Disclaimer – all original Star Wars characters in this fanfic (excluding my OC's) are the property of Lucasfilm and Disney.
Chapter 25 "Spies of Light and Dark."
25 BBY – Planet Shili, Corvala – Capital of Shili, The Palace of Aven Tunalen.
Before she woke up, Zai'shira had one of her visions that genuinely shocked her. She saw no other than the Sith Lord, Hego Damask, alive and well, sitting in a cantina on Muunilinst. The Togruta was confused, to say the least. She heard from Qui-Gon Jinn himself before he went to Naboo, that Hego Damask was killed, and she saw in her vision, right after when she left the Order, that it was his apprentice who killed him.
Her visions never failed her before, but this was too hard to believe. How the Sith Lord survived and managed to fool everyone, including his own apprentice? Zai'shira needed to talk with the other ArchKnights about it. If Damask really was alive, they could start her plan, which she thought was impossible before.
Sometime later - The Orbit of Shili, Zulio – Third Moon of Shili, The Temple of Balance, Communication Center.
After five years, the Temple of the Balance was finally ready. It was a beautiful structure built by the combined efforts of the Rakata and the Gree species, and the headquarters of the Kingdom of the Force. The massive complex was two times bigger than the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, far more sophisticated and fancy. There was nothing modest about it. In fact, it put many castles and palaces to shame.
The cobbled courtyard with a lot of exotic greenery was divided into four shallow pools with crystal clear water, above which hovered four, large crystals, each of a different color: a red one, a blue one, a yellow one, and a violet one. Two statues presenting Knights with long swords and large shields stood facing each other just before the staircase, which led to the Temple's entrance.
Communication center in the Temple of Balance was a large room with dozens of computer terminals, holoscreens, and holoprojector tables, each connected to the HoloNet. Blue-white plated bipedal droids with six appendages, built by the Gree, were assigned to each terminal. They followed the HoloNet transmissions and kept the Kingdom updated all day and all night. Every important information was stored in the communication center's databank, which was connected to the Temple's Archives.
While Deiven currently trained, three other ArchKnights: Zai'shira, Avelon, and Dooku, stood in the communication center around a large, round holotable, which displayed a map of the known galaxy and its planets with gold and green dots on them. The green ones were the Force-sensitive children not yet visited by the members of the Kingdom. The gold ones, on the other hand, were the Force-sensitive children, which parents were visited by the ArchKnights. The parents agreed to let the ArchKnights take their children to the Kingdom of the Force when they get a little older. So far, every parent agreed since the ArchKnights offered to train the children, and the parents could visit them whenever they felt like it. It was a much better proposition than to give their children to the Jedi Order and never see them again.
"So far, one hundred sixty-two children are going to be taught at our Temple," stated Dooku. "The ones we haven't visited are far from us, and they could be visited by the members of the Jedi Order."
"We'll get to them eventually," Avelon assured. "When the word about our Kingdom will spread out, the parents will only want their kids to be with us and not the Jedi Order."
Zai'shira was silent as Dooku and Avelon talked, but soon the human noticed that the Togruta was absent and lost in thought. "Zai'shira, are you okay?" he asked worriedly.
Zai'shira looked at Dooku and nodded. "Yes, and no," she reassured. "Do you remember when I said that it would be good to have people inside the Jedi Order and among the Sith Lords so that they would spy for us some time ago?"
"Yes," Dooku confirmed. "We didn't have a way to find the Sith, so we abandoned that idea."
"I had a vision in which I saw the Sith Lord, Hego Damask," Zai'shira replied, and Dooku looked at her surprised. "He was sitting in a cantina as if he never got killed in the first place."
"How is that possible?" Dooku asked, squinting his eyes. "Did he faked his death?"
"That's the only logical explanation," Zai'shira shrugged. "When I fought him on Coruscant, I told him about the vision in which I saw him getting killed by his apprentice. If he really listened to me, he could prepare himself for his apprentice's betrayal. Regardless, if he really is alive, we can actually make our old plan work."
