Episode 17 – Manhunt
Betrayed! Following her betrayal and exile at Malachor, Darth Lumiya now seeks revenge against her former master, Darth Akul! Together with the Nightsister: Silri, Darth Lumiya travels through the galaxy, in search of a new Sith Master! Meanwhile, the Jedi and the Republic are alerted to Darth Lumiya's actions as she flees through the Outer Rim and organizes a hunting party under the leadership of Jedi Master: Kyle Katarn, with the objective of bringing the renegade Sith Lady to justice!
Karthakk System…
Station 1138 was a former Trade Federation Prison Station predating the Clone Wars by two or three years that had been taken over by pirates and mercenaries, having been transformed into a hub of black market and other illicit underworld activities. A market had been set up throughout one of the old prison blocks. One of the old cells played host to a Bivall run "medical" clinic. The "clinic's" sole doctor sat in her own patients' chair, waiting for a patient when the door to her "clinic" flew open, revealing a tall woman in dark clothing but with a head of beautiful long red hair.
"You are Doctor Belius correct? You perform under-the-table medical procedures, specifically cybernetics?" The woman stated as the Bivall doctor sat up.
"Who's asking?" the doctor asked. The woman reached into her back pocket and held up a fist full of credits.
"Someone who's willing to pay for your services." The woman said with an implying smile. The sight of the credits made the Bivall smile.
"Then you have found Doctor Belius. What sort of procedure are you in need of?" Belius asked. The woman stepped to the side to allow a cloaked figure to hobble into the room, the figure was hobbling because most of their left leg was a crude cybernetic peg-leg.
"My friend here needs a replacement cybernetic leg, one more functional than the one she has now." The woman said as the figure climbed onto the chair.
"Hmm, I might have something that can take care of this." Belius said before turning towards a wall of cybernetic limbs. She looked through the various compartments until finally finding a slender and slightly effeminate looking leg that looked like it had come off of a protocol droid of some form.
"This should do it. It's modified off of an old BD-3000. The foot however was…borrowed from an old battle droid. The droids themselves…well they won't have need for it anymore. It's been modified to be compatible with most cybernetic implants. Let's see what we're working with here." Belius said as she picked up the leg, placing it on a surgeon's tool table before sitting down and looking at the existing leg on the patient. The Doctor began to disconnect the few circuits connected to the leg before removing it.
"Whoever did this work ought to be blasted. The implant base is high-end, at least for ten years ago, but to stick a simple metal rod in as the leg? Now that's just criminal. Or was this a temporary solution?" Belius asked.
"The fewer questions asked, doctor, the greater your reward." The woman replied with a cold glare as she stood behind the chair.
"I can work with that." Belius replied, tossing the peg-leg onto a pile of discarded parts. She then took the new leg and started attaching the circuits on the implant base to it. After a few minutes she then held the leg up and pushed hard towards the patient, the leg letting out a loud clunk as it locked into place on the implant base, the patient letting out a pained hiss.
"Sorry about that. That's your nerve endings reacting to the new stimulus. Most of those circuits don't appear to have been used with your old one and were left to dangle. The pain will wear off eventually. Go ahead and give it a try." Belius said as the figure climbed off the chair, shifting their weight as they adjusted to the leg, bending it, rotating the foot a little to test its mobility.
"Well?" the woman asked, impatiently.
"A perfect fit." The patient replied as she pulled back her hood, revealing a tattooed face and a head of hair kept in dreadlocks.
"Excellent, now about my fee. Credits are fine but I prefer-ACK!" the Doctor gasped as she started choking, literally being lifted off the ground by an unknown source. The woman in black then stepped out from behind her, a hand raised towards the doctor as she affixed a black mask over her nose and mouth with her other hand.
"Thank you Doctor. You have been most helpful." Lumiya said as she pulled her usual black headdress over her head, clinching her raised hand into a fist and snapping the doctor's neck through the force before releasing the body.
"What's next, Nightsister?" Lumiya asked Silri who started rifling through the doctor's assortment of parts, picking up a few seemingly random parts.
"We've still got only one light-whip between us and a vibroblade. Frankly I'd rather not be stuck with just a vibroblade. Time to use a real weapon." Silri said as she deposited the parts into a small box.
"You honestly expect to find the parts for a lightsaber here in this orbital cesspool?" Lumiya asked.
"Most of them, yes. But there is one thing we will need that we won't find here. We'll need a lightsaber crystal and those are virtually impossible to come by." Silri replied, continuing to rifle through the parts.
"We lack the tools and equipment needed to manufacture a synth-crystal and the ancient locations of naturally occurring crystals have long since been looted and destroyed." Lumiya stated.
"Then we shall have to steal one." Silri said, closing the lid on the box.
"And how do you propose we do that?" Lumiya asked, skeptically.
"We draw out those who wield a lightsaber. Preferably a Sith. I prefer a nice shade of blood red to my lightsaber." Silri said as she stepped out into the halls, Lumiya following close behind.
"When do we go before our new Master? I'm beginning to wonder if he even exists." Lumiya said, glaring at Silri.
"Patience Lumiya. The Master won't be pleased if we come before him unprepared. We will need our weapons when the time comes to stand before him." Silri explained.
"Very well, I'll play along for now. How do we go about drawing out our enemies?" Lumiya asked. Silri grinned at this and drew her vibrosword.
"Like this." She said as she quickly spun and ran her sword through a passerby. She almost instantly turned and started cutting through the other civilians, causing an immediate panic. Some of the civilians drew blasters and started firing at the two Sith but Lumiya activated the light whip and deflected the shots before lifting some of them up into the air with the force, strangling them to death while Silri unleashed force lightning on a squad of mercenary soldiers, electrocuting them to death. The two Sith Ladies proceeded to move throughout the station, slaughtering all in their path.
Meanwhile on Ossus…
Jacen, Tahiri, Kento, and R4 were roaming the halls of the academy, no particular destination in mind.
"Thanks for loaning us R4 for the mission to Raxus, Kento. He proved quite handy." Jacen said.
"Think nothing of it. R4 was telling me earlier about having found a Starspeeder in the wreckage. Really made his day." Kento replied, glancing at the astromech with a smirk.
"So what have you been doing since my grandfather ordered you to take some leave from the battlefield?" Jacen asked, earning a glare from Kento.
"First, I wasn't ordered to take leave. I was encouraged. Second, I've actually been spending time on Kashyyyk. Dad recommended I make use of our old homestead there and there's a certain…tranquility about the jungles of Kashyyyk that helps me relax." Kento said as Jacen gave a thoughtful nod.
"I forget that you were born on Kashyyyk. I guess maybe that's how you earned the nickname Scruff from Mirta." Jacen said as Kento shrugged.
