The final week of the ninth month of 20 BBY descended upon the planet Serenno not with the grace of its noble history, but with the thunder of a 1.2-kilometer Venator-class Star Destroyer entering low-atmosphere stabilization. The capital city of Carania, a jewel of high-arched spires and ivory-colored stone, was now a jagged landscape of barricades and droid nests.
From the bridge of the Sovereign's Grace, Revan Shan looked out through the reinforced viewport. He was a shadow in the command deck, his custom black Beskar-filament robes flowing like ink over his form-fitting alloy armor. His hood was pulled low, casting his youthful face into a sharp, contemplative silhouette. His hands rested on his belt, one near the magma-red hilt, the other near the balanced-purple.
"Admiral Kaine," Revan's voice was a rhythmic, slightly sassy hum. "The Count's garden is looking terribly overgrown with B2s and spider droids. Shall we provide some... landscaping services?"
"General, the Separatist fleet is attempting to break the orbital blockade," Kaine reported, his voice a calm anchor. "They've deployed a swarm of Tri-fighters and Vultures to provide cover for their atmospheric descent. I am holding the line here. If a single droid wing touches that clouds, I'll personally apologize to the 596th."
Revan smirked. "I'll hold you to that, Admiral. Lara, Spock—keep the 2x Dreadnought shielding at maximum resonance. I'm taking the boys down. We have a palace to audit."
The Assault on Carania: The Maverick's Charge
The descent was a masterclass in aerial coordination. Hundreds of Z-95 Headhunters and Y-Wing Bombers formed a protective canopy over the landing LAAT/Is. Revan didn't wait for a formal landing. As the Black Pearl hovered three stories above a primary Separatist droid foundry in the capital's heart, he stepped off the ramp.
He fell through the air, a blur of black and red, utilizing Force Enhance to steady his trajectory. He hit the duracrete plaza with a kinetic shockwave—Force Repulse—that sent a platoon of B1 battle droids flying like discarded toys against the marble pillars.
"Try to be nice, do good!" Revan quipped as he ignited both blades. The Magma Red and Balanced Purple hummed in a deadly, chromatic harmony. "But never fail to be kind—and the kindest thing I can do for these rust-buckets is a quick recycling program!"
He led the 63,100 Clone Troopers of the 596th from the absolute front. While Commander Check and Ruff coordinated the street-to-street sweeps, Revan became a whirlwind of lightsaber mastery. He shifted between the elegant parries of Form II Makashi to handle high-velocity blaster fire and the erratic, overwhelming strikes of Form VII Juyo when the droids closed in.
* The Defense: A squadron of Separatist AAT tanks leveled their cannons at a civilian shelter. Revan blurred into motion, his purple blade deflecting every bolt back into the tanks' primary cooling vents.
* The Destruction: When a massive OG-9 homing spider droid stepped over a barricade, Revan didn't flinch. He used Lightsaber Throw, his red blade spinning in a hum of magma-heat that severed the droid's primary leg joints. As it collapsed, he raised a hand, his 23,000 Midichlorian count manifesting as a crushing weight—Force Crush. The droid's central logic core imploded under the pressure.
"Clear the sector! Door to door!" Commander Check barked, his dechipped troopers moving with a creative fluidity that standard clones couldn't replicate. They used flash-stun grenades and high-explosive EMPs to disable droids while ensuring the Serennian civilians remained unharmed in their cellars.
The Siege of the Palace
The climb toward Count Dooku's palace was an uphill battle through ancient, winding staircases and fortified balconies. Revan used the environment as a weapon, using Force Push to redirect incoming grenades back toward the droids that threw them.
"Honestly," Revan sighed, catching a stray blaster bolt with Tutimimus and absorbing the energy into his gauntlet. "The Count has such lovely architecture, yet his taste in security is so... monochromatic. All these droids, and not one of them can hold a decent conversation."
As they reached the palace gates, Cortana's voice chirped in his ear. "Master, the Black Pearl is in position. I am painting the secondary defense turrets for a precision strike."
"Do it, Cortana. Let's open the front door."
A volley of turbolaser fire from the hidden freighter above vaporized the palace's anti-infantry turrets in a single, surgical burst. Revan and his clones surged into the throne room, a sea of black robes and Beskar-armored soldiers.
