Hello everyone, I'm back from vacation! I'm not going to lie, the first half of the last chapter was difficult to write, and I didn't manage to finish this chapter before going on vacation, but, since the ending of the last chapter came pretty easily from a writing perspective, I hope that I can get something that's good satisfying and a good length out to you guys this week. I apologize for the delay but, well I wanted to go on vacation and I found it infinitely more relaxing when I didn't have to worry about writing or chapter deadlines during it. Anyway, here's le delayed chapter.
Secrets of The Outer Rim.
Act III.
The Hunters and The Hunted.
Chapter XXXII.
Ship of The Lost.
"What is the meaning of this?" Phanza demanded as another group of black armored troopers surrounded us on the bridge, the Kaminoan Sith still overlooking us, entirely stoic save for the slightest bit of a smirk on his face. The Sith didn't look the slightest bit concerned, hands still behind his back, lightsaber hanging on his hip constantly, but that didn't exactly fill me with confidence. This wasn't arrogance or overconfidence, the Sith like that are the ones that got themselves killed thousands of years ago, the Sith which are still around now are a smarter breed, and I fear this man is no exception. He's powerful, powerful enough that he believes he could easily beat the three of us, and, well, could he? Perhaps he is underestimating how powerful Phanza is, perhaps he truly is as powerful as he believes he is. I don't exactly want to test things. Of course, it doesn't help that the Kaminoan seems to be shielding himself from the Force, because whenever I try to sense him, it's like I'm crashing into a wall, a very defiant wall that doesn't want me to see what's behind it.
"You are a threat to us and to the galaxy around us. You were on Telos, that's where you found the beacon. You saw a destroyed world, covered in ash and destruction, and yet you still hunt for these weapons. You are so desperate to find these doomsday weapons that you followed exaggerations and rumors all the way to a lone ship of unfortunate souls simply trying to survive. And survive they will, I will ensure it." the Kaminoan replied, stoicism finally being to break away as he raised his voice and started to reveal some relevant information. First of all, the whole lecture he gave us implies that this Sith wants nothing to do with these superweapons, implying that he is more like us than Palpatine's breed of Sith. Second of all, his words imply that there is no superweapon here, not the Swarm and not anything else. This ship, relatively large compared to anything outside of the Republic Navy, was simply exaggerated into some sort of Sith superweapon by the few merchants, smugglers, and travelers who managed to catch a glimpse or a half-formed story about it. Finally, the thing about the unfortunate souls, what exactly does that mean? Well, is that how this Sith is staffing his ship? Gathering those left behind or wronged by the Republic, turning them to his cause? Perhaps. I would have to learn more, but, the problem is, I would have to try and learn more while trying not to die.
"Spare me the history lesson, I am well aware of what happened on Telos, and I have no intention of repeating it. I am searching for the Swarm, the spy device, and if you don't have it or know anything about it, we will leave." Phanza replied, the Nautolan being aggressive and firm, not daring to show weakness in front of another, potentially hostile Sith, but also offering a peaceful solution to all of this. The Kaminoan didn't seem all that impressed though, even after Phanza name-dropped the device we were looking for and its purpose. That being said, I wasn't sure how we could make this situation any better, what could we say to get this Kaminoan to let us go when he seems to be so militarily against any use of these Sith superweapons? It almost seems like the Kaminoan has good intentions and relatively noble goals, but he is using Sith tactics and Sith ideology to achieve them. This man seems to want to help the unfortunate, but he is doing so by turning one into his Sith apprentice and the rest into his soldiers, pilots, and ship crew. This man seems to want to stop the use of Sith superweapons after seeing Telos for himself, but he is willing to murder people to do it. This man was effectively building a miniature Sith state aboard this ship to service his goals.
"You should watch your tone, Nautolan, you are the one with the guns trained on you." the Kaminoan replied, apparently not liking how aggressive Phanza was in defending herself, and apparently that went far enough that he effectively ignored the rest of her speech. If he was the slightest bit affected by the news that we were searching for the Swarm rather than an actual explosive or a laser or any other kind of offensive weapon, he wasn't showing it. I suppose that, even then, there is definitely an offensive side to the Swarm, while the device itself is all about misdirection, overwhelming enemy sensors, and mass surveillance, the information gathered from all that can be used for some truly horrific things. Zones where a majority of Swarm spy devices reached a target? Vulnerable to bombing or any other kind of lethal attack. Sensitive military information gained from listening devices? Can and will be used to plan offensive military action that will result in death and destruction. Potentially, I'm sure some Sith wouldn't even be above using information gained from affected civilians to hurt their enemies. Maybe that's why the news doesn't seem to affect the Kaminoan much, or maybe he doesn't care at all what we're looking for, it's a matter of principle for him. Not a good principle in my opinion, there is a big distinction between the Swarm and something which actively targets civilians, but his principles nonetheless.
