Ah, once more we come to the time to post another section of the Veneficus Trilogy... I have to say I am pleased that this is the only story where I have yet to be completely harassed by people who do not understand the difference between critic and complaint. Thank you so much for that, it has been a very trying week to say the least in that regard. Still, I appreciate any kind words or thoughtful ideas that you are willing to give me, but as always, chiefly I want you to just read and enjoy the chapter! Until next time! ~F
Chapter Four
Answers Lead to Questions
Yoda paused as he and Lord Teepo escaped the crystal caverns, looking around for Ist, and knowing that she would not leave the area until they were reunited. The fact that she was not here now highly suggested that neither she, nor the Sith Lord, escaped the cave network.
"I do not sense your Padawan anywhere outside of the caverns," Lord Teepo stated, his voice altered by the mask he wore.
This worried Yoda, as he did not trust in the slightest the black robed figure that had aided them, but there was little he could do. "Still inside, they must be," he said, turning to glance back at the cavern that they had just exited.
But even as he comprehended going back inside to search for his Padawan, more of the figures chasing them appeared from inside the cave, black bladed sabers lit and raised as they charged in to attack.
"Rescuing her will have to wait…" Lord Teepo said, drawing his own blade, "We ought to at least keep this exit clear if they turn up before long."
Nodding in agreement, Yoda pulled his saber from his belt, the green blade casting its glow across the snowy ground. The first combatant to reach them was not prepared when Yoda sprang, aided by the Force, and stuck out with his blade, slaying the figure instantly with a diagonal slash across the chest.
Spinning quickly, the goblin Jedi Master dodged around the next pair, before blocking an overhead strike from the fourth attacker. The clash of sabers behind him gave him the confidence that Lord Teepo was engaged with the other pair, allowing the smaller Jedi Master to focus on the remainder.
A final pair joined the fray, and Yoda was encircled quickly, leaping, ducking, parrying, and doing all he could to prevent the wielders of the Dark Side from attaining their victory over him, knowing that he had to turn the tables soon or even he would be overwhelmed by their numbers alone.
Landing heavily in the midst of them, Yoda instinctually thrust his arms out, allowing the Force to pour through him into a powerful wave of telekinetic energy, throwing his assailants to the ground around him.
Through the connection that all Masters shared with their Padawans, he felt a call, a worried note at the energy he had projected, and knew that Ist was coming to help him at that moment, but for how long he'd need to hold out, he was not certain.
The combatants were rising once more, and Yoda leapt past them, preventing the darksiders from surrounding him once more, and raised his blade defensively. He would fight on, and wait for his Padawan to rejoin them.
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Groaning at the sudden return to consciousness, Ist stirred. The clash of sabers snapped her to full battle awareness however, and she leapt to her feet in pitch blackness. How far they had fallen, she did not know, but aside from the twin crimson blades, and three of the black weapons, which still glowed with small outlines of white, she knew that they would finish the Sith quickly and come for her next.
Her yellow blade snapped to life in her hand, illuminating the rubble that had partially buried her. Ist staggered quickly to her feet, darting forward to aide her temporary ally.
"What kept you?" the Sith Lord demanded, even as he kicked one of the black robed figures away and spun toward her, but there was no time for Ist to reply, as one of the remaining figured turned to her.
Raising her saber in a high guard, she faced off against her opponent, waiting for the foolishly trained adept to make his move. He lunged, and she slid back out of range, before darting forward again to strike hard at the figure's torso, spinning off the hasty counter and dropping the point of her blade to impale the lower point of the being legs, which cause the figure to howl in pain.
"No reason, just the floor suddenly giving out on me," she replied after a few more back and forth blows with her opponent, and she could sense the amusement in the Force around the Sith Lord, although whether he was enjoying the combat or her remark was uncertain.
"Yes, well, I hadn't planned on that…" he said after a moment, in the midst of strangling the life from another of his opponents with the Force. It was an affront to all Ist stood for, but against an enemy that sought to kill, she knew that they could not be spared.
Dropping all pretence, he unleashed her skill with the saber upon her opponent, the yellow blade becoming a blur of movement as it struck with extreme precision at each of the figure's vital points. Despite the black blade rushing to meet every slash and thrust, she was too fast, and found the chest exposed, driving her blade deeply through where she'd expect her opponent's heart to be, slaying the figure instantly.
