"Stand to!"

Troopers lined the left side, officers the right. For once, no Sith were present, something that Morgak was grateful for in of itself, though the reason behind their absence was still yet another headache that could only be delayed until it became a more prime concern of his.

He let that concern slip from mind while watching the arriving ship come in for landing, situated with precision at a respectable distance from the end of the greeting assembly.

"Present arms! Diplomatic stance!"

Every one of the troopers drew their blaster rifles and held them across their chests at safe angles, completing the display of discipline and strength for the arriving guests.

The boarding ramp began to lower. Over his shoulder, he could hear a few of the diplomatic attaches inhaling to maintain their own admittedly less refined stance, but nothing that was worth calling out in the seconds remaining before the crucial first face to face meeting began.

Two guards strode down first, taking up positions either side of the ramp, armed with ceremonial spears in hand, blaster pistols and whips at their hips. Exactly as described in the request to carry arms aboard.

While the helmets concealed most features, it did give light to the fact that they had large ears, something that drew a few slight head tilts from those in the procession.

That was compounded when the main guest himself finally descended, a proud smile on his face as he strode out onto the deck at last, subordinates and slaves in his wake. Just a metre in front of Morgak himself, he made a polite bow in respect.

"General Morgak. A pleasure."

Morgak did the same, while those accompanying him remained stationary, keeping to custom. "Overseer K'Srin. I extend the formal greeting of the Galactic Empire to you and your compatriots of Zygerria."

K'Srin smirked, then tilted his head at his second, who began organizing the procession of slaves into single file. "Consider them a gift. They are all well trained, and properly prepared for whatever use you might have for them.

It presented a moment of discomfort that Morgak managed to deflect by passing the matter onto others with a simple nod, leaving himself with the opportunity to lead the conversation elsewhere.

"We have a secure holding block that should suffice for keeping them. Not prisoner level accommodation, we do maintain a standard of treatment for detainees after all."

"Good. It is unwise to allow resentment to fester in a mind that has already been broken. Almost as unwise as it is to allow hopes to rise back up. They require different handling from those the Sith take for recruits after all."

They had begun to move back down the procession line by then, allowing for a bit of space between them and their respective entourages. Morgak was ready to take advantage of that brief opportunity.

"You are well informed then. Commendable."

"It is not the work of spies I assure you." K'Srin cracked a smirk, catching the implication decisively. "We Zygerrians have an enduring memory. But I shall leave discussing how I learned of the ways of the Sith for a more suitable environment."

"Yes, they've just completed refurbishing the station commander's office. Unparalleled views of Lianna's surface."

"I am certain the story of how you came to hold these shipyards for the Empire is of great intrigue." At that, K'Srin looked to his second, whispering into her ear momentarily, then watching as she went on ahead. "I do hope you won't mind her joining us? My niece, as well as one of my most trusted advisors. We as a people hold great value in our circle of relatives."

Morgak left his response at a simple nod.

"Your hospitality is excellent, and appreciated, General Morgak."

"Unlike the Republic, we only give respect and accommodation to those who are deserving of it. That is our ward against bureaucracy."


The bridge had been cleared well before Darth Rak'Sakar sensed Sloane's arrival there. The sight of Lianna's sunlight streaming through the window, eclipsed only by the main shipyard, had provided him with a simple means of focusing his mind in preparation for the exchange to come.

Sloane herself had a massive gash across the left cheekbone, courtesy of where Jayden had struck her. Her posture, the no-longer pristine lengths of hair beneath the dented headdress, even her expression gave away just how turbulent her state of mind was.

"Am I here to beg for forgiveness, to be spared execution? Why recall me?"

Rak'Sakar said nothing for a while. His only action in that time was to idly scratch at a mark on the floor with the largest claw on his right foot. A pause that he could tell was upsetting Sloane further.

"Twenty three troopers killed, forty seven critically wounded. Fifteen Sith of various skill dead, more with irreparable injuries. All because you let a lone Zeltron walk off your ship."

What little restraint there was in Sloane's mind broke at that moment. Her hands clenced together until they turned white, as did her jaw while her teeth came very close to being dulled, all symptomatic of the building rage within.

"Sloane, are you going to throw a tantrum and walk back out, or will you explain what really happened?"

It took a while, but the rage within finally died out. So gutting was the feeling of letting it all go that she nearly fell to her knees in self-inflicted agony. Years of training her mental fortitude kept her standing upright.