"Perhaps we have started off on the wrong foot. My name is Zaliza Vyvan, this is my master, Phanza Attam, and my fellow apprentice, Schwevaa'aphere'enda." I introduced ourselves again, hoping that, maybe, if we started this conversation over again, it could go better for us. Unfortunately for me, my attempt at fixing things didn't seem to have much effect, because the Kaminoan still seemed unimpressed.
"I know all of that already. Do you really think my apprentice didn't tell me your names?" the Kaminoan countered. I suspected this means that, while she was still in the elevator, the red-skinned Twi'lek apprentice contacted her master via comlink, conveying the information we gave her, meaning that my introduction, meant to be something polite, something which would hopefully get the Kaminoan to share something about himself, was just wasting his time and ensuring he was still seeing us in a bad light. I wasn't sure what we could do, but I knew that we had to do something to get out of this alive...the problem is, everything I can think of comes with reservations. We could fight, but, as I've said, I think the Kaminoan is confident for a reason, and, on top of that, we're outnumbered by his troopers. Add the apprentice into account - because I doubt she's particularly far - and our odds in a fight really don't look that good.
I could reveal that I'm actually a half-blooded Sith, but what good would that do? This Sith faction is led by a Kaminoan with a Twi'lek apprentice, not to mention the fact that they don't exactly seem to care for galactic affairs too far beyond their own ship, so I doubt they care all that much about the ancient Sith species. Meanwhile, if they do care, that still doesn't necessarily mean anything good. I mean, considering the Kaminoan Sith's stance on Sith superweapons, he may not even have a positive position on the Sith species, seeing them - us...no, them - as warmongers, deeming them as responsible for countless atrocities. There is another possibility as well, one potentially far worse, though this is based on essentially nothing except for the fact that this Sith is a Kaminoan. The theory is that, upon learning my species, perhaps the Kaminoan will try to somehow extract the Sith blood from me and try to use it to recreate an undiluted version of the Sith Pureblood species, a race of crimson Sith clones to recreate the Sith Empire. So, either the information does nothing, it gets us killed because the Kaminoan hates the ancient Sith, or it gets me killed and experimented on because the Kaminoan wants to recreate the ancient Sith. All in all, I think it's just safer to keep this information to myself.
So then, what other cards did we have to play? I mean no offense to Schweva, but I doubt that the Chiss woman has anything that she could play to her advantage, after all, she is essentially just a particularly gifted acolyte, trained in the Sith ways and looking to impress as Phanza's apprentice and the heiress to the famed Kallig lineage of masters and apprentices. None of that really gives us anything of benefit when dealing with these two alien Sith and their forces. Phanza, meanwhile, is being uncharacteristically quiet right now, not really having a response to what was going on around us...or so I thought. I watched as Phanza subtly touched Schweva's arm, getting the Chiss' attention, and seemed to be trying to convey something to the apprentice with which she did not share a Force bond. Realizing that the Kaminoan would notice this attempt at non-verbal communication, I decided to trust Phanza's plan and worked on distracting the Kaminoan. I figured that Lady Attam had some sort of plan and I would be informed soon enough through the Force bond, Phanza is simply trying to tell Schweva first because she sees that as the harder part of the plan. With me, it is simply a matter of sending a mental message, therefore, I decided to give Phanza her opening to do what she needed to do.
"My Lord, please, we have been trying to fight Palpatine and his Empire, we have been searching for anything to give us an advantage, and we are only seeking the Swarm because we need to have an intelligence advantage over our enemies to stand a chance but we cannot afford the risk of losing spies. We have already lost too many to Vader when he hunted down our operatives on Coruscant. Please, trust that our intentions are just and let us go. We mean you no harm and I promise that the location of your ship and your beacon will remain secret." I laid the seeds of distraction, making my voice desperate, and coming across as the young apprentice beginning to crack and plead for mercy. At the same time, in case the Kaminoan would try and scan my mind the same why I tried to scan his - I doubted I could make barriers as strong as he could, especially given I couldn't even keep Voytana from connecting me to Phanza from half a galaxy away - I made sure that everything I said was true or at least a version of the truth.
"Just intentions? That is your defense? Let me tell you about just intentions. Four thousand years ago, the Mandalorian Wars were raging across the Outer Rim, and countless worlds were falling to the conquering crusaders. The Jedi, meanwhile, refused to enter the war, even as atrocity after atrocity was committed against the primarily alien populations of the Outer Rim, all because the Republic could not declare a legal war until one of its worlds was attacked, despite the fact that the great majority of the Republic's military wanted to wage war. Well, one Jedi, a young human woman, decided to act where the Council would not, and attracted numerous young Jedi to her cause. These young Revanchist Jedi entered the war with the best of intentions, defending unaffiliated worlds from the scourge of the Mandalorians with allies from the Republic Navy. A decade later, the two leading Jedi, now under the names of Darth Revan and Darth Malak, were the ones conquering the Outer Rim and slaughtering worlds. Telos IV? The orbital bombardment was ordered by Darth Malak. Do not lecture me on good intentions while searching for superweapons. I don't care what the Swarm does or why you want it, you won't have it." the Kaminoan replied, drawing a clear line in the sand.
