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Chapter Two

Whispers in the Dark

High Prophet Zhar Quelmok shook his head as the hologram of the Dark Council shimmered and dispersed at the end of the meeting. Being the head of the Sith training facility and archeological projects of Korriban meant that there was little that he actually had to report, aside from simple reports of the rediscovery of another section of this or that tomb that had already been plundered ages ago by persons unknown.

Despite the great honor of being part of not only the training of quite the vast amount of powerful Dark Side wielders, and also to be a prominent member of the Dark Council, Zhar was beginning to become quite tired of the constant cycle of Darksiders and their betrayals, sand, ruins and the monotony of running an entire planet. He was more than ready for some adventure, even if it requires him running into the Jedi again. As far as Zhar knew, Master Rar Lalsok was still searching the known Galaxy for him, and the fact was that it was highly unlikely that the Weequay had given up even after so many years.

And that was why Zhar remained here on Korriban, eagerly searching for something, anything out of the ancient tombs that might give him an edge over the powerful Jedi Master. Conventionally, he knew that he stood no chance, regardless of however long he trained to actually out fight Master Lalsok, so he needed some sort of edge that the Weequay wouldn't expect.

Looking out across the vast expanse of desert, Zhar felt the small inklings of a call, beckoning him out somewhere in the sands. There was still power in this place, just as there had been when he first came so many years ago.

"My Lord…" sounded the familiar voice of Zhar's apprentice. Turning to him, Zhar acknowledged Dziqis, one of the Sith purebloods that he himself had helped escape the planet of Tund before the Emperor himself attacked the planet.

"What is it, apprentice…?" Zhar said watching the younger being gently stroke one of his facial tentacles as he strived to word his news appropriately. "A new tomb has been discovered in the Valley of the Dark Lords, one that the archeologists don't know who it belongs to."

"And, why tell me?" Zhar replied, bored with the information, "Send in the treasure hunters and tomb divers, discover the truth and so forth…"

"That's just the problem." Dziqis continued hesitantly, "they tried, and quite a few died in the attempt, and they are unwilling to enter again unless they are guaranteed protection while they work."

Zhar closed his eyes in frustration. Dziqis had the correct suspicion that this would greatly displease him. There was nothing that brought Zhar closer to violent outbursts than incompetence. "And they want me to personally be part of the first team to go in I suppose…" he asked, feeling a powerful headache approaching.

"Naturally, my Lord." Dziqis affirmed, immediately standing aside as Zhar angrily stormed from his personal chamber into the halls of the Sith Academy of Korriban. Students and other acolytes scurried aside as he approached, clearing the path for him as he moved down to the outdoor hanger for air speeders. The fools wouldn't have left their new find unattended for anything, even to petition the Sith governor for his personal protection.

With his apprentice jogging to keep up with his angered strides, and the driver of the speeder quick to obey as the effective Lord of Korriban ordered him to travel out into the Valley of the Dark Lords, Zhar leapt from the transport before it had come to a complete stop, immediately stalking toward the overeager archeologists, who were busy scraping at the outside of a small tunnel into the cavernous wall.

One of the beings, a flunky no doubt, approached quickly, bowing low to Zhar. "My Lord, we are so pleased that you came in such haste to oversee…" but the man started to gag as Zhar, in his irritation, started to use the Force to cut off his airways.

"Do not speak to me, weakling," Zhar hissed, physically shoving the man back as he released the power of the Dark Side from him. Randomly killing some underling would do little to make his point, and Zhar wanted to understand the situation as quickly as possible before assigning blame appropriately. "Who is in charge here?"

There was a long moment of silence, then one of the rearmost beings stood. "I am, my Lord" he said humbly, stepping forward.

"And tell me," Zhar continued, as Dziqis finally arrived, "why should you continue to live, after your clear inability to penetrate a simple tomb that has been raided over and over for generations like any in this desert?"

