Author's Notes
And here we have another chapter. Some stuff happens but it's mostly just a bit of character development, transition, and one plot point.
"We bugged out of Dromund Kaas pretty damn fast… any reason for that?" Vette asked me as I finally started to calm down from my panicked state. Fuck no was that a good thing. I had just told off Darth Plagueis when he's at his peek meanwhile I'm barely at fifty percent if that. I'm so going to throttle Cipher the next time I see him.
It was only by the skin of my teeth that he didn't figure out that I was effectively crippled in the Force. I'm sure that he had plenty of ways to attack me without dragging it out into a massive fight. But it seemed he thought I was hiding away my true power, thank you stupidity. I even had to play my trump card of the Tsân's invisibility in the Force. From what I have seen, those that have been so used to using the Force to detect those around themselves rely on that more their natural senses. Someone like Plagueis who has undoubtably augmented their own natural abilities was still surprised. The sight and mystery of my Tsân should also freak him out enough to avoid direct conflict until he learns more.
"Met someone that I really rather shouldn't have. By the way, if any of you have accounts in the IBC then I highly suggest you close them." I warned to the crew members in the upper floor. It had been a few hours since we left the system, during which I was obfuscating in the Force. Focusing on obscuring my place in it and anything having to do with me from Plagueis' sight. I knew he wouldn't breach Terra so I only focused on the Chilling Sound and my home on Anoat.
"You seriously have a death wish if you piss off bankers." Katz joked as he swiveled around in his seat to turn back to me as Vette flew the ship through hyperspace. The new crew was here, along with Yensi. The brothers and twins were down in the crew quarters, one of the side cargo bays had been converted into a larger crew space as to accommodate the larger crew with the previous smaller cabins refitted to utility and storage space. Considering we were a treasure hunting crew focusing on ancient artifacts and valuable lore and knowledge we didn't need a whole lot of cargo space.
"So what are we doing now that you are back. You seemed to have some idea in mind." Yensi said with a bit of sharpness in his voice. I could tell he was still pretty chaffed from the months still working with Dalla and was eager to get to making money again. I could understand, I had forced him to work with someone he had betrayed and who hated him. Doubt Dalla made his life easy and he was too prideful to let Vette protect him.
"I do, I set it up prior to being delayed." I said with a embarrassed tone as my body language reflected that act. I didn't trust these guys yet so I still needed a cover of everything we did. I'm sure Vette might say it wasn't needed but I disagree. "I had a meeting with a executive of the Techno Union who was in a bit of a bind. His position was about to be handed over to a rival that would undo all his legacy yada yada… I didn't care. Expect his position could be inherited by blood successor that met the standards of the Union. Problem is, he doesn't have kids and due to medical issues can't make any."
"When does this involve a job or explanation of where you were?" Dabai jabbed at me and I could just feel her bile towards me in the Force. Yeah she's going to be a problem, I mean I completely understand… Vette is adorable and totally worth it. But mine. Mine! And also I'm sure Vette has her own opinions on who she wants to be with.
"I'm getting to that. So, exec with too much money but no way to have kids who needs kids… what's he to do? Needs to be blood, doesn't have any other family that he's willing to bequeath this job to. Oh look at that… his contract considers a clone a blood relative." I say and I get several odd looks. Also this cover wasn't even all that far off in possibility. While rare in the Star Wars galaxy, clones are still common knowledge though controversial. "The clone simply needs to be of a certain quality for it to pass those earlier said standards."
"So we're looking for a cloner?" Yensi said thoughtfully, I could sense in him a mix of anticipation and relief. Seems this job has sparked a challenge in him, the chance to make money with hard work definitely is what he's after in life.
"Yes. Now this meeting was set up and went perfectly. But then I decided I needed to check up on one of my contacts… on Dathomir." I said and instantly they all looked at me like I was crazy. Dathomir publicly was a planet of mystery and horror. Much of the galaxy saw it as a death trap controlled by evil witches and their legions of fanatics cultists. Not far from the truth but not the truth. "Yes-yes I know. But she's given me good advice and I like to smuggle some contraband to them from time to time… not all the rumors are true you guys."
"Not all." Katz chuckled and there was other side of things. I'm sure there were plenty of men out there that saw Dathomir in a Amazon like fashion… only thing is in both examples the dudes do not get happy endings. Hell the only reason why I did was because I'm me and I'm destined for shit.
"You stuck your dick in crazy didn't you." Vette said only kinda going along with my story. But the way she had looked back toward me told me that she was being serious here.
"Yes but that's besides the point." I waved off and Vette groaned in a mild annoyance, I'm not sure how aware she is of what happened on Dathomir but I have a feeling I shouldn't enlighten her anymore than she already is. "Me and my contact were ambushed by a rival tribe and I was kept prisoner for all this time. We eventually escaped and I have been spending the past month in a Bacta Tank recovering."
"I can already tell that working with you is going to be interesting." Konas laughed as he swung back a bit in his seat.
"And deadly." Katz chimed in but he didn't seem all that bothered.
"Morons." Dabai grumbled to herself and I could tell she was here reluctantly. Vette might be blind to just how volatile this woman is. There was a clear feeling that she didn't fit, and that she was purposely not fitting in. And in a crew this small, loyalty and trust were vital and if she could give it to everyone on the crew than she was a danger. I really don't want to judge this quickly without Jaesa's insight confirming things but I was already leaning towards kicking her.