Together the pair turned on their final opponent, who had little time to summon one of his ally's fallen weapons before Sith and Jedi were upon him. Between their well timed attacks, the other figure stood little chance. But it was indeed the Sith who went for the first and swiftest kill, slamming the hilt of his overlong weapon into the facemask that the being wore, before deftly spinning and bisecting their opponent in two.
Silence fell after the creature fell to the ground, aside from the stead hum of their blades, now uninterrupted by swift movement or clashing, and the pair of Force users quickly accessed the situation.
"There's a passage ahead," the Sith stated, gesturing at the only exit to the place they had fallen to, "I suggest we move quickly and find the correct path out of these caves. Your Masters may need assistance if the leader of these Darksiders returns…"
"So they're really not affiliated with you or your Emperor?" Ist asked, even as they started quickly down the passage, not running for fear of not seeing a cliff before they were over the edge.
"No, I've never seen nor heard of a black lightsaber before in all the Empire, and these Adepts lack the training of ours. They are weak and unorganized…" the Sith replied with pride.
They pressed on in silence for a while, Ist occasionally taking a crystal from the crystalline walls to add to the sizeable collection that she had amassed.
"If I might ask, what is the purpose of a pair of Jedi Knights coming all the way out to Ilum," the Sith commented, peering at her from under his black hood.
Ist said nothing, staring back with annoyance, as though the Sith thought she would actually give him that information. "I thought you wouldn't say, but it's of little matter." He said after a moment with a shrug. "I can guess your purpose here without you telling me… The Order survived the destruction of their temple, that is clear, and you are acquiring more crystals for future Jedi Knights. In addition, whether it was merely you following your Jedi Lord or investigating the same thing that my Master sensed, you were here to find those other Darksiders, and be apprised of the new threat to the Galaxy…"
Ist was surprised at how blatantly obvious their motives had been, but she refused to give the Sith the satisfaction of seeing her react. They arrived at another split in the passage, and Ist wondered where they ought to go.
"These caves go on for miles in every direction," the Sith commented, shining his red blade down one of the passages, "if we're not careful, we could be lost forever…"
The slight jab was irritating, but Ist ignored the figure. Kneeling, she stretched out with the Force, trying to locate her Master and see if his position offered any insight on where they must go.
"Good, my young Jedi friend, trust in the Force, let its guidance flow through you…" the Sith said, all trace of sarcasm gone as he genuinely urged her on, as though offering her advice as a wise Master.
Even as she sank into the Force, Ist felt a pull through the bond of Master and Padawan, even as an enormous pulse of Force energy rippled from above. "They're fighting the rest of them," she said aloud, sensing the Force like a sonar ripple echoing through the caverns, showing her the way to go. "I see the path we need to take to reach them.
"Good, young Jedi, now let's go before your friends are destroyed…" the Sith Lord said, gesturing for her to hurry.
Rising quickly, Ist dashed for the left hand passage, where she could feel the Force guiding her to run, and caring little of the Sith could keep up with her as she ran for the exit, and her Master.
She was surprised therefore, when at the last section, their progress was stopped by a thick wall of ice that covered the last passage before the exit.
The Sith lashed out at the wall with his saber, scoring deep marks in the ice, but it was too thick and the water just pooled on the cave floor.
Feeling the surface of the wall, Ist knew that it had formed over countless years, and there was not going to be an easy way to break it with the Force or by any other means. Yet the Force was determined that this route was the only way back to her Master.
"We need to find another route…" the Sith said, starting to go back.
"This is no other way around," Ist said, concentrating hard on the ice, but the formation was near perfect, with no flaws in the ice particles for her to manipulate with the Force.
"It'll take too long to cut through it, your friends will be dead by the time we finish…" the Sith said, turning to her.
"I refuse to accept that…" she said, still struggling to find a weakness in the ice before them.
"Well… there is always another option…" the Sith added, almost commenting as he sat on a protruding rock near to the wall. Ist glanced at him from the corner of her eyes.
"The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities, quite a number of which could easily save your friends, it would take the pair of us to shatter this ice wall, but it could be done…" the figure said seductively.