"But my Lord, this tomb has never been touched before." The archeologist said, which caused Zhar to pause in his rant.

"Show me," he said, and the human archeologist pointed to the cavernous entryway into the cliff face. "The traps and Force-based defenses are still in place, and many foolishly assumed that this was like the other tombs my Lord, and they met their grisly fate rather quickly, hence why we called for you."

Zhar, Dziqis, and the archeologist entered the passageway into the rock face, glow rods and other tools lighting their way. They discovered their first corpse fairly quickly, within the first open passage. A Twi'lek, impaled upon many spears adorned the wall just past the opening of the tunnel.

"This is where I dare go no further," the Archeologist said, "Many went on ahead and none have returned. I don't even want to imagine what horrors they faced if this was the opening trap to greet us."

Zhar ignored the man and his whimpering, focusing on the feelings of the Force around him within the tomb. The darkness was palpable to say the very least, lending far more credence to the archeologist's thoughts of the tomb being unspoiled. All this collected power had to have leaked from many artifacts and spells, to say nothing of the preserved remains of whatever Sith Lord was entombed within.

Drawing strength from the glorious power of the Dark Side around him, Zhar put his brilliant mind to the work of defeating the trap before them. Clearly indicated from the dead Twi'lek, the wall was set to snap out at the unaware, impaling them on the many jagged spears; a barrier to those who lacked the power of the Force.

Stepping out further into the room, Zhar found the activation switch for the trap fairly quickly, triggering it intentionally with a prod of his foot. The wall swung with great force, but its physical might was nothing compared to the power of the Dark Side. The trap smashed harmlessly against a wall created of pure Force energy, splintering asunder and rendering the trap useless.

With the spear trap eliminated, the pair of Darksiders crossed the chamber without issue, with the archeologist nervously bringing up the rear, despite his previous statement. On the far side of the chamber was a doorway, covered in ancient Sith Glyphs, very old and worn from ages of dust and grime. Years of living and working on the tomb world had given both Zhar and Dziqis a thorough understanding of the ancient language of the Sith Purebloods and their Dark Jedi masters.

The writing all around the doorway, among the usual curses and spells to be bestowed upon any foolish enough to try and steal from the tomb were a few key words. 'Beware to those who seek the secrets of XoXaan, Lord of the Sith; she who healed through the power of the Dark Side. A Curse of terrible pain and death awaits all those who enter unworthy of her secret.'

Both an invitation and warning to all potential tomb plunderers, and a clear reason why the other archeologists and tomb hunters charged ahead without another thought. The seductive aura that was enchanted upon the archway didn't help the matter either, but only increased Zhar's caution.

For the Sith Lord to so blatantly declare what potentially lay within there had to be powerful defenses indeed to keep it safe. "Stay close from here on," Zhar direction his apprentice. "Everything gets far more lethal from this point."

"More lethal?" stammered the lead archeologist.

"Your services will no longer be required from here on," Zhar said, turning to the hapless human, "this is now a Sith matter, you may turn your attention to other projects…"

"But wait just a minute, this is my find and I…" the man started to retort, but was cut off as Dziqis as the Pureblood activated his lightsaber.

"As I said," Zhar continued, "this ruin, and everything within it, now constitutes a Sith matter, and your services are no longer required here."

The man got the hint, and took the remains of his dignity and departed, leaving the pair of Force users alone.

"What do we hope to find, Master?" Dziqis asked, returning his attention to the passage ahead.

"Force only knows," Zhar replied, "but perhaps some secret that will gain us both a great deal of prestige in the eyes of our glorious Emperor."

The male Sith chuckled as Zhar started into the blackness of the next chamber, before following behind with his saber aloft, the crimson light creating bleak shadows on the nearby walls and objects.

They discovered the rest of the treasure hunters in the next chamber, all dead of course. The Force based traps seemed to have been too much for the pathetic beings that had grown lax in their work due to all the raided and plundered vaults out in the main valley.

