Naboo had erupted into total revolution after the latest Purges. Republic offices were bombed, officials dragged out of their homes and beaten to death, other hung from lampposts. Republic barracks, once whole-heartedly supported in the Clone War, were in a scrambled chaotic frenzy to keep from being overrun by Naboo civilians and local traitors within their own ranks. The Queen and the Naboo Royal Guard provided open support for the rebellion, openly declaring Naboo to be an Imperial-aligned world, having turned against Coruscant's increasingly perceived illegitimate government. Reformist Jedi, neo-Separatists, and the Imperial sympathizers all saw an enemy in Chancellor Windu. A Republic fleet entered orbit around Naboo, bringing reinforcements to squash the rebels before their treason spread across the galaxy and reignited separatist sentiments which began the Clone War. The Royal Starfighters attempted to harass the fleet, but the losses were insurmountable for the rebels, but one Republic transport vessel was severely damaged

Admiral Yularen kept a close eye on the surrounding space. He was far more used to fighting massive set-piece space battles as opposed to using his sizeable navy against a small squadron of fighters. "Scramble the fighters, I want them kept as far away from our transports as possible."

"Sir, it's just small fighters. Our flak guns can handle them."

"I once fought with Skywalker. I am more than aware of what small fighters are capable of, Lieutenant. I suggest following your orders before you cause any more men to be killed!"

"Yessir."

The fighters were eventually destroyed or driven planet side. Sending a squadron out behind the moons to ensure there wasn't a fleet, Yularen turned to his officers, "Send in the reinforcements!" LAAT gunships and the new Theta-Class Barges carried the assault force to the surface. Hopefully with a show of force they could get the Queen to see reason. He wouldn't hold his breath, but he could hope.

Naboo Guard and armed civilians held positions behind blockades, pushing out Republic infantry. They had even managed to commandeer an AT-TE from a Republic base in Theed, a base now left in smoldering ruins by the initial riots. "Come on! We've almost got them!" one guard called to his siblings-in-arms before being shot down by blue Republic blaster bolts. Attempting to out-maneuver the attackers, a Jedi Schismatic and her padawan led a team of guerrillas to put pressure on the right flank.

"Fall back! Fall back!"

"Charge!"

"Help us!"

The rebellion's victory seemed certain as the Republic infantry continued to retreat from the palace. Then the skies darkened as transport ships flew overhead coming to land just outside the city. Seeing their promised help finally come at last, the Republic soldiers broke into homes and businesses to take shelter before the cavalry arrived.

"Padawan! Take the left side of the street, I'll take the right!"

"Yes Master!"

The pair deflected bolts away from their soldiers as they started to sweep the street of Republic filth. Slicing through men to protect their own lives as well as those of the Naboo and Gungan soldiers who had agreed to shelter them, the battle was brought to a halt as the sound rang through the air.

CLING-CLING-CLING

STOMP

CLING-CLING-CLING

STOMP

CLING-CLING-CLING

STOMP

CLING-CLING-CLING

STOMP

Looking up, the rebel morale instantly fell through the ground, the rumored replacement for the AT-TE had just been deployed for the first time. Three AT-AT Republic walkers and their accompaniment of six AT-STs and battalion of stormtroopers took the streets back almost immediately Blaster fire still peppered the area until the AT-ATs unleashed fire and fury into Theed's little rebellion and the stormtroopers broke into the palace, bringing the Queen into their custody.

In the middle of it all, the flaming wreckage, the padawan feebly crawled out of the flames, hacking from the smoke. He couldn't feel his legs, he wasn't sur if they were even there anymore. He just had to crawl to where he saw his master lay. He wouldn't let them get her. He couldn't allow it. He felt a swift kick to his chest, sending him reeling. He coughed violently from the hit, laying helpless on his back. His legs were long gone; he was bleeding out. He looked up to see a slender Mirialan woman coming towards him, slamming her boot on his neck. She kneeled to his level and sneered, "Don't worry Sithspawn, you'll be out of your misery soon enough." Igniting one of her blue and green double-bladed sabers, she freed his head from his body.

"Septa!" a commando trooper called, bringing up a communicator, "Urgent message from your fellow Shadows."

"Good. I'll take it in my ship. Clean up this mess, will you?"

"Yes, Mistress Septa." Dammit she turned him on with that silky voice. Too bad she was a Jedi. "You heard the Shadow men! Bring up every last rebel left in the city! Line them up!"

Once she entered her ship, she brought up the holograms of her fellow shadows, most so strict as to never even remove their helmets in view of other shadows. She was orthodox, but not that Orthodox. "Have you all received my assignment?"

"Yes, Shadow Septa," Bil Valen replied, "We await you at the rendezvous point."

"Sorry, got a little distracted with a small rebellion Ion Naboo. Within the week, that traitor Skywalker will be ours."

