Chapter Eight
From a distance, Darth Maul was able to see the fortress he was looking for which was disguised as part of a mountain that stood alone from any other range. It was several dozen parsecs away from where he and Savage had made their camp, using the shuttle Thrawn gave them. "How do you intend to get there with the possibility of cliffs and gorges hidden by the trees?" Savage asked. "The only way that I know has a chance of working with travel here: walking straight through," Maul replied.
Though the fallen Dark Lord of the Sith hated doing that sort of thing, he knew it was the only way to reach them in this instance as far as he could tell. There were no markers in the air (except for Death Watch's occasional spotlights) that told them where to go or what to avoid. Nonetheless, with the power of the Dark Side in his employment, Maul was confident they could overcome any native obstacles. "Do you intend for us to start traveling now or do you think it would be wise to take the refuge of the forest for day travel?" Savage inquired.
"It's too late to really do anything tonight thanks to the longevity of our little hyperspace trip. We'll go in the morning and besides, as you mentioned, the trees will shelter us for most of the distance," Maul answered. What did you think we would be doing anyway? Maul asked silently though he said nothing aloud. Savage nodded and agreed to take first watch for their Mandalorian target while Maul meditated to regain any lost strength from the trip; Maul obliged him that.
Spinning one finger, Arden created a flat circle of green energy that looked very much like a spiraling galaxy above her new friend's head. After that, she began to recite the very spell that Xendor had once used to revive a dying boy and cure him of his sickness. "Klunack aras be ra ti nas be ra ti su ra na bes ben nara ti. Amendabla tro shan na ti van te, amendabla tro shan na ti van te," she said.
Thrawn raised an eyebrow, fascinated that she was speaking a language from which Dathomirian could most likely trace its roots considering the second thing she said. What he didn't know, however, was that Arden's translated incantation had a much different meaning. "From the land beyond the realm of life, I summon a newly killed soul. What once had been done without this soul, now be undone with its sacrifice to my power," any translator would say.
After inserting Creon's consciousness into the comatose mind of the Jedi via the green circle, Arden watched as she painfully accepted the healing power. It was when she did that Arden inserted her hands into the circle and around her friend's brain, scanning her memory. Immediately, she found visions of herself which she found to be unusual and thus she removed them from the Jedi's mind. The memories that were removed came out as black little shades that screamed as she threw them aside.
But it was just before these little shades faded that Arden suddenly had an idea she wanted to exercise. She took the little shade by one hand and smashed them into the Jedi's cloak and robes, staining them black as her hair. Last but not least, Arden took the green circle and transformed it into several snake-like coils of energy that wrapped themselves around the Jedi. As they did so, they restored her to a physical peak that she must have had before she went into the coma.
It was after all this that Arden noticed that now, instead of a coma or even unconsciousness of a lighter degree, the Jedi was breathing as though in sleep. Arden smiled, loving that her handiwork had gone surprisingly well for just this once rather than as awry as when she had last performed this spell. "Arise fallen child of the Jedi Order," she said as she poked her new ally's head with one finger. As if commanded to do so by the poking, the Jedi's eyes opened and she looked around at her environment.
"Where... where am I?" she asked after seeing her surroundings and the sight of Arden. "You're on Irkalla, one thousand eight-hundred and twenty-seven parsecs away from Coruscant," Arden answered. "What am I doing here and why are my robes ink black all of a sudden?" the Jedi demanded though not unreasonably. "The robes are a customization I made from your old one and you are here because I have need of your talents for battle against the Jedi Order," Arden explained.
"But Master Windu..." the Jedi began. "Windu? If that's the name of the Knight who defeated you then don't you want revenge?" Arden asked. "Well yes and no but wait a moment, who are you?" the Jedi answered.
"My name is Arden Lyn and like you I was placed into a coma by a Jedi Knight though that happened twenty-five thousand years ago. In that time, all I loved and came to know as my own was destroyed save for a cave full of treasure, my robes, and my sword," Arden told her immediately. "I have heard of the legends surrounding you but I never did believe them to be true," the Jedi stated. "Yet here I am, a product of my time and may I ask for your name now that I have stated mine for you?" Arden asked her.
