It has been 15 years since Vulcan Gunner was expelled from the Jedi Order. True to his word, Solin Malice has not had contact with his best friend in all of that time.
A growing dispute between Vulcan's home planet of Ord Mantell and the distant planet Malastare has caused tensions between the two worlds. The debate over taxing routes has culminated in a blockade by Malastare over Ord Mantell.
The Supreme Chancellor of the Republic has dispatched Solin, now a Jedi Knight, and his apprentice, Keira Port, to settle the conflict and bring a peaceful resolution. But the threat is greater than either of them could have expected….
Tosan approached his master's quarters. Though he had been told not to disturb the Dark Lord, he knew his master would want to hear this news. He took a deep breath, terrified of his master lashing out at being interrupted while meditating before he tapped on the door.
"Enter," came his master's low voice immediately.
Tosan breathed a sigh of relief as he opened the doors into his master's chambers. The room was dark and decrepit, a sign of the Dark Side of the Force completely taking over his master. Tosan walked the long length of the room before he reached the center, where his master sat on a chair with his hood raised.
"Yes?" Lord Nacluv demanded without preamble.
"My Lord, it appears the Jedi Solin Malice and his apprentice are being sent to negotiate an end to the blockade," Tosan said nervously. He watched as his master's lips curled into a smile. It was the only part of his master's face he could see; the hood hid the rest of it.
"Good," said his master in a satisfied tone. "He will be a worthy adversary for you, my young apprentice."
"Are you saying the time has come to reveal ourselves, Master?"
"Yesssssss," Nacluv hissed. "Our time is now, Tosan."
Tosan smiled, his face lit up in excitement.
"At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi and the Republic," he mused. "At last you can have your revenge on the Jedi."
"You have been well trained, my young apprentice. The Jedi will be no match for you. Now, go to General Nute's flagship. Await my orders from there."
"Yes, my master," Tosan said, bowing low before turning to leave the room.
The Republic cruiser blasted out of hyperspace and into the atmosphere of Ord Mantell. Solin Malice looked around at the sea of ships surrounding the planet, cutting off all take-offs and landings on the planet below. Ordinarily, Ord Mantell would be a sight to behold, but with the blockade around it, the planet was unrecognizable.
"Captain." said Solin bluntly.
"Yes, sir?" the captain asked.
"Inform the general we wish to board at once."
The captain nodded at Solin and pressed a button to contact General Nute's ship. In an instant, the screen above the captain and co-pilot turned on and Solin had his first look at General Nute. Despite his army blockading a planet with force, General Nute looked frightened beyond his wits.
"With all due respect for the Army of Malastare, the ambassadors to the Supreme Chancellor wish to board immediately," said the captain.
"Yes, of course," replied General Nute in a voice that masked his terror. "As you know, our blockade of Ord Mantell is perfectly legal. We would be happy to receive the ambassadors."
With that, the screen turned off and the captain steered the ship toward General Nute's command ship. She landed the ship safely in the hanger of the command ship.
"Stay here until further notice," Solin said and he and Keira left the cockpit.
"Yes, sir," the captain replied.
As soon as the ramp was lowered, Solin and Keira walked down it, their hoods masking their faces. A man dressed similarly to General Nute, but with a lower rank insignia on his uniform, stood waiting below. He did not speak until the Jedi had left the ramp.
"I am Lieutenant Naver Silas at your service," said the man in a tough-sounding voice. Solin could sense the fear in this man, but like Nute, he tried to hide it. "This way, ambassadors."
Solin and Keira followed Silas in silence. He led them out of the hanger and down a hallway before a door opened. The Jedi followed Silas into the conference room, where a large table sat in the room. Silas paused as Solin and Keira walked past him.
"We are greatly honored by your visit, ambassadors," Silas grunted. "Make yourselves comfortable. General Nute will be with you shortly."
With that, Silas bowed curtly before turning and leaving the room. As soon as the door shut behind him, Solin and Keira turned around and finally lowered their hoods.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Keira said, shaking some of her blue and black hair out of her face as she adjusted to having her hood off.
"Why is that, Keira?" Solin asked.
"I can sense the presence of the Dark Side of the Force, Master," Keira replied. "But I can't place its source."
Solin nodded and smiled at his apprentice, pleased with her senses. "Yes, I can feel it, too. But it's not strong enough for me to sense where it's coming from either. We must be ever vigilant if someone using the Dark Side is on board this ship."
"What can we expect from General Nute, Master?"
"I sense he is a coward," Solin answered. Keira nodded in agreement. "I could sense the fear in him when he spoke to us on the ship. I expect these negotiations to be short."
