Unknown to the royal chamber—unseen and unheard—multiple camera feeds flickered to life deep beneath the surface of the abandoned mine. Inside the Forerunner-integrated chamber, the projection hovered before Jin-Woo, flickering with perfect clarity. Satine teasing Bo-Katan. Yoda watching in silence. The Jedi, Mandalorians, all caught on crystal-clear feed.
Jin-Woo watched it all calmly, arms folded as the glow from the projection danced off his helmet.
Offensive Bias's voice hummed within his exoframe, low and mechanical. "Observation complete. Royal chamber behavioral analysis concluded. However…" The AI paused, then added, "Supreme Executor may have committed an error at Korda Six. Suggestion: Should have used Supreme Executor's mana to apply wide-range cognitive restructuring. Subtle brainwashing of all participants—memory shaping."
Jin-Woo didn't even blink.
"Nope," he replied, voice flat. "That's exactly what I want."
A soft pulse flickered from his helmet's projector as he leaned back slightly, eyes still on the feed.
"I need the galaxy to think for itself," Jin-Woo said quietly. "To react on its own. This galaxy… has sentience. It's not just living. It remembers. I'm testing it."
Offensive Bias processed for a moment. "Conclusion: Supreme Executor is intentionally raising the difficulty of all strategic encounters. Purpose: unknown. Hypothesis: increased challenge may yield higher adaptive growth or reward."
Jin-Woo gave a dry chuckle. "Sort of."
He reached out and flicked the projection off with a wave of his hand.
"Let the Jedi maneuver. Let the Republic scramble. I want to see what moves they'll make when they think I'm not watching."
Offensive Bias replied without pause, "Then I shall continue surveillance, Supreme Executor. Shall I prepare psychological profiles for all participants in the council chamber?"
Jin-Woo shook his head slowly, his voice low and measured. "No. Change priorities. Focus on Coruscant. Hack everything—Holonet terminals, droid cores, senatorial archives, Jedi Temple databases, Black Sun comms, even vending machines if you have to. I want that entire planet under our eye. Nothing escapes."
A brief silence, and then Offensive Bias responded with unflinching clarity.
"Negative. Current limitations prevent full execution of command. My main body remains in Zeta Halo. The Supreme Executor's shoulder-implanted node—current version—is only capable of extended scan, intercept, and monitoring across four to five solar systems in range. Coruscant lies outside optimal net coverage. Full-spectrum infiltration requires permanent implant directly on Coruscant."
Jin-Woo exhaled, the air quiet around him in the metallic chamber. He glanced at the dusty walls of the abandoned Mandalorian mine, gears turning behind his eyes.
"So, I need to put a seed down," he muttered. "Fine. We'll build it."
Offensive Bias processed this immediately. "Affirmative. Begin drafting blueprints for Subnode Implantation Beacon: Coruscant Variant?"
Jin-Woo nodded once, voice steady behind his helmet. "Do it. Make it elegant. Quiet. Jedi shouldn't notice until it's far too late."
But then, Offensive Bias's voice returned, laced with clinical concern.
"New complication detected, Supreme Executor. Current implant—located within your exoframe—is the only operational node extending my hacking range to nearby systems. However… Coruscant is layered. A vertical city-planet of infinite architecture and depth. Establishing a surveillance foothold there requires more than just code."
Jin-Woo didn't speak, waiting.
"I require a large, stable energy source planted within Coruscant's infrastructure. Something to broadcast my signal through all levels—from Senate Tower to the Underworld. Without it, real-time interception, cloaking, and override across every strata will be statistically inefficient. Manual infiltration is possible… but would leave floor gaps."
Jin-Woo clicked his tongue once, low and thoughtful. "…Then return me to Zeta Halo."
"Affirmative."
In a flash of controlled distortion, the space around him twisted. The air folded, reality shimmering as his frame vanished from the abandoned Mandalorian mine.
Slipspace opened—smooth, calculated—and in less than a second, Jin-Woo stood once again on the sacred metal plains of Zeta Halo.
He stood motionless as the ringworld welcomed its executor home. The dark beneath his helmet glinted with intent.
"Now…" Jin-Woo muttered quietly, arms folded as the stars of Zeta Halo spun above him.
"Let me think."
