4 Ch.4 - Stirrings in the Unknown Regions
[58 BBY] - Floros - Academic City of Growth - Blossoming Academic Center -
Blossoming Academy, located under the shade of and partially within what was biggest tree in the Sanctuarate thanks to its Headmistress' efforts, was a beautiful place full of both nature, culture and technology.
The most unique part of this city was that its great tree was the one generating all the power for it while also being the largest data bank of knowledge in the Sanctuarate. It was an absolute marvel of bio-tech that had baffled countless students and researchers, but had also become a challenge that had spawned countless advancements in the field as the city's Headmistress and the tree's creator, Tal'Myk Bond, actively encouraged them to understand one of her masterpieces.
She was the one who built up what was first an Academy for all ages and levels, then continually expanded it until an entire city devoted to the pursuit and advancement of knowledge was formed.
It was both scenic and advanced as architecture was a big focus of the Sanctuarate because certain patterns, formations, types of buildings and rooms could actually affect the Force and how it interacts with others. They also deeply desired to maintain and improve the natural beauty available to them as it was conductive to healthier minds and bodies. As a result, many could actually consider the Academic city somewhat quaint with its meticulously built stone buildings, living areas actually grown from carefully nurtured trees, and the beauty which one would find in places like Alderaan and Naboo.
The city itself was named after what it idealized and the Academy after the beautiful white blossoms which appeared on the affectionately named Knowing Tree as it prepared to bear fruit. These fruits were the third reason why it was considered a Marvel and the top for why no one has been able to even come close to understanding it properly: the tree's fruit actually gifted knowledge to the eaters.
Almost crystalline blue fruits, which were actually capable of gifting knowledge regarding specific subjects, skills or topics to their eaters, without any known side effects.
Although random, it was still something many saw as a great reward and invaluable as it constantly allowed people to learn more and aid in their studies even if not related to favored subjects.
It was just a gift which could prove useful in the most unexpected ways as many have reported that the knowledge obtained inspired them to find wild solutions to problems or make groundbreaking progress. Some even believed the tree was somewhat prophetic as it was certainly linked to the Force in some manner.
And the creator of this baffling tree was currently enjoying her favorite activity: teaching young ones.
Tal'Myk absolutely loved to teach and be around children as their creativity and open-mindedness was wonderful to her.
It was partially why she had the most students compared to other members of her family, with her more combative brother being a distant second due to his preference for being on the battlefield over teaching, and her youngest sibling not having officially become a Learner, being happy with learning from their father directly instead, while said father only truly taught his children for various reasons.
"Now, when accessing the Force, it is important to keep your minds focused on the task you want to accomplish.
Today, what you want to do, what you want the most in the world, is to make your balls move." The beautiful Neti gently instructed as she made her foam ball float around her playfully. "You have to really want it, but you have to be carefully not to get upset or what you want to really do isn't going to happen.
The Force doesn't really like to be told what to do, so it will lash out and make a mess. It might hurt you or your friends in class, so you have to be careful.
The key is to want, but not demand.
Just like everything in the Galaxy, demanding something always has negative consequences one way or another and the Force is the same.
Now, begin."
Under he watchful eye, she made sure to aid those who needed it, say off-handed comments which would 'inspire' others, and calm those becoming impatient.
The Force was part of them all, one way or another and that had been the case for pretty much every citizen who can trace back them being part of the Sanctuarate for more than two generations. This having been done by design as naturally Force Sensitive species had been gathered and then nurtured on Living Planets seeped in it as well. On top of this, the system of introducing Force Sensitive lineages through artificial insemination and incubation helped bolster numbers at home while not allowing anyone to notice because decreasing numbers in the Republic.
As a result, only recently freed slaves or immigrants tended not to actually be Force Sensitive to a certain degree, but it wasn't like that couldn't be helped somewhat through specific rituals, operations or practices if they do desired it. This led to the unique development of their culture being seeped in the Force at all levels, but educated on the importance of not relying on or abusing it.
Right now, Tal'Myk was actually doing the first bits of practical work with young children because this was where they begun training their abilities. Those who show aptitudes in certain fields and the necessary raw power were therefore identified early and usually given various lessons while in their formative years to develop them. There were even clubs for different aspects of the Force in the city and training halls for those wanting more.
