AN: Good day everyone! So, after a lot of deliberation, my Beta Reader and I elected to post what was originally going to be a companion oneshot about Barriss and Plagueis as Chapter 19, as it pertains more to the overall plot of the story than we originally intended. So without further delay, enjoy the chapter!
Dathomir's surface- Singing Mountain Region
For a long moment, the clearing around the cave was as silent as a graveyard. And in that moment, Barriss simply stared. The Mirialan wasn't sure how exactly the Sith Lord and the Nightsister knew each other but it was clear enough to her that they felt some degree of disdain towards the other. And yet, she couldn't really sense hostility in either of them. More like what may amount for a friendly rivalry among Darksiders. Before she could try to make sense of those thoughts though, the tense silence was broken.
"You barely look a mere decade older since the last time I saw you, Damask," The Nightsister dubbed Gethzerion claimed. "Weren't you already an elder amongst your long-lived kind when we first met?"
"Yes," The Muun responded after a pause. "But the Force can be a very versatile tool, especially if you know where to direct your unrelenting efforts towards unraveling its mysteries."
The Nightsister raised an eyebrow and stared at him pensively. "So," She said slowly, "your talent for midi-chlorian manipulation wasn't a wasteful distraction after all. I did wonder about that sometimes."
For a split second, Barriss saw the Sith Lord's face engulfed in shock. And just as quickly he regained his composure before glaring mildly at the so-called witch. "An important detail about me shared by Master Nome, I would assume, but yes those efforts paid off in more ways than one."
From her spot close to their ship, the Mirialan was starting to get a clearer picture of the two Darksiders. The two probably met for the first time several decades ago and in the interim Darth Plagueis honed his skills in the manipulation of midi-chlorians, an apparent Force technique Barriss didn't even think possible to be successful with, so that the Muun could slow down his aging process. And Plagueis was surprised the Nightsister was aware of that fact. Although, what the Mirialan found the most interesting for her current circumstances was that this Gethzerion referred to the Muun Sith Lord by the name of his civilian identity and Plagueis clearly wasn't interested in correcting her, or else he wouldn't have spoken of Darth Tenebrous with that name. Her methodical mind stopped trying to connect dots, however, when the Dathomirian shook her head.
"I learn of that from Venamis actually, who in turn learn it from Master Nome," The Dark Witch explained.
The elder Muun froze, his yellow eyes examining the Nightsister up and down. Then, realization dawned in Plagueis expression. "This was the planet where Venamis honed most of his combat and survival skills, wasn't it?"
Gethzerion nodded. "And I was his frequent…" She paused as she looked for the right word in basic, "sparring partner I suppose you could say."
The two Dark Force users locked firm gazes with each other. "You seem surprised," The Dark Witch said at last. "Anything more you want to know about that before we get unto business?" She offered.
Plagueis frowned slightly. "When was the last time you saw Venamis?" He finally asked.
Gethzerion shrugged. "I lost count at some point after 110 seasons had pass. We don't measure time over here in the same way you off-worlders do. But if you want a reference, it was the same day I sensed Master Nome perish."
"Hmph," Plagueis uttered in contemplation. "It was 48 standard years ago then." Tilting his long head to the side he paused, then added, "You didn't inform Venamis of Master Nome's death," The Muun stated instead of asking.
The Nightsister nodded before shrugging. "I felt like that would have ruined the primary focus Master Nome told me to instill in Venamis´ training."
"Which was?"
The Dark Witch smirked; the red eyes enhancing the fierceness in her face. "Learn to improvise to the sudden dangers around you before death catches up with you."
Barriss witnessed another brief silence, getting the impression she just heard a veiled threat in the meantime. Then, the Nightsister snorted as her body relaxed. "Since you are here and he is not, I assume Venamis did not learn his lesson. What a poor student," She muttered in a chiding tone.
"You assume well," Plagueis said in agreement. "Now that we got the pleasantries and curiosities out of the way, may I ask what can I do for you?"
"Well," Gethzerion said after a short pause. "You could start by telling me what exactly did you placed in that Force-forsaken cave that's important enough to warrant such a life draining trap. But what I really want to know is the following: what is it going to take to for you to get me and my Nightsister supporters off this planet?"