Before the silence could settle, a sudden weight pressed against his back. Two small arms wrapped tightly around his waist from behind.
"Did you miss me, sir Jin-Woo?" came the familiar voice, bright and warm. "I'm twelve now!"
Jin-Woo blinked under his helmet, voice dry. "Shouldn't you be fourteen by now… Rey Skywalker?"
Rey shook her head behind him, her hug unwavering. "My back name isn't Skywalker. And who's that, anyway? It's Woo now. My name is Rey Woo."
Jin-Woo turned his helmet slightly and glanced toward the hovering construct nearby—Despondent Pyre, the glowing eye sentinel of Zeta Halo. "…Despondent Pyre."
The floating AI turned gently, his amber eye dimming slightly. "Back name is a designation of familial ownership. I taught her that during our educational sessions over the last two years… as we played."
Jin-Woo sighed. "And what did you feed her? Anything delicious?"
Rey answered immediately, a pout forming. "The glowing eyeball only fed me vegetables and nutrition cubes. No meat. Not even once."
Despondent Pyre rotated solemnly. "It is good for health. Balanced fiber and minerals extend youth, slow stress development, and preserve the beauty of a young Reclaimer."
Jin-Woo lowered his head slightly and muttered, "…I leave for two years and you start a dietary cult."
Rey giggled, arms still wrapped around him as she pressed her cheek into his back. "But I still missed you."
With a soft hiss of shifting metal, Jin-Woo raised his hand—and his entire exosuit began retracting, layer by layer, vanishing into his storage. For once, he stood as himself, exposed to the cool air of Zeta Halo. No mask. No armor. Just his eyes, sharp and knowing, watching the sky.
Above him, the air shimmered—then thundered.
A massive flying construct descended, casting a vast shadow over the land. Its core rotated midair, one massive red eye scanning the terrain. It was Offensive Bias. And from its eye, a multi-layered holographic map projected into the air before Jin-Woo, displaying Coruscant's massive megastructure in full: city-layer over city-layer, a glowing maze of civilization.
Rey looked up, eyes wide in amazement. "Is that… Offensive Bias's true body? It's huuuuugeeeee!"
Despondent Pyre floated forward, voice even. "To be precise, all of Zeta Halo is his body. What you see now is merely the mobile form of his primary core. This is how he travels… but the ring itself is his consciousness."
The massive construct pulsed gently, its voice echoing in a smooth, synthetic tone. "Supreme Executor. In order to expand my network to Coruscant, I require a large energy source akin to your mana signature. Without it, I cannot achieve total coverage. Coruscant's stratified structure limits traditional infiltration."
Jin-Woo narrowed his eyes, gaze still fixed on the map as it shifted between layers. "Yes. I know. I can still see the map."
Offensive Bias processed this silently, the massive red eye above pulsing in thought as the holographic map continued shifting between Coruscant's endless levels.
"If Supreme Executor remains stationed at the uppermost surface level," the AI finally suggested, "and acts as a direct mana beacon, I can begin the scan sequence. This would allow gradual infiltration and synchronization with the city's tech matrix… though it will take approximately one standard month. During this period, your mana output will be channeled and amplified."
Jin-Woo narrowed his eyes further, scoffing quietly. "That's too long. Both the Jedi and that snake Palpatine could detect me." He raised a hand and pointed at a blinking red sector in the upper layers. "The last thing I need is everyone sensing a darkside god strolling casually through Coruscant And that kuso baba—".
Rey, still sitting near the edge of the platform, tilted her head curiously. "Kuso baba?"
Jinwoo answered "That relic I locked in a freezing coffin aboard the Defender-class corvette… Celeste Morne. When she woke up the first time, even when I was suppressing my mana output, she detected me instantly . Not as a Sith. But as something a hundred times worse.
"I could walk beneath the Jedi Temple freely only because Darth Plagueis is up there somewhere meditating his rotting brain out, blinding half the Council just so he and Sidious can keep playing their long game."
"I can't scam Sidious again. Not when he's looking for the culcript ."
Offensive Bias chimed after a moment. "Then revised strategy required, Supreme Executor. Awaiting further instruction."
"No more strategies," Jin-woo said coldly, voice low and absolute.
