The planet was not on any regular star charts. It was tucked way out in the Outer Rim, almost on the borders of Wildspace. It was a single planet orbiting a single star without even a moon. From the cockpit of her "commandeered" TZ-15 shuttle, Silri examined the results of her scan. The atmosphere was thick enough to maintain oxygen and there was just enough plant life to produce enough to breath. Gazing one more time at the Sith Holocron she had set on the console, the Nightsister witch debated whether finding this planet and its colossal secret was worth the repercussions. A rending, crashing noise came from the hold of the ship. Fondly, Silri sent thoughts back to her tamed rancor. Peace, Agroada. You will be able to hunt soon.

The crashing subsided. Silri frowned and returned to the console before angling down towards the planet. It showed that there were many life forms from creatures the size of Tatooine wamp rats to creatures only slightly smaller than rancors themselves. Agroada would hunt well down there. Agroada, when loosely translated from Dathomiri to Galactic Basic, meant 'cuddly one' or 'one who cuddles'. Because of that, many of the mercenaries of the Zann Consortium had mocked the rancor, simply calling him Cuddles. Silri didn't care. They would pay. Soon enough, Tyber Zann and all of his thugs and slaves would be under the rule of someone far more powerful.

The shuttle landed and Silri opened the cargo door. Go, my pet. Hunt and sate your hunger.

With a roar, her rancor thudded off into the wilderness. Silri turned towards some mountains. Setting the Sith Holocron on the ground, she knelt and activated it. A great holographic star map came into view. Silri hissed, "I have found the planet. Show me the location of the mountain fortress."

The map focused in towards a star with a single planet and then focused in further until a single red dot showed in a range of mountains and coordinates began to flash across the bottom of the holo projection. Smiling grimly, Silri took a datapad from her belt, mentally thanking the mercenary who had taught her both how to pilot and how to use different pieces of technology during her time with the Zann Consortium. She then took a speeder from the cargo hold of the ship and sped off towards the coordinates. It was only a few hours and the sun was beginning to set when she reached the spot. Before her, a sheer cliff rose towards the heavens and near the face of the cliff, a single pedestal stuck out of the ground. A triangle was engraved in the pedestal and Silri placed the holocron in it. The Sith device fit perfectly and it began to glow and hum. Just then, a door opened in the cliff face before her. Smiling in anticipation, Silri removed the holocron and entered the dark cavern. Only forty or so meters into the mountain, the tunnel opened into a massive chamber. As she set foot in it, rows of lights, one after another, began to turn on. For kilometers, the lights flashed into existence and, seeing what had been hidden away for uncounted years by the holocrons creator, whomever it was, Silri laughed with delight. In the chamber before her, in row upon row, were thousands if not tens of thousands of men in battle armor encased in carbonite. Their vital signs showed that they were alive and perfectly well. Even the brain wave readers showed perfect mental functionality. Whomever had put these soldiers into hibernation had perfected the process. Still smiling, the Nightsister went through row after row, counting a hundred rows. At the rear of the carbon-frozen army, she found a dais where another two hundred blocks were. These men and women wore long robes and beside each block was a pedestal with a small cylinder resting upon its cushioned top. Even through the carbon freeze, Silri could feel the dark power emanating from each and every one of these people. Upon an even higher platform were two blocks of carbonite – both human, both male. As with the others, their pedestals also had the strange cylinders on them. Silri recognized the cylinders as lightsabers. Suddenly, the holocron in her hand shone and rapidly heated up, causing her to yelp and drop it before it burned her. Instead of a star chart being projected from it, a figure of a man, armored, masked, hooded and cloaked appeared. "You have found my army. To awaken it, you must first awaken my old friend Talvon Esan, Sith Master of the Honoghr Academy and his most talented apprentice Xaset Terep. I assume that Emperor Vitiate's Sith Empire has returned to challenge you now and I am not here to defeat them. Trust Master Esan. He understands the Sith even better than I and Lord Malak do."

The projection was silent as if waiting. Silri cleared her throat and asked, "My lord, who are you?"

The holocron crackled and the projection replied, "If you do not know who I am then you are not one of my disciples. Save yourself and leave now. Bring this holocron to Darth Revan's Sith and leave it with them."