"We horrifically underestimated the threat of the Following. The ancient presence that protects them, the Lady of Balance, her power is omnipresent. She is growing closer towards becoming omnipotent."

Rak'Sakar's jaw clenched in slightly. "Such individually concentrated power within the Force should not be possible."

Sloane's hands tightened right back up as she recalled that sickening day. "I was ready to cut through Maarani's neck, I swung the blade! And the Lady stopped me!" Her mouth was trembling, possibly out of terror, when she took her next breath. "She exists outside the realm of the Force, and she is not going to leave the dark side be. I am convinced of that."

"In that case, how do we proceed? How do we shield ourselves against a being as powerful as that?" Rak'Sakar approached slowly, stopping within a metre of her, removing that feeling of distance. "There are few things that can't be done given time and resources. If the threat is truly this severe, we would be ignorant not to take every effort required to stop it."

It took several deep breaths for Sloane to muster up the strength to admit what had been pressing on her mind that whole time. "I don't know. Lasidia didn't divulge what she knew about Maarani to me, about her connection to the Lady. She recognized her presence, she clearly knew her significance well before anyone else did. And, she also had access to all those holocrons. She would be the one best suited to discern how we stop the Lady. And yet, she still hasn't returned after all this time…"

The implication caused Rak'Sakar to narrow his gaze just a little. "Revealing anything about her whereabouts would jeopardize her mission, more than it already has been by her clear delay. She should have returned to us months ago yes, but if she had been discovered, or killed, we would all feel that disturbance. Therefore, we cannot rely on what she may know."

"And responsibility falls back to myself, and the best efforts of my scryers." The bleak reality of the situation actually brought about a strange calm to Sloane, the final acceptance of having to deal with things as they were. "To begin with, we need to avoid Maarani at all costs. That includes forcing Kiarna to abandon her pursuit when she returns from Katarr."

Rak'Sakar hummed in thought, then nodded to the doorway that Sloane had come through. "Then that is something we must look towards accomplishing first…"

The doors opened to Bellara at that moment, stoic and silent as ever, her head tipped low in respect as she drew closer, and then knelt down before the two Sith Lords.

"Bellara, you will be working with Lady Sloane for the time being. It seems you have a shared interest in tracking down Kiarna." When Sloane's confusion became clear, he looked back to her with a grave expression. "A report came in from Dalchon not even an hour ago. Kiarna has been sighted there, very clearly working with a Rutian Twi'lek wielding a red lightsaber, as well as a Mandalorian, a dark skinned Jedi, and a Zeltron."

The revelation hit Sloane quite hard. Wasting lives on a mistake was one thing, but allowing the Shadow Hand herself to be compromised…

"The Lady is even further into her plan than I expected. For the sake of all we have worked to build, we have to recall Lasidia. Even the superweapon itself is not worth this."

Rak'Sakar shook his head, putting an end to that insistence. "Her mission involves more than the superweapon. Formulate whatever plan you can to stop Maarani as well as the Lady of Balance, and free Kiarna from their grasp. And be ready to capitalize on events that occur in the near future. The rest of the fleet will continue as planned, this stays between us, and your most trusted. General Morgak need not be included in a purely Sith matter."


"A fascinating world, I must say."

K'Srin took a sip from his glass while gazing out over the planet orientated ahead from that angle. A sole landmass dominated that hemisphere, extending out in a giant peninsula around the globe and out of sight altogether. The eastern coast from which the peninsula protruded was dominated by a vast mountain range, towering over the sprawling landscape to the west.

Morgak swirled the wine in his glass for a little while before taking a sip as well, also gazing across the world that was well into beginning early construction of their supplement fleet. A valued military asset, but little more in his eyes.

"Tremendous storms due to the vast ocean space. And yet, they weather each out without so much as a whimper of complaint."

"Sturdiness of body and of mind, built up over the generations. I know the type well."

An Iridonian serving girl approached them both at that moment, hands outstretched to carry the plate of bite size appetizers as far from herself as possible as dictated.

K'Srin was quick to take notice, a smile quickly taking hold at the aroma wafting off the plate. "Your chef knows his craft I see." He took one of the appetizers between two fingers, glancing over the rich blue glaze that held something round to the slice of red fruit beneath. When Morgak declined, he shrugged and took the bite at last, sighing in delight at the taste given.

"Corellian born, raised and trained. Dare I say it would be harder to find a finer chef that is not already bound to quite the hefty contract."

