Episode 4 Part 3 - Beachhead

The Sith, confused by the music being blasted in their channels, reacted slowly, if at all, to the actions of the invasion fleet. Without the proper ability to relay orders or be aware of what was happening around them, they became isolated vessels in a sea of ships. In other words: total anarchy.

Nihilis could use this. He ordered, "Apprentice, cut off communication with the ally fleet, but invade the Sith channels as long as you can before they change frequencies."

Varus replied on the channel, "Right. Remind me to stab you later." The image disappeared.

"Sir, Ravager has cut the line." An officer said.

"Its fine, he knows what to do." Nihilis replied.

"Annoying as it is, Varus is giving us a window of opportunity to accomplish something." Skywalker mused.

"Indeed. Tell the heavy vessels to fall back. Have the fleet reengage with the Sith, pick off targets while they are confused." Nihilis ordered.

Skywalker looked at the map while Nihilis relayed orders. On the map he saw the Sith scatter and lose cohesion and formation as each reacted to their own perception. HK's swarm of fighters penetrated all the way to the vessel a Dread Lord was on and fully encased like a swarm of bees attacking someone. If the Force waves were any sign, HK had found the Sith Dread Lord and was in battle.

Skywalker knew fighting HK was difficult, but fighting an army of it added whole layers of difficulty.

Meanwhile the Ravager entered into the fray, firing on anything and everything in range, while typically taking advantage of its mass in ramming them. Hopefully the living ship knew to be careful, it had a crew now filling its modules and coridors. Bolts of lightning shot put of its hull against fighters to come close, and the Sith must consider it a viable threat as a sizable portion of their fleet directed their attention on the Leviathan class ship.

The window of opportunity provided by Varus and the Ravager, in more or less causing a massive communication blackout among the Sith fleet, lasted for a few minutes longer, but it was a powerful moment. The much smaller fleet lead by Darth Nihilis in secret with Skywalker coordinated against the Sith, picked off targets, and isolated them. The Sith were unable to properly coordinate a defense of their Dread Lord, and their attempts to corner the Ravager or surround it could have been better executed by toddlers; as each Sith, by their nature, focused on their own strength, their own goals, and fell to total anarchy.

The moment came that the Sith reestablished communications with new channels using new codes the Ravager had not the information to hack. The Sith restored coordination and cooperation across the fleet. But the damage was done. A massive swath of their fleet had been torn apart, and judging what Nihilis felt in the Force… the Dread Lord was dead.

He knew the moment came that the Dread Lord had died, as a wave of the Force rippled outward almost as a physical wind, and a massive series of screams came from the other Dread Lords in the surrounding orbit. It was a scream that sent Skywalker to his knees and Nihilus shivered. Every Force user around them heard the screech painfully. For a brief moment this scream caused further disturbance in the Sith fleet as it seemed to pause and reel in pain as well.

"Wha-what was that?" Skywalker asked when the screaming subsided.

"The Dread Lords…"

"I… I have never felt anything like that. It was like five voices in one. Each voice equally loud, but together making an echo louder than the whole. Loud enough to silence a planet."

"And so you understand the power of the Dread Lords." Nihilus replied. "In truth, I had hoped the scream would be much louder. Ripping away one of them, like tearing a limb from their union of souls, would be painful enough, but it seems it wasn't."

Nihilus had hoped the scream would be intense enough to send the Dread Lord's own Sith fleet into madness as their power to influence the mind worked against them. But alas… it seemed the Dread Lords had a tolerance for spiritual pain slightly higher than anticipated. Interesting… So few in the galaxy can build a tolerance for pain of the spirit. This wound would go much further than just the Force.

Skywalker stepped in and ordered the fleet to retreat back behind a nearby planet. It was part of the plan, so Nihilus stepped back to return to focusing his power on pushing back against the Dread Lords. The Dread Lords were infuriated and empowered by their pain and anger, and it took Nihilus' full focus to keep them from reaching their influence into the minds of the invasion fleet.

As Nihilus felt the energies in the system play out, he felt other ripples. The Dread Lord's reached out for him like great tentacles, and he reached back with his own, entangling himself with them and occupying them. Their effects on his mind were pointless. He was utterly immune to it. He was not a Sith of flesh and mind or matter any longer, he was a Dark Side presence and a Void being in its most raw form. Along with them, Nihilus felt the Dread Lord's reach out for the Ravager, but the Ravager rebuffed them. Varus would be easily receptable to their method of attack, but the Force demi-gods with him on the ship were like perpetual suns. Any attempt to reach to the ship decayed and withered long before reaching it.

