Chiss Space

Jagged Fel entered the detention facility of his Capital Ship the Star Destroyer Tenacious. He stutter stepped as he entered the hallway leading to the interrogation rooms. A pungent odor reminiscent of defecate and perspiration permeated the air. As he moved closer to his destination the smell became stronger until his stomach started to lurch and his eyes water.

Lieutenant Roulth, his senior interrogator exited the room at the end of the hallway and gasped. Upon seeing his commander he popped to attention. "Commander Fel. The prisoner is in the interrogation room as ordered."

Jag's handsome face screwed up with a nauseous expression. "Please tell me you intimidated him so much that he soiled his pants."

The Lieutenant shook his head as he ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. "I wish that was the case sir. It appears we have picked up the most overpowering Tof warrior in the Firefist galaxy."

Jag grimaced. He hated dealing with the Tof. He found them disgusting. They were undisciplined, bad mannered and had the worst hygiene of any species in the galaxy. The Tof leader they had in the detention room was found in command of a Old Republic era battle cruiser and the Chiss and Empire were curious as to who was providing weapons to them. "Did he tell you where he acquired an Old Republic warship?"

"No, we used low level persuasive techniques first, sleep deprivation, isolation, temper variations within his cell, but he is defiant. Should I bring out the Interrogator droid?"

Jag thought about it for a moment. "Try to stay within the Galactic Alliances rules regulating the treatment of prisoners. I don't want to be the officer that does something to run counter to our treaty." Jag's eyes closed to narrow slits. "What I do want you to do though, is get him into a restraint chair and wheel him down to the shower and get him cleaned up. If he's not going to cooperate then I see no need for us to tolerate his wretched body order."

"Yes sir," the Lieutenant said with a curt bow of the head before doing an about-face and returning to the interrogation room.

Jag brought his sleeve up to his face and tried to filter out the stench entering his lungs. He then went to return to his cabin to change and shower. Every time he was around Tof warriors he felt contaminated by their horrendous smell.

Planet Lorrd: Kanz Sector

Lorrd City, the capital of Lorrd was an incredibly beautiful municipality with fountains, parks and plenty of universities. It was a cultural center of the planet that valued higher learning. Jacen reached out with the Force looking for Lumiya, but so far he had yet to detect her dark presence. When somebody cleared their throat from behind him he was so startled he almost went for his saber.

"Calm down," a veiled woman said to him coolly.

Jacen immediately realized this was Lumiya. She was petite in height like his Aunt Mara and although her face was veiled, he could see her piercing green eyes glaring at him and graying redhair flowing out from under her hat. He wondered if all of the Emperor's hands were green-eyed redheads. "I can't sense you with the Force." Jacen looked at her but didn't see any ysalamiri on her person or nearby. He then realized that she couldn't be using ysalamiri because he could still feel the Force flowing through him…he just could not sense the Force within her.

"There is at least one additional Jedi within Lorrd City. I do not wish my presence to be known. That could make things difficult for both you and I." She turned and started walking away. "Come with me. I have a ship in the nearby docking bay."

Jacen gave her a cold defiant look, not trusting the woman. "I decided to meet with you, but I never agreed to go anywhere with you."

She stopped and turned. "I don't have time to argue. Your wife and daughter don't have time either."

Jacen shook his head but found himself falling in step next to her. "How did you find out about my family?"

She shrugged. "Your grandfather told me. He didn't want his great granddaughter perishing. He is a bit of a softy when it comes to family."

His eyes hardened. "Ha," Jacen said sarcastically. "He tortured my mother, his own flesh and blood and then chopped off his son's hand. That doesn't sound too soft to me."

The gaze in her green eyes softened. "He was a different man back then. He has been trying to make amends." She stopped when she realized he had slowed his pace. "Either come with me or don't."

"How about I pull out my lightsaber and arrest you for being a murderous Sith?"

