Chapter One
Dromund Kaas
3640 B.B.Y
Leequ Mal could feel the pulse rising in the veins of his neck as he climbed the stairs to Darth Malefice's chambers, but it was not from exertion. His pace was measured, his demeanor controlled. The heels from his black boots clicked upon the stairs at a steady pace and in his excitement he drew heavily on the Force, adding to his step an odd, energetic bounce. His long dark hear was smoothed back behind his ears and his close trim apprentice outfit was snug against his ribs. On the outside, all was calm and to the odd passerby he looked everything a Sith apprentice should: ambitious, ruthless, and powerful.
But the fact was, it took all his willpower not to take the steps three at a time. Simply being near Malefice, able to drinking in her luscious beauty and bask in the awful radiance she emitted, was a rare treat for him, but being alone with her, in her personal chambers no less, was nothing short of a dream come true. He smiled to himself as he remembered the first day that he saw her, a day that the Force had imprinted onto his memory forever.
He had been among the first from his class selected to be an apprentice to a Master. It was a great honor. Greater still was the honor of being chosen to be apprenticed to Darth Cratylus, a powerful Master who held a place on the Dark Council. He was the envy of all the students. He pledged his allegiance to his new Master and the Emperor and from then on he was no longer a student, but a Sith. The ceremonies were always brief, just enough to display to the younger students the importance of doing well, to impress upon them the fruits of hard work.
Cratylus had commanded him to gather his effects and meet him in his chambers for his first assignment. That order would change his life forever. He had arrived to find a woman in his new Master's chambers. A woman unlike any he had ever seen before. She stood nearly as tall as he, 5'10" he guessed. She had dark hair, not black as many Sith had, but a deep mahogany color, brown with light shades of red streaked through. Her face was perfect. Not the manufactured perfection that one saw at the parties of the elite military, but pure, natural perfection. She had barely discernable cheekbones a shade below her ears; her jawline was rounded out a small point just below her mouth; her lips was red and supple, moist with the hint of vitality.
More than her face, however, her body was utterly divine. If Leequ had believed in gods he might have thought she was one of them. Flawless legs – what he could see of them – long and muscular showing clear signs that she was in excellent physical shape; balanced hips, strong but strikingly feminine; a waist that nearly made Leequ light-headed and perfect, absolutely perfect breasts – at least, he was sure they were underneath the clothing.
Only later did he learn that she was a powerful Sith Lord with prodigious strength and not to be bothered by lowly apprentices. This had only increased her perfection in his eyes. From the moment he heard this he knew she would be his someday. Gone were his desires of power and strength for their own gain. He now only sought her. He would do whatever it took to prove his worth to her as a Sith. He would devastate planets, slaughter armies, topple Emperors, anything to be with her. He shook his head to clear the memory. He must not be too distracted. Though he had longed to be with Darth Malefice he knew that he needed to prove himself. That would take time and patience, both of which he had.
In his distraction and enthusiasm to be with Malefice he forgot to knock on her door. Barging into her chambers he took three steps and stumbled, glimpsing Malefices' naked form descend to the floor bath that took up a third of her chambers. His vision blurred – whether from the steam or the sudden restriction of blood to his eyes he was not sure. He quickly righted himself and stood motionless, waiting for her acknowledgement and reprimand. It never came.
"Hello Leequ." She said lazily, "Come in service to your Master?"
"Dark Lady, I live only to serve." You, he thought, and boldly let the sentiment ring in the Force. "I have come with summons from Darth Cratylus. The Dark Council meets to discuss an important premonition that the Emperor has had and requires your presence."
She sighed. "As you see, I have only just begun to have a bath."
She had yet to look at him since he had entered the room. But her tone was one of awful playfulness. He drew a step closer. "I, uh, yes I see. I…suppose I could relay your message to my Master." He did not want to. To do so would certainly be met with a harsh punishment. But he would do it if it meant she finished this very important bath, and if he got to watch her a little bit longer.
Her tone turned harder. "No. Do not. That will only bring unwanted….complications on yourself." The playfulness was gone now. "I will be done shortly at which time I will find your Master."
She looked him now for the first time. "Do you know what this is about? Anything that might prepare me?" Her liquid blue eyes – so different than any other Sith – brought him to the edge of sanity. How he longed to be in that bath as well. Curse the water and this steam for blurring the outline of her body in the water. "No, I regret that I do not."
"A pity." She turned from him. "Very well. Go now. Tell your Master I will be there shortly."
He turned and walked towards the door, hearing as he reached it, the unmistakable sound of her exit from the water. "Leequ?"
He hesitated, not knowing if he should turn. "Yes, Dark Lady?"
