Chapter 32

(Tapani Sector)

Exar had arrived to Fondor, and had been immediately greeted with the sight of burning ships and broken shipyards, and a sniveling idiot of a naval commander in charge of safeguarding Fondor and the only effective Imperial stronghold against Moff power in Tapani, and so quickly dispatched the man from his head. Along with the 68th Imperial regular fleet under his command Kun was given command of the 203rd and 687th tactical fleets from the Tapani sector. Both fleets were missing several ships of theirs including Sardestroyer units, but they were still in sound operational conditions. However, with only Fondor under Imperial command, Kun saw that his position was very weak, but that would not deter him from bleeding the Moffs dry in Tapani.

Right now Exar and his newly minted Grand Admiral Octavian Grant, who was immaculately dressed in his white uniform, were sitting at a conference table in the Scorcher with the rest of the admirals of the fleets who had come aboard as they began formulating their strategy for the retaking of Tapani for the Galactic Empire.

"I am very displeased that your fleets were caught so off guard by the forces of Laird Gustavu men, but we shall have to make due." Exar commented folding his hands together on top of the black desk and looked every man over. Most looked tired and disheveled, save for he and Grant, so Kun decided he would be lenient today, and instill fear later. He needed these men to listen and respect him for now, and there was no sense in making them scared Kath pups right now.

"That being said I expect full cooperation and efficiency fro you men as possible. We are at war gentlemen and I am fully aware that most of you have not seen actual combat against a large foe like this, and those of you that have are remembering the Clone Wars, and I can assure you that since we are dealing with Moffs here and not those Outer-Rim rebels we will need to think and act like the Imperials that we are because we are indeed fighting ourselves." The men all nodded in understanding, and Kun seemed pleased with himself.

"Now, I am also aware that Fondor stands alone against the Moffs here in Tapani, and with that in mind, plus our diminished military capacity I and Grand Admiral Grant have come up with a plan for you men to hear and hopefully comprehend." Kun turned to Grant at his left and inclined his head for the admiral to take command and speak. Octavian smiled and nodded as he stood from his seat and activated a holographic representation of the Tapani sector.

"Thank you lord Kun. Now men, we are looking to my home here, and I am keenly aware of how my people, and Tapani in general operates, and I am secure in my belief that the Noble Houses of Tapani have no feelings of loyalty nor any inclination to form alliance. Their main problem rather, is their complacency and lack of will to fight against the Moffs." The men all nodded and Octavian went on. "That being said, the Noble Houses will be made contact with via back channels I have in operation here, and the less you men know the better and safer this plan will be. To get down to the business of military operations, like lord Kun mentioned, we have devised a simple system to system conquest method that we believe will be effectual against Moff Gustavu's forces." Grant pressed another button along the table where he sat and the holograph zoomed in on Fondor and surrounding systems inside Tapani.

"We have several choices for entry points into Moff space, and rather than take the direct route out of Fondor to attack the nearest world of Sefon, lord Kun and myself have decided that three other worlds are the better choice for entry. There is either Achillea, Tallaan, which unfortunately has the largest navy and the Freeworlds Common Navy has indeed been aligned with the Moffs so we will be dealing with massive Moff surpluses in force size, and the third world is Don II which would be the easiest entry point." Grant paused and the men began speaking to one another in hushed tones while Kun looked on and gauged the men.

"Why then do we not take Don II and take the easy route that will lead to Mrlsst. It is the hub of the Freeworlds holdings and no doubt a Moff stronghold." One admiral asked, and Kun took command once more.

"It would seem simple to just walk in here, sit you all down and make a plan to attack Don II. The easiest and most simple way into Tapani Moff territory seems like that rational route, but we need to be more ambitious than that gentlemen." Grant nodded from where he stood and clasped his hands behind his back as Kun also rose from his seat.

"There are three entry points and one logical choice correct?" The men nodded but all of them had furrowed and creased faces in confusion. "Sadly there is a second choice here, and that is our strategy. We will be cutting my main fleet, the 68th into a small task force that I will send to take care of Don II, however the 203rd and 687th will be attacking both Achillea and Tallaan in a synchronized fashion and effectively force the Moffs to send out three response units to meet our forces head on." The men looked to be in varying degrees of horror at the thought as no one spoke for a moment and just stared at Kun as if he had a third limb. He only smirked back at their horrified faces, and Grant had a small smirk as well. Although Refflet seemed more composed than the rest of the admirals gathered.

