A Zabrak's Mission

Chapter XII

The Dark Lord was walking in circle quickening his pace inside the Trayus Core. Next to him were the Academy's Headmaster Shersach and the Sith Marauder Darth Sion.

"Our Sith students are getting stronger with each day that passes.", Shersach added standing next to Nihilus's left .

"Soon our forces will purge all the Jedi weakling.", Sion increased the raspy and imposing tone of his voice. Nihilus hissed at them expressing no concern.

"I fought Jedi and killed them. Shersach produced powerful Sith Lords.", Sion added boiling with hate, "And you!?"

"Everything what you did was to haunt the galaxy for some trinkets."

Nihilus hissed in anger. He knew his trip was worth of time.

Shersach felt the tension hanging in the air, "Let's end this nonsense fight and find a better use for our enmity."

"I agree with the Headmaster."

If Sion was the Sith Marauder who struck down Jedi and Nihilus was a planet-destroyer driven by an insatiable Hunger. Shersach was the one in charge with infiltration and information leakage.

The Core Worlds slowly fell under the Sith influence as the Jedi were destroyed, losing their grip of the light side. The balance of the Force was unnoticeably turning in the favor of the dark side. Each death fueled the creepy shadows. Hatred, rage, self insecurity, the lack of hope and faith of civilizations enhanced the grip of the Sith. With each day passing the Sith grew more and more powerful.

Carried in the womb of the Force, you are aware at this moment that the light diminishes to the point of losing its bright. Until it becomes nothing more but a flicker. Even so, there is still hope and faith somewhere out there. In spite of the great darkness, you know the light never truly vanishes. Shrouded by shadows. Yes. Gone forever. Never.

Sometimes all you need is just an intention. An act of benevolence. Such things put everything back in order so undoubtedly you can't realize. A small action of kindness is enough to vanquish the greatest evils in the universe.

For you, this may or may not be true. But for some, like the Jedi, the dark side of the Force is not a permanent condition of existence. It can grow, but never able to draw everything into its malignant grasp. It comes and goes. It's merely a cycle.

But what if the Jedi are wrong? What if there's something much more threatening than the dark side? What if there are things above and beyond the will of the Force? Something that exists entirely outside of its grasp?

We may never have the answer for that. But what you know is enough. Leave everything behind and Now focus on the story that is about to unfold before your eyes.

The Force carries you inside a warship. A Sith warship. There, a deformed figure stands. Not a beast of flash and blood as you would expect. He has a bald head, rotten skin and a missing eye. You know who he is. You have seen him before in the story. He is the Lord of Agony: Darth Sion. And you hear strange sounds. You ask yourself what they are and where they come from. But you get your answer from the Force.

Darth Sion's warship's engines hummed. And now you know. They were warming for a fraction of second the colorless soil of Malachor before it disappeared into the dying blackened clouds.

And you wait for the Lord of Hunger to join Sion's siege. Bthis time Nihilus would not leave the barren world. This time the Dark Lord would spend his time delving deeper into the allure of the dark side. Extending his Sith knowledge. Where Nihilus resided, there were plenty of tomes and volumes containing numerous dark side abilities. He had to discover their secrets!

Leave the Dark Lord to continue his study and focus your attention on Dwayk Dredd, the black Zabrak. If you want to know where he is. You will receive the answer. He is inside the Ravager training in his Sith chamber.

After the events on Stratos, Nihilus made Dredd his Sith apprentice.

But you do not concern yourself regarding that aspect. Instead you watch the Zabrak fighting training battle droids and Triumvirate troopers.

Purple blade touched red blades. Heads rolled over the floor. Arms and legs collapsed.

Metallic heads were severed by a powerful blade directed with swift precision. Processors and wires blew up before his yellow eyes.

Dredd Force pushed them like a tough hammer hitting then against a wall.

As the ferocious Zabrak fought droids and 'volunteer' Sith troopers, the room's doors gently open. A masked Dark Jedi with a dark robe and a light armor interrupted Dredd's harsh training.