"You were born on Kashyyyk?" Tahiri asked, curiously.
"Yeah. Spent the first four years of my life between Kashyyyk and Corulag. My dad was born on Kashyyyk too and was raised there until the Empire came and he began his training under you-know-who." Kento replied.
"It's why he's able to communicate with Wookiees so easily. He was raised around them." Jacen added.
"Would that have anything to do with why we saw you on Kashyyyk during that whole incident with Sev and the slaver camp?" Tahiri asked.
"Yes and no. My reason for being there for that incident was because dad asked me to help set up Kashyyyk's defenses. He asked me because he knew I had strong ties with the Wookiees. It's why I like heights I guess. Give me a treehouse any day over some boring old hovel on the ground." Kento replied.
"What's Corulag like?" Tahiri asked, Kento scowling slightly.
"Boring for the most part. We went there occasionally to visit my mom's family. Cold bunch of stiffs. I had about only one cousin that was about the most civil towards me…oh and my uncle Solan. He and mom get along swimmingly and he likes me." Kento mumbled.
"Solan? I thought it was Sol'ar?" Jacen asked as Kento rolled his eyes.
"Common misconception. Sol'ar was his nickname. It was a misprint on his old Imperial ID card. He just rolled with it since he thought it was funny. His real name's Solan Eclipse. He's my mom's younger brother and the leader of Eclipse Squadron." Kento replied.
"You get out there often? To Corulag?" Jacen asked.
"Not if I can help it." Kento mumbled back. They then heard a voice calling to them from behind. They turned and saw Kyle running after them.
"Master Katarn? What can we do for you?" Kento asked.
"Actually I was looking for you, Kento. You have the private comm code for Ailyn Vel right?" Kyle asked.
"Yeah but why would you want that?" Kento asked curiously.
"Because I want to hire her." Kyle replied simply.
"Wait, a Jedi Master, a member of the Jedi Council, wants to hire a bounty hunter?" Jacen asked, all three of the younger Jedi standing confused.
"Luke's asked me to lead a manhunt for the Nightsister: Silri, Ailyn Vel's former cellmate on Malachor V. We need her to see if there's any more information she can share with us about the Sith Empire and any potential weaknesses they might have. I figured Ailyn might be interested in joining the hunt and earning a few extra credits on the side." Kyle said as Kento shrugged.
"I dunno. Last I spoke with her, she was adamant about spending some time with her daughter on Mandalore. But I can at least give her a call and see what she says." Kento said as Kyle gave a nod.
"Good. Don't suppose you'd like to join my little task force. I know Anakin's got Liberty Group under his command and on station at Dantooine for a while so you don't have a fleet to command which means you've got some free time." Kyle said as Kento shrugged.
"Sure why not? Sounds like fun." Kento replied.
"Mind if we tag along?" Jacen asked.
"Sure. We could use some extra Jedi. Meet us at docking platform seven. We'll be there as soon as we've spoken with Vel to see if she'll come aboard." Kyle instructed, Jacen and Tahiri bowing before walking off.
…
In the temple communication's room, Kento and Kyle stood before a hologram of Ailyn, seated in a reclined posture, performing maintenance to her helmet.
"Your offer's tempting Scruff. Mand'alor knows I owe you for the rescue and all but I'd really like to spend some more time with Mirta. Haven't seen much of her throughout all this. Besides, I have a duty to teach her how to survive." Ailyn replied.
"I understand. Tell Mirta I said hello." Kento said with a smile. Ailyn gave a nod back.
"You actually just did. She's listening in." Ailyn replied as Mirta popped into the hologram.
"Hey Scruff!" Mirta waved. Kento smiled and gave her a wave back.
"You staying out of trouble kid?" Kento asked.
"She is trouble." Ailyn mumbled with a smile.
"Well I won't keep you then. Take care you two." Kento said.
"Right. Oh and Scruff, thanks again. I'll call you in a few days to let you know where to pick me up. I've still gotta few dar'jetii di'kuts to shoot before this war's over." Ailyn said before the hologram shut off.
"Well we tried." Kyle said with a shrug.
"Yeah but the galaxy's full of bounty hunters…and I think I know a tracker that might be willing to help us. He's also Mandalorian, the son of a Clone Commando and a Jedi Knight from the Clone Wars: Venku Skirata." Kento explained.
"You think he might be willing to help?" Kyle asked as Kento shrugged.
"It's worth a try." Kento said, turning to the holotable as R4 opened the transmission. After a few seconds, a fully armored Venku appeared, holding a holoprojector in hand.
"Ah, su cuy'gar Marek." Venku stated.
"Thanks…I think. Still fuzzy on Mando'a. Anyway, Venku, I was wondering if you'd be up for making some credits." Kento said as Venku removed his helmet.
"I'm not a bounty hunter or a mercenary, Marek. Credits don't interest me that much. But that doesn't mean I won't hear you out. What do you need?" Venku asked.
"We're forming a team to hunt down a rogue Sith. It was the Nightsister that Ailyn shared a cell with on Malachor. Ailyn's already turned us down in favor of spending some time with Mirta so we extend the offer to you. As I recall, you were able to track us down and follow us during that whole debacle before the war started." Kento said as Venku pondered for a moment.
"Hmm…An interesting proposition. What are the conditions?" Venku asked.
"What are your terms?" Kyle asked back.
"I bring my own gear and get my own private bunk on whatever ship we're taking. You can pick me up at Concord Dawn. Mand'alor asked me to check on a few things there. I'm already on my way there so I should be done by the time you arrive. Nothing major, just a few small troop inspections and a grave I feel the urge to spit on. It's a long story. Don't ask. Once I've finished and reported to Mand'alor, my time will be my own." Venku replied.
"Fair enough. We'll meet you there." Kyle said as Venku gave a nod.
"I look forward to working with you again, Marek. Skirata out." Venku replied, his hologram disappearing.
"Alright, looks like we've got ourselves a tracker." Kyle said as he, Kento, and R4 started walking out of the communications chamber.
"Yep. So shall we take my ship or yours?" Kento asked.
"Neither. Jan's running supplies to our forces at Mon Gazza with the Raven's Claw and there's not enough room on the Mynock for everyone on our mission. The Council's got a whole corvette picked out for us. Has a volunteer pilot that I think you know very well." Kyle replied with a smirk as he put his arm around Kento, who looked at the ex-Rebel Mercenary with suspicion.
…
A modified CR90 Corvette dropped out of hyperspace over Concord Dawn, the corvette bearing markings of the Jedi Order. It was well armed as the CR90s went, meant as a deterrent for pirates. Kento stood on the bridge, standing behind the pilot's seat.