"You could, but you won't. You're curious and I can sense in you great frustration. Wouldn't you like to make this galaxy right? There are great evils out there. I have seen them in my meditations. I'm sure you and other Jedi have felt the shift in the Force. There will be pain, anguish and despair. Billions of people will suffer and the fate of all sentients will be in danger." She gazed at him intently. "The galaxy will need a leader in place that can make the hard decisions. Someone who can fight off the newest enemy, without regard to ends and means. For the galaxy to survive we need a ruler with a backbone."

"And I suppose that leader would be you?" Jacen asked scathingly.

"No, this is beyond my abilities, but I have looked for such a leader. Your Uncle Luke is too immersed in Jedi codes and rules. His children have the same mentality. Your Aunt Mara may have the tenacity and fortitude to lead, but she won't go counter to her husband. That left me with you or your siblings. Of all of them you look the most level headed."

"I am just like my Uncle," Jacen protested but continued walking by her side. "I have studied the Jedi code all my life. I doubt you can make me falter."

"I'm not here to make you evil, Jacen." Lumiya said defensively. "I have too much respect for your family. Your mother suffered greatly under the hands of Grand Moff Tarkin and your Uncle Luke has been fighting for a better galaxy since he joined the Rebellion. And your Aunt Mara…well…we started out the same way. We both served Palpatine, but she got some lucky breaks I was not afforded."

Jacen made a scoffing sound, but Lumiya pressed on.

"It's true. After Skywalker shot me down my identity was revealed. I became a hunted woman, an enemy of the Rebellion. Mara Jade was also a hunted woman, but she was hunted by Ysanne Isard, the Director of Imperial intelligence. When the Rebels were victorious, Isard was dead but I still had a price on my head. Mara Jade could start over thanks to Skywalker and the Solo's vouching for her. Nobody was there for me. I am more of a victim of the war than the villain."

"Oh, my heart breaks," Jacen said sarcastically. "You could have gone to some rimworld planet, got a job and stayed under the radar like a billion other former Imperials."

Lumiya sighed. "I could have, but I didn't and I regret it. Maybe I am trying to redeem myself before my life ends." She turned to him ever slightly. "Half of my body is cybernetics and the other half is not functioning the way it should. I have an artificial liver and that never can work as well as the real thing."

"So you are dying?"

"Yes," Lumiya said.

"Good," Jacen replied.

She glowered at him but did not respond.

Jacen followed Lumiya back to her ship all the time thinking this was a very stupid idea. He had absolutely no cause to trust her. The only reason he came to Lorrd was because of the Force vision he received from his Grandfather. He now wondered if that had been real or not.

While he was on his quest of knowledge he learned from the Fallanassi how to do what they called the 'mirror illusion'. He could project an illusion where the specifics were filled in by the mind of the victim. Could Lumiya have done that to him? Could she have sent the illusion of his grandfather and the contents of the message turned to his family because that is what he had been meditating about previous to the encounter?

Or could have his grandfather felt his troubled soul and actually came to help?

He could ask Lumiya, but he doubt he would get the truth until she got him to follow her to wherever she wanted him to go.

Jacen stopped suddenly. "I'm not going anywhere with you," Jacen backed away a step, ready to strike with his lightsaber if she tried to stop him. But to his surprise she did nothing but look at him sadly.

"Jacen, I could open myself up to you so you could sense my intentions, but the other Jedi stationed on Lorrd could also pick up my presence. When we get into orbit I can drop my cloaking and you'll see."

He shook his head. "By then I'd be in your clutches."

She laughed. "You don't think you can out fight me? You must have a pretty low opinion of yourself."

Jacen bristled at the comment but would not be baited.

Lumiya frowned and tried another tactic. "Why did you come here if you weren't willing to follow through? You're Uncle Luke or Aunt Mara wouldn't be scared of me. When we get into orbit I'll drop my cloaking and if you sense any deceit on my part—then kill me right there and then. I'll even surrender my weapons to you now." She paused for a moment. "Unless you come with me and hear me out, I won't tell you what the assassination plan is."

