Chapter 10: Out in the Sun

Warning/Note: Going to try something different this chapter. A huge mix of time-skips and short stories.

Siri didn't like to admit it, but, she had fantasized a few times about escaping Sidious. In her dreams. In her waking moments. Somewhere inbetween when she was laying half dead in the infirmary from training or his punishments. It didn't really matter, name the state of consciousness and she had desired to be free of him.

This was not what she had meant.

He might not be in sight, might not be even on the same planet, and her not in that same old compound anymore, but she still felt like there was a chain around her neck that he could yank her back at a moments notice. Swore she could feel his presence in the back of her mind. Not to mention the orders he had given to Alexi and his pet Nightsister to kill her if she tried to escape. And if somehow she did flee the Black Sun, Sidious would find her, and be most displeased. There was no freedom here, just another prison.

"The Force shall free me my ass," she muttered to herself.

The only way she was ever going to be free was simple, and what she had wanted from the beginning, and still infuriatingly what Sidious himself wanted.

"Two there should be; no more, no less, one to embody power, the other to crave it," she whispered to herself clenching her fists tightly.

Sidious's death couldn't come soon enough if this was how he wanted to waste her time.

She shook her head and from her 'perch' leaning against a wall on the far side of the room, turned her head to eye Alexi, drinking wine with his fellow Vigos of the Black Sun on some pleasure yacht. They were in a casino room, gambling and drinking and who knows what else. She had been introduced as his new 'bodyguard and enforcer'. She couldn't for the life of her remember the other Vigo's names, she didn't honestly care. They were high ranking drug lords basically, they belonged crushed under her boot, not partying with her standing watch. Still, Sidious's orders had been simple.

Do whatever Alexi wanted so long as it didn't harm the machinations of the Sith (as if she knew anything of Sidious's actual plans) in order to gain influence over Black Sun and lean them in the favor of the Sith. As such, she was on 'loan' to the Black Sun for roughly a year, unless Sidious so desired her return, and if the Black Sun wanted her services afterwards they would have to contract her out on a mission by mission basis.

She pursed her lips and shifted her focus, eyeing Mighella who stood protectively behind her employer and wondered how she wasn't bored out of her mind. Siri sighed softly and closed her eyes, stretching out for the umpteenth time with the Force to sense for any danger...

...and was rather surprised when she felt a tint of malice in the air. Her head turned sharply, focusing in on the sensation, spotting a waiter balancing a serving tray of wine as he approached the gathering of Vigos. Siri pushed off the wall and made her way over, noting both Mighella and Alexi's eyes shifting briefly in her direction to let her know they saw her.

The waiter began handing out wine. "Compliments of the House m'lords."

Siri reached the group and caught the man's hand just as he began to hand out Alexi's glass. "Hold it."

The group of Vigo's paused, those with new glasses of wine paused with the cup to their lips.

Siri focused her senses, vileness emanating from the glass in his hands; a cruel smile played across Siri's lips. "I think such a hard worker should have a drink first."

Her eyes flickered to Alexi. "Don't you?"

Alexi glanced briefly to Mighella, who eyed the glass for a moment, eyes narrowed, before she nodded.

The man's lips twitched with amusement as he turned back to Siri. "I suppose that 'the help' deserves a reward ever now and then."

His eyes flickered to the waiter. "Go on then. Have a drink."

"B-but that would be such a waste m'lord," stammered the waiter.

Alexi drew his blasted and rested it on his shoulder in warning. "I insist."

The waiter hesitated for a moment before downing the glass. Siri was... a bit surprised that nothing happened. She knew what she had felt...

"N-now if you'll excuse me m'lord," said the waiter before trying to leave.

"Nonsense!" said Alexi with a charming smile, "Someone pull up a seat for our good friend and let him rest his weary bones. I would hate if he were to suddenly drop dead later on after being on his feet for so long.

Oh, later on, a slow acting poison. That made sense, the waiter wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere nearby when it happened. Siri moved to grab a chair and set it behind the would-be-assassin, grabbing his shoulder and forcing him to sit with a strength he obviously didn't expect. She stood behind him and kept her hands on his shoulders in a tight grip. She'd been looking for some amusement, and she wasn't going to let it slip away.

The Vigos resumed their gambling while the waiter squirmed. Siri waited patiently, ten minutes, twenty, thirty-there! She could detect the first hints of pain were starting to blossom in the man's gut. Within minutes, his face had started paling, he started hunching over, hand cradling his stomach.

"My good man, are you alright?" asked Alexi with almost-believable concern, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you look like you've been poisoned."

