Chapter 9. Darth Mantus

Kato Neimodia:

The Neimodians were preparing for their yearly festival of death. A barbaric ritual held in the great arena where warriors tested themselves against one another or against horrible creatures like Rancors or Bulmas. It was the perfect chance to assassinate the Viceroy of the trade federation. A team of Umbaran mercenaries had been hired for the task. As the Umbarans prepared to kill Barto Gunry and his family another group of mercenaries prepared to take them out. This group was made up of one wookie, two Barabels, five humans, three Verpine, and one Elomim. They worked for Jabba the Hutt and were called the black scorpions.

The scorpions were already positioned in Gunry's sky box holo-droids were set up in the disguises of Barto and his family. When the Umbarans burst into the sky box they came in shooting. The holo-droids mimicked burn holes and their screams of terror as they hit the floor. An energy field went up blocking the doorway, then a hologram of the wall vanished to reveal the black scorpions. They used vibro-kans, the throwing stars whistled through the air slitting throats and severing heads. The Wookie grabbed one of the mercenaries and snapped him in half. The Elomim wielded two blades spinning and twisting into his prey. When it was over the team leader a human used the Umbaran communicator to let Mantus know that the assassination succeeded.

Gardolla sat on her dias watching the pod race on Mallastare. She was in her private enclosure drinking and eating. A holo-globe floated into the room and projected a hologram of Jabba the Hutt, who laughed at Gardolla.

"Jabba what do you want…"

"I want you to betray Mantus and tip off the Jedi about his new dark order and how they were involved in the Valor incident…"

"How did you…"

"Let's just say that Tin'sar Demask isn't someone to trifle with…" He saw her hesitate, "…Do this Gardolla and I shall release all debts owed to Detrium…"

"One day Jabba you will fall and when you do I hope I am there to see it…"

"I am invincible Gardolla I cannot be touched…"

Mallastare:

Lok was the leader of the black sun, but he was also the leader of an underground movement that wanted the Gran government off of Malastare. They had a hidden base in the valley which was unknown to the Gran, until they received an anonymous tip from Farmer. Because of the Ruusan reformation act no member of the Republic was allowed to have a standing army. The act did allow the Gran to hire para-military troops, whom were sent to take down the base. The attack happened in the early morning hours and over eighty percent of the base personnel was killed. Lok himself was on the ground badly wounded when a soldier walked up to him and pulled out a blaster.

"Tin'sar Demask sends his regards…" The soldier said before shooting. It was Farmer Darth Plagueis' right hand man. He placed a personal call to Plagueis. "My lord… Lok is dead…"

Vash Sith Thrown World:

"Well done… Make sure Jabba the Hutt gets the information he needs about the Black Sun…" When the transmission ended Plagueis swiveled in his chair and pressed a few buttons on the panel. A few seconds later a hologram of Chief Council Dunbar appeared. Dunbarr was chief council of Valor VI.

"My lord we have Bradsaw…"

"Good turn him over to the Republic authorities… tell Bradsaw that he will confess to Republic courts that Calladen Hart was the master mind behind what happened on Valor VI and that he was going by the name Darth Mantus…"

When Plagueis ended the transmission he left the sith thrown world to prepare for his confrontation with his apprentice. Meanwhile Dejon Wells lead a team of twenty Jedi Knights against Darth Mantus' order. The Jedi had been tipped off by an unknown source. It was a swift decisive battle and when the last lightsaber was switched off. The Jedi stood victorious, they found sith holocrons and other artifacts of the darkside.

"That went well…" A human female Jedi said standing next to Derjon.

The Barabel grunted, "Thiz one thinkz to well…"

Darth Mantus was flying his ship with his apprentice and three of his most powerful acolytes. They were on their way to Vash where Mantus believed that Plagueis was waiting. He had a small fleet with him, a present from General Khaz who also wanted revenge on Tin'sar Demask and Jabba the Hutt for what they did to Gardolla and what happened at Valor VI. When the fleet came out of hyperspace, a fleet of Mercenary ships was waiting and opened fire on the defenseless ships as they emerged from hyperspace. It was a slaughter as Khaz's ships were torn apart in the onslaught of cannon fire.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Someone screamed over the com, but within a matter of minutes Khaz's fleet was decimated. The flagship that Mantus was on was taken in one piece and towed by tractor beam towards the planet. When the ship reached the planet a hologram of Darth Plagueis was transmitted onto the bridge.

"Darth Mantus…"

"Plagueis… How did you find out…"

He laughed, "Foolish apprentice… Shuttle down to the planet we shall talk face to face you and I… Oh bring your friends…" An hour later the sun guards were escorting Mantus and his followers into the thrown room. As usual Plagueis sat on his thrown with the hiss dragon at his side.

When they were before the thrown Plagueis smirked, "Leave us…" He ordered the guards. He pointed a clawed hand at the other four men with Mantus and force choked them to death.

"I am not afraid of you my power is just as great as yours if not greater… I shall be lord of the sith…"

"You mean lord of the brotherhood of dark ones…" Mantus gasped, "Yes fool… I have known all along… Did you really think you could destroy seven hundred years of tradition?"

"Are you going to talk me to death or are we going to fight?"

Plagueis grunted, "The Sing family is dead… Gardolla is on her way to Coruscant to testify about how Darth Mantus was behind Valor VI, the theft of the credits, and owning a banking clan company called Paramount… Lok is dead as well… The dugs will retaliate supported by the black sun civil war will come to Malastare… The Jedi will stick there lightsabers in it of course…"

"You pompous arrogant Muun… I can still kill you and take all your power for myself…"

"Ah yes… you are guided by a power beyond the grave… Let me introduce you to lord Kopecz…" Plagueis didn't try to take over his mind, but he used Mantus' emotions to give shape to the illusion of Lord Kopecz's force ghost.

The ghost stood beside plagueis and spoke with his voice, "You see my very young foolish apprentice… I have known about the Dark Ones for some time… The rule of two states that only two sith may exist at a time… So I made you kill that which you love in hopes of deterring you from your foolishness, but always you have kept to your delusions that an army of sith could bring down the Jedi."

As Plagueis stood up the illusion faded away, "Now it is time you died…" He pointed a clawed hand at Mantus who was levitated into the air gasping for breath. He tried to break the hold, but Darth Plagueis was too powerful. "Your power is a tea spoon of water in the vast ocean of mine…" There was a resounding crack as Mantus' neck broke and his body hit the floor with a thud..

Darth Plagueis sneered as he walked down the steps from his thrown and stood over Mantus' now lifeless body. ("This could be me…") He thought to himself, for he had always questioned the rule of two. Undoubtedly Darth Bane's rule of two had done away with all the in fighting among the sith, but the thought of all he had accomplished falling to the hands of another was appaulling. He had inherited Darth Omni's plans and political connections. He made them his own and revenge was at hand but his old master had calculated that it would be another two hundred years before the trade federation was ready.

("I must become immortal…") Plagueis thought to himself. Past sith lords had sought immortality, even Darth Bane when he believed that his apprentice Darth Zannah was not up to the task of taking his thrown. ("She proved him wrong…") Plagueis thought laughing. He quickly grew serious again, Plagueis was well aware of the essence transfer technique, but the idea of transferring his mind from body to another was repugnant. "I must make my body immortal…" Plagueis thought and the key to doing that lay in studying the force itself. He left his thrown world aboard his star ship the Infinite Wealth.