Bakura's conquerers seemed determined to prove themselves gracious in victory. There were no massacres and no orbital bombardments. Supposedly the critical factories had been filled with P'w'eck and Ssi-ruuk engineers determined to bring them back to full productivity, but from the window of his hotel room- which had become his comfortable prison- Shado Vao saw only the columns of scarlet-skinned Ssi-ruuk marching in triumph down the streets of Salis D'aar. To the Bakurans, who'd lived in fear and anticipation of the alien invaders for a century and a half, this must have been the realization of all their nightmares, and the relative gentleness of the Ssi-ruuvi occupation would do little to comfort.

Locked in isolation, Shado knew nothing about Storr, Recado, or anyone else. He only got glimpses of the outside world when he tried to access the HoloNet, and from there he only caught repeated messages proclaiming the benevolence of the Bakura's new rulers and the danger in risking their ire.

With plenty of time and nothing to fill it, he became trapped in an endless cycle of regret. He started to wonder if Koregion had been right, that the P'w'eck had used his good intentions to stall for time and set Bakura up to fall with its vital resources intact. He'd thought, for a brief moment, that he could still sense the truth of things even without the Force, but he saw now that had been a projection of his hopes and nothing more. He could only pray his wishful thinking hadn't led to disaster.

After two and a half days, Shado finally received a visitor besides the P'w'eck who dropped off his meals. He threw up his hands at the sight of three massive, red-scaled Ssi-ruuvi warriors standing in his door, their strange paddle-beam weapons aimed at his chest. The lead one released a set of frantic, angry-sounding whistles, but when they'd arrested Shado they'd taken his translator, so all he could do was stand there confused.

He got the point when the Ssi-ruuk backed from the door, allowing him space to exit into the hall. As soon as he did so the leader began jabbing the butt of its weapon in Shado's back, edging him forward. They led him all the way outside, where a speeder piloted by one very unhappy-looking human waited. Shado and his captors stepped were whisked back to the defense headquarters, though he had no idea what purpose the building served now.

The halls, he found, were mostly empty, with small packs of Ssi-ruuk or P'w'eck mixed with the occasional monochrome, humanoid Nagai. He realized he was being herded back to the situation room from which he'd watched Bakura fall to the invaders.

When Shado stepped into the bowl-shaped chamber he saw the holographic representation of Bakura had been replaced with a map showing this quadrant of the Outer Rim. Red lights marked the galaxy's edges and pushed Coreward along the Corellian Trade Spine and Hydian Way. Clearly, someone was admiring their conquests. Most of the planets taken were backwaters that received little attention from the rest of the galaxy, but it was still an astonishing amount of territory to take in just a few months.

As the Ssi-ruuk pushed Shado toward the base of the hologram he saw a single figure standing there, looking up at the captured stars. From the silhouette it was a Nagai, tall and thin with broad shoulders half-hidden in long black hair. Shado hadn't met many of the race, but there was something familiar in this one's shape.

Then the Nagai turned. Shado recognized the shape of the face and the jagged black tattoos that covered the lower jaw. The eyes were different from what he remembered yet the same, having shifted from molten gold to deep red without losing their predatory ferocity.

Darth Nihl smiled, white teeth against black jaw. "So it is you. When I heard there was a Twi'lek Jedi on Bakura, I dared wonder."

Suddenly it all made sense. The renascent Nagai conquests had come first, followed by the Mandalorians, who'd long been in the pocket of the Sith. The killings on Bavinyar and the rupturing in the Federation must have been the work of Sith agents too.

"You must be proud of yourself," Shado said.

Nihl stepped closer, and Shado marked familiar the long-bodied lightsaber laying against his hip. The Sith said, "I understand you were proud of yourself, Jedi. They say you were the one who convinced Bakura's president not to send in troops and retake those precious factories from the P'w'eck."

"Who told you that?"

"The P'w'eck themselves, of course. They were the ones who requested our assistance. If you hadn't stalled things, we wouldn't have gotten here in time to get what we wanted."

It was everything he'd dreaded hearing. Shado clung to the fact that Sith were liars. "I don't believe you."

"You should. I brought you here to thank you, Jedi. Vlothaw says you gave him everything he could ever want."

That was another blow. "If you brought me here to gloat, I'd rather go back to my room."