The waiter said nothing, his breathing growing labored.

Alexi set down his cards on the table and stood up, slowly walking over, a thin smile on his face. "Now, my good man, let's drop the charades shall we? Hmm?"

The waiter nodded.

"Judging by how quick you wanted to leave earlier, I'd say you have the antidote somewhere, no?" asked Alexi, looking down on the man.

Again, another nod, and a slight gasp of pain. There was blood leaking out his lips.

"You are small fry," said Alexi, "You wouldn't plan this on you own, who wanted me killed? Tell me and I'll let you go."

A lie, but Siri hardly needed the Force to know that the waiter wasn't leaving the room alive.

"T-the Crimelord w-wants you gone," stammered the waiter, "H-he didn't hire me directly, but it was o-one of his c-captains, so..."

"So the trail is evident, though it allows him deniability," snarled Alexi, drawing his blaster-

Siri quickly sidestepped out from behind the man.

-and putting a bolt through the waiters head.

Alexi scowled deeply. "I was willing to let the older bastard retire alive, but if this is how he wants to play it, it would seem we will be having a change in leadership sooner than anticipated."

He glared around the room. "Party is over boys, we've got work to do."

And with that, the boredom ended, and Siri left the room with an eager grin...

It had taken far to long for Siri's taste to get to this point. Over a month of gathering and posturing for what would have been as easy as marching in and just killing the bastard. But noooooo, Alexi had wanted to press a point, to show that he was more 'beloved' to the Black Sun. He just had to go and usurp control, convert, or destroy as much as his predecessor whatever-his-name-was's followers, bases, and resources as he could prior to the confrontation, and then waltz in like he owned the place after the current (soon to be former) head of the Black Sun's own men turned on him and opened the door.

...

Okay, Alexi was good. She could see why Sidious might be interested in gaining influence over the Black Sun's soon-to-be Crimelord. He was thorough and efficient, intelligent, charismatic, and while he could look and act like a charmer, he was deadly. Those directly under him, he made deadly; he'd shown her the ropes of 'how things worked' for the Black Sun. Siri could grudgingly admit she approved, almost liked the guy. She wouldn't want to be on his bad-side, and if she was, she'd be forced to kill him, quickly, far to dangerous to leave him alive.

The Nightsister was a walking stiff, that opinion had formed and wasn't going to change anytime soon. Always so uptight and watchful... though Siri couldn't exactly blame her. Sidious had made her nervous, afraid. Those yellow eyes were always carefully gazing on her throughout the day. Siri had the notion the Nightsister might actually know what Sidious is, and by extension, what Siri was being trained as. She had made no comment of it though. Siri also still had no real idea what a Nightsister was supposed to be, a race, a faction, a title, whatever. It was kind of vexing to be honest...

BANG!

Siri refocused as Alexi put a blaster bolt through the front of the former-crimlord's head and then crossed her arms. Hopefully things would be picking up from here on in...

The one really annoying thing about all of this, was that no one who hadn't seen her use the Force or kick someone's ass took her seriously, at all. While technically that was a good thing, it made people underestimate her, it grated always being looked down upon as a young foolish teenager. She wanted to be respected, or at least given basic common cutesy. Those who couldn't even give her that, like this thug under her boot, needed to be-

CRUNCH

-punished.

Siri lifted her boot off the corpse's crushed head and wiped a bit of the blood off on his shirt. "The new Crimelord has been very generous by offering you a smooth transition into his services despite your loyalty to the old one. If you can't respect that, or his envoys, then you will be conscripted or eliminated, are we clear?"

There was a fearful chorus of 'ayes' and 'yes ma'ams', electing a small grim smile from her. "Good, now someone clean up the trash and get a report of your stock, supplies, and manpower ready for me to take back to the Crimelord, and make it snappy."

She made her way towards the exit, pausing briefly when someone whispered, "Kark, just a kid yet she's cold as hell, didn't even flinch. What hell did Alexi dig that psychopath out of?"

Siri frowned briefly, glancing down at her bloody and gore covered boot, before muttering quietly to herself, "A Sith hell."

She left the room, brooding. A psychopath, was that really what people saw her as now? There was a time, not so long ago at all, where she'd never have done that, even considered killing someone so brutally, if at all. Was this truly just the work of Sidious? Or... deep down was she just a monster like him? A beast that her Jedi training had kept in line until it was taken off the leash...

"We don't have the money! I've already taken up a second job, it's just to expensive!" exclaimed a begging man on his knees.

Siri scowled, was this really what she had been reduced to? Being a thug? "That's not my problem, it's yours. You should have known better than to go into debt with the Black Sun unprepared to deal with the consequences. If you can't pay in money, then we'll take what you own as compensation."