This fostered organic growth and proper social development, allowing them to properly decide if they wanted to dedicate their lives by bettering themselves through the Force and listening to it, forming much more secure bonds between themselves, their Temples and fellow members. A much healthier approach to the modern Jedi who essentially indoctrinate newborns and toddlers into a life they had not chosen and only allowing some to actually become true Jedi while speaking of the rejection of attachment.
Tal'Myk did respect the Jedi, what was essentially a sister order to them as followers of the Force, but after her fellow Neti's cowardly revision of their Code and the intense anti-war sentiments which allowed them to be chained to politicians instead of following the will of the Force, that respect had dropped severely. Especially with how they handle children as they are some of the most precious beings in her eyes. She still felt that they could do much good, and some really did, but they had long lost their way as a whole, having blinded and bounded themselves as they ignored the cries for help all around them.
A sad state for an Order which had the best of intentions.
But as she mused somewhat on the practices of the Jedi, Tal'Myk felt one of her staff members approaching.
This was odd as the woman was usually quite busy with her duties as a teacher for their economics and business management classes, her other job as a member of Root, the Sanctuarate's intelligence branch, and her upcoming ascension to President of her family's ancestral company. As a result, she barely even had time for proper staff meetings, much less coming out to seek her.
"Children, it would like something as come up and I will need to hand you over a holo teacher for the reminder of class." Tal'Myk announced with some disappointment matched by a number of her students.
It was rare for her to have the time to teach personally after all. She did run the entire Academic system of the Sanctuarate on top of being an advisor to the Temples and on-call for emergencies at the Temples of Healing outside of both those roles. It wasn't helping that some modifications had to be made for the influx in combat, Space and medicine related classes necessary due to her father's call to war, but at least he had also given her access to everything she would need to support his decision.
Stepping out of the classroom, Tal'Myk was met with an approaching young Lethan Twi'Lek woman, her red skin being extremely rare in her species made her stand out and her beauty did the rest. With large breast covered just enough to tantalize and distract but not look intentional by her tight white shirt covered by a leather Flight jacket, her long shapely legs in pants of black fabric and knee high leather boots, she was eye catching to say the least.
On top of looking both beautiful and a bit roguish, she had a series of black tattoos which danced upwards from the tip of her lekku and around her face, down under her clothing. Most would think them cultural or exotic, but for deeply knowledgeable Temple or Root members, one could recognize them as flowing runic tattoos meant to enhance specific usages of the Force and these were heavily geared towards stealth, agility, data processing and the senses.
There were even specific protection for her lekku due to the being very obvious weak points.
"Headmistress, I've come to submit my immediate resignation." The young Asara Vao stated urgently.
"Has something happened?" Tal'Myk asked with care, worrying over her now former teacher.
"I applied for a reassignment involving my family holdings in order to prepare for the coming battles and I shall be doing so from Republic Space." She curtly answered as Tal'Myk could see her sending out commands through a neural link. "It is nothing personal, but I felt like this needed to be done as swiftly as possible and my ship is heading out in less than an hour."
"What has the Force told you?" The Headmistress gently queried as she was personally hearing it say to let this happen.
"To hurry." Was the answer.
"Then I will wish you success in your new endeavors and that the Force may be with you." Tal'Myk peacefully smiled. "It was nice to have such a competent instructor as well.
But do remember that your home will always be there to aid you."
"Thank you ma'am." Asara bowed quickly before rushing off.
She wasn't completely certain, but Tal'Myk did feel like the young Twi'Lek would achieve great things.
After all, Hawk Enterprises does hold significant power in the Republic as one of its oldest companies in Transport, Shipping and Astronavigation. All important fields which would prove very useful to someone like Asara Vao, a prodigious Root agent.
So with even the Force agreeing, she smiled at the positives this would bring and how it seemed to have somehow struck a blow against the darkness in the Republic.
It might have cut her time short with the young ones and added some more work for her to do, but she considered that a good trade if it helped others.
"Zaala." Tal'Myk called on her wrist communicator.
"Yes, master?" A young woman's voice answered.
"Please send out a notice that we are currently looking for new teachers for advanced Economics and Business Management, and please let the students of those classes know of Miss Vao's resignation so that she may take a more hands on approach to her family holdings." We're her instructions as she walked back to her office.
