Prologue
"My sisters, the day for our revenge has finally come!"
Mother Talzin surveyed her elite coven of witches through the whirling green tendril of energy that encircled them. The time to strike had not come quickly, but she had not been discouraged. She had lived for longer than two centuries now and had learned to be a patient woman. Patience, after all, had come with the ultimate destruction of an old enemy and all without her ever needing to lift a finger against him. Patience, however, had also brought with it a new enemy…one that she had not anticipated.
His rise had caused a seismic shift in the Force that had been felt across the galaxy, even to the far reaches of Dathomir. That unforeseen enemy had unknowingly thwarted her plans to find her fallen son and restore him to his rightful place at her side. But Mother Talzin was also as wise as she was patient. She had recognized that this new enemy had only just scratched the surface of the infinite wealth of power available to him, that such a being would be much too volatile to attack without proper planning and forethought. And so, she had spent her time preparing herself and preparing her Nightsisters.
The moment to strike was now upon them.
Their enemy had not grown weak. On the contrary, he had yet to recognize his full potential, the unfathomable depth of power available to him. He could one day become a force to be reckoned with, far exceeding the strength of the dark lord he had vanquished. He could rule the galaxy if he wished. But thankfully, he was largely ignorant of that potential. He had become complacent with his small dreams and small life. That would be his undoing.
Further, he had stopped believing that he would be made to pay for his numerous crimes. He wrongly believed that the blood he'd spilled, and the blood spilled by his forsaken Order had been washed away with the annihilation of Dooku and Sidious. But Mother Talzin had not forgotten her fallen Nightsister, Asajj Ventress and she had not forgotten her beloved Maul.
She beckoned her strongest witch forward through the mist and waited for the younger woman to kneel before her. And then she spoke. "The time has come, sister. You will bring him to me now."
The witch nodded obediently and rose to her feet. "What if he is not strong enough to endure the trial, Mother?"
"He will be strong enough," Talzin determined with certainty, "You will not hold back, will you?"
"No, Mother. He will be tested fully. I will see to it."
"Good. He is mine. Like Maul before him. He will not fail you."
"And then we shall have it at last?" the witch asked with cold satisfaction, "Our vengeance on all those who have wronged us?"
Mother Talzin's lips curled in a self-satisfied smile. "Yes, my sister. We will have our revenge on Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and any foolish enough to stand with them."