Vader gets closure (or so he thinks), Valles gains a powerful ally, Qi'ra makes moves, Maul is desperate, Maris is sympathetic.

Thanks to new follower: Javowars117.

Chapter 22: The Next Steps

Denova system, Ojoster Sector, Northern Outer Rim, 8 BBY 10 months, 15 days

The Imperial Star Destroyer Devastator had just dropped from hyperspace. Captain Rae Sloane turned to her Exec, Lieutenant Packer.

"Inform Lord Vader we have arrived. He specifically requested that he be awakened."

"Yes, Sir!" The officer gave her a quick salute and then boarded the onboard transport system. Within about 15 seconds, he had arrived at the Dark Lord's quarters. Vader was already awake and had emerged from his meditation chamber, where his helmet had just been lowered into place. As the Exec buzzed his quarters, Vader rose and strode over to the door. With a short movement of his left forearm, the portal slid open.

"Proceed," he ordered the Exec, in his usual dull baritone.

Normally, the position of executive officer aboard an ISD was a thankless role, but Sloane looked for those who reported to her, knowing that loyalty was a good trait aboard a ship. Vader had wanted her to command his "favorite" ISD for almost six years, ever since the incident aboard the Defiance that nearly claimed the lives of Vader and Emperor Palpatine. Lt. Packer had served diligently on the ship, but everyone knew that serving Vader directly was an exercise in patience. Packer had come to understand that the Dark Lord – though usually unappreciative – actually admired someone who did his job well. This was true from the days of the Clone Wars, when he was General Skywalker – or at least, it had been whispered.

Once Vader was on the bridge, Sloane met him and they looked out the viewport together.

"There it is, my lord. The planet Denova."

"I've been told – from sources – it is an excellent source of baradium ore …"

Sloane immediately thought of the Gorse system, whose moon had been nearly destroyed by the attempts to strip-mine it completely of the substance. Baradium was a metallic element, but rather unstable, making it a valuable substance in munitions. She'd been the acting commander of the ISD Vigilance three years prior, while the mining operations were being carried out. Sloane warned against pursuing the operations much further, noting that if the moon was overly exploited it would likely become unstable, causing its orbit around the planet below to collapse. This in turn would ruin the tidal lock the two bodies had, which kept the planet livable, thus endangering millions of Imperial subjects. She wanted to warn the Emperor of this possibility but her voice went unheeded. Fortunately for Gorse, there was a revolt on the planet against the boss of the operation, Imperial Minister Count Vidian, the one who refused to listen to Captain Sloane. In the process, Vidian was killed and the planet was saved, thanks in no small part to Sloane herself, who allowed the revolt to take place. Both Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla had been part of the revolt.

"Yes, my lord. The sourcebook mentions that. Do you think it might be a useful find?"

"From all indications … And this will be a point in your favor, Captain. The Emperor well remembers your role in the Gorse fiasco and we have spent the past three years recovering from that loss. Our supplies of quality explosives are running low."

He paused for a second, as if something below had caught his attention, then turned to Sloane.

"I will proceed in my ship to the surface. There is something I want to investigate …"

"Shall I assemble a crew, my lord?"

"That will be unnecessary, Captain."

She knew better than to ask him anything twice. Vader was the type of person who knew what he wanted – seemingly always.

An hour or so later, Darth Vader was piloting his TIEx1 Advanced fighter ship in a tight orbit over the planet Denova. He kept the speed relatively low so he might be able to catch what had tripped his Force perception from the ISD further above.

Ah, this is it … he thought, and the ship descended through the atmosphere and was now just a few kilometres above the planet surface. It was winter and the ground below was covered in snow. Then he saw it – clearly the wreckage of what had been a large ship that had crashed years before. Vader took his craft in for a landing.

As he emerged from the ship, the cold air actually felt good as it numbed the persistent pain in his joints, while the wind was whipping his cloak around. The ship remains were now clear to him – they were of an old Republic Venator-class battle cruiser. The Venators were roughly half the length of the current day Star Destroyers and had only one long hangar bay, in the center of the ship, with fighters and shuttles able to exit and enter the ship dorsally.

Then, a strange sight caught his eyes. A small collection of what appeared to be grave markers lay ahead. Each of them was marked by what seemed like a wooden shaft that was stuck into the ground, and was topped with a trooper's helmet. But these weren't anything like present-day storm troopers in service to the Empire, they were older, and each was painted an odd shade of orange and detailed with white markings. And then it dawned on him. These were the remains of cloned soldiers from the War, over 11 years earlier, and not just any battalion – these were men who had served under his command as General Anakin Skywalker. He felt a sharp pain as the memory returned. Because these were not only some of his men, they were also in the service of his one-time Padawan – Ahsoka Tano. And the orange and white helmet markings paid tribute to her as they represented her skin shade and facial detail.

