The Old Republic: The Sephiren Legacy

by Zelphax

Descended from the ancient Sith and separated by the aftermath of the Great Hyperspace War, the Sephiren family has long been strong in the Force. On the eve of the Great Galactic War's ending, on the insignificant planet of Meldir, the Imperial and Republic branches of the family will violently reunite, and the future of the very galaxy hinges on the battle's outcome...

1. Korel - Doubt

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Sephiren Estate, Dromund Kaas

Korel breathed deeply as he sat in his meditation chamber, surrounded by the teachings of the ancient Sith he had accumulated over the years. Peace is a lie, there is only passion... The power of the dark side is reliant on passion, he reminded himself. I must remember why we fight our war. The Jedi razed Korriban a thousand years ago, and the Sith have returned to the galaxy to exact our vengeance... Nonetheless, despite his best efforts, he simply could not arouse the fury and loathing within himself that the mere thought of the Jedi once evoked in him.

His thoughts wandered back to the Jedi Knight he had captured during the battle on Dantooine. Serron... that was his name. I tormented him day and night, tried to get him to divulge his order's secrets, to abandon in desperation his pitiful ideology... and nothing worked. He endured any pain that I put him through, but never told me the purpose of his mission or the identities of his allies. I broke long before he did – in my frustration, I pushed him too far, shocked him with too much hateful intent, and he died. I sensed no malice in him, only determination... I still cannot understand. Clearly, these cannot be the same Jedi who tried to annihilate Sith civilization a millennium ago. But if that is the case, then killing them cannot grant us vengeance for what we suffered... He shook his head. Remember your loyalties, he told himself firmly, trying to quell his uncertainties.

Korel's holocommunicator beeped, interrupting his thoughts. He stood and opened his eyes, somewhat glad of the excuse to postpone his troubling ruminations for another time, before answering. The small communications device projected a mature human woman in Imperial body armor. As soon as Korel recognized her, he found his tension beginning to evaporate. "Sarina," he greeted her, relieved. "It has been far too long."

"I'm glad to see you too, my lord, but... something's come up," Sarina responded nervously.

Korel frowned. Sarina never addressed him so formally, not since... Something must be wrong. Perhaps she is concerned someone is listening in on our conversation. "Very well, Captain," he adjusted his tone to be more fitting of a Sith addressing his subordinate. "What is the situation?"

"Darth Rathion has ordered me to report to her immediately," Sarina began to explain. "She... commanded me to bring Selessa, my lord."

Korel felt as though his heart stopped. Could Zeris have found out? he wondered anxiously. "Thank you for informing me, Captain," he told her, hoping he managed to keep the nervous tremor from his voice. "I will speak to her."

"That will not be necessary, my lord," Sarina told him hastily. "I just thought you should be made aware of the situation."

Sarina hopes we can keep this hidden, Korel realized. If only I were so optimistic. Zeris was never one to show mercy, and if she knows... "I see," he told Sarina. "I hope Darth Rathion finds everything to be satisfactory."

"As do I, my lord," Sarina responded before closing the connection.

Korel sighed. How could Zeris have possibly discovered the truth? he wondered. I did everything I could to keep this secret. He paced restlessly through his meditation chamber, torn by indecision. Sarina wants me to stay away so she can allay Zeris's suspicions, but I'm worried... Sarina may be Zeris's most loyal servant, but Zeris will be furious at me for cheating on her, and at Sarina for being involved. And to think that was my original intent, twelve years ago – to seduce Sarina to get back at Zeris for subduing me. He shook his head. I dragged Sarina and Selessa into this, and if Zeris decides to punish them, it will be because of me, Korel realized. His hesitation ended, he rushed out of his meditation chamber, running through the Sephiren estate to the landing pad, and climbed into his speeder, frantically lifting off. Every second he spent flying through the metropolis of Kaas City added to his fears, and he hurriedly disembarked as soon as he landed the speeder in front of the imposing Sith Sanctum.

He stopped just outside his wife's chambers. "I had thought you were more loyal to me than that, Captain," said Zeris's voice.

"My lord, I... I don't understand," Sarina replied nervously.

"With all due respect, Darth Rathion, my wife has been true to me and loyal to you for as long as I've known her," insisted Moff Teltan Ziak, Sarina's husband.

"Is that so?" inquired the voice of Nyera, Zeris's apprentice. "Captain Ziak, explain to me why it is that you contacted Lord Korel immediately after my master summoned you."

"I... Lord Korel had requested my assistance, and I needed to inform him I would not be able to do as he had commanded me," Sarina answered.

"Why don't we hear for ourselves?" Nyera asked. Korel held his breath as he heard the conversation played back, hoping against hope that his wife would find nothing wrong with it.

"That recording contains no proof of unfaithfulness by Sarina," Teltan insisted once it had finished. "Lord Rathion, I humbly request that you restrain your apprentice from making these wild accusations."

Zeris sighed. "The Moff has a point, Nyera," she said impatiently. "My husband seemed oddly pleased to see Captain Ziak, but otherwise that recording contained little of substance. Present me with more conclusive evidence or stop wasting my time."

Korel heard Selessa's voice nervously asking, "Mother, can you please ask Darth Rathion for permission to leave?"

"I do have more conclusive evidence, my master," Nyera assured Zeris. "Selessa Ziak, do you honestly believe that the Moff here is your real father? You hardly look like him at all. In fact, you have very distinctive red hair... Sith hair."

"We're all descended from Sith, my lord," Sarina rushed to her daughter's defense. "We may not be Sith any longer, but the Ziak and Korivic families can trace our ancestry all the way back to before the Sith fled Korriban."

"Exactly," Teltan joined in. "Is it so impossible that some long-buried Sith traits in Sarina and me could have manifested themselves in Selessa?"

"Perhaps not," Nyera conceded, though her tone suggested sly satisfaction. "But I believed it was reason enough to have genetic tests run on Selessa's blood. Look here, master."

There was a long silence. Korel could feel his heart beating more and more rapidly. Finally, Zeris observed, "That is a remarkably strong correlation between Selessa's genes and Korel's. I suppose it was inevitable that he would eventually try to get some form of revenge against me. Apprentice, you have done well to bring this to my attention."

"Of course, my master," Nyera responded, sounding pleased with Zeris's approval.

"Please, my lord, I have always served you faithfully," Sarina protested. "I have faced the Republic's finest by your side, stood against Jedi Masters and treacherous Sith Lords with you."

"You have," Zeris acknowledged, though her voice suggested an undertone of anger. "Nonetheless... you know I cannot tolerate such disrespect, Captain."

"It is my duty to serve the Sith!" Sarina desperately tried to explain herself. "Lord Korel commanded me – I thought I had no choice but to obey!"

Korel stopped cold when he heard that. She's just trying to protect herself against Zeris, he tried to rationalize, but doubt welled up within him. I know I came to love her over the years. I thought she loved me as well... but what if she was afraid of what I'd do to her if she refused?

"Perhaps," Zeris responded. "But you should have considered that I am Korel's master... and yours."

Sarina began gasping for breath, and the anger that had been evading Korel for so long finally came to him. He rushed into the room, drawing upon his passions and unleashing the dark side of the Force upon his wife. Quickly, Zeris released her grip on Sarina and shielded herself from the attack, her iron willpower resisting the dark storm Korel channeled into her. Finally, Korel stopped, switching on his lightsaber. "Stay away from them!" he shouted.

"Korel... I thought I sensed you," Zeris said, narrowing her eyes. The fierce Sith Pureblood drew her own lightsaber, its crimson clashing with Korel's violet. Off to the side, Nyera also turned on her two lightsabers, presumably to intervene, but Zeris quickly ordered the young Sith, "Stay out of this! This is between Korel and me." She turned back to her husband. "Your betrayal was unexpected, but ultimately unsurprising. What I do find surprising is that you kept it hidden for so long. If you meant to turn my most loyal captain against me, then I cannot help but wonder why you waited twelve years to make your move."

"Once it was about revenge, but now I love Sarina, and Selessa, my child," Korel admitted, tightly gripping the hilt of his lightsaber. "I won't allow you to harm either of them."

"You love them, do you? As once we loved one another?" Zeris asked him. There was something almost regretful in her expression before it faded back to anger. "Love is a weakness that can be exploited. A Sith should know better."

"Perhaps," Korel replied, "but if you think to use it against me, you are gravely mistaken."

"You still lack the power to defeat me," Zeris declared, raising her blade. "But if you think yourself strong enough, then fight for your life, Korel."

She swung, a forceful blow that likely would have cut Korel in half had he not stepped out of the way just in time. Drawing upon his anger, he struck back, but his blade glanced off the edge of his wife's cortosis-reinforced armor, doing only minimal damage. Forcing himself to focus, Korel began to channel a stream of dark lightning into Zeris, which she was only partially able to block with her lightsaber. Though the lightning seemed to drain some of her strength, the pain reignited her fury, and she lunged forward, catching Korel off guard. He barely parried her strike in time, then barely fended off the next. He tried to riposte, but Zeris easily brushed his blade aside, continuing her relentless onslaught. Desperately, Korel drew upon the Force again, throwing Zeris backwards until she slammed into the wall, but she recovered and leaped forward, malice in her eyes. Korel tried to throw her off balance with a short burst of lightning followed by a quick thrust, and narrowly succeeded, his lightsaber managing to burn through her armor and singe her left leg. Furiously, Zeris took another great swing with her lightsaber, which Korel barely deflected with his own, followed up by another, and then another. Korel blocked again, and again, and again... and then realized with great dismay that Zeris had knocked his lightsaber out of his hands, sending it flying across the room. His anger turned quickly to fear, and as Zeris threw down her blade to deliver the final blow, he desperately focused all his efforts into stopping it with the Force.

The two Sith struggled for what felt like hours, neither managing to overwhelm the other. Nonetheless, Korel was rapidly tiring, his only source of willpower the hope that Zeris would succumb to exhaustion before he did. Finally, Zeris switched off her lightsaber, breathing heavily. Korel let out a sigh of relief... and then he felt a crushing weight on all parts of his body. "You... will... kneel!" Zeris commanded him as she pushed him to his hands and knees with the Force.

Korel tried to resist, but Zeris's ruse had worked; he had been caught completely off guard, and no longer had the strength to fight back. It's over, he thought, disappointed in himself. "Zeris, I..."

"You should have known better than to try to best me through brute force, Korel," Zeris declared.

Korel panted for a second, trying to catch his breath. "So, what happens now, Zeris?" he asked bitterly. "Do you kill me for daring to strike against you? Do you let me live, only to condemn me to some worse fate?"

"You brought this upon yourself," Zeris told him angrily. "I was always the stronger of the two of us, but you refused to recognize it. And so I have forced you to submit to me, just as I did twelve years ago."

"But you still won't kill me… so why do you persist in this?" Korel could not understand. "You tell me love is a weakness, and yet you refuse to dissolve our union or to kill me. You have such anger at me for loving someone else, but neither of us has felt love for the other since before Vyralen was born."

Zeris had no reply to that, only glaring at him.

Could it be? Does she still feel something for me, even after everything? Korel wondered incredulously. "Then... do what you will to me, but leave Sarina and Selessa out of this," he insisted. "I may have broken the bonds of our marriage, but Sarina served you loyally even after we began our affair. Do you kill your most loyal officer, your constant companion... dare I say friend, just because she was afraid of me?"