The holocron winked out of existence and Silri picked it up again. She studied it for a while before turning back to the two blocks of carbonite. Indecision flickered through her mind. Should she unfreeze two Sith Lords? The last two had hunted her people to the edge of extinction. It was only by guile and a loss of interest by Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader that the Nightsister clans had survived, though they were still hunted by several overzealous Imperial garrison commanders – each of which met their end on Silri's lightwhip. Squaring her shoulders, she marched up to the blocks and keyed the thawing process on first one and then on the other. Within minutes, two tall figures stepped out of the blocks, stretching their muscles and stifling yawns as they looked about. One of them, a black haired human turned to the other, "Darth Revan was right, Master Esan. He did perfect the process. I can see perfectly fine and there is no hibernation sickness."

The other, a tall, broad-shouldered man with blond hair and yellow eyes nodded. "Of course, Xaset. Did you lack faith in our Dark Lord?"

"Of course not, Master. You!"

The black haired human, obviously the other's apprentice, pointed at Silri, "Take us to your master. We must report to Darth Revan and Darth Malak immediately."

Silri bowed low and said, "My lord, who are Darth Revan and Darth Malak?"

The two Sith looked at one another. "Are you mocking us?" Asked the apprentice in an ice-cold voice. His master said, "Wait, Xaset. Tell me, adept, what is your name and which Sith Master are you under?"

Silri was confused. "My name is Silri and I do not serve a Sith Master. The last Sith Lords died six months ago. If I may ask my Lords, what was happening in the galaxy when you were placed in hibernation?"

Xaset sneered. "Darth Revan was beginning his conquest of the Republic and the Jedi Order. We have just defeated the Mandalorian Clans and now the Republic is next."

This sparked Silri's memory. These two Sith Lords had been in carbonite, in perfect suspended animation, for over four thousand years. "My Lords, I don't know how to tell you this but Malak was slain four thousand years ago and Revan was slain three hundred years after Darth Malak. You have been slumbering for four millennia."

Silence followed her declaration. Xaset began to sputter, but Master Esan placed a hand on his shoulder before saying to Silri, "I sense that you tell the truth, Adept Silri. Tell me, what has happened in the past four millennia?"

Silri lowered her head. If it were not for the power that radiated from the two Sith in waves, she would not have bowed but even a proud witch of the Nightsisters knew when she was grievously outmatched. "I cannot tell you for I myself have lived in isolation for the better part of my life."

They both looked coldly at her. Suddenly, an idea formed in Silri's mind that made her smile and she said, "My Lords, I know a man who will be able to show you everything that has happened in the years between when you were frozen and now. I can bring him here to you, my Lords."

Xaset looked at his master who said, "Bring him here then, Adept Silri. While he is on the way, you can tell us about him and about yourself."

Silri smiled and said, "If you will permit me, my Lords, I must return to my ship. From there, I can contact this man."

Xaset scowled and Master Esan said, "We will be coming with you, Adept. If you try to betray use, you will die in the worst agony you have ever felt. Do you understand me?"

Silri bowed. The power that radiated from these two Sith was almost intoxicating. She wanted that power. She wanted to become a Sith and wanted it for her sisters as well. Turning away from the Sith, she began to stride confidently back through the rows of soldiers in armor until she came to the door that still stood open. Using a bec-and-call device for her ship, Silri summoned the shuttle and using the force, she summoned her rancor. Darth Diabolis was impressed that she could communicate with the beast from so far. It took less than an hour for the ship to arrive. Immediately, she ran aboard and powered up her long range communicator. As soon as the silver maned Tyber Zann appeared on the holo projector, Silri's face changed. "Tyber Zann, greetings. I trust you are well?"

The man sneered at her. "Silri, how goes your search for the great secret of that Sith holocron? Did you find what you sought?"

Silri bowed her head as if ashamed, "There is nothing, just some old ruins. The Emperor clearly already looted this place. You were right, Tyber Zann. Now I am alone. My ship is low on fuel and I will not be able to return unless..."

"...unless I go all the way out there and rescue you, am I correct?"

Silri nodded. "You do not have to come yourself, Tyber Zann. You can send someone else - "

"And miss the opportunity to see you, your hat in your hands, as you accept my help? Not for all the credits in the galaxy, Silri. I will be there in a few standard days."

Silri bowed her head and murmured, "I – I thank you, Tyber Zann."