"I-I have almost nothing left from the last collection!" exclaimed the man, "Please, it's just me and my daughter, if you take anymore, we'll be on the streets!"

"Boys, the house," muttered Siri irritably, motioned the Black Sun thugs behind her inside.

The man wasn't kidding, there was barely anything inside. Even the furniture was bare-bones run down. What a bother... she hated doing these 'collections'. She'd rather be back standing around watching the Vigos gamble. They didn't have money, their meager personal items weren't going to cut it, so...

"You're going to have to work for the Black Sun then to pay off your debt," said Siri, "Either that, or we kill you."

The man's face paled.

There was a yelp and then a screech as one of the thugs grabbed the man's daughter and dragged her out of her room. "Yeah, you both be workin for the boss. And you little lady, we got a nice place for cute things like yourself, the boys will enjoy you, heh heh heh."

"Get your hands off my-guuuhh...," began the man before one of the thugs knocked him to the ground with the blunt of his blaster.

Siri took one look at the terrified girl's face, knowing the fate that awaited her, then looked away. She had made the mistake of passing the pleasure slave's quarters once. It wasn't... it wasn't Siri's problem, it was the father's for being an idiot and dragging his daughter down with him. Still... she'd really rather be anywhere but here...

"I thought I sensed something for a moment Master, I must have been mistaken..."

Siri's heart was thumping like crazy as she hid behind a trash compactor in a back alley. Apparently, word had gotten out that the Black Sun had a Force Sensitive doing their dirty work. And Jedi being Jedi, would investigate anything they deemed dark or inappropriate use of the Force. She didn't know the pair, and didn't care to find out who they were. She carefully double checked her masking before she reached out and knocked over a trash can on the far end of the street with the Force. The pair of Jedi whirled away, and then Siri bolted at top speed infused with the Force, drawing her hood up as she ran.

"Stop!"

If she had a hard time listening to Master Galia, let alone Sidious, these random Jedi didn't have a prayer at getting her to obey. She could feel a hint of persuasion through the Force, but didn't even acknowledge it, allowing it to slip and slide off her, unable to get a grip through her shielding. She wasn't going to use the Force in anything more than neutral ways, and even that would be kept to a minimum. She couldn't let them get any hint of her presence, because if they did, then shared that memory with someone like Yoda, she'd be identified in a heartbeat.

She pulled out her comlink. "Someone needs to get a ship ready pronto, we've got Jedi here."

There was a curse before the voice on the other end said. "Right, five minutes and I'll have the ship warmed up."

"If you take off without me, I will hunt you down," was all she said in response, shutting the comlink off.

Escape was her only option. She had trained in her spare time, but, not as heavily as she had since she left Sidious. She didn't think she could take a Jedi Master or Knight yet. Regardless of that... she didn't want to fight or kill a Jedi. Not unless she absolutely had to. Not to mention Sidious's reaction would either be praise or punishment, and she wanted neither from him.

Siri ran into the main street, rushing into a crowd and slipping into their midst. While perhaps she could simply mingle in and lose the Jedi that way, she didn't trust the ability to mask herself fully, not to mention the black cloak she wore kind of gave her away to the Jedi. Sidious's previous apprentice, the beast, had failed in his shielding after all, Siri had sensed him. The quicker she was off the planet, the better...

Siri lazily laid on a couch in Alexi's personal yacht's lounge, on the table in front of her an ice cold beverage of some kind; she didn't remember what it was called, but it was blissful. Why did the bad guys get such nice things? She had never had something this soft as a Jedi; she could distinctly remember a lump in her old bed back at the Jedi Temple that always gave her back aches in the morning. Force, the Jedi should invest a bit in comfort, if only to make their numbers more relaxed before going off on a mission.

Or during down time like she had now. Though, it was more like 'lay low' time. Had been for awhile, Alexi had her on logistical and internal duties rather than out on the field after that incident with the Jedi. Laying down crunching numbers on a datapad was a rather nice way to spend the day, rather than being brutalized in training, or have to basically be a thug for the Black Sun.

"Ah, there you are Tachi," came Alexi's voice as he strode into the room, the Witch at his side; he raised an eyebrow at her. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Having something this comfortable should be a crime," was all she answered.

Alexi laughed. "Well, considering where our money comes from, it might be. Speaking of which, what are today's numbers?"

