Much thanks to those who've reviewed! Please enjoy the next one! ~F P.S. In reviewing what I had written for the previous chapter, I can see now how I did not give enough clues to what actually happened. Diabolis deduced the location and events from Veneficus' writings, which I had intended to be vague enough that very few would have had any hope of actually understanding them without doing as much work as Diabolis had to catalogue all of the Emperor's movements, case and point Hermione does not mention the information as she did not understand it... apparently that detail slipped through my final edits uncorrected... Perhaps in the future I will revise the entire trilogy like I am doing with the ANP series, and repost it as one continuous story, adding in more detail and fixing some things that were exceptionally unclear... cough cough troll first year cough cough… ~F

Chapter Twenty Nine

Overlooked

Diábolis stared furiously at the readout as his ship soared through the tube of light that made up Hyperspace. Veneficus had found the long awaited secret of immortality, and was going to the one location that would allow him to accomplish such a ritual.

Ruusan, the location of the final major conflict between Sith and Jedi in the last quarter millennia. Diábolis was well aware of the font of Force energy that existed there, but he had never assumed that Veneficus would find such a dire use for the massively charged nexus.

But it made sense, when he added together all the pieces that Veneficus had collected for this ritual. Through the scepter of Ragnos, an artifact able to drain and expel the energy of any Force aura, along with such a highly powerful location, the limits of possibility were frayed at the ends. Diábolis figured that the scepter had been lost when the Star Forge had been destroyed, but clearly Veneficus had removed it after the war, allowing the station's productivity to lessen over time, and eventually abate.

Still, what the man was planning was madness. No biological form would be able to handle the sheer amount of raw Force energy that the so called Valley of the Jedi contained. Many weaker fools that even were forced to the planet went mad from the swirling residue of the hundreds of dead Sith and Jedi that had been trapped there for all time.

But Diábolis knew enough about the terrible power of the Wild Force that Veneficus commanded to know that he had something more up his sleeve. The red elixir that regenerated Veneficus' form had to be a key component to allowing the man to survive such a massive amount of the Force pouring into him, crystallizing his form in an ever-living state of youth even as the energies tried to rip him apart.

The end result could be tantamount to a literal Force-created god rising from the planet, to devour all life in the Galaxy, or even worse. Odd though it was, Diábolis had to stop this madness just so that there'd be a galaxy to conquer when it was all over.

The Force sword rested at his side, humming with the anger and hatred that Diábolis had for his master. How he longed to put this blade into the chest of Veneficus, watch the madman's eyes cloud over and finally expire.

He just hoped he wasn't too late. "We're exiting Hyperspace shortly, my Lord," the pilot said. Diábolis had left his entire fleet over Coruscant, knowing that they would only slow him down, and cause problems if any desired to back their Emperor over his apprentice for the struggle of ruler of the Galaxy. Even this pilot knew little of what was going to transpire, and Diábolis intended to kill him as soon as they landed.

The star lines slowed and returned to tiny pinpricks in the vast blackness of space as they emerged from their jump, and the looming presence of Ruusan called out to Diábolis like a beacon. Veneficus was there, there was no doubt of that.

In fact, all Diábolis could sense was the thrumming pulse of the Force itself as the shuttle entered the atmosphere of Ruusan and headed for the coordinates of the infamous Force Nexus. Something massive was in the process of happening, and the Force itself was being harmed by the manifestation. Dare he to even admit it, but had Veneficus stumbled upon something downright evil in his pursuit of power?

The moment the shuttle landed he was already approaching the pilot. The fool had no chance to struggle as his neck was effortless broken before he could even turn to address the Sith Lord, his body casually cast aside for when Diábolis returned.

He exited the shuttle after that, leaving it running and waiting for escape if such a thing was needed, and headed toward the strange cave-like network that housed the hidden Nexus at the center of the Valley of the Jedi. The fact that this location was called that, when in reality it was the genesis of the Sith Rule of Two was appalling to Diábolis, and he planned to change the name in due time… granted, if everything went according to plan, it would be better served as the tomb of Darth Veneficus…

With only the light of his twinblade to guide him, Diábolis started into the gloom, rage seething in his heart as he allowed the Dark Side to lead him to his master, following the trail left by the tattered bond between master and apprentice that still existed between the pair of them.

