A/N: To the newest follower of this story, Cerberus Agent 0001, I wanted to say a few things. First, thank you for your review of the story; I really appreciate interest from anyone and everyone. Secondly, don't worry. I don't have any plans for Theron to run off and join the Jedi. His entire journey has been about revenge so far, and the Jedi who helped kill his family and betray his trust are not high on his list of people he'd be willing to be allied with.
That said, Theron hasn't exactly Fallen just yet. He doesn't trust the Triumvirate, but he isn't yet ready to throw his lot in with the Sith. He may be angry at Rhen, Ana, and Van for siding with Gann in the Vault, but he isn't ready to hate them. Given his visions, and Nihl's on top of those, I bet you can guess whether or not he will be ready for it soon.
Ana clutched her head in pain as the light of consciousness began to flood into her. "Ma'am? Ma'am!" a voice called, shaking the life back into her limbs. "Miss Terova, are you okay?"
"I... ur..." Ana pushed herself up so that she sat, crouched, on her knees. "What happened? I remember -" She froze as the images ran through her mind. Re- Theron. Theron had overheard the truth, that they were going to lie. So he had...
"Ah, it is good to see you are finally awake, Imperial Knight," Horn said, appearing in Ana's limited, squinting field of vision. The woman had a stern look that told Ana that she should not reveal the truth to the guards and medics. "There is much of which you must be alerted. Your friends are already waiting for us." The Grand Master turned quickly, her silver and black robe twirling around her dramatically. Ana glared and thought of how odd it was that not a single Jedi, Sith, or... well, anyone could resist making their cloak billow out as they turned.
Eventually, the EMTs finished treating Ana's broken nose and burn wounds with bacta injections and she was released to follow the last surviving member of the Triumvirate. As the young woman began to march from the remains of the carnage, her eye was caught by a slight twinkle on the ground. She froze as she stared down at the item, and her heart beat began to quicken. Ana crouched down, collected the shimmering, white crystal, and deposited it into her jacket pocket. She zipped the compartment closed. Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath before deciding to continue on her way.
Ana made her way to the briefing room her crew had been in an eternity ago after that Senate party. Or at least, she thought it felt like an eternity. "Good, you three are all here," Horn said, her usually even voice on the verge of breaking. The Grand Jedi breathed deeply, an uneven, shuddering thing. "Where do I start? What should I even begin with..?"
"The kriffing beginning," Rhen growled. He slammed his fist into the table, causing the Grand Master to flinch. "What did you and Gann do to his parents?"
Horn shook her head and stared at the ground. "We assassinated them," she stated.
"You killed two of the most beloved political leaders of all time, just so you and the Moff could have more power!?" Van shouted. "Schutta."
"No!" Horn snapped; fire had returned to her eyes. "We did not kill Jagged and Kaera – our friends – for greed." She advanced on Van, who began to stumble backwards.
"Then why did you?" Ana asked quietly, drawing the attention of the semi-enraged Jedi Master.
Horn's face fell again. "Many things about Jagged and Kaera had come to our attention. The mask that they found – Theron's mask – is Darth Revan's mask. Kaera was one of his descendants," the Grand Master explained, sadness and regret running through her voice. Her shoulders were slumped and her eyelids were half closed. "Jagged was a powerful Force User, a Skywalker. All of Vader's descendants went on to shape the fate of the galaxy – and often not for the best. The same can be said of Kaera's forebears."
"Get to the point," Ana whispered with cold rage that seemed to cut Horn like a knife.
"The mask had eluded Jedi for more than four millennia," Horn said, staring at Ana. "But the Sith..."
"Wait – are you saying –?" Van began.
"Yes," Horn cut in. She sighed and leaned against the wall; her left forefinger and thumb rubbed the bridge of her nose defeatedly. "Yes. Jagged and Kaera had been corrupted by the Sith. Both had become increasingly paranoid, even crafting measures behind Thornish's back so that the Empire could break away from the Triumvirate. Thornish and I had long suspected that the Sith were not as gone from the galaxy as others believed. The events surrounding Ania Solo and Darth Wredd, we believed, confirmed that fear. Unfortunately, the rest of the council disagreed with me out of arrogance or stupidity, and the Moffs were not ready to believe that the Sith who knew so many of the Empire's darkest secrets could have survived. It was easier for everyone to simply... overlook the evidence."
"So you and my father took it upon yourselves to kill the Emperor of the Empire?" Ana asked. "Theron might not be wrong to do what he's doing."
"Is his vengeance justified? Perhaps. But without our actions, the galaxy would have fallen into war decades ago. And, depending on your choices now, that war could erupt now," Horn said. She pushed off from the wall and stared into Ana's eyes, a fierce, commanding light shining from her soul. "Yes, I helped assassinate the Emperor and Empress of the Fel Dynasty. But we made sure that Theron would survive. We were not lying when we said it was important he eventually be reinstalled, but his thirst for vengeance showed he would never be ready. We even considered killing him – what was more injustice added to the pile of bodies we had created?"
