Alright everyone, building up to the big climax of act two now! There is a whole third act after this, it will be either ten or fifteen chapters in length, we'll see as my plans get more concrete.
Secrets of The Outer Rim.
Act II.
The Heart of Darkness.
Chapter XXII.
Defenders of The Dark World.
I stood in a crowd in Taaszon's capital city, Phanza and Grand Duchess Voytana herself standing on a public stage in front of us. This was probably the first time I saw the Sith Pureblood woman out of the throne room, but she didn't look any less impressive in such a public space. She wore a long, flowing robe with a gradient in the color, going from black to purple. This applied to both the sleeves which hung far beneath her hands, and the end of her robe which trailed behind her. A new black, purple, and gold headdress framed her face, bony red protrusions marking her alien appearance - how could I be a half of a Sith? I didn't look like that - while her black hair was tied into a bun behind the headdress. The other thing that was apparent about the Grand Duchess was that, even out here, her power was no less intimidating. It felt like a silent presence all around me, a heavy tension that could snap into action at any moment, with disastrous consequences. That power still made me feel uneasy, but, as I glanced at Schweva and Yevenna at either side of me, I didn't feel the same kind of fear. I felt a nervousness, sure, but that seemed more like the result of reverence rather than fear. The people of Taaszon were immensely loyal to Voytana.
"My subjects," the Grand Duchess began, addressing her people. In addition to perhaps a few hundred people gathered in this square at the foot of the stage, cameras were broadcasting these message all over the Grand Duchy of Taaszon, all of its worlds. I'm sure they were just as attentive as the crowd here, because even I knew that an address from the Grand Duchess like this was rare, especially seeing her out of the monolithic Citadel. She continued her speech "On a recent assignment on Manaan, an elite Intelligentsia agent, Operator Rahlkann, was compromised by the Empire. One of our spies on Coruscant, believing she had escaped the Empire's pursuit, returned to Manaan to be processed. The Empire sprung their trap and followed. Operator Rahlkann was caught and, despite my apprentice, Lady Attam's attempts, there was no way to reach Rahlkann without alerting the Empire to her presence. Lady Attam and her apprentices returned to Taaszon unharmed, but Rahlkann was killed and, as if that wasn't bad enough, his ship and, with it, his wayfinder, were taken. It is only a matter of time before Palpatine gets his hands on the wayfinder and sends an invasion fleet to Taaszon itself."
Voytana paused for a moment, letting the shocked whispers and reactions radiate through the crowd and beyond. The version of events she portrayed was mostly accurate, pardon a few liberties taken, such as leaving out why Rahlkann was on the world and why we pursued, but that didn't exactly matter to us right now, did it? None of us could have predicted that the Empire would be so close on the spy's trail and with such numbers, but we wouldn't have been in that position to begin with if he wasn't so dead seat on taking the cybernetics factory. I know now that it wasn't out of outright greed but, surely, after all these thousands of years, the Sith would have learned to save their infighting and internal politics for after the war, right? Apparently Rahlkann did not. Not even when the Empire arrived. Had he been slower, more careful, and abandoned any idea of getting to the cybernetics factory, he probably could have slipped onto his ship and escaped before the Empire got to him or his ship. Schweva and I got past the clones with only an admittedly extreme diversion.
"We are currently preparing plans for the defense of the capital world and the temporary evacuation of civilians during the conflict. We are doing everything we can be to a united, concentrated, and powerful force in the face of any Imperial aggression. To that end, we will be concentrating our fleet of Margraviate-class Super Dreadnoughts in the skies over Taaszon. The outlying systems, which the Empire already knows about, will have to be sacrificed. We do not have the resources to defend all these worlds at once, thus, we are doing everything to concentrate our defenses in front of Taaszon. The evacuation of the outlying planets is already underway. We believe that our worlds beyond Taaszon have not yet been discovered, so we are going to settle our refugees on those worlds for the time being. I understand that these policies are going to effect your everyday lives. I understand that many of our men and women will die in the struggle against the Empire. But I also understand that we are a proud people, a people who have stood on this planet for three thousand years. We will not let Palpatine change that!" Voytana declared, giving her plan and trying to rally the population.
The crowd did applaud, but it was a rather solemn occasion. The people knew what was at stake here, the people knew that there was nothing to be cheering over, and the people knew there was a high chance they could lose. I wasn't exactly going to tell this to the struggling people, but there was a very low chance of victory here, no, Palpatine would send overwhelming force. The Dark Lord of the Sith is more likely to simply orbital bombard the surface of Taaszon into molten dust than retreat in the event that we repel him. The force we encountered on Manaan was proof of that, if they sent that much after a spy, they're going to send infinitely more ships after a rogue Sith state, a competitor. I mean, Loukhamii is a largely rugged and barren world and the Empire still sent a space station and three star destroyers to crush their little resistance. I can only imagine the new force Palpatine will be sending there. Taaszon, meanwhile, has finally done enough to become Palpatine's priority: before, ships were diverted to Loukhamii, now though, now I could see the bulk of the Imperial navy coming here.
