For two days, the Sith had been, surprisingly, quiet. Thankfully, they had not started any fights with the wolves, though there was a bit infighting between the Sith. There was much tension and they even started to get...tribal.
"Captain Yaru Korsin seems to respect the wolves and their territory." Seelah Korsin, the wife of Devore Korsin, heard from the human named Jacob. Jacob was talking to another man named Mason, a member of the Heroes of the Universe...whatever that was."But how long do you think he'll decide to take this territory for his own?"
"What do you mean?"
"Come on, Mason. Just because I don't watch movies, doesn't mean I know that the Sith are evil." Jacob said as they walked past her, as if they didn't even know she and her infant son, Jariad, existed.
Seelah wondered what 'movies' they were talking about but she also wondered why they thought the Sith were evil. It was the Jedi and Republic that was trying to destroy Sadow's Empire. But Seelah feared that, thanks to the infighting between Sadow and Ludo, the Empire would destroy itself.
She was breastfeeding her son when she noticed the Sith Pureblood and quartermaster of the Massassi, Ravilan Wroth, look at her in disgust. She rolled her eyes but stood up and walked into the forest to be alone. Her husband, Devore, was with his half-brother Yaru at the Omen, trying to find some supplies for the winter. Thankfully, it wasn't even that chilly. Well, not yet anyway.
Tom Rake and Maketh Tua were walking and talking when Seelah Korsin pushed Maketh out of the way."Hey!" Maketh said as she nearly fell on her bottom. Tom quickly grabbed her as Seelah just kept walking, carrying her son.
"What's her problem?" Maketh asked.
"Give her a break, Maketh. These people aren't who you think they are." Tom said, feeling some sympathy for these Sith.
"What do you mean? They're the same as Lord Vader. They're Sith!"
Tom shook his head."No...they're slaves."
The Sith Empire of Seelah's youth was a nest of star systems linked by a common heritage, ambition, and greed. It was also, in a sense, a black hole from which little escaped.
The Stygian Caldera's limiting effects on hyperspace travel were disproportionate, making it far easier for unlucky outsiders to wander into Sith space than for the Sith Lords to venture out. Those who found their way in seldom returned, becoming slaves to one princeling or another. The arrivals frequently changed hands over the generations, forgetting their homes completely. They, too, were of the Sith now.
Some Sith Lords, such as Naga Sadow, saw value in the work of the human descendants of the original Tapani refugees. Where their tentacle-faced masters with lineages back to the Sith species were more interested in sorceries, Seelah's people excelled at science. When allowed to practice, they did, forming the industrial and medical infrastructures for several Lords. Some even resolved problems of lightsaber-crystal fabrication and power generation that had eluded the Jedi of the Republic. Such feats were never heralded-no Sith Lord would share a new weapon. If failure was an orphan, success, for the Sith, was a secret love child.
The child Seelah had her own successes, serving on Rhelg with the rest of her family in the forces of Ludo Kressh, Sadows's greatest rival. At thirteen, Seelah was already a talented healer, drawing both on the Force and the medical knowledge of her forebears. Devotion had already borne fruit.
"We are advancing in this movement," Her father had said."You have done well, and it has been rewarded. Glory in honor, Seelah-it is the greatest that can befall such as us."
She had been charged with the care of Lord Kressh's feet.
"Thanks for helping us," Yaru Korsin said to Humprhey, grateful."You didn't have to, you know."
The grey male omega nodded."Yeah, but I do anything to stop Kate nagging me." He smiled."I just got to make sure I get home in time for Christmas."
Captain Korsin took some blankets that he doubted that could keep any of the Massassi warm. While he didn't doubt that the Sith Purebloods could survive the winter since some of them came from Ziost, he wondered how long the humans could last.
Omen was very broken and beyond repair. Korsin didn't even know if this planet had the materials to fix their ship.
Yaru turned to see his half-brother brush right past him, ignoring him. Once Devore left, Humphrey looked at the Sith Captain."So, I'm assuming you two don't get along?"
Yaru nodded."You assume correctly." Yaru then quickly changed the subject, afraid this brother could hear him. And he knew of his brother's temper."So, Christmas? What even is that?"
Humphrey then explained that it was a holiday celebrated by many wolf packs all over their region called 'Canada'. It was celebrated once a year and it was about spending time with your family and/or Pack.
Yaru listened, interested in this culture. Perhaps if he survived Naga Sadow, maybe he could convince the Sith Lord to have a similar holiday.
Tom Rake was now by himself. Maketh had gone off into the woods, looking for a bathroom...which meant tree.
He then sensed three sentient beings nearby. He grabbed the hilt of his curved lightsaber as heard three voices.
"How did we get here? Weren't we in the Omen just a minute ago?" Said a young male voice.
"Maybe...maybe it was the ghost of Seelah-"
"Give it a rest, Seelah!" An old voice interrupted the female voice."We-"
Tom jumped out behind the tree, activating the crimson red-blade. He was surprised to be looking at two humans in robes, one of them female, and a...Keshiri...
"B-But..." Dylan stuttered."Varner Hilts...Illiana Merko...Jaye Vuhld... you're all here..."
