Star Wars The Rule of Two Darth Zannah

by jman007

Two there should be; no more, no less. One to embody the power, the other to crave it. These are the words of Darth Bane The Jedi believe that Sith are gone from the galaxy not so. Bane is no more and now begins the rule of Darth Zannah. The Ikotchi is her apprentice, but will a mission to destroy Set Harth destroy the rule of two and will Darth Zannah be able to hold her Throne

1. Chapter 1

Star Wars

The Rule of Two

Darth Zannah

Prologue

The Reign of Darth Zannah

Chapters

The Mission

Darth Zannah

A Girl Named Irena

Message From the Grave

The Hunt

The Great Plan

Confrontation

On the Run

Sanctuary

Vengeance

The Third Fall of the Sith

The Long Reign of Darth Zannah

Part1. Plots and Plans

Part 2. Continued Training

The Rise of Darth Cognus

Duel of Sith Lords

The Reign of Darth Cognus

Epilogue

Zannah Reborn

Prologue

The Reign of Darth Zannah

Ambria

The Huntress, the Ikotchi Assassin stood a few feet away lusting after the power she had just seen unleashed in a battle between Master and Apprentice. The Huntress had just witnessed Darth Bane and his former Apprentice duel each other to the death. The question now in Cognus' head, who stood before her Darth Bane or Darth Zannah? She cautiously approached the woman who had yet to acknowledge her. Darth Cognus dropped to both knees and asked.

"Are you Darth Bane?"

It was over the hardships endured both physical and mental to defeat Darth Bane were worth it and according to the Rule of Two Darth Zannah was now Lord of the Sith. Her hand trembled as remnants of Darth Bane's last ditch effort to keep his title as Lord of the Sith lingered in the mind of the blonde haired Sith Lord. Darth Bane had tried to use the ancient Sith technique of Essence transfer and take over Zannah's body. But Zannah was too powerful for Bane and she cast his foul unwelcome presence from her mind.

Parts of his identity, power, thoughts, and plans lingered in her mind and she was trying to calm the untamed images in her head. Zannah clenched her fist and by force of her will she brought the images under control.

"Are you Darth Bane?"

The silly but reasonable question from the Ikotchi female drew Zannah out of her trance. She looked towards the Ikotchi. ("Bane had plans for you…") She said mentally but out loud she replied, "Darth Bane is dead! I am Darth Zannah Lord of the Sith…"

"Master! I offer myself as your willing apprentice…"

"What is your name?"

"I am…" She was about to say the Huntress, but the Huntress was dead. She had taken a new name, "Darth Cognus…"

When she said the name Cognus Zannah recognized it from the many thoughts that lingered in her mind. "What did Lord Bane tell you about the Sith?"

"Not much…he only told me that there will only ever be two Sith. The Rule of Two…but he had no time to go into details…"

Zannah stood over Cognus looking down on her. "You have great power in you…I will teach you all that Darth Bane taught me. You may rise!" As Cognus obeyed Zannah looked towards her ship. "Anything useful in there?"

Cognus followed her gaze, "Credits, weapons, medpacs, a few barrels of fusion fuel, and a few trophies…"

"Remove the weapons, credits, and medpacs…Place them on my ship and rig the ship to blow up…" Then Zannah looked towards the hut. As she looked at the hut memories of conversations between Darth Bane and Princes Serra came to mind. "Also take the medicines and supplies in the storeroom in the hut."

"Master this is yours!" Cognus said handing her Darth Bane's holocron.

As she accepted the holocron Zannah extends her hand towards Bane's lightsaber. It flies off the ground into her waiting hand. "Here take Lord Bane's lightsaber until you construct your own…"

"Thank you master…"

As Cognus loads up the ship with everything useful Zannah meditates on controlling her mind. When they are done they board the ship and leave. As they take off the Huntress' ship explodes. "Set course for Ciutric IV…"

"Yes Master…"

"How did you capture my old master?" Zannah asks once they are in hyperspace. Cognus uses her power to disrupt the force in others on Zannah for a few seconds and after she releases her an invisible grip tightens around her neck. "Don't you ever do that to me again…"

Cognus sneers rubbing her throat, "Forgive me master…" Cognus went on to explain how the princess hired her and twenty mercenaries. They went to Ciutric IV and waited for Bane to arrive. Upon entering his mansion, the mercenaries attack him while Cognus used her rare gift to disrupt Bane's power. Bane fought back, and was able to kill several of the assailants. However, Cognus was able to stab him with a blade coated in senflax, a powerful neurotoxin designed to knock out even the strongest of opponents. The toxin caused him to faint, enabling the Iktotchi and the soldiers to take him prisoner. Bane was taken to Doan, where their benefactor, Princess Serra, resided. Serra was the daughter of the healer Caleb, and upon learning of her father's death at the hands of a Sith Lord, sought to punish the guilty party.