"How?" Dooku inquired.
"He needs an apprentice, so he probably looks for one," Zai'shira pointed out. "And he surely wants revenge against his former pupil so..." the Togruta looked at the Anzat. "...Avelon could become his apprentice and, at the same time, our spy."
Avelon arched his black eyebrows. "Huh, me as a Sith apprentice? Never crossed my mind."
"You have the necessary motivation and skills to pick his interest," Zai'shira went on. "You joined us because you wanted revenge against the Jedi, who killed your parents, but we were more interested in balance than your revenge. That could be your story to convince him. We could even give you a datapad with schematics for the upgrades for the battle droids that will become the army that will fight the Republic and the Jedi. You could tell him that you stole it before leaving the Kingdom."
"What if he asks questions about the Kingdom?" Avelon asked, leaning forward and placing his hands on the holotable. "Telling him too much would be unwise and could put us in danger."
"You don't need to tell him you were one of the four ArchKnights," Zai'shira replied. "Just an ordinary Knight that doesn't know the details, you know, just the basic stuff. You can tell him we have a Temple on Zulio. We have so many Sentinels guarding it that he won't be stupid enough to try anything."
Dooku grabbed his bearded chin. "It's a risky move, but it could work," he stated. "Knowing what the Sith are planning would give us a solid advantage. And who would join the Jedi Order?"
"You," Zai'shira replied simply with a smile. "As a former Jedi Master, the Order would welcome you with open arms."
Dooku wasn't convinced. "I don't think they would let me rejoin the Order just like that after I left voluntarily," he said.
"But you'll have a gift for them," Zai'shira replied with a mischievous smile. "We already copied the list with the Force-sensitive children from the kyber memory crystal. Not to mention, many parents agreed to give us their children instead of giving them to the Order. The Jedi can have their crystal back it will change nothing, but you'll be the hero that saved the future of the Jedi Order."
"Hmmm... well, I did tell the Jedi Council that I would try to do some good as a Count and find some information about the kyber crystal," said Dooku. "It could work."
"I would advise you two to leave your weapons here," Zai'shira said.
"Good idea," seconded Dooku. "I have my old lightsaber at the Temple, so I'll have a weapon." The human looked at the Anzat. "You'll have to build your own lightsaber, though."
"Doesn't seem hard," Avelon shrugged and looked at Zai'shira. "So if we're starting now, where should I find that Hego Damask?"
"Give the Rakata a few days to make the schematics," Zai'shira replied. "Then, we can begin."
A few days later – Planet Muunilinst, Harnaidan – Capital of Muunilinst, Tuuno Cantina.
Avelon entered the Tuuno Cantina, where, according to Zai'shira's vision, Hego Damask supposed to stay from time to time, and approached the counter. A red-plated bartender droid moved towards him and asked in a typical robotic manner. "What should it be?"
The Anzat sat down and took a good look at the beverages on the shelves behind the droid. "A glass of Corellian wine," he said and reached into his pocket. He tossed a handful of gold credit chips on the counter. The droid quickly scooped the chips and reached under the counter for a glass. He then turned around to grab the bottle from the shelf and opened it, pouring the wine into the glass.
"Someone is celebrating," Avelon heard a female voice and turned his head. A blue-skinned Twi'lek female with green-colored eyes leaned her naked back, against the counter, and smiled flirtatiously. The girl was clad really scantily, and one could take her for a club dancer or even a stripper.
"You can say that," Avelon replied, taking a sip from his glass. "I started a new life."
"Ooohhh, then maybe you could start it with some pleasure," the Twi'lek girl purred coquettishly and moved closer to Avelon, stroking his arm.
