A/N: New content has been added to the previous chapter. It starts after Luke is called to the ops room.
44 ABY: Near Kesh
A golden-brown blur appeared several thousand kilometers from the world the Lost Tribe of the Sith called home. The blur shortened and defined itself into a rather unassuming looking craft. The main body was rectangular box, with the corners and edges rounded away. Attached to the front was a triangular cockpit, similarly rounded. Toward the stern were three stubby wings, each with an engine incorporated into it. One wing rested atop the craft, while the other two, slanting downward, were on the left and right sides.
Sitting quietly in the pilot's seat was a Chagrian man. Typical for his species a lethorn, a large sort of finger of flesh with a horn growing out of it, hung from either side of his face. And as with the males, he also had a pair of horns growing from his head. The left was quite long while the right was shorter, having been broken years ago.
But atypical of a Chagrian, his once blue skin had been dyed red and was now home to numerous swirling black tattoos. Such a thing had become increasingly common among members of the One Sith.
The aftertaste of a disturbingly recent, wave of death wafted up from Kesh. Some sort of disaster had occurred while he had been in transit. A number of wary presences scanned his Force aura, the memory of what had transpired still fresh in their minds, to see if he was friend or foe.
In response he gathered the dark side about him, to make it known that he was not a Jedi. This did seem to bring them a small sense of relief. Though the Chagrian Sith Lord was mildly surprised at how slight it was.
His scanners detected several fighters rising up to meet his craft, preparing to blow him out of the sky. He suddenly recalled hearing reports of a being named Abeloth who was said to be incredibly powerful in the dark side. Was this being responsible for all the death he'd felt?
He switched on the ship's comm as it beeped. "Who are you, and what do you want?" asked a suspicious, somewhat angry voice.
"My name is Darth Wyyrlok. I am an envoy of the One Sith. I wish to speak with your leadership to see if we can form an alliance with your Lost Tribe. And... I sense that something has happened here. I would like to express my condolences."
"We appreciate that. My name is Dohazri Shazaar. I will transmit a set of landing coordinates. We will discuss the possibility of an alliance once you have landed and exited the shuttle. You must not deviate from this course you are given."
"Thank you, Dohazri Shazaar."
Darth Wyyrlok surveyed the ruined city of Tahv as he piloted his shuttle to the landing coordinates. It looked as though some sort of bomb had been detonated. Ruined blocks of stone and twisted bits of metal, sprinkled with dust and bits of colorful glass, were all that remained of what must have once been a magnificent sight. This must have been the work of Abeloth.
A trio of landing skids extended from the golden-brown shuttle's underside, shortly before it touched down. Wyyrlok pressed a button on the wall by the boarding ramp, prompting it to unfold. And to reveal that several lavender-skinned men and women had gathered around his ship. He hadn't felt them gather, meaning they knew how to hide themselves in the Force. "I am Darth Wyyrlok," he said politely as he walked down the shuttle's boarding ramp.
One of the men cautiously stepped forward. "Dohazri Shazaar," he said, extending his hand.
Darth Wyyrlok took the proffered hand. He felt Dohazri following his gaze as he looked around. "Was this the work of a creature called Abeloth?"
"Yes, the abomination caused what you see here, before fleeing to Coruscant. Our leader, Darish Vol, followed her there to kill her. But she killed him, instead. We're not quite sure why she did all this." Dohazri looked at the ground in disgust. "The Lost Tribe has been in disarray ever since. Several families currently vie for leadership. We fight against each when we should be standing as one against the Jedi."
Darth Wyyrlok nodded. "What your Lost Tribe needs is a Master to restore unity. The One Sith have a Master. Darth Krayt. He showed me the wonder of the dark side when I needed it most. And he gave me a purpose. He offers to do the same for your people."
Dohazri Shazaar sighed. "I sense no deceit from you," he said slowly. "But that does not mean I am ready to trust you."
Wyyrlok nodded in approval. "This is good. Darth Krayt does not seek an alliance with fools who are too quick to trust."
"We were too quick in trusting Abeloth, and look what it got us," Dohazri said, his tone bitter. "But if an alliance with us is so important to this Darth Krayt, why does he not come himself?"
"Lord Krayt does not risk his life unnecessarily. The One Sith did not know what to expect from the world of Kesh, for one must never be too quick to trust. I am expendable; there is another ready to take my position should anything befall me. Therefore, my loss death would not be detrimental."
Dohazri nodded. "So you admit that... Lord Krayt is inexpendable."
"Yes," Wyyrlok easily admitted. "And Lord Krayt wishes to be inexpendable to your Lost Tribe, also. The Master has recently learned in some of his visions that the threat the Jedi pose has become even more grave. There is a child among the Jedi who is destined to become their queen, should she be allowed to live."
"Some of this has reached here..." Dohazri corroborated.
"If this comes to pass, I fear the galaxy will be plunged into endless war. The Jedi believe they are saving the galaxy when in fact their actions could destroy it."
56 ABY
Poison Moon
The Poison Moon tunneled through the swirling abyss of hyperspace, transporting two hundred students who'd just finished a long stint of training at the Sith Academy on Korriban. They were returning to Kesh to pass on what knowledge they had gained, and two hundred more students would take their place.
Darth Wyyrlok fondly recalled the different reactions of students meeting Darth Plagueis for the first time. Mostly a mix of fear or horror, and fascination. Like Wyyrlok, after returning to Korriban twelve years ago, the students had not known what to expect in regards to the Dark Man. Had not expected to find a man existing between life and death.
Unlike so many Sith Lords before him, Darth Plagueis was not a victim to the illusion that a mere pair of Sith could defeat the Jedi. Nor would he make the mistake of underestimating them. It would require an army to defeat the Jedi. And therefore, the Dark Man had seen fit to create one. These students would form the bulk of that army. An army numbering in the thousands. Darth Plagueis would forge a new Sith Empire!
But the Sith could not yet take on the Jedi directly. For Darth Plagueis had warned that the newly discovered or, more likely, rediscovered Anti-Force was still very much at work. The Sith would need the Jedi's help to repel this threat. The galaxy would need overwhelming force. A hammer, so to speak.
Only after this Anti-Force had been dealt with would the Sith eliminate their temporary allies and eternal enemies, the Jedi. But this would be a far more delicate procedure. Requiring the sort of precision one would need when removing a tumor. If the Sith were not careful, the galaxy might side with the Jedi. The Jedi, not the Sith, needed to be seen as the problem. The Sith needed to be the saviors.
The cerulean swirls of hyperspace subsided into a mottled gray. The gray abyss fractured into billions of white lines, which shrunk down to stars, and revealed the black velvet of space. The Poison Moon silently approached the world of Kesh. The Interceptor-class frigate was soon falling through the atmosphere of the Sith stronghold, toward the city of Tahv.
Over the many times Darth Wyyrlok had been to Kesh, sometimes with Darth Krayt, Tahv had gradually been built up. Not to any extent approaching its former glory. The Lost Tribe did not have the luxury of time, as they had in the past. Quality of craftsmanship had to give way to expediency.
Tahv's population was also being built up. So many children had been born on Kesh in these past twelve years. Raised in the ways of the dark side of the Force. When the time came they go to train at Korriban, where they would meet Darth Plagueis and Darth Krayt. And then they and so many others would, hopefully, help save galaxy from itself. Stewards of peace and order, and bulwarks against chaos and anarchy.