Then Nihilus felt Him.

At first Nihilus thought what he felt was nothing, a Void presence. An absence of the Force, of life. And it was true, he felt it. There was a powerful source of Void on the planet that was like a physical wound on the Force, bleeding and pulsating with a deep infection. But there was something far greater, far… blacker. It was a fire that burned hotter than the volcanic surface of the planet. It was a hatred so deep Nihilus could not fathom it, it was alien to him and as impossible to understand as anyone else would be able to understand him.

This dark presence was not easy to sense. It was a presence so dark, it could be compared to a black sun. Yet, unlike a sun, it did not radiate outwards. Neither could Nihilus consider it to be a black hole or Void, as the presence did not pull on others either, nor was a wound in the Force. It was carefully controlled, intact, and would be easy to miss in its stillness. Like a still lake it did not ripple, yet Nihilus felt there were eyes far beneath the waves of this darkness that watched passively. It was as solid and dense as metal and as hard to discern as a thick rain. Every bit of power within this Dark Side presence was as controlled as a still-man pretending to be a statue.

Like a shield it covered the planet in its entirety and vastness so that Nihilus could not discern anything more.

Nihilus looked long enough into the darkness that it looked back. By Nihilus' nature he draws on all things, but in this case it was a dark tendril of the Force that did not seek to pull back, but to penetrate in. Nihilus felt Him pierce his consciousness like a spear and imbed itself deep.

Nihilus. It is interesting to know you yet live. And for you to take up arms against me with them… Sith, Jedi, they are all the same to you. The only galaxy you envision is a dead one where you may feast until there is nothing left to feast upon and you die within yourself or go into madness. I had no doubt you would seek to join in the festivities, but to be an active player in my game? I will admit that is not… entirely expected.

"Valkorian." Nihilus murmured into the Force.

I should be thanking you. You showed me something new. A way to shape the galaxy in my image. Before, I would have been content with war. But now I can aim for something far grander. Tell me, Nihilus, why have you come? Is it to have a delicious feast on the death of war? Is it to join me in victory? To join in my ascension? To kill me? To take my power, my immortality for your own and rid yourself of your hunger?

"I came for you." Nihilus answered.

Then come. I no longer hide. The hour of my ascension draws near, and I wish to see what this galaxy has to offer before I am done with it.

The presence disappeared from Nihilus' mind as quickly and easily as it entered. As the presence left him, it left a wound in his spirit, not unlike the wound he had planned to give the Dread Lords. Nihilus controlled himself enough not to scream into the Force, as by his nature that would have killed everyone on his side. That would be inconvenient. Rather, Nihilus fell to his knees and felt his host body scream as the spiritual pain he felt became a physical one. It became a form of pain Nihilus was wholly unaccustomed to now, and it was fresh and new.

Suffice to say, people panicked just a little bit, not least of all Skywalker. It was not a small thing to see, and hear, a sociopathic Force entity incapable of normal emotions, and incapable of feeling pain, to fall to his knees out of the clear blue and scream in pain as if he had been set on fire.

"What is wrong?" Skywalker asked. Anakin tried to sense what it was that had hurt Nihilus. He sensed nothing.

Nihilus did not respond for a time. He was in shock. Pain was a bodily function he had not felt since his awakening. His enemies had never hurt him, Varus had never hurt him, the Jedi had never hurt him, the pain of the host had never hurt him, in short, Nihilus lived in a content bliss incapable of pain or setback save for hunger. It did make life boring, in a sense, to no longer have a true consequence to his actions.

But the revival of pain… the memory of it now given reality and form, brought something to Nihilus he had forgotten. Values. It made the upcoming conflict have more value. Nihilus found he disliked pain. Pain was no longer merely inconvenient, he didn't like it. He hated it. He wanted to fight it or flee from it and return to the cocoon of emptiness that always covered him. He wanted to stop the hunger, and now he wanted to remove the source of pain.

Nihilus stood. "I'm fine," he said, as neutrally as ever.

In truth, he was the furthest thing from fine. His entire existence felt shaken, his foundation as an ascended being of Force energy was thrown into question. He could no longer be sure of himself… of anything. If he had cast aside pain, but now felt it, then what else had he cast aside that would return? Would he become as mortal… as flawed as anyone else? As Skywalker? Would all that he had worked for, his very ascension, account for nothing? Was his ascension to be finite, limited, and be held back by more than just an ever growing hunger? What was he missing!