"The job is still on, my exec in the Union is still alive and wasn't expecting a results quickly. We don't have as much time as we used to but that's not a problem as I know exactly where we can find the tech needed to satisfy the client." I said and with that the cockpit's holo-projector sprung to life and created a image of the Kamino system in the middle of the room. The crew all watched as it zoomed in on Kamino. "This world here once had an entire civilization built on Cloning tech. The Republic decided to purge it out of fear but given they did it from orbit and the nature of the world and people, I think there is a chance they survived." As I spoke images of the Kaminon people lined up beside the world along with blocks of texts describing them and their culture.
Katz rolled his eyes and turned back to the ship's terminals. Seems he wasn't all that interested in the mission itself. That's fine, he's the copilot and mechanic, he's not supposed to be apart of the mission in full. Konas, Yensi, and Dabai all however were taking this seriously and were studying the info that was being presented. In terms of the rest of people's roles Vette had already explained the system they had going on.
I as the captain would lead, plan, and get the jobs for the crew while also taking the front of any ground mission. That's what she had been doing with Dalla acting as a face for actual clients. But now her role would go back to pilot and my right hand, keeping the crew happy and keeping my ass safe and smart. I mean she does know what she is doing in that regard.
The brothers were the logistics guys, they hauled stuff and effectively were the all purpose handyman that took orders from everyone. They could also guard the camp fi we set one up and act as back up if needed though they were only passable with blasters. If anything they could at least look intimidating. No, Konas was the real muscle. He was a former Republic army sergeant and has decades of merc work under his belt. He would be going with me and Vette on the ground to provide fire support and tactical advice.
The twins also would be coming with us as they had gotten very good at taking orders and acting as Konas' little troopers. They were very happy to see me and I think Konas was a little sad to see all that loyalty switched over to me but he had a good nature about it. They had come far since their days as slaves in Lys, now they were well at home in the galaxy, strong women that could take care of themselves. I was quite proud.
Then there were the problem children, Yensi and Dabai. Yensi wasn't a real issue and I could tell that his attitude was cooling but he was still a loner and grumpy more often than not. He worked as the crew's organizer in terms of funds and supplies. He worked with Dabai on this and the pair kept the ship stocked and us out of bankruptcy. Yensi wouldn't be going on ground missions as he was only a passable fighter. He was thinker and dealer, not a fighter. Dabai on the other had was great at fighting but Vette had her always on protecting the ship and/or camp. She also acted as the crew's quartermaster and all that entailed but I still was suspicious on any food she gave me.
Then lastly there was the secret member of the crew, BI-6. Thankfully it seems a lot of her mental damage has been repaired by both her self repair protocols and the lack of isolation. Vette had been a good influence on her. And despite the fact that she was back threaded into my clothes and had refused to remove herself from me, at least she hasn't had a… episode yet. I'm thinking of putting her in a sleep mode but given my recovering state I don't think that would be good just yet. If Plagueis had attacked she would have been my get-out-of-jail-free-card. She would have been destroyed but given her inorganic nature, any tricks that Plagueis had would have been rendered null and he would have to resort to conventual methods. She would have allowed me to escape at the cost of her life but I'm happy that it didn't come to that.
"If we can find some of their cloning secrets, then we'll be in for a big payday. It doesn't even have to be complete tech, just enough to reverse engineer parts that aren't common in this field of study." I say telling them what they needed to find. In the end of it all, if I can't have the Kaminons, then I'll have to settle for their methods. Even the ruin of a cloning facility could possibly hold valuable innovations for my cloning project. If we found nothing… then I would have to work with whatever cloning tech that was already out in the galaxy or maybe Cipher could sniff out another people like the Kaminons.
"My lord." Sidious kneeled as the holo-image of his master flickered into view. He had been called by his master late in the Naboo night. He was back on his homeworld working the usual nobles and important people in the government for his nearing election to senator. Everything had been going as planned, his family name and exploits in securing good trade deals for Naboo had given him great sway with the people. Some of those had been arranged by his master, but the ones he was truly proud of were the ones he had done all on his own. His master was wise and powerful, but Sidious desired his own power. Simply costing on by his master's connections would only make him weak.
"-Darth Sidious, there is a new foe for us to concern ourselves with.-" Sidious listened with narrowed eyes under his shadowed hood. It was feint but there was a sag and odd breath to his master's words. Had he been fighting? What foe could appear that would cause his master to need to exert himself? "-As I have taught you, our Order has a long and storied history. The Sith, once numerous, had many great names and legends. One of these one a Sith named Darth Revan.-"
"A former Jedi that turned against the Sith in the end, I know of the name." Sidious said dismissively and with great disdain. In the annuals of the Sith's history, Darth Revan was both a visionary and disappointment. He was once the greatest of the Sith, bringing the Jedi low and nearly established the Sith has the true power in the galaxy… only to abandon it all.
"-Do not dismiss Darth Revan's impact on our Order. The progenitor of the Rule of Two, Darth Bane, was greatly influenced by Revan's teachings.-" This time Sidious held back his comments. "-Regardless of history. I bring this up as I have encountered a man that claims to the Inheritor of Revan's Will. This is the same man that caused the temporary Balance in the Force and the same man that has taken the alias of Ulysses.-"
"I thought we had established that the Treasure Hunter Ulysses was merely a fortunate conman. One that had been able to take advantage of a faulty tool." Sidious recalled the day that his master's spies came back with disappointing reports. That the man that had caught them off guard was little more than a pirate playing dress up.
