Hello everyone, we are back! I am satisfied with how act one turned out and I loved seeing Clone Wars season seven, I even felt like some of the emotions and some of the scenes in each touched on similar themes, which is always cool. Now, in this vastly different quarantine world, we're getting into act two, exploring the very first days of the Empire, this Grand Duchy of Taaszon, and, some Secrets of The Outer Rim! Is eleven chapters enough to include self-referential humor? Probably not, anyway, here is chapter eleven, picking up right where act one ended. I hope you enjoy!
Secrets of The Outer Rim.
Act II.
The Heart of Darkness.
Chapter XI.
The Grand Duchy of Taaszon.
"Sit down and strip in Zaliza, the journey to Taaszon is a...bumpy one, to say the least." Phanza explained as I followed her instructions, sitting down behind the Echani Mandalorian Ceyla, who was in the pilot seat. HK-107, surprisingly enough, sat in the co-pilot's seat of the Ravager-class Sith Interceptor. R9 rolled up next to me and collapsed his legs down, magnetizing with a series of worrying beeps. I still couldn't quite understand the droid, but I still rested my hand on his red and purple dome, trying to reassure my one and only remaining link to the Republic and the Jedi Order. Ruumshi and Avoine, Phanza's bodyguards, sat down as well, sitting at the rear of the cockpit - even in this position they were framing the entrance, ready to defend their mistress with their electrostaffs - meanwhile, Phanza herself stood tall, pulling a purple pyramid shaped wayfinder from her robes, lowering it into a circular pedestal in the Ultimate's console, sinking it into an indentation in the surface. The circular surface lit up with purple light and the navicomputer received the information, plotting a chart to Taaszon. Lady Attam sat down behind HK-107, in the seat opposite of me, and the ship blasted off into hyperspace, bathing us in blue light. I took a deep breath, finally getting a moment to relax.
I probably shouldn't have felt so safe around a Sith Lord and her dangerous cadre of companions, but I did, in a way I didn't even on Imperius Prime - I wasn't comfortable around the Sith, I was comfortable around this Sith, that was a comforting, if unimportant, distinction - however, that comfort didn't last long as a chilling realization truly struck my body. During all the horrors I experienced recently, I had a purpose - first to survive, then to escape Ypherro, and finally to get to Taaszon - but now, now that I was really on my way there, I didn't have a purpose to distract me from the horrible circumstances around me. Master Avdune was sniped, but I still had hope that we could escape, that I could save her, but then, with that confounding kiss, she sacrificed herself to let me escape Count Dooku's secret sanctum, now, my master was dead. Was she more than my master? I don't even know, I want to consider her my friend, I want to think that the kiss meant something, but then again, on the other hand, I didn't even trust her enough to tell her about this Force Bond with Phanza. Lady Attam may be the only person I know that I have left, but that doesn't change the fact that she accused my master of being a liar, when really, I was the one lying to her ever since Phanza first spoke to me through the Force. Now, I was dependent on a Sith, likely on a collision course with the Empire regardless of what I wanted, and I was left to confront these feelings myself.
I know it won't help and I know you don't want to hear it from me, but I didn't want Ullara to die. She seemed like a valiant Jedi and a talented warrior. I looked up to see Phanza, the Nautolan slightly looking towards me, communicating slightly through our Force bond so as to not publicize my emotional turmoil. I sat there silently and uncontemplated what Phanza told me. I had always assumed that she intended to replace Ullara Avdune as my master and seduce me to the Dark Side, and I still had to suspect as much, however, something about her message seemed oddly genuine. I also noticed that, despite usually disparaging my master and trying to goad her into a fight, making her drop her Jedi ideals, Phanza did compliment her in the end and show a certain understanding of her, making the distinction between Jedi and between warriors. I don't mean to be too sympathetic to a Sith, especially not given her accusations against Master Avdune, but perhaps all those insults and prodding remarks were tests, trying to test Ullara's determination and strength of character, tests which the Mirialan succeeded.