Jacen's shoulders slumped. "Fine, I'll go with you. You surrender your weapons outside the ship and I get a chance to search the shuttle for additional weapons before you board."

Lumiya smiled. "That is acceptable."

Chiss Space

Jag had just finished showering and changing into a new crisp uniform when his comlink chirped. He picked up the device and saw it was an incoming message from Lieutenant Roulth.

"Yes," he said as he keyed on the comlink.

"Sir, the Tof prisoner talked. Would you like a personal briefing or wait for the written report?"

"You can tell me now."

"He said he did not know for sure where the ship originated but it appeared shortly after his superior made contact with a person named Lumiya."

"Lumiya…she's a Sith," Jag clarified. "When Sith are involved it is usually not good. Anything else?"

"No and I am pretty sure we got the whole story from him. He was quite terrified."

Jag frowned. "I told you to avoid the use an interrogator droid."

Jag could hear laughing on the other end of the comm connection. "I didn't sir. We wheeled him down to the shower facility as you ordered and he went berserk. He pleaded for us not to make him shower. He spent years developing his fearsome smell and if he went back to Tof society smelling like soap he would be ostracized. I made him a deal. Tell us what he knows and I will send him back to his cell unbathed."

Jag smiled. "You may want to contact the other ships picking up Tof pirates in our space and let them know that particular torture technique. Good work, Fel out."

He clicked off the comm device. He went over to his private subspace transceiver. First he would make a full report to Admiral Pellaeon and then contact Jaina and let her know Lumiya, the Dark Lady of the Sith, was sighted in the area.

Star System MZX3290S, Near Bimmiel

A gray, lumpy asteroid filled the transparisteel viewport of Lumiya's small ship as they made their final approach. Jacen had disarmed the Sith prior to entering the shuttle and confiscated all weapons he found within. As she promised, Lumiya dropped her cloaking technique and he could not sense any ill intentions on her part. Reluctantly, Jacen decided to accompany Lumiya.

"No wonder nobody has seen much of you lately," Jacen said out loud as he gazed at the large piece of space rock floating up ahead.

She turned to him and smiled. "I prefer privacy…and not getting arrested for war crimes. It's an iron asteroid that was once a fairly large mining colony before it was abandoned centuries ago. It was called the Jonex Mine Eight Eleven B. I discovered it while researching Sith lore on Dromund Kaas."

Jacen gave her a puzzled look. "Why would a mining operation be mentioned in Sith literature?"

"You'll feel the reason when you get there. It is steeped in the darkside. It was once home of primitive mynock-like creatures that eventually mutated or evolved to be able to use the darkside of the Force for survival. They are long gone, but the residue of the darkside remains. The previous mining director was a Force sensitive. When he discovered it was a reservoir for darkside energies he intentionally mismanaged and bankrupted the company so he could close the mine. He then purchased the asteroid and built his home within the planetoid."

She slowed the ship as it approached a large shuttle bay carved out of the stone. She maneuvered deftly bringing the ship down with only a slight bump. The large bay doors slowly slid shut behind them and Jacen felt a small jolt of anxiety when he realized he was now trapped in a darkside stronghold with a Sith and without anybody knowing where he was.

Lumiya didn't seem aware of Jacen's anxiety. She stood and smiled like they were old friends as she unbuckled her crash webbing and stood.

"It will take a few minutes for the station's artificial gravity to dial up. The droids will attach a flexible airlock corridor that will bring us to the exterior hatch. From there it is a short ride down turbo lift to what I call The Home."

Jacen unstrapped himself from this webbing and stood. "You said you had information concerning my family. Remind me again as to why you couldn't tell me whatever you needed to say while I was on Lorrd?"

"It's just one of those things you must see to fully understand. Everything will be explained in due time."