"And we keep these fools around why?" Dziqis asked sarcastically, to which Zhar chuckled. The young Sith Pureblood was incredibly witty, and it was one of the few allowances that Zhar had with his apprentice. While the traps had easily eliminated the Force deprived archeologists and treasure hunters, the Sith bypassed with little effort. It was almost like the tomb wanted them alone to penetrate to the lowest levels, although there were a few close calls, including one involving a particularly nasty illusion covering a near bottomless pit trap.

Eventually, through their combined efforts, Zhar and Dziqis finally defeated and bypassed all hindrances to the innermost chamber. Ancient braziers lined a long causeway leading up to the massive Sith sarcophagus. On either side lay hordes of riches and other treasures from a long lost era.

But the greatest item of all lay just before the sarcophagus itself. Upon a small pedestal before the great Sith's final resting place lay a small pyramid of black and crimson, glowing in the near darkness with an inner malevolence.

"Send word to Dromund Kaas," Zhar commanded Dziqis, "The Emperor will want to see this for himself…"

The Pureblood rushed to make his way back to the surface, while Zhar ignited his own crimson saber, changed from his old orange as a gift from Emperor Veneficus when he was appointed Lord and governor over Korriban. Stepping toward the Holocron, Zhar gingerly lifted the great prize, relishing the power the radiated from little device as it flared to life.

'Who seeks the wisdom and power of XoXaan, Lord of the Sith?' the female gatekeeper questioned.

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Remus shivered in the cold of his cell. He was barely aware of where he was anymore. Sometime in the midst of his imprisonment he had been shifted to this frigid place, and here he had remained for an unknown amount of time. With no ability to see the sun, and his own internal clock long disrupted by his imprisonment, he had no idea how long it had been, years or decades at the least.

How he had managed to maintain his sanity for so long, Remus didn't know. There were large portions of his memory that were missing, he knew this, and the thought of what he may have been forced to do terrified him to no end.

Just then, the entire room shuddered around him. What could be happening? The door slid open to his cell, and Remus threw his emaciated and pale arms across his eyes to shield himself from the blinding light.

"It has been a long time, Remus…" said a cold, sarcastic voice that reminded Remus vividly of older, fonder memories.

"James?" he asked weakly, his voice raw from lack of anyone to speak to.

A black robed figure stepped out of the light, "Guess again, old fool…" two more figures joined the first, each carrying massive silver chains. Remus was far too weak to resist even if he had the will to do so. Two pairs of powerful hands took him by the arms and lifted him roughly, placing the silver around him painfully. "The Emperor wishes your presence." The lead figure said, and the robe clad figures started leading Remus through metallic corridors.

It didn't take long for the pale light of the outside world to shine in through the lowered ramp that made an exit to strange metallic building they had been inside. But what greeted Remus' sore eyes as they departed was so foreign and strange that he could scarcely believe what he saw.

Two moons hovered in the sky, over a seemingly planet-wide jungle. It was impossible; there was only ever one single of those dreaded orbs. Even still, the strangeness of the planet paled in comparison to the sight that awaited him. Humanoid figures, armored and wielding long weapons, totally somewhere near one hundred, stood in a perfect circle around a cluster of captives.

And what a sight the captives themselves were. Remus stared wide eyed at the varied creatures, each quite unlike anything he had ever seen before. A large furred creature looked mournfully up at him as Remus was pulled toward the group. There was also a pair of humans, as well as a strange female creature with what looked like tails sprouting from her head.

The final figure, cloaked in robes of black and crimson stood in the very center, a strange looking metallic staff clutched in one hand, and two beads of red light glaring out from beneath the fully drawn hood.

"Behold," the figure declared to the assembled gathering, "the progenitor of our newest warrior creation. A warrior creature unlike any other that neither the Jedi nor the Republic have ever dreamed of."