Zeris hesitated. "...No," she finally responded. "But you both betrayed me, and I will not forgive that." She glared at Korel, then at Sarina. "Fortunately for both of you, a new front in the war has emerged. You would be of no use to me if permanently maimed. Nonetheless, I leave you with a reminder of the consequences for disloyalty." She turned to her apprentice. "Nyera?"

"Yes, my master?" Nyera asked eagerly.

"Show Selessa my displeasure," Zeris ordered.

"Gladly, master," Nyera replied, walking towards Korel's daughter.

"Wait!" Sarina pleaded. "Selessa is eleven years old! She had nothing to do with this!"

"She is the product of your betrayal," Zeris responded coldly. "She will survive, this time, but if you wish her to live to adulthood, you should remember who your loyalties belong to." She turned and nodded to Nyera.

Selessa backed away from the Sith apprentice fearfully. "Please, my lord, I'll do whatever you–" her sentence was cut short by Nyera turning on one of her lightsabers and slicing through the girl's eye, followed by a wordless scream.

Zeris seemed indifferent to Selessa's agony, instructing them, "Take care of the girl in whatever manner you wish, and then meet me aboard the Victory. You have one hour. Apprentice, come with me." With that, Zeris and Nyera strode out of the room, leaving Korel, Sarina, and Teltan with Selessa, still crying in pain.

Korel reached out with the Force, forcing his daughter into a painless sleep. I can't believe I was so stupid, he thought, hating himself. I thought Zeris would be satisfied with killing me. I should have known she would not be averse to using Selessa to punish Sarina and me. "I... I will call a medical team," he said, avoiding Sarina's gaze as he got to his feet and activated his holocommunicator. "This is Lord Korel Sephiren," he told the operator. "There is an injured child here in the Sith Sanctum of the Citadel, in Darth Rathion's chambers. I need emergency medical personnel here immediately. They have my authorization to enter."

"Understood, my lord," the operator responded. "I've sent out the call, and they're already on their way. If I may inquire... how was the child injured?"

Korel sighed. "She lost her eye. It was... Sith business."

"I see," the operator replied cautiously. "I won't pry, my lord. It's not my place to interfere in the affairs of the Sith."

The connection closed, and Korel stood, the air around him filled with silence. He couldn't bring himself to look at Selessa, curled up on the floor, or at Sarina or her husband. He felt a sense of relief when the medical response team arrived, quickly picking up Selessa and placing her on a stretcher. "It looks like the damage is limited to her right eye, but no amount of kolto therapy's going to restore it," one of the medics told them seriously. "If she's to have sufficient depth perception for normal function, she'll need a cybernetic replacement."

"Perform the surgery and have one installed," Korel instructed. "I will pay for any expenses."

"I mean no disrespect, my lord, but only the patient's family can make treatment decisions," the medic told him nervously.

I probably could force him to obey me, Korel realized, though the thought disturbed him. Any Sith could have compelled the medics to treat Selessa or to abandon her, and they would only be questioned if they somehow managed to cross other, more powerful Sith. The idea repulsed him, and so he finally told the medic,"I am her father."

The medic seemed confused. He looked at Korel, then at Teltan. When the Moff did not contradict Korel, the medic acquiesced. "I... yes, my lord. I'll make the necessary arrangements." He bowed and made to help the other medics transport Selessa away.

Korel focused his mind and used the Force to pull his lightsaber back to him before hanging it back on his belt. "I... should prepare to join Darth Rathion aboard the Victory," he finally said. Still unable to face the woman he loved and fathered Selessa with, he reluctantly made to leave.

As he was about to climb back into his speeder, Teltan stopped him. "My lord... there is something you should know," the Moff told him hesitantly.

I suppose I don't have the right to turn him away after everything that's happened. "Very well, Moff. I am listening," Korel responded reluctantly.

"About Sarina and Selessa... none of us wanted what happened today," Teltan told him, sounding almost apologetic. "If that blasted Nyera hadn't decided to pry into this whole affair... She's been nothing but trouble since Darth Rathion decided to take her as an apprentice."

Korel frowned. "You don't seem particularly upset to have discovered that I fathered a child with your wife," he observed.

"On the contrary, Lord Korel," the Moff rushed to assure him. "I've known you were Selessa's father for years. I was even aware when you first approached Sarina. Believe me, my lord... it is a great honor to earn the affections of a Sith, and a greater one to care for a child of Sith blood. I could not deny those honors to my wife. One day, Selessa will go to Korriban, and I will be proud to know that I helped to prepare her for that day. Sarina and I did not seek to betray Darth Rathion, only to do our part in service to the Sith."

Is he serious? Korel wondered. Imperials are supposed to venerate the Sith, but after what's happened today... I wouldn't have felt even the slightest urge to punish Moff Ziak for being angry at me. Though he might be trying to pre-empt any Sith wrath on my part or Zeris's, he realized. "You are correct, Moff. None of us wanted what happened today," he finally responded with a sigh.

"Indeed, my lord," Teltan replied. "Thank you for hearing me out. I suppose we had best prepare ourselves for whatever Darth Rathion has in store for us."

"Of course," Korel agreed, though he couldn't help but feel an odd reluctance. No doubt Zeris has found another Republic world that needs conquering. This is another chance to face and destroy our ancient foes – I should be gladdened by this, yet I am not.

...

Several Hours Later

Aboard the flagship Victory

As the Harrower-class dreadnought Victory soared through hyperspace, preceded by its usual escort, the twin Terminus-class destroyers Vanguard and Unyielding, Korel stepped out of the elevator onto the bridge. It seems Zeris has gathered her whole circle of advisors, he observed, seeing Sarina, Moff Teltan, Nyera, and a relatively young human woman with a burn scar on the right side of her face. Lieutenant Valrea Noren, formerly Watcher Twenty-Seven of Imperial Intelligence, he remembered.

"Korel," said Zeris, acid dripping from her voice. "You've finally graced us with your presence." She didn't bother to turn around to face him, instead continuing to watch the white-blue swirl of hyperspace that danced around the ship.

"I was meditating, Zeris," Korel replied cautiously. "It was not my intention to be late."

"You meditate too often and for too long," Zeris told him disapprovingly. "And when you finish, I find you doubtful and lacking in resolve. Even now, I can feel in you almost none of the hatreds and passions that make a Sith. Your mind is impassive, neutral... I begin to wonder if your exposure to our enemies has left you weak."

Korel very much wanted to react with umbrage to her claims, but he simply could not bring himself to. Zeris is only stating more bluntly what I've been noticing for months, he realized. Rarely can I will myself to hate my enemies any longer. Nonetheless, he discovered that his mind was not completely devoid of anger as he glanced at Nyera. That smug, deceitful, selfish woman... she's responsible for hurting Selessa, he thought furiously. Only with reluctance did he stay his hand, knowing that his wife would not tolerate aggression toward her apprentice.

"Be certain you do not set a bad example for Kyritha," Zeris warned him.

Korel glanced behind him, seeing his eldest daughter step out of the elevator. "Why have you brought her here?" he asked his wife.

"Mother thought it was time I saw what a real battle was like, now that I'm about to begin my training as a Sith," Kyritha explained. "I am looking forward to the experience."

Korel frowned. "I'm not sure you're ready…" he began hesitantly.

"You have lost all right to make the decisions about how and when our children will be trained as Sith," Zeris told him harshly. "Kyritha's blood is strong, her lineage pure. She is ready."

"Forgive me, master…" Nyera began cautiously. "Wouldn't it be better for your daughter to be trained by an overseer on Korriban? Surely a great Sith like you doesn't have time to-"

"The descendants of Varoth Sephiren always take their children as apprentices when they can," Zeris responded, in a tone that left no room for argument. "Kyritha has a powerful connection to the Force and the potential to develop the power of Battle Meditation. She will be the one to carry on my legacy. I would not trust the task of training her to anyone other than myself." Nyera looked put off, but she held her tongue, reluctantly deferring to her master.

Zeris was silent for a moment. Finally, she asked, "Navigator, how much longer until we arrive at Meldir?"

"Less than thirty minutes, my lord," the navigator responded.

"Good," Zeris replied. "It has been too long since I last crushed the Republic and claimed one of their worlds for the Empire." Korel thought he could see her slightly trembling in anticipation. "Lieutenant Noren, explain to everyone why this insignificant planet has earned my attention," she instructed.

"Y-yes, my lord," Lieutenant Noren stammered. Korel could sense an inkling of fear in the former Intelligence officer as she cleared her throat and began her briefing. "Meldir is a Republic world, one of the few still independent of Imperial rule in this part of the galaxy. According to records taken from the Meldiri government, the planet was previously controlled by a criminal element before the Republic drove out the ruling crime lords. The planet has little value in resources, population, or industrial infrastructure, but it is home to a Republic military base, which has enabled it to resist previous attempts at Imperial occupation. That base, coupled with the planet's close proximity to Imperial space, could make it a staging ground for a Republic counterattack. Accordingly, a small Imperial fleet was deployed to eliminate Meldir's space defenses and establish a blockade over the planet."

"That was two years ago," Zeris cut in, finally turning to face them. "Two years that fleet sat idle and failed to press their advantage. If the Republic cared to, it could swat the blockade aside with minimal effort and then use their stores on Meldir to refuel, repair and rearm a fleet. From there, they could strike almost anywhere in the Empire – we have even discovered hyperspace routes from Meldir that go directly to the Dromund system."

"A serious threat, my lord," Teltan told her, sounding concerned. "It's good that you're treating this matter with the urgency it deserves."

"Such a threat cannot be tolerated. Allowing this world to remain in Republic hands, settling instead for a blockade of pathetic strength... the Dark Council has clearly made an error in judgment," Zeris declared, dissatisfaction creeping into her voice. "The Empire has failed to conquer even one of the Republic's Core Worlds, and our forces find themselves stalled time and time again. The Republic is positioned perfectly for a counterattack; only their naïve faith in the proposed peace talks has prevented them from launching one already."

"Perhaps the Empire needs new leadership, master," Nyera suggested slyly.

"Perhaps it does," Zeris answered. She must intend to challenge Darth Vengean for his seat on the Dark Council, Korel realized. "First, however, we must destroy the Republic on this planet. Lieutenant Noren, describe Meldir's defenses."

"Very well, my lord," the lieutenant replied hesitantly. "Although... our knowledge of the Republic's defenses is still largely limited to what our sensors have picked up from orbit..."

Zeris rounded on the lieutenant. "I ordered you to get better intel, Lieutenant," she said quietly, but dangerously.

"I... I apologize, my lord, but I've been unable to," Lieutenant Noren replied nervously.

"Explain your failure," Zeris demanded. "Exactly why were you unable to improve upon our knowledge of the Republic's defenses?"

"I don't have access to Imperial Intelligence anymore," the lieutenant told her. "Since I was... drafted, I've lost my authorization to make use of the database on Dromund Kaas. That's made it difficult to recruit agents, identify weaknesses, acquire information..." Korel could see her quivering.

"And yet you failed to inform me of this before we launched," Zeris observed, frowning.

