IV
The winds on Ambria were still. The night seeming to last forever. The presence of Darth Bane, current Dark Lord of the Sith, seemed to be the one who held the planet in a stasis with his sheer presence alone. This man was powerful and terrifying, yet despite being the avatar of destruction, he was the one who created the identity of the Iktotchi female who was originally known as simply the Huntress. Darth Cognus, yes that was her name. Originally she had nothing, the only thing that kept her clinging on to this existence was the thrill of striking down some random sentient and getting paid with enough credits for her to last until the next job. No family, no friends, she for all intents and purposes did not exist. That's why she was perfect for anyone who had an enemy to strike down. That is why she was perfect for Darth Bane to take under his wing. With her new name, she finally realized an existence that she deeply craved, finally filling the empty hole in her heart that desired for a reality of any kind. Now she was going to enter a world that is beyond anything she could ever dream of, a world of unbridled freedom and demonic mastery.
"I can feel the excitement within you my soon to be apprentice. Once the matter with my current pupil is finished, the power and knowledge you crave will be within your control."
She knew that this will be true. Once the fool that is Bane's apprentice is eliminated, she will take their place as Sith apprentice and then eventually Dark Lord herself. Yet there's a thought biting her in the back of her mind. Her visions of the future, which are even beyond the already exceptional levels of her native species, was giving her a different future. The one that she kneels before is not Darth Bane, rather she sees a hooded figure, much smaller then Bane and with strands of golden hair sticking out of that black hood. In her left hand she was holding an ignited double bladed Lightsaber, and to the side of her was Darth Bane. Dead, with his head lodged off his now frail body. She felt the Dark Lord enter her mind and quickly turned her attention towards Bane, his eyes boring into her and making her feel the danger of death itself standing before her.
"Your visions, what do you see?"
It was some time ago that Cognus told Bane of her power of clairvoyance. That ability is after all how she's able to track her prey with terrifying accuracy. That is how she used to impress Darth Bane by discovering where the little princess known as Serra decided to run off to. After striking her down, she was then anointed the night before with the Sith Name that Bane blessed her with. But recently she has been troubled by the images of a being dressed in robes that were blacker than the night, the only thing visible are the strands of gold and fiery eyes that outshone even the current master of the Dark Side.
"It's nothing my master. Just a distraction of the mind is all."
Bane continued to glare at her, knowing that was not the case.
"Cognus, you know fool well that's not the case. Tell me what you have seen. The future of the Sith truly rests upon your shoulders, and if it is threatened in any way my duty asks of me to stop it. Or perhaps it is you who will undermine the glory of our order, if that's the reason you hide from me?"
Cognus gulped a belly-full of air and looked at her masters eyes. His glare was akin to a Supernova, the dual explosions ready to tear her apart by the atoms. She licked her lips and conceded to Bane's desire.
"I see a figure. A figure of great power, dressed in complete black as though it was a shadow. The only thing I can make from it besides the darkness that surrounds it is blond strands of hair, so I assume its humanoid. And its eyes. The eyes were burning yellow and red, clearly it was plagued by the usage of the Dark Side."
That's as far as she decided to go, holding her tongue in fear of what the revelation of her master slain by this being will stir within him. Bane was no fool however, and urged her to go on and tell her the whole vision. Once again she conceded to her Master's dark powers of persuasion.
"I saw you my Master. Dead, slain by the shadow in my visions. I also saw myself in this vision, and I was kneeling before the Shadow. As though it were my Master."
Bane gave a hint of surprise at this reveal, but then shone a smile on his face. He then chuckled, and finally erupted into a laughter that traveled throughout the night. Zannah was confused, wanting to know why he was in a hysterical state. She then immediately thought of Zannah, the current apprentice of her master. Could this Zannah be related in any way to her visions? She had to know, but Bane was one step ahead of her as his laughter stopped and looked at Zannah with a stern face.
"I realized that I have not fully told you of my current pupil. Darth Zannah is her name, a human female and from what little you have described this 'shadow' I quickly connected the two together. Only she has the power to dethrone me and become the next Dark Lord. Cognus, you say that your visions are forever accurate, are they not?"
Cognus simply nodded at her masters question. Darth Zannah. So that was the Shadow in her mind and the name of the Bane's apprentice? Not only that, but she was a female as well. She did not expect that the current being vying for title of Dark Lord was a woman, then again she's seen and heard things much more surprising. The voice of Bane quickly brought her back to attention.