"Please keep the door open, I am hot and need to cool down." His blood turned to lava in his veins.
"I live to serve, Dark Lady." With that he left the room, paused to collect himself at the top of the stairs, and began the painful journey away from Malefice's room.
Malefice sighed as Leequ Mal stumbled from the room, weak in the knees. She had known of his affections for her the moment he strode into Darth Cratylus' room with all the energy of the universe in his steps and the ambition of a Sith in his eyes. She could vividly remember watching the transformation happen in him in the few minutes that encompassed their first encounter: first confusion over her appearance, which quickly gave way to appropriate Sith cynicism, which was gradually replaced by lust, greed, and desire, all of which radiated off him in waves through the Force.
At the time she had been simply annoyed, yet another admirer who would never leave her alone, and she prepared for the inevitable onslaught of seductive charms, subtle innuendo, or even bold advances that usually accompanied men meeting her for the first time. His first pass had been bumbling enough to evoke a wry smile from her, which had only encouraged him to press on. She had had to shock him with Force lightning in order to check his advances.
After that first experience, she had expected some amount of fear or hatred from him, again, another frequently experienced side-effect of her beauty. But she had been surprised when he demurred to her on every occasion that they met. He remained silent except when spoken to by her, he offered sound advice and knew how to take criticism and make himself better. She could appreciate that. Thus had begun their three year "relationship" wherein she offered subtle glimpses and mental suggestions of the pleasures life might contain if he were with her. In this way she gained his loyalty, something that had gained her valuable information about his master.
"Is there anything you need, my Lady?" Ji'inara said.
"Did you not hear the boy? I am to meet with his majesty and the Emperor's lackies shortly." She looked confused. Not a bright one this slave was. Malefice glowered at her. "Get my clothes slave! The formal suit. And be quick about it!"
Ji'inara scampered off to do her duties and escape the wrath building her master. Malefice rolled her eyes. Though the Devaronian female was slow she was efficient; a good slave all things considered. Her dim-witted nature was usually just an annoyance but now that was heightened by her anxiety about appearing before the Dark Council.
She was stressed. Six montsh ago the Emperor had placed her in charge of the on-going negotiations with the Hapes Consortium, a small cluster of stars that sat directly between Repbulic and Sith space. The negotiations were important because they would increase their military size by 50% and provide a good staging ground for incursions into Republic space. She was chosen, ironically enough, because of her looks. The women of Hapes had been bred over the last few millennia to be extremely beautiful women. It was even rumored that the Emperor himself had had secret liaisons with one of the princesses.
In addition to this, Hapes was a Matriarchy, run by an Empress, whose husband was sort of a "trophy" to show off before others. Malefice's beauty and power amongst the Sith, especially at such a young age, was meant to evoke the similarities between Hapes and the Empire in order to foster better negotiations.
It had worked to a point. The Happen royalty had been much more agreeable to her presence than to the previous Sith Lord. Moreover, she had discovered a natural gift for negotiations; she had the ability to effectively convince parties to get along and agree, cutting the heart of the matter in a way that made her invaluable to both sides. Despite this, however, the Hapans had been reticent to join the Empire's cause, a fact which Cratylus hadn't let her forget and which the Emperor was increasingly less happy about.
Again she sighed, and began to dress, Ji'inara helping her with the complicated ceremonial garment designed to show off her best features. She hoped it would distract enough for her to defend herself against whatever baseless allegations were coming here way from some jealous Master. But she knew it was a foolish hope. These were the greatest Master's in the galaxy, they would not be fooled by her appearance. And yet, there were times when she saw Cratylus' gaze linger….
She shook her head. She must remain focused. Turning, she looked down at Ji'inara who was strapping her legs properly into the tight leather than made up the body-suit. "When you are done prepare my baggage for my trip to Hapes. It is time to make some progress on these dealings of ours." Ji'inara nodded in response, "Yes, Lady Malefice." With luck and the Force on her side she would push through the Hapans' reluctance and with such a triumph in her hands how could she be denied a spot on the Dark Council. But things needed to go very well.
"You have failed this Council and the Emperor and in doing have demonstrated your weakness!" Darth Karakh screamed. He was livid, his face taut with rage, veins in his neck and forehead erupted on the surface of his drawn, waxy skin. But then, he was always angry; always looking for someone to rage against and intimidate in order to feed his ego. Under the surface, though, Malefice knew he was weak. The man's confidence came only from his terrorizing others who were weaker than he and from putting on blustery airs like he was doing now. But they were nothing. He was nothing. No substance. No power. No will. And so Malefice had no fear.
