Author's note: This is a short update. It marks a significant shift in events so I thought I'd go ahead and warn you. When we pick back up with Chapter 7, a year will have passed and a lot of things will have happened that I won't directly address. Hope you're continuing to enjoy!

Interlude...

Death can be beautiful.

The soulless star, burning its fuel with increasing gluttony, knows nothing of its inevitable demise. It gorges on itself, burning brightly to all that can see it—a beacon of light surrounded by the cold darkness of space. Planets seek out the star, relishing its warmth and basking in its splendor.

But deep in the heart of that brilliance, the plot for its murder is underway. Metals form and seek each other out. Cold, dark blemishes take shape and lie in wait.

The star remains blissfully unaware. Where the dark spots slow its burning radiance, the star grows brighter and expands, consuming itself with even more vigor than before.

And the star grows.

As it becomes bloated by its own power, the star does not notice that it is losing its luster. It does not realize that it is no longer as bright a beacon as it once was. It ignores the burning hulks of planets that once worshiped it. All that matters is that the great behemoth grows.

All the while, the dark conspirators grow and coalesce. All the while, they work in the cold shadows within the leviathan's core pushing here and tarnishing there. More and more join the darkness—born in a culture of growth, it is only natural that they would be seduced by the rapidly growing corruption. And then…

Revolution.

She stared at the blood-encrusted cortosis blade through narrowed eyes. The dull metal, blotched with dark red evidence of its recent use, contrasted starkly against the brilliant obsidian table on which it lay. Across the table, kneeling on the durasteel floor, Xander's head remained dutifully bowed.

"This is not her head," Ventress hissed.

Not unlike a clone, Xander remained still. It was only when he spoke that Asajj detected a hint of the rage he must have been feeling. "It is not. Nor will you have it. To defile her in that way would have been…dishonorable." He inhaled through his teeth. "Her blood will have to be evidence enough for you."

"Rise!" she snarled.

Xander stood. He moved with an elegant grace that impressed Ventress yet again. He leveled his gaze on her, openly staring at her with cold brown eyes. It would have been a stretch to call the Korun male handsome by her standards, given his angular features, and deep, inset eyes that seemed forever cast in shadow by his large brow. He towered above most of the crew, standing just over two meters in height. That, combined with his broad shoulders, was probably the reason so many of the female officers gravitated toward him. Inwardly, she chastised herself for allowing him to disarm her anger with a simple look.

"You deliberately disobeyed my orders!"

"No, I did not," Xander replied smoothly, his face calm. "I modified them based on the situation. She killed two of my brothers in a hail of blaster fire. She even managed to shoot me before I got to her." He closed his eyes briefly, a small smile playing at the corners of his full lips, as if he were relishing the memory. "Hers was an honorable death." He opened his eyes and focused again on Asajj. "I would not sully it for you or for anyone."

Ventress ground her teeth together. She wanted to lash out with Force. She wanted to grab the insolent fool by his throat and watch his body go limp as he hung in the air, thrashing and gnawing at the invisible power with which she held him. The fact that she no longer could infuriated her even more.

For a brief moment she considered lashing out with her lightsaber, but quickly discarded the thought. With her powers gone, she could no longer feel the blade sing in her hands. She would be unable to sense its weight or balance its movements. Xander's observant eyes would immediately be able to discern her weakness and he would exploit it. No…it was best to carry on the charade.

"I must mediate!" she snapped. "Leave!"

Xander merely raised and eyebrow before nodding curtly. "Of course."

He turned slowly and deliberately, walking with such graceful ease across the durasteel floor that his black boots barely made a sound. When the door hissed shut behind him, Ventress collapsed into her chair.

"Disaster…" she whispered, her head face falling into her hands.

A sudden cold whisked across the nape of her neck and she knew that she was no longer alone. At least she seemed to still have a connection with him. She sat up, straightening her back and smoothing the folds of her long black skirt.

"Master?"

Asajj, this was no disaster, the voice whispered in the same, patient tone it always had. This is a fantastic success!

Asajj frowned. "But I am weakened, now," she insisted. "On the eve of our great movement, I am powerless."

Indeed, my child. But so are the Jedi.

She felt her stomach lurch reflexively at their name as her eyes widened. "All of them?"

Yes. They pose no threat to our plans.

Their conversations were always too brief. She did not want to waste the opportunity. "What of Skywalker?" The silence that followed felt like a compressor on her chest. "Master?"

Skywalker is of no consequence. The Master's tone was tight with irritation, though it somehow managed to maintain the musical baritone quality it always had. The fool has renounced the Force in his grief. Now he hopes to exact revenge without it.

Asajj took a deep breath, wary of the consequences of disappointing The Master. "My Lord, even without his power, Skywalker is not to be underestimated—especially now that I, too, am weakened."

He is nothing! A wind erupted around Asajj and slapped harshly against her skin. He knows nothing. He will hunt you, though he does not know that you are his quarry. He will fail for that reason alone—he lacks knowledge. His failure to appreciate the value of accumulating knowledge will always be his greatest weakness.

Ventress bowed her head. "Yes, Master. I see that now."

The room went still for so long that Asajj was convinced that The Master had left. She reached out and fingered the caked blood on the cortosis blade. All preparations were complete. A devastating blow had been dealt against the Jedi, making them useless in the coming battle. The ineffective and corrupt Republic Senate would bow to her.

Yes, my child… The Master whispered in her ear like an insistent lover. It is time.