"If what you say is true, then she finally has the power to succeed me and become the next ruler of the Sith. Truly, she fulfills my requirements that I laid out for the next generation of Sith. There will only be two, no more no less. A master to embody the power, and an apprentice who craves it. Once the apprentice is ready, they will slay their master in a duel of the fates and take their rightful place as master. If that is my destiny, then so be it."
Cognus was shocked at what she was hearing. Darth Bane, the man that she felt was truly both an unstoppable force and an immovable object, was accepting death. How could this be? If that's truly what the fate of the Sith will be like then why must she accept this kind of destiny that will eventually result in death. Bane quickly stopped her mental process with his frightening presence.
"My young apprentice, you must realize that the Sith must evolve. We cannot stay in a stasis for too long of a time. We will grow old and lazy and complacent. That is why when the master and apprentice are in their primes the apprentice will become stronger by striking down their master, in turn giving the Sith much stronger power as a whole. However, the master does not always accept death. If their apprentices are too weak they are entitles to keep their title of Dark Lord for as long as possible, until eventually they must either find a way to continue their youth or destroy the Jedi, for they are now the peak of Sith Power. Who knows my young Cognus, you could possibly be this peak that the Sith will eventually hit. As for my death, do not worry. I always have an ace. Basically, only partially will your vision come true."
This brought some solace to Cognus, who was afraid of eventually having to see her own apprentices blade be brought down upon her neck. But what did he mean in his final words? What did Bane have that will only make her vision partially true? Some ancient power of the Sith that only he knows about? It matters not, for she truly has faith in her master and she knows that her vision will not occur.
"Come Cognus, for now we rest. Eventually Zannah will come to us, and she will be brought down. From there, you will take her place as my apprentice."
Cognus asked if it were possible that Zannah could arrive with reinforcements, and if so she could take part in the final duel. Bane dismissed the idea, knowing full well that Zannah will not risk the secrecy of the Sith no matter how large the cost. With this knowledge Cognus promised Bane that she will not interfere. One final question was eating her insides however, and so she let the words that she dreads slip from her tongue.
"What if you do lose, my master?"
Bane stopped in his tracks and turned to look at his soon to be apprentice.
"Then she will become your new Master Cognus. If she is able to defeat me, she is worthy to be my successor, and in turn your teacher."
Somehow this comforted Cognus. That was truly the Sith way, and if she is to embrace its ideas then she must be ready for anything that might occur. Now they waited, and stared at the stars ahead. A standard hour later, the Theta-class T-1 shuttle known as Victory finally descended from the sky and unto the soon to be battlefield which Bane stood. Cognus was hiding in the nearby rock formations, combining both her talents of assassination and her natural abilities of the Force to erase her presence. For a few seconds there was silence, Bane was standing in from of the Shuttle while the vehicle itself has not opened. Finally, the doors revealed itself. Emanating from the opening was a powerful wave of energy that rivaled even Darth Bane. From the steps the same hooded figure from Cognus's vision descended from the vehicles belly. She was truly a reaper, this Darth Zannah. The most terrifying aspect was her eyes of course, gleaming like a feline ready to slaughter their prey. She continued to watch the master and apprentice, both were exchanging words that she could not hear. Darth Zannah finally removed the hood that obscured her face and once again surprised Cognus. This time however instead of terror she felt pleasantly surprised. Before she could dwell upon her new thoughts the voice of the Sith was finally heard by her.
"Darth Bane, no longer will I serve under you. Just like the tenets that you laid upon me, I promised that once I reach a great enough power I will now strike you down. Come, let this be the last time our blades cross in battle. I will now be Dark Lord of the Sith!"
Her voice was deadly yet angelic, such a rare combination thought Cognus. She truly was powerful but at the same time held a feminity that many would have lost when dwelling this far in the Dark Side. She patiently awaited Bane's response and in turn Zannah's.
Finally, just like a red bolt of lightning from the dark skies of Ambria, their blades crossed with power that resonated across the Planet. Darth Cognus will now await for the victor, and soon she will hold this power.
There's the beginning of my next installment in my story! Hope you all enjoyed it. I hope that I can keep up this pace of writing, can't wait to get into the details of Cognus's and Zannah's relationship. For now, farewell my fellow readers and writers. As for the Kun X Ulic story, make sure to check it out some time. I might tweak it in the next upcoming days, might not.