She flicked the screen and began rattling off profits from different worlds, groups, and individuals one by one. It irritated her, to no end, to see just how many Senators and other government employees, both Republic wide and more local, were either on the payroll of the Black Sun, or being extorted by them. Was there no government not corrupt? It just affirmed in her mind that the Republic had to go, it was rotten to the core, no pun intended. Or maybe so, the Core was the worst after all.

"Hmm," mused Alexi after she finished, "It would seem things have finally stabilized after I took over. Good, very good."

He made an about face, "Well, I'm off to the Jacuzzi, I'll leave you two ladies to have some bonding time."

Siri exchanged glances with Mighella; they both snorted, electing an amused chuckle out of the Crimelord before he left.

"So... what's a Nightsister?" asked Siri for the umpteenth time.

"Whats a Sith?" shot back the Witch.

Siri raised an eyebrow. "You actually asked it, I didn't think you would."

"In case you haven't noticed, I am attached to my Lord most of the day. The chances we have had to converse alone have been none-existent, and the less he knows about the Sith, the more likely he is to survive," said Mighella irritably, approaching to stand on the other side of the table looking down at Siri.

Siri's lips twitch in amusement. "Fair enough, but I think you already know the answer to your question, and my Master is interested in gaining affinity with Alexi, not killing him."

Mighella grew thoughtful for a moment before frowning. "Why you then? I recognized what your Master was the moment I had the unfortunate 'pleasure' of meeting him. You don't have the kind of disposition I'd imagine from one of your kind."

Siri gave her a lazy smile. "One, I started my apprenticeship... a little over a year ago I think, I'm still new. And two..."

Her smile turned sharp. "You haven't seen me truly angry yet. I killed my Master's former apprentice when I fell."

Mighella's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Impressive."

She tilted her head in thought. "You were a Jedi before, weren't you?"

Siri frowned. "How do you..."

"It's still in the way you hold yourself, in the way you train, sometimes in how you act or speak," said Mighella, "I imagine it will stay with you for some time before it slowly fades away."

"You're point being what?" asked Siri.

"Do you regret it?" asked the Witch, "Falling?"

Siri said nothing for a minute, slowly working over her own thoughts in the matter. "I... regret that someone important to me died, that if the Jedi even knew I was alive that I would be shunned and rejected. I regret many of the things Sidious has made me do, and will make me do in years to come. But the Dark Side itself?"

"No," she admitted, "I don't. I... am not unaware of how it changes me. That I think things I've never thought before, done things I never would have before, how I can look past cruelties. But that... that's a natural thing honestly."

"Natural," said Mighella, not a question, a statement, an interested gleam in her eye.

"Take animals, they act on instinct, without regret, even in things that seem cruel and savage," said Siri, "It's the same with the Dark Side. It's the Sith that twist and turn it into something more sinister, at least that's what I think."

"You'd be surprise how much my kin would agree with that," mused Mighella before refocusing, "You disagree with the Sith, with what you are being trained to be?"

Siri's gaze turned dark, her voice a hushed, cold whisper. "I hate Sidious with every fiber of my being. I will kill him one day. Whether I take his place, dismantle the Sith, or turn it into something different, remains to be seen."

"Ambitious."

Siri grinned; she hadn't even told her about the desire to become an Empress. "Just a little."

She sat up. "So, you going to actually answer my question or what?"

Mighella sighed. "The Nightsisters are a sect of Dathomiri witches who embraced the dark arts..."

"...and levitate that final piece there, snap it all together, and..."

snap-hiss

"Excellent," said Siri, watching as Mighella flourished her newly crafted red lightsaber.

"Mmm, Mighella, have I ever told you how much red suits you?" called over Alexi from the far side of the workshop.

The Nightsister flashed a predator grin in his direction. "Flattery on a Nightsister of Dathromir?"

"It's what won me your services," said Alexi nonchalant.

"You putting a blaster bolt through the back of your targets head without so much as a flinch was what drew my interest, my services came after watching you work," shut down Mighella.

Siri snicked. They were the oddest pair sometimes.

"Ah, I remember it now, it was a dark, rainy, awfully humid day on Dathromir, chasing down people running from their debts to the Black Sun...," began Alexi.

"Can you not?" groaned Siri.

"Come now, this is half the fun in having you around," jested Alexi.

Siri rolled her eyes and turned to the Nightsister, "Now that I helped you make a saber..."

She grinned. "Up for a spar?"

"...but I'm feeling oh so generous today, I'll let my dear friends decide what to do with you sorry lot," said Alexi with a falsely-sweet smile.