The rogue Jedi had a vocalizer mask, like most of the Sith Lords had, that lowered his voice to sound more dominating. "Lord Dredd.", the fallen knight added by nodding. Dredd deactivated his lightsabre, "Enough for today.", Dredd said exhausted and hardly breathing.

Dredd put his hilt back while the remaining Sith troopers were leaving and the spare training droids were disabled.

"What is it?", Dredd crossed his arms.

"Lord Sion demands Lord Nihilus' presence. Immediately."

It passed some long days since the Marauder has left the waste planet and reached into the Core Worlds to wage brutal wars against the Jedi and their supporters.

"My Master studies ancient secrets within Trayus Library. I'll see what Lord Sion wants.", Dredd took his black coat and dark robe on him while sweat dripped down his forehead, nose and lips.

"As you wish, my lord.", the corrupt knight offered another nod.

Dredd's step foots were heard by troopers when he stomped the metallic floor with harshness and quickness.

Dredd entered the Bridge Command Room alongside the fallen Jedi. On the bridge's platform, a flying drone was waiting. Ready to initialize contact with Darth Sion, who was on Chesom Chissan. A planet under the authority of the Jedi Order.

"Leave me, dark Jedi.", Dredd made contact.

"Yes, my lord.", the knight left the Command Room returning to his usual activities.

"I see you. But where is your mighty master?", Sion said on Chesom Chissan.

"Occupied with studying ancient lore of the Sith.", Dredd replied. His words devoid of emotion.

"Again?", Sion grew frustrated cracking his teeth and frowning his eyebrows.

"I'll contact my Master, now."

The Zabrak reached out with the Force sending his inner voice into the Dark Lord's very twisted mind.

Darth Nihilus sent his own thoughts as well into the Zabrak's head.

"I know what he said to me."

"What?", Sion asked,

"Lord Sion, whatever you wanted from my Master", Dredd added with resolveness, "I'll come."

"Very well, then."

"We are waiting you on Chesom Chissan."

The contact ended and Dredd left the Bridge Room to take a Sith shuttle.

On Chesom Chissan, a battle between Jedi and Sith took place. A conflict between light and darkness.

In the sky full of Sith starships and Republic ones, Dredd was coming.

The Zabrak opened the ship's trapdoor and jumped out of it. Dredd used the Force smoothing his impact like falling with his feet on soft furry pillows.

The Zabrak was lucky to find Darth Sion and his assassins near the Stronghold Izaya's Gates.

Sion fought Jedi and soldiers of the Republic. Mercilessly decimating them. Dredd did the same. Maybe with more ferocity. You could understand this the moment when he ripped their heads off their bodies with bare hands while their blood oozed down over his very black nose, eyelids and lips.

After a few fun fights with soldiers and Jedi, Dredd finally met the Dark Lord Darth Sion.

"My Lord", the Zabrak dodged green laser blasts, "what's the mission?"

Sion Force pushed three Republic soldiers in the air and the impact with the ground killed them.

"We managed to ambush them. But this fortress is impenetrable."

"If Nihilus was here", Sion sighed, "he would have made this fortress to crumble itself."

"But what am I supposed to do?", the alien added.

"Izaya, fortunately for us, has a weak spot. But we can't advance together."

"The Izaya Stronghold has many hidden escape tunnels the Jedi don't even know about."

"We could use those old tunnels to destroy them from within."

"But my best men must be here to counterattack the Jedi and the Republic forces. And we can't risk to draw their attention."

"You, on the other hand", Sion repelled a rifle blaster's fire shot, "can adapt to the environment. After all your Master holds you in such high esteem. I'm sure you can do that."

"You're tall, agile and ruthless. A perfect deadly weapon. I always appreciated your kind, Dredd."

"I accept your compliments.", Dredd nodded in reverence.

