Jaesa Willsaam stared at the safe house from a distant and frowned. How did it come to this? She wondered to herself as she mentally noted how many Imperial troopers was standing guard at the entrance. She didn't spot many and hadn't expected the security to be so lax. She actually expected to be in for the fight of her life.
Her hand gripped the long hilt of her lightsaber as she thought of a plan to infiltrate the safe house. Moments ago, she felt a disturbance in the Force; her master was screaming out in pain and agony that had Jaesa cringing even though she was far away.
I can't let this continue, she had said to herself before deciding to travel to Hutta. For the past few months of her life, she had been in and out of hiding places like a wild prey running from its predator. This Sith, she had heard of, was very persistent in hunting her down. But for what? That's right. Because she, a young former handmaiden from Alderaan, was apparently a big threat to their Galactic Sith Empire. How very odd.
The young Jedi stepped down the cliff and walked toward the safe house, her hand upon her lightsaber just in case.
The troopers caught sight of her from a distant, but they only nodded and went about their scouting duty. Jaesa cocked an eyebrow at the odd behavior from the enemy. Were they under orders not to attack her? If that was the case, this will surely change whatever plan she was desperately trying to devise in her mind.
She walked and stopped at the front door. The trooper there whispered something into his headset before stepping aside and gesturing for her to walk through.
How very strange, she thought as she stepped foot within. She continued walking until she came to the clearing and overheard voices in the adjacent chambers.
"ARGH! Torture all you'd like Sith. The pain only fills me with more hate. More rage. You…I'm going to kill you. You and your pathetic master are dead—you hear me? DEAD!" came her master's voice. So he was being tortured? The Sith was indeed as evil as they say.
"So the true Nomen Karr shows his face," said another. A female one. One that Jaesa could only guessed to be the Sith in charge.
"My lord, the Padawan has arrived. She looked rather unnerved," another voice said.
"Finally! Make room for our guest of honor!"
Jaesa frowned at the Sith's sarcastic humor. Was this all some kind of sick joke to her? Jaesa clenched her fists and stepped into the chamber, "SITH!"
A young woman and man turned around at her sudden appearance.
"Your men outside let me pass, so I assumed I'm expected. Seize your sadistic attacks on my master now!" Her demanding voice was filled with anger, but yet nervous and fearful.
"Jaesa, no! I told you to stay put! How dare you defy me!" her master shouted at her.
"I've been waiting for this for a very long time," said Xy'liah. "You have no idea what a pain it was to track you down."
"My sacrifice for nothing! Stupid child! For all your powers, you have understood nothing!" her master continued shouting.
Jaesa turned toward him to find a man she could barely recognize. He looked like the Nomen Karr she knew, but she knew he wasn't. There was something different about him. His eyes were filled with hatred and anger and his skin was a very ghostly pale color. Not to mention the young Padawan sensed a great darkness coming from within him. She cringed at the sight of him, "What have you done to him, Sith? Has this been inside of him all along? No, this can't be. No one can hide such darkness. Somehow you turned him mad!"
"I only exposed what was lurking inside," the Sith said calmly. She crossed her arms and watched as Jaesa continued examining her master.
"Is that what you called what you've been doing? You spared Master Yonlach on Tatooine, but you killed my parents! Your actions do not make any sense."
"I was getting very annoyed and bored having to chase you around," the Sith yawned mockingly and Jaesa felt the heat rise within her.
"Now I felt Master Karr slipping toward death…but you saved him…and tortured him."
"Like I said, this whole chase has been quite tiring on me."
"You're a very strange Sith. Your actions belie your station. Was it real or was it all a trick to get me to lower my guard?"
"Aren't you supposed to know the answer to that?"
"Use your power, Jaesa! Look into the Sith's heart and you will see!" shouted the master again.
"Look at me as long as you like. I have nothing to hide."
She hadn't expected the Sith to be so direct and obliging. Nothing was going as she expected. The young Jedi had walked into the safe house with only two options in mind: either the Sith was going kill her or try to seduce her to the darkside. This Sith, however, was doing neither. She was very direct in everything she said and Jaesa couldn't help, but feel a slight envy on how she was able to freely express herself.
"Very well, then," the Padawan clasped her hands together and lowered her head in concentration. Her eyes closed tightly as a small aura surrounded her. Let's see how truthful this Sith is. But what the Padawan ended up discovering confused her even more. "There is great contradiction within you. There is a great darkness within you: greed, anger, but there is light as well: mercy…justice. Your intentions are…not knowable."
