Chapter 7. Show Me The Way
Darth Mantus was getting impatient and along with his impatience was a growing ambition. He hid it well with the new techniques his master showed him, but he wanted to be the power behind the Jedi's fall and the rise of the new empire. Mantus was eager to bring down Darth Plagueis and rebuild the army of darkness.
("Yes the system was flawed, but it worked… Now what Kaan should have done was allow anyone to challenge in a duel for leadership then only strong leaders would rule the sith…") He was thinking to himself. It had been years since Kopecz appeared to him and he was subtly searching Plagueis' private archives for a way to summon a force spirit. He was close to his goals when Darth Plagueis gave him a mission.
"My spies tell me that King Hyrem of Naboo has requested a geological survey team… I want you my apprentice to be on that survey team and tell me what they discover… You may handle the situation as you see fit…"
With his new mission Darth Mantus' mood dramatically changed. Darth Plagueis had given him his first unsupervised solo mission and he had full autonomy. Of course there was one rule he had to obey and that was not to draw attention to himself. Mantus wanted to openly oppose the Jedi and the Republic like the sith of old. Not sneak around and make plots and plans like a Hutt.
Through Darth Plagueis' contacts and spies Mantus learned that Geo Star Surveyors a division of Sytech Corporation was handling the survey. Mantus traveled to the Corporate Sector and took the place of the assistant surveyor. The team was made up of a female Bith scientist who was the leader of the survey team. Then there was a Mon Calamari male who was a geo engineer. The rest were humans of male and female sex and finally Darth Mantus who took on the disguise of Nathan Harper.
Their star ship was met by King Hyrem in the royal hanger. With the king was his royal vizier, the governor, a man by the name of Laren of the house of Palpatine. After the introductions were made, the king took the surveyors to the site he wanted inspected.
"Your majesty… May I ask why so many guards…"
He sighed, "The Gunguns… Naboo was colonized by humans over three thousand years ago, but King Palpatine lied about the planet being uninhabited..." Laren shuffled in his seat. "…And ever since then we have been in an on and off again war with the Gunguns…"
Mantus looked at Laren then he asked, "What happened to the king…"
"He was overthrown and killed… by Tasa Amidala… who became queen of Naboo…"
The rest of the trip to the dig site was quiet for no one said anything else as the countryside sped by quickly. When they arrived the surveyors got to work immediately. Darth Mantus noticed it through the force a massive amount of energy flowing from the planet core. He looked at the surveyor droid.
"Can you confirm these readings…"
"Yes sir… Analysis complete this is plasma…"
("Kill them all and blame it on the Gunguns…")
Mantus spun around and found Kopecz's ghostly form standing behind him. "So you finally show yourself after all this time…"
("You have grown strong the time is quickly approaching…")
The droid scanned the area Mantus was looking in but there was no one there, he and the droid were alone. "I beg your pardon sir, but who are you talking too…" Mantus ignored the droid who went into self diagnosis mode to make sure that its photo-sensors were working properly.
"Why?"
("Why do you think… Plagueis will use this planet for his ultimate plan… We will use his plans, but to rebuild the brotherhood…")
"Who are you talking too…" Another surveyor asked entering the cave.
"Sleep…" Mantus said waving his hand. The man hit the floor unconscious. Then Mantus unleashed force lightening on the droid. "There are Gunguns in the cave!" He screamed running up the tunnel. With those words Mantus proceeded in slaughtering the surveyors and the king's retinue. He even gathered a few Gunsguns and placed their now dead corpses in the caves to make it look as if they had really arracked. When the royal guard showed up they only found one survivor.
"This means war!" Governor Navel said; she looked at Mantus, "Did the surveyors find anything?"
He lied, "No milady…" while the the Naboo prepared for war against the Gunguns Darth Mantus met privately with a man by the name of Jarmin Tao who was a lead runner to oppose the king's son as the next king of Naboo.
"You wanted to see me?"
"Yes… What if I told you that Naboo has a natural reservoir of plasma and that I can help you set up an underground distribution net…"
"I would ask two things, what is in for me and what do you want?"
"I am part of a secret organization that wants to remake the republic into the first Galactic Empire… the rewards are you as my Emperor and me the power behind the thrown." After Mantus explained his plan Jarmin agreed.
"How did everything go…" Darth Plagueis asked over the holo-com.
"It went well master…" Mantus explained how he blamed the death of the king and the survey team on the Gunguns, but he left out his side deal with Jarmin.
"Very resourceful Lord Mantus… I have some personal business that I must attend too…"
Mantus grunted, "I thought all your business was apart of the great plan…"
Plagueis laughed, "I have private matters that have nothing to do with the plan… I will be busy for many months… In the meantime do as you will…"
"Thank you master…" When the transmission was ended Mantus smiled to himself. ("Your days are numbered master…")
"Gardolla… This is a surprise… I had a feeling that you set up this meeting…" Thirteen days later Narmon Sing the eldest son of Desav Sing arrived on the pirate world of Carberrax. The planet was under the protection of the Hutts.
"I had nothing to do with this…" Gardolla declared as they were joined by the leader of the black sun, a Dug named Jhama Lok. He also informed them that he wasn't the one who called the meeting.
"Interesting group…" Colonel Bradsaw declared as he entered the room. He was one of the few people to survive the attack on Valor VI by Khaz's men.
"I called you all together…" Mantus said entering the room.
"And who in space are you?" Gardolla asked.
"For now refer to me as Mantus… and I called you all here because you all have one thing in common and that is Chief Magister Tin'sar Demask…"
"What do I or anyone else here have to do with the Magister of the banking clan…"
Mantus was walking up and down among them, "To be frank everything… Tin'sar Demask arranged the theft of the credits that funded the trade federation… Gardolla…" He stopped in front of the obese female Hutt. "It was Demask who bought out the Detrium loan corporation and sold it to Jabba the Hutt…" He turned away from Gardolla to allow her to fume. "It was Demask who framed your father… He was there at the prison where your father was taken and he personally killed Desav Sing…"
"If what you say is true then Demask will suffer very greatly for his crimes against the Sing family…"
"How do we know this is true…" Jhama Lok asked.
Mantus pulled out a holo-recorder and played a conversation between Jabba the Hutt and Tin'sar Demask. "I suppose he is also responsible for what happened on Valor VI…"
"Yes…"
Bradsaw grabbed Mantus by the shoulder, "Why, what is he planning… How are we all connected…"
"We belong to a secret organization… Very powerful and far reaching… They wish to bring down the republic…"
"The trade federation and all its clients…" Gardolla said making the connection.
Jharma looked at Gardolla, "With that much power, the Republic will tare itself apart…"
"Yes and those with the proper connections can reshape the galaxy…"
Sing interrupted him, "The Jedi will…"
"Follow the letter of the law and the ruling government all in the name of peace or be declared enemies of the state…"
"Who or what is the secret organization that Demask belongs too…"
He looked at Gardolla and smiled, "I am not at liberty to say… I will say that if you all follow me then I will help you get your revenge on Demask and that in the new order you all will be kings and queens…" With those words Mantus and his new allies began to form a plan that would bring Demask down and make the galaxy theirs. Now all Mantus had to now, was find an apprentice, then he could build the brotherhood of darksiders.