Hearing about the Sith attack on Ylesia, Daimon was a little annoyed at how things were turning out. He had gifted the Sith with the knowledge they needed to establish themselves and become more powerful and centralized than they were in canon.
Yet now, his decision has created the current situation where they were invading his territory and attacking his daughter. He knew that the Jedi would not work with the Sith in any way after they had discovered who the Sith were and how they operated.
So, he imagined that this must have been planned by the Chancellor. The very Chancellor that was the cause of this war and his existence continuing to annoy Daimon.
Yeah, he could kill him instantly by teleporting to his office on Coruscant and killing him, but that would only make him a martyr and just galvanize trillions more to stand against him.
The propaganda that the Republic utilized was extremely effective since most families have been seeing it for centuries. If you keep telling people the same thing over and over, they start to believe it regardless of whether it's true or not.
To counter this would not be easy, but Daimon had some plans to get things rolling. Grand Admiral Caedus could handle things on his own, so Daimon left him in charge of the fleet while he split off a small force and headed to Tython where he would start gathering another fleet.
While en route, he thought about all the things that he would need to create post war. First was the Republic, he would need to start fostering a good relationship between the two and build a long-lasting relationship to prevent something like this from happening.
Second was the Jedi Order. He would need to unite them once again and then build a new temple for them on Coruscant where they will continue being the protectors of the Republic while being closely watched and monitored by the Balance Keepers.
Third was the Sith Empire. Keeping them around to counter the Jedi was a must, but they would also have to be dealt with. He had given them too much freedom, and now they were biting the hand that had fed them. The Sith would need to be reminded of their place in the galactic order.
Fourth was the Unknown Regions empires. Most would be absorbed into the Imperium directly, but some like the Varraxian Technocracy could remain independent under strict supervision. The Coalition of Free Stars would be dismantled entirely and its member worlds given the choice between integration or isolation.
A few minutes later, his fleet exited the hyperspace wormhole near Tython where the 23rd and 45th Imperial fleets waited in orbit. The planet had undergone some extensive development with new shipyards orbiting the planet alongside defensive stations and platforms.
On the surface, the Balance Keeper training facilities were turned into fortresses and new military facilities were set up. Tython was a very important world to the Balance Keepers as it houses the main temples of the Order and the Tython Forge which is used create the lightsabers that the Imperium uses.
On the surface, the defense was mainly carried out by the Tython war droids which had been upgraded to match the combat strength of normal Imperial war droids. Hundreds of millions of droids were present on the planet, but only a few million were active at any given moment, performing standard duties of patrolling the surface.
Leading the Tython war droids was an artificial intelligence that was given the name Vigil. Unlike Cortana, Vigil was designed specifically for military command and had no physical form. It existed purely as data distributed across Tython's defense network, capable of coordinating millions of units simultaneously with near perfect efficiency.
Each droid had its own limited intelligence, allowing it to act independently should the need arrive; Vigil was just there as a central intelligence that could issue orders and coordinate the hundreds of millions of them.
As Daimon's shuttle descended toward the main Balance Keeper temple, Vigil's avatar appeared on his personal display. The hologram took the form of an armored warrior.
"Emperor Daimon, welcome to Tython. All defense systems are operating at optimal capacity. The 23rd and 45th fleets report full readiness for deployment."
"Excellent work, Vigil. Prepare the fleets for immediate departure once I've concluded my business here. We're moving against the Sith Empire."
"Understood, My Lord." said Vigil as his hologram disappeared.
The shuttle landed on the main temple's primary landing platform where Grand Sage Aldrin waited, flanked by a dozen senior Balance Keepers. The old warrior bowed as Daimon descended the ramp.
"My Emperor, we received word about the Sith attack on Princess Vaelora. The entire Order stands ready to march against them."
"Your enthusiasm is noted, Master Aldrin, but the Balance Keepers are needed elsewhere. The Republic offensive in the core territories requires your continued presence. I will handle the Sith personally."
