Chapter 4: Apprentice

Chiss Ascendancy

It was a rather quiet life, living in this wooden cabin on a world almost completely devoid of sentient life. It was one of the least important worlds within Chiss space. The planet did not even have a name, save for a lackluster series of numbers and letters. Were the world to suddenly disappear it might go unnoticed for several months. And even when said disappearance was discovered, the event would merely be logged and forgotten. The planet lost and forgotten.

Chiss Fleet Commander Mitth'ord'envar preferred things this way. A refuge where he could escape from the sterile gray walls of the inside of a Chiss Star Destroyer. Where something other than a lifeless and empty void waited outside.

But most importantly, it was safer for his family this way. His wife Chaf'aria'nagaru was a liaison with the Imperial Remnant. And while this would not have been a problem for most Chiss men, it was if that Chiss man had the privilege of being the nephew of the infamous, and widely despised among the Chiss, Grand Admiral Thrawn. It thus could not get out that Thorden had any sort of connection to the Empire, as tenuous as that connection may have been.

Very few people, aside from Thorden's father-in-law Chaf'orm'bintrano, knew of his marriage to Fariana. And it would have to be kept that way.

Mitth'ord'envar returned his attention to the small datacard sitting on his desk. And it moved. Only a millimeter or so, but it was something. And it confirmed what he'd begun to suspect. He had always seemed to know when something important was going to happen. And his reflexes seemed almost supernatural. Yes, he could use the Force. His son Mitth'rae'sevris probably could, too.

Sure, being able to move an object without touching it was exciting, but what could he do with it? He was certain he could do great things with this gift he'd been given, if only there was someone to show him how. The galaxy could be a dangerous place, and Thorden needed to be able to protect his family, and the rest of his people. And it would be nice to be able to make up for the dishonor his uncle, Thrawn, had brought upon the Mitth House.

Thorden closed his eyes and visualized a communications array. He was the communications array. He began to slow his breathing. Began to lower his heart rate and blood pressure. And there it was. All that raw, untapped power. That battery with which he could power that communications array. He imagined himself plugging a cord into a wall outlet.

Thorden drank in the power of the Force like a dry sponge. He thought of a star going nova, sending all that power outward. And Thorden sent the Force outward. He did this at least once a day, sometimes more, when not distracted by more immediate concerns. And though he had yet to receive…

A response! Someone had just found him.

Thorden tried to focus this Force energy. Like a pulsar, a star that would send out a single, concentrated burst at regular intervals. And there it was again. That response. But stronger this time.

Thorden frowned as he stepped out of the cabin. He'd known this mysterious being's presence would be feel different when they got closer. But this... This being didn't even seem to be alive. The only other option which came to mind was 'dead'. However, this being didn't seem dead, either. Thorden laughed quietly to himself as a third, utterly preposterous, option occurred to him: undead. And yet this being was certainly not some mindless zombie. You're thinking far too much; they will explain themselves.

Mitth'ord'envar spotted some sort of freighter, Corellian, perhaps, landed several dozen meters away, near a forested area. The boarding ramp was already down. Thorden kept a careful eye on it as he approached. He suddenly stopped in his tracks as a hooded figure walked down.

"Mitth'ord'envar," called the strange hooded... man?

"So, you're the one I've been contacting," the Chiss fleet commander said slowly. There was a healthy amount of distrust in the man's Force aura; Plagueis would have been deeply concerned had there not been.

The robed figure nodded his hooded head. "You may call me Hego Damask." Plagueis used his given name as he was not certain that Thorden would be willing to work with a Sith. While the Sith did want peace, they were often misrepresented, made to look like monsters and murderers. Yes, the Sith sometimes committed what were considered atrocities, but it was all for the greater good. Hopefully, in time, Thorden would be made to understand this.