Ahsoka … we never found you. And now it seems this was the reason. Our troops – your troops – turned on you and somehow brought the ship down. This would explain why we lost track of that ship. But what of Maul? He was supposed to be on there as well.

As Vader slowly walked around the makeshift graveyard, he began to wonder who constructed it and whether anyone finally survived. Then his foot struck an object on the ground and he kneeled to reach down and pick it up. It was a lightsabre. But not just any sabre … it belonged to her. I gave it to her … after she had left the Jedi and me behind, I took her weapons and rebuilt them, just for her …

The memories were washing over his consciousness now. As he raised the sabre, he switched it on and the blue blade emerged – still potent. But … there were two. Where is the other? For some reason, the Force was telling him she had perished here, all those years ago. The thought of Ahsoka started affecting his thoughts and he dearly would like to have had her join with him – if that were possible – and the old man might have been receptive to the idea. But that chance was now long gone and he knew it. Vader switched off the blade and kept the sabre for himself, as a last reminder of the one who had been his most trusted ally in the many battles they had fought in together. He walked back to his ship and fired up the engines.

As the TIEx1 climbed back into orbit, Vader started scanning for signs of baradium ore, wanting to take his mind off what he had just seen. Life was becoming maddeningly complex for him now. The past wouldn't let go, and, at the same time, his friendship with the Lady Santhé kept haunting him. How much he would like to see Valles again, but this was not the time.

Hapes Cluster sector, Eastern Inner Rim, 8 BBY 9 months, 3 days

About five weeks later, Valles Santhé was on a journey via her opulent yacht Belladonna to the remarkable sector known as the Hapes Cluster, also the home of her sometime paramour Vaston. She had seen him a couple of times since his visit to Lianna two years prior and their romance was not exactly burning hot, still, she had a soft spot for the Galactic playboy and this time she accepted an express invitation for an audience with his mother, Queen Vestalia. Valles had last seen Her Majesty when she was a pre-teen girl 12 years of age, but one who was, at that time, fully on the career track that her grandfather wanted for her – to someday take his place as the chairlady of Santhé-Sienar Corporation. Usually when Valles and Vaston were together, they didn't talk much about his mother as their minds were on more recreational pursuits. But Lady Santhé was well aware that the Queen would be pleased if the Liannese beauty were to marry her son and presumably help him to settle down.

As the yacht dropped from hyperspace, Valles studied the planetary system chart. There was really no other system or sector quite like it anywhere in the Galaxy. Over 120 habitable, temperate planets, some of which were quite lovely in terms of scenery and types of climate and terrain. And over all of it, one remarkable woman presided. Vestalia was quite old – some said well over 100 standard years – but the truth was that no one in entire system really knew. Her people held her in the highest regard and she was a genuinely kind and loving ruler who made sure that every last one of her subjects had whatever he or she needed to live a good life. Abundance of everything was so prevalent in the sector that the Queen was likely the Galaxy's most prosperous person, but this was mostly a matter of speculation. It was believed that every one of the planets in the system belonged to her and thus everyone living on them was essentially working for her in one aspect or another. Vestalia was quite the jovial sort and she often weighed well over 300 kg as she loved to eat and was fond of big feasts and parties. But for some reason, her gluttony never seemed to harm her health and the Queen was always in good spirits and rarely, if ever, was ill. She got almost no physical exercise, preferring to float on elegant repulsor thrones around her many palaces – she had at least one on each of the planets and more than one on most. Working in the Queen's direct service was a coveted position as it paid well and allowed for much time off.

As Valles read all the available material on Queen Vestalia, she sighed from time to time. What must it be like? To be truly loved by one's people and yet basically own everything … a remarkable set of circumstances. Valles also started to wonder how the Hapians' prosperity continued as it did amid the Imperial system. She concluded that Vestalia and Palpatine had some sort of arrangement but never was any of it known by outsiders. Another section of the intelligence briefing noted that the Hapes sector had never sought representation in the Galactic Senate, under either the Republic or the Empire. Another curious arrangement … surely the Queen would want to make sure her influence could be felt beyond the borders of her own corner of the Galaxy. I am looking forward to meeting with her.

