Author's Notes

So... FF seems to be having issues with their main site on updates. Hopefully It's already done but maybe not.

I had planned on Oberyn to be apart of this chapter a lot more but then I got a idea and just ran with it. Next chapter we will see him a lot more.

"You are going to drop this now; I'm not arguing with you over this again." Vette already had enough on her plate without this added drama. Naraiz was coming back for this sudden big job that he had contacted her about. Going to the surface of Dromund Kaas, not a place that Vette would like to return but the credits on the line were huge. Plus she was sure he wanted a few trinkets from those days as well.

As time had gone on she had become more and more disinterested with his grand schemes of Empire building and Force nonsense. Did she still love the man, very much so yes. But at this point in her life she was content to ignore all of the fantastical things he plotted and schemed for. Now she had her crew of the Chilling Sound, and a life that didn't entirely revolve around what Naraiz wanted. He understood this and even encouraged her in distancing herself from the galactic scheming that he was involved with. Though he then asked her to go along with his insane plan to steal two Gree Hyper-Gates, but she was the bigger idiot for agreeing to it.

"You said to all of us that we would be stepping away from his Imperial patriot madness and that the mess with Gree Enclave was the last job we'd do for him!" Dabai shouted and twisted her words. Vette had indeed told the rest of the crew that she would curb their involvement with Naraiz's bigger stunts as while none of the others were as outspoken in their discontent as Dabai, they were also getting sick of the excessive danger he put them in.

The crew of the Chilling Sound were even now still not entirely keyed into the full truth of Naraiz's identity. Only Vette and the Twins knew completely with the rest having a partial truth. They knew he was Force Sensitive but not a Sith. They knew he was an Imperial working against the Republic occupation of Dromund Kaas and its daughter systems but didn't know the end goal of recreating the Sith Empire. As Vette had been careful to only bring in people with a deep grudge to the Republic or had zero ties to it, none of them saw fit to report Naraiz. He kept the credits rolling in and stuck it to the Republic so everyone was happy. But he also nearly killed them all far too often.

"That is not what I said and you know it. And this job isn't his idea, we're just contractors." Vette pointed out but knew that wasn't the main issue. That would be that they would be traveling down to the surface of Dromund Kaas, a place not known for its safety.

"This hold he has on you isn't healthy. And I've stayed quiet for too long about it." Vette's jaw just dropped as she heard those words. Quiet? Dabai took every chance she could to bad mouth Naraiz when either the man himself or the twins weren't around. The latter only because they threatened to maim her when they finally had enough of it. Vette was surprised that they lasted as long as they did.

"Why are we still on this? Naraiz might not be sitting in the captain's chair anymore but this crew still works for him. He pays us, this is his ship, and I very much still love him despite the many reasons why I shouldn't. Meanwhile there is no reason I can see that would keep you here!" Vette shouted hoping that this time something would stick and Dabai would finally leave for good. As much as the Twi'lek wanted to, she didn't have it in her to kick the hopeless woman out herself. Naraiz was useless here as he simply told her that this was her mess to clean up.

"You're the reason! I stay with this madhouse of a crew for you." Before Vette could once again shoot down this hopeless fantasy that Dabai had in her head, the door to the hotel room that Vette was staying at opened. In it was Cipher Nine who had looked both extremely disinterested in their fight but at the same time clearly had no patience for it. It was a testament to the aura of cool, calm, threat that he exuded that Dabai immediately clamed up and with one last meaningful look to Vette left the room. Cipher Nine stepped aside as the Chagrians walked past him while avoiding his gaze.

"Was I interrupting something important?" He asked in his normal polite yet ever so lightly condescending voice.

"Anything but." Vette sighed as she rubbed her temples as he walked in. "Thank you for coming when you did. She's really starting to get on my nerves."

"Only just starting?" Cipher asked in an amused chuckle to which Vette glared at him. He might be one of the deadliest men in the galaxy but she did not appreciate the sass. "You are aware of the importance of this coming job right?"

