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Chapter 77: A Wand’s Sacrifice.
🕑 Added 2025-06-24 23:37:56 +0000 UTC[P]-[W]-[M]
Reality: Star Wars
Csilla - Syndicure Chamber
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Chiss Syndics, Chiss elders of their noble houses and military authorities alike, sat around a large, circular table in the Syndicure Chamber. As the leaders of their people, they were made aware of Emperor Grey’s arrival, and while they would have denied entertaining the idea of the Emperor arriving in their space alone, after the recent acquisition of land, space and title, they couldn’t deny the sight in front of them.
The air buzzed with concern as blue-skinned individuals in crisp uniforms and formal robes sat beneath a massive holographic projection of Grey’s ship, floating above their world in silent orbit. Their scans couldn’t pick up anything from inside the ship, and if it really was the new Grey space leader, asking for the deactivation of their technology for a search would be an insult. It was small enough not to be a threat, even if it tried. Not unless it was carrying a large portion of Mgnal-Mgnal or some biological threat and planned to release it on the Chiss people.
The entire situation was confusing.
“He came alone?” one of the Syndics asked, narrowing crimson eyes in suspicion.
“There’s no escort. No fleet. No escorting ambassadors,” another murmured. “What kind of ruler arrives without a guard when dealing with a foreign power? And why not send a messenger?”
“No proof that he is alone,” a Syndic countered, tapping one slender blue finger on the table. “Our sensors did not detect his ship until it was already within visual range, no sign of hyperspace jump whatsoever. If he can hide one ship, what stops him from hiding a fleet?”
“Recalibrate our planetary and orbital scans,” a military Syndic ordered, glancing at an attending officer. “I want active sweep cycles searching for lifeforms or even specific materials, clearly we can’t detect their ships. Check for gravimetric disturbances, anything that could indicate cloaked or phased vessels.”
“And alert those with the Sight,” added another as he caresed his jaw in thought, referring to their people’s Force users. “If this man truly is steeped in mysticism as the Jedi and Republic sources claim, it would be prudent to see if anything bypassed our sensors through more esoteric means. Though from their reports, he is more technologically inclined, so I doubt we will have much progress.”
Minutes passed as the chamber buzzed with discussion, speculation, and irritation aimed toward their lack of information. Then a soft tone signalled the officer’s return.
“Nothing,” the Chiss officer confirmed, somewhat disappointed in the news he had to deliver. “No other ships in orbit. No anomalies. Nothing near or within the system. Not even faint hyperspace residue.”
Silence followed for a short while as the room inhabitants exchanged looks before one of the Syndics finally spoke. “Perhaps, this is his way of expressing peace, showing that he comes without weapons or security ships. The reports did say he visited the Jedi on his own as well, after all.”
A soft scoff echoed from across the table. “Or,” a gruff-looking Chiss steepled her fingers, “he simply doesn’t fear us. Either he is ignorant of our customs… or he means to send a message. That harming him will bring more destruction than we can afford.”
“Hmm,” another mused. “If that is the case, he is either a fool or someone very confident in what his people can do.”
“Let’s allow him to be confident, then,” the gruff-looking Chiss said with a wry smirk. “If he is truly here to destroy the Mnggal-Mnggal, let him try. If he succeeds, he will have done the Ascendancy a favour. If he fails, we have lost nothing… except a potentially valuable ally. Either way, we win.”
A brief round of silent nods passed among the Syndics as they all agreed. The decision was clear.
“Send word to the patrol ship,” the gruff-looking Chiss ordered with a nod toward the officer. “Authorise orbital descent. We will receive Emperor Grey and address his requests in person. Let us hope he is as impressive as his rising legend claims him to be.”
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Jonathan Grey
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"Be advised, this is Chiss Ascendancy Control. You have been granted permission to descend. Please proceed to landing platform T-7 within sector 9. You will be met by an official escort. Do not power up any weapons of any kind." The transmission announced.
They took their time discussing whether or not to grant us permission to descend. But I wasn’t surprised, considering they had sealed their borders since the ancient wars between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire.