As the Jedi grabbed her head and rubbed it due to the ache of being newly awakened, she answered the question almost promptly. "My name is Depa Billaba, I was a member of the Council once but no more," she said. "I was betrayed by the Jedi as well and we have two more allies who hate them with almost the same passion that we do," Arden explained. "And who might they be?" Depa asked.
"Their names are Darth Maul and Savage Opress, Sith brothers who have united their power with both myself and Chiss Admiral Thrawn to destroy the Jedi once and for all time that's to come. Since the Separatists also stand in the way of our conquest and have insulted the people we're attempting to recruit, they will go too," Arden answered. "Darth Maul... I have heard of him: he killed Qui-Gon Jinn before he was slain himself by Obi-Wan Kenobi," Depa said. "Maul lives and fights alongside us accompanied by his brother and apprentice, Savage Opress," Arden told her.
"I suppose I can't be too surprised, it's not uncommon for the Sith to persist even after extremities such as being sliced in half. After all, I'm talking with a woman whose life should have ended twenty-five thousand years ago which counts for something," Depa admitted. "Will you stand with us against the Jedi who imprisoned and help me obtain the revenge we both seek against the filth?" Arden asked. "I will stand with you, I need someone who can teach me the ways of the Dark Side and you know them well," Depa answered.
"I will teach you all that you need to know and more but for a price," Arden warned. "Name it and I will be happy to pay it be it money or anything else," Depa replied. "You must teach me what you know of the rare but magnificent lightsaber style known as Vaapad. Whenever I am not teaching you a new power or having you study a new principle of the Dark Side, you can train me in it," Arden said.
Depa thought about this for a moment, shaking her head and rubbing it as she thought about and weighed out the consequences. Then she spoke and said, "I'll do it but I warn you that the style demands more than most are capable of giving it. It eventually made me fall to the Dark Side just by its nature but I suppose that doesn't affect you too much since you've already fallen." "I've already paid my obal to learn the style, now I just need to begin learning it," Arden agreed.
Thrawn watched from a distance and had to admit that while he feared Arden's power, he was also awed by it. After all, here was a wielder of the Dark Side making a sacrifice to save life that was not her own. And here I was thinking that all wielders of the Dark Side were more self-centered than the Jedi. Perhaps because she is one of its pioneers, she can still relate to some of the principles of the Jedi Codex he thought to himself silently.
Plus he did have to thank her for ridding him of the annoyance that Creon had been in his last days alive as if he knew he would die today. For his faults he had been a good officer but nonetheless, he served as an example of why Thrawn specified that he rewarded only creativity and intuitive thought. It also was the reason he specified that he didn't always take to heart a subordinate's feedback even if he listened to it. Still, he had to admit that Creon had his moments and sometimes he wasn't an annoyance as he had been just before Arden killed him.
One such instance was when Irkalla was first discovered due to its resources and before classic drilling techniques began, Creon suggested that they see if any historical monuments were available. Thrawn had temporarily put drilling aside in favor of checking it out and found the chambers in which Arden had been trapped in just one of the marked sites. While the rest were drilled for important resources for the Ascendancy, Thrawn had kept a team of archaeologists at the site. Now they were dead and though it was a shock, they ended up being a small price to pay for what was before him now.
Darth Maul and Savage Opress had come at about the time Arden had been revived, which made for two or three wielders of the Dark Side right there. Now that Arden had been persuaded to join Thrawn and the brothers, she had also revived a fallen Jedi Knight who would serve them well. Such power as someone who could wield Vaapad and possibly even some rare Force abilities was not something to be trifled with as their enemies would soon come to realize. Powerful as this treaty in the darkness is, they will be but the vanguard for my conquest of the galaxy Thrawn thought silently.
