Chapter Twelve

Arriving on Mandalore, at last, Sidious had to admit that he was sometimes disappointed by the transportation that the Republic provided him. Even with lightspeed being the fastest means of travel, the ships were still slow as hell if they weren't of military design. It was no wonder the Separatists had the Republic on a stalemate that he hoped wouldn't last as long as it did. I will give the good General props for always keeping the Jedi on their toes, he does a good job of that Sidious thought.

But even though he arrived at Mandalore at last, he also knew that he wouldn't be allowed to go to the Palace unopposed. This was especially confirmed when he finally landed and he saw two Death Watch guards at the shipping dock. Keeping his hands crossed at his pelvis, he walked off the shuttle ramp as though they were not present. This kept up until he ascended the stairs leading to his transport to the Palace, the guards having pointed their blasters at him since he left his ship. "Halt!" one of them ordered when he was merely centimeters away from them.

Taking pity on them, Sidious took a moment to lift up one of his hands and begin a Force Choke on both troopers. He walked past them and continued to the airspeeder that would take him to Sundari Palace and put in the coordinates on its CPU. Then he finished the Force Choke and killed both troopers just in time for the hatch doors to open and close on the three of them. The sight he beheld after that was an amazing one: Death Watch was fighting against its own allies, the Night Owls.

Maul most likely usurped leadership of Death Watch from Governor Vizsla and killed him soon after. Not a surprising turn of events and would most definitely explain the fighting that present happens around me Sidious thought to himself. Several members of both factions zoomed by him on jetpacks and he even had to duck under one or two as they flew to kill each other off. This planetary fight seemed more like a massive brawl with no strategy but there was the Mandalorian way in a small description.

Sidious could barely understand why his Sith predecessors resorted to these brutes but it was most likely their abundance combined with their ferocity and relentlessness. Those two Sith virtues alone made them more than qualified to be the bulk of an army great enough to assault the galaxy. Perhaps I myself will have use for Mandalorians in the future. In the meantime, however, those who stand in my way are a hindrance Sidious told himself silently.

But even with this fighting, it wasn't long before he passed by Sundari Prison and the banks that had been raided by the allies of Maul and Death Watch. After all, in order to overthrow the Duchess, Death Watch would need to look like heroes instead of terrorists. And because Maul was most likely the one who engineered this plan, Sidious was proud to say he had trained the Zabrak well. But sadly, all that training and those years raising Maul had gone to waste now that he had returned from Naboo.

There was only one thing that Maul was now and that was a rival. After all, why would Maul go to the trouble of creating a power base in the first place if not to fight him? If Maul had not failed in any aspect of his training, he would understand that he could never return to Sidious' side. But if he did say it regardless of that, it would only be a deception to catch Sidious off guard and kill him.

He would not allow that for a second nor would he defeat them on his own terms when finally he met them. Rather, he would fight them on theirs via the lightsaber so as to show them how powerful they truly were compared to him. It was a crude display of power but it would be effective and even if they did put up a good fight, it would be a lost one from the moment he gazed upon them. The thought of a guaranteed victory put a smile on his face but he would prolong the duel.

This would make the victory sweeter when it finally did come and since Savage Opress was Darth Maul's brother, he would kill Opress first. Maul would become blinded by rage, assuming he cared about Savage, and would become sloppy in his fighting. Sidious could then easily finish him off and complete his plans on the poor boy for he was more valuable than Savage was. Why was this, he asked himself?

Because unlike Savage, Maul had had lifetime training in the ways of the Dark Side. He proved time and time again that he was a more than capable Sith warrior unlike his brother. While Sidious knew that both brothers needed to die, he was not about to let Maul's talents go waste, not yet anyways. He had designs in his plan that he still needed Maul's bladework for including the security of his vision.

He arrived at the entrance to the Palace and knew what he was going to do once he met up with the brothers. Now, it was just a matter of getting to them and luckily, the war outside had diverted most of Maul's forces and compelled him into relying on six guards at most. Two met him at the entrance and they were both killed in the same fashion as the ones at the shipping docks. The next pair tried to stop him at the elevator leading to the Throne room but they were no match for him either.