"-I believe that the true man had gone into hiding after the Taris incident and allowed one of his crew to pose as him during this time.-" That was a worrying thought as that meant he was capable of hiding from them for extended periods of time. But Sidious was unsure, Eight months was a… unreasonably long period to hide. There was circumstances that they did not have knowledge of. That seemed more reasonable to Sidious. "-I have met with this man. We spoke and he revealed himself as Darth Nagash. He claims to be the lord of the Rule of Three… I do not know if this is a bluff or a grave fact. But he clearly has intimate knowledge of our operations.-"
"Does he know of the Grand Plan?" Sidious asked, already assuming that by that comment that this Darth Nagash knew of him. It was now that Sidious was dearly wishing that IG-99 had been successful in killing the lot of them back on Taris. He also now knew that he was right to push for the elimination of Ulysses as opposed to what his master wished.
"-Unknown. I believe he has ambitions for Dromund Kaas, as well as other artifacts from eras long ago. Beyond this his plans are shrouded. But we know his motives, to cast us and the Jedi down and bring about Revan's dream of a Balanced Force.-"
"Forgive me master, but it sounds like this Darth Nagash is nothing but a naïve dreamer lost in the past. He does not look forward, all his actions as such have been focused on the ancient. Is he truly a threat?" Sidious said not truly thinking so lightly. But he needed draw out more information from his master. Darth Plagueis had not been as open with Sidious as he first had been when they became master and apprentice. The Muun did not always tell him the full truth, something that Sidious chided at.
"-He is, too much about him is unknown and he had demonstrated to have powers in the Force unheard of to the Sith. Caution must be taken. He goals, foolish as they may be, do not make him the fool. This is a dangerous and intelligent foe that we have found Darth Sidious. For now, remain as you were. I will begin to work on discovering more on this Rule of Three, as such I will be leaving the tasks of the Grand Plan in your hands for the time.-" And with that, the connection was cut. Sidious looked to his personal terminal and watched as several files were transferred into it. He stood back up and stared at the screen wondering if this was all a ploy by his master to test him. There was a fair chance of it. For now he would remain acting as the dutiful apprentice. He still had much to learn from Master Plagueis and so any plots to kill his master were set aside until that changed.
"Yeah I can get all of this for you… but can I ask what is it for?" Vette asked as she leaned back in her pilot seat. They were on their last leg to the Kamino system and she had been all alone in the cockpit until Saarai manifested all by herself with this request.
"It is a surprise, I believe that Naraiz-sama will be needing means to bond with his daughter. Many of his interests are either not suitable for children or non-existent back on Terra. Plus this will also introduce some culture for the Acolytes." Saarai explained with a clam but soft friendly tone that Vette wasn't sure to trust. The Light Sided Tsân was always the one that freaked her out more, at least with the Dark you knew what you were getting. Vette glanced down at the shopping list that Saarai had dictated and there wasn't anything abnormal.
"Okay, next time that we're on leave I'll pick all this stuff out myself. No need to have Dabai or Yensi asking why are we buying a bunch of art supplies." Vette replied but when she looked up Saarai was gone and then that was followed by the soft ding of the elevator coming onto the floor. Vette sighed and looked over to see Dabai stepping out. "Well speak of the devil."
"You can not expect me to accept this." Dabai complained as she stomped into the cockpit obviously upset about something. Vette had a pretty good idea what he was. "For months you made him out to be some god among men, the one good one, but he is by far one of the worst ever!"
"I never said any of that. Naraiz can be very scummy at times but… that's all part of his charm… I tell myself every day." Vette half joked, knowing that this wasn't going to make things better but she had come to the understand that nothing she said was going to. Dabai was going to try and find any excuse to she could to try and get her to dislike Naraiz as much as she did. It was true that Naraiz could be a very annoying bastard but Vette still loved him for some reason.
"You shouldn't have to remind yourself every day. The person you are with should not make you question why you are with them." Dabai challenged and Vette sighed.
"It was a joke. Now… what did he do that has you pissy this time?" Vette asked as this wasn't the first time that Dabai had come to her ranting and raving about Naraiz. The first time had been shortly after Vette and Naraiz had rekindled the physical aspect of their relationship. The next morning when Naraiz had gone to see Cipher, Dabai had ambushed Vette and assaulted her with questions. Apparently she was under the impression that Naraiz had forced himself on her and that Vette was somehow his Twi'lek slave or something. It would have been nice for her concern if Dabai hadn't come off so patronizing or clearly with a certain few motives in mind.
"You know he's having sex with the twins, right now. Doesn't that bother you?!" Vette was seriously starting to take Naraiz's words seriously on Dabai. When Vette first brought the woman onto the crew she thought that they would do great together. They had met while Vette was doing a little side job on a backwater smuggler station. Things happened, people died, the station nearly blew up, and friendship had been forged. Honestly that adventure rush that Vette had gotten so much back their home time period came so little these days and Dabai had brought it back. But things didn't turn out as well as Vette hoped. Dalla didn't make things better, the others tried but it seemed Dabai was stuck in her prejudice against men.
"Not really? I mean I got him last night and those girls have been missing him just as much as I have." Vette had lost a lot of her weirdness about the whole sharing thing. Naraiz was always going to be moving around, hopping from place to place so it wasn't like she would having him all to herself all the time. Plus… Vette enjoyed the benefits of multiple partners.
"That's not right. I'm scared that he's conditioned you into just accepting this. You can do better." Now this was heading exactly where Vette knew it was. And if she had just not said all this stuff about Naraiz, Vette would be inclined to let Dabai down gently… again. However, now things were changing as more and more Dabai was just irritating Vette.