I didn't dwell on this too much, because, all of a sudden, we dropped out of hyperspace and I instantly understood what Phanza warned me about, as the Ultimate emerged in the chaotic, icy rings of what I assumed was Taaszon. Ceyla and HK-107 instantly seized the controls, human intuition and robotic computing coming together to expertly follow the map from the wayfinder, weaving past tumbling chunks of rock and ice in the planetary rings. I didn't know if the world was chosen because of this hyperspace feature or if the Sith manipulated the hyperspace route to achieve this effect, but we emerged directly in the gravitational whirlwind of cosmic detritus, and only the wayfinder, combined with very capable pilots, could guide one out of this natural hellscape. I watched some of the rocks closely, finding that some of them were not rocks after all, rather, they were the wreckage of ships - ranging from fighters to freighters to capital ships - that did not manage this very particular journey. Just as I began to calm down, thinking I understood all of the risk here, I saw that there was more than just rock and ice in these rings - our next obstacle was a massive cloud of red gas, something which couldn't possibly be harmless and benign.
"There are gravitational anomalies in these rings. Rocks, balls of ice, and even small moons are all normally found in planetary rings, however, in parts of Taaszon's rings, miniature atmospheres can develop, spanning across multiple asteroids or moons, and these atmospheres, almost entirely, consist of raging, endless storms that can easily destroy a ship that doesn't know where it is going, but with the wayfinders, featuring constantly updated navigational data, we know exactly where to fly at any given moment. These bizarre, highly unusual rings protect Taaszon from outsiders, the perfect cover for a civilization rejected by the rest of the galaxy." Phanza explained and, before I could even fully dissect her statement, Ceyla and HK-107 dived into a cloud formation, leaving me to watch helplessly as gigantic bolts of white lightning tore through this foreign atmosphere all around us. These truly were strange clouds, Taaszon's atmosphere, filling the sky above us, didn't even have a red tint to it, meaning that these gases in this atmosphere were completely foreign. The bizarreness of this was only increased by how the rocks and ice in these clouds seemed completely covered in red dust from this unnatural, alien atmosphere. Lightning tore through the cloud, obstacles barely came into view through the thick gas and their matching color, and I lost sight of Taaszon itself in the thickest portions of the cloud, nevertheless, eventually, we emerged form this atmosphere and, soon after that, we exited the rings entirely, coming out to the safety of space.
Margraviate-class Dreadnoughts orbited around a space station within the rings of Taaszon, giving me yet another look at Taaszon's mighty military power. The Grand Duchy is incredibly militarized considering that it consists of a mere eleven, low populated systems at the very edge of the galaxy, but it simply isn't enough, it won't ever be enough against the Empire. Military spending was already massive under the Republic and now, there's no one to stop Palpatine from increasing it even further, his emergency powers are nothing compared to his now permanent Imperial powers. The Senate doesn't have the power, nor the will, to resist the Emperor, even if they don't know the horrifying truth about him, that he was a Sith Lord, so now, nothing is stopping Palpatine from just throwing Imperial resources at Taaszon until the Grand Duchy is conquered. There cannot be an open war against the Galactic Empire, the four known planets would be eviscerated and, soon rather than later, the Empire will find a wayfinder or just brute force their way through the rings, we might have a technological edge, I really don't know, but we simply don't have the numbers to wage such a war. I don't want to let Palpatine rule the galaxy, but this isn't the way, we can't just let Sith wage war with Sith until one faction is eradicated, the Jedi need to come back, and, for better or worse, I'm the only one in a position to do so.
I don't know if I'm the last Jedi alive - I want to believe the likes of Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Master Yoda, and Master Windu survived, but Master Avdune didn't, I barely did and I saw the transmission with my own eyes, I knew what was happening - but I have to act like it is the case. That being said, what can I really do? I'm not a master, I was only a Padawan, I don't have a hall of holocrons, a library of Jedi knowledge, and a council of other masters at my disposal, all I really have is my own experience, my own struggles with the Jedi code, and a complicated relationship with a Sith Lord. The Force must have a twisted sense of a humor I suppose, the least qualified Jedi in the galaxy is the only one left to do something about it, to change things...I know I have to do it, but I don't think I can. Lady Attam wants to turn me into her apprentice and, on Taaszon, in the heart of this Sith state, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to resist. The Jedi have fallen, the Republic has fallen, and I'll be surrounded by Sith...I've already used Force Lightning, I've already fought and killed many of the clones who fought with me, who saw me as family, and I've even executed clones that weren't even combat units. I'm vulnerable to the Dark Side, and now...I'm descending into the heart of darkness.