Hearing this, Aldrin knew that the Sith had dug their own grave. After that, Daimon went to do what he originally came to do and that was access the Holocron vaults to access the records of the original Sith teachings. There was obviously something that he needed correct to keep them from straying from their original path.
————
Prince Malrik's fleet emerged from hyperspace at the edge of the Rylothian system, his fifty thousand ships forming up in battle formation as they approached King Valorian's besieged forces. Through the tactical displays, he could see the situation was worse than intelligence had suggested.
Duke Harmond's rebel fleet had cornered the loyalist forces near the system's fourth planet, slowly grinding them down through superior numbers. Valorian's ships were fighting desperately, but their formations showed the strain of weeks of continuous combat.
"Scan for the flagship," Malrik ordered. "I want to know which ship is holding the Princess before we engage."
"Scanning now, my Lord," the sensor officer replied. Moments later, a vessel appeared highlighted on the tactical display. "That's it. The dreadnought 'Sovereign's Will.' Heavy shielding, reinforced armor, and it's positioned at the center of Harmond's formation surrounded by at least five hundred escort vessels."
"A hard target," Commander Thex observed, one of Malrik's senior Empyrean Guard officers. "He's using the Princess as insurance, keeping her close while maintaining maximum protection."
"Then we'll have to be surgical about this," Malrik said. He activated the fleet-wide channel. "All ships, this is Prince Malrik. We have two objectives: destroy Duke Harmond's military capability and rescue Princess Seraphine. The Balance Keeper strike team will infiltrate the flagship while we engage the rebel fleet. All fighter squadrons prepare for launch. Capital ships target their outer defensive screen. We break through to that dreadnought within the hour."
Prince Malrik's fleet charged forward, and Duke Harmond's forces scrambled to respond to this new threat. Confusion started to spread through the command structure as they tried to determine if these were additional loyalist reinforcements or something else entirely. They were too far to see the Imperium's sigil on the ships and their scanners couldn't get a read on them.
"Unknown fleet, identify yourself!" came the transmission from Harmond's flagship.
Malrik activated his comm and transmitted. "This is Prince Malrik Voss, son of Emperor Daimon of the Veldari Imperium. Duke Harmond, you are harboring a hostage and have violated the terms of your Kingdom's surrender. Release Princess Seraphine immediately and stand down, or face annihilation."
There was a long pause before Duke Harmond's image appeared on the holographic display. The Duke's face was rundown, showing the stress of his rebellion. Behind him, Malrik could see Prince Consort Aldric standing nervously.
"Prince Malrik, this is an internal Kingdom matter. The Imperium has no jurisdiction here." replied Duke Harmond.
"Your King requested Imperial assistance, and my father granted it. That makes this very much our business. You have sixty seconds to comply before I demonstrate what happens to those who kidnap members of royal families allied with the Imperium."
Harmond's expression grew serious. "If you attack, the Princess dies. I have her in a cell rigged with explosives. One wrong move and..."
"Empty threats," Malrik interrupted. "If you kill her, you lose your only leverage. King Valorian would hunt you to the ends of the galaxy, and you'd have nothing to bargain with. No, Duke, you need her alive as much as we do. Your sixty seconds are up."
The Imperial fleet opened fire. Turbolaser batteries lit up the void as concentrated volleys tore into Harmond's outer defensive ships. The rebel vessels, already worn down from weeks of fighting Valorian's forces began to crumble under the assault of Prince Malrik's fleet.
"Launch all fighters!" Malrik commanded. "Strike teams, you're clear for infiltration approach."
From the bellies of several stealth corvettes, a dozen small craft emerged. These were specialized infiltration shuttles, their hulls coated with sensor-dampening materials and equipped with the latest cloaking technology. Inside one of them sat Guardian Kael, a Balance Keeper who specialized in rescue operations, along with his handpicked team of twenty warriors.
"Approaching the target," Kael transmitted on the encrypted channel. "Enemy point defense is concentrating on the main fleet engagement. We should be able to slip through undetected."