I also knew that, even after we escaped Taaszon, the Imperial navy would be relentless in pursuing us. The Empire would boldly send scouts out into uncharted space, forcing disposable servants out endlessly until they found something, and, when, not if, they did, the Imperial navy would utterly devastate it. One by one each world in the Grand Duchy of Taaszon would be found and crushed under Palpatine's might. The Grand Duchy of Taaszon might have been able to repel that separatist attack on their own, but they knew they didn't have the numbers for a prolonged conflict, so they reluctantly called on the Republic for help. Now, thanks in part to the actions of myself and Master Avdune, Palpatine is fully aware of Taaszon's ability to wage war. I can't believe how naïve we all were back then. Every single battle of the Clone Wars was just feeding Palpatine with data, hardening his clones, and tightening his control of the galaxy. Now, the clones I once considered my allies were the mindless tools of Palpatine's tyranny, about to conquer yet another part of the galaxy. Taaszon is a Sith state, an autocracy, and built on the hope that they would eventually get their revenge and conquer the galaxy, but that didn't mean that they were bad people. They are not, they don't deserve to just be destroyed by Palpatine.
"Zaliza." Schweva's voice cut into my increasingly despondent line of thinking. I shook my head and focused again as I realized the crowd was already dispersing, the people beginning to pack and make their preparations for the evacuation. They would need their documents, clothes, supplies, personal items, and however much of their stuff they could afford to carry, because they knew there was a chance we wouldn't be coming back here. Taaszon's forces would do everything possible to halt the Imperial navy and win back control of Taaszon, but it wouldn't make a difference. The Empire would just keep coming and coming until we were defeated. The problem here is that we really can't win, this isn't a matter of the cost of occupation or the value of the planet, this is a matter of eradicating enemies. The resistance on Loukhamii works because Loukhamii is only worth so much and, while Palpatine absolutely wants Loukhamii under his control, it isn't a priority. Taaszon will be a priority, Palpatine's faction of so-called pretenders will finally be able to destroy a rival faction. They will secure the future of the Sith.
"What?" I asked before I could get too carried away in my thinking again.
"Come on, Phanza is going to show us how we're going to evacuate." the Chiss replied, telling me the news I evidently missed. Right, I paid attention now. Phanza finished discussing things with Voytana and got down from the stage, meeting Schweva, Yevenna, Ceyla, and I. The older silver armored Mandalorian had been somewhere in the crowd as well, joining us after the speech. Phanza was going to show us the evacuation plan, which made sense, as we would likely be among those holding the line as the last of the people to evacuate escaped the Empire. I wondered exactly what would we be up against at that point. Overwhelming numbers of clone troopers was the obvious part, along with an armada of star destroyers, but what else would come? Would Vader be there? I suppose it's very likely, along with Inquisitors too, given that the Empire knew that they were dealing with Force users in significant numbers...and I suppose that meant there was a high chance that the Third Sister would be here as well. What about Palpatine himself? Would the Emperor and Sith Lord himself show up? Maybe he would, maybe he would decide that the purging of Sith rivals was a matter that demanded his personal attention.
"Follow the Wrath's Causeway from the square to the awaiting shuttles. They will be ferrying the people from the capital to the escape ships. A fleet of seven massive stealth craft, virtually undetectable, capable of maintaining a population of about a hundred thousand people each. This set of ships, called the Silent Fleet, is all that survives of the fleet that brought the Sith to Taaszon three thousand years ago. We haven't been able to reverse engineer cloaking technology on that scale since - in fact, we don't even know exactly how it works in those ships, only how to engage it - thus we decided that these ships were far too valuable to ever scrap. Voytana and I agree that a set of refugee ships like these are exactly what we need right now." Phanza explained as we boarded a shuttle and left to see this Silent Fleet. Ships large enough to hold a hundred thousand people is impressive enough, but the fact that these ships can cloak while doing it? Such technology is utterly unbelievable. No wonder these ships survived, even if they never thought they would have to use them again, they should be preserved for their scientific and technological value alone. Of course, the fact that we need them now makes them even more valuable.
"How are we going to divide the ships? The Mandalorians would prefer to share a craft." Ceyla asked, the Echani Mandalorian concerned with how her culture is going to cope with this evacuation. It was an understandable concern, if maybe a bit ill-timed considering we were all going to be fleeing for our lives in the Empire broke through our defenses and forced a mass evacuation, but still, understandable.
"We will try to divide up the ships appropriately before the invasion, making sure people are kept together and with their friends and family, but, once the Imperials start coming, we're putting people wherever there's room as quickly as possible." Phanza replied, giving a satisfactory and realistic answer. For the people who are packed and prepared before the Imperials come, such considerations can be made, but, once the battle actually breaks out, getting people on a ship is more important than getting them on the right ship. People could be moved and shuttled between the ships at a later date, once we were out of the Empire's grasp. Ceyla seemed satisfied with Phanza's answer as the shuttle flew over the snow-covered mountains of Taaszon and flew towards another valley in the distance. This second valley seems to be where these ships landed, or at least where they're currently being stored.
