Rogue Knights

Chapter 8

By: Princess Raye Fire

Byrn stood there for a moment stunned. He had just fought with his most trusted friend, leader, and advisor. He had almost been killed by the woman who had taught him to duel.

"Byrn, Byrn, we need help and we need to get to the Rendezvous point."

Byrn turned and looked at Shahara. The look on his face seemed to give away his thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Byrn, but if Illea hadn't come back like she did we'd of been fried."

"I know. Come on. We need to get a Bacta patch on that leg." He picked the small woman up easily and began to walk then stopped and turned back to Shahara.

"Isn't, I mean, wasn't Darth Maul the name of Palpatine's pet Sith?"

"Yeah I think so. We really have to put this in the report."

*~*~*~*~*

Fliry Vorru has never been a trusting man. Ever since the Emperor had sent him to Kessel he hasn't been totally loyal to anything.

But now? Now he was teamed up with Ysanne Isard, the best chance the Empire had of coming back to power. Even if that woman was misguided, too long in the Emperor's care had made her common sense flea. But her newest act took the cake. Why would some one in there right mind resurrect a Sith?

A person trained to lie, cheat, steal, and murder is one thing, but one that uses the Force to do so? Playing with that kind of power was just foolish, and dangerous. The Emperor proved that him self.

It was like having a 'tamed' Rancor inside your defenses. Sure it could be kind and people might even learn to see it as beautiful, but you do not allow such an animal to guard your back. Ever.

He watched as the woman in question burst out of the forest. She had gone for her 'morning exercises' in a black Taun-Taun hide body suit. Taun-Tauns are native to Hoth so he knew the woman was sweltering, even though there was not a single bead of sweat on the woman's forehead.

'Might as well get this over with.' He hit the release button on the gate and walked out to greet the woman.

Vorru had convinced a few of the local Stormtroppers that had had the pleasure of Darth Vader's company that having another Darth among them would be a folly. Especially since this Darth was a Sith, and not the Dark Jedi Anakin Skywalker had proven to be.

This had raised the question as to if there was a difference between Dark Jedi and Sith. To that he had said Dark Jedi still had loyalties but Siths only served them selves and those that proved them selves stronger then them.

They took that to mean Isard had not done so, and thus she had control of the Sith only by fear of the Emperor. Now once this Sith learned the Emperor was dead the Sith would turn on them all.

No loyal Son of the Empire would stand for such treachery, the problem must be squashed. And Vorru had been pegged with the most dangerous part in the scheme. Dealing with the dark warrior directly. This means he has to guard his thoughts and watch his behavior.

Their plan was to lead the Sith away from the main compound then use a spell that they (Vorru) had found in the Emperor's archives. Supposedly you did not need to have control of the Force to call upon it for the spell.

He had read it through many times. He found it amazing that the spell used the Force-user's power to capture it and hold it at bay. The only catch was you needed a blood sacrifice. A human sacrifice.

To that end they had captured a Xucphra official (see 'Allie' in your dictionary) so that the blame could be pushed off on the Zaltin and Black-claw Rebels (those would be 'Enemies') .

The woman that Darth Maul had taken over stood at the edge of the foliage watching Vorru come.

He smiled and Nodded to her, er, him.

"Good Morning, Minister Vorru." Darth Maul said in his too-low-for-a-woman, clipped tone.

"And to you, Lord Maul. Can we take a walk? We need to speak."

The Sith eyed him cautiously then nodded. They walked back toward the Forest with out waiting for the older man.

When they were about a mile away from Isard's compound the Sith stopped and turned to him. "What is it you need?"

"I want to know what Isard is doing about the Rogues." The Sith turned her head a little to the side and looked at him sideways. For a moment he thought the swordsman had caught the lie. It hadn't.

"If you have not been informed then the Master wants you kept in the dark." She had spit out the word 'master' like it tasted bad.

Vorru kept walking. He had to get her to the Rendezvous point soon or the spell would start and she would feel it. That would make Vorru very dead.

"You don't like having to answer to Ysanne?" He made it sound conversational.

"No."

"Why?" He saw a small bead of sweat form on her forehead, she didn't seem to notice it.

