Chapter Five
"The mission details are simple," Dantius began as they closed in on Sith Space, "you are to report as often as possible on any plans you discover for retaliation. You are also allowed to do whatever becomes necessary to become an influential part of the Imperial food chain provided you don't lose yourself to the deceit and turn on the Republic. When you have enough information about whether or not the Sith can be quickly vanquished, if attacked, send the data to me via a secure channel that the Sith don't operate then await instructions."
Instructions from a Jedi. Something tells me there's going to be a sentimental order to spare those who surrender first then kill everybody else Crassus said in Hyperion's head.
That remains to be seen, grandfather. Meantime remember what I said about shutting up? Hyperion reminded him. The older Sith specter growled and mumbled something incoherent but otherwise obeyed his grandson. He turned to Dantius and asked if there were any contacts he could trust on Balmorra, should the mission go south.
"We've recruited some help among refugees of Hutt Space who've agreed to accept perilous missions for the Republic in return for citizenship. It's somewhat unethical but it's a deal the Republic worked without the explicit consent of the Jedi, feeling that since many such refugees have criminal records coming in that it would be a good way to atone for their crimes. Plus, there are some smugglers who are highly trained and will already be delivering supplies to the Sith anyway. We'll park you with one of them at Denon and let you work as a labor hand when you arrive, that way your discovery doesn't stink of Jedi influence to the Sith. Be sure to let your power be plain for a Sith Master to see so that you can get recruited quickly and hopefully get a good rank to start with," Dantius suggested.
"And if they ask about the rest of my arsenal like my vibroblades and pistols?" asked Hyperion.
"Just tell them the truth, be it that you reserved your lightsabers for those worth the trouble of a duel or that you used them to soften up opponents to take them down. Bottom line is, your best chance may be to give them reason to believe they can manipulate you into their service when you're actually the one pulling the strings instead," Dantius answered.
"You sound more Sith than Jedi with those words," Hyperion noted.
"I just know the tactics of the Sith well enough to know that the Council isn't going to come up with effective counters anytime soon. Wise though they are, much of what they tell their subordinates to do in the face of a Sith threat isn't practical when you spend a lot of time getting shot at," Dantius replied nonchalantly. Hyperion was rather impressed by how much his brother had changed since joining the war effort, so many years before as a recently-declared Jedi Knight by order of the Council. Now, as a grizzled Jedi Master, Dantius thought more similarly to his mentor Master Colunga might have as if the experience of being a temporary traitor to the Republic actually helped Dantius' understanding of the Force instead of hinder it.
"What happened to you when you joined Master Colunga and his traitors?" Hyperion inquired, somewhat rhetorically. Dantius shrugged indifferently and typed in a comm frequency Hyperion didn't recognize at first. He wagered it was the smuggler he was going to be in contact with and when he saw a Rodian with a ship parked, loading up crates of supplies, his suspicions were confirmed. Aside from the Rodian, there was also a Bothan, Chagrian, a Twi'lek, a Bith musician, and a Wookiee. He had a feeling he was get along with the more meek members of the crew but the bigger ones might try their luck with him even if they were paid otherwise.
"This the one you want sent to Balmorra?" the Rodian asked in very heavily accented Basic speech. Dantius nodded and dropped a credit chip, valued at three hundred thousand into his hands.
"As we agreed. Three hundred thousand as a down payment for safe passage to Balmorra. You'll receive the rest when you confirm that he has arrived and been picked up by the Sith," Dantius told him. The Rodian then led Hyperion to the ship with a gesture of his head but before Hyperion boarded, his brother called out to him. "May the Force be with you, in case we don't see each other again," Dantius told him.
Hyperion silently took the compliment in stride with a nod then helped load some of the last supplies on board, proving himself as strong as the Wookiee when he load a crate himself. "You strong for human," noted the Rodian, "no Human ever compete with my Wookiee friend before!"