"I'm not gloating. I'm complimenting you on still being a Jedi, even after all you've lost."

"All we've lost."

Nihl looked back at the holo-map. "I haven't lost anything. When the Force went silent I was terrified. I admit that. But then I saw opportunity. I was already planning a new conquest, but when the Ssi-ruuk lost their ability to entech- a side effect, I understand, of Maladi's curse- I found the opening I needed. The Ssi-ruuk and the Nagai saved each other. I needed allies. They needed a way to power their war machines, and a vanguard army that could help them prepare worlds for consecration."

"Consecration?"

"The Ssi-ruuk are the spiritual race," Nihl said with faint admiration. "They believe their souls will wander the cosmos unmoored unless they die on a planet consecrated by their priests. They've been holding ceremonies on all the worlds we've taken. The size of their hold empire has tripled in a month."

"I'm sorry I missed Bakura's consecration," Shado lied.

"Ah, that was over a century ago. They call this world Xhwee. The Ssi-ruuk have had their eyes on it for a long time. They're ecstatic to have final conquered it."

"And you're happy to add its manufacturing base to your war machine."

"I understand I should thank you twice for that."

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't just delay the Bakurans until we could invade. When the planet's president had to decide whether to destroy the factories- and the thousands of P'w'eck inside- you convinced him to be merciful. To choose hope over destruction."

There were so few ways Nihl could know that. "Who have you talked to? Recado? Koregion? Storr?"

"The Ssi-ruuk have talked to all of them." He gave the word an unpleasant stress. "They never bothered with you, Shado Vao. They thought you were inconsequential. Pity them, underestimating a Jedi."

"You brought me here to mock me."

"And does that anger you?" Nihl stepped close enough for Shado to grab him. He fought the angry urge, less because it was a dark trait and more for the Ssi-ruuvi paddle-beamer at his back.

Nihl saw his urge and restraint, and smirked. "I really did bring you here to thank you, Jedi, and not just for giving us Bakura intact. You're the first of your kind I've seen since the Force went silent. The rest of them seem to be cowering on Coruscant, praying for their powers to come back while the galaxy burns anew. I wasn't surprised to find the Jedi were weak-willed children without the Force… but I was disappointed. So thank you, Shado Vao, for restoring a little of my respect for the Jedi."

"We're still Jedi. All of us."

"Maybe you are. We're still Sith, and look what we've managed to accomplish even without the Force." He waved at the holo-map. "Which of our orders, do you think, is the stronger?"

Shado kept his lips pressed tight. He couldn't even deny Nihl's boast.

"It's no surprise," the Nagai continued. "The Jedi preach obedience to the Force's nebulous will. They claim to surrender their own agency to some greater power, but they used it for their own ends and their own power, always."

"That's not true. The Jedi have always worked for a greater good."

"And what good were you working for on Bakura?"

"I was trying to save everyone- the humans, the P'w'eck, the-"

"Liar!" Nihl snapped. He stepped so close hot breath brushed Shado's face. "You marched into that factory full of P'w'eck because you were sick of feeling useless. You were willing to sacrifice your life just to tell yourself you were working a noble cause. You created a drama in which you could play the role of a savior, but you miscast yourself, and why? Because you were a fool who didn't understand his own intentions."

"That's not true," Shado insisted.

"The Sith have always been stronger because we don't delude ourselves. We're not heroes, or saviors. We fight for what we desire and we give no quarter until we've wrestled that desire from the universe. We've lost the Force, but there are always other tools." He grinned viciously again. "And there are always people willing to be tools."

Shado wanted to call him a liar, but he no longer knew what was true. Recado had said: Idealism can be the most insidious form of vanity. Maybe he'd let his lofty aims misguide him. Without the Force he had no anchor, no compass, no way to tell wrong from right.

With a chill, he wondered whether he'd even known at all. Perhaps even the will of the Force had been self-righteous delusion, nothing more.

"I've given you something to think on. That's my gift of gratitude, Jedi, for all you've given me." Nihl stepped back and told the guards, "Take him back to his room and leave him there."

The Ssi-ruuk whistled and began nudged Shado in the back. As he was turned away Nihl added, "I'll call on you again before I leave Bakura. Perhaps I'll even take you with me on my next campaign. The insights of a Jedi would be quite fascinating."