There was a clunk as the droids successful attached the airlock corridor to the ship. After a few minutes the air cycled into the passageway and the airlock doors opened.

Jacen paused, but Lumiya had no hesitation and walked swiftly out of the ship and down the Plasteel hallway. Jacen weighed his options but decided if he made the wrong decision he made it on Lorrd. He hurried after the Dark Lady catching up to her when she arrived at the main hatch. She keyed a code and door cycled open. They stepped in and then exited the small room into a long hallway. Lumiya walked a short distance down the hall to the first turbolift and keyed the 'down' button. The doors opened and she entered. When Jacen didn't follow she motioned him to follow. "Don't worry, if I wanted to kill you I would have done it long ago."

"Death is not what I am worried about."

A faint smile appeared on her face. "If you are truly a good man Solo, you have nothing to fear of the darkside. It, in itself, is not aggressive. It's not like an Anzati, with their tentacle-like proboscises slithering up your nostrils and stealing your soul…along with half of your brain. The darkside doesn't attack you. It is like a lover that you have to welcome into your life."

"So the darkside is an eager lover, not a snot vampire," he shook his head in incredulity. "That is an interesting analogy."

"The darkside is not sentient. It is simply misused. Don't misuse it and you will have nothing to fear. And in doing so, you will open yourself up to all aspects of the Force." She motioned him to enter the lift again and this time he joined her. She pushed a button the turbolift jerked as it moved down into the depths of the asteroid. "The darkside can be used without becoming evil. And I will prove it to you."

"I don't care if you prove it to me or not," Jacen said impatiently. "Do you have information concerning my family's welfare?"

"I do, but there is a price for the information. You must allow me to explain the greater danger to the galaxy and given the opportunity to prove to you that you must know both the dark and light knowledge of the Force to overcome the evil."

"What if you don't prove it to me?"

"Then I will give you the information promised and bring you back to Lorrd."

"And what if I return to your 'home' with a dozen Jedi to destroy it?"

She shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I only have a few months of life left." She turned and gazed deeply into his eyes. "I have learned much in the last few decades and it bothers me that this knowledge may die with me."

"And why is that?" Jacen asked.

"The few surviving Prophets of the Darkside on Drumond Kaas have foretold of an evil, timeless entity awaking within our lifetime. They have tried to see how it could be conquered but they said the future is clouded. When they look forward they see a warrior that is neither light nor dark in the Force. They believe it must be a Master of the unifying Force—a person who uses the dark and light side equally. You are knowledgeable in the light side. Your uncle is an excellent instructor, but where will you learn the skills of the darkside? I am the last known Sith…or, at least, a student of the Sith."

"Why don't I teach you the skills of the light side, then you can become the savior of our universe?" Jacen pointed out smugly.

Lumiya pulled a piece of her graying red hair behind her ear while she thought about his offer. She had discarded her veil while on the shuttle and Jacen could see her brow furrow in thought. Finally she shook her head. "No, my cybernetic limbs reduce my touch with the Force. I can't possibly defeat this thing that the prophets have seen in their visions."

"So you want me to become a Sith because some outer rim backwards mystics predicted gloom and doom. They are charlatans otherwise why couldn't they foretell the need to put a durasteel screen over the Death Star thermal exhaust port."

She gave him a disapproving look. "Don't be disrespectful. They were the instructors of the powerful darkside adepts called The Emperor's Eyes."

Jacen laughed. "Palpatine wasn't very creative with his titles, was he? The Emperor's Hands, Emperor's Eyes, The Eye of Palpatine. I'm surprised he didn't name the Death Stars after himself. He could call them Palpatine's Death Balls."

She glowered at him. "I see you your reputation of having a droll sense of humor is well deserved, Jacen."

