Darth Marr made his way through the chilled corridors of the Sith Academy on Korriban, lost in his own thoughts. Just the night before, two fugitives had escaped from the planet in a Fury-class interceptor despite the efforts of Lord Nakrin and her apprentices. The escape occurred in the middle of the night, when security and Sith presence throughout the Academy was most lax, but at all hours personnel could be found wandering the property. According to Lord Nakrin, the Academy's corridors had been nearly empty - an exceptionally odd occurrence. Marr couldn't shake his gut feeling that the fugitives, no matter how insignificant, had been allowed to escape. The Dark Council needed to hear of this. Fortunately, Marr was already on his way to a Council meeting. Thinking of the discussion to come, Marr brushed the hilt of his lightsaber, as if to make sure it was still there, and continued on his way.
A high arched door slid open ahead of the Sith Lord, and he stepped into the Dark Council chamber. The chamber was a broad, rectangular room with six high-backed chairs on a dais along two of the walls. Behind each chair stood a monolithic statue of a robed Sith Lord, representing the unseen presence of the Emperor. Nine of those chairs were occupied by Council members, but of those present, only four were actually in the room. The remaining Lords in attendance had a blue holoimage of themselves seated in their chairs. Once Marr crossed the chamber's open center and took his seat, the Council meeting commenced.
"Welcome my Lords," Marr said to the assembled. The Sith Lord's voice was projected by a miniature PA system housed within his battle armor. "Let us begin with reports from each Sphere." Unlike the Jedi Council, the Dark Council was part of the Imperial government, second only to the Emperor himself. Each Sith Lord on the Council directed a Sphere of Influence - the twelve domains of power within the Empire. Marr himself was head of the Sphere of Defense of the Empire. "As you know, the Imperial home systems are under no immediate threat." Marr looked over to the holoimage of Darth Vengean, head of the Sphere of Military Offense. "What news of the war effort, Lord Vengean?"
The armored Sith Lord shook his head. "We've suffered a serious setback on Alderaan. Our ground forces met with great success at first, but the Republic Army was lying in wait. They launched simultaneous ambushes against our forces across the planet. Tens of thousands of our forces were killed, wounded, or captured. A Republic fleet arrived shortly afterwards. I'm afraid we had no choice but to retreat. As much as it humiliates me to say, Alderaan is lost to us."
"That is most unfortunate, Vengean," said the feminine voice of Darth Azamin, head of the Sphere of Military Strategy. The aging female Sith Lord smoothed her violet robe. "However, there is some good news. A survivor from the Alderaan campaign has returned to Korriban. He awaits an audience with us now."
"Is that so?" Vengean inquired. "Send him in, then."
Azamin pushed out with the Force, and the chamber entrance slid open. Marr half-expected a grizzled trooper, an Imperial officer, or even a Sith acolyte to come before the Council, but instead a young man wearing a plain black suit stepped through the doorway. He was a tall man, standing at least six and a half feet high, putting him of a height with Darth Vengean. His hair, worn short, was midnight black, standing in stark contrast to his milky skin and pale blue eyes. At first, Marr assumed that the man was a civilian, likely an Imperial sympathizer from one of Alderaan's noble families... until he sensed the Force within the stranger. So he was an acolyte, then. Or would soon become one. Suspiciously, the hilt of a lightsaber was holstered at his right hip. Only those who survived the Sith Academy's rigorous teachings were permitted to carry such a weapon, marking the young man as Sith.
The stranger halted near the center of the chamber. "My Lords," he said in a baritone yet rather suave voice, "I am answering your summons."
"State your name," Marr demanded. Pleasantries could be dispensed with for the time being.
The stranger turned to face Marr. "Moridin, my Lord. As you may know, I am also a Lord of the Sith."
Vengean straightened in his chair. "Tell us what you witnessed on Alderaan, Lord Moridin."
