Darth Sidious was puzzled. The warning tremors he felt through the Force had subsided considerably. He had been certain that the Jedi were planning to assault Korriban. But suddenly, and without warning, the tremors had practically ceased. Oh, there was still a vague warning hint of danger in the future for Korriban, but it was no longer an immediate and pressing issue. Regardless, he had decided to remain on Korriban for the time being.
His presence at the Academy was having a marked impact on the Acolytes here. The fallen Jedi that he had corrupted to his cause were usually in charge of the basic training here. Teaching the new students how to wield the Force and handle a lightsaber. He had also supplied a number of holocrons to teach basic Sith Lore and techniques. Nothing too advanced. After all, only he and Darth Aella would ever claim the title of Dark Lord of the Sith. But they taught just enough to make his lesser Sith deadly in a fight. Now however, with his being there, a true Sith Lord and Master, they were advancing even faster. Or dying. This was the way of the Sith. Triumph or die. There was no middle ground. Several Acolytes had died since his arrival. Many more had progressed faster than he would have believed possible. Some out of fear of their own death, others in an attempt to attract his attention. Even those that died served him in their deaths however. Each and every one of their deaths served to teach a technique or to drive home the bitter consequences of failure. His new Sith Order was growing. Slowly, but surely. By not really caring whether an acolyte lived or died, they had been able to compress years of training into only months. One of the first things an acolyte learned here was how to use the Force to enhance their reserves and endure well beyond what any being should be able to. If they failed in that, they were killed out of hand.
Currently, Sidious was sitting in the Throne Room that he had had constructed for himself. It was built in the same location where the ancient Dark Council had sat. He scoffed at that idea. A council of Sith Lords. They might as well have been the Jedi.
In some ways, Sidious was pleased with how events had transpired. When he had first decided to personally lead the attack on the Temple and reveal himself to the galaxy at large as a Sith Lord, he had been worried. The Jedi, and the Republic, had made much of the fact that Dooku was no longer a Jedi but had become a Sith. It had taken some quick work with his lackeys in the media to recast the facts to show that Dooku had never been a Sith at all, but had instead been a Jedi the entire time. He had planned to orchestrate the situation like that all along, but he'd had to accelerate his timetable considerably along with altering some of the details and minor facts he had planned to use. He publicly made the claim that he had found proof of this in the Archives of the Jedi Temple. He had even supplied holos to back his claim. Surreptitiously altered, of course. Fortunately, only he knew that the Archives had been completely wiped and later destroyed by explosives hidden in the systems. All of that combined had allowed him to abandon his public persona of Sheev Palpatine. He now publicly reigned as Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith and Galactic Emperor.
But. In other ways, he was decidedly not pleased. At a rough guess, between two and three thousand Jedi had managed to escape. If they ever decided to mass their strength and strike directly at him, there was only one possible outcome. He would die. This was decidedly not what he had envisioned when he set his end game into motion above Coruscant.
On top of that, while he was certainly pleased with his apprentice, she wasn't Anakin. In truth, Skywalker was the only Jedi who truly scared him. The boy was tremendously powerful. More than either himself or Yoda would ever be if he lived up to his full potential. If Anakin ever decided to come after him, nothing would stop him. In fact, Anakin was the other reason he was still on Korriban. Having watched Anakin duel Tyranus, he knew that in a straight up fight, Anakin would defeat him. The boy was just too good with a lightsaber. If he ever had to face him, Sidious needed to give himself an edge. He used to rely on the fragile mental state and doubts he had cultivated in Anakin since the boy was nine. But that didn't seem to be an option any longer judging by what he had seen of the boy on Naboo. Here on Korriban, there were still parts of tombs and the Temple that hadn't been explored for thousands of years. He could feel the latent power of the Dark Side in many of these places. He would harness this power for himself, find the secrets of the ancient Sith, and use them to destroy Anakin and the Jedi for all time.
In the meantime, he had other business to handle. Activating the hypercom transceiver, he contacted Darth Aella. As the image of his apprentice coalesced before him, he heard her say, "What is thy bidding, my Master?"
"Rise, Lord Aella," he told his kneeling apprentice. "What is the status of your fleet?"