The silver haired man laughed and signed off. The sound of clapping came from behind her. Silri turned with just the hint of a smug smile on her face. Master Esan was smiling with approval and clapping his black gloved hands together. "Well done, Silri. That deception was worthy of a Sith. I sense that you are very strong in the force, especially the dark side of the force. Tell me, where did you learn your skills? How did you learn to communicate with your rancor?"

Silri smiled and said, "All nightsisters know the spells and magiks of the dark side – at least we are trained in some of them. The sisters of Dathomir were never anything against the Sith, though. In recent years, they hunted us and either kidnapped us, locked us in prisons or killed us."

Master Esan nodded and motioned towards a chair. "May I sit, Adept?"

The question caused his apprentice to look in wonder at his Master. Apparently the Sith of four millennia ago were not known for their manners. For that matter, the late Sith Lords were not known for theirs either. Silri smiled and said, "You would honor me, my Lord."

Master Esan sat and examined the woman before him. She had pale skin and tribal marks with long dark hair. She wore a red leather tunic and trousers and had a lightwhip at her belt. She was tall, slim with an athletic build. Smiling, Master Esan said, "You are magnificent, Silri – a woman of power and poise. I would be greatly obliged if you would allow me to share the knowledge of the Sith with you and if you would share any knowledge that you may have with me."

Silri's heart pounded. She hadn't even had to ask to be taught by this powerful man. He had offered. She stood from her chair and bowed, bending her Nightsister pride almost to the breaking point. "It would be the greatest honor, my lord."

"Rise, Acolyte Silri. Your training shall begin shortly. Xaset, I now give you the rank of Sith Shadow Hand. You will enforce my will in the galaxy. Since we are the last remaining Sith, I claim the title of Dark Lord of the Sith. My new name is Darth Diabolis. Xaset Terep, I christen you Darth Heluquin. Do you challenge me, Darth Heluquin?"

The new Darth Heluquin's eyes blazed with pride and power and he bowed. "Your will be done, my Master."

Darth Diabolis turned to his newest acolyte and said, "If you would be so kind as to take this ship closer to the mountain fortress, we can begin your training, Acolyte Silri."

Silri bowed low and purred, "Yes, my lord."

For the next several days, Darth Diabolis taught Silri some of the basics of Sith teachings and gave her a lightsaber, insisting that she learn to use it. "The lightwhip is an effective weapon, Silri but to defeat a lightsaber, you must know at least a theory on how to use them."

When Tyber Zann's ship, the Merciless, dropped out of hyperspace, Silri stood out before the mountain fortress. Aside from her leather shirt, pants and boots, she also wore a black Sith robe. Tyber Zann strode down the ramp of the shuttle with his friend and lieutenant Urai Fenn, an ancient warrior of a species that Silri still didn't know. "Well, well, well… Silri has added to her wardrobe. I will refuel MY shuttle and, if you beg me, I'll take you back and make you the mother of your clan again;" said the silver haired crime lord.

Silri sneered and said, "You will be the one to beg. My master will see to that."

Tyber snapped, "If you have a master, that is me, witch. Try any of your force tricks and Urai and I will kill you. We know you're not THAT strong or well trained."

"No she isn't but I and my apprentice are and she certainly has the potential."

From the depths of the mountain fortress strode the two Sith Lords. With a string of curses, Tyber Zann yanked out an energy scatter blaster and fired at both of them. Darth Diabolist raised a force barrier and absorbed the blasts. Urai had charged with his twin blades but a blast of telekinetic energy sent him skidding in the dust. "Enough. You must be the man called Tyber Zann. Silri has told me so much about you. I have a request for you. You see, I've been in hibernation for over four thousand years and I need to get caught up on current events. Dear Silri here told me that you could get me this information. Will you help me out, Tyber Zann? My name, by the way, is Darth Diabolis."

Zann still had his blaster leveled and was about to squeeze off another shot until it was yanked from his hand. It crossed the distance to land in Silri's outstretched hand. She smirked and said, "It is an request now. It will not be later, Tyber Zann."

Tyber Zann was a smart man – he had not gotten to where he was by being a fool. Taking a deep breath, Tyber gave a confident yet respectful smile. "My apologies, Lord Diabolis. I did not survive so long by not shooting first at obviously dangerous strangers. Of course I will help you. Back at my palace on Ryloth, I have a massive databank of information. I'm sure it will help you. Please, come with me aboard my ship."

"No!"

All eyes turned to Silri. She glared at Tyber Zann. "Tyber Zann will have his ship spread with ysalamir nutria-frames. The little creatures suppress the force. Once he gets you on board, he'll kill you at the first chance he gets."