Remus wasn't sure what groups this figure was referring to, but it was obvious as to his intention. The presence of two moons in the sky was making Mooney extremely restless, but not near enough to actually transform into the beast. At the same time however, Remus now knew that it was not exactly necessary for the full moon for him to transform anymore.

"Bring forth the beast!" the leader commanded, and the three underlings dragged Remus forward further, until he was uncomfortably close to the alien creatures. The leader of the many black robed figures stepped forward, chanting under his breath as he approached Remus, staff clanking on the ground as he walked.

Only when the figure was literally looming over him did Remus recognize the face under the hood. He may have been significantly older, and his eyes marred by the infusion of years of dark magic, but his cub, the son of his best friend would always be recognizable to Remus. "Harry…" he said mutely.

Harry paused for only a mere moment, before continuing his spell, and Mooney lurched unpleasantly within Remus. He struggled as best he could, trying to suppress the unnatural urge for blood and destruction that came, not with the moon, but by a deeper and more terrible call.

"Give in, Lupin…" Harry whispered sinisterly, leaning down and placing the horned head of the staff under Remus' jaw. The metal pulsed with dark magic, and Mooney howled within in reaction to it. "It'll all be over soon, and then you will be of no more use to me…"

Remus fought with all the mental prowess he had, trying to think of all the many fond memories he had that allowed him to remain calm through his transformations so long ago, but it seemed as though some evil power and dug deep into his very being, and was forcefully dragging Mooney to the surface.

Lurching in pain, Remus' felt the transformation begin without the moon's call. It was easily the most painful change he had ever experienced, almost dragging on well past when it ought to have stopped. The last rational thought that Remus had before the bloodlust took him was to recall the terrified faces of the other prisoners, staring wide eyed at him as he paced forward like an animal on a leash of some great Dark Lord.

After that it was nothing but blood and screams before Remus blacked out from the horror of his own actions. Harry had been there the entire time, directing him on where and how to attack each of the captives, making absolutely sure that each would survive, but be infected with the curse.

Remus knew that he had shed tears of pain and sorrow, even in the midst of causing such agony, because he truly did not want to be like the monster that bit him so very long ago. He was not Fenrir Greyback, and despite his unwilling participation, he would never actively seek to sire new werewolves like Harry had just forced him to do.

Once the vile task was complete, Mooney howled in anger and rage, wanting to turn on those cloak figures on all side, but the last thing he saw was a beam of crimson light swinging at his face.

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The icy world of Khar Delba was widely considered a no man's land by the Galaxy; a stub of a tail end of the ancient Sith empire. Even those of those ancient Darksiders, it was nothing more than a byway between the Kamat Aegit Hyperlane and the Nache Bhelfia lane, sacred world or not. It didn't help that the planet was encircled by the massive Stygian Caldera nebula, which hindered many ship's ability to visit.

Even the face of the planet looked incredibly off putting, looking more like a snow covered asteroid than a real planet. But the Citadel built there was once the Sith Lord Naga Sadow's center of power back during what was called the Great Hyperspace War, although Bellatrix Black LeStrange cared more about the fact that Emperor Veneficus had decreed for her to come, and she was the most loyal of all in the Empire, even if she was only the second in command over this planet, next to the Togruta alien named Ocraadi Nuhok. As the other female creature was the official High Prophet of the world, the final decisions over how the Sith planet was run were set with her, but that didn't stop Bellatrix from doing as she pleased, which included one of the important tasks that they were assigned on this world, hunting Sith War Behemoths and discovering how they were created.

For Bellatrix, hunting the terrible beasts was all part of the fun. The first time she went out with a band of Force users, the uppity beings thought that she might be a liability, and how wrong she had proved them when she not only took down the animal with several well placed stunners, but also leading the entire hunting party back to the beast's territorial grounds and capturing the rest of the herd.

