"So, Lone Star, now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb." - Dark Helmet.

Sith Gothic 2

Part 13

We'd stayed on Dxun for a while. Mostly because I'd been expecting the civil war on Onderon to start up soon, and it had seemed foolish to leave only to have to come back again. But so far there had been no war. Apparently both sides were still talking to each other, my guess was that the Sith faction that would support the general hadn't formalised an alliance with him yet.

The group had used the time wisely. We'd all done plenty of combat training with the Mandos, and we'd helped them with some of their problems earning their trust, to an extent. Hopefully they'd pay me back later when it came time to take on Visas's master, aka the Lord of Hunger.

I'd decided today that we had to get moving again because sooner or later the Sith working for Darth Sion would find us or much worse the other Dark Lord might turn up and eat all life on the planet. With this in mind I'd called together the crew of the Ebon Hawk.

"We're going to Dantooine to find Master Voork" I told everyone "Not that I really want to, he's kind of dick, but we will need the help of the Jedi to defeat the Sith, well the Sith who aren't me".

I wasn't a threat to the galaxy since unlike the other Dark Lords I wasn't a total basket case. Also Kreia was going to kill all the Masters, but that suited me as I wanted both sides wiped out so we got a clean stat and the fighting stopped.

Of course I also had to make sure that something of the Jedi survived so that the could rebuild. Perhaps there were more Jedi out there, or maybe someone would find a holocron. Really it didn't matter the Force would seek balance, the Jedi would return.

"Query: When do you plan to take care of these poorly put together imitations of me, Master?. They wish to assassinate you, and they will not desist because the fat one claims to have revoked the termination order".

By 'fat one' he meant G0-T0 who was a big round droid.

Theory: As I have postulated before, if we could only locate more of these units, I could locate the place of their origin, and we could obliterate these cheap copies at the source" HK then said.

We might get around to that.

"If they are hunting me then we're bound to run into more of them sooner or later" I told the droid "but if we don't we can always go back to Nar Shadda and track them. Might not be such a bad idea to go back. I want to make sure that Telos is getting its fuel".

For the life of me I couldn't remember why I'd decided to solve Citadel Stations fuel problem, it had made sense back when we'd been on the Smuggler's Moon drinking at that bar. Well if nothing else there be a reward for something for helping the station.

"Indeed," Goto said. "Though I must question your methods. Obtaining fuel from a Hutt will only solve the situation at Telos on a temporary basis, and the Hutt will most likely increase his prices once he realises how desperate Telos is for fuel".

Right now I wondering how the restoration efforts were going. I'd not gotten involved with the troubles between the Ithorians and that evil corporation because I'd gotten myself a shuttle from the local crime boss. After I'd help put her in power. Because of this the Ithorians might be having trouble healing that world.

"Vogga's slimy like all the Hutts" Mira the bounty hunter commented "but he is fairer than most."

Well it wasn't really my problem anyway. What was my problem, was the arguing. Everyone decided to voice their opinions of the matter of the fuel. Which they didn't really care about they just liked to argue. I had to wait for them to calm down before I could speak again.

Personally I wanted to go to Korriban right now, but Kreia would only prevent it. I had a feeling that Korriban would be where this would all end. Which made sense as Malachor meant nothing to me, and my life as a Sith had started on Korriban, and that was where this story would end. I'd not foreseen it in a vision, it just a feeling.

"Atton, set a course for Dantooine" I commanded.

With this people went their own ways. Only Mandalore stayed in the conference room. He took of his helmet and gave me a quick smile.

"You've taken on a lot of responsibility here" he said

Indeed I had.

"Revan dealt with the same thing when I knew her," he told me. "Before you joined, back when we were still learning to work together, everyone on board this bucket of bolts was arguing over where we should go and why".

I'd been more focused on Ballista back then so I might not have noticed the friction between other people. But even if they'd not gotten along that well to start with they had grown as a team. This crew was very different. No one here like each other, they just wanted to be near me.

Kreia wanted a student and a weapon to use against those who had made her suffer. Handmaiden wanted to know more about the Force, and might be attracted to me. Visas wanted me to kill her Master, or possibly be killed by him. G0-T0 saw me as a tool for his goals. HK just wanted to shoot things. As for Atton, I really did think it was a matter of him just not having anywhere else to go. At least T3 was on my side.