Ist narrowed her eyes, sensing the power that the Darksider was offering, and how it could very well be the means to free themselves and save her Master. But at the same time… if that was true, why would the Sith be so casual about their circumstance.
"You're lying," she said, turning away from the darkness he offered. "You have the means to free us all along, and are simply using this opportunity to take advantage of me."
"Perhaps I am," the Sith said, withdrawing explosives from his robes, "or perhaps I am speaking of a future event that will be completely different… in any case I suggest you back away while I destroy this ice, we wouldn't want the floor to collapse under us again."
She did so, still wary of the implications that the Sith made, as he quickly set the charges and backed to a safe distance.
With a tremendous blast, the ice wall shattered into pieces as the explosives detonated. Knowing the possibility that the floor might cave beneath them from the force of the blast, Ist darted around the corner they had hid themselves behind, leaping through the haze of mist that the explosives had generated.
The entrance was not far from them now, and Ist dashed forward as swiftly as she could, her blade up and ready as the light from outside grew closer. Within steps of exiting the clash of lightsabers rang out true and clear, and Ist knew that they had arrived in time.
Leaping out of the cavernous entrance, Ist attacked the nearest black saber wielder, catching the figure off guard as they were approaching her master with murderous intent.
A deft upward cut severed the figure's arm at the elbow, and Ist spun, kicking the figure to the ground in a heap as Master Yoda was able to then focus all his skill in Ataru upon the last figure against him, spinning out of the way of a wide swing and cutting the aggressor down.
The Sith Lord appeared from the tunnel as well, leaping with his saberstaff activated to the aid of Lord Teepo, together, the three Jedi and one Sith made quick word of the remaining figures, leaving only the one Ist had wounded alive.
The crimson blade wielder started toward the fallen figure, raising his blade to finish him, but Ist acted, throwing a blast of telekinesis to topple the Sith Lord out of the way, "We need him alive if we are to learn anything about what is going on here," she demanded, even as she felt the waves of hatred wafting from the Sith Lord.
He rose slowly, and for a moment she wondered if he would attack her as well, but the moment passed and he clipped his saber to his belt and folded his arms in front of him. "Then make him talk… show me that our time is not better served leaving…"
Lord Teepo took that moment to march over to the fallen foe, and remove the hood obscuring the man's face. The human male was emaciated, eyes and face ripe with Dark Side corruption. But the worst part was his eyes, nearly black with only a ring of red for an iris as he glared back at them in pain and anger.
"You will tell us whom your serve," the Jedi Lord demanded, and even Ist could feel the weight of the Force behind his words, battering at the weakened human's mental defenses.
The man thrashed and flailed on the ground, but in the end was unable to resist the command so powerfully delivered and enforced by the will of Lord Teepo, "My demise accomplishes nothing, Jee'dai! My Master will have you all… Skarok-Nur shall rule the Galaxy, as he was ever intended to. Long live the true Sith Empire!"
The Sith seemed to be angered at the dying human's ravings, and before any of the Jedi could stop him, reached out with a hand. A dry snapping sound interrupted the shouts of the man Lord Teepo was interrogating, and he fell dead at their feet.
The three Jedi turned, hands on saber hilts, to face off against the Sith Lord, but he was already leaving, making his way toward the open tundra, "Do what you will Jedi, I have no further interest in you… my Master will want to know of the resurgence of these… others… I would take care to not cross them too easily, until we find and stamp them out completely…" he said, dismissing the threat of their retaliation as though it were nothing.
They watched as he disappeared down into the ice plains below, before finally turning to speak among themselves.
"Trust him, we cannot…" Master Yoda began, and Ist nodded.
"While that may be true, he hasn't learned anything about our business here, or at least nothing that he can relay back to his master…" Lord Teepo added, but Ist hesitated.
The two greater Jedi sensed her uncertainly, and turned to her at once, "He already told me that didn't need to figure out information about why we were here, as he noticed it all on his own…" Ist said, "Still… I think we can trust him in this one instance…"
She quickly recapped what had happened since they split up. "I suspect that he had his own plans that run contrary to the Emperor, and having us around, while his enemy as well, is more beneficial as a potential chip to use against his master…"
"All the more reason that we need to leave this place and return to Sanctuary as quickly as possible," Lord Teepo surmised. "You've done well, resisting the temptation of the Dark Side, Padawan, even though you knew our lives were on the line."
