Far from Darth Somina and her Twi'lek companion, on the Hutt-controlled planet of Nar Shaddaa, two men walked quickly through the corridors of a casino, both hooded, both moving with purpose. Neither man's face was readily visible, but what did show displayed grim determination. They acknowledged no one that they passed, and everyone that was in their path stepped out of that path quickly. These were men to be feared, as demonstrated by their demeanor.

"The apprentice has taken the bait, my friend. We now have the most potent weapon we could possibly have." Maul's voice was unmistakable to any that had heard it. It had been the last voice many people had heard. "The time is rapidly approaching when we will be able to act with impunity. And then…"

"…and then, 'friend', we will do what we must. There has been too much planning and too much manipulation to undo it all with a premature strike. We must wait until the vulnerability is completely exploitable." The other man, who's voice was that of the tired, old man to whom Maul had previously spoken, was clearly agitated. A tangled mess of a gray beard covered what little of his lower face would have been visible from under the hood. He was clearly restraining himself from exploding in rage, and even though Maul was still of the 'unleash-your-feelings' school of thought taught to him by the Sith, he understood the need for a clear head and a calm demeanor, especially when speaking in public. Maul was not used to meeting his 'friend' in public, as their discussions had always taken place privately. He wasn't certain what the old man hoped to achieve with them being so exposed.

"It IS exploitable now! Has our mutual irritation not already taken the Togruta back under his wing? Her power has grown by quite a lot since her new education began. Soon, she will realize her place in our undertaking. And then, and only then, my old master will be vulnerable as he's never been before." Maul saw it as being quite simple. The plan was unfolding well, even with an unexpectedly potent opponent in the young Darth Somina.

"You lack foresight. Vader is not to be underestimated. We don't know just how tightly the Emperor holds his leash, but from what I've seen, Palpatine holds it quite tightly indeed. The apprentice may not be a challenge to win over, but Vader will be. Especially when he realizes who is behind this." The old man curled his mouth into a vicious grin, only barely concealed by the beard. "I have long awaited the day when I could repay the favor Darth Vader has done me." The older man raised his right hand, which was gloved, into a fist.

Maul couldn't help but laugh at the gesture. "There seems to be a lot of that going around. Jedi, current and former, do seem to enjoy cleaving hands from arms. All except…" Maul looked down at his own body, a reminder of what had come before. "Kenobi."

The old man clapped his hand on Maul's shoulder, and responded with a laugh of his own. "Kenobi isn't an issue this time. I find it unlikely we'll hear from him any time soon. My sources tell me he's gone into exile, though they won't say why."

Maul's grin faded as he turned to face the old man. "I'd utilize him if I had to. The mission is all that matters now," Maul hissed.

"I know, comrade. Come, let's have a drink and wait for word from our new agent."

Maul seemed confused. "Am I not to meet her on Dathomir?"

The old man smiled once more. "No. I have another agent for that purpose."

Half a galaxy away, the small ship that Somina and Enuma had come to call home entered into orbit around the planet Dathomir. Enuma had taken it upon herself to christen the vessel "Two-Hearts", saying it was fitting to do so as the ship had facilitated their finding one another, and though they were still trying to sort out in their minds where all this was leading, they had confessed their love for one another, and that seemed to be all they needed at the moment. Somina liked the idea of their home being a union of two; she saw a lot of that in every facet of her life now. The two sides of the Force were coming together to form a coherent whole for her, as her knowledge of both the Dark Side and the Light were growing. She felt strong, confident, able to protect those she cared about. She was ready to defend her beloved Enuma against everything that would come against them, and also ready to begin training Enuma to use her gifts as well.

"Beloved, we are in stable orbit around Dathomir. Shall we remain here and await word from Mr. Maul?" Enuma seemed even happier than usual, and her cheer was infectious. Somina just felt so…good…around her that she could scarcely understand it. Her feelings for Anakin aside, Somina had never felt like this, where she felt so warm and safe herself. Enuma wanted to defend her as well, and Somina believed earnestly that Enuma could be quite gifted with time.

Somina climbed out of the command chair, and stood behind Enuma. The desire to drape her arms around the Twi'lek was nearly undeniable, but Somina still somehow kept herself from physically touching Enuma. She wasn't entirely sure why she was so averse to touching Enuma, as their feelings for each other were quite clear, but Somina felt that right at this moment it was just better to keep her desires at arms' length. She needed focus, for if Maul was in fact waiting for her on Dathomir, no doubt she would face the greatest challenge of her life. If she was to prove herself worthy of her master, and worthy of her beloved, she needed to keep that razor's edge.