"You are mistaken, Darth Karakh," she said with a cool demeanor, "I have not failed in my attempts with the Hapans. I have garnered their good will towards us by aiding them in their governmental troubles," a trifle, really, entirely unintended by her but fortunate all the same, "and have thwarted several attempts by the Republic of drawing up alliances with them. We have seen far more gain in the negotiations in the last 6 months than in the previous 2 years." That was subtle dig at him since he had been one of the ones in charge of the negotiations before her.
Karakh eyes blazed with hatred but his intended tirade was cut off. "It is true that you have made progress, Darth Malefice." Darth Ioni slinked from the darkness towards where she stood in the center of the room. The Zeltronian Sith Lord's voice was like the sound of rain on water. It soothed and lulled its listener into feeling at ease.
"And we have watched you with care. Why, it would be irresponsible on our part not to observe the Emperor's pet as she worked her magic." Ioni brushed against hands against the outline of Malefice's body, tracing the edge of her sides up to her shoulders as she passed behind her. The pheromones her species put off filled Malefice's sense. For males the pheromones distracted their attention, making them focus on her body than on her hands, which were usually reaching for her lightsaber. For women the pheromones were a relaxant that's evolutionary development reduced the conflict between two female Zeltron's attracting one male Zeltron. The pheromones simply lessened another female's desire to care about anything at the present moment.
Ioni leaned in close to her left ear and an explosion of smells entered her nostrils each one assaulting her ability to think straight. "But you will not be the Emperor's favorite forever, Darth Malefice. Indeed, you time as his whore may be running out."
These last words snapped Malefice from here light trance. Fury coursed through her and she gave a violent push in the Force and sent an electric surge through her body, zapping Ioni whose mouth had been a little too close to her skin. The Zeltronian gave a muffled cry and was pushed back a few feet. She disappeared into the darkness again, but Malefice could feel her anger radiating through the Force.
"If this is why I have come here, to be talked down to by those too weak to take power for themselves then we are done." This was brave. Too brave. Granted, only half the Dark Council was here, but they could destroy her if they banded together. But the anger of Ioni's taunt still lingered and made her bold. "If you are in need of topics of conversation then let us turn to Darth Aklor's failed attempt on Ordis 9, or Darth Tryll's disaster in the battle of Malachor V. Those are true failures, as are your vain attempts at implicating me in a failure that hasn't even happened yet."
To the right of her she heard the sound of clapping. Out of the darkness strode a tall, dark haired man. Dressed to the neck in an armored suit he stood out as a beacon in the Force. Dark energy radiated around him and the darkness itself seemed to feed on his power. His hair was short; cropped to his ears and he was a mischievous grin on his face as he walked forward, his hand at his sides close to his lightsaber, which hung loosely on his belt.
"Darth Cratylus." She bowed. "Given that you sent your apprentice to get me I was surprised when you were not here."
He returned the bow. Always the appearance of deference, she thought, But I am not fooled by your charade. Cratylus turned to his fellow Masters. "She is right, of course, my friends. And we all know it."
The five Master's – now six – in the room grumbled agreement. Cratylus turned back to her. "But they are right also." She felt the room's collective rise in excitement. "It is true you have made progress with the Hapans and the Emperor sees this. But it still takes too long. The Republic is consolidating its forces and the Jedi are gaining strength. Almost gone is the advantage we gained in destroying the temple. It has been over a decade and we are in no better position now than we were five years ago. Soon we will act and it is imperative that we have the Hapans on our side." Sober murmurs of approval echoed in the room.
Malefice knew what Cratylus said was true. "You are right, my Lord. Even now my slave prepares for my journey to the Tion Cluster. I vow that I will have the treaty soon, and if not, Hapes will regret their refusal."
"No. You will not." Silence. Cratylus was looking directly at her; his eyes fixed on hers. He was gauging her.
"I do not understand."
"The Emperor has a more important task for you. Darth Ioni will be taking your place." Glee filled the Force from the darkness to her right but Malefice was too angry to care.
"A more important task? What could be more important than this!"
"We have received word through our spy network of an ancient temple that bears the marks of the galaxy's oldest Force users. The Emperor is convinced that this temple is one of an early Dark Side user. One of our ancient predecessors. The message has also convinced the Dread Lord that the temple is of Carnass Muir, a pioneer of Sith alchemy, whose knowledge might help us raise an army of Sith Spawn to aid our cause."
The room was filled with excitement and greed. A secret such as this would be enough to win the war. It would be a valuable find. But what were the facts? How did the Emperor know? Why was Cratylus being so cagey? Something didn't feel right about this.
"But why must I go? We need these Hapan troops and I have already built rapport with the Royal family. It must be me! Send Ioni to this temple and let her wiles be practiced on the stones there, for all the good they will do her." Amusement at the verbal jab filled the room, but she knew that with that comment she had made Ioni a permanent and dangerous foe.