"We are fully prepared, Master. Grand Admiral Coburn has informed me that we can commence the operation at any time. We await only your finally approval."
This was something else that annoyed Sidious. Because of Aella's relative inexperience, he had to rely more on non-Force Sensitives and was forced into taking a more active roll in certain aspects of the Empire. He didn't bother trying to keep it out of his voice. "You may proceed, my apprentice. Show the Galaxy that defiance will not be tolerated. Report to me when it is done."
"Yes, my Lord."
With a flick of his fingers, Sidious deactivated the comm. Now, he only needed to await results from the other side of the Galaxy. Thinking to himself, "In the meantime," he summoned several of the more promising acolytes and assigned them to go into the ancient tombs and retrieve the artifacts that he could feel calling him through the Dark Side. If they returned, with the artifacts, they would receive additional training from him personally, making them even deadlier. If they returned without them, they would be killed as a punishment for their failure. And if they never returned at all, they would serve as a lesson to those remaining of the importance of strength and cunning. Truth be told, Sidious didn't really care what happened. He would have what he came for. Either the acolytes before him would deliver it, or others would. And after that, he would finally destroy the Jedi.
_
Master Yoda stood quietly on the bridge of the Redemption. He knew that what they were about to do was likely to bring their small force into open battle with the might of the Imperial Navy. He knew that many of the beings that had accompanied the fleet from Tython would not be returning with them. He knew that not one of them wanted to be anywhere else. This mission was too important. Unlike at Geonosis when the Jedi had responded in force to rescue Obi-wan and Anakin, and had started a war in the process, this mission was to rescue innocents. Beings that the Empire had targeted for destruction. This mission would be the start of the Order returning to their roots. The Jedi would be Jedi again.
_
Anakin stood at the rear of the bridge and watched Master Yoda. With his eyes, and with the Force. The aged and respected Grand Master of the Order was, to all outward appearances calm and collected. Standing peacefully waiting for the fleet to revert to realspace. But in the Force, he was like a mountain of durasteel. Firm in his resolve for what must be done. Sure that it was the right thing to do. Even still, Anakin could sense a slight feeling of sadness and remorse for the lives that would be lost today.
In that respect, Anakin breathed a sigh of relief. He had fought, and won, the argument with Padme for her to stay behind. Being completely honest, he admitted that he had pulled a few low blows. Particularly that line about making sure the twins had at least one of their parents still around just in case. Looking out at the swirl of hyperspace he silently thought, "I'm sorry for that Angel. But they really do need at least one of us. And I have a bad feeling about this mission." He couldn't quite place it. Oh, this was about the most dangerous mission he had ever been on. And that was saying something considering everything he had done during the war. Not to mention that one time in the Gundark Nest. But this was something else. Something specific. He just couldn't put his finger on it. And the Force was being particularly tight lipped about it.
As Anakin continued to look at Master Yoda, he was reminded yet again of how close he had come to falling. He truly wished he wouldn't be reminded so often of it, but he was. And he supposed, in a way, it was a good thing that he was. There were times, especially right before a fight, when he could feel the darkness that was inside him try and take hold. It had been such an easy thing to do in the War. To let just a little bit of the darkness in. After all, if it made him faster, stronger, quicker, wasn't that a good thing? If it let him shorten a battle, or save one or two more lives, wasn't that actually serving the Light? At least, that was how he had seen it. Only later, when he finally saw Palpatine, no, Sidious, for who and what he really was did he realize that he was playing right into the Sith's hands by thinking that. It had been a struggle for him. And he still struggled with it. In a lot of ways, he was only just beginning to realize just how badly Sidious had affected him, had affected his training. He had been forced to make several conscious decisions in a lot of areas. Most of those involving swallowing his pride and asking for help from Obi-wan or Yoda with refining his technique with certain Force abilities or helping him with Meditation.