I looked out the viewport as we fled over the ships, seeing just one of these massive crafts reveal themselves. It almost seemed like a large rectangular frame with a triangle shaped tip, where the tip alone was wider and longer than a Venator-class star destroyer. I could now see how a hundred thousand people could fit in one of these things. All along the top of the ship, workers were already working on clearing ice and snow, as well as doing some service on the panels below. This was going to be the most extensive use these ships have received in three thousand years, Taaszon needed to be sure they were capable. The shuttle soon circled around while coming down, ending up in the hangar of the ship docking in one of the seemingly endless rows of shuttle docks. Workers were deployed all over this hangar too, doing repairs and building up infrastructure. They might have even built up this shuttle infrastructure.
"Lady Attam," a voice greeted as I turned to see a Chiss woman walked down the catwalk towards us, dressing in a form-fighting black outfit trimmed in purple with a matching cape, her purplish hair tied into a grand crown braid. A large yet elegant blaster pistol, similar to the model Phanza used on Loukhamii, sat on her hip, showing that this woman, an officer of some sort, was more than capable of action despite her grandiose appearance. She stopped in front of us before speaking "Admiral Wurra'thuundo'oma, at your service."
"Ah, Wurrathu, I was told you were in charge of this particular operation. How are things going?" Phanza asked, warmly conversing with her colleague. Admiral Wurra'thuuundo'oma, I believe I've heard Phanza mention her somewhere before, which just shows that Lady Attam has connections all over the Grand Duchy of Taaszon. Beyond that too, between the criminals she seemed familiar with and the implication that the Neo-Revanite enclave on Manaan is only one of many, Zapnha Tamat seems to have her fair share of contacts and connections as well. I glanced over at Schweva, the younger Chiss seemed a bit out of the loop, a testament to how she is both old and new to this world. The apprentice didn't know about the Admiral and was only just beginning to learn about the web of allies, pawns, and subordinates Phanza has throughout the galaxy. The two were also of the same species, but neither of them seemed particularly phased by that. I suppose being of the same species didn't really mean much, especially when that species was a plurality on this planet.
"We are having the ships prepared and brought up to full working order. The ships are now capable of accepting the shuttles, the cloaking systems are fully operational on all seven of them, and four of them are already hyperspace worthy." the admiral replied, giving an insight to just how complex their task was. I couldn't imagine that it was easy to get ships of this size up to that speed. The cloaking functions were working fine, which is great, considering that, according to what Phanza said, their scientists and engineers didn't actually know how the stealth technology works. Thus, presumably, if they don't know how it works, they wouldn't know how to repair it if it was damaged or simply malfunctioning. In any case, it seemed that we didn't need to worry about that.
"Good, me and some allies wanted to make sure everything was proceeding well on this end. In the event that the Imperials gain the upper hand in the space battle, we'll be holding the line in the capital city until the last shuttles evacuate. Our group, a few other defenders, and the Grand Duchess herself will be the last ones to evacuate. As soon as we're onboard, I need you to get these ships cloaked and off world." Phanza replied, giving the admiral more specific instructions. I wasn't surprised that we were part of the final group to be evacuated, in fact I expected as much, and I would assume some other familiar faces would be in that final group, such as Ruumshi, Avoine, and HK-107. Phanza's inner circle as well as the most elite and selfless fighters Taaszon could offer, those who were willing to stay behind for as long as possible and delay the Empire for long enough that the common people escape to the Silent Fleet.
"And in the event that you don't make it?" Wurrathu asked. I couldn't help but cringe, not only because of the content of the question, but because it was a very real concern that the Admiral was raising. Being in that final group, that last group that was going to hold the line, meant that we were potentially sacrificing ourselves to allow the others to escape so, even though we hoped to board the fleet before it left, there was a chance we wouldn't make it. If someone told me a year ago that I would be so willing to put my life on the line for the loyal citizens of a Sith state, I don't know if I would believe them. I mean, yes, I understand that, as a Jedi, I should defend anyone who needs it, but the Sith were always our enemy, the ones we were taught could never return, for their very existence was a threat to the Force. It's almost fascinating how far I've come because, right now, I don't even question the fact that I'm willing to risk my life for the people of Taaszon. These people weren't evil, they weren't being suppressed, they were Sith citizens by choice.
"Then I want you to take this." Phanza pulled a wayfinder out of her winter robes, a wayfinder I instantly recognized as the one that Master Avdune and I recovered from Count Dooku's facility on Ypherro. The one bit of leverage the Sith Lord had over his master was ours now, and it seemed like it could provide us with a more permanent solution that just hopping between the Grand Duchy's worlds until the Empire tracks us down. Wurrathu grabbed it as Phanza explained "This is an old, unchanged wayfinder, one that will point the way to the lost Sith capital of Dromund Kaas. If Taaszon falls, then escaping the Grand Duchy entirely might be the best choice we have, fleeing to a planet far beyond the space Palpatine will search. If the last shuttle doesn't arrive and you can't reach me or Voytana, then leave. Take the people to Dromund Kaas, that's probably the safest place left for us in the galaxy."