"It began with a march through the forest." The young Sith Lord looked around at the Council as he spoke. "Our force was on its way to Castle Panteer. We were passing along the foot of a ridge near the edge of the treeline. It was there that the Republic Army ambushed us. Three force-wielders were among their number, but only one of them was a Jedi. The second was a Force-sensitive girl and the third was... something else entirely."
"What do you mean?" It was Azamin who asked.
"The Force swirled around him ways I've never seen. Chance itself seemed to alter around this man. Lord Ordrin engaged the man in single combat and was nearly victorious, but a Jedi interrupted their duel. Ordrin himself was killed by a blaster shot to the back, fired by this mysterious young man."
"Lord Ordrin was a skilled combatant," Vengean remembered. "Besting him would have been no small accomplishment. Perhaps it was blind luck."
"With the Force, there is no luck," Marr reminded Vengean. "Moridin, what else do you remember of this man?"
"During his duel with Ordrin, the young man referred to himself as the 'Dragon Reborn.' Given the odd way that the Force acts around him, I firmly believe that he is someone unique."
The holoimage of Darth Jadus' robed figure flickered just before the head of Imperial Intelligence spoke up. "This 'Dragon Reborn' is certainly worth investigating. I shall put our best agents to work on it immediately."
Unlike Jadus, Darth Marr was not nearly as convinced. "Moridin, when you last saw this 'Dragon Reborn,' what was he doing?"
Moridin smoothed his jacket before continuing. "When I last saw the Dragon Reborn, he and the Force-sensitive girl were with the Jedi Knight and two Republic soldiers. Likely he's on his way to Coruscant by now. After that sighting, I rounded up the surviving Imperials and marched them back the way we came. Before leaving, I also overheard his name: Rand Al'Thor."
Interesting, Marr thought. If Rand Al'Thor, with his unique connection to the Force, was recruited by the Jedi, then he could one day pose a serious threat to the Empire. Should Rand Al'Thor enter the war -as many Jedi across the galaxy were - dispatching him would be a top priority for both the Sith and the Imperial military.
"I can bring him to you." Moridin said after a brief silence. "If you will permit it, my Lords, I can attempt to recruit Rand Al'Thor to the Sith."
Marr looked at Jadus, then Azamin, then Vengean, and at the other assembled Council members. All nodded in quiet approval. "Very well. If you believe that you are capable of convincing this 'Dragon Reborn' to become Sith, then by all means, go ahead. You have the support of the Dark Council. Be sure to send us regular updates. Now, your audience is at an end. Please depart to carry out your mission."
"Right away, my Lord. And thank you." Moridin bowed, turned on his heels, and strolled out the door, which closed behind him.
When Moridin emerged into the corridor outside the Dark Council chamber, he found Lord Nakrin waiting for him. The female Sith pureblood wore dark leather boots, a long black skirt of medium weight cloth, and a sleeveless, hooded upper garment that bared her arms and midriff. An inviting smile occupied her lips, and two lightsaber hilts hung from her wide hips. In eyes of most, Nakrin was just another Sith Lord, albeit a physically attractive one. For the briefest second, Nakrin's true form - a buxom human female with fair skin and yellow hair - flickered through the illusion. "Well, Elan?"
"We have the Council's support, Kamarile. They wish to find the Dragon Reborn, and I intend to deliver him to them."
"With my help, of course," the disguised Graendal added.
Moridin gave her a disapproving look. "You? Who got six promising acolytes killed and let Matrim Cauthon escape from the Academy? Why?"
"Because I know where the gambler and his crew went." She inched closer to him, moving in a seductive manner. "And besides, do you truly want to brave the entire galaxy alone?" She wrapped him in a gentle embrace. Part of Graendal's cover story was that she and Lord Moridin were lovers. Lately she had been taking that story too seriously for Moridin's liking.
The male Sith Lord sighed, partly out of relief and partly of frustration. "Alright then." He removed himself from Graendal's embrace. "Now where is our dear friend Mierin?" Graendal shrugged. "Find her. And bring her to the shuttle dock. The three of us are leaving Korriban when the next transport lands. Lews Therin Telamon awaits."