Lord Diabolis smiled at Tyber Zann. "Very interesting, Tyber Zann. Please, all I ask is to see the records of history. There is no need for such unpleasantness. How can I possibly hurt you with that knowledge?"

Tyber smiled again. "Knowledge is power, Lord Diabolis. None the less, I will take you with me. We will go together aboard the shuttle that brought Silri here. You and I and Urai Fenn and your apprentice and Silri will go to my base on Ryloth."

Darth Diabolis smiled again. "You'll understand if I don't trust you, Tyber Zann."

Silri watched as Tyber stood silently, trying to worm his way out of this situation he had dropped into. With a soothing purr, Silri said, "Come now, Tyber. Is it so hard to help? Aiding a Dark Lord of the Sith will come with many rewards."

Tyber resisted the urge to sneer. Instead he simply said, "That will be fine, my Lords. Come, let us go aboard and we can take you to Ryloth."

Darth Diabolis smiled and motioned for them to lead the way. They all filed up the ramp and into the shuttle. As the ship took off, Diabolis gazed at Silri, admiration the only emotion showing on his face. She stared at him and was shocked to feel almost a girlish shyness coming over her before she straightened and gazed levelly at him and smiled knowingly at him. "Is there something I can help you with, my Lord?" she all but purred.

Lord Diabolis shook his head with a small smile on his face, "Just allow me to bask in your presence and potential, my dear – in your beauty and your poise."

Silri tried, and failed, to maintain her Dathomiri pride. To be noticed by someone so powerful and to be seen as someone of great worth by him affected her. She had learned long ago that, while on Dathomir, woman and especially force adepts were greatly respected, in the rest of the galaxy, they were no greater than, and in some cultures, considered less than men. Again, she shook herself. She was a woman of the Nightsister Tribe of Dathomir and no man should bring such weakness from her.

As if reading her mind, Lord Diabolis smiled and said, "My dear Silri – please forgive me. I do not mean to make you feel weak nor to bring out weakness in you. I want to take a strong, powerful woman and to make her stronger and even more powerful."

Despite her best efforts, Silri could not keep the heat from filling her face – or the rest of her body. She stared at Diabolis in wonder. He was awakening something within her that no one had ever awakened in her before. She had heard this talked about by all of Zann's uncouth mercenaries but she had never experienced it. What did it mean? Once again, as if reading her mind, Diabolis stood and strode across and sat on the bench beside her. "I see in you what I have seen in precious few others, Silri. I see the flames of power – power that may be fostered and nurtured into true freedom in the force. Listen to my words, my dear; peace is a lie, there is only passion. Say it to me."

Silri felt herself entranced by the Sith Lord. She repeated his words in an awed and hushed tone. "Peace is a lie, there is only passion;"

Diabolis nodded and continued, "Through passion, I gain strength."

"Through passion, I gain strength." Repeated Silri.

"Through strength, I gain power." Lord Diabolis' voice grew in grandeur and Silri's in awe and reverence. "Through strength, I gain power."

"Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken"

Silri felt drawn as a magnet to the man before her. She repeated the words, barely speaking above a whisper. "Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken."

Lord Diabolis took her chin in a black gloved hand and finished the creed of the Sith. "The force will set me free."

Silri closed her eyes and breathed out the last line. "The force will set me free."

Lord Diabolis smiled down at her. "Let me show you how to set yourself free, my dear."

"Yes, my Lord."

Lord Diabolis released her and stood. "Then when we have the information and are returned to the mountain fortress, I will teach you first of PASSION."

At the word 'PASSION' and the way this dark lord said it, Silri felt her entire being blaze with that last thing she had ever expected: desire. In a voice barely above a whisper, she murmured, "I await the lesson eagerly, my lord – most eagerly."

He smiled and traced the line of her jaw with his finger. "As do I, my dear."

Darth Diabolis straightened. His apprentice had studiously ignored the conversation but Tyber Zann looked on in interest. The crime lord and the sith lord stared at each other, analyzing one another. Darth Diabolis smiled at the crime lord. Tyber Zann might prove to be a dangerous opponent. "Silri, I think you should go check on your rancor. Lord Heluquin, you and Urai Fenn should check on the pilots. I wish to speak to Tyber Zann alone."