"Surely you cannot be serious my lord! The Moffs have triple our forces and almost daily are launching attacks to take Fondor!" Admiral Ulan of the 203rd spoke up as his two Vice admirals nodded in agreement.

"Oh I am deadly serious admiral Ulan. The Moffs have indeed been launching their feints on us persistently as of late, but have they been able to actually take Fondor? No, by the very skin of our teeth we have, or rather, you fine men have held the line, and now I ask more of you. We need to not only prove to the Moffs that we are not anywhere near beaten, but also we need, and I repeat, nee, to take worlds back from Gustavu. If we fail to legitimize our power here in Tapani, Moffs all across the galaxy will only gain more support at what they perceive as weakness. We don't have the leeway nor the ability to play it safe this time men." Kun passed his gray eyes across the gathered men who all looked to be in different arrays of thoughts on the matter.

"Both the 203rd and 687th tactical have well over seventy ships still operation each correct?" Admiral Ulan and admiral Kinti of the 687th nodded, though they seemed apprehensive.

"Bolstered then by at least fifteen more ships each you both will be forces to contend with, of this I am sure. I will be joining the attack on Tallaan to provide support there, as it is the most likely to cause us problems, and I assure you men, the Force will fight with us. You would all do well to also not doubt in my powers, and trust in me. Do that and I assure you I will lead you all to victory." Kinti looked somewhat alleviated in his concerns but Ulan only frowned some and nodded like a good soldier, as the vice admirals stayed respectively silent.

"Now, admiral Grant, do me and the fellow admirals gathered the honor of informing us all about who's in command of the Moff forces here in Tapani." Octavian nodded a curt single nod.

"Yes, lord Kun. The lead military officer is a general by the name of Coldor Morlin." Grant pressed the button on his table console again and the Tapani picture turned to one of a graying man with piercing blue eyes, or so it looked to be because of the hologram, with a hard look about him and deep creases along his face that spoke of age, wisdom, and war.

"General Morlin is, or rather was, a decorated Imperial general that suppressed fourteen separate rebellions in the Outer-Rim and the Empires Wild-Space holdings over the course of his ten year career as a commissioned Imperial officer. While before this he was a commissioned officer for the Republic and during the Clone Wars took part in the Outer-Rim sieges and was responsible for the conquest of eleven worlds and their adjoining systems." The men nodded along, but some seemed worried at the lengthy and seemingly excellent track record of this military officer. Exar however just chuckled a bit, and ignored the men when they looked at him oddly.

"General Morlin, however, we believe joined the Moff cause because he has grown 'disillusioned,' with his majesty the Emperor, and has been known to privately denounce and insult him to colleagues. After the latest subjugation of the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, which general Morlin was stationed at, he filed an official complaint with the palace over lord Vader's conduct and was demoted to a desk job here in Tapani on Procopia. This is what we believe to be his ultimate motivation for joining with the Moffs." To this information some men seemed hardened. The idea that someone like Morlin would join the Moffs over being re-stationed for filing a complaint was an idealistic and idiotic move on his part. In their minds he deserved what he got.

"General Morlin has built up a massive military command structure under the orders of Laird Gustavu here in Tapani. Morlin is known for focusing on developing an all but impenetrable defensive structure in his regions of command, and then send out feelers. These feelers operations are to test the waters so to speak. Afterward he will formulate an attack strategy, and with what he's been doing at Fondor taken into account we believe it safe to assume he is in the formulation stage of his M.O, and thus it is best that we attack now, and catch him unprepared."

Kun nodded and watched the men all seem far better in spirits at the idea that Kun and Grant already had so much about Morlin thought through.

"As you can see gentlemen, we did to come to you with nothing but ambition. We did indeed formulate an attack strategy, and I feel confident that we can take all three of these worlds from Gustavu and Coldor Morlin, and effectively force him to try and send out more feelers to reassess the situation. This will take up time and energy on hi part, and will give us an opening, and we will exploit it until this one puncture becomes a gaping wound in his defenses." The men all nodded along, and Kun smirked as he finally had them fully onboard with his strategy.

"If that's all men, I suggest you all return to your assigned ships and await instruction to make for your assigned worlds, which will be sent to you but five minutes before we leave to lower any chance of Intel breaches." The men all rose to a stand and Kun officially released them and everyone began chatting and making for the doors and then their shuttles as the Tapani campaign began its first steps.

