Prologue
The Emperor's office was unusually bright as Lord Arisin strode through the large doors and crossed the lush crimson carpet. It had been three weeks since Ruusan and ever since, Lord Sidious had displayed a youthful exuberance unlike anything Arisin had ever seen of him. The elderly Sith Master had shed his characteristic heavy black robes and taken to donning intricately fashioned robes in rich hues of sapphire, gold, and crimson. His wardrobe began to resemble that which he wore during his years with the Republic Senate, and later as Supreme Chancellor. It seemed his newfound youth went more than skin deep.
The sky beyond the enormous panoramic window behind his desk was a darkening blue, laced with the golds and purples of the rapidly setting sun. The cityscape sprawled out across the horizon was aglow with artificial light that spilled upwards to illuminate the sparse clouds.
"You wanted to see me, Master?" Arisin asked when he approached the Emperor, who sat back in his throne, looking now every bit as powerful as he felt through the Force.
"I did, Apprentice," Sidious purred. Even his hair had picked up some of its old ruddy coloration. "It is clear to me now that, while the Rebellion may be on the verge of extinction, this Jedi, and particularly his new acolyte Kyle Katarn, are not to be underestimated."
Arisin nodded. "I agree, Master. Their…resourcefulness was effective, to say the least. And we have lost all trace of them since they escaped the Ruusan system."
"Thanks, no doubt, to Ragnor Breyac," Sidious spat with a sneer. "Your sister and Jade failed to apprehend him, which means his skills in the art of evading capture are most impressive. If he is working with the Jedi now, they may actually succeed in their efforts to disappear."
"But they didn't go through all that trouble just to go to ground for the rest of their lives," Arisin insisted. "They'll be back."
"Yes, they will," the Emperor agreed. "I suspect they will make themselves known once they believe they have the advantage. We must be vigilant in our search for them. They will be monitoring our activity; they'll know we are searching for them. It may have been a mistake to make hunting down the remaining Jedi stragglers such a low priority, but it isn't a mistake I intend to make twice. We will be relentless in our pursuit."
"That will keep them on the alert," Arisin cautioned. "Shouldn't we attempt to lull them into a false sense of security?"
"It will keep them desperate," the Emperor corrected. "It will be a constant drain on their resources to remain out of our sight. The Empire has a great deal more to draw upon."
"Assuming Breyac will be their benefactor—" Arisin started.
"A safe assumption," the Emperor interjected.
"—their resources may be considerable," Arisin finished. Naturally, the Empire had seized all of Breyac's numerous accounts, but neither he nor his Master were foolish enough to believe that they had possession of even a fraction of his assets. Men like Breyac knew how to make their credits invisible to official records. He would be a problem.
The Emperor nodded. "I believe so, yes," he said.
"What you're talking about, it could take years, Master," Arisin told him. "All the while, Katarn trains with the Jedi to oppose us." He was becoming frustrated that Sidious didn't seem bothered at all by this prospect.
Sidious gave a soft chuckle. "Does that remind you of anyone, Lord Arisin?"
Arisin frowned. He hadn't given it much thought, but now that he did, he found that it did resemble his own history. He shook his head, anger flaring briefly. "Master, why are you acting as though you aren't concerned?"
"Because I am not," the old man answered simply. "They pose a threat to us, certainly, but they will never have the power to make good their intentions. They will be destroyed."
Lord Arisin cocked an eyebrow. "Have your foreseen this?"
"I believe it," Sidious said sharply. "I don't need the Force to know that it is true. The Empire will prevail and the Rebels will be crushed, even if it takes another decade."
"I assume that my orders are to track the Jedi down." Arisin said. "My skills in that area are negligible at best. And with all the extra effort they will be going through to hide themselves…I don't believe I'm suited for the task, Master."
Darth Sidious shook his head. "It matters not," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "It so happens that there is someone at our disposal with more than ample tracking abilities. She will get the job done for us."
"Jade?" Arisin inquired. Lord Sidious often spoke highly of his pet Mara Jade. He said her potential was great.
