Darth Maul was becoming increasingly annoyed at the unknown woman he was duelling against. Not only did she effectively cut him off from getting to the Jedi and the ship with the Naboo Queen, but this Force user wasn't even attacking him. Each manoeuvre she made was in defence as she blocked, parried and pushed against him to trip him in his stance. It was infuriating - she was mocking him with her moves and the feeling he got from her Force signature was a complete sense of I-know-best and I'm-better-than-you. But the thing that annoyed him the most was the woman hadn't spoken one word since they starting fighting.

He continued his forward attacks, hoping to tire the woman out. Surely, she wasn't invincible and had a limit to her stamina. He pulled from the Dark Side and increased the power behind his thrusts and arches, using the momentum of his swing and speed to drive his opponent back.

Nathrrya frowned when she felt the surge of Dark Side energy come from the other Sith. She added an extra step and a hop in her foot movements to continue her evasive manoeuvres just enough to keep him busy until Qui-Gon brought the cruiser over to her to pick her up. This Sith was certainly skilled but he was also a loose cannon - his skill in the Dark Side was good but not at master level and she could tell that the energy he used was going to cost him later.

Darth Maul could tell this woman had Dark Side energy within her. It floated around her like a mist and he could sense it and it was very tightly controlled - that much was evident based on her skill. But she fought against him, not with him, and he briefly wondered if she were some sort of fallen Jedi. If this was the case, how was it that she was aiding her former Order? Even if she were to be entirely Sith it would mean that someone somewhere had broken the Rule of Two. Regardless, his master would want to know this. Perhaps she could be recruited and serve as a useful tool...

Maul's thoughts as he continued to slash away at his opponent were headed down a decidedly lecherous route as he considered what kind of fun he could have with such a tool if his master were so clever to attain her trust. Seeing the woman's disgusted expression on her face made him grin. It seemed like his thoughts were a little too loud.

Nathrrya called on her powers and unleashed a strong Force push towards the Zabrak. Her opponent wasn't expecting the attack and he was propelled into the air, flying backwards nearly a hundred feet and landed on a sand dune, destroying it. The wind was knocked from his lungs and the force of the attack caused him to become dazed and disoriented. Just as she thought about applying a little more hurt on the other Sith, Nathrrya heard the hum of the cruiser's engines behind her.

Maul shook the dazed feeling from his head in time to look up. The woman gave him one last glaring look before she deactivated her sabre and stowed it, all while she turned in a flourish and leapt up to land on the open door of the departing cruiser. He watched her walk inside, the hatch closed, and she was gone, along with the Queen. Darth Maul was left on his back on Tatooine… his first mission failure.


Nathrrya slammed her hand down on the control panel for the door of the cruiser and wasn't nice about it. She was scowling and her teeth were bared like a ferocious animal. Her head buzzed with the mental images that the Zabrak Sith had so lovingly put there for her to gnaw on.

"It's going to take weeks of meditation to rid myself of those sexually depraved images," she muttered to herself. "I knew Quinn and I could get kinky, but kriffing Force!"

She took a moment to at least calm herself down before she went towards where the throne room was. She was certain everyone had to be gathered there since no one else was around.

She stopped suddenly just before the door to the audience chamber. Turning back towards the way she came, it dawned on her that he was very well trained but she could push him back regardless of his skill level. A frown crept on her face since that was an indicator his master was holding the Zabrak back.

There was something else to consider: She had spent the better part of six years fighting a galactic war and she had become quite battle savvy and acquired damn good reflexes from it. She saw that in that time she never really relaxed or knew how to outside of the alone time she spent with Quinn. Other than that, she was always on the move and never really stopped for anything or anyone. That's probably why she found the Zabrak so underwhelming. A plan began to form in her head. Maybe she could defeat the Sith master after all.

But therein lay another problem, to stand a chance of defeating Sidious she'd need her own power base, something she currently lacked. Her one-time master Darth Baras, may have taken the phrase 'paranoid Sith' to the extreme but he had known how to build a network of informants and spies; something that undoubtedly Sidious would have had years to do. Nathrrya doubted she had the luxury of time to be subtle about building her power base. Subtlety wasn't really her thing. She turned back to the audience chamber. The Queen of Naboo was mixed up in this mess and she would be the key. As much as Nathrrya disliked the idea of dragging the young woman even deeper into the machinations between rival Sith she never the less smiled at the very bold idea that came into her mind. It would be a risk but the potential payoff would more than make up for it.