The infiltration shuttles weaved through the battle, their small size and cloaking systems allowing them to avoid detection. Explosions erupted around them as Imperial and rebel ships exchanged fire, but they maintained course toward the Sovereign's Will.
Aboard Harmond's flagship, Prince Consort Aldric watched the battle unfold, growing more anxious by the minute. His father's plan had seemed so simple: overthrow King Valorian, install a new regime, and maintain the Kingdom's independence from the Imperium. But now they faced an Imperial fleet led by Emperor Daimon's own son, and Aldric realized just how catastrophically they had screwed up.
"Father, we should surrender," Aldric urged. "We can't win this. The Imperial fleet is tearing through our defenses like they're nothing."
"Silence!" Harmond snapped. "We still have the Princess. As long as she's alive, they won't risk destroying this ship. We can negotiate, force them to grant us amnesty and safe passage."
"You really think Emperor Daimon will negotiate with hostage-takers? The man who erased the Theocratic Dominion from existence?" Aldric's voice rose in panic. "We're dead men, Father. We've been dead since the moment we took Seraphine."
Before Harmond could respond, alarms blared throughout the ship. "Sir, detecting unauthorized breaches on decks seven, nine, and twelve! We have intruders aboard!"
"Impossible," Harmond said. "Our sensors would have detected any boarding craft."
"Not if they're using Imperial stealth technology," the tactical officer replied grimly. "Sir, these are Balance Keepers. The security feeds show them cutting through our forces like…."
The feed went dark as Guardian Kael's team disabled the ship's internal sensors. The Balance Keepers moved through the corridors, their lightsabers making short work of the rebel soldiers attempting to stop them.
"Target is located on deck fifteen, detention block alpha," Kael transmitted to his team. "Breaching teams, clear a path. Extraction team, with me."
They encountered heavier resistance as they descended deeper into the ship. Harmond had stationed his best troops around the detention area, knowing it would be the primary target. But even elite Kingdom soldiers were no match for Balance Keepers enhanced by the Force.
Kael threw his lightsaber down the hall, watching it spin towards the two soldiers in front of it. The two soldiers fell before they could even reload their weapons. His team advanced behind him, their own blades cutting through the defenders.
"Last door," one of the Balance Keepers reported. "Detecting explosive devices on the other side. Looks like Harmond wasn't bluffing about rigging the cell."
"Can you disarm them?" Kael asked.
"Not without triggering them. They're connected to a dead man's switch. If Harmond's heart stops or if he activates the remote detonator, they'll blow."
Kael considered their options. They needed to secure the Princess and neutralize the threat simultaneously. He activated his comm to Prince Malrik. "My Lord, we've located the Princess, but the cell is rigged with explosives connected to a dead man's switch. We need Harmond subdued without his heart stopping before we can safely extract her."
"Understood," Malrik replied from the bridge of his flagship. "Give me thirty seconds."
Malrik closed his eyes, reaching out through the Force across the distance between his ship and the Sovereign's Will. He could feel Duke Harmond's presence aboard the rebel flagship, a knot of fear and desperation. The Duke was in his command center, his hand hovering over the detonator control.
Malrik, being his father's son, was trained in techniques that few in the galaxy could match. He extended his will through the Force, finding the synaptic pathways in Harmond's brain that controlled motor function. Then he crushed them.
Aboard the Sovereign's Will, Duke Harmond suddenly collapsed, his body seizing as his nervous system shut down. The detonator fell from his nerveless fingers, clattering to the deck. Officers rushed to his side, but they didn't know what was going on.
"Father!" Aldric screamed, dropping to his knees beside the body. "No, no, no..."
"The dead man's switch just deactivated," Kael's demolitions expert reported. "The explosives are disabled. We're clear to breach."
Kael's lightsaber carved through the detention cell where they saw Princess Seraphine tied up. They secured her and then fought their way back to their shuttles where they departed back to the Imperial fleet.
With the Princess safe, Prince Malrik had the fleet move further in to surround the fleet with the loyalist forces. Duke Harmond remained laying on the floor of the command deck, not able to move or even say anything.