"Oh hey… look at that… fifteen minutes to we're in system. Better go tell everyone to get ready." Vette said in a dry warning tone. The intent was clear and Dabai stared at her with a mix of irritation and disbelief. Then with a huff and some curses under her breath, she relented and walked back to the elevator. Vette didn't give her a single look as the doors closed. "Jeez… that's going to be a problem."
Melisandre smiled knowingly yet serenely as she sat at the end of the long table that was used for meetings between visiting nobles and Darth Nagash. Though the Red Priestess knew that her lord and master was away and was instead being imitated by Rathari.
"I can not speak for all of Dorne, but I do believe that with what you have offered today I can get the Martells involved." She watched the final words of the current business of the day were spoken. At the table was Rathari disguised as Darth Nagash, Governor Quinn and herself on one side, and on the other was Lord Wyl and his brother. The two had been sent by the Martells as a raven had been sent to Sunspear informing the Lords of Dorne of a business opportunity. As Melisandre knew the situation, the Sith wished to spread out the advancement instead of having it all centralized in Harrenhal and this was part of that.
In the North and Vale, they were secretly surveying the lands and finding deposits of valuable minerals. Some that weren't commonly known as valuable but Quinn and Pierce were adamant that they had great value. In the Reach, they were spreading out new agricultural technology and were planning on gifting them machines to up the amount and types of produce that can be developed. Then as it pertains to today, the working of glass on a large scale was the plan for Dorne. Glass was a art and as such very few people were capable of affording it, its use in construction was limited to only nobility or wealthy cities. But none of this was why she was at the table. In fact, all throughout the meeting she had not spoken a word.
"Yes, there are many things form my homeland that would benefit the realm. But I must be careful in whom I bestow such innovation upon." Rathari said in a manner quite befitting Darth Nagash, their was an aura about his words that bordered on arrogant but just barely stayed in the realm of charming. "We hope that as a show of good faith on your part gentlemen, that you might listen to what my adviser has to say." He then looked over to Melisandre who stood up from her seat. She had done this many times, her guile and ways with men were sharpened to lethal point. And given how the Dornish men were tightened up in their seats, she knew that they were very eager to hear her words.
"Lord and Ser Wyl, I'm sure you have enjoyed your stay in our developing city. Spoken with the locals… indulged in our hospitality." Melisandre gave a small but noticeable purr to her words. She knew for a fact that the Lord's brother had visited the House of the Passionate several times. They weren't a brothel and didn't charge anything but did require that anyone wishing to use their services also attend either classes, Melisandre's community lectures, or volunteer in some way. "I hope that you have been inspired by the many advancements that the Sith have brought from their homeland."
"Oh yes, Harrenhal isn't just a new a city in the making but also a beacon for a new age." Ser Wyl said with as he eyed Melisandre as she turned the corner of the table, her body moving in such a way that drew the male eye to every right place. On the other hand, it seemed Lord Wyl wasn't as captivated.
"But then there are others that are worried that we will lose our identity to all these changes. It's well and good for you to do as you please in your own lands Darth Nagash but many will see your advancement as corrupting influence." Lord Wyl warned and this had been one of the several points that had been talked about during the meeting. But it was a unspoken agreement between the parties that this resentment was mostly centered in the current powerbases of the Westerlands, Reach, and the Crownlands.
"That does not involve what we are speaking about, please get on with what you want woman." Rathari said in the normal dismissal way that Darth Nagash often used for her. It wasn't a secret how the Lord of the Sith treated her and it often baffled peasant and noble alike as to why she had any power in Harrenhal given Darth Nagash's obvious disdain for her.
"Of course." Melisandre said respectfully before she refocused on the Dornishmen. "My lord and ser, I humbly ask you that one of my students and several of our followers travel to your lands and set up a meeting House much like the one here in Harrenhal." This had been discussed between her, Rathari and Quinn. The Natural Order benefited the Sith both in the short term and the long term, so despite both men's revulsion at the religiosity of it all… they supported her expansion ideas. The first place they looked to was the North but knowing the religious history of that land and the stubborn nature of the people it was decided to skip that. Second choice was Drone, a much better prospect. It's people were accepting… relatively speaking that is. And the Martells and Dorne had been softly supportive of the Sith. Not vocal like the Starks and the North, nor chained by oaths like the Tullys and the Riverlands. But instead the southern most kingdom had said little and what was said was generally positive and in terms of actions the Dornish lords had actually helped the Seekers in their job.
"I'm not sure…" Lord Wyl said mulling the idea over in his head.
"It would not need to be as grand as the one here, and the funds to build it has already been gathered by donations. All we would need is your blessing and protection." Lord Wyl had been chosen for this exact reason. The Sith requested him as the intermediary for several reasons; he didn't have a child in the Acolytes, his lands were close to both Dorne and the Stormland so as to maximize the influence, but most importantly he was unusually adverse to the Faith of the Seven. He paid lip service to it but his keep lacked a Septom and married the daughter of a wealthy merchant prince outside the church.
"Brother, what's the harm? It's not like we can make the Faith like us anyway." Ser Wyl whispered to his brother and the older man sighed. Melisandre watched with a satisfaction as the Lord continued to think it over but she already knew that he would accept.
"This… this will have to be discussed with Princess Nysah." The Red Woman blinked in surprise at this answer. She watched while trying to understand how she had failed as the men in the room thanked each other for their time and the Dornish left the room. For the first time in a long time Melisandre thoughtlessly walked over to the burning fireplace that lit up the back of the meeting room. It had been so long since she sought the knowledge in the flames. She knew now of course to not listen to the voices coming from the flames, but she still now sought the embrace nonetheless.
