=== Darth Vader ===
From the highest vantage of the great command dais, Darth Vader stood, his black form a singular point of darkness against the endless expanse of ranks that stretched across the surface of the world below him.
Even for one who had stood at the center of galactic conflict, who had felt the currents of war ripple through entire star systems, there was something staggering in the sight before him. Billions, each trooper perfectly aligned, each formation stretching so far that the horizon itself seemed to bend beneath the sheer number of them.
Wilhuff Tarkin had not failed him.
The clone legions stood at the core of it all, their armor gleaming in the harsh light as they formed the unbreakable spine of the army, but they were no longer alone, no longer the sole instrument of the Empire's war machine. Around them, interwoven in staggering numbers, stood the newly formed stormtrooper corps, billions of fresh soldiers drawn from the most fervent worlds of the newly, still forming Empire, entire populations stirred into a fever, their young men and women stepping forward in droves, eager to serve, eager to fight, eager to become part of something greater than themselves.
Vader could feel it through the Force itself.
A storm of emotion churned beneath him, a vast, collective tide of fear, of anger, of hope twisted into something dangerous, and at its center, stood Vader.
Slowly, he stepped forward.
The movement alone sent a ripple through the gathered ranks as countless helmets tilted ever so slightly upward, as billions of eyes fixed upon the lone figure ascending the dais.
When he reached its peak, he did not speak immediately. He let the silence build, let the weight of anticipation settle over them, let them feel the gravity of the moment before he broke it.
"My armies!"
Amplified through the vast network of transmitters spanning the entire formation, his voice rolled across the planet like thunder.
"You stand at the threshold of a new era," Vader continued, his arms slowly extending outward, the gesture encompassing the entirety of the force before him as though he alone held it together. "An era forged not in weakness… not in compromise… but in strength!"
He began to move as he spoke, pacing slowly along the edge of the dais, his gaze sweeping across the endless ranks.
"The enemy we face is unlike any you have known," he said, his tone darkening, the weight of his words sharpening as he spoke of them. "The Imperium of Man… a force that has waged war without end, without mercy, without restraint!"
Images filled their minds as he spoke, impressions of endless battlefields, of burning worlds, of countless lives extinguished beneath an uncaring tide of conquest.
"They have slaughtered trillions," Vader went on, his voice cutting through the air. "Entire civilizations reduced to ash in their endless crusade. They do not negotiate. They do not yield. They do not stop."
"And they believe… that this galaxy will fall before them as others have!"
"They are wrong." He thundered as he clenched his mechanical hand, the Force coiling around him.
"We are the line that will not break," he declared, his voice rising just enough now to carry a new intensity, something that ignited the air itself. "We are the blade that will cut through their ranks, that will shatter their armies, that will bring an end to their unrelenting advance!"
He raised one hand, fingers curling as though already grasping victory itself.
"You will be the shield that guards this Empire as it rises from the ashes of what came before," he continued, his tone hardening as he felt the fervor of the masses begin to rise. "You will stand against their storm… and you will not falter!"
The Force surged with him, amplifying every word, every emotion, binding the countless minds before him into a single, unified purpose.
He could feel it taking hold, feel the fear giving way to determination, feel the uncertainty burning away beneath the weight of their conviction.
"You will avenge the fallen, every life taken. Every world destroyed. Every injustice wrought by those who would see this galaxy burn!"
Above them, the sky began to change. It was subtle at first, a flicker of shadow across the upper atmosphere.
Then another.
And another.
Until, slowly, massive silhouettes of Star Destroyers began to rise into view, their colossal forms breaking through the horizon as they ascended into the heavens, hundreds of them, each one a monument to war, to power, to domination, their presence alone enough to darken the sky as they took their positions in orbit.
Vader turned, his gaze lifting toward them, and reached to his side, his hand closing around the hilt at his belt. With a single flair, he ignited it.
A crimson blade erupted to life, the sound alone cut through everything, a sharp, violent hiss that seemed to slice the moment in two as the red light cast itself across his form, reflecting in the armor, in the lenses of countless helmets below.
He raised it high, pointing toward the heavens, toward the gathered fleet.
"Onward! To Death, or Glory!"
The sky fractured as all at once, the Star Destroyers vanished into hyperspace, streaks of light tearing across the heavens as the fleet surged forward, leaving behind only the echo of their departure.
Below, the response was immediate, as in perfect unified motion, billions of soldiers stepped forward, the ground itself trembling beneath the sheer force of their march as they advanced toward the war that awaited them.
=== Sebastian ===
Sebastian stood near the entrance of the nursery for a moment before stepping fully inside, his armored form at odds with the gentleness of the scene before him.
Across from him, seated in a chair, Sienn cradled the two children in her arms.
Luke and Leia stirred faintly against her as she herself drifted in and out of sleep. For a moment, Sebastian simply watched them.
These were not merely children in his eyes, not merely lives to be protected, but something greater, something sacred, fragments of the being he had devoted his existence to, and the weight of that belief settled heavily upon his shoulders as he took another step forward.
"Is there anything I can do?" he asked at last, his voice quieter than it had ever been "To assist you?"
Sienn jumped in fright before she turned her head toward him, and in that simple motion, Sebastian saw it.
The exhaustion.
Her eyes were swollen, the skin beneath them darkened, her expression worn in a way that no amount of composure could fully hide, and though she held herself together, though she continued to care for the children, it was clear that whatever strength carried her forward was being drawn from a well that was quickly running dry.