The story of Revan and Malak is a tragic one, and many worlds suffered during it, Telos IV and Taris chief among them, but I don't think that makes the Kaminoan's hostile rant at all justified. The stance than any superweapon is a superweapon and therefore bad is an extreme one, though I suppose that Sith really do deal in absolutes. The fact is that the Swarm is not a harmful weapon, it's not a bomb or laser or anything like that, and I don't even think we could make it an offensive weapon without some serious engineering - and, based on the Silent Fleet, the Grand Duchy does not entirely understand all Sith Empire technology, most of it, yes, but some of the rarer, more experimental, prototype stuff is beyond our understanding - so I don't understand how this isn't the one exception to his rule. The Kaminoan may be unreasonable, utterly uncompromising in his beliefs, but his stubborn rant gave us exactly what we needed: time. In the corner of my eye, I saw Schweva nod, understanding what Phanza was going to do, and then, immediately after, I felt my master's presence in my mind.
"Take a deep breath and find something sturdy to hold on to. I have a way out of this." Phanza instructed. I looked over, seeing a nearby railing, fixed to the structure of the ship, that I could reach with a dive. It may not be the heaviest and sturdiest thing on the ship, but I think it's more than strong enough to support my weight in whatever Phanza has planned. I had to assume it was going to be some massive change in pressure or a Force attack, perhaps a tornado like show of Force, spinning winds tearing across the bridge and freeing us, perhaps she has found the artificial gravity controls onboard the bridge and intents to trigger them. Then the three of us, being prepared and hanging on, can escape amidst the chaos. I mean escape fully too, leaving this whole ship behind and returning to Dromund Kaas. The Swarm isn't here and the Kaminoan either doesn't know where it is, or, if he does, there is no chance he is going to tell us.
The Kaminoan watched us with suspicion, knowing that something was wrong when no one responded to his rant, and likely being able to tell by now that Phanza was concentrating on something, however, his focus on Phanza may just be the thing that lets her get away with it. Just behind the Kaminoan Sith, I saw the window he had been looking out of earlier, and I saw it beginning to crack. Phanza was using the Force to apply pressure to the window from both sides, causing it to crack and break, all of which would expose the bridge to the vacuum of space. Right, a deep breath and something to hold onto, everything makes sense now. I watched as the lines of fracture expanded and expanded, each crack growing more and more audible, but then, then I saw the Kaminoan's eyes widen, realizing what was about to happen. Suddenly, I dived for the railing, grabbing it, Schweva fell to the ground and wrapped her arms around the base of a nearby chair, all which the crew member still sitting in it, and Phanza still stood in the middle, the Nautolan Force pushing the Kaminoan back, using his own body to shatter the window.
The bridge immediately depressurized, with people and things alike being sent flying. Phanza herself was thrown of her feet but used the Force to pull herself near a computer console, bracing herself against it. The Kaminoan, meanwhile, was holding on to the edge of the window, just barely keeping himself within the artificial pressure of the bridge, which, even while rushing out into the vacuum, was still enough to keep himself alive, even as I saw ice forming on his face. The Kaminoan growled and pulled himself forward, likely using the Force to strengthen himself, and he pulled his body in through the window despite all the forces of physics acting against him. The three of us could do nothing but hold on as he slammed his fist against a button and a metal shield rose up to cover the shattered window, breaking the vacuum. The ship's oxygen systems worked quickly to restore air to the bridge and the pressurization systems completely restored normalcy. That left us scrambling to our feet, our escape didn't work out, but, as I looked around the room, I saw that his troopers were, for the most part, incapacitated. That meant that it was now the three of us and this one Sith Lord in the same bridge. Now we just needed to act before more troopers or his apprentice could show up.
"You are a crafty lot, you are trying to resist fate, but you will fail." the Kaminoan ignited his red lightsaber, the blade almost looking small against his long, spindly limbs and all neck, but comparative appearances didn't make the lightsaber any less deadly. I watched as Phanza ignited her red and black curved-hilt lightsaber, I followed suit, igniting my purple and black weapon, and, to the left, Schweva ignited her conventional blue and black weapon, deciding against the much more circumstantial lightwhip for the time being. Four Force users aboard one bridge, on the verge of a battle, all this in a system that was critical in the story of Revan and Malak. It bears a superficial resemblance to the Jedi Strike Force, lead by Bastila Shan, that was sent to kill Darth Revan, only for the Dark Lord herself to be betrayed by Darth Malak who fired upon the bridge and rendered Revan comatose. The Jedi would heal her, but, with their healing, they removed Revan's memories and tried to manipulate her into a Jedi. Revan would defeat Malak in the end, but she would do so with her memories intact, having overcome amnesia. That didn't seem all that relevant right now, but I think it's impossible to not think of Revan while a bunch of Sith battle on the bridge of an ancient warship in the Telos system.
