Year - 6221 BBY
Imperial Year - 783
Daimon - Age: 855
Sitting in his personal office on the Luminary, Daimon was reviewing the current war progress across all the fronts. The core had managed to hold until the new recruits got trained and the new fleets were set up.
Now, after months of planning, Imperial forces were ready for a grand offensive against the Republic. Except for the former Hutt controlled territory as they were actually facing some problems in that region. The Imperial forces led by Princesses Luna and Vaelora were pushed back by the Republic soldiers who outnumbered them.
Since the Republic was losing billions of soldiers attacking the Imperial core, they had deployed billions more to attack the Imperial controlled hutt territories. Princess Luna and Vaelora supported by Lord Maxim tried their best with the troops they had, but they were just outnumbered and were being pushed back.
Daimon had sent more soldiers, enough to not cause changes in the Imperial Core and the Northern regions, but it still wasn't enough. The Imperium had become spread too thin across three different frontlines that were located in three different regions of the galaxy.
Lord Maxim was still there, and Luna had assured him that they could hold the region. So, he decided to trust her and in the abilities of Lord Maxim and the rest of the people who were there to support her.
In the Northern territories, Warmaster Raelos had shifted from the defensive to the offensive, launching his invasion into Republic territory. He would start taking the systems which led to Coruscant which consisted of Dorin, Bilbringi, Palanhi, Brentaal IV, and several others.
Once he took Brentaal IV, then Coruscant was wide open, allowing them to strike at the heart of the Republic and put an end to the war.
Daimon continued to look over the galactic map until he started to hear ringing. He clicked the button on his desk which showed King Valorian standing in front of him.
"Emperor Daimon, I'm sure you know the situation in my Kingdom right now." stated King Valorian.
"Yes, I do, I hope you are able to overcome this and reunite the Kingdom." replied Daimon, though he could tell that Valorian was calling to ask for his help.
"I hope so as well. But to do that, I need your assistance. Duke Harmond has taken my daughter hostage and has rallied nearly half of the Kingdom's nobility to his cause. His forces numbered approximately one hundred fifty thousand ships and several billion soldiers. My loyal forces are outnumbered, and without intervention, I fear the Kingdom will tear itself apart in civil war."
Daimon leaned back in his chair, considering the request. Intervening in an internal conflict would set a precedent, but allowing the Kingdom to collapse into chaos would create instability in a region he needed to be pacified. "What specifically are you asking for, King Valorian?"
"Military support to eliminate Duke Harmond's rebellion. I don't need ground forces; my soldiers can handle the surface operations. What I need is fleet superiority. If you could commit even fifty thousand ships to support my loyal forces, we could crush Harmond's fleet and force his ground armies to surrender."
Fifty thousand ships weren't a lot, and he could certainly spare it. But he did say that he wasn't going to get involved.
He thought about it for a minute and realized that people changed their minds all the time. He may have said that the other day, but now seeing the situation, getting involved wouldn't be bad. "I'll see what I can spare King Valorian, in the meantime do everything you can to hold out."
"I understand completely, Your Majesty. Thank in advance, you have my eternal gratitude." replied Valorian unsure of whether the Emperor would help him out or not. They had only just met recently, and he had not even signed the agreement announcing their submission to the Imperium.
The transmission ended shortly after, and Daimon immediately called Prince Malrik. A few seconds later, his son appeared on the holographic display, having just finished overseeing occupation duties on a former Theocratic world.
"Father, I about done here, when are we going to attack the Coalition?" he asked.
"A slight change of assignment. King Valorian as you know is facing a rebellion led by Duke Harmond." Daimon started. "I'm aware," Malrik replied. "Harmond has influence over roughly a quarter of the Kingdom's military assets and if he manages to gain support, he could possibly beat the King. Are we intervening?"
"We are," Daimon confirmed. "Take 50,000 ships and rendezvous with King Valorian's forces. Your objective is to save the Princess and eliminate Harmond's fleet, capturing or killing the Duke himself. The Kingdom's integration into the Imperium cannot proceed if it's embroiled in civil war."