Nathrrya entered the audience chamber and all heads turned to her as she came in. Her lightsabre was now clearly in view of everyone present. Quickly she surveyed the room and smiled to herself when she saw Padme and Anakin talking quietly to one another, though the boy seemed to be doing most of it. It seemed she wouldn't need to do anything concerning those two for the time being. She wondered what he would think of his crush if he found out she was the elected monarch of an entire planet.

She approached the decoy Queen and bowed slightly. "Your Highness, the situation is much graver than the Jedi and I have suspected. The assailant I fought against had a lightsabre. He used a red blade and I could feel his power through the Force. He's a Sith apprentice." One I could have easily killed. Let's hope Sidious is smart enough to pick up on my challenge.

"Are you certain?" Qui-Gon asked coming to stand alongside Nathrrya.

"Very, Master Jinn. During our duel, his thoughts were unguarded. His metal shielding was not that good. There's also the old saying, it takes one to know one." The Jedi master nodded thoughtfully if somewhat concerned by her choice of words. She turned back to the decoy Queen. "The apprentice had very specific orders concerning you, your highness which gives credence to my theory that the Sith are somehow involved with the plot by the Trade Federation to take control of Naboo."

"Sith?" Captain Panaka asked, puzzled and very concerned given what Nathrrya had said to the Jedi master. "They were all wiped out over a thousand years ago. Are you sure? And excuse my ignorance but how does the colour of a lightsabre determine if he's really Sith or not?"

"Sadly, that's not quite true Captain." Qui-Gon spoke up. "While the end of the Ruusan Wars did see the deaths of what at the time the Jedi believed were all the renaming Sith. Many years later the Order would learn that some Sith did survive and formed a new Sith Order that fallowed the Rule of Two, no more than one master and one apprentice at any time. One to embody the power of the Dark Side, the other to crave it. They have almost always remained hidden. Until now it would seem."

"This is most disturbing news Master Jedi." The decoy Queen said looking extremely worried.

Nathrrya frowned. Well, that explains why Sidious is so strong in the Dark Side. She thought. He'll have his robes in a bunch when he learns he isn't the only Sith Lord in the galaxy. "Lightsabres use a combination of Force energy and powerful crystals to create the sabre beam, thousands of years ago only natural crystals were used and none of them were red. The Sith, always looking for more power and more strength, created synthetic red crystals which were ultimately stronger than the natural ones and were reported to break those used by the Jedi. Of course, as the years continued and engineering progressed, the Jedi were able to farm stronger natural crystals for their own weapons which were more on par with those of the Sith's manufactured kind."

"You know a lot of Sith culture and history," the decoy Queen commented. "It proves that you're a valuable ally to have against this new foe."

That's my hope. Nathrrya thought as she looked around her at all of those gathered. Her eyes landed on Anakin for a moment before she looked back at the decoy. "Regardless of my knowledge of Sith culture, I know this because I know what the Force signature of a Sith is..." she took a breath glancing at Qui-Gon as she did so. In his eyes, she saw realisation and uncertainty appear. Turning back to face the decoy, Nathrrya uttered six words that would forever change the galaxy. "I just happen to be one."

The flurry of emotions and deafening silence surrounding her almost made her sway. She put up her mental barriers to protect her mind from the onslaught of shock and surprise. The biggest one was of confusion, which came from the young boy.

The maiden pretending to be Padme looked over at the two Jedi. "Is this true, Master Jedi? Have we had a Sith in our midst this entire time and you just saw it unwise to communicate this piece of important information?"

Qui-Gon nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, a motion Nathrrya had begun to associate with him. "Yes, your highness, but would you have believed me if I had told you? It turned out to be much simpler for you to think she was just another Jedi."

"How can we believe you now?" Captain Panaka challenged. "We all saw it. She has a violet lightsabre. If her spiel about colour crystals was true, wouldn't she have a red saber as well?"

"Violet colour," Nathrrya said smugly, crossing her own arms over her chest indignantly. "The Sith could choose whatever colour crystal they wanted, though red is usually the signature and is the colour of their first acquired lightsabre. However, I built this sabre myself when I was twenty years old." She said indicating the weapon that hung from her belt. "It took me months to find just the right crystal. I was walking through one of the markets on my home world when I felt the call of the crystal, as I drew closer to it, it began to glow it has been with me ever since." She smiled fondly remembering the day she found her colour crystal. "Where I came from, some warriors who dual-wielded had two different crystals, one for each sabre. Some Sith even designed their own crystals to create different colour combinations."

The decoy Queen nodded slowly a frown on her face. "If what Master Jinn said about there being only two Sith at any one time is true then just how is it that you are here? Why reveal yourself? You could have said nothing and I would have been none the wiser."