Still, however unconsciously, Somina's hand lightly grazed one of Enuma's lekku, and the Twi'lek shivered with delight. Focus wasn't needed right now. "Yes, Enuma. We will wait. I'm sure we'll hear from him soon."

Enuma rose from her chair, and, with a delighted twinkle in her eyes, quickly turned and caught Somina in a deep, passionate kiss. Somina stood, stunned, unsure of what to do, and after a few moments of the kiss, Enuma pulled back, a puzzled look on her face. "I do not understand, beloved. Do you not find me attractive?"

Somina, caught without a ready answer, stood silent for a moment, a look of panic clearly showing on her face. She had no smooth, wise-sounding answer like so many Jedi had for so many of her questions, but nothing articulate came to her mind. "I…I…" Somina couldn't get out another word, and so stopped her stuttering mid-syllable. She closed her eyes briefly, and took a breath. Somina willed herself into calmness, and once more tried to speak. "It's not that at all, Enuma. It's just…as a Jedi, we were taught to not develop attachments. No attachments means no relationships…and subsequently…"

At that, Enuma's eyes went impossibly wide. Her lips puckered slightly as realization dawned on her. "Ohhhh. You do not know what to do, since you have not done such things before! I am sorry, beloved. I misunderstood your touching my lek. To touch your beloved's lekku is a highly intimate thing, and it is almost always meant as an overture. I am so sorry if I misunderstood, Somina. I thought…well…since we had so much time…that you wanted me." Enuma's eyes turned downwards to the floor, and Somina's heart sunk with them.

Somina reached out to Enuma, and stroked Enuma's cheek with the back of her right hand. "I do. I want to. I just don't know…how…how two females…make love."

Enuma turned her eyes back to Somina's gaze. Enuma tried to smile through tears that were starting to form in her perfect violet eyes. "When you are ready…I will show you."

Somina pulled Enuma close to her, taking Enuma in her arms and holding her tightly. "I hope you will. I have much to learn from you, as well."

The moment was broken up by a beeping sound coming from the command panel. Somina's eyes darted to the panel, assessing the situation. It was only an incoming comm signal, but in truth Somina welcomed anything that would end that interminably awkward scenario. Somina, releasing the embrace, but still keeping the fingers of her right hand interlocked with those of Enuma, examined the readout about the comm panel, and her heart sunk with what she saw.

The incoming signal was from the Super Star Destroyer Executor, which meant it was her master. She'd only traded one awkward situation for another. Nevertheless, she had little choice; she had to respond to his call, for Darth Vader wasn't known for his patience.

Somina activated the communications system. "I await your instructions, my master."

"Apprentice, report what you have learned from the Jedi temple." It was nearly impossible to discern his state of mind from the sound of his voice. It wasn't at all like Anakin's actual voice; instead it was cold, mechanical, synthetic, much like what Vader himself had become. Somina was greatly disturbed thinking about that which could have changed him so much. There was some great trauma there, and he hid it so deeply that it may never be known.

Still, Somina could easily discern impatience in his tone, and reported immediately. "Upon arrival at the Jedi temple, I was accosted by the one called Maul. Apparently, he made it off Mandalore before everything started. He claimed he was looking for a lost holocron, but that was only after he attacked me, and I managed to somehow get him to stop."

A moment passed in silence. Somina swallowed unconsciously, remembering stories that Sulaiman had related to her about Vader's methods of discipline. "So, the castoff apprentice proves himself resilient. And once he had related the story to you?" Vader betrayed no emotion in his voice, but Somina believed that he was likely seething.

Somina's tone took a very conciliatory one, hoping to assuage his anger. "He dared me to come to Dathomir in six rotations to confront him again."

Vader responded much faster than Somina expected. "Confront him. Destroy him. Once you have done this, the Emperor will no longer be as suspicious of our movements. The ability to act without scrutiny is of the utmost importance. Be warned, though, my apprentice: Maul has slain Jedi Masters with ease. For whatever reason, I suspect he held back, but will not do so on Dathomir. Report to me once he is dispatched." The signal went silent after that, and Somina was left with a massive problem. Vader had essentially told her that if she didn't come back with Maul's head, she wasn't to come back at all.