"Yes, there are plenty of things down below that would be great for the cause right." Vette said again disinterested in the plots and schemes that he and her man were cooking up.

"At the moment, all of our projects are progressing well but we are fast approaching several of Lord Nagash's predicted events. Namely our intervention in the coming Mandalorian Civil War." Now that Vette did know about. Naraiz had told her all about Jango Fett and what he knew about him from his meta knowledge. Using that and the reports that Cipher Nine's spy rings told him, Naraiz had been able to piece together an idea of what was coming.

The Mandos were on the verge of fighting among themselves between those that bootlicked the republic, those that wanted to continue acting as honorable mercs to anyone who paid them, be they Hutts or Republic or anyone in between. And then there were those that dreamed of the old days of conquest and blood. Both Cipher Nine and Naraiz didn't believe that this coming civil war would be very flashy as that would attract the Republic, though mando space was far less patrolled than other places due to an unspoken distance between the Republic and Mandalore. Both the people and the systems under the Mandalorian culture said they were part of the Republic… but that was about it. So while this civil war would happen, it would very contained and mostly amount to skirmishes between the three factions.

Jango Fett would eventually rise to prominence during this period and become the leader of the True Mandalorians. Naraiz and Cipher Nine wanted to make sure that Fett won decisively and during it have him become close to Naraiz acting as his Ulysses persona. They would then over the next few years get closer to Fett as he led the mandos and induct him into their cabal. Vette wasn't sure how well that would go.

"I know that you and Naraiz are really good at this sort of thing but even I think you're in over your head with this. Mandos don't really like the idea of anyone but them ruling over them." Vette pointed out but Cipher Nine seemed to wave off her concerns. Apparently he was still riding high off making contact with his people in the Unknown Regions. A people who still were as elusive as ever and were cautious about reigniting old oaths to the Sith. "By the way, why are you even here?"

"I suspected you wanted an excuse for your crewmate to leave." He said but Vette wasn't buying it. Cipher shrugged and moved past his barely there attempt at deceiving her. Vette knew he was a lie of omission kind of guy when it came to his… allies. "What is Lord Nagash hiding from me? I know it doesn't involve any military or governmental matter, but from my own conclusions while it is personal which I can respect the privacy of… it is so encompassing that it has affected nearly all other aspects of his being."

"What makes you think I know about it? It's not like we tell each other everything in our pillow talk, there are plenty of secrets on both sides." Vette said, telling a half truth. She didn't have secrets because didn't feel the need to hide anything. The only things she did were other people's secrets which she was damn good at keeping. And Naraiz didn't tell her all of his secrets because he knew that she didn't want to hear many of them. Vette knew that the former Jedi Fay was his shoulder angel now so she could back off of that role. To Vette, Naraiz was her ever absolute constant, the thing in her life that she could always rely on. And for him, she was the honest perspective and the one willing to slap some sense into him when he was being dumb. That's how their relationship worked on a deeper level.

"Because above anyone else in this galaxy, you are the one he places absolute trust in. I can confidently say that Lord Nagash has a contingency plan for any one of his closest allies to betray him… except for you." The Twi'lek smiled a little at his accurate assessment of Naraiz's faith in her. She had never thought about it in these terms but knew it was true and made her happy.

"That's right, and I won't." She responded and Cipher Nine just looked at her. If she had been any other person, she knew that there would be dozens of laser sights locked at every vital point on her body right now. That was his style, to set up everything so he would never need to pull the trigger himself… despite being one of best shots in the galaxy himself.

"Naraiz Rhyhall has not been acting as he was in our time. His speech pattern has shifted, using words and phrases not normal for his character, ideas and inspirations that come from seemingly nowhere, and dynamic changes in approach." Cipher listed off but Vette wasn't concerned. There was no rational way to come to the truth. How could anyone possibly come to Naraiz's mind being replaced by another man from a different reality? Even as great as Cipher Nine was a spy and investigator, the truth was simply too absurd to be discovered normally. Only she and Jaesa knew the truth and neither of them had any intention of cluing Cipher in. "Make no mistake, I live to serve the greater peace and order of the galaxy. The Empire is the greatest possible solution to the anarchy of chaos and best defense against the threats lurking in the shadows. It is for that reason and that reason alone that I make myself useful to Naraiz."