"Your move." Phanza taunted as she and the Kaminoan circled one another, Lady Attam in a Form II Makashi stance and the Kaminoan deliberately making his stance hard to tell, simply holding his lightsaber at a downward angle as they circled, arrogant expression on his still somewhat icy face. The Kaminoan, however, was planning something else for his first move, as, rather than attacking with his lightsaber, he lifted a rogue crate with the Force and threw it across the room, aiming for Schweva and forcing the Chiss Sith apprentice to dive out of the way. This distracted Phanza and I both, the two of us wanting to make sure our blue-skinned companion was okay, but this gave the Kaminoan an opportunity. Phanza's attention was brought right back to the battle when a red lightsaber crashed against her weapon, shaking her whole lightsaber but grip stayed firm. The Kaminoan was not done though, because, twisting with a fluid motion, he then swung for me. I managed to parry with my purple and black lightsaber, blades knocking against each other, and deflected the strike, but the Kaminoan once again spun at Phanza, effectively swinging back and forth between us as he attacked with rapid efficiency. This must be his tactic, he is confident in his abilities against two of us, so his first move was an attempt to temporarily put Schweva out of the fight, giving him a chance to concentrate on Phanza and I.
I adjusted my stance ever so slightly - I was quickly becoming aware of the fact that I haven't fought with this single-bladed lightsaber very much at all and I was now in a duel with this Kaminoan Sith who seemed to be a master swordsman - and decided that my best chance in these circumstances was to go for shock and surprise my taller, stronger opponent. I let out a cry and lunged forward, swinging my blade into his from the left and then rapidly bringing it back down from the right, unleashing a flurry of strikes from any directions I could manage, trying to both test his guard and divert his attention, but also knowing I needed to get a significant blow in soon because, otherwise, I was going to be easily overpowered. Therefore, i decided to think back to all those duels I watched Phanza put herself through, and I remembered that she always tried to make it an "authentic fight." By that, Lady Attam meant that there were no rules and there was no requirement to stick to one style of fighting. Therefore, I sent another three quick strikes, all meant to distract the Kaminoan, and that gave me the opening to swing my lightsaber down and then back up, bringing my purple and black blade up in a deadly arc. I smirked as my opponent took the bait, leaping backwards and then blocking high, leaving his lower half exposed. My lightsaber, however, was locked against his, being the very thing giving me this opening.
This is where the pragmatic inspiration comes in though, because, rather than letting the man slowly overpower me or letting go of the opening, I kicked his right leg out from under him, sending him back and disconnecting us. I felt triumphant for a moment, watching him stumble back, but then he spun again, regaining his footing. I sighed internally, an opening squandered, but, then, coming suddenly in these few passing moments after my big move, Phanza moved on the Kaminoan, attacking with her red and black lightsaber. Two different types of red blades touched as Phanza refused to give him a moment to breath or a way of fighting on his own terms. I realized that this was a chance for me, so I lunged again, trying to force my purple lightsaber into his side and impaling him that way, but, despite being locked in combat with Phanza, the Sith Lord saw me coming. I watched as he turned his lightsaber off, giving Phanza an opening but also surprising her, knocking her off balance, and then he reactivated it, swinging it in an arc and knocking back Phanza and her blade. The Kaminoan then twisted his whole body to the right, bringing his blade down and to his side to parry my blow. This did, however, mean that Phanza and I were both on him, both attacking at once now.
Phanza recovered quickly and sparked her blade with her own Force Lightning, ensuring that the Kaminoan took a shock next time their blades meant. I saw the towering, almost monolithic man cry out in pain but that did nothing to slow him down as I slashed for his thigh, hoping to either bring him down or end the fight, or at very least slow him down. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to do any of that as he once again parried my blow and then quickly transformed that parry into a block against Phanza's concurrent attack. I grunted, he was good, but he was also outnumbered, so we attacked again. I took the lead again, twisting my body into a backhanded lightsaber swing as I tried to turn some of my body's momentum into strength, and then following that up with a series of quick blows as the Kaminoan still managed to block. At the same time, Phanza, using the Force, was trying to lift the Kaminoan's foot from the ground, also realizing that his movement and his spinning was his key to dodging between us and managing to block so many of our attacks.
