Author's Note: This is the last chapter that I had preloaded in my document manager. For the last three days, the document manager has not been working so I'm unable to upload the next few chapters. I'm sure the site administrators will fix that at some point in the near future but, until then, I wanted to warn you all that there won't be daily chapters. As soon as the document mangager is working again, I'll return to the normal schedule.
In the meantime, I challenge you all to go back and check out the earlier chapters and see if you notice all the clues that Rizza was not who she appeared to be. I promise you, the clues are there.
Ok. Without further ado...
Chapter 9
OCCASUM
Migru younglings on their first outing into the woods would often sit around campfires and trade stories before being sent off into the trees for the night. The children often competed to see who could come up with the scariest story. Most tales were based on legendary characters, such as the great migru explorer Nallegam. Among the most popular of the stories was that of Ikol.
Ikol, an insufferable prankster, had a history of going into the woods to set the stage for yet another grand trick. Loathed by the adults and worshipped by the younglings, Ikol's notoriety had spread across all the villages of Migruna III.
One night, his ministrations were interrupted by howls of agony from a gnarlick. Leaving his campsite, Ikol searched for the wounded beast, whose cries grew fainter the deeper into the woods that Ikol went. After locating the trail of the massive creature, Ikol ran headlong after it.
After an hour, Ikol realized he was hopelessly lost but decided to continue his search for the beast. It was only after the moons had set and the night was at its blackest that Ikol found a dark clearing wherein the creature lay, panting.
The gnarlick, large docile herbivores, had been vanishing from the woods of Migruna III over the previous months, and Ikol believed they had been falling to some unknown predator. Searching the woods carefully, Ikol quickly assessed that he and the gnarlick were alone. He ran to the creature to examine its wounds.
The specifics of the story beyond this were unknown.
Migru younglings often completed the story with all manner of gruesome details in a valiant attempt to outdo the previous storyteller. The only known fact was that several days later, while searching for the missing Ikol, a Council member found the cave of an astaak. It took several more months before that astaak was successfully hunted down and destroyed.
What sparked the fearful imaginations of so many migru younglings was what the Council member had found within the astaak's lair. Lying discarded in the center of the dark cavern was a young migru skull. Hanging above on the wall, the Council member had discovered a gnarlick's hide.
Ever popular, the story had been told and retold for generations. While the details varied over the centuries, the lesson was never lost on all migru—
Beware of the astaak in gnarlick's clothing…
"I am not an astaak, Yoda."
"Rape my mind further, you will not!" Yoda snarled, gritting his teeth. He glared down at Rizza as she glided across the room, seeming to expend no effort to keep him pinned high against the wall.
She chuckled quietly. "I certainly think 'rape' is a very strong word for it, do you not? As I recall, you have been rather welcoming."
Yoda grunted and tugged uselessly at the invisible barrier. "Release me, and welcome you, I will."
Rizza turned and arched an eyebrow. "I fully intend to release you, Yoda. But I want to talk. Are you willing to talk to me?"
Yoda curled his lips. "Nothing to you, have I to say."
Rizza's condescending smile made Yoda's stomach lurch. "Come now, Yoda. Only last night, you were nestled in my arms, professing your love for me." She raised her hand, open-palmed, and Yoda's fallen lightsabers flew to her. She placed them on her belt and smiled. "What has really changed?"
"Changed?" Yoda roared and pulled the frozen blanket of the Force tighter around him. Rizza's eyes glinted as a power conduit tore from the wall and hurtled toward her. As she raised her hand to deflect it, Yoda pushed against her Force-hold. The metal wall to which he was pinned groaned under the strain. Screaming, Yoda opened himself fully to the Force. Fire enveloped his insides and burned away the cold. "Everything!"
At the fringes of his mind, Yoda recognized the heat he felt.
A smile played across his lips.
The heat had made his opponents powerful.
Yoda tore free of the wall with a roar and landed hard on the black tile with a thud.
"Impressive." Rizza's smile seemed genuine. "I always knew you had far more potential than you have displayed over the years. Well done."
"Turn me to the dark side, you will not!" Yoda felt the heat surging within him. Lowering his head, he fought to contain it.
