Two weeks earlier…
How many times had the same answer come up? After dozens of attempts, all with some sort of change or correction to the previous attempt. They even had clear instructions to follow. Somehow, they were no longer able to punch through the warp space they were now facing.
"No effect, General. Still not picking up any sign of the passage."
Koor dipped her head in defeat, something she was not accustomed to at all. They had the original astrological chart they took from the Sith, and the navigation records from Elira's shuttle. Both confirmed they had to be staring at the passage of normal space through the chaos ahead. The holocron alone couldn't have been holding it all together.
She wanted to do just one more scan, one more computer simulation. One more attempt to chart their way through to the planet itself.
"Contact the Council, and inform them…" Admitting defeat was the last thing she wanted to do. There was still the potential for answers to be found on the planet. "Masaka has closed the passage through the warped area, and we cannot find another way in."
It left a bitter feeling all over. However much she tried to convince herself that this wasn't giving up, there really was next to no chance that they would come across a new solution eventually.
"There's nothing more to be done here. Let's head back to Sarka." She scratched at the stump above her right temple, where one of her horns had once been. It often became itchy when retreating.
Shortly after, she found herself at the door to Maarani's quarters. The door was ajar, and no light emerged from within. A cold feeling was present at the threshold.
"Maarani?"
There was no answer, prompting her to push the door open very carefully. It didn't allow much light in, but she could make out a humanoid shape sitting on the floor. Very faintly, she could hear the sound of sobbing.
The reason why occurred to her. "Maarani, put the blaster down, please." She could see the woman's head tilt just a little. Aside from that, there was virtually no movement.
"You came in and assumed I was ready to blow my head off. Why?"
Koor was silent for a long while, trying to work out if Maarani had something else in her lap. She didn't need long at all to come to her answer after all. "I've fought Sith before. I know how their influence lingers in the mind. It's been a growing fear of mine that I haven't done enough to help you through this horrific ordeal."
Maarani slowly turned her head at that, just barely catching a glimpse of the Jedi in the corner of her vision. "It wasn't ever going to be your fault." She lifted the blaster pistol over her shoulder towards Koor. As it was taken away, she turned her head back down to the other object. "The Sith killed my family. Whatever is walking around out there isn't my sister anymore." A shuddering breath rocked through her body. "I can't do anything about it, even if I was capable of seeking vengeance. Can't fight Sith without the Force."
Her body tensed as she noticed Koor circling around. At that angle, she could see the lightsaber on the floor. Still little more than a metal tube with a support frame inside, and rough pieces welded on for a grip. "Amazing, isn't it? Both parents with a strong presence, three siblings who inherited it. And all I got was an unfinished sympathy gift."
"That wasn't constructed by Kadano though." Koor had moved to kneel down in front of the Twi'lek by that point, her hand passing over the lightsaber. "I've seen the lightsabers constructed by your family. This is reminiscent of the style, but it wasn't built with materials provided by the Jedi."
She met Maarani's gaze as the connections fell into place. "You built this, not long before the massacre. They would have noticed if your connection awoke earlier, and a lightsaber is not something that is constructed while wracked with grief." It was all too obvious that there was a sense of relief from the Twi'lek. Holding onto such a secret for eight years had certainly taken its toll. "You still haven't finished it, so I assume something stopped you."
There was no stopping the flood of emotions and memories that she had been holding back for so long. After repeating the same lies for years, letting the truth out was all she could do now. "I stole a ship from my village, traded it for a better one at the first pirate world I found, and went right for Coruscant. Along the way I crashed on a planet, and woke up with no perception of the Force at all."
She took another breath at that. "I don't know when it even actually started up, maybe a few months earlier. I felt an urge to make the lightsaber, so I scrounged up what old parts I could. Wasn't until I had it hovering around that I really realized what had happened."
As Koor finished waving her hand over it, Maarani leaned forward and picked it up by the grip. "Don't even need to bring yours out to make a comparison. This is a hunk of metal with old parts squashed in. Couldn't even find another tube to cover the upper half of the frame." There was one other piece that she didn't bring up. For the time being, it seemed better to leave it unmentioned.
"So this is how you see yourself? Halted before your time? Or so unprotected and empty that there seems little point in continuing." The Zabrak placed her hand over Maarani's, gripping it around the lightsaber a little more tightly. "No-one is truly cut off from the Force. Even beyond death there is a connection. You simply need to have the will to regain what was lost, finish what was started."