"I... I was afraid you wouldn't believe me," Lieutenant Noren desperately explained. "My lord," she hastily appended. "It's just that... Lord Keredras harshly punished his subordinates for the slightest mistakes, and I... please forgive me, my lord."

"Keredras is dead; I do not care how he treated you. You are under my command now," Zeris declared. "Your failure to acquire new information is forgivable... but your failure to report this to me is not." She raised a hand and began to choke the intelligence officer with the Force. Lieutenant Noren gasped for breath, straining against Zeris's dark power to no avail. Finally, Zeris released the lieutenant, leaving her panting on the floor. "You will hide nothing from me, Lieutenant. Is that clear?"

"Y-yes, Darth Rathion," Noren answered, shivering.

"Good," Zeris replied. "Now continue your summation of what little we do know of Meldir's defenses."

"As... as you wish, my lord," the lieutenant said nervously, rubbing her throat as she stood up. "The... the main Republic base on Meldir is located in the capital city. The base is protected by numerous anti-air and anti-ground turbolaser turrets, as well as multiple teams of Republic specialists. There is also an energy shield protecting the complex, strong enough to withstand bombardment by even our Harrower-class dreadnoughts." She paused, collecting her thoughts. "We... do have three key advantages, however. First, our forces will outnumber the Republic's. Second, the energy shield only protects the perimeter of the base, and not the entirety of the city. Third, there is no Jedi presence on Meldir, as far as we know."

"Excuse me for interrupting," the navigator cut in, "but we are about to come out of hyperspace."

"Prepare us for battle," Zeris instructed Teltan.

"All crew to battle stations!" the Moff ordered over the ship's intercom. "Prepare the turbolasers and power the frontal shields. Pilots, get to the hangars and warm up the engines! I want three fighters for every landing shuttle. Get to it!"

Korel watched as hyperspace gave way to normal space, revealing the planet Meldir. It seemed a typical temperate world, with green continents and blue oceans. Not awe-inspiring in the manner of Korriban, but beautiful in its own way, he thought. His attention was quickly drawn away from the planet itself to the battle raging above it, however. "Republic starfighters," he noticed, surprised. "I had thought that the Imperial fleet maintaining the blockade destroyed the planet's space defenses."

"The Imperial ships are launching shuttles, only to have them shot down," Nyera observed disapprovingly. "How pathetic."

"Put me through to the officer in charge of that fleet," Zeris ordered, moving to stand in front of the holoterminal.

Two blue holograms materialized before her, in the midst of a panicked discussion. "Sir, the anti-aircraft fire is too intense for our shuttles," a junior officer was trying to inform his commander. "We need to hold off trying to land until we can clear away the defenses!"

"Are you daft, Ensign?" the commanding officer questioned, clearly stressed. "There's a Sith Lord scheduled to arrive any minute now. If we haven't landed troops and established a beachhead on the surface of Meldir by then-"

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't relieve you of command this instant," Zeris interjected.

The Imperial commander almost jumped. "Darth Rathion! I... I didn't realize... Our communications officer was killed by a lucky torpedo from one of those Republic fighters, otherwise I would have responded to you immediately," he desperately tried to explain. "I... I just wanted to clear the way for your arrival, my lord."

"And what portion of your shuttles actually made it to the surface?" Zeris demanded. "How many squads of Imperial troops walked away from those shuttles without being picked off by Republic snipers? How many of the shuttles that landed made it back to your capital ships to receive new soldiers? How many Republic fighters have you managed to neutralize? Your fleet isn't even equipped for a ground invasion – how many walkers are you carrying? How many troops? How much artillery?"

"I... I only wanted to help p-prepare for you, my lord, like you instructed," the commander stammered.

"I did not order you to attack before I arrived, commander," Zeris reminded him. "And... this... is the result."

"I..." the Imperial commander was at a loss for words.

"It seems we are surrounded by incompetence, master," Nyera told Zeris, sounding disappointed. "May I deal with this miserable excuse for an Imperial officer?"

"Not yet," Zeris stopped her apprentice. "Commander, if you want to survive this ordeal, then you will obey."

"Of... of course, Lord Rathion," the commander responded hastily. Korel thought he could see sweat on the man's brow, though the hologram's imperfect resolution made it difficult to tell.

"Moff?" Zeris addressed Teltan.

"I am ready, my lord," he promised.

"Take command of what remains of this fleet and minimize our losses," Zeris ordered. "Commander, you will follow Moff Ziak's orders to the letter... or my apprentice just might get her wish."

"I... I understand, my lord," the commander submitted fearfully.

"Good," Zeris responded, though Korel doubted she had high expectations for the man's survival.

"Why let the commander live?" Kyritha asked. "He failed, and failed badly."

"To kill him now, in the midst of battle, would only sow chaos amongst our forces at a critical time," Zeris explained to her daughter. "Besides, he may still have a use… if he shows that he can obey." A blast rocked the bridge, and she ordered Kyritha, "Get back to your quarters."

"I thought I was here to see the battle," Kyritha protested.

"Your training is nowhere near complete; you would be worse than useless to me. It would be a pointless risk for me to bring you to the surface of Meldir," Zeris responded firmly. "Nonetheless, you will be able to observe the battle from a distance. I have had technicians reprogram the holoterminal in your room so that you can watch through the armor-cam of any soldier in the battle, with direct links to the troops guarding me."

Kyritha still seemed somewhat disappointed that she wouldn't get to see the fighting firsthand, but she reluctantly nodded. "I understand, Mother," she said.

"This is merely a taste until you are ready to go into battle yourself," Zeris promised before turning back to Lieutenant Noren. "Lieutenant Noren, coordinate with squadron commanders and feed them all necessary information."

"As... as you command, Lord Rathion," Noren responded, though she still seemed somewhat shocked.

"I will lead the assault. Captain, apprentice, with me," Zeris ordered. After a moment, she added, "And you, Korel."

"If you wish it," Korel responded, trying to quell his uncertainties.

...

Three Days Later

Thelion City, Meldir

A violet blur swept through the air as Korel sliced through a pair of Republic troops and electrocuted a third to death. Though his anger was lacking, the tension and fear resulting from the third day of battle on Meldir provided sufficient fuel for him to utilize the dark side, saving his life several times over as the fighting moved into the treacherous, narrow streets of the city center.

Another Republic soldier came up behind him, powering up a rapid-fire laser cannon. Korel realized that even his Sith reflexes wouldn't be enough for him to deflect every single shot with his lightsaber, so he quickly shielded himself as he turned around, relying on the Force to absorb the numerous blasts. Though the gun fired relentlessly, Korel's willpower held strong, and he continued to resist, beginning to advance toward the soldier carrying it. He raised his lightsaber and prepared to strike...

...but as he did so, he sensed something behind him. A sniper rifle trained on me, he realized. Before he could turn around, the Republic soldier with the assault cannon opened fire and released another volley, forcing him to continue to defend. He could almost feel the blaster bolt from the sniper sinking into his back as he heard the pew! of the shot... and yet he felt nothing, no pain where he expected the shot to land. Not wasting a moment, Korel strode forward and swiftly cut down the Republic gunner before whirling around to protect himself from the sniper.

To his surprise, Zeris was there, letting out a pained groan. "Zeris?" he asked incredulously. "You... shielded me from the sniper?"

"Get to cover!" she ordered him, fury evident in her expression as she tapped her earpiece. Korel wasted no time in obeying as she opened a communications channel. "Victory, I need bombardment near my location. The target is an apartment complex, six stories tall, filled with Republic snipers and ordnance."

A young Zabrak girl, not older than thirteen or fourteen years old, ran up to her. "Please don't destroy that building!" she pleaded. "My dad and sister are still in there! I'll do anything if you-"

"If the Republic is so cowardly that it hopes to save itself by hiding behind civilians, then it deserves no less than total destruction," Zeris interrupted. "Victory, open fire."

"Wait! Please-" the girl's words were drowned out as a bolt of green dropped from the sky, illuminating the entire city in one brilliant flash. When it finally faded, a charred pile of rubble was all that remained of the apartment complex. "DAD! ALETHEA!" the girl cried out, falling to her knees in despair.

Zeris ignored her. "You are unhurt, Korel?" she asked.

"I... I am," Korel answered, more disturbed than he expected by Zeris's disregard for the lives of the girl's family. "I... would be more concerned about you."

Zeris looked at the blaster burn on her left shoulder. "A flesh wound," she replied dismissively, though she let out a grunt of discomfort. She sighed. "Now that we have finally won the battle for the city, I suppose I will have a medic examine it before we move on the Republic base."

Korel looked around. It did seem that the signs of battle had died down, replaced by a tense weariness as fires burned and Imperial officers tried to assess the extent of their casualties. "That seems a good idea," he finally conceded, though the sight of all the carnage made him strangely uneasy. The deaths of civilians never concerned me before, but now... what if it had been Selessa in that apartment? If it had been Kyritha or Vyralen? Zeris was right – my mind is filled only with doubt.

They returned to the Imperial forward outpost and Zeris reluctantly sat down while a medical droid examined her wounds. Korel found himself wandering further back, until he came upon the makeshift prison that housed all the Republic and Meldiri soldiers that had surrendered to the Empire. Looking at their wounds, the desperation in their expressions, Korel found that he could not hate them. They're fighting to protect their homes against us, he thought. The Empire is committing the same crime against these people that we hate the Jedi for committing against us a thousand years ago. There is no justice or even vengeance in this... slaughter. He was struck by an impulse, and after a moment of hesitation, decided to act on it, approaching the Imperials guarding the prisoners.

"Come to interrogate a prisoner, my lord?" one asked cordially.

"Not this time, Corporal," Korel answered. He raised his hand and focused his mind, pushing the Imperial guards into sleep. Dealing with so many at once was a taxing effort for him, and he breathed a sigh of relief when the last guard finally succumbed to the pressure Korel placed on his mind. It's a good thing Zeris hasn't relegated our elite commandos to guard duty, or I might not have been able to manage that, he realized. He opened the door.

The prisoners stood up warily. "What do you want with us, Sith?" one asked suspiciously.

"I am releasing you," Korel informed them matter-of-factly. "If you move quickly, some of you may reach the Republic base before the other Imperials realize you've escaped."

"Why are you releasing us?" another asked, still distrustful. "How do we know this isn't some sort of trap?"

"I can no longer justify the ways of the Sith to myself," Korel answered honestly. "You likely do not believe me, and with good reason. Nonetheless, I have presented you with this opportunity. Make use of it or do not as you will." After a moment, he added, "And if you make it back, tell your superiors that Lord Korel is the one responsible for releasing you."

The prisoners still looked at him cautiously, but they hesitantly began to file out, leaving the makeshift prison and beginning to make their way back out into the city. Korel watched them go with some apprehension. There's no going back from this, he thought. I have committed treason against the Empire, and if it is not discovered soon, it will be eventually. Zeris will not forgive me for this. Nonetheless... I do not know that I could do otherwise. I do not hate these people; I have no desire to destroy them. I... am not truly Sith. The realization made it feel as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Where there had previously been doubt and indecision, now Korel was left with a new certainty of the truth about himself. The thought was oddly comforting to him. No more pretenses; now I must do what I can to prevent Zeris from causing any more destruction on Meldir, he decided.

