Lenico Belt - Cairn Installation: Reversion

“In other news, information from sources within the Empire of Thule appears to confirm previous rumors that the military giant had suffered a takeover by the Empire of Wayland.”

It had been months since the takeover, and in accordance with the Overlord’s contingency plan Jericho had tentatively reestablished a connection to the galactic holonet. This was possibly the most dangerous part of the plan, as Jericho had no idea if the Wayland AI – CABAL – was monitoring connections to the communications network, but it was a necessary risk. At any rate, the AI calculated the chances of detection, considering the time that had passed, at only 2.34 percent. Well within the limits dictated by established protocols. Nevertheless, Jericho had dedicated over half his considerable processing power to monitoring the connection for anomalies or intrusions.

The information now flowing through the AI’s matrices seemed promising. Reports circulating that the Wayland Empire was in the throes of a power struggle, reports of drastically reduced Sith activity, reports of an increase in Jedi activity. Nearly everything in accordance with the Overlord’s predictions prior to his disappearance. Soon the Overlord would return. Soon the Empire of Thule would rise again.

>>Ten Minutes

Jericho increased the Cairn’s reactor core to just under ten percent output, keeping it low enough for the stealth systems to shield the power signature. The AI directed the new surge of power to the Cairn’s sensor array, and pinged the local sector of the Lenico Belt. He compared the resulting data with previous asteroid movement projections, and performed a quick search for anomalies. After verifying the few anomalies as the result of unforeseen collisions, the Jericho began cycling the reactors up to full power.

Maintenance droids, inactive since the station went dark, snapped back to life. With only a beep of indignation – directed at the small layer of dust that had been allowed to develop – they set off to clean the station.

For the first time in months, the station’s interior lights flickered on.

From a small hangar bay on the asteroid station’s underside, a dozen probe droids dispersed out into the asteroid field.

>>Seven Minutes

The reactor cores reached one hundred percent output. Turrets performed a system scan, uplinked with Jericho’s systems, and entered standby mode.

The station’s shields, which had been operating at nearly five percent to deflect or destroy incoming asteroids, rapidly increased to one hundred percent capacity.

>>Five Minutes

In a small room, located just off the Cairn’s secondary research lab, Jericho withdrew the feeding tube from the only living creature on the station. A clone. The Overlord’s clone.

The station’s secondary hangar bay hissed open, and a communications buoy drifted out. With a flash, the buoy’s engines came to life and propelled it away from the station. Upon reaching a predetermined clearing, it streaked into hyperspace.

>>Two Minutes

Back in the clone room, dozens of wires detached from the being. A larger, flat wire disconnected from the base of the clone’s skull. It now floated alone in the tank.

>>Thirty Seconds

Jericho began draining the fluid within the clone tank. He paused for half a cycle to triple-check the contingency plan, and began to wait.

>>Zero Seconds

The last of the fluid drained from the cloning tank. In the same instant, the clone violently arched its back. Arms and legs went rigid, eyelids fluttered, and Jericho registered a spike in brain activity and blood pressure.

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Dooku’s eyes snapped open. In one instant, he experienced taste, smell, touch, sound, and sight for the first time in months. In the following instant, he proceeded to vomit the nutrient fluid that had sustained his new body over the months.

He spent the better part of a minute shaking on the cold metal floor, reorienting himself and calling on the force for strength before he was able to stand upright. While his new body was physically strong, his mind, which had overwritten the clone’s mind, was unaccustomed to normal existence. His time spent outside the realm of the living was no doubt responsible for that.

Dooku crossed over to the sonic shower, and proceeded to dress in the clothing the station’s AI had laid out. Satisfied, he tapped the door control and took a hesitant step out into the empty secondary research lab.

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A short time later, he stepped onto the raised dais in the Cairn’s control room. On a pad near the main view screen, Jericho’s holographic avatar shimmered to life.

“Is everything proceeding according to the plan?” Dooku inquired. A quick survey of the main view screen was enough to verify that it was, but he wanted the AI to confirm it anyway.

“Everything is proceeding according to plan. The comm. buoy will revert to normal space in approximately twenty seconds.”

“Excellent. Prepare to send the message. And when that Wayland AI CABAL tries to stop you, introduce it to the new Eternity Code for me.”

“Of course, Overlord. It will be my pleasure.”

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In near Ziost, the comm. buoy reverted to normal space. It immediately fired its maneuvering thrusters and angled toward a standard Empire of Thule comm. relay. The buoy slowed, and connected one of its “arms” with the relay. This link connected Jericho into the Empire of Thule’s network, bypassing the worst of the security measures while Jericho dealt with the others. This would ordinarily be an impossible feat, as an eternity code usually protected the network. The Wayland Empire’s takeover had succeeded only due to dumb luck, as the eternity code was down in preparation for installing the updated version.

Now inside the network, Jericho only had to transmit one word to regain complete control of the Empire of Thule. He quickly composed a message, written in a language translated from the sides of Barkheshian temples, which translated roughly to “revert”. The computer systems on ships, troops, and every other piece of technology would receive this message, and trigger a small code Dooku had embedded in the translation of the Barkheshian word. All computer systems formerly belonging to the Empire of Thule would again fall under Dooku’s command.

As Jericho transmitted the message, he “felt” CABAL searching the network for the source of the intrusion. He located the signal source – a Wayland Empire relay station, and booted up the improved eternity code. For the Wayland AI on the other end of the connection, it would be the equivalent of getting hit by a speeder. The AI would likely be stunned for several cycles – an embarrassment for such an advanced construct – and furious. Jericho allowed himself a moment of satisfaction before he reached across the network and severed all foreign connections. The Empire of Thule was back under the Overlord’s Command.

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“It is done” Jericho stated, “All foreign connections severed. Recalling all ships to established worlds. Initiating Isolation Protocol. Grounding all civilian vessels. Severing secondary communication relays. Initiating roundup of all non-Empire beings, to be removed from Empire space at a destination of their choosing.”

“Excellent work, Jericho. Once the Isolation Protocol has been carried out, I want you to reformat the entire network. The Wayland AI was likely too sure of itself to bother leaving a backdoor, but I don’t want it doing what we just did. Personally overwrite and lock down every system, starting with the non-essential systems first. Clear all Archive facilities, and copy the Cairn’s records over to them.”

“As you wish, Overlord.”

“And as for the Overlord designation, it is no longer necessary. I am taking the Empire of Thule is a new direction. A better direction, for our citizens, and for the galaxy at large. And such a title would be inappropriate in a democracy.”