Nihilus hated lies. It was a mortal flaw he had cast aside. But then again, so was pain once.

So he lied.

The Sith fell back, reeling under their losses, and returned to encircling the planet. A small fleet of only about three major vessels and twenty support cruisers appeared out of Warp, lead by Revan, and forced the Sith to focus their attention in multiple directions as they engaged in hit and run tactics. At this time there was no communication between the Mandalore's invasion fleet and Revan's rebel fleet, with the Sith between them blocking communication, but the opposing fleet could be seen visually dancing with them.

The Ravager fell back to the main invasion fleet.

HK reported that the fourth day was coming up, and that the ships Nihilus requested were having the finishing touches done to them.

Nihilus gave one final order: To observe as he performs a miracle.

I board the transport vessel onboard the Ravager docking station. The pilot patiently waits for confirmation to leave.

"Finally," I sigh. I lean back and close my eyes. I don't feel relaxed, not yet. I try, but something is missing.

We are finally back with the invasion fleet. After what has felt like years alone and isolated deep behind enemy lines, the Ravager can take a breather. The crew can take a moment to rest. Squirt can see her father, and I can insult him. (What are brother's for?) I can assure Tree-Hugger I am well. While I'm at it, I can tell Nihilus to go screw himself.

I can see Ahsoka again. Just the thought ties my stomach in knots.

Squirt runs in, throws her bag on the floor under her seat next to mine, and plants her butt down next to me. She barely puts her butt down before she is jumping up again. And back down a few seconds later. And then pacing.

"I can't quite be sure, but I get the feeling you are the slightest bit nervous?" I wonder.

"Of course, I am!" Squirt exclaims. "I haven't seen papa in so long!" Her expression ranges from nervously excited to nervously dreadful and sad. "You think he will be impressed with how far I've come?"

I chuckle, reach out, and put a hand on her head. "Relax, Squirt. I swear, you got your nervousness from him…"

"Huh?"

"You're just as worried about impressing him as he always is of doing well with you. You may not remember, but when you first exhibited the Force, as explosively as you did, you brought out his greatest fear: of being a bad father. It did not help that you have always been attached to me. He felt he wasn't good enough."

"Of course, he was!" Squirt exclaimed. It didn't matter to her what little fears Koj had, he was a good father. She just wanted a father.

"Now you fear being good enough, like he did. Do you not think that perhaps he would be proud of you no matter what?" I continue. Squirt sits down and takes the words in. "Short of being a criminal or defy the Maker, there is nothing you could do to make him less than proud. Be a nerf herder if you want."

Squirt smiles at the thought and it seems to settle down her thoughts and reassure her. "Thanks."

I nod. "It's what I'd say if I was him."

We settle down. More soldiers enter the transport and set themselves up. Wet Blanket and Queen Elizabeth don't show up, as they can just 'magically' teleport like a bunch of cheapskates. The pilot gets the all-clear and we take a temporary leave of the Ravager.

I left the Ravager in good hands. It took a lot of work, but leading a crew isn't as painstakingly hard as I thought. Having good officers make all the difference, and I relied a lot on what Ashley Marr taught me.

Before long the transport is in movement and landing on the flagship to the invasion fleet. The door bay opens and the soldiers mill out into the collective. Squirt stands, grabs her bags, and lugs them on her back before sprinting out the door. I pop my neck, grab my own bag, and walk out after her.

In the distance the soldiers salute higher officers before taking their helmets off and meeting with friends. Koj, Tree-Hugger, and another armored soldier (Nihilus, judging from the Force aura) are in the distance. Squirt immediately runs straight into Koj, and gives him a hug-tackle, causing him to nearly fall. I wince on his behalf, Squirt had learned to do that with me. However, Koj takes it well and pats her on the head.

"Varus." Tree-Hugger smiles in greeting. He extends a hand and I shake his hand.

"Galen." Nihilus says blankly.

"Tree-Hugger, Shithead." I greet them back. "I'd say it's good to see you, but I'd be lying. Since this whole thing started you two have been tied to the hip, I'm surprised Padme hasn't gotten jealous."

Tree-Hugger raises an eyebrow but otherwise doesn't respond. Swear to the Force, he got that from Nihilus. They are truly rubbing off on each other.

"Son told us you captured a high priority target." Nihilus said.

