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Phase 13

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Part 3

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Project Ascension wing

R&D Complex

location classified

Coruscant

Dr. Solumn hummed a half remembered lullaby – one of the ways he used to calm his nerves when an experiment didn't go as he expected. There had been a lot of that going on lately; ever since the Jedi went mental and tried their coup in fact. Personally, for Solumn, that whole mess was a priceless opportunity for Science! It wasn't until then that he managed to get his hands on Jedi corpses to experiment on to supplement the few Force Sensitive bodies he managed to gather through some less than legal means.

The biggest prize he gained from that whole débâcle floated in a Bacta tank in front of him. It was the half-destroyed body of a fellow scientist that he knew was in fact a Sith – the recording of her battle against Grandmaster Yoda was something to behold and worth every piece of lost equipment that fell victim of their encounter.

For more than a month now, Solumn had his closest assistants busy studying the body. According to everything he and his colleagues knew of human anatomy, that woman should have died when Yoda so inconsiderately turned himself in a living torch! The little troll not only burned himself to ash but wrecked another prime specimen that might very well lead to a breakthrough in Project Ascension!

Solumn glowered at the mutilated remains of the Sith woman. There was no brain activity to speak of that could be detected by any of the start of the art sensors focused upon the broken corpse, yet it continued to breath when it had no business doing so! The third degree burns, the sheer thermal damage that cooked most of her chest, not to mention the brain trauma...

Yet she still lived, somehow. Even healed, if very slowly, something that Bacta accelerated a bit. It was vexing; it was magnificent! This was a chance of a lifetime, one Solumn would not let slip from his grasp! If he could figure out how the Force worked, how to make regular people able to use it, the possibilities would simply be endless! The fame, the power... The Duros grinned. His people already made some progress by studying how the woman's body healed itself and they were convinced that it could be replicated using Bacta based infusions.

Solumn never noticed a transparent, ghostly figure that stood in front of the tank and glared at him before vanishing. If he did, the scientist might have dismissed it as a trick of the imagination, cut on the stimulants he had been taking lately and went to catch a good night's sleep for once. After all, no sensor – optical or otherwise he had in his possession could have seen Zash's Force Ghost unless she allowed it.

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Senate Building

Coruscant

Darth Sidious stood on top of the Senate building and wondered what to do. He could remember everything now... which was less helpful that he hoped it would be. There was one fail-safe that might help his situation, however it was a long way from Coruscant and the Sith Lord had no idea how to sent his spirit there if it was at all possible. Was he damned to haunt the Senate or at least the rest of the planet if it was luckier? Sidious hadn't checked yet – while he was not afraid, of course not, he was a Sith after all, he couldn't help it but feel unsure. He was the most powerful Sith Lord in millennia, yet he died at the blade of the likes of Windu! That shouldn't have happened! He didn't foresee it at all!

"Sidious, I presume?" A familiar voice echoed in his mind a split second before a presence appeared in the Force beside him.

"Darth Zash." The Sith Lord sighed. "The Jedi got you too?"

"In a manner of speaking." The female Sith smiled mischievously and looked at him.

Her face wasn't that of the woman who Veil introduced to him not so long ago. Instinctively, Sidious knew that this was how she really looked like. It was nice to have a confirmation to what the ancient records hinted at. This woman knew how to transfer her essence into new bodies. Could that help their current situation?

Zash looked around and pouted. "This could have gone better."

Sidious grimaced in a silent agreement. Being killed by the Jedi, it was simply vexing and that was before he thought about the failure of the Sith's grand plan. His non-existent blood boiled with the need for vengeance, yet his ability to do anything about his situation... His sheer aggravation fed the Dark Side without giving him a way to do a thing!

"Any idea how to improve our current situation and what do you want for said knowledge?" Sidious asked directly. He very briefly considered dancing around the issue, however doing so was beneath both of them. They were Sith, there was no need to act as if they were Senators, thank you very much!

"Oh, I have so many wicked ideas..." Zash licked her lips sensually and winked to Sidious.

The Dark Lord stared, startled by the implications of her words. They were Sith! This was... He paused and looked Zash's robed form more closely. The infuriating woman smirked knowingly.

"Flirting? Here and now?" Sidious shook his head in disbelief. This woman was supposed to be a Sith from the Ancient Empire, right?

"You know, powerful Force Sensitive brats don't just spawn because the Force demands it." Zash said in an irritating sing-song voice. "Besides, there are all kinds of fun people like us can get up to besides torturing people and driving Jedi up the wall." She nodded sagely.

Zash had to be messing with his head... Right? Sidious watched his fellow Sith warily. This was not how he imagined a heart to heart conversation with either her or Veil going.

"Concentrate, please. We're both intangible." He waved at his transparent form.

"Well, that can be a party stopper." Zash agreed. "Let's see..." She closed her eyes and Sidious felt a pulse go through the Force. It was like a beacon, yet if he wasn't right in front of the woman and looking for any sight of underhanded actions, he could have easily missed it. "It won't be long now." She declared after opening her eyes – which sparkled with mischief and giving him a wide, pleased smile.