"Yes," Yoda added, "strong you have grown, but time we lack to remain any longer. Leave we must…"
"Perhaps there will be others with more information about this Skarok-Nur waiting for us back at Sanctuary." Ist wondered aloud as they traveled swiftly back to the ship.
"It may not be so," Lord Teepo replied remorsefully, "as the majority of our knowledge on the Sith is ancient at best, and was part of the most protected portions of the Archive in the Coruscant Temple…"
"So restricting our ability to act once more, the Emperor is," Yoda explained.
Ist pondered that in silence as the two Masters prepped their ship to leave Ilum. There was another portion of the Archive that had been hidden by Grandmaster Coven, but Ist was under solemn duty to protect that in case of only the most gravest of need, or once the Temple was theirs again and the Sith overthrown once more. With each passing day of this new era, it was growing more and more apparent that they might need to recover that data for their own survival, let alone the safety of the Galaxy.
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Fury glared down at the supposedly peaceful world of Alderaan, the hate for these sorts of missions swelling within him. Even though there was no direct cause linking the rioting in the surrounding systems to the peaceful world, there were protests being held on the planet toward the Emperor's rule, and Fury knew that making an example of these would cut the wind from the sails of the other, more militaristic movements.
Personally however, he hoped a few would be spurred to greater acts of violence, so that he was given the authority to exterminate them world by world, and work toward sating his bloodlust on their warriors.
Without the Jedi to match his skill against, he had to make do with what was available. The lumbering form behind him shifted slightly, making all the officers on the bridge tense. The massive troll, who true name was unpronounceable to human tongues and Fury had gone to calling Calamity, was looking around at all the new scenery with wide, curious eyes.
Despite his size, Fury had learned that the beast was actually still very young, and thoroughly inexperienced in aspects of his own heritage, let alone anything else that normally wouldn't have been plausible for it to encounter.
While the beast had been able to quickly learn to understand the basic speech of most of the galaxy, it seemed that its own vocal cords were unable to create the vowels and syllables needed to communicate his own desires and needs effectively.
Luckily, droids were more than capable of being programmed to understand his own speech, and translate it for others to listen, even if it gave off a sense of weakness that the brute's form easily overcompensated for.
"Cal, we shall go down and deal with these fools ourselves," Fury stated, turning to go and find a shuttle for the pair of Force Adepts.
The beast rumbled a response, and the droid currently paired with him, almost running to keep up with their pace, translated, "Yes, Master…"
Fury smirked to himself as they walked in silence down to the hangar. There had been a very short amount of time for him to actually begin the training of the troll creature, but for what it was worth the beast had a surprisingly keen mind for new information, and picked up the techniques of saber combat quick enough.
The club sized saber it wielded granted would do more than intimidate any opponent that dared to cross Calamity. It had actually come as a shock to Fury when the Troll expressed enough affinity for the Force to build it so quickly, even if the design was rather crude and inherent of the beast's past.
Still, all progress was pleasing to the Marauder, and he hoped to see what the Troll had taken away from their few lessons so far, as they exterminated the protesters here and cause the rabble to disperse.
Formal troops and armies were not permitted upon the surface of Aldaraan, as per their treaty with the Empire in exchange for their loyalty, but they could not deny the Force users that policed the Empire, and Fury came with authority from the Emperor himself, which would overrule any mandate that was in place preventing them from landing.
It was no surprise though to Fury, from his intelligence he had gathered about the planet's history with the Sith, that the source of the protests was near to the House of Organa, which had backed the Republic throughout its long history.
Even as their shuttle landed and Fury started for the ramp however, he sensed something out of place. There was a Force user in the midst of the area, although there was no other Force users that ought to have been on world, especially for the level of darkness that the being gave off.
"What is it master?" the droid said, speaking for Calamity as the troll looked concernedly out at the crowd, "I sense something else out there…"
"Yes," Fury acknowledged, "something very wrong is here, we need to be careful in dealing with these protesters, someone is driving them to do this, and they are strong in the Dark Side…"
Approaching the rabble, which had indeed turned their sights on the shuttle bearing the insignia of the Empire, Fury felt their fear as he and the massive being came into view. Yet there was more swirling in their emotions, some form of control or underlying anger that was not their own.