Shado refused to look back, but as his captors led him out of the defense headquarters the Sith's bloodred eyes and sharp-tooth smile remained in his mind's eye, mocking him. He knew they'd stay with him for a long time.

-{}-

Marin stood on the tibanna refinery's landing platform, looking up at the bottom of Yaga Auchs' shuttle as it blasted into Bespin's sky and disappeared into sunset streaks of red and gold. It was a sight she'd never expected to see. She hadn't expected to be alive right now, or to feel light with unexpected hope.

A lifetime's earned cynicism asserted itself. There was no guarantee Auchs would keep his word, though she'd felt his grudging honesty in the Force as they'd spent hours hacking out a plan. He could always change his mind and break his oath. The Sith might outsmart them all, or the Federation could fail to come through, though she'd been assured their message would get Admiral Stazi's ear.

Things could go bad on Marin's end, too. She got ample reminder of that when she looked toward the refinery entrance and saw Hondo Karr standing alone before the dismantled barricades. The slanting sun brought out the gold highlight on his black beskar, and Marin could feel the frustration simmering beneath his red visor.

Hondo had never been one to hide his feelings, so when Marin got close he wrenched off the helmet to show a square face tight with anger. "This isn't what we agreed on," he said.

"It's not what I had planned either, but this can work out best for all of us."

"You mean for shabla Auchs."

"I mean the whole galaxy. These conquests are tearing up the Outer Rim but we can stop them."

"If Auchs doesn't stab us in the back, like he stabbed Ordo."

"I didn't sense deceit in him."

"Well excuse me for not trusting your shabla jeti Force powers. Wish you'd told us about those in advance, by the way. Listen, that man framed me for murder and ruined my life. He killed his Mand'alor. He can't get away with that. I won't let him."

It was strange to hear the lust for vengeance in Hondo's voice. She'd felt something very similar just a day ago. Now that desire had evaporated, and she could barely remember what it had felt like.

"This doesn't mean there won't be an accounting, but right now we have to put our own interests aside. There are Sith behind this. With Auchs' help we can bring them down and maybe even stop this war."

"Maybe. This war has been lucrative for Mandos so far. Some might not want to give it up."

They'd be more likely to if their Mand'alor told them to go back home. Auchs had signaled himself ready to do that; Marin had felt that he'd never even wanted to join this fight in the first place. To end this war and keep the peace they might well have to protect Auchs, and that prospect still twisted her stomach.

She'd once told her mother Tamar that in times of crisis, you ended up doing the right thing even when you didn't want to. There were higher stakes here than justice for Auchs and Marin couldn't turn away from them. Maybe that meant part of her was still a Jedi after all.

Hondo still needed placating, and she told him, "We'll deal with Auchs. I promise. But first we need his help taking care of the Sith."

"I'm going to hold you to that. We all will."

"Don't threaten me, Hondo. For your own good." She used a touch of the Force to put a little fear in him.

Hondo nodded seriously and turned away. Marin exhaled once he disappeared inside the refinery. He wasn't the only one unhappy with the turn their crusade had taken. She'd felt surprise and dissatisfaction among all her people, and she had no doubt that Auchs was going to run into some on his side.

To take down the Sith successfully they'd both need to keep their own people in line, which meant she and Auchs faced the same dilemma right now. She didn't like that kind of irony.

There was one person who was clearly satisfied with the turn of events. As they started to withdraw from the refinery, Free Agent swooped down to pick up Ania and AG-37. Marin would depart in Starlight Champion, and while this wasn't a final goodbye with her daughter, it was nonetheless hard to put her feelings to words.

Ania, though, spoke with an easy relieved smile. "We'll see you up there," she said at the bottom of the landing ramp as AG-37 clanked into the ship. "Let us know the coordinates when you get them."

"I will," Marin said. She tried to say something more but couldn't.

"You know, sometimes things work out best when they don't go the way you planned. Sometimes you've just got to take things as they come and make whatever decision seems best at the time."

Marin had thought like that when she'd been Ania's age. Experience had taught her it was bitter folly but now, decades later, she wondered if perhaps there'd been wisdom in youth after all.

"It's not a perfect plan," her daughter admitted. "But it beats being trapped in the past. At least, I think so."