"She is not my Master. She is only a temporary obstacle. When I have returned to my old power, my master will return to me."

"Who is…?"

"Freeze!" A male voice called out. Vorru kept walking but his companion was frozen in the middle of a step. He saw she was shaking and he could see her breath. Who knew one word would have such wonderful effects?

Men in black flowed out of the trees. Some started beating on Vorru -couldn't have him come back without a scratch after a kidnapping attempt. Others held blasters very steadily on the Sith, making sure to stay out of blade reach.

Another man stepped out of the bushes. "Abomination!" He screamed at the woman. "Darth Maul, Lady Elians and Cassandra Nightwalker, I bind you!" He started speaking in a language that made no sense except the Sith. As he spoke he walked a Triangle, placing pyramid at each of the points. The man seemed a-nerved when the Sith tried to jump him but was help back by the spell.

He stepped back and motioned for 2 other men to step forward. They stepped forward and between them hang a woman of the Xucphra family. The men knelt without being told and another came and slit her throat. The spell man stepped toward her and rubbed his hands in the blood then rubbed his hands on the three Pyramids.

He stepped back and finished speaking. When he stopped it was as if the world had fallen into a deafening silence. They stood in the clearing and watched as the last words spilled from the man's lips and the power was sealed.

White light erupted inside the triangle. The Sith was suspended as if she was in a bacta tank. Her hair broke free of all restraints and floated around her like a cape, the paint that Darth Maul wore disappeared and left the face of a beautiful young woman. Her head bowed and her arms crossed over her chest.

The white solidified, becoming a crystal of sorts and vanished.

The men looked at each other. Was that supposed to happen? They looked to Vorru but he was in a broken, bleeding pile, unconscious.

*~*~* else where *~*~*

Corran and the rest of his team had been extracted from the planet. They had reported Cassandra's possession and waited while the Jedi worked to come up with a solution.

The Rogues had gathered for a meal and a few Knights had taken a break to join them. They were all disheartened by their comrade's fall so there was no conversation amongst them until En-Jay Skee came skidding into the room.

She ran into a post and fell to the floor. She snapped to attention and waited to be recognized. The Bothan Lieutenant with the Knights had been placed in charge since there leaders disappearance. Youry stood and returned the salute.

"At ease." The woman's shoulders dropped and he continued. "What do you have to say that's worth breaking your neck over?"

"I have a lead on Cassandra."

"Go on." Wedge commanded.

"Well, you see I'm the Historian of our group, I'm the one that keeps the old ways in play amongst our people. I opened a 2-Seeing and saw Cassandra."

"Take us to your 2-Seeing." Youry said. The insectoid woman took off toward the hangar.

When they got there she led them to her X-Wing. On the left side -away from prying eyes- under the wing they saw 2 Pyramids projecting a picture. The picture had a free-suspended Cassandra, frozen in place.

"A Seeing allows a Historian to see a Knight or Master when he or she wants to be seen. The number before the word 'Seeing' tells how many power pyramids are being used and that reflects the size of the image. With a 1-Seeing you get a 2-demintional picture that is the equal in size of your pyramid. With 2 you get a 2-D, 2 by 2 foot picture. With three we'd get a life size in 3-D but my third Pyramid is broken, so this will have to do."

"What does this mean?" Gavin waved toward the image.

"It means some one used a binding spell on Cassandra. If she still had the Sith in her she probably wouldn't be able to do this. So that most likely means she beat him and they bound her for it. The fact that we are seeing this means she wants to be found and freed…"

"What do you mean found?"

"For a none Force-user," Youry answered. "To bind a Force-user there is only one spell. And that one will Crystallize the Triangle she is captured in and send it to the most powerful Seeing."

"Where's that?"

"We'll take you there. But we'll need some help."

*~*~* On Yavin *~*~*

"Master Luke!" Tionne called.

The man walked into her archives to see what she discovered. "I was looking into records about how Jedi could at one time speak over distances and ran into something called a Seeing. I found a Pyramid of Power-thingy and this showed up."

"That woman." Luke said. "I saw her in a vision." He seemed to think about it then began to leave. "I need to contact Wedge."

"Why, master?"

He stopped, looked at her, and shrugged. "He was there with her."