"The Jedi are already dead. They just don't know it yet. And the Sith ? Their plans take too long. All that scheming and waiting—for what?"
His aura flared. A pulse of black energy exploded outward from him like a heartbeat. The sky of Zeta Halo—once an artificial ceiling mimicking daylight—darkened instantly. Clouds swirled unnaturally, an eclipse blooming overhead. The air grew heavy. Then the sound followed—CLANK CLANK CLANK—a chorus of kneeling shadows materializing in synchronized motion.
More Than Ten million shadows. Each one a soldier, a beast, or a titan. . Awaiting his command.
Jin-Woo raised a single hand. "Even at fifty percent… I'll destroy them all."
The shadows behind him rustled—responding like an army inhaling all at once.
"I return to that cursed galaxy," he said, voice dripping with disdain, "and I still have the right to summon five million of my shadow army. My generals. My power."
Suddenly, a soft voice pierced the grim silence.
"Sir Jin-Woo…" Rey stood a few feet away, unshaken. Despite the oppressive aura surrounding him, she didn't flinch.
Instead, she tilted her head and asked innocently, "A planet is still a planet, right?"
Jin-Woo blinked. "Hmm?"
Rey's eyes stayed steady. "I mean… like a reactor. Maybe it's slower, but it still works, right? Still does its job. Even if you don't crush it all at once."
Then a sound of movement behind him—one of his oldest, most loyal shadows emerging.
Igris knelt, his obsidian armor gleaming under the storm-dark sky. His red plume fluttered in the wind as his voice echoed with urgency.
"My liege," Igris said solemnly, "the girl has a point."
Jin-Woo's expression sharpened slightly beneath the shadows.
"The anchor needs stability. Without it…" Igris hesitated, then continued, "I fear your actions may invoke the galaxy's defense mechanism… and you will be forcibly rejected. Ejected from that realm entirely.
The abyss behind Jin-Woo stilled. Without a word, Jin-Woo retracted his power.
The ten million-strong army folded back into his shadow. The skies of Zeta Halo cleared just slightly, enough for the silent structures to stand exposed under the sun.
A pulse of blue shimmered through the sky dome as Offensive Bias completed his scan.
"Scanning complete. Supreme Executor is by far the strongest entity encountered. Even against integrated Precursor combat data and raw Forerunner armaments—no viable suppression probability detected."
A slower, haunting voice echoed next—Despondent Pyre.
"That… is why he is our Supreme Executor. He is the only one… who will use us better than anyone else. The only one fit… to command."
Rey collapsed to her knees, hand pressed against the metall plains . Her breath came in shallow bursts, her vision spinning from the sheer gravitational pull of what Jin-Woo had almost unleashed.
Jin-Woo turned. The chaos in his presence quieted. He stepped forward slowly, kneeling beside her.
Then, gently, he pulled her into an embrace.
"…Sorry about that, I forget sometimes… my power is overwhelming. I almost made the ring crack… just by existing."
Rey didn't speak at first. Her fingers clenched his cloak tightly. Then she whispered, "It's very warm… and terrifying, your power is, Sir Jin-Woo. But still… I never expected you to be this strong."
Jin-Woo let out a short breath. "I'm more impressed by you, Rey. A twelve-year-old kid—fourteen now maybe—managing to stand your ground against me."
He reached into his inventory and pulled out a shimmering paper, marked in gold and runes—the British Lostbelt Teleportation Voucher.
Same situation as Offensive Bias, huh… he thought. I'll be teleported to the designated place.
But my problem is still Coruscant. I need Offensive Bias to scan every layer—upper levels, underworld, the Jedi Temple. However, it can't. It needs a power source similar to mine. And I can't plant it there—not with the Jedi around. My presence is a hundred times worse than a Sith's. If they find out, their alert level will double.
Not now. They still have Joever Bideney to worry about.
He stared down at the voucher for a second longer, then narrowed his eyes.
Should I bring Morgan le Fay here…? Create a Rhongomyniad… let it act as a power source strong enough to scan every detail of Coruscant…?
Jin-Woo tore the voucher in half.
Light cracked around him in a spiral. The space distorted, folding in on itself as if reality had just been rewritten. In the blink of an eye—he vanished from Zeta Halo.