"Right away." Was the answer as both master and apprentice would be a bit busier for the next few days.
- Unknown Regions - Ssi-Ruuk Star Cluster - Ssi-Ruvi Imperium - Black Hole-Class Star Fortress 'Maw'
Unknown to the Galaxy, a series of devastating military campaigns were occurring at this very in the Unknown Regions. Aiming at ridding it of entire societies built on the back of slavery, cruelty and greed.
This was something the Sanctuarate rarely did as few dared to outright challenge them in the Regions due to the simple fact that they were the dominant force. No one wanted their attention and at worst they would prod or attempt to send in spies like the Chiss Ascendency used to before being formally turned into Vassal Space in exchange for the Sanctuarate's own spies not crippling their 'Royal Houses' and aid in terms of ressources.
It wasn't like the Sanctuarate became dictators over the Chiss, but they had to stop them from trying to infiltrate the Sanctuarate and allowed complete autonomy as long as they don't reveal anything of them during their efforts in the wider Galaxy and ceased annoying them. The Chiss were not an evil race, just one with a high opinion of itself, so the Sanctuarate was open to working with them and had been doing so for centuries.
Turns out that many policies, agreements, Sanctuarate forces stabilizing travel routes and taking care of many less than pleasant forces have them room to safely grow, resulting in rather good relations after initial tensions.
In this case, some of the Chiss Fleets were actually participating in the shattering of the Ssi-Ruvi Imperium and the Vagaari Nomadic Slavers. These two evils had been given free reigns long enough and it was going to stop.
"Ma'am! Their orbital defenses and fleet are down!" A naval officer reported to Jaar Kot as she stood imposingly before the battlefield information models in full Sanctuaran Battle Armor.
Her deep crimson armor covered her fully, making her even more imposing as opposed to her formal black armor.
Her personal Star Fortress, The Maw, was a specially crafted invasion and interdiction battle station. Thanks to Sanctuarate Technology, this massive 100km super structure could completely lock down the space of an entire system and decimate entire fleets with ease on top of having internal manufacturing and repair facilities, built in Jump Gates for instantaneous reinforcements and supplies, and gravitational tech which could form both incredibly powerful shields and distortions which could rip ships apart or lock them in place.
Star Fortresses were highly automized in general, allowing for much smaller crews to maintain and operate, leaving more space for additional purposes, hence the multiple Lancer Canons which fired Mass Shadow shells capable of creating holes in planets if not careful, much less ships, thousands of turbo laser batteries, and dozens of fighter hangers. They did, however, also contain living areas, actual parks with nature, entertainment districts and many other features to help soldiers relax in a safe environment to improving moral while serving long term in them.
These were the largest naval assets of the Sanctuarate by far, usually used to protect the borders of their space and most important worlds, but Jaar Kot had used the one under her direct command to ensure no Imperium forces or ships could escape this day.
Her student, Selene Shan, was using her family's Battle Meditation to aid their troops in dominating the battle as a whole while she coordinated everything to obtain the maximum effects. The teen was currently in a heavily protected meditation chamber which served to amplify her abilities and aided her in her efforts.
Watching their enemy's horrid fleets powered by the literally tortured spirits of their slaves be destroyed was both satisfying and sobering as Jaar Kot knew very well that today they would not be able to save those abord to be used as living batteries for the Ssi-Ruvi, but she would certainly avenge them and all those who have had their actual souls tortured into nothingness so they could keep their Imperium going.
"Give the signal to the Crusaders. Have Chief Crusader Bond take his Corps to their Capital and eliminate their heads of state and religion. I want them scrambling even more." The Commander-in-Chief swiftly ordered as multiple planet-side targets lit up.
They would strike at their 'Elder Council' and their 'Conclave' while Darex swiftly took care of their 'Shreeftut'. These were their political body, religious center and leadership respectively, and each truly believed in their superiority as a species and it being a blessing for them to conquer and enslave attacked races so they could be used to power their society.
The only reason they had been left functioning until now was because this was an operation aiming to commit cultural genocide, as it was the only true way, beyond actual genocide, to stop these monstrous saurians from continuing these acts.
It would simply be idealistic to believe that such a systematic belief would change otherwise.
