Cherreads

Chapter 25 - Shadows Over the System

Feron-4 Outer Orbit – Obsidian Watchstation Aegis

The newly deployed Watchstation Aegis floated like a black dagger against the stars. Kael stood at its command deck, flanked by elite officers, gazing at the vastness of space beyond the viewport. Below, Feron-4 shimmered under a shield dome that pulsed like a heartbeat. The construction of his orbital defense network was complete.

Kael: "Initiate system-wide diagnostic. Link the thermal disruptors, gravity shear mines, and ion scatter turrets into the Obsidian Tactical Net."

Officer Drev: "All orbital platforms synched. We now have overlapping kill-zones from low orbit to near-system edge. Nothing enters without disintegrating."

Kael: "Good. Bring Black Echo online."

Black Echo Field Trial – Arkan V Mining Complex (abandoned)

Four figures clad in advanced stealth armor dropped silently from orbit. Each Black Echo unit was a ghost, an assassin honed for silent war. Their mission: eliminate a rogue droid cartel using salvaged Jedi parts.

Through infrared fog, they moved. No footprints, no aura. One target moved — a massive IG-series warbot. A click of compressed air, a shimmer of displacement — and the machine fell into pieces before its sensor array registered.

Black Echo 3: "Phase field holds. Vibro-drives achieving silent dismemberment."

Black Echo 1: "Cartel neutralized. Zero alerts triggered. Package secured."

In Kael's command center, live feeds flickered.

Kael: "Upgrade their neural dampeners. I want even their thoughts unreadable by any Force user."

Ascendant Field Trial – Red Dunes of Sector Zeta-19

The Ascendant 3rd Wave stood at the edge of a simulated warzone. A Jedi-style obstacle course had been reconstructed, featuring holographic Jedi illusions, dual saber users, and Force-pressure generators.

Command Ascendant Kryll barked no orders. None were needed. The trainees activated their augmentation harnesses — adrenal response spikes, reflex inhibitors removed, and combat implants synced.

Kryll: "Begin."

The first three illusions fell in under 15 seconds. The Force-pressure turrets were dodged not by intuition but by predictive movement enhanced by combat drugs and internal mapping systems.

By the end of the test, over 90% completion rate was achieved.

Kael (observing): "Deploy five for live operation against pirate holdouts in Delta Quadrant. No survivors."

Kryll: "Understood. Obsidian Doctrine will be engraved in flesh."

Jedi Task Force: Operation Silent Dagger – En Route

From hyperspace emerged Jedi Cruiser Unity's Grace, leading a task force of six corvettes and two frigates. Inside, Master Thalon Marr, an elder Mirialan with piercing gold eyes, reviewed encrypted reports.

Thalon: "We're not just dealing with insurgents. This force, whatever it is, uses the Force... but not in any way we've studied."

Knight Varra: "If they're not Sith or Jedi, what are they?"

Thalon: "Instruments of something new. Prepare for contact. If we are compromised, purge protocol is in effect."

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