Nathrrya looked thoughtful for a few moments then after getting her musings in order began her tale "For you to understand why I'm here I have to start on a day that took place over three and half millennia ago. On that day, I faced a man who was more Force entity than mortal being and things did not go as anyone thought they would. Least of all me for I was freed from my carbonite prison less than a month ago." She paused to let the idea sink in. "I soon learned that the galaxy I knew, the people I loved and cared about were gone. It is a very unsettling feeling to realise you are truly alone. Why I am still alive after so long is as much a mystery to me as it is to the Jedi." This of course was a blatant lie for she knew why but no one else needed to know that.

"The people who freed me thought I was a Jedi and as I was suffering very badly from hibernation sickness. I was in no physical shape to contradict them even if I had wanted to. But it's what happened while I recovered that has lead me to be standing before you now. I saw visions in the Force of a peaceful world being blockaded and a young queen in danger. I know now that world was Naboo and that queen is you, your highness."

"But that's not all the Force wished to show me for I saw the eventual fall of the Republic and the total destruction of the Jedi Order. That was enough for me once I was well enough to travel to come to Coruscant and seek out the Jedi High Council. I had to warn them about what I had seen and the danger the Jedi were in. For as strange as it may sound the Jedi Order is the only thing that is even remotely familiar to me. Somehow I ended up accompanying Master Jinn and Padawan Kenobi on their mission to Naboo and here I am."

Captain Panaka looked concerned not because he didn't fully understand what Nathrrya had said he doubted anyone but the two Jedi would fully understand. "If the tales and legends we've heard about the Sith are even remotely true isn't one of their main goals to destroy the Jedi and conquer the galaxy?" he asked clearly confused.

The Sith woman nodded her head. "That's a fair assessment Captain and I have no doubt the rival Sith Lord I face intends exactly that. However, I will do all I can to stop him but therein lies the problem. He'll have a vast network of spies and informants as well as vast resources at his disposal for his nefarious schemes. I have nothing." Nathrrya now turned her attention back to the decoy queen "You asked why I chose to revel myself. The answer is this, your highness, whether you like it or not you and your people are caught in the machinations of a Sith Lord and I'm the only person the in galaxy who has a chance of stopping him. To do that I need you to trust me and the best way to gain that trust is to be honest about who and what I am." She paused looking around the room. "I would appreciate it if my true identity didn't leave this ship. For the foreseeable future, I must appear to be a member of the Jedi Order."

This really confused Panaka "It's clear that Master Jinn and his padawan are aware of your origins."

"True and they are currently the only Jedi that know what I truly am. The rest of the Order have no idea and I'd like it to keep it that way for as long as I can. It's simply safer for me." Nathrrya explained. "However, there will come a time when I'll have to reveal what I am to the Jedi Order."

The decoy queen nodded slowly as she processed the information "Something tells me it will not be that easy."

"No, it will not be your highness." Nathrrya admitted. "I think it best we discuss this more in private along with Captain Panaka and Master Jinn."

The captain found himself deep in thought at the new information that was being provided about Nathrrya's true identity. When he looked over at his sovereign he had to hold back a grimace. To him, Padme was more like a daughter than his Queen. He had been watching over her for some time and he knew her mind and how she worked… most of the time. Granted, no one could really put a leash on that girl and her power to move forward into a new adventure or idea. That's what made her a great monarch for Naboo. But seeing that they've now gone through an invasion they narrowly escaped, then landing on a desert planet, facing off against a Sith before escaping again, and then learning that there was a Sith on the ship the whole time? Panaka just prayed to the stars that Padme knew what she was doing.

The queen considered the Sith's words. "That was quite the tale…" She looked over at Qui-Gon for a moment. "Is what she said true?"

Nathrrya had to keep her tongue under control. Now was not the time to get defensive about whether or not she was telling the truth. She stated it out loud that she was in a different world and there was nothing to change that. She wasn't playing by her rules anymore… she was in a whole different game and she needed to learn them fast or she wasn't going to last much longer, spiritually, mentally or physically. Of course, that didn't mean that having her integrity questioned didn't hurt or sting. By the Force, it really did.

"There is no deception in her words, Highness," Qui-Gon confirmed gently. He glanced at the Sith beside him. "Only sadness and melancholy. Given what she has said, it wasn't easy for her to say these things about her her past."

"Distant past…" Nathrrya corrected. It was true.

Obi-Wan struggled to keep his own emotions under control. He wasn't sure how he would handle this kind of situation of waking up in a world not your own and seeing something so different than what you remember. He found himself wondering how she had been frozen all those years in the first place. Sensing her Force signature told him that to ask or even attempt to bring it up would cause the woman pain and mental agony, he decided he needed to let Nathrrya work through it.