"Yes, of course. Lets hope that won't be necessary though." the Chiss Admiral replied, trying to bring the conversation back to a positive note after getting instructions in the event of a disaster. To that end, she continued, referencing an earlier encounter between the two "After all, you still owe me two spies."
"Yes, yes I suppose I do." Phanza accepted with a smile, the Nautolan apparently enjoyed reminiscing with the admiral, the two having worked together before. Phanza's network of allies and contacts was something I could never have imagined for myself. The first time I meant her, on that landing platform on Coruscant, she already made a statement about herself: with Ruumshi, Avoine, HK-107, and Ceyla Ordo, Phanza already showed that she was no ordinary Sith. Lady Attam was not some vindictive woman who only cared about herself and served herself, she was a woman with friends and allies of every walk of life imaginable. That's what makes her so dangerous and unpredictable enemy. Phanza had all of the deadliness of a typical Sith Lord without the predictability that came with it - we couldn't simply count on her being as evil and self-prioritizing as possible - and her behavior demonstrates that. The Imperial raid on Nar Shaddaa would have turned into an all out fight with anyone else, but Phanza managed to slip us out without bloodshed. She also managed to navigate us through our alliance with the Loukhamii resistance, despite lies on both sides and her own anger at that time. In short, Phanza is a remarkable creature and that is why I'm willing to follow her.
If I'm being honest, I'm willing to do more than just follow her at this stage. I know the Empire is coming, I know that there is a chance both of us are going to die in the defense of Taaszon, and I know that I have been feeling incredibly jealous ever since Schweva became Phanza's apprentice. I'm not the same woman I was when I got to Taaszon, I'm not the same girl i was when I was a Jedi, and, even though I want to make sure Ullara's sacrifice is not in vain, I've heard it from her spirit itself that she doesn't expect me to rebuild the Jedi all on my own. I am free to follow my own path now and, even though I'm not exactly sure what that path is going to be, I know I want to learn from Phanza, formally. Padawan, apprentice, pupil, whatever label you want to put on it, I don't care, I only know that I want more with Phanza Attam. I don't just want us to die with me and her being travelling companions.
"Okay, I have done everything I need to do here." I was interrupted form my line of thinking as Phanza spoke again, this time to Yevenna, Ceyla, Schweva, and I. I quickly composed myself and listened "Lets get back to the capital now. You all know how we'll be conducting the retreat, now we just need to be prepared for it. Rest up, maybe begin packing, and prepare yourselves for the coming battle. The Empire is not going to make it easy for us, believe me. Palpatine wants to do the same thing that he did to the Jedi Order here, he wants to purge the Sith, all of us. Any Force user that can be a threat to him...honestly, anyone who could be a threat to him under any circumstances. Palpatine is an extreme threat and we cannot afford to underestimate him."
We boarded the shuttle again, silently this time, left to ponder Phanza's words. Her words very much echoed my thoughts, how none of this was permanent, and how we could all be killed as soon as a few days from now. That was a terrifying thought, and it only drove my need to take things further between Phanza and I, I didn't just want us to die being this vague pair of partners. I wanted our relationship to mean something, to be something like the bond between a master and an apprentice. Perhaps my actions are being influenced by what happened with Master Avdune and the kiss, but I didn't want to let Phanza die before we could move beyond this, because I wanted more.
Maybe the situations aren't exactly comparable. Maybe I don't think that my bond with Phanza will either be able to truly replicate my bond with Ullara Avdune - I'll never again have the experience of being trained for the very first time, that is something that only Ullara will have with me - but it's definitely the closest bond I have to my bond with my former master. There may not be any kiss to muddy the waters further, at least not yet, but that doesn't change the ferocity of my feelings. I can't just let one of us die without actually getting to become Phanza's student. Thus, to that end, I was going to confront her tonight, I was going to tell her what I wanted, and I was going to call her my master. Whether that was as a Sith, a Jedi, or as something else entirely, it didn't matter, all that mattered to me is that I was going to be learning from her.
I entered Phanza's room in Castle Attam. The door opened for me without a problem - I wasn't sure if that was because her door always opened automatically or if it was something she set for me specifically - and I walked in. This was the lower part of Phanza's quarters, the hallway built around the water tank; she had shown me it before, when we discussed Sith philosophy. Entering her room from her turned out to be a good idea, as I found Phanza swimming in the tank. I stopped for a moment and simply looked at Lady Attam in her natural habitat. Dressed in nothing but a two piece black bathing suit, she floated there in the water, long red legs extending out, her toes floating dangerously close to the volcanic vents, but it didn't seem to bother her at all. My eyes found their way back up, coming up her endless legs to her wide hips, which then narrowed inwards into a waist that was almost annoyingly tight. My eyes stayed on her stomach for a time, and I think it's fair to say I felt more than envy when looking at her figure.