And to make matters worse, these were the good guys. Which just sucked because they were nothing compared to the last group I'd worked with. I missed Jolee and cat girl, Big Z, and Mission who'd always been able to make me smile. I even missed Carth, at least he had a valid reason not to trust me. I also missed Bastila. I really wished Revan was here, if only so she could take my place and defeat the Sith.

"Just remember, this is your ship and your crew," he went on to say. "Do what you need to do to get them to work together. Find a way to win their loyalty or at least make them fear failing you".

If I only knew what that was.

"And how about you?" I asked "How do I earn your loyalty?".

Canderous smirked.

"You don't because I'm not part of your little band. Right now we have the same goal" he told me "To defeat the the Sith, just like back in the day. If the Sith destroy the Jedi, the Republic will fall, and my people will be either eradicated or enslaved. The clans, they are my people, and your crew they aren't. As Mandalore, my duty is to the unification of the clans not to babysit you".

Which was his way of saying that he wasn't going to help me get this ship in order.

"That said I would like your help reuniting the clans" Canderous was now saying "Mandos tend to be where the trouble is and your just the kind of person who finds trouble".

The Ebon Hawk bucked, and the hyperdrive hummed loudly enough to be heard as Atton took the ship into hyperspace. The jump had been a bit rougher than normal. Perhaps this was because we didn't have that alien tech guy on board. Once we reached Dantooine I'd have to get a real engineer take a look at the ship.

"What will you do once you've gathered enough people?" I asked "Going to have another war?".

I suspected that they wouldn't. They just didn't have the numbers or the resources any more.

"Our next battle need not be fought against the Republic," Canderous said by way of answer "After we've dealt with the Sith, we'll need to spend some time rebuilding".

Well at least he wasn't holding a grudge over what had happened to Reven, and given that he had the mask of Mandalore I figured that the Revan had gone off the Unknown Regions as I'd expected. Perhaps I'd join her. Hopefully she wasn't too made about me killing her, or at least mortally wounding her. I actually didn't know which it had been, or even how I'd defeated her.

"That witch you have on board let me know what she thinks about the future of my people" Canderous informed me "I don't suppose you've seen anything about things will work out for us".

I did have some ideas.

"The future isn't set, but yes I've seen your people in the future" I let Mandalore know "They will still be fighting many thousands of years from now".

He laughed just a little.

"You and me got plenty of trouble ahead of us, kid" Canderous told me as he put his helmet back on "I'm looking forward to it".

He then left, so I went up to the cockpit and sat down in the copilot's seat. He must have heard my conversation with Mandolore as he commented on it.

"I could help you bang everyone's heads together, if you wanted," Atton volunteered.

Before replying I checked our course. Just in case Kreia had messed with Atton's head and made take us somewhere else.

"Given how long its going to take us to get to Dantooine I might take you up on that offer" I told him "We'll see how it goes".

Atton turned to face me.

"So I couldn't help noticing that your not eager to find this Jedi Master" he said.

I'd actually met Vrook before. Back when I'd joined up with Revan and her crew. Of course back then I'd not been the main character, and the Jedi hadn't been too fussy about gaining allies so Vrook hadn't bothered me. Now I was going to have to interact with him. It would not be pleasant.

"Truth be told. I'm not overwhelmingly anxious to see Master Vrook," I confessed.

Which was an understatement really, and perhaps I would have spoken more on the subject but that was when Kreia telepathically summoned me.

(Line Break)

"What do you think you would accomplish, if you were to train the servant of Atris?" she demanded as soon as I walked into the room "Her mind is closed to the mysteries of the Force. Some little Sensitivity she may have, but all her life she has been trained to block out the Force, its currents".

I'd not offered to train the Handmaiden. All I'd told her was that being Force Sensitive ran in families.

"The blinded one will not betray you I have foreseen this. The fool and the huntress, at least, pose you no danger. But to train such a one as the servant of Atris would be a folly".

Ah so Kreia had seen me training Handmaiden in a vision.

"If you will not consider your own safety, consider hers. Already her sisters despise her. Would you have them reject her entirely? And what of Atris? She will not forgive this betrayal" I was warned.

Kreia's forte was as always manipulation, as such I always took what she said with a big pinch of salt.