"Interesting," he said to himself, amid their shouts and chants about the return of democracy. "Silence them apprentice," he stated, hushing the droid from translating as the troll roared loudly, causing the crowd to quake in fear at the beat's strength and power.
"Your protests are ineffective," Fury said in the sudden silence, "the Emperor has issued the decree that you will cease this war mongering, or you will be put down with all the power that the Empire commands."
"War cannot come on Aldaraan!" someone shouted, and the chants started up again. Someone in the crowd attempted to throw something at Fury, but he caught it with the Force, crushing the ceramic pot that had flew at him.
The crowd froze, realizing who or what they were dealing with, and Fury sighed, "Then I guess you're lives are forfeit, for the safety and security of the Empire…" he said, slowly grinning as his blades came to life in his hands.
"Kill them, and find the leader!" he ordered his apprentice, and the massive crimson beam of the lightclub erupted to life, causing fear to overtake the crowd, and screaming they tried to scatter, even as Fury waded into their midst, slaughtering those closest and trying to seek out the source of the Dark Side aura.
Even as the mob dispersed, many being trampled and killed by the two Marauders, Fury saw in the frightened crowd a lone figure that was enveloped in a calmness that was shocking out of place with the others fleeing in all directions.
Leaping high, Fury dove at the figure, momentarily hoping that it turned out to be a rogue Jedi that survived the purge that the Emperor initiated, and nearly smiled when the figure whirled to face him and the blaze of a lightsaber erupted to block his attack.
What gave him pause however, was the jet black coloration of the blade blocking his twin crimson blades. The face of the figure was shrouded in the hood of their cloak, but the glowing red eyes were starling different and unnatural.
"Well, what have we here…" the figured said, voice almost a hiss in softness, "the false Emperor's enforcers have come at last…" the figure laughed coldly, shoving Fury back and bringing his saber to bear, surprising the Marauder with the sudden offensive.
Granted, the figure had little chance to maintain that system of attack, once Fury adjusted and brought his pair of weapons fully to bear. By alternating his attacks, striking high, low, then to the middle, kicking at the figures legs, he thoroughly succeeded in driving the other combatant as he pleased.
Ironically, the elation he felt initially at the sight of a foreign Force user ebbed rather quickly, as the lack of skill that was displayed. The figured seemed to have a natural talent with the persuasive power of the Force, but other talents, especially in those that Fury found to be of greatest worth such as lightsaber skill were extremely lacking.
Flipping over the figure's head and striking backward, Fury forced his opponent back toward Calamity, who advanced with his saber held overhead with both massive hands. Fury could see it happen, but most disappointedly, the other fighter did not.
So when Fury suddenly leapt backward, out of range of his apprentice's oncoming wide attack, the unknown figure was confused, unable to act just as the troll struck, carving the figure in two with the raw strength behind his strike.
The black bladed saber clattered to the ground, rolling to Fury's foot as each half of the bisected figure fell apart before him.
"Well done, my apprentice…" he said, scooping up the saber and examining it. He noted that it seemed rather uniform and unoriginal in design. Clearly not a personalized make like the Jedi or the Dark Adepts of the Empire created.
The troll just looked at him, and Fury guessed that he had quickly learned that no one could understand him unless the droid was near, so he had to guess at what the creature was thinking.
"We need to make sure that the Dark Council and the Emperor learn of this," Fury explained, holding up the weapon, "we are finished here, the Imperial Navy can mop up the others that were part of this group, but we have a larger mission to take care of. Come…"
Turning toward the shuttle, Fury sent a coded message to the waiting capital ship in orbit to prepare to return to Dromund Kaas. The Supreme Prophet had the best ability to send messages to the Emperor, locked away in his palace at the heart of the Galaxy, and Fury had learned to trust Feyd to get what was needed accomplished when the safety of the Empire was on the line.
And if there were rogue Darksiders on the loose, then it would register as a crisis.