The Zabrak Force crumbled the stone-paved floor until a hole appeared. Sion covered the Zabrak as he jumped down into the mysterious black hole.

The halls were empty and dark. The place was dusty. Like the halls were not walked by centuries.

In the past, the stronghold had been used by certain members of the ancient Sith Order. The Naga Sadow Disciples. Disciples who had a sought a way to secretly call the ancient Lord's spirit, that was trapped inside his final resting place on Yavin Four, through the use of Sith magic on Chesom Chissan. This planet became a dark side focal and they'd have succeeded if the Jedi hadn't learned about their presence and hadn't prevented their doing. When the Sadow Disciples were destroyed, the planet's dark side taint was cured by the Jedi through a massive use of Force light.

Yet, maybe the dark side's heart still beats. Hidden somewhere in the depths of the Izaya Stronghold's tunnels.

The tunnels were full of traps meant to protect the stronghold and kill the unwelcomed guests. Dredd was about to be hit by giant boulders enough to fit into a hall but he Force crushed it. When he passed that obstacle he was about to get pierced by arrows. And if it was not for his Force barriers, he'd have perished there. Alone.

The events he went through made The Zabrak to walk more carefully, having a keen eye for anything unfortunate might happen.

The halls were like a hell of a maze. Dredd could barely orient in them. It was difficult. But with the Force, nothing was impossible.

The Zabrak stopped for a few moments and laid himself down on the icy black floor. He calmed down and called upon the eye of the Force. Through its eye, he could see anything he wished. In fact he could see all the paths of the halls, those which led to nowhere and the one that led him beneath Izaya's lower levels. It was all clear now. He knew the way to the lower levels. The key to the stronghold's collapse and the destruction of those Jedi and their supporters there.

Dredd took again a keen eye in spite of no real danger. He just liked to be careful. For him if one lost their defense, they lost their live.

The Zabrak walked the long hallway that had fire torches at each two meters on the both sides. Dredd used the Force causing friction between air molecules and turned them into orange glowing flames. Fire touched the torches. And it was light.

Grey bricks filled the gone-doors at the end of the hallway. And the Jedi had no idea about the danger behind the walls. A Sith danger.

Dredd got at the end of the hallway and laid his black right ear on the wall's surface, trying to listen to their talking. Vague sounds of voices. Dredd could hear them thanks to the tiny spots in the wall.

"I got to tell ya a few words, man.", a soldier added holding his blaster rifle, "I hate the lower levels. It creeps me out.", the voice didn't stop, "I think this place might be haunted."

"Whatever this battle's outcome, I hope I'm outta here, fast."

"Don't worry. The Jedi will win. I know it.", the other soldier looked at the ceiling as dust fell down, caused by the men's stomp above Izaya's lower levels.

Dredd was lucky when the soldiers were called by a high-ranking general through their masks,

"Men. Get your asses over here and fight. You stood enough this day!"

The general's voice startled them.

"On a second though. I think the general creeps me out more."

Laser weapons sounded as the soldiers charged their laser bullets in a hurry.

Those thirty soldiers left the room from the Lower Levels. And civilians, like researchers, archeologists, historians, remained there: with a Zabrak peeking. Although there were more rooms inside the Lower Levels, the black Zabrak was next to the one that contained more civilians rather than hefty soldiers.

The black alien stepped backwards a few meters and decreased the pulse of his heart. Then Dredd gently tightened the grip of his lightsabre with his big fingers.

And. Boom!

The bulky alien struck the grey wall shattering it into dozens of pieces with a single laser blade strike. It was a passive sword blow. But it was enhanced by controlled fury and aggression.

"Oh no!"

"A Sith Lord!", a researcher said noticing the Sith Lord's blade illuminating that room.

As fearsome and imposing the alien was. They seemed to be invisible to him, as if they weren't an important matter to him. He's a Sith and he doesn't kill them. Why wouldn't the Sith Lord do that?