"I'm not looking to compete, I'm only looking to secure passage from my end. Just because my brother paid for the trip doesn't mean your crew likes me," Hyperion told him. The Rodian barked out a laugh at the remark, fully expecting this man to be unfamiliar with how smuggler crews worked sometimes.
"True but you got my respect. That good enough for trip, because I'm Captain. Go, get seat before we take off, you stay then we jump. You get up after we make jump if you want but not before," said the Rodian. Hyperion nodded and took a passenger seat as he watched the rest of the crew fall into place. The Rodian Captain and the Bothan took the main controls, the Twi'lek and Wookiee took over the turrets on top of and beneath the ship. The Bith made sure all systems were a go and handled navigation, in case the ship had to veer off course for any reason at all.
Hyperion occupied one of only eight passenger seats in the frigate and patiently waited for the jump to commence. But thanks to the intruder in his mind, he wasn't able to wait entirely in silence. You should have used your gift of comprehending languages to speak to the Rodian in his native tongue. Basic seems to put a strain on him Crassus taunted.
Funny, I always thought Basic put a strain on you. You always struggled to sound intelligent when I was a kid like you struggle to sound wise now Hyperion retorted. Crassus snarled then warned him that the mission was going to be dangerous, that Hyperion would likely be proven insipid for accepting. I was only stupid whenever I did anything you asked of me, grandfather. This mission will prove one of the smartest choices I ever made: all I have to do is live to reap the benefits Hyperion replied back.
What he said was true from the point of view that Hyperion had a perfectly wonderful chance to atone for the destruction he'd wrought by helping defeat the ultimate destroyers. The Sith Lords who presided on the Dark Council had each committed more sins against the Force's creations in one standard week than he had an entire year to reach where they were. Combined with each presumably living several decades to a century and one had the worst masters of destruction, vulgarity, and debasement that the Force created for the sake of balance. While Hyperion didn't possess anymore love for the Jedi, he agreed with his brother: the galaxy was a better place with the Republic and the Jedi Order in place than the Sith and their Empire. As such, it brought him significantly greater pleasure to bring the punishment the Sith so deserved for their decadence and hedonism.
Careful thinking the Sith are hedonistic and decadent boy, you were born of them after all Crassus warned.
"Doesn't mean I have to like them, anymore than I like or love my family," Hyperion told him in a whisper.
You mean to say you don't love me? Crassus retorted with a snide childishness in his grizzled, deep voice.
"My grandfather is an intergalactic butcher who encouraged me to help him kill my parents and pursue my brother across the stars, committing more crimes than Naga Sadow. What the hell do you think?" Hyperion replied. Crassus chuckled, the words revealing a feeling of being stung that Hyperion had never sensed in his grandfather before. And he knew the man deserved it too, having earned his place in the galaxy as exactly what Hyperion had called him.
I would've let the denizens of the Hapes Cluster live if they had but surrendered to me. War is a debauchery of nature's creations regardless of who fights within them. The losers are never those who are routed by their opponents but the politicians who failed to see reason and let diplomacy resume until their constituents turned against them Crassus explained to him.
"Justify that to the Republic. I'm sure they'd love to hear a disembodied spirit talk about how they're the losers for defending the galaxy from anarchy and darkness," Hyperion encountered.
Such bold words from a man who brought forth those very things to satisfy his own youthful impulses. Do not be so self-righteous when you meet the Sith, Hyperion Algethii. It will not save you from the enemies you will inevitably forge for us against the more ambitious contemporaries you'll meet Crassus warned.
"Ambition is nothing without the backbone to make it happen and the patience to sit back so that the results form by themselves. The Sith will never defeat the Jedi as long as they fail to understand that a combination of ambition, cunning, and patience were not only the traits that ensured their survival but will carry them forth to victory. Now leave me alone," Hyperion snapped angrily. The specter, feeling there was no point in keeping up the talk, complied.