The most obvious change, at least on the outside, was in his robes. He had always favored darker colors. Partially because he always seemed to be cold and the dark colors helped warm him up. But mainly because they seemed to fit his mood better. Only lately had he realized that they also matched almost exactly the Sith's choice in robes. The first day he had worn his new robes both Padme's and Obi-wan's jaws had just about hit the floor. They had become so accustomed to seeing him in dark brown and black that the light browns and tans of his new robes was jarring. He had debated outright copying Obi-wan's style, but in the end had gone with something a little more unique. His cloak was a light brown, almost identical to Obi-wan's. His inner tunic was a very light tan, almost white. His outer tunic, while tan as well, was quite a bit darker. His pants and tabards were both brown with an almost red tint to them. He kept his black boots and the black glove over his prosthetic. He admitted, it was a bit eclectic. And it would definitely take some getting used to. But overall, he thought it was a vast improvement.
Realizing his mind was wandering, Anakin shook his head slightly, double checked the navigation display and made his way toward where Master Yoda stood. "Master Yoda," said Anakin as he waited politely to be acknowledged.
"Mmmmm, yes, Young Skywalker?" replied Yoda.
Rolling his eyes slightly at "Young Skywalker" Anakin replied, "We should be arriving at the rendezvous point within ten standard minutes, Master. I've sent an encrypted holocom to Master Kenobi informing him of our arrival."
"Very good, Anakin. Very good. When arrive we have, accompany me to Obi-wan's ship you will. Good it will be for you to see your old Master. Good for him as well."
"Thank you, Master. It has been awhile."
"Yes, a long time it has been. In charge of our starfighters, you will be. Disrupt the Empire's attack you must. Many lives will you save by doing so."
"Yes, Master. Artoo has been rather excited lately. He says he'd begun to feel like he was being ignored."
Before Yoda could reply, their small fleet dropped out of hyperspace. Making their way to the shuttle bay, Yoda and Anakin went over some of the minor details in how the fleet and their fighters were to be deployed. Waiting by the shuttle, was Commodore Sykes with his executive officer and Captain Rex. Rex had fought hard to be allowed to come on this mission. The healers had been adamant that he wasn't ready yet, but in the end, he had won. Of course, Anakin had a little something to do with that. And he had managed to extract a promise from Rex that he would command, not lead from the front.
"Generals," Commodore Sykes greeted the two Jedi Masters. "This is Commander Tel Daggoth. He'll be taking over the Perseverance from General Kenobi as you requested."
"Thank you, Commodore," Yoda replied. Turning to the Commander he asked, "Ready, are you, to take command, hmmmm?"
"Yes, General, I am," the human male said.
"Good. And know what is expected of you do you?"
"I do. I won't disappoint you General."
Nodding his head, Yoda, and the four other men boarded the shuttle and made their way to the Perseverance.
The strategy meeting was surprisingly short. Partially because most of the Jedi and the 501st already knew what was expected of them with only minor details to work out. But mainly because they all knew they didn't have much time before the Imperial assault would begin. The one surprise in the meeting was that Obi-wan and Zett were tasked by Yoda to join the starfighter force under Anakin. Yoda explained it away as simply being that he didn't want to break up such a successful team if he could avoid it.
Anakin, still having his sense of humor, looked at his old Master and said lightheartedly, "Look on the bright side Master. At least there won't be any buzz droids this time." If looks could kill, Anakin would have dropped to the deck lifeless from the one Obi-wan gave him. Master Koon volunteered to fly with the starfighters as well. The only explanation he provided was that it was a feeling in the Force.
_
Once they were all back on the Redemption, one more shuttle dropped from hyperspace. Fortunately, they were expecting this shuttle. As it docked in the Redemption's hanger bay, Masters Yoda, Kenobi and Skywalker were waiting. As the ramp opened, an exhausted looking Seryana Ky stood wearily at the top of the ramp. Her prisoner stood cuffed before her with Seryana's lightsaber pressed against his back. She quickly marched him down the ramp where Master Kenobi grabbed him and Yoda promptly gave him a very powerful sleep suggestion.
"Done well, you have young Seryana," Yoda told her. "Proud of you, we are. The being following you, tell us what you can."
Seryana stood there for a moment, her face scrunched up as she tried to remember anything she could about who or what might be following her. Seeing her struggling, and how exhausted she was, Anakin reached out and gently touched her shoulder. "Seryana, relax your body and your mind. Let the Force flow through you, let it show you what you need to know," Anakin told her. Passing along a lesson that both Qui-Gon and Obi-wan had taught to him. Catching Obi-wan out of the corner of his eye, Anakin saw the look of approval and pride on his face as Anakin taught another what he had once been taught.