"You mean, Scourge?" I ask.

Tree-Hugger rolls his eyes, "He just got here, can we not go down to business first thing?"

Nihilus turns to look at him for about four seconds before turning back to me, "I want to meet with him."

"Later. Squid-face is locked down." Tree-Hugger smiles in amusement at the nickname I chose for Scourge… Although actually 'Scourge' is far cooler. Maybe I should stick with that! But I find it easier to remember him by his facial feature of a squid-like chin. Oh decisions decisions! The cool name or the useful one!

"I also need to meet with you about what the plan is for tomorrow."

"Later."

"You remember the battle of Vergus?"

"Later."

"What happened in Vergus?" Tree-Hugger asks.

I eye him as if to say 'Really? Don't encourage him.'

"Galen and I worked together."

"Later!" I repeat once again. "Squirt, Queen Elizabeth, Wet Blanket, and I have been running around hurting the Sith where it hurts for months now! I would like to have an evening, preferably with my wife, not talking business!"

"Who is Queen Elizabeth and who is Wet Blanket? Are these two people you have given nicknames to?" Skywalker asks.

"Why does anyone care?" Nihilus retorts.

"Your demi-god siblings: Daughter and Son." I answer. "Daughter has a queenly grace and nobility to her and how she approaches people and life, so it was fitting. And Son doesn't want to go along with any of my ideas, so I dubbed him 'Wet Blanket'."

Tree-Hugger grins. That's the smile of a younger brother with blackmail material.

I look around, but alas, I don't see her. I can sense her so far as being nearby, but she is not actively transmitting herself to me. Her presence is dim. "Just where is Ahsoka anyway?"

"Unfortunately, busy." Tree-Hugger's smile dims a bit. "With the casualties rolling in, she wanted to be useful."

"'Useful'?" I question. "'soka is always useful. Are you two holding her back or something?"

"Of that, there is no doubt, but Snips was the one to suggest taking a more managerial position, or a supportive one. Her skills with a lightsaber, top notch. She is among the Jedi's best thanks to her practice with you, but her dogfighting skill is below average."

"She can fly." I argue.

"Yes, but dogfighting is a whole different thing. Right?"

I nod. It is true.

"And we have been using a plan that is devoid of ship boarding, so Snips was left with either helping around on the ship or twiddling her thumbs. Once we establish a beachhead, then we can all take the fight to them ourselves. I'm also having to take a step back from fighting. But, you know what? I'm sure you can ask her all about it, she messaged me that she was going to help out in the 1016th medical bay."

"Medical bay, ten-sixteenth?" I repeat.

Tree-Hugger reaches out and gives me a brief one-armed hug. 'Cuz we're men. Two-arms is too sappy. Like twice the sap. One-armed is already sappy as it is. Half the sap is plenty, one whole sap is pushing it but is acceptable for family, and twice the sap makes me want to stab people.

"Give her my best." Tree-Hugger says. "We can catch up later, go see her."

"I will." I promise. I walk away. I would give Koj a good talk, but I catch him sitting on a crate with Squirt. Judging from how her hands are flying with expression and he nods, she is deep in telling him of the adventures I've taken her on. He's either going to kill me for taking her into danger like she is my student or kiss me for protecting her like she was my own daughter. Either way is equally possible, and I cannot tell for the life of me which direction he is leaning towards with his poker face. He and Nihilus could take each other on.

I'd pay to see Nihilus and Koj play a poker game.

Without further hinderance or social obligations, beyond swiping my ID through the inboard checkpoint, I sprint my way to the 1016th medical bay. Ships like these are designed with empty spaces for modules or bays, and the modules can be placed in and out at shipyards based on the needs of the next voyage. Ships are actually designed to have entire miniature 'buildings' inserted into slots that way. Depending on the frame and 'skeleton' of the ship. Just a little something Ahsoka taught me. So while it is not important, it does mean that the structure of the ship is not the same from ship to ship, though one can argue for 'standard best practice' in design.

That's really just my explanation as to why I need to stop and find a map. Otherwise I would say I didn't come prepared and look stupid for running down a hall with no idea where I am going. But! Temporary obstacle out of the way, and without further hinderance this time (I promise), I run to the 1016th medical bay, and enter in.