"Hey! What do you want from my girl!" a drunk male Devaronian with brown skin and a muscular frame approached the Anzat, who rolled his green-colored eyes. He expected something liked this. A free-spirited, adventurous, flirty Twi'lek girl, and a jealous, uptight boyfriend, who looked for a reason to fight. He didn't really know is she was his girlfriend, but it was a bad mix.
"You punk! She's my woman!" the Devaronian grabbed Avelon by the shoulder with one hand and turned him around so that the Anzat face him. Before he could do anything else, Avelon hit him in the throat with a blindingly fast jab. He wanted to teach him a lesson. The Devaronian coughed and grabbed his own neck, but it wasn't over. Avelon placed his hand on the Devaronian's face, and his green eyes began to glow while their color intensified.
He remembered what Deiven told them. The dark side could only be used to kill and hurt, nothing else. Avelon wanted to do just that. No matter if she flirted on purpose and enjoyed seeing her boyfriend fight other people, or if he was just so awfully jealous, or maybe even they both did for some other reason. Anger fueled Avelon's power. He began to drain the Devaronian's life energy. In a matter of seconds, the Devaronian was almost completely 'drained.' The drunk alien grabbed Avelon's arm, but he wasn't able to do anything despite all his massive muscles. Soon, his body seemed to shrink, muscles deteriorated, and his skin became a few shades paler.
The Devaronian's knees buckled, and only Avelon's hand that held his face kept him from falling. The Anzat finally let go of the drunk male, who fell on the floor, unconscious and barely alive. The female Twi'lek was shocked and quickly left the cantina in a hurry. Some girlfriend she turned out to be.
Some patrons looked at Avelon, but one glance at them, and they decided to not mess with him. If he somehow defeated that beefy Devaronian, they weren't stupid enough to learn how he managed to do that. Avelon turned back to face the counter and continued to drink his wine.
Hego Damask, aka Darth Plagueis, sat in the dark corner of the cantina, his face covered underneath the hood, and observed everything. When the 'human,' since he didn't know that Avelon was an Anzat, entered the cantina, the Sith Lord felt his powerful Force-signature. The Muun's interest was genuinely picked when he noticed the use of the dark side of the Force. That person wasn't just a Force-sensitive, he was trained and what's more, in the use of the dark side of the Force.
"Is that the new apprentice of Palpatine?" Damask asked himself. "If he is, what is he doing here? Is he looking for me? Did Palpatine discovered that I cloned myself?"
The Muun was full of questions, and he needed answers. By his behaviors, it looked like he came here to simply have a drink, but everything was possible. The Jedi knew that the Sith existed, so even if he killed him here, it would not reveal everything. Darth Plagueis focused and nudged Avelon with the Force. The Anzat immediately turned his head towards him, and the Muun gestured for him to come over.
After a few seconds, Avelon grabbed the glass with his Corellian wine and stood up from the counter. He casually walked passed the unconscious Devaronian and reached the hooded Muun. "Is there something I can help you with?" Avelon asked politely. "Or maybe that Devaronian was your buddy."
"Oh, definitely not," the Muun denied. "I just want to have a friendly conversation with a fellow Force-user, especially one with such skills with the dark side of the Force."
"Hmmm..." Avelon sat down at the table. "Alright, let's talk... friend."
Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Hangar Bay.
Count Dooku took one of his ships from Serenno, a customized Courier-class yacht, and headed straight for Coruscant and the Jedi Temple. However, despite not being a member of the Order, the former Jedi Master was still allowed to dock his yacht in the Jedi hangar bay and was greeted by both Master Windu and Master Plo Koon.
"We welcome you, Count Dooku," Master Windu said, using Dooku's title. "What business do you have with the Order?"
Dooku reached into his pocket and pullet a Holocron with the kyber memory crystal, which contained the list of the Force-sensitive children. "I believe this belongs to the Order," he stated. "I figured it would be nice to drop by with it."
Master Windu stared at the kyber crystal dumbfounded for a moment, and he finally asked. "How did you get it?"