Along the way, he decided to use the Force to scan the entire perimeter of the Upper Levels of Sundari Palace, figuring it was better to know how he could escape safely now than later. Though he sensed Kenobi had left Mandalore long before he arrived to Coruscant, one couldn't be too careful. However, all he detected were the auras of his former apprentice and Savage Opress and the other two presences were guards not attuned to the Force. Undoubtedly, Maul would sense his presence now if he hadn't already which allowed Sidious to enthusiastically confirm it; and he did just that.

During her meditation, Arden Lyn was disturbed by the light of the Kashi Mer Talisman which told her that Maul and Savage were nearing their ends. "You sensed it too, Mistress?" Depa asked. "Yes I did... contact Prince Xizor and inform him to withdraw all his assets from supporting the Shadow Collective. He stands more to gain by doing so than he does by remaining in an alliance with the Sith brothers," Arden answered.

"Is that really wise, Mistress? Once he withdraws those assets, even we won't have access to them," Depa warned. "I realize that but we have enough manpower without those non-sentient, programmed beings to hold our own against the Yuuzhan Vong. Besides that, Thrawn will back us up if we're caught in a Yuuzhan Vong pincer," Arden replied.

And besides that, I hate the very notion of machines being used for fighting. They have better purposes elsewhere than they do for what rightfully belongs to biologicals Arden thought angrily. Depa put in a communication code to contact Prince Xizor and Arden decided to watch the conversation as it took place. "Ah Lady Depa, so glad you called," he said when he saw her hologram from his side.

"You can drop the charade, Prince Xizor. I am contacting you on behalf of my Mistress to inform you that a premonition has been granted us. Darth Maul and his brother will fall on Mandalore and you stand to gain more by withdrawing your support from them than if you don't," Depa stated. Xizor took a moment to think about that though Arden honestly thought it shouldn't have even taken him that long to come to a decision.

"I am a man who seeks greater wealth that can be then dispersed amongst the properties of Black Sun, restoring it to the glory it knew before Maul. Very well, I shall withdraw all Kuat and Black Sun related assets away from the Shadow Collective. With the death of Lom Pyke, his family has given all they can and are no longer needed. That leaves Maul with only the Death Watch unless they've turned on him or worse," Xizor said.

"No, only the Night Owl faction has turned on him but besides that Death Watch has been usurped by Maul from its previous leader," Depa replied. Arden watched intently as her apprentice recalled a minor detail from their visions: one that had seen Maul beheading Pre Vizsla. But how could she know that the Night Owls betrayed Maul after he took power? she asked herself. It was strange that Arden had not known this when Depa did, she would have to ask her apprentice after this.

"I am guessing you will soon be on your little crusade to what lies beyond the Void of the Galaxy?" Xizor asked. "What concern is it to you?" Depa replied. A stupid move, my apprentice but not entirely a detrimental one Arden observed silently. "If it does not harm you at all, I would like your Mistress to come next to you so I can semi-meet her before you both disappear," Xizor said.

Depa turned to her Mistress and initially, Arden didn't know what to make of the summons. However, she figured there was only one way to make sense of it and that was to obey him. But she didn't do it before putting her hood over her nose so as to hide her eyes and all but her mouth. Like with the Ember of Vahla and the Sorcerers before, she figured this would intimidate him to silence.

Fortunately, it did serve that effect as she could tell by the shiver that went down his spine when he saw her. "I can see why you hide behind shadows and darkness now and though I am not Force-attuned, I can tell your power is too great to be trifled with," he said. "From my husband's mistakes and my previous ones, I have learned it is best to avoid direct engagement where possible," she admitted. "Probably for the better, it gives you more power to think of a cunning strategy for your ultimate revenge against the Jedi," he agreed.

"Revenge for myself is not in my best interest: justice for my husband, the Legions of Lettow, and the way of life we had is what I seek. The way of life that it preached shall be restored in this galaxy and made available for all, from Ember of Vahla to Mandalorian warrior," she replied. "Quite an ambitious plan but why are you helping Thrawn? Does it not hinder your plan?" he asked.