"So dad's still on Coruscant?" Kento asked his mother, Juno Eclipse-Marek as she sat in the pilot's seat.
"Yes. He could tell I was getting bored just performing the same maintenance routines on the Rogue Shadow's replacement every day so he suggested I do some volunteer work for the Order. Heard about Kyle's mission to track down the Dark Jedi and figured it would be a nice distraction for a while." Juno explained.
"I was on Kashyyyk a while ago. You could've come and spent some time there. Could've used someone who knew how to cook." Kento said earning a glare from his mother.
"The cooking droid was in the kitchen closet, that second door inside the pantry. I thought you knew that." Juno said as Kento face palmed.
"Inside the pantry! I knew I wasn't crazy!" Kento groaned, earning a smile from Juno who shook her head.
"Well you are your father's son. Crazy goes with the territory along with exceptional bravery." Juno said as her sensor console started beeping.
"Receiving a signal from Venku's shuttle. He's requesting permission to dock." Juno said.
"I better go and meet him." Kento said as he turned and ran out into the hall. He met up with Kyle at the port airlock just as they heard the loud clunking of the airlock engaging. Soon the door opened, revealing Venku standing in the doorway with his helmet on.
"Permission to come aboard?" Venku asked, stepping in anyway.
"Well seeing as how you already are." Kento said, extending a hand, the Mandalorian firmly grasping it and shaking it.
"Marek. Good to see you again. And you might be Kyle Katarn. Mand'alor's told me about you. Stole the Death Star plans…impressive." Venku said to the Jedi Master.
"Welcome aboard the Spirit of Obi-Wan, Mr. Skirata. You can call me, Kyle. Titles make my skin crawl." Kyle said as Venku gave a nod.
"Fair enough. Call me Venku." Venku replied as they started walking through the corridors. The ship was manned by several Republic Soldiers bearing armor that displayed the markings of the Jedi Order. They were the Temple Guard, volunteer soldiers and security teams that served the Jedi Order in whatever way they could.
"So do we have any leads regarding Silri's whereabouts?" Kento asked.
"We've received reports of two women going on a rampage onboard a space station in the Karthaak system. Security footage IDs one of them as the Nightsister we've been looking for. The other woman is an old friend of ours and I use that term loosely." Kyle replied, activating a small holoprojector which displayed a hologram of Lumiya.
"I recognize her from Malachor. Ailyn said her name was Lumiya?" Kento asked.
"Yeah but we know her from before that. During the Rebellion, we knew her as Shira Brie. She was an Imperial double-agent. She had been sent on a mission to either kill or disgrace Luke in the eyes of the Rebels and, for a time, succeeded in disgracing him. Obviously we were able to prove his innocence but that's made her a target ever since. It seems she fell in with Akul's Sith and has subsequently outlived her usefulness to the Empress. They both have Imperial Death Warrants out on their heads." Kyle explained.
"Looks like the Empress isn't the forgiving sort." Venku said as they entered a conference room where Jacen, Tahiri, R4, and a Major of the Temple Guard were seated around the conference table. Juno was just entering from the bridge.
"You could say that." Kento replied as they all took their seats around the table.
"Alright everyone, I'd like you all to meet Venku Skirata. He's a Mandalorian Supercommando and has agreed to help us bring in our target. Our destination is Space Station 1138 in the Karthakk System. It's an old Trade Federation prison station that's been taken over by a number of pirate and mercenary elements. An ally of the Republic's, a pirate captain based out of Lok, intercepted a distress call from the station claiming that two women were attacking the civilians and killing everyone in sight. Everyone on the station fled or died as a result but the pirates have the station surrounded and are threatening to blow it to pieces." Kyle explained.
"What's stopping them?" The Temple Guard Major asked.
"We are, actually." Kyle replied.
"When the Pirate Captain informed us of the situation, we asked him to blockade the station and prevent them from escaping so we could go in and capture them." Juno added.
"Okay so what do we know about our targets?" Jacen asked.
"Yeah, like why can't we just let the Pirates destroy them?" Tahiri added.
"Our targets were once apprentices of Darth Akul, the Empress and leader of the Sith Empire. Silri, the Nightsister, has already proven that she possesses some knowledge of how the Sith have acquired their army. We need to capture her and find out what else she knows." Kento replied.
"The other is Darth Lumiya and, Kento I feel I should warn you, the two of you have something in common." Kyle said, earning a confused look from both Kento and Juno.
"I'm not sure I follow." Kento said.
"Well, to put it bluntly, you both were trained by the same person." Kyle replied as Kento realized what he meant.
"Ah she was trained by Vader. Interesting." Kento said, a smirk on his face.
"So we're to capture both Sith and bring them in for interrogation?" Tahiri asked, verifying the orders.
"That's right but we need to make it quick. Word travels quickly through the underworld and it is likely that word has gotten back to the Sith Empire that two of their former leaders are trapped in the station, and the Karthakk system is perilously close to several Sith controlled systems. It's possible that they may send ships to either capture them or execute them. Either is possible." Kyle explained.
"Then I suppose all I can say is, may the Force be with us." Jacen said as they began to stand up.
Meanwhile…
Darth Stalker, having recovered from the incident on Nar Shaddaa, approached the throne of the Empress, dropping to one knee in silent reverence. His helmet and armor had been fully repaired and enhanced. He now wore a full bodysuit similar to Vader's with a cowling around his helmet making appear similar to Vader's (The Dark Lord's Armor variant of the Sith Stalker Armor).
"I have a new assignment for you, my apprentice. Darth Lumiya is no longer one of us and now seeks refuge in the Galaxy's underworld. She is accompanied by another former member of the Hands: Darth Silri, whom I had imprisoned within Malachor V before the Republic raided it. You are to go to the Karthakk system and destroy them both. Do not let them escape and kill all in your path. Leave none alive." Akul ordered, Stalker said nothing before rising to his feet and turning to leave.
Karthakk System…
Lumiya and Silri both stood in the command center of the station, standing over the dead bodies of the station's administration, looking out at the Pirate cruisers surrounding the station through the viewport.
"They haven't fired. They're waiting for something." Lumiya commented.
"No, they're keeping us here. They mean to make this station our prison. Rather fitting considering it was a prison station once." Silri replied as she turned and set her box of parts on damaged holo-table that was flickering. The table had been damaged during their fight into the command center. She proceeded to dump the box's contents out onto the table before pulling a chair over and sitting down.
"I suspect that we might have succeeded in capturing the attention of the Jedi." Lumiya said, continuing to stare out at the ships while Silri closed her eyes, her hands open and facing upwards in meditation. The parts on the table began floating up into the air, slowly spiraling upwards.