Chapter Six
The Balmorra run was uneventful, especially once Hyperion decided to meditate in preparative contemplation. He figured he would have more than his fill of training once he arrived and was picked up by the Sith what with them likely lacking good fighters who were not already a Lord or on the Council. When he did arrive, he noticed that the Academy wasn't as grand in nature and was more reminiscent of one of the weapons factories that Balmorra was famed for. Last he had heard, the Zakuul Eternal Flagship had knocked out the planetary defenses without much of a fight and the twin princes of the Empire planted a force to hold the planet. For the Sith to have taken it back was a sign that they had adapted to survive until Zakuul fell, even as the Republic won the arms race that followed Zakuul's collapse.
Hyperion decided to start with helping the first load, that of weapons and ammunition. Again, he proved his worth when he used the Force to stop a crate from falling over and shove another one over the edge of the launch pad before it could explode, seeing a defected canister. It was when he performed this second act that he caught the eye of a Sith Lord who wandered to him. By the look of him, Hyperion would say he was an Pureblood but decayed from age and continuous exposure to the currents of the Dark Side. "Greetings Human, I am Darth Vowrawn of the Dark Council.
"I couldn't help but noticed that you used Force Sight to detect a canister's defection before it could explode and kill half of our... current audience. Doubtless, you were given a sense of forewarning by the Force beforehand?" the Pureblood inquired.
"What of it?" Hyperion said, pretending simplicity for the sake of his cover story.
"I wish to know how much training you have had in using the Force. You can be honest with me, in fact I insist on it: playing a fool will do you no good," Vowrawn continued. Crassus told Hyperion that he knew of this Pureblood and knew that he was a slippery snake who'd helped the second Emperor's Wrath ascend to power after the betrayal of Lord Scourge.
"I know how to use the Force Rage ability in battle along with the abilities you've seen. In my youth, I preferred to use a combination of Juyo, Shien, and Shii-Cho though I now prefer to incorporate some Djem So and Makashi in substitution for the Shii-Cho. However, I can claim expertise in all seven of the forms and mastery of three, excluding Jar'Kai and saberstaff which seem to be my specialty of late. Though I can summon Force Lightning and perform Force Choke, I prefer restricting my Force usage to leveling my playing field instead of using those more powerful abilities which require concentration," Hyperion explained.
"So you are trained as a Sith Warrior with some Inquisitorial ability and knowledge. Most impressive and, if I may, how are your unarmed combat skills?" Vowrawn asked.
"I nearly killed a member of Havoc Squad with Echani martial arts, a couple months ago," Hyperion bluntly replied. Vowrawn laughed and Hyperion had to admit it was somewhat hard not to join in Vowrawn's revelry of what he was hearing. When the Dark Council member had the ability to speak again, he made the offer that Hyperion and Crassus both knew was coming when they set foot on this world.
"How would you like to join the ranks of the Sith? We would have to start you as an Academy Instructor of course but with how you do your job, you can quickly rise through the ranks. This empire has need of warriors like you and you will be paid handsomely for your troubles," Vowrawn explained. Hyperion appeared to think about it for a little bit though he would've had to say yes inevitably. Part of his cover would be the element of reluctance and of appearing hesitant to join the Sith initiative.
"What's in it for me if I say yes? Surely, with Balmorra one of only two significant worlds the Sith possess, you can understand my grievances with believing you. Nothing personal, it is simply business, you understand," Hyperion said. Crassus chided him for attempting to speak like Vowrawn did but Hyperion paid it no mind. Vowrawn nodded and gestured for Hyperion to follow him as they talked, crossing his hands behind his back once he was assured the Human was following him.
"These shipments you helped bring in are part of a bigger plan to first reclaim the worlds of significance to the Sith such as Korriban, Ziost, and Honoghr to name three. Once we have assured the conquest of those worlds and a renewed Mandalorian alliance, we will be on the warpath to reclaiming what we lost. And since you will be training the new armada of Warriors and Inquisitors, we will owe it to your success with your best and brightest students taking to the fields. When your pupils have led the way to victory, you will be remembered with a place of power and influence in the Sith as well as the credits to enjoy yourself. Or would you rather drift from world to world in a smuggling outfit, forever fighting beneath your potential?" Vowrawn explained.