My stomach lurched at this revelation as the Ultimate approached the planet, coming in for a landing.
"Ceyla, HK, Ruumshi, Avoine, remain here. Zaliza and I will have an audience with Grand Duchess Voytana and then we'll all head back to Castle Attam." Phanza explained, I didn't say a word, merely meekly following her, too lost in my own horrific circumstances to respond. I wore my hood up and kept my eyes down as we entered the Citadel. The building itself was massive and we were high above the clouds, the surface of Taaszon far below, but none of that really mattered to me, all that I could concentrate on was my destroyed life and the spiral into darkness that the whole galaxy was on. The Jedi were born on Tython eons ago, born from ancient force users after centuries of war between Light Side users and Dark Side users, the latter of which were banished from the world. The Republic was just as old, it has been a stable, unifying force in the galaxy for tens of thousands of years, despite its very existence being threatened numerous times by the Sith and other existential threats. The Republic is so stable that the current constitution and form of government lasted for a thousand years before Palpatine rose up and shattered it all, finally achieving the dreams of the Sith, and dooming everyone in the process.
Purple and black armored soldiers of various species - humans, Chiss, and even aliens like Rattataki, Twi'Leks, Togruta, and other beings, all stood united, posed at attention for Phanza. I almost wanted to say these were honor guards, but I stood corrected when we entered the next chamber, the hallway to the throne room. This time, standing along the wall, just like the previous military guards, were red armored guards armed with lightsaber pikes, an incredibly formidable force. Ruumshi and Avoine served this purpose for Lady Attam, but the two of them, as impressive as they are, do not match up with this massive group of faceless warriors defending the throne room. Phanza stopped at the door and I finally, truly, looked up, watching as the opened, slowly and grandly, to reveal the massive throne room of Grand Duchess Voytana. Two massive purple banners of Taaszon graced the rear wall of the room, and, perfectly between them, sat a massive, elevated throne, and, in that throne, sat Voytana herself, Phanza's master. I didn't even need to reach out through the Force to feel her presence, her power felt heavy and radiant in this room, as if she could instantly crush me against the floor with little more than a passing thought. She was dressed in a black and purple robe, similar to the one Phanza usually wore, and she seemed to be young, despite her ancient power, but I couldn't tell much because I've never seen her species before. Voytana's skin was crimson red - nothing unusual, mine is a similar shade - but her features were harsh, with sharp, bony protrusions on her face, glowing red eyes, and rough, yet unblemished skin. Her hair was long, straight, and black, flowing down past her shoulders, making her a woman that was simultaneously beautiful and monstrous.
"Zaliza Vyvan of the Jedi Order, this is Grand Duchess Voytana of Taaszon, Dark Lord of the Sith, Mistress of the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge, and the last of the Pureblooded Sith. She is our supreme leader, holding power over even me, I can offer you refuge here, but only if she allows it." Phanza explained, revealing that, even with Dooku's wayfinder, my safety here is not guaranteed, nothing on Taaszon is guaranteed without Voytana's approval. As I looked into her glowing red eyes and I felt her immense power ominously tightening around me, as if her attention always came with the distinct possibility of her murdering me, I had to wonder, is she truly any better than Emperor Palpatine? Perhaps coming here was a grave mistake, perhaps Phanza Attam is the only good Sith in an organization that is still just as evil and despotic here as it has been anywhere else, and perhaps not even that is true, Phanza could just be deceiving me as her attempt to convert me, but despite all this, it was too late, I had to make my case. I didn't think I could escape, not with Voytana as powerful as she is, and, even if I could, where could I go? How could I even get off of this planet, given that I didn't have a wayfinder. Voytana appears frightening and evil, but she is my only option right now.
"Grand Duchess Voytana, I am Zaliza Vyvan, Padawan of the Jedi Order and -" I wanted to properly introduce myself - despite the fact that Phanza did that already, after all, this is a monarchy, a Sith monarchy, but still, I'd imagine they have some sort of protocol here - and show respect, which I figured was my best chance of surviving this situation, but, evidently, I've done something wrong, because Voytana cut me off. I, of course, immediately piped down and let her speak, not wanting to anger this powerful Sith Pureblood, apparently the last of the ancient Sith. I thought that they were extinct, I thought that their name only lived on from the evil order that succeeded them, yet, here I was, confronted with one of them, and having no answer for her abilities.