The Emperor shook his head and pressed a button on the arm of his throne. "No," he said. "This creature has power that puts even Jade to shame." The doors to the office opened and a woman strode through them. "I believe the two of you are already acquainted, Lord Arisin."
Arisin turned slowly and found himself staring in disbelief at a stunningly beautiful woman with shoulder-length fiery red hair. Her skin-tight body suit conformed provocatively to her lean, shapely body and she walked with a level of confidence and grace that immediately identified her as a powerful individual, even without her impressive aura in the Force. At her hip Arisin espied a peculiar device. It appeared similar to a lightsaber hilt, but from its emitter extended a number of metallic tendrils, like a wicked flail, which she kept coiled.
"Shira!" Arisin gasped. How could it be her? "Shira Brie! But—"
"—I'm dead," she responded venomously. Her voice was smooth and smoky and she spoke with that Coruscanti accent Arisin had always found so exotic, so enticing. "That is what you were going to say, isn't it?" She scoffed. "Clearly I'm not, little thanks to you, Skywalker."
"She is called Lumiya now," the Emperor told his apprentice. "She was your father's Shadow Hand, one of his most powerful pupils."
"The most powerful," she corrected, keeping her emerald eyes locked on to Arisin's.
"Shira, I—" He fumbled over the words. Shira Brie had been his wing guard in the Rebellion. She had also been his lover. But nearly two years ago, he mistakenly killed her in a dogfight. Or so he thought. The Alliance had even stripped him of his commission until it was later uncovered that she had been an Imperial plant all along.
"My name is Lumiya," the woman snapped. "You were right the first time, Skywalker. Shira Brie is dead."
"But how?" Arisin asked. He probed her with the Force. Something felt off. "You're cybernetic," he said at last.
Lumiya gave a curt nod. "More machine now than woman," she told him with only a hint of bitterness. Clearly she'd adjusted well. "But don't pity me, Skywalker. I don't need it."
"I didn't plan to," Arisin shot back, finally finding his voice. "I didn't know it at the time, but you were the enemy. Shooting you down was just a happy accident."
"One might even say it was the Will of the Force," the Emperor offered.
"I was rebuilt stronger, more resilient," she said. "I suppose I ought to thank you, Skywalker. What you stole from me, the Empire gave me tenfold in return."
Darth Sidious paid careful attention to his Apprentice's actions during this interaction. He was disappointed that Lord Arisin was allowing Lumiya to gain the upper hand and speak such disrespect. The boy was overcome with shock at seeing a former lover risen from the grave, but a Sith must be in control of his emotions at all times. And he should never allow another to dictate the terms of their interaction. A Sith is submissive to none but his Master.
"I can sense the anger within you," Arisin taunted with a smirk. "Try as you might, you can't hide your hatred for me. Your words are hollow, Lumiya; I know that you don't believe them. But you should."
"Excuse me?" Lumiya scoffed, her mouth turned up in a sneer.
Palpatine grinned as Lord Arisin seized command.
"Whatever power you lost from your injuries, you still possess impressive strength in the Force," Arisin told her. "And physically, your cybernetics make you far superior to ordinary organics. I saw how strong Vader was first-hand. Few sentient beings posed a physical threat to him. You should thank me. I made you better."
"How dare you—" Lumiya began but Lord Arisin cut her off.
"I am Sith," he snapped. "I dare all I want."
Lumiya remained silent for a moment, seething with hatred and glaring at the Dark Lord with eyes no longer the color of emerald, but now the color of smoldering sulfur. "Very well," she said evenly. "Thank you, My Lord."
Arisin nodded, allowing his features to soften some. "You were once my father's acolyte, his Hand," he said. "Since his death, I've acquired everything he possessed. That would seem to include you. We were friends at one time, you and I. More than friends. There's no reason our relationship has to be an unpleasant one."
Lumiya stiffened her back and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "How do you mean?" she asked warily.
"Exactly what I said," he replied casually. "Just as you are a different person than you were when you infiltrated the Alliance, I am a different person from the ignorant flyboy you knew. The past is over, but the future can be molded in any way we see fit."