If you want to know this thing, the Force would tell you. That is because a Sith is not a brutal and mindless warrior as most would tend to think. A Sith attacks only those who might signify a potential threat to them. A Sith is more than that. A Sith values everything in advantages and weaknesses. A Sith won't waste their resources or their time on insignificant matters.

But if a Sith is threatened, they would kill any potential threat no matter the gender or age.

An archeologist screamed terrified,"No! Call the Jedi. Now!", no one had done anything except the man who yelled horrified.

The archeologist ran at the computer terminal, accessing the communication root, trying to make contact. But a purple blade came out of his chest, "Ahhh-chhhkkkk!", he groaned in pain. Brown eyes slowly closed and a body collapsed over the floor when the alien retracted his blade from the man's holed chest.

Rage burst forth. Released at its finest and purest. For one's foolish defiance, the other ones had to pay the price as well.

Innocents were slaughtered. Total carnage. A luminous blade pierced chests, severed limbs, sliced heads off. A black hand manipulated the air waves turning them into powerful force waves. Force waves slammed men by the room's walls, crushed their bodies and broke their neck bones. Another power he used was to overload their hearts with air until blood exploded all over the place. It was a huge mess of brutally slain corpses...

Dredd caused immeasurable damage to the room. He slashed the computer terminals with his lightsabre. And sparks were present everywhere. He wrecked the astromech droids and those droids serving for communication between two sentient beings.

Soldiers heard the men's desperate screams who were outside the room's automatic doors. And those who were next to them in some other rooms heard their screams too.

A foot stomped the ground. And then another one. Dredd broke the hinges of the automatic doors with bare hands and grabbed the two room's guardians. Dredd slammed each one by the opposite wall 'till he heard the joyful sound of their spines cracking.

The cruel alien dodged the soldiers' blasts. Dredd jumped in the air keeping the blade's direction. He surrounded himself with Force energy and unleashed a huge spheroid telekinetic wave hitting those men against the walls and disarmed them.

Dwayk Dredd continued to make his way through the countless soldiers by Force pushing them, Force choking them, Force tossing them against the tough walls.

Rage turned the Zabrak into an unstoppable and invincible Sith machine. Soldiers stood no chance against such a tall alien armed with a deadly weapon wielded with exact precision. Unfortunately, they died.

He cleaned each room in the Lower Levels to make sure there were no other threats.

Dredd left behind him dozens. No. Hundreds of dead bodies.

The whole place was clean and he powered down his blade laying it back in his belt. Dredd noticed an elevator that transported a person from the Lower Levels to the Main Jedi Headquarters and got there. Dredd grabbed his portable comlink hidden in his dark robe and contacted the Dark Lord Sion,

"Lord Sion. I broke in and I killed them all. I'll head now at the Jedi."

A blue hologram showed itself and Sion seemed busy holding off Jedi and Republic soldiers.

"Excellent.", Sion caught a laser shot with bare hands and threw it back in the soldier. He screamed when Sion hit him in his own face, burning it.

"Go and turn off the stronghold's defense turrets."

Lord Sion instructed the Zabrak to make his way in the Weaponry Chambers and deactivate or destroy the turret control system. Yet hordes of Jedi lurked above the Lower Levels, ready to strike down any threat. Jedi could arrive here any time now given they were able to use th light side to sense and track down darkness. Somehow he had to go unnoticed. Somehow he had to be invisible to their Force sense.

The technique of shrouding one's very presence from the Force's eye. Precisely.

He intended to lay his fingers on the elevator's buttons. Right then: Five Jedi Knights. Dredd could feel those five Jedi's light side signature and the Jedi sensed his dark side signature too.

The Knights reached the Lower Levels. The doors opened. And there was no one.

A brown shoe appeared out of the elevator's doors, "Have you felt it?", the Knight added, "Yes. I felt the presence. But it looks like it's… gone." But he wasn't gone. He was just looking at them suspended on the ceiling, holding himself by iron pipes.