The only other minor hope would have been to cause an uprising amongst the lower castes of their society, but it was not possible to do so with their ressources and due to the fact that the lowest caste was in fact usually mentally subpar at best, removing higher thoughts such as ones of freedom and better lives.
Because of this, they were now taking the direct approach to send them back to the Stone Age as it were. And any information on Entechment would be hunted down and destroyed on their worlds.
Admittedly, some very basic principals behind this technology could prove useful, especially doing the reverse by shifting power into life force or using specially produced plants to serve as organic power generators, two things the Sanctuarate had done since using horrid creations, teachings and inventions as basis for beneficial advancements was almost a motto for them, but the Ssi-Ruvi were simply too barbaric and self-aggrandizing to ever advance in such ways. Their cultural psychology would not allow them to and it might even seem as blasphemous to do so.
Hence why Darex Bond himself was leading the assault on their equivalent to an Emperor.
- 'Star Fall', Nebula-Class Star Destroyer (Check it out, it's a post-Empire era ship and the best all around in Star Wars)
Aboard his own personal ship, the Star Fall, a wonderful ship in Darex's opinion. With varient shielding, all layered to create a supportive structure with numerous back ups to form a near impenetrable system which could withstanding just about anything beyond multiple planet busters. Their own weapons capabilities actually included one at the front of the ship partnered with over 60 Heavy Turbolaser batteries and canons, dozens of ion canons, scores of missile launchers and was capable of interdicting other vessels on top of it.
Gravity related tech was extremely advanced simply by necessity due to how unstable and ever changing it was in the Unknown Regions, that translated to it being a basic need on every vessel.
But on top of everything, the Nebula-class was still a functional carrier thanks to its 1.5km length and space maximization granted by the high degree of automation and optimization Sanctuarate technology could offer. This ship alone could carry nearly 100 vessels depending on the type, with over 3000 deployable troops aboard.
And today, this ship was going to live up to its name as they were going old Mando style of the Imperium.
Gathering together in the lower deployable hanger, a favorite modification for Crusader vessels, Darex's troops were assembled with their Personal Droids and, more importantly for this mission, their Basilisk War Droids.
Both of these were incredibly important in the Sanctuaran military.
Personal Droids were just that, personal. Each was unique because it was up to their living partners to optimize them to fit their needs. In the military branches, this obviously meant they were geared for battle, taught to do so and acted as personal support for their partners. This simple commonality in Sanctuarate space allowed them to double their military numbers alone thanks to this, and that wasn't counting on the fact that some services, meritorious acts and promotions could actually result in some people having more than one.
Beyond each being unique in terms of skills, appearance and personality thanks to their very modular nature, these droids all shared some common points. One of these was their back up drives usually located in either the ships they served, their partner's homes or Sanctuarate Data safes in case their main bodies were destroyed or damaged beyond reasonable repair. Another was that their own droid brains were incredibly advanced, allowing them to learn and improve at impressive rates, with most battle oriented ones also having Sanctuaran Beskar platting and ion resistant inner workings.
To counter balance this while avoiding risks of droid rebellions, each was bonded to their partners through a ritual upon purchase, binding their selves to improve cooperative performance and give a certain value for organic lives. There were also special programs to allow droids to essentially experience organic senses to further aid in this process, making them value things outside of pure logic and help them live better lives as sentient beings.
But today, they would take a secondary role to the Sanctuaran Basilisk War Droids.
Republic Mandalorians might have destroyed almost all of them after their defeat at the hands of Revan thousands of years ago, but Kieran Bond was not foolish enough to forget the sheer usefulness and effectiveness of these beasts.
And beasts was a correct terminology because these droids had around the same level of sentience as animals. This allowed them to form similar bonds to their riders, somewhat like an incredibly well armed and armored flying Bantha and its rider.
More advanced in every way from the ancient model, these new Basilisks could actually keep up with fighters in orbit, had personal shielding which protected it and its rider without any issues from radiation thanks to Sanctuaran armor standards being fully space, hostile environment and deep sea capable, enough weapons to allow them to waste entire outposts and could actually perform first aid.
There were even larger versions which served as the heavy artillery and troop carrier for some Crusader Corps, which Darex just so happens to have as his own mount.