His thoughts were interrupted by the beeping of his holocom. Despite his new certainty, Korel was not yet ready to openly display his release of the prisoners, and so he made to stand a good distance away from the now-vacant prison before answering.

"This is Lieutenant Noren to Lord Korel," the lieutenant told him. "Darth Rathion requires your presence at the forward command post immediately."

I hope the Republic decides to hear me out, Korel thought. I can't stop Zeris alone. "I will be there in but a moment," he promised the lieutenant.

"She'll be expecting you," Lieutenant Noren replied before closing the connection.

Korel made his way back to the Imperial outpost, where Zeris, Nyera, and Sarina were waiting, along with a handful of lower-ranked Imperial officers. Teltan and Lieutenant Noren also stood in the meeting, present via holo, as well as Kyritha. Zeris must want her to hear and learn from our planning for the assault, he surmised. "Again, you are the last one to arrive, Korel," Zeris noted, displeased.

"I am here now, Zeris," Korel replied. "You need wait no longer to begin."

"Captain Ziak, summarize the status of our invasion," Zeris instructed.

"Right away, my lord," Sarina replied. "We've managed to establish tenuous control over the majority of the city and we've destroyed the Republic's remaining anti-air defenses, granting us full control of the airspace above the city and a clear corridor for landing additional shuttles. Nonetheless, fierce resistance by Republic soldiers has caused significant, if... acceptable, casualties, and we have been so far unable to breach the defenses of the main Republic base. Furthermore, teams of Republic and Meldiri troops have been ambushing our soldiers before seemingly disappearing. We've been unable to track their movements."

"We need to capture the Republic base," Zeris declared. "From there, the entire planet should fall neatly into our hands. We'll be able to use their commanders' communications to track down any remaining Republic squads, and we'll be able to capture their stores of advanced weaponry."

"Then the only problem is devising a method by which to capture the base, my lord," Teltan reminded her. "The fleet may have been able to bombard Republic defensive positions in the city, but as long as the shield is active, our space advantage will be largely irrelevant in any assault. Furthermore, were we to land ground-based artillery, they too would be unable to pierce the shield, except over perhaps a month of sustained bombardment. And as I understand it, the Republic garrison is sufficiently well-supplied that it would take at least that long, perhaps longer, to starve them into surrender."

"We cannot afford to wait that long," Zeris insisted. "This fleet will soon be needed to assist in the offensives into the Core Worlds."

"Surely the shield is reliant on a power generator somewhere," Nyera mused.

"We have located a generator that may be powering the shield, my lords, but there is... a complication," Lieutenant Noren informed Zeris and her apprentice. "If the shield loses power from that generator, its backup is... the entire city's power grid. It might even siphon power from other nearby cities as well; the entire region will likely black out before the shield is starved of power."

"How can the Republic have such a powerful shield?" Nyera asked. "If they have the technology to make such an impenetrable barrier, why haven't they used it on more planets?"

"Unfortunately, we don't have any information there," Lieutenant Noren replied. "It could be that a Republic engineer on Meldir managed to develop a new design, which was confined to Meldir by our blockade, preventing the rest of the Republic from learning of it. Perhaps it's based on some sort of ancient alien technology buried on the planet."

"Regardless of how they obtained the shield, it wouldn't be worth it to try and destroy every possible source of power it might have," Korel argued. "We would have to wipe out every city on the continent – an endeavor that would take impractically long and leave the Empire with nothing to conquer here."

"Then why don't you provide us with a better solution for dealing with the base's shield, Korel?" Zeris demanded.

The holoterminal beeped, sparing Korel the need to come up with an alternative plan. "It... it looks like we're receiving a transmission, my lord," one of the technicians said nervously.

"Thank you for informing me, Ensign," Zeris replied dryly. "Who is it from?"

"I'm doing my best to trace the signal, but without any skilled specialists I can't pinpoint it precisely," Lieutenant Noren informed them. "It... it looks like it's coming from somewhere in the city. Maybe the northeast quadrant."

"The industrial district," Korel realized, surprised. "Who would contact us from there? How would they know how to reach our holoterminal?"

"Unknown, my lord," Lieutenant Noren said.

"Put them through," Zeris decided, her curiosity apparently winning out over her wariness.

A hologram of a tall, scarred Zabrak flashed to life on the holoterminal. "So you must be the ones in charge of the Imperial army that's invading my planet," he said, frowning.

"Your planet? I rather doubt it," Zeris scoffed. "Meldir has languished under Republic rule for thirty years, and soon will become the newest world to swear allegiance to the Sith Empire."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you, Sith?" the Zabrak asked. "But if you really think you can pull it off, you're kidding yourself."

"Who are you to presume to speak this way to Darth Rathion?" Nyera demanded.

"The name's Gorred Rellik," the man introduced himself. "I own a number of multi-billion credit enterprises, and I'm involved in everything that takes place here on Meldir. And I happen to have a proposal for you... Darth."

"Why should I be interested in anything you have to offer me?" Zeris asked doubtfully.

"Because you'll never beat the Republic without my help," Rellik answered bluntly. "I've attached coordinates to the message. If you want to win this battle, meet me there within the hour. You won't get an opportunity like this again. Oh, and don't bother sending your lackeys to meet me – I don't deal with peons." With that, he closed the connection.

There was silence for a moment. "Is there any reason I should even consider going to these coordinates?" Zeris finally asked.

"He may have been exaggerating, my lord, but Gorred Rellik's assistance could prove valuable in defeating the Republic on Meldir," Lieutenant Noren told her hesitantly as she went through her files. "Records retrieved from the capitol building indicate that Gorred Rellik was the most powerful and influential of the crime lords that ruled Meldir before the Republic drove them out. Even now, he controls numerous spice and slave trafficking rings that have managed to evade the Meldiri government's efforts to shut them down. He could have knowledge about the shield or about the Republic's other defenses that we can't afford to ignore, and the resources at his disposal would likely be quite extensive."

"My lord, with all due respect, the man is a criminal," Teltan protested. "I can't imagine he is trustworthy. Men like him sell their own children if it makes them a handful of credits. The Empire does not need the aid of scum and villainy to win its wars."

Zeris was silent for a long while. "I do not expect this Gorred Rellik to be trustworthy," she finally said. "Nonetheless, Lieutenant Noren has made at least one valid point: I cannot afford to ignore him. So let us visit this crime lord. If he is useful and stays out of the way of our invasion, he may yet keep his head."

"The coordinates of the meeting seem to point to an abandoned warehouse near the outskirts of the city's industrial district," Sarina noted. "If you wish to meet this Gorred Rellik, my lord, I must recommend that you bring at least a team of commandos along with you. There is a chance he may be trying to set a trap."

"I doubt I will need added protection to defend myself against criminal scum," Zeris replied dismissively. "Nonetheless, all of you and three squads of troops will accompany me. Should the Republic think to disrupt our meeting, or should Rellik attempt to betray us, we will be prepared. Get to the armored transports, and get fighters covering our position from the air."

They all moved to obey Zeris's orders, Korel, Sarina and Nyera following her into an Imperial transport vehicle and taking their seats, followed by several armored Imperial shock troops. As the armored transport traversed the streets of Meldir's capital, Korel could not help but be surprised as half an hour passed and no Republic ambush occurred. I would expect this to be a tempting target, he thought. A transport convoy containing the Sith leader of the Imperial forces on Meldir, her husband, her apprentice, and her best officer, along with some of our most skilled soldiers. If they successfully destroyed us, it would be a major setback for the Imperial invasion. Nonetheless, they reached their destination without incident, leaving Korel to conclude that the Republic either must not have known of their convoy or lacked the capability to intercept it. The hatch in the rear of the troop carrier opened up, and Korel followed after Zeris and the others as they cautiously entered the warehouse.

Gorred Rellik was waiting for them inside, surrounded by numerous men and women of varying species wearing non-regulation armors. "Mercenaries," he heard Sarina whisper disapprovingly.

"Yes, Imperial minion, I've paid well for these guns for hire," Rellik answered. "As the Empire will pay well for my services, if it's smart."

"You presume much," Zeris rebuked him. "The Sith Empire does not deal with those beneath its notice."

"But you are here," Rellik noted, grinning smugly. "You know you can't afford to ignore me."

"Speak your proposal, worm," Zeris commanded him, clearly growing impatient.

"I'll cut right to the chase, then," Rellik agreed. "The Republic has a practically impervious energy shield over their base, which you're not going to get through any time soon. Meanwhile, your fleet and your army are wasting their time here on Meldir when they could be invading Kuat or Corellia or somewhere important. And the Republic ambushes your troops and whittles down your numbers more and more the longer you sit here."

"We know all this," Nyera interrupted. "Why should my master even bother with you when all you do is spout useless information?"

"Watch your tongue, girl," Rellik threatened. "You don't understand who you're dealing with."

"And you think twice before you threaten my apprentice," Zeris responded angrily, igniting her lightsaber. The mercenaries quickly trained their blasters on her, but Korel could see several of them shaking. They've heard Zeris's reputation, and they know that credits will do them no good if they can't survive to spend them, he thought.

Gorred Rellik seemed oddly unfazed. "You need me, Sith," he informed Zeris arrogantly. "You'd be an idiot to kill me. I have the only thing that could possibly allow you to kick the Republic off Meldir – a secret entrance into the Republic base that bypasses the shield entirely."

"How do you have a secret entrance into a fortified Republic military base?" Korel asked, doubtful.

"You think the Republic built that?" Rellik asked derisively. "That fortress used to be my headquarters, back when I ran Meldir. Of course I had an escape route ready when Republic troops showed up on my doorstep thirty years ago."

"Show me this entrance," Zeris demanded.

"Not so fast, Sith," Rellik stopped her, an infuriating grin on his face. "You want to get through that entrance, you're going to have to pay my price. After you capture the Republic base, you turn it back over to me, along with any supplies and information you find. Any prisoners you take, you give to me to ransom or sell on the slave market. Once you're done, the Empire leaves Meldir under my control. I'm also going to need two million credits up front. In return, you get one-time access to the secret entrance and a chance to actually win the battle. I'll even throw in some of my mercenaries' contracts for free."

Zeris narrowed her eyes, and Korel could sense her fury building up. "No deal," she said quietly.

"Your loss, Sith," Rellik replied condescendingly. "When you crawl back to me, begging for my help after you have no troops left, I'll-" his sentence was interrupted by gasping for breath as Zeris raised her left hand and began to constrict his throat with the dark side. "G-guards!" he wheezed as he struggled for air. The mercenaries looked at each other uncertainly. One opened fire with his blaster carbine, leading others to follow suit, but their defense was sloppy and uncoordinated. As Zeris effortlessly deflected the mercenaries' shots with her lightsaber, Sarina and the Imperial commandos returned fire, nearly every shot hitting its mark. Though Korel ignited his lightsaber and was ready to join in, he barely had any time before the only surviving mercenary guards were those that had lost their nerve and failed to join the fight, and they quickly dropped their weapons and raised their arms in surrender, while Zeris continued to strangle Rellik with her other hand all the while. The realization that he was about to die finally dawned on the crime lord, and he desperately gasped, "I-I'll drop the... fee..."

