Epilogue

After defeating the artificial devil army and returning to Cao Cao's base to experiment with Great Red's power device, Tenebrous and Plagueis created a stable portal that led back to their home galaxy. They created it solely with their own power not needing any of the other devices or mythological beings for a power boost, which shows their immense connection to the dark side. Before they entered the portal using the Mundane, Plagueis snuck his stash of Phoenix Tears aboard the starship using the Force to conceal its presence from his Master, and as an extra precaution, he actively manipulated Tenebrous away from its hiding spot with subtle deception and tiny seeds of telepathic fallacies.

The Sith Lords left the Underworld immediately having no interest in remaining involved with the ongoing mythological war. They let Cao Cao and the Hero Faction deal with those affairs, and the Sith Lords have no idea what will happen to the Order of Bane and the devil separatists in the process…not like they care anyway. Tenebrous and Plagueis also brought Great Red's container with them back to their galaxy, having stored it in the ship's cargo bay for future experimentation.

When they arrived back in their home galaxy, many interesting things happened. Once they awoke with their starship being in the exact same spot in space as when they disappeared from the galaxy, the galactic clock showed that they had only been gone for three days. They checked in with relay stations at multiple star systems and each one confirmed that only three standard days have passed in their galaxy. Another intriguing (and disappointing) thing is that Great Red's magical power had disappeared from the device's interior. The Sith Lords inspected the ship and failed to find any evidence of the energy escaping the device or the ship through conventional means. Tenebrous's Dark Sword was still in its sheath (although its original state was already altered by Sith magic) and the recordings of VY Canis Majoris are still present in the ship's video logs.

They theorized that the transition across space and time might influence pure energy in some way, especially unstable and reactive energy like Great Red's that was only quelled by the stabilizing technology of the container. Unlike physical matter, the magic's energized properties likely allowed it to be easily manipulated and consumed by the shifting space-time continuum, ripped apart at the atomic level to mold with the particles in the fabric of space. The Sith Lords were thankful that the magic's decomposition was peaceful and not destructive, especially when the sheer potency of Great Red's power could have easily erased them from existence under the right circumstances.

Plagueis had yet to check on his Phoenix Tear case to see if the potions survived, but he wanted to wait until his Master is well clear of the ship elsewhere. The Sith Lords are currently at Muunilinst docked inside the High Port Space Center, an orbital city located in geosynchronous orbit above the planet's capital city of Harnaidan. They had a meeting with the Chairman of the InterGalactic Banking Clan and his fellow entrepreneurs, coming up with a story to explain why they were a few days late. The meeting was oriented around Tenebrous's new starship design and the Bith's proposal for funding and production rights under the Banking Clan. Plagueis acted as the Bith's sponsor and advertiser for the starship design.

Darth Plagueis, in his public guise as Hego Damask, walked out of the elevator that brought him and several other Muuns to the docking bay lounge. Plagueis said goodbye to the Banking Clan associates and walked toward a lone Muun waiting for him at the other end of the hallway. That Muun is Larsh Hill, the financer and operating officer of Damask Holdings and Plagueis's close friend. Larsh looked to the side and spotted his boss walking toward him.

"Magister Damask," Larsh greeted, "how did the meeting go?"

"Far better than predicted," Damask replied. "The Chairman was greatly impressed with the starship design, more so than any past proposals. Forty percent more funding than expected was obtained, and Damask Holdings will receive an extra five percent commission on each starship sold."

Darth Tenebrous, in his guise as Rugess Nome, fascinated the Chairman and all the entrepreneurs with his latest design. They were always inspired by his work, but this starship proposal was the greatest one to date. Bids and offers were thrown left and right as each top-tier businessman and investor fought for the highest shares. Larsh couldn't attend since the private meeting was only reserved for the Chairman, Tenebrous, Plagueis and the owners/leaders of large production companies.

Larsh's eyes lit up in excitement. "Fantastic! I knew Nome would come out on top, as he always does. What will the Bith do with all that extra money?"

"We haven't discussed that far yet," said Damask. "As for us, I plan on opening more accounting facilities over the next ten years, so long as our future finances remain consistent."

"That shouldn't be a problem," said Larsh. "I will make sure that the contract's policies are upheld with our clients."

"Excellent," Damask nodded.

There was a long period of silence between the two Muuns until Larsh brought up another topic.

"There's something else I wanted to discuss," Larsh spoke, "something more personal."

"Of course," Damask acknowledged. "Walk with me."

The two Muuns strode down the long hallway that connected to several docking bays.

"My wife and I are planning on having a child," Larsh announced.

A child? Plagueis thought. This is surprising news.

"Congratulations," Damask commended. "When do you plan on having the conception?"

"I don't know. Probably not for a while," Larsh replied. "With our busy schedules, it may be a few years or more before we decide to have the pregnancy, but at least we have the plan in mind."

"It's a good start," Damask agreed. "Have you two decided on a name yet?"

"If it's a boy, we will name him San," Larsh nodded, "and if it's a girl, she will be named Lana."

Plagueis noticed a slight trembling in Larsh's voice as he spoke about the female name.

"You seem worried about the possibility of having a girl," Damask pointed out. "Is it because your child is expected to become the next Chairman?"

Larsh's head bobbed a few times. "I will love and cherish my child regardless of its gender, but I'm not sure if the Banking Clan will accept a female Chairman."

Despite the Muuns being an advanced and wise species, they still have their gender norms especially in the higher classes of their social hierarchy.

"You have a valid point of concern, but it may not turn out so badly as you think," Damask explained. "Over the past thousand years there have been four female Chairmen; each one was revered greatly for their contributions to the Banking Clan and the galactic economy, though it took some time for them to be seen in a positive light. I admit that it would take more effort and work for your female child to be elected, and as Chairman she may face more scrutiny and criticism than what a son would."

Damask then said, "But I assure you that your child will fulfill his or her destiny as Chairman. I will use all the knowledge and resources I have to secure the position and ensure that your child is prepared for the responsibilities and challenges that may arise. San Hill or Lana Hill will be a respected and admired member of the Banking Clan for years to come."

Plagueis wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste, not when the future Chairman of the galaxy's biggest financial organization can be directly tutored and influenced under the guidance of a Sith Lord in disguise. Plagueis doesn't care if the child is born with both sets of genitals and three heads, he's going to do whatever he can to ensure that the Grand Plan moves forward.

"Thank you so much for your wisdom, Magister," Larsh bowed with tears in his eyes.

Damask acknowledged the praise with a nod. He then halted and said, "I must attend to other matters. Meet me at The Works on Coruscant in one week's time. There, we will negotiate with a new industrial contact I recently met."

"See you then," Larsh shook Damask's hand farewell.

Both Muuns went their separate ways down the hallway. Plagueis entered a different section of the space port and strode toward the private bay where the Mundane was docked. Plagueis decided to go check on his Phoenix Tears while Tenebrous was on the planet's surface doing other business.

After clearing the security checkpoint, Plagueis walked across the large bay and entered his starship through the ventral ramp. He passed by the cargo hold and opened one of the food cabinets, reaching in a hidden space along the cabinet's left wall. Plagueis pulled the case out and set it down on the floor. He opened the armored case and was happy to see that the Phoenix Tears seemed to be intact and unchanged. Whether anything happened to the potions on a microscopic level, Plagueis can't tell yet, but irregardless he has something to work with.

"There is much work to be done," Plagueis thought with a confident smirk on his face.