"Term of Judgment"
The world was only darkness. There was nothing. And space and time never meant a thing… Distant echoes however were heard and only a single voice was out there. It was familiar… Satele Shan, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order of Tython.
And she repeated her phrase: "Wake up, I know you can hear me. Wake up."
Lereana's eyes opened and she was in an unfamiliar place. It was peaceful as she saw the blue sky and the less amount of white clouds that signaled a good weather around her. There were a few butterflies that flying on the grass. There were distant trees, and there were hills. Lastly, she examined herself. She wasn't in her usual military clothing but white robes like what a Force-sensitive Padawan would wear, which was also her size. She looked around, and she finally saw that familiar figure… the one who was telling her to wake up.
The trooper then started with a simple question. "Where am I?"
Satele looked around and looked back to Lereana. "Your mind. It's exactly how I describe it and how it's actually connected to you. With the help of the other masters, I was able to see what your Force-sensitivity was, and I can conclude. You were brought towards the light side and you weren't aware of it, at all."
"Wait, what?" Lereana couldn't believe it. She herself was a Force-sensitive? And by then, she was confused. "Wait… Slow down. This… place was created… by me?"
"Completely abstract, but this is the perfect representation of your sanctuary. Normally, a Padawan doesn't completely make something like this, and you aren't a Jedi yourself." Satele explained just before she held Lereana's hands. "I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me: What exactly have you known about yourself?"
Lereana decided to sit down and calm herself. She felt the grass she sat on and it even felt real to her. Satele sat down next to her to observe the woman.
"I don't know where to start," Lereana said. "This thing that's happening to me… I really don't know."
Satele then looked around and just afar, she saw a group of storm clouds forming up. They were dark and were emitting lightning bolts. She then looked back at Lereana. "You have to calm yourself. You don't need to rush. Just… breathe. Feel that you're able to use all the time in the world. It is… your friend.
"Start by closing your eyes, Major." And Satele's instruction is what Lereana would follow. As she had hoped, Lereana was then seen closing her eyes. Slowly and surely, the storm clouds from afar were dissipating. "Take me there… Calmly."
Nar Shaddaa wasn't too peaceful, at least only partially. A day after the incursion happened in the Lower Industrial Sector, Imperials started to move their patrols more strictly in their areas of operation. By then, Agent Arden had actually finished the investigation. And… he had bad news to bring.
Arden then went to the nearest terminal when he got to a Cantina that's favored by a mix of mercenaries and Imperial troopers and officers. He went to a private terminal and immediately inputs a set of encrypted frequencies to bounce around so the call wouldn't easily be trace. He smirks, as he finally gets to his final frequency… the recipient of the call. The holo-terminal then shows the holographic image of a Sith Lord.
And Arden recognized the image as he stood in attention looking at the Blonde-haired Sith Lord, also aware that no one was around there to bother in the conversation. "Lord Beniko. Agent Arden at your service."
Lana Beniko nods at the agent who finally made contact. "We have good contact here. It's nice to hear from you, Agent. I assume you have news?"
"Indeed, M'Lord. I'm a bearer of bad news as it's of utmost importance. Besides the culprit being a Jedi, it would seem the traces of the artifacts have indeed ended. It was heading towards a Republic-controlled spaceport, but that is all we could trace. One thing that was used was a cart, and all trace ended when the trail ran cold on us after the cart passed the trade center.
"The operation isn't in my charge, so I chose not to expose the Imperial Military to the Republic in the open. Forgive me." Arden lowered his head to express fear and shame for failing.
Lana sighs. "It's out of our reach and that's how it ends. It isn't going to concern you anymore. Now… what about the terminals?"
"Imperial terminals that were hacked and tampered with have been accessed to find weapons caches at first, but then the trace ended when I was looking at the Dark Council's possible assets out for their own uses. It would include these artifacts that we're still after."