The Queen had asked Valles to proceed to the planet Jovaria, a world with oceans, mountains, rivers, and huge farms that grew many of the favorite foods beloved by the sector's over 100 billion inhabitants. To keep each of her planets livable, Vestalia limited each world to having no more than 3 billion people, but each of her subjects was carefully cataloged in the various databases kept by the Queen's royal staff – a group that numbered over ten million, spread across the sector. People were mostly free to roam around the sector and even come and go – but there were restrictions placed on outsiders and who might be allowed to take up residence in the admittedly desirable set of worlds. Various species were found, but only humans had any real ancestry going back more than a century. It seems that Vestalia's predecessors on the throne were keen to keep their sector strictly walled off, but she preferred having some of the diversity found on other worlds such as Coruscant and Brentaal – it made for a more interesting cross section of life.

As the Belladonna fell into orbit around Jovaria, Valles and a few of her servants boarded one of her shuttles and proceeded down to the surface. As she looked through the viewport, she saw a modern city, brightly colored and festive, with lots of children running around in the various parks they passed over. How charming … it's a little like home on Lianna. Speeder traffic was carefully managed so that people had unobstructed views through the continually fresh air. A tractor beam had grasped the shuttle and soon it had touched down. Becoming somewhat excited, Valles, wearing a bright pink dress that flared out, with her dark hair fully unfurled behind her, down to her waist, eagerly peered out as the portal slid open. A short trumpet fanfare was heard as two men in bright blue uniforms stepped forward to greet her, each of them bowing deeply.

"Welcome to Jovaria – welcome to the Hapes Sector, Lady Santhé. We are deeply honored that you could pay us a visit. We hope that you enjoy yourself immensely while you are here and Her Majesty Queen Vestalia is awaiting your arrival."

Valles laughed softly. "Thank you so much," her clipped voice uttered, as she looked around. Her staff was seeing to the details of the Lady's luggage and soon the attendants were escorting her to a magnificent speeder limousine.

"We are part of the Queen's hospitality detail on Jovaria," one of the two noted. "She assigned us to you exclusively for your visit today."

Valles smiled. "I am most pleased to meet you both," she noted, as they were both handsome and elegant, clearly suited for life in the court of Queen Vestalia. "Lead the way, gentlemen."

The ride over to the palace was relaxing as the car proceeded down the grand avenues of the city, and as Valles looked out the windows, she could see statues of the Queen in all her corpulent excess, usually with her flowing hair and a big smile on her face. Quite proud of herself, that's for sure. I wonder if she commissions young artists to reproduce her likeness. Owning 120 planets leaves quite a lot of room for more of this. As they arrived at the palace, the limousine's top rolled back and Valles marveled at the intricate details in the grand arch they passed through on their way in. The outer courtyard was filled with fountains and there were dancers in bright costumes performing – although it wasn't clear exactly who for. They went a little further and the limo stopped, with the staffers assisting Valles as she hopped out. She stopped for a bit to look around and the view was impressive around what was essentially an open deck where other speeders were parked, with some picking up passengers and others dropping them off. All of the walls and ceilings in the facility were of ornately carved wood – perhaps from one of the forested planets in the sector.

As she continued to look around, the attendants then helped Valles into a repulsor chair that was flanked by them as it entered a large lift that took her up to the main level. When they entered the great hall, Valles looked up in wonder at a ceiling at least thirty metres high – which was elegantly detailed with what appeared to be the constellations nearby, with blinking lights for each planet in the entire Hapes sector.

"What exactly am I looking at, here?" Valles asked softly, as she craned her neck to see the ceiling detail.

"Oh, that's a representation of our system and its place in the sector. You see Tinta, Arabanth, Lemmi, and in the center, that's the planet Hapes itself. Her Majesty's palace there is truly grand. It covers a million square metres and is three kilometres in length."

Valles let out a soft whistle. "Nice …"

They then directed her to a different lift which took her up five levels to the first ante-room of the Queen, and she was told to wait. It wasn't long before the Queen arrived, directing her own hovering throne of ornately carved dark wood and golden accents. It was a massive piece, and on it was a massive woman. Valles rose and instinctively curtsied.

"Your Majesty," she said softly.

Vestalia turned her massive head to gaze upon Valles and broke into a smile.

"Dear Lady Santhé! How wonderful it is to see you … all grown up now … and simply the loveliest gal in the Galaxy. I am so happy you accepted my invitation."

Valles actually blushed, not something she was in the habit of doing, but the sight of Vestalia was indeed awesome. She was covered in velvet and satin of various shades of purple and dark blue, with her impressive golden blonde mane draping over both shoulders and spilling onto the armrest of the throne. The Queen was indeed quite corpulent, as the statues accurately depicted, and Valles found herself comparing Vestalia to one of the Hutt elders – she was nearly as large. But there was a warmth radiating from her, and it didn't take long for Valles to detect Vestalia's Force signature.