"I'm not worried about Atris's feelings" I told the old witch "I know that before this is over I will kill her or she will kill me. Nothing will change that".

Kreia inclined her head, subsiding for the moment. She was angry. I could feel her anger, simmering beneath the surface like water coming to a boil.

"If this is true. Then training the servant will make little difference" my mentor told me "Have you foreseen yourself fighting Atris?".

In a way.

"Yes" I said "But I don't know the details. Always in motion the future is".

Kreia, who had calmed down mostly, bidded me to sit with her.

"I have taught you to hear, it now time to teach you to see" the old witch was now saying "To see the present, the future and the past".

She was talking about Force Vision, a power only the strongest of Force Users could control. Yoda, as one of the Jedi Order's most powerful masters, was able to see into the future at will, at least some of the time, he understood that Force prophecy was not absolute and that the future was always in motion.

Anakin Skywalker had extremely powerful Force visions, but only in his sleep, and his visions were never known to be wrong. He foresaw the death of his mother following terrible torture by Tusken Raiders and was unable to stop it, his mother dying in his arms.

Later, he witnessed through the Force his own wife's death in childbirth and was determined to prevent it from happening. Unfortunately, he neglected to remember the fact that such visions are not absolute; what he saw was something that might happen. Skywalker fell to the dark side and became Darth Vader to try to prevent it, but ironically he instead caused it to happen; when his wife discovered what he had done, she was horrified and badly wounded by her husband in his rage, subsequently dying after delivering her children.

During his training under Yoda, Luke Skywalker experienced a vision of his friends in danger on Cloud City, on Bespin. Because of this, despite his training being incomplete, he rushed to aid his friends, ignoring the warnings of both Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi that such a decision was rash. And he lost a hand because of it.

One of the most powerful Sith Lords of all time, Darth Sidious was able to use the dark side to peer into the future and manipulate events on a galactic scale to suit his ends. Despite this, he was unable to foresee his own end, when Darth Vader turned from the dark side to help his son Luke to overthrow him

It seemed to be that sensing the future was rather crap because visions never came with much in the way of context. Which was why I'd stopped paying attention to mine. There had been a time when I couldn't dreaming about the future. That still happened, but I tended to ignore it.

Perhaps it was time to explore this power, and to see if it could be useful, but I would never totally trust it.

(Line Break)

Once more I sat with Kreia as she trained me.

"We've talked about many aspects of the Force, but it occurs to me that we've never once touched on the subject of lightsaber combat," I said. "I've been trained to use a lightsabre, but there's no much more to lightsabre combat than what I know. I sometimes use two blades, or one. I've never really found my own style".

Kreia stood up very quickly.

"Follow me" she ordered.

She led me across the ship. She led me all the way to the port side dormitory. Which as ever contained Visas, who usually spent the majority of the her time in here meditating

Kreia addressed Visas about as kindly as she spoke to anyone who wasn't myself, and she was rarely nicer to me.

"If you travel with us, blinded one, then you shall work for your passage on this vessel" she said.

Visas stood up, but faced me

"Kreia wants you to help keep me up with my lightsaber training," I translated for her "I know your not that skilled in combat, but you're the only one of this ship who I can train with".

I wouldn't be risking anyone's else life because there were such thing as training lightsabres, and I had some of those on board. These weapons reacted as normal lightsabres if you wanted to deflect blaster bolts or spar, but they also acted as solid when meeting anything else, so it was like training with a wooden sword. Sure you could beat someone to death with a training sabre, but that would take a lot of effort, it wasn't something you were likely to do by accident. Still unless you used them against someone else who had the Force their lack of precog and enhanced reflexes meant the training didn't last long.

"Your lightsaber. Give it to me," Kreia ordered her tersely.

Visas' hand flexed around the grip if her weapon

"I shall die before it passes from my hands," she declared.

Kreia merely extended her hand.

"Your lightsaber. Give it to me," she repeated, more forcefully.

This was all very tense.

"She's not going to do anything bad with it" I told Visas "Let her inspect the weapon".

Visas handed the weapon over upon hearing my reassurance, and Kreia activated it, looking it over. She was judging Visas based on the quality of the weapon, at least in part.

"The crystal I took from the condensed mists on..."Visas began.

Kreia cut her off, handing back the weapon.