"By the Holy Holocron", he was shocked of the number of corpses laying down the icy floor, "what happened here?", he activated his shoto. A green beam made its way out of its hilt.

"No idea. But we should be careful.", another blade appeared. Blue in color.

The Knights went further disappearing from the Zabrak's filled with rage yellow eyes.

Dredd landed on his feet and set a hunt season. A Jedi hunt season.

He followed them from behind, staying in shadows.

The Zabrak Jedi who carried his blue lightsabre heard a few steps stomping the ground.

It was perfect. The light yellow Zabrak's brown robe was the perfect disguise. He was almost as tall as Dredd. And almost as bulky.

Shadows whispered: "I am here. Come, brother. Come."

Those words ignited the Zabrak Jedi's curiosity and he was left behind by his brothers. A silent strike, and the Zabrak Jedi collapsed on the floor. He murdered a Jedi. And not any Jedi. He murdered one of his kin.

When such things happen, you finally begin to understand the grip of the dark side. Its cruelty and its corrosive effects over the weak minded. Its effects are so destructive they can change the noblest of beings and turn them into the vilest of killers. In Dwayk Dredd's case. From a humble and honorable military protector of the Republic turned into a conqueror merciless Lord of the Sith.

The Zabrak left behind the cold corpse of his very own brethren and returned to the lift. But what about the other Jedi within the Lower Levels? Well, they had unlimited time in searching their enemy. But Dredd was no fool. He blocked the elevator at the upper floor destroying its buttons. These Jedi were trapped. And the Sith finally got into Izaya's heart. Sion's victory is without doubts and obvious.

The black Zabrak stepped outside of the elevator and covered his face with the brown hood he stole from his fallen brethern.

Bad luck, though. Three Jedi Masters heard the elevator's buttons blowing up and their crackling sounds. They appeared. They are there with him.

"Son, what happened here?", the old human Jedi said.

"The Sith is here.", the alien said it menacingly.

"Where?", the old Jedi Master stared at him.

A bright purple blade appeared before his eyes.

"RIGHT HERE!", the Sith Lord struck the Jedi down before he could power on his sabre. Two green blades hummed showing themselves before Dredd's eyes. Dredd pierced the heart of the second Jedi. Who was a Duros. But he had no time to react.

"Chhhkkkk.", the blade crossed through the last. A female human Jedi. The Zabrak stabbed her into her guts. She died. She stood lifeless on the floor together with the other two Jedi. The Zabrak hid their corpses inside the broken elevator and resumed his mission.

Dredd contacted the Lord of Pain, "Lord Sion, I entered the stronghold. I'll turn off the stronghold's weaponry in a few moments."

Sion kept fighting the Republic's forces and the Jedi, "Good. But hurry up. These soldiers are pests and the Jedi are a pain in my back.", Sion said.

"Understood.", the holographic image disappeared back into the comlink.

The Zabrak was moving among the Jedi and the Republic soldiers with no stress. He was undetectable.

They could see only a strange person slowly walking. Reserved. With hooded face.

The Sith Lord avoided any contact with his foes focusing at one thing: the Jedi's destruction.

Republic soldiers, Jedi Knights and Masters walked by him. But they didn't question his intentions.

The Zabrak walked the long and large hallways full with dangerous Jedi. It was too bad they couldn't feel Dredd's dark side presence. 'Cause if they did, Dredd'd have been dead for good.

After twenty minutes of wandering inside the ancient large halls: the Sith Lord found the security room. Although it was easy for the Zabrak given he had a developed sense of intuition. He always relied on intuition when he had to go somewhere. And he was always right.

Eyes were too busy to fight the external threat. And they couldn't realize about the one inside. Arrogance and stagnation. The Jedi Order was deeply immersed in incompetence and hypocrisy. Dredd thought. He always had. Even when he was a Republic soldier. Yes. Even when he was one of them...

