The Scimitar-class ship remained in low orbit.
Dooku did not leave Feron-4 entirely.
He had seen too much to walk away.
And not nearly enough to act.
Dooku's Surveillance
At 0400 local time, a silent drone detached from the underbelly of the Scimitar.
Invisible to sensors, shielded from Force detection by ancient Sith alchemy, it descended back toward the "village."
But it never landed.
Instead, it burrowed into a ridge half a kilometer away, where it began to observe every flicker of heat, sound, and movement.
The first anomaly came within an hour.
Subject: "Child" observed in village
Action: Blinks three times at empty sky
Result: Atmospheric pulse detected – Class 0 signal burst
Effect: All droid "villagers" pause for 0.4 seconds before resuming standard movement pattern
Dooku frowned as the footage played on his wrist console.
"This is not a colony," he said coldly.
"It's a stage."
Kael's Response
Kael sat before the Empire Panel, eyes scanning faster than any being should've been able to process.
The surveillance drone had been detected the moment it pierced Feron-4's upper cloud layer.
But Kael didn't destroy it.
Instead, he used it.
A false anomaly was seeded into the "child" droid's behavioral loop. A quantum delay—a microsecond glitch that appeared natural, curious, real.
Dooku would keep watching.
And Kael needed time.
System Alert: Empire Expansion Protocol Enabled
Off-World Expansion Slot: UNLOCKED
Current Resources: 3,940 units Durasteel, 127 Hypertech Alloys, 600 Labor Units
Available Colonization Options:
Kiraon IV (Neutral, low-republic presence)
Zeck-Theta (Mining world, Separatist patrols frequent)
Tirass Prime (Long-abandoned Outer Rim listening post)
Kael selected Tirass Prime.
He transmitted coded orders to the Pattern Ship.
Within hours, an automated ship left Feron-4's dark side and jumped to hyperspace—carrying the first of Kael's seed constructs to establish a foothold on a forgotten world.
Meanwhile: Iralith's Truth
Inside her sealed chamber, Iralith awoke screaming.
Kael arrived moments later.
The chamber's emergency psychic dampeners were already active. She clawed at the walls, trying to tear her memories out with her nails.
"They made me build it!" she howled. "I didn't want to! The Jedi didn't understand… the Sith only wanted control—"
Kael stepped forward, emotionless.
"The Lament Engine?"
Iralith stopped. Her pupils dilated.
"It needs me."
She looked up at him, blood dripping from her palms.
"It's not just a weapon."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
She whispered:
"It's a goddamn choir. Singing across dimensions. It feeds on Force emotion. Love, hate, regret—anything primal. And when it has enough... it sings back."
System Alert: New Data Unlocked – Lament Engine Core Function
Type: Dimensional Weapon
Behavior: Absorbs Force-strong emotional energy
Output: Emits a psychic scream capable of disintegrating Force constructs, illusions, and connections
Consequence: Jedi lose empathy. Sith lose conviction. All Force visions collapse.
Activation Protocol: Requires genetic key – Iralith Vex
Kael stared down at her.
He had the key now.
He just didn't know what door it opened.
Dooku's Discovery
The drone pulsed again.
It had detected a signal spike from deep beneath Feron-4 — well outside the village.
A low-frequency harmonic used in ancient star forge protocols.
It was not Sith.
It was not Republic.
It was forbidden.
Dooku stood aboard his ship, watching the data feed in silence.
He activated his communicator.
"My lord… I believe I have found something.
But I may require assistance.
Perhaps… from General Grievous."