The Sith shook her head, "Mercy? I think your powers a little off. If you want to learn something about me, all you have to do is ask."
"No, I can never be certain of the answer," said Jaesa. She looked at the Sith and again felt the heat rise within her. How could she stand there so calm even after everything she had done? Does she not have any shame? No, of course not. She's Sith. Why should she? "You leave me no choice, but to engage."
"Yes, strike now, Jaesa! Take the Sith down!" edged on Nomen Karr.
"Defend yourself Sith!" The Padawan took out her double ended lightsaber and ignited it.
The Sith rolled her eyes and sighed at the challenge. Reluctantly she took out her lightsabers and ignited it.
Jaesa initiated the attack, but soon found her lightsaber locked in between the crimson sabers of her foe's. They locked gazes for a while; Jaesa determined not to let the Sith see through her. But despite her best attempt to put up a serious, but bland face, Jaesa found it quite hard to withhold her emotions when it came to the Sith. She narrowed her brown eyes at the amber eyes that seemd to be smiling at her, mocking her. I'll show her! And right after she thought that, Jaesa felt herself losing balance. Her eyes looked down to see the Sith knocking her over with just a slight stretch of her foot and then another push, but this time by the Force.
"UGH!" Jaesa landed on the cold, hard floor with a thump! She pushed herself up, shaking her head to recover. But before she was fully standing up, she felt the Sith tackling her, knocking her back further a few feet.
Jaesa quickly covered after the second knock down, using the Force to break her fall. She raised her long yellow lightsaber and swung it at the incoming Sith, who stepped back to avoid the attack. For a minute or two, they danced with their lightsabers with Jaesa striking the Sith multiple times. She smiled. This doesn't seem so bad. At least she was able to land an attack or two, but she couldn't help, but feel like the Sith was holding back on purpose. And she didn't like how closely the amber eyes seemed to be following her whenever she would attack. It was as if she was observing Jaesa, testing her.
Another lockdown with the lightsabers, but this time Jaesa had the edge, pressing the yellow lightsaber down toward the Sith. Before the yellow saber could touch the Sith, however, Jaesa felt her body being lifted up and over the Sith's. Jaesa allowed the movement, flipping over the Sith and twisting her body halfway so that she landed facing her foe.
She lunged at the Sith, who fell back voluntarily. As the Jedi fell on top of her, her legs caught the Padawan's chest and with a smirk and a powerful kick, she sent Jaesa flying once again across the small chambers.
Jaesa fell face first onto the ground, rolling a bit at the impact of the kick. She slowly pushed herself up as she felt the energy slipping away from her. Sweats ran down the side of her forehead and she was panting. She looked up at the Sith as she ran toward her. The Sith was barely breaking a sweat! She had been playing her all along! Jaesa felt her face burned red of embarrassment. How stupid was she! Here, she thought she had a chance of defeating this powerful foe, only to find out she had been toyed with the whole entire time.
Jaesa felt her heart sank as the Sith rushed at her with her lightsabers in hand. This was it. Her demise and so soon within her career.
Xy'liah swung her lightsabers up and brought it down an inch away from Jaesa's face. The young girl's eyes widened as she saw the burning crimson blades before her. She quickly pulled her face away, standing up straight.
"Argh! It's so frustrating! Why can't I defeat you! Was it all a lie? Everything?" Jaesa eyed her former master as the Imperial troopers escorted him toward the door. "Master Karr told me the light side was stronger; that that was the reason why I could see through the façade of everything dark. Clearly the dark side is stronger." Her eyes narrowed at the master, hoping for some kind of explanation.
"You haven't completed your training yet Jaesa! Once you commune with the Force, you will be stronger!" he shouted back.
"You're a master of the light side, yet I easily defeated you," pointed out the Sith.
"All my life, I've put up with deceit and denial. I thought the Jedi would be different," Jaesa turned her eyes to meet the Sith before her. "You've shown me otherwise. You exposed Master Karr for what he really is. It is your power that shows their true nature. The fear you inspire forces truth to the surface. I want that."
"You'll be my apprentice and I will teach you the ways of the dark side."
The offer, rather order, came quickly and out of the blue. Never had she expected to be taken in by the Sith or even spared. Her eyes widened at the statement as the expression on her face revealed her speechless. But the Sith made no comment nor moves as she waited for the young Padawan to answer.