Kun stood alone in the conference room, and pulled out his comlink and once more dialed in Viathan's comlink frequency. It pinged for a long time, but as with the other three times he had tried, Kun did not receive an answer or ping back, but through the Force Kun knew Viathan not to be dead, and frowned. His eyes narrowing he re-clipped his comlink to his belt.

'Why do you not respond Viathan?' Kun asked himself, folding his arms. 'If you seek to run away it will serve you no good. I shall find you, and properly reeducate you on the matter of abandoning your master. However, if you are running, but waiting and biding your time...then for what my apprentice?' The Dark lord asked and stared to the gray walls of the room, and was met with silence.

With a shake of his head, Exar left the room and began preparations for the coming first battle of the Tapani Campaign. For, with or without Viathan at his side, Kun would prove to the galaxy that he was not to be underestimated in anything, and war strategy was going to be but one more thing he would show his prowess in.

(Ojoster Sector, Wayland System, Wayland)

Arden Lyn was not one to complain much, and she wasn't about to begin regretting her decision to join Exar Kun in his little plan to take everything from that old fool Palpatine, but Force, if she knew just how big Mount Tantiss was she would have looked up some schematics or floor plans for this mountain fortress of the Emperor.

It had been easy to get into Moff Space in Ojoster, but landing on and finding Wayland was a bit more difficult. Most mentions of Wayland were scattered and gave little details. Even the Moffs seemed to have no presence on the world, and effectively made the Emperors storage fort still protected and hidden, but not for Arden Lyn. She had finally found a reference log showing Wayland's location and landed on the world, but the natives were not so welcoming. There were thin, and tall beings with four arms and two entire torsos similar to a human male. They had snouts and were definitely unwelcoming with their kriffing blades and spear.

Arden had landed her ship in a cleared off section of forest away from the mountain and had decided to walk the rest of the way. She had been walking for maybe five minutes when the Force alerted her to several beings surrounding her in the foliage around her, and she had snapped out her red lightsaber and had met an oncoming and howling creature and sliced off its head, and the body fell before her. Then more had come and she jumped away from those who threw spears at her, and dodged those that ran and attempted to cleave at her. Arden was not worried, she was proficient in many manners of fighting and killing, but these creatures just didn't let up. One ran at her she slammed her droid arm into it and sent it reeling back with crushed bones, and it howled and cried but its friends still ran at her. She removed the arm of one and its other three just kept swinging, and she used the Force to snap its neck, before flipping away from a spear and landing behind its thrower and cutting him in half.

Finally Arden grew tired of it all, snarled and used her energy blasts from er mechanical arm to blast away every oncoming enemy and over twenty fell to her energy blasts, before they seemed to reassess her and turn and finally run back into the dense forest.

So now Arden found herself in the large opening before the mountain, and gave one final look back toward the forests and felt the race of beings staring at her and watching her, but she could also sense they didn't want to go near the mountain, and that made her smirk. Apparently they had some sense of self preservation.

Walking briskly, Arden quickly arrived at the entrance to Tantiss and used the Force to open the large security doors, and then close them behind her as she entered into an expected sterile hallway. It seemed well kept, and she could see some cleaning droids moving about, but she wasn't fooled. There was a dark side Force user here. No doubt stationed by Palpatine himself but she felt no fear for Arden would end this begin just as she had ended the beings outside, and plenty of other Force users in her time. The First Great Schism was more of a challenge, and more exhilarating than anything she has done since, and so this was child's play.

The first thing she came upon after the hallway into the facility was a turbolift, and she entered and went up a floor. This floor housed a barracks, and she had learned of that only because there was a kriff-load of trooper blasters and armor pieces that were covered in dust from no use, and she figured there were no troopers in the mountain. Not that she knew why, but she didn't care. Inside of the barracks was a convenient stairway to the next level where she found several security rooms, and a war strategy room, both in various displays of silence and non-use.

The next floor was a lot better. A hanger bay that was massive and had several ship in it was discovered and well appreciated by Arden who had smiled at the sight and decided it would be best to take one of these and just let her old ship be left to rot and not bother dealing with those creatures out there again.

Next floor was...odd. There was a cloning facility inside filled with spaarti cylinders that were not active, but there were also various other cloning pods and cylinders that seemed to be tested later or just failed experiments.

Arden grew frustrated after this. 'How many kriffing floors were there in this facility?' She had wondered as she ascended another level, and stepped out of the turbolift, but it was here things were to get exciting.

"Ah, finally something to rid the boredom of my days here in this mountain!" A voice, male, boomed and Arden stiffened and brought her saber hilt forth as she could not see where the voice originated from as she was in another long hallway, so it was coming from no doubt somewhere in front of her, but the hall was long and dark.