"It is adequate," she said dismissively. "You are young. Your energy for such things surpasses mine. And your skill is enough that you both will benefit from this training".

My mentor then handed out the training blades.

"Now. Try to hit her with the single blade," Kreia told me "Use only that weapon".

I switched on the practice blade.

"Fine. Visas? You ready?" I asked,

"This is no Echani etiquette ritual!" Kreia cried out "Do not ask her, attack her!".

I glared at her.

"Fine!" replied

I then looked at Visas.

"Let's get started" I said.

I waited for Visas to make the first move, mostly to spite Kreia, by taking a defencive position, but my sort of apprentice, did nothing. So I made the first move Then she blocked and did more blocking. She refused to strike at me.

While at first, she merely defended herself, then later she sometimes replied to my thrusts with an attack of her own. As more time passed Visas grew bolder, testing my skill with the blade.

Kreia had said 'try to kill.' But neither of us did, not really. I was using a practice saber, anyway. They could break bones, if you swung hard enough. But they could not cut people in half like a real sabre. I was pretty sure that I could beat something to death with this device, but that would be messy and needless.

I picked up speed and started showing off my knowledge of Form V. Form V, also known as the Way of the Krayt Dragon, was created by Form III masters who desired a more offencive style, since the defencive nature of Form III often led to prolonged combat, which was potentially dangerous for its practitioners.

Over time Form V evolved into an accepted style by combining the defencive manoeuvres of Form III with the more aggressive philosophy and tactics of Form II.

Form V required a higher level of physical strength than the other lightsaber forms, due to its focus on complete domination of its practitioners' opponents. It was considered the most physically demanding of all the forms.

Warriors such as Anakin Skywalker and Darth Bane, who would use this form in the future, favoured Form V, because of their physical strength and height. Traits I shared since I was far stronger, and even a little taller than I had been in my life on Earth. I also used it because I had a lot of raw power in the Force.

During this match I was holding back since Visas was tiny compared to me, and I had no desire to harm her, if only because she was useful to me.

"When you meet my Master, he will not hold back!" Visas shouted at me. "You must be prepared for anything. Strike me!"

I battered her weapons aside and hit Visas on the shoulder, she didn't cry out, but I could sense her surprise. Had that blow been real I would have cut in half from shoulder to hip.

Once she was ready to keep going Visas took up a defencive position , and we resumed. Time and again I battered my way through Visas's defences and hit her hard enough that she had to stop sparring with me. I must have bruised her, but she never called out in pain.

"Enough!" Kreia called out.

I stopped, and switched off the practice blade.

"You have defeated her," Kreia told me. "Perhaps tomorrow we shall continue, with two lightsabers instead of one."

She then took the practice sabers, returned my own lightsaber to me, and left the dormitory.

"Are you alright?" I asked the blind woman.

"Anything that I may do to help prepare you for what lies ahead I will do. My pain is meaningless, so long as you succeed" she replied "Everything I am is yours".

She might be saying just so I'd lower my guard around her, but still I couldn't help finding it pleasing that she was so devoted. It was also arousing. As a Sith I didn't hold back when it came to my passions so I decided to make use of what Visas offered.

"Let's have sex" I decided.

Visas' face remained emotionless.

"If it my body that you desire, it is my body you will have" she replied.

I started by sticking my fingers into Visas' pussy so that I could get her nice and wet. Visas moaned softly, not moving if she could help it. She just let me do what ever it was I wanted, and she seemed to enjoy me using her as she got very wet, very quickly. Which quickly led to me sticking something else inside her.

(Line Break)

On the second day I practised wielding two lightsabres until Kreia told me my performance was acceptable, however she also informed me that against a master of the sabre my duel wielding wouldn't aid me.

I was most certainly right handed, and while letting the Force guide my actions somewhat made up for not being able to use both hands equally, there were limits, which was why so few Sith and Jedi ever used two blades. Most went with a single blade or a double bladed sabre. Revan had been able to wield two sabres, but she'd always been something special.

In the end Kreia advised me to use a single sabre, but carry two, that way I could duel wield unexpectedly, which could be enough of surprise to my foes to grant me victory. Which I already did, so really that advice hadn't been so helpful.

On third day, though, Kreia didn't bring the practice sabers from the garage. But when we arrived in the port side dormitory, she still extended her hand for mine.