Maybe she was right. Marin prayed she was.

"Well, I'll see you spaceside," Ania said, but hesitated before going up the ramp. She inched a half-step toward Marin. Her mother edged closer. Finally they pulled close for a short embrace. Then Ania pulled away and hurried up the ramp.

Marin stepped to the platform's edge and watched Free Agent kick off, rise, and disappear into the Bespin twilight. When its lights were gone she went to her ship to prepare for whatever came next.

-{}-

The Yaga Auchs who lifted off that tibanna refinery felt like a different man than the one who'd boarded it. All the old worries that had had hounded him- his daughter, the Sith's blackmail vise, the red monster from his nightmares- had disappeared. They'd been replaced by a new set of problems, just as immediate and potentially more dangerous, but their novelty alone made him feel less assailed.

As their shuttle pushed out of Bespin's gravity well toward his waiting frigate, Thorum Rhal presented the first of those problems in his typical straightforward fashion.

"When your comm cut off I thought you were fragged," he said. "Guess it's a good thing I didn't charge in there guns-blazing."

"I had the situation under control," Yaga said, because it was the sort of thing a Mand'alor was expected to say.

He and Rhal both knew it wasn't true. He'd had either weapon trained on Marin Skirata and her daughter when the girl's shouting about Sith pacts got too close to accurate and he shut down his helmet's audio link with a subverbal command. What Rhal had heard would be enough to excite his imagine, and Yaga had hastily prepared a lie for his lieutenant.

"Here we all thought the Sith were gone," Rhal said. "Or at least useless without the Force. Guess I was wrong."

"They're cunning hutuune even without their powers," Yaga grunted. "But maybe we can get the edge on them for once."

"That why we're letting those karking Skiratas go after all they done? We can still drop a few torps and blow that refinery out of the sky."

"No. We need them."

"To beat the Sith."

"That's right."

Rhal crossed armored arms. "You're gonna have to explain that, Mand'alor."

He put a hint of sarcasm in that title. Good. Best to get it all in the open.

Yaga said, "You want an honest answer? Fine. After Botajef, I was in trouble. Lots of barves thought I had no credentials to take Ordo's place."

"I wasn't one of them."

"I know. You were behind me from the start and I'll never forget that. But I had to fend off others who wanted the helm. The Sith offered help. I should've turned them down but I didn't."

"Why would the Sith help you?"

"They wanted Mandos out of the war. I wanted that too. I thought it was win-win. But that Skirata girl was right. Every deal with the Sith works in their favor." Rhal said nothing, but Yaga knew he was skeptical. "You understand why I wanted to keep this secret. It's humiliating, having to rely on dar'jeti chakaare. But we're going to end that. We'll be free soon. Every last Mando."

"So we beat these Sith somehow… Then what? We fall back to Mandalore, sit tight again?"

"We've made our mark and fought well. We'll keep getting jobs, only this time, we'll be able to pick and choose."

It was a nice-sounding argument that worked better on people who hadn't listened to half his frantic conversation in the refinery. Rhal was suspicious and he's stay suspicious, but if he kept taking orders Yaga was confident his other lieutenants would fall in line.

"So," Rhal said, "We got a specific plan yet?"

"Wait and see what our boss' next order is. That's Darth Nihl, by the way. Dark Lord of the Sith."

"How impressive. I thought he was Relik K'sharn."

"He is. Or was. These Force-users can't keep their names straight."

"Poor them. Don't suppose it makes 'em easier to kill."

Yaga remembered what his daughter had told him more than once. "They'll die from a blaster-shot same as anyone else."

"Guess we'll find out soon."

Yaga hoped so. He hoped he'd be the one to pull the trigger, but first he had to engineer a situation where the Sith could be safety exterminated. They were spread throughout the Nagai fleet but not, he understood, on any Ssi-ruuk ships, nor on Mando ones. That gave him a place to start. The most important thing was to be rid of Nihl, and he'd never feel sure the Sith was dead unless he did the deed himself.

But first things first, he told himself. He'd passed key intel on to Skirata and Karr, and they'd promised to pass it on to the Federation. If Coruscant did what it was supposed to, Nihl's reaction would dictate his own.

Betraying a Sith was neither safe nor easy. It was a tricky problem but it was a new problem, and that alone was enough to give Yaga hope he'd never expected.