"I have come seeking the vault the Emperor containing knowledge and history of the dark side. I assume he left you to guard such knowledge?"
"That, and any other little toy he wants to hide away from the prying eyes of friend and foe alike my dear." The voice said with a sigh of frustration about him, and Arden rolled her eyes at the over-dramatics.

"Then you are frustrated with his majesty, as many are lately. Perhaps you wouldn't mind pointing out where I need to go?"
"Nice try milady, but I am will do what I was sent here to do, but don't be surprised if I play with you a little my dear, I have been too long without a good fight."

"So be it." Arden announced and activated her saber and it illuminated her and the hall around her.

She walked carefully forward with one foot in front of the other, and again, as she walked as a very slow pace that would drive one crazy, but she was so single minded and ready for the attack that she didn't even notice her slowness. She stretched her awareness out using the Force and could feel the presence. It was masked, but that's what made it easy to sense. She knew it was there because the fool spoke before just attacking, and now wherever there was a distinct lack of Force essence, Arden knew that was where her target hid from her...like a coward.

Suddenly from behind, Arden sensed it, and dropped and spun her leg around and connected it with his and the dark Jedi grunted but fell back, as Arden flung back up, and threw her full weight unto a downward strike, but the enemy's saber blocked and threw her back and he copied her and jumped back up. Lyn threw her saber hit into her left human hand and fired a blast at the dark Jedi, as he deflected with his saber and inched forward with every deflection, but Arden didn't seem at all fazed by the look in her natural golden eyes she seemed...bored?

The dark Jedi, a man with dark brown hair and yellow Sith eyes, growled and finally reached Arden and slashed at her midsection, but she sidestepped to her right and connected her droid arm in a backhanded slam across the mans face and sent him reeling around, and barley caught her saber as it slashed at his right shoulder, and he threw her back, only for her to push forward and spin her saber from side to side and force the man to block left to right and left to right over and over, as she feinted at his sides over and over again.

"Feeling overwhelmed, out of your league my friend?" Arden asked in an utterly calm voice, and the dark Jedi snarled and slammed his saber into hers and stopped the relentless assault, and the slammed a booted right kick into her stomach and threw her backward, and forced her light saber out of her hand using the Force.

"No weapon now, save for your droid arm witch." The dark Jedi cockily said, and grinned, but Arden only looked at her now captured saber and smiled.

"The end it, fool." He snarled and ran at her, but as he neared she suddenly threw her right leg back and went ow into some strange fighting position, and when he got closer she shoved a hard blunt-handed slam into his right arm, then a kick into his left leg, and flipped around and connected a slam into his head, and he fell easily.

"Your ignorance and belief that without a saber one can fall easily is your downfall, dark Jedi fool." Arden declared as she slammed a foot into the fallen dark Jedi and he grunted as the breath was pushed out of him, and she drew both sabers up to her with the Force and clipped them to her belt securely, and bent down to look this idiot eye to eye, and he growled, but she sneered not impressed with his little show.

"What I just used to disarm you is called Teräs Käsi. AN old fighting form created to fight and defend against Force users when you cannot use the Force, and what your mistake was, was thinking a mere lightsaber loss equated to absolute defeat." She mocked in a scolding tone more equivalent to a mother berating a child and the man bore hie eyes up toward her in sheer hatred.

"I could have ended you even without that style and to be honest I think Palpatine placed you here simply because you can use the Force and wield a saber, 'decently,' but beyond that you are certainly a disappointing foe. No worries however, for your time in this galaxy is at an end." Arden didn't wait any longer, and slammed her droid arm onto the mans head and he muffled out a cry of pain, but Arden simply slammed his head to the right with such force that she heard a disgusting snap. The man died, and that was the end.

"A very, very disappointing foe indeed." Arden spat and rose back to a stand and kicked the body away from her and continued on her mission. It wasn't long before she came to the next floor and came upon a large and vast array of rooms separated into separate vaults. Each one was more exhilarating than the last. Brimming with the dark side, and calling out to her she smirked and found what she was looking for. Ancient holocrons, gear, and tomes. There were even ancient texts and writings on flimsy pieces.