Rizza's voice carried a tinge of amusement. "Do you really believe that, Yoda?" She chuckled softly. "The dark side of the Force burns within you even now. You cannot fight it. There is no Jedi alive who could free himself from my Force-grip. Even with all his years of training, Darth Frigeus could never do it. Where do you think this sudden surge of power came from? Your pitiful connection to the light side of the Force!"
She smiled as her voice softened. "You have already started down the dark path." Yoda felt her standing above, blocking the light and casting a shadow over him. She knelt and took his face in her hands. "Only with my training can you hope to contain the fire that rages within you. I can teach you to control the power that you have tapped into, my love."
Her hands felt warm and inviting against his skin. Her voice was sweeter than the songs of the skattergale. Yoda closed his eyes tight and yanked away from her touch.
"Your love, I am not!" He stood quickly and retreated.
Rizza knelt as she held her gaze firmly on him. Extending her hands outward, a pained expression crossed her face. "Do you not understand, Yoda? I chose you. From the moment I came to know the dark side I have searched the galaxy for a companion to explore the depths of meaning in the Force and harness its power."
Yoda continued to back away until he felt the cold durasteel wall against his back. He could barely hear his own voice above the pounding of his pulse against his ears. "What of your apprentice? What of Darth Frigeus?"
Rizza stood and waved her hand dismissively "A child. His power is great, but he will never be as great as you can be." She approached Yoda with open arms. "You are who I want. You are the one I have searched for. Join me, Yoda. Join me and we will discover the true power of the Force."
The heat grew in his chest. He glanced down at his quivering hands and opened his perceptions to the Force. Bright red flames billowed all around him. He nodded internally. Lifting his head to face her, he frowned.
"Nothing to learn from you, I have."
"Do you think the Jedi will accept you as you are, Yoda?" For the first time, her voice seemed to crack. "You have tainted yourself with the dark side of the Force. They won't want you anymore."
"Free myself, I will."
"Nonsense!" She spun on her heel and walked across the room. "Have you ever seen it done, Yoda? In all your centuries of wandering, have you ever seen it done? Do people routinely fall to the dark side and recover, like some kind of deathstick addict?"
Yoda lowered his head and gazed at the floor.
Rizza turned and stared at him. She smiled. "The Jedi do not know love, Yoda—not really. Even my mother warned me of this." Her eyes narrowed.
Yoda quickly lifted his head. "Your mother. Deceived her as well, you have." He was not asking. He shook his head in disgust and slid to the floor. He sat, placing his head against his knees.
Rizza laughed. "Well, the old hag deserves it, does she not? Do you know why she never allowed me to be trained?" Yoda closed his eyes. "Because she was afraid! She had to hold me back. She knew that I would have been a greater Jedi than she could ever hope to be. Now," she laughed, "I'm a greater Sith than any that have gone before me. And with you at my side, no pair of Master and Apprentice will ever hope to achieve what we will."
"Join you, I will not," he whispered.
Silence descended on the room. Only the gentle hum from the remaining power conduits disturbed the quiet. Noiselessly, Rizza crossed the room and sat next to Yoda. At length, she whispered. "You are tired. You are fighting the darkness that is swarming about you, Yoda. The heat is too great for you. It is more acute in you because of your Force potential. You must free yourself, or you will burn up."
He could feel it, the energy building within him. The heat was growing unbearable. How had so many survived like this? It was too much.
"How?" he whispered.
"You must let go, Yoda."
He gritted his teeth against the searing pain behind his eyes. "Let go?"
"Of what you fear to lose."
Migruna.
"No."
"Yes, Yoda. You must. To be a Sith, you must distance yourself from your emotions. Your passion is your weapon, not your Master. That is what makes the Sith greater than those fools who fall to the dark side of the Force and are never trained. You must find that place inside you where you feel no guilt. You must distance yourself from your pain."
"Let go of Migruna, I can not."
"You were willing to let go of me, were you not?"
"Evil, you are."
"Evil is a point of view, Yoda. I am the enemy of the Jedi, yes. But I am also your love. Can you fall in love with evil?"
"Deceived me, you did."
"Did I? Or did you allow yourself to be deceived? You wanted me the moment you laid eyes on me. I wanted you before we even met. We are meant to be together."
Tears welled at the edges of his eyelids.