The rest of the trip to Ciutric was quiet, Cognus was exploding with questions, but she remained quiet. When Darth Zannah was ready to impart her knowledge she would. When they arrived on Ciutric IV they returned to the mansion. Cognus had to wait in the foyer while Zannah went through the mansion alone. Two hours later Zannah returned with some scrolls. And dropped them before Cognus. "Read!" Was her only command. Without any other words Zannah left her alone. So Cognus opened the scrolls. Some of the scrolls were on the ancient Sith. Marko Ragnos, Tulak Hord, Ajunta Pal, and Freedan Nadd. Most were on Darth Revan…Then the last few scrolls were on Darth Bane and his Rule of Two. Just as Cognus read the last sentence Darth Zannah appeared from out of nowhere.

"Come with me and bring the scrolls…" Cognus followed Zannah to a small but adequate room. Then she took out the holocron and activated it. A small hologram of Darth Bane in his Orbalisk armor appeared.

"Greetings Lord Zannah…" The hologram said, "What is it you wish to learn today?"

"Me! Nothing! My apprentice Darth Cognus needs to know the code of the sith and the teachings of the rule of two…"

"One moment please…" As the hologram brought up the information Zannah left the room. "The code of the Sith…Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me. Do you wish me to expound apprentice?"

Cognus was shocked by the hologram. She could feel Darth Bane's presence or a part of him in the small pyramid. "Yes please expound…"

While Cognus studied the holocron Zannah went about the business of familiarizing herself with Darth Bane's spy network. It extended across the galaxy but the system he had in place for contacting the spies took too long. "The Sith will need a ghost communications network and I will need Lieutenants who know who I am and how I operate…"

During the first year of her rule Zannah stayed on Ciutric IV. Then she decided it was time to move her base of operations. In fact she thought it would be a good idea to have several bases across the outer and mid-rim. Once her power over the spies and informants were in place Zannah began Darth Cognus' training in the ways of the Dark Side. Cognus was a natural and with her ability to see things before they happened Zannah used her to get her ghost communications network up and running. Zannah spent the majority of her time training Cognus and her spare time nurturing the seeds planted by Darth Bane and laying down seeds of her own. One day the Sith would rule the Galaxy once again.

Chapter 1. The Mission

Seven years had passed since Darth Cognus witnessed her master Darth Zannah overthrow her master Darth Bane. Zannah wasn't a cruel teacher, but she was a strict disciplinary and a thorough teacher. 3 years after her training began Cognus constructed two lightsabers as she was a student of dual saber techniques. She also mastered the Djem Cho and Ataru styles. Her ability to see things before they happened only increased and through Zannah's training Cognus was able to manipulate certain events in the galaxy or push people in a different direction thus altering the future. She also had the raw talent to conjure force lightening and like her master Cognus had a talent for Sith Sorcery. Cognus could lift objects 500 times her size and weight and she had yet to reach her full potential. This combined with her ability to disrupt the force in others made her a powerful apprentice.

"I have a mission for you apprentice…"

When Darth Zannah said those words Cognus beamed inside. She was to hunt down the Dark Jedi Seth Hart and recover Darth Andeddu's Holocron. In Zannah's eyes he was a threat because he had rejected her offer to become Zannah's apprentice. And he had knowledge that the Sith still existed in the Galaxy. Then there was the fact that he possessed ancient Sith knowledge that rightfully belonged to the order of Two.

Cognus began her mission with meditation. Through the force she saw Hart travel to Nar Shadda and his old mansion. When she arrived on Nar Shadda the mansion had been sold to a low ranking Hutt. She meditated and through her visions saw him travel to the isolated world of Bespin. And that is where his trail went cold.

"Jedi scum!" Cognus said. Apparently her vision to track Hart was being blocked by Sith sorcery. "Be careful Lord Cognus…Seth may have increased his knowledge in the force through Andeddu's holocron…" Zannah's words echoed in her mind and the only other time Cognus had been unable to penetrate the force to see the past was when she encountered a powerful spell left by her master when she was hired to find Darth Bane.

"There must be secrets to Sith sorcery on Andeddu's holocron…" She said speaking to herself. So Cognus was reduced to hunting Seth the old fashioned way. Cognus' master had warned her not to draw attention to herself. Five months had passed before Cognus picked up his trail again.