"I sense a great disturbance in the force. Something is coming." Silri replied, the pieces beginning to line up in an orderly row across in front of her.
"Indeed. The Jedi are almost here." Silri said as the pieces began to come together, forming a cylinder shaped object: a lightsaber.
"You realize that won't work without a crystal. Isn't the acquisition of a crystal the whole point of this endeavor?" Lumiya asked as Silri took hold of the incomplete lightsaber, affixing a long coil of some form of cable to the end of the saber.
"Yes but that doesn't mean I cannot construct the whip in the meantime so that when I finally do get the crystal, it will be a simple matter of installing it, rather than building it from scratch. I like to plan ahead." Silri said, clipping the lightwhip to her belt. Lumiya was still looking out the viewport as her eyes narrowed.
"I sense something else…I sense…I sense him. He is coming." Lumiya said, a look of visible fear on her face.
"Courage, Lumiya. He is the strongest of the Hands, possibly even stronger than the Empress, but I believe he won't be as eager to come for us once he encounters the Jedi." Silri said, standing next to the Dark Lady.
"What makes you so sure?" Lumiya asked.
"For one, I know what's beneath Stalker's mask. It was quite a surprise to me when I saw it." Silri said as Lumiya glared at her suspiciously.
"What do you mean? Who is he?" Lumiya asked.
"You already know the answer. I'd've thought you of all people would be able to recognize his presence in the Force. Isn't it familiar to you?" Silri asked back but Lumiya was still confused. Silri saw her expression and shrugged.
"Guess we'll just have to see if his presence doesn't jog your memory." Silri said with a scowl as they both watched out the viewport just as they saw a CR90 Corvette dropped out of hyperspace.
"And it appears our hunters have arrived." Lumiya commented.
"I think we should prepare a proper welcome for them." Silri said as Lumiya smiled beneath her mask, both of them turning to leave.
…
Onboard the Spirit of Obi-Wan, the Jedi, Venku, and several dozen Temple Guards were preparing for the encounter.
"Alright, remember, we want the Sith alive. Set your weapons to stun." Kento instructed.
"Also this is a search and rescue. If there's anyone still alive on that station, we're to rescue them. The Pirates have a medical station set up on Lok nearby and are willing to help." Jacen added.
"Pirates with a sense of nobility?" Tahiri asked, surprised, as she pulled on a pair of boots.
"They're the Lok Revenants, led by the Feeorin, Nym. He's an old friend of the Rebellion's and of the Jedi. He's willing to work with us." Jacen explained as Kento noticed one of the temple guards in the back acting suspiciously.
"Hold on a minute. You there in the back!" Kento yelled, the guards parting to reveal a face Kento recognized.
"Private Mead what the hell are you doing here?!" Kento asked, a little perturbed at seeing the soldier from his unit amongst the Temple Guards.
"Volunteered, General." Rayon replied, standing at attention as Kento loomed over him.
"You know him?" Venku asked.
"Yeah he's a member of Boma Company, a battalion of soldiers under my direct command. Why he's not with them right now is something I'd like to know." Kento said, still looming over the private. Rayon fumbled to reach into his shirt and pulled out a small red crystal on a simple string around his neck.
"You arranged for me to be tested for force-sensitivity sir. I was on Ossus for the test and had just completed it when I heard about your mission to the Karthakk System. My transport for Dantooine was delayed so I volunteered to come along on the mission sir." Rayon explained, his answer placating Kento.
"Okay, well that makes me a little less annoyed. Wish you had told me though." Kento said.
"Sorry sir, but I didn't have a chance until now." Rayon replied.
"Fair enough. Uh, let's step aside for a moment." Kento said, leading Rayon into one of the access corridors to escape pods where they could talk in private.
"So Private, how'd you do on the force-sensitivity test?" Kento asked, eager to hear the soldier's response. Rayon lowered his head slightly.
"I failed, sir. They said I did have some degree of force-sensitivity but it was very low. I couldn't complete two of the tests. They said I had the force around me but not within me, whatever that means." Rayon explained.
"Mmm, it means that it would be very difficult for you to become a Jedi. Possible, but very difficult." Kento said as Rayon shrugged, patting his rifle a little.
"With respect sir, I'm fine with not becoming a Jedi. I took the test, if anything, just to find out whether I was force-sensitive or not. Kinda like donating blood just so you could find out your blood type. You know what I mean?" Rayon asked as Kento laughed.
"I actually do understand. But you keep that crystal. Makes a nice souvenir." Kento said as they exited back into the hall. By now, Kyle had joined the rest of the men.
"Alright, we're all set. We're about to dock with the station. Nym's agreed to keep anyone from leaving the station unless we give the all clear. Be mindful, I sense a great disturbance in the force." Kyle said as they gathered near the airlock.
"I sense it too." Jacen replied, Kento giving a nod of agreement.
"When we get onboard we'll split into three groups. Remember, if you encounter either Sith Lord, you're to let the Jedi handle them. Be wary, they are very powerful and not to be taken lightly." Kyle said as Venku stepped up next to Kento.
"This should be interesting." Venku said as he checked his rifle. They could hear the sound of the airlocks connecting outside. After a moment, the doors opened with a hiss, the Jedi taking point and moving in first, their lightsabers in hand, as they entered into the dark and silent station. Bodies were scattered along the halls, amidst various stalls and stands formerly run by their now deceased owners.
"Well this is a grizzly scene." Kento mumbled as he, Venku, Rayon, and three other Temple Guards followed closely behind. The airlock doors soon closed behind them, locking tight and magnetically sealing to prevent intruders. The group then entered a large darkened cell-block with at least three levels, the troopers all activating illuminators on their rifles, the Jedi activating their lightsabers to light up the darkened room. The cell-block, like the hall, had been converted into a series of extremely low-rent apartments, each of the cells having been modified and enhanced to allow people to open them from the inside. Jacen and Tahiri's group walked towards one apartment where they found what remained of a mother cradling her child, both dead.
"Twice now, I've walked into a graveyard. I'm getting sick of finding nothing but bodies." Jacen mumbled.
"Where was the first?" Tahiri asked.
"Yavin." Jacen mumbled back. Tahiri shivered slightly at the thought.
"The Dark Side is strong here. It might be worth it once we're done here, to have Nym and his pirates destroy this station." Kyle said as Kento nodded.
"Agreed. I can feel the pain and suffering these people endured still lingering. I can almost hear their cries of terror echoing through these halls." Kento said, his face showing light pain.
"General, are you alright?" Rayon asked.
"I'm fine. Consider yourself fortunate you're not a Jedi. You can't sense the same things we can." Kento replied.