Anakin watched as Seryana heeded his advice and saw her slowly begin to relax, her face smoothing and her tense muscles relaxing until she appeared at peace. Reaching out with the Force, Anakin patiently nudged her to open her mind as well. To trust in the Force. She did.
Seryana's eyes soon flew open and details began to pour out of her. Some she didn't even realize she knew. Seryana surprised herself. She was able to accurately and concisely put into words exactly why she knew she was being followed, when she had realized it, even the fact that her subconscious had been able to recognize a very faint Force Signature coming from the being, signaling that it most definitely was a Force User following her.
The three Jedi Masters stood there listening intently to her, each once processing the information. Obi-wan was the first to put the pieces together followed shortly afterwards by Anakin and Yoda. Anakin and Obi-wan quickly shared a look, with Anakin asking, "Master, you don't think..."
Replying to him, Obi-wan said, "Unfortunately, I do. It makes far too much sense for it to be anyone else."
Adding his opinion, Yoda replied, "Hmmmm, but what of her motivation? Why track one Jedi and not another? For months, our Jedi have been active in the Galaxy. Odd her choice is."
"The only thing that makes sense to me," Obi-wan offered, "is that Seryana isn't fully trained, her mental shields not as strong or complete as a fully trained Jedi Knight. Add in her connection to Anakin, and through him to Ahsoka and myself, and it begins to fall into place."
"Makes sense, this does. But to who does she report now? To Sidious? To herself? A mystery, this is," said Yoda.
"Would someone please tell me who you're talking about?" Seryana asked somewhat impatiently.
Responding to her, Anakin told her. "Aurra Sing. She's a bounty hunter. And a good one. Absolutely ruthless. She'll kill without hesitation and work for anyone who's got the credits to pay her. She hates the Jedi. On top of all that, she's Force Sensitive and very good with a lightsaber. The problem is, she doesn't wear it openly. Beings just assume that she's your run of the mill bounty hunter until she's lured you in close. Then, without warning, she's got a lightsaber in her hand. It's cost more than one Jedi his life. Not someone you want to mess with. Be grateful that she wasn't out to kill you. At least not right away."
Hearing all that, Seryana went white. While certainly no coward, she knew she wasn't the equal of someone like that.
"Don't worry," Obi-wan told her. "We can deal with her quite effectively. She's not stupid. following a single Jedi that, no offense, is clearly not fully trained is one thing. Coming anywhere close to the number of Jedi here, including some of the strongest in the Order, is quite another."
"Enough, for now," Yoda said, putting an end to the conversation. "Rest now, you must. Your help will we need soon."
Turning to Anakin, Yoda said, "Master Skywalker,Jedi Ky, to her quarters, show her. Much to discuss about the future I feel you two have."
Realizing what Yoda was implying and the trap he had laid for him only too late, Anakin couldn't help but grin. Anyone who said the Jedi weren't deceptive and sneaky had obviously never met Yoda. "Yes, Master. Seryana? This way."
_
As Anakin led the exhausted Jedi Explorer to a berth, Seryana was busy trying to figure out what Master Yoda had meant. While she did want to thank Anakin for all the lightsaber training he had given her, and to ask him for more advanced training as well, that wouldn't exactly qualify as "much to discuss." After a few minutes, she finally just gave up and decided to ask what Yoda had meant.
For his part, Anakin was content to let her chew on what Yoda had said. He could feel her confusion through the Force quite clearly. She really needed to work on her mental shields more. As much as Anakin wanted to be upset, he really couldn't. This was the second time Yoda had done this to him. Of course, with the changes to the Code and with Ahsoka being Knighted, he supposed he should have expected something like this. The only real difference was, Seryana only a few years younger than he was. He had just turned twenty-four and Seryana was twenty. That would make things interesting. Feeling Seryana make up her mind, he turned his attention fully to her.
"Master Skywalker?" She asked.
"Yes, Seryana?" Anakin replied.
"What was Master Yoda talking about?"
Spying a quiet alcove off the main passageway, Anakin steered her towards it while giving her one of his trademark grins. "Why don't we talk over here?"