"Will we succeed?"
"That all depends on how willing Nute is to negotiate. Now, we should await for his arrival. I am going to meditate to see if I can piece together where the taint of the Dark Side is coming from."
"Yes, Master," Keira said, taking a seat at the table while Solin sat down on the ground and closed his eyes, concentrating and losing himself in the Force.
"What?" Nute demanded of Silas, who had just reported back from letting the ambassadors wait in the conference room. They stood on the bridge of Nute's ship, which was crawling with several guards and officers. Captain Plutt and Tosan Inte stood with them.
"The ambassadors are Jedi Knights, sir, I am sure of it," Silas replied.
Nute turned to Tosan, whose face was covered by the mask he often wore; Nute had never seen Tosan without the mask.
"You were right, Tosan!" Nute exclaimed.
"Of course I was right, Fool," Tosan replied in the robotic voice of his mask that hid his true tone. Nute shivered slightly at hearing Tosan speak. "Do you honestly think my Master and I would have incorrect information?"
"No, I trust you and Lord Nacluv, but now that there are actually Jedi here, we must act quickly." Nute turned to Silas. "Lieutenant, I will need you to distract the Jedi while I contact Lord Nacluv and inform him of the situation."
Silas scoffed at Nute. "Are you brain dead, General?" he said in an exasperated tone. "I'm not going back in there with two Jedi! Send Tosan."
Nute turned to speak with Tosan, but stopped when he noticed Silas seemed to be struggling to breathe. He looked at Silas questioningly, but his lieutenant did not speak, but looked as if he were choking. Nute turned to Tosan, who had a hand raised and was staring at Silas.
"You will follow the General's orders, Lieutenant," Tosan snarled.
"Tosan!" Nute exclaimed, but Tosan ignored him.
"You will go and placate the Jedi or you will feel the wrath of my Master," Tosan demanded. "Lord Nacluv is not as forgiving as I am, Lieutenant Silas."
With that, Tosan lowered his hand and Silas gasped for air, massaging his throat. He spent the next several seconds catching his breath again before giving Tosan a dirty look.
"Fine, I will go and keep the Jedi distracted," he said. "I can't believe you just tried to kill me."
"Be glad it wasn't my master you angered," Tosan replied with a hint of warning in his tone.
Keira paced around the room, thinking quietly to herself. Her blue Jedi robes swished around her as she walked around the room, trying her best to place the source of the Dark Side of the Force she sensed. She turned and started walking toward the table again when she saw Solin's eyes snap open suddenly. She stopped her pacing.
"Did you find the source, Master?" she asked, sounding slightly worried.
Solin shook his head. "No, but Lieutenant Silas is on his way back. I'd better get off the floor so he doesn't get suspicious."
Solin stood up and hurried over to the table. Keira mimicked him, and they had both sat back down as the door open and Lt. Silas walked into the room, carrying a tray of drinks. He offered a cup to Solin first.
"No, thank you," he said kindly.
Silas did not say anything, but merely nodded. He walked over to Keira and offered her Solin's unused cup.
"Thank you," she said, taking the cup and drinking a sip.
Silas nodded wordlessly before standing against the wall, holding the tray, as if waiting for some sort of unseen command. Solin narrowed his eyes at him, but did not sense any immediate danger.
General Nute took a deep breath before he pressed the button to contact Lord Nacluv via hologram. He always hated speaking to Lord Nacluv, who never failed to make Nute nervous, even if he were light years away in the galaxy. That's why he had ordered Captain Plutt to deliver the message. If it came from Plutt rather than him, perhaps he wouldn't be punished too severely, Nute thought.
Within a few moments, a hologram of Lord Nacluv appeared. While they could see the lower half of his face, everything above his nose was concealed by his hood. Every time Nute had spoken to Nacluv, he had never seen the other man's face in is entirety.
"What is it?" Nacluv demanded, sounding annoyed.
"This game of yours has failed, Lord Nacluv," Plutt replied, his nervousness creeping into his tone. General Nute had to refrain from shaking his head in annoyance. "The ambassadors are Jedi Knights, we're sure of it. The blockade is finished. We dare not go against two Jedi."
To Nute's surprise, Lord Nacluv smiled before he spoke.
"You seem more fearful of the Jedi than you are of angering me, Captain Plutt. I am amused," Nacluv said. He then looked toward Nute. "General!"
General Nute swallowed nervously as he stepped forward.
"Yes, my Lord?"
"I don't want this foolish slime in my sight again!" Nacluv snarled.