"And to ensure that he's the best possible person to lead the Empire you want for the galaxy, you need to know everything about him." Vette put a finger to her lip in a mocking thinking pose. Naraiz had already suspected that Cipher wasn't truly loyal to him or even to the Empire. But Vette assumed it would be good enough. Naraiz would just have to ensure that his Empire would remain Cipher's ideal solution for the Galaxy. Which wouldn't be hard as that was Naraiz's intent though for different reasons. "I'm sorry Seduna, this is one secret you're not getting your hands on." The Chiss narrowed his red eyes at the use of his actual name. Not his full Chiss name but his name nonetheless. A name that had been scrubbed entirely off the face of the galaxy even in their time.

"We shall see." He did not suddenly vanish or make a flashy exit. No, befitting his stoic pragmatism he rarely indulged in theatrics and with those parting words, calmly walked to the door and left without so much as a final glance to Vette.

Victarion kneeled at the stony shore of Pyke. Here his younger brother Urrigon has been passed out to the sea a year ago. Died of sickness, to any other Iron Born he would have been spat upon as a weakling but since he was his father's son he had been given a proper Iron Born funeral. That could not be sitting well with the common folk or the nobles of the Iron Island.

"Father is getting softer." The Sith Neophyte muttered to himself as he thought back to that day the Seekers had come to collect. The shouting match between his father and eldest brother. His father showed real spine when it came to certain things but those were too rare for the people's taste.

He stood up and glared at the sea, this thing that ruled over his kin and people for eons. The sea and their pride. Had they not been isolated on mostly barren islands that pride could be useful but as it was it only caused starvation and jealousy at what the mainlanders had. We Do Not Sow, stubborn pig headed words shouted out to the world like a child throwing a tantrum when told to do chores for the first time. Victarion both loved and loathed his homeland, the love came from the strength and will that the Iron Born had when they actually applied themselves but the scorn came from their inability to put that strength and will to anything productive. They could be so great, traders, explorers, or shipwrights. That last one they were indeed but did they sell their craft to the other kingdoms for profit and prosperity? No… they did not. Instead they were raiders and pillagers, taking what they refused to make of their own.

These opinions would not be popular, nor was his rejection of the Drowned God. In another life he was sure he would be a zealous follower of the sea god… but in this life he had seen too much. Up there, the sea between the stars was his destiny. Not kneeling before a make believe god that slumbered under the sea. The Force was real, he could feel it and command it… the Drowned God? The priests of the Iron Islands claimed to hear its call but now he was sure they were either mad or lying. He would not change his people overnight but he also could not let Balon drag them back into the Old Ways once their father died. Euron would also need to be taken care of. Despite his equal hatred of mainlanders and their schemes and plots… here he was plotting away to take the Salt Throne.

"Victarion." He glanced back and saw his mother standing a distance behind him with a few of the household guards. She had aged a good deal since he last saw her but she still looked as stern as the stone of Pyke. "He was excited to see you, he hadn't any memories of you and wanted to meet his big brother."

"Wonderful to see you too mother." Victarion wasn't witty or had the sharp tongue of others, but his mother's words were expected so he could prepare his response long in advance. She narrowed her eyes at his response but said nothing at it. "I'm not going to be here long, I just felt it was important to speak to father."

"You come all the way from Harrenhal for what could be done through a raven. Don't lie to your mother." She looked to her guards and with one look they quickly left to give space for the mother and son. Lady Kiara Grayjoy was widely regarded with respect and fear by the iron Born, seen as the perfect wife of a lord of the Iron Islands. Though many also felt that she was wasted on the current Reaper of Pyke.