Siri stood to one side of him, Mighella on the other, as he looked down upon a group of goons that had bungled the most valuable shipment of spice the Black Sun had tried to sell in years (or so Alexi had said). It had been worth literally millions of credits, and they had apparently lost it to actual legitimate authorities not on the Black Sun's payroll, shocker there. She could feel Alexi's rage, it was intoxicating, how he hadn't put a bolt through the fools heads yet was beyond her.

"Siri, Mighella, what do you think? Shall we come up with something... creative?" said Alexi, his smile growing deathly sharp, almost ghoulish with his fury starting to bleed through.

For a moment, she let her mind wonder, thinking of various ways she could pretend each and every one of them were Sidious before killing them in excruciatingly painful ways...

Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?

Siri paused at that inner voice, it wasn't the first time and it wasn't going to be the last time she heard it. Yet... it wasn't her own anymore, instead belonging to a hauntingly familiar voice from a certain boy... Obi-Wan...

She pursed her lips, irritated. Her conscience was getting creative, and underhanded. Force... she hadn't allowed herself to think of Obi-Wan in months... what would he think of her now, about what she had done since they last met?

"Killing them outright would be wasteful," said Siri slowly, drawing a look from both Mighella and Alexi, "They can either get back the shipment they stole, or die trying."

There, that was a fair enough second chance.

"Mmm, and what if they tried to run?" questioned Alexi.

Siri raised an eyebrow. "There's no where they can run from the Black Sun, or, you can put a tracker in them if you really want to."

Alexi stared at her, eyebrows furrowed. "Generous of you indeed. Very well..."

He turned to the goons. "Make no mistake, if you run, or return here empty-handed, you will regret it. Succeed, and you'll earn my forgiveness."

Siri turned to leave as the goons began to praise Alexi and thank him for her mercy, drawing up her hood as she went. She could feel the Nightsister's eyes on her, but didn't acknowledge. She retreated to her room and sat against the wall in the corner of the room, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"Obi-Wan," she murmured quietly to herself.

"You've been moping for weeks dear," said Mighella.

"I am not mopping!" said Siri.

"I beg to differ, now come, Alexi gave us the day off, and you are coming with me to the masseuse," said the Nightsister.

"What's a masseuse?" asked Siri, confused.

The woman sighed and shook her head. "Right, former Jedi, they never gave any comforts, did they?"

"Not in particular," answered Siri, interest starting to grow, "What is it?"

"Come and see," said Mighella.

Half an hour later, Siri was in pure bliss, laying down on a table wrapped in a towel and having the 'Masseuse' rub her back. "This is so good it should be illegal..."

Mighella snorted from her own table. "Didn't you say that about the couch?"

"Mmmm," was her only response, closing her eyes and laying her head down on the nicest pillow she had ever had.

She laid there for awhile, immensely enjoying the rub down, before she murmured, "Hey Mighella?"

"What?" answered the Nightsister.

"I never knew mine, what is your homeworld like?" asked Siri.

Mighella seemed to loose herself in thought for a few minutes. "Where I lived, the world around me was covered in thick forest. Swampland was rampant; infested with insects and other dwelers of the bog..."

"Sounds wonderful," Siri mocked playfully.

Mighella bared her teeth. "Even the insects knew better than to bite a Nightsister."

Siri turned her head towards the woman and made a biting motion.

Mighella snorted in amusement. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. Dathomir is a lush world; holding a dangerous beauty to it. I could get intentionally lost for hours roaming the woods."

"Intentionally?" Siri asked.

Mighella shrugged. "To simply enjoy my world, to give myself time and space to think on my own, rather than just pace a room."

"Fair enough," said Siri before refocusing, "Did you have family there?"

"All Nightsisters are part of a Clan," said Mighella, "I belonged to one led by Mother Talzin, who I dare to say is amongst the greatest of the Nightsister Shamans."

"Why?" asked Siri.

"Because she actually gave a damn about her clan," said Mighella, "Not like that bitch Zalem who fancies herself Queen of the Nightsisters that she would run into the ground. No, I don't imagine it will be more than a decade before she's disposed. Talzin, she would make a fair leader of our people."

Siri nodded slowly, "I see."

Mother Talzin eh? A name Siri decided to store away; the woman could one day perhaps be useful.

"And what of you?" asked Mighella, "Do you know the name of your parents?"

Siri pursed her lips. "No. Jedi don't believe in 'attachments', I don't know who my parents are nor where I even came from."

"Do you want to know?" asked Mighella, "Alexi could probably find out for you."

Siri allowed the idea to linger for a moment, a brief one, before dashing it. "No. Not so long as my Master lives."

"Oddly specific," stated Mighella.

Siri bared her teeth. "Sidious would probably kill them as some sort of sick lesson to me. The Sith don't believe in attachment any more than the Jedi do, as a weakness instead of a danger."