Nute turned and glared at Captain Plutt, who lowered his head in shame and walked away from the bridge. Nute then turned back to face Nacluv.
"This turn of events, while not unexpected, is unfortunate," Nacluv continued as if nothing had happened. "We must accelerate our plans, General. Begin landing your troops."
"Invasion?" General Nute thought. "Surely not!"
"My Lord, is that legal?" Nute asked, hoping that Nacluv did not sense his thoughts.
"I will make it legal with the help of Governor Surik," Nacluv replied simply.
"Well that answers that question. But…"
"And the Jedi?"
"The Chancellor should never have brought them into this. But, you are not equipped to handle two Jedi, General. My apprentice shall handle them."
At that, Tosan stepped forward and bowed before his master.
"Tosan, you will have to use the full command of the Dark Side in order to defeat the Jedi," Nacluv warned. Tosan noted that his master did not sound angry, but eager. "Kill them if you can, and if you do, you will have certainly proved yourself as my worthy apprentice. But be mindful, Tosan. And let the Jedi make the first move."
"Yes, my master," Tosan replied before the hologram of Nacluv faded.
Solin stood up suddenly in the conference room, reaching for his lightsaber.
"Master?" asked Keira, also reaching for her lightsaber.
"The Dark Side of the Force is stronger than ever," Solin explained. "I can feel it now radiating through the crew of this ship. I think this means General Nute means to destroy us. We must leave quickly and get to the bridge."
At that, Silas tossed the tray of drinks down and kicked it aside as he pulled out his blaster, looking angry.
"You'll go nowhere, Jedi," he snarled. "You are here under false pretenses with no plan of negotiating with General Nute. You will come with me now."
Before Silas could react, Solin waved his free hand, causing the blaster to fly out of Silas' hands. Silas looked shocked until Solin waved his hand again and spoke in a trance-like voice.
"You will not report that we are Jedi," he said.
"I will not report that you are Jedi," Silas replied in a flat tone.
"You will return to the bridge and resume your duties, forgetting you saw us."
"I will return to the bridge and resume my duties, forgetting I saw you."
With that, Silas bent down and retrieved his blaster, leaving the room as if nothing had happened. As he did, Solin nodded and Keira and the two followed Silas closely, making sure they remained out of sight from the crew of the ship. Just outside of the bridge, they heard Silas speaking to someone.
"I'm returning to my post as you requested, General," Silas said in the same flat tone.
"What are you talking about, you fool?" demanded a man who Solin guessed was General Zhanga Nute, the leader of the Malastarian Army. "I never told you to return to your post! You were supposed to keep the Jedi distracted!"
At that, Solin motioned for Keira to follow him and the two walked onto the bridge. General Nute glanced over at them and his eyes widened in shock. Before Nute could do anything, Solin held up his hand and waved it again.
"You will not tell anyone we were here," Solin said.
"I will not tell anyone you were here," Nute repeated.
"You will let us leave this ship in peace."
"I will let you leave the ship in peace."
Solin lowered his hand and smiled triumphantly as a man dressed in all black clothing with a mask concealing his face approached the General and slapped him.
"You fool!" the man shouted. "They were using a Jedi Mind Trick on you!"
The man then turned to face Solin and Keira and ignited a blood-red lightsaber.
"So, you're the reason we could sense the Dark Side of the Force," Solin said as he and Keira ignited their lightsabers. "And who are you?"
"I am Tosan Inte, a Sith Lord!" Tosan exclaimed.
"What are you talking about, Sith Lord? There is no such thing." Keira demanded.
"Oh yes there is, Jedi! We are the most powerful of all the practicers of the Dark Side of the Force. Our leader, my Master, founded the Order of the Sith Lords more than a decade ago following his leaving the Jedi and embracing the Dark Side! You two foolish Jedi will be no match for me!"
With that, Tosan leapt toward Solin and Keira and made to attack them. Solin managed to block his attack and pushed Tosan away as Keira attempted a counterattack, which Tosan managed to dodge.
It was the fiercest lightsaber duel Solin had ever fought in. Tosan seemed to be able to sense his and Keira's every move and managed to counter them, and his attack's were more ferocious than Solin had ever encountered during his many missions.
As the three of them clashed around the bridge, they managed to knock over every officer they walked beside, but even that didn't slow them. In particular, Tosan seemed incapable of wearing down, having drawn on the Dark Side of the Force to give him an advantage. However, Tosan was unprepared for Keira's fierceness as a dueler. Solin had always prized himself on selecting an apprentice who could handily defeat him in lightsaber combat, but who was also exceptionally powerful in the Force. Keira demonstrated that in this duel; her combat skills were so quick and efficient that Solin could sense a tremble of fear building up in Tosan as they continued to duel.