"Consider yourself very lucky, ge'verd." Venku added as they entered into a tall and wide cylindrical shaft at the center of the station. The shaft was at least nine floors high, the Jedi and their group being near the bottom, on the second floor. Across from them on the other side of the shaft was another old cell block. The center of the shaft had four cargo lifts arranged in a circle. Kyle pressed a button to call one of the lifts, the lift starting from near the top and slowly moving downward before a coiling beam of red energy appeared with a hiss and slashed through the rail the lift traveled along, causing the lift platform to fall off the track and start crashing downward.
"INCOMING!" Kyle exclaimed as they leapt clear, the platform crashing to the bottom level with a loud crash. They heard a woman letting out a sinister chuckle from higher up.
"Thanks! Very mature of you!" Kento yelled up into the shaft.
"Why do you always feel the need to agitate the Dark Jedi?" Jacen asked as Kento shrugged.
"It's a gift." Kento replied with a smirk.
"Right so there're three lifts left. Jacen, Kento, the three of us will head up top. Padawan Velia, you and Venku check the rest of this floor and find out where their ship is docked. We don't want them escaping." Kyle ordered.
"Sure thing Kyle." Kento replied, immediately leaping up and bounding off the lift rail up to the second level, repeating the process until he'd reached the fifth level. Jacen and Kyle climbed onto two other lifts, riding them up towards differing levels and leaving Tahiri, Venku, Rayon, and the rest of the soldiers on the bottom floor.
"Let's move." Tahiri said as the troops hurried to the opposite cellblock, beginning to inspect it. On Jacen's level, Jacen entered a cramped hallway that was obviously once the maximum security wing of the station. He continued walking through the hall until he saw something of interest. One of the cells had been converted into a crude medical clinic of sorts, a dead Bivall woman lying on the floor but with no signs of violence on her body. As he entered the room, he couldn't help but notice a pile of discarded junk. On the pile he noticed a crude cybernetic peg-leg. He immediately reached for a comlink.
"Kento, its Jacen. Didn't you say that the Nightsister had a cybernetic leg?" he asked, not noticing a hand grabbing hold of an empty auto-fill syringe off a nearby table.
"I wouldn't even call it a leg. It's little more than a metal pole with mechanized joints. Why?" Kento asked back.
"I think our Nightsister might've upgraded." Jacen said before suddenly sensing a presence behind him. He quickly spun around, his saber active, just as a vibrosword came swinging at him from behind, coming face to face with a grinning Nightsister. Before he could react, he felt a stabbing pain near his chest, as the Nightsister drove the syringe into his chest. Jacen shoved her away with the force, pulling the now blood filled syringe from his chest and throwing it on the floor. Silri let out a cackle as she spun out into the hallway, Jacen chasing after her. Silri and the Jedi Knight immediately began exchanging blows in the hallway, the Nightsister continuing to grin as she swung at Jacen who quickly sidestepped one swing and swung at her, the tip of his lightsaber, leaving a light but painful burn up her back, causing her to howl in pain before she spun back around, swinging at him with an angry snarl.
"Little brat!" she spat.
"We don't want to fight you! We just want you to come with us! We're giving you a chance at freedom!" Jacen grunted as he continued blocking her blows.
"What? Join the Jedi?! Forget it! I have no desire to join you weak minded fools!" Silri replied, taking a swing only for Jacen to side step it again and deliver a light cut to her right thigh, causing her to hiss in pain and anger.
"It appears a sword is not your preferred style of weapon! Your skills tell me that much!" Jacen said as Silri growled angrily before using the force to throw an empty market stall at him and run. Jacen quickly cut through the stall and chase after her. He then saw her leap down the shaft ahead.
"Tahiri! Heads up! You've got one heading your way!" Jacen exclaimed into the comlink. Tahiri, Venku, and the squad came running towards the shaft in time to see Silri swing down from the level immediately overhead, plowing both feet into Rayon who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, knocking him onto his back. Silri caught a glimpse of a flash of red near the soldier's neck and grinned before making a wild swing with the vibrosword in one hand while unclipping a metallic whip with the other and swinging at the soldiers, forcing them to back away. She saw one of them attempting to take aim at her with his blaster, but Silri quickly flung the vibrosword at the soldier, impaling him through the chest, killing him on the spot. She quickly called the red crystal around Rayon's neck to her hand with the Force, the thread around it breaking easily before she leapt back, just as Tahiri took a swing at her but the Nightsister quickly pocketed the crystal and unleashed a burst of force lightning, launching Tahiri back and into a wall, the girl cringing and writhing in pain but not screaming. Silri suddenly had to dodge blaster bolts from Venku, the Mandalorian firing at her and forcing her back into the other cellblock as other soldiers joined in the fight. Silri quickly turned and ran, shutting the blast doors with the force. Venku quickly turned to Tahiri who slumped against the wall in pain.
"That looked painful." Venku said, helping her to her feet just as Jacen dropped down from above.
"I've never been hit with force lightning before." Tahiri grimaced as she climbed to her feet.
"Are you alright?" Jacen asked as Tahiri nodded.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. But what about you? You're bleeding!" Tahiri replied, pointing at his chest where there was some blood staining part of his shirt and jacket.
"I'll be fine. She stabbed me with a syringe but it was empty and not very long." Jacen said as Rayon climbed to his feet and felt around for the crystal around his neck.
"Uh-oh, it's gone!" Rayon exclaimed.
"What is?" Venku asked.
"My crystal! The General gave it to me after I scored a kill shot on a Dark Jedi on Dxun as a sort of trophy. That woman must've taken it!" Rayon explained.
"Why would she have taken a crystal?" Tahiri asked as Jacen looked towards the blast doors.
"I think I have an idea as to why." He said before they heard a banging at the blast doors, seeing clear stripes of molten metal appearing on them as something powerful slashed at them until finally a large chunk of the door fell off, leaving a large hole. They then saw Silri emerge, grinning as she held a lightwhip with a red blade in her hand.
"Is this a good enough answer for you, Jedi?!" Silri asked, the Jedi activating their lightsabers again, the troops and Venku raising their blasters.
…
A little earlier, Kento had heard the commotion coming from elsewhere within the station as he entered a hangar bay where the two Dark Ladies' shuttle was located. There was room enough for one more transport as the shuttle sat off to one side. As he approached the shuttle, he sensed a dark presence behind him and smirked.
"Not bad. I see your ability to conceal your presence is well trained, assassin." Kento said, turning back towards the entrance of the hangar to see Lumiya standing in the doorway, her lightwhip in hand.
"Ah the son of Starkiller. How I've waited for this moment." Lumiya said as Kento stood ready with his lightsaber in hand.
"And you would be Lumiya. I've heard about you. I understand we were trained by the same person." Kento said as Lumiya scowled at him, her eyes narrowing at the mention of Skywalker.