Plagueis was silent for a while as he contemplated her request. Barriss raised an eyebrow when she managed to recognize the look on the Muun's face: one of lightning-fast analysis of the options at hand and their potential repercussions. She wasn't sure if Gethzerion noticed but she had seen herself in the mirror of her old desk she used to study more than enough times to see similarities between her expressions of rapid calculation as she liked to put it and the look she saw on Plagueis's face right now.
"Clearly the two of us think alike in some manners," Barriss thought. "Maybe it's our passion for research."
"To be perfectly honest with you, Gethzerion," Plagueis finally said, "I didn't really expected to find you alive when I decided to come here. The ship we arrived in has enough space for you and at least 4 of your followers as well but I am not going to give you a ride just yet because vessel is new and in my hurry to reach Dathomir I didn't ran the proper diagnostics," The Muun admitted with a bit of self-loathing in his tone. "If we leave with a crowded vessel, we will ran out of oxygen before leaving hyperspace and before you ask, no, I am not going to leave my traveling companion behind for your benefit," He declared.
Barriss blinked, feeling oddly touched at the gesture. Gethzerion didn't look happy, however.
"Then what do you propose, Damask?" She asked with not a small amount of impatience in his voice.
"Relax now," Plagueis said slowly with his eyes barely narrowed. "I said I can't get you out of here right now not that that I am completely unwilling to help you out at a later date. I simply need to return with a better ship. But," He added emphatically, "In return for eventually providing you safe passage off-world, I would ask for you to allow me and my travelling companion to visit Talzin's old stronghold."
Gethzerion looked wary at the price. "Why do you want to go there?" She demanded to know.
Plagueis snorted. "She stole something from me. Now that she is dead, I want to check the desolated coven to see if I can find my belonging."
Barriss tried to prevent her surprise from becoming apparent in her face. She wasn't aware Mother Talzin had died. Gethzerion relaxed slightly at the answer so she was clearly aware of that.
"Fine," She said with crossed arms. "I'll make sure none of my Nightsister loyalists hinders you. But I want you out of the stronghold and in the process of getting a better ship before the next rotation is done, am I clear?"
"Like always," Plagueis claimed. "Now hand over your knife before I change my mind.
Barriss watched as Gethzerion stiffened momentarily before getting a hunting dagger out of her holster by the hip and sent it 3 meters away with her telekinesis towards Plagueis without uttering a word. The Mirialan filed away what grabbed her attention most of that moment for later. Then, the old Muun grabbed a transparent vial from a pocket in his vest before slashing his left forearm with the knife. His blood flowed into the small vial and once it was full he flung both items to the Nightsister.
"There is your insurance that I will be back," Plagueis declared, looking at his contained blood. "If memory serves, there are all sorts of painful things you could do to me from afar should you have access to my blood. And even if that weren't to work, you coul still use it to track me down anywhere in the Galaxy to try and get revenge should you find another way off-world. I am going to ask for that back when I return, however," Plagueis said in a warning tone. "If you can't agree to that condition, I will shatter that vial here and now."
Gethzerion examined the vial for a moment longer before nodding at the Muun. "That won't be necessary, Damask."
The Dathomiri Witch stared at Barriss for a while before shrugging to herself. "Remember, I want you out of Talzin's former headquarters before the next rotation is over. Until we meet again, Damask, may the Fanged God grant you strength."
Plagueis responded with a curt nod and then the native walked way. When the she disappeared from view, Barriss finally opened her mouth to speak only to close it again when Plagueis shot her a warning look. They remained in silence for an extra couple of minutes, double checking with their senses to be as sure as they could be that Gethzerion was indeed out of earshot. Only then did the elder Muun looked at the Mirialan in an inquisitorial manner.
"Just how much did you read between the lines of that unexpected conversation?" He asked with a tone that demanded a quick and honest answer.
Barriss blinked for a moment before realizing he was testing her analytic skills. Fortunately she has always prided those abilities of hers.