"What did you do?" Sidious sighed. On the inside he wondered how Veil hadn't gone barking insane with this woman as a master. Or perhaps he was totally and irrevocably crazy – that would explain a lot...

"We can't have a proper council or even conspiracy if it's just the two of us."

The Force trembled and a third ghostly form materialized, right behind Zash. It was Veil, wearing black armoured robes, which wasn't out of the ordinary. What stood out was his age – he no longer looked in his thirties but instead was an old man about Sidious own age, even if he looked a bit better kept, the bastard.

"Zash, you have the irritating habit of calling when I'm trying to catch on some shut-eye." The third Sith Lord grumbled. He glances towards the former Chancellor and nodded. "Sidious." Veil looked around too and raised a greying eyebrow. "This is going to be a fascinating story, isn't it?"

"We're in a bit of a bind." Zash waved between herself and Sidious.

"That's what happens when you get killed and make my life more complicated." Veil deadpanned. "Why is your disembodied state my problem?"

That was a very good question. As they were, neither Zash nor Sidious could cause too much of a bother for the sole remaining Sith at large, if one didn't count that traitor Dooku. Why should he help them? Sidious certainly wouldn't if the situation was reversed. That simply wasn't the Sith thing to do.

"I can think of all kinds of reasons, my dear apprentice!" Zash crooned happily, thus earning herself a pair of wary looks.

"Is she this way all the time?" Sidious asked.

"Not at all." Veil declared and for a moment Sidious felt a profound sense of relief. "Usually she's much, much worse."

Both statements rang true through the Force. Damn it!

Zash raised a delicate gloved hand and extended her index finger. "One, you want to change what a Sith means. No apprentice murdering their master and vice versa unless one of them is a fool who needs killing."

What?! Sidious stared at Veil. That went contrary to the Sith philosophy!

"As you know, I'm on board with that plan, apprentice." Zash chuckled huskily, a sound that caused Sidious to feel a pang of emotion that he had half-forgotten a long time ago. "Ever since I stopped trying to possess your body anyway." The crazy woman added.

If that was true, Veil hadn't murdered her because? Were both of them simply insane or were the authentic records of the ancient Sith he possessed wrong?

"That's why I cheerfully gave you Kira's body. It's not my problem you went and get yourself killed, my former master." Veil shot back.

"Two," She ignored him, "There are all kinds of fun things to research that you don't have the time to deal with. Like what's wrong with the Force."

Sidious glared flatly at the woman. There was nothing wrong with the Force! If that was the case he would know, surely!

"There's that." Veil agreed, making Sidious' head snap in his direction. "What about him?" The ancient Sith Lord nodded in his direction.

"There's just the two of us and you're lazy apprentice." Zash smirked. "Just think how much faster we can get a proper Sith Order and Empire running with him on board."

That was a great idea and the moment it became practical...

"Really?" Veil scowled.

Zash glanced at Sidious and frowned. "He looks kinda old fashioned, I admit. All those stab-in-the-back ideas running around his head." A moment later Zash perked up. "I can fix him!"

Now it was Sidious turn to scowl. "There's nothing wrong with me!" Who made those two Sith anyway?!

"You still haven't told me why I should create another headache for myself? I already have a bunch of Dark Jedi time-bombs to babysit."

Sidious glared balefully at Veil at the sheer audacity of comparing him to Dark Jedi! He was sorely tempted to lash at both of those Sith with lighting, however he was pretty sure that nothing would happen and the last thing he needed was to make a fool of himself. The situation was demeaning enough as it was!

"You've been busy, apprentice!" Zash cheered gleefully.

"Not helping your case. Like at all." Veil grumbled.

"I know he isn't Baras, however, before you got yourself sent to the future, the three of us did great work, you have to admit it." Zash tried again.

Sidious scowl deepened. From what little credible information survived about Darth Baras, he was more successful than that particular mummy!

"I know I'm going to regret this..." Veil sighed. "State your case, master mine. Make it good." He rubbed his forehead.

Sidious was certainly curious how Zash would persuade her former apprentice that he should help them get new bodies. Naturally, he would make any promises, guarantees and deals necessary to stop being a damn useless ghost and once that became a reality...

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Part 4

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Senate Building

Coruscant

"I do have a way to built you new bodies, however there are going to be logistical difficulties." Veil explained. He looked thoughtfully at the pair of Force Ghosts.

"Do explain, apprentice." Zash inquired in a sweet innocent voice that no Sith should be ever able to imitate even remotely.

Watching those two interact, Sidious couldn't decide if Darth Bane's Rule of Two was the best idea that a Sith ever had or one of the biggest mistake one of their kind ever made. The dead Sith Lord had no doubt that Zash and Veil were unhinged – there was no other explanation. Yet, at the same time their unique brand of madness wasn't the one that the Sith usually had to fear. While observing them, Sidious couldn't help but feel that there was something lacking in the teachings he followed; he found himself wishful, eager for something missing, that he simply couldn't put into words.