"On the contrary, it builds up our credibility more than the Jedi have ever done with this Clone Wars business. We will prove ourselves the true peacekeepers and many will rally to us," she answered. "In that case, I wish you all the luck in the universe as far as your plans are concerned," he said with a bow. "As I wish you all the luck you need for yours," she replied before cutting transmission.

Depa looked at her in a way that seemed odd to Arden and she asked what was wrong. "One moment, you say that the Yuuzhan Vong are our contingency plan should the brothers fail. Another moment, you're talking of reestablishing the Legions of Lettow as a kind of Salvation group. What are your true intentions or are you just telling us things to satisfy us?" Depa asked.

"A wise Master never reveals their true intentions to even their apprentices until they are ready to strike. That's one thing I've found agreeable with the Sith though I can assure you there are many things I disagree with, same as with the Jedi," Arden answered. "So you'll keep me in the dark until your entire plan is laid out and it can't fail?" Depa inquired with a raised eyebrow. "I know it troubles you that I should do it but I must in order for those plans to survive," Arden admitted.

"You fear me, don't you? I can sense that you fear what I will become," Depa said with a sneer. "If you think I fear you than your senses are duller than I thought: I mistrust you. That is not the same as fearing you," Arden stated calmly.

"You're no better than the Sith, you boast these claims of your innocence when twenty credits say that you have lied about your life," Depa growled under her breath. "Do you think you have what it takes to beat me now? Remember that if you do attack, you will prove to be not better than me if I am indeed as bad as the Sith," Arden asked. The ignition of her lightsaber was all Arden needed to know that her apprentice was going to try and attack her.

"Please put it away, I don't want to resort to force in front of the crew and my luck with diplomacy has not been the best without you adding unto it," Arden begged. "The way of the Dark Side prevents me from doing that, Mistress," Depa stated. "Then you have failed to comprehend the lesson I have tried to teach you. Accept all the principles that have righteousness, not all the ones in the universe," Arden replied, a tear falling from her because she did truly care for Depa Billaba.

"On the contrary, I've learned it well. Now shut up!" Depa said as she lunged with her lightsaber towards Arden. The older woman turned just in time to see Depa jump into the air which told her that all she had to do was use the deflection spell of her sword to throw her apprentice off guard. Quickly, she withdrew enough of her blade to be able to intercept the saber blow and cast the spell in time for Depa to suffer its effects.

She was sent to the other side of the bridge where the two of them were engaged in combat and was struck by the pain of the electricity in a manner that prevented movement. Arden wasted no time exploiting this and used telekinesis to fling her apprentice first left then right then left and right again. She ended after this pattern repeated several times by bringing her back to her side and throwing her there. "Go ahead Mistress, kill me... I'd sooner die than answer to you again for another moment," Depa said, not even bothering to beg for mercy.

For Arden, it was tempting to obey her apprentice's wish for death to the point of intoxication as Depa had warranted it with her attack. But Arden didn't even draw out her sword to deal the killing blow or make any kind of movement in the Force. Instead, she simply stood there as her apprentice asked her what she was waiting for and begging her to kill her. "No... I am not truly a being of the Light but I am not consumed by the Dark Side to not see irrationality," Arden said at last.

"I don't understand," Depa admitted. "When I woke from my hibernation, I had nothing but my Talisman, my sword, my clothes, and my life. You give me more to live for via the sisterly bond I have been attempting to develop. I guess being the only daughter next to three boys isn't much experience to draw from in forming a sisterhood with someone else," Arden explained.

Depa added that perhaps it was best to view her as a daughter instead since Arden was far older than Depa ever was. "You're just as rebellious as a daughter can be to her mother, as I most certainly was to my own when I fell in love with Xendor. Please do not attack me again, I will not grant this same leniency twice," Arden agreed with a nod. "I'm sorry I doubted you for even a split moment, Mistress; I just got so frustrated when you told different stories to different people," Depa stated.

"An understandable frustration, I assure you of that. There is no need to apologize for there is nothing to forgive. You were within your rights to question me though not in your rights to attack me," Arden explained. "I understand now Mistress, it won't happen again," Depa vowed. "For both our sakes, I truly hope so," Arden warned.