-{}-

From orbit Geonosis was a flame-colored marble, and the explosions bursting in the space around it reflected the red-orange hue of its rocky surface. Each flare died out within seconds but the planet continued to turn ponderously beneath, as though in purposeful contrast to its fast-dying echoes. There was a savage beauty to combat; Stazi had always known that, but he'd forgotten how exciting it could be.

It felt good to be on the bridge of a starship again, and even better to be on Alliance. He and Jaius Yorub had stolen the mighty Imperious-class destroyer from the shipyard at Mon Calamari, and from its deck Stazi had commanded the climax of the war against Krayt. Its crew, many of whose faces were still familiar, operated with perfect discipline and efficiency despite nearly three years of peacetime. They'd deployed fighter squadrons, raised shields, and began firing offensive barrages all before Geonosis' defenses could begin countering the battle groups deployed around it.

From the moment Alliance did its first sensor-sweep, it had been obvious that Geonosis was not expecting an attack. That had roused Stazi's suspicions that the Mandalorian intelligence wasn't as good as promised, but those were quickly allayed when the space stations in orbit began belching out swarms of Ssi-ruuvi battle droids, all powered by Geonosian mechanical brains.

The insectoid droid-makers were a secretive species that had stayed out of galactic affairs for over a century, and Stazi doubted they had the stomach for a prolonged, devastating fight on their homeworld. Nonetheless, they were putting up a fierce defense. No one had discovered a good way to counter those droid attacks yet, but Stazi was hoping the Geonosians, once subdued, might provide some help in exchange for leniency. He had to get to that stage first, which meant putting down the droids.

After a few hours of using Alliance-only ships, he'd called in his backup. Two groups with three Imperial star destroyers each joined the fray, forcing the Geonosians to spread their droid swarms thinner to counter attacks from multiple points. The Imperials seems to be relying on their destroyers' heavy shielding to absorb most of the droid attacks, while Stazi's people were using starfighters and quick gunships as counter. Neither strategy seemed more successful than the other, and the admiral growled in anger when another gunship was overwhelmed and exploded.

"It's going to come down to attrition," Jhoram Bey said as he watched the tactical display with Stazi. The Weequay seemed relieved to have passed command back to his old superior officer. "We have the firepower to outlast them, but it's going to be a very messy battle. I just hope we have time to finish it."

Stazi grunted agreement. They'd brought an interdictor and raised an expanded gravity well around Geonosis, but if HIMS-equipped Ssi-ruuvi cruisers arrived as backup it wouldn't matter. At best it would delay the Nagai.

"The Geonosis government still refusing our offer to parlay," said Ona Antilles. "That could mean they're expecting backup."

Alliance's captain was a young human, her perpetually stern expression enhanced by the scar across one cheek. She was an able and devoted officer, but her seriousness made Stazi miss Jaius Yorub, who'd known there was more to life than war and duty.

"Be patient," Stazi told them. "Our intelligence suggests they've bulked their forces in the Javin sector. That's well away from here."

"Intelligence," said Antilles, "has been unreliable so far."

She had him there, but their questionable Mandalorian contact had provided information Hogrum Chalk and his spies hadn't, which Stazi took as cause for optimism. They watched the explosions continue to burst around Geonosis, and Antilles visibly winced as an Alliance frigate was destroyed.

A lieutenant at the tactical station turned to the officers and reported, "Captain Bovark says he's punched a hole in their defenses. Requesting permission to deploy ground forces."

Perhaps the Imperials had the better strategy after all. Stazi looked at the tactical holo and saw three star destroyers pushing into the planet's lower orbit. If Bovark deployed landing teams they might get trapped on Geonosis if the space battle turned. If Geonosis had poor ground defenses they might tip this battle in their favor.

Stazi had built his career on such gambles. "Tell him to deploy," he said.

The lieutenant nodded and relayed the order. Under her breath Antilles said, "Good of the Imps to ask permission."

"It is an encouraging sign," Stazi said. "But I'm more concerned about getting our people through."

Bey scanned the holo and pointed to one cluster of Alliance ships. "These might be able to do it. The droid screen nearby is weak."

"They'll react fast if they see we're deploying."

"We've got our best fighter units with that team. They'll cover the landing ships."