“Acknowledged. Descending now.” I responded, angling the Gauntlet smoothly down toward the ice-blue planet below, patiently following behind an escort ship even though they sent over coordinates for where to land. Frosted clouds swept across the skies as we broke through the atmosphere, revealing cityscapes nestled within protective domes and carved into glacial mountains.
As the Gauntlet lowered into the designated landing platform, a squad of Chiss guards in deep navy armour stood in formation, awaiting our arrival. Flanking them were two high-ranking attendants by the looks of it, in silver-trimmed robes with unreadable expressions. Useless against a person who can sense emotions or read minds, not unless they had ways to shield themselves, which they didn’t.
With a soft landing on the platform, I extended the boarding ramp, and we made our way out. Naturally, I walked down first, cloak shifting slightly with the wind as I confidently descended the ramp with no worry of attack of any kind. Not because I didn’t think they would attack, but that I knew whatever they possibly could try would amount to nothing in the end. The Flamels followed behind, still in their secretary and butler outfits.
The lead attendant stepped forward and bowed, placing a fist over his chest in a formal Chiss greeting. “Emperor Grey. The Syndicure awaits you.”
I inclined my head respectfully. “Then let’s not keep them waiting.”
As we were led across the platform, I took in the architectural precision around us. Everything was immaculate, symmetrical, and engineered with intent. It made Thrawn’s behaviour and approach to strategy seem more like a result of the culture he was raised in combined with his talent and skill, rather than a random oddity that came from nowhere.
While our escort continued to lead the way, I could feel Nicolas and Perenell trying to feel the place out with magic, even while Nicolas busied himself studying up on the Chiss species some more on his tablet. He seemed to be specifically researching the Force users of the species, trying to understand their perspective on those they referred to as individuals with the Sight.
Using a landspeeder, we passed under towering arches and through heavy reinforced gates until we entered the elegantly lit halls of a Chiss Syndicure Complex. It was odd that we hadn’t seen anyone who would be considered poor, but considering they were likely trying to show superiority, I had no doubt they were either removed or we were taken on a more financially elevated route, so to speak.
Finally, we were led into a large meeting chamber built in descending tiers, each lined with members of the Syndicure, both aristocrats and military personnel. In the centre stood a single circular platform, clearly meant for visitors, and we stepped onto it without hesitation, ignoring the analytical looks we were receiving.
A formal voice echoed across the chamber, sounding as emotionless as the speaker could. “Emperor Grey. You stand before the Syndicure of the Chiss Ascendancy. You have come seeking information on the entity known as Mnggal-Mnggal. You may speak.”
The situation kind of reminded me of speaking with Goblins a little, so I didn’t bother tilting my head up to the speaker as I said. “Let it be known, I did not come here to demand or threaten. I came to ask, and I appreciate that my arrival and actions have been treated as such. What I do after this will benefit all the people in the galaxy, including those of your species living in it. I simply seek to remove a potential threat from existence.”
A silence followed as they seemed to wait for me to say more, probably expecting me to ask for more or some kind of alliance, something I have no doubt has been requested by many others. A few Syndics exchanged glances.
Then the lead Syndic, one with a name many non-Chiss would butcher trying to pronounce, rose from his seat. “Your request is noted, and the sincerity in your words is not ignored. We have knowledge of Mugg Fallow, the corrupted planet. We will provide you with coordinates and the data we have gathered on its anomalies. Use it as you will.”
I gave the blue man a respectful nod. “Thank you. That’s all I needed.” Before turning to leave, I added, “And if you ever have need of assistance, whether diplomatic, medical, or military, Grey Space will be willing to have talks on the matter provided it sees the moral reasoning to do so.”
With that, I walked off towards the same officer who had led us to the chamber, not waiting for the political jargon that would normally follow a meeting like that, if it could even be called such. A HUD display showing the footage from a hacked camera showed the Syndicure sitting in thoughtful silence, eyes narrowed slightly in contemplation.