Then she stated that the time of Maul and Savage's deaths were merely seconds away and readied the Talisman. "I'm going to transfer Savage's midichlorians into your bloodstream when he dies and Maul's into mine when he is gone. Having said that, I need a count from each of us before we complete this transfer so we know what we have afterwards," Arden said. A prick of each of their fingers was ordered after that and both women were surprised by the numbers.

Depa had a count of fourteen thousand midichlorians in her blood and Arden had a count of fifteen. "Good, when the transfer is complete another count will be taken to see if it really worked," Arden stated. "Then let's waste no time and begin the ceremony," Depa demanded. Arden could not agree more as she began applying power into the Talisman.

Thrawn looked at the charts for the Yuuzhan Vong strategy and was a little disappointed to see that the formations had barely changed since Arden's attack. What was holding them back when they could very easily get into positions to surround and overwhelm his defenses? Were they so dependent on the counterattack that if it failed, they would retreat? Or was the Supreme Overlord planning something else and merely using the counterattack fleet as a test or preparation for that greater plan?

It's not like them to stall around and wait. The fact that they haven't changed formations in a standard month is frustrating as it is Thrawn noted silently. But it was a good puzzle that would need solving, that much Thrawn had to give his enemy credit for. A closer look at the formations however, revealed something about the Yuuzhan Vong that he had not seen before.

He was right in his suspicion that it was out of their character to not move in less than a month. In fact, it was a downright outrage that they hadn't done so which was a strange thing. What is that damned Supreme Overlord waiting for? Or have I been wrong in my assumption of who dictated the war strategy and I've been fighting someone else this entire time? Thrawn asked himself.

"Captain, see what you can do to disrupt the formations on the Southwest front, see if you can provoke them into combat. At this point, they're probably sporadic and hungry for the excitement of combat. But don't let off too much, send testing rounds at them in case they're easy to provoke," he ordered. He had to get them fighting again somehow and since Arden had a Sorcerer of Tund report success in repelling the counterattack not to long ago, he could act independently of her.

But she still has a use beyond finding Vergere and bringing the information she has back into my domain. What if I could use her and her allies to provoke the Yuuzhan Vong to war on a scale that would only wipe out their defenses? Admittedly, there is the risk that Arden and Depa will fall but so long as the enemy is defeated, it's a worthy one Thrawn told himself. Thus, his final plan was formed: he would wait until Arden went to the Void and engaged the Yuuzhan Vong there.

The formations Southwest and West of his defenses would most likely retreat to defend their home territory. Once they did that, he could then ordered his forces and the Killik armies into a massive assault on those forces in turn. Since the ship itself was of Chiss patent and Chiss officers were on board, it would look like a retaliation more than a planned pincer maneuver. But there was yet another problem: if Arden survived along with her apprentice, they would think he had betrayed them.

Their power was fearful and uncontrollable enough when they were his allies but to have them turn against him... He could only pray that the Yuuzhan Vong knew how to kill fallen Jedi at that point since he didn't. The Chiss Admiral especially had no knowledge as to how he could defeat these two if they came back under the belief that he had betrayed them and left them for dead. But then he asked himself why they would if his forces came in and helped them out of the trap.

A delay in the arrival of his forces could be one thing and it had happened before with other allies. Then he decided it was best to give them little to no reason to believe he would betray them until it suited his design or they had become too wild. "Oh and Captain, see what you can do about giving cover fire to Arden Lyn and her allies should the Yuuzhan Vong decide to attack her along her path. I don't want her to be given the impression that we have forgotten or abandoned her," he ordered at last.

Sure he was a treacherous man and he had betrayed allies before but he didn't want to betray these ones if he could help it. If anything, he wished only to save his treachery usage for the Killik scum more than he wanted to use it on them. Those insects wouldn't know what hit them until it was too late for them to do so. Ah yes, there's a perfect idea right there: we could trick them into attacking the Yuuzhan Vong when Arden engages them he thought.

The Killiks were just as excitable as the Yuuzhan Vong and wouldn't hesitate to fight them again if given the chance. Then he could fake leaving to his private suite and leaving his Captain in charge long enough for the blame to shift on the poor man rather than Thrawn himself. Of course, that was assuming the Killiks failed and Arden wanted to point a finger at somebody... A most excellent strategy to him.