The world of Lehon, also known as Rakata Prime, loomed before them—a storm-ravaged graveyard of a forgotten civilization. The atmosphere shimmered unnaturally, torn by ancient energy fields. Cassian stood at the ramp of his stealth vessel, flanked by HK-47, whose chassis had been freshly upgraded with halo shielding, energy disruptors, and a sarcasm subroutine tweaked to Cassian's personal taste.
"Observation: Master, this planet reeks of antiquated fleshbags with god complexes. May I recommend orbital bombardment?"
Cassian smirked. "No. We're not here to destroy—we're here to unlock."
They descended into the ruins, HK scanning ahead. What they found was beyond even Cassian's calculations.
In the subterranean vaults of the Star Temple, preserved by malfunctioning stasis fields, lay crystalline data nodes, black obelisks carved with incomprehensible symbols—and deep within the central vault: a dormant AI core.
Cassian connected EVA to the alien console. Sparks flew. Cryptic Rakatan code bled into EVA's systems.
"Translation complete," EVA whispered. "This… is not just architecture. It is an ideology. A weaponized philosophy of conquest, encoded into matter itself."
HK tilted his head. "Query: Shall I kill the ideology?"
Cassian ignored him. His fingers danced across the interface. The AI awakened briefly, transmitting garbled words before burning out:
"Infinite. Unity. Flesh is constraint. Become the Forge."
Cassian stood still, eyes alight.
They hadn't just found blueprints. They had uncovered principles of galactic domination, the code that once governed the Infinite Empire—technology that could reshape sentient minds, phase matter across dimensions, and override time-locked genetic barriers.
Back on Corellia, Cassian locked himself in his lab. With EVA and HK-47 at his side, he began implementing what he now called Forge Doctrine, merging ancient Rakatan design with Halo AI theory and Star Wars fabrication tech.
Meanwhile, in the Depths of Cassian's Black Facility
Jedi Knight Taro Valin screamed—not in pain, but in revelation.
The neural enhancer clamped to his skull pumped light-side energy stimulants and Sith holocron data into his consciousness. Most beings would have gone mad. But Taro had changed.
"Do you hear it, Cassian?" he muttered, his voice distorted. "The Force isn't light or dark. It's layered… recursive. A simulation of a simulation…"
Cassian observed him from behind a transparent barrier. "What are you seeing?"
Taro looked up, eyes glowing faintly.
"There is a frequency the Jedi do not hear. A harmony between entropy and will. That's what the Rakata tapped into. That's what your Forge will become if you finish it."
Cassian leaned closer. "Then tell me more. And you may live to see it."
Back on Coruscant
Padmé Amidala's elegant heels echoed through the quiet corridor deep in the Senate Tower. She entered a private alcove where Mon Mothma already waited, her expression calm but tight.
They sat across from each other, voices low.
"You saw the Corellian yards?" Mon Mothma asked.
Padmé nodded. "Bigger than anything the Republic has. Cassian says it's all for defense. But I saw blueprints… ships that look more like weapons of ideology than war."
Mon's gaze sharpened. "You think he's another Palpatine?"
Padmé shook her head. "Worse. Palpatine wants power. Cassian… he wants to change the rules."
A pause.
"There are whispers," Mon said carefully. "About Count Dooku assembling a new faction. The Confederacy. Many believe Cassian's designs are already part of it."
Padmé's jaw tightened. "Then we need to watch both of them. Carefully."
On Geonosis
Count Dooku walked along the production lines. Cassian's droid designs were being mass-manufactured: sleek, humanoid machines with hybrid AI-Rakata logic chips and plasma-resistant armor. Not clunky battle droids—these were soldiers of philosophy.
A Geonosian approached and clicked reverently.
"Phase One complete. Orders?"
Dooku smiled. "Begin Phase Two. Prepare the prototypes for atmospheric war and Jedi confrontation."
As he walked away, he opened a holotransmitter.
"Lord Sidious… the Forge-born legions will be ready within the year."
Cassian's Private Log
"Project: Forge Ascendant is proceeding smoothly. With the Rakatan AI integrated and Taro's broken wisdom processed through EVA, we have achieved partial understanding of 'Dimensional Singularity Encoding.' HK-47 has been refitted with a Rakatan pulse-core—he is now my blade and key."
"Dooku is accelerating production. That's fine. I've left flaws buried in the droid core logic. Only EVA knows the override codes."
"Padmé… she grows wary.