"Too little, too late," Zeris responded coldly, continuing to choke off the crime lord's breath until he finally slumped to the ground, lifeless. She turned to her troops. "Search the warehouse and the surrounding buildings and bring me any information of use. Disarm any more mercenaries you find. If they resist, kill them. The Empire must seize this crime lord's assets."

"As you wish, my lord," Sarina replied, bowing, before splitting up the Imperial squads and moving to deal with Gorred Rellik's former guards.

Nyera knelt over the crime lord's prone corpse and began sifting through his pockets. "Look here, master," she said, showing Zeris a datapad she pulled from his body. She pressed the dead Rellik's thumb to the sensor and it activated, showing a map of the city. That yellow route, from this warehouse... it must be a tunnel leading to the secret entrance to the Republic base, Korel realized. If Zeris gets through there, there will be no stopping her. Discreetly, he activated his own datapad and took a picture of the map with the built-in holocam.

"Good thinking, apprentice," Zeris praised Nyera. "Gorred Rellik has left us with his secret entrance after all." She turned back to Sarina. "Captain, recall your troops and prepare for battle," she ordered. "Nyera... do you think yourself ready for your first command?"

"Of course, my lord, but I would prefer to remain by your side," Nyera replied, in what seemed to Korel to be obvious flattery. She probably doesn't want to be the one drawing fire away while Zeris launches the surprise attack, he thought.

"You are needed elsewhere, apprentice," Zeris responded firmly. "A distraction will make the Republic more vulnerable when I launch my attack through the hidden entrance. Take command of the fifth walker platoon and second and third infantry groups and coordinate with Lieutenant Noren to find and destroy Republic holdouts in the city." She paused a moment, then added, "Distract the Republic commanders enough, cause enough damage to their outer defenses, and you will have proven you can handle the stresses of command. If you do, I will make you a Sith Lord."

Nyera's expression quickly changed from disappointment to excitement. "I will, master," she promised. "The Republic will not realize their doom until it is far too late." Apparently eager to earn the title Zeris had promised her, she rushed out to take command of the troops that had been set aside for her.

Now we have only until Sarina has managed to recall the other squads of troops before Zeris will launch her attack, Korel realized. And still the Republic has not contacted me... if the prisoners I freed even gave them my name as I had asked them to. There is no more time; I must contact them myself. He quietly stepped outside the warehouse, looking around until he found a dead Republic soldier. Seeing that the fallen woman still had her armor on and a blaster lying by her side, Korel realized the Imperial troops had not salvaged her gear. There may be a chance she has something I can use. He carefully searched her until he found what he was looking for: a Republic-issued holocommunicator. He looked around carefully to make certain there was no one who could observe him, and then activated the holocom and switched it to the channel designated "command."

A group of several figures were projected before him. One of them, a uniformed man who was probably their commander, looked at him suspiciously. "I knew something was wrong when we got a call from the first division: they were all but wiped out when you people landed. But even I didn't expect a Sith to be calling us. What do you want?"

"Listen to me," Korel told them urgently. "The Sith leading the invasion, Darth Rathion, is about to attack."

"Let her," the Meldiri commander replied evenly. "Our base is shielded, and not even your fleet has enough firepower to get through it."

"Overconfidence won't protect you against her," Korel insisted. "Darth Rathion has found and killed the crime lord Gorred Rellik and discovered that he had a secret passage into your base. She can bypass your shield and attack you directly."

There was silence for a moment. "Why are you sharing this with us, Sith?" one of the Republic officers, a dark-skinned man with cybernetic enhancements on his face, asked suspiciously. "Why should we have any reason to believe you?"

Korel sighed. "I am no longer Sith. I had an... epiphany, and cannot help the Empire enslave or destroy this planet," he answered. "I know you don't trust me, but I speak truly when I tell you that if you ignore my warning, Darth Rathion will overrun your base and your last chance of holding Meldir against the Empire will be lost. See for yourself." He activated his datapad and connected the Republic holocom to it, using the connection to upload the picture he had taken of the crime lord's map.

There was silence for a moment as the Republic and Meldiri officers looked the map over. "Is this accurate, Drelezin?" the Meldiri commander finally asked.

"First of all, I'll thank you not to tell my name to a Sith Lord of dubious trustworthiness who's part of the army invading our planet," said a Twi'lek man in a casual spacer's jacket. "Second of all, what do I look like? The guy who heard all of Gorred Rellik's confessions? I already told you what I know about the smuggling tunnels-"

"Is it at least possible that a hidden entrance like that might exist?" asked another Twi'lek in soldier's armor.

Drelezin sighed. "Yeah, it is," he admitted. "If that pardon offer's still good... I might have even used it once or twice."

"This is serious!" the Republic officer exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"Hey, I thought the Imperials had no idea it existed, just like the Republic," Drelezin protested.

"Now the Empire does know of its existence, and Darth Rathion will make use of it very soon," Korel reminded them. "If you act quickly, you may still have time to stop her."

The Republic officer turned to the Meldiri commander. "With all due respect, General, I don't trust this Sith," he said. "He could be trying to set a trap for us."

"I released your soldiers who had been taken prisoner," Korel reminded them.

The Meldiri general sighed. "If he's telling the truth, then ignoring him will cost us the entire battle," he replied. "Captain, get your best troops together and fortify that entrance."

Korel suddenly felt uneasy. Releasing prisoners was one thing... but giving Republic soldiers the knowledge that could kill my wife? He remembered how she had refused to kill him, how she had thrown herself between him and the Republic sniper, and he almost couldn't stomach what he had done. I was so confident that I was doing the right thing... "Don't kill her," he hastily added.

The general looked at him suspiciously. "And why would I ask my soldiers to risk their lives to keep Darth Rathion, a dangerous Sith Lord who's killed hundreds of innocents and many more Republic and Meldiri soldiers, alive?"

"Because I... I can offer you information," Korel said quickly. "I have knowledge of the Imperial invasion force's numbers and positions, and their strategies, which you can use to push them off Meldir. And I can provide Republic Command with the details of other Imperial offensives across the galaxy – I was involved in the planning of several of them. But I will only offer you this information if you capture Darth Rathion alive..." He sensed something nearby and stopped, startled. "There's someone coming; I need to go," he told the Meldiri general hastily before switching off the holocom. If Zeris discovers this conversation, she'll learn of the Republic's defenses, and bring enough firepower to overwhelm them. I can only hope they decide that my information is worth it.

"Too late," said a familiar voice. "I heard everything."

Korel spun around to see Lieutenant Noren switching off a stealth field generator. "Lieutenant... shouldn't you be coordinating our efforts from aboard the Victory?" he asked, unconsciously reaching for his lightsaber.

"I have been... and still am, as far as anyone else knows," she responded calmly. "And before you try to get out of this by telling your wife that I've disobeyed her orders, I took the liberty of recording your whole conversation with the Republic commanders. And if you think to silence me and destroy the recording, don't bother. I've set up transmitters programmed to broadcast the recording to the entire fleet. Don't worry, they won't send anything… so long as I'm alive to send the correct signal to them every so often."

Korel couldn't help but be impressed. I never met a Sith who so thoroughly entrapped me, though there were many who tried. "Very bold, Lieutenant," he told her, not quite able to hold back his approval. "Whatever happened to that meek, submissive manner you displayed to Zeris?"

"That?" the lieutenant asked, her tone almost disdainful. "I've known ever since I did my job a little too well and attracted the attention of Lord Keredras that Sith can't resist groveling. Meekness, begging for mercy... whatever was necessary to keep myself alive and to get them to ignore me when I was not needed. Admit it, 'Lord' Korel... you love it when lowly Imperials kneel before you, as you loved it when poor Captain Ziak submitted to you against her better judgment."

"Watch your tongue," Korel threatened, anger rising up within him. "I may not be able to kill you, but I can put you through worse pain than you can possibly imagine." Now I sound like a Sith, he realized. And I am not gladdened to know it.

"Save it," Lieutenant Noren replied impatiently. "I'm not here to blackmail you or to turn you in to Darth Rathion. Surely you didn't think a former Watcher would be so stupid as to face you in person if that were the case?"

"Then why are you here, Lieutenant?" Korel asked suspiciously.

"I don't think I quite qualify to be called 'Lieutenant' Valrea Noren any longer, just as you've lost the right to be called 'Lord' Korel," she responded. "I'm here because I want in on your plan to defect to the Republic."

That's not what I expected to hear, Korel thought, somewhat taken aback. "Why do you want to defect to the Republic?"

"I've had enough of serving under Sith," the former lieutenant declared. "Lord Keredras gave me the burn scar on my face when he was dissatisfied with my performance, and you saw Darth Rathion choke me to the brink of unconsciousness. I don't think my patriotism is so strong that I'm willing to die at her hand."

"I don't suppose I can stop you, then," Korel was forced to admit. "But Nyera will soon notice that you're not providing her with the locations of Republic holdouts in the city."

"Nyera can get blasted to pieces for all I care," Noren replied dismissively. "It'll get passed off as comm interference at first. By the time she realizes I'm not answering, it'll be far too late. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have preparations to make."

She pressed a button on her belt and vanished from view, though Korel could still sense her presence for a while. I hope she's not setting some trap for the Republic and me, he thought, somewhat concerned by her involvement. Even so, despite his anger at her remark about Sarina, he couldn't help but sympathize with her reasons for leaving. The Empire does not care for its own people. It cares only for the Sith, and the Sith use their power without regard for the harm they cause others.

His own holocom started to beep, and Korel hurriedly answered it. A hologram of Zeris materialized before him, and he immediately made an effort to shield his thoughts from her. "Since you've wandered off again, you missed a Republic ambush," she informed him, her tone disapproving.

"I... I apologize, Zeris," Korel responded cautiously. "If I had known, I would have-"

"Save your apologies. I will deal with your philosophical difficulties after the invasion is done and Meldir is ours," Zeris interrupted him. "We have little time now. The Republic soldiers may have transmitted my location to their commanders. If we do not strike quickly, we could lose the element of surprise. I am already on the move with a strike team of commandos. You will find Captain Ziak and her squad and join me as soon as possible." After a moment, she added, "If you hope to find a moment to furtively dally with her, know that my forgiveness has been stretched to its limits. You would be wise to limit your interactions with the captain to tactical discussion."

"Yes, of course," Korel replied, still doing his best to conceal his thoughts. "I will be there as soon as I can."

"See that you are," Zeris instructed before disconnecting.

Korel tried to come up with a plan of action. The Republic defenders will probably have their hands full with Zeris and the squad she brought with her; if Sarina were to bring reinforcements, it could be devastating, he realized. Quickly, he called Sarina. "Captain, Darth Rathion has informed me that the Republic has hit our forces hard in the city," he told her urgently. "We could suffer heavy casualties if they don't receive reinforcements immediately."

"Are you certain, my lord?" Sarina asked cautiously. "I thought Darth Rathion needed us to help her strike the Republic base through the hidden entrance."

"She does, but the Republic resistance is forcing us to compromise," Korel lied easily. "You and I will move to assist her as soon as possible, but I need you to send the rest of the troops to reinforce Nyera's divisions in the city." Part of him wanted the Republic to kill Nyera, but he knew that Zeris was the greater threat, and that the Republic would no longer be able to protect Meldir if his wife succeeded in her mission. Compassion winning out over vengeance... if I needed further proof that I am no longer a Sith, it is here. "Meet me at the tunnel as soon as you have done so."