The Sith Lord, was, however, prepared for this, because he countered, bringing the Force to himself and applying the combined power of himself and Phanza's attack into a powerful stomp, sending a shockwave out that did more to hurt my footing than any of our attacks did to hurt his. Phanza didn't give him any opportunity to rest or to take advantage of my momentary weak foot because, next, she took an impossibly long lunge to instantly close the distance and attack the Sith Lord, almost throwing his own red blade into his face. The Kaminoan growled and threw his strength into it, trying to force both blades away from his face and into Phanza. At the same time, I tried to attack again but, to my shock, the Kaminoan leapt in the air, using the recently restored gravity to keep the pressure on Phanza while spinning mid-air to kick me, sending me flying back into a computer monitor. I was worried now, we were on a foreign vessel against a powerful opponent, and his apprentice would likely show up any moment now...we need to finish this fight soon.
With me against the monitor, the Kaminoan must have thought he'd have his chance at a one-on-one fight, but, fortunately for us, Schweva finally rejoined the fight, bringing down her blue and black lightwhip across the room, forcing the Kaminoan to hit the ground and roll out of the way, narrowly avoiding a low swinging from Phanza which nearly hit his head. The Sith Lord raised his black above his head and caught Phanza's weapon above before headbutting her in the stomach, sending her reeling backwards. I don't know what the Sith would have down to my master if Schweva hadn't managed to attack with her lightsaber from behind, making the Kaminoan turn around to block. Knowing I needed to assist my fellow apprentice, I attacked as well, again stabbing for his side, but the Kaminoan managed to dodge it, practically expecting it. The problem for him is, I was adjusting to the fight as well, and I was learning, so, even through he dodged my lightsaber attack, I still stomped on his foot, getting a cry of both pain and anger out of the Kaminoan, and hopefully beginning to affect his movement. I then disengaged quickly, retreating as he swung his blade to where I had just been standing. The moment I dodged his weapon, however, I engaged again, Schweva and I now attacking together as Phanza began to recover, looking for a way to reenter this fight and end it quickly.
Meanwhile, Schweva swung for his neck, but the Kaminoan managed to duck under it, the top of his head just barely clearing the blade that was aimed for his massive stalk of a neck. The Kaminoan grabbed for Schweva's wrist, trying to put the Chiss woman out of the fight again, but I didn't give him a chance as I plunged my lightsaber into the floor and dragged it towards him, eventually raising it and throwing sparks and globs of molten floor alike at him, while, at the same time, plunging my lightsaber towards the long-necked alien now kneeling in front of my blue-skinned counterpart. The Kaminoan spun on the ground, not able to avoid the fiery mess I sent at him, but being able to limit the damage - though not without a pained cry as the metal burned against the back of his robes - before spinning and parrying my lightsaber blow, all while his back was still smoking. This is where it really turned into a three against one fight though.
In a simultaneous set of moves, Phanza began Force-choking the Kaminoan, targeting his long neck. Now, before this likely would have been squashed by his own ability to defend with the Force, just like the attack she tried on his foot, but, this time, the Sith Lord's attention was very much divided. I forced my lightsaber against his, sending us into a blade lock and making it so that the Kaminoan needed to keep both hands on his blade, even as he felt the full weight of a Dark Lord of the Sith's Force Choke bearing down on his neck. This was already a difficult situation for the Sith Lord, even with how much of an escape artist he was turning out to be, but then Schweva finally completed the trio and attacked. She began with trying to impale the Sith from behind, but the Kaminoan managed to dodge while being choked and in a blade lock, having Schweva's blue lightsaber pass harmlessly under his armpit. The Kaminoan then shut his arm against his side, catching Schweva's wrist and locking her in position, trying to neutralize her or somehow turn her into an opening to escape the fight with.
I was now in an awkward position, maintaining a blade lock while also having my own fellow apprentice's blue lightsaber effectively sticking into my face, but then, Schweva showed just why her partial Marauder training was so useful. While having one weapon stuck in an enemy's grasp, Schweva attacked with her lightwhip in her other hand, painfully striking against the Kaminoan's simmering back, a massive blow against already burning flesh was finally enough to make the Kaminoan collapse to his knees, mouth and eyes wide open with shock and pain at what just happened. It was a far cry from the stoic Sith Lord that stood with his arms behind his back confidently lecturing us. Of course, now that things were finally going well for us, another series of simultaneous events had to occur that threw the whole balance of power of this cockpit into chaos.
