Chapter Fifteen
"The Brotherhood is dispersing and our troops are circling to round them up and take them in for Republic interrogation," Obi-Wan said. "No kill them, kill them all!" Dooku demanded. "I am a Jedi Knight, you know this doesn't go along with my Code," Obi-Wan replied. "Does it look like I care about your Code at the moment?" Dooku asked.
Obi-Wan shrugged then said, "You look ugly no matter what expression you have. Too much so to tell one apart from another." "Do not play games with me Kenobi, hand them over to me and I will execute them all," Dooku ordered. "Not a chance of that happening soon, Dooku," Obi-Wan snapped.
"Then it's war on you as well Kenobi, we must never allow them to live to threaten the galaxy again!" Dooku declared. "No Dooku, this is what Maul would want: for us to divide and fight each other instead of him! We must remain focused on him and only him," Kenobi said. "No, it's not what Maul wants: it's what Mother Talzin wants," Dooku said.
"I thought your Separatist forces killed her in your previous attack on Dathomir," Kenobi stated. "You Jedi and your pathetic intelligence networks, she is far too old to simply let herself die in one battle. She escaped Grievous before he could kill her and has been my enemy since," Dooku replied. "Well then, looks like our prisoners will have to be surrendered after all though I hate saying it," Kenobi said, clearly exasperated.
"Do not feel sorry for them Jedi, they are Sith and they are your enemies. At the moment they are also mine thus I will let you leave quietly if you wish," Dooku said. "My troops will leave but I cannot, Maul wished to meet me on Dathomir for a final duel to decide who was superior forever," Obi-Wan told him. "Then stay but do not enter the ancient city on Dathomir, its dark power will destroy you before you could reach the temple in the town square," Dooku demanded.
"I don't even know what you're talking about there, Dooku," Obi-Wan exclaimed. "In Dathomir's 'untold days' there was once a city whose name means 'Gateway to Eternal Life' in Dathomiri speech. For both Nightsister and Nightbrother, it deserved that name and for millennia, its temple was ascended by those chosen to do so for their departure to KaiSu Lak'Ton or 'World of the Goddess'. KaiSu Lak'Ton was banished to another dimension due to the evil of the Goddess that dwelled there and the 'Gateway' was buried underground until a few days ago," Dooku explained.
"Talzin brought it back up? To what end?" Obi-Wan asked. "Whatever end she means it to go, Maul and his brother Savage Opress are pawns in her game," Dooku answered. "Yes I see, well when you're done executing prisoners come meet me on the surface of Dathomir," Kenobi offered; it was an offer Dooku took him up on.
"At last, you have come home to us Savage. Now come and claim your prize but be careful, she has a lot of fight left in her," Talzin warned. Before Savage could say anything, Ventress ignited her lightsabers and prepared to do battle with him. "But I don't understand, if I am to bang Ventress what will happen to us both?" he asked.
"You will no longer feel those fits of lust that I know have welled up in you before with whores in other parts of the galaxy. She on the other hand, will unknowingly bear your child into this world and (hopefully) bring in a daughter to train as a Nightsister," she answered. Then she ordered him to stop talking and snapped her fingers to which Ventress responded by lunging for Savage immediately. Savage did as obeyed almost immediately and activated both sides of his double-sided lightsaber in defense initially then attack when he managed to smash through her offensive stances.
Following that, he immediately employed his skill in Djem So and soon, she was cornered against a house. It was then that he swung so hard that her lightsabers went flying out of her hands and he could safely deactivate his own. She tried to punch him but he took the swung arm and twisted it until it snapped and broke like a twig. Then he spun her around so her back faced him then threw her against the wall of the house hard enough for her to literally bounce back into his grasp. Grabbing the back of her head with his mechanical arm, he head on firmly as he rammed her face against the side of the wall with enough impact to break off a huge chunk of the wall before throwing her against the wall of another house.
He watched as she dropped like a rag doll against the red sand of their planet. At first, she made no effort to get up and considering the trauma she had endured Savage couldn't say he blamed her. Then she tried to get up and call to one of her lightsabers but her efforts at both were weak. She collapsed in her attempt to get up on one good arm and couldn't use the broken one to call out to her weapon. But Savage decided he didn't want to let her have another chance and grabbed the back of her head and slammed her face against the floor with his mechanical arm.
Lifting her up with just that same arm, he watched as she struggled faintly to escape him to no avail. Seeing her weakness, he decided she had been conquered and took her into the deserted house behind him. It was then that he proceeded to rape her while she lied helpless and felt it all happen to her. Though she wasn't watching, Talzin was pleased and soon noticed that the usually red skies began to blacken with the coming of KaiSu Lak'Ton back into its place by the side of sister Dathomir.