Unfortunately, after that first major success, the fun had mostly dried up in regard to actually venturing out of the dusty old citadel, where Ocraadi led the researchers on dissecting the beasts to discover how they were altered into creatures of Sith Alchemy. Naturally it was boring work as far as Bella was concerned, as there was little she could do to assist, lacking the power over the Cosmic Force.

Striding through the bare corridors of stone, Bellatrix couldn't help but notice that there were many places where treasures and artifacts could have been or once were placed, but only layers of dust filled the many pedestals and plinths. It seemed that soon after Sadow's empire failed and was defeated, the Republic, or more likely the Jedi who were the primary enemies of her master, had raided this citadel, plundering everything that had a scrap of Sith history in it. Ocraadi had been furious to learn of the desecration of a sacred Sith world, but there was little to do about it at this point.

Speaking of the alien, Bellatrix turned as she heard the other female's screeching cries from a nearby chamber. Apparently some fool had blundered in their most recent attempt to derive the spells used to turn the peaceful herd animals into vicious war beasts.

Practically skipping to the room, Bellatrix hoped to arrive in time for the show. Slipping in through the somewhat ajar door, she was able to witness as the Togruta unleashed a volley of Dark Side lightning into the foolish aide, blasting the man back several paces and knocking him to the ground, where he convulsed for a few moments more.

"Effective," Bellatrix crooned, stepping forward, "but so terribly crude…"

"And I do not suppose that you could do better in punishing this wretch?!" Ocraadi demanded, whirling on Bellatrix with her claw-like hands raised. Most others would flinch back from the mad look in the being's eye, but Bellatrix knew that look all too well. The Togruta was curious to see more of Bellatrix's magic, and see if it was indeed possible for it to surpass her own abilities. The pair of them were so very alike, and Bellatrix was more than delighted that the Emperor had rewarded her by sending her here to work with the other woman. Even when they fought over who was more loyal to the Dark Lord of the Sith, they remained in a friendly competition over it, each striving to outperform the other, and it made for exceptional results.

"Naturally," Bellatrix replied, whirling her wand with lightning swiftness. The Torture Curse was her specialty, and with a bellowed incantation, the electrocuted man started to shriek higher and louder than ever as every nerve ending was lit on fire. Bellatrix loved causing pain to those who failed, and from the mad gleam in the Togruta's eye, so did Ocraadi.

"Enough…" she said after several moments of the prolonged curse, "we can't afford to be constantly needing to replace our servants, and even with this fool's blunder we managed to learn far more than before about the War Behemoths. It won't be much longer before we can round the entire planet's worth up and reclaim this sacred world for the Neo-Sith Empire!"

The tortured man slinked away to nurse his pain, while the others hesitantly resumed their work. Instead of departing, Bellatrix chose to linger, watching as Ocraadi swiftly dove shoulder deep into a carcass of one of Bellatrix's most recent hunts, where she had found a relatively old specimen, judging from the graying of the skin and wrinkles in the armored hide.

"We may need to send out for more specimens soon," Ocraadi commented as she worked; only catching Bellatrix off guard for a moment. She was still getting accustomed to the Darksider's ability to sense things telepathically, and while she understood the basics, it was still unnerving, much as when Voldemort had used Legilimency on her those few times she hadn't performed as well as he had desired.

"I would be delighted to acquire more, and perhaps continue my hunt for the elusive warbirds once again…" Bellatrix replied. Along with the primary War Behemoth that roamed the icy tundra, there were rumors of one other Sith created creature that lived out in the snow. Massive, flightless birds, redesigned for heavy burdens and war, which nested in cliffs and cave throughout the rocky expanse, but Bellatrix had yet been given enough leave to search one out, and it was a great irking to her pride to not be allowed the honor.

"You know that we do not have resources enough to commit to that endeavor as of yet, lady Black," Ocraadi snapped, tearing a large piece of meat from the carcass as she spoke. She dropped the slimy part onto an examination tray, before reaching back in for something more. "And besides, only the most faithful of our Master ought to be the one to return the prized warbird to the fold of his armies."