The first move, which benefited us actually, was Phanza seizing the deactivated red lightsaber with the Force. The Nautolan pulled the weapon into her grasp to make sure that the injured Kaminoan was properly disarmed, or at least as disarmed as any Force user really could be. The situation then, however, turned quickly against us, because the cockpit blast doors were blown open. The red-skinned Twi'lek apprentice arrived to help her master, along with two whole squads of black-armored troopers, massively turning the odds into their favor. The Twi'lek ignited her double-bladed red lightsaber menacingly, making it very clear that she had no qualms about entering the fight. Then, however, we all heard another lightsaber ignite on the opposite side of the room. Phanza and I turned to see Schweva holding her blue and black lightsaber to the Kaminoan Sith Lord's throat. The weapon that, just a few moments ago, he trapped within his grip, was now at the Sith Lord's throat, threatening to execute him if the apprentice tried anything.
A tense moment overcame the bridge next, both sides waiting to see what the other would do. As the Kaminoan was acutely aware, being a Sith Master taken hostage while your apprentice holds the advantage was never a guarantee of survival, in fact, it may very well turn into an opportunity for the apprentice to finally overcome the master in the archaic Sith tradition of advancement. The Twi'lek apprentice, however, was part of a more moderate breed of Sith, her master's stance on superweapons was proof of that, so I saw the reluctance in her, the fact that she wasn't willing to sacrifice her master to win this fight against us. Seeing the fragile circumstances coming to sink in on this bridge, Phanza decided to take control and, with any luck, finally end this fight.
"We don't want to fight. If you don't know anything about the Swarm, fine, just let us leave and you'll never see us again. You won't need to concern yourselves with anything we do or any superweapons we may or may not find." Phanza announced clearly, looking at the apprentice, but being sure to keep an eye on the Sith Lord as well. I thought that her terms were pretty reasonable: nobody dies, nobody gets punished from this point onward, nobody sees each other again after this. We leave and we continue trying to find a way to gain an advantage over the Empire, they can continue hiding on this ship doing whatever it is they do here. I'm sure the master will be rather upset, both at getting beaten and because we'll get to continue hunting for the Swarm, but he'll live with it. We'll be pretty upset too, in that this side trip turned out to be a waste of time and now we don't have any leads whatsoever to hunt the Swarm with, but we'll live with this too. Nobody wins, but nobody has to lose either. Like I said, I think it's the best possible outcome for all of us at this stage.
"You're...you're a powerful lot...you don't need these weapons." the Sith Lord spoke from the ground, his tone very different than it was earlier, and I couldn't be sure if that was because he was humbled by his defeat or because he was changing tactics. This could still be an attempt to make us end our hunt, simply a way of doing so without having to fight, considering that option has already failed for Phanza's Kaminoan counterpart. Schweva and I turned to him, wondering what he was on about, while Phanza continued her split focus, making sure the apprentice wasn't going to ambush us while we were speaking to her master. He continued "You may paint your intentions as benevolent, you may even believe them to be that way, but the ancient Sith Empire didn't build the Swarm to be an equalizer in a fight. They built the Swarm to spy on common people, their own people especially, finding targets for Inquisitors and the secret police alike. I can assure you any military applications you've attributed to this device are grossly exaggerated. The Swarm will only lead to exploitation and suffering. You do not need to resort to that, you fight better than that. Give up the hunt for the Swarm and...and you'll gain an ally against the Empire."
"I don't care what the Swarm was built for or what you think of the military application of it. I was searching for it and it's not here, now, we're going to leave." Phanza replied coldly, not even willing to entertain the idea of the Kaminoan's suggestion. I was admittedly somewhat torn over all of this: on one hand, I felt that Phanza was being unreasonable and turning down a potential ally - we could use Sith that can fight like that, especially right now, and especially Sith that come with their own battleship and their own battalion of soldiers - but, on the other hand, we didn't exactly have much reason to trust the man who just tried to have us killed. Not to mention the fact that, you know, people you try to eject into space and then whip across the back tend to not make for the best of allies. In any case though, I felt that there was no harm in at least getting some more information before leaving, so I interjected and decided to ask a few questions - well, as many as they'll let me get away with really - before ultimately making a decision on the matter.
"What good would an alliance do? You're clearly not in any position to fight the Empire considering your limited numbers and the fact that you're hiding on an ancient ship somewhere in the Mid Rim. In fact, based on the beacon and the fact that this ship has evidently been here for long enough to spark some rumors, I'm not even sure if you having a working hyperdrive to offer us." I asked, trying to see if they would be any good as an ally, and also voicing my suspicions about the state of this particular Sith faction, which really did seem to be a handful of outsiders floating together through space.