My words were specific to ensure there would be no political fuckery. They could only come to Grey Space seeking help when they weren’t the instigators in any conflict. We would owe them nothing and only help them when it didn’t go against our moral code.
As the Flamels and I were escorted back to the landing pad, Nicolas leaned in close and whispered. “They seemed nice. And by the looks of it, they’re definitely hoping you succeed. But they seem to also hope to cash in some Grey Space aid soon.”
I didn’t need the Force to tell me that the Grey Empire would be informed of the Vong species and their subsequent invasion sooner rather than later.
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After getting all the information needed, all of which I could have without their aid, we jumped to the planet of the hour. Included in the information pack, were all the ways in which the Mnggal-Mnggal has caused havoc around different worlds and how the Chiss, among others, have culled it via planetary bombardment and what can old be considered Nuclear warfare. To be fair, they did try saying as much as they could, going planet-side first, scanning people before taking them off-world, basic zombie apocalypse military stuff.
Scorched earth tactics aside, they had done an admirable job of containing it to a single planet, while keeping a close eye on all those who even come close to the abomination of a rock. In fact, there were plans to destroy the planet itself, but it wouldn’t make it to the core, and some even noted that they might risk debris veering off, with Mnggal-Mnggal still attached.
As we exited the nerd-portal, I couldn’t help the sneer that crawled its way to my lips, feeling the pure malaise it was exuding in the Force. The ship’s display showed the Mugg Fallow in all its disgusting glory, rotating slowly like a rotting fruit in space, surface oozing dark grey, almost black, oceans of pain, hunger, and death.
Seeing no reason to allow the entity its continued existence, I made my way to the ramp, with the Flamels following behind, wanting to nosy in on the method I was going to use. Perenelle was even recording the whole thing on her tablet, as if the ships didn’t have cameras recording everything going on.
With the ramp fully down and tech maintaining the force fields around the ship to allow the Flamels to observe without being sucked into space, I palmed my already exited and vibrating wand. From what I could feel, the wand knew what I wanted to do. Knew the level of magic I was going to unleash on the world below.
Closing my eyes for a moment, I fell into silent communion with my wooden companion, mostly for show as I could communicate with it without focusing. If the wand wanted a heartfelt moment, who was I to deny it. Regardless, I felt what it wanted to convey just fine.
It had enjoyed my magic, enjoyed helping me when it could, which wasn’t much, considering I’d only had it for a year. But now it chose to die with purpose, saving the galaxy. Not to be passed down to a family member, or barely used for centuries at a time the more I saw no point in taking it out. It wanted to die in the hands of the greatest magic user in existence, and it would revel in the act.
I was getting severe last stand vibes from it, and it reminded me of the significantly amplified feeling I get when watching last stands in movies. People giving their lives for their loved ones and such. Real Spartan, Leonidas-like.
With a resigned breath, I lifted the excited foci toward the planet and spoke. “Then so be it. Bring the storm, my friend.”
A deep hum resonated in the air around me as the spell began to form. Lightning coiled around the wand, arcs of violet and white dancing around my armour in a non-volatile manner as I let my magic flow, allowing the storm to take shape.
A maelstrom of apocalyptic magic and Force energy erupted from the tip of the wand and coalesced into a vast set of destructive clouds in space above the cursed planet. From it descended tendrils of living lightning and disintegrating winds. It was destruction incarnate, and just being at the helm had me thinking if this was what it was like for Freeza when he was wiping out the Saiyans.
Moving the [Chain Force Storm] to the planet proper, and trying to spread it planet-wide to quicken the process as much as possible, I couldn’t help the smirk as the notification bombarded my mind while the tendrils of enemy jumping destructive lightning struck the planet like judgment itself.
[Destroy a large portion of the entity known as the Mnggal-Mnggal: +5,000 SP]
[Destroy a large portion of the entity known as the Mnggal-Mnggal: +5,000 SP]
[Destroy a large portion of the entity known as the Mnggal-Mnggal: +5,000 SP]
[Destroy a large portion…….]
