Sorry it's been a while. I decided to post the last few chapters en masse to prevent the story from becoming too drawn out (and I wasn't sure what else to do with it.) Sorry if the chapters seem short at all. And so, the beginning of the end…
It was very dark. Darker than if all the stars in the universe died. Wasn't there light? Or could he just not see it? Something hurt. What was it? Suddenly he remembered things. Sith. Republic. Master. It hurts! Where is it?! He tried to cry out, but could not. His mind. His mind hurt. Just a little. It was making him crazy…
* * *
The unthinkable had happened. That which had not occurred for almost a thousand years. The Republic was effectively defeated. Not since the Yuuzhan Vong, Trasae thought. She and the others being held in the Primary Council chambers spoke quietly to each other. The Narjith attack was so swift and decisive, the Jedi had no time to act. Now, with the enemy fleet poised to destroy the planet, they dared not make a move.
I have to find Neca! If he really has revived the Sith, then even the Narjith are doomed. She knew she had to escape, but the remote force fields set in place by the orbiting Narjith held her and the others helpless. No, wait! She reached out with the Force to touch the near-consciousness of her fighter. It was a good thing, she thought, that the Narjith were Force-blind. Though they've never come to the Alpha Galaxy. Neca and I couldn't touch the Force until we got here, not really. I'll just have to hope we're lucky. She gave the ship its orders, and control of its systems, then stood back and waited.
She only needed to wait for a few minutes. Her Force-enhanced senses heard the distant implosion of the building's outer wall. A series of crashes got closer and closer. Then there was the sound of blaster fire just outside. The politicians hid and cowered. Finally, the room's far wall crumbled. She ran to her fighter, making it just before the hole in the shield was reinforced. She leapt into the ship and allowed the nodes and connectors to attach. The sleek craft backed out, pulled a shard one-eighty, pointed skyward and shot off.
The Narjith cruisers opened fire from orbit. Her rear display showed a mass of destruction as she dodged, weaved and twisted. Long known fact of space battle; capital ships have a hard time hitting fighters. She smiled. Especially with Jedi pilots. A blast of energy brushed her starboard wing, promptly snapping her back to the task at hand. Her display showed new targets; fighters, and a lot of them.
* * *
The Yavin 4 night was bathed in a dim orange glow from the gas giant. Blight stood at the apex of the Great Temple. Throughout his training with Lord Kun, his thoughts still drifted to Trasae. Why? Is the Force trying to tell me something? Could I be on the wrong path?
"Good evening, Blight." He jumped at the voice. Even in his new body, Exar Kun still moved like a wraith.
"Lord Kun, you startled me."
"You are losing yourself. You need to retain your focus."
"No, Master, I-"
"Silence!" A wave of Dark Side energy threw him across the flat peak. Kun's voice became more menacing than Blight had ever heard it. "Do not think to deceive me, Neca Kre'Na. You would be shocked to find what one can learn from five thousand years of death." He allowed his apprentice to get up before continuing. "I have a task for you." He produced a small device from his cloak. "Go to Zerethsol. These explosives will be enough to level the High Tower."
"The Narjith homeworld? You want me to destroy the Narjith Empire's center of government?"
"And thus the Empire itself."
"How so?"
"Much like the founders of the New Republic, the Narjith's subjects are not happy with their government. They are ruled by fear. If the government collapses, they will revolt." And the galaxy will be thrown into chaos.
Neca sighed. "Yes, Master. I will leave at once. May I ask what you will be doing?"
"I have not been idle these last thousand years. A plan I have been developing will soon come to fruition."
Neca looked at him quizzically for a moment. Then he turned silently to descend the stone steps.
A short time after Neca's departure, Kun walked into the hidden depths of the Great Temple. He had found this place first created for Naga Sadow. He had long since mastered all of Sadow's secrets and powers. Turning on the lights, he smiled at all he had found, and especially at that which he had added.
He walked to the mass of machinery in the corner.
"You will be great, my friend. My ultimate triumph. We will change the face of the galaxy."
* * *
It was so dark. Trasae…Master…
* * *
Kun walked away from the machinery. He had added to it, changing its original form to better serve his needs, but mused that none alive in the galaxies would have recognized it anyway. Its kind had long since been outlawed. They've never seen a Spaarti cylinder.
* * *
Senator Trepik Forthay lounged in his room, watching a news boradcast.
"The Narjith's conquest of Sentak marks an effective end to the war that began mere days ago. The Alpha Galaxy's third Intergalactic War ended in defeat. In other news, rumors of the elusive Abyss organization still continue to circulate even in these times. It is still unknown who their leader is or where they are based."
Forthay turned off the holopad and allowed the slightest of smiles to play across his face. They'll never know. Only when it's too late. He turned in his chair as his attendant walked in. the Narjith had been very agreeable. The young human they'd sent him had proven to be very useful.
"Sir?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"If I may, sir, I wanted to ask you something."
"Of course."
"There are times, sir, when my senses seem altered. It's as if my perceptions are either more or less real, I'm not certain which. I also occasionally can get a sense of people's feelings and honesty.
Forthay tried to hide his surprise. "You've never lived in the Alpha Galaxy have you?"
"No, sir. I know you are from there, which is why I ask. I thought perhaps it was more common there."
"Allow me, if I may, to give you a permanent assignment. I'd like you to stay on with me. There is much I can teach you."
Idly, he turned the holopad back on.
"Republic Security Forces today announced a reward for the criminal Androth Kel'kar…"