"As... as you wish, my lord," Sarina acceded, disconnecting from the holocall.

I can only hope this works, Korel thought as he entered back into the warehouse, following the map until he came to the broken, twisted remains of what appeared to have previously been a heavy durasteel door. Zeris must have thought it wasn't worth bothering with the security systems that would have opened it.

Sarina came running a moment later. "We should hurry," she said. "Darth Rathion may urgently need us."

Korel forced himself to meet her gaze. "Sarina..." he began, trying to figure out where to begin.

"My lord?" Sarina asked hesitantly. "Shouldn't we come to Darth Rathion's aid?"

"Why have you always been so loyal to Zeris?" Korel finally asked her.

"She... she embodies everything the Empire stands for," Sarina answered. Korel could sense no effort at deception on her part.

He sighed. "I thought so too, once," he told her. "It was why we married to begin with. She was everything it meant to be Sith: vicious, powerful, ambitious... Only now do I realize that the Sith are wrong in their philosophy."

"Korel?" Sarina asked, confused.

"She let Nyera burn out Selessa's eye because we displeased her," Korel continued. "She's killed numerous civilians during the invasion of Meldir, and many more on her previous conquests. On many occasions, she's injured or even killed subordinates who failed her, and demands nothing less than total obedience."

"It is our duty to serve the Sith, however they require!" Sarina protested. "They are the heart of the Empire, its founders, its protectors!"

"Many Sith would just as soon kill loyal Imperials as they would real enemies. They don't protect the Empire; some even kill for fun or satisfaction," Korel replied bitterly. "Sarina... I don't know if you still love me, or if you ever honestly did. Especially after everything that's happened... I couldn't blame you if you didn't. But the Sith won't be done with you or Selessa. Someone will try to manipulate you for their own gain. And if Selessa goes to Korriban one day... she will be turned into something you no longer recognize."

"What are you saying, Korel?" Sarina asked him nervously.

"I have warned the Republic troops of Zeris's assault," Korel finally admitted. "I intend to defect as soon as I can. Please, Sarina, join me. I can use my authority as a Sith to force the Empire to release Selessa into our care before we leave. It's the only way we can protect her and do what's right."

"You betrayed us to our greatest enemy," Sarina whispered. "Korel... you've committed treason of the highest magnitude." She drew her blaster rifle.

"Don't do this, Sarina," Korel pleaded. "You can't still be loyal to Zeris after what she's done!"

"It was our transgression, and her right to punish us," Sarina replied uncertainly. "And it is our duty to remain loyal to the Empire above all else." Her hands shook before she steadied them. "I don't want to do this, Korel, but you're giving me no choice. I won't betray the Empire!"

She's going to force me to kill her, Korel realized, horrified. "I... I'm sorry," he finally said as he ignited his lightsaber. Sarina fired a shot, but he deflected it, bouncing the red blaster bolt into the wall. She fired again, and again, and Korel deflected each shot as he continued to advance. She's… not trying as hard as she could, he realized. She has grenades, other weapons. Even something as simple as using her rifle's full rate of fire would force me to try harder to stay alive, even if it's unlikely she'd actually defeat me… but she isn't. Why? Is there part of her that truly does care for me? Is this the only way she can resolve her conflicting loyalties… by dying in Zeris's service rather than killing me for her?

If letting Zeris die after she saved his life would be wrong, killing Sarina after everything he had put her through would be even worse. Newly determined, Korel rapidly closed the distance and slashed at her chest armor, leaving a shallow cut that just avoided being deep enough to hurt her, and then used the Force to yank her blaster from her hands before she could react. "You were ambushed by a Jedi on your way to rendezvous with me," he intoned, waving his right hand horizontally as he focused his mind. "You will forget my presence here. You were forced to retreat." He could see her struggling, and desperately hoped that she wouldn't try to resist. This is to protect you, Sarina.

Finally, Sarina's expression went blank. "I was ambushed by a Jedi on my way to rendezvous with... Korel," she stated, seeming confused. She seemed to become more panicked as she noticed the slash across her armor. "I need to retreat and regroup with the others." She hastily began to fall back, looking around warily and drawing her sidearm, seemingly unaware of Korel's presence as she left.

Korel couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, despite his guilt at affecting her mind with the Force. Killing her would have been unforgivable, he thought, though a part of him was disheartened that she didn't love him enough to join him in defecting to the Republic. Sarina and Selessa are the reason I began to question the teachings of the Sith. If only I could have convinced her! I owed Sarina more than a burnt chestplate and a false memory of a nonexistent Jedi.

"That was risky," said the voice of the former Lieutenant Noren as she popped into view, having deactivated her stealth field generator.

"I never seem to sense your presence until after you've already revealed yourself," Korel noticed, somewhat annoyed.

"Funny how that seems to work," she replied. "I've disrupted Imperial communications, so they won't know what's going on until it's already over. I've also paid Gorred Rellik's former employees to plant explosives in the tunnel, so we can temporarily seal it behind us after we enter the Republic base." After a moment, she added, "You may want to go down there and help the Republic fend off Darth Rathion. They don't have any Jedi, and you know of her fearsome strength. Even if the Republic soldiers win... I wouldn't trust them to spare her, if you were serious about wanting to keep her alive."

"I suppose you are right," Korel admitted. I can't say I'm eager to face Zeris again after how soundly she defeated me three days ago. Even so, he could not leave her to kill the Republic soldiers, and neither could he condemn her to die after she had shown him mercy and possibly saved his life. "We will have to move quickly," he said, turning and making his way through the tunnel, Valrea following him closely. The long passage was poorly lit, though Korel passively reached out with the Force to probe for the presence of other life forms. After a few minutes of tense, quiet motion, he saw a light up ahead and quickened his pace.

When he reached the end of the tunnel, he was greeted by a gory sight. Five Imperial commandos lay dead, strewn across the floor of the Republic base, surrounded by several more dead and badly injured Republic and Meldiri defenders. The walls were covered in scorch marks from blaster fire and lightsaber swings, and only two Republic troops remained standing. Near them, Korel recognized the blue-skinned Twi'lek who had verified the existence of the secret entrance, standing over Zeris's prone, unconscious form. "This is for my crew, you Sith schutta," Drelezin promised angrily, pressing a scattergun to the back of her head.

"No!" Korel shouted, pushing him away with the Force and pinning him against a wall. Whatever my other transgressions, I will not be responsible for causing the death of my wife.

The two standing soldiers trained their blasters on Korel. A few others stirred, but their injuries made it impossible to do much more. "Another Sith, Captain," said one of the two still in fighting condition, a Twi'lek in the grey and blue armor of the Meldiri Defense Force. "Do we engage?"

The captain, the same man Korel recognized from the conversation with the Meldiri commander, looked at Korel suspiciously, but reluctantly replied, "No, Alten. It took almost as much as we had to take the first one down, and we can't afford to try it again. And it looks like this is the Sith who warned us about the attack." He turned to Korel. "I'm Captain Kyonita Sephiren of the Republic Armed Forces. Release Drelezin, Sith, and we can talk."

Sephiren? How could a Republic soldier on a remote planet have the same surname as a long lineage of pure-blooded Sith? Korel wondered, more than a little surprised by the apparent coincidence. Nonetheless, he realized that to question the man about his heritage would only cause confusion at the present, and so instead replied, "I will release him if you can guarantee that he will not harm my wife."

"So that's why you wanted us not to kill her," Kyonita realized. His glance strayed to a wounded, unconscious woman on the ground some distance away.

Zeris burned out her eye… the same eye this Captain Kyonita seems to have lost, Korel noticed, grimacing. Such a move could only have been to cause additional pain before finishing them off. "I can sense that you care deeply for her," he said aloud.

Kyonita raised his blaster rifle cautiously. "If you're thinking of threatening Yaesha-"

"I'm asking you to understand," Korel explained to him, as calmly as he could manage. "Darth Rathion is many things: violent, destructive, merciless… but I loved her once, and even now I owe a great deal to her. I ask you to understand why I wish to save her life, just as you want to save the life of the woman you love." When Kyonita did not immediately reply, Korel reluctantly added, "If that is not enough, my offer of information to help you drive the Empire off Meldir still stands."

Kyonita looked at him, then at Zeris, then at Yaesha. Finally he reluctantly answered, "I… I accept your offer, Sith."

Korel nodded, releasing his Force grip on Drelezin. "You can't be serious!" the Twi'lek spacer protested. "She killed Aleena and Gerek! I'm not letting her get away with that!"

"Drelezin, we need that information," Alten told him. "It's our only chance at keeping Meldir free of the Empire!"

"I don't care about the war," Drelezin responded angrily. "I'm only here because you saved my life all those years ago. We both know the Meldiri government can't afford to pay me for this job. And I've lost three crewmates here, two of them because they volunteered to help hold off Darth Rathion!"

"Look, Drelezin, my wife is badly injured. I understand how you feel," Kyonita told him seriously. "But not only do we need that information, we can't afford to start a fight with another Sith. Help tend to the wounded, and I'll pay you out of pocket if I have to. It's the least we can do after everything you and your crew have done for us."

Drelezin mumbled something incoherent before putting his blaster away. "We'll need to get Yaesha to the med ward," he said halfheartedly.

"Captain, it's possible Imperial reinforcements might be coming, and I wouldn't trust the Sith to hold this entrance," Alten told Kyonita urgently.

"I was to be Darth Rathion's reinforcements," Korel informed them. "I've ordered the other soldiers away."

"And we've taken steps to prevent any further usage of that tunnel," Valrea put in. She pulled a remote detonator from her belt and pressed the button. They immediately felt a tremor in the ground and heard a deep, rumbling series of thunderous noises. "If any more Imperial troops attempt to come in this way, it'll take them hours to clear away the rubble."

"I suppose we don't have any choice but to take your word for it," Kyonita reluctantly admitted. "Let's go, then. Alten, take the Sith and the Imperial to General Dalengard, and make sure we have men on hand, just in case. Drelezin, help me get Yaesha and… Darth Rathion… to the med center."

…

Two Days Later

Republic Main Base, Thelion City, Meldir

"I'm surprised," said General Titus Dalengard, the commander of the Meldiri Defense Force. "We haven't won any conclusive victories, but between your intel and Valrea Noren's, we've managed to significantly wear down the Imperial forces here."

"I'd like to hope that one more day of sustained strikes will be enough to convince them they need to retreat," Korel told him, reluctant to be optimistic. We're fortunate that the confusion caused by my wife's disappearance lasted as long as it has.

"You're beginning to lose the advantage," Valrea warned General Dalengard. "Moff Ziak will have brought in new specialists by now and silenced my jamming signal, so Imperial communications have almost certainly been restored. Additionally, they'll have started to map out the smuggling tunnels you've been using and will be better able to anticipate ambushes by your forces."

"Perhaps, but even so, victory's not out of our reach," Dalengard replied. "As long as we keep up the pressure..."

"There is something you must know, General," Korel decided. "The reason why Darth Rathion brought an additional fleet to Meldir, even while the sieges of the Core Worlds continue to lose momentum."