Enuma knew that her beloved was dejected, and slid her arms around Somina's slender body. Somina truly enjoyed the feeling of Enuma close to her, touching her, but was utterly clueless as to the ways of romance. Besides, right now she was far too worried about her continued existence. She had been able to satisfy Vader this time, but how many times would he tolerate her not completing his tasks? Would he tolerate that at all? She didn't know, and that disturbed her. Vader seemed more and more like someone completely different than the Anakin she had known. Was the man she loved still there, underneath the armor and the icy demeanor?

Enuma's warm arms told her that it didn't matter. Perhaps she could actually allow Enuma in past the defenses, and allow them to just BE, and be TOGETHER. It was tempting, painfully so, but Somina had so many reservations about letting anyone in that close. She knew, though, that she did not want to be alone forever, and she also knew that she truly did love Enuma. It had all been such a whirlwind, and she'd been swept up in the Twi'lek's innocent charm. Maybe it was safe. She hoped that was the case, but time alone would tell.

Days passed, and Somina anxiously awaited word from Maul as they sat in orbit around Dathomir. They had thus far managed to remain hidden from sight of any Imperial ships, and the local administrators either were unaware of or unconcerned about their presence. Six rotations just about up, Somina had all but decided that Maul was not coming, and was preparing to break orbit and find some quiet spot to recover for a bit before reporting back to Vader. Somina and Enuma had both strapped into their respective seats when a short message, text only, was received by the ship.

Come now.

A set of coordinates accompanied the message, and Somina knew that the time had come. She prepared the Two-Hearts for landing. Enuma seemed extremely on-edge, and Somina too felt a certain stifling feeling, almost like being smothered, as they descended to the surface of Dathomir. It was unsurprising; Dathomir was a haven for the energies of the Dark Side. It was here that the Nightsisters coven had maintained their reign of terror over the planet, until they were routed and decimated by the Separatist droid army. It was one of the last places like it left that the Empire didn't keep a total stranglehold. It was a fitting place, that two disciples of the Dark Side, two Sith, would face each other once again. This time, though, Somina knew that either she or Maul was walking away from this confrontation, and not both of them.

The Two-Hearts set down on a flattened area admist large, craggy mountains, clearly a place hewn away for the sake of landing spacecraft. The terrain was mainly barren rock, with only a light smattering of scrub vegetation to remind anyone that there was any sort of life here. Not far from the landing platform was a small, walled village. Somina had looked up some information about this place during descent, and discovered that the male Zabraks of the Nightbrothers clan presided over this town, but they themselves had answered to the Nightsisters on the other side of the planet. Now, with the destruction of the Nightsisters, the males had built the once-meager town into more of a stronghold, and would occasionally raid smaller villages from there. There was no sign of anyone waiting for her arrival, though, and even the stronghold seemed curiously empty. Where would they have gone? Somina had to wonder, quietly.

Somina bid Enuma to stay on the ship for the time being, which Enuma protested at first, but relented shortly thereafter. Somina had no intention of putting Enuma in harm's way again, and she had no idea what awaited her. The ramp lowered from the hull of the Two-Hearts with a hiss, and a very cautious Darth Somina walked out, her senses tuned as sharply as they could possibly be, and her hands standing at the ready, near the hilts of her two lightsabers.

"You won't need those, Ahsoka."

A familiar, if older, voice greeted her as she descended from the ramp onto the rocky surface. She looked around, but found nothing. The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, but no one stood within her sight. Clearly, someone was skilled in the use of the Force, but the voice wasn't Maul's. She knew it from somewhere, though, but couldn't quite remember.

A hooded figure seemingly appeared from the shadows of the large boulders that stood near the landing platform. He was tall, but clearly bent with injury and age. His movements were not that of a feeble old man, however, and he moved with power and purpose. The man stopped a few meters from Somina, and though she could not see his eyes, she knew his eyes were firmly locked on her. He radiated strength, something she would not have expected from merely looking at him. An unkempt gray beard surrounded a snarl, and she knew the man was not happy to see her.

"So many fell. Most were slaughtered, first by the clones, then by Vader's Inquisitors. Anyone who had kept the ideals of the order were either cut down where they stood, or were consumed by the Dark Side. But you…I would have never thought I would see YOU stand before me as a Sith." The man's displeasure was tempered with profound disappointment, and even sadness. Somina could not identify him, but she somehow knew him.