The cavern was distinct, the walls and ceiling having been worn away by time and smoothed out by the scouring winds of the once lush planet. The catastrophic devastation of the ancient Thought Bomb had destroyed the ecosystem of Ruusan, transforming it into a lifeless tomb. The perfect world for the final site of his master…

"Or so you would think?" answered the haunting voice of Veneficus, and Diábolis turned at a small opening in the tunnel to see the Sith Master there, robes impeccable despite the clear age in the man's face.

"You have come at last… but to what end I wonder, my apprentice…" the old man wheezed.

"I will end you, my old master, and stop whatever greater madness you wish to inflict upon the Empire, and the rest of the Galaxy!" Diábolis shouted, readying himself to charge his master, and begin the battle that would decide all their fates.

"Not so fast, young fool, think about the matter first and foremost," the Emperor hissed, and before Diábolis could react, the old man's wand was in hand, and a muttered incantation drowned the room in smoke and some sort of noxious gas.

The cackling laugher of the Emperor trailed away, and Diábolis knew that the spell had affected his mind, throwing him into some manner of state where he could not locate the Force aura of his master.

Keeping his weapon close, he ventured forward, trying to clear his head of the smoke that seemed to make his vision hazy with every breath.

A sound sent him whirling, the high-pitched cry of a child, and off in a side tunnel Diábolis lunged, drawn to the sound with the force of memory. He knew that voice. Rounding a corner, Diábolis was stunned as he stepped into a very family jungle scene.

It was night, the twin moons of Devaron shining overhead, and a pair of young Devaronians were sprinting through the undergrowth, even as a larger figure chased after them. Diábolis felt his very skin crawl as one of the pair of children fell, tripping over a branch.

"Bathrekh, run!" the female called, and the other, a young boy only a little past his eighth year, froze in terror.

Diábolis knew the fear that had flooded the child's heart as he saw his sister fall. He remembered closely the anger and hatred that had surged through him when the man who had stolen them from their parents over a debt arrived, and savagely started to beat his sister.

The young Bathrekh hadn't known the potential within him, and at that moment it unleashed itself in a tidal wave. The Dark Side of the Force, unrefined and raw, tore through the undergrowth, knocking back the vile old Devaronian that had enslaved him and his sister, and the future Sith Lord leapt upon the old being. That had been his first kill, Diábolis still remembered the taste of the old Devaronian's blood on his tongue as he tore the throat out with his teeth.

From the shadows of the jungle, another figure emerged. Diábolis lifted his weapon, but it was a much younger version of Darth Veneficus, just another figment of memory. What the Sith Apprentice was not prepared for was the illusion to turn to him, "You held such promise, even when so young. The sheer surprise of the act you committed was what drew me to you. The raw hatred and rage coursing through you was endearing, and enticing… You and I were exactly alike…"

"I'm nothing like you!" Diábolis shouted; although in all honesty he did not believe himself.

"You believe that now… but you will learn otherwise in due time…" the illusion of the Emperor intoned, backing away and fading from view.

Diábolis knew what happened next in the vision, and closed his eyes to block out the sounds of his sister dying in his arms from the wild animals that had come after them, pursuing the scent of the blood that he himself had spilt. Bathrekh Masek had only been eight years old, and had been abandoned in the jungle. It had taken another two weeks of living alone in the wilds before Veneficus had found him, and took him away to learn the life of a Sith Lord.

The vision ended, but the mist remained. Diábolis had an idea where this madness was going, but he refused to allow it to affect him, and pushed on into the next chamber. He would face these supposed demons of his past, and use their power to cast aside the future that Veneficus wanted for him.

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Zhar was pleased to discover that, upon the deaths of the entire Dromund Kaas council, every minor issue that plagued the world seemed to magically end. Now that he had full autonomy and control over the capital of the Sith Empire, Zhar was able to devote all his time and attention to research and the pursuit of knowledge that could liberate them from the oppressive rule of the Sith.

Both Euka and Jol were able to help him with these tasks, as the rest of the planet returned to its normal day-to-day activities, with little to no input from the leaders themselves. Zhar now understood why Feyd had had so much time to prepare for his attempted coup against the Emperor. Dromund Kaas, so long under the direct control of the Emperor, was well aware of what was required of it and operated as an efficient unit in the grand design of the Empire.

