Chapter VII
Ulic Qel-Droma awoke suddenly, feeling vaguely uneasy. Dressing quickly, he entered the common room of the Second Chance. Shrike was there, downing the last of his breakfast. "What's going on?" Ulic said, having identified the source of his concern on the way to the common room, "Why have we reduced speed?" Shrike gave him an appraising look as he swallowed the last of his drink. That and a slight shift in the man's posture sent Ulic a message that might as well have been written on Shrike's forehead. You know why.
"Due to the current situation at Vontor," Shrike began, "and your state of mind, I've ordered the reduction in speed to Point 3." "That will cost us a day in hyperspace!" Ulic protested. His eyes narrowed in thought. "What situation at Vontor?" he asked testily, "What do you know about my state of mind?" "Half the Jedi fleet has custody of a large group of Sith incarcerated there," Shrike answered, "And I don't have to be a Jedi Master to see that you're slipping dangerously close to the Dark Side." "How dare you!" Ulic began, but Shrike cut him off.
"I dare because I'm captain of this ship," Shrike said, "I dare because you paid me only to take you to Vontor and not within any particular time frame. And I dare because I'm right." Shrike paused and locked eyes with Ulic. "Now you dare," Shrike challenged, "to contradict me." "I don't know," Ulic began. "Yes, you do," Shrike said, "Use that vaunted Jedi insight to tell me your real reason for going to Vontor. And don't think you can intimidate me the way you did Felth." "Vengeance," Ulic said, his eyes glaring, his tone harsh.
"That will only make your enemy stronger," Shrike said, "and dishonor the memories of those you avenge." Ulic winced at that last. "You are right," Ulic said, "I guess I need to rethink what I'm doing." "Don't let me stop you," Shrike said, "If the Force is leading you to Vontor, then that is where you should go. Breakfast?" Ulic nodded and said, "Thank you. Somehow I will prove worthy. I will find a way past this and reject the Dark Side once and for all." "A good goal, my friend," Shrike said, "But there are some who would say it is unattainable. If you'll excuse me, I have a ship to run." With that, Shrike moved off, leaving Ulic alone with his thoughts.
Nomi Sunrider awoke, sensing a change in her circumstances. Something new and unexpected was coming. She stepped out onto the balcony adjoining the room she had chosen for her residence the previous night. Her gaze traveled over the complex below her. Her Sith captor was clearly visible atop the tallest building in the area; his black cloak flapping in the wind. His figure was outlined against the rising sun, and his gaze was directed to the sky. She glanced up, where high above a single star shone; growing steadily brighter. Nomi smiled, realizing what this meant. Her stay her was over, and the Sith would soon be gone from her life forever.
"There," Ki-Adi-Mundi called out, "Atop that tower." "He's not going to stay there long," Baas said, gesturing towards the spaceport, "Put us down." The Nebulon Ranger sank to the surface of Kamparas for the second time in as many days and the three Jedi made their way to the bottom of the ramp. "You two find Sunrider," C'baoth said, "I'll handle the Sith." Baas and the young Jedi nodded, and headed for the complex. Igniting his lightsaber, C'baoth followed.
The surface of Ossus drew nearer, and as it did; Ood Bnar noticed a second ship descending to the surface in his wake. He almost immediately recognized it. Ood opened a channel as he swung his shuttle around and primed his weapons. "What do you want here, Kun?" he asked as the Iyndiri appeared outside his viewport. "I am here to relay a message to the Jedi Order," Kun replied, "Stand down; I mean you no harm, but I will defend myself." Ood considered his options.
Baas had taken the frontal approach on Coruscant, but that had gotten him nowhere. However, if he could even the odds up here; it might be worth the risk. Opening the throttle wide, he caused the shuttle to shoot towards Kun's ship. The other vessel barely avoided a collision as Ood opened fire. Kun did not hesitate to respond, and his ship's weapons raked across the shuttle. His control panel went dark as Kun hit a key circuit, and the shuttle began to spiral towards the surface. There was nothing Ood could do except to reach out with the Force and somehow cushion his precipitous fall.
C'baoth made his way into the complex and soon reached the third courtyard. It was there he saw his opponent. The red-white blade of the Sith's ignited lightsaber carved a vertical line between them. The alien stood a good foot taller than C'baoth. But then, the Jedi thought wryly, size matters not. "Your reign of terror has ended!" C'baoth declared, "Prepare to become one with the Force!" The Wookiee parted his teeth, and let out a feral laugh. "On the contrary," the Sith said, "I declare that is you that shall not live to see another day!" Then the duel began...
Baas and his companion did not find Nomi. She found them. In a stairwell a few hundred feet from their vessel, she appeared and ran to meet them. "Let's get out of here," she breathed. "We will leave as quickly as possible," Ki-Adi-Mundi stated, "However our comrade is engaged in mortal combat with the Sith Lord." "We leave as soon as he returns or we sense that he has failed," Baas went on. "If he fails," Nomi said, "Will one of you be taking his place?" "Perhaps," Baas said, "But I have a feeling that if he cannot defeat his enemy, C'baoth will ensure that the Sith does not leave this planet alive." The three of them then headed back towards the Nebulon Ranger.
It seemed like an eternity before Ood awoke. He felt surprised to be alive, although he could still feel the sharp impact as a distant and fading pain. Apparently, opportune circumstances had combined to save him. Or as some of the galaxy's sentients might put it, I got lucky, he thought. His borrowed shuttle was now barely more than flinders. Rising, Ood turned to face the sound of a ship landing. As if on schedule, the Iyndiri settled slowly to the ground. Remembering what had happened in the Senate and on Tatooine, Ood wished for once that he carried a lightsaber.