"Balon is going to ruin whatever efforts father has made to drag our people out of the muck." Victarion grunted as he stood up from his spot at the shore. It was a problem that he knew would come to infringe on Lord Nagash's plans, and he didn't see a clear way to fix it. Euron was unstable and would never amount to much as their father's successor, could he command respect and fear of the Iron Born yes but could he do anything with that other than make a giant mess, that was a no. Aeron was still a child and might possibly be a good successor but Victarion didn't have the access needed to ensure that. "I can not take the Salt Throne, I am out of the succession. But neither my older brothers are fit to lead our people into the coming new age."

"And you are so sure that a new age is coming, my dear mystical son?" She asked, her voice still as firm as ever but at the same time accepting his observations without judgment or objection.

"The Dragons will finally drown in their own blood and burn in the fires of their own making." Victarion warned as he gave one last look to the rocky seas that surrounded Pyke.

"And you know this how?" His mother asked as he walked past her towards the castle.

"When the times comes that it looks like the Dragons will fall, advise father to join."

"Aw… look at him. Baby's first Twi'lek." I joked with the major as we watched Oberyn flirt with one of the Twi'lek dockhands, it had not been an hour since we had arrived on one of Dromund Kaas' space stations and the Dornish prince was already trying to have sex with a alien. Points to him for changing things up and flirting with a Male Twi'lek first.

"He's at least adjusting better than the kids did." Ingall chuckled and I wasn't surprised by that. Oberyn had a very open and hungry mind. Despite often playing the spoiled playboy prince, there was a sharp and ready mind behind that mask. On our trip to Dromund Kaas he had devoured lesson and Holo-Book after another learning all he could. And unlike some of the Neophytes, he wasn't emotionally tied down by faith, belief, or prejudice. He was a true explorer of the unknown and was excited at the prospect of discovering the new and wondrous.

"Op… he's having more success than I expected. I'm going to need to put a end to this before it gets too far." I sighed as Oberyn was getting ever so closer to the dockhand, who looked both confused as to why this was happening but also enthralled by the experience that was Oberyn Martell. "How dare you!" I shouted as I stomped over to the pair. My words immediately confusing both. "Right in front of me, you have to do this every time we land at any Outer Rim station. Just because we're in the backwater of the galaxy doesn't mean you can play around with no consequences. At least have the dignity to not do it in front of me."

"What are you even-" Oberyn tried to start as he was thrown off, a little pat on my back for doing that.

"Don't even try to deny it. Even after I left my family's money to be here, I chose you and still I get treated like this." Was I adding a flamboyant diva tone to my words… yes. Was I over selling this too hard, of fuck yeah. But it's funny.

"I don't know what this is but leave me out of it." The Twi'lek immediately clammed up, an immigrant from Ryloth I would have to guess by the heavy Twi'lek accent. Clearly he didn't want to get caught up in some haughty human lover spat. He quickly booked it and left Oberyn blinking in confusion of what just happened.

"Oh… you are good Rhyhall." He finally said once he recovered from me cock blocking him. One of the first things I had told him was to never ever reveal that I was Sith, including calling me Nagash in any way. Oberyn was smart and understood the finer points of the situation with the Republic and Jedi without needing the whole picture. "But perhaps we need to truly sell your little ploy." With a wiggle of his eyebrows I laughed at his sixth attempt at flirting with me. By this point it was more of a game for him than a genuine try.

"You'll have plenty of opportunities to sleep with aliens all you want once we get settled on world. But for right now try and keep it cool, we're not staying for long and don't need any incidents." My plan to eventually get him on side so that I can use him as a Clone Template was going well all things considered. Genetically he was top tier stuff to the Kaminoans. Generations of Dornish breeding, which thanks to their culture was less inbred than other parts of Westeros, had created a bloodline that was predisposed towards cunning and dexterous fighters. Plus hopefully some of his charming personality would pass on to his Clone sons, that would make them useful in occupation forces.