Serpeness studied a holocron created by Darth Nihilus, listening intently to his philosophy. It intrigued her, even if she found it utterly ridiculous in the end. A morbid fascination never hurt anyone, and it wasn't as if the ancient Sith Lord had nothing of value to teach, a living wound in the Force was a subject worthy of itself after all. She listened to his voice, his early voice before he was totally consumed by and became the full embodiment of the Dark Side:

"I am the Darkness in which all life dies.

All life exists, simply to sacrifice itself to me.

To feed my power. I hunger for power.

I CRAVE IT!

I care not for the Ways of the Sith,

Nor the Teachings of the Jedi.

These are the words of Darth Nihilus, Lord of Hunger.

To exist is to gather power.

Hunger for power is all that life provides.

The only purpose in my eternal life is to consume every ounce of energy I find."

Rolling her eyes, she skipped the introduction that she may as well have memorized at this point. She was considering trying to rediscover how to create a holocron herself, an art lost for the past few thousand years even by the Jedi. No need to go out 0of her way to discover the secret of course, not yet at least.

"The secrets of the Force are innumerable,

Immeasurable,

Monstrous,

But the ability to drain a life form of its connection to the living Force-"

"Ugh," she groaned, "already learned it."

SKIP.

Honestly at this point she was wondering why she had bothered getting this holocron if she already knew everything it had to teach.

"These lead to the mysteries I study today, the True Language of the Force."

"Ooh, this sounds interesting."

Interesting though this section may be, she was honestly glad that he was not among those who she retained as phantoms of the Force; this utter lunatic was terrifying even by her standards. She sensed the presence of an acolyte. Ah, Bur. Fanatically loyal, it was truly a shame he wasn't Force-sensitive. Closing the holocron, she heard the doors open behind her and the slow footsteps of her humble servant. He kneeled before her and awaited her acknowledgement. "Yes?"

"My Empress," he began, "You sister has arrived."

She smiled, "Excellent. I will be down in but a moment."

Ahsoka kept her family close, every pair of eyes scanning the dark-armored soldiers who escorted them into the palace. Apparently Gràinne had taken an affinity to the architectural styles of their people as the parapets were modelled after Togruta montrals, but instead of the soft pastels typical in Togrutan tradition, the palace retained a darker, twisted aesthetic. Ashen stone lined the form, with a plethora of murderholes and machicolations lining the outer walls, and disruptor turrets fixed to the positions. Automatically powered heavy doors and simple defenses as a moat, a unique blend of galactic and Talamh traditions. Cold steel beams and copper wire held the frame of the montral-shaped towers aloft, giving it a sickly, metallic sheen. A large door at the end of the hall began to open, snapping all attention to it. Ahsoka took a nervous swallow as she watched, descending an onyx stairway, the armored form of her sister coming closer to her husband and children, who she tried to shepherd behind her. Of course, Mina was as steadfast as she was and decided to stare down thi9s stranger. No telling she was her daughter, not a bit.

"Sister," was all Gràinne said. Removing her helm to reveal her face to her extended family, "These must be your children." Daytarn and little Anakin were shocked, with the latter looking back and forth between his mother and his aunt. "Aww, you never told me I had such cute nephews."

Ahsoka wasn't sure what to say or do.

"Come on now, Ahsoka, surely you can still talk?"

"We aren't here to be friendly Gràinne. I wouldn't have come to you unless I had no other choice."

Gràinne smiled, "Well, we can at least be happy for a family reunion. Darth Iustitia?"

The Jawa Sith Poblithes revealed himself from the shadows, "Master?"

"Show them to the rooms I prepared for them." She turned to her sister and niece, "Don't worry, you'll love the view of Beauly Firth."

Mina whispered to her mom, "You never mentioned that our aunt was a Sith."

"I don't like to think about her at all, we're only here because we have no other choice."

Anakin tugged at her hand, his lekku were starting to develop into more than just nubs, "Mommy? When can we go home?"

Ahsoka held back tears, "I don't know baby. Soon."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Mina was trying to settle into her new quarters, but she couldn't shake the all-encompassing darkness of the place. "Mom said it's only temporary," she muttered, quietly trying to reassure herself from the fact that her estranged aunt was apparently not only a Sith but an Empress. The same Empress she had heard demolished Zygeria and attacked Coruscant. Would that make her, royalty? If it did, what kind of family legacy is that? Conquest and genocide? Did Sith even do royal families or was it strictly Master and Apprentice? Was the Jawa guy her who led her to her room the apprentice or just an assassin? What she wouldn't give to have Jinn with her right now, he could make sense of at least some of this stuff. Well, among other reasons she wanted Jinn with her. She looked around her room; it felt more like a cell if she was being honest with herself, and the dark stone did not help matters, no matter how big the windows were the light seemed to just evaporate into nothing. A knock at the door. "Who is it?"