"I was happy to come, your Majesty. So far, I've been most impressed by the beauty of this planet. You must be ever so proud."

Vestalia chuckled. "Come close, my dear. I want you to be comfortable in my home."

Valles figured, what's the harm? She has a gracious manner.

She then climbed up and sat on (or in?) the Queen's lap. The monarch smelled most wonderful and proceeded to let some of her hair brush across Valles's face as the Liannese relaxed, finding the act of sitting in Vestalia's lap to be most natural. As she settled in, she soon felt an enveloping presence of Force energy, which was neither Dark nor Light, but more of an indulgent mixture that was most intriguing.

It soon became obvious that despite her massively overweight body, the Queen was rather strong and had powerful arms and legs, as she easily hefted the diminutive Valles and placed her in a more comfortable position.

"Is that an improvement?" Vestalia laughed.

"Oh, much better, your Majesty … but, is it proper for a guest such as I to be received in this manner?"

The queen laughed again. "Most proper, my dear. As we have much to discuss, I want you to be fully relaxed. Is there anything I can get you – at the moment?"

Valles gently shook her head. "No, this is more than adequate. I hope we can become friendly."

"We most certainly can. Now, the first item on the agenda is your, shall I say, relationship, with my son. Do you have any intentions regarding him?"

Valles sighed. "I had a feeling this would come up … indeed, I figured this was the primary reason for my invitation. But, no, I'm sorry, I do not have longer term plans with him at this time. He doesn't seem the type to settle down with one particular person and I would hate to deprive him of that."

Vestalia laughed again, something, it seemed, she did quite a lot of. "I suppose you are correct. And it would hardly be fair to ask such a lady as yourself to tolerate such an arrangement. Still … I look forward to the day when he becomes a more … responsible man."

"Might I ask you something, your Majesty?"

"You may," Vestalia smiled, and beamed at Valles, who noticed something. Her eyes seem to change colors … first a deep blue, now a bright green.

"It pertains to the organization of your queendom. How is it governed, exactly, and what is your relationship to the Galaxy as a whole?"

"My dear, let us share a bit of something first, then I would be happy to explain all of that."

The queen raised her left hand and made a gesture. Soon another repulsor chair slid into place and she gently hoisted Valles up and placed her on it.

"Pardon me, dear lady Valles, I just felt you would be more comfortable in this position, though I do like having you close. There is something most endearing about you. I can see why you intrigue Vaston as much as you do. There are times when he cannot stop talking about you. I knew you two were friendly as children and it's good to see this continue."

She waved her hand again, and soon a small table appeared. On it was a plate of something that appeared to be some type of food.

"Please sample the ambrosia."

Valles smiled, "I'd love to." She picked her portion and nibbled at it. Soon, a most incredible feeling came over her and it seemed to be the best thing she'd ever tasted. Valles quickly consumed the rest, and then took a deep breath.

"What did you think?" The Queen laughed, yet again.

"Wonderful … I've never tasted anything remotely like it."

"It's what I mostly eat … but this is a less concentrated form of it for honored guests. Normally, I am the only one in the sector who is allowed to partake … aside from, of course, those who sample it for me after production."

She then motioned again and a small bottle of a syrupy liquid appeared. Vestalia poured a small glass of it for her guest, about 5 cc. Valles then sipped it and again found it most delicious.

"Oh, what is this? It seems to be a sort of mead."

"It's our special nectar. Again, something only for my consumption. Slightly intoxicating, but thought provoking as well."

Vestalia then swallowed her portion of the ambrosia in one bite and drained the nectar, after which, she sent the table away.

"Come, my dear, we will retreat to a small study for our discussion."

Using the Force, the Queen directed Valles's chair in front of her as her ornate throne followed. They went through a couple of portals and boarded the lift, as various attendants along the way bowed deeply as the Queen passed by. They rode up a few levels and then through two more portals and into a small room that was richly detailed with various maps and diagrams on the walls, which also had a large window that afforded a view of the plaza below. The local sun was starting to set and it cast a lovely pattern of colors on the area as the planet rotated.

Valles stared out at the lovely view for a few seconds. "Impressive. I've yet to see anything on this world that isn't nearly perfect."

The Queen laughed some more. "I'm glad you like it. Our sector of systems has been carefully engineered to produce the perfect balance. This world is our most important agricultural planet and we keep the settlement of it to around one billion, which creates a perfect balance of beauty, commerce and ecology."

"Do you export anything out of the sector?"

