[b][i]Grand Admiral Jadal Thrax[/i][/b]
[b][i]Lord Imperium Koren Ozzel[/i][/b]





Within the bowels of Daplona, in the lower levels of Jadal Thrax’ personal fortress, dug deep into the ground, was a communications room. Customized and built with state of the art equipment. The Grand Admiral often used it to communicate with his underlings, attend briefings when he couldn’t make it in person and transmit the occasional speech. It had never, however, been used to communicate with the Imperial Center or the Core in general. By the time construction had finished, Jadal Thrax had grown too apart from the Coruscant regime to bother with. And though C-CNO never officially declared its opposition to the Grand Imperium, it was an unspoken fact that the COMPNOR-state had long cut its ties with its once overlords at Coruscant.

That is, until now. Garbled, hushed messages from the few remaining loyalists within the capital had brought news that the Grand Admiral simply couldn’t ignore. And with the Rebels crawling ever closer to the heart of the Galaxy, Jadal Thrax finally found himself forced swallow his considerable distaste and distrust towards Ozzel’s regime and tear down the unofficial walls both had erected between themselves.

And so Grand Admiral Jadal Thrax stood atop a special platform, in pristine grey-black COMPNOR uniform as aides and technicians worked in the pits around him to patch him through to his target.

Several days had passed since Admiral Kava and her considerable fleet had appeared in orbit above Coruscant, the sudden intrusion had left a bad taste in Koren Ozzel’s mouth. Kava and her fleet had caught the Imperium completely off guard, which Ozzel himself believed had been intentional. Kava had never been one for subtlety, and she had indeed made her point. Coruscant either was, or was perceived to be vulnerable. Be it from threats from the New Republic, or the fledgeling New Confederacy, or even from rogue elements from within the shattered remnants of the Empire itself. There were numerous factions that wanted what the Imperium had: A foothold in the galactic capital. 

The fact was, in the days since Kava’s appearance on Coruscant, there had been talk about the Imperium’s ability to defend the Imperial capital from outside threats. Of course, the talk was just that, talk. Quieted whispers in the dark intended to make the Imperium, and by extension, Ozzel himself appear weak. Despite the fact that such talk was unfounded, and completely untrue, it was something that had to be dealt with. 

Ozzel had personally ordered an increased Imperial presence on the streets. He had increased both the volume and frequency of stormtrooper patrols.There had also been an increase in the number of checkpoints throughout the city, and anyone who was so much as suspected of spreading the false narrative that the Imperium was somehow weak was to be placed under immediate arrest and held for questioning.  

Ozzel had also ordered that the monitoring of Coruscant’s orbit be expanded to not only Coruscant’s immediate vicinity, but deep into the star system as well. Though such an endeavor was taxing on the Imperium’s resources, it was something that had to be done in order to ensure the safety of the Imperium.

Ozzel sat behind his desk in his office, which had served as the Emperor’s Throne Room before his death, with a glass of vintage wine at hand as he looked over the information that had been uploaded to his datapad regarding his efforts to lock down the planet.

Suddenly, the holoprojector in the office snapped to life, and standing before him was the image of a man that he had not seen in quite some time. The man’s crisp uniform looked sharp even in the dull blue light of the hologram. The man himself had changed quite a bit since he had last seen him, the cybernetic enhancements were a startling sight, and when coupled with the distinct unifor of the Committee for the Continuation of the New Order, was an indicator of the man’s fanaticism. 

“Hail Palpatine!” The salute was loud, stiff and mechanical. “Grand Moff Ozzel.” Thrax finished his greeting, face morphing into a slight frown. “I will not insult your intelligence, nor do I have the time to play games with you. I have heard of the ongoing Rebel advance on the Core and the arrival, or maybe return, of a certain strike group, and I come to you with an offer.”

Ozzel got out of his chair and stiffly returned the Grand Admiral’s salute and then stepped closer to the holoprojector. He studied the man’s image as he approached, coming to a stop just before it. 

“Greetings to you, Grand Admiral Thrax. It has been a long time my friend. Too long.-” Ozzel said as he returned his arm to his side. Ozzel was somewhat skeptical that the other man’s offer was not a ploy to get a foothold into the Imperium. The fact was that ever since the fall of Palpatine and the rise of the Imperium, relations between the two men had been tepid at best. However, Ozzel was not a fool, and he knew that if word of Kava’s arrival had reached 
 even the Grand Admiral, that he could not afford to turn away potential alliances. l“-What is it exactly that you are offering?” 

“You do your duty, [i]Grand Moff[/i].” Thrax stressed the title. “And I shall do mine. Stop cowering behind the walls of the Palace and waiting for the Rebels to come and kill you in your bedchambers. You have squandered the resources of the Center with your apathetic and hesitant policies.” The Grand Admiral scoffed. “Now fate has delivered unto you a second chance. As we speak, I am about to bring a fiery reconing to all those who defy the Empire in the Northern Rim. But all of it will be for naught if you continue to let the Rebels advance upon the heart of the Empire. Strike back and for once prove you are the man worthy of the duty our beloved Emperor bestowed upon you. Use the might you command to safeguard the New Order.” Thrax paused for a beat. “Do that and I shall extend my hand to you as a brother in arms once I reach the Core. And make no mistake, Lord Ozzel, I will soon arrive. Either to embrace you as an ally or to avenge your death.”

Ozzel stood in a silent fury for a moment as the Grand Admiral’s words registered. It had been a long time since anyone had dared to speak to him in such a manner, and Ozzel wanted nothing more than to see him suffer for his slight. However, Ozzel could not argue with the man’s reasoning. Perhaps he had been foolish to believe that he could win the war through diplomacy. It had become clear that the New Republic was not interested in anything less than the total destruction of the Imperium and everything that it stood for. And he would certainly not allow that to happen. Perhaps it was time for him, and by extension the entire Imperium itself, to mobilize the forces of the Grand Imperium and stamp out the flame of the rebellion once and for all.

“That’s [b][i]Lord Imperium[/i][/b], Grand Admiral. I will do what must be done. Just be sure that you and your forces are ready.”

“They are more than ready, Grand Moff. They are already on the way.” Thrax replied, smugness seeping into his tone.