I've seen Phanza wear midriff bearing outfits before, but even those were relatively modest compared to the swimsuit she was wearing now, which was little more than a black bra - and I admit that I blushed. Trying not to get too embarrassed, I turned my attention to her arms, following her arms - which were simultaneously toned and lithe - a telling combination of graceful beauty and hidden strength. Then I came to her fingers, observing the little movements of her red digits as they floated in the water, savoring her own little aquatic environment. My eyes came back up to her neck, thin, and probably the only part of Phanza that you could call vulnerable, not that she would ever give anyone the chance to abuse that weakness. Above the neck was her face, her black, glassy eyes were closed as she simply floated their in the water, in abject serenity.
The closed eyes and the small smile on her face made Phanza appear almost peaceful, even with the sharp black tattoos coming up her head-tails and framing her face. They were aggressive tattoos, born from the Twi'Lek slave culture that Darth Imperius was born in, but that aggression, suffering, and perseverance to survive seemed foreign to Phanza right now. Then, behind Phanza, her head-tails floated in the water, not carried by any current, simply floating according to Phanza's will. I wasn't sure if it was down to the Force or muscles in her own biology, but, the way he head-tails were moving in the tank, it definitely seemed to be her doing. I must have let out a gasp as I looked at this site, both incredibly alien and magnificently beautiful. This was a reminder that, despite Phanza being humanoid and acting so human, she was actually very different to me biologically, but that didn't make what I was seeing any less remarkable. Phanza was a Nautolan, an aquatic species, and this was her as nature intended, and I had to admit I was reveling in the site.
Whether I gasped, made another sound, or simply because she finally noticed my presence, Phanza opened her eyes. The large glossy black eyes seemed surprised, but only for a moment. The Sith Lord shot me a soft smile before swimming up to the top of the tank. I quickly snapped out of my stunned state and ran up the stairs - two staircases framed the center of the tank, the water continuing behind them - emerging in Phanza's actual room. I looked around for a moment, the second story exit was behind me, the pool of the tank was to my left, and a little living room section sat on the right side of the room. A closet sat next to the living room and a bathroom was further along the wall here on the left side. Phanza's bed, black with red sheets, sat at the center of the rear wall, tall windows on either side faced the snow-covered mountains. Phanza emerged from the pool next to me, climbing out of the tank, instantly becoming just the perfect amount of wet. Her skin was glistening with water, yet not a drop fell from her as she emerged to a full standing height. As if that wasn't impressive enough, with barely a glance, Phanza raised her arm and pulled a silky black bathrobe from her closet, wrapping it around her.
"Hello Zaliza," Phanza greeted as if it was nothing, acting completely nonchalant and unbothered. I had come here to take control for once in her dynamic, to declare that I was now going to be her apprentice, but, despite that, Phanza still instantly took control of the situation. It didn't matter that this had been her space, it didn't matter that I had entered as she had been in her tank, perhaps meditating, perhaps simply enjoying being in her natural habitat, she was going to appear perfect, nonplussed, and confident. That was both a bother and a motivator, as paradoxical as it seemed. It bothered me because I was supposed to be seizing what I wanted, asserting that I wanted to be her apprentice, that I wanted to have the same attention that she gave Schweva, and it was going to be harder to make demands when she instantly sunk into a position of bother. The motivating part of all this, however, was that this confident, in-control, and effortlessly powerful woman was exactly who I wanted to be my master. Sure, I was going to be asserting myself now, but, I suppose, the whole point of this was to end up in a subservient position, after all, I was demanding to become her pupil. Thus, I decided the easiest way to do this was just to outright say what I wanted.
"I want to train under you. I want to be your apprentice. The same way that Schweva is learning from you now." I declared, stating exactly what I wanted. I'm sure it would be a little bit different than that, after all, I was already a trained Jedi and I was seemingly on the verge of becoming a Knight, but I still wanted this. It's also not like Schweva is a complete novice, after all, based on the kinds of trials she underwent at the Sith Academy and what she's done since, she's not that different than me in terms of skills. This training alongside each other thing will work, and it means I will get to be Phanza's focus once more. Schweva arrived and upset our dynamic, but now I was going to make sure I got just as much attention as she did, if not more.
"You want to train as a Sith? Is that what you want?" Phanza asked, trying to find out precisely what I wanted, a question I didn't even fully now the answer to. That being said, the fact that she was asking that only reinforced my decision more. Phanza's learned from the time that she tried to expose me to the Sith texts, she knows that I'm still not entirely comfortable with the Sith, so, if I am going to do this, she wants to make sure that it's something that I really what. The fact that she's concerned enough to ask such a question shows that Phanza really does care, and it is yet another one of the thousands of pieces of evidence showing that Lady Attam is not the typical Sith the Jedi have fearmongered about. Phanza can be a violent, angry, and ruthless woman, the absolute worst woman to have as an enemy, but she is also a caring, compassionate, understanding, and indeed loving woman as an ally. Most Sith would leap at the chance to turn a Jedi into a Sith apprentice, in fact, for the longest time I believed that is what Phanza was doing, but now that the opportunity is right in front of her, she's hesitating. She's hesitating because of me, she has absorbed every concern I've had with the Sith and taken it to heart.
