Dark Forces Scheme
Coming out of light speed, the Sith Guard pilots his craft to the Imperial Cruiser that travels in front of him. He had important news about the so-called Jedi his Master had sent him to destroy; and this news was too important to be said over a transmission and certainly not in two different parts of the universe, in two far apart galaxies! It must be delivered in person.
The Tie-Fighter the Sith had used to track the Jedi was now going into the main hanger bay of the cruiser. All around the bay droids were walking around, taking records of all the damaged done to their ships during the four day struggle above the planet of Yavin. The Sith wondered what had happened while he was gone. He would ask his Master once he met with him on the bridge.
The Sith Guard sits down the Tie-Fighter lightly onto the floor of the bay. A hiss comes out of the opening cockpit, as the hatch opens. The hatch rises completely up to reveal the Sith Guard exiting his ship and walking out towards the door leading to the top bridge.
Thoughts swirl in the Sith's mind. He wants to approach his Master about what he had witnessed, but he was unsure if his Master would believe him, let alone forgive him for letting the Jedi out of his site without exterminating her.
How am I going to say this to him? Would he even believe that the Jedi that I was supposed to kill is the Halva described in the Halva Prophecy? Will he forgive me for abandoning my mission? I know he is not merciful, and he does not take cowardice lightly.
After thinking this train of thought he reaches the end of the long corridor and enters into the elevator and presses the button for the bridge. The elevator obeys the command and immediately starts its journey upward.
I cannot run from my Master. I sense him, and he senses me. I will have to be as obedient and as humble as ever.
The door on the elevator slide open to the right. Before the Sith Guard's eyes, on the front of the bridge was his Master, turned from him and looking out into the void of space. The Sith guard exits the elevator and walks slowly towards his Master, passing the droids, operating the cruisers and giving commands to the fighter droids, on his left and his right.
Malkus senses the fear in his Sith Guard. Nothing hides from Malkus's senses. He takes pleasure in the fact that his Sith Guard is experiencing fear because of one little fact: fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to the Dark Side; and that fuels both his and his Sith Guard's power. Malkus turns to see his Sith Guard kneeling before his feet, a proper sign of respect.
Malkus wants to know what has scared his Sith Guard. Nothing scares his warriors and guards easily.
"Arise, my Sith Guard. Tell me about your mission in full detail. I want to know how you finished that Jedi off."
The Sith Guard obeys Malkus and stand to eye him through his mask. He is uneasy about what he is to say, but does it anyway.
"Master, I witnessed something amazing while taking down the Jedi."
The words from his Sith Guard had a hint of awe and fear. He waits for the next statement before answering his Sith Guard.
"She is related to the Halva Prophecy."
The eyes of Malkus widen slightly at these words. In reaction to them, he orders the droids to leave the bridge and go down to the hanger bay, just by swatting his right hand at them. The droids obey, leave their seat and take both the elevators down to the bay, leaving Malkus and his Sith Guard alone.
"Continue about what you witnessed. Leave out not one detail." Malkus' words are full of intensity.
"Master, I followed the Jedi after she went into light speed, using the Force to guide me in the right position to go into light speed as well and followed her. She went out of our galaxy."
Malkus's heart skips a beat. The words of his Sith Guard make him experience a enormous feeling of fear and pride: fear that someone went into the unknown, uncharted parts of the universe and pride that his own Sith Guard had the guts to follow the Jedi, not knowing if he would ever make it back to him.
"Amazing! Continue, my guard."
"She eventually came out of light speed near a planet that looked green and blue from space. Master," the Sith Guard pauses and then continues with what he is going to say, "it has both animal and human life on it."
Malkus is so shocked at what his Sith Guard just said that he takes a few steps backwards, stroking with both hands his very short, dark grey hair on the top of his head. His heads move quickly from his scalp to his face, rubbing over his dark red eyes, wrinkly, old skin, and his dark gray mustache and short beard.
After this ordeal, he confirms what he just heard from his very own Sith guard.
"Did you see it with your very eyes?"
"I did, Master. I could not believe it, either. A whole planet! In a completely different galaxy of its own."
Malkus mind comes up with a vital question. "Is it controlled by the New Senate or the New Jedi Order?"
His guard has a quick reply. "Absolutely not, Master and here is why. When I landed on the building that she was in, it was in a city as far as I could see. The building was old-looking. They travel in vehicles that touch the ground. There are no forms of holo-communicators or holo-billboards. Their doors, Master, most are opened by pushing them, pulling them, or even turning a metal sphere!"
Malkus's eyes widen greatly at all the events that his Sith has witnessed on this strange world. His imagination was running at full power trying to imagine all that was spoken to him.
"This is extraordinary! Amazing!" Suddenly, Malkus remembers about the Jedi that his Sith Guard was supposed to kill. "But we must get back to the Jedi. Keep telling me about your mission."
The Sith Guard remembers where he left off and begins once more.
"I sensed the building the Jedi was in and proceeded to land on the buildings top. Entering in from one of their sky-lights, I dropped into what looked like a security room. In perceiving it as such, I used an electronic scrambler to stop all functions in that room."