Bellatrix's blood burned. This was the constant battle between them, fought time and again over every step of their time on this little snowball in space. "Then I will leave at once to seek out the creature, as the whole of the Empire knows that I am the Emperor's most loyal servant…" It was amusing to see the vein pulsating in Ocraadi's forehead at her words.

Lightsaber and wand were drawn at the same instant, but before any spells came to Bellatrix's lips, the nearby door hissed open, revealing the red skinned Sith Betru, apprentice to Ocraadi. "Master," the female Sith started, not even blinking in surprise at the scene before her.

"What is it my apprentice…" Ocraadi said tiredly, lowering her weapon and turning to the younger woman.

"A warbird has been sighted on the cliffs to the south of the Citadel, requesting permission to form a search party to capture it." Bellatrix's smile widened exponentially.

"Well, we have a means to settle our little competition once and for all then. First one to take down the bird wins?" she offered.

Ocraadi's eyes narrowed, but Bellatrix could see that the Togruta was considering the competition. "So be it. I will take Betru and one group of Force users, while you make take an equal group of your own choosing. The first to capture the warbird will be the most loyal to the Emperor."

"So be it," Bellatrix said, smirking. Her power in the magic arts would be the advantage that tipped the scales in her favor, regardless of whatever force Ocraadi chose.

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Jedi Knight Yoda felt completely at peace, walking through the halls of the Great Jedi Temple of Coruscant. Since leaving the planet of his birth, and the horrors that had come with it, he had never been quite able to rest outside of these Light blessed walls. Specters of the past, including the Darkness that had taken his and Luna's fathers, continued to haunt his dreams.

He had never spoken of these things to another soul, aside from Luna in very private circumstances, but the rest of the temple knew nothing concerning their origins, and Yoda was content with the mystery. Adding to the lack of knowledge of where he came from, there was also his swift rise through the ranks of the Jedi, and a natural affinity to the Force that he had never fully understood on Earth.

Still, it was a valued skill here, and Yoda had been given a thorough education on the many varied aspects of the Force, as well as many other things that the Jedi prized. The ancient weapon that Yoda's father had retained from ling centuries was the one item that he prized above all others, and even though he upgraded and replaced the hilt casing to something more personalized, the crystal of his Lightsaber Shoto came directly from that weapon, as a memento.

He had made it his personal mission to master the weapon, in the event that, like Luna feared, the Darkness was indeed affiliated with the current rumblings in the shadowed parts of the Galaxy. However, due to his greatly reduced stature compared to the vast majority of the various beings in the Galaxy, his martial discipline had been rather limited to the more circular rotation based styles, namely Soresu for defense and Ataru for attack.

Through these, Yoda was able to make up for his physical limitations, and as many would under estimate him, it provided a great advantage in his missions to bring balance and keep the peace throughout the Galaxy. Even now, he had just returned from settling a dispute between several previously warring factions in the Outer Rim.

After that intense amount of diplomacy, along with stopping a rather violent terrorist syndicate that wanted to plunge the world into a civil war, Yoda was ready for a nice period to relax in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. That was until he spotted the Grand Master of the Order, Fae Coven, and his good friend Jedi Knight Luna Lovegood.

"Ah, Knight Yoda, how are you this fine day…" Grand Master Fae said as she and Luna approached.

"Hmm, quite well I am, Master Coven," Yoda replied, bowing slightly in respect of the leader of the Order. Master Coven had taken detailed attention of both Luna and Yoda, making sure that their transition to the Jedi's way of life was a smooth as possible. Yoda had heard that it was a quite unusual thing for the Grand Master to take such a personal interest in another Jedi, especially ones as new to the Order as they had both been.

Looking around them at the Room of a Thousand Fountains, with the gushing water making such a peaceful sound, Grand master Coven sighed, "I wish that I was able to draw the same soothing refreshment from this room as either of you must be able to, but the things upon my mind as of late have stolen away all semblances of peace that the Temple could bring."