"Look, do we have to put labels on it? The Sith stuff...I don't know about it, I don't even know if I still agree with the Jedi stuff at this point. All that I'm really sure about right now is that I want to train under you. I want you to teach me what you do, how you fight, how you operate. I want you to help me reach the peak of my own power and abilities. I want to see the proud smile of a successful master on your face." I explained, practically babbling by the end. I wanted to share my feelings with Phanza, telling her everything except the jealousy about Schweva - that part might not exactly present the best side of myself, admittedly - and hoping that she would accept me as her apprentice. I hoped that Phanza would be willing to accept my ideological caveat. I knew that it was okay for a Sith Lord, especially one of Phanza's status, to take multiple apprentices, but I didn't know if she personally was willing to teach an apprentice without training her as a Sith. I was admittedly asking for something which has never really happened before, basically a whole different way of training an apprentice just for me. I knew that Phanza Attam was capable of a lot, but I wasn't sure if she would accept this, at least not right now with an Imperial invasion coming.
"You're asking me to do something rather unique to this situation, you know." Phanza replied, her pensive tone indicating exactly what I feared. I felt a sinking feeling in my chest, not just sadness because I wasn't going to get what I wanted, but also the intense pain of rejection. I wasn't sure why my immediate reaction was so visceral, but I tried to keep a professional face despite my own disappointment, though, even then, I think I felt my shoulders sink and my facial expression soured. Nevertheless, Phanza continued, ignoring my predicament "However, you are a strong and powerful woman, the kind of woman I would love to have as an apprentice, and someone who I have been trying to convince of this for a long time. You are the last vestige of Sith blood in the galaxy, you are incredibly capable besides that, and you have proven yourself to be a very, very important ally in the months we've shared together. Therefore, despite how much you're asking me to adjust the training for your circumstances, I am willing to accept. Please kneel."
I knelt down in front of Phanza, both legs down on the ground and bent as I sat on top of them, taking the position allowed by my robes. Sith robes were surprisingly light and mobile, far less constrictive than I would have expected, but I wasn't actually going to have one leg out in front of my and another behind me in the typical kneeling position. I looked up at Phanza for a moment, but she gave me a look, telling me to bow my head. I did so, lowering my head and facing the ground, likely as a symbolic act of deference. Phanza ignited her lightsaber, red and black ignited igniting in front of me, emerging from her unique curved-hilt blade. I've only seen a few of such lightsabers in my time - Count Dooku used one, and his Dark Jedi assassin, Ventress, used a pair of them while still in his service - but Phanza's blade is definitely the one I've becoming the most familiar with. Perhaps due to that familiarity, maybe because of my trust of Phanza, or maybe it's both of them, but I didn't even flinch as Phanza brought the blade to my blade. It came around my head and down onto the other shoulder, knighting me, making me her apprentice. I finally looked up as Phanza raised her lightsaber and deactivated it. It was over, just like that, she was my master.
"What is thy bidding, my master?" I asked, the words naturally flowing out of my mouth. Phanza smirked as she looked down at me, seeing my purple eyes finally submitting to her, seeing me finally become her apprentice. Everything she had been working for had been realized and, the best part of all of it was that it was my choice. This wasn't me falling to the Dark Side and becoming a Sith, nothing quite that dark, no, this was me deciding to learn from someone who I found smart, influential, and incredibly powerful. This was my decision, this was me using an agency I never had with the Jedi. I don't just mean the fact that I was taken in by the Jedi as a child, before I even really knew what was going on or who I was, but I mean the fact that I was forced to fight a war without my consent, told to fight for the Republic because the Council had decided it. Now, I was fighting a war against the Empire because I decided it, because I decided that I didn't want the galaxy to be under Palpatine's thumb, because I decided that resisting was worth it, and because I decided to keep going even when Master Avdune herself has sacrificed herself and been killed. I'm deciding to be an apprentice this time. Not Phanza, not the Jedi Council, not the Sith, no one is influencing my decision but me.
"Arise, my apprentice." Phanza simply replied, giving me permission to rise and leave. I would return to my room and begin making preparations for the Imperial attack, like Phanza told us to earlier, only now, I'll be doing it as her student, her responsibility, her apprentice. I had no idea what the actual battle was going to look like, no idea if either of us were going to survive, let alone both of us, but...at least, at least if it all goes wrong, and I don't survive the battle, I'll be able to say that I was Phanza's apprentice before I died. Content with that realization, I left Phanza's room and headed back to my quarters, or, at least, that is what I intended to do. My plans were sidetracked when, the moment I left Phanza's room through the upper door, I came face to face with Schwevaa'aphere'enda, Phanza's other apprentice and my new equal. She wasn't going to be Phanza's sole focus anymore, she wasn't going to be able to call her mistress while I had nothing else to call Phanza but her name and her title, and she wasn't going to be the one apprentice anymore.