"I know who you are Zaliza Vyvan, the problem is you do not." Voytana commanded, her natural voice seemed surprisingly beautiful and polite, however, as she spoke, she layered it in such a way that it came out as booming and daunting, just as constricting as her power flowing around me. I took a sharp inhale and dared not speak, fearing what an interruption would me, I would just wait for her to say what she was going to say. I did have my suspicions though, I suspected that this all had to do with the deception and the true nature that Phanza Attam hinted about. I dared glance at the Nautolan, but her expression surprised me. Lady Attam, the incredibly powerful Sith Lord who felt comfortable in a room full of Jedi and Senate Guards, was nervous, looking down at the floor with an almost apologetic expression on her face, as if she didn't want this to happen so soon and in this way. Whatever this was, Phanza knew, but she didn't want me to find out this way "The Jedi, including your master, have deceived you of what you truly are. They saw your smooth red skin and your purple eyes and they thought they could fool you, telling you that you were a Zeltron, and, in the meantime, they watched you, just waiting for you to slip up, to use the Dark Side of the Force, so that they could justify it to themselves to execute you. You did screw up, you used that power, but, fortunately for you, your master protected you, keeping your secret. Ullara Avdune is the only reason your precious little order of hypocritical monks and high-and-mighty mystics didn't kill you for your use of natural power on Dxun."
"What could the Jedi possibly execute me for?!" I blurted out, not believing in her, before realizing my mistake and cowering back, fearful that this deadly woman would punish me for my actions, for standing up for what I believed in. I braced myself, waiting to be launched across the room or electrocuted, but it never came, instead, Voytana laughed. Not even a villainous cackle or the insane laughter of a madwoman, simply a genuine, amused laugh. This caught me off guard, seeming more like something Phanza would do than her all-powerful, Dark Lord of the Sith master.
"You have nothing to fear Zaliza Vyvan, you are accepted here as a guest of honor of Lady Attam." Voytana said, her voice no longer layered and, believe it or not, somewhat reassuring. I was confused, but Voytana continued on, finally explaining this mystery to me "The Jedi would execute you the same reason they executed by ancestors on Korriban, bombarding the world after the Great Hyperspace War, the same reason they forced the last of the Purebloods to retreat from Dromund Kaas and flee here to Taaszon upon the fall of the last Sith Empire, and the same reason others still fled into the Unknown Regions to create Palpatine's faction. You are not a Zeltron, Zaliza Vyvan, you are a half-blooded Sith. Your father, before his death, ventured out into the galaxy, searching for survivors of our species, finding none, instead, all he found was a human woman. He fell in love with her and sired you before the Jedi found him. The Jedi took you in and hid the truth from you, unwilling to kill a child but fearing the return of the Sith. Now, you and I are the last remnants of Sith blood in this galaxy."
I wanted to deny this, I really did, but I couldn't. I remembered back to the conversation I had with Ullara Avdune about not developing Zeltron pheromones despite obviously being sexually mature, I remembered back to how much she feared me using the Dark Side, and I remembered how, even before all this, she stressed that accomplishing the mission at Taaszon would be a major test for me. Perhaps, if things had gone differently, if the last stages of the war didn't advance so quickly, the Jedi Council might have told me the truth after Taaszon. They saw that I was able to interact with the Sith without immediately falling to the Dark Side, and they thought that I overcame the biggest obstacle I had to becoming a full fledged Jedi Knight. This could have gone so differently, instead, here I am, at the edge of the galaxy with all of the Jedi dead and learning all of this from the Dark Lord of the Sith...one of them anyway. I didn't know how to respond to all this, I didn't know what I could say or to who, so instead, I froze up, looked down at the floor, and felt the tears begin to fall down my face. I simply stood there, in the throne room of a Sith Lord, alone and crying until someone came over and gave me a hug and, to my shock, it was Phanza Attam.