"Here's another reference to the Sith directives." Euka said, bringing a scroll from some deep section of the extensive archive to the central table of the section of the archive that the Supreme Prophet had blocked off from others. This was necessary to prevent just anyone from potentially seeing what they were up to and put together too much, while still maintaining the public access to the archive.

"Just as I expected," Zhar said after scanning the text for a moment, "ultimate power through immortality… conquering the Galaxy is just a side note to give themselves the time to accomplish the main goal."

"Lording their power over all races and beings, like tyrants…" Jol chimed in, moving a stack of tomes from the central table to be returned to their places inconspicuously.

"Yes…" Zhar said, thinking over the matter. In all honesty, their goal was the same, to live and progress in the knowledge of the Dark Side, but the ambition of the Sith knew no bounds. They wanted everything and anything that lived to bow to their will and power. If only there had been another option, an order that sought merely to grow in the power of the Dark Side without reaching out to demand control over all else.

There was a tremor in the Force at that moment, and Zhar traced it back to the planet Ruusan in an instant. The utter blackness told him that the Emperor himself was there, but as for why the madman was on that far flung planet and not Coruscant, he did not know.

"He's on the move," Euka commented, also able to sense the presence of the Emperor from across the stars.

"But for what end?" Zhar asked, puzzled. Another pulse and Zhar widened his eyes, "Diábolis is there, and I can sense the tension between Master and Apprentice…"

"The challenge of the Sith at long last…" Euka said. Jol, still too new to the strength of the Force that both Zhar and Euka expressed could not sense the same things, and was silent as the pair commented on what they felt rippling through the cosmos.

"We cannot allow either of them to rule over us any longer…" Zhar said. "Whoever kills the other, it will mean nothing but pain and devastation for the rest of the Galaxy."

Zhar paused, dare he even suggest it… "Interesting…" he said, "the answer has glared at us openly from the beginning…"

"What answer?" Jol asked, and Zhar smirked.

"Before the rise of Veneficus and the Neo-Sith Empire, Darth Millennial was almost thrust from the Order of the Sith for heresy, forming a cult called the Prophets of the Dark Side…"

"But that was a front to blind Darth Cognus while the mutant searched for Veneficus…" Euka added, her own mind expanding to understand where Zhar was going.

"We can take up the reins of that order, long abandoned and merged into the hierarchy of the Sith Empire, reforge it back to what it was, a religious view of the Dark Side, and divide ourselves from the madness of the Sith. Make certain that an order of the Dark Side exists outside their power squabbles and conflict with the Jedi."

"We need not be slaves of them, and yet not abandon the power that the Dark Side brings us either." Jol surmised, smirking, "It's genius…"

"But how to convince such a massive population of the need…" Zhar wondered aloud, when almost as a blessing of the Force, his comlink chimed. Zhar answered, reading the automated message from Coruscant.

"The Imperial Palace on Coruscant is under siege from the rebels, and Jedi…" he said.

"The perfect opportunity…" Euka said, seizing the moment, "We send all the military assets we can to aid them, and in the meantime enact our plan to sway the rest of the Force sensitive populace to a more pragmatic view of the Force, and point to the devastation of the Empire as a failing of the Sith and their Code…"

"And in time, we may create a new Order, and guide the future to a more utopia society, where the vileness of the Sith are eliminated, alongside the constricting nature of the Jedi…" Zhar added.

"Here is where it starts, with three Prophets of the Dark Side," Euka said, motioning to the three of them.

"As though it was destined to be thus…" Jol said, stepping forward and forming a small circle with the other two.

The Force seemed to ripple through the three of them, and Zhar knew that this was to be. The Prophet of the Dark Side would serve the Sith no longer. "Then we have work to do…" he said, and his two High Prophets of the new order nodded. "Those fully loyal to the Sith Emperor must be tricked into leaving the city, while all those who seek for liberation and have the touch of the Force will be drawn here…"

Abandoning the texts and scrolls on the table, as they had no more need to learn the secrets of the Sith's design, Zhar went to the nearest window and looked out over the vastness of Kaas City. "You'll both need to search far and wide, following the intuition of the Dark Side to find those pupils on all Imperial worlds that will willingly abandon their previous convictions."

"It will be as you say, Supreme Prophet," Jol said, his eagerness a useful boon. Euka was more subdued, but nodded her acceptance of Zhar's will nonetheless.