Anakin had sat quietly absorbing the new information about his friend Nathrrya. He now understood why her light seemed darker than that of the two Jedi but even so it didn't seem evil or wrong, just different. It made him think back to events just before the pod race.

"That's how you made Sebulba fall ill and how you could warn me about his sabotage of my pod?"

Obi-Wan had forgotten that the boy was still in the room. Nathrrya turned her attention to Anakin and his questions. "Yes, Sebulba's lifestyle was not a healthy or clean one and I took advantage of that to remove him from the race." She said, "And telepathic communication is a skill many force users learn."

The boy nodded his understanding. "And that's why your eyes are yellow sometimes?"

"Yes, Anakin. As a Sith I use something called the 'Dark Side' of the Force. When I do, my eyes turn yellow. Some other Sith, if they go too deep, will have red eyes. Some… lose their eyes altogether though it's very rare."

Anakin's face furrowed as he looked at Nathrrya. To make a small point she closed her eyes and opened them again. They were yellow. "I'm told it's disconcerting. I've met some Sith that I was wary of when they had eyes like this."

The entire group had to agree with the uneasy feeling that settled upon them. Even Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably where he was standing even though he had seen her eyes like that. It was the Dark Side energy that made him uneasy until she pulled the power back and her eyes returned to normal. Qui-Gon wasn't affected at all and Anakin wasn't bothered by the colour of her eyes since he saw them in his vision. Everyone relaxed when her eyes returned to the blue they were all familiar with.

"And you don't like red?" It was a simple child's question but Anakin wasn't much of a child when it came to his inquiries.

"A lightsabre is as unique as the one who wields it," Nathrrya said. "I had managed to collect a variety of colour crystals over my time as a warrior and they ranged from deep purple to violet to pink. In fact, Captain Quinn was absolutely mortified when he discovered that I had officially named my Fury the Violet Rose. He wouldn't stop whimpering about it for a month."

Anakin heard the chuckle in her voice but there was no hiding the deep sadness in her eyes. He instantly felt bad. "I didn't mean to upset you…"

Catching what the boy had said, Nathrrya acted and took several large strides towards the boy and dropped to her knees in a flourish. She threw her arms around the child and brought him to her in a reassuring hug.

"You didn't upset me," she said, quiet enough to keep it personal. "They may be gone, but I have my memories, and they're all good memories that I will never forget."

No one saw the small tear that escaped the corner of her eye closest to the boy's face. Anakin slowly put his arms around her neck and hugged her back.


An hour later Padme and Captain Panaka along with Qui-Gon and Nathrrya were all in a room that served as Padme's office aboard the royal cruiser.

"I have to say that you handled the young boy's questions very well, Nathrrya." Panaka admitted "He did throw something pretty unexpected your way."

"Thank you, Captain. His questions weren't too hard to answer. He had seen what colour my eyes can become in a vision he had, which surprised both myself and Master Jinn but in retrospect it shouldn't have." Nathrrya replied.

"A vision?" So, he's force sensitive then?" Padme asked.

"Yes, very much so." Qui-Gon answered.

"That explains why you'd bring him with you. But isn't he a little old for Jedi training?" Panaka queried.

"Yes, but Anakin is a special case." Qui-Gon said "Convincing the Jedi Council of that will be... difficult."

The Sith snorted in amusement. "Try damn near impossible."

Qui-Gon frowned as he looked at the woman. "You have no faith in the Jedi Council, do you?"

Nathrrya smirked. "Oh, I have faith in the Jedi Council, faith that they'll be so utterly clueless that they won't know what to do about Anakin and that I'll have to step in and train the boy." Her smirk turned into a grin. "I'm really looking forward to their reaction to that."

"I'm sure you are." The Jedi Master said dryly. "So why did you want to talk to us in private?"

Before Nathrrya could reply Padme spoke. "I heard what you said to my decoy. I understand that you want me to trust you and that's why you've chosen to reveal yourself as a Sith now. But what I don't fully understand was the part about having a network of informants and even resources. I don't see how Naboo could help you there."

Nathrrya bowed her head slightly as she crossed her arms tapping the fingers of her right hand on her left arm as she thought of what she wanted to say to best explain what she needed. After a few moments, she looked up at the other three people. "Once I had significant standing in the Sith Empire. Only the Emperor or the Dark Council could tell me what to do. Even then I didn't always listen. Now all I have are the clothes I wear and my lightsabre."

"And the blaster you... acquired curtsey of the Trade Federation." Qui-Gon pointed out amused. It was clear to the Jedi Master that Nathrrya was used to having a blaster. He wondered how the Council would react to a 'Jedi' carrying such a weapon so openly.