"I know you have a lot to think about and I can only imagine the thoughts and contradictions going through your head right now. Do you want to head to Castle Attam and rest?" Phanza asked, the Nautolan speaking softly and comforting me, something I would've never expected from a Sith Lord, especially not one of this much power and this much significance, even if that all paled in comparison to Voytana. I looked up at the Grand Duchess and, to my surprise, there was a certain pity on her face, despite how powerful and detached she should have been. Voytana dismissed us and I let Phanza usher me out of the throne room, appreciating the comfort and support of another person after everything I've experienced lately, even if I knew that person was a Sith.
"These shall be your quarters," Phanza opened the double doors, revealing a large and lavish room, decorated in the blacks, purples, and reds that seem to be typical of Taaszon. The room was entirely too large, featuring a lavish bed, a view of the capital city below, a conjoined master bathroom, a kitchenette in one corner, a little living room in the other, and even a fully stocked closet. This was absolutely not the kind of room a Jedi should stay in, our only possessions were meant to be our robes, lightsaber, and a cot, not all of this. My master and all of the other Jedi didn't just die so I could immediately forsake their ideals just for a comfortable bed.
"I can't stay here Phanza, I'm sorry. All this luxury and excess isn't the Jedi way." I argued, hoping that I could get something more like what I had on Coruscant or onboard the Sage. I cringed as those two places crossed my mind, being reminded of what they have come. Coruscant, once the center of the free galaxy, is now Palpatine's home, the place from which that despot could rule over the whole rest of the Republic turned Empire. The Sage, meanwhile, is now an instrument of Palpatine's control, a ship that, instead of saving worlds, will now conquer them, spreading the Empire's might far and wide. Perhaps I should go for something slightly different, something that won't remind me so much of the twisted wreck of my life, but something that is still modest enough to conform to the Jedi way.
"Zaliza...this is a castle, every room is like this." Phanza informed me, letting me know something I should've suspected long ago. Places like this didn't even need servants quarters anymore thanks to droids and automation, and I couldn't just sleep in a closet full of droids. As much as the Jedi are concerned with being poor monks, they understand that people have certain needs, including a surface to sleep on and a bathroom, neither of which droids have. I suppose I could sleep on a cot in this room, after all, the lavish surrounding aren't all that different from the grand nature of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, another place clouded in death and failure for me, a place that Palpatine used as his trap for any Jedi who survived Order 66.
"Can you at least replace this furniture with things a little less wealthy and grand?" I asked, trying to capture as much of the Jedi lifestyle as I could on this distant and Sith controlled world far away from the world I knew and the Jedi I was once a part of. They lied to me, they really did, and now, I'm finding out that I'm a Sith, a half-blooded Sith, but a Sith nonetheless, but I'm not going to forsake them for that. The Jedi were flawed, fundamentally flawed, I saw that even before Order 66, but they didn't deserve that, they didn't deserve to be so completely and utterly destroyed.
"Zaliza, I know this is new, but the Jedi idea is to not impose and to live simply. By asking me to have this room rearranged for you, you are imposing and you are violating the Jedi principles in practice, if not appearance. Please, just accept these conditions and rest, you need it after everything that's happened to you lately. After tonight, if you really aren't comfortable here, I will try and find a more agreeable place for you." Phanza promised, the Nautolan speaking softly, her politeness clashing with her appearance - I didn't expect the red skinned woman with sharp black tattoos and a red and black lightsaber to be this hospitable and understanding. I didn't necessarily agree with her on how accepting this was more modest than having the room rearranged, but I would follow her advice and try it for tonight before making a final decision. My master died and I just found out I'm a half-blooded Sith, if there was ever a time where it was justified to bend the Jedi lifestyle, it was now. That being said, if I managed to actually rebuild the Jedi despite all my flaws and shortcomings, I don't want to set any unfortunate precedents.
