[i]{GM Post}[/i] [b][u]The Tower[/u][/b] He sat aloft a grandiose throne, shimmering in glass, gold and silver, the back of which extended upwards beyond the limitations of a human’s sight. The throne towered over the great hall and the assembled throng. He cut a striking figure, radiant in silver armour, a golden lion’s head for a shoulder plate and an open faced helmet that was surrounded by floating shards of glimmering steel that made up its mane. He looked out upon the assembled gods. They, his Kin, the masters of all. Slowly he rose, scepter in hand and the great emperor of the Kin. Xeuss strode forwards, with each step a plate from the base of the throne flying forth and placing itself beneath his foot. Behind him, the glimmering opalescent drapery that flanked the throne pulled itself after him, almost as if it were attached via hooks or wires in a train that seemed to be never ending. There were no wires, nor hooks. The clothing simply followed where he went like an omnipotent cape. Finally, after stepping a hundred paces he turned to his people, the Kin, who stood resplendent beneath him. Each bore regalia as befitting their station as rulers of many galaxies. Floating halos illuminated the heads of some, others wore armour like his own that bore striking resemblance to many fantastical creatures from a number of worlds and yet others bore little more than scraps of silks or ribbons that floated and moved according to breezes that did not exist. “Behold!” Xeuss cried gesturing towards the center of the hall and an amorphous white substance flowed in from a number of recessed niches and coalesced into a gigantic orb. The image of the planet was forming and within a moment became a steel world, one shrouded in clouds. “Behold Coruscant! This will be the third time we have conquered this world! I imagine even now, he who calls himself Emperor, to be feeling some disturbance in the paltry power they call ‘The Force’.” There were a number of wry chuckles at this. “Prepare the Tower!” he cried, “We add anew another galaxy to our domain, to this nexus which is our palace. Kine against Kine! Inform the Kith it is time! Engage the World Engines! Send forth our forces!” In the space above Coruscant all was quiet. The Empire had not seen an attack inside of the core worlds in some time by those irksome rebels. Then came a shimmering. Those upon the world of Coruscant’s upper levels looked up into the sky and spied something so massive that they could make it out with their naked eyes, what appeared to be a white line against the black. Up in space, the pearlescent tower materialized out of nothing. It was a massive cylinder some thousands of kilometers tall and easily a thousand kilometers wide. The defense grid began to power and the planetary shield glimmered into existence even as the Tower began to launch ships. Ships from a thousand worlds emerged, in every shape and fashion. Vessels from the Federation, the Klingon Empire, the Romulans, Liberty, Kusari, the Citadel, a dozen other worlds, and even those belonging to a different Great Galactic Empire, powered their engines and descended towards the shining jewel of this galaxy. Energy blasts streaked across the black as did solid ferrous slugs. The planetary shield and defensive systems, without preamble failed and shut themselves down. This was, after all, the third time the Kin had taken Coruscant and they had become exceedingly efficient at it. [b][u]Dagobah:[/u][/b] Fog crept through the darkness, enveloping the swampy world. Lizard-like amphibians croaked; far-off avians warbled. Something roared in the night. In a small, primitive hut lit merrily, a squat green creature ate rootleaf stew in peace. Yoda, Jedi Master, was contemplating the training he had planned for his last apprentice. Dagobah was silent without warning. The Force was chaotic; more chaotic than usual. The level of the disturbance was great enough to overpower the cave filled with the Dark Side that Yoda sheltered near. Echoes of something strange, something unexpected and exotic wailed at Yoda. He sat down, cleared his mind, and concentrated. Ripples in the force - even for events so obviously big as this - didn’t last long, and he had to be patient, absorbing all of the ripple’s facets before it faded. [i][u]Coruscant:[/u] Six Golan II Space Defense stations, seven Imperial-I class Star Destroyers, a host of fighter wings (both ground- and space-based), and countless lightly-armed civilian shipyards, orbital factories, and solar mirrors surround Coruscant. Traffic to and from the capitol is dense; the planet survives entirely on trade. Without warning, a massive cylinder appears in the middle of this, and disgorges thousands of ships. The Coruscant Defense Fleet; the Golan II’s - all fall like so much paper lit on fire. The shields of the planet buckle and fall instantly under the massive assault. Millions die. Shuttles and small ships stream out of the system, desperately trying to escape the onslaught.[/i] Yoda frowned. Disturbing, this turn of events was. Seek Obi-Wan and re-confer, he must. As he began to make preparations to leave the planet, Yoda felt another disturbance in the force. Something alien, something exotic, but something with a glimmer of hope. [u][b]Tatooine:[/u][/b] Without warning, a bright blue ball of energy flashed in and out of existence, leaving behind a long, pointy spire-shaped ship. Seconds later, it was followed by flashes, bangs, explosions, and simple quiet appearances as more ships came into being from nothing.