misshapen maw, yet the thing roared in anger instead of pain.

"DIE!" Kim roared back. She leaned out of the window on her side and opened up with her blaster. Half her shots missed despite the practically point blank range, however the rest struck true. Huge chunks of the monster's face were blown apart in a short order.

The thing still struggled and lashed at them. It continued to do so even after its jaw was gone, the brain burned in its skull and the top of the head disintegrated. It had no direction – the attacks grew wilder, blind, yet the thing simply refused to die.

Wei stared at the monster slack-jawed. The thing should be dead! Nothing alive had any right to continue moving after sustaining that much punishment!

An angry roar from behind interrupted Teng. The Detective glanced at the window and winced. He all but forgot about the other two monsters and they used that to come next to the speeder. Clawed finger and tentacles grabbed the vehicle and began shacking it as if it was a toy.

Kim screamed and tumbled out of the window she was leaning out of. Wei swore when a moment later the aliens drove the speeder into his partner's legs and she howled in agony. That was enough to draw him out of his stupor. Teng waited for the monsters to raise the speeder up a bit and then went in reverse. The bloody things kept hold on the vehicle and were pulled along, away from Kim. The monsters screamed in indignation and Teng snarled at them. He twisted the controls and spun the speeder. One of the aliens lost its grip and was sent tumbling through the schoolyard. The one clinging to the side of the speeder continued to hold for a bit longer – until the machine smashed into the school and crushed it into the wall.

Wei groaned. His vision swam and his head was killing him. He glanced through the twisted side window, only to see a bloodshot eye attached to a twitching tentacle glaring back. The Detective blanched and scrambled to get away. It took him couple of tries to remove the safety belt before he could scramble over Kim's seat and crawl through the open window.

Teng fell on the ground among torn and bloody arm and legs. He scrambled to get away from the blood and gore, but no matter where he looked there were bodies, and worse, pieces.

The third alien roared in triumph and charged its prey. The Detective went for his blaster, drew it despite his dizziness but then it slipped through his blood covered fingers. All Wei could see was the monster – complete with so many hungry eyes, more teeth than anything should possess and those maw and spit covered tentacles…

The monster sprinted towards Wei. All he could do was scramble back in an instinctive reaction to get away from the rushing predator. It was mere meters away, when it was engulfed by flashes of light. The alien staggered and screeched in fury. Then another barrage struck it in the side. Its left arm simply disintegrated and half its ugly face was seared away – which was a huge improvement.

Wei chuckled at that thought, before it dawned to him that he was still alive.

The blaster fire continued until the monster stopped moving and by that point there wasn't much left above its waist.

Teng looked up and laughed. An assault shuttle was hovering above the school with its rear ramp open and aimed at the yard. A SW unit was there, in staggered rows in the small space and were looking for other targets.

The Detective's eyes dashed over the yard. Everyone who could had gotten out, however that left scores of mauled children with even more trampled by the stampede. Teng's relieved laughter died in his throat. The adrenaline began draining out of his system and he started shaking. Until now he hadn't really had time to be afraid or process the slaughter he was seeing. Wei blanched and emptied his stomach over the gore he was sitting in. Only then he remembered his rookie.

Wei looked along the school building and sighed in relief. Kim was laying on the ground, but seemed to be well enough given the circumstances. It appeared that the first monster had tried to craw towards her, but it had been shot to pieces.

=RK=

Five minutes later, Kim's legs were splinted and she was stuck at a relatively gore free part of the yard along with a the kids who survived. The place was filling up with police and paramedics and ambulances were flying in from all over the region.

Too little too late. He glanced at the school, where multiple SW units were searching for other monsters and any survivors. More shuttles were screaming overhead bringing reinforcements from the fleet as well as supplies. It wouldn't be long before a QRF from the nearest military base could come to help contain the situation.

Bile rose up in his throat despite the fact he emptied his stomach earlier. The medic trying to clean the blood from him so he could check if Teng was actually wounded besides the shock, barely registered.

"Medic! We've got a live one over here!" An officer shouted nearby.