"Well, she didn't know you are actually a Sith Lord, that's for sure," The studious Mirialan began. "I could tell she didn't know your Sith name and you made no move to correct her. Based on that part of the conversation, I would also assume Nome was the last name of Darth Tenebrous civilian identity," She said a little hesitantly before a satisfied nod from the Sith Master boosted her confidence. "So, I am left to work under the assumption that she knew you two as Dark Jedi Masters instead. As for this Venamis, well, it may be a bit of a stretch but the best I can come up with is that he was a secret apprentice Tenebrous but when he tried to claim the Sith Mantle you ended up defeating the upstart instead," Barriss theorized.
"Very good," Plagueis said with a nod. "I see that your time in prison has not diminished the speed of your mental reflexes. Now, is there anything you wish to ask me?"
Barriss paused as she frowned in reflection. There were many, many things she wanted to ask him but if their last exchange was any indication she as going to have to repeatedly earn the right pick his brilliant brain. The Mirialan was going to have to make her first question count. After some inner debate, she opened her mouth again.
"I have heard that virtually all Dathomiri Witches regardless of primary alignment think of the Force as "magick" and most of their powers are surrounded by the ornamentation of useless rituals," Barriss began. "Is this Gethzerion an exception to the rule as far as their understanding of the Force is concern?"
Plagueis looked at her for a long moment, then nodded. "Gethzerion realized a long time ago that she could replicate all the Force powers she could use without the chanting, gestures and other superstitious rituals. However, the advantages this knowledge brought her were also countered by Mother Talzin. Once she succeeded in uniting all the Nightsister groups into one centralized coven, she saw Gethzerion as her main rival, not to mention an ideological threat to her hold on the minds of her own followers. And so, Talzin banished Gethzerion and her closest supporters; forcing them to live on the fringes of Dathomiri society ever since," The Muun Sith explained. "I meet her a few years before the end of my apprenticeship to Tenebrous and like you said we introduced ourselves as Dark Jedi Masters that left the order. She became our primary window of information into the Nightsisters and at one time we hired her to track down a remarkably elusive Changeling of the Black Sun Crime Syndicate that unwittingly signed his own death sentence when he saw Tenebrous and I training in the use of Sith-lightning," He shared. "Using a Force technique known to the natives of this world as Blood Trail, she led us to security leak of the first magnitude right on time."
"However," Plagueis said after a brief pause. "I never meet her face to face again after that mission. Learning that my Master hired her to hone Venamis' training when he couldn't do it himself because he had to be by my side lest I grew suspicious is something I vaguely suspected decades ago but I never followed that trail of thought, mostly because soon after I had my hands full when I discovered Sidious on Naboo and decided to train him," The Muun added with a scowl as he remembered the past with his treacherous apprentice and where it led him. Taking a deep breath during the pause he focused on the Mirialan again. "In any event, I imagine she has been busy with organizing the remaining Nigthsisters under her leadership since Talzin was murdered by Sidious a few weeks before Revan traveled to our era."
Barriss raised an eyebrow at the last sentence but said nothing when she notice the Elder Muun grew silent as he started to ponder the past. A couple of minutes of self-reflection later, he looked at the nearby cave. "Stay here," He ordered. "I am going to drop the Dark side defenses I left in the cave that force Midi-chlorians to commit suicide so I can get my secret vault. I want you to stand guard outside."
Without waiting for a reply, the Muun heading towards the cave just Barriss felt a sudden shift in the Force around her that reminded her to the relief of finding your breath again after temporary suffocation.
Looking at their immediate surroundings in search for threats, the Mirialan's focus eventually shifted back to Plagueis unique skill. "Midi-chlorian Manipulation," She mused. "Now that's something you don't hear every day."
Before realizing it, she thought back to the early years of her apprenticeship to Master Luminara Unduli. She couldn't have been more than 15 standard years old.
"Master?" Barriss had asked.
"Yes, Barriss?"
"If life cannot exist without Midi-chlorians and the Midi-chlorians connect us to the wellspring of the Force, wouldn't it be more logical to say that the psionic energy field isn't created by all living things across the Galaxy but that the Force itself is what creates life with the midi-chlorians as agents of its will?" The Mirialan had theorized.
Luminara had blinked at such a deep question before looking down at her more closely.
"What prompts such interest in revolutionary thinking?" Her Master had asked with a raised eyebrow.
