Sector Arkos – Dead Wastes
A Jedi Knight named Davin Thule was not accustomed to silence.
Aboard the Talon's Edge, a light Jedi corvette, he scanned the horizon—ash-grey dunes swept endlessly under the rust-red sky of Arkos. Reports from a Republic-aligned exploration vessel had gone dark a week ago.
Rumors whispered of an uncharted empire out here. Unregistered weapon signatures. Disappearing scouts.
"Jedi Thule," the comms officer said, "we've picked up movement in the northern ridge. Small convoy. No IFF tags."
Thule narrowed his eyes.
"Deploy a probe droid. No direct contact yet. Let's see what ghosts we're dealing with."
10 Kilometers North – Black Echo Infiltration Test
Three shadows moved like phantoms.
The Black Echo Operatives, armed with vibro-daggers and short-range disruptors, were closing in on a Republic forward supply outpost—unmanned except for a dozen droids and a mobile AI uplink.
The lead operative flicked a finger. A silent command.All three vanished into adaptive camo, their silhouettes bleeding into the terrain.
System Observation Mode: Live Feed – Field Test #003-ATest Objective: Infiltration and silent elimination within 3-minute windowEnvironment: Moderate sensor sweep, droid patrol rotationForce Presence: Moderate (AI core detection suite)
Within two minutes, every droid was down. The uplink destroyed. One operative paused to inscribe the sigil of Obsidian Command onto the charred hull.
System Log: Field Trial Report – Black Echo Operatives
Stealth infiltration: 100% success
Kill ratio: 12:0
Detection: 0
Notes: Operatives capable of confusing even non-Force AI pattern recognition. Vanta armor feedback suppressed synthetic awareness.
Sector Vale – Obsidian Ascendant Deployment
Far to the east, where half-collapsed mining colonies lay abandoned, two Obsidian Ascendants faced a challenge of their own: a rogue Jedi Padawan and his loyal Republic marines who had taken shelter in the tunnels beneath Outpost Korrin.
Kael watched remotely through tactical uplinks—these were real enemies, Force-sensitive, trained.
The duel began fast. The Jedi's green blade whirled as he barked orders. His marines flanked the tunnels.
But the Ascendants moved like storms—one drawing the Padawan's attention with Entropy Surge, warping the Force itself around his perception. The second unleashed a Phase Pulse, disrupting the Jedi's sense of timing. Blades clashed. Vibro met saber.
In 17 seconds, the Jedi was disarmed and concussed. The Ascendant drove a pulse-dagger into his shoulder and ripped the lightsaber from his hand.
"Secure him," Kael ordered. "I want the brain intact. He will be useful for imprint resonance studies."
System Log: Field Trial Report – Obsidian Ascendants
Jedi Kill/Disable: 1 (confirmed)
Casualties: 0
Force Disruption Efficacy: High
Note: Phase Pulse confirmed to override saber precognition fields. Recommend expanding Ascendant unit cap.
Aboard the Talon's Edge – Jedi Recon Team
Jedi Thule's fingers trembled slightly.
The scouting probe's last image was… wrong.
"That… symbol. That's not Mandalorian. That's new."
He turned to the holo of Master Ki-Adi-Mundi.
"I request permission to send a deeper team, Master. This… this isn't a pirate cell. They're organized. They killed the Padawan. Took him."
Ki-Adi-Mundi's brow furrowed.
"Unknown Force activity… untraceable… and no connection to Sith? Permission granted, Knight Thule. But be cautious. Something here resists the Force itself."
The image cut off.
"Captain," Thule said darkly, "ready the stealth transports. We're going to Feron's orbit. We'll find this empire of ghosts."
Kael's Throne – Feron-4, Obsidian Core Citadel
Kael read the updated intel from the Jedi's vessel.
He leaned back in the throne, obsidian light flickering against his pale face.
"They're sending a team. Good. Let them come."
He turned to his console and issued new protocols:
"Deploy two Black Echo operatives to the orbital relay zone. Full silent kill authorization."
Then to the Ascendant commander beside him:
"Begin training a third wave. This time… we bleed them dry."
System Alert: Empire Threat Recognition Increased
Jedi Task Force Deployed – Minor Threat Level
Estimated arrival to orbit: 3 days
Force Precognition Block: Active
Recommend: Expansion of early warning systems and orbital scrambler grid