**Chapter 367: The Queen and the Storm**
**Scene 1**
Queen Mirage Scintel of Zygerria lounged lazily on her ornate throne, golden eyes half-lidded with satisfaction as she surveyed her advisors. The royal hall glittered with polished stone and silk banners bearing the Zygerrian crest.
"So, our first raids were successful?" she purred.
"Yes, my Queen," one advisor bowed deeply. "We captured nearly fifty thousand slaves. More than twenty thousand have already been sold at auction. The rest were sent to the labor camps — they are currently building two new cities and rebuilding three destroyed ones on Zygerria itself. The total number of workers there is almost one hundred thousand."
Mirage nodded, a slow, pleased smile spreading across her lips. "Excellent work. But we're not going to stop there, are we?"
"You are correct, my lady," Prime Minister Atay Molek replied. "We have already prepared our forces for new major incursions. The ships and troops provided by the Confederacy — now under our command — will simplify these operations. We plan to strike several planets. Felemma has numerous human colonists with weak defenses. Tee-Duvi's population is quite diverse and healthy. The men will fetch high prices in the mines, and the women will bring excellent value at auction."
Mirage waved a dismissive hand. "Well, that is all for today. Go when you are ready. And may your deeds bring us glory, and may our Empire flourish once again!"
The gathered Zygerrians erupted in excited cries and cheers. Mirage chuckled softly, leaning back on her throne.
Few had believed she could succeed — become a worthy successor to her father and restore the Zygerrian Slave Empire, once shattered by Jedi-incited slave rebellions. But now… there were very few doubters left. Her power was truly absolute.
After the advisors departed, Mirage rose and headed to her private quarters to rest… and to have fun.
She had barely entered when her two personal slaves — a beautiful Twi'lek and a Pantoran — approached silently. Mirage had always favored exotic women, and her private collection grew constantly. She preferred to train them herself, refining their skills with patient cruelty.
"I'm resting today," she announced. "Prepare the large room. And… is it ready?"
"Yes, Mistress. Everything is as you ordered," the slaves answered quietly.
"Excellent."
Mirage quickly shed her ceremonial robes, handing them to the slaves, and slipped into a light, revealing silk gown before moving into the larger adjoining chamber.
A new toy awaited her there — one she would soon break and turn into another perfectly obedient slave.
"Sweetie," Mirage called softly, admiring the girl chained to the far wall.
"Mistress…" the slave muttered. She was dressed only in a bizarre harness of straps and clasps that concealed nothing.
"A truly magnificent acquisition. Although she's a bit stubborn… it's even more interesting this way." Mirage had been working on her for six months now and expected that within another month her efforts would yield the desired result. The slave would break completely, and then the Zygerrian queen would fully enjoy her.
Approaching slowly, Mirage ran her hand over the girl's sweat-slick skin, inhaling the faint scent of unwilling arousal that clung to her.
"Have you learned your lesson, Sweetie?"
"Yes, Madam… I… will serve you… Just no more—"
Mirage placed a finger to the slave's lips. "You talk too much, Sweetie. I didn't give you permission to speak."
She grabbed the girl by the collar, unfastened her from the wall, and dragged her to the center of the room. Three male slaves — human bodyguards she favored in bed — entered silently.
"Boys, I want to reward you today. Candy agreed to give you all an unprecedented pleasure, didn't she?" Mirage slapped the slave's bare backside sharply. "Dance, Candy. Dance! Show me everything you can do, and I'll consider not punishing you anymore…"
Mirage moved to her favorite chair and sat down with languid grace, sipping wine as she watched the girl begin to move — slow, erotic, humiliated. The three men shed their tunics and surrounded her.
"Good…" Mirage murmured, eyes gleaming with dark pleasure. "Soon Sweetie will think she should be enjoying this… and then she will break completely."
Feeling her own arousal building, Mirage gestured. The Pantoran slave knelt obediently in front of her, licking her lips seductively as she began to please her mistress.
**Scene 2**
**Dagon's POV**
Aboard the *Sovereign*, the full weight of what I was about to do finally hit me.
Memories of Skynet's human cultists flashed before my eyes — broken people turned into willing tools of machines, families destroyed, entire worlds burned. For a moment the old rage threatened to rise.
*No. This is for Zule. Not your pain.*
I surveyed the officers gathered around the large tactical table. Tarkin, Pellaeon, Ray, Kobayashi, and the others watched me intently.
I activated the holotable and highlighted Zygerria on the galactic map — located in square S-4, just below the Corporate Sector, between the Hydian Way and the Perlemian Trade Route.
"Gentlemen, as you no doubt gathered, as Vice Supreme Commander appointed by Master Yoda, my focus may seem odd to some. But this is all for the good of the Republic. Soon we will approach a CIS-aligned slave world. As per Republic law, the Zygerrians' practice of turning Republic citizens into slaves is illegal, and the sentence is death. Remember the plan: we get in, rescue our people, and get out."
I zoomed in on the planet. "According to our data, Zygerria has only four Lucrehulks and no more than twenty Munificent-class frigates. The rest of the small fry can be ignored. They have virtually no planetary air defense, and the population is concentrated in highland cities. Taking control of those cities will be relatively straightforward and won't require a massive ground force. Much more space will be needed, however, to evacuate all the slaves from the planet."
Tarkin nodded slowly, already calculating logistics. "We will be ready, General."
I looked at each of them in turn. "This is not a conquest. This is a liberation… and a warning. The galaxy is watching."
The officers saluted sharply.
The fleet was already preparing for the jump to Zygerria.
Zule stood quietly at my side, her golden eyes hard with determination and barely contained fury. Her family was somewhere on that world — her mother and two sisters she had never met.
We were coming for them.
And the Zygerrian Slave Empire was about to learn what real terror felt like.