He needed to know how strong the Republic remained even with the Separatists trying to dethrone them at every turn. Maul, Savage, and anyone they managed to recruit would serve as his little scouting party and if they failed, he would wait until the galaxy suited his desire. Though the failure would be a massive setback for him, his secrecy would be maintained at such a time as that. The reason that was so was because Thrawn was not expending anything uniquely Chiss to aid the brothers.
If he had done that, the Jedi and the Sith would've suspected that he was aiding them and united to come on his doorstep. With the extra-galactic invaders on the other side of the Unknown Regions, Thrawn could ill-afford to have the Jedi and the Sith on this one as well. But he did have a backup plan if that did happen: he would set up his forces so that the Jedi and the Sith came straight through them. Once they did that, Thrawn would use them as a shield against his current enemy and watched as they fell before its might before finishing it off for himself.
Under such circumstances as those, Thrawn would have secured the galaxy for himself by repelling the invaders but also conquered it by destroying the Jedi and the Sith nearly simultaneously. He smiled at the perfection of that plan but he knew it had its flaw in this case being the speed and efficiency of both of those powerful enemies. Thrawn would need to buy himself time to make that kind of setup with his forces which could be easily done if the brothers were effective enough in their attacks. It would look random and like they were just plundering and pillaging for wealth but it would be a pattern.
My greatest hope is that neither Maul nor Arden catch on before I complete the plan. If either one of them does then it could spell doom for everyone in the galaxy, including them. In addition, I could be killed without a moment's pause by one of them as well he noted mentally. However, casting these thoughts aside, he overheard the Jedi saying her name was Depa Billaba which was something he had suspected ever since he heard about the vision.
Now that his suspicions were confirmed, he rested with ease in the knowledge that one of the wisest figures amongst the Jedi was now one of his most dangerous allies. In their strive for so-called perfection and enlightenment, even the greatest of the Jedi can fall he reminded himself proudly. Depa was living proof of how even the wisest amongst the Jedi could become the most insane amongst the wielders of the Dark Side such as the Sith. In military terms, her downfall could be considered a Sith spoil of war in the ancient quest for greater power over life in the universe.
"Governor, though we couldn't get a shape, we've spotted something landing a few hundred kilometers away from us. Should I send a unit or two to investigate what it could be?" Bo-Katan asked. "In which direction was it landing away from us?" Vizsla inquired. "To the far southeast of us, though I hardly know what could be the meaning of that," she replied.
"It simply means that, unless Satine was behind an ambush from behind which is unlikely, we have something else to deal with. The chance that it's a threat is at least fifty-fifty but since whoever pilots the ships is currently out of communication range, let them come in it. Once they can get a signal, they'll try to contact us and we will know whether or not they are a threat to us for certain. Don't move against whoever or whatever may have landed in that area a moment sooner than that, Bo," he ordered.
"With due respect Vizsla, they will be in our radar long before they're in communication range. Should we not move then and not wait for them to send a message of some kind? By the time they can, the likeliness that they may decide to attack us is at least fifty percent," she responded. "Would it be any different with when they come into our radar range?" he asked.
"At least we could actually send a party out to stop them before they could get anywhere near the base if an attack is indeed their intent. The chance they would attack if we did that would be dropped at least thirty to forty percent if not entirely obliterated," she answered. Vizsla thought about that for a moment and he knew she was right to be worried about this possible security threat. Then he said, "Send an emissary when they're within radar range and find out if their intent is friendly or hostile."
Now you're talking sense, ever since that Jedi and her lover Lux forced us away from Corlac, you've been reckless beyond reprieve she thought but didn't say. "I will do precisely that Governor, is there anything you'd like the team to do upon finding out this party's intent?" she asked. "If their intent is friendly in nature, have the team guide them to the base where I can speak with them soon. But if their intent is hostile or something other than friendly, have the team do what they can to kill them," he answered.
"I will make sure that the orders are relayed to the first team I send in response to their presence on the radar," she said with a bow before leaving. Vizsla watched her walk out, her feminine curves acting to hide the warrior that she was due to how they didn't exactly agreed with her armor. It was at times like this when he was wondering if he felt something for her beyond being just her partner. Though he knew true Mandalorians were unlucky if they fell in love or lust, he began to wonder if it was anywhere near as bad as his father Tor had once told him it was.