"Don't say that Master," Luna said fervently, putting a hand upon the Jenet's shoulder, "tell us of your troubles. Perhaps multiple minds could succeed where one could not."

The rodent face broke into a small smile, but the weariness in Fae's eyes made Yoda very concerned. What could possibly make the Grand Master of the Jedi Order so lost in hopelessness, and did he truly want to know the answer to that question?

"It is a burden that I had not wanted to bear in my lifetime," Master Coven began quietly, sitting down upon a flat rock by the water's edge, while Luna and Yoda joined her on the nearby stones. "But I had to be sure of the dark undercurrents that I was feeling in the Force. There was a quite rise of the Dark Side, that none of the other Masters of the Order were able, or willing, to see. Through much painstaking research, and even traveling to forbidden worlds, I at last learned the truth. The Sith are on the move in the Galaxy once again. Why they have taken so long to move into the open I do not know, it is highly unlike any of their previous behavior, but I can only assume that a new leader has arisen that favors stealth and deception over brute force and conquest. The attack on Tund only confirmed it for me, as whom else but the Sith Lords would want revenge on the Light sided cousins of the ancient race that began this dark legacy."

Yoda turned to look at Luna, who seemed to be internalizing every word that the Grand Master spoke. He surmised that his human friend knew some of this information, if not a great deal, already.

"Know more of this subject, you do, Luna?" he asked gently, and the young woman sobered drastically. "I was there when Master Coven went to investigate the attacked space station. It was him Yoda, the Darkness."

Green eyes widened drastically. "Fear this was the case, I did…" Yoda replied, understanding the situation implicitly.

"We must tread cautiously, then," Master Coven surmised, "The council… still does not believe that any Sith are still in existence, so until they strike in the open, and I have no doubt that they will eventually, we can do little but prepare for the Galaxy to be plunged into another war."

"But what can we do that will make any difference?" Luna asked.

"One thing, there is…" Yoda answered, "If the Darkness it is, then allies there are that we may yet seek, from our homeworld we can…"

"Yes," Fae said, eyes brightening slightly, "If we can gather more of your people, who possess the same wondrous strange connection to the Force that you do, we may yet have a force that can contend with the Sith's uprising, and hopefully counter them before too much damage can be done."

"The Council would not approve of such a plan," Luna said again.

"Sometimes the Council needs not know of certain things until it becomes relevant for them to know it," Fae countered. "I will authorize your mission to you far flung homeworld, and I trust that you will be able to find it once again, and hopefully bring allies that can lend us powerful aid. At the least another world to be brought into the Republic would not be a loss for anyone I think?"

Yoda nodded, but he was unsure if their homeworld was really ready for such a step into a wider Galaxy. The conflicts and problems that resided there already were deep and festering, compounding it with Galactic politics probably wouldn't be the wisest course of action. But marshalling what wizards who would listen for war against the Darkness, which was something that Yoda would agree to. If any Goblin's survived, they would welcome the chance to know who it was that attacked their bank and killed so many, and would gladly fight against him once more.

"Do what you wish, we will." He responded.

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Darth Veneficus, Sith Emperor, smiled down as his captured werewolf tore into the prisoners he had intentionally captured and brought here, to the rainforests of the fourth moon of Yavin, to test how the spread of the lycanthrope curse affects beings other than humans.

Even though Lupin made the pathetic attempt to turn on him, and was swiftly struck down by Veneficus' own blade, the experiment had proceeded smoothly. Both humans had survived and were infected, while the Twi'lek perished from the mauling that Lupin's wolf form had uncontrollably done. Even more successful was the result with the Wookiee that Veneficus had procured. Not only did the hairy beast survive, it seemed that the curse had made the Wookiee flourish, seeming to strengthen the animalistic creature tenfold.