As they reached the alcove, Anakin had to chuckle. Seryana's confusion was written all over her face. Normally, she was extremely bright, if a bit of a daydreamer. "She really must be exhausted," Anakin thought. "First off, we wanted to tell you how very proud of you we are. You've accomplished something that not many Jedi in the last thousand years have. You accomplished your mission, defeated a Sith, realized that you had someone following you and instead of panicking and leading them back to Tython, you tried shaking them. When that didn't work, you acknowledged your own limitations and reached out for help. Trust me, I know how hard that last one is." As he said that last part, he raised his prosthetic for her to see. "I didn't when I was your age. And it cost me."
Still being confused, as much from lack of sleep as anything, Seryana asked Anakin, "Master, while I appreciate what you're saying, Master Zhurro said pretty much the same thing. Don't get me wrong, it means a lot coming from you. But I still don't see why Yoda said what he did."
Laughing, Anakin told her, "Why don't I clear it up then. You've shown tremendous potential Seryana. More than most. You could be an outstanding Jedi Knight. If you still want that." Hearing Anakin say that, realization slowly began dawning on Seryana's face. Finishing up, Anakin said to her, "Seryana Ky, I would like to take you as my Padawan Learner."
Seryana was overwhelmed. This was what she had wanted since she was old enough to want anything. And to have Anakin Skywalker offering to train her?! The Chosen One himself and Battlemaster of the Jedi Order? For quite possibly the first time in her life, she was at a complete loss for words.
"Seryana?" Anakin gently prompted her.
Blinking rapidly and giving a quick shake of her head, the words seemed to rush out of her, "Yes, yes of course that's what I still want! Don't get me wrong, I love what I do, but ever since I was a little girl I've dreamed of being a Jedi Knight. This, this is almost overwhelming."
Laughing at her, to put it mildly, enthusiastic response, Anakin told her, "Good! Look, you need to get some rest now, I can see how tired you are. After that, we'll start your training in earnest. For this upcoming mission, I want you with Captain Rex. You'll need to keep a close eye on him. He's not really fit for combat yet, but I know him. He'll try to fight anyway. Keep him safe. Please."
"Babysitting, Master? Why can't I fly with you? You said it yourself, I'm an excellent pilot."
"Yes, babysitting, Padawan. It's more important than you realize. Yes, there will be many other Jedi on the ground. But the men of the 501st are going to want to see a Jedi right there with them. It shows them that they aren't just cannon fodder. That they're important. As for why you can't fly with me, yes, you're a good pilot. But you've never flown a starfighter. And I don't want your first time flying one to be against the cream of the Imperial Navy. Understand?"
Resigning herself to the inevitable, and slightly ashamed of the way she had come across, Seryana replied, "Yes, Master."
"Good. Now, get some sleep Padawan. You're going to need it."
Later, after Seryana was shown her bunk and had taken a long hot sanisteam, the only thought running through her head was, "Sleep? How am I supposed to sleep now?!" Not only was she now a full fledged Jedi Padawan, but she was apprenticed to Anakin Skywalker! Her exhaustion however quickly caught up to her and, despite her thoughts, she fell into a deep sleep.
_
On board the Enforcer, Darth Aella walked briskly onto the Bridge. She was agitated, though to look at her you'd never know it. Her conversation with her Master had stoked her anger. "What did he expect of her? Six months ago she was living in a backwater of the Galaxy being raised by fanatics. If he wanted a fallen Jedi so badly, and oh, yes, she was very well aware that Anakin Skywalker had been Sidious' first choice for an apprentice, he should have taken one. He had several to choose from on Korriban. One day, my Master," she thought. "One day you will regret underestimating me. And on that day, I will cherish the look on your face as the life drains from your eyes, your heart impaled on the blade of my lightsaber."
Surveying the status of the fleet under her command, she summoned Grand Admiral Coburn with a brief gesture and gave him the order to commence the attack. In her current mood her only thought was, "He was lucky he was so efficient at running a fleet, or he would have likely ended up dead at her feet."
Nodding and acknowledging the order, the Admiral quickly moved and gave the order. "Inform the fleet, Attack Plan Delta. Commence Base Delta Zero attack. Target, Caamas."