"The ship may be stuck here, but we have shuttles and other vessels too. We simply want our base to be hidden." the apprentice interjected, defending their position in this part of the ship, and revealing that they were capable of hyperspace travel, even if this ship itself is not necessarily capable of leaving the system. That at least explained why the beacon was on the surface, and I suspect that this means that the ship was not populated continuously, rather, this Kaminoan Sith Lord - or, more likely, one of his predecessors - found this ship, learned about the ancient Sith, and adopted this place as their home. This community of outsiders developed here, using this ship and using the Dark Side to defend themselves, while simultaneously being very scared of the resurgence of the real Sith. Thinking of the ship in those lines, perhaps us having Sith technology and landing codes wasn't actually a good sign on our part, instead, it made us seem like a threat, like we were hunting for weapons with which to rebuild the ancient Sith Empire. Rebuilding the Sith Empire would not only lead to a return to all the atrocities ancient Sith committed - both the Empire and Revan's faction - but it would leave this faction without a home. Perhaps then, we could convince them that the Empire was the greater problem for all of us and gain an alliance that way, potentially being able to maneuver out of this without making any promises about the Swarm.
"Your secret will be safe with us. We are going to leave, and we are going to continue our search for the Swarm, but you have my word that you will not be harmed and it will not have an effect on you." Phanza took the opportunity to take control again, seizing on their need to be hidden and using that as our way out of here. Phanza was turning their secret into leverage, ensuring that their secret will be safe so long as they let us leave and keep from interfering in our search for the Swarm. I have to admit, Lady Attam was doing a good job working our way out of this, but I still wasn't sure that simply leaving was the best option. I have to admit, the idea of an alliance was intriguing, and I think we can turn this into something that will help both of us.
"Wait a moment master, please." I stopped Phanza, trying to appear like the reasonable one here. Perhaps this would produce a sort of good Sith, bad Sith dynamic between Phanza and I, serving as a persuasive technique that will make the Kaminoan and his apprentice want to trust me. I, however, knew that Phanza was not going to give up on the Swarm idea completely, so I knew I had to find something else to make this work. Therefore, I found a third way "How about this, we continue the search for the Swarm - just this one weapon - while, at the same time, we ally with your faction against the Empire? Then, in exchange, we'll help you get your ship moving again. I mean, think about it, if we found this place just based off some rumors, how long until the Inquisitors find it? Or how about any other group of hunters or trackers the Empire has at their disposal? There is an enemy with nearly limitless resources out there in the galaxy and we're squabbling over principles. Let us work together, let us look for this one damn weapon that's not really a weapon, and let us help you."
"Allow me to stand, please." the Kaminoan requested to Schweva after a few tense moments following my speech. I was hopeful that he took those moments to really consider what I said and, therefore, after checking that Phanza had his lightsaber securely in her grasp, I nodded to Schweva, allowing her to release the Kaminoan Sith. The lanky alien reached his full height, once again becoming the center of attention in his cockpit, and he resumed his calm, threatening rasp, and he launched a seemingly "My name is Lord Sarna Lu, I come from Kamino, the homeworld of my people. We are, for the most part, a Force blind race, so, when I was found to possess this power, I was banished, sent away and feared by my own people. All the while they build armies and weapons for the new Emperor of the galaxy. My apprentice over there, E'verta Ne'ull, was just a young girl, being kidnapped by slavers from the Exchange, like countless girls from her species. I was an outsider, a strange alien out in the wider galaxy for the first time, and this injustice made me angry, angry enough to use my forbidden powers. The powers that my people hated for were the very powers that allowed me to annihilate slavers and rescue E'verta. Of course, the rest of the galaxy was no more welcoming of this strange alien with his strange powers than my people had been, so we had to flee. Over and over and over again. It was only when we found an old, strange Cathar man. A Sith Lord as it eventually turned out. This man took me on as his apprentice and trained me onboard his starship, the Elysium. The very ship you stand on today."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Schweva asked, the Chiss voicing the thought all three of us were sharing: what does this have to do with the plea I just made to the Lord Sarna Lu?
"You introduced yourselves earlier. I was simply introducing us in reply." Sarna Lu replied, making me feel somewhat more at ease, considering it finally felt like we were getting somewhere with all this "I refuse to make promises now, the Sith built weapons of war and torment, you should all know that by now. That being said, you are right about the threat that the Empire represents, and I recognize that them getting their hands on such weapons may be an even worse fate for the galaxy. To that end, in honor of my late master and his vessel which has been my home for so long, I will give you the opportunity to help restore my ship. Take your vessel and my apprentice, journey to the planet of Quesh. A Terminator-class vessel very much like this one has been uncovered below the surface there. It is now the subject of a top secret Imperial research project. Find the vessel and steal its navigational computer. E'verta will report to me on how you conducted yourself during this mission. Once all that is complete and this ship is able to move, we will speak about the Swarm and the alliance."
"Very well, we accept." Phanza replied, deciding to go along with this scheme and at least try to extract something of value from this whole mission, even if it meant yet another detour before returning to Dromund Kaas. As soon as Phanza accepted, without another word the black armored troopers behind us parted and E'verta turned on her heel, walking towards the elevator. Phanza, Schweva, and I exchanged a look before following her. Apparently we were going back to the Chancellery now and apparently we were going to fly out to Quesh right away, without another word for Sarna Lu.