The Sith grinned "And my blaster." Her grin faded "No doubt the credits I have stored are worthless in this time." She said tapping one of the pouches on her utility belt. "The same could be said for the investments I made." It was quite depressing to think about.

"Investments?" Panaka asked curious wondering just what a Sith would invest in.

Nathrrya nodded "I often had more credits than I needed so I invested the surplus in spaceship production companies and other such industries. Came in handy when I started modifying the Rose." She smiled "I'm also a fully qualified spaceship designer and engineer... though I suspect my certification is long out of date."

"How is that even possible?" Padme asked confused.

"I was about your age, Your Highness when my force abilities began to manifest. Up until then my life had been fairly normal, well what passed for normal in Imperial space and I had been thinking about what I was going to do with the rest of my life. In between my force training I studied spaceship design and engineering and eventually gained all my certifications." Nathrrya smiled at an old memory "I was once asked by two members of the Dark Council, Darths Marr and Vowrawn to oversee the upgrade and refurbishment of their personal ships. As they were both allies of mine it was something of an honour."

Qui-Gon stroked his beard thoughtfully the more he learned about Nathrrya the more intriguing she became. "You had a Darth title did you not?"

Nathrrya smiled. "I did, technically still do I suppose. Not that it means anything now. I'm happy to be known as Nathrrya Therin as I was her long before I was given my Darth title."

The Jedi Master nodded in understanding still it did confirm what he had long suspected about Nathrrya. If she ever lost control or simply decided to cut lose then the Jedi would be hard pressed to stop her as Qui-Gon knew that there were few in the Order who could face a full Sith Lord and win. That reminded him he wanted to ask Nathrrya about her use of that Jedi technique.

"Nathrrya can I speak to you in private?" Qui-Gon asked.

The woman raised her eyebrows in question. "I think I know what this is about." She turned to Padme. "We still have much to discuss but it can wait until after the Trade Federation have been... removed from Naboo." With that, the two force users left the queen with her security chief.

"What do you suppose that was about?" Padme asked.

Panaka shrugged "Jedi business would be my guess." He replied eyeing his monarch. "You're thinking of helping Nathrrya in some way, aren't you?"

The young queen looked slightly guilty "Am I really that obvious?"

The security captain smiled slightly. "Only to someone who's known you for so long, Your Highness. I can see why you would want to help her but please be careful. There is still much we don't know about her."

Padme nodded thinking before she looked up at her chief protector "Do you trust Nathrrya, Captain?"

The question took Panaka by surprise and he frowned as he thought over his answer. "Yes, I would say that I do. She took one hell of a risk revealing her identity to us even if I still don't fully understand what it all means." He paused a moment "If things aren't resolved with the senate then I suspect Nathrrya will be our best chance to win back Naboo's freedom by force of arms."

As much as Padme didn't want to agree she had to admit that the chances of getting the Trade Federation off Naboo peacefully were slim at best.


Qui-Gon ushered Nathrrya into his room, here they could talk freely. The Jedi master suspected the coming conversation would prove to be most enlightening.

"You want to ask me about what I did on Tatooine, don't you?' Nathrrya asked as she folded her arms over her chest and leaned against a wall.

"Yes. It took me quite by surprise." Qui-Gon admitted. "How did a Sith come by Jedi knowledge like that? Did your Jedi cousin have something to do with teaching it to you?"

Nathrrya grinned. "You're right, it was Cas who taught me. And I'm thankful he did. As you've seen my temper can be a little unpredictable. Knowing a few Jedi calming techniques helps to keep me grounded."

The Jedi master could see the wisdom in that. "This may sound outlandish but have you ever used the Light Side? Do you believe that you even could?"

Nathrrya frowned thoughtfully, just what was Jinn's game? "No, I don't believe I ever have. Jedi calming techniques are of use no matter what side of the force you use. As for whether I ever could I honestly don't know. I suppose it's possible. Why do you ask?"

Qui-Gon took a few moments to consider his response "In the time we've spent together and after observing your actions I feel you are more grey than dark."

The Sith chuckled, nodding as she did so. "I can see why you'd think that. I was born in Imperial space and looking back I can say I was raised to be Sith without really knowing it." She regarded the Jedi master. "I am a master of the Dark Side and as such I've learned several important things about it. It is seductive and for raw power it is stronger than the Light but the Dark has one significant weakness that few Force-users realise, be they Sith or Jedi. It is by its very nature inherently destructive. Keep this in mind: The Dark Side is a powerful ally but failing to remember that, know that it will destroy you."