"Not as a rule. I prefer to keep things as they are and we keep a tight control on who may and may not enter, and how long they might be permitted to stay."

Valles sat back in her chair and marveled. Quite impressive, she seems to have things just as she wants them and who can do anything about it? Then came the inevitable question.

"What is your relationship with the Empire at present?"

Vestalia again laughed. "Quite good. I present no threat to them, nor they to us."

"How exactly did that come about? I suppose … well … Vaston has told me of your rich mineral wealth on some of the planets."

"Yes, dear. We have had many offers over the years. My predecessors on the throne were more inclined to do business with the Republic, but I find the Empire most pliable."

"How do you get on with the Emperor?"

"Well, I wouldn't say we are exactly chums … but there is a certain, mutual respect."

Valles sat back and smiled. "That sounds wonderful. So they more or less permit everything here to proceed as is. Most interesting … and the syndicates?"

"Strictly forbidden here. Everything you see on each of my worlds is open and above board. You asked about governance. Each planet has a governor and she reports to me and my council of advisors. We set the goals for each planet at regular intervals. In addition, there is a 'secret society' of those who are vying to be most in my favor. Just one of the ways I can recruit the top talent available."

"I see," Valles smiled. "And how does one move up in this structure? I take it all of the top leadership is female, correct?"

"Indeed. But this does not preclude opportunities for men. At present, all governors and members of the supreme council are women but this is not an absolute requirement."

Valles nodded. "Tell me more, your Majesty."

"We have various … methods … of enabling talented young people to become recognized and move into choice opportunities. I particularly enjoy meeting them and seeing the love in their eyes."

"I can imagine … "

Vestalia continued. "I have a close relationship with all of my people … which, I realize, is difficult to picture when you consider that is around one hundred billion. But it is my desire to see everyone prosper here and there shall be no poverty nor anyone unable to access basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, and health maintenance."

"This is what I am doing on Lianna as well, at least, attempting to do. It can be quite difficult finding the right people to carry out my vision."

"Oh, my child," Vestalia smiled and reached over to stroke Valles's hair for a few seconds. "I believe you might learn much from a visit here. Would you possibly have a few days? I'd like to show you around some of the other worlds, especially our central planet, which is considerably more urban than this one – but still, with careful balance."

"Yes, I can do that. It's wonderful being in your company … may I address you more informally?"

"Oh, of course. You may call me Vestalia."

"Thank you, Vestalia and you can of course call me Valles. Anyway, I am looking forward to learning more about this place and hope to be able to form a good working relationship between your sector and mine."

Vestalia grinned for a second, then nodded slowly.

"That would be the Tion group of sectors, correct?"

"Yes, I am building a series of dependencies with some of the nearby worlds and am working with Admiral Tarkin of the Imperial fleet."

"Really?" Vestalia's hearty laugh returned. "An ambitious fellow, is he not?"

"One whom I am backing for a regional governorship. He has my … complete confidence."

At that moment, the Queen again invited Valles to sit in her ample lap, and the dark-haired beauty happily accepted, soon making herself comfortable amid the luxurious fabrics. As she smiled up at Vestalia, the Queen then grasped her right hand with her own massive palm, then proceeded to surge ever larger quantities of Force energy into Valles. The sensation hit the Liannese at about the same moment the effects of the nectar kicked in and Valles felt almost weightless, but it was a secure feeling. Memories of her childhood briefly returned and Valles sighed softly, asking herself if she wouldn't mind being in this position for the rest of her life. Vestalia cuddled her lovingly, as a mother would do, then relaxed the Force. Valles could only remain in awe of the Queen's supreme Force power, one which was likely a well-kept secret in the Hapes Sector.

For a minute, the two simply smiled at each other, then the Queen broke the silence.

"My dear, I was greatly saddened to learn of your grandfather. How are you coping with the loss?"

"Thank you for that," she responded quietly, after exhaling. "It's been difficult, but I've moved on. I manage to stay busy."

Valles stretched her arms outward and Vestalia gently lifted her up and put her on her feet, whereupon Valles walked over to the window and stared out for a bit, noting the various activities taking place below.

"You know," the Queen noted, "I've known for a long time about you having inherited much of Kerred's fine qualities. He and I spoke often of your talent and incredible mind. He seemed to think you would someday be the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. But then, of course, that became a quite different circumstance. Do you have similar ambitions, my dear?"

It was Valles's turn to chuckle. She walked back over to the throne and placed a hand on Vestalia's shoulder, caressing the expanse of soft golden blonde hair. "As a matter of fact … "

Vestalia chuckled, too, and turned her head to gaze into Valles's eyes.