"If you know me, then you know I left the Jedi order after THEY turned their backs on ME. I was INNOCENT, and they practically handed me over to Tarkin! I promised myself that I would never allow myself to be put in that position again, and my new skills will ensure that! Who the hell are you, anyway, to be saddened by my ascension?" Somina's rage came boiling up from deep within her, ready to strike down this insolent stranger. She held her anger in check, though, until she knew more about her opponent.

The hooded man scoffed loudly at Somina, and the corner of his mouth turned slightly upward. "Ascension? Youngling, at your finest you were no match for me. What makes you think I'm afraid of you now?"

"Jedi foolishness." Somina drew both sabers, clicking them to life with a snap and a hiss. "You arrogantly assume you're more than capable of striking down anyone that opposes you, but yet you couldn't defeat a POLITICIAN!" Her rage was nearly overflowing, but she had to wait. She would not start a confrontation with an unknown adversary. To do so was beyond foolish; it was suicidal.

The hooded man laughed, clearly amused by Somina's display of Sith virtue. "No greater zealot than a convert. Very well, Ahsoka. You want a fight, let's fight."

With one fluid movement, the man pushed aside the cloak he was wearing, took hold of the lightsaber hanging from his belt, and snapped it to life. The bright purple blade lit up the surrounding area, as well as Somina's dumbfounded face.

"W…Windu?"

The man almost imperceptibly waved his left hand, and Somina's sabers flew from her hands, shutting down and flying a few meters behind her. Somina quickly turned to watch them fly, and then immediately snapped her head back around to see the hooded man slide the hood off, revealing the weathered and unkempt face of Mace Windu, barely recognizable underneath a thick, unkempt beard and shoulder-length, equally messy hair.

"You know, everywhere I've gone, more people know the blade than know me. Isn't that something?" Windu's genial smirk made Somina's blood boil, but she had to accept that he was right. At her prime, she would have been no match for a Jedi Master like Mace Windu. He would slice her into ribbons if he was even at a fraction of his former skill. "Now, we don't have to do this, Ahsoka. I know you've hit a rough patch, believe me, I understand. But I need you to listen to me for a bit. I have no desire to fight you. Besides…" Windu shut down the lightsaber, and grinned at Somina once again. "…we both know how that would go."

Scornful and embarrassed at being so easily disarmed, Somina fought to keep her anger in check. She knew Mace Windu to be, at the very least, an honorable foe if not a potential ally. Still, she wondered if he really was as powerful as he had been during the last days of the Republic. The years had clearly been unkind to him; he seemed almost like a hermit, unkempt and shaggy. He appeared very different from the clean-shaven Jedi Master she'd known before. There was something else, as well, something that she'd never sensed from him before, and it was puzzling and thrilling at the same time.

She sensed the touch of the Dark Side on him.

The familiar energies of the Dark Side of the Force, though not in as great a concentration as within her, were quite visibly present in Mace Windu. He, who had criticized her for her 'fall', seemed to have taken as much of a tumble as she. She found herself smirking as well. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's had a fall."

Windu hung the lightsaber back on his belt, and closed the cloak around himself again. "Damn Dathomir nights, it gets awfully cold. To answer the question that I'm almost certainly guessing you'll ask next, no, I don't consider myself a Jedi any more. I've had to resort to some pretty desperate acts just to stay alive and one step ahead of the Empire. Like you, I have found that the Dark Side has its uses. Unlike you, I haven't given myself over to it, or to another master. I live, I keep on the move, and I do what I have to to keep it that way. Like many of us, I went into hiding after the clones turned on us. I haven't been in touch with any of the others since then, except once or twice when I happened to stumble across one or the other. There aren't many Jedi left, and fewer even that would think of themselves as such."

Somina, irritated but in no danger of boiling over, raised an eyebrow contemptuously. "So what's your point, old man?"

Windu shot a glare at Somina that penetrated with more ease than his lightsaber would have. "My point…YOUNGLING…is that I happen to be putting together a plan to stop the tyranny of the Sith, and overthrow the Empire. I am approaching you because I know deep down, somewhere in that lost young woman, Ahsoka Tano still lives, and would agree that this cause is just."

"I AM Sith." Somina stated, emphatically.

"Whatever." Windu's dismissiveness made Somina's rage flare up again, and this time, she wasn't so keen to control it. "I have a few allies here and there, some you might even know, but the one thing I don't have is an in-road to the Emperor's inner circle. That is, until I found out about your new apprenticeship under Vader." Windu came close to Somina, uncomfortably close, and his eyes tore through her as they always had before. "You do know who Vader is, or more correctly, was, don't you?"