"On the contrary. I was trained by Darth Vader as a hand of the Emperor. You were trained by Anakin Skywalker as a weak and pathetic Jedi. We are worlds apart." Lumiya said.
"Oh I never said we were similar. I just said we were trained by Anakin Skywalker. And really, you're not one to talk right now. You have no master, you have no place to go, no one to turn to. Why not just come to the Jedi. Leave this senselessness with the Sith behind and make some good of yourself. Help us win this war. You likely want revenge on the Empress. If so then help us defeat her. Help us stop her." Kento said as Lumiya rolled her eyes.
"You fool. You think you have any hope of stopping the Empress and the Empire? I am loyal to the Empire, but not necessarily to the Empress. I plan to replace her and then watch as you, the Jedi, and your precious Republic burns." Lumiya replied.
"We know about the clone ship. Once it's gone it's only a matter of time before we defeat the Empire." Kento said, earning a confused look from Lumiya.
"Clone ship? What are you talking about?" She asked, Kento arching a curious eyebrow.
"Oh I'm sorry, it looks like the Empress has been holding out on you. See, apparently the Sith have access to a cloning vessel that's pumping out an entire army of clones to use against the Republic. Silri knew about it and has already sold out the Empire." Kento said as Lumiya seemed contemplative.
"So the rumors are true. There is a cloning vessel. Interesting." Lumiya pondered before her eyes widened in horror as she looked towards the hangar bay force fields, looking out into space. Kento sensed what she did and turned towards the force fields as well. Suddenly they saw five Sith Destroyers drop out of hyperspace and begin attacking the Pirate ships.
"No! He's here!" Lumiya hissed as she turned and ran into the station again. Kento turned and chased after her. Outside, the pirate ships were being decimated by the better armed Sith forces, the Spirit of Obi-Wan quickly turning and running. On the bridge, Juno maneuvered the blockade runner away from the battle.
"Mayday! Mayday! This is Captain Juno Eclipse of the Jedi vessel: Spirit of Obi-Wan calling any and all Republic forces near the Karthakk System! We're under attack by Sith forces! Need immediate support! Repeat: We're under attack by Sith forces in the Karthakk System! Need immediate assistance!" Juno yelled, broadcasting a distress signal. R4-M9 immediately started beeping a response.
"Already?! Put them through R4!" Juno replied as a hologram appeared of a familiar human man with blond hair in a Republic flight suit.
"Sis?! What are you doing out there?!" Captain Solan Eclipse asked.
"Sol! No time to explain! We need immediate support! We have five Sith Destroyers in the system and we're ill equipped to take them all on at once!" Juno replied.
"Eclipse Squadron is on its way sis, hang tight! Eclipse out!" Sol said before his hologram disappeared.
"Come on, get out of there!" Juno mumbled worriedly as a Sith Destroyer began pursuing the blockade runner but the CR90 was more than capable of outrunning the ship. Meanwhile a Sith Heavy Fighter, having undergone numerous modifications and customizations, including red racing stripes, touched down in the hangar of the station, landing next to the rogue Sith's shuttle. From within the fighter emerged Darth Stalker, the Sith Assassin looking at the shuttle for a moment before turning and walking towards the hangar entrance, his lightsabers in hand.
…
In the command center of the station, Kyle saw the battle raging just as Lumiya came running in, sliding to a stop at the sight of the Jedi Master who stood with his lightsaber active. She quickly found herself surrounded from in front and behind, with Kento behind her.
"Shira, it's been a while." Kyle commented with a small smirk.
"Now isn't the time for jocularity, Katarn. The Sith are here and they've sent their most powerful of assassins to destroy us." Lumiya said as Kyle and Kento both exchanged concerned looks, sensing Stalker's presence, the sensation feeling familiar to both Jedi.
"I recognize that presence." Kento said before turning and running down the hall.
"Wait, Kento! It's too dangerous!" Kyle yelled but it was too late to stop the young Jedi Knight.
"That boy is foolish to try and confront Lord Stalker. He is more powerful than you can imagine, his strength rivaled, nay surpassed, only by the Empress." Lumiya explained.
"That so?" Kyle asked, not letting his guard down or giving Lumiya an opening to attack.
"It was Lord Stalker who personally moved through the halls of your temple on Yavin and cut down many of your order, including two of your Jedi Council Members." Lumiya said, Kyle seemingly disturbed by the news. Before he could say anything, the station shook violently, knocking both to the ground. They both looked up at the viewport to see Republic Warships dropping out of hyperspace, engaging the Sith Destroyers, destroying one in a matter of minutes. Lumiya immediately seized the opportunity and ran for the doors, fleeing through them, Kyle quickly scrambling to chase after her.
…
A little earlier down near the bottom of the shaft, Silri stood grinning with her lightwhip in hand, Jacen and Tahiri both with their lightsabers active while Venku, Rayon, and the other soldiers had their weapons trained on the Nightsister. Her grin suddenly faded, her eyes widening as she sensed a presence in the force.
"No…it's too soon. It's too soon!" Silri exclaimed, turning to look towards a bulkhead door on one of the upper levels. The door suddenly began to implode and crinkle before suddenly being ripped off the wall, a tall armored figure stepping into the room shortly afterwards.
"Friend of yours?" Jacen asked as Stalker used his lightsabers to cut a hole in the floor beneath him, repeatedly doing so until he was on their level.
"Jedi, if you value your lives, heed my advice and RUN!" Silri ordered as Stalker deactivated one of his sabers and thrust his left hand towards the soldiers including Rayon and Venku, throwing them hard against the walls, knocking them out, before he turned towards Silri who started cracking her whip at the Sith Assassin but he continued approaching her.
"We'll take him together." Jacen said as he and Tahiri joined up with Silri. Tahiri then noticed two familiar lightsabers on his belt.
"Wait, those lightsabers! Those are Master Korr's!" Tahiri exclaimed.
"Tahiri, don't do anything rash!" Jacen ordered but Tahiri was snarled and charged towards the Sith Lord who quickly thrust his hand towards her, unleashing a powerful blast of force lightning, launching her back against the wall as she screamed in pain. Jacen quickly leapt in and blocked the lightning with his lightsaber, allowing Silri to quickly coil her lightwhip and leap up to one of the upper levels to escape. Stalker saw her fleeing and was about to try and intercept when he sensed a powerful presence behind him. He spun around in time to see Kento land behind him and immediately swing at the Sith Assassin. Stalker quickly activated his second lightsaber in time to block Kento's swing.
"I thought it was you! You're the one who killed Master Kota!" Kento said with an angered expression.