The strange man pulled back his hood, revealing... nothing but the blackest darkness. Thorden stifled a gasp. Who the Void... what the Void was this? "I thought you would be…"

"different?" Darth Plagueis supplied. "This was not a form I'd expected to take either." The undead Sith Lord thought back to when he'd first met Palpatine. The young man had shown great potential. The dark side manifestation could feel something similar from Thorden. Could this man become what Plagueis had hoped Sidious would be? "You have the potential to become quite powerful, Thorden. You could accomplish great things."

"That's good to know," the Chiss man responded, nodding. "But you must want something in return."

"What I want is peace. That is also what you want, is it not? We can help each other to achieve this noble goal. But I must warn you: you may have to do certain things that you… dislike."

"But it would be for the greater good, yes?"

Plagueis nodded. "Certainly. I will show you how to use this incredible gift you've been given, and will help you assume a position of leadership. So, you will also have political power."

Thorden nodded slowly. It certainly sounded good, but there was something that just seemed... off. He brought his attention back to Hego Damask.

"You are curious about something, it seems," the shadow man said.

Thorden waited almost half a minute before speaking. "You seem rather... dark. Are you a..."

"Sith?" Plagueis said. "Yes. You may call me Darth Plagueis if you like."

Thorden just stood there a moment, not sure how to respond. He must have known, on some subconscious level, at least, that this man was a Sith. But it wasn't until he'd actually heard the word 'Sith' that the implications began to sink in.

"Sith. Jedi," the shadow man went on, as though reading the Chiss Fleet Commander's thoughts. "They're just words. Nothing more. Nothing less. If you don't like the word Sith, then do not call yourself a Sith. Yes, the Jedi would also teach you how to use the Force. But they would also teach you that it is something to be feared. What good is power if you are too afraid to use it? You can use it to protect those you love. Is that wrong?"

Thorden shook his head. "Of course not. In fact, it would be wrong not to."

"Indeed. But the Jedi often do not act, out of fear of being corrupted by their own power. The Sith, however, embrace their power, and understand that they must risk becoming corrupt for the good of the galaxy. Unlike the Jedi, the Sith do not selfishly overvalue their morality. We are willing to become monsters if that is what the Force requires of us."

"Your name has the word 'plague' in it, it sounds like," Thorden commented.

Darth Plagueis nodded. "Sometimes a plague is necessary. To remove what is, and make room for that which is new."

"That is often the purpose of a forest fire," Thorden mused. "The fire removes the old growth, and allows certain seed pods to open so that the plants inside can germinate."

"Yes," Plagueis agreed. "The galaxy must be remade."

"I realize this is a lot to take in," Plagueis continued. "I will give you time to make your decision."

"I appreciate that," Thorden said. "I'll think about it and... get back to you. The same way I've been contacting you, I assume?"

"Yes." And with that Darth Plagueis headed back to his ship.

Mitth'ord'envar's racing mind allowed him very little sleep that night. His conversation with the Sith Lord, Darth Plagueis, kept replaying itself, as though on a loop. The great darkness coming from the shadow man had been unnerving. So unnatural. But was proof of Plagueis' incredible power.

Thorden's hesitancy to work with this Sith Lord came from fear. That same fear which prevented the Jedi from taking action, even when it was a sin not to. So many had died because of this. I mustn't let others suffer due to my own cowardice. He would embrace the darkness and it would reward him with power. To protect those he loved. And if the darkness did corrupt him, so be it. He was willing to sacrifice his soul for his family, if it was required of him.

In an effort to push these thoughts away, at least long enough for him to get some much needed sleep, Thorden focused on his wife Chaf'aria'nagaru. Fariana's small body lay curled up against him, her soft breathing providing a constant background to his thoughts. So quiet was the night that Thorden could hear her heart beating.

Thorden then brought his attention to his four year old son, Mitth'rae'sevris, asleep in the next room, in his little bed. The little boy slept so peacefully, completely unaware of all the galaxy's never ending turmoil. Thorden thought on his young son's serenity, and sought to replicate it.