"Unfortunate but I believe we wills till get what we desire regardless of how things have gone today." Quinn said with a tone that showed just how little he cared about her failure. To him all of this was purely tactical and further progress to the overall plan of the Sith. "Now if you'll excuse me Lord Rathari, I must oversee the construction of the buggy assembly yard."
"Yes farewell." Rathari said as the invisible cloak over him faded and he turned back into himself. There was silence between the two, Melisandre continued to stare into flames and Rathari sat in his seat waiting for… something. But enough time passed for him apparently as looked to Melisandre. "It is good to remind yourself of how little control we have over them. Despite our power and skill, free will is something that will continue to fight to assert itself."
"I do not need for you to preach your nihilism my lord." Melisandre said as she stared further into the flames. There was something there… something that it did not want her to see. Before she would have assumed that to be the Darkness that sought to destroy the Lord of Light. But now she was curious.
"But now you will listen. Our lot in life is to attempt to control the reality by which we live in, but also to submit to it. The Dark Side teaches us that… where are you going?" Rathari asked as he watched Melisandre run out of the run without the least bit explanation. This was a odd detachment form her usual demeanor but Rathari personally did not care enough to run after her, instead opting for leisurely getting up and following her using the Force. Then during his slow pursuit of the strange acting priestess, he felt a spike of emotion, distress, anger, fear. This changed things and he immediately sprinted through the halls until he came to the chamber where Melisandre had run off to. And a sickening feel had whelmed inside of him as he recognized what room this was.
"Lord Rathari help me, she's trying to kill the master's child!" That was the first thing that Rathari heard as he entered the room. This was Pandora's nursery. They had finally convinced Jaesa to leave her daughter so she could go train and the other duties her abilities were required for. A rotation between Lyarra, Joanna, and several of the more trusted of the staff would watch over Pandora during this time. Right now, Rathari could see that it was Serona as she held in one arm Pandora and in the other a bloody knife. Melisandre was in front of him, and he could see a bit of blood had dripped onto the stone floor in front of her.
"I saw it in the flames. What I can not allow to happen." The Red Woman said with absolute conviction. Rathari himself was caught up in the emotional shock of this, his mind was blazing at what could have happened to result in this. So instead he decides to resolve this issue in the most efficient way possible. Using the Force he reaches out and attempts to lock both women in place so he can figure out just what has happened. But then something feels very off in the Force, and his fears are validated as the panic on Serona's face melts and cold emotionless one finds it way to replace the fearful visage.
"Shâsot!" Rathari yelled and the Tsân manifested just as the blade in Serona's hand just touched Pandora's check. The massive Tsân gripped the woman's arm holding the blade back from the babe's face. "Serona's is not a null, if we had found such a prize then I would have been made aware of it." It was a extremely rare trait for a human to have the same null ability that some aliens had. Most of those were limited to mind tricks but others… they could nullify the Force entirely. "Who are you?"
"This child is born of Braavos. By ancient decree we have dominion over her life. She will be given death's peace." The person wearing Serona's face said with a unyielding certainty that Rathari recognized as a fanatic. There would be no chance of a dialogue. And just before Rathari was about to give Shâsot the order to crush the assassin's head she flipped forward in his grasp, then delivered a kick to his masked face and to everyone's shock caused him to let go and stumble back into the wall. His mass crashing into stonework and letting in the evening sunlight. He would of course demanifest before reaching the ground but now the assassin was free. Within a split second Rathari shot past Melisandre and had his hand around the killer's neck locking them back into a standoff, only this time the sound of a child's screams was in place of harsh silence. The blade had reached closer this time, with a crude slash cutting across Pandora's right eye.
"You will suffer, do you not know who's child that is?" Rathari warned as his eyes glowed yellow. The Dark Side was swarming the Force around them, both Rathari and Melisandre's emotions were unchecked as the cries of Pandora filled the room and traveled out though the hole recently made.
"She must be returned, she carries a piece of the beyond. Such things can not exist in this world." The assassin choked through his grasp. Rathari cared little for the being's beliefs or reason. He already had a good idea where this thing came from given by what it already said and how it operated. What he wanted now however was to stall for time.
"Your null presence in the Force is your only saving grace, had it not be for that you would have already been detained. But now, your comrades will suffer in your place Faceless Man." Rathari leapt back, confusing the assassin for just a moment before a lightsaber's blade pierced through their chest. With one fluid motion, Jaesa slice straight up through the killer's head and side stepped around her while also taking Pandora out from her arm. The screams of the child turned to pained snivels as her mother rocked her in her arms.
"Shh… don't; worry baby. Momma here… let's go to the doctor droid to fix you all up." Jaesa coddled as she moved past both Rathari and Melisandre like they didn't even exist. This was despite the fact both of them had just saved her baby. A truth that would not be lost on them if it wasn't for the fact they were emotionally exhausted and fell to their knees.
"She… is never going to leave that child alone now." Rathari grunted as he felt his soul pull itself back from the strain of this ordeal. It wasn't that it was any more difficult than of the many other struggles he had pushed through… but this certainly felt like one of the more personal.
"Considering what we just learn, that's not unwise." Melisandre responded knowing that the enemy the had somehow gained was a dangerous one indeed. The Faceless Men were the world's greatest assassins. And now they were targeting Pandora for the simple fact she had been born in their city and was a Force User. "Do you think we have discovered why there are so few Force Users in Essos. Surely there are more than there are in Westeros, but the numbers we have been finding feel strange."