"Silence!" All laughter ceased and the Force went still. "The Emperor has spoken. Let it be done. Darth Malefice and I will go to this temple and divine its secrets. Darth Ioni will go to the Tion Cluster to sign a treaty with the Hapans. Our strength will clear our path and the Dark Side will be our weapon. Now go." With that the meeting was over and the Master's left the room. Only Cratylus and Malefice remained.
She was frustrated. Where had this mission come from? Why so sudden? Did the Emperor really think this was that important or was she being put away because of a perceived failure? Emotions roiled within her.
"Be at ease Malefice. You still have the Emperor's ear. He has not forgotten your strength or your power." He smiled at her.
He is amused by this! She gathered herself and released the tension in her body, relaxing a little. "I am just…confused by the suddenness of this mission. What is the nature of the message? Who is Carnass Muir? I have never read of him before. And how can we be sure that what we go to seek is, in fact, there?"
They walked from the room, passing the Marauders who guarded the chambers, and began walking the long hall to the Nexus, the central foyer of the Temple. "In truth I know very little of it. The Emperor is playing this close. He…believes that there is something of some power, an amulet or stone, that will help us. He has stated that the Force showed him a vision of hidden power located on a distant planet. This, apparently, came in concert with the report of the archeological findings. More than that I cannot say."
Malefice frowned. Cratylus was being too open about this. He was usually an unreadable wall of Force energy; a bubble that even her charms could not break. But here he was now discussing intimate dealings with the Emperor? Either he was unsure of their mission too or he was trying to gain her trust. But for what?
They turned into the Nexus and were immediately accosted by the sound of lightsabers clashing. Malefice turned and saw two red sabers dueling in the middle of the room, surrounded by watchers. "Another one," she said and Cratylus rolled his eyes with disgust.
Duels were becoming a frequent occurrence in the Temple in the last few months. For many years this had not been the case. With the war against the Republic occupying so many minds everyone was of sound heart and unified goal: destroy the Jedi. But after a decade of little fighting the Sith had become restless. Inner turmoil began to grip the younger, more brash Sith. Insults were made. Offense was taken. Battles were had. Sith were lost. It was a cycle that disturbed Malefice more than she was willing to admit. They were at war! These Sith should be unified, not slaughtering one another.
The two of them moved closer along the edge of the crowd gathered and watched. The two young Sith were both fighting in Form III, moving aggressively against each other with every stroke; counter, slash, counter, pivot, counter, parry. They were competent in their forms but the fight was pitiful. They both focused solely on their lightsaber technique to the neglect of their Force powers. There was no Dün Moch, no attention given to anything other than their strikes and parries.
"This is disgraceful," Malefice said, trying to put some sarcasm in her voice. "They aren't even good at it! The least they could do is offer the common courtesy of making the show worth the time." She looked over at Cratylus and frowned. He was looking very intently at the fight, his face twisted into a sneer.
"Things like this are tearing the Sith apart." He was angry. She could feel it. His Force aura started swelling. "We cannot afford this!" His voice had risen to a fevered pitch and it shook with rage. Sith who stood near them, apprentices and Master's alike, stepped back, some turned and left, not wanting to see the coming wrath Cratylus would pour out. And pour it out he did.
"WE ARE SITH!"
Malefice braced herself, raising a shield just as the blast he was building let loose. A massive wave of Force energy ripped through the immediate area, tearing up the ground, loosening rocks from the ceiling and toppling the massive statues that surrounded the Nexus. People in the immediate vicinity were thrown 30 yards away, rolling through the air uncontrollably. Even the more powerful Sith were able to stand their ground. Only Cratylus and Malefice remained rooted where they were.
When the dust cleared there were four people left: her, Cratylus, and the two Sith who had been fighting. They were suspended in the air before Cratylus who was holding them in an invisible Force grip.
"WE ARE SITH!"
The two gurgled as Cratylus clamped down on their necks with the Force.
"We fight Jedi! We fight smugglers! We fight the Republic! We fight anyone who would stand in the way of OUR power! WE DO NOT FIGHT EACH OTHER!" As he said these words the young Sith at his mercy shook and Malefice could hear the distinct sound of bones – vertebrae likely – snapping. After a moment the two dropped to the floor. Silence filled the Nexus those who had been witnesses came to grips with the lesson visited upon them. Cratylus let it sink it.
He turned to her, lines tracing his forehead, all the color drained from his already pale face. "Meet me in docking bay 16 in one hour. We depart for our mission."
She gave him a slight bow. "As you wish Dark Lord." With that she turned and walked to her chambers.