If not for the ability to perfectly control these creatures of the night through the Dark Side, Veneficus would be less than willing to unleash such a creature on the Galaxy. But, as long as he was careful, and used the creatures under direct control, there ought to be no issue.

Under the light of two moons, the curse should be stronger than even on Earth under its single full moon, and the creatures before him thrashed on the ground in the throes of their first transformation. The two humans were predictable, and he set several minions to subdue them in shackles made from pure silver, but the Wookiee was where his eyes lingered.

The already beast-like being seemed to elongate further, hair, claws and teeth growing well beyond their usual limits, and the creature turned feral, with glowing red eyes. Indeed a mighty creation of Sith Alchemy if he was to say so himself, and an excellent addition to his ever increasing armies.

"What is thy bidding, your Majesty…" said the nearest of his personal guards, the Arcanamach.

"Take this Wookiee back to his home planet, and unleash him in the shadowlands, it will be the perfect test for this creation. Plenty of hunting parties delve into that place, and will inevitably come across our friend."

"As you will it, My Lord." The armored warrior said with a bow, and several more came forward to restrain the feral Were-Wookiee.

As the three new Were-beasts were loaded onto the secured prison vessel to be delivered to worlds where they could run wild and recruit more of their own kind, Veneficus sought his personal shuttle. It was time for him to visit an important location, and make certain that his newest warships and weapons were well under construction.

None were to accompany him on this venture, for only those who he had charged with protecting his secret facility should know of its existence. Pulling out of Hyperspace in his personal Sith Meditation Sphere, Veneficus found himself well past the edge of the Unknown Regions; past even the point that most in either the Republic or the Neo-Sith Empire would dare think to tread.

Even within the highest rankings of his empire, spread throughout the darker parts of the Galaxy, this knowledge was not well spread. Only his Dark Council even knew of its existence and beyond that and its efficiency, they were left to wonder how and where their Emperor had recovered the grand structure to their cause.

Veneficus was certain that Supreme Prophet Dass'in, outside of the single High Prophet and his loyal followers that manned the station suspected the exact location, but it would do them no good to try and find his perfectly hidden war factory.

Lehon's lush and green surface, pockmarked with the heavy damage as that of an ancient battlefield, hung forgotten and well out of the way in space. The ruins of the once proud Rakatan people still dotted the surface, and while Emperor Veneficus had his own set of Darksiders on the planet studying the way that the Rakatan beings first established their Infinite Empire, they were not even aware of the far greater prize that hung in orbit over their own star.

Flying to the location where he could sense a great deal of magical and Dark Side energy, Veneficus pierced the veil of the Fidelius Charm that he himself placed over the factory, to protect it utterly. Once through, the massive structure appeared, floating directly in orbit around the Ratakan's sun.

Like a mother welcoming a child home, the hangar's bay doors opened as the Sith Meditation Sphere approached. There was already a party waiting to welcome him as Lord Veneficus emerged from his personal ship and set foot upon the space station factory.

"Welcome, your majesty." Spoke the High Prophet Uowill, even as the dark centaur bent forward on his equine legs into a bow.

"Thank you High Prophet," Veneficus replied, walking forward with the Scepter of Ragnos clanking on the metal deck with every other step. "I hear that your production efficiently has dropped in the past months, only just hanging onto one hundred percent. I am here to rectify that issue."

Uowill bowed again, walking away with the elongated handle of his Light-pike clanking along on his armored form as he moved. Veneficus knew the way to the topmost observation deck, and Uowill was well aware that the Sith Master needed no guide around this place.

It took little time for Veneficus to ascend to the uppermost deck of the station, and find the main reactor of the Forge. It ran upon the power generated from a burning star, and the raw strength of the Dark Side. That was what the Scepter was for, and Veneficus was happy to oblige the Star Forge its demanded due to continue mass producing his war machines and battle droids to equip and maintain his armies. There was little power now, but soon all that would change, forever.