Barriss had faltered then, remembering in full that her Master is a traditionalist and may not be amused enough to satisfy her curiosity. Averting her eyes, she spoke. "I was doing some extra research for my Sith History assignment through the Grand Holocron. The part about some of our old enemies learning to use the Dark side to drain the life-force of living creatures made me wonder what exactly is the essence of the life-source that they are draining. Are they draining midi-chlorians from another being into themselves to prolong their life-span? If so, wouldn't that mean that the Force creates life and its midi-chlorian intermediaries are simply the only measurable link we know between the Force and biology?"
Luminra frowned. "Have you been going over the texts we have about the ancient Sith Emperor Vitiate, again?"
Having felt dismayed that her theory provoked the disappointment in her Master's tone, she had swallowed. "Well, he is the most notorious user of Life Drain I have ever heard of so I thought I could more easily satisfy my curiosity by looking for information on the biggest expert…" Her voice trailed off when she could feel Luminara's open distaste.
"Biggest expert?" Luminara asked loudly and without a trace of amusement. "Are those really the words you want to use to describe one of the worst, most destructive Sith of all time?"
Having felt smaller all of the sudden, Barriss had shook her head slowly. "No Master, I just thought that…well…" She had trailed off, her analytical mind hindered by the concern which was triggered by her Master.
"Don't speak of this again; especially in front of other Masters" Luminara commanded. "It borders on disrespectful hearsay and some would accuse you of having an unhealthy interest in the Dark side of the Force."
Having bowed her head in shame, she swallowed her frustration before muttering "Yes, Master Unduli."
And so, Barriss never spoke openly of her theory again. But it remained a pet project in the dark, private corners of her mind. As often as she could, she would look for historical references in the Temple Archives of anything she could think of that could help validate her conviction in her theory, even if she had to take quick looks at Dark side oriented texts that would normally be considered taboo subjects and are kept in the archives merely for academic reasons. But she found little concrete evidence to consolidate her theoretical premise. The fact plenty of those sith texts were redacted by the Jedi High Council likely did not help her quest either.
Biting her bottom lip, she wondered if Plagueis had the answer she had been searching for. Quite possible, she supposed, when considering he could bend midi-chlorians to his will. Nodding to herself mutely, she decided to ask him when she felt like she had earn the right ask for his wisdom again.
Soon after those inner conclusions, Plagueis got out of the cave with a lockbox levitating around them. Motioning for her to follow, the Mirialan accompanied the elder Muun back to the ship.
"Should I heal your forearm with the Force?" Barriss asked.
Plagueis shook his large head. "Thanks for offer but I can take care of that myself easily enough.
The former Jedi shrugged and climbed the ramp.
Dathomir's Surface- the outskirts of Talzin's Stronghold
Barriss looked at the lockbox on the table with growing interest in her eyes as soon as the ship landed outside of the fortified Nightsister village. Not only was it made of the nearly impenetrable Mandalorian Iron, she could tell that it was similar to the lockboxes on the Jedi Temple that could only be open with a telekinetic wave of the Force. Whatever Plagueis was keeping there was valuable indeed but before she could contemplate on that further she frowned as she looked at the rod that extended outwardly from the door of the safe. Quickly, she came up with a notion of what it may be for but she didn't voice out those thoughts until Plagueis declared he wanted to know her thoughts on how to open it. Taking a deep breath to calm herself first, she stared back at the metallic rod.
"I believe that Force-lightning must be used to open the safe instead of the similar lockboxes on the temple that could be unlocked with telekinesis," She hypothesized.
"Correct," Plagueis said with a nod of approval. "Moreover, artificial electricity won't do the trick. It has to be Force-lightning."
"I have to say I am impressed," Barriss recognized with nod of respect in the Muun's direction. "This has to be the most secure lockbox I have ever seen and considering I have seen some of the best we had at the Jedi Temple during my time as an assistant of Jedi Council Member Plo Koon inside the Holocron Chamber that's saying something."
Plagueis gave a mild chuckle. "You flatter me." Then he paused, his eyes losing all trace of enjoyment. "Open it."
For a long moment, silence was all there was in the living room of the starship. Barriss tensed in surprise at the implications of what he was asking of her…and started wondering just how well informed the Muun Sith Lord was.