Affectionately named the Basilisk Matron War Droid due to its tendency to 'care' for both the troops it carried into battle and smaller War Droids, these absolute monsters on the battlefield simply had no equivalent and made almost any other type of artillery unit nearly obsolete due to their sheer firepower and versatility thanks to their all-terrain uses, three-dimensional capabilities and modular designs.
"Alright boys and girls, you know the drill! We drop fast, strike hard and make sure those kriffin lizards get all the payback they deserve!" Darex Bond curtly ordered his men. "Ignore civilian targets unless necessary. You all know the rules, regardless of how monstrous they are, we do not sink to their levels simply because we don't need to.
Now mount up!"
Most were excitedly doing so as one of, if not the, most experienced corps in the Crusaders. Each sat atop their own Basilisks as personal droids attached themselves magnetically or linked to their droid fighters to give air support during the descent and afterwards.
Feeling his men being ready, Darex opened the drop door and with a war cry urged his Basilisk Matron forward.
Dropping from orbit was a thrill like none other.
Blood rushed through them all as they felt the great speeds they were all going at, adrenaline pumping as they watched the planet below come closer and closer.
Desperate blaster bolts flashes passing them or splashing harmlessly against the shielding of their droids as they entered the atmosphere, becoming the shooting stars which heralded the end of the twisted civilization below them.
The Mando of old would be incredibly proud to see this.
Breaking off, Darex signaled for his apprentice to go round up the members of their Conclave while another officer would lead the charge against their Elders. Darex headed directly for the Shreeftut's Palace.
Surprising for a species which was made up of raptor like beings, they did have some degree of skill in architecture and intelligence as the compound was a vast one.
Nearly a kilometer tall and covered hundreds of square kilometers, the Cree'n'aak Palace was the center of their culture, military and technology, littered with fortresses filled with those running their imperium and military. It would have been annoying to take down if it hadn't been bombarded before the orbital jump, leaving only the main structure which served as their leader's palace.
Breaking in near the top levels, where one could find their Shreeftut, wasn't difficult thanks to the Force and his mount allowing him to jump at the right time and carve his own entrance with his blades.
The inside was filled with shows of opulence such as their versions of art and decorative weapons. It was mainly shows of Ssi-ruuk superiority over conquered races, clan supremacy, Blue Scaled ones being enlightened beings and destined leaders in formats ranging from tapestries to statues and war trophies.
There were also slaves all around to take care of everything and pens full of 'batteries' for their technology which were the objectives of those with Darex. They would incapacitate the slaves and disable any means of restraint, bringing them into the Dropships which would land once things were under control and keeping them safe until then. Other groups would spread out and free those currently being used as power sources for Entechment, freeing and then anesthetizing them for their own good.
Those who have already undergone the process would need extensive therapy to recover their lost life force and from the pain and traumas, with some necessitating euthanasia because they were simply too far gone.
Sanctuarate medical arts were almost miraculous, but even they couldn't fix everything.
Not thinking of those unfortunate souls, Darex Bond charged on, giving an order to his Basilisk Matron to take care of any lizards trying to reinforce their ruler.
Lighting his two sabers, they thrummed to life in yellow and purple as the hulking battle master covered in nigh indestructible metal cut a straight line through any resistance.
It mattered not what color they were, how important or superior they thought themselves, what threats or promised they tried to make, the lizards were nothing to Darex Bond as he speed thorough most of them far too quickly and with grace none would expect from the hulking humanoid.
Not having bones can be rather advantageous.
Reaching a large stone door, Darex sent out a pulse of the Force and sent them flying as he dramatically jumped and performed a perfect landing made to intimidate as he slowly stood to his full height.
Looking around, he observed a number of rather large lizards, with the largest blue being close to 2.4m (7'11ft) in height, with a powerful body and covered in thick Blue scales decorated with golden symbols.
"Come and meet your ends as warriors." Darex simply told them, knowing full well that although they preferred to use their 'superior' language, they knew Galactic Basic.
And now they would be outraged.
He might admit that they had great physical advantages over almost any races, but their minds were what limited them. Most species evolved beyond their strong physical ancestors for more evolved brains, their societies growing as they gathered, giving away the crueler tendencies for more stable development, but the Ssi-Ruuk hadn't gotten there before the obtained the technology they would build their Empire upon, hence limiting them and their advancements after their breakthrough with Entechment.