"Today I wish you to divest yourself of your weapons" she ordered.

I looked at her, then handed over my lightsaber. Visas made to do the same, but Kreia didn't take it.

"You, blinded one, you will keep yours" the old witch instructed.

Visas waited for me.

"Do as she says," I told her.

I noted that Kreia seemed pleased by my control over Visas.

"Let us see what you can do when you have no weapons left to you" Kreia said next.

I took up one of the Echani battle stances the Handmaiden had taught me. Visas activated her lightsaber. Looking straight at Kreia the entire time as if waiting for something.

Acting I shoved out with the Force and threw Visas back. She didn't hit the wall too hard. Not that it mattered, she was so broken already that I couldn't really hurt her physically. Even if I killed her she'd see it as a mercy. I also used the Force to bring her sabre to my hand.

Once the fight was over Kreia rose from her seat on the floor, and she was not happy.

"You have disobeyed me. Why?" she demanded to know.

"I did not disobey you," I told Kreia "You didn't say I couldn't use the Force".

Nothing was said for a while.

"No, I did not," Kreia replied at last. "Why did you use the Force?".

"Because she had a lightsabre and I don't" I answered "It would have been really stupid of me attack her with my bare hands when she has such a deadly weapon".

"It is enough" the old witch then said "There is nothing more for me to teach you. You know as much of battle as I"

She walked away, back toward the starboard dormitory and I turned to Visas.

"Are you hurt?" I asked.

Visas didn't answer. At least not directly.

"My life for yours" she said.

(Line Break)

After yet another training season with Visas, she was getting good with the lightsabre, I figured she was learning far more than I was, but from me there was improvement as well, I was approached by the Handmaiden.

"Why do you spend so much time with that Sith?" she asked.

She might have meant Kreia, but since I'd just finished training with Visas I assumed she meant the blind seer.

"We're training" I told the warrior woman "Not that it's any of your business".

The Handmaiden looked annoyed.

"I can train you" she offered.

No she couldn't.

"I'm training to become better with the lightsabre" I explained "You can't use that kind of weapon. Well you could, but you're not Sith material and good look finding a Jedi to train you".

While things looked grim for that lot I was sure that the Jedi Knights would rise again. It was the way things worked as the Force sought to balance things. One group would rise and then the other would, only in turn to be toppled again. The only way the fighting would stop is if both groups just left each other alone. But even this galaxy wasn't big enough for both groups.

"You are not a normal Sith" the Handmaiden remarked.

With that she just left. Which was odd.

(Line Break)

Brianna, commonly known as the Handmaiden, shrugged off her clothes and stretched. She was now in the cargo hold, wearing nothing but her black bra and panties, and she was prepared to exercise. Which was about all she could do on these long trips.

The Handmaiden turned as she heard someone draw close. She then saw the man who was an enemy of the Jedi and the Sith alike, but yet also allied to members of both groups. He was a master of the dark side, and perhaps he'd also be her teacher.

Gothic sealed the door to the bay shut, a precaution against prying eyes, but he didn't remove his clothes, and the Handmaiden couldn't help noticing that the Sith Lord admired her form. He was more subtle about it than Atton at least.

"You offered to train me" the dark lord said.

She shifted into an Echani fighting stance, and prepared to fight.
But she might as well have not bothered as the Sith Lord used the Force against her.

She tumbled backwards, staggering, and then straightened. It hadn't been a strong attack. He wasn't trying to hurt her, he was just showing her what kind of power he had.

But Brianna wasn't simply going to give up, she believed that she could fight a Force User, even a powerful one like Gothic. So she gritted her teeth, and leaped through the air, raising a leg to slam it into his face. He twitched a hand and swatted her into a wall. As she rolled to her feet, he gestured again, and she again fell to the ground.

"A real Sith Lord or Jedi Knight would beat you easily" Gothic said.

Then when she got up again the darksider used the Force to pin her against the wall. He was smiling now, just a hint of superiority on his features. She grunted with effort as she tried to resist the power holding her in place, but it was pointless.

"You could call upon the Force to free yourself" Gothic advised "If you knew how".

Brianna then dropped to the ground.

"Just something to consider" the sith lord said as he turned to leave.

The Handmaiden did consider it. She thought of little else for days to come.