"The information you're about to hear is slightly above your paygrade, but you have at least some right to hear it. Those artifacts were found hundreds of years ago when the Sith only started to grow, but since they're neutrally-aligned, they cannot be used immediately. A set of rituals had to be done, but ever since with the Pureblood Sith holding them for most of the time, they never thought of one way possible: Make peace with the Jedi to try accessing the artifacts for any reaction. We may never get that chance again if the artifacts slip from us completely.
"Whoever planned the coordinated attack, also wanted to stall for time. That dead Jedi and his two followers were proof. What's more intriguing, is that he used the Dark Side of the Force for it."
Arden hummed in curiosity. "I heard that Lord Imperius had finished off the Jedi. But something does not add up. She said that she was able to kill off the Jedi right after the Republic troopers escaped, with one of them believed to have lost too much blood."
"What are you saying?"
"Weight distribution of the complex recorded three individuals at first on the top floor, then a fourth later on, and I assume that it was Lord Imperius who arrived. Within a short period of time, all four individuals on the same floor were present from the moment the Jedi was killed off. What's weird is… one left, and there were only three remaining again."
"Something is off," Lana said. "Thank you for finding this, Agent Arden. I suggest you return immediately to Dromund Kaas to be debriefed."
"And Lord Imperius?"
"I'll be expecting her shortly. I'll be having that talk with her myself. Stay safe, Agent. Out." Lana then cut off the transmission and Arden was left to himself to extract a few datapads from the terminal and leave the scene…
Tython was facing good weather. In one of the sub-rooms with medical facilities, there was a bed with a few medical droids, which were preferably leaving. Satele Shan just entered the room herself with a random padawan behind her. She nodded at the padawan and she was left to be in the room. She then keeps her eye on one sleeping trooper with the rank of Major.
Lereana had been sleeping in the morning and she was starting to stir awake from her bed. She was only wearing a patient's dressing as she was aware of it. She slowly sat down to finally breathe well. She then sensed and saw Satele approach her.
Satele makes a smile to greet the trooper. "I hope last night wasn't too eventful for you."
Lereana shook her head. "Nah. I think it went well. It was a good release, I guess. But making that world by myself? That's-"
"You weren't helped by anyone, Major Vainscepter. When you entered Tython we saw the strength of the Force inside you, and it isn't just a simple surge of..." Satele refused to say it.
"Power," Lereana guessed and continued. "Anything that lusts on it or just the same really kicks the bucket. Kinda like how rebel Jedi or Sith do it. They really greed on one thing and it all goes to hell."
"Impressive. You've done your homework. Well… Do you fear it?"
"Yeah." Lereana briefly looked away and looked at her hands. "All this time in my life and I thought that temple had no significance to me… 13 years after the temple in Coruscant was sacked… and it's only now that I actually understood there was… I'm… actually one of you."
Satele sat down beside Lereana while they looked at each other. "You know that this matter is irregular. You never knew you were a Force-sensitive yourself."
"But others can't see it. I've encountered Sith too."
"Hm…" Satele was even thinking deeply of what she should say. This was her first time tackling the issue. But then again, there was something in her mind. "I can't complicate things for her just yet. It will all come in due time. Major… Are you ready to come back? It's been a while since you've been out in the field."
"Yeah. Probably. Jorgan was the one who suggested I visit Tython. I… never really thought that things could work out here. You were even helping me with-" Lereana stopped and gulped.
And Satele noticed Lereana's nervousness. "Whether you keep what you told me within you or not, you have to try in coming out with it sooner or later. It's better for everyone. This matter however will be kept with the Council. We need to know how else you were able to become Force-sensitive in the first place. And we both know that you were feeling the Force while exploring the Jedi Temple of Coruscant more than a decade ago.
"That said, I recommended to the Council you make contact with us to tell us how you feel, or we do the same if ever we sense you have trouble. Thanks to both of us connecting, we're finally able to acknowledge you're just like us. It's like a fiber connecting all of those who are aligned with the Force."
"Okay," Lereana said, just before she started to move her legs off the bed and sit on the edge. "By the way… Did Dorne's remains make it back safe?"