The Hapes Consortium

The Hapans were isolationists and had nothing to do with the Galactic Republic or its Senate. They traded with no one outside their domain and were very mistrusting to outsiders. Through the force Cognus got a rough history of the people. A female dominated society where men were second class citizens unless born to nobility. Descendant from Pirates these humans were often exposed to the transitory mists and they never breed with other human races has caused them to be the most beautiful humans in the galaxy. To gain access to the planet Cognus had to spend an enormous amount of credits and it took the next eight months establishing a Sith spy presence in Hapan Society. Then she was finally able to direct her attention towards Seth Hart.

Cognus followed her Sith agent down a dimly lit hallway towards a room. Two guards stood at the door. When it opened General Typhen was waiting along with several Hapan Sith spies, two women and two men.

They all bowed, "Welcome mistress…"

"You have information for me?"

Typhen nods, "Yes…" He replies dimming the lights in the room and activating a holomap on the table. "The target bought this island on the Sparkling Sea…It's surrounded by minds on all sides…The interior of the Island has defense towers and automated ground to surface missile launchers. A military grade shield array protects the mansion…This place is a fortress!"

Darth Cognus studied the layout of the island for a few minutes in quiet, afterwards she closed her eyes to meditate. Typhen and the others waited patiently while she stood with her eyes closed. After nineteen minutes she opened them. "We need a drilling permit…" She said with a mischievous smile on her face.

Cognus' plan was to pay Hapan officials to allow them to drill a few miles away from the island for plasma deposits. The platform was a cover to drill a tunnel beneath the ocean floor to the island and come up behind the shield and attack the mansion. Mercenaries were hired on as construction workers and scientists. Darth Cognus stood on the deck watching as her plan unfolded.

Set Hart's personal shuttle flew over the ocean towards his Island fortress. He is looking out the port when he sees the Platform. "Captain – that platform why are they building it?"

"Don't know sir but I can look into it for you…"

"Circle around I wish to see it again…" As they flew overhead Hart stretched out with the force and felt, nothing. "You are getting jumpy…"

"Did you say something sir…" The pilot asked.

"No take me home…"

When Hart arrived at his Island Mansion he jumped into the whirlpool with two females, one human and the other a Twi'Lek. Seth had finally settled down but he was no fool. One day Darth Zannah or that Ikotchi Huntress would come looking for him. He wondered who survived the encounter. Darth Bane or Darth Zannah. He secretly hoped Bane had won. But even if Bane had won there was the small chance that the Ikotchi assassin told him about Seth. Either way he wasn't going to let his guard down when and if any of those Sith came for him he would be ready for them.

Darth Cognus stood in a window looking towards Seth Hart's Island Fortress. The Tunnel extended all the way from the ocean floor beneath the platform to the Island now the teams were digging up to the surface. Cognus had been on the Hapan home world or the past 4 months. She was eager to test her skills against Seth Hart and she hoped that he had improved his lightsaber skills. At the least he had improved his power and strength in the force. Darth Zannah had described her fight with Hart to Cognus so she was well aware of what he was capable of.

"Mistress!" Typhen said entering the observation lounge.

"Yes what is it?"

"We are fifty feet from the surface…You should come down to the tunnel the men are ready…"

"Typhen I want you and the other spies to leave now…" Cognus left the observation lounge and made her way to the turbolift . The lift had a glass wall to see out into the ocean as it decended down to the ocean floor dig site. When she exited the turbo-lift over five hundred heavily armed mercenaries were waiting. "You know what is expected of you…Do it!"

They took a tram through the tunnel to the dugout shaft that went up to the Island interior and the mansion on the Island. A man drilled a small hole and raised a scope to get a layout of the area above. They were just below the courtyard. The man looks at Cognus and she nods. The ground in the courtyard opens and a missile is shot intop the air. It explodes releasing and ion wave that disables the entire mansion. Then Cognus leads the charge up into the courtyard firing at the servants, guards, and battle droids.

Set Hart is in his bed laying down. When the missile explodes he jumps up and runs to the balcony of his bedroom which overlooks the courtyard. His eyes bulge as an Ikotchi female leaps up from a large hole brandishing two lightsabers with crimson red blades followed by mercenaries. "The Huntress!" He whispers to himself. When she looks up toward the balcony Seth flinches. Seth retreats back into his room and uses the force to close the metal security door to the bedroom. Just as he runs for the door he looks back to see two red energy blades sear through his door. Seth runs down the hall to the lobby where his battle Drones and hired security are fighting the mercenaries. He jumps down from the second level igniting his lightsaber. He runs down a hallway on the first level. As he runs toward the main hangar Seth uses the force to rip the door off the tract. He spins around to see the Huntress in the dorrway battling three of his men armed with cortosis laced swords. Unleashing the force Set brought down the hallway blocking the path to his eacape.