"They may have been culling Force Users in Essos but that is a larger population and landmass, they also don't have the same resources as the Faith. I believe that is a possible theory." Rathari said as he pulled his mind and soul back to its iron solid norm. he had let the shock of a null and the familiarity of Pandora cause him to get emotional. "For now, find Serona's body and have it dealt with as her culture dictates. We'll promote Joanna to chief of staff, and cover up what happened. Don't need to have to public in a panic over unknowable assassin's that can steal faces."
"People would accuse each other over the slightest suspicion. Yes, that is the wisest course of action." The Red Priestess said as stood back up. The flames had been trying to hide this plot. What could that mean? Was there a mind behind the Lord of Light and not just a will of the Dark Side as Darth Nagash initially suspected. "Should we send a message to-"
"No." Rathari responded quickly. "We can not have him return, his mission out in the galaxy is far to vital. He will return and until that time we will protect his child and await his decision on what course of action we should take."
Something was happening… and I felt as if I needed to be somewhere else. It wasn't a Force thing… more a gut feeling. That odd unknowable sense of wrong that people had that was uncanny. But as the Chilling Sound pasted over another beached wreak of Kamino I pushed this feeling aside.
"At least this one isn't completely stripped." Katz commented as we all looked at the massive structure that was crashed into one of the rocky islands that spiked out of the endless oceans of the planet. We had arrived in the system several days ago, there wasn't a trace of any system activity. No ships, no stations, it was completely empty which was actually suspicious in of itself. You would think that the Republic would leave behind something to monitor the planet. But nope, not even a pirate base or salvager team was in system.
Which made the situation on-surface all the more interesting. Five Kaminoan cities, four of which were just floating ruins in the seas, and this last one were discovered by the Chilling Sound's scanners. The ones we had found previously had all been stripped bare of anything useful and were only floating due to their sheer size and probably because all the heaviest material had been stripped. But the fact that wasn't a presence of salvage teams in system made this fact extremely interesting to me. Now, could all of this be done right after the Republic's purge… yes. But, the culling of the Kaminoans happened two hundred and sixty two years ago according to the file Cipher had gotten ahold of. And this system was not on any public record and so that rules out any legal salvage teams though I doubt the Republic would have allowed it anyway. No… what really made this promising was that the stripping of the Kaminoan cities happened across different time periods. The degradation of the super structures of each of the four floating ruins were at different points of progress, with the largest being nearly ready to sink and the smallest only recently pieced apart. Someone was here.
"It's also the only one that's on solid ground." I said knowing what that could mean. Solid ground meant a fixed position, an invaluable trait in a possible refugee settlement. My hope was that the tallnecks had survived a second near extinction event… though I doubt this would do any good for their xenophobic culture. "Katz, your piloting. Find us somewhere safe to land, Vette, you're coming with me and Konas for an initial recon." I said as I turned back. Vette got out of her seat and Katz moved in to take over.
"Hopefully this recon will actually just be a recon mission." Vette joked as we entered the elevator. Once the doors closed I ordered the lift to stall, I needed to have a talk with Vette privately.
"How well can we trust these guys with the truth of what we're doing?" I asked as this lead was very promising. If things escalated fast then I would need to expose my true intentions publicly. If we did find a Kaminoan enclave then I would have to speak to them not as Ulysses the treasure hunter but Darth Nagash. I needed to know if any of the crew was safe to do this with. Obviously Vette was, as were the twins, but I had no idea about the rest.
"Everyone but the brothers have a reason to hate the Republic… but they're just good ol' country boys so I doubt they would much of a issue." I'm not to sure on that. Anyone can be a threat, no matter how small or normal they may be. All it takes is for one of the brothers to say the wrong thing to the wrong person. Even if they aren't believed outright, it would still create a seed of doubt and suspicion on me. "Yensi I'm certain would join up with your empire if it meant power in it. Katz has the biggest reason to hate the Republic, Konas a close second. But I rather let them tell you their stories, I know them and it wouldn't feel right telling you behind their backs."
"Understandable. I trust your judge of character in this." I said but Vette just looked a bit uneasy as I said this.
"Dabai…" Vette groaned and I could tell something had happened. "I may have underestimated how much of a problem she would be." I could sense in Vette a lot of conflict. She was feeling torn, it wasn't like she was trying to decide between the two of us no. It was more like she was torn between trying to fix this and cutting her losses. "I knew that she was going to… difficult. But I had assumed that she would at the very least give you a chance as a leader. There was no way you two would become friends but maybe comrades?"
"You said she has a crush on you, it's sounding more like a obsession."
"I think its more she has some little girl fantasy of falling in love and has misread circumstances between us. Honestly when I think about it… take you out of the picture and me and her have this sickly sweet dramatic love story if you think about it in a certain light." Vette said with a this joyless laugh. I put a hand on her shoulder and she immediately reached up to it, she didn't stop staring at the ground but I could sense how thankful she was for that small gesture.
"So… tell me the spicy love story between you two. Girl on girl action is always great." I joked and she made this barely effort kick to my knee in response.
"Dalla had this job, it wasn't a raid but… a smuggling job. It was a small time thing, nothing with the Hutts or any major players. More a favor than a real job. We went to get the package and… it all blew up. Everything happened so fast I really can't say what caused it. But soon enough we were in a fight to get back to the ship. I got separated, falling through some floors and into he generator section of the station."
"You survived of course."
"Thanks to Dabai. I nearly died… I can not say that enough. I nearly died Naz. And she saved me. And I'm thankful, but…" I could tell that Vette was struggling with this. She obviously had hoped that all of this would have gone differently. It was actually making me more pissed at the six months I lost as I could have prevented all of this. "She feels like because we have this story we have to be together. This adorable little story of how she saved my life and I invited her to travel the stars as adventure treasure hunters."