Grasping two pieces of the shuttle in his limbs, he approached the other craft. Exar Kun stood waiting for him. "I'm sorry, Master," Kun said, "But this was the only way to get you to listen to me." "By shooting me out of the stars?" Ood retorted. "My mission is too important to have your Jedi sense of duty and honor interfering with my attempt to communicate with them in a safe manner," Kun said. "I'm listening," Ood said. "You have the proper codes, Master," Kun said, "I; the equipment needed to transmit it. You must send it to Vontor in two days. Tell them that I have gone to eliminate the instigator of my downfall and the one who in many ways has started this chain of events. Tell them I have gone to the fourth moon of the gas giant Yavin."
A small device floated to the ground beside Ood. It was, Ood saw, a transmitter that could do what Kun had asked. "Suppose I refuse?" Ood said cautiously. "I would rather a Jedi send the message, Master," Kun said, "It lends it more credence. I could send it myself, and you could try to stop me. I think we both know how that would end." "I will do as you ask," Ood said, "If you answer one question. What will this lead to?" Kun looked up, and said, "This will open the way to the future, one way or another..."
With a sharp crackle of energy, the two blades met. Jedi faced Sith; neither giving an inch. Leaping clear, the young and impetuous Jedi wove an intricate series of feints and cuts at Rmnklamara. The Wookiee blocked them easily, sweeping his blade at the other's head. The Jedi ducked, and the errant weapon sliced into one of the pillars that supported an overhead walkway. A cascade of stone nearly buried his opponent, who rolled clear with only moments to spare. The Sith's weapon had come about in the meantime, and the Jedi just managed to block it as he rose to his feet.
Retreating to a more open area, the young Jedi stood his ground. Leaping towards him, Rmnklamara swung his blade at his foe's weapon. His Jedi adversary spun clear and lashed out with a fierce kick that sent the Sith tumbling into a nearby wall. The Jedi smiled, and twisted his hand slightly in a peculiar fashion. Turning, he did the unexpected and ran thru a nearby doorway and was gone. Rmnklamara rose to pursue him, but his instincts warned him of danger. At the same time, his lightsaber felt strange. He glanced down at it, and it was then that the last thing he could have expected occurred. His weapon exploded.
"All right," Baas said as they sat down in the safety of the Nebulon Ranger, "Please tell us precisely what happened on your last mission. Take all the time you want." Nomi nodded, and began, "Ulic and I had traced the attacker to Fornax. We landed near a large fortress on the surface. It was inhabited by a Sith Lord, who called himself Darth Sival. He tricked us inside, and used the Force to imprison us while he attacked with Dark Side lightning." Nomi shivered slightly at the memory, then went on, "Ulic tried to protect me by blocking most of the barrage. He helped get free, to go for help. The last I saw of him was as he rushed Sival..." She broke off, weeping.
"Then what?" Baas said gently. "As I rose out of the atmosphere," Nomi answered, "I had to use the Force to channel the energy of one of the plasma bolts into my ship to escape. I spent the next two weeks doing repairs. Then I came here." "What of the Sith who came here?' Baas asked. "He called himself Rmnklamara. He isn't one to be trifled with," she shrugged and went on, "Beyond that I don't know much." "That may have been true," another voice said, and they turned to see C'baoth enter the room. "I doubt he'll be troubling any one else," the newcomer added, smiling. "Initiate take off," Baas directed, and the others soon complied.
The Infiltrator sat just as Rmnklamara had left it. Even in his current state, it only took a few moments to open it and get inside. Bandaging his burned hands and face was something of an ordeal. At last he was finished, and he made his way to the cockpit. Soon, he knew that the faculty and students of the training center would be returning.
He needed to be long gone before that happened. Not that he needed to stay here. Malcodezj had known what sort of odds he would face on this world. Yet he sent me anyways, the Wookiee thought. Just as he had sent Kun on an equally pointless and dangerous assignment on Yavin 4. Perhaps, he thought, Kun was right. Perhaps Malcodezj didn't have the truth he sought. In which case he must find Kun, and together they would seek their true destinies.
The sleek craft shot out of the hangar high overhead and quickly shrank to invisibility. Baas watched it, as did C'baoth. "I failed," the younger Jedi lamented. "Perhaps," Baas said, wondering if that was so. "We're receiving a signal from the Knightstorm," Ki-Adi-Mundi reported, "They are asking if we need any assistance." "I should probably rejoin them," C'baoth stated. "Yes," Baas agreed, turning to the others, "What do you want to do now?"
"We should try to find this Sith Lord, Darth Sival," Ki-Adi-Mundi suggested. "It won't be easy, and we need to try to rescue Ulic," Nomi said with determination. Baas nodded, and turned back to C'baoth. "We will then accompany you to Vontor," he said, "Perhaps we can convince some of the Jedi there to assist us in overcoming this Sival." The other nodded, and brought the Nebulon Ranger onto a course for the hangar bay of the larger ship.
The steely towers of Coruscant surrounded Darth Qiran and his apprentice as they stood there silently contemplating the future of the galaxy. "There will come a day," Qiran said, "When I will leave you. Unlike our forebears, you are not destined to face me in mortal combat. You will instead search out another like us who shall be the spearhead of things to come."
His gleaming red eyes took in the massive metropolis for a moment, then he went on, "On the day you are ready, you must forge a new Sith Empire out of the ashes of this Republic. You must utilize all the resources that the Dark Side offers. When you at last reveal yourself, all will fear the name you have taken for your own..." Qiran paused, his eyes focused on his apprentice. Then he finished, saying, "... Darth Sidious."