"While the Sith squabble among themselves, we will prepare a brighter future for those who follow in the path of the Dark Side, and gather all knowledge and power to this place, gazing deep into the future to prevent another atrocity like Veneficus from rising to full and complete power." Zhar said, the pure intelligence flowing into him from the Force itself.

All was becoming clear. The Force despised the Wild aspect of its nature, and the abomination that was the Mage-born, up to and including Veneficus, a monster among monsters. If they must scour the galaxy to eliminate every scrap of that wanton anomaly in the Force, just to prevent another tyrant like Veneficus, then it would be the secret mission of the Prophets.

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Filius couldn't tell why or how, but he just knew that something was wrong.

They had had continual updates from their forces heading to Coruscant for a time, but they had abruptly stopped just before they were due to arrive at their destination. While this was typical of a mission underway, there tended to be at least some updates of the battle's progress, but this time there was nothing.

Filius was worried, and when the communication system crackled to life he sprinted across the command center to see. "This is Director Granger to all Rebellion forces. Converge on Coruscant, the planet is in riot, and we have secured the Jedi Temple. Repeat, this is Director Granger to all Rebellion forces…"

Excited muttering sprang up through the command forces, including worry whether this message was a trap or not, but Filius could tell that it was genuine. There were code gestures that Hermione had grilled into the senior command staff that she was repeating alongside her message, certain subtle things that would not be repeatable if she was being control or otherwise not in her right mind.

"I want every single member of this rebellion on high alert," Filius said, his small voice still commanding great respect. All turned to face him and fell silent as he spoke, and despite his height, Filius felt ten feet tall as he gave the most important orders of the war.

"Assemble all our reserves; I want every ship that is space-worthy in the air in two hours. We are taking back the Republic's capital!" Filius said, to a chorus of cheering.

Officers sprinted from the room to spread the word like wildfire, and engineers took to the comm. Channels, signaling to every rebel unit throughout the galaxy the command. If Hermione was correct that they had a window of opportunity to take the Galactic Core, then they would muster such a force to be noteworthy of how great the rebellion had surged.

Even those rebels that had only done what they could on their homeworlds, and not officially joined the mustering at either Hoth or Bakura would take note of this, and Filius had a massive expectation of a show of force that would rival even the assemblies of the Neo-Sith war. He might be overreaching, but sustaining high moral at the moment was far more important.

In the midst of the scramble, Filius opened a new channel back to Sanctuary, directly into Severus' potion's lab. "Severus…" he said and the other man appeared.

"I've heard," the Potions Master replied, "the message was transmitted here as well. We're in the process of mustering everything we have and going to aid them in the Core."

"As are we…" Filius replied, "I get the feeling that we will need to carry the Seer's stone to Coruscant, and deliver it to that focal point of Force energy…"

Severus was silent for a moment, "I've had that feeling as well…' he said.

"Strange, and somewhat ominous…" Filius said.

"It is dangerous to rely too much on such an artifact, but at the same time I get the feeling we have no choice but to use it in order to counter the foresight of the Emperor." Severus admitted, "I will be carrying it into battle."

"I'll see you on Coruscant, then…" Filius said, and the two former Hogwarts Professors nodded before ending the communication. It was always an awkward thing, interrupting Severus during his work, but Filius knew that the man needed to have contact with other beings to not become a complete shut in.

Still, he knew that the message had been spread, and the Seer's Stone was on its way to Coruscant. With that knowledge, Filius could prepare himself for the likelihood of a massive battle that was about to explode through the core of the Galaxy.

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Diábolis snarled in anger after the fourth vision of his youth flashed past him. What he strongly suspected to be an attempt to distract and delay him from confronting the Emperor only served to increase his anger at the man, and push him on to breaking the enchantment that held him here.

He had already witnessed once again the horrors of his initial training under Veneficus. The man had been cruel, the scenarios ranging from gladiatorial arenas on the Outer Rim of the galaxy, all the way to dropping Diábolis with nothing but his saber on some remote worlds with orders to survive for months at a time.

Each and every event had already been seared into the soul of Diábolis, every injustice a source of power in the Dark Side to conquer and destroy all those who might try to threaten his power.

"Enough of this!" he bellowed, throwing the Force out around him, trying to pry away the next scene, of himself as a teenager suffering under the lightning of his master after the first act of the Neo-Sith War. The Emperor had not been pleased with Diábolis' lack of ability to outfight kill the Jedi he had faced.