He watched the serving girl continue on to the rest of the room, leaving him with a moment's breath. "I am pleased it is to your liking regardless. Tales of your culinary artisans do find their way across the galaxy to us. Not that he doesn't appreciate the challenge."

When K'Srin was finished, he lightly wiped his lips clean with a napkin provided by another of his slaves, a contented hum following after while he brought his hands to rest behind his back.

"Much as I could discuss food at length, there are other questions I would ask you, and answers to some of your own to provide." After Morgak nodded in agreement, K'Srin tilted his head up a little, protruding his chin. "I have noticed your aversion to the slaves. Even the mere mention causes tension in your eyebrows. You clearly do not approve."

"If I did not approve them being onboard, I would have said as much. I do not conceal how I feel about a particular matter, seeing as there is rarely a reason to when dealing with Sith."

There was a visible show of relief on his part at getting his discomfort out of the way. "No, I simply disagree with the notion and the reasoning behind slavery. I have always believed that the individual should be free to work to the best of his or her ability, to prove worth in that regard without destruction of the ego. But it is ultimately a personal viewpoint, and personal views have no business affecting the decisions of a proper military leader."

That brought on an eyebrow raise from his counterpart, but not out of disapproval, or even a lowered opinion as a result of that declaration. "I see. My only question then is why you serve in the Empire, when it is the Republic who champion freedom for all individuals. Especially their Jedi lap dogs who would see us destroyed if not for their war with your Sith. I do not recall hearing the same cry of equality from any of your, predominantly human, troopers."

"My mother was a general in the Republic Army. She served along the greats, like Grand Admiral Dodonna. I know for a fact she would be devastated by the state of the Republic in this age, ruled by greed and bureaucracy. Choking on its own capitalist trash, subject to the whims of hypocritical unions and corporations alike."

His face by then had started to turn just a little red, sliding into the impassioned state that he drew all his conviction from. "I could not change all that from within. Even a malfunctioning droid with all the criminal scum of the galaxy at its disposal could not change it. Therefore, massive force of arms, a tearing down of the old ways is required. That is the only way to truly dredge the Republic from its status as a moral cesspit."

By then, he was entirely absorbed in his own self-justification, oblivious to his rambling speech. "I accepted that I had to be the driving force of innovation, either the Republic would be conquered and reformed, or driven to change through sheer attrition, the inevitable grinding down of will in war. And if the majority of alien worlds choose to cling to their assumptions about the Empire, that is their mistake to make. I have not once rejected a worthwhile trooper nor officer on any grounds, least of which being appearance. If they do not come, if they do not have the makings of an Imperial soldier, that is their fault to correct, and theirs alone."

Everyone else in the room had gone quiet at that moment, the officers because they knew better than to interrupt any of Morgak's speeches, not that they would when he spoke with such pure determination behind his words anyway. K'Srin himself was in mild awe, though he did little to show it other than shifting his shoulders ever so slightly with a small inhale.

The one to break the silence was his second, a wide grin on her face as she stepped forward, all while giving a slow clap.

"You are truly well spoken, good General. I can so easily picture you rallying the masses."

When both men turned to her, she set her hands behind her back as well, gradually moving to stand between them both and gaze out over the surface below as well.

Out of concern about how Morgak would take her presumption, K'Srin subtly placed a hand on her facing shoulder. "Ashter, you have something to add?"

"I do indeed, dear uncle." Despite the concern, she remained unfazed, casting a quick glance at Morgak before setting her feline gaze back. "You have a truly admirable mindset, General. You see the corruption of the Republic for what it is, and you do not accept that it 'simply cannot be changed'. But, however much good will come of tearing it all down in the short term, you must have a plan to replace that system in the long term, else it will be for nothing."

Morgak rolled his tongue in mild discontentment, but eventually chose to hear her out. "I am far from an economist, thus I planned to ensure that others could take up that particular responsibility."

"And where would these 'others' come from? The Hutts are just as corrupt as the Republic in their own way, and while we Zygerrians do business with them, it is out of necessity." Her grin grew a little more, baring her fangs ever so slightly. "We as a people do not function economically for profit, for filling margins and extorting the working class for all they are worth. Slavery is a tradition, it is cultural, it has allowed us to function entirely differently from so many other civilizations in this sprawling galaxy. It is a solid foundation, from which an economy of true equality for all those who are deserving."