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Lord Berethon was pleased to hear that Yoda and Ist had survived what they had found on the planet Ilum. They, along with Lord Teepo were still traveling back to Hoth to give a full report regarding what they learned, but it warmed the remaining Council Member's heart that they had rescued his fellow Lord, even if they lost so many to this new foreign force that seemed even darker and more dangerous than the Sith had been before their rise to power.
Commander Granger had been just as enthused to learn of the Jedi's safety, but the pair of them was equally interested as the group that had gone with Severus to attack the Imperial convoy returned victorious.
Waiting next to the highly intelligent woman in his hover chair, the Jedi Master watched silently as the resistance troopers cheered as their illustrious heroes returned from their first major blow against the power of the Emperor. Granted, there were many injured and in serious need for medical attention, but they had accomplished their goal, and proved that the operative Shade was indeed on their side.
While the unknown being's loyalty had indeed been proven, both Berethon and Commander Granger had their reservations. They would uphold their end of the bargain, and include the operative in more of their important decisions in keeping the fight going against the Empire.
"We are pleased that you've returned safely," Ms. Granger said as Severus approached them, looking rather tried and less dour than he normally carried himself.
"Yes, and I hope to say not without the prize we sought…" the Potion Master said, patting the extended bag at his waist, indicating that he had plundered knowledge from the transport, which was the goal that they had discussed.
"Well, we applaud your success, and hope that you indeed found what you were looking for," Berethon said, adding his two credits to the triumphal return of their group.
The man nodded in thanks, before turning to disappear back to his personal labs and highly likely get straight to work with whatever he had managed to liberate from the Emperor's trove of treasures.
"Well, now that we know they are all safe, and on their way home," Commander Granger said, referencing the returning Jedi, "We ought to make sure that Filius has shaken off his pursues and is on his way back to base as well, so we can plan our next move with all the information we've gathered…"
"I agree," Berethon said, turning his chair to follow as the former Magi-Tech director as they retraced their way back to the central communication room of their slowly expanding base. It was slow, partially due to the difficulty in making sure that the ice tunnels that they formed under the surface of the planet were perfectly safe to use and structurally sound, and in the creeping need as they carefully selected more and more rebel factions to join them on world.
They had far more operatives and allies that, like the unknown entity of Shade, had no idea where their centralized base lay, and somehow that was safer for them as a cohesive unit that way. Still, they had means to bring people closer, primarily through contact with their largest fleet that had survived the war.
When they reached the communication array, Granger dismissed the current workers to go and take a short break, and carefully encrypted their outgoing channel as they searched for the signal that would affix to the Pursuit of Justice and Commander Flitwick.
"This is the Pursuit of Justice," said the red-headed admiral, still very young in comparison to others that once held the rank that he did, but he was trusted, and a keen strategist, so Berethon held his criticism on the lad's age.
"Hello Ronald, can you get Professor Flitwick for us," Director Granger requested, and the boy smirked slightly at the reorganization from their leader. Within a few moments the diminutive Commander appeared.
"Ah, Ms. Granger, Lord Berethon, how good of you to call on us. I have good news; the fuel, while not as much as we had hoped, is of a far better quality than we had been promised. We have just shaken off the pursuing fleets of the Empire, and will be returning shortly to Sanctuary."
"Excellent," Granger replied, "we have several others returning from their respective missions, and we plan to have a long council to pool our new knowledge and plan ahead to deal with our next move again the Empire."
"Joyous, we will make all haste to return…" Flitwick said, and Granger closed the communication.
"I have some concepts to finish before they return, so I will leave you for now," Granger stated, and the Jedi Lord nodded in respect as she departed.
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Severus, only once sealed within his own lab, gingerly took every tome that he had liberated from the Emperor's transport. He had taken a bit of time to peruse them on the trip back, but he had not as of yet found what he sought in the books.
Several cauldrons were quickly set up and boiling water added to them. He wished to start on some potions from the few tomes that he had gone through and found interesting, but by and large Severus was content to sit down in his large chair and slowly search through the others, carefully translating the various languages with magic to a more readable script.
The one he had finally arrived at, the book that he had been led to in the midst of escaping the raging ruby cobra on the ship, seemed to be leading toward a concise idea of the creation of a Philosopher's stone.