"Don't give me that Jedi crap. Not now." Maarani let go of the saber and stood up, pacing away as she immediately regretted snapping at her. "Right now I'm just not ready to believe in much of anything. I've gotten this far as a pilot without the Force." As the sense of calm settled in at last, she turned back to Koor with an apologetic expression. "I know you're going to tell the Council about this eventually. Don't bother, because I don't want help from people who only care about me when I actually have the potential to become a Jedi. They certainly haven't cared up until now."
When Koor finally stood back up, she held out the lightsaber one last time, for the sake of offering it. "I'm not going to say a word behind your back. They know that you had an encounter with your sister, and that you've told me as much as you can comfortably."
Maarani pushed the lightsaber away at that moment, stepping around so she could approach her bed at last. "Keep it that way. And keep the lightsaber. I've got enough weight to carry around."
Shortly after she curled up on the firm mattress, she heard the door being pulled shut. A few hours of rest lay ahead, and yet she would remain wide awake for the entirety of it.
There was a noticeable gust of freezing air as the door was finally opened. For two weeks, Masaka had been contained inside the chamber, left to pace around in fuming silence. There was no amusement or gratification to be felt by Lasidia over it however.
"Ready to talk now?"
Masaka hissed at the Togruta as she stared back with silent contempt. Even now she was trying to strike her down with the immense powers just beyond her reach. "You continue to disgust me, using a Jedi concoction to keep me caged like some animal!"
As always, Lasidia was stoic in her speech. "You are an animal. A monster. The Jedi would consider you an abomination. To think you were once a scared Twi'lek girl, cowering beneath my blade." She didn't even flinch as Masaka tried to slash at her face. Her hand hadn't actually left the confines of the chamber. "I only did this because of your threatening presence. Had you approached with reason, I would not have taken your lekku and left you in a nullification chamber."
"Where are they?"
That brought the slightest of smiles to the Dark Lord. Her theory had just been proven to be correct. "Across the galaxy. I am willing to tell you where they are, once you have fulfilled your purpose in my plan." Her smile faded as the Twi'lek began to settle down again. There was still the capacity for reason in her twisted mind after all.
"I sent you to that planet to unlock secrets pertaining to an ancient weapon. When that goal is acheived, you will be free to retrieve your lekku, and take your title as a Dark Lord. If you try to overthrow me at any point, I will have them destroyed." The scar on the side of her head burned for a moment. Another painful reminder of what she had been forced to witness. "The last Sith triumvirate ended in disaster. When the Republic is gone, we all go our separate ways with our own followers."
"Divide the Sith?" The proposition was somewhat amusing to Masaka, but she didn't dismiss it out of hand. While she wouldn't have control of the entirety of the Sith Empire initially, she would have an army of zealots to subvert the others down the line. "It's certainly a unique approach, one I wouldn't choose. But I don't have a choice in this matter."
Lasidia's lips parted, bearing the points of her upper teeth in what was supposed to be a threatening expression. The significance was apparently lost on the Twi'lek. "We must all exercise restraint, seeing as the lack of such led to the downfall of our predecessors." After a moment, she slowly backed out of the doorway and lowered her hood back down. "There are other things you can do in the meantime, such as instructing my apprentice in the ancient ways of the dark side. I might just let you out of the chamber if you do."
When she moved out of the way, Masaka was strongly tempted to step out of the chamber and turn Lasidia into a pile of charred remains. The futility of it became apparent as the apprentice arrived, remaining just outside the doorway itself.
"This nullification has a lingering effect, I take it. And you want to use your new powers immediately." Masaka took her turn to grin as she looked the White Terror over. She was shorter, despite being obviously years older. The clothes were so distinct from that of real Sith, and her mask had every sign of being an attempt to intimidate those who looked on it. "Why do Miraluka feel the need to cover their eye sockets? Symbolism is a very poor reason."
Kiarna let the comment slide. What she had to say would go far beyond any insult that could be thrown at her by the Twi'lek. "You don't remember me, do you? I'm not referring to when I shocked you in the back two weeks ago."
Masaka tilted her head slightly, taking another look at the mask. The memories began to stir, drawing her back eight years. Her jaw began to drop.
Smiling, Kiarna moved in for the kill. "Now you're remembering. At the massacre, I was your age, still a fledgling apprentice to Lasidia. But a very good killer nonetheless. She wanted me to take down only the best Jedi waiting there. Including a former Sith among them, and her family of course."
Upon seeing the scarred hands leap for her throat, she threw the Twi'lek back into the chamber. The rage pouring from her was gratifying beyond all comprehension. "A part of you still cares about your family. Now, what were you trying to imply about my being an overly-eager apprentice, desperate to gain power for her own ends?"