Sebastian said nothing at first, but he knew she had not slept well since Mustafar. He came to stand beside her, slowly extending his hands, as he spoke.
"I will take them," he said simply.
Sienn hesitated.
"I'm fine," she replied, her voice quiet, though there was a faint strain beneath it.
Sebastian did not withdraw his hands.
"You need rest," he said, his tone firm. "Go. I will watch them."
She looked up at him then, truly looked at him, and for a moment, whatever fragile control she had been holding onto began to falter. Her lower lip trembled slightly, the emotion she had been keeping at bay rising dangerously close to the surface, and Sebastian saw it for what it was.
"Take the night," he said, more quietly now, his voice softening in a way few would have believed possible from him. "Grieve for him in whatever way you wish."
That was all it took.
The words broke something open, and though she did not sob, the tears came all the same, slipping silently down her cheeks as she finally nodded, her resistance giving way as she carefully, almost reluctantly, placed the children into his waiting arms.
Sebastian received them carefully, his grip secure yet impossibly gentle, as though he feared even the slightest misstep might harm them, and as their small forms settled against him, something shifted in him, a protectiveness he had never known as he looked down to the small bundles in his arms.
Sienn lingered only a moment longer, her gaze drifting between the children and the warrior who now held them, as though reassuring herself that they would be safe, and then, she turned, her steps slow at first as she made her way toward the door.
"Sienn…" Sebastian called.
She paused, and turned back.
Sebastian stood where he was, the two infants held carefully against his armored chest.
"He loved you," Sebastian said, his voice steady, and unwavering. "Very much."
"Like a daughter."
Sienn's expression shifted as she managed a small, fragile smile.
"Thank you, Lord Sebastian." she said quietly.
"Please. Call me Sebastian." He replied, watching the Twi'lek almost short circuit at his words.
She nodded her head once. "Thank you… Sebastian."
Then she turned once more, and this time, she did not stop, the doors parting to allow her passage before sealing behind her, leaving the chamber in silence once again.
Sebastian remained where he stood.
For a long moment, he did not move, his gaze lowering slowly to the children in his arms as they stirred faintly, unaware of everything that had been lost, everything that had changed.
Carefully, he adjusted his hold, ensuring they were secure, his massive form shifting just enough to cradle them more comfortably, and as he stood there.
"I will protect you," he murmured, so quietly that even the room itself barely seemed to hear it.
The hours passed without disturbance.
The door parted quietly before Sienn as she rushed back inside the room she had left Sebastian in, apologizing profusely that she had overslept.
She stopped mid word for a moment as she simply stood there, taking in the sight before her, the towering Astartes still standing motionless in the center of the room, the children held against him.
Part of her had expected this, had known that he would not move, that he would endure the long hours without complaint.
"Oh Sebastian." she softly said, exasperated.
"I… did not wish to wake them."
She stepped closer, her gaze moving briefly to the children, noting the way they rested against him, undisturbed, before lifting her arms slightly to take them back.
"Did they fuss much?" she asked as she approached.
"A little," he replied, his tone as even as ever. "But not excessively."
She reached out, carefully taking the children back into her arms before she settled them against her once more, rocking them lightly as she adjusted their positions.
"Thank you," she said.
Sebastian inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment.
He turned, and began walking away, the doors parting and sealing behind him.
He made his way towards the command center where he knew Vulkan would be.
The doors opened at his approach, revealing the vast chamber within, filled with hololithic projections and shifting data streams. Vulkan, his immense form illuminated by the flickering light of the tactical displays, stood still as he studied the information before him.
He did not turn immediately.
"Your timing is… impeccable," Vulkan said, his voice carrying easily across the chamber. "Just like your father."
Sebastian stepped forward, stopping at a respectful distance as he inclined his head.
"My Lord."
Vulkan turned then, his gaze settling upon the Black Templar.
"Come," Vulkan said, gesturing him closer. "There is something you must hear."
Sebastian obeyed without question, stepping forward as the hololithic display shifted, data reorganizing itself as a report began to play out before them.
"A transmission has been received," Vulkan continued. "From one of our hidden agents."
"Darth Vader," Vulkan said, "Formerly Anakin Skywalker, the one responsible for my sons death, has crowned himself Emperor," Vulkan went on, his gaze flicking briefly toward the shifting projections. "And in doing so… has consolidated his forces."
"He is coming here with Billions of soldiers."
Sebastian did not react immediately, his mind processing the information.
"He intends to strike Mandalore directly?"
Vulkan inclined his head slightly.
"For its resources," he confirmed. "Beskar. And any reserves of Adamantium we have secured."
Sebastian let out a slow breath.
"Is the boy in his right mind?" he asked, the words blunt. "To march on the capital of the Imperium… with an untested force… is madness."
"It is," Vulkan agreed, his tone measured.
A brief pause followed.
"Yet he does it all the same."
Sebastian's gaze hardened, his thoughts already shifting, as he began to think of what needed to be done to prepare.
Vulkan studied him for a moment longer before speaking again.
"I do not know what he believes he will achieve," he said, his voice lowering slightly. "But I do know this."
His gaze lifted, meeting Sebastian's fully.
"This battle… will not go as he expects."
Vulkan turned slightly, his attention shifting back to the tactical display as new data began to flow in.
"Prepare the surrounding sectors," he ordered, his voice firm and absolute. "We will meet this force head-on."
Sebastian did not hesitate.
"Yes, my Lord."
===
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