"A Sith storehouse if I've ever seen one." She said aloud and smirked. Of course Arden Lyn was no Sith. She thought the Sith a bit too over the top with their ideas on the dark side, and their code far too broad. She was a Legionnaire of Lettow, and would be until her death. One who wished to use the Bogan, the dark side, as she saw fit. With no one, not the Jedi nor Sith able to force her otherwise or hold her back with their dogmas. But, Exar Kun was the best one to defeat and topple Palpatine in time, so if he needed these little trinkets to get that done, then who was she to not help the man out? The man had an air, and personality about him. Very similar to how Xendor had been. Broad and commanding with a bit of perhaps overindulgence n the dark side, but level headed. Arden could see herself following this man at least if not Xendor, who was to be condemned to death it would seem, and though it pained her heart to think as sch, she had long since accepted it, or else she would still be pinning for Sidious' favor, and believe in his false promises to resurrect him.

"If the fall of Sidious means serving Exar Kun, then so be it. Now to serve him I must get him his little collectibles, how charming my life is." She commented dryly and sighed, as she went about the annoyingly tedious task of loading all these things into a ship in the hanger several levels down.

It was gonna be a long day for Arden Lyn indeed. Even more so when she realized that she needed to find more of the Emperor's hidden toys, and remembered another one of these blasted vaults. On a world the Emperor had foolishly told her of, his little home away from home. Byss.

(Abrion Sector-Cloak of the Sith, Roon System, Roon)

Having used the arcane and ancient knowledge of these Rakata beings, Viathan had entered himself into a Force trance using a technique the Rakata had used long ago in seeing those powerful in the Force from afar, but without being sensed by them. The teen boy had, after setting course for Roon several days ago, sat himself down onto the hard floor of the ships cockpit, and once more entered into the Force. He focused on the pain of the lightning induced burns, thought of that Jedi woman who defeated him twice, and then the irritability he felt from days and days on end without sleep fueled his hatred and envy. All of it culminated in a deep connection to the dark side. It whispered in this greatly low and dark voice. It spoke of power and hatred it cooed and called out to him, begging him to let all his anger loose and indulge in pain, in misery and make it into his power. Viathan did not pay it too much mind, but he would in time grow to understand how to utilize and command darkness in the Force far better than ever before. For one to use the dark side of the Force, Viathan had discovered and decided it best to first understand the dark side, and not merely use it. To use the dark side was to be a fool and a slave to it. However, to know it, and understand it was to command it in the palm of your hand in tandem with its desire to destroy and your will to use it. A symbiotic relationship with the dark side similar to how the Jedi viewed the light side was not too far away from what he wanted. Viathan only hoped it would work.

When Viathan entered into this dark state, he stretched himself out and looked for his master, and found him in the Inner-rim and Colonies border section where the Tapani sector lay. Viathan could practically smell the battles taking place there as his master beg his war, and Viathan in that moment had felt a shock of thrilling excitement go through him, and realized t was his masters feelings. Exar Kun, whatever he was doing when Viathan reached out to his presence was, was indeed enjoying himself, and for that Viathan smirked. His master was an odd Sith indeed.

He then looked for his old master, and it was not too hard to do. The Emperor was of course in the center of the galaxy and his darkness was ever present and like a fungus, always trying to grow outward and corrupt everything around him. Viathan sneered when he felt his old master take pleasure form something as well. Viathan did not know what but whatever it was it had to have been twisted and dark for his old master to feel so elated, and Viathan didn't really want to know, as he was sure it would merely scar him...as did everything else his master had put him through and showed him had, but that was then, this was now.

There was also lord Vader. Viathan couldn't blame lord Vader for leaving him behind, though he was sure his master Kun, was indeed quite angry with Vader. No, Vader was merely caught up in his own thoughts and matters and what was Viathan to this man? An ex-Hand of the Emperor his master who he now had confirmation Vader hated with a deep passion, and Viathan had come to respect that about Vader. Indeed he had always respected Vader. Unlike some of his fellow Hands like Mara Jade, who would spit the Sith lords name, and describe him as a lackey dog of their master the Emperor. But to Viathan, Vader was a man that was worthy of great respect. Efficient, unbending in his hatred fro rebels, and the Moffs before it was a good thing to hate the Moffs, and an excellent strategist. Viathan knew some things about who Vader was before he was Vader, but he was only told what he was by his master, because Viathan thought Sidious wished to make Viathan see how low someone as powerful and destined for greatness like Anakin Skywalker could fall. Little did Viathan know that he had children somewhere down the line, but to Viathan that was his business. Relationships were inherently a weakness, and in today's society Viathan thought of relationships and the deviant actions that were entailed with such interactions as disgusting in his mind. He had seen lust before, at a young age when his trainers, those men thought of his body as something to be broken like his mind, and use him for their own sick and depraved pleasure in the name of shaping him!

