**Chapter 789: The Dragon's Reckoning**
**Scene 1: Raxus Secundus Orbit – Bridge of the Resurgent-class Battlescruiser Nightfall**
**Dagon POV**
Clone Wars Year 3, Week 1, Day 3.
Only three days had passed since the Confederacy launched their desperate invasion of Hutt space. They had conquered roughly three-quarters of it with shocking speed. No major Republic positions had fallen — mainly because the Hutts had never truly allowed the Republic into their territory beyond a few border worlds. But now, while Palpatine got the galactic war he always craved, I was finishing the destruction of his political power base.
Over three dozen captured CIS senators stood in restraints along one wall of the *Nightfall*'s bridge. The rest had resisted during the ground operation and were killed. No more mercy. This was the final stroke. The fleet had gathered in high orbit, a dark constellation of steel and death ready to deliver judgment.
I stood at the center of the bridge in my standard Wrath Shield configuration, the mask hiding the scars on my face. The tactical holomap showed Raxulon still burning from the previous assault. Smoke rose from the Senate complex and key infrastructure hubs.
"Open fire," I said calmly.
The order was simple. No theatrics. No long speeches.
Green and blue turbolaser fire lanced downward in a controlled planetary bombardment. Not enough to crack the planet apart — just enough to cripple Raxus for the remainder of the war. Industrial districts, communications arrays, remaining military depots, and key government buildings vanished in brilliant explosions. I estimated around fifteen million dead so far. Raxus was not a city-planet like Coruscant, so the casualties were concentrated but still devastating.
I felt nothing. A subtle Force shield around my armor and the girls' positions blocked the waves of death from reaching us through the Force. No screams. No echoes of terror. Just cold, necessary calculation.
The bridge crew worked in silence. They had grown used to this side of me.
"Good," I murmured as the last salvo impacted. "Raxus is neutralized. Transmit the surrender demand to any remaining Separatist holdouts. Those who refuse… glass them."
I turned away from the viewport. "Set course for Serenno. It's time to deal with Dooku personally."
The *Nightfall* and its escort group accelerated, leaving the ruined world behind. The head of the snake had been struck. Now we would cut off the body.
**Scene 2: Hyperspace – Aboard the Salvation (Modified Nebulon-B Escort Frigate)**
**Rahm Kota POV**
It was strange remaining a Jedi Master in Dagon's new order. Attachments were now allowed — something Kota had never cared much for anyway. Earning money was also permitted, at least more openly now. But honestly, when Kota had first met that kid Dagon Marek and his combat droid Ethan a year and six months ago, he couldn't believe what he was being offered: ships, money, ammunition — all for free, or basically whatever Dagon had captured from pirates and decided not to destroy.
Now he commanded a select strike fleet on one of the most dangerous missions of the war.
His force consisted of:
- 20 Assault Frigates Mark 1
- 8 Nebula-class Star Destroyers
- 5 Nebulon-B Escort Frigates (heavily modified)
He also had company. His former padawan, now Knight Falcon Grey, stood at his side. Twenty Temple Guards and fifteen regular Jedi Knights rounded out the Jedi contingent. The rest were Dagon's elite Dark Star volunteer forces — non-clone soldiers who had proven themselves in the hardest fighting. They were something else entirely: disciplined, fanatically loyal to the Supreme Commander, and utterly ruthless.
The orders from Dagon had been simple but very dangerous.
Mustafar.
A small, young planet in the Mustafar system of the Atravis sector in the Outer Rim Territories. Orbiting the star Priate, it was situated between the gas giants Jestefad and Lefrani. Their gravity had torn the world apart, turning what was once a lush garden planet into a volcanic hellscape of lava rivers, obsidian mountains, and ash-choked skies.
Legends spoke of offworlders led by Lady Corvax who had lived in harmony with the natives until invaders came. Corvax, unable to let go of her dead husband, stole the Mustafarians' Bright Star in a mad quest for immortality. The resulting catastrophe devastated the planet. Other stories claimed a cataclysmic struggle between Sith and Jedi had shifted orbits and caused the devastation.
Whatever the truth, Mustafar was now one of the harshest environments known to support life. The native Mustafarians had adapted, living in the few stable zones. The world was also home to lava fleas, Sher Kars, Jawenko lava beasts, and worse.
Kota's target was the **Klegger Corp Mining Facility**, also known as the KCM installation or the Mustafarian Mining Complex.
Dagon's recorded orders played again on the bridge:
"Send a crew of slicers and 120 troopers to take control of the station and kill whoever is in there. If you lose contact with the crew for more than 10 seconds, open fire. Base Delta Zero orbital bombardment, range 1 kilometer, priority orders. Reason: Possible Sith Lord present. Incredibly powerful. No chances. May the Force be with you."
Falcon Grey shifted uncomfortably. "It feels ominous, Master. These orders… shouldn't we try to capture the Sith?"
"Boy, are you crazy?" Kota growled. "This Sith Lord is said to be on par with Yoda and Windu combined — similar to the Gen'Dai on Tatooine that Dagon killed two years ago. We take no chances."
The young knight fell silent. Kota understood his hesitation. The old Jedi way would have demanded capture and redemption. But Dagon's New Order was different. Some threats were simply too dangerous to risk.
"Prepare the strike team," Kota ordered. "Full combat loadout. The moment we drop out of hyperspace, launch the assault shuttles. If that facility so much as twitches the wrong way… we burn it from orbit."
The *Salvation* and its task force hurtled through hyperspace toward Mustafar. Whatever waited on that volcanic world — whether ancient Sith secrets or a powerful dark sider — Rahm Kota and his forces would end it.
No mercy. No hesitation.
The Dragon's will would be done.
---
**Back on the Nightfall – En Route to Serenno**
Dagon stood alone on the observation deck, watching the blue tunnel of hyperspace streak past. The bombardment of Raxus had been necessary. Brutal, but necessary. The Confederacy's political center was shattered. Their leadership was either dead or captured. Now only Dooku remained as the public face.
Serenno would be next.
He could feel the girls through the bond — steady, ready, supporting him even across the void. Ahsoka's determination, Miaria's fierce loyalty, Sakura's calm calculation, and the others… They had become his anchor in the storm he himself had created.
The war was reaching its climax. The CIS was lashing out in desperation, invading Hutt space to replenish their losses. But with Raxus fallen and their core shipyards under threat, their collapse was inevitable.
Dagon clenched his fist inside the gauntlet.
"Dooku," he whispered. "Your time is up."
The Dragon was coming for the Count of Serenno.
And this time, there would be no escape.