Somina's eyes lowered to the ground, and Windu knew that she did.

"I was there, when he turned. I had Palpatine beaten. I was about to end the entire conflict with the Sith, the Separatists, all of it was about to be over. Then your old master stepped in, attacked me from behind, like a coward, and knocked me off balance. I flew out of the window of the Chancellor's office, lucky enough to be able to steer my fall somewhat to land on a nearby ship that was climbing. I was injured, badly, and missing my hand, but I was alive, and that was enough in that moment."

Somina was dumbstruck. She wouldn't have thought of Anakin attacking like that, backstabbing like a coward, but it still made sense, from what rumors had trickled out about Mace Windu's alleged demise. She would remember this, but keep her knowledge secret from her master. She wanted to see how this played out.

"Essentially, I got sick of these nerf-herdin' Sith cuttin' off nerf-herdin' hands."

Somina couldn't help but laugh at the brevity from someone who'd always been so intense, so serious, as Mace Windu always seemed to be. He seemed different, less intense and yet more focused, and he seemed to have developed a sense of humor. Maybe he wasn't so bad, after all. They'd never really interacted much during her time as a Jedi. He'd presided over her testing, as all Jedi Masters did, he had taken some interest during her trials, but for the most part they really didn't know each other, or particularly care to.

Now, any ally could be the best one. Or the worst one. Somina was wary of trust these days.

"Ahsoka…or whatever Vader calls you now…if there's a way to save him, any at all, it can't happen until the Emperor is dealt with. Help us, please. Help us stop Palpatine, and we'll do everything we can to help you save Vader."

Somina had a choice to make, and this was more of a trial than anything she'd ever faced as a Jedi. On the one hand, she had her loyalty to Vader, borne of the love she held in her heart for Anakin Skywalker, and her desire to become stronger, more able to protect those she cares about, ones like Enuma. On the other hand, Vader claimed to be plotting against Palpatine anyway, so wasn't like she was going to actually BETRAY Vader. Still, her choice would have long-term repercussions, and she needed to choose right.

Either way, both sides wanted the Emperor out of the picture, so in truth, there really was only one choice Somina could make.

"Alright. I have two conditions, though."

"Name them." Windu genuinely sounded pleased, and willing to accommodate her.

"First, my name is Darth Somina, and I would appreciate you using it. Agreeing to help you is not agreeing to abandon my path. Secondly, I have a…companion…that needs to be kept safe. If you can protect her and keep her from all harm, then I will assist you however I can."

"How about I just use 'Somina', and your girlfriend will be safe with us, and you have my word on that."

"How do you…?" Somina was dumbstruck yet again. How could Windu have known about Enuma?

Windu pulled the hood back over his head with a grin and an amused laugh. "Maul's with us, and even he can see two people who are denying they're in love. I'll be in touch, Somina."

Windu walked off, disappearing into the shadows that he'd come from. Somina stood there, jaw agape, unable to process what she'd just experienced. She extended her hands out, reaching out with the Force, and pulled her lightsabers back to her hands. She hung them on her belt, and trudged back up the ramp and into the Two-Hearts.

Somina wearily dropped into the command seat in the cockpit, and with one hand, fumbled with the restraint straps, trying to get strapped in for take-off. She was still stunned by the day's events, and with so many revelations being shown to her, her mind simply needed to shut down. She punched a few coordinates into the navigational computer, and lifted the ship off the surface of Dathomir.

Enuma turned and smiled at Somina. "Is everything alright, beloved?"

Somina, her eyes not turning away from the stars emerging from the glow of the planet below, spoke wearily. "Yes, Enuma. I'm fine. The galaxy just got a lot more complicated, though, more so than I thought possible."

Enuma's cheery tone didn't relent as it battered against Somina's malaise. "Well, beloved, we would not want our life together to be boring, would we?"

Somina turned her head, and smiled back at the Twi'lek and her infectious love of life. "No, I imagine not." Somina turned her attention back to the stars before her, the infinite sea of possibilities, and smiled even wider. "I don't know what's in our future, but I can promise you that it will most assuredly not be boring."

The Two-Hearts lurched into hyperspace, and was gone. Somina's past had come to a close, and an uncertain future was beginning.

The story of Darth Somina is just beginning.