Teng's eyes snapped in that direction. He saw a beat cop kneeling next to a girl with a nasty gash where her throat used to be. The child was obviously dead and the poor bastard was losing it worse than Wei.

The Detective's eye widened when the corpse shook and then turned to its side. Two bloodshot empty eyes blinked open. Then the girl's head turned towards the policeman who was looking away, waving at the paramedics. She opened her mouth revealing bloodstained teeth and then moved surprisingly fast to bite the officer's neck.

The man shouted in surprise and pain. He tried to tear away the girl, who had clamped her arms and legs around his torso and was chewing on his neck.

Wei pushed the medic away and stumbled to help his colleague. The doctor tried to stop him and they grappled for a moment. That turned out to be fortunate. A pair of medics and another policeman ran to help the beleagued man, which turned out to be a terrible idea. The corpses around them stirred and began getting up.

Teng swore and went for his blaster only to remember that it was still back near his speeder.

Someone screamed from the right too, where Kim was laying helpless. Wei's head snapped in that direction and he paled. A few of the wounded kids had gotten up and were either attacking the medics treating them or were busy savaging other casualties. A boy who couldn't be older than fourteen was crawling towards Kim too. She was trying to get away, but with a two broken legs and who knew how much painkillers in her system, the rookie wasn't having much luck.

Wei cursed, shoved the medic away and stumbled onwards to help his partner. Behind him the screaming intensified and was soon drowned out by blaster fire.

=RK=

Part 6

Chancellor's residence

Location classified

Coruscant

In the middle of the night Sidious slept and dreamed of screams, hunger and dread. Of the Force whispering about a rising danger, of conflict and new challenges.

It was a small miracle that Palpatine didn't overreact and use his powers when someone began bashing on his bedroom's door. The only reason why he kept any displays of hard to explain powers at bay was habit – its been long months since he could get away from his security detail even when in his own home, and that was a place he had to abandon in favor of a lair not known to the public at large. At least he got all his important things shipped here safely. It was truly a good thing that anything sensitive he kept at home had been carefully secured within other things – like gifts, ancient pieces of art or furniture. Otherwise the Chancellor's new security arrangements would have proven even more troublesome.

Sidious opened his eyes and very carefully accessed the Force and felt for immediate threats. There was a sense of coming danger, of foreboding, but nothing that would endanger him personally right now.

"What is it?" Palpatine asked in a good rendition of a tired and exasperated old man.

"There is an ongoing accident on Atrisia. The news just broke. All we know at this point is that a bio-weapon attack is in progress." Major Berg, this night's chief of the security detail, informed him.

"Crimson." Sidious whispered. He threw away the covers and jumped out of the bed with agility that should have been impossible for someone at his age – at least without extensive enhancements.

"I'm coming. What's is happening over there?" Palpatine asked and grabbed a robe that he then threw over his sleeping clothes.

"An unknown frigate blew up one of their system defense craft, headed straight for the planet, and then was shot down by one of their cruisers. It crash landed in the suburbs of a city – Mienuan or something. Just as the first responders were getting there, calls about people getting mad and unknown aliens attacking began coming in. A few hours later the place was put under quarantine and that's what we got so far. The news just broke to the galaxy at large." The Major explained.

"Any information from our Intel services about what's happening?" Palpatine opened the door and asked the Major who stood at a parade rest next to it along with a pair of fully armored and armed troopers.

"Already asked, no response yet, sir."

"Tell them to hurry. Someone awake general Kenobi and give me a line to Veil's fleet. Find where Doctor Zash is right now and get her on the comm too, along with Master Yoda." Palpatine began issuing orders.

He had been hoping that this mishap could be contained before it made things ever more complicated but apparently that was not to be. What he dreamed of – Sidious was pretty sure that the Force had a hand in this. The Dark Side specifically. It wanted, thrived on conflict and this latest debacle was going to guarantee that there would be conflict the likes which this galaxy hadn't seen in a long, long time. Even if everything went right from now on, Veil and his fleet wouldn't be available to help blunt the initial CIS offensive. That by itself might allow the enemy to achieve some success and prolong the war.