Urai Fenn looked to Tyber Zann who nodded to him. Silri went to the hold while Darth Heluquin and Urai checked on the pilot. "What can I do for you, my lord?" asked Zann respectfully. Lord Diabolis went and sat across from him, resting his elbows on his knees and folding his gloved fingers and resting his chin on them. "Tyber Zann, I want you to know that I am grateful for your assistance and that I do not intend to be any threat or competition to you when I re-establish the Sith in the galaxy. In fact, considering that I have been in carbonite hibernation for the past four thousand years, I was hoping we could have a kind of partnership – strictly a business partnership. I will need weapons, armor, vehicles, ships and anything else that you would be willing to sell me. I have fifty thousand elite soldiers waiting to be released from carbonite and two hundred Dark Jedi acolytes as well as fifty Dark Jedi masters."

Tyber smiled at him and replied, "I would be happy to. I can sell you all that you need. But tell me, do you have the resources to pay? I am a business man after all and, even for a Sith Lord, I cannot reasonably be expect to cooperate for free. You could destroy me and take it but you would only get it in fragments, the gathering of which would take precious time."

Lord Diabolis smiled quite happily. "My former master Darth Revan left me a very large sum to fund a war against a great enemy. Perhaps when we get to Ryloth, we can discuss business together. I have plenty of credits, but I'm sure a man of your – line of work – would also be willing to do business for favors."

To his own surprise, Tyber Zann found that this idea was quite appealing. Not only would he make quite a large sum but he would also acquire the good will and debt of a Dark Lord of the Sith. Of course, only a fool would trust a Sith lord but Zann was good at reading people and this Sith Lord was not the same as those whom he had known about. Darth Diabolis seemed far more civilized – honorable even. Tyber would have to ask Urai about it first. The ancient warrior would have something to say and Tyber rarely went without asking his advice. To the Sith Lord, Tyber Zann said, "I think there is potential to this idea. We shall discuss it after I get you to my library and you get your necessary information. Normally, I would charge for something like that but, as a sign of faith in the potential of our new business venture, I will give you access free of charge. Does that sound reasonable, Lord Diabolis?"

The Dark Lord stood and proffered a black gloved hand. Tyber Zann stood and grasped it. Darth Diabolis foresaw a profitable partnership for all involved. He turned and was about to sit again before turning to Tyber and saying, "Oh and Crime Lord Zann, the Nightsisters of Dathomir – I would be much obliged if you would gather all of them on their home planet where I can address them. I wish to make them the offer I made Silri."

Tyber smiled slyly and said, "Not the same offer exactly, my Lord."

Lord Diabolis smiled his own sly smile and said, "Well no, Tyber Zann; not exactly the same offer but a similar one. They have so much untapped potential and I wish to show them this. Silri, however, is a very special case. She is magnificent, isn't she?"

Tyber Zann's lack of a comment made Darth Diabolis chuckle. "Yes, she gave me the impression that the two of you had a barely civil relationship even at the best of times. Ah, Tyber if you were born as I was, trained as I was, you would understand."

"Yes, we 'lesser beings' do to miss a lot, it would seem;" said Zann sarcastically. Lord Diabolis smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Tyber Zann, forgive me. One's connection to the force does not make them greater. Your guile and ruthlessness is a match for mine and your sense of business and resourcefulness exceeds my own. I could not have done what you have in just six years. You have proven yourself powerful in your own right and way. If Darth Revan were here, he would do what ever it took to make you an ally. You are no lesser being, Tyber Zann. You are superior in so many ways even to me."

That caught Tyber off guard. A humble Sith lord was quite out of his reckoning. This Darth Revan must have been a different kind of Sith to teach his disciples to think in such a way. Up from the cockpit came Urai and Darth Heluquin. Lord Diabolis turned towards the cargo hold and said, "I will go and see if Silri will teach me the skill of communicating with those magnificent rancors. I'm sure that it will be useful in the future."

Silri sat and affectionately rubbed her rancors slimy snout, sitting upon her Sith robe for comfort. Using her mental link, she talked to the rancor. Agroada, my pet, we have found a powerful ally - one who will bring the Nightsisters out of obscurity. Darth Diabolis will be a teacher to my sisters and I.