"… I think I'd make a fine empress someday."

"Yes, my child. You would indeed. And I will be more than pleased to see you there. But there's no hurry, am I right?"

Valles laughed. "Quite right. I'm building things slowly. Creating a network one piece at a time. While playing the role of the loyal and dutiful Imperial."

As Valles returned to her seat, the Queen moved her throne over to the window and gazed out to the expanse beyond. "But of course."

"Do you ever get bored, your Majesty? I mean … it just seems like everything is so … carefully arranged. Not a hair out of place. Still, it is a lovely place to visit."

"No, my dear Valles. One of my favorite pursuits is adding to my store of knowledge and my Galactic network of contacts. I have many who may come in most handy for you in the future."

"Speaking of that … I'm heading to Muunilinst after I leave here in a few days." She winked, knowingly, at the Queen.

Vestalia nodded slowly and smiled. "Yes, my dear old friend Hego … I still think of him from time to time. He was a great admirer of your grandfather, as well."

The two continued to discuss various Galactic affairs, then it was time for Valles to get some sleep. Vestalia personally showed her to a guest suite, which was as well-appointed as anything on Lianna. As Valles sank into the comfortable bed, she lay silently for a few minutes, considering all she had learned. Oh, this has been a most rewarding trip, indeed. With Vestalia as my ally, little will stand in my way. A certain mutual respect for Palpatine, eh? We shall indeed see about that. Particularly if I can continue to turn Lord Vader. He's getting a raw deal and he knows it. I would treat him with the respect he deserves.

Void Station, 8 BBY 8 months, 17 days

Ahsoka Tano was in a booth with Hera Syndulla, relaxing for a drink and some appetizers at a quiet club, after a hard day working on various pleasure craft that had visited the station. It seemed there was no end to the number of prosperous people who needed tune-ups and the like as they tooled around the Galaxy. People of this sort had little reason to be concerned over the nasty side of the Empire and quite welcomed the general sense of order and prosperity – at least for some – that Palpatine's reign had afforded them.

The Togruta and Twi'lek were aimlessly bantering about things, when suddenly, a group of people strolled in and took the booth right behind theirs. As they took their seats, a woman's affected Core-world accent became prominent. Unknown to Tano and Syndulla, this was "Lady" Qi'ra, who was plotting various ways to increase the income of her syndicate organization known as Crimson Dawn, along with three men who were now her chief lieutenants.

"Now listen closely," she said intently. "The time has come to drop the hammer. The old Zabrak has become a hindrance to us … he just doesn't have a businesslike approach and that's a liability in the Empire today."

A response came from one of the men.

"How exactly can we do it, my lady? He's a tough one to nail down."

One of the others also weighed in. "We gotta be careful. Can't have any way to trace it back to us."

Qi'ra shook her head quickly, in a sense, waving them off. "Leave that to me. I have it on good confidence that he's been seen at The Wheel with another Zabrak, this one an aggressive female that I've done business with before. She's rather loud and a hard drinker."

"So what's plan, my lady?"

"We're going to drop his name to the Empire when the time is right."

"How's that going to help?"

"I'll tell you how," Qi'ra smiled with fiendish look. "They're after anyone who is sensitive to the Force."

"And you think he is?"

"I know he is."

As the discussion wound down, Ahsoka glanced at Hera.

"Did you catch that?"

"Sure did," the Twi'lek answered. "Who do you think is the old Zabrak?"

"I have an idea, but I'm not really sure. What I'm more curious about is who are those people working for?"

"Maybe a syndicate? I mean, they don't sound like reputable business types."

Later that night, as Ahsoka prepared to lie down to sleep, she thought it over. Could it be that Maul has turned up? That day, when the clones turned against us on the ship and I had to free him, he got away in that shuttle and I have no idea where he might have gone. If only Barriss were still here. We'd figure it out together. I feel so alone.

The Wheel, 8 BBY 8 months, 10 days

Maris, clad in a bright and tight red dress with a flared skirt, was at the bar in the Player's Club, aimlessly crunching some dried seafood snacks and nursing a glass of ale between shots of whiskey. She was awaiting a visit from her fellow Zabrak, Maul, in his alias as "Paul Talzin." After another fifteen minutes passed, he appeared, clad in a business suit with a fedora that covered his horns, and carrying a briefcase that contained who knew what. He quietly came up next to her and took the stool to her right.

"Hello … Paul …" she deadpanned. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Lady … Brood," came the reply. "Most lovely tonight, dear. Might I join you?" Without waiting for her response, he signaled to the bartender, who simply nodded and brought over a whisky bottle and a shot glass. Maul snapped a 50-credit chip down and then gazed intently at the sexy lady next to him.