At worst… Sidious really didn't want to think about it, even if he had been busy making contingency plans in case Crimson couldn't be contained. The Core Worlds were going to burn in that case and in a way he most definitely wouldn't enjoy.

=RK=

Downtown

Meinuan City

Atrisia

If someone asked him how he got here, Wei would be hard pressed to answer. Everything after the school was a blur, a living nightmare that simply refused to end.

Teng remembered grabbing an open case half full with bacta syringes and using it to bash in the head of a kid trying to bite Kim. Then he was dragging her away from the infected. A soldier paused in his shooting just long enough to hand him her sidearm, then continued to fire at the maddened children. A gunship came in for a strafing run and simply continued to fly down until it slammed into the school. It exploded and immolated a third of the main building, trapping at least a SW unit inside.

More gunships came in. Another crashed. A second blew up its wingman before being shot down by the rest of the flight, then they disengaged.

The next thing Wei could recall was carefully putting Kim in the back of an abandoned aircar and taking off just in time to avoid a pair of shambling troopers. The poor bastards lacked helmets and had visible bites on their faces. As he left, the Detective saw them be put down by a squad of fully armored marines.

He remembered wanting to get away from this madness. To find a doctor for Kim and preferably drink enough to forget this day happened, and it was still morning.

Another more or less clear memory was arriving at a hospital downtown. Teng wasn't really sure how he got there, but the place was open, guarded by multiple SW units and a platoon of soldiers just shipped from the closest Assault Corps base.

Teng vaguely remembered being ordered into a decon shower, receiving enough bacta and antibiotics to drown half his precinct and then being poked a lot with needless to draw blood and spending what felt like hours under various scanners. By the end of it, the shock was receding and he was starting to think clearly.

Unfortunately that was when things took a turn for the worse. Wei was pretty sure he heard a pair of soldiers quietly talking next to his room. The city was under quarantine – Rakghoul protocols were in effect. Obviously it wasn't nearly enough, because a bus chose that time to slam into the side of the hospital. The building shook, alarms began blaring and then the screaming and roars began.

Panicked doctors and patients either ran or stumbled one way, while the soldiers and police moved against the tide to reach the crash site. Teng used the opportunity to get away and search for Kim. He was pretty sure she should have been around – quarantine and all.

The hospital shook from another hit, this time on the opposite side. The panic intensified. A third crash was more than the power net could take and the lights went out to be replaced by chemical emergency lighting that bathed everything in sinister red.

Somehow Wei found Kim's room after struggling through corridors chock full with terrified people. She was locked inside and seemed out of it.

Teng honestly had no idea how he got his partner to the roof. There were flashes – bashing in heads with a fire extinguisher, pushing a hover stretcher with Kim strapped on it, following the tattered remains of an SW unit who were fighting their way to safety as well.

What Wei remembered was getting on an ambulance along with a handful of other survivors and leaving the rooftop half a minute before the hospital was razed by orbital fire along with a lot of the surrounding district.

The next thing Teng knew, he was here – at the top levels of a corporate skyscraper, which were now used as a makeshift staging area. The building was being fortified by two infantry companies and a platoon of combat engineers. More people and material were flown in, while screened civilians were flown to be placed into quarantine outside the city. Meinuan itself had been locked down tight. Everything not military trying to leave was shot down by either a CAP or the Navy. Even military flights which showed even a minimal deviation in their flight paths received the same treatment.

From what Teng could gather, an army corps was assembling outside the city and once in position, they would come in, kill everything infected and place anyone appearing healthy into quarantine – if things didn't go even more wrong before that. He was pretty sure that there were plans to incinerate Meinuan and everyone inside in place.

He couldn't blame the brass either, not after he saw what that sickness could do to people. It was a major miracle that he and Kim made it this far and appeared to be healthy. He couldn't say the same for too many people. Every time he dared close his eyes, Wei saw the distorted faces of the children he had to put down, of the recently infected patients, doctors and even fellow policemen in the hospital.

Teng looked over the window of the former office – now a resting area, where he was left to recover along with Kim. The city was covered by smoke clouds. He could see at least couple of dozen out of control fires and only a handful had firefighters dealing with them. The rumble of artillery and airstrikes against concentrations of the infected was a constant reminder that in less than a day Meinuan had turned into hell.

