Ten
Republic Outpost, Telos
13 ATC
The currents of the Force keened with tension like the air before a thunderstorm. K'saria Dhakar could feel it thrumming all around her where she knelt in meditation in the shadow cast by one massive leg of a Republic walker. The soldiers bustling around her shone in the living Force, their collective energies swirling together to form a window into the secret turnings of the universe.
K'saria looked into that window and saw doom. It bore down from all sides, storms that would eventually come together into a vast tempest of death and destruction. She could see it clearly: the dark side had come to Telos.
The darkness was always present in the Force, for it was as much a part of it as the light, the black silt lying on the bed of a clear, shining river. Now, something or someone had stirred the silt, muddying the light with swirling clouds of shadow.
The question was, what had caused this? The Imperial invasion had brought some darkness with it, but nothing like this. K'saria had been meditating on it ever since the change had occurred, and she could only conclude that the Force was acting in response to the arrival of a powerful Sith Lord.
It had been, she supposed, only a matter of time. The most surprising thing was that the Imperials didn't seem to have brought any Sith with them in the first place. It had given K'saria hope that they could reach a peaceful solution. She knew firsthand that Imperial commanders were far more reasonable without Sith lurking over their shoulders.
Now, though… The doom she could feel in the Force strongly indicated that peace was no longer an option.
"Master K'saria," said a calm, quiet voice.
She opened her eyes and looked up to see one of her fellow Jedi standing before her. Elaedrin Myn was human, twenty-one years old, and newly elevated to the rank of Knight. She had straight, shoulder-length blonde hair that framed a heart-shaped face with wide, deep-set green eyes, a slightly upturned nose, and a full mouth. That mouth was currently a grim line as she regarded K'saria with her arms folded across her chest.
"Yes, what is it?" K'saria asked.
"Master Setia asked me to tell you that you're needed in the command walker right away," Elaedrin said. Her voice was flat, devoid of all but the faintest hint of emotion. "She said it was very urgent."
K'saria rose to her feet, brushing dirt off her knees, and kept her concern hidden. The war had taken its toll on Elaedrin, moreso than was to be expected. In her opinion, the young woman should have stayed a Padawan for some time yet, but Setia had disagreed.
"I won't keep her waiting, then," K'saria said, and started the short walk over to the walker that was serving as a command center. Elaedrin walked beside her, her arms still crossed.
K'saria looked over at her. "You seem tense," she observed cordially. In truth, she could sense more than tension in Elaedrin. There were shadows within her, shadows that her inner light was not strong enough to burn away.
"I'm fine."
"It's all right to be nervous. A little fear keeps you grounded in the present, where you should be."
"I'm not nervous. There is no emotion, there is peace."
"Jedi still feel, Elaedrin," K'saria said sharply. "There is a difference between serenity and apathy."
"With all due respect, Knight Dhakar," Elaedrin said, a faint note of resentment coloring her monotone, "I am not a Padawan who requires lecturing."
"I offer friendly advice, from one Jedi to another. That was all."
"Yes, I'm sure that was your intention," Elaedrin muttered.
K'saria would have liked to have said more, but they reached the command walker. She moved up its ramp and into the interior, Elaedrin following a short distance behind.
Inside the walker, Jedi Knight Setia Aru and Republic Commander Zaron Dalvenna stood over a holoprojector showing a topographical map of the area.
"K'saria, there you are," Setia said. She was human like her former Padawan, dressed in Jedi battle armor that rode easily on her tall, muscular frame. "Recon just reported in. A Sith ship landed at the Imperial encampment this morning. I'm sure you felt their presence too."
K'saria nodded. "What I have sensed is…disturbing."
Dalvenna raised an eyebrow. "That's one way of putting it. We got a few reads on the ship's drive signature. Intel says it's almost a perfect match with their record of the ship belonging to a Sith called the Emperor's Wrath."
The tangled web of portents hovering in the Force suddenly made a great deal more sense.
"We were hoping you could tell us more," Setia said.
K'saria pressed her lips together, thinking hard. "The Emperor's Wrath is a legend among Sith," she said finally. "Even the Dark Council is said to be wary of him. When the Wrath appears, which is not often, it is generally to carry out a death sentence ordained by the Emperor."
"This Sith's arrival is bad news, then," Setia murmured.
"It gets worse," Dalvenna said dourly. "The latest SIS reports are sketchy, but rumor has it this Wrath is new, and very active in the field." He gave K'saria a long, intent look, then removed a data cylinder from a pocket and inserted it into the holoprojector.
The projector flared brightly, replacing the map with a static-laden blue image of a figure wielding two lightsabers, frozen in mid-swing.
"This was taken on Corellia four months ago," Dalvenna said. He tapped the holoprojector controls, and the hologram expanded, showing a larger image of the figure's face.
Setia frowned and looked from the image to K'saria and back again. "She looks just like you."
Elaedrin, who had been hanging back near the walker's hatch, edged in closer for a better look.
"I believe I understand now," K'saria said softly.
"Understand what?" Setia asked.
"The Force has been trying to tell me something, I'm certain of it. Ever since this Sith—since the Emperor's Wrath—arrived, I've felt darkness closing in."
Setia narrowed her eyes. "Didn't you say once that you had a sister?"
"I do, yes. A twin." K'saria studied the hologram. It seemed to stare through her, as if she were the transparent one. "I had not thought to ever see her again."
"Looks like she came to you," Dalvenna said. He sighed wearily. "I hate to ask this, but we're going to be fighting this woman. If there's anything you can tell us about her, anything that might help…"
"I will tell you what I can. I do not know how useful it will be." K'saria clasped her hands together in front of her. "I hadn't seen K'hera in some time before I left the Empire. If she is now the Emperor's Wrath, I suspect she has changed a great deal."
Dalvenna started to say something, only to be interrupted by a man in Republic armor painted with camouflage patterns barging into the walker.
"This is a private meeting, soldier," Setia said coolly.
"I'm sorry, sir, Master Jedi," the soldier panted, "but we're under attack!"