The Side-Mission: The Doctor's Double-Leak
While the physical Revan was dismantling spider droids, a different kind of war was being waged via the Kyber-quantum processing array on Lehon. Friday AI had finished processing the data stolen from the Shadow Collective meeting on Nal Hutta.
"Sir," Friday's voice crackled through a secure, encrypted link in Revan's gauntlet. "The Shadow Collective's primary fleet staging area in the Outer Rim has been verified. Coordinates: Sector 4-Dash-9, near the Manda system."
"Splendid," Revan murmured during a brief lull in the palace fighting. "Friday, it's time for the 'Doctor' to make some phone calls. We need to cause a headache for the neighbors."
Utilizing his Dr. John Smith persona and a series of untraceable relays, Revan initiated a 'Double Leak':
* To the Republic (Palpatine's Office): A high-priority intelligence packet was 'anonymously' delivered, detailing Maul's massive buildup of mercenary ships and his intent to blockade key Republic trade routes.
* To the Separatists (General Grievous): A 'stolen' transmission was leaked, suggesting that the Shadow Collective was planning to raid Separatist fuel depots to fund their expansion.
"Calculated probability of a three-way skirmish: 94.2%," Friday reported.
"Perfect," Revan smirked. "Let Palpatine and Maul chew on each other for a while. It'll keep them busy while I finish looting the Count's basement."
The Council Report: A Fallen Soul
Later that evening, after the palace was secured and the Separatist leadership on Serenno had fled or been detained, Revan initiated a holocall to the Jedi Temple. The flickering blue forms of Yoda and Mace Windu appeared.
"General Shan," Windu said, his expression grave. "Serenno is under Republic control. A significant victory."
"A victory for the paperwork, Mace. For the people, it's just a change in management," Revan retorted, pulling back his hood. "But I have something for you. That 'Ghost in the Gears' I mentioned? I caught him."
Revan gestured behind him, where the fallen Jedi Knight, Valerius Thorne, was restrained in a high-security stasis field, his eyes still yellow with the lingering stain of the dark side.
"A Jedi, he was?" Yoda asked, his ears drooping with grief.
"Valerius Thorne. He left the Order two years ago, claiming the Council had lost its way," Revan said, his voice taking on a rare note of sincerity. "Dooku found him, whispered the right lies, and turned him into a butcher. He's currently in a deep sleep. I suggest you send a specialized team to retrieve him. He needs the healers, not a tribunal. He's a victim of the Count's charisma as much as he is a traitor."
"A dangerous path, Dooku treads," Yoda sighed. "Thank you, Master Shan. Your insight... invaluable it is."
"Try to be nice, Yoda," Revan added with a sassy wink. "But never fail to be kind. Thorne can be brought back. Don't let the Senate turn him into a poster boy for Jedi failure."
Status: Month 10, 20 BBY
As the week ended and the calendar shifted into the tenth month of 20 BBY, Serenno was a world in transition. The 596th Legion established a provisional security perimeter, ensuring the civilians were fed and the local infrastructure was repaired using the Maverick Trust's resources.
Admiral Kaine's fleet remained in orbit, a silent sapphire wall against any Separatist counter-attack. The Shadow Collective was currently facing a pincer movement from both Republic and Separatist patrols, exactly as Revan had planned.
Revan Shan sat in the Count's private study, sipping a spice-latte and looking at a rare Sith artifact he'd "salvaged" from a hidden compartment in the desk.
"Cortana," Revan said, looking at the artifact—a glowing Sith compass. "The war is changing. The shadows are getting longer. How is the Maverick Trust?"
"Steady at 7.8 Trillion credits, Master. The Clone Retirement Trust is at 245 Million. And Master Yoda reports that Calculus has successfully organized a 'meditation protest' among the younglings. They refuse to nap until they are allowed to practice Force-levitation on their snacks."
Revan laughed, a warm sound in the cold palace. "That's my boy. Set a course for our next destination, Admiral. I think it's time we visited Ringo Vinda. I have a feeling one of the clones there is about to have a very bad headache."
| Current Statistics: Month 10, 20 BBY | Value |
|---|---|
| Maverick Trust Credits | 7.8 Trillion |
| Clone Retirement Trust | 245 Million |
| Serenno Status | Capital Secured / Blockade Broken |
| Important Loot | Sith Compass, Serenno Treasury Reserves |
| Revan's Mood | Calculatedly Victorious |