"So, the Princess is kidnapped huh," Prince Malrik noted.
"Yes, which complicates things," Daimon acknowledged. "Harmond will use her as a shield, threatening to execute her if we press too hard. You'll need to coordinate a rescue operation while engaging his fleet. I'm assigning a team of Balance Keepers to assist. They'll infiltrate Harmond's flagship and extract the princess while you keep his forces occupied."
"Understood, Father. What about Prince Consort Aldric? he's probably complicit in the kidnapping considering his loyalty to his father."
"If he's guilty, he dies. No exceptions. Betraying one's spouse for political gain is unforgivable, and I won't tolerate such behavior from anyone connected to the Imperium's governance structure."
Malrik nodded. "I'll depart immediately then before the situation gets worse." Malrik replied, saluting before the transmission ended.
Daimon returned his attention to the galactic map, looking at the various war zones. The war was entering a critical phase. The Republic's morale was cracking under the weight of their casualties, but they still had vast reserves of manpower and industrial capacity. Breaking them required striking at their core worlds, forcing their government to accept that victory was impossible.
———
Imperial controlled Hutt space
On the world of Ylesia, Princess Vaelora had just arrived on the planet to defend it against an impending Republic invasion. Due to limited forces, a fleet wasn't assigned to the planet, but some surface to space weapons were brought over by Vaelora to destroy some of the Republic ships before they reached the surface.
However, the fleet that exited hyperspace was not the Republic fleet. Instead, it was the Sith Imperial fleet. The hulls of the Sith warships materialized in orbit, their distinctive designs marking them as ships of the Sith Empire. Vaelora studied the fleet through the tactical display recognizing the empire this fleet belonged to.
'The Sith Empire' she whispered the name.
"Princess, we're receiving a transmission," her communications officer reported. "it's… addressed to you personally."
"Put it through," Vaelora ordered.
The holographic projector activated, revealing a figure cloaked in dark robes. His face was partially obscured, but the yellow eyes that pierced through his mask, left no doubt about this allegiance to the dark side. "Princess Vaelora, daughter of the so-called God-Emperor. I am Darth Malgus, Dark Council member of the Sith Empire. Your presence here is... fortuitous."
She scoffed as she knew that this was most likely a planned operation with the Republic.
"The Sith Empire," Vaelora replied. "You've strayed far from your territory. This system is under Imperial protection."
"Protection?" Malgus laughed, "Your forces are stretched thin across multiple fronts. We've been watching, waiting for the opportune moment. Chancellor Thrace was most accommodating in providing intelligence about your deployments in exchange for our... neutrality regarding Republic operations. But soon enough, we'll turn our fangs on them after sucking them dry of everything we need."
Vaelora felt angry, but she managed to maintain her composure. She had heard directly from her father about how he created the Sith and allowed them to exist in order to have a more stable balance in the Force. She thought it was a good decision, but she never imagined that she would have to face them herself.
And now the Republic had allied with the Sith, trading information for limited cooperation. It was a desperate move, and one that would ultimately doom them both. "Whatever deal you made with the Republic will mean nothing when my father hears about this invasion."
"Ah yes, Emperor Daimon. Busy conquering primitive kingdoms in the Unknown Regions, I understand. By the time he realizes what's happening here, we'll have secured this entire sector. Now, Princess, I'm going to give you one opportunity to surrender. Your forces cannot hope to stand against mine."
"My answer is no," she stated firmly. "If you want this world, you'll have to take it."
Darth Malgus's expression darkened. "So be it. Your father will receive your corpse as a message. All ships, commence bombardment!"
The transmission cut off, and moments later, the Sith fleet opened fire. Massive turbolaser blasts streaked through the atmosphere, targeting the surface-to-space weapon installations that Vaelora had just finished setting up.
"All batteries, return fire!" Vaelora commanded. "Target their capital ships first. Make every shot count!" She sent a transmission to her sister informing her of the attack and requesting reinforcements.