"Love?" I ask outloud. I glance around. The medical bay has multiple decks with multiple rooms and from what I can see, and feel in the Force, they are all full. Every bed is taken. They are even having to make room on the floor for all the wounded. The doctors and nurses were at their wits end keeping up with all the wounded, they had to recruit the less wounded-patients and soldiers to help. Most of the Jedi I sense in the system were in medical bays like this. So many Jedi with their Light Side presence in the same place made it almost impossible to sense her.

Almost.

Ahsoka and I have this bond thing that lets us sense each other in even the hardest places. It's like a ribbon tied between our souls that if you but tug at it, follow it, we will always find each other. The bond these last months has been diminished and suppressed to keep the Sith from finding either of us, but now we have a chance to put it back where it belongs.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, I find her. I find Ahsoka collapsed against the wall catching some sleep. There is no beds here for her to take and while she must have a bed in a cabin or barracks here she must have been too tired to get to it. Poor thing.

I grin wickedly.

I take the end of my robe sleeve and gently, ever so gently, brush it up and down the head-tentacles dangling down her chest. Some people might take a feather to her nose, but no, I know her. I know her weak spots. Her head-tentacles are a million times more sensitive and hit all of the good points of her brain. Immediately I sense from her… pleasure, then annoyance. She swats at me like I'm an annoying fly.

That just won't do.

I put a finger on it and let electricity out. Just a quick zap. It's kinda my thing to do from time to time. I think all lovers have a thing they do that only they do, and is kind of their thing. I don't know what others do, but Ahsoka bites, and I give her a little… love zap. I know just the spot too.

She flinches, eye's wide, I laugh, she tackles me, people cheer as she shows me how long we can go without breathing, and without a word we run up to do some… catching up. I'll keep this PG and leave out the details. I'll just say we had a lot of catching up to do.

"And then, I was invited to a poker game called 'Spades'."

"Oh?" I grin widely. "Does it involve shovels? Because its rather ominous to be playing a gambling game with a name involving shovels. You take the loser out back and-"

"No, it's just a name. Hush." Ahsoka flicks me on the face. She adjusts herself and gets herself comfortable curled up on me again. "When did you even learn what 'ominous' means?"

"Hey, I've eaten a good book in my time!" I reply. She laughs.

"Yes, you have. Now hush! So I join the clones at a game of spades. I'll tell you what, that game has confusing rules when it's your first time! I basically took a page out of your book, said 'screw it', forgot the rules that involved winning, and did what I wanted."

"Ohhhhhhh," I breathe. "I am such a bad influence on you."

"You're totally a horrible influence. But the game involves a lot of rounds. Each round you gamble on how many sets you will win, and if you meet it, you get points. Fail and you lose the points you gambled. However!" She puts up a finger. "If you win too many in a round, and then too many later, it can reach a point where you lose a hundred points."

"Yeah… That's confusing." I comment.

"That's the summary. Basically you need to balance winning and losing… if you take the game seriously."

"Which you did not."

"Which I did not." She agrees. "I quickly figured out you can go into the negatives, so I decided to set myself my own personal win. If I can end on an even zero, I win. The result was that I would purposefully win some games, purposefully lose others. I would bet high, or bet low. Some rounds I took seriously enough to make sure I got points, others I threw caution to the wind."

"You little minx." I chastise her with a proud smile. I squeeze her shoulder. "You completely screwed with their heads, didn't you?"

"Yep!" She laughs. "I had the men completely fazzled in the end, they couldn't figure out my play. I figured out I could sabotage some, and then help them later. They also thought they could have the edge on me, being clones and all. They have a million subtle expressions only other clones know, which are not normal or are so small a normal person wouldn't notice. However… I had been playing with Koj and-"

"KOJ PLAYS POKER!?" I exclaim.

"Varus, Love… " She whispers. "He's a beast at it."

"I knew it. I freakin' knew it!"

"So playing with Koj had helped me develop poker faces and learn to discern signs from others. Ontop of my skills already for it as a Jedi. I had those boys twisted around my little finger." She raises a pinky for emphasis.

"I'm almost jealous. I thought I was wrapped around your finger." I make myself sound hurt.

"Oh, don't worry. Your spot wasn't taken there." She chuckles, leans up, and kisses me.

"Hmm." I hum. I kiss her back. "Not suspecting you of cheating, if that is what you mean."

"Good to know." She gets comfortable again. "So… what happened with you?"

Aaaaaaaaaaand… there is the giant pink elephant in the room.

"You know I can't tell you, 'Shoka…" I whisper.

She sighs, "I know. I know how this works. I just need to hear it. I know you… I know you resisted, but there is no way you could have survived that deep in Sith territory, as an assassin, without falling back on Starkiller."