But even as the vision tried to envelope him into its folds, Diábolis drew the ancient Sith blade from his waist. The blade hummed with suppressed power in the Force, and Diábolis swung it right at the illusion of Veneficus.

The facsimile of his Master turned and dodged the swinging blade, but a tear appeared in the fabric of this dream reality. There was a blinding flash of light, and Diábolis found himself back in the same juncture where he had first encountered Veneficus.

"As I thought…" he said, getting back to his feet and dusting himself off. Curiously, despite the entire event having been some mental struggle in his mind, the Sith sword was now in his hand and drawn rather than on his belt.

Taking the hint that this weapon was his only defense against the wanton sorcery of the Wild Force, Diábolis followed the trails of Force energy to the massive font of power that lay in the center of the Valley.

The winding tunnels were void of any hindrances, and that alone worried Diábolis. Could the delay he had already faced been sufficient?

Emerging to the massive chamber where the remnants of the thought bomb lay, the Devaronian widened his eyes. The swirling golden energies of the Force from the monument that covered the inescapable prison of Force energy were trained, radiating green and red. Bursts of lightning sparked from the surface of the dome and arced widely through the air.

And on the far side of the central circle, surrounded by glowing runes and stretching forth the Scepter of Ragnos, was Veneficus.

"I must admit, you escaped my spell far sooner than I had anticipated, my apprentice," the Sith Lord congratulated, his voice worn and strained. Diábolis wondered how much of the restorative elixir the man had consumed in preparation for what he was about to do.

"Honestly though," Veneficus continued, "I had hoped that at least one would witness my final triumph over all that stood in my way. Fitting that fate and the Force decided that it would be you. The one and only being in all the Galaxy set to be my equal, or at least former equal…"

"I doubt that you ever truly desired an equal…" Diábolis shot back, seething slightly as he circled the dome slowly. He moved slowly and kept the Sith sword out of sight. He had only a small window to use the surprise of the object, and if wasted it would spell his doom.

Veneficus laughed, "True," he said, "I had little desire for the Rule of Two to continue past my time. Millennial was insufferable in his time, and I had already come so close and broken so many barriers that prevented the Sith from truly ruling the Galaxy. Why would I entrust all that I had done to another when victory was within my grasp alone. I am the most cunning, the strongest, and the only one perfectly set to shape the very fabric of the universe at my will…"

Gesturing with spread arms at the entirety of the ritual, even as more runes surrounding the entire chamber flared to life, Veneficus chuckled again, "The power of the Wild Force is inescapable, unending, and liberating over even what the lesser beings of the Force know or can do."

Diábolis drew closer, and blinked as he started to see the near-invisible figures on either side of Venficus. Four shades, all empowering the Sith Emperor with their strength and wisdom, whispering in his ear and giving him all the edge he normally needed over any foe.

That connection was going to end this day, and Diábolis clutched the hilt of the cool metal blade tighter. "I was foolish, I admit," Diábolis said, admitting something of the pair of them more than just he alone, "to underestimate the sheer power of the Wild Force, and you're supreme wielding of it…"

"Yes… it is a curious and secretive thing…" Veneficus agreed, waving the small stick in his other hand as he directed the energies of the Valley to start drawing into himself. Through his connection with the Force sword, Diábolis could see the colored energy bending and wafting through the air as if on wire, drawing nearer to Veneficus. The ritual itself was about to begin officially, and he had to wait until the Emperor was thoroughly distracted and could not interfere with Diábolis' attack. But he had to get closer yet.

"But I do not understand then, why you chose me over Drakis Malfay as your apprentice?" Diábolis said, thinking swiftly of something to delay the Emperor just a touch more.

"It was simple…" Veneficus replied, sheathing the wand and reaching forward to caress the Force energy with his bare fingers. "The man was a fool, and his power in the Force was weak compared to you, my apprentice… Additionally, I was able to mould you from the earliest years, form you after my own image, as a true Sith. Draco was nothing more than a child playing with the tools of a far greater being. He had too much of his father in him, and no amount of training would eliminate that from him…"

The energy of the Force flashed and changed color, and Veneficus fell silent. Diábolis had a feeling that something had changed, even as the Emperor started to laugh, holding his arms wide as the runic symbols started to rotate, lifting off the ground and expanding to cover the entire golden orb of power.