Darth Cognus spun around cutting the first man in half at the waste and decapitating the other man she was fighting. She was about to go down the hall when she felt a rumble. Debris now blocked her path and it would take hours using the force to remove that much rubble. Using the force Cognus searched the grounds for another route to the hangar. The main hangar had an open port to the outside. She could jump from the ground to the second level, but she had to hurry.

She ran using the force to enhance her speed. She ran through the battle between her mercenaries and Set's security forces. When she reached the hangar twenty battle drones were waiting. Cognus unleashed force lightening and jumped up to the main hangar. When she reached the top Set Hart was using force lightening to try and recharge his ship. Cognus extends her hand grabbing the ship in the force and turns it over.

"I know you are not dead so come out and get it over with…"

Set comes out with his lightsaber drawn, "So we meet again…"

"Yes!"

"Tell me who won between Bane and Zannah?"
"Darth Zannah won of course…"

"She said she would…If we join forces together we can destroy her…"

Cognus smiled showing her pointed teeth, "You had a chance to become my master's apprentice and you turned her down…I doubt you to become my apprentice…"

Set smiles, "You got me…" He removes his left hand from behind his back, "How about I give you Anddedu's holocron and you let me go…"

Cognus tilts her head to the side, "Interesting offer, but no!"

"I will destroy it…Either let me go or I fry it in my hand…"

"You have grown stronger but so have I…" Before Set can fry the holocron with force lightening Cognus disrupts his force power. But he responds by raising the holocron over his head to throw it on the ground. It never hits the ground, but flies two feet off the floor into Cognus' waiting hand. "Thank you now you die!"

Cognus surprises Set by allowing him to feel the force again. He watches as she draws her twin blades from her hips. "You are right I have grown stronger!" Set unleashes a lightning storm from his hand, but Cognus blocks it with her sabers. Then she leaps across the hangar and attacks with her left sword. She makes base moves to test if Set has improved his lightsaber skills. He has and she quickly unleashes all her skill with her two sabers.

They lock blades, "Very good I thought this would be boring from what my master said of you…"

"So tell me why didn't she come herself…" They broke the standoff and traded nine blows before they broke away from each other.

Cognus points her right lightsaber at Set, "You are a speck an insignificant bug in my master's eyes…"

"So she sent you to deal with me?"

"Yes…"

"If she thinks I am a speck tell me what does that say about you… sending her apprentice to kill me."

"You know nothing it is my place to serve until I am ready to take the throne from her…"

"A stupid way to live if you ask me."

"No…The Dark Side is power…Power to do what you want…It is true freedom…You turn your back on the Jedi and use the Dark Side for selfish means…You are weak and if you gave yourself over completely to the Dark Side it would consume you…But for people like me and my master we can harness that power and bend the Galaxy to our will…"

Just then Set unleashed a force wave that ripped up the hangar. His ship was torn in half, the floors and walls were cracked. Debris started falling from the ceiling, but Darth Cognus stood tall and strong. "Weak!" Here is true power!"

Set swallowed hard as Cognus gathered her strength. It started as a small breeze or a light trimmer. Then it became a hurricane or volcanic eruption. Set tried to block the onslaught but he wasn't powerful enough. He flew across the room head first towards the wall. There was only one thing left to do and that use the technique he learned from Anddedu's holocron.

Cognus smiled recognizing the technique. In a bright flash his body was ripped apart before it hit the wall. As the huge part of the mansion was pulverized by Cognus' force wave. Set's mind attacked Cognus'. At first she toyed with him to give him hope that he could possess her body, but she quickly became bored and brought the full weight of her power upon him. Set panicked and was snuffed out light a candle blown out on a cake. Cognus stood there for a few minutes searching for any lingering effects, there weren't any. The battle was over, but instead of rejoining the mercenaries Cognus summed her ship by remote and took off. As she flew away Cognus dropped a gas bomb on the ruins of the mansion killing the rest of the mercs. Then she pressed a button and blew up the platform and flooded the tunnel to the island. The droids that built the platform and dug the tunnel lined both with bombs. She overhead once more before leaving the Hapes home world behind. As she went to lightspeed Cognus sent a message in the force to her master.