"It's true. I did." I admit. "I… I had to survive. I had to push thoughts of you away, or it would tear me apart with the need to return home. I had to push the mindset of compassion and mercy out, as you and Tree-Hugger taught me, in order to fight a war surrounded by Sith and blend in as best I could. I had to let my Dark Side out fully. The Sith were quick to learn of me, and their culture involved so much bloodshed even among their houses that their ways were able to keep up with me and I was nearly caught any of a dozen times. But I didn't fall, Love. Not completely back to it. I thanked the Force every day that Squirt was there to keep me grounded. Without her, and being in Son's presence so often, I want to say I would have come out as Varus again… but Ahsoka… the Sith… The Sith this Emperor molded into his image, is darker and beyond anything I could have imagined. There are things I learned, I hope you never get to see."

I turn my head to look at her. "So as we rebuild this Bond, I need you to understand there is a dark corner of my mind, I never want you touching."

"I'm not running away from it." She argues.

"No. I am. I don't want to be reminded. And I don't want you to know either. I want it to disappear."

She breathes in and out shakily. I sense her hurt, her ache on my behalf that there is something I saw that horrific. "Is it worse than what you went through under Nihilus?"

"Ahsoka." I reach up and cup her face. "There is no comparison."

"Okay. Then that dark corner is off-limits. But if it affects your PTSD, you are sharing it with a shrink."

"Yes, maam."

I breathe easier. The things I saw… even as a Sith who once served Darth Nihilus, just thinking about it makes me want to vomit. Koj was right when he said his brand of hatred was childish in comparison. The Sith are bred to hate, they bathe in hate, they breathe it, they embrace it, and they invent new ways of using it until it permeates every aspect of their culture. I just hope we never have to see some of it again.

We most likely will.

Nihilus was a patient man. However there was a timetable to keep, so at the earliest convenience he and Skywalker searched the brig for Varus' prize prisoner: Scourge.

He was a lot more red than Nihilus expected. He must be one of the last remaining pureblood Sith.

"Lord Scourge." Nihilus greeted him from outside the cell. "Or is it Darth Scourge?"

"Scourge will suffice." The prisoner replied. Scourge raised his head to glance sideways at his guests. Nihilus felt him extend out with the Force and touch them, ever so briefly. "You are Jedi and…" Scourge looked solidy at Nihilus. "I don't know what you are."

"I am a Jedi Master, yes." Skywalker said. Skywalker was tense, but polite. "My name is Anakin Skywalker."

"Then you are the one the master knows of." Scourge replied. He stood up from the bunk and approached the force field.

"So you have done your homework."

"He senses you. He always has."

"'He', being your master, being The Emperor?"

"Yes." Scourge replied simply.

Nihilus said. "I am here for information. If you are unwilling to supply any, then-"

"I would tell you all I know, if I could." Scourge cut him off.

This raised both of their collective eyebrows. Nihilus and Skywalker glanced to each other.

"You would?" Skywalker asked.

"If it was possible. But it is not. You are wasting your time here. You should not have come, that is all I will say." Scourge answered. He returned to his bunk and sat.

Skywalker licked his lips, uncertain suddenly with where this was going or what to do. Was this prisoner cooperative or not? A traitor or not? He was getting mixed signals and didn't know what to make of it. "Okay, for starters, why can you not tell us anything?"

Scourge did not answer.

"You know, it goes a long way to cooperation when you can at least help me lay a groundwork to work from."

"You should not be here." Scourge said again. "The master can kill me at any time he wishes. Yet… he has not. Clearly he wants me here. He-" Scourge cut off, as if tongue tied. He cleared his throat and returned to silence.

Anakin sighed. Nihilus asked, "Is the Emperor here? I sensed him before."

"He is."

"Why here? Surely he would be better off hiding in a fortress or bunkered down in a heavily defended city planet."

"… Because he wants to show you that this has reached the end-game." Scourge answered. "You are right to say this place has little value, normally. But it is special to him. He says he wants to show you something. He also wants to meet you." Scourge looked up at Anakin.

"You are in communication with him, then?" Skywalker guessed.

Scourge nodded.

"How?"

Scourge would not answer.

Anakin turned his back and whispered, "I don't like this, he is far too choosy about his answers."