"But you couldn't do it. You couldn't kill the orphan you'd made," Van finished for the Grand Master, drawing a guilty look from the woman. "You wanted to believe you made the right choice, so you kept deciding to leave Theron alive because you thought it made you less guilty."
"Yes," Horn replied simply. She breathed in once and the mask of the Jedi was on once again. Her voice, then, was even and distantly cold. "But, if I had to make the decision once again, I would still kill Jagged and Kaera. The Sith can not control the Empire a third time."
"So you can sniff out a plot to take control of the Empire, but you can't figure out that one of the Triumvirs is a kriffing Sith!?" Ana shouted.
"What's she talking about?" Rhen asked. His head whipped wildly from side to side, his questioning gaze falling on all present. "What do you mean?"
"She speaks of Sien Soon," Horn explained. Van and Rhen looked between each other, horrified at the implications of this information. "Chancellor Soon revealed himself as a Sith Lord in an attempt to aid Theron in his escape. Theron killed him."
"So Theron hasn't Fallen to the Dark Side yet!" Van shouted. "This is good news!"
"Perhaps," Horn countered, "or perhaps your friend does not wish to share power. The histories of the Sith are fraught with power struggles, and I would be hard pressed to believe they are stopping now. Even if Theron has not fallen, yet, spies have reported that he left the planet with a Zeltron woman carrying a lightsaber. All Zeltron Knights are accounted for."
"So it was a Sith," Rhen groaned. "What are you up to, buddy?"
"We do not have time to wait and find out," Horn pointed out. "Whether this Sith woman can convince Theron to Fall, or if she is aiding the new Darth Revan, it is imperative we find him and bring him in."
"Alive," Ana said, firmly. Van and Rhen nodded in agreement.
"Perhaps now is not the time to make such decisions," Horn insisted.
"He's our friend, and he's not thinking straight. You killed his family in front of him, then convinced him he wasn't even sane!" Van shouted.
"Something that you three were quick to aid me in," Horn retorted angrily. "If we can save Theron Fel, you are free to try. But if it comes down to it, we must kill Darth Revan."
The crew were quiet, for a time. Finally, Ana broke the silence. "It won't come down to that, so I guess there's no harm in agreeing. Where are we heading?"
"Theron took the Crimson Eagle," Horn explained. "The ship was equipped with a transponder in case of theft. It would seem that he arrived on Kashyyyk a few hours before we awoke. I have a ship prepped for the four of us, now."
"So you're coming?" Ana asked apprehensively.
"Of course," Horn replied. "I am fluent in trade Shyriiwook. Secondly, I am well known for my ability to follow Force signatures, including Theron's and – hopefully – whatever it is he is searching for on Kashyyyk. On top of that, I know for a fact that none of you are accustomed to leading the other three. The reports given by all of you clearly indicated that Theron was, whether by intent or instinct, in command. While the three of you may be exemplary leaders individually, none of you are capable of leading a squad of commanders. Finally, none of you could hope to match Nihl in combat. I, on the other hand, am Grand Jedi Master and perhaps one of the few in the galaxy who could claim I even had a dream of success. Are you three coming, is the question."
The crew looked hesitantly between each other and, as one, began to follow the Grand Master from the room.
SWSWSWSWSW
Theron Fel stared at the machine before him. It was ancient, that much the computer had stated; the so-called "Star Map" had existed for more than five thousand years before the signing of the first galactic republic. That made the machine more than twenty-thousand years old. "That you are here presents a flaw in my logic drivers, Revan," stated the Star Map's interface, a creature Theron had seen in his nightmares – visions. The holographic interface buzzed for a moment, the shape of the creature melting and reforming. The tech was ancient; while it was still quite advanced even for the technology being used in the time of the Triumvirate, not much could stand up to more than twenty-thousand years of wear and tear. That the interface, or even the Star Map, still existed was an insane testament to Rakatan engineering. "When last we met..." the interface's voice took on a temporary, more 'robotic' tone "four thousand eighty-five of your 'standard years' ago, I calculated that your species could not survive longer than one-hundred and fifteen of your 'standard years' with the then current level of the slave race technology."
"'Slave race?'" Theron asked. He saw that Kralle was next to him, fidgeting and uncomfortable. He decided to ignore her, for the time being.
The Rakatans controlled the galaxy during the millennia predating the Galactic Republic, Theron. From what I know, it seems that almost every single species in the galaxy today was used as significant slave labor, building everything from simple buildings to the semi-religious war machines that the Rakatans used to conquer planets and alter those same planets' terrain, Revan explained. Tatooine, Kashyyyk – neither was naturally what they are.
"What happened to your masters, machine?" Kralle asked, finally working up the nerve to speak to the interface.
"Revan, if you could please have your slave not direct its questions towards me, that would be appreciated," the interface told Theron. "You are the only one who has proven worthy of my interest."
"Still, it is an interesting question," Theron said. He turned slightly to Kralle and she got the message: stand down.