"To be fair… I'd watch that in anime form." This time the kick was a little bit more forceful. "Ow."
"Still haven't gotten to see what anime actually looks like jerk." There were a lot of things that Vette wanted to experience from my old life. I had already cooked some stuff with ingredients from Terra, as expected she really liked pizza. But it was impossible to hate pizza. "Anyway, I think she was actually hoping that Dalla was right and you were dead so she could have me to herself."
"Ah jealousy, I'm so sorry to disappoint. How do you want to handle this?"
"I don't wanna… do it for me." Vette whined like a child though it was just a act. She just wanted to avoid having to fight with a friend. I looked at her and with that told her that I was in no way handling this business for her. I have had enough relationship problems in this new life as is, Vette should have the chance to feel some of that angst. "You know what, she's right… you're the worst." With that Vette turned the elevator back on and we descended down with me looking quite pleased with myself and Vette just pouting.
Katz eventually found a solid footing for the ship to land and myself and the recon team exited the ship. The Chilling Sound then lifted off and would circle the place taking scans, hopefully to find some life signs. Rain was hitting my great coat and the lenses of my helmet, the normal Kaminoan weather was so pleasant. Vette grumbled about how it sucked that it was so hard to find helmets for Twi'leks and Konas just chuckled as he indeed had a Besalisk fitted helmet. His kit seemed to be a well matched patchwork of scavenged armor but… the framing and foundation was obviously to the trained a eye a used military grade uniform. Likely Republic with all the ivory and insignia stripped.
"Everyone's comms working?" I said from within my helmet, glancing around I could see that we were in what was likely a staging ground for departing battalions. Unlike with the previous ruins we found, the floors, walls, and everything else was mostly intact… or as intact as a bombed out city could be. There were more signs that someone was using this place as a home base, most notably the lack of skeletons or other signs of battle beyond the damage done to the buildings.
"Yeah. Looks if nothing else we might find something that can be repaired." Konas said as he walked around. He lifted up part of a damaged Kaminoan light skimmer, it fell apart in moments of it being disturbed. "Maybe not?"
"Boss… this might be another dead end." Vette knew what I really wanted but was earring on the side of caution in terms of getting my hopes up. But this was good, I had a good feeling about this. Now… the real question would be what state the tallnecks would be in. there were a lot of ways they could have gone that could be very bad for me. Rejecting their previous Cloning practices. Grown so xenophobic that they would be utterly hostile. Reduced to primitive savages. That last one was highly unlikely given the surrounding evidence but still a possibility. But equally as likely was for them to have developed a deep hatred of the Republic… meaning they would be all too glad to join me in my goal of destroying the people that had brought them to this state.
"Keep your eyes open. If there are natives here… they already know we're here." We've been flying on Kamino for days now. If they have any scanning tech then they know, and if they don't then our arrival on their most likely home base would undoubtably be noticed. With that fact in mind we ventured deeper into the ruin. This time it would be just a recon mission, we would journey into the Kaminoan city until we found any sign of habitation and then immediately retreat back to the Chilling Sound to prepare a more appropriate response. "Soo… anyone have a story to share so we're not trudging through a ghost city in silence?"
"Smooth boss." Vette chided but hey… I was curious.
"I'm the captain of the crew and yet I know so little about the people I work with. That's not a good recipe in my mind." I offered as we walked down a flight of stairs that somehow was still solid. I then tossed out a scan grenade to the floor below. As the data came into my wrist-pad I looked over to Kanos expectantly. His helmet wasn't very expressive but I heard a sigh over the comms. I knew I was being a little pushy with this but I needed to know who I could trust. Vette may have given her blessing on them but I needed to confirm for myself.
"Was kinda hoping I wouldn't go first." Kanos grumbled and technically Vette had gone first with her story on how Dabai joined. "Many-many years ago I joined up with the army thinking it would be better than working in my father's tiny little scrap yard. And yeah… it was. I like most non-humans was put in the auxiliaries, but early on in boot camp I was singled out and given over to the… special guys."
"Specs ops scouted you? Impressive." I said genuinely interested. Though one thing stuck out to me already, the tone he had used when talking about the treatment of non-humans. It was resigned but at the same time resentful. Was the Republic soft anti-xeno? That would a risky move on the Rule of Two Sith to already be shifting the culture like that.
I'm sure it just at the separation stage, something purely innocent sounding. Segregating the human, near human, and humanoid species out form those that didn't conform to that type would be the first stage. It would disguised as a logistical thing, excused by the need to keep supply lines of armor and other gear neat and tidy. But eventually it would grow until there was a unspoken but very real separation between these groups. Add in preferential promotions, human tribal instincts, and other unavoidable natures of organic beings and you had the perfect timeline of a culture that would grow to see humans as the standard then to the pinnacle.
"Yes. I was honored when I learned that I had been assigned to Havoc Squad right out of training." That stopped me. My fingers twitched and it took several breaths to regain my calm. Ah… another hold over from Old Naraiz I hadn't dealt with. His unending hatred for Havoc Squad. There was the fact that a certain man came from that squad… a man that ruin my relationship with Satele! Calm… that was Old Naraiz. There was also the fact that the Trooper, a Rattataki named Hadjio, was the biggest thorn in Naraiz's side. One might think that it would be a Jedi, and yes the Hero of Tython Rulud certainly was a pain in the ass but Hadjio was the one that actually stopped much of the Empire's strategies on the ground, in space, and on a grand scale. A genius of war and had a iron will that would make Doomguy proud, that man honestly single handedly at times kept the tide from turning on the Republic. He was not someone that Naraiz liked at all. It got worse when the Eternal Empire came about and the two found themselves on the same side. If it wasn't for Rulud annoying the shit out of both of them I'm sure that Old Naraiz and Hadjio would have strangled each other.