Nihilus stared at Scourge, nodded, and walked away. Anakin looked at him, briefly confused, before following. The guards standing nearby darkened the lights as they left, and Scourge leaned against the wall and closed his eyes in the darkness.

"Just because I say I don't like this, doesn't mean we need to walk away." Anakin said.

"He is right. We are wasting our time. He will tell us nothing, but at the same time we have learned something. He is a ghoul."

"A what?"

"It means he is not in complete control of his body. He is a puppet of another."

"You mean like the Eternal Hand Priors?"

"Similar, yes, but created by a different means. It is one of the greatest Dark Side techniques there are, the most powerful, and the most unnatural." Nihilus nodded. "This means he cannot and will not tell us what the 'master' does not want us to know. It doesn't matter if we interrogate him, offer a deal, or try and be chummy like you were."

"I was not trying to be chummy." Anakin pouted.

"Then that was possibly the worst attempt at interrogation I have ever witnessed. He told us what the master wanted him to tell us. The Emperor wants us to know he has a spy in our midst. And there is nothing we can do about it short of jettisoning him into space. Unlike the Priors, a ghoul cannot die until the master wills it. And every sight, every sound, every sensation is seen and heard by the master."

Anakin considered this a moment. "So Scourge is acting as the Emperor's eyes and mouth to us."

Nihilus nodded.

"That makes him valuable." Anakin concluded. "Now we have a direct line of communication to the Emperor. Mandalore will want to know about this."

"By all means, tell him. But I would be more concerned with some of his vague warnings. He said the Emperor has reached the end game, and wants to show us something. I would not consider these to be idle threats if I were you. This only leads credence to the possibility that this is a trap."

Anakin hardened his eyes. "I assure you, I have not. I am taking this very seriously. We will find the Emperor, and we will end this war. I have dealt with my fair share of traps. The Force is my guide. It has never failed me when I needed it."

"Be that as it may… it is time for the next stage of my plan. I had hoped to get something more valuable out of the Sith, even with a touch of torture, but alas."

Anakin frowned. He knew what the plan was for this stage, and he didn't like it. "It's far too soon. He only just got here. The plan, that I convinced you to change if I might add, is that we rest for today. HK-47 doesn't have your ships ready yet."

"Correction: It does. It is a wonderous machine, constantly seeking evolution, growth, and efficiency. It estimated four days, but it finished in three. HK is standing by to deploy. And isn't Revan is supposed to arrive at some point?"

"He did say he would be here. You are right. I cannot help but wonder where he is."

"No matter. We will suffice."

"Not yet." Anakin took hold of Nihilus' arm and turned him. "Give Varus a little time. Let him have a day with his wife."

"How is that my problem? I have a war to win. You want me to put this entire armada on hold for one person, when he is professional enough to fight like a good assassin despite his… attachments?"

Anakin sighed. "At least… give him the night."

"… The night and no more."

"So long as we are being reasonable." Anakin released Nihilus. "Now, return to the cabin. We need to report to Mandalore."

Nihilus eyed Anakin from the side. Anakin's tone brooked no argument. Moments like this revealed how deeply Anakin loathed him, despite putting up with him as his warden. Nihilus couldn't really blame him. Attacking the Jedi Temple and his son probably put him at the top of Skywalker's list of villains he wished he could stab.

"As you wish."

Ahsoka entered the brig. Some might question the sanity of her choice, but she felt it was necessary. Not just to her, but the Force. It wasn't so much a verbal message, but she felt the Force tug her gently this direction. She could almost see a child tugging at her sleeve as she walked.

"Commander Ahsoka!" The soldier in charge greeted in surprise. He stood from his desk. She recognized him as a clone. He wore his full armor on duty, but she could readily see the nervousness in him. She smiled widely. She could sense his surprise and excitement easily.

"I'm sorry, I didn't call ahead, and its not commander anymore. I don't lead anyone."

"Nonsense. You say the word and my brothers will follow you, official rank or not… it's an honor, truly! We can't thank you enough for helping orchastrate our independence! I have rights and a family and… I'm sorry, I'm probably coming across as a fanboy." He rubbed his helmet nervously.

Ahsoka laughed. She took his hand and shook it on her own. "I understand perfectly. Sometimes you just gotta let it out. I'm happy for you. I wouldn't even mind letting you tell me all about your life since the civil war, but I'm afraid I'm kind of here on business."

He looked at the door over her shoulder briefly. He whispered, "No escort. In a high security prison. Is it secret business?"