Suddenly, Keira was able to change tactics. She saw an opening as Tosan blocked an attack from Solin and drew back, holding onto his lightsaber with just one hand. Before Tosan could react, Keira managed to land a kick on his hand, sending his lightsaber flying.
Solin added to this by waving his hand at Tosan and sending a powerful Force push in his direction. Tosan flew backward, unable to recover from Keira's stunning kick and landed hard on the ground. Solin and Keira rushed up to him, prepared to hold him at their mercy. But before they reached him, Tosan laughed as he leapt up and shot Force Lightning at the two.
"You fools are no match for the power of the Dark Side!" Tosan exclaimed as the lightning reached Solin and Keira, who both reacted quickly and held up their lightsabers to block the onslaught of lightning. They strained against the power of the Force Lightning, but were able to slow close in on Tosan, deflected the lightning back to him.
Tosan strained against Solin and Keira's blocks. He was able to prevent the lightning from hitting him instead, but it was proving more and more difficult as they got closer to him. He started to scream from the stress of holding off the attack and could feel himself weakening. Tosan called on the Dark Side to help him, but it was to no avail.
Suddenly, there was a powerful Force wave just as the Jedi were standing mere feet from Tosan. The wave sent Solin and Keira stumbling backward and forced Tosan to his knees. Tosan felt pain beyond pain, but it was easier to call on the Dark Side now that his concentration on attacking the Jedi was broken.
Immediately, Solin and Keira rushed up to Tosan, holding their lightsabers in front of them. Tosan simply snarled at them as his mind started to clear.
"What do you mean when you call yourself a Sith Lord?" Solin demanded. "Who is your master?"
Rather than answer, Tosan instead laughed coldly as he started to stand up. Solin and Keira kept their lightsabers trained on him as he got to his feet, still laughing.
"Don't worry, Solin Malice," Tosan said and, the Jedi's eyes widened in shock. Solin and Keira glanced at each other, shocked at the revelation that Tosan knew Solin by name. "You already know who my Master is. You and he have met, long ago. Soon, you will meet again!"
With that, Tosan waved his hands at Solin and Keira, using their distraction from his words to his advantage and Force pushing them away from him. He also managed to send the rest of the crew to the floor, knocking them all unconscious. Smiling, Tosan turned and left the bridge, running as fast as he could.
It was several minutes before Solin and Keira regained consciousness; the fall against the wall had knocked them out cold. They both stumbled as they stood up, holding onto the wall for balance.
"Are you all right?" Solin demanded as he shut his eyes and tried to center himself.
"I'm fine, are you OK?" Keira replied.
Solin nodded. "I just need a moment to readjust," he said, his eyes still closed. For a few moments, Solin seemed to fade away as he lost himself in the Force. When he was recovered, he opened his eyes again.
"What did he mean, a Sith?" Keira repeated. "What is that?"
"It's got to be some sort of Dark Jedi clan or organization," Solin replied. "He was well-trained in the Jedi Arts and clearly a practicer of the Dark Side. We'll have to report this to the Jedi Council when we return to Coruscant. For now, we'd better concentrate on getting off this ship and get down to the planet. The negotiations were obviously never going to take place."
Suddenly, there was a beeping sound at one of the consoles. Keira ran over to it and pressed a button.
"What is it?" Solin asked.
"An escape pod as just launched. It's got to be that Tosan person escaping. The trajectory of the escape pod says he was heading for the planet."
"In that case, we'd better be prepared to confront him again soon."
Keira nodded as Solin turned and motioned for him to follow her. Together, they hurried off the bridge and ran toward the hanger they had arrived in. Keira hesitated as they reached one of the neighboring hangers, something having her caught her eye. She stopped and peered into that hangar, her eyes widening in shock.
"Master!" she called. Solin stopped in his tracks and turned around, looking at her quizzically. "You'd better come have a look at this."
Solin sighed and hurried over to Keira. When he reached her, Keira simply pointed into the hanger. Inside, Solin saw thousands of troops loading into assault tanks.
"Troopers," Keira said simply.
"It's an invasion army," Solin finished for her, deducing what Keira had already figured out. "This just got a lot more serious. We've got to warn King Mobbs and get him off the planet as quickly as we can. We've also got to try and contact the Chancellor. Let's hurry back to the ship and get down there. We must hurry."