"I suppose …" she answered, somewhat amused at his attempted swagger. "What did you have in mind?"

"A mutually beneficial … assignment," he said in his normal strained voice. "There are things to tidy up."

"What sort of … things?" she responded, meeting his powerful red-eyed gaze for a second.

"Business. I've come to question my … arrangement with a subordinate. One that might be taking too many liberties."

"Where do I fit in?" Maris laughed. "A payday?"

"I will advance you 100K with another on completion of the job."

Maris gave him a distracted look as she twisted her lips a little. "My schedule's a little tight."

"I don't need it right away. Do this for me and I will be most … grateful."

She exhaled and rolled her eyes. "Paul, do I look like that kind of lady to you?" She then glanced at her com. A message was coming in from "Counselor." Voyager wants us to get together later tonight … see you back on Felucia.

He looked at her, a little pained, and for some reason, she felt sympathetic. Maris decided to reach out with the Force.

My boss is not going to like this. You don't want to set her off, either. But I might still be able to help you, however, I'm not going to be an assassin.

Maul looked at her for a second, then felt he had an ally in his fellow Zabrak. Maris knocked down her last shot, drained her ale glass and pushed away from the bar. As she stood up, she turned to him.

"I need to go, now, but we'll talk again. You have my contact info here."

The two shook hands. As she walked away, Maris wondered exactly what was going on. I don't think Master Shaak is going to be very supportive of this, but I won't be able to hide it from her. Always best to be open with her. For some reason, I want to help him, even though the Dark Side is all over him.

Maris boarded the transport on the station and returned to her ship Forager. She did the pre-launch checks, and then took off. After making the jump to hyperspace, she decided to sleep off her alcohol buzz on the way to Felucia.

Felucia, 8 BBY 8 months, 9 days

Shaak called everyone to order at the Assembly Hall. She wanted to thank everyone who helped build the add-ons to the structure and it now included a kitchen where the meals could be prepared for all the acolytes in the Order. There were 15 Force-sensitive people (aside from Shaak, Maris, and Varda) now residing on Felucia and sleeping at the bunkhouse. Maris and Varda were each helping to train them in the basics of using the Force and getting their bodies in top condition, and to the last person, all were keen on helping the rebellion against the Empire. Shaak had spent some individual time with each person and they all had come to know the Master and saw her as a leader who deserved their absolute, unquestioned loyalty. Little by little, everyone was learning lightsabre handling and skills and Shaak insisted they would concentrate on defensive styles first. The practice duels in what was now being referred to as the outdoor "arena" were lively and well attended by the other members of the Order, as Shaak saw them as team-building exercises.

"Hello, everyone. I would like to take this time to recognize all of you for the hard work and effort you are contributing to our group, and now it should be a point of pride to say you belong to The Order. Of course, we still have so far to go but we can take a minute to look back and see how far we've come. Emperor Palpatine has little idea of what we are doing here and may it stay that way – as there is little reason for him to know. So, everyone, keep up the good work …"

As she finished her prepared remarks, Shaak asked Maris, Varda and Padawans Xendar and Sanjip to stay behind.

"As you all know – as you have helped diligently to get our block house finished – that we are now that much closer to having our aims in place for the defense of this planet and ultimately the re-engineering of it to someday make this a beautiful place to live. But now that I have crafted the technology to make this planet appear invisible to passers-by – we can now step up our efforts to recruit more people."

"So what are our next steps?" Maris asked.

"More of the same, I would say. We are still very far from where we want to be. The Order is not meant to be any kind of direct military response to the Empire, it is a means of finding and training people who will be the new vanguard of our future regime."

"But the Empire is aware that there is a resistance movement, right?"

"From our various intelligence, I am not sure they believe there is anything they have to take seriously at this time. That is to our advantage. We have to continue along the track we are on."

Shaak paused. "But I want to stress how far we've come in these past ten years. The things we've learned, the powers we've developed."

She turned to the group. "All right, everyone, that's all I wanted to say at this time."

Varda and the two Padawans went off together, while Maris stayed behind. Then, all of a sudden, Shaak turned on her longtime apprentice and to her great surprise, aimed a low-power (about 5kW) electrical current directly at her. Maris was in shock and quickly lost consciousness. Shaak caught her body before she fell to the ground, and laid her down gently. Via the Force, she lifted Maris and brought her to her private home. Laying Maris on her bed, she poured warm Force energy into her as a healing process, then spoke softly:

"My child, I have now prepared you for the next step on your journey. This first application had to be done when you were not prepared to resist it. I have studied your physiology and I am assured that you are ready. You will sleep now as your body recovers and when you awake, we shall discuss this process together. It is due to my belief in you that I know you will become a powerful servant of the Force in the years ahead."