And besides, she acts a lot like I would in her place in many situations and so we would get along very well. She certainly does present feats of brightness that make me look dumb and I'm the leader of this group he thought to himself. But he mentally slapped such thoughts out of him as he thought about the mysterious presence she had brought to his attention. Approaching from the southeast would certainly be an unusual and hypocritical approach if Satine ever took it.
But if this was something else, something neither he nor any of the Mandalorians with him were unprepared to face, it could spell doom for them all. Then there was the third alternative of what it could be for them: it could be a good omen or someone wanting to join them as an independent agent. Like a rogue pair of Sith Lords or fallen Jedi betrayed by the Order, either whom could be very useful. But then, yet again, it did leaving him wondering how they would know of his presence on Concordia.
The news had not even reached Mandalore yet and that was the system closest to this small moon. Then he thought about how Mandalore was not exactly up to speed as far as styles of communication went. In addition, he could possibly have an infiltrator assigned to destroy them by the Republic or even Dooku's Separatists. Neither would be a good omen for Death Watch and they would be lucky if they made it out of a deadly confrontation with either one alive.
Maul and Savage watched as the sun rose before they began the climb down the mountain on which they had landed their ship. It was a beautiful to see here on Concordia and the view was spectacular. But neither Sith Lord had time to remain indulgent to the natural beauty for too long. Once inside the forest, they were immediately faced with an overwhelming amount of foliage needing a cut.
Savage went ahead as Maul guided him and used one side of his double-sided weapon to hack through the undergrowth and clear a path for future adventurers. Since the lightsaber cauterized everything it cut, the plants would never grow back now that the cut happened. The last time I was in a forest this thick was when my Master ordered me to assassinate the Senator of Malastare Maul thought but didn't say to his brother. Even Dathomir was not nearly this bad in the springtime Savage thought but didn't say in simultaneity.
"This is the perfect place for a terrorist group like Death Watch to disappear into for safety. Even if the nearby Mandalorians managed to reclaim this base, it would take them years to find their enemies here," Savage said aloud. "Unless they followed the path we have forged for all future journeys in here, you're right about that my brother," Maul agreed. Though neither of them said so, this place was unfortunately a good place for any ambush predator to attack them as well if it was hungry.
But according to what Maul had heard, there were not that many forms of native fauna on this small moon. What was here, in fact, was either plant-eating and hunted by humans or small but venomous in its bite. If the latter, the likeliness that it would be ever seen until it was too late was low. But since neither brother was interested in finding exotic venomous creatures anyway, this worked out in their favor rather than against it as it would with anyone who had such interests.
"Do you think it will take them a bit to find us on their radar?" Savage asked. "Considering the thickness of the forest and our proximity from the base, yes. But if we make good time, we can hope to be found by them by this time tomorrow if not slightly later such as at high noon," Maul answered. Savage smiled and happily continued to hack through the foliage and clear a path for himself and his brother who was also his Sith Master.
Then, whether or not it was out of sheer boredom, Savage asked Maul the most important question concerning these warriors. "Will we need to bribe them with credits or would they demanded something a little more substantial that money?" he asked. Maul thought about that as he continued to walk the path his brother was creating for them, knowing it would be a concern when meeting them. Then it occurred to him that Death Watch's struggle was not for greater wealth but to reclaim Mandalore and lead it back into the warrior days of old.
"Though I can tell you they will demand something a little more substantial than credits right now, I can also assure you we have what they want. Their desire is to reclaim the nearby planet of Mandalore for themselves and restore its old warrior ways. The desire to rule a planet will work to our convenience since we will need a base on which to begin growing our army. Thus, we can lend our sabers to their cause in exchange for an alliance with their leader, whoever he or she may be," Maul answered.
Since the answer sufficed Savage, he never again asked questions during their time traveling through the forest. And neither did Maul speak to reveal his plans for Death Watch or anything else. He was much too busy thinking about how he would at last have his revenge; soon Kenobi would fall.