"I don't trust the Kaminoan and his apprentice. There are easier ways of getting a Terminus-class navigational computer - we could have one made on Dromund Kaas faster than this mission would take - this is a test of some sort. Be careful." Phanza warned through our mental link as we entered hyperspace, traveling to Quesh. Ironically enough, we started out on Nar Shaddaa in Hutt space, took this detour to a more inward part of the galaxy, and now we're heading back to Hutt space. This is all while our home base is out all the way in the Unknown Regions. That being said, we didn't seem to have very much of a choice, considering that E'verta was onboard the ship with us, and the Twi'lek would obviously not take too kindly to us trying to slip out of her master's test. Could we beat her in a fight? Most likely, especially given that we managed to beat her master in the fight onboard the bridge, but did we want to get into a fight on our ship? Not particularly. There was also the fact that this alliance could be useful after all, so the best way to go about achieving this end is to do what Sarna Lu wants, rather than trying to find our own way of making his ship operational again. The fact is, at this point, we can't exactly refuse an alliance with somebody who has a starship, soldiers, and is a Force user with a trained apprentice. The implication that Sarna Lu may be willing to overlook the hunt for the Swarm is promising, if nothing else.
"I will be careful. I think this is positive overall though. We fight the Empire and take this one navigational computer, then we potentially get an ally. Besides, I'm not necessarily convinced that Sarna Lu doesn't know anything about the Swarm." I replied through the mental link, voicing my thoughts and my suspicions. Sarna Lu is very much against Sith superweapons of any kind, so I would hardly be surprised if he kept ties on at least some of the superweapons - those he knew about anyway - and the Swarm may very well be one of them. If I'm right, perhaps we'll be pointed in the right direction, if I'm wrong, well, then we still get this alliance. We may not be able to trust these Sith as much as we would like to, but Sarna Lu and E'verta Ne'ull are somebody we can use against the Empire, and that is something we absolutely need after seeing Grand Duchess Voytana obliterated with a single blow from a star destroyer.
"Quesh is a toxic planet. It's an industrial wasteland operated by the Hutts, all built on swamps which have been used as chemical dumping grounds for thousands of years. We are going to need to land at the orbital station and receive breathing masks. I would recommend wearing fully covering clothes and I suggest you use discretion while landing. The Empire has a number of arrangements with the Hutts and they are particularly interested in Quesh because of this crashed ship." the Twi'lek apprentice advised, E'verta getting straight down to business once we got to the cockpit of the ship. This approach was far from ideal - I would have preferred being able to land discretely on the surface - but I doubt Phanza happens to carry the specific anti-toxins needed for Quesh onboard her covert pleasure yacht, so it seems we don't have much of a choice. The best course of action then, I think, is to scramble the signature once again when we arrive on the planet - something I'm sure Phanza will do anyway - and maybe offer a bribe to the Hutts, ensuring we get past any and all local customs as quickly as possible, without alerting the Empire. Perhaps this was part of the test as well, with Sarna Lu wanting to see if we could handle discretion in the face of the Empire, in addition to showing our martial ability and our effectiveness on missions.
"I am familiar with Quesh. Schweva, set course for the planet, I am going to speak to my contacts on Nar Shaddaa. Perhaps one of them will happen to have ties to Quesh that we can use to our advantage." Phanza announced, the Nautolan showing that she was in charge, not the Twi'lek. Phanza was also demonstrating her connections throughout the galaxy, something which may prove influential to Sarna Lu and his faction of Sith. The Grand Duchy of Taaszon may be much, much smaller than the Galactic Empire, and we may be even weaker now after the Battle of Taaszon, but we were still a significant faction. We had the Silent Fleet, we had Taaszon's fleet of Margraviate-class Super Dreadnoughts floating in the skies above Dromund Kaas, and we have allies and connections of our own. The Neo-Revanites, Phanza's connections with the Nar Shaddaa underworld, and her spies around the galaxy, which can recover and be rebuilt, all served to make the Grand Duchy stronger than our numbers would suggest. This was beginning to become clear to E'verta Ne'ull and her master.
In any case, while Phanza went to check in with her contacts amongst the Hutts, the three of us took our seats on the bridge. Schweva and I in the pilot and co-pilot's chairs, the Twi'lek sitting behind - a deliberate gesture to make sure she didn't have any control of the ship - and, from here, I watched as Schweva found the coordinates to Quesh and punched them in. The blue streaks of hyperspace encircled the Chancellery and we were on our way to our next mission.
Once again, my apologies for the delay, but the story is back now and I'm confident we can push to the end from here. Thanks everybody for reading. Ciao!