She also remembered how the atmosphere of KaiSu Lak'Ton was green instead of black and she knew she still had to activate the gateway at the top of the tower before the planet could fully awaken. Luckily, she could see the blue continents against the black skies and she knew that the goddess would awaken and bring back the green skies when the tower was fully activated and she could march up it to the "Sacrament Chamber" at the top. "KaiSu Lak'Ton, you are saved… at last," Talzin thought aloud. She bowed her head in prayer and began to chant in her native tongue to the Goddess that birthed her near the beginning of all life in the galaxy.
Maul saw the walls of the raised city and was awed by their massive and ancient design. "To think that the Nightsisters could have built this with just their magic is impressive. I wonder if I can even believe that," he said. "The Nightsisters and the Nightbrothers didn't exist when this city was invented, there was only an ancient and more menacing people with whom your grandmother shows nativity thus making you and I related to them and their Goddess," Kycina replied.
"If what she said about the Goddess existing proves to be true and so far, I've found nothing that would contradict that. What are those blue shapes in the sky?" he asked. "KaiSu Lak'Ton… no it can't be!" she answered, almost as uncertain as he was. "What, why can't it be?" he inquired.
"Only an act of lust could bring KaiSu Lak'Ton back into this dimension and only the power in the ancient 'Sacrament Chamber' can awaken the Goddess. If Talzin successfully reaches the tower, she could potentially revive her mother and begin the end of the galaxy," she explained. "An act of lust? Well Savage did mention that the witch Asajj Ventress was his mate through Selection," he stated.
"Talzin must have bent her mind to her control and had him rape her. It's the only way KaiSu Lak'Ton could have been brought back," she replied, distressed and a little frightened. "Then what are we doing talking Dathomiri history, let's get going on stopping her from reaching the top of that damn tower," he demanded. Kycina nodded in agreement and readied her staff for what could possibly be her final journey on Dathomir or anywhere else in the galaxy.
But as she reflected back on her life, she began to wonder if there was a reason besides Maul that Talzin had only banished her and not killed her when she gave her son away to the Sith. Did Talzin have some motherly love for Kycina and sympathize with her daughter although she had to punish her for her treachery? No, not likely but it did lead to another question: had Talzin been counting on Kycina learning the Sith magic in addition to her knowledge of Nightsister sorcery to help her meet her secret ends?
"The tower has almost completely come to life. Once the top level has been activated, we can journey to the top of the tower. However, I must warn you that the journey up is perilous and all your skill is required in order to survive the perils hidden within these stone walls," Talzin said. "So long as I am helping my grandmother, I am prepared to lay down my life if necessary as will my mate and slave: Asajj Ventress," Savage replied.
"Are we ready to go now Mother? I grow weary of waiting," Ventress asked. Talzin nodded and she asked both Savage and Ventress to walk in front of her as they ascended the pyramid underneath the massive tower. "During these first steps, I will need to conserve my magic but once we are inside I can use it in abundance," Talzin explained.
Savage and Ventress ignited their lightsabers and prepared to defend Mother Talzin as they ascended the steps of the pyramid. "What happens when we get to the top?" Ventress asked. "I will call upon the powers trapped in this tower and create a passage that travels through space and into KaiSu Lak'Ton," Talzin answered. "Looks like we will finally get to see your home after all," Savage said.
"But shouldn't we wait until the tower is fully activated to get the move on or does it make no difference when we go now?" Ventress asked Talzin. "It would make no difference after it came to the halfway mark but there are still defenses to face on the pyramid," Talzin answered. "I think I see some of them now," Savage said, pointing out troops situated on the steps of the pyramid. Those same troops he pointed out began to charge down the pyramid the moment Ventress and Savage took their first step on one of the stairs, firing little darts of purple energy like the Nightsisters and pointing spears, swords, and other blades at them.
Savage acted as the vanguard of the two of them while Ventress picked up any he missed and together, the two of them cut down any warrior that stood in their way. It was only when barely a fourth of the two thousand troops (and they were close to the pyramid anyhow) remained that they were allowed access to the pyramid unchallenged. "These warriors are pathetic, it's almost like they set us up for whatever is inside that old pyramid," Ventress said. "Oh they have Ventress, they have," Talzin warned.
Once Kenobi was secured in his place outside the city, Dooku ventured in. This was personal now that Talzin had nearly killed him thrice, the first two attempts being through Ventress and the third through the use of her ancient magic. He knew he was going to kill Talzin whether Kenobi liked it or not and maybe he would be lucky to kill Ventress too. Putting his lightsaber to his waist, he walked through the gates without fear or hesitation despite the harsh greeting the natives had given him at the gate.
But when he made it clear he was not to be trifled with, those within the walls left him alone and he walked toward the tower with the pyramid beneath it in peace. "Talzin, I'm coming for you, Ventress and that monster you created called Savage Opress. I will have my revenge against you three in person," he thought aloud and with anger in his voice as well as his heart. Clenching his fists hard, he continued his march to the tower with no personal escort but a pride that said that wasn't necessary for him to be a powerful Lord of the Sith. "Now, are those red flashes Savage and Ventress?" he asked himself. Then he told himself there was only one way to find out if that was so.