And like those who's minds hadn't developed passed a certain threshold, they tended to resort to more savage ways.
These saurians didn't even draw their blasters as most charged at him with claws and teeth, relying on their belief in their physical superiority to carry them through. None of their species was touched by the Force, and most others in the Unknown Regions were weaker or simply did not have high enough levels of technology or numbers to defend against them, so when faced with someone so far beyond what they could imagine… they did not last long.
With simple strokes of his blades, Darex walked through them like they were nearly nonexistent.
Being a student and son of Kieran Bond was not an empty title, neither was being a battle master, multiple times a Commander-in-Chief, Chief Crusader/Guardian or Grand Admiral, nor Master of the Temple of Combat. His blade work was simple, surprisingly elegant and ruthlessly effective in every aspect of combat.
Watching his honor guard be slaughtered with such ease both enraged and frightened 'His Potency', but the second made him disgusted in himself and the angrier, causing him to draw his ion paddle beamer, a weapon which had allowed his people to capture the 'light wielders' in the past, but it was not to be.
Sanctuarate Masters, Learners, researchers and scientists were always refining their arsenals against threats. Thus, when weaknesses to the blades of their most powerful forces were found, they were researched and eliminated.
This happened against Chiss weaponry due to their blending of both laser and solid rounds, sonic weapons, slug throwers, stun rounds, costosis and Ssi-Ruuvi weapons.
To know a weakness exists and to not work to fix, minimize or improve oneself enough for it to not matter was simply arrogant after all.
Thus, the mighty Shreeftut was momentarily stunned at its failure, only barely dodging the returning blasts which caught and numbed his tail as he jumped away from his throne.
Not giving the saurian a chance, Darex burst into action at speeds it just couldn't match.
In mere moments, the Shreeftut was armless, with only one leg, and with a final movement, slumping to the ground as his head fell beside him.
And with him dead and this world being shattered, it will leave only the Killik Hives as the perfect means of honing the Sanctuarate's soldiers until it was time to move in the Republic.
The Vegaari had been broken, Ebruchi destroyed, Croke self-destructed and the rest integrated, Sorcerers of Rhand had been far too dangerous and their order annihilated, the Grysk were quarantined and so were the worlds Mnggal-Mnggal had been identified on, with those having fully fallen needing full destruction to make sure it couldn't spread later, the Gree had been integrated while the Lugubraa Hordes were being kept firmly in place.
So with the end of the Ssi-Ruuvi Imperium, peace and security were finally a possibility in the Unknown Regions.
Not all this had been done in the last few years. The Croke had self-destructed long ago while the Sorcerers of Rhand, insane followers of 'The Dark' who literally desired to bring ancient deities to the Galaxy in Order to destroy it all because 'Destruction was the only truth' were thoroughly erased as soon as they were understood, and the Grysk had only recently been properly defeated before this active push began.
Meanwhile, the Lugubraa had been secluded to a sector of space and controlled ressources were sent to keep their numbers in check due to their endless hunger and reproductive capabilities. They just were incapable of developing means of space travel, much less hyperspace, so they were mostly left alone and treated as an invasive species now that the Croke could no longer bring them in to fight their battles.
The Mnggal-Mnggal was something even Darex's father ordered complete erasure of due to the immense dangers it represented to every sentient being in the Galaxy, thus many safeguards and protocols were in place against it. A parasitic sludge which consumed everything inside a person to us their shells as puppets certainly wasn't high on lists of 'keeping the species alive'.
Only the Ebruchi Pirate Hordes, Vagaari Slaver Fleets and the Ssi-Ruuvi Imperium had been those caught up in the Sanctuarate's offensive. They were attacked hard and fast to make sure no significant forces were missed, ensuring that their ways would die out simply because they couldn't be supported anymore and wouldn't be able to rebuild their numbers to do so.
Hence this left the Killik as the only significant threat in the Unknown Region to the Sanctuarate. They were certainly dangerous and had even been a spacefaring race said to have been a servant race of the Celestials alongside the Kwa, Gree, Rakata, and a few others, having built marvels as a workforce for them, but they were also expansionist by nature and sought ever more resources to support their massive numbers and reproductive capabilities, hence their danger.