"The son of Starkiller." Stalker said with a mechanized and filtered voice. Stalker could sense Silri getting away and quickly shoved Kento against the wall before leaping straight back up to the level he had dropped down from earlier, the same level Silri had escaped through.
"Jacen, take Tahiri and run!" Kento ordered. Jacen turned towards Tahiri's unconscious form against the wall, picking her up and turning towards Kento.
"Where are you going?!" Jacen asked but Kento didn't respond as he leapt back up to the hole and pursued Stalker. Venku and the rest of the soldiers had regained consciousness and quickly approached Jacen.
"I'll take care of her and signal for the transport, you go after him!" Venku ordered, Jacen carefully handing Tahiri off to him, putting a hand caringly on her head before nodding wordlessly and following after Kento. In the meantime, Kyle had pursued Lumiya back to the hangar bay, the Sith Lady attempting to flee to her shuttle. Kyle quickly drew his Bryar Pistol and fired a shot at the shuttle, missing Lumiya, but hitting the ramp controls, causing the shuttle's boarding ramp to close on her. Lumiya spun around, an angered expression on her face. She quickly activated her lightwhip and took a swing at Katarn, the Jedi master ducking her swing and holstering his blaster in one move. Kyle was suddenly forced to begin dodging her attacks for a moment before surprising her and whipping out a second lightsaber, igniting a red shoto blade.
"Hope you don't mind but Luke loaned this to me when I told him I'd be chasing you down!" Kyle said with a grin, frustrating the Dark Lady.
"You are a fool, Katarn!" Lumiya replied before the hangar door opened, Silri running through and into the Hangar.
"He's right behind me!" Silri exclaimed, Lumiya quickly turning and using force lightning to strike the shuttle ramp controls, the ramp quickly lowering. Kyle attempted to step in and stop them but suddenly felt himself being choked through the force. He managed a glance towards the hangar entrance and saw Darth Stalker walking in. The two renegade Sith quickly raised their lightwhips, ready to defend themselves. Kyle fumbled for his blaster to try and knock the Sith Lord off balance but ended up not having to as Stalker suddenly released him and spun around with a single active lightsaber in time to block a blow from Kento. The two Sith Ladies quickly turned and ran aboard the shuttle, its engines powering up and ramp retracting.
"Did you forget about me?!" Kento asked, earning an audible grunt from the armored Sith Lord. Stalker attempted to throw Kento back with a force push but Kento retaliated with a force push of his own, their hands held open towards the other's, the doorframe around them warping and denting outward from the sheer power of two powerful force wielders pushing against each other. Suddenly they were both launched in opposite directions in a bright blue flash of force energy, Stalker flying back and colliding with the Shuttle's hull before dropping down onto the floor, dazed but still conscious while Kento righted himself and landed in a skid in the hallway behind him. Stalker was still dazed enough as he watched the shuttle lift off and rocket out of the hangar, flying past the swarms of Sith and Republic fighters before making the jump to hyperspace. Stalker spun back towards the hallway to see Kento running towards him. Stalker spun his lightsaber as he calmly stalked towards the fast approaching Kento, the two suddenly beginning to exchange fast and skillful blows. Stalker was no longer wielding two lightsabers in a reversed grip, instead wielding a single blade in a standard grip, his skills with the single blade proving to be far superior to his skill with the two but still not enough to overpower the young Marek.
"You've got a lot to answer for! Starting with the deaths of Masters Jaden Korr and Rahm Kota!" Kento yelled.
"I sense your anger, son of Starkiller. Use it, give in to it. It is the only way to defeat me." Stalker said. The still dazed Kyle was powerless to intervene as he lay on his stomach, watching the fight between the two.
"Never! I've been trained by a swordsman far superior to you!" Kento replied as their blades came together.
"Do you assume me to be ignorant of this? I am well aware of who your master is. You could say I know him better than you do, Kento." Stalker said but Kento smirked back at the Dark Lord.
"Do you? Who would you be then? Another of his failed Apprentices?!" Kento asked, stepping back as Stalker stepped back as well, reaching for his helmet.
"Much more than that, Kento." Stalker replied as he pulled off his helmet, revealing a head full of long brown hair, Dark Side infused red and yellow eyes, and a youthful face of a human man maybe a couple of years older than the twenty year old Kento. Kento stared at him curiously. Kyle could only see the back of his head from his spot on the floor.
"Am I supposed to recognize who you are? Because for the life of me I don't." Kento said but Stalker smirked at the young Marek as he pulled a hood up over his head.
"Oh you've seen me before, many, many times. You just don't realize it because the face you've seen has been marred by age and injury. The years may have been cruel to him but it is still a face without fear." Stalker replied before turning and walking towards his fighter, placing his helmet back on his head. Kento quickly ran towards him in an effort to stop him but Stalker spun around and threw him backwards with the force with one hand while pulling up a multitude of floor panels and throwing them at Kento with another, forcing the youth to push against the panels, sending them to the floor. Before he could resume his chase of Stalker, the Sith Assassin had leapt aboard his fighter and taken off, leaving the hangar and leaving Kento and Kyle behind. Kento scowled at the battle raging out in space as Jacen ran into the hangar, Kyle climbing to his feet and approaching the two.
"Where'd they go? Did they get away?" Jacen asked as Kento let out a frustrated sigh.
"Yeah. We're back to square one." Kento grumbled.
"There's nothing we can do for now. The trail's cold and we're in no shape to resume the chase. Come on, let's get out of here before the Sith destroy the station." Kyle said as they headed for the airlocks.
On board the Spirit of Obi-Wan…
The Sith forces had retreated from the system as soon as Stalker had done the same, leaving the Republic victorious against them. The Lok Revenants were busily salvaging the wreckage of the destroyed Sith vessels while the Republic ships remained on station to regroup. Jacen was getting his chest examined by a medical droid in the medical bay onboard. Tahiri had recovered from her injuries and sat in a medical gown on a bed next to his. Kyle was being examined by another droid while Kento stood outside with Rayon and Venku.
"Sorry about your crystal. If you want I still have the lightsaber I got it from. I could give you a piece of scrap metal from it to replace the crystal if you'd like." Kento said to Rayon who gave a dismissive wave.
"Thank you sir but I'll be fine. With my luck, the next Dark Jedi we encounter would use it to fix their lightsaber." Rayon said as Venku snorted.
"Probably more truth to that than not." he mumbled.
"And I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to take on a Sith Lord, Venku. I owe you one now." Kento said as Venku shrugged.
"Forget about it. This was a nice distraction. I may stick around to continue the hunt though. Maybe there's something to the whole bounty hunter business. The thrill I got while hunting for those two dar'jetii has piqued my interest. I guess it's only natural since half of me did come from a clone of a famous bounty hunter." Venku commented.