I was clearly not used to life at Castle Attam. The bed was entirely too comfortable, the sheets were so warm and soft I had to take off my robes to sleep, then, I slept peacefully, too peacefully. I felt guilty for sleeping that well so soon after Ullara died, I felt like I should have cried, twisted, and turned all night, but I didn't, I simply sunk into the mattress, snuggled into the sheets, and slept all night long like an ungrateful, detached monster rather than the obedient and mourning Padawan I wanted to be right now. My next out-of-place experience came when I realized the servant droids must have silently taken away my robes to be washed, leaving me without my own clothes for today. Obviously I washed my robes, I did so daily if possible, but I didn't have it done for me before, that was new and that was jarring. I found myself walking over to the closet and finding it stocked with various sets of robes, robes clearly meant for me, yet styled like the Sith of Taaszon. I cringed, many would leave my sleeves and midriff bare - now, the Jedi didn't have a dress code, Master Secura made sure of that, but I usually wore my reddish-brown robes which more than covered me up - however, I eventually found an acceptable robe. A full body robe similar to Phanza and Voytana's usual outfits, in Taaszon's usual black and purple, and I took that into the bathroom to get washed up and dressed.
A trip in the refresher later and I realized that the servant droids, little circular units gliding across the palace floors silently, had taken my underwear to wash that too, leaving me with nothing to wear beneath my robes. I was alone, but in a foreign place, aware of the fact that there was probably a camera - or several - watching me, I wandered back into the room and found a bra and a pair of underwear in the drawer. There were two things that shocked me here: first of all, the fact that everything here was exactly to my measurements, and second of all, the fact that some of the items Phanza left for me were made of...lace. I understood that Phanza and the Sith have different morals than the Jedi, but this really was completely and utterly obscene. These robes and underwear clearly and perfectly fit me, so what could Phanza have possibly been thinking when she stocked my room with...lingerie of all things. I was a Jedi, I shouldn't have many possessions, least of all something so blatantly sexual and enticing for a member of an order that banned attachments.
I got dressed in the robe, and the matching boots and belt. There was also a set of gloves that came with these robes but I decided not to wear them. I noticed a few things about these robes, when compared to Jedi robes: first of all, while my Jedi robes were not constricting, not in a time of so much war, these felt infinitely lighter. The robes clung close to my body, tightly accentuating my figure, but, despite that, they felt like they weren't even there, and, on top of that, the material was clearly rarer, more expensive, and more luxurious than anything that I would ever find at the Jedi Temple. I have only just gotten to Castle Attam and I already feel completely out of place, living out of a space too big for me, sleeping in a bed too soft for me, and dressed in clothes too nice for me. This was too much, too luxurious, this wasn't what I wanted and, as a Jedi, I shouldn't have this. Perhaps it is imposing to ask to live a simple and humble life within a lavish palace, but the Jedi clearly were not intended to live like this, this is completely ridiculous. Just to accentuate how unprepared I was for this life, as I turned around to leave the room, I nearly tripped over one of the servant droids as it's little flat disk frame slid past me, a silent and obedient puck keeping Phanza's castle pristine while she was away. Presumably, there were other types of droids as well, but these small and relatively unintrusive ones were clearly the most numerous.
I found Phanza sat down on her outdoor meditation pad, the capital city and the citadel out in the valley below, the mountains all around the castle, and a light snow was falling up here, but not quite enough to actually settle on the ground. I quietly walked over to her, stepping out of the warmth of Castle Attam for the cooler mountain air of this outlook. I didn't want to disturb the Sith Lord who turned out to be my one and only friend now that the Jedi were gone, but I had no one else to talk to, I didn't know anyone else here. Between the clones betrayal and the trap on Coruscant, I didn't think that very many Jedi at all survived. I could only hope that Master Towaan and my friend Thonna Ai'sunn died quickly, they didn't deserve to suffer. Taaszon was turning out to be a complicated place, everything appeared to be the Sith - the dark aesthetics, liberal use of Dark Side powers, and a towering obelisk of autocracy reaching far into the clouds - yet, despite that, I couldn't see the evils we associated with the Sith. This palace was worked by droids rather than slaves, the people, both here and on the outlying systems, seemed happy to be under Voytana's rule, and then there was the issue of Phanza. Her appearance showed absolutely no scars or deterioration from the Dark Side despite the fact she was clearly powerful, she was nice and caring to me, despite the fact that she clearly wielded all the power in this relationship, and, while I wasn't necessarily comfortable with it, she clearly put care into my room and clothing here. I didn't know what to think of the Nautolan woman.