"Well, well Schweva, what are you doing here?" I asked, admittedly letting smugness fill my voice. Strictly speaking, I don't think Sith apprentices were allowed to listen in on their master's conversations, at least not without their permission. I very much doubt Phanza gave Schweva any such permission before getting into her tank, no, I think that she was spying on the two of us. That made me feel somewhat more justified about my petty jealousy, considering that the Chiss woman seemed to be the very same way about me, seeing me as a rival to Phanza's attention and praise. I could kind of emphasize with Schweva in that regard, after all, she was now going to be matched up against someone who has already received training in the Force, someone who was nearly a Jedi Knight. I've turned myself into a difficult target for the Chiss woman to match herself against. That being said, there was more to the story than this. Phanza was smart enough to realize that Schweva didn't have the prior training and experience that I did, she wasn't expecting Schweva to match me, just like she hadn't expected Schweva to beat her in a duel. Not only that, but this wasn't just about Schweva succeeding, this was also about what I wanted, and I wanted to train under Phanza.
"Why are you making this so complicated on Lady Attam? Why not just become a Sith?" Schweva asked, trying to take control of the narrative, shifting the subject back onto me and starting to walk, forcing me to move away from Phanza's door to follow her. Schweva was still seeing this as a competition so, to make up for her perceived disadvantage in ability, she was trying to take control in our dynamic. By presenting herself as confident, in control, and somewhat aloof, she was trying to do two things, one: be more like Phanza, and two: trying to demoralize me. The whole idea was that, by presenting this bold facade, I would be intimidated, I would think Schweva was more than she was, ans I would struggle to match her skills. That idea, however, didn't work when I knew that Schweva was putting up a facade, when I knew that Schweva was an acolyte, and when I knew that she was very much intimidated by me, especially now with me becoming Phanza's apprentice. At the same time, however, I would be lying if I said her question wasn't valid, touching on the very same concerns that made me fear Phanza's rejection. Not that I was going to let that show, the last thing that I needed was Schweva knowing she hit a nerve.
"I'm not making this complicated on her. She's wanted me as her apprentice since before you've even shown up on her radar. All I did was give her the conditions I wanted in order to become her apprentice." I responded, presenting a version of the truth. I wasn't aware of how long Phanza has been looking for a Sith apprentice, but she has framed it is a result of our missions together, therefore, the earliest it presumably could have been was after Nar Shaddaa. That came long, long after Phanza and I came into contact with each other, long after this bond formed between us, and long after I started suspecting Phanza was trying to turn me into her apprentice. The truth may be a bit more complicated and layered than what I've said, but the point remains, Phanza wanted me as an apprentice, for a long time now, and now I've become her apprentice, just without fully embracing the ways of the Sith. As far as Schweva was ever going to know, this was a reasonable compromise, not me practically begging to Phanza to become her second apprentice.
"We both know that's a lie." Schweva called my bluff "I overheard the conversation and I can tell you for a fact that is not what happened. You want to be her apprentice, you want to learn our ways, appropriate our culture, but you refuse to take on our beliefs. You are wearing Sith robes on a Sith planet learning from a Sith Master, and you still won't accept our beliefs because of some archaic stigma born of the Jedi. Why?"
"Because I don't believe it. All I ever wanted as a Jedi was peace. I didn't think we should be fighting the war, I didn't think it was easy to ignore all the death and killing just because it was clones and droids, and I didn't think we were pursuing justice and equality in the galaxy." I explained, alluding to the difficulties I had with the Jedi while I was a member of the Order. Fighting the war, blindly serving the Republic, allying with the Hutts...none of that was right. We sacrificed everything we believed in to serve Palpatine's interests, falling exactly into the place he needed us to be in order to eradicate us. I didn't want to dwell on that though, I've gone through these memories before and it's nothing but painful. Instead, I continued my response to Schweva "I can't just go from that to rejecting peace. The belligerent nature, the focus on strength and the rejection of the weak, and the dominance of Force users over everyone else. I just can't commit to that. I know that Taaszon is a very, very tolerant and positive version of the Sith, but I can't just accept all of it."