"You must let go, Yoda. I can help you."
His throat grew tight. He struggled to swallow.
"No…"
"Please, Yoda. Join me. Be my student. Be my friend. Be my lover. Let go."
A tear fell.
"I do not know how."
She placed an arm around his shoulders.
"I will teach you."
Darth Frigeus stared at the bottom of the closed durasteel door, his muscles tense.
As if a responding to some unspoken pronouncement, he looked up briefly and inhaled deeply. He turned his head downward again and gazed at his tightened fist. He intensified his stare, willing his hand to unfurl itself. Finally, his fingers relaxed and he nodded, ignoring the slight tremble as he returned his gaze to the doorway.
A Sith knows no fear, he recalled from his early training.
The words did little to quell the sense of impending doom he felt. His bout with Yoda had not gone well. Had his master not arrived when she did, he most certainly would have fallen to Yoda's blade.
The Dark Lord focused his eyes on the gleaming metal door, and frowned at his distorted reflection. It was only a matter of time now, he knew.
A Sith knows no fear.
No. That was not quite right, he decided. His study of the dark side of the Force had taught him that the great strength of the Sith was not their lack of fear. Unlike the weak Jedi, the Sith did not run from fear. The Sith embrace it. The Sith wrap fear about them and use it for nourishment. A Sith has the power to face fear and rise above it.
He nodded. Breathing deeply, he felt the reassuring cold of the dark side permeate his core. Calmly, he entered the code and glided into his master's chamber.
When the door slid shut behind him, the darkness in the room grew absolute. Patiently, he waited for his eyes to adjust to the deep shadows. Slowly, her form seemed to emerge from the murkiness, though he sensed no movement in the room. When she had resolved to his satisfaction, he moved to her side.
She sat on her cot, deep in meditation.
He waited.
At length, she sighed.
"I've always appreciated that about you, Dorran." Her voice was quiet, almost reverent.
"What would that be, Master?"
"Your respect for silence. My own Master spoke often and loudly." She chuckled. "I think I sought you out just so I would have an excuse to shut him up."
There it was.
Kaine decided it best to change the subject. "How is our new apprentice doing?"
"He's getting some much-needed rest." Rizza smiled and stood. She walked to a console on the far side of the room. Suddenly, the room exploded in light. Kaine raised his hand reflexively to shield his eyes. Rizza chuckled. "As much as I appreciate your respect for silence, my apprentice, there is one thing I've never liked about you."
Kaine lowered his hand, and stared out at his Master, red blotches dancing across his retina. His throat dry, he swallowed hard. "How have I displeased you, Master? What is it that you do not like?"
"Your fear, Dorran." She drew her brows together and placed her hands behind her back. "How many times must I tell you that a Sith knows no fear?"
"I fear nothing, my Lord."
"Do not lie to me, Darth Frigeus!" she spat.
"Master, I assure you—"
Rizza's raised hand forestalled him. "Your fear is not unwarranted, my apprentice. There is no need to deny it." She walked toward him. "I have never lied to you, and I will not begin now. We both know that there can only be two."
"I have been expecting this from the beginning, my Master. Why should I fear it now?"
"Because Yoda is far more powerful than either of us imagined." The Master of the Sith placed her hand on his soothingly. "He will one day be the most powerful of all the Sith."
"Not if I have more time…"
"Ahh, yes. Your precious Sith'ari."
"I have learned much in the last few days. My children on Korun have found Yoda's midichlorians most useful in our research. It is only a matter of time, my Master. The Sith'ari will be born."
"Then you will be properly motivated when you face our new apprentice."
"Yes, my Master. I will delay no further."
"You will delay, my apprentice. It is not yet time."
Realization dawned. "He has not pledged himself to us, my Master?"
"It is of no consequence. The more he fights the dark side, the more powerfully it grows within him. When our battle station is showered in the debris of his precious planet, he will give himself fully to the dark side."
Kaine clenched his fists. He lowered his gaze and his voice. "Have you considered that he might destroy you in his grief, Master?"
The Dark Lord seemed to consider this. Finally, she smiled. "I think you should be more concerned about him loosing his rage on you, my old friend."
"Oh?"
Rizza laughed.
"He loves me, remember?"