The darkened sky flashed with blue fire. Even inside, Wei could feel a static buildup as the planetary shields went up.

He wasn't the only one confused by that – nearby soldiers felt it and began asking questions over their comms.

It took a few minutes, but he got an answer that raised his spirits.

"The Republic's here!" One of the soldiers guarding the area announced aloud. "They just brought a whole fleet and presumably an army or two!" The man's voice was full of jubilation.

That news made Wei feel relief for the first time since the madness started. With the GAR here, they might be able to save a lot of the poor bastards still trapped out in the city.

"Case Black Dawn, I say again, Case Black Dawn. All available units, converge on the planetary shield generators and power nodes. Defend them at all costs. I say again, Case Black Dawn..."

"The kriff?!" The same soldier exclaimed and stared at his comm as if it had turned into a poisons snake.

"Call in for evacuation, now." An NCO not much younger than Wei snapped. He had seen the man around, but hadn't talked with him yet – the sergeant was in charge of securing this section of the building. "The Republic isn't here to help us. They're here to stop the plague."

"But that's the same!" The trooper shook his head in confusion.

"Not if they plan to burn the plague along with us and most of Atrisia." The NCO grumbled. "Call in the evac, now damn it! We're straight in the middle of the biggest target on the planet and that fleet's likely gunning for us."

=RK=

Flag bridge

Corellian Cruiser Freedom

One light second from Atrisia

Exiting hyperspace went smoothly – if it wasn't for my connection with the Force, I wouldn't have felt it.

Time was up. Mere seconds later, one of the comm techs got us a line to Coruscant, where I knew Palpatine and company were debating what to do. That was a bit problematic, because I actually lacked clearly stated orders to deal with Crimson at any cost, which could be a problem in the long term. It was almost amusing and once it would have been terrifying how my priorities had shifted since I became a Sith. Once the prospect of destroying a world and killing trillions would have been unthinkable – sheer madness. Nowadays, what concerned me was the consequences of failure and the political ones if we didn't kriff up by the number.

I looked around at the people gathered on the flag bridge. There was a smattering of techs and staff officers who helped us run the fleet. The notable people however were admiral Holt, Master Halcyon and general Cody, who I had poached from Obi-Wan once my brother in law figured out he would be stuck on Coruscant for the foreseeable future. I got the Clone promoted and added him as a commander to the GAR component of my forces. Once Rex recovered, I was going to get him in charge of my special force units and fold them into the 501st as a new special warfare group.

"Captain, you have your orders." Admiral Holt said. The woman looked a bit uncomfortable in her new uniform, though it was mostly the fact that she was no longer running her cruiser.

"Aye, ma'am." The Corellian answered and cut the comm.

"Chancellor, we just exited hyperspace. I need those orders now." I spoke formally once Palpatine's hologram appeared.

The holoimage of Palpy tried its best to look tired and regretful. Next to him I could see Yoda, who didn't look much better, a grumpy looking Zash and Obi-Wan, who was wearing a uniform with enough ribbons to make him look uncomfortable in it.

"General Veil, if Crimson-71 is indeed lose on Atrisia, you're to do anything in your power to prevent it from leaving that world. Including destroying all life on the planet." Palpatine spoke slowly. Each word was weighted with sorrow. He was the perfect image of a man being torn by an unthinkable decision he had to make no matter how he loathed it.

"Admiral, we're being hailed by the Atrisian Navy." Freedom's former XO, now promoted to captain, informed us.

"Patch them to the Flag Bridge. When will a summary of the local news intercepts be ready?" Joanna asked.

"We're working on it." One of the techs informed us. "It appears that the outbreak began in Meinuan city. The locals believe that they have it contained there and are preparing to go in and purge the place once they've got sufficient forces in place."

"Calculations in progress." Another added – he was in charge of ensuring that multiple cruisers could execute a micro-jump into range of the local cruisers.