"You disagree?" asked the Nightsister.

Siri went silent for a moment; allowing herself to think of Obi-Wan, of her dead Jedi Master, her old (former) friends at the temple, and even Mighella and Alexi at this point. "I think they're the only thing worth living and fighting for..."

Siri's lightsaber was a blur as she surged down the hallway, slicing through Cartel members, leaving a burning trail of molten orange behind her gouged into the walls and floors, body-parts scattered around. Siri didn't know who the hell thought it would be a good idea to try to kill Alexi when he had so graciously invited them into his home, but they were dead meat. Alexi was hers, Mighella was hers, and no one killed those who belonged to her.

Alexi had been proposing some deal or another with the Xrexus Cartel, led by some blond/red tipped woman named Xev Xrexus, who Siri personally thought was a snake. She had felt something underhanded going on, but Alexi had waved it off, something underhanded was always going on.

She came up to an ajar door to the conference room, deactivated her lightsaber, and peeked in, spotting Mighella standing in-front of Alexi, lightsaber bared, against ten goons and four unusual droids aiming blasters at them. They had blue shields surrounding them, stood on three legs, and had twin blasters, one on each arm. They looked nasty.

"...ome now Alexi darling, surely you can agree that doing this my way would be the more favorable outcome," said Xev Xrexus, "You get to keep your pretty little face where it belongs, and I get a cut of the profits, surely you can agree mmm?"

Alexi scowled. "Do you always make such lovely first impressions darling?"

Xev flashed a smile. "I try. Now, I believe your choices are slim at the moment, so shall we cut the deal?"

Yeah... no.

Siri stepped into the room, reaching out with the Force to grab the droids, lifting them into the air, and crunching them into balls. They landed on the ground, drawing the baffled glances of the Cartel members, at least until Siri activated her lightsaber.

"You've just made a big mistake," warned Siri, reaching out with the Force to flick off the lights, the red glow of her lightsaber giving her a deathly appearance.

"Siri dear, leave Xev alive, we need to exchange words," called out Alexi.

Siri flashed a grin, and moved. The screams started and ended within a minute before she had the now terrified woman kneeling on the ground at saber point. Siri waved a hand and turned the lights back on, kicking away a corpse that was a bit close for comfort.

"Shavit," swore Xev, "You've got a Dark Jedi as well as the witch? That's just not fair darling!"

Alexi smiled a dangerous smile. "Nothing about our trade is fair, now, if you want to leave here alive, we're going to be renegotiating that deal..."

"Here, catch" called out Alexi.

Siri freed a hand from the datapad she was working on, held out a hand, and caught whatever he had thrown at her. She finished the number crunching she was doing before sitting up and glancing down at the object. A ring...?

"Uh... I'm flattered, and Garyn is a good a name as any, but I like Tachi more, and I'm a bit young to be married," said Siri.

Alexi barked out a laugh. "Oh Tach, look at it."

She did, inspecting it closer and... oh...

It was a ring with the crest of the Black Sun on it, a special kind that only the Vigos and the leadership of the Black Sun wore.

"You might not be a Vigo, but you've earned your keep and proved your worth ever since you got here, so wear it with pride Tachi, you've earned it," said Alexi before moving closed to kneel next to her, his voice lowering, "And if you need our help in offing that old bastard of yours, just ask."

Siri froze for a moment, eyes searching his, before taking a dangerous tone, "You have little understanding of just what that would entail."

Alexi raised an eyebrow. "As much as you and Mighella seem to think I'm oblivious, I am not. So let me let you in on a little secret. The only reason I didn't end up in your old Order is because I was to old to be trained."

Siri blinked a few times in disbelief before reaching out with the Force...

"You're Force Sensitive," she said, chagrined she hadn't noticed in all the time she had been here.

"Mhm, had a dream as a kid to become a knight, but lo and behold, Jedi only want you if they can baby snatch you," said Alexi with distaste, "So, I turned my talents to other, lucrative, pursuits."

"I'm aware you were a former Jedi, one Siri Tachi, padawan to Adi Gallia, both assumed dead," he continued, "I did my homework on you. That old scary bastard of yours though, I have no info on him, but I can guarantee based on what little I can feel with the Force is that he is no mere Dark Jedi. He's Sith, isn't he?"

Siri snorted. "And here Mighella thought she was keeping you in the dark to keep you safe."

Alexi rolled his eyes. "She's very protective, also, don't dodge the question."

"Yes, he is, and do you understand just what that means? What you promising to help me one day kill him means?" she asked.