She stretched her hand out in a pass over the sight of the other shipyards in the distance to emphasise her coming point. "Imagine the powerhouse that the Empire would become with an economy that is driven by the people, for the people! Those who disobey are put in their place, those who are sensible, who follow your rules and laws are treated far better than they would under the protection of the Republic. No longer subject to the personal whims of companies and politicians, free to pursue the employment and lifestyle they desire. Effective removal of the classes, leaving only that of Imperial citizens, and those who are deemed far more useful when choices are made for them by those citizens."

At that, she turned fully to face Morgak, meeting his deep distrust with a devious look of her own. "You said yourself, you only turn away those who are not worthwhile, everything else is irrelevant. The same would simply apply to the civilian population, as well as your armies. We are not barbaric after all, we do not deal in child labour. So, let each have their opportunity to prove themselves as they come of age, by whatever standards you and the Sith deem. And if they fail, simply turn them over to us, and wash your hands of any guilt you may find yourself experiencing."

It was a lot to take in, though the process of doing so led Morgak to a crucial conclusion. When he had finally gone over it all in his mind, he turned away from the window to pace and think further, only turning back to face both Zygerrians once he was certain of his position.

"You Ashter are the real negotiator for these talks. Might I ask why the ploy?"

"Perceptive, General. It was simply a precaution, we did not know whether or not you would take things quite as seriously coming from a female as you would a male. However, when you made it clear you do not judge by those terms, the pretense was made irrelevant."

Morgak was a little more disgruntled at the assumption rather than the action, even enough to make a point of it. "I assure you, race, colour, gender, orientation, none of those things affect my judgement of character. The majority of officers are human men simply because that is the type that comes to us in the first place. We have yet to reach more densely populated and varied spheres of influence with our cautious expansion after all."

The assurance made K'Srin smile a little more as he whispered to Ashter, who nodded and made her way to the side so that he could speak to Morgak directly once again.

"In that case, might I make a personal request, purely separated from the negotiations I assure you, though I would say I have quite a bit of clout myself should I find things favourable."

"I'm listening."

"A man I loved was ruined and driven to suicide by the actions of a Jedi known as Masadar'Arani, when Kusrag led a testing force to take fresh Twi'lek subjects from his village. We know from Darth Lasidia that he had a surviving daughter aligned with your Sith, and more recently a second, elder daughter, formerly in the Republic Starfighter Corps."

Another unwanted reminder that forced Morgak to affirm himself before the admission. "Masaka is long gone. She became entangled in ghastly ancient Sith magic that drove her to insanity. I lost several good men in her bloodthirsty escape."

"That we did not know, however I did not plan on taking revenge on one who was more favourable to the Empire anyway."

"Quite. Unfortunately, Tegama is also a problem. She and a small group, including two Jedi, laid waste to another of our ships. She even killed one of the Sith stationed there in cold blood. I'm afraid Darth Rak'Sakar will overrule any decision on her fate entirely, even if we were to somehow capture her again."

It took the smile of K'Srin's face, but not his proud demeanour. "A shame, but not entirely unexpected. There is still a great feeling of gratitude among our kind for keeping the Jedi so entirely occupied with this war after all. Had it not come when it did, they may have chosen to come after Zygerria itself before long. Hence our reconsidered stance of neutrality in these times."

"Uncle, General, now that we have made the basis for our case to the Empire…"

"Yes, you certainly have." The proposal itself was much larger than what Morgak had expected, and as military leader it was something he would be ultimately responsible for enforcing. True to his word, he didn't let personal discomfort get in the way of being professional. "You are certain Zygerria as a whole would welcome the prospect of swearing loyalty to the Empress of the Sith? The final decision will rest with her once crowned of course."

Ashter's sly grin remained well in place. "We accepted the partial rule of a Rakata long ago in our history. In exchange for taking a poverty stricken society, and turning it into an economic powerhouse within a couple of years. I believe a strong influence in determining the landscape of the Empire from that economic view will be more than enough in exchange for our king ruling under the Sith Empress. But of course, this is now in the realm of something our respective diplomats must discuss and debate."

After a nod, Morgak looked over to Rasters, gesturing for him to join the group at last as a formality. "Then let us officially open negotiations. Our ship is ready and waiting to take us all back to Ziost, while this station remains open to Zygerrians as a whole."

"I shall instruct our pilot to make the transfer now. For now, we will consult with the rest of our party. Good fortune to you, General Morgak."

K'Srin led the way out, Ashter and the few Zygerrians that had accompanied them following shortly after, leaving the Imperial officers and the slaves gifted to them.