But for now, with all other significant hostile forces taken care of, the Chiss were satisfied with being able to safely expand under Sanctuarate vassalage, Gree happy to be rediscovering their lost wonders as members of it, and Croke remnants having been integrated, it was time to expand and train their forces for the coming conflicts against the much more populous half of the Galaxy.
Darex could understand why his father was actually increasing their combat droid models and had begun secretly bringing in disenfranchised, orphaned, enslaved and others in larger numbers for Sanctuarate operations and Branches. It would take time to properly earn the full loyalties of those who hadn't been supported by them already, but that was what they had decades for.
And by the time they would reveal themselves, Darex himself would make sure they would not let down his father.
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STAR WARS INFO CORNER:
•Hawk Industries: So after KOTOR 1, Mission Vao and her Wookie companion Zaalbar actually founded their own Import/Export company, that being part of the reason Revan didn't include her in his later plans. I just decided that since Kieran had known them, he could have kept it going for her descendants and to benefit the Sanctuarate.
•Vagaari, Ebruchi, Ssi-Ruu, Gree, Chiss, Croke, Killik, Grysk, Lugubraa and Sorcerers of Rhand: These are all the powers I could find which really were around the time of the High Republic onward in the Unknown Regions. Most were outright evil and matched the Hutts at minimum in terms of cruelty or were dangers to the entire Galaxy. So yeah, that be snipped in the bud with beneficial relations forged to the others.
There's a very valid reason the Chiss were said to hold at bay evils the Republic could not imagine.
•Mnggal-Mnggal: It's like the most evil version of a Symbiote, except it doesn't reproduce and any part of it is all controlled by one mind. It literally consumes any host from the inside out to turn them into meat suits filled with dark ooze. The thing delighted in torturing sentient beings physically, psychologically and emotionally while trying to spread everywhere too. It might actually be the reason as to why the Unknown Regions were so hard to navigate, with the Celestials doing so to contain it there.
•Basilisk War Droids: Look these up because they were the wet dreams of Mandalorians, right behind Beskar armors.
A Mandalorian's best friend really since they were heavily armed and armored even back in the days, with some even carrying miniaturized nuclear weapons, they would drop out of orbit with riders and then just steamroll through pretty much everything. There was a reason a genius strategic and military commander like Revan was thorough in making sure they destroyed them all.
•Nebula-Class Star Destroyer: The ultimate form of the Star Destroyer after over 3 decades of war time advances. This thing was like if Imperial and Mon Calamari capital ships had a baby that could kill them both. But since the Sanctuarate has much more advanced tech, materials and better manufacturing capabilities, there's were bigger, stronger, faster, with more features and produced in great numbers. They are the backbone of Sanctuarate Naval Forces.
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AUTHOR NOTES:
Still in the process of introducing more important OCs for my story and letting you all get a feel for what the Sanctuarate is as an entity in the Star Wars universe.
Because of what Kieran knows and has experienced, he basically tried to create a well balanced society built on his belief in personal balances and valuing free will and life. He specifically aimed to form a sort of light-sided mirror to civilizations like the Rakata's and Sith, hoping to create wonders instead of horrors, but also having the strength to protect it.
Right now, the Sanctuarate is 'cleaning House' in the Unknown Regions so that when they shift their focus to the Republic, no one will be making problems there and they'll have an incredibly solid and well hidden base to operate from.
Now, some people might be a bit annoyed that I made the Chiss Ascendancy a Vassal for the Sanctuarate, but I honestly think that these two would get into a bit of a spy-off until better diplomatic relations could be built. Unfortunately for the Chiss, the Sanctuarate is massively more powerful, advanced and with a much larger population that can move around the Unknown Regions with ease. So they couldn't really be equals.
I try not to get too bogged down with ship details and logistics since this really isn't something I want to focus on, but I also want you guys to have some ideas regarding what's generally going on.
Annoying balance when I keep having thoughts of saying 'screw all the sci-fi stuff, imma go full space wizard'.
Anyway, probably going to have me that time skip so I can start having actually existing Star Wars characters involved now that Kieran is set up and the majority of my more favored OCs have been introduced.
Hope you still enjoyed.