"It means, that I'll be partners with the next Dark Lord of the Sith," said Alexi, "It's the way things work with you Sith, correct?"

"For now," she said evenly.

Alexi held out a hand, offering a shake...

...and Siri took it.

Oh yes, the Sith had gained the Allegiance of the Black Sun, but it was to her, and not to Sidious...

And didn't that make her smile a deadly smile, because it was just the beginning. Sidious had mentioned off and on, about having extensive networks of those in his pocket across the Galaxy. She'd need her own before she moved against him and his down the line.

"Alexi," she said slowly, "I personally don't care about the stupid aging rule. If not for Sidious, I'd offer to teach you what I know, not to be a Sith, but in general of how to use the Force. If Sidious found out that I had taken anything like a disciple however, he'd kill you, perhaps even order me to do it."

"Something to think about down the road then," said Alexi.

"Something indeed," said Siri, taking her hand back and slipping the Black Sun ring on her finger...

Life in the Black Sun wasn't nearly as bad as Siri had thought it would be, if one could look past what exactly the Black Sun did that is. The months had flown by, both before and after she had turned the duo of Alexi and Mighella into a trio. She rather enjoyed it to be honest, to actually have people she could call friends again. She felt an odd... possessiveness for them, and kinship. They were both dark in their own way, but certainly no Sidious. So, her kind of dark.

She really shouldn't have been surprised as she was when it came to an end.

Siri had walked into her unlit room and flopped down with a sight, another day done, only for her comlink to sound, she sighed and picked it up, turning it on, only for a cold voice to ring out, "Have you enjoyed your little vacation my young blue-eyed apprentice?"

Siri bolted upright, heart skipping a beat for a moment at the sound of Sidious's voice, before she schooled her expression and suppressed the spike of fear. "I'd hardly call it a vacation."

His response was the sound of lightning cackling in his fingertips echoing down the comlink. "Report."

Siri scowling briefly, before she answered, "I'm as good as a Vigo right now, and in Alexi's good graces."

"Good, good, is he open to suggestion?" questioned Sidious.

"What exactly is the suggestion?" she asked.

"That he break off his dealings and 'friendship' with Ars Veruna," said Sidious, "It would be in both his and our best interest."

Who in the nine Corellian hells was Ars Veruna?

"Pass on the suggestion, then return to Coruscant, I have a... mission for you," said Sidious.

Oh... Siri had a bad feeling about this. "As you wish."

Firs though, she needed to do a bit of research...

Alexi gave Siri a skeptical look, glancing up from the datapad he was looking at sitting at a table. "Now, why would I break of my oh so 'budding' relationship with the King of Naboo? I've been working on him for awhile now. I had hoped within the decade that his planet's plasma reserves would..."

"Those reserves will do you no good dead," said Siri, "Sidious ordered me to tell you to break it off. If you don't, I know what order comes next."

Alexi narrowed his eyes, Mighella shifting behind him warily. "And here I thought we were friends."

"We are," said Siri, "That's why, as your friend, I'm telling you to do it. I can't cross Sidious with only a year of training under my belt, I'm not even close to ready. He will order you killed, and I cannot defy him. Take the offered way out, there will be other opportunities."

Mighella cleared her throat. "It would be wise not to cross her Master."

Alexi tapped his finger on the table. "Hmm..."

He sighed, leaned back in his chair, rubbed his eyes, and waved a hand. "Fine."

Siri felt a wave of relief rush over here. Good, he actually listened. She opened her mouth to speak before pausing and cocking her head.

Change change change

The Dark Side swirled with hungry potential. Something danced across her sight, to quick to really see, but there were brief images and flashes of Alexi and Mighella on various worlds and ships, doing... doing something. Damn... she didn't have experience with visions, how to interpret them, how to pull them to her. She knew what had flashed across her mind was important, she just couldn't see or understand why.

She shook her head and cleared her throat. "Sidious has recalled me to Coruscant as well."

Alexi pouted. "Leaving us so soon Tachi?"

"He did say a year, no more, no less," pointed out Mighella.

Alexi glanced up at the ceiling. "Hmm... oh I suppose I can let you go. I'll miss the laziness and lack of efficiency though."

Siri gave an amused smile. "Love you to Lex."

Alexi scowled. "Lex? I shot the last guy who called me that."

"Good thing I'm a girl then," she said cheekily.

Alexi snorted and waved his hand. "Off with you then."

She nodded to both of them, not truely saying goodbye, and left. They were hers, and she had little to no intention of ever letting them go baring a heavy betrayal on their part. She would see them again, all to soon...