Satele nods. "They have. Even her brother Aleksei was crying when he saw his sister. It's saddening for him… Here's to hoping he would move on."
"Thanks, Grand Master. You… Kinda helped me open up to what I am."
"No need for the gratitude. It was fit to let you see around the galaxy as what you are. Restraining you is just as equivalent as forcing you to consider the laws of the Force. We can't force you to. You just have to consider the existence." Satele winced a little and looked away. "Did that sound right?" She thought that to herself. "I'm sorry. It didn't come out right."
"Nah, it's fine. Some Jedi could be a little more inviting. No need to force an image." And Lereana finally got off the bed and stood up beside Satele who then stands up with her. "I'll come back when I get the chance?"
"You're free to do so. You'll find your gear at the nearby crate to your bed. I have to get back to the Council to handle a matter. Good luck on your trip back to Coruscant. May the Force be with you." Satele made a dim smile just before she faced away and walked before leaving the room.
Several minutes later and Lereana was walking only with her signature blue armor and helmet on. She only had her sidearm pistol. It felt different without her old M-400 Nova Rifle. And she missed it terribly. She was already at the shuttle pad that housed shuttles that were ready to take passengers to the Republic Spaceport.
Aric Jorgan was there to greet her and she saw him leaning on the wall. He smiled and was glad to see the Major himself and approached and saluted. "Major," he greeted.
"Sergeant," Lereana replied with a salute before putting her arms down. "I heard Dorne's remains taken to her brother Aleksei. Good work with informing General Garza of everything. It's… It really hasn't been kind to me… the loss. I think I screwed up somewhere. Elara has so much to do in her life..." She felt saddened with what happened. "Flawless quotes of Republic Quotes and her willingness to function as a healer… I miss it."
"I'll miss her too. She had this initiative to give us motivation when we felt something against our calling. Can't argue with someone like her on the team."
"Havoc Squad isn't gonna go down just yet. We'll keep continuing even without her." Lereana nods in determination before she leads Aric Jorgan to the shuttle...
Meanwhile in Dromund Kaas, specifically at the apartments of the residence area, Lereatana herself had secluded herself from the parts of the house to the second floor where there's a large window with the view of the balcony. That was the very same room she requested that holocrons of both light and dark be placed. She had found a few of them in her adventures and it's her personal treasure. A center mat was there and a few candles were lit beside it.
She herself had her eyes closed while wearing only white full-body single-layer clothing. Her meditative status of also sitting on the mat while facing towards the window helped for some reason. Every time she meditates, reality leaves her easily. Her connection to the Force was strong, and they were able to get equal attention of Lord Zash back then with Yla. She remembered Yla, having images of herself playing with the childhood friend ever since they've known each other. The friendship started when they both knew they were only born a day after the other. That's how commonly close they are, but they knew better of themselves as time passed. They were inseparable.
But that slightly changed when they both took to their training. Indeed, they were both slaves, but they never gave up on their friendship. For that, they had a bond that lasted years. But as they were both training under Zash, things changed. Yla had longed to seek revenge to kill her parents' murderers. Lereatana only wished that her peace would be resolved, knowing in full that if the worst is over, she'd solve her other problem: Reuniting with her biological sister in the Republic.
Opening her eyes, Lereatana knew something about her meditation… the images were shallow, but it at least reminded her of what she had to do. She looked towards the entrance to the right that led to that staircase. The door was open and she didn't need to be surprised. Lana Beniko herself was there at the door.
"You could have knocked," Leretana said raising her eyebrow. "But I guess this inevitable. I'm sorry if I missed the date we were supposed to meet. I had other matters that needed attending."
Lana was calm and put her arms behind her. In truth, she was somehow troubled and she doesn't like lashing out in anger unless necessary. "There's not much to feel apologetic, Lord Imperius."
"You must be Lana Beniko then?"
"Correct," Lana replied walking further into the room before the door behind her closed automatically. "It's good to finally meet you. I know you heard a few things about me."