All that however was still far off from now. First I wanted to make sure that he was cool with me taking one of his daughters and winning him over on the political map of Terra. Keying Oberyn in on the galaxy was to have a similar effect as it did on the Neophytes, to teach them just how small a pond Westeros is when compared to the galaxy. It makes them easier to convince that someone that is aiming higher than just a continent of land would be better suited to rule it.

After I corralled Oberyn back, myself and him then took a transport down to Dromund Kaas. I enjoyed his amazement at seeing the endless sea of skyscrapers and lanes of flying cars. Dromund Kaas had become a vital trade, governmental, and military center for the northern Outer Rim. It and the surrounding systems had grown exponentially since the days of the Sith Empire as it was for a long time seen as an island of civilized and modern living in the Outer Rim. Distinct from the elitist and corrupt Core Worlds but still had many of the advantages of them. But at the same time without the lawlessness of Hutt space and Nar Shaddaa. Those days were gone as the Republic changed and grew into the beast it is now, spreading its iron grip over everywhere it saw as a potential threat but the economic boom was handled with Imperial skill and made to have great long term benefits. Bureaucracy, administration, and discipline were hallmarks of the Imperial skill set.

We landed at a terminal located on the side of the building where Vette's crew was waiting for me. This was going to be the last time I asked them for anything. The name Ulysses had reached a point where I didn't need to actively show it around. It was well known enough to where I could reasonably use it as a cover and the right people would immediately know who I was. If I really needed to use the name I could just use a crew of my loyalists as backup. Vette would have the Chilling Sound all to herself and only do work for me as she wished. I would hire her crew for one thing or another, they would become contractors for the Dragoons. There's also the dark controlling side of me that doesn't want to let Vette have so much freedom away from me… remnants of old Naraiz and my own life's insecurities. But I'm a grown ass man and Vette is her own woman whom I trust. Long distance relationships are not all doomed to failure.

"So, what is it that you are doing here Rhyhall? You never got around to that as we traveled." Oberyn asked as we walked through the halls of the mega tower that acted as a central living section of this part of the city of Ka'Reourd. I wonder if Plagueis chose this city because he found out that this was where the Wrath was born and wanted to point out to me that he knew the last name of the Wrath and it was my House's name.. There's no fucking way that he knows my real identity but certainly he's made the connection between me and the old records of the Wrath.

"We are going to hell." He looked at me bemused but that faded a bit when I didn't correct myself. With a quick air barrier placed around us I finally clarified for him. "The world we stand upon is encased in a shell of metal, that is what all these towers are built off of. Under that shell is the planet's surface, remnants of a time that the Republic doesn't wish to be remembered."

"Ah, and is this hell of darkness a dangerous place?" He asked and I nodded.

"Thing is… it wasn't exactly lifeless when they closed it all up. From the few ventures back down, there are reports of tribes of sunless savages living off the refuge of the above cities. Hordes of mutant beasts that the old masters of this world created and abandoned. And other… even less natural things sulking the shadows." I was under no illusion that this expedition was an attempt by Plagueis to rid himself of me. There was plenty of shit down there that was deadly enough to kill even a Darth. However I had the advantage of knowing where the worst shit would be. Because while the galaxy had changed considerably, the surface of Dromund Kaas wouldn't have much. The tribes of mutant savages would be former slave camps, the beastly hordes would nest in the labs that had created them, and the restless spirits would stick to the Dark Temple and other places of power. "Why are we heading down there? Someone very rich wants some goodies still down there and has hired me to lead the venture."

"It's quite the experience, not being one of those very rich people," Oberyn chuckled as back in Westeros he was respected and had essentially no end to money as a member of a Great House. But here, he was the epitome of a nobody. "But I look forward to it, the sense of adventure is only getting stronger." He said as he looked over my shoulder to an alleyway with brightly colored neon signs and curtains. A red light district if I ever saw one.