The former member of the Sisters of Seelah raised an eyebrow."Does this boy know you?" She asked Varner Hilts.
Hilt's was looking at his curved lightsaber."I think I would remember someone with that kind of lightsaber."
Tom had told the three to follow him. He told them that they were somehow transported to this place and to a time to where their ancestors were alive. The three obviously didn't believe him but they reluctantly followed him.
He quickly stifled a smile as he saw their jaws drop once they took a good look at the Massassi and the Sith in the distance."The...the creatures from the Holocron on Testament day..." Jaye said in shock."They're real."
"And that means..." Illiana Merko gasped."Seelah...Yaru...the Omen..."
Tom nodded."Yeah...come on. You need to meet my allies."
Tom quickly gathered the Heroes of the Universe (A:N For those that want to know all the Characters in this team, check The Space Sith Warrior profile) and only them. No wolves, no other Sith.
"What the hell is up with this guy's skin?" Said Grif Dexter, a human male in orange spartan armor.
Twilight Sparkle gasped."Grif! That's racist!"
Jaye shrugged."Don't worry, I'm used to it...and so are my people."
"Alright, these three are from the time of Rot..." Tom explained the lore and history of Varner Hilt's and the Keshiri and the Sisters of Seelah. Hilt's looked impressed that Tom knew the history of the Sith...but was also shocked that Twilight, a pony, could talk.
All three of them were even more shocked when they learned that they were in a territory full of talking wolves.
"So, we time-traveled to a different planet in where our ancestors crashed here?" Illiana asked."Please tell me this is a dream..."
"Wait," Hilts said."If our ancestors crashed here..." Hilts looked at his hands."If my theory on time-travel, if we were to change it, is correct, shouldn't we be disappearing?"
Tom put a hand to his chin in thought until he remembered."Yaru and Devore...they have to fight each other..."
The former Queen of the Changelings, Chrysalis, looked at him confused."What do you mean 'have to'?"
"When Yaru killed Devore, his wife Seelah knew it was him, so she decided to plot against him. This plot needs to happen because it fails for her but it won't happen if Devore isn't dead."
"Well, can't we just...I don't know...kill Devore ourselves and make it seem like Yaru killed him?" Tucker asked.
Everybody (Minus Grif, Sarge, Simmons, Church, Caboose, Alto Stratus, and Bronn) was horrified at just the thought of it. Tom quickly shook his head."No. If Seelah was to find even a hint that we killed Devore, she would have no reason to kill Yaru...maybe she would still do it to become the leader of the Sith but we can't risk that. All we have to do is make sure neither Yaru nor Devore dies."
Seelah was still in the forest, her infant son finally asleep. It was near sunset so she thought of going back to the Sith when she heard something."Hey!" Yelled a young voice. She turned and quickly crouched behind a bush once she saw three wolves. She squinted a little, seeing the wolf pup named Runt.
She remembered Runt, Stinky, and Claudette, just yesterday, asking her all questions about her and her baby. She had snapped at them told them to leave her alone. And she had meant it.
"Let me go!" Runt yelled. Although she was annoyed by him, like his siblings, she found Runt to be an odd name. Maybe it was just some cruel nickname or his parents just hated him. One strong, adult wolf was holding Runt by the fur of his neck.
"Hey, is that a human?" One of the black-furred adult wolves asked.
Seelah gasped as they looked right at her. She got up and ran away, hoping to escape the wolves.
"Get her!"
"We are extremely thankful for you letting us celebrate...Christmas..." Yaru said to Winston. Tom smiled, glad that the two were getting along.
Winston nodded."And we are thankful that your Sith people...have not attacked my pack." Behind him, two Sith's, a Miner and a Soldier, were fighting each other. Devore broke up the fight...by killing the Soldier. All of the wolves, pup, Heroes, and even other Sith, were horrified by what he had just done.
"Devore!" Yaru yelled in anger.
"Help!" Interrupted a panicked female voice."They took him! They took Jariad!"
Everyone turned, some still stared at the human corpse, to look at Devore's wife, Seelah. She had tears coming down her eyes."They took him! Those damn wolves to our son!" Seelah cried to Devore.
Tom's eyes widened. If those wolves had killed Jariad...everything was already screwed. He then noticed Stinky and Claudette running over."They took Runt! There was this bear and..." Stinky stopped once he noticed the dead body of the Sith Soldier.
Tom noticed that Devore's dark eyes started to become yellow...the color of Sith eyes."They did what?! They took our son!" Devore clenched his teeth and fist."I'll rip those Schutta's apart with my bare hands!" He yelled angrily and loudly.
"You think he'll say yes if we invite him to our pack?" Tony, the leader eastern Pack, whispered to Winston. Winston rolled his eyes but said nothing.
"Jariad's important...right?" Mason asked. Tom nodded.
"Where was he taken?" Devore asked his wife. Seelah pointed to the direction she had come from and started to walk to the forest.
"Devore," Yaru yelled after him."Where are you going?"
"To find my son and bring him home," Devore responded, not stopping.
"He certainly has courage," Kate noted.
"Yeah," Yaru agreed."But what good is that if he gets himself killed?"