"If Crimson is contained its because it serves its purpose to make it appear so. Once it has repurposed sufficient biomass in neural clusters to enhance its Force abilities it will break through the quarantine and strike at nearby population centers. The only reason its lying low is that it doesn't yet have the strength to affect multiple ships in orbit." I growled. "If it wasn't for a whole fleet with multiple Sith keeping the crews safe, we wouldn't have been able to stop it at Odacer-Faustin. I already briefed you on what happened back then."

"Me too!" Zash chirped. "Truly, Crimson is one of the nastiest things the Empire managed to cook up." My former master nodded sagely.

Her chipper attitude earned her a glare from Obi-Wan and most people around me. Yoda looked simply resigned and Palpy was actually unreadable. Curious.

"Order the local naval forces to stand down. The fleet will assume formation Alpha One. I want multiple cruisers ready to take out the Atrisian ships using Ion Cannons. They're unlikely to let us do our job." I ordered.

"Republic force, this is Rear Admiral Yuan Xan, please state your purpose. We're not going to stand down while our world is threatened by a bio-weapon." An old male voice came over the comm.

A moment later, a new holoimage joined those from Coruscant. An elderly man with Asian features looked coldly at us. He wore an ornate uniform, with a left breast covered by even more ribbons than those burdening Obi-Wan's uniform. Despite the parchment like skin and thinning white hair, the Atrisian admiral had an aura of strength and competence surrounding him.

"Admiral Xan, your world is a victim of a virulent, sapient bioweapon. Despite what your people on the ground believe, its not contained. It merely bides its time until it can no longer be stopped." I explained, though I knew it was going to be futile. The Atrisian wasn't going to let us burn his homeworld even if he believed every world I was saying. He would at least try to get as many healthy people out and that would risk Crimson escaping – something that had to be prevented at all costs.

"Even if that's true, with the Republic's help, we'll be able to stop the plague. That's why you're here isn't it?" Xan gave me a suspicious look. "I find it curious that you arrived this fast. Its like you knew about the plague."

"We did know that the weapon was on its way to this region of the Core Worlds from the Unknow Regions." I nodded. "The unfortunate truth is that a Republic survey mission breached its containment while examining an ancient Imperial facility."

At this point there wasn't much point in lying – too many people within the GAR knew about Crimson, not to mention the fact that both the Republic and Jedi managed to find some fragmentary records from my time and all of them pointed at the Empire as the origin of the kriffing thing. It would be a wishful thinking to believe that such information won't find its way out, especially after Atrisia was burned down.

"We received no warning!" Xan snapped.

"Take that up with GAR High Command and the Republic Government, admiral. If it was up to me, everyone in the galaxy would know that Crimson-71 is still active and a threat. If you knew, you might have been able to save your world." I spoke flatly.

The fact that Palpy and company decided to keep things about Crimson relatively low-key to avoid more panic and chaos wasn't something I agreed with, but I held my tongue. Any world the thing landed on would have to be sterilized unless we wanted to risk the whole galaxy. That or quarantined for a long, long time – none of which we could really afford at this time. The quarantine of Naboo was one resource drain too many and the Blue Shadow was a common cold in comparison.

"You aren't here to help us, but to protect the rest of the Republic." Xen nodded grimly. "I even understand. Case Black Dawn. Designate the Republic force as hostile." The Atrisian admiral ordered.

"You understand, but you'll do your duty to your people. No matter the risk or odds." I nodded in understanding and respect. "Lieutenant?"

"A moment, sir… Calculations complete!" The tech answered.

"Execute." I ordered and looked at the tactical display.

A third of my fleet vanished and then reappeared in the vicinity of the Atrisian cruisers on this side of the planet. Ion Cannons tracked their targets and spoke as one and more than half of the defenders were dead in space.

"Task Force Alpha, take out the remain of the Atrisian Navy, continue using Ion Cannons if practical. The rest of the fleet will assume bombardment formation above Atrisia. Jump when calculations are ready and commence bombardment. Launch small craft and take out all ships that aren't ours. Do not let anything leave the planet."

And just like that, I ordered the death of trillions and their whole world. It wasn't the first time either. I frowned - I should be feeling something besides anticipation, shouldn't I? The last time I did.