"Did you heard of a faction called the Kingdom of the Force?" Dooku asked, giving the two objects to Master Plo Koon.
Master Windu squinted his eyes and nodded. "As a matter of fact, we did," he acknowledged. "They freed the slaves from planet Kessel and killed the members of the Pyke Syndicate."
"I heard that as well," Dooku replied. "They were the ones who stole the kyber crystal from the Temple."
"How do you know that?" asked Master Plo Koon.
"Because they told me that personally," Count Dooku replied simply, and both Jedi Masters looked at him in silence.
Twenty minutes later – Coruscant, Jedi Temple, High Council Tower, Council Chamber.
Dooku was asked to explain everything in front of the Jedi High Council, and he complied with their request. As the former Jedi Master stood before the twelve Jedi Masters, Master Yoda was glad to see him, but time for a walk down a memory lane would have to wait. They had more pressing matters to discuss.
"After leaving the Order and reclaiming the title of Count, I tried to use my contacts to find the kyber memory crystal on my own," Dooku began. "At first, I was unsuccessful. No one heard about it, and I was hitting dead ends over and over. However, one year ago, I overheard a conversation in the local cantina on Serenno. A smuggler talked about his adventures and what he said when he visited Corellia took me by surprise. A rich family, who had a Force-sensitive baby, hired him to deliver a cargo full of beverages to Alderaan when they suddenly had an unexpected guest. A mysterious person visited them and talked about their child. The smuggler thought it was a Jedi Knight, but when he eavesdropped, he learned that it was an ArchKnight from the Kingdom of the Force."
"So they stole the kyber crystal to learn about the locations of the Force-sensitive children," Master Adi Gallia summarised and looked at the other Council members. "They plan to take them to their organization. We need to visit the parents and convince them to change their minds."
"Unfortunately, I don't think that you'll succeed in convincing them," Dooku replied with a sigh.
"Why?" asked Master Plo Koon.
"I visited that family myself," Dooku said and crossed his arms over his chest. "Unlike the Jedi Order, the Kingdom of the Force allows attachments, so the parents are allowed to visit and see their child anytime they want, either via holo or personally. It's like a school for the Force-sensitives, so even the child is allowed to visit their parents from time to time. If a parent has a choice to give their child to the Jedi Order and never see it again or give to the Kingdom of the Force and see it whenever they want, the choice becomes clear."
An awkward silence filled the chamber. In a way, this was unfair competition for the Jedi. The silence was broke by Master Windu. "Did you learn where they going to take the child?" he asked.
"No," Dooku shook his head. "Even the parents don't know yet. The members of the Kingdom don't take infants, but very young children at the age of three and older, unless the parents of the infant are dead. When the child reaches that age, they arrive to take it."
"You said they told you they stole the kyber memory crystal," Master Plo Koon noted. "Why they told you that?"
"They learned I was snooping around to they visited me on Serenno," Dooku answered. "That's how they recruit new members, they visit the exiled and former Sith, Jedi, and other Force-users. They wanted me to join them and help them in their cause, but I refused."
"Which is?" Master Depa Billaba inquired.
"To bring balance to the Force," Dooku replied and quickly added. "But not in the same way the Jedi are trying to. They use all aspects of the Force, including the dark side. They're so sure of their success; they gave me the Holocron and the kyber memory crystal, saying they don't need it anymore."
"Using the dark side will corrupt them and the children," stated Ki-Adi-Mundi. "We need to find them and stop them."
"Careful, we must be," warned Master Yoda. "The Sith as enemies, we have. Another powerful enemy, want we do not."
"Master Yoda is right," seconded Master Windu. "They don't seem focused on fighting the Jedi Order, but if we attack them, the Sith may convince them to help them in attacking the Republic. If anything, we should aim to show them the proper way to achieve balance without violence."
Grand Master Yoda looked at Dooku. "A great service to the Jedi Order, you have done," he said with a smile and reached into his pocket, pulling out Dooku's lightsaber. "Left the Order, you did. Ask you to return, now I am."
