**Chapter 685: Devotion in the Void**
**Scene 1**
**Sullust Orbit**
**Providence-class Dreadnought, Morgan**
**Selena POV**
The bridge of the *Morgan* hummed with quiet efficiency as the Providence-class Dreadnought held position above Sullust. Selena had named the ship after her young daughter back on Dathomir — a small act of sentimentality she rarely allowed herself. The girl was safe for now, hidden among the Nightsisters, but every battle made Selena wonder if she would live long enough to see her again.
She felt Dooku's displeasure like a cold blade pressed against her spine. Losing the *Malice* and costing the Confederacy its grand offensive had been a catastrophic failure. Yet, to her surprise, Dooku had not executed her. Instead, he had sent her on another mission. Part of her wondered if it was mercy… or something more.
A partial relationship had bloomed between them since she was first tasked with eliminating Dagon Marek. Dooku's cold arrogance softened slightly in her presence. She dared to dream — if Mother Talzin allowed it — that one day she could marry Dooku and rule at his side as husband and wife over their Sith Empire.
Alarms suddenly flared across the bridge.
"Commander, enemy Republic ships arriving!" a tactical droid reported sharply.
Selena's eyes narrowed. "Very well. I am off to my starfighter. Maintain formation and support the ground operation. Do not let them break orbit."
She strode toward the hangar, black robes flowing behind her. The time for dreams would have to wait. War called once again.
**Scene 2**
**Sullust Orbit**
**Liberator-class Star Destroyer, Chimera**
**Admiral Thrawn POV**
Thrawn studied the incoming Separatist fleet with calm, calculating eyes. The enemy force was modest but not insignificant:
- 20 Munificent-class frigates
- 2 Providence-class dreadnoughts
- 3 Lucrehulk-class battleships (Class C variant)
- 4 Providence-class carriers
- 8 Recusant-class light destroyers
- 1 Providence-class dreadnought
- 3 Recusant-class heavy destroyers
- 4 Dauntless-class heavy cruisers
They outnumbered his task force, but they did not outgun it.
"Concentrate fire," Thrawn ordered, his voice steady and precise. "The Liberator and Nebula-class vessels will form the primary firing line. Target the Dauntless-class heavy cruisers leading their vanguard first."
Brilliant green turbolaser fire lanced across the void. The four Dauntless cruisers at the head of the CIS formation were torn apart in rapid succession — their hulls cracking open before erupting into brilliant fireballs.
"Deploy TIE Defenders and TIE Advanced to the surface for hit-and-run operations within designated target parameters. No unnecessary risks," Thrawn continued. "Keep the Lancers near our hangars for anti-fighter screening. Form two Arquitens and two Marauders into diamond formations — priority targets are the Munificent-class frigates. Deploy the Silencers. Their primary targets are the Recusant-class destroyers."
He watched the tactical display with satisfaction as his orders were executed flawlessly. This was the art of war — turning superior coordination into victory.
"It is time," Thrawn murmured, "to see exactly how effective these Separatists truly are."
**Scene 3**
**Sullust Orbit**
**TIE Silencer Squadron**
**Clone Pilot ARC-7782 "Arc" POV**
Arc powered up the systems of his TIE Silencer, the cockpit humming with energy. He was part of the Terminus Original Squadron — the elite unit assigned to General Marek since the early days at Vaa Aart. To every clone in the Grand Army, General Dagon was the one who brought his men home.
Now it was their turn to prove themselves.
After the special Republic-developed compound Dagon had provided, everything had changed. Arc and six hundred other brothers had undergone a whirlwind of enhancements — sharper sight, keener hearing, faster reflexes, stronger muscles. Then came the elite training with unique droids. Before long, Arc found himself moving small objects with his mind.
He didn't question it. He didn't need to. All that mattered was serving the General.
"Pilots, you heard the Admiral," Arc said over the squadron comms, his voice steady. "Target the long sticks — the Recusant-class destroyers. Remember: For the Darkstar! Devote your hearts!"
"Devote our hearts!" the reply came back in unison from every pilot in the elite squadron.
The hangar doors opened. Arc slammed the throttle forward, launching his TIE Silencer into the black. The experimental fighter responded beautifully — silent, fast, and deadly. Its stealth systems made it nearly invisible to enemy sensors as he led the charge toward the CIS lines.
He targeted the nearest Recusant-class heavy destroyer, its long, dagger-like hull gleaming in the light of Sullust's sun. Twin heavy laser cannons and concussion missiles streaked from his Silencer, slamming into the enemy ship's shields.
"Break and reform!" Arc ordered. "Hit them hard, then fade. We are the General's shadow!"
The squadron moved like ghosts — striking fast, disappearing, then reappearing to deliver another devastating barrage. One Recusant lost its engines. Another suffered catastrophic hull breaches as Silencer after Silencer tore through its defenses.
Through the Force — faint but growing stronger inside him — Arc could feel the resolve of his brothers. They were no longer just clones.
They were weapons forged by the man they called Darkstar.
And today, they would prove why the galaxy feared that name.