"That's… something." I said diplomatically. Thankfully Kanos didn't seem to notice my change in demeanor. I'm sure Vette did but she didn't say anything.
"Life was pretty good, I had my team and we did our job. Then the Hutts attacked." Just with Qui-Gon I could tell that the last Hutt War had changed this man. But unlike Qui-Gon it didn't break him… just changed him. "Havoc was of course deployed in the heaviest of the fighting. The scum of the galaxy weren't the only ones that the slugs brought, we went in expecting criminals and mercs but what we got were damn good soldiers. It was too late when we figured out that they had former army with them."
"I can't believe I'm saying this but the more I learn about the last Hutt War the more I'm actually impressed with the Hutts." I say as that was another stroke of genius. Gather up those that either deserted, were dishonorably discharged, or just couldn't refuse the cash and use them in the worst of the fighting. Give them command over the rabble and you have a command structure that knows every way to counter your enemy.
"Once we figured that out… orders came down to stop taking prisoners. Most of the time when dealing with Hutt forces we tried to capture as many as possible. Both to try them as criminals later but also to try and turn them with promises of lesser sentences and even pardons for past crimes." Made sense, given the kinds of people that would be attracted to the Hutt's military it wouldn't be too hard to get some of them to talk. Most wouldn't, snitches get stiches after all. But the order to stop this practice because they weren't criminals? That felt odd though it did make tactical sense. "I couldn't believe it. I know that the war was different but these were sill… I just…"
"They were treating scum better than your brothers and sisters." I finished for him and the solemn silence I got back was all I needed. "Risking your own men to try and take the criminals alive and then when it comes out that they are people you used to fight besides, they tell you to kill them like animals."
"I know that we are different sides. They made their choice." I heard Kanos grind his teeth. I could hear the conflict in his soul over this facet of that war. Some might see the other side as nothing but traitors but that still didn't always make it easier to pull the trigger on someone that at one point could have been beside you in battle. I was never a soldier, Sith on the battle field were not soldiers, they were leaders and war assets. They didn't take orders from anyone but their own and when deployed acted like singular units. So I doubt I have the same understanding but I at least have context and sympathy. "What really makes my blood boil though. Seeing the Jedi commander read those orders to us. I didn't see anything, it was like nothing had changed when everything had. No anger, no grief… we could be fighting droids or civilians and it wouldn't change how he felt."
"I think I see something ahead." Vette said, in her own way trying to help. Now wasn't the time to lose our heads. I'm sure later me and Kanos could grab a drink and talk about our disgust with the Jedi but for now at least I know that he's not going to go to them if he sees me doing Sith things.
So we jogged forward, leaving the previous mood behind us as we made our way toward something that was out of place. It was an arch, constructed from scrap and built over a fallen mass cloning pod wheel. This was not an easy thing to build if lacking industrial tools. Which given the shoddy look it had I could say yes, they lacked those tools. But at same time it didn't look like it served a purpose other than some non-logical one. A memorial… a alter? Please be the former.
"I think we've found evidence that the Kaminoans are still around." Kanos said as he looked up at the arch but I was more focused on the Force right now.
"Yeah… they are around all right." I say as I look to the shadows and see Kaminoan soldiers start to slip out and begin to surround us. Am I ever going to be able to do just one recon mission. Just a nice a simple check before pulling back and making a good plan forward. Nope. Doesn't look like it.
Author's Notes
So Naraiz has finally found the Cloners and Pandora is nearly killed by the Faceless Men. Honestly I hadn't really had a plan for Serona so this was a good way to use that character in some useful capacity for the story. Next chapter we will have Naraiz speaking with the Kaminoans and seeing what's up with them.
Reviews
Starlord Master - no, George is just really good at world building... writing a script however... no... no-no-no
Shadowhorror - He will be using some droids, mostly the Imperial models you can see in the SWTOR MMO and later Imperial models from the Empire Era in canon. I don't know StarCraft so I don't want to use stuff from it.
GhostFang GF - ehhh… we'll wait and see about that.
ZhaWarudo - why are you still here
Rapidnoob - I'm putting both those things on the The Republic Destroyed That list
Kalvernus - The Republic is going scream slaves no matter what Naraiz does. Given the state the Republic is in, they would propagandize the Empire as evil, slave using, freedom opposing, and general puppy kicking. So Naraiz really doesn't see a point in trying to cover up or walk a fine line when it comes to things like Clones because he knows he's going to get shit for whatever he does. As for Pierce, Quinn doesn't care, Vette feels pity for him, Jaesa is Jaesa and doesn't care but in a different way, Lyarra and Joanna also don't care because it really doesn't affect them. Generally the only person that would feel anything about the entire thing strongly would be Naraiz.
AvidReader2425 - thank you for your many reviews. Naraiz is at his peek the strongest Force User not counting the Ones. People like Plagueis, Yoda, and others of that ilk could challenge him but he's got too many tricks that would give him the edge. We saw that with Plagueis getting caught off guard by Naraiz's Tsan. As for the Chosen One... that's a tricky question. Naraiz is aware of who that will be and could properly prepare for it. It like Batman vs anyone, give him enough time to prepare and he can beat anyone.