"I'm sure Master Katarn wouldn't object to having you on the payroll." Kento said as Venku nodded. Kento gave a nod to the both of them before entering the medical bay just as the medical droid walked away from Jacen.
"So what's the verdict? Are you dying or something?" Kento asked sarcastically.
"Nah. Just a light stab wound. Nothing a light bacta patch won't fix. What concerns me though is a certain Padawan of mine, rushing in like a crazed Reek on a rampage. You could've gotten yourself killed!" Jacen said, scolding Tahiri who scowled at him.
"He's the one who killed my Master!" Tahiri argued.
"Revenge cannot be the basis for your actions, Tahiri. Giving in to anger and rage will only lead to the Dark Side and you will become like that Dark Jedi. How would that honor Master Korr's memory?" Jacen asked as Kyle approached.
"Your master's right, Tahiri. An act made in anger is an act of self-destruction. It's the second step on the path to the Dark Side. From fear comes anger, anger leads to hate and hate leads to suffering." Kyle said as Kento nodded.
"Yeah, just ask my Mast-…" Kento said, pausing with a look of curiosity on his face.
"Kento?" Jacen asked but Kento gave a dismissive wave.
"It's nothing, just something I need to check when we get back to Ossus." Kento replied as Juno walked in with R4 close behind.
"Well we suffered minor damage to one of our engines but we can still make it back to Ossus alright. We can make the jump to lightspeed when we're ready." Juno reported.
"Good. The sooner we get there, the better. I need to inform the council of the outcome." Kyle said as Juno nodded and started heading for the bridge.
Meanwhile somewhere in space…
Silri and Lumiya both sat in the hold of their shuttle, visibly disturbed by the recent events.
"I understand what you meant now, Silri…about Stalker's identity." Lumiya said as Silri glared at her with a scowl.
"You understand now why he's so powerful?" Silri asked as Lumiya nodded.
"I can't believe I didn't recognize him at first. He's…how is it possible?" Lumiya asked as Silri stood up and stopped near the door to the cockpit.
"I believe you already know how it is possible. I believe Marek told you, didn't he." Silri stated as Lumiya looked up at her.
"So he was right. The Empire does have a Clone Ship." Lumiya said as Silri nodded.
"And Stalker…he's not just another one of the mindless drones that the ship churns out on a regular basis. Created personally on the Empress's order, a singular clone, unaltered, and raised personally by her to become the ultimate Sith Lord. He might as well be the Heir to the Empire." Silri explained.
"We need now, more than ever, to find our new Master. If we have any hope of usurping the throne of both Darth Akul and Stalker, we will need his guidance." Lumiya said, fear taking a grip on her heart.
Meanwhile on the Sith Capital World…
Darth Akul walked aimlessly through her throne room, her hood down, exposing her montrals and lekku, stroking one of her lekku in thought. She suddenly stopped when she sensed Darth Stalker enter through the front doors. Stalker immediately approached the Empress and dropped to one knee behind her.
"I sense that your mission to eliminate Lumiya and Silri has failed, Lord Stalker." Akul said with a sneer, refusing to turn towards the apprentice.
"They escaped. The Jedi beat us to them. The son of Starkiller was with them. He is as powerful as you predicted, Master." Stalker replied.
"Your failure is noted. We will eliminate those two in time. I sense however there is something you are not telling me." Akul stated as Stalker reached for his helmet, removing it and placing it on the ground next to him.
"I showed the son of Starkiller my face. He did not recognize me but I believe it to be only a matter of time before he does." Stalker replied as Akul turned towards him.
"If only we could be the ones to witness his reaction when he discovers the truth. For now we must turn our attentions elsewhere. I find myself in need of a new apprentice, one that will replace Lumiya and prove to be more powerful, more…competent." Akul said but Stalker smiled up at her.
"I believe I might have found that solution for you as well, my Master." Stalker said as he reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a small auto-fill syringe full of blood. He handed it to Akul who gently took it from him and examined it thoughtfully before smiling at it.
"Well done my apprentice. You are proving worthy of your birthright. Well done, my son." Akul said, placing a hand on Stalker's shoulder. Stalker only smiled back and bowed his head.
"I believe, one day very soon, you shall inherit your true name. The name I had intended for you when you were born. However you have as of yet to prove to me that you are ready for this name, my son. But you have made great steps towards it." Akul said as she walked towards the exit, Stalker rising and beginning to follow her, his helmet under his arm.
"I am eager for my name to strike fear into the Jedi and those who oppose us once again." Stalker replied as Akul smiled, entering an antechamber where four Royal Guards stood. The Royal Guards wore red cloaks and armor exactly like the Emperor's Royal Guard from during the years of the Galactic Empire, the only variation being that they wielded lightsaber pikes instead of force pikes.
"Patience, my son. You will inherit your true name soon enough." Akul said as they passed through the chamber to the turbolift.
"Yes master." Stalker replied as they entered the lift.
On Ossus…
Kento headed straight for the Jedi Library, not stopping for anything or anyone. He headed for one of the desks, activating the data readouts on the desk. He immediately began running a search, which didn't go unnoticed by a young Twi'lek Padawan.
"Can I help you find something, Master Marek?" Grun asked as he approached.
"As a matter of fact, yes. I'm trying to find some holo-images of the senior members of the Jedi Council, specifically ones from their younger years." Kento replied, confusing Grun.
"We likely don't have those specific records, Master Marek. We have a few on file from old holonet archives but besides that…" Grun said.
"Holonet? About what time periods are we talking here?" Kento asked as Grun pondered.
"Clone Wars mostly, but the only people who would have images are Masters K'Kruhk, Saa, Skywalker, and maybe X2." Grun explained.
"Let me see them." Kento said as Grun replied and sat down at one of the desks and began calling up the holo-images. He began projecting holograms of a younger K'Kruhk, Master Saa (although she hadn't changed at all due to her species longevity), a young X2 with his brother X1 after the battle of Tatooine, and finally a holo-image of a younger Anakin Skywalker, taken as he escorted then Chancellor Palpatine into the Senate Chambers following the latter's rescue at the Battle of Coruscant in the final days of the Clone Wars. Grun looked up at Kento who took a deep breath, a look of consternation on his face.
"Thank you, Padawan, you've been most helpful." Kento said, downloading one of the images to a small holoprojector and walking off. As he walked away, Kento activated the holoprojector in his hand, staring at the hologram with an expression of disbelief and worry.
"It doesn't seem possible. It just cannot be possible for them to be the same person." Kento whispered to himself as he stared at the hologram…
…A hologram of a young Anakin Skywalker.
End Episode 17
Admit it, most of you thought Darth Stalker was a clone of Galen Marek.
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