Rancors from Dathomir were semi-sentient, able to express minimal understanding and emotions, especially to the Witches of Dathomir. Agroada nuzzled her hand with a slimy nose and gave a low snort. Silri smiled at her large pet's understanding, little though it was. To herself alone, she wondered what else this Dark Lord of the Sith would be. She had felt the urge for intimacy before and it was simple to get one of Zann's weak minded mercenaries to give her what ever she wanted but with the Dark Lord, it was utterly different. It was one thing to desire pleasure and release, another utterly to desire a man himself. This was altogether new to her and she was unsure of how she would handle it. In the Nightsister tribe, if a man was desired, he was taken for as long as the woman desired and then sent back to where he came from. There was no mating for life, no commitment; but on Dathomir, women held all the power and men were a necessity, a resource to use and discard. Silri knew that it was not the same out in the greater galaxy. Was she willing to lower herself and to submit to the power of a man?

Suddenly, she felt his presents almost immediately behind her and she felt work-rough hands on her bare shoulders and it sent shivers down her spine. "My Lord?" she whispered, unable to move and not sure of what to do. His fingers began to gently, yet firmly, rub the tense muscles of her shoulders. She hadn't realized that her muscles were so tense. A low chuckle from behind her caused heat to pool within her core. "I understand that this must be difficult for you, Silri. From what you told me of your people, men are little more than resources and beings of labor."

Silri found it difficult to speak but she managed. "I admit that this idea of any man being an equal to me and especially superior is very foreign. It rebels against everything I was raised top believe."

The strong hands continued their work on her shoulder and slowly moved down her back, working every tense muscle to blissful relaxation. After several moments, Lord Diabolis said, "I understand. I remember when someone came into my life and utterly changed my beliefs and irrevocably altered my life. He taught me to fear nothing and to let nothing, not even vane prejudices, hold me back or slow me down."

Suddenly, Silri felt her pride burn and she whirled, yanking herself free of his hands. Standing tall and proud, she was about to speak haughtily when she saw the look of utter sincerity and understanding on Lord Diabolis' face. Before she could recover herself, the Dark Lord smiled gently and lowered his hands to his side. "It is not the way of the force to segregate men and women, Silri, anymore than humans, near humans and non-humans. No one is greater than the other simply for being so. I am not greater than you because I am male nor am I less than you for it. In the force, the only separating factor is our connection to the force and that is something that can be altered, improved. I do not wish to be a lord over you. I wish us to be equals in the force."

Silri spoke stiffly, "I did not think that the Sith believed in equality. I thought they believed themselves the masters of all they saw before them and that such mastery was their birthright."

Darth Diabolis shook his head. "That is how it was for many, many centuries - millennia in fact. But then Darth Revan taught us the truth of the matter. Darth Revan understood the nature of the force. He did not simply cling to the dark side as a desperate man clings to a blade for protection and throw up a mask that would be perceived as power. He embraced all aspects of the force and mastered all of it - light and dark. That is why he was the only rightful ruler. He ruled, not because he was greater but because her understood better than any the ways of the force."

Silri crossed her arms over her chest. "Yet he died - or at least I assume he died. He has not shown his face in the history that I know for over three thousand years."

To her surprise, a look of sadness and grief passed over Lord Diabolis' face. "Yes. My dear friend and mentor is dead. But death is a natural part of life. No matter how powerful they are, a master cannot become one with the force until they die. In the end, it is inevitable even for the most powerful of beings."

After several moments of silence, Diabolis turned to leave but Silri strode up and took his shoulder. "My lord, forgive me. I - I wish to learn from your wisdom, not to spurn it. I beg your pardon if I caused you pain."

The Dark Lord turned his startling yellow eyes back on her. "Like death, pain is also a natural part of life. It reminds us that we live and keeps us sharp and vigilant. You need not ask my pardon, my dear. I knew that my work would be cut out for me in training and teaching you. But, in point of fact, I came down here seeking your teaching. I wish to learn how to communicate with these great creatures."

Silri smiled with pleasure. The great Sith Lord wished her to teach him. "Surely, my lord, you know how to communicate with creatures and to empathize with them."

Almost bashfully, Lord Diabolis averted his gaze and said, "In truth, no. In the months leading up to my hibernation, I was focused on teaching young adepts the ways of the force that would aid us in battle. I was never taught the skill of beast mind, not even when I was a Jedi Knight on Dantooine."

"Then I shall teach you, my lord. It would be my honor and my pleasure."

Darth Diabolis smiled with pleasure and gratitude. "Thank you, my dear Silri."

Updated May 25, 2016