"I was wondering why she would invest so many resources here," the general admitted. "Meldir is close to Imperial space and home to a large Republic outpost, I grant you, but your blockade kept us all but contained. Why bother with a full invasion?"

"Meldir's much more important to the war than you realize," Valrea explained. "The Empire's discovered numerous hyperspace routes that the Republic never even dreamed existed. With the proper astrogation charts, a fleet could jump directly to practically anywhere in Imperial space from Meldir – including to the Dromund system."

"The Dromund system? I take it that system is somehow important to the Empire," General Dalengard responded, apparently not fully understanding the implications.

I had forgotten that the Republic knows little about the realms of space charted by the Empire, Korel thought. Particularly the residents of this isolated backwater, I imagine. "Dromund Kaas is the heart and the mind of the Sith Empire," he informed the general. "It's home to the single largest hub of Imperial industry and starship and weapon manufacturing. The Citadel houses the Sith Sanctum, Ministry of War, and Imperial Intelligence."

"Your outpost here on Meldir, by my estimates, has all the necessary supplies to repair, refuel and re-arm a fleet," Valrea added. "While I doubt the Republic has enough forces to spare to completely overwhelm the Empire's formidable space defenses over Dromund Kaas, a well-planned strike could deal heavy damage to Imperial capacity to repair and replace its damaged fleets. If you were particularly lucky, the Republic could neutralize the Dark Council, perhaps even the Emperor."

"That…" General Dalengard seemed to be at a loss for words. "If what you're saying is true… the Republic has to be notified immediately!" He frowned, thinking. "But our long-range communications are still jammed, and your fleet is stopping anyone from leaving the system."

"You've hired a smuggler, haven't you?" Valrea asked. "Pay him to bypass the blockade and contact the Republic."

"I would, but…" the general hesitated. "We've already promised Drelezin a lot of money for the assistance he's already provided us. To be quite frank, the government of Meldir can't afford more."

"This could be the Republic's chance to even the odds and force a stalemate," Korel asserted. "If Drelezin succeeds, the Republic will owe him far more than whatever you've promised to pay."

"You really are interested in helping the Republic, aren't you?" Dalengard asked them, frowning. "You're almost... too helpful."

"I've told you the truth," Korel insisted. "I've seen too much of Sith senselessness, and I cannot be a part of it any longer."

"We've done everything we could to prove our sincerity," Valrea argued. "Our help has saved you from certain defeat and given you a significant edge in the battle."

"Sith and members of Imperial Intelligence have been known to go great lengths to create successful deceptions," General Dalengard replied suspiciously. "Don't get me wrong; of course I want the Republic to bring in a fleet and liberate Meldir. I am the commander of the Meldiri Defense Force, after all - it's my mandate to protect this planet. But this does seem rather... convenient. It could easily be a trap for our fleet... a planned repeat of the Battle of Hoth. Without long-range communications or sensors, I can't know if the Imperial fleet we can see orbiting Meldir is all that you have. You might have more ships in reserve at the edge of the system, or waiting on a nearby hyperlane."

"And we can't prove that the Empire doesn't have them, beyond the information we already gave you," Korel protested. "What else do you want us to do to demonstrate our honesty?"

The general thought for a moment. "I want you to broadcast your intentions to the Empire," he finally said. "Tell them that you're defecting to the Republic and explain why."

"But then we can't make use of Korel's authority as a Sith," Valrea protested. "I even remotely shut down those blackmail transmitters I'd set up as a precaution."

"To be completely honest, I wouldn't trust you enough to let you return to the Empire unescorted anyhow, Sith," Dalengard told Korel bluntly. "As useful as your help has been... you've seen the interior of our base, counted how many troops and droids we have left to defend it. It would be too great of a risk." He paused for a moment. "So, 'Lord' Korel... will you tell the Empire about your transgressions? It will mean the difference between remaining in this base as a willing ally or as a prisoner."

Korel sighed. "I only wish I had the opportunity to speak to my children first," he said regretfully. "Kyritha and Vyralen will, in a few years, become Sith themselves - Kyritha's even begun her training…" he hesitated, not quite willing to reveal the fact that his daughter was present aboard the Victory, observing the battle on Meldir. "...Their strongest memory of their father will be the day he proclaimed his weakness for all the Empire to hear," he finished.

"You knew the risks when you made the decision to alert us to Darth Rathion's attack," Dalengard reminded him. "I'm holding to my decision. If you confess your treason before the entire Empire, it will serve a dual purpose: I will be reassured of your commitment and trustworthiness, and it will lower the morale of the Imperial forces, both to know that you have gone over to our side and to hear the reasons why their culture is flawed, from a Sith of all people."

"I... I suppose... I will make this... confession," Korel finally agreed, though it was difficult for him to force the words out. I'm abandoning what little is left of my Sith pride and condemning my children to be forever known as the offspring of a weak traitor.

"I'm glad we see eye to eye," the general replied, sounding pleased. He walked over to the intercom on the wall and pressed down the button. "Ensign Thorne!" he called out. "Report to the command center at once."

A minute later, a small, wiry man in a blue and grey uniform emblazoned with the Aurebesh initials MDF entered the room. "You called for me, sir?"

"I need you to set up a one-way communications broadcast to the Imperial fleet," Dalengard told the ensign. "Can you handle that?"

"I... think we have just enough bandwidth for that, sir," the ensign replied carefully.

"Excellent," said Dalengard, satisfied. "Get to it, then." As the ensign walked over to the holoterminal and began programming in instructions, the general turned to Korel. "Prepare yourself, Sith. If I were you, I wouldn't want my grand announcement to be spoiled by not knowing what to say."

"That will not be a problem," Korel replied shortly, somewhat irritated over the whole situation, even though he was forced to admit to himself that he could not blame the general for his caution.

"Channel's about to open," the ensign told them.

Korel braced himself as he saw a light on the holoterminal turn green. He took a breath. "Soldiers of the Sith Empire," he began. "Fellow sons and daughters of Korriban. Our entire society is built upon a lie. The Sith claim that we must destroy the Republic to have vengeance for the destruction of our own civilization over a thousand years ago. They claim that the Jedi would annihilate us if they could, and that only absolute obedience to the Sith can save you from this fate."

He took a breath. "I, Korel, a Lord of the Sith myself, have seen the truth. The monsters we thought to exterminate in the Jedi have been among us all along. Sith Lords slaughter their loyal followers without hesitation, out of irrational paranoia or in pursuit of perverse pleasure. Meanwhile, we attack and kill innocents across the galaxy, who have done nothing to us but have the misfortune to have been born citizens of the Galactic Republic. Fellow Imperials, I can support this lie no longer. I hereby renounce my title of Sith Lord and defect to the Republic. To all who I have harmed, Imperial, Republic or otherwise, I apologize for my mistakes. From this day onward, I will fight only for peace and justice, not the falsehoods and atrocities perpetrated by the Sith, in the hope that I may one day atone for my crimes." Unable to carry on any longer, he turned and nodded at the ensign, who shut off the connection. I doubt that I made much of a difference there. Even the Imperials who agreed with me are likely to remain loyal to the Sith out of fear. "Are you satisfied, General?" he asked, somewhat bitterly.

General Dalengard nodded. "Not a bad speech, if I do say so myself," he said. "I hope you were telling the truth."

"I was," Korel insisted. "There is nothing else I can do to prove my honesty."

Before the general could respond, there was a massive tremor and a loud crackling sound. The holoterminal came on, showing a panicked Republic sentry. "General, the Empire's started bombarding the shield with ion cannons!" he told them.

"Son of a Hutt," Dalengard muttered. "Put the base on alert and get the evacuation transports ready!"

"What is the issue?" Valrea asked, confused. "Ion cannons were only considered as a last-ditch tactic, if we found no other way through the shield. The Imperial forces would use them to disrupt the shield long enough to get troops and walkers through it before it stabilized, but we would almost certainly suffer heavy casualties in the process. Your odds of holding out against an assault like that are almost even."

Dalengard sighed. "I'm afraid that the energy shield protecting our base isn't as strong as it appears," he told them reluctantly. "It's the result of an ingenious innovation by our chief engineer, but the innovation wasn't in the power draw or absorption of the shield. It was in the shield's ability to fool scanners. The Empire had more than enough firepower to overwhelm us through orbital bombardment from the beginning – they just didn't know they could until now."

"You can't be serious," Valrea protested. "You mean to say that your whole position on this planet was based on a cheap trick and a flimsy hope that the Empire wouldn't accidentally discover the truth?"

"I would think that a former member of Imperial Intelligence would have more respect for that kind of thing," the general replied, a little defensive.

"Imperial Intelligence is made up of professionals," Valrea retorted. "We don't leave holes for our enemies to stumble into and unravel the entire deception by chance."

"It would seem our only hope is to escape Meldir before the Victory annihilates the base," Korel interrupted.

Valrea looked very concerned. "I only hope this Drelezin knows what he's doing."

...

Aboard the XS Stock Light Freighter Insufferable Eagle

"Look, I'm telling you, I've never smuggled a fleet before," Drelezin protested. "Spice, sure. Weapons, definitely. Even people... when they're cooperative. But five slabs of durasteel with engines strapped to them that don't even have modified transponder codes?"

"You've already agreed," Alten reminded him. "You're still telling us this right before we leave the atmosphere?"

Drelezin sighed. "Look, I just don't want to give the general over there the wrong idea. The Insufferable Eagle can get through, easy. Those bulky transport ships? They don't have nearly enough engine power or maneuverability to run the Imperial blockade."

"This ship doesn't exactly seem like it's in good condition," Korel noted, concerned.

"Hey, it's not exactly helpful for my concentration to have a Sith standing over my shoulder," Drelezin told him, annoyed. "So if you could just find your way back to the cargo hold, that'd be great."

I suppose I shouldn't do anything that might negatively impact our chances of survival, Korel reluctantly decided, though he knew that the other passengers would not want him to be there either. As he walked back into the cargo hold, he saw one human girl looking at him, a hateful glare in her eyes. She looks like she's about the same age as Selessa, a little younger than Kyritha, he observed.

"Dad, what is he doing on the ship?" the girl asked Kyonita.

The Republic captain sighed. "He's here because he helped us," he answered.

"But he's a Sith!" the girl protested. "Like the one who attacked Mom! She got her eye burned out!"

Kyonita looked like he didn't know where to begin. "I'm sorry, Alethea. Your mom will recover once we can get her to see a cybernetic surgeon," he promised. "For now, we're all on this ship... hoping we can make it to safety."

"And what about Isilea?" Alethea demanded. "She gets left behind, but he can come with us?" Kyonita had no reply, though the beginnings of a tear could be seen in his organic eye.

Korel felt like he had to say something. "I am sorry about your mother," he told her honestly. Alethea… why does her name sound familiar? he wondered.

"Your apologies don't mean anything, Sith," Alethea told him angrily. "You came to Meldir and killed people! You're the reason my sister was left behind when we took off!"

Suddenly it came to him: the young Zabrak girl on Meldir screamed the name as the wreckage of the apartment burned. The Zabrak must be her adopted sister, he realized, horrified. Not only have I killed Republic soldiers, including men and women defending Meldir, I stood and watched as Zeris destroyed this girl's home and nearly killed her. My inaction caused her to be separated from her sister, Korel was forced to recall, feeling as guilty as the day Zeris had commanded Nyera to punish Selessa for his infidelity. "I have done wrong," he admitted, looking away. "I won't ask you to forgive me."