But once he arrived tentatively to the page where the actual topic ought to have begun in detail, Severus' eyes widened. Bold as brass, over the torn out and shredded pages that ought to have been their salvation and medical advancement were written the words: 'Only I Shall Live Forever – V'
The phrase sent shuddered through Severus' body, as it was something directly coined from Voldemort, but the script was not the spindle-like writing of the former Dark Lord, but the bold hand that Severus recalled from Potter himself, now much more elegant and careful as the Sith Lord reveled in his supposed triumph over his foes.
Rage roared through him, and Severus nearly threw the ancient book to the ground, only stopping himself by the sheer demands of preserving such a piece of magical history, regardless of the defilement that had already stolen its most useful secret.
"You might win this one round, you dark madman," Severus said to the empty room, "but I will discover a means to defeat the death and ruin that you deal so casually to the rest of the Galaxy."
Settling back down and pouring himself something strong to drink for his nerves, a darker idea started to form in the Potions Master's mind. If he could not reproduce the Elixir of Life, perhaps he could work on something to the effect of the opposite, and create a more powerful weapon to use against the Empire's fanatical soldiers and wreck havoc among the Imperial Army and Navy, shaking the root of the connection between the Dark Side overlords and their oppressed people.
A plague that slaughtered thousands and millions of their enemies' fighters might be sufficient for those standing against them to realize the folly of supporting their tyrants.
But… even as he thought of it, Severus knew that it was not the way they ought to proceed. The Empire declared them as terrorists and outlaws, and if he presented such a frightfully devastating weapon, then they would be sinking to meet the title that they were thusly given. They had to inspire the people to rise up, not strike fear into them to hide behind their Sith Masters.
Cursing their plight aloud, Severus turned slowly, taking in the room around him as his mind whirled for some sort of answer. All means created by his own magic: potions, poisons, cures, antidotes… he was a healer, a giver of life, but he could take it just as well with the same methods… with enough raw magical force they ought to be able to demolish entire star ships with a chant of words and their wands, but the Emperor had devastated the races of wizards to near extinction. So few remained, aside from… aside…
And his eyes snapped to focus as he realized what he could do to end all of this madness. There were only a scant handful of wizarding people left in the Galaxy, to their knowledge. He had to delve deeply and find out what gave them their magic, and perhaps, once that was done, he could experiment on a weapon that would only target them, the Emperor and his cloned guards of the late Blaise Zabini…
A targeted weapon that would negate all magic used to defend against it, one that would trump even the restorative powers of the Philosopher's Stone. Veneficus might have the ultimate cure, but Severus was now set to find and develop the ultimate plague, one that would leave all the other innocents in the Empire alive but kill that man that began it all.
"Oh Lily, what evil has befallen this Galaxy," Severus mourned, thinking of the fiery haired youth that he had loved so much, even as he swept all his other projects aside, their use now irrelevant to him as he focused on his new and deadly goal. "Your son, the one I swore to protect against even my own will, is now the very evil that you fought to destroy. I will finish what was started, and silence this evil in your name."
Even as he set to work, extracting some of his own blood to analyze, his thoughts turned even more mournful and weary. "Perhaps, if there is some sort of afterlife, as you claimed," he said, imagining the ghost of his lost love in the room with him, strengthening him with her presence, "perhaps he will find you there, and you will free his soul of this evil that corrupts him… and perhaps mine as well."
The image in his mind dissipated, and Severus slowly returned to the sad reality that he lived in his elder years. A vial of crimson in his hand, he knew where he had to go for a perfect test. The Jedi alone had the devices to examine blood down to its molecular level, in their search for the counts of the Force conducting organisms that gave them their power.
If he wanted to know the full ends of this madness, there was no corner of the Galaxy that he could, or indeed would, leave untouched to discover a means of ending the Emperor's reign.
That he swore, even as he departed his now relatively trashed lab and sprinted as fast as his aged body would allow toward the Jedi Enclave, where he would find in their slowly restoring archive the testing equipment he desired.
With luck, and perhaps a bit more than luck, he would find the secret quickly, and be able to test solutions that would destroy the very blood within a wizard, without being able to be affected by outside magic whatsoever. Only then would he be satisfied in presenting it for weaponizing.