"Well, I do have a few Dark Jedi that should be disposed of before they become more trouble than they are worth. One Jedi Master too – as long as any of you want to possess a sentient bunch of tree branches." Veil continued to speak. "Getting you to the machine and ensuring there are no accidents, that might be harder. Can any of you leave the planet for good, not just using Projection?"

Sidious loathed to admit that the best he could do at this time was pass through walls and float up and down the nearby floors – if he concentrated right and was very careful.

"Not at this time." Zash said. "Kira's body is in Solumn's custody and he's busy scanning it and experimenting to unlock the secrets of the Force, the cheeky bugger." She snorted.

As if an ordinary scientist could pull it off, when both Jedi and Sith had spent millennia trying and more often than not failing.

"Well, we all know who you'll be experimenting on next, just try not to get into the news." Veil chuckled.

Zash gave them both a disturbingly innocent look that convinced Sidious that his abilities with the Force Mask skill weren't as good as he believed them to be. Even when using it as well as he could, Palpatine could never display such a believable act of innocence – he was a Sith, knew Zash was one too, yet the way she acted – she had him half convinced that her innocent girl act was truth! That by itself had him re-evaluate her threat assessment up, way up. Besides, while Yoda did take her down, she at least was somewhat alive, something that he couldn't claim. It was hard for Sidious to keep a polite smile on instead of the baleful glare he wanted to level at the woman!

"There's always the old fashioned way..." Zash trailed off and batted her eyelashes at Veil.

"Still eager to get into me, woman? I'm afraid that I already have a passenger, though if we don't figure out something better I might have to bind your spirits to me for the trip."

Now Sidious scowled. There was no way he would allow anyone to bind him to anything but a proper new body!

"I know its less than ideal, apprentice. Do you really think I'll attempt to possess your body again?"

"Khem isn't around. You might just get tempted or impatient enough to try your luck." Veil countered.

That sounded like an interesting story... one that should have had Veil murdering his master on general principle too. What was wrong with those Sith?!

"Did you at least get someone interesting this time?" Zash inquired.

Veil waved a hand and for a long moment a look of utter concentration passed through his face. The Force shifted again and a fourth ghostly figure stood on top of the Senate, though this time it was blurry and much less tangible than either Zash or Sidious.

"Master Ti, it's always a pleasure!" Sidious said reflexively.

The Togruta glared in turn at each of the Sith.

"What would your wife say about this?" Zash chided and looked mischievously at the Jedi Master.

"Let me worry about Bo." Veil dismissed her concern.

"The Council was right then." Shaak Ti hissed venomously.

Veil rolled his eyes at her antics. "Please, it was their obstructionism that put them near the top of my to deal with list."

"Don't look at me, I wasn't going to move against the Jedi for at least a year or so." Sidious admitted.

Ti looked at Zash who shrugged. "It's been a very long time since I gave a damn what your kind does, little girl."

Veil made a dismissive gesture and Master Ti's image vanished. Her Force signature was gone a heartbeat later.

Sidious would never admit it, however the implied threat did bother him – a lot. Veil obviously wasn't bluffing about his ability to bind Force Ghosts. That meant Sidious had to step even more carefully that he assumed.

"Now, please do convince me that I should get you both new bodies when it becomes practical to do so." Veil looked expectantly at them both.

"I'll owe you one?" Zash tried.

"You already do for retrieving you from Tython, my dearest master."

"Oh, stop beating around the bush, Delkatar. You're perfectly aware that I don't care what you do as long as I'm left alone with my research." Zash huffed. "I didn't bother you nor Ashara. The same is true for your little Mandalorian bride."

"That's an excellent point." Veil said amiably. "What about you?" He focused his gaze upon Sidious.

"I do know where all bodies are buried." The Sith Lord's smile was back. "I did set up the stage for turning the Republic into the First Galactic Empire – contact information, deals, all we'll need to make that a reality." Sidious even allowed himself a smirk. "Unless you want to deal with the Senate and the galaxy's flawed ideal of democracy."

"You do make a good point." Veil nodded thoughtfully. "At any rate, I can't do anything about either of you before I'm back on Coruscant. The Bothans – start talking. I can use some blackmail material on them."

Sidious stared at his fellow Sith. A large part of who he was wanted to deceive and set him up. That however would be unlikely to get Veil killed, not to mention that for some unfathomable reason Zash appeared to be fond of her former apprentice. Perhaps she liked him enough to retaliate against Sidious – which might be even fatal given his current state. As if reading his thoughts, she gave him one of those impossible, sickeningly sweet smiles, raise a gloved hand and purple lighting danced between her fingers. Sidious could perfectly well sense the Force she used, demonstrating that currently she was more dangerous than him, at least while stuck in this form.

How did he get himself in this situation? The dead Sith Lord sighed and began talking. He would bid his time until ready and then...

Once Sidious was done, Veil looked at Zash. "He's your responsibility, my dear."

"I know just what our new friend needs." Zash grinned and gave Sidious a smoky look that held all kinds of wicked promises. Veil gave her a mock salute and vanished, leaving Sidious alone with arguably the crazier ancient Sith.