I looked over at her again and noticed that she wasn't simply meditating, she had Count Dooku's wayfinder in her hands and she was tapping into it through the Force. This was important, perhaps we would finally be able to track down where Palpatine's Sith came from and...well, what could we really do? I'm not sure if it really mattered that we found this wayfinder, after all, Palpatine is openly reigning on Coruscant now, even if we did find out where the Sith was from, there wasn't much that we could do with that information. We could destroy Palpatine's ancient base of power, sure, but what would that really accomplish when he still has the rest of the galaxy? My confidence in my own ticket to Taaszon was fading rapidly, even as Phanza Attam was opening it, but I did realize something now. Phanza was the wayfinder and, unless she told Voytana at some different time, her master doesn't know about the device.
"And...there," Phanza suddenly spoke before rising, the wayfinder glowing an ominous green in her hand as she turned to me, an interesting expression on her red-skinned face "It seems the late Count Dooku was craftier than he appeared, more aware that his master would betray him than either of us had expected. This doesn't lead to the home of the pretenders, rather, this wayfinder leads to the ancient capital of the Sith. You've brought us a beacon to the lost world of Dromund Kaas, a beacon which Palpatine doesn't even know about."
"How does that help us?" I asked, a sinking feeling in my gut. Palpatine fooled the entire Republic and executed the Jedi with the clones, he controlled both the Republic and the separatists in a war which drained the galaxy enough to make him the one and only ruler of it, and now, all we had to use against him was a map to one, long abandoned planet? Palpatine knew about Taaszon's outlying systems, was this really the time for cultural and historical exploration? I had to imagine that Taaszon had much more pressing matters to attend to, considering the galactic circumstances.
"It helps us attain our knowledge, our history, our birthright. Imagine, for a moment, that the Jedi lost the coordinates of Tython or even Dantooine, and now, imagine that you suddenly found a map back to your historic capital. Strategically, you're right, this is insignificant, but I thought you of all people would understand that there is more to all this than just fighting Palpatine." Phanza explained, making herself, a Sith, appear more reasonable, respectful, and less bellicose than myself, a Jedi. I felt isolated by this tactic, because this reminded me that, despite how nice she was, despite how supportive she was, Phanza still wanted to turn me over to the Dark Side, and everything she did served that agenda. I had to view all of her actions through the lens that she was trying to make the Jedi look as flawed and hypocritical as possible while presenting the Sith sympathetically.
"I'm sorry, I understand that this is important to you and your people." despite all that, despite the fact that I knew this all probably a subtle manipulation, I found myself feeling guilty and I found myself apologizing to a Sith Lord. I knew that Lady Attam was dangerous and powerful, I knew that I should have seen her as an enemy, and I knew that she is probably not as much of a good person as she appears to be, but I couldn't help but see her as a beautiful, intelligent Nautolan woman not much older than I was "I just...I'm hurting, Phanza. Master Avdune sacrificed herself to save me and all I have to remember her by is that final kiss she gave me. I didn't even have the chance to recover her lightsaber. Now she's gone and I feel alone and confused and...I don't know what to do. I want to rebuild the Jedi but I have no idea how to do that, I want to avenge Master Avdune, but I know that Ullara wouldn't want me to seek revenge, and I want to find a new home here, but I'm not sure if I can trust you or anyone else here. I'm scared and alone and I just feel helpless."
I sunk to the ground and buried my head in my eyes, crying on the black and purple fabric of my robes. Jedi weren't supposed to be emotional, I knew that, but I couldn't help but cry, I couldn't help but release every awful emotion that's been consuming me as of late, and, again, to my surprise, Phanza was there for me. The Nautolan joined me on the ground, discarding the all important wayfinder for the time being, and wrapped her arms around me, comforting me. I never understood how I found myself depending on a Sith for emotional support, yet here I was, and, to her credit, Phanza was surprisingly good at it. There is an argument that all of this could be a ruse to get me to trust her, but I thought that was too much, just grasping for straws. If Phanza was truly as evil as I feared, why would she want to comfort me? Comforting me does nothing to turn me, apparently the last of the Sith bloodline, to the Dark Side, if anything, it lessens the pain and suffering that is supposed to lead me down that path, so, instead of converting me to the Sith, I was now left confused. I knew that Phanza's actions meant something, she must have had some sort of goal in all of this, but I didn't know what.