"Sure, we have time." I smiled as I handed him a pack of Credits. "Just take care of yourself and meet me back at this exact spot in two hours."

"I will try to contain my fun for that period of time, but you are doing the lovely men and women a disservice by doing so." He winked before heading off with a notable swing to his step. The new clothes I had given him had so many trackers on them that I would be able to drag him out of whatever trouble he might get himself into.

I leave him to do as he pleases while I walk away to another, more dark, alleyway. This job that I was doing was a trap but knew I could handle that. What was more important was seeing the surface of Dromund Kaas. The Dark Temple, the Capital of Kaas City, and so many other places that needed to be seen. Naraiz's own home top among them. It wasn't his true home like on Anoat but it did house several of Master Baras' more interesting tools… like his prototype Memory Visualizer. It did exactly as the name implies and even encodes the memories into transferable files. The main issue was that if you fought against the process it would muddy up the data to the point of it being unusable, doubly so if the subject was a Force User. So it didn't really work as a spy cracker but it sure as hell could be used as a training tool for clones and acolytes alike. Also… a few choice memories of certain media from my old life, once given a few edits, and I could have movie night with Vette. First one… Star Wars.

"Hehe… it will be fun seeing her react to the Twi'leks in Jabba's palace." I chuckled to myself before a sudden ping in the Force warned me of the coming attack. But before I could reach to defend myself, it already happened. A bag was thrown over my head and I felt a needle inject something under my skin. As I felt my consciousness slipping I flipped back an attempted a counter attack only to be rebuked by something that the Force really didn't like. The last thing I could hear was the sound of fighting, likely my Tsân coming to save me. Either they would be victorious and I would wake in one of their laps or they would be wounded too badly to maintain a physical form. Lets roll the dice to see which comes true.

"Welcome home my son." Jarman's father hugged him for the first time in so very long. In fact the Neophyte was caught off guard by the action. As members of the House of Buckwell but not the main family, they could afford to act a little less formal but his father all tried to uphold noble formality even with his own family.

"Thank you father, where are Decran and Colbat?" Jarman asked as even standing in their home in the Antlers, it felt a little… empty. He had gotten a letter from his father informing that his mother had died a year after he arrived at Harrenhal but he still had two older brothers.

"Decran is overseeing a foraging party, our head of house is wanting to throw a feast for a visit from the Master of Laws. So… the food stores are going to need to shorn up if we are going to survive the rest of winter." His father said with a proud look that bewildered Jarman. That did not sound like a job that an upstanding member of the nobility should take part in. Running around in the forest looking for mushrooms and whatever other edibles could be gathered in winter. "As for Colbat, I'm surprised word hadn't reached you. He left some time to try and make as a merchant, his first stop was to be Harrenhal."

"No… I hadn't heard." That hurt but not as much as he expected. Jarman remembered Colbat as the mean brother, the one that would pick on him the most. So it didn't surprise him to hear that he had traveled to Harrenhal and hadn't even tried to see him.

"You've grown into a fine young man Jarman, your mother would be proud." His father said warmly before walking over to a new chair, this one not just some wooden thing with stitched on leather but upholstered with pads and crafted to better suit a person's body. It was a small sign of the advancement that Darth Nagash was bringing and it left a strange taste in the Neophyte's mouth that such a thing was here in his family home. "But what brings you back home, I hope not just to see me."

"That alone would have been enough." His father was different, maybe the death of his wife had softened him to his remaining family. Whatever the case may be, it was odd coming back to a home that felt so different to one he left. "But there are things that have been on my mind."

"Tell me, you may have been gone these many years but you are still my son. I will always have time to hear you." The Force, it told Jarman that his father was nothing but content and happy at his return. All he could feel was a warmth and ease that filled the son with blissful feelings of joy that his father was so happy to see him. He pulled aside another chair and the two sat in front of a cracking fireplace.