"It is time…" Veneficus stated, levitating off the ground himself and floating over to drift above the orb, the scepter held high over his head, "be silent now my apprentice, and witness my ascension as a God over the entire Galaxy!"

A flare of golden energy shot upward from the orb, bathing Veneficus and the scepter in its power, and through the gift that the Force sword gave to him, Diábolis could see the four spirits drifting about the outside of the runic circle, their presence stabilizing the ritual and aiding the Emperor in his design.

For a short time, Diábolis was transfixed by the vision before him. Despite the clear threat that it poised to him specifically, it was glorious to realize that one of the Sith Order was indeed accomplishing to goals that they had begun so long ago on Tython. Veneficus' flesh was boiling and splintered from the infusion of Force power, and almost casually he swept a hand upward, and from the base of the dome a flowing red liquid appeared.

Diábolis looked closer and saw a small cauldron from where the rejuvenating elixir was flowing. Hovering over it, and bleeding the liquid into the container was a stone, pulsing like a living heart.

That had to be the source of Veneficus' youth and longevity. Realization came swiftly to the Devaronian. Every piece of the puzzle was here together, and he just needed to strike, and cause a devastating blow to his master's plans in one fel swoop.

The sword hummed in his hand, the power of the Dark Side strengthening his resolve to strike. With Veneficus now distracted maintaining his ritual, there was nothing to prevent Diábolis from doing so.

"No!" Venficus shouted, even as Diábolis darted forward, the weapon gleaming with red and black energy in his hand. The nearest shade turned in surprise and horror as Diábolis slashed at it. The spirit was that of Darth Bane, and looked overjoyed at the separation as the Force sword cleaved the connection between the former Sith Lord and the Emperor.

Veneficus howled in agony as Darth Bane vanished instantly, and Diábolis whirled, sprinting for the next spirit, slashing the sword deftly through the connection that bound Naga Sadow to the current Emperor, releasing the Dark Specter to return to his tomb.

The ritual started to destabilize, the reduction in Force power from Veneficus allowing for blasts of power to ricochet across the chamber. "You fool. You will destroy everything I have worked for and us together with it!"

Diábolis didn't respond, not even the cry out when the Emperor caught him with a blast of lightning. The third spirit actually met him as he was approaching it, holding ghostly arms out as though welcoming the blade into it. Ludo Kreesh vanished into the void just as the ritual fully destabilized.

The Wild Force failed, and Veneficus was thrown with the massive explosion of Force energy, which caused rubble to plummet from the vaulted ceiling of the chamber. Diábolis dodged the worst of the fallout, the Force sword firmly in hand as he slowly made his way toward the fallen Emperor, bloodied and crawling along the floor toward the cauldron of healing liquid.

"It ends here my old master…" Diábolis said, raising the sword high.

"Never!" Veneficus howled back, rolling to the side and thrusting both hands like claws at Diábolis. The lightning caught the metal sword hard and almost succeeded in ripping it from Diábolis' hand. By the time he had recovered, Veneficus had already drunken deeply from the cauldron, and his wounds were closing slowly as he rose to his feet.

"So…" the man hissed, facing Diábolis, "you wish so badly to overthrow me, that you are even willing to embrace a suicidal idea that could threaten the entire propagation of the Sith Order!"

Throwing out a hand, the Emperor summoned the Scepter of Ragnos to him. Diábolis thought that Veneficus might try to wield the powerful item against him, but he was surprised when Veneficus drew from the bottom of the staff another Force sword, its blade radiating crackling red lightning, and filled to the brim with the power of the Dark Side.

"I will not allow you to threaten anything more." Veneficus raged, "I reject you as my apprentice. You are Sith no longer, unless you think you can kill me here and now!"

"I would have it no other way…" Diábolis said calmly, letting the Dark Side wash over him with a slow burning flame, offsetting the raging inferno that the Emperor represented.

The man vanished in a blur of motion, and Diábolis, expecting the rush of an attack, turned and slammed his blade in a defensive block. The ring of metal on metal shook through the cavern, and the duel of master and apprentice began.

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Ist wasn't sure of they ought to be abandoning the battle raging above to investigate this hidden vault in the Jedi Temple, but Director Granger was adamant that they needed to see this through, and who was she to argue.

The hidden lift took them down at a frightening pace to the hidden chamber, which was an unlit corridor extending an unknown distance into the mountain far below the Temple.