The lift came to a halt and the doors opened into large hallway with black marble floors. The two stepped out and walked down the impeccably clean corridor. After a short distance the hallway opened up into an enormous circular chamber with a curved ceiling made of transparisteel. The room resembled a college library with bookcases built into the walls and levitated catwalks allowing access to the books, flimsies and holograms lining the top shelves. There were a few places were the shelves were devoid of books but instead held statuettes, art, nicknacks and other souvenirs of a lifetime of living.

It was a beautiful and functional room, but it also reeked of the darkside. The intense Force sensations momentarily stunned Jacen. Master Yoda had once instructed his Uncle Luke that the darkside was not stronger, just a quicker way to gain power. As the dark currents swirled around him, Jacen wondered if the Jedi were warned away from the darkside because it could make a Jedi too powerful. If a person was susceptible to greed, power or desire he would be hard to stop if he harnessed all this power.

"Intoxicating, isn't it?" Lumiya said with a smile.

"More like corrupting," Jacen countered.

"And so we come to the reason I brought you here. It is to show you that darkside power doesn't have to corrupt if used by a restrained and virtuous disciple of the Force." She motioned to a statue bust of a middle aged man. "This is Darth Vectivus."

Jacen studied the statues features. He was a stocky looking human with wavy hair and an angular chiseled face with a straight nose and square chin. He looked like a typical bust made to honor political leaders on Coruscant and other planets within the galaxy. "I've never heard of him."

"That's because he never did evil. He didn't build super weapons to subjugate an empire; he didn't kill and torture people. He was a good man. He used the darkside to help him in business and to grow his wealth legally. He was a patron of the arts, philanthropist and inventor. He had family and friends that he helped prosper and he died of old age surrounded by people who loved him. He was also Sith." She pointed to the statue. "He is proof that the darkside in itself is not evil. If you are disciplined you will not fall."

"And why should I believe any of this? You are a known liar."

"I think I have told you a number of times that I am dying. I have no reason to lie."

"You could be lying about dying," Jacen pointed out.

She let out an exasperated breath. "Do I need to give you my medical records?"

He smirked. "That couldn't hurt."

She went over to an ornate couch and stretched out on it looking exhausted by the conversation. "I have been all over this galaxy looking for a way to heal myself, but what I found was something else—something disturbing. From Korriban to Ziost to Dromund Kaas all the prophets and seers I have talked to have foreseen a shift in the Force to the darkside."

"So, you are a Sith. That would be good for you."

She shook her head. "Not if this ancient darkside evil was intent on enslaving or killing all in the galaxy…including Sith." She shifted on the couch to face Jacen better. "I have done some horrible things in my life, but now I have an opportunity to redeem myself. When I die I want to go into the flow of the Force…I don't want my soul tormented and wandering the netherworld."

Jacen crossed his arms across his chest, his face turning into a scowl. "Listen, I personally don't care about your soul or your redemption. You said you had information for me. Tell me now…then maybe I will entertain your soul-searching, deathbed quest for forgiveness and an apprentice."

Lumiya gave him a look of irritation. She probably had a long, rehearsed speech and he was ruining her prepared scene. "Fine. A little over a week ago I was contacted by a Tof leader that I worked with in the past. He was given the task to contact me for an assassination mission. He would get a Starship battlecruiser for finding me and getting me to take the assignment. I would get a substantial amount of credits if I could fulfill the mission."

"And what was the mission?" Jacen asked.

"I was given DNA samples of the Queen Mother and her…and your daughter, Allana. I was to contact a former Imperial geneticist to use the DNA to create a militarized nanovirus that would kill them."

Jacen stiffened at the news. "You haven't contacted the geneticist yet, have you?"

She shook her head. "I was about to when Darth Ve… you grandfather intervened and convinced me not to do things as planned."

Jacen stared at her for a moment thinking he felt a flicker of deceit on her part. "My grandfather said the assassination was ordered by Ta'a Chume. Do you have proof of this—proof that I could use in a Hapan court?"

She shook her head. "No, I can give you the datachip and perhaps your Galactic Alliance Guard can gain information from it. I guess somebody else could have ordered the hit."