This is a cunning snake but fortunately, he is not omniscient. He has earned his place on the Council and unlike some Sith lords of Human origin, he has only grown more powerful with age instead of weaker. Not uncommon with Pureblood but in him, it appears especially so Crassus told Hyperion. Hyperion snarled mentally, a final warning for Crassus to let him handle the situation they were in.
"Won't the rest of the Council ask that I prove myself worthy of the position? Perhaps pit me against your current instructors as a rite of passage?" Hyperion inquired.
"How quickly you catch onto the ways of the Sith. Yes, you will be asked to prove yourself against a worthy opponent but I don't find you having a problem with that if you haven't been lying to me about your credentials," Vowrawn said.
"You approached me after I saved the life of hapless smugglers, saying you sensed a gift in me, and now you come to believe I might be lying about its extent? Are you interested in recruiting me or are you interested in treating me the same way the Jedi would?" Hyperion snapped. Crassus might have warned him against such a flippant tone but Hyperion ignored him, preparing to repel an attack in case Vowrawn found those words distasteful. Instead, the old Pureblood looked at the younger human and smirked, an expression of admiration Hyperion hadn't expected from a Sith lord.
"Had you been a slave, I would probably have asked to meet your master for a talk. If you had been a subordinate Lord, I might have ordered for your some of your estate to be stripped from you. But since I've met the second Emperor's Wrath and helped him eliminate Lord Baras, I've... become more appreciative of such flippant tones as yours. When circumstances permit, of course: you are recruited into the fold, I will petition that you be tested for your place in the chain of command where the Sith are concerned," Vowrawn said.
"And the weapons I possess besides my lightsaber?" Hyperion continued.
"Keep them, of course. They will help you keep your edge against more potent and tactical opponents than yourself. Relying on the Force and lightsabers alone will help you win respect for those who still value honor in our Order. As if it was a prize to be sought by the most brilliant amongst us instead of a fool's gold that ought to be cast aside," Vowrawn replied. Then he snapped his fingers and two guards, dressed from head to toe in red robes, stood to attention.
"See that this man is made comfortable in suitable Headquarters until I can persuade the Council into special session. If I can press the Council into a meeting, I will want him ready to do whatever he must within three standard hours," Vowrawn said. Then Hyperion was escorted by the guards who made him comfortable in a room big enough for about five times the possessions he carried on his person including foodstuffs and a place to hang up his weapons. He kept his lightsabers by his side in case he was to be tested while he waited for the meeting to arrive along with his collapsible shield and a slugthrower pistol.
Fortunately, he didn't need to worry about being tested. Apart from air ducts that were too small for any other than a powerful Shi'ido to climb through, the Imperial guards were outside to intercept virtually anyone who might have come for him before Vowrawn did. When the call was inevitable sounded, Hyperion's door was open and Vowrawn asked for him to join the Council in special session. The guards fell in line beside them with Hyperion only having to worry about his back during the journey to the Council Chambers. When he arrived, he was pleased to find that of twelve members, the Council still had seven active and/or alive.
Darths Ravage, Mortis (a Human far past his peak), Nox, Zavakon, and Darth Jadus (who'd previously tried to reshape the Empire to his benefit) were still there. Aside from Vowrawn, there was also one other that Hyperion recognized as a Pa'un, native to the planet Utapau. Where Mortis was long past his peak and Ravage seemed in a similar decline, Jadus felt like someone who could've rivaled or surpassed Vitiate in fair duels. But Jadus was also known for biding his time and waiting for the right chance to strike, seizing power never for its own sake but because it advanced the goals he and those who served him envisioned for themselves.
"By request of the Dark Council," began Jadus, "I hereby call this session to decide whether Vowrawn's latest recruit should be induced to the Sith ranks. Let us begin these proceedings." And so they did with Hyperion standing dead center of the septet's lethal circle of power. Here, he and Crassus both made sure to tread carefully with all that they said and did.