"Does he know?" Barriss thought; her analytical mind reeling. "How in the Force's name could he know? If that theory of mine was far from common knowledge, then that piece of knowledge is a state secret by comparison."
She stared hard at the yellow glow of Plagueis dark sided eyes, unable to get a satisfying clue from his expression. Finally, she looked back at the rod and bit her bottom lip before making up her mind. Remembering her self-taught lessons in a flash, she raised her right palm and a dark green beam of Force-lightning erupted from her outstretch hand.
If Plagueis was surprised by her ability to produce and sustain the signature power of the Sith he did not show it, although she could have sworn she saw the faintest of smiles speed through his old face. Eventually, a loud click was heard in the room and Barriss let the beam dissipate as the door of the lockbox opened; her fingertips surrounded by smoke. Breathing deeply, she looked back at the Muun.
"So, have I passed your little test?" The Mirialan asked, suddenly realizing her brow was full of sweat.
Plagueis nodded and Barriss was surprised to see a genuine smile in his face. "And with full marks too. I have to admit, I am proud of you."
Abruptly, Barriss got seriously unnerved. A part of her didn't want to antagonize the man that could provide wisdom she had always craved, but ever since she used Force-lightning her emotions were rattled in a way she didn't expect and Plagueis latest comment did not help with that.
"Why do you want to train me?" She asked louder than she anticipated. "You were betrayed and left for dead by your last apprentice; I don't understand your motives. Why do you sound pleased and even proud when I pass your little tests? And how exactly did you know that I taught myself how to use Force-lightning? I never told anyone about that, I never even said it aloud!"
The Mirialan paused before she could put her final question into words because at that moment a feeling of the Force rushed through her nervous system, leaving her dreading and wishing for its answer at the same time without being sure why.
"What…what am I to you?" Barriss asked with a small voice, her throat shaking.
Plagueis didn't replied at first. For seconds that seemed like hours, he stared at Barriss very, very carefully, as if committing her face to perpetual memory. Finally, he gestured at the now open lockbox.
"If you really want to know," The Muun Sith Lord said softly. "I strongly suggest you read the title of the journal you'll find in that safe. It will be your biggest clue and besides, you probably won't believe me if I just tell you anyway."
Barriss hadn't felt such tension in her body since she confessed to have bombed the Jedi Temple in front of the entire Senate, and back then she knew she was probably signing her own death sentence by doing so. Slowly, Barriss approached the Mandalorian Iron safe and placed her hand inside. There was only one book in the lockbox so she assumed that was the journal and thus took it out. To her immense surprise, she realized that the leather binding and protecting the pages of the journal was from the nearly indestructible hide of a Zillo Beast.
Barriss already knew that there were valuable things inside the safe but she was starting to get nervous; wondering what academic topic could be so important that it needed to be safeguarded by the virtually impenetrable hide of an effectively extinct creature even after already being protected on the outside by virtually impenetrable metal. Her hands were involuntarily shaking, that sudden rush of the Force back in full. Suddenly, she understood that this was her very last chance to walk away. Without knowing exactly why, she knew that the moment she opened the cover her life will change forever. For better or worse, she could not tell. But she could feel in her bones that the change will be irrevocable either way. Swallowing hard, she opened the journal before her willpower left her and looked at the top of the first page.
Barriss stared in absolute shock and the ship became as quiet as a desolate planet. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, suddenly incapable of forming a coherent sentence. She had to force herself to sit down as the realization dawned in and the title replayed in her brain more loudly every time.
The Science of Creating Life. The Science of Creating Life. The Science of Creating Life.
Plagueis stood up and approached the shell-shocked Mirialan before putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Barriss Offee" He said soothingly. "The time for pretense is over and I promise to take good care of you…my long-lost daughter."
AN: And thus ends chapter 19. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I must give credit where credit is due, so I would like to thank my beta reader Mard Geer for the immense amount of time and effort he put into assisting me here. Chapter 20 will also focus on Barriss and Plagueis. Furthermore, going further, we are utilizing many elements from the Courtship of Princess Leia, the Son of Dathomir comics, and the Book of Sith. With that being said, I hope you all enjoy the direction in which the story is being taken. Until next time!
-CaptainCakeless117