Anger boiled up within Jacen. He was sure being surrounded by the darkside didn't help improve his temper when it came to this subject. "It wouldn't be the first time that black-hearted bishwag put out a hit on her own flesh and blood." He said through grinding teeth. He looked up to Lumiya. "So, what now?"

"Jacen, if I don't do the job, another assassin might be contacted."

"Are you saying I have to kill the geneticist?"

"No, but you can use his skills…for other purposes."

"What do you propose?"

"Jacen, if he can design a nanovirus to specifically kill two people, he could also design an antidote for those people. The royal families have been inbreeding for thousands of years. I am sure a nanovirus could be created that would only affect those with royal genetic markers…and if your family are the only ones immune…well wouldn't that make life on Hapes so much safer for your family?"

Jacen stood still—shocked by the proposition. He felt sick to his stomach because what she was suggesting would be an answer to his problem. "Yes it would," Jacen finally admitted softly and cautiously, appalled that he would even consider such thing. She was talking about wiping out possibly tens of thousands of people. Not all Royals were guilty of assassinations and political backstabbing.

She sat upright and looked at Jacen sympathetically. "You know it would be for the good of the Consortium and possibly for the galaxy, but you balk because of your Jedi code. That is why a Sith is needed to save us. A Sith can look at a situation and do what is best for the majority. He has foresight to see that sometimes bad things must be done for a greater good."

"I can't do that," he muttered to himself. "Besides, a nanovirus wouldn't kill royals off planet," he pointed out as he tried to convince himself that this was something that shouldn't and couldn't be considered by a Jedi.

"True, the Royals off planet would not be harmed," Lumiya agreed. "But it would do enough harm to cripple the royals. They would be so frantic about shoring up their wealth and titles within their own houses that I doubt they would have the time or energy to covet the position of Queen Mother." Her eyes went hard. "Jacen, the fact that your marriage is kept secret tells me the Queen Mother is being held hostage by the nonstop assassination attempts and the expectations of the royals, true?"

Jacen went over to a large padded leather chair and sat down heavily. "Yes."

"Wouldn't you like to end the madness and bring order not only to Hapes but the galaxy?"

"Of course I would. So would every Jedi in the order, but it can't be done without committing atrocities."

"So for the sake of a code you will standby until the assassins get lucky…and one day they will succeed…and kill the two women you love. And then you will sit by, like a good little Jedi, and watch the Galactic Alliance rot from within. Torn apart, not by Sith, but common non-Force wielding, power-grabbing politicians." She gave him a knowing look. "Jacen why do you think some people are granted access to the Force while the great majority of the sentients will never feel its touch. It's because we are expected to use our power to make things better, to lead and guide, and sometimes to kill. If by killing one man you would save a thousand, would you do it?"

Jacen thought for a long time pondering the question before he answered. "Yes."

"So if it is acceptable to kill one to save a thousand, then it should also be equally acceptable to kill one hundred to save one hundred-thousand, or to eradicate a thousand to save a million." She gazed at him intently. "You can make a difference, but your Jedi code is holding you back."

He shook his head. "This argument is pointless. Even if I wanted to use the darkside for good, I wouldn't be allowed to walk a free man for long. If I used the darkside, Uncle Luke would immediately sense it."

"Not if you could learn Force cloaking. As you found out on Lorrd, it is very effective. I could teach you."

Jacen's frustration with the constant death threats on his family bubbled up to the forefront of his brain. If he could get rid of the Royals then he and Tenel Ka could live out in the open as a married couple despite his Jedi blood. In fact, the survival of Tenel Ka and Allana from the nanovirus could be attributed to their strength in the Force.

"I…I can't make a decision of this magnitude without taking time to think and meditate. Give me time," Jacen said slowly. "In the interim, can you teach me the cloaking technique?"

Lumiya gave a broad smile. "Certainly."