The point had been made to Masaka, who approached the doorway again with a more controlled temper. Whatever plans Lasidia had for her apprentice would soon be short lived. "You play a dangerous game, blind girl." Once her mind was settled, she brought her hands together, now in a more instructive composure. "Reaction is your strength. You will be able to move as fast as the neurons in your nervous system when you have mastered this. Fast enough to kill Jedi without issue."
"I haven't had an issue with that in the past. Even when they tried to sabotage my weapon I have defeated them." There was no mocking tone in Kiarna's voice this time, nor was there arrogance. "It's other Sith I need to worry about."
"General! I uh…" Rasters was left quite speechless in embarrassment, having walked in on Morgak pouring himself a drink. It was such a vastly different image to that of the man who wielded great respect through confidence in the men and women under his command. To now see him getting a drink like anyone else would felt very odd indeed.
"At ease, Colonel." Morgak poured out another drink before setting the bottle down, bringing both to the nearby table and taking his seat. When Rasters sat down as well, he lifted his glass slightly. "I've been informed that our offensive on the Kashyyyk front is a complete success. The Republic over-committed their forces to that area, allowing for the invasion and capture of Carida. Well done."
Rasters took a sip when Morgak did, tensing only a little as it lightly burned on the way down. "Credit should go to you if anyone. Your predictions were spot on." He took another sip, watching Morgak over the glass with intent. Approval was everything with him. To his further relief, there was no sign that he was losing any. When he placed the glass down again, it was with a steady hand.
"It's quite simple. The Republic has, is, and will continue to be predictable in their strategy." Morgak held onto his glass as he began the often-told story. "My mother was a general during the Mandalorian wars. She taught everyone under her command that you adapt, or you die. The majority of the Republic forces did not adapt, so they died."
He lifted the glass up and traced his finger along the base. "Ice cracks when dropped into lukewarm water, because there is a difference between what the ice should be put in, and what it actually ends up in. Soldiers crack when they are trained to follow a specific pattern, but are put into a situation that defies that pattern. because they have been conditioned to follow a specific ruleset that does not apply anymore." The glass was placed back down as he leaned forward, hands now clasping together. "Revan broke away from the Jedi and led the Republic forces to victory, and became Sith shortly after that. What does that tell you?"
"That the Jedi were failing to do their duty, and the Republic military were not capable of defending on their own?"
"Exactly!" Morgak stood up in his moment of excitement, starting to circle around the room as he continued. "The Republic military should be capable of defending its citizens without the assistance of magical people with brightly coloured swords. Now you're wondering how that is any different from our position here, working with the Sith."
Rasters nodded slowly. That was exactly the thought that had come to mind.
"Darth Lasidia is not like other Force users. She has a very specific goal in mind, and intends to step aside when that goal is accomplished. These attacks on the Republic are not to bring about their downfall, but to teach them that they must adapt, as Revan did before us." By then he had circled back to his chair, which he gripped with one hand briefly. "Of course, that won't be enough, so we will have to overthrow the current administration to help complete the task. But, by the time we are done, we won't even need to call for Sith assistance whenever the next war comes."
It was quite an experience for the young colonel, who was still in awe at his speech. The sheer passion behind his words was so strong. Any further questions could only appear weak in the face of it, and yet there were questions abundant. "Forgive me General, but, what about the Shadow Hand? I always got the impression that Darth Lasidia was set on her successor, and…"
Morgak nodded slowly at that, returning to his calmer state. "And I do not like Kiarna at all. There is a simple reason for that." He sat down at last, once again picking the glass up and slowly twisting it in his fingers. "A common flaw in Force users is arrogance. The Jedi are arrogant in their belief that they are right, and the Sith are arrogant in their belief that they are all-powerful. As I said, Darth Lasidia is not like others, which is why I respect her judgement at a moment's notice."
"But not Kiarna's, because she's young, and yet is the…" Rasters needed a moment to rethink how many Sith Lords there now were. "Fourth most powerful Sith at this moment. And since the Twi'lek is locked up, she has no say in any of these matters."
"And Darth Rak'Sakar follows where Darth Lasidia leads, because he knows that his strength does not lie in strategy. It lies in brutality, raw force, and intimidation. We all have our duty to perform in the complexities that will see the galaxy truly united." Finally taking the last sip from the glass, Morgak looked at Rasters with an even stare. There was a glimmer of pride in his wide eyes. "Always remember that we are working towards the good of the people. They may just not realize it yet."
Rasters nodded again, taking his last drink as well. "As you say General. Good of the people, good of the Empire."