"So you think you're superior then? You think the Jedi are better than that? You've said it yourself that the Jedi were consumed by war in the Clone Wars, clouded in darkness and all that. Then, on the holonet reports, it was always the strong Jedi, wasn't it? Anakin Skywalker? Mace Windu? Obi-Wan Kenobi? They seem pretty strong and notable to me, I don't think I heard about any failed Padawans turned mess hall workers or librarians. Every society favors the strong, it is simply in our nature - we are predisposed towards being drawn to power, wealth, and physicality. That isn't unique to the Sith. As for dominance of Force users, I don't remember the Jedi Temple being a humble and purposeful structure amongst the common people. No, it was a shining, isolated grand temple on the uppermost levels of Coruscant, among the wealthiest galactic elite. Mostly humans too, come to think of it." Schweva countered, delivering a vicious and painfully accurate critique of the Jedi, countering each and every criticism I gave of the Sith. Fortunately, in the process, she completely missed the point of my argument.
"Yes, you're right. All of that is precisely why I was unhappy with the Jedi during the war. Like I said, if I was unhappy with that, how am I ever going to be happy with the Sith? Besides, I don't think you're being fair to me. I haven't once denounced your way of life or said that Taaszon should do things different, I've only said that I don't want it for myself. Ever since I've gotten to Taaszon, I haven't once asked you or Phanza or anyone else to be a Jedi, I haven't tried to force a republican way of government onto anyone, and I haven't said anything about Dark Side abilities. In fact, I've been using Dark Side abilities myself." I corrected her before changing the subject, pointing out that she really has no reason to be mad at me. I haven't done anything to say she shouldn't be a Sith, I haven't told her to stop using the Dark Side, and I haven't disparaged her for believing in autocracy, all I've done is try to live up to my own values. Values which I don't think are all that different from Taaszon's. Fundamentally, we can work together just fine, our dynamic is fine without me being a Sith, and I don't really understand why Schweva is so adamant about me becoming one. If anything, I would think it was in her own self-interest for me not to be a Sith.
Think about it, so long as Schweva alone is a Sith, then she's Phanza's real apprentice. Schweva will be the heir to the Line of Kallig and all of that, she'll be the product of the first or second most important lineage in Taaszon, a line of masters and apprentices that, a number of times, has intersected with the lineage of the Grand Dukes and Duchesses. Voytana herself is a product of both, her parents belonging to the Sith Pureblood ruling class of Taaszon and her master being a member of the Line of Kallig. The Line will continue to Phanza and then to Schweva. If I become a Sith, however, then I win out on seniority, and the main branch of the Line of Kallig would continue through me to any theoretical Sith apprentices of mine. I don't understand why me becoming a Sith is so important to her, especially considering that Schweva has basically only just shown up in my life, barely knowing me.
"Right, because you're so perfect." Schweva replied, immaturely scoffing at my rant about bow I never questioned the Sith of Taaszon and tried to be as accommodating as possible, despite my alternate viewpoint. I never claimed to be perfect, all I claimed was that I was not judging why she wasn't a Jedi, so she shouldn't be judging why I'm not a Sith. That being said, if she didn't want to be civil about this, then I have some ammunition I've been saving for awhile as well. Ullara probably wouldn't be proud of me stooping to Schweva's level, but that didn't really matter to me right now.
"You know, there is something off about you Schweva. You're spying on your master and I is bad enough, but this is coming up after that suspicious alias you produced out of thin air for Manaan. Zaranu'utthonna'aphillii, what was that about?" I asked. I had intended to get a rise out of her, bringing up that odd incident from before our mission to Manaan and, based on how she tensed up in response, I got what I wanted. That being said, Schweva did recover quickly enough, stopping, putting up a professional face, and facing me in the middle of a hallway in Castle Attam.
"If you must know, Schwevaa'aphere'enda is not my birth name. It was a new name, a title of sorts, bestowed upon me back when I was discovered to be a Force sensitive. It's a sort of cultural honor that has developed amongst the Sith of Taaszon, the fusion of our own culture and the high status of the Sith in Taaszon. I learned this custom from another Sith Chiss woman, Zaranu'utthonna'aphe, who was an Overseer at the Exavellos Academy when I was younger. Then she died. Zaranu'utthonna'aphillii means her pupil or student. It was a way of showing respect to someone who was important to me who I lost, while providing a suitable and proper Chiss name to anyone who would look into my alias. Are you satisfied?" Schweva replied, explaining what now seemed to be a rather personal part of her culture and history, something which admittedly made me feel guilty for asking. I noticed that this meant that neither of them were actually her birth name, but I wasn't exactly going to try and learn that now, the Chiss is angry enough at my prying.
"I'm sorry." I replied, not knowing what else to say, just knowing that I dug too deep with all of this and struck a nerve with Phanza. The imaginary Ullara in my head was right, I shouldn't have stooped to her level, because now all I've done is hurt her and made her resent my presence here even more. I should have done better, I should have tried to extend an olive branch rather than bickering with her like a child.
"You should be." Schweva briskly replied before turning around and marching down the hall the other day, towards her room. I was half-tempted to follow, to try and patch things up between us, but I knew now was too early. If I tried right now it wouldn't work, Schweva doesn't want to deal with me right now, no, she wants to left alone so that she can bury her past again and get painful memories out of her mind. Letting go, I decided to just head back to my room.
The calm before the storm.
Ciao!