"I know things are hard now, I understand that better than anyone. Voytana and I made a very bad decision asking the Republic for help - we had the technology to fight off the separatists this time, but we were not prepared for a sustained conflict, we thought that the Republic would help us push them back and we would be safe enough to return to the shadows - now, Palpatine knows about our outlying systems. I don't know how to approach this, I know we need to fight the Empire and cripple their ability to invade us, but we also don't want to provoke them. We need to find allies, but who would ally with us while Palpatine is putting the galaxy under his thumb? The information that he's a Sith won't help us considering we are as well. I don't even know if anyone is still strong enough to ally with us after everything which has happened. The Pikes and the other Syndicates are crippled after Mandalore. The Hutts were involved in that fight too and, while they're mostly fine, I don't trust those filthy slugs as far as I could throw one of them. I was just following my master's instructions, and I may have doomed Taaszon, revealing us at precisely the wrong time to the wrong people." Phanza lamented, sharing her own concerns, worries, and insecurities. I couldn't believe it, she was opening up to me, she was being vulnerable in front of a Jedi. I was frightened of Voytana, but I couldn't see Phanza as my enemy, not now and not ever.
"Can you just tell me one thing?" I asked Phanza, wanting to know something from Lady Attam before I let myself fully trust her, the woman was the only one who I knew that was left and I wanted to trust her, but I needed this one thing before I could. The Nautolan nodded, even in her alien expression, I could tell that her expression was soft and honest "Is this all just an attempt to turn me into a Sith apprentice? Or do you actually care about me?"
"Well," Phanza began with a sigh, immediately understanding the weight of this conversation "I truly believe that the Jedi were a flawed organization. They were hypocritical, insular, and too absorbed in their own hubris. I know that the Jedi didn't realize what Palpatine was, neither did I at first, but they let him take more and more power from the Senate, blinding standing by as their beloved state fell into despotism and autocracy. The Jedi, even in times of war, limited themselves to only the Light Side of the Force. The Dark Side can consume you if you are not careful, the Dark Side can be dangerous, but it is an objectively better way to use the Force in times of war and conflict. I mean no offense, but, the Jedi were dying long before Palpatine pulled the trigger on their whole order. You are a half-blooded Sith and I think that your place is here, as a Sith, using the full spectrum of the Force, letting your natural and human emotions flow freely, and forming whatever attachments your little heart desires, but I do not want to force you to do anything against your will. My ideal situation would be to convince you that the Sith, our version of the Sith at least, is a superior philosophy than the Jedi, and that you'll turn on your own, however, if you decide to remain a Jedi, I can accept that too. I fully believe that a Jedi Order reformed under you, someone young enough and smart enough to see their flaws and shortcomings, would be an improvement."
I contemplated what Lady Attam told me, her honest and scathing critique of the Jedi, noting many of the same mistakes as I did, however, what Phanza had to say about me...I actually wasn't upset with that. Phanza Attam isn't going to force me to do anything and she doesn't expect me to do anything, she is letting me have agency and, at least now, I know for certain what she is doing. Phanza is less of a manipulator and more of a missionary, a Sith missionary, as silly of an idea as that is, but that's the best example I can think of, the most accurate description of her behavior. I also found her version of Sith philosophy much more understandable than the typical kind, after all, her philosophy seems to be more about freedom and knowledge, Phanza Attam saw nothing as forbidden, she could do whatever she wanted to, whether they be Dark Side powers or Light Side powers, not only that, but Phanza implied that, despite that, she hasn't completely fallen to the Dark Side. I didn't know that such a thing was possible, but looking at her beautiful skin and elegant form, I couldn't see the damage of the Dark Side on her body.
"Thank you," I replied, Phanza's speech leaving me with a lot to think about. I still wasn't entirely sure about her and the Sith of Taaszon, but, despite all that, I found it fascinating and interesting. If nothing else, I would like to read through Phanza's libraries, learning more about how she thinks, what has influenced her, and how the rest of these Grand Ducal Sith view their code and their philosophy.
Alright everyone, this has been chapter eleven of Secrets of The Outer Rim, we're back! Also yes, Phanza's castle is maintained by Sith space roombas. Updates will be biweekly on sundays, alternating with my story Duchesse d'Anjou, which is posted on fictionpress and AO3. Speaking of, I'm also gonna post this story on AO3.