"As expected since you're Sith Intelligence yourself. Yes. I've done my homework and I've known you've ascended quickly in the Academy. You've done nicely being a Sith Lord, even proving you observed code while in your duties in Hoth, stopping a commander from attacking Republic forces."
Lana sighed. "I could at least tell you that I told the Republic forces to just equally stop after chopping the hand of that same commander. That treaty was still in effect. But now that it's different… I don't know.
"But that's not what I'm here for." Lana said this while seeing Lereatana stand up on her mat. Lana crossed her arms over the other while seeing Tana listening intentively. "What exactly did you do back at Nar Shaddaa during your time at that apartment complex?"
At this, Lereatana groaned. She knew she was going to be asked of the question but she's not one for pissing people off. But she felt Lana was different. "Can I be honest?"
"Hmph." Lana snorts the moment she hears it. "Honest is good, but I already have a guess on what you would say. Please… Go on."
"Let's say I arrived just to attack the Jedi with lightning. The only remaining trooper was the first to fire shots and fatally wound the culprit. He goes down, but I was the one to finish him off."
"Not the trooper?"
"Not the trooper. There were actually two of them. Both female. The one that wasn't participating was, as I analyzed there, stabbed at her torso. I even saw the exit wound right at the back. I could already tell the bleeding would be quick and it would have led to her death. And as I felt it, the matter confirmed my prediction." After Lereatana explained the truth that she knows, she kept looking at Lana, so as to not show any hints of lies.
This left Lana to ask an important question out of the answer she's heard. "You didn't kill the trooper at all and left her. Why?"
Lereatana had made sure to understand what her lie is. And she said it well to Lana. "I told her if this was the beginning and she doesn't want to stop, she'll find the matter harder than it looks. And I left her there, knowing the other one would die."
"Unbelievable…" Lana muttered this out while she started to pace back and forth in the room. "So the troopers failed to find the artifacts just as you did." It took several seconds of thinking and she stopped. She looked at Lereatana, noticing the patience of the Sith Lord. "My Lord?"
"No, no. It's just… The matter was too convenient. It obviously ties to Jedi and Republic assets… these artifacts. But something boggled me for a while." Lereatana paused before she continued. "That Jedi who pretended to be without the Dark Side… I was only sensing it too late. The troopers should have been spared from the fighting."
"Spared from the fighting?" Lana was suddenly curious of the statement.
And this was Lereatana's slip-up. "Not good."
But then Lana understood something else and raised an eyebrow. "You tend to have a different personality from Darth Nox herself. Indeed, you're both two sides of a coin. She's aggressive, while you're more tactical and could have tendencies to hold back in using the Dark Side of the Force. I believe it's not that important, but it does become a factor in your decision-making and what you say."
"Be very careful, Lord Imperius." Lana said this one as a warning. "Your actions might not be strictly judged, but there is still room for improvement. I'll call it a term of judgment from now on you, and it came from you. You do what is necessary if tasked as a Lord gathering intelligence and does related mandate for the Empire. Darth Marr himself is trying to find another suitable position for you while you're at it, so don't make it difficult on the progress."
Lereatana lowered her head. "Of course. Forgive me."
"No need for apologies. It's just a precaution. While there are only a bare few who protest against the Empire, none of them leave their matters alive. Still, I cannot blame their spark for not trusting standards. Just be careful, Lord Imperius." Lana advised this just before she headed towards the door of the room she then stopped just as the doors opened and looked over her shoulder. "I'll be on the Imperial Waystation if you need me. I might have assignments to take into consideration. If you'd like some, you can see me there."
"Of course. You're welcome here too, Lord Beniko."
"Please… Miss Beniko is fine, or Lana when in private. Excuse me, M'Lord." Lana then leaves the room before the door she walked past out of closed behind her. "Now I know as I've really thought it would be," she thought. "She really is carrying the Light side of the Force just as the Dark. It's not a pressing concern right now, but at least I know why her actions in her time seemed peculiar…"