I had to turn off the notifications out of sheer annoyance when the initial euphoria of gaining points subsided, watching as the planet shuddered violently. Chasms opened. The black mass of the Mnggal-Mnggal screamed, not in sound, but in a psychic shriek felt by those sensitive to the Force. And I smiled as I felt its hunger turn to panic as it tried to comprehend the unfairness of the situation and how it just wanted to eat. Then agony, before then silence.
I continued to pump my magic through the wand some more, ignoring the cracks forming on its length as I contained the storm so it would only stay on the planet, unlike Sidious, who committed accidental self-deletion via loss of control. The planet began to essentially transform into a wormhole, collapsing as the storm consumed the parasite, pulling the rock inward as it jumped from one pocket of dark goo to another. By the time everything was over, the planet was probably around twenty-five percent smaller.
I didn’t even realise I had been standing there for over an hour until the last tendril of lightning faded and I finally stopped solely focusing on restricting the spell to the planet. As I lowered the wand, the soft cracks that ran down its length were finally allowed to continue spreading, with me no longer using the full extent of my Archmage Essence to prolong its life until I was done. Several more started forming, spreading at a rapid rate, until it burst into glimmering fragments, dissolving in the vacuum of space like ashes in the wind.
A final pulse of contentment, peace and duty fulfilled brushed against my connection to it one last time before it was no more.
[Eradicate the Mnggal-Mnggal from the Star Wars universe: +3,000,000SP]
With a slow nod of farewell to the wand, I turned and walked back into the ship, letting the ramp seal behind me. Nicolas and Perenelle had to break themselves out of their stupor, eyes wide and mouths slightly agape as they stared at the display of the planet that once was, only for the sight to be broken by the ramp shutting.
“It's rare for people to build that much of a link with their wand,” Nicolas said after he and his wife caught up to me on the way to the cockpit, trying to console me on the loss. “It was a good partner.” He nodded before tilting his head when his wife sent him a look to try to cheer me up. “Was that spell by the way… a storm variant of Protego Diabolica?”
“No,” I replied, slipping into my seat like I didn’t just wipe out a planet. “A personal variation of Force Storm, one of the Force abilities the most powerful Force users have access to. It requires a lot of power and control, and without the control, the user risks being consumed by it.”
Perenelle slowly nodded, still digesting what she'd just witnessed while also seeming to think of something to take my mind off the destroyed wand. “Devastatingly elegant…” she muttered, swiping on the tablet in her hand to a section before narrowing her eyes. “I take it the… Sith you mention in your notes is another individual you plan to deal with, much like Riddle.”
“No,” I shook my head. “I made the mistake of keeping Riddle alive. I won’t be making that mistake with a dark lord again. The consequences are way too high.”
Without further commentary, I hailed the Chiss Ascendancy on Csilla, ignoring the Chiss ships in orbit keeping an eye on things. The same voice from the ‘meeting’ earlier answered, but I skipped over the political jargon.
“This is Grey. The Mnggal-Mnggal is no more. Confirm at your leisure with the ships monitoring the planet’s status. If your Ascendancy wishes to speak further on cooperation, trade, or alliance matters, Cortana will be your contact going forward.”
A long pause later, possibly to check it was a transmission from my ship and not someone else, he responded. “Understood. We… will verify and reach out.”
Closing the channel, I keyed in the next set of coordinates without missing a beat. “Right, how would you like to meet some Jedi? And feel free to make comments on their failures all you want.”
Once again, I was shafting the Gauntlet through slip space.
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“One must have strength, for the Chiss will deal only with those capable of keeping their promises.”
— Mitth'raw'nuruodo, aka Grand Admiral Thrawn.
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Hello There
Mnggal-Mnggal gon’ night-night, for good.
He’s going to have to start using the wand of destiny from now on, I guess. Not like he needs it.
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Disclaimer: I own nothing except my original character and ideas. All credit goes to their respective owners.
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Thank you for reading.
As always, stay awesome.
Until next time, Light's out.
Comments
avatarjedi
best chapter yet
Nyx
This has gotta be the best chapter so far! Very cinematic!