Lumiya nodded. "I will concede both of those points." Arisin could feel her anger slipping away. "I'll admit, the man standing before me is not the boy who shot me down two years ago. I would never have believed that Luke Skywalker could ever be capable of embracing the Dark Side the way you've done."
"The Emperor held a mirror up to my life," Arisin said, "showed me my mistakes. He also showed me my potential, one I could never hope to achieve were I to follow the path of a Jedi."
Lumiya shifted her stance to look over Lord Arisin's shoulder. "My congratulations, Your Majesty," she said to the Emperor. "I almost didn't believe the reports until now, seeing him for myself."
"Unlike his father, Lord Arisin came into the Dark Side all on his own," Sidious told her. "He wisely chose the path of power, the one that will see him to his full potential. You will find him to be a more—enlightened—Master than Lord Vader."
Lumiya frowned. "So I am to be his, then? I'll no longer act as your Shadow Hand?"
The Emperor smirked. "As Lord Arisin pointed out, he has acquired all that his father possessed. Vader mismanaged his agents, twisted them and their allegiances until they couldn't be certain whom they served. Those whom I wasn't forced to eliminate, I was forced to take possession of. But Lord Arisin has no trouble remembering where his loyalties lie. I bequeath unto him all that which I removed from Vader's control. Including you, my dear. But I'm certain I shall find the occasional use for you myself."
Though agitated by the fact that she was being treated as an heirloom to be inherited, Lumiya nodded in compliance to the Sith Lords. "Understood, Your Excellency." She turned back to Arisin. "The Jedi will not be easy to locate," she informed her new Master. "Not with Ragnor Breyac's skills and resources at their disposal. But they will make a mistake and when they do, I will be there to exploit it, no matter how long it takes."
"Do you have a plan?" Arisin asked. "Or is waiting for them to make a mistake your plan?" Anger flared in Lumiya and Arisin smiled. He was going to enjoy his time with her again. He held up a hand to silence her retort. "You don't have to answer that," he told her, amused. "I've seen your talents up close. I have complete faith in you. And unlike my father, I intend to assist you, not threaten you. Assuming you require my assistance," he added.
"I may," Lumiya replied sharply. "I'll keep you informed. My Lord."
Darth Arisin nodded. "Thank you, Shira," he said, taking perverse pleasure at the spike of irritation he sensed from her when he used her old name. "I look forward to our time together."
"You are dismissed, Lumiya," the Emperor croaked from his throne. The sun had well and truly set now and the sky outside was alive with millions of moving lights from speeders and aircars.
The Shadow Hand gave the two Sith a respectful nod and left, leaving behind a turbulent wake in the Force.
"You have made quite an impression on her, Apprentice," Sidious said when the doors had sealed shut again. "Her hatred for you goes beyond her disfigurement."
"We were—emotionally involved," Arisin said, turning round to speak with his Master. "During the Alliance. We grew very close to one another. I admit, seeing her alive has stirred up feelings I thought were long dead."
Palpatine's face, though rejuvenated, remained unreadable. "I believe she felt something for you, as well. The anger in her, it is bred from a feeling of betrayal, not of a lust for revenge."
"I shot down her fighter," Arisin responded plainly. "It was an accident, but I still pulled the triggers. I felt incredible guilt. For a long time."
"And now?" the Emperor inquired. "What do you feel now?"
Arisin pondered the question a moment. "Relief," he admitted finally.
"Do you still regret your actions?"
"No," Arisin said resolutely. "It was an accident, I know that. And I know now that she was an enemy agent. I'm pleased she survived, but all things considered, I have nothing to feel regret for."
Darth Sidious cracked a smile. "You speak wise words, Apprentice," he said. "You should never regret the past. Regret chains us to events beyond our ability to control. A Sith wears no chains, for chains are the mark of subservience."
"'Through victory, my chains are broken'," Arisin quoted.
"Just so," Sidious said with approval. "It would seem she is of a similar mind to you concerning how long we may be looking for our missing Jedi," he said. "The two of you are more similar than she would choose to admit," he mused. "She is a wild bantha. She must be broken before she will serve you. But once she has been, she will be a valuable asset. She will serve you well."
Arisin nodded. "Of that, I have no doubt, Master."