No Viathan would never indulge in such practices. A willing celibate for life is what he called himself, but whenever he thought of such things he felt the unwanted burn of tears forcing their way up, and he would force them down. Tears were weakness, and he no longer wanted to e weak. He couldn't be.

Vader had seemed to be in good spirits when Viathan had stretched his sense out to him, and that made Viathan slightly amused, and he figured the mission on Tatooine probably went well even with his loss. So, Viathan checked in on the one person in the whole galaxy he hoped was safe and sound, and in a way uncorrupted, but not in the normal way one would think. Viathan couldn't help but admit he had grown fond of the princess of Alderaan, Leia, little did he figure she would turn out to be a daughter of Skywalker, and thus a Vader by blood. 'Then again the Force has a sick sense of humor.' He though with another smirk. Viathan aided and trained her in the dark side of the Force of course, but what he meant by not wanting to see her corrupted was he didn't want to see someone with such bold and daring ideas in a time when ideas such as her were not welcomed to be turned inside out and against her. There was a place for idealists like her in the future, and Leia despite using the dark side, Viathan hoped, would continue to hold true to herself and her ideas, and remain safe. Yet Viathan thought it better, maybe he was better off not being around her. Around Leia he felt too...happy. To calm and serene, and he couldn't have that if he was to become the Sith apprentice his master deserved, and with a feeling of regret that he would never dare admit to, Viathan promised to stay as far away from Leia Vader as possible, and if forced to...push her away until she hated him, and oddly enough thinking that made his chest pang in pain, but he was Viathan, not Valek Zalliste, and this was what needed to be. Besides, who cares about weak, little Viathan anyways?

After all that stretching of his senses Viathan had opened his eyes, and like before felt an odd surge of rest fall over him, as if he had slept but it was dulled, and the tiredness was still there. Only the edge was taken off, and Viathan realized that some hours...no actually kriffing days had passed this time! Viathan decided he would use this new skill to keep sleep at bay as long as possible as the pain and irritability no sleep gave him only made him more powerful, and this trance technique indeed kept him moving so what was the harm? Well, besides being out for hours or days when only seeming lie minutes, but perhaps he could fix that at some point.

Nonetheless, Viathan had once more risen from the hard metal floor and stretched his stiff and pained bones and muscles out before heading to the cockpit and seeing that his ship was indeed free-floating in space above what he guessed to be Roon. Well in actuality Viathan was in front of an asteroid field before Roon, and had the painfully annoying task of navigating through the asteroid field with great care, and a bit of help from the Force he made it through and landed his ship on Roon. Which surprised him at how little the people cared about his coming. Indeed when he landed his ship Viathan saw that they had an Imperial flag waving, but no imperial representatives. Hen he exited his ship, hood up, and dark cloak shielding him from prying eyes, he was met with a deathly pale young man with gray eyes, and blonde hair.

"Welcome to Roon. All visitors are required to pay landing pad tax, and port space usage tax upfront or must vacate immediately." Viathan wanted to roll his eyes because the man sounded utterly bored, and not in a manner one could accept as a man not liking his job. No rather he spoke with a long drawn out voice that over-exaggerated his boredom, and Force was it grating to Viathan's tired ears.

"I don't need to pay any taxes, and you will waive all fees." The man tilted his head.

"Why?" Viathan now raised his brow in confusion.

'How did he block that mind trick?' The man didn't seem offended, only confused...now Viathan was too.

"Uh...never mind. I haven't been sleeping well. How much is the taxes?" The man nodded as Viathan guessed he looked worse for ware because the man bought his excuse.

"The taxes are fifty credits a day combined." Viathan reached into a pouch he found on the ship full of credits and took with him in case of something like this and gave the man a hundred credits for two days stay just to make sure.

"Enjoy your stay traveler." Again he spoke out of exaggerated boredom and mock saluted Viathan before taking off to no doubt bother someone else.

However Viathan was happy, for after he left the spaceport and his ship he could sense the inherent dark side presence on this world. It was old, but still ever present. The people all seemed to have a bit of darkness about them as well. A state of Force corruption that seemed to pass from generation to generation. Not necessarily making anyone here a dark side user or 'bad guy,' but making them dulled to the light side of the Force. Making them all the more irritable, awkward, and violent, as Viathan could sense all of them and their darker emotions which became amplified by the world itself.