"I am…honored, my lord," Jaesa said, bowing her head. "Alas, I feel a sense of purpose. Something I can count on. What do you wish of me and what should we do with Master Karr?"
"Your first act in my charge is to kill your former Master."
Again the brown eyes widened at the command, "You want me to…kill him? I'm…conflicted about this."
"Think of it this way, it's either you kill him or I send him to Baras."
"Baras? Isn't that a death sentence?"
The young woman shrugged, "If you kill him, you would save him from a lot of pain and torture. Think of it as a mercy act for your old master."
"What you say makes sense. I'm actually excited at the prospect of killing him!" the young girl turned toward Xy'liah with a hint of darkness in her eyes as she gave the Sith a childish grin.
"No, Jaesa! All my work…my sacrifice…has been for naught!"
"Don't worry, Master Karr. You existed to deliver me to my true calling," Jaesa ignited her lightsaber and with one quick, smooth move, striked her former master down. As she watched him fall to the ground, relief as well as excitement overcame her. She had never killed anyone before and she wasn't sure she would have liked it, but it wasn't as bad as she thought. She turned toward the Sith to see a look of satifaction upon her face. She smiled proudly. "It is done, my lord. Master Karr is no more."
"This is a glorious day. Master Karr is no more and the dark side is strengthened by your fall, Jaesa," the Sith said as Jaesa came to her side. She had a smile upon her face and Jaesa sensed it to be genuine. For once, she did things right and it was by her way, not some old ancient code.
"I feel your satisfaction. It…warms me. I look forward to learning your ways, my lord. And I will help you in any way I am able," the young girl gave a bow to the older Sith. Something told her that she soon will reach her greatest potential.
"Apprentice, I have received reports saying that you subdued Karr, but I have no update beyond that. What has transpired? Where is Nomen Karr?" demanded the dark lord.
"What happened to him is inconsequestial," Xy'liah replied.
"That is true. It was the girl that poses the threat," Baras turned toward the young girl, standing next to his apprentice. "I see you have a new passenger. Jaesa Willsaam, I presume."
"Jaesa, my master Darth Baras," introduced Xy'liah.
"My lord." The young girl lowered her head and bowed at the holo image.
"I sense her devotion to you, apprentice. However did you manage that?"
Xy'liah gave her master a proud grin, "I can be very persuasive."
"Marvelous, apprentice. Simply marvelous. There is no denying you are a true master of the dark side now. Only the most accomplished among us are named lords among Sith. You have more than earned that distinction. I hereby confer the title of Sith Lord upon you."
"Such distinction means nothing to me. Everyone already calls me Lord anyways."
"I see. There is a considerable stipend bequeathed to those who attain rank in my service. Should I forego your reward then? My lord?"
The young woman's ears perked at the statement, "Lord, hm? I'm beginning to like the sound of that."
"I thought so. Nice to see your stubborn streak isn't immune to good sense. Now celebrate as you see fit and then return here to me on Dromund Kaas. I have great plans for us." The image disappeared and for once, the young Sith Lord was not left annoyed or angry. She turned toward her waiting crew at the table to their right and walked over to join them with Jaesa by her side.
"Wow, a lord. I'm impressed," said Vette.
"Congratulations, my lord," Quinn said.
"You both been a great help," the Sith said as both her companions smiled at the compliment.
"Service is its own reward."
"Yeah, what he said. I already prepared Jaesa's quarters. I'll go ahead and show her to them," offered Vette.
"Fine, but make it quick and resume your duties," the Sith Lord replied.
"Aww, but we were going to stay up gossiping," Vette gave Xy'liah a mock sad face before turning toward Jaesa. "C'mon, Jaesa, follow me."
"Whenever you need me, my lord. Whatever your order, I will be ready," the young girl said.
"Make this ship your home."
"You are so very gracious," the young girl bowed and turned around to follow the twi'lek toward the crew's quarters in the opposite direction.
"So, my lord, now you have the girl. A victory I dare say, even Baras failed to anticipate. You've become a Sith Lord and your power base is growing. Where are your sights set now?" Quinn asked. He watched the Sith as she smiled upon the realization of her newly found resource of powers.
"Spreading my fear and power to every inch of this galaxy!"
"If my talents could be of help, I hope you will utilize them. I leave you to enjoy this achievement." The young Captain bowed and turned to head for his usual post, leaving Xy'liah standing alone, smiling proudly of what she had just accomplished.