Malkus smiles at these words. "I have taught you well, my follower. Continue."
The Sith Guard does so. "After doing this, I proceeded back to my fighter and flew it to a lower area, which had a deck. I then used the guns on my fighter to blast the windows and then landed on the deck. Right inside I sensed the Jedi, but I could not pinpoint exactly where she was in the building, so I did the next best thing."
The Sith Lord waits eagerly as the Sith Guard takes a pause, and then continues giving his report.
"There were two men in the room when I entered. They would know where she was, so I lifted a piece of furniture they were hiding behind, then using the Dark Side pushed and held them against a wall with little inconveniences from them. The black-haired one was quite forthcoming, saying the Jedi had left the building. The other one was quiet about it."
"Anyways, after an exchange of words, they weren't going to tell me where exactly she was in the building, so I was going to destroy them with my lightsaber."
"You have learned well." Malkus takes his right hand and rests it on the Sith Guards left shoulder. "You are like the son I've never had. I couldn't be more proud of you."
"But Master," the Sith Guard human yet metallic voice grows slightly shaky, "I did not get to kill them. The Jedi hindered my blade from slicing them in half."
Malkus did not care about the two normal people; he wanted to know about the Jedi and her fate. "It doesn't matter, Sith." He takes his hand from the Guard's shoulder and continues in a calm form of his voice. "All that matters is the Jedi's fate. Quickly tell me what happened to her."
"I was trying to finish one of the men, when I sensed the Jedi's power growing with the Dark Side. I threw the man and turned around to face her." The Sith starts to breath heavily, recollecting the images he saw not too long ago. "Master, her hair. It changed. Some of her haired stayed blonde, but other parts of it became… black."
Malkus closes his eyes, while letting out a deep, slow breath. What his guard and apprentice was saying to him lined up perfectly with the Halva Prophecy. The sudden shift his guard had felt in the Jedi from light to dark, parts of her hair changing into black strands. There was no mistaking it.
Malkus keeps his eyes shut, pondering on this new event. Things would never be the same for him or his plans ever again, and he knew it.
"What is our next move, Master?"
The Sith Lord opens his red eyes to stare at his guard once more.
"Do you want me and your other guard to go back to the planet and finish the mission, or would you like to do it yourself?"
Malkus sensed the loyalty of his Sith Guard and was proud, but the words his apprentice spoke reminded him of the battle they had just fought over Yavin. In one motion, Malkus turns around and walks to the far end of the deck, looking out into the void of space.
"Master?" The Sith Guard instincts told him something was wrong, but he waited for Malkus to speak.
Taking in a deep breath, he slowly lets out the soul-crushing words into the air. "My other Guard and Apprentice has become one with The Force."
The blow hits the Sith Guards ears, causing sudden shock and saddens in the Guard's soul. This sudden news made itself known in the Sith Guard's voice and movement. He moves away from his Master, walking away from him, but comes back all while thinking how it could have happened and repeating one word softly inside his mask. "No. No, no, no... no…"
He's dead?! How can that be! He was always better with piloting an aircraft than I ever was! Even though I still don't want to admit it, he was a better apprentice to the Master than I ever was. He… was someone who truly understood me. Dravin.. .I was only gone for a couple of days.
The Sith Guard then utters quietly in the mask, "Dravin… I'm…sorry I wasn't there… to save you." Unbeknownst to Malkus, one tear rolls down the left cheek of the Sith Guard, falling off his cheek and resting on the inside of his metal mask.
Suddenly, the Sith Guard's feelings of depression and remorse were converted into rage and anger. He remembers that Dravin went after the other Jedi in the X-Wing.
That Jedi! The Sith Guard clenches both his fists while opening his eyes once more to look back out the mask. He will suffer for this, and then, I will slowly finish his pathetic life.
While finishing this, the Sith Guard had already turned around, walking right up behind his Master. Even though rage was flowing through his veins, the Sith Guard held it in while asking his Malkus, "Master, allow me to avenge your student's death by hunting down the Jedi in the X-Wing and ending his existence as painfully as possible."
"No." Malkus's word was calm yet firm, shocking his Guard and only living Apprentice.
"Master, I don't understand."
Malkus turns to face the Sith Guard, while making an ominous smile. He walks until he comes close to touching the Sith Guard's mask with his own face.
"You will not kill the Jedi that was in the X-Wing. Instead, you and I both will finish your mission, even if it is the true Halva from the prophecy. Once you kill that Force-Wielder, the other Jedi will sense the void and he will feel just as much pain as you would breaking every bone in his body." Malkus senses in his Guard that he understands his Master's words and also senses his Apprentice an emotion of fulfillment.
"A brilliant plan," The Sith Guard kneels to Malkus. "My Master."
Malkus raises the Sith Guard on his feet and urging him towards one of the elevators. "Come, my Apprentice." The Sith Lord and Master raises his hood and puts it lightly on his head. "Let's finish this mission… together."