Siri stared silently at the compound down in the lower levels of Coruscant, brooding. After roughly a year away, she really didn't want to be back. She shook her head and strode inside, there was no point putting it off. She walked inside, and the moment she did, she felt a ripple of dark energy through the Force, a not-so-subtle nudge that Sidious demanded her presence. She moved silently through the halls until she found him, sequestered away in their meditation chamber.

"The time has come my apprentice," said Sidious, slowly turning to face her, holding out a datapad, "For you to take your first true step on the path of the Sith."

Her eyebrows furrowed, she . "I haven't already?"

Sidious lips peeled back into an amused smile. "Do you truly think that merely embracing the Dark Side, killing a few innocents, and working for a criminal organization for so short a time truly qualifies you? Oh no my poor foolish apprentice, you still have so far to go."

He motioned to the center of the room and she walked forward, stopping there, watching as he began to circle her. "First and foremost amongst the Sith is our age old conflict with the Jedi, and you have yet to kill your first."

Siri's heart plummeted. "You want me to kill a Jedi."

He circled to her front and fished out a datapad from his robes, handing it to her. "Fret not, I've chosen a 'retired' one, far before your time. Surely to old and weak to be a threat to you."

Somehow, she doubted it; she took the datapad and began to read. "Siolo Ur Manka...?"

Why did that name sound vaguely familiar? Wait...

Wait, seriously?! "You're crazy! I know who that is, some of the old Masters still talk about him. He was one of the most renowned Jedi back in his day, amazing with a Lightsaber, skilled with the Force, wise, and cunning. There is no way I can beat him in a fight."

Sidious radiated disapproval. "Still in the mindset of a Jedi, always thinking with your lightsaber. This is why I chose this Jedi now, rather than as a test of your skill later in a few years. There is more than one way to kill an opponent than simply stabbing them with a blade, Apprentice. If you cannot learn this, then you are no more use to me than as a sharpened tool; unworthy of becoming a Sith, and learning the secrets and powers of the Dark Side."

Siri went silent.

"In the datapad is his location, and all relevant information I could find on him, you have three months to kill him, I don't care how other than it is not with a Lightsaber. If you fail that, and I am forced to clean up your mess, my displeasure will make itself known in ways you have yet to experience. Are we clear?" he said in a deadly tone.

"Yes Master," she whispered.

"Good, now get out of my sight," he spat.

Siri fled the room, dread bleeding through her body; both at having to kill a Jedi, and wondering how she could possibly be expected to kill this one...

Author's Notes:

For those who don't know, Siolo Ur Manka was a retired Jedi Master (a male Twi'Lek) who Darth Maul was sent to kill in an unspecified year prior to ~32by. He kicked Maul's ass, stupidly didn't kill him (Jedi), and then Maul came back and killed him with some double-bladed trickery. I think he appeared for like... 1 comic, we have little info on him, so... yay! One-shot character to use and build on as I see fit!

Anyway, going to try another method of story telling this next chapter too.

It will be told from Siolo Ur Manka's Point of View, we won't have access to Siri's thoughts/feelings except what the old Jedi feels and sees from her. ^_^

Review Responses:

Le0nidas: Ooooh, that's a nice comparison, +1 there. The closest thing Siri will become (most likely) to a ruler is a Master to an apprentice.

ElPsyCongroo: That pretty sums up the Sith in a nutshell, though, they intentionally want the chaos and conflict.

IAmOneWithTheForce: I can't fully say how many chapters it will be until the Phantom Menace. There is a lot of time between now and then. As for Obi-Wan, half of this last year, he and Qui-Gon were on censure. Not much happened during that time, as for the time after? 'shrug', Obi-Wan will get some bones thrown his way in due time, but yeah, this is Siri-centric.

Nerdman3000: Do you really want me to tell you? I wouldn't do it in these comments, but I'd consider a PM. Just remember, it would be a huge spoiler and take away from the shock/surprise much later on down the road.

As I said, the % is all up in the air at this point, what the dividing of the story actually goes, who knows.

The Rotj to the end isn't just the Vong, there is a lot of time between RoTJ and then, you are also assuming the Vong Invasion will go anything like in cannon. The condition of the Universe will be different than what it was, for better or for worse. Whether the Vong are easily repelled, or path an unstoppable bloody path through the galaxy, remains to be seen. As a hint though, I have a loose idea for a sequel to this story (lol, I get way to ahead of myself, considering this story is going to take years to finish in consideration to all my other stories).

Palps sets the bar low in being a good leader, since he's a hardcore Sith n all. Good leaders don't create doomsday weapons that blow up their subjects en-mass.