The city he landed in, he didn't catch the name, but it was a modern one with speeders, and people walking about. Shops lined the streets and there seemed to be a lot of Twi'lek's and Humans in about the same amounts. Viathan did recall the world was under the command of a dictator with tacit support of the Empire, hence the Imperial flag, but he wasn't concerned with all of this.

No Viathan was concerned with where the dark side was calling to him from. It, like Lehon, called to him from somewhere. Somewhere in this mess of a city was a place of great darkness and it was seeking out someone like him, someone deep in the dark side to come and claim it, and Viathan could only feel the adrenaline pump harder at the notion of gaining more power from this thing whatever it may or may not actually be.

A bit of meandering with the general crowd, being shoved, cursed at, hit, and him having to give a few hard shoves and punches back later, which seemed to be normal on this world of barely contained emotion, Viathan finally found himself outside a store. It was a small building set aside from the bigger ones in the main economic district he had come from. Viathan craned his neck up to look at its large name plastered onto a sign outside and atop the building.

"Roon Antiquities, and Cultural Goods Store." Viathan said to himself aloud and looked at a display window and saw some odd tattered clothing, and swords. They did seem old, and from times log past, but what could be inside that spoke and had the great darkness that Viathan sensed?

"Only one way to find out I suppose." He said and entered into the store and lowered his dark hood. Behind the checkout counter was a very, very pale human, no wait...

'Ah yes, he's Umbaran.' Viathan noted the very pale and almost deathly look of the man, and it was quite obvious the man was of Umbara. Viathan almost felt depressed, Umbaran's were know for being inherently dark, and some could, even without the Force, get people to do as they want through a form of mental domination they had. However as Viathan looked to the man, he noted that the man did have a Force signature, weak but there, and he looked right back at Viathan and smiled a small smile and nodded to Viathan in what seemed to be a greeting and friendly manner.

"Greetings to my humble store young man. Is there something in particular you are looking for? A trinket to remember dear Roon for? Or something just to see the old Roon?"

"The old Roon?" Viathan asked confusedly and the Umbaran man seemed all too pleased to answer.

"Ah, a traveler from afar, or are you merely one of those people out there? Those who do not care nor remember the days of old, and the time when Roon was a name feared and known by all in the galaxy?" Viathan neared the counter, and folded his arms.

"I am a traveler. I come from off-world. However I don't think I have ever heard of a time Roon was ever considered a threat or something to fear my Umbaran friend."

"Then you too like those here on Roon, and in the galaxy are lacking in your history keeping skills." Viathan cocked a brow, becoming slightly annoyed and insulted by this Umbaran's passive-aggressive nature and speech.

"Care to explain to me, and educate me, or do you intend on just saying I'm an idiot rather than trying to make me not an idiot in your eyes?"
"You're right, many apologies. It is not your fault for you are ignorant to history. The past generations are at fault. I speak of the Sith my friend, and a time when Roon was their very capital, and from here they entered out into the galaxy and struck ta the Jedi and Republic and sent them into states of fear and chaos." Viathan immediately grew interested and the Umbaran could see this and smiled.

"Ah, so you've heard of the Sith then! That is promising."
"Yes...the Sith are known to me, but I have only heard of some, and I wish to learn more, and educate myself in their ways and arts, as you may have been able to tell by sensing my presence, as I sensed yours." The Umbaran smirked.

"Then we are on the same side fellow acolyte of the dark. We Umbaran are naturally open to the dark arts, and are attune to its power and secrets, and the Sith are great masters of darkness, and it shames me, and those like me and you that they are so easily forgotten by the wider galaxy."

"Very true my friend. They and their ways are all but lost and forgotten, but surely you know that some are still remembered and spoke of correct?" The Umbaran scoffed.

"You speak of those who came and fell long ago I assume. The ones like Revan, who we know to be a foolish and ignorant definition of Sith, and w renounce him me and my sect. Then you have those like his foolish apprentice Malak, or the ones that came after, the resurgent empire. All these Sith have their own accomplishments but our problem is that they are so easily remembered but not their deeds, not their stories, and certainly others have come before or after yet are so easily forgotten altogether no matter their great accomplishments!" Viathan inclined his head to the side and thought the man had a bit of a point.

"Then who is it that the galaxy has foolishly forgotten friend, and why is it of such great importance?" The man perked up.