Having listened to the whole exchange, and had plenty of time to process it all without having to hold much of a conversation himself, Rasters felt a bit more confident than usual in speaking up. "That seemed rather easy, if I might be so bold, General."

Morgak sighed while drawing his hands behind his back, very slowly walking around the expanse of the office. "Darth Lasidia should have lead these negotiations. It was her plan to bring the Zygerrians into the fold once we had acquired the means of producing more ships. Clearly she did not anticipate that the political climate of Lianna would swing so heavily in our favour that we could occupy it with such little resistance, and advance the plan by over a year."

"I see…"

"Inevitably, word will reach them of both her absence, and that of Kiarna. We must be prepared to make concessions while Darth Rak'Sakar sees to resolving both those problems in the meantime. Regardless of anything else, we need their cooperation if we are to move forward swiftly. I trust that you can see to it that those under your command give them the same in return?"

That made Rasters pause in mild confusion. "My command?"

"Yes. By the time the Gauntlet of Malak is complete, we will have completed our reinstatement of the three military divisions. I shall have moved to Grand Moff, and there will be a need for a General, an Admiral, and a Chief Marshal respectively. We will have time enough to discuss the logistics at length once all the decisions have been finalized. Now would the time to begin considering which division you would suit best."


"Your muscle density has improved well beyond what I anticipated so far. Which is good, don't misunderstand."

Sokoli looked down at her arm to watch those muscles beneath her pasty yellow skin as she flexed her arm. A stark difference from how thin it had been when she first woke up.

"I have been keeping to the diet and exercise regimen you prescribed, doctor."

"Good, good." Dr Xilubu exchanged glances between the screen readout of her health scan, and that of what he had recorded previously. A few thoughtful hums later, and he handed both back to the nurse droid to focus on his patient fully. "I think you're ready to be declared fit for travel. Obviously you'll need a bit more time to fully adjust before being given assignments by the Council, but if you wish to visit Shili for a while I can have that cleared by the end of the day."

"Thank you, but I don't feel a desire to leave Coruscant anytime soon. Or the Temple for that matter."

"I see. In that case, I'll see you in two weeks for a follow-up examination. Provided that you maintain the current regimen, I'd say that you'll remain in perfect health indefinitely."

With a roll of her eyes, Sokoli slipped off the bed and reached for her cloak. "I hope so. I would hate to have lost thirty five years of my life to wakeless sleep, only to die in another five."

"Yes I can imagine. Rest assured I am still consulting with psychiatrists and physicians across the galaxy in search of some answer to your memory loss. It is truly perplexing that even Force healing has done nothing to combat it."

There was only a slight pause from Sokoli, her head tilting to the left just a little.

"I also haven't come to a satisfactory conclusion on the height difference. Skeletal tests show your bones have returned to expected density, and yet you've remained basically the same height since you were first brought here."

Again Sokoli paused, this time with a faint sigh as she adjusted the cloak into place around her shoulders. "I still do not recall anything of my life before this. What records I did find indicated that I was daughter to a plains tribe before being sent here for training. Perhaps it is an undocumented hereditary issue?"

"Possibly. Though it would be the first I've heard of one affecting the body in this way."

"I am certain you will find an answer eventually, doctor." With one final adjustment of her lekku, she began making her way out of the hospital wing at last.

"Oh, one more question. Purely out of curiosity.

Sokoli rolled her eyes again, but did come to a stop and half turned to look back at him.

"When you first woke back up, you exclaimed the word 'Azera'. Does it have any significance to you now, compared to then?"

Azera, Azera, Azera. Hail to the Sith Empress Azera.

"Nothing comes to mind. It certainly isn't a Togruta word."

Dr Xilubu sighed in bemusement, glancing away briefly before eventually shrugging it all off. "I have yet to look into it myself, seeing as it did not come up in Temple records. I leave that to you then, good luck with the rest of your search into your past."

Just after turning back to continue on her departure, a faint smirk formed on Sokoli's lips.

Her destination was the Archives as it had been every day since she had become capable of walking on her own.

Once there, she sifted through files relating to events following the Jedi Civil War, leading up to the purge. By what record keeping means there were, her search was solely for that of all listings to the name of 'Sokoli Zatu'.

Though she did not consciously know the reason why, her real search had been prompted to much more recent files, specifically those regarding the security systems guarding the holocron vault.

All done right under the view of Atris herself, without a hint of suspicion to be found.