"You mean Rogue Squadron?"

The former pilot allowed a rare smile. "I do."

"Then we'll have to trust to Captain Dahl and company. Give the order."

They watched tensely as the Alliance ships drew close enough to the planet to launch landing teams. The Ssi-ruuvi fighters, naturally, rushed to intercept. Rogue Squadron and the other Crossfires hurried to stop them. The droid fighters lost some maneuverability in atmosphere but, unencumbered by living pilots, they were still capable of performing aerial acrobatics that would rob most flesh-and-blood species of consciousness.

As the Crossfires desperately held back the droid fighters, Stazi checked on the Imperial insertion. They seemed to be having a smoother time of it, and had already passed into the lower atmosphere. He noted that neither landing group was taking fire from the surface, which meant, hopefully, that Geonosis was unprepared to defend itself on the ground level. That was only mildly encouraging; the planet's surface was mostly barren desert, and the natives lived in underground hives that formed a natural defensive shield.

The battle continued to rage even after the Alliance landing party entered the atmosphere and began deploying near the mouths of Geonosis' hive settlements. Bovark's destroyers pulled out and helped a group of Alliance ships struggling against more droid fighters. Together they wore down the enemy, then launched their combined firepower against the nearest defense station. The orbital platform was no longer pumping out droids but it had heavy cannons that managed to punch through one destroyer's ventral shields, crippling it badly, while a Mon Calamari cruiser suffered severe damage on its right flank. Nonetheless, the cooperative attack worked, and soon the station began a fiery plunge into Geonosis' atmosphere, where it broke apart into burning pieces.

"Excellent." Stazi pounded fist into palm. "Relay my congratulations to Captain Bovark. And send the Geonosians another offer to surrender."

With the defense station down, a hole had been opened for more landing craft to deploy. As shuttles and drop ships raced unopposed toward the surface, the comm station reporting a hail from planet.

"Maybe now they're willing to talk." Stazi strode quickly across the deck and loomed over the comm lieutenant's shoulder. "Open the line."

A holo appeared in front of him, revealing a long-snouted Geonosian face. The creature began talking in its own language, a mix of grunts and clicks, and Stazi had to wait for the automatic translator to relay the words in text beneath the holo. The Geonosian said, "I am Grand Duke Serac Kor, speaking with full authority of the Council of Hives. We are ready to offer our surrender, on the condition that no member of the Council will be punished."

In other words, they were hoping to escape and responsibility for their actions. Stazi was frankly disgusted by the offer, but these Geonosians were not his main enemy. Removing them from the war, regardless of conditions, would cripple the Ssi-ruuk and leave the Nagai weakened.

"I'm willing to accept, if you comply with my condition," Stazi said. "The Council of Hives must cooperate fully with Federation investigators and hand over all material and expertise relating to the weapons you've given the Ssi-ruuk and Nagai. Even the smallest failure to cooperate will be considered a breach of the agreement and the Council will lose all immunity from punishment. Do you agree?"

The Geonosian clicked and growled, and the text said, "We will comply with your terms."

"I'm very glad. I'll tell my troops to stop firing. Shut down all your droids in orbit and offer no resistance to our landing parties."

"Yes. We will honor our agreement immediately."

The holo shut off and Stazi told to comm officer, "Broadcast to all ships. Tell them to cease fire."

He walked over to the viewport. Geonosis' red marble turned slowly beneath but the explosions grew sparse before disappearing entirely. Soon the only things visible around the planet were the glow of starship engines.

Not a bad showing after three years, Stazi thought with muted pride.

He went back to the tactical station, where Captain Antilles reported, "Our ground teams are meeting no resistance. They'll be at the central hive shortly."

"Excellent. Begin tallying casualties and start a cleanup operation. Aside from recovering crew, put a priority on capturing those droid fighters. I want as many of them intact as we can get."

As Antilles started relaying orders, Bey sidled next to Stazi and crossed his arms. "A messy fight, but a successful one. If those Geonosians really comply we might be able to neutralize the Ssi-ruuvi war machine entirely."

"Don't get too confident, Johram. This is just the start," Stazi said, "but hopefully we've turned the tide."

He looked out on Geonosis, red and lonely against the stars, and wondered where that tide would take them next.