"I speak of the great Darth Ruin my friend. A Sith lord of my very people, the Umbaran, and a Jedi master who left the order to pursue forgotten magic and arts of darkness, and formed the "New Sith Empire." Viathan narrowed his eyes. His master, or ex-master, Sidious had never told him of a Ruin, but then again Palpatine wasn't keen on sharing Sith lore and history with him as much as say Vader, but even then he was a stingy hoarder of Sith history and lore.

"What else can you tell me of this Darth Ruin?"

"For one thing he was the reason for the last Great Schism in the Jedi order, and united all the fractured and scattered clans of the Sith and formed his empire and based it here upon Roon! Ruin's teachings are long forgotten, obscured by later Sith and altogether tossed aside for a new generation of Sith who view his teachings and see them as nothing, but don't even try to comprehend what he says!"

Viathan nodded in understanding, and grew a bit more intrigued.

"What do you have of this Ruin that a fellow traveler and user of the darkness can use to greater establish and gain more power and understand Ruin and his teachings and maybe spread them?"

"I have nothing of him here I am afraid, but I can tell you where his mausoleum is, and where all that he owned and where his teachings lay."

"Then tell me friend, and I shall make a pilgrimage there." Viathan said in his most serious tone, and sent a bit of a Force suggestion to the man to spill the information.

"We Umbaran's honor our fallen lord and master of darkness upon our home of Umbara. I have spent years traveling and discovering pieces of artifacts, clothing and teachings by the master, and I have always sent them back to my brothers upon Umbara for safekeeping, and to teach the next generations of his greatness." Viathan nodded slowly as he took in every word said.

"Here, take this..." The Umbaran reached below the counter and pulled forth a pendant necklace, a gold band with an onyx dark gem within the center of the pendant, that Viathan was surprised to sense had the dark side radiating off it.

"Take this and go to Umbara and search out the, 'Brothers of Night, and Ruin,' they keep their sanctuary to the southeast of the capital. Show them this and they will allow you to learn of the master, ans his arts and secrets."

Viathan took the pendant and held it with great care before sipping it on over his neck, and was exhilarated by the darkness that swelled within and around him.

"Thank you fellow user of the darkness, however, I am afraid I cannot have you remembering our meeting." Viathan said and before the now confused Umbaran could speak he used the same technique he used on the Rancor from Lehon, and unlike the man from the spaceport who he passively suggested into his mind, Viathan forced himself into the Umbaran's and the man cried out in utter pain and horror as Viathan broke every mental barrier the screaming man had for his own mind and finally breached both natural and created shields and suggested, a very forceful suggestion at that, to forget who Viathan was, his very existence and the meeting all erased from his mind, and then Viathan threw the man back with the Force

The teen Sith acolyte then found the security cams for the store and erased them for several days so the man would think it was a camera malfunction, and then he rushed to the Umbaran's side, and threw up a Force shield masking his presence in the Force and the dark side.

"Sir are you alright?"
"Wha...?" The Umbaran said coming to and rubbing his temples in pain, and seething out a hiss of pain.

"What happened, why am I on the floor?"

"I came into your store to look for something to buy as a souvenir and I found you here." The Umbaran opened his eyes and narrowed them as he looked at Viathan a very faint look of recognition coming over him, but lift faded to confusion, and he once more looked to be in pain similar to a migraine.

"I see. If that is so I thank you for your concern but I must just be tired..." Viathan helped the Umbaran to a stand and brushed off imaginary dirty from his shoulder.

"If you say so sir, but I would maybe go to sleep and rest for a while."
"Maybe I should. No one is coming in today anyways." The man said and Viathan nodded while smirking an unseen smirk that only he knew the reason for.

"If you're okay sir, then I must be going." Viathan made for the door.

"Wait!" Viathan tensed and turned toward him. "Did you find a souvenir?"

Viathan smirked again, and eased himself. "Yes sir, and I thank you very much, but here is some extra credits to show my appreciation." Viathan tossed him a twenty credit chip and the Umbaran smiled and waved his goodbye to Viathan who inclined his head respectfully and left the store, and made for the spaceport.

He wouldn't be needing that extra day's stay here after all. For his next stop was Umbara and whatever secrets it held for him.

Authors Note: Hey guys, looks like I'm a liar about not updating for a while, but the inspiration it me hard tonight and so here is another chapter to hopefully live up to your standards! Haha, so what do you guys think, good bad, what? As per the usual please point out or excuse any and all grammatical errors, and as always, enjoy! Also yes Darth Ruin is a real character, and I think he deserves more credit, and therefore the reason he is in the story!