"Not so much. I don't care if anyone knows, but I don't feel I need an escort either. I'm here to see the prisoner my husband brought in. I don't remember his name, Varus always uses nicknames, but he is a Sith."

"Ah, yes. I know who you are referring to. Right this way. He is incredibly dangerous, supposedly took a Force demi-god to defeat! I can't just let you go alone ma'am. I insist on coming along."

"If he took who I think he did, you are more than likely the one between us being rescued." Ahsoka smiled apologetically. "Let me handle it."

The clone looked between the door and her, back and forth. His shoulders slumped. "You're right. Go ahead." He reached down at his desk and after hitting a few keys, the door opened. "Cell number 24, commander."

Ahsoka thanked him and entered the cell block. It didn't take long to find the cell in question. His signature in the Force was powerful. An interesting thing, though. She had been around so many people infinitely stronger than her than he didn't phase her at all.

The prisoner looked up as she approached from where he sat in the corner. He had forgone the bed. Ahsoka pulled up a chair and sat down. His skin was red, and he had tentacle-like things extending from his chin. No wonder Varus called him 'squid-face'.

"Hello." Ahsoka greeted. Despite their official positions, she tried to sound welcoming and energetic. "My name is Ahsoka Tano Wynn. What's your name?"

The Sith merely raised an eyebrow.

"I realize how this looks. You can sense I am a Jedi, and you are a Sith. You probably are wondering if I plan to interrogate you for information, whether by being overly nice or torture. I plan to do neither. I know pain will only make you more stubborn, more powerful, and to be honest, hurting you is not what I want."

"Then what do you want with me?" The Sith questioned.

"To understand."

The Sith raised his head up fully and looked her dead in the eyes. He briefly scanned her, seemingly confused by this. He stood to his feet and approached the ray shield blocking them. He was incredibly tall, looking straight down at her, his power flared slightly, and she wasn't frightened in the slightest. "What is it you wish to understand?"

"Why you became a Sith?"

He scoffed, turned, and paced. "What a stupid question. There was nothing else to be."

"Ah, but you said 'was', just now. Has this view changed?"

The Sith stopped in midstep. He glared at her and she just smiled innocently.

"In a way." The Sith admitted. He paced a bit further. "The idea that one could become anything else wasn't a possibility until I met… someone." He stopped and looked at her. "Why is this important to you? What point is there in understanding? Are you thinking to convert and assist me?"

"Not at all, no. But I believe, as my former master and husband do, that peace is possible with understanding. I believe you met them? My husband brought you in and my former master is JedI Master Skywalker."

"I met them. Interesting idea of peace. Your husband is more assassin and murderer than peace-keeper, and your Skywalker keeps company with a Sith even darker than most of us… Wait… you're husband is a Sith?"

"Yep."

"And… that works for you?"

Ahsoka smiled. She saw his surprise. Even if it wasn't peace, she could see the possibility of understanding at least was starting to open. The Sith's surprise showed he had never considered it possible, and now saw it was. Even if it was just a small scale of a single family, it had larger ramifications. Because wasn't all social structures at its smallest scale made up of families?

Ahsoka nodded. "It does. Takes a great deal of work, and we spend as much time arguing and working things out as we spend in peace, but we make it work. We have many differences, but we also bring out, I would say, the best in each other."

"Interesting." The Sith turned his head to the side, considering it. "Your husband should be thankful he is not a true Sith, then. He would be killed for heresy. Jedi, in our culture, exist to be killed or enslaved or placed under strict tribute."

"You have Jedi in the Empire?"

"No. The view still exists, though, should any be found. Sith who fall away are treated better. You are barely better than animals to us. Less than that… toys to be used and thrown away."

Ahsoka girmaced. "I see. Is it because of the Hyperspace war? Of the genocide the ancient Jedi did?"

"No, not so much. The anger and hatred for your kind is real, but we view you that way because you choose it."

"Pardon? I don't choose to be your people's victim."

"No, you chose the weaker path. And the weaker always serve the strong." The Sith said. "One is weaker because they choose to, because they would rather waste their time and energy on lesser things than greater things. So their children are weak too, and must overcome the weakness of the father more than themselves alone. You Jedi are fit to be lower than beasts because you see power… and throw it away. You see possibility for change, for the ability to shape the galaxy around you, to secure it, to set it in order, and you throw it aside." The Sith looked down at her. "That is why. The hatred is real, but even in hatred we can respect you if you were strong enough to be worthy of respect. As it is, we do not."