All Jedi Masters looked at Master Yoda and then at Dooku. No one objected since the Order needed all the help they could get in this situation, and the former Jedi Master was more than welcome to rejoin the Order if he wanted. Dooku took a deep breath and exhaled. "To be honest, I didn't plan on returning," the human spoke. "But to ensure the safety of the young ones, I'll make an exception."
With the Force, Dooku called his lightsaber to his hand and activated it. The blue blade came to life, and the Grand Master Yoda spoke. "Master Dooku, back in the Jedi Order, welcome we you."
Planet Muunilinst, Harnaidan – Capital of Muunilinst, Tuuno Cantina.
Avelon told Hego Damask, who he was, his history, and that he wanted vengeance for his parents, who were killed by a Jedi. He joined the Kingdom of the Force and became a Knight, but that faction was more interested in achieving balance than helping him with his vengeance. He left the faction after he stole a datapad with some schematics, that maybe he could use or sell in the future.
"The Kingdom of the Force," Hego Damask said, intrigued. He was interested to meet the ancient Rakata and Gree, but he didn't want to walk into a trap. He didn't know what those so-called ArchKnights could do to him and how they would react to a Sith Lord. The Grand Plan of the Sith was ready. However, a third player in the upcoming war could change many things and the whole outcome of the conflict. Yes, he could send an anonymous message to the Order and pit the two factions against each other, but if the Kingdom would join the Republic, the Sith could quickly lose the war.
Darth Plagueis needed to form a plan, and he needed help. The Anzat had the potential, and he was already trained in the ways of the Force by the members of the Kingdom. The Muun wanted an apprentice to replace Darth Sidious, and the Anzat wanted revenge. Unlike Sidious, he didn't aim to gain power and didn't seem to have such a murderous character, so this could work perfectly.
"Tell me, Avelon, did you ever thought of becoming a Sith Lord?" Darth Plagueis asked.
"Honestly, no," Avelon shook his head. "I only care about revenge. So it doesn't matter to me who I'll become or what group I'll join. Why do you ask?"
The Muun smiled and spoke. "It so happens I'm looking for an apprentice. My name is Hego Damask, but you can call me Darth Plagueis."
Avelon chuckled. "Hego Damask is dead," he said with a confident tone. "My former teacher and an ArchKnight told me that."
"Oh, and who's that teacher?" Hego Damask asked.
"A former Jedi assassin, Zai'shira Kessen," Avelon answered, and Plagueis's eyes went wide. "An orange-skinned Togruta with one metallic arm."
"Do you know each other?" Avelon raised his eyebrows.
"All too well," the Muun replied with a half-smile. "She was my enemy, but actually, thanks to her, I escaped death, so she unintentionally helped me." Avelon squinted his eyes, so Damask explained. "She had a vision in which she saw me being killed by my apprentice. Despite everything, I decided to be cautious, so... I cloned myself without anyone's knowledge. My treacherous apprentice killed my clone, and the galaxy thought I was dead. So as you can see, I also want revenge, and I want to eradicate the Jedi Order. We have a common goal, so if you help me, I'll make you my apprentice and help you with your revenge. Finally, the Jedi will be no more."
"Hmmm..." Avelon thought for a moment and asked. "What do you need help with? You want to kill him?"
"I learned that my apprentice cremated the body of my clone and that he keeps his ashes inside a spirit urn in his private office," Plagueis stated with a sinister smile. "I want you to steal those ashes without anyone knowing."
The Anzat tilted his head and squinted his green-colored eyes. "You want him to think that you simply cheated death and came back to life," he said, and Damask confirmed with a nod. "Exactly."
"Heh, nifty," Avelon commented. "As long as you keep your promise, I can be a Sith Lord."
"Marvelous," Darth Plagueis grinned evilly.
Please R&R ;)