The Sith Lord laid his harsh fingers on the terminal computers. When eyes paid no attention, Dredd pressed them. The computer beeped showing a warning and then a robot voice pronounced that said so warning. Though the sounds propagated only to the Zabrak's ears.

"You are about to deactivate the defense system. Are you sure about it?"

The Zabrak's index finger leaned forward.

"Yes.", Dredd silently said.

The Zabrak watched the surveillance cameras observing the laser turrets turning off by bending down and beeping all at once.

It is done.

The turrets are deactivated. Izaya Stronghold is weak and defenseless now.

Dredd saw Sion slaying Jedi and soldiers. Sion spotted the change in the battle too and shouted by looking at the ancient structure, "The turrets are deactivated! All of us, advance!" Sion did more than that. He Force jumped in the air, "And now they are going down.", he shot with blue lightning sparkles in the stronghold's mounted weapons. Pure raw electricity crossed throughout the shells of the turrets, blowing them up.

The grey broken turrets were so damaged by lightning bolts they started melting.

Red lights changed Izaya's atmosphere. Everything was covered in bright red lights.

"Hey what did you do there, Jedi!?", a hefty soldier shouted aloud with authority.

"I won't ask again..." No response came from the 'Jedi'. But he was no Jedi. He was...

"A Sith Lord!", the soldier shouted seeing a purple beam of light flashing to life.

"Men! Fire!"

Dredd de-cloaked his dark side presence and dodged their blasts by enhancing his senses with the Force. Green laser beams hit the surface of the walls leaving tiny cracks in them. Dredd Force pushed those soldiers against the room's walls.

"Fools. The Sith have already won!", the Zabrak tapped into the reservoirs of dark side power. A powerful Force scream: unleashed. The cry shattered the windows of the room. Small and big pieces of transparent glass were spread all over the place. Inside and outside likewise.

Dredd calmed down and stepped back. When he felt he was ready: Dredd stormed out. A Force shield surrounded the Zabrak's body protecting it from random rockets, green laser blasts and shrapnel.

Darth Sion saw a huge figure blocking the sun rays as if an eclipse was coming.

Dredd made his way through soldiers and Jedi, regrouping with the Lord of Pain at Izaya's Gates.

"The Sith entered. I repeat. The Sith entered."

Sion finally could seize this world. He penetrated the stronghold, mercilessly decimating Jedi. Whether they were Masters or just Knights: all were struck down by the Dark Lord's thirsty blade.

The blade was really thirsty for blood.

Jedi fell. Soldiers fell. Only the fittest survived. And those, who survived, left the planet heading to Coruscant: the heart of the great Republic.

In the flames that burned down the Izaya Stronghold and ashes ascending in the air: a beast of fire walked. Dwayk Dredd.

Dredd took a deep breath and inhaled the smell of burning and of corpses.

It was…

It was nothing else, but mesmerizing.

And after you have witnessed the events through this story, you finally realize they reflect the very creed of the Sith Order. This is how the Sith view the world around themselves. Like a bright fire that destroys and consumes everything where only the fittest can resist it. And the fittest are granted with the precious gifts of the Force: glory and immortality.

For the Sith, the dark side gives a purpose and a reason to live to an individual. In the Sith image of the universe: power and conquest is what matters. The light side is nothing but a lie: it embodies stagnation and the very perversion of the natural order. It brings the individuals down and does not allow them to meet their true potential: to break their chains. The light side reduces the strong to the level of the weak. And the Sith know this truth.

The path of the Sith Order is one based on individuality.

For them: there is no such things as right or wrong. Only the sensation of power. Yes. For the Sith: power is the perfect tool which justifies every action and act. Power gives them the right over life and death, to set what is morally right and wrong. Power is morality. And morality is power.

"This planet belongs to the Sith.", Sion looked at the flames which dragged the building into the pits of hell.

"You are dismissed."

"Understood, lord Sion.", the Zabrak bowed before the Dark Lord and took another Sith shuttle to return to Malachor V.