"According to what information I found," Director Granger said as she started down the corridor, the light of her data pad being the only thing illuminating the way, "While the Emperor modified and added to this chamber, it existed long before even the construction of the first Jedi Temple…"

Ist was not sure as to why that information made her uneasy, but she still felt the smallest shiver of apprehension as they found another door. It took only a few moments for the Director to hack open the door from her portal console, and it slid into the floor and revealed the massive empty chamber beyond.

Ist could tell that the chamber was massive, despite the lack of any illumination outside of the catwalk that led to the center of the room. There was a massive platform there, and as they drew nearer Ist could see that it was made up of natural rock formations from the mountain below. Hieroglyphics and other ritualistic carvings were etched into the surface of the mound, intermixed with some carefully placed artifacts of Sith origin.

But that was not all that was on display. As they reached the end of the catwalk, Ist paused, staring in muted horror at the collection of lightsabers and Mage-born wands that were piled around a central alter like trophies or ornaments to a warlord.

"It can't be…" one of the other Jedi breathed, also recognizing some of the saber-hilts that were piled there.

"Oh, it most certainly is, my Jedi friend…" cackled a hideous voice.

They all looked up to the top of the altar, where a vision of the Emperor crackled into view. It was clearly some sort of holographic recording or long range communication, but that didn't stop them all from activating their lightsabers just in case the madman had some means of attacking them.

"Veneficus…" Director Granger breathed…

"And my dear Hermione… How long I had waited for you to come back to me at last…" the Emperor said, chuckling sickeningly to himself. "Unfortunate that I am not there to greet you in person, but as you could probably guess, I had more important things to take care of than your quaint little rebellion against my Empire…"

The image shimmered, and from the lack of facial reaction, Ist relaxed. It was a recording, albeit eerily accurate in its knowledge of their presence and motive.

"Although, it would have been most unkind of me to prepare something for you discovering this place: the nexus of all the Jedi's failure… little did they ever realize that the Dark Side existed so close to their precious home, underlying everything they did with a layer of power for their enemies to exploit…" Veneficus said, gesturing at the pillar of rock upon which his alter was built, "Still… because I know you'd appreciate it so much, I did prepare a gift for you and your little friends in my absence…"

The image snapped his fingers, and across the entire chamber lights flooded down from above, illuminating the walls and floor some distance below. Ist widened her eyes as she saw the long stretches of capsules and medical equipment for suspended animation. The entire chamber was filled with sleeping figures, just barely kept clinging to life by the technology of their age.

"Awaken my soldiers, and protect my palace!" Veneficus' image intoned, and the verbal command activated the green light code to begin the process of reanimating the countless soldiers that slumbered in the massive chamber.

"We have to get out of here!" Ist said, taking Director Granger by the shoulder and pulling her back. If they were caught here they would be cut off and quickly eliminated by the horde of waking warriors. Each one was connected deeply to the Force and the Dark Side Ist could sense.

They ran, and the laughter of the Emperor carried along with them as they fled the chamber and the corridor beyond. They made it to the lift before Ist spotted the first warrior appear at the far end of the corridor, crimson lightsaber in hand, and a murderous glare in the being's eyes.

"There has to be other means for them to escape," Hermione guessed, even as they crowded into the lift and sent it hurtling upward and away from the madness that was rushing to follow them.

"We'd always wondered how many of his puppet soldiers and guards he had waiting, and now I suppose we know the truth." One of the others said.

"Those weren't his normal royal guards…" Ist replied. She had sensed the great difference between those monsters in the chamber below and those that they'd fought to get in the Temple. The ones on the surface were sane, and acted like men, unlike the wild and ravenous thoughts of the ones they had escaped for the time being.

"The rejects of his personal guard," Hermione guessed, "too dangerous to allow into his circle, but still useful enough to not destroy…"

"Each one powerful Force users as well as a Mage-born clones…" Ist added, glancing between the Director and the other Jedi among them. There was no need for her to state that this had been the perfect trap set for them, and just as the Emperor had known who would find it they had fallen for the ruse without even thinking about it.

"We need to lock down the temple, and prevent those monsters from escaping out to the rest of Coruscant…" Ist said.

"There's no possible way we can defeat those thousands of monsters…" one of the Jedi said.

"No," Ist agreed, "but we can hold them off until reinforcements arrive…"