Alethea said nothing, only continuing to glare at him.

Before anything else could be said, a blast rocked the ship. Over the intercom, Drelezin said, "We may be getting a bit of, uh, turbulence, but I'd like to reassure everybody that this is perfectly normal during a blockade run. Just everyone hold onto the nearest solid object for the next few minutes, all right?" Another blast rocked the ship, and a sudden turn made Korel nearly lose his footing. I can only hope he gets us past this intact. He heard the zapping of one of the Corellian XS Freighter's turrets and realized that they must have Imperial fighters on their tail. How strange it feels, to be in a smuggler's ship, surrounded by Republic soldiers and refugees, fleeing from the people who might otherwise owe their allegiance to me.

The passengers found themselves thrown violently against the wall by the ship accelerating suddenly. Drelezin's voice came over the intercom again. "Sorry about the jolt, I had to scrape off some mynocks. But on the plus side... we just jumped to hyperspace. So... enjoy the rest of the trip. Your complimentary snacks will be handed out for the easily affordable price of 200 credits each."

Korel breathed a sigh of relief. At least now I don't have to be concerned that I've placed my life in the hands of this smuggler. He stood back up and made his way back to the cockpit, where General Dalengard was seated behind the pilot and co-pilot seats. "How bad is it?" he asked hesitantly.

The general sighed. "We lost two of our five transports trying to get past the Imperial blockade, and a third got tractored in by one of the Imperial battlecruisers. Everyone 'important,' all the top government officials and the high-ranking military officers, made it out safely. But still... between those two ships, there were maybe three hundred civilian passengers lost, not counting whoever was unlucky enough to be in the third ship that was captured. Maybe some of them made it to escape pods, but even if they did... that's a lot of civilian deaths. And they got into those ships at my command."

Korel didn't know how to respond. "You... had to try to evacuate as many as you could," he finally said uncertainly.

"I know," the general replied. "It was the best option available. If we launched all of our ships at once, we could be guaranteed that at least some of them would get through. Still... I had a naive hope that maybe we could save them all." He sighed. "What is it you wanted, Sith?"

I'm not a Sith any longer, and I would appreciate it if people would recognize that, Korel thought, though he didn't say it aloud. "I was hoping you would be able to put me into contact with the Jedi," he said.

"With the Jedi?" Dalengard asked. "Meldir never had much in the way of a Jedi presence. I'm not certain I know anyone who could help."

"But you're the general in command of the Meldiri Defense Force," Korel reminded him. "Surely you know someone... perhaps the Republic senator from Meldir?"

"I suppose I owe you that much," the general admitted. "If you hadn't warned us, Darth Rathion might have wiped out the entire base before we could fight back or escape. I... I'll see what I can do, though if the Republic doesn't liberate Meldir, our senator might not have much pull anymore."

"Thank you," Korel replied simply.

"You want to join the Jedi?" he heard Valrea ask as he made to walk away.

"You were listening to that?" Korel questioned her.

Valrea shrugged. "A habit from Intelligence. I still always acquire as much information as I can." She frowned, thinking. "Leaving the Empire and the Sith was one thing, but joining the Jedi? I can't quite understand that."

"I'm not completely certain of my choice," Korel admitted. "But I've learned that the Jedi are neither weak nor necessarily wrong in their philosophy. And as I can take no more solace from the Sith Code..."

"You want to get answers from the Jedi," Valrea finished. "I would rather make use of my freedom now that I've escaped the Empire, but I suppose the Republic's likely to offer me a job in their Strategic Information Service... which I'll probably need to accept, if I want to survive assassination attempts by Imperial Intelligence."

"I suppose this is where we part ways," Korel told her. "I must admit, I never expected this to turn out how it did."

"Yes, I never imagined myself partnering with a Sith Lord to defect to the Republic when I was a child," Valrea agreed. She stepped closer to him. "Still, though... if there was any chance you might like to take this partnership a little further..."

Korel flinched slightly. "No," he told her, a little more bluntly than he meant to.

"Your heart still belongs to Captain Ziak, does it?" Valrea asked, seeming a little disappointed. "Suit yourself, Korel. I hear the SIS isn't as formal as Imperial Intelligence anyway, so I might be able to find what I'm looking for there." After a moment, she added, "Still, though... you know where to find me."

Korel shook his head as she walked away. I think I've inflicted enough pain on the women I've loved for one lifetime, he decided. That will be one thing I will not regret giving up if the Jedi accept me.

...

Two Months Later

How strange it feels to be standing within the Jedi Temple on Tython, where the Jedi have rediscovered their own homeworld, Korel thought. It is wholly unlike the Sith Academy on Korriban. Both are places of learning… but this temple is also a place of serenity, of healing. It took time to convince the Republic to allow me here… but I am glad I found the patience.

"You do realize how uncommon it is for even part of the Jedi Council to lend its undivided attention to one Sith, I hope," said Master Jaric Kaedan.

"I do, Masters," Korel responded, bowing respectfully. "I am honored that you have given me this audience."

"You have earned it," Master Satele Shan told him. "Even though you didn't manage to prevent the Empire from conquering the planet Meldir, your actions still saved the lives of all the soldiers guarding that base."

"That, and the information you have brought to us, has garnered our attention," said Master Syo Bakarn.

"You shed your attachment to the dark side of the Force without the direct intervention of a Jedi," said Master Tol Braga. The breathing apparatus on the Kel Dor Jedi's face made it difficult to read his expressions, but Korel thought he seemed impressed. "Your case is not entirely without precedent, however. There are other Sith who have come to realize the errors of their ways... like my padawan Sajar."

"Sajar?" Korel asked incredulously. "You mean Darth Sajar, of the Dark Council?"

"Not any longer," Tol Braga replied. "He, like you, has come to regret the harm he caused as a Sith."

"Nonetheless, the Jedi would be fools if we naively accepted every Sith who claimed to have seen the light," Jaric said, looking over Korel warily.

"Unfortunately, Master Kaedan is right," Syo agreed. "Many Sith have sought to infiltrate our order, to embed themselves within the Jedi and use that deception to cause further harm and misery. Sajar had Tol Braga to vouch for his honesty, and he shared with us the knowledge of the Children of the Emperor."

"I have no information of the same value Sajar has provided you, I am afraid," Korel admitted reluctantly. "The information I do have... I brought too late."

"Not necessarily," Tol Braga responded. "Though the Treaty of Coruscant forbids direct confrontation with the Empire, the Jedi may still be able to make use of the hyperlanes between Meldir and Dromund Kaas you have shared with us."

"Perhaps," Jaric said guardedly. "There are still some issues we must resolve. For instance, the apparent coincidence that you share a surname with a captain in the Republic Army."

"I thought it odd as well," Korel admitted. "Even so… it could be nothing more than bizarre coincidence."

"True coincidences are rare when the Force is involved," Syo pointed out. "Tell us of the Sephiren name, and perhaps we shall uncover any connection."

"As you wish, Masters," Korel told them. "The Sephiren family has been in the Sith Empire thousands of years, since long before the Great Hyperspace War. The first known Sith to take that name was Varoth Sephiren, one of the greatest lords of his time. Some records claim he ruled as Emperor, though historical evidence from that period is scarce. Regardless, his descendants have long held a place of power and prestige within the Empire."

"And you are a descendant of this Varoth Sephiren?" Tol Braga asked.

"I am not, Masters, though the other members of my family are," Korel replied. "I took on the Sephiren name when I married Zeris."

"The Jedi will look into this matter," Satele told him. "It may ultimately mean little, but even the smallest details can hold greater importance than we anticipate."

Jaric shifted in his seat. "And speaking of Zeris Sephiren… why have you been so insistent that her life must be spared?"

"I loved her once," Korel explained. "And even now... I owe her a great deal. I may have betrayed the Empire, but I could not bring about the death of my wife."

"I see," Satele replied. "You need not be concerned for her fate. The Jedi do not execute their prisoners."

"Thank you, masters," Korel told them sincerely.

"Nonetheless, she will be imprisoned in a secure location," Jaric told him sternly.

"You… do not trust me with the location of her prison," Korel realized, though he could not blame the Jedi for their caution, even as it left him disappointed that he would never see her again.

"It is a necessary precaution, I'm afraid," Syo told him. "You may believe you don't love her any longer, but I can sense that your emotions are not entirely settled on that matter."

"Even so... I find myself believing you, Korel," Satele said.

"You do?" Korel asked, surprised.

"I do," Satele repeated. "Your actions have spoken for themselves, and it would profit you little to turn on us now. And I sense in you an inner calm uncharacteristic of a Sith."

Jaric frowned. "There is also anger still within him," he pointed out.

"I sense it as well," Syo said. "Tell us, Korel... what is the source of this anger?"

Korel took a breath. "My wife's apprentice... Nyera Kielar," he told them. "She was the one who exposed my relationship with Captain Ziak and... burned out my daughter's eye." He sighed. "In a sense, I suppose she was the one responsible for my decision to leave the Sith."

Satele looked at him sympathetically. "I know this will be difficult, Korel, but if you are to become a Jedi, you must learn to let go of this anger," she told him seriously. "Otherwise, it may draw you back to the dark side... and you would become everything you hate about Nyera."

Korel looked at the ground and swallowed. "I... I will try, masters," he told them hesitantly.

"No," Syo replied firmly. "Do not simply try. Do."

"There is no emotion, there is peace," Satele told him. "These are the first words of the Jedi code."

All my life, I have been told that 'Peace is a lie, there is only passion'... but perhaps there is more truth in peace than the Sith are willing to believe, Korel thought. "There is no emotion... there is peace," he pronounced.

"You have a ways to go yet, but you've taken the first steps," Satele told him with a slight smile. "Welcome to the Jedi Order, Korel."

Author's Notes

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of The Sephiren Legacy! This fanfic will primarily follow the journeys of my characters who took part in the eight class stories of Star Wars: The Old Republic. SWTOR is an amazing and underappreciated game, and I tremendously enjoyed the stories it told, but they were not perfect; there were flaws ranging from minor nitpicks to contrived plot elements to unsatisfying character arcs. This story is my attempt to resolve those plot threads I disliked or was disappointed by, while paying tribute to a game that holds a special place in my heart. To that end, the chapters of this fic will provide alternate or original scenes that attempt to resolve my issues with the canon plot - some will be minor alterations to reflect dialogue options I wish I'd had, while others will be significantly rewritten or replaced to provide a more coherent and satisfying storyline. And some will not be focused on issues with the canon stories at all, but will instead focus on fleshing out and deepening the characters and their relationships with one another.

As for this chapter: the Battle of Meldir is the event that, in this fanfic, sets the stage for everything to come. Seven of the eight protagonists make appearances, and all eight are at least mentioned; all of their lives will be shaped profoundly by the Imperial invasion of the planet, Korel's defection, Zeris's capture, or all of the above. The next few chapters will focus on each character's backstory leading up to the start of the game and the particular paths they take towards becoming the heroes of the game's class stories. If you enjoyed reading this one, then stay tuned - more will come!