Maris continued to lay unconscious, as both of her twin hearts were now beating normally. Shaak was gratified at her apprentice's inner strength and knew this was due to ten good years of training and conditioning. We will win this fight my dear. With your abilities enhanced, I will feel more secure that you can run things here when I am on other worlds seeing to our future.

Felucia, 8 BBY 8 months, 8 days

The next day, Maris awoke and was a little groggy. She noticed she had been sleeping in Shaak's bed and thought it a bit strange, then she remembered what had taken place. Soon, Shaak came into the room, aware that Maris had regained consciousness.

"How are you feeling, my child?"

Maris rubbed her eyes. "A little out of it. What happened?"

"You were given a dose of electric current, or what the Sith like to call "Force Lightning" – which is a rather inaccurate term as true lightning is millions of times more intense than anything a single Force user can hope to generate – and this was to prepare your body. I have already examined you and you have handled it well. You are young and strong."

"So … now I am going to be able to shoot electricity?" Maris gasped.

"Not immediately. I will have to give you more doses over the months to come. I plan to bring you along slowly."

"Master, how long have you been able to do this?"

"I actually learned many years ago. Count Dooku once saw me as his future apprentice and he prepared my body when I was still a Jedi Knight. I kept this ability secret from the rest of the Jedi."

"Were you thinking of leaving them?"

"I actually was. This was when I was around 20 years of age and Dooku had convinced me that the Republic was corrupt and rotten and the Jedi should not try to serve it but that we should try to change it."

Maris thought about this for a few seconds. "So why didn't you join him?"

"I started to realize that he and Sifo-Dyas were becoming radicalized and I was worried that it might lead me to a bad place. My first Padawan that I had trained was killed by a syndicate group and I was angry – mostly at myself, for letting it happen. I had to find my inner strength, so I asked the Council for a sabbatical and I returned home to Shili to rest and meditate. It was then that I decided I wanted to help reform the Jedi from within. I later worked with Mace to attempt that."

Shaak turned to Maris. "And it was a good thing. I've now come to learn that Dooku himself was becoming corrupted – by his association with Hego Damask. But that was after he showed me a mining venture on Muunilinst."

"Really? This is the first you've spoken of this."

"I know. It wasn't yet time to clue you in, but we will have access to the resources we need in the future. Ironically, it's because of Dooku and his association with the Sith."

Maris gasped. "We knew Dooku was the apprentice of Darth Sidious. How long ago was that?"

"At least twenty years, but it was a different Sith – someone called Darth Plagueis."

"But you didn't know about that … then?"

"I did not. I do now. Plagueis was our old friend Hego Damask. Recent meditation after holocron study has connected me to the truth. Plagueis was killed by Sidious – it was 24 years ago now. They both had the plan to destroy the Jedi via the clone army. Plagueis used his own money to pay the Kaminoans to create the army. Then, it was their plan to have that army turn against us."

Maris nodded. "I know about that. Order 66. The chips inside each one."

"Yes, but what you didn't know was that I almost discovered this – before it happened. You see, one of the clones malfunctioned and murdered a Jedi Master named Tiplar on Ringo Vinda, during a battle against the Seppies. We investigated and determined the malfunction was caused by the chip. I learned of this and the trooper that informed me of it I sent to Coruscant to tell the Chancellor – which turned out to be a mistake, of course."

"Because he was the Sith lord, Darth Sidious."

"As we know now. But what I didn't know until recently was that Dooku also knew of the plan – long before – and he wanted me to be part of it."

Maris whistled softly. "So he gave you the power of Force Lightning?"

"That's right. Something I only recently started perfecting. And I want you to have it too. We are going to need every possible advantage if we are to defeat Palpatine and his Empire."

Maris smiled. "But we will defeat him. The Force tells me that. I had a dream while I was resting, Master Shaak. I saw a great explosion – something like a huge artificial satellite. What was that?"

Shaak smiled and nodded. "It was the future, my dear. And we will come to know what it meant. Just like the dream I had on Dagobah over eight years ago before I met with Master Yoda."

"Can you tell me about that dream, Master?"

"Not at this time. I don't yet understand it myself."

"Ah. Okay …"

"Rest some more, my dear, and we will go to the next steps. You can then tell me about your Zabrak friend from Dathomir."

To be continued …