"The Empress's daughter," came a feminine voice.

"What?!" Mina thought, shocked at just how many relatives she never knew she had.

"Well, what do you want?"

"It gets cold up here. I was sent to help you get a fire going."

"Uhm, sure? Come in."

Opening the heavy oaken door, Aislinn stepped into the room which harbored her eldest cousin wearing a black and white vestment with a crucifix about her neck. She hadn't yet taken the vows, she still had time before it was official, but she saw no harm in practicing. She was a tad perplexed for a moment, having never seen someone else who was half-human and half-Togruta. Then she saw the lightsaber at her hip and lowered her gaze, going towards the fireplace.

"Hey, you said you're the Empress's daughter?"

"Aye," Aislinn replied, setting the pine logs and tinder just right.

"Well, I guess I'm your cousin."

"I know."

"Well, aren't you talkative," Mina replied in a joking tone.

"Sorry. I've just never felt comfortable around Sith who are not my mother."

"I am not a Sith!" Mina spat, instinctively venomous before realizing she was being a tad more aggressive than she should have been. "Sorry. I'm a Jedi."

Aislinn dropped everything in her arms and stood shaking like a leaf, "Y-y-you're one of those slavers? The ones who kidnap children away from their families?"

"What?! No! No, no, we're Reformed Jedi, we wanted to get away from all of that. The ones you're thinking of... wait, slavers?"

"Aye, that's what Uncle Dooku always told us about ye."

"Who? We have an uncle now?"

Aislinn giggled, remembering her mother's old Master fondly as she gathered her flint and steel from the floor, "Well, maybe not by blood. He was the previous Emperor. My mam's teacher. I loved him like he was my grandfather. He died not too long ago."

"I'm... sorry, for your loss."

"Well, it was his time. 104 years old, after all. Nothing much we could have done about it, and he wanted to go." Damn this flint, it never wanted to spark.

"Right. So, why don't you feel right around Sith then? You clearly loved this Uncle Dooku and I assume you love your mom, right?"

"Aye."

"So, are you an apprentice to her? Or that Jawa guy?"

Aislinn paused, "No."

"Oh, are you not Force-sensitive?"

She went back to trying to get the fire to start as if it was suddenly the most interesting thing in the galaxy.

"Sorry."

"Not... your... fault... ACH! FECK IT!" Aislinn let loose a small surge of lightning into the tinder, causing Mina to jump back in alarm and instinctively grab her lightsaber. Panting, she stayed kneeling by the embers, blowing into them to make them into a roaring flame. "I just don't have any interest in it is all. Me mam was upset, but ever since I got over my sickness, she couldn't be happier no matter my path."

"You were sick? With what?"

"Don't know. All I know is that I couldn't remember anything anymore, couldn't even recognize my own parents." She shook her head, "Everything was a jumbled mess in my head. Couldn't figure out if I was nineteen or seven some days. I saw and heard people who had been dead for years, couldn't get a thought straight. All I knew was that I was terrified every day. Then Mam figured out some ancient Sith Magic and pieced everything back together again."

"That sounds... awful. I didn't know people could get dementia that young."

"Is that what it's called?"

"Yeah. You said your mom healed you from it?"

"Aye. Some weird blend of Dark and Light Sith teaching she said. Good with a smidge o' the evil. Uhm, no offense."

"None taken?"

"So... what's she like?"

"Mam?"

"Yeah."

"Sweetest woman alive she is. I'm lucky to call her my mother." It was true, she really loved her mother, and the feeling was obviously returned. "I want to do her proud, I do, but since..." she stopped herself. She barely knew about this woman and she wasn't willing to disclose that, not something she hadn't even told her mum about.

"Since what?"

"Nothing," she replied defensively, "it doesn't concern ye. But I do love me mum, and I owe her my life in more ways than one, nothing can change that."

"Even with everything? All the innocent people she's killed?"

Aislinn surprised Mina by laughing in her face, "I don't believe that for a second! Aye some people died trying to make slaves of us, but slavers deserve it. Deepest pits o' Hell are reserved for them." Honestly, her mother wouldn't hurt a fly that was innocent, what kind of lies were the Jedi filling this poor girl's head with?

"Mum will probably send a Lord or maybe even a Darth to come get ye for supper."

"A Darth? I thought there were only supposed to be two?"

Now it was Aislinn's turn to be confused, "What the... why would there be only two?"

Mina shrugged, "What I was always told about Sith.

Aislinn just shook her head in disbelief, "Ach, ye sweet summer chile," and left the room, suppessing a chuckle. Mina could still hear her at the end of the hall, "Two! Two Sith! Bwhahahaha!"