"There was contact just last year. The first in nearly twenty-thousand of your 'standard years.' Slight alterations were made to the subroutines of both myself and of the Star Map. I was programmed to not respond to any new non-Builder users. However, you are not a new user, Revan. You are, most likely, here for the Star Map?"
"Yes, machine," Theron replied. He crossed his arms and waited for the interface to give him what he desired.
"Star Map retrieval enacted. Twenty percent. Thirty percent... Complete." The interface fell quiet as a three-pronged pillar nearby hissed and fell open. A small orb rose from a triangular base and began to illuminate the darkness of the Shadowlands. Theron stared at the two points present on the Map.
"Nar Shadaa and... where is that?" Theron asked, pointing at the secondary location in an asteroid belt.
"You do not recognize it?" the machine asked.
"Should I?"
"I... can't say," the machine replied. Theron's eyes widened behind his mask as a high pitched scream echoed throught he shadowlands. He tore the datapad from his pocket and plugged the data from the Star Map into the handheld computer as quickly as he could. "You are not Revan. Logic flaw corrected. Prepare to die, non-slave." The high pitched scream echoed again, and Theron turned to see three war droids marching through the underbrush.
Kralle leaped into action, first, slashing her saber towards the machines. However, her saber bounced off of the powerful energy shield as she slashed downward, and her body was thrown back from the force of the rebound. "After my twin experiences with Revan and his upgraded 'Force Saber,' I recalculated the energies of the droids' energy signatures," the interace explained. "You will not be able to defeat them."
Theron sighed, then raised his hand. A single bolt of white lightning erupted from his hand and passed, unhampered, through the energy shield. The lightning traveled from droid to droid, overloading the systems of each and causing them to erupt in showers of electric sparks and fiery explosions. Theron turned to the interface, which stood there with the closest approximation to surprise that a machine could manage. "Now, machine, you already defied your programming. I'm going to find the Rakatans. I'm guessing you have a self-preservation matrix installed as well, hm?" Theron asked. The machine remained quiet. "If you follow my commands from here on out, I won't alert the Rakatans. If I don't alert the Rakatans, you won't be shut off. Understand?"
"I... will do as you ask," the machine replied as it surrendered to the logic flaw in its programming. The holographic interface buzzed out again, and returned to form.
"No one, save myself or any I send with an access code..." Theron looked around before smiling, "with the coordinates the Star Map gave. If anyone comes bearing those two coordinate sets, you can talk with them. Do not tell the Rakatans I was here. Otherwise, follow your programming. Always remember, however, who protected you."
As they approached the final steps back towards the landing pad in the upper branches of Kashyyyk, Kralle finally spoke up, giddy with admiration, "I applaud your decisions with the machine, my lord." Theron tried to ignore her, for the most part. She had her use, but she had yet to be of use. "Enslaving the machine like that so it would serve you – ingenious!"
"I didn't enslave it!" Theron screamed, turning on the Sith. She flinched backwards, fear running through her yellow eyes. Theron sighed and calmed down. "I don't have any plans to come back here, Kralle. Nor do I have any plans to let anyone else know about the Star Map."
"Then what was all this for?" Kralle asked, anger cutting through her fear.
"I can't have the Triumvirate following us," Theron stated simply. "That reminds me..." He walked over to the dock manager.
"Hello, did you enjoy your short stay on Kashyyyk?" the Twi'lek asked, annoyance running through her voice.
Theron raised one hand. "You will tell no one that I was here," he said, waving his hand across the woman's vision.
"I will tell no one you were here..." the woman said. Her eyes glazed over and she stared, dead, into the distance.
Theron shivered and looked down at his hand. "What?" Kralle snapped, annoyed.
"Go ask someone else where I was," Theron commanded her without turning his eyes from his hand.
"Why?" Kralle snapped. Theron turned to her, the mask even incapable of hiding the rage on his features. "I... yes, master." Kralle turned and walked from Theron. She stopped next to a Chiss dock worker.
"What do you want?" the Chiss gruffly asked.
"Where did that man go?" she asked. She pointed at Theron.
The man's eyes glazed over as he gazed at Theron. "I... uh... hm, you know, I can't say when his ship got here." Kralle's eyes widened. That was either a lie, or the man had been mind tricked by Revan. That Chiss man had helped mark down when the Eagle had landed and refuel it.
"You're sure?" she asked, waving her hand and exerting her will to force the truth from the Chiss.
"Yes..." he groaned. Kralle shivered and walked back to Theron. That wasn't possible; Revan had never left her side. He could not have exerted his will on the Chiss without her knowledge. She even asked other dock workers that passed her. The response was the same.
"Everyone is following my Force suggestion," Theron said as Kralle approached. His gaze was still on his hand.
"But how?" the Zeltron asked.
Theron turned to her. "We have technology to find. I downloaded the tracking subroutine from the Star Map interface, so we should be able to find the technologies of the Rakatans on Nar Shadaa and in that Asteroid belt." Theron turned from Kralle, pondering her question himself. How could one man Force Manipulate the minds of an entire planet?