"Pride and Purpose, those are our house words. I have worked to uphold the first but now I find myself lacking in the second." Jarman explained to his father his reasons for staying with the Sith. To become the moral pillar that would keep them honorable. That purpose he had but that was a long and grand pursuit, what he lacked was an immediate goal. He explained what Darth Nagash had told them, that they were to learn, train, and impress him or Instructor Rathari so that they may gain a Sith Rank. "I know Thoren wants to devise the complete theory and practice of using the Force to master the winds and air. And Cayle is planning on killing a Dothraki Horse Lord to prove his worth. Nikola is… I'm sure he will invent many things. I just feel lost as to my purpose, how can I prove my worth? If I'm ever going to keep the Sith going down the right path, I need to advance in the order."

"It was always going to be difficult, being the first of anything. I'm sure the first brothers of the Night's Watch felt the same. Or the very first Maesters. You don't have years of tradition to fall back on to guide you." His father was correct, Darth Nagash had told them that they would be setting the tread for those very traditions. That he wanted to wipe the slate clean of the old Sith Order due to the self-destructive tendencies it had. "As for advice for you Jarman, I don't think I can give any." His father chuckled with a good natured shrug.

"I expected that, this is my own puzzle to solve." Jarman hung his head in defeat, but looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over and saw his father smiling at him, the message was clear; even if he didn't have the answers he was looking for he would still be here for his son.

Come-on-come-on-come-on-come-on-come-on… fuck! Why won't the darkness go away. Is it the bag? Or am I still unconscious? It's really hard to tell.

"Take that horrid thing off of our guest." The muffled but distinctly womanly voice came into my orbit. Then bright red light hit my eyes and after a few blinks I was finally able to see again. Finally, but… why is the rest of my body limp. "I apologize for this rather uncouth invitation but… given how you have been operating in my sphere of influence I felt it appropriate."

I focused in on the source of the voice. Mmm… it's MILF Monday people. Too bad I'm already over stocked on that brand. But in all seriousness, I seemed to have been kidnapped by a woman that looks a lot like if Acina Alizua aged like fine wine. She was sitting at the head of a long dining table prepared with elegant food and décor. All around us was a beautifully crafted great hall decked out in a similar style as the old days. They did get a few things wrong however, the ratio of red to other colors was a little off and the marbling on the ceiling was completely out of touch. Next to my host was a lanky and feeble looking man with several cybernetics that looked damaged… recently damaged.

"Why can't I move my limbs?" I didn't really care for the fact my body was just limply sitting in a chair, I was starting to slip too. Some chains cuffing me to the ground I could see, but they had plenty of slack at the moment. Choking these two out without moving would be childsplay, once you got good enough in the Force you don't need to actually move to use it. Hand motions and the like were just an aide to using the Force, it was harder to do it without them but still perfectly doable.

"I would never allow myself to be in the same room as a highly exceptional killer such as yourself without taking some measure to insure my safety." She replied with the exact same self-satisfied smirk Acina had. The long dead Empress of the Sith was not a person that Naraiz got along with, she didn't like the fact he didn't recognize her authority over him and he didn't like the fact she was completely aware of his political schemes and knew how to unravel them. Namely in the form of moving around officials who owed him favors, were his lovers, hated him because he cucked them, or wanted to sleep with him. But I digress, this isn't her but damn if she was already proving to be nearly as annoying.

"Poison huh, plant based no doubt. After all, the House of Alizua has total control over both the drug trade and secretly the entire hydroponics industry on Dromund Kaas." Seems Acina's hobby has turned out to be her House's saving grace. She always had a green thumb and must have passed that down to her children. Who was she fucking? Bah, doesn't matter. Was Corlins? Maybe her bodyguard.

"Indeed. Not even the Hutts or the Pyke Syndicate is able to contend with our products. Unlike Spice or chems, our products are all natural and can be cultivated safely and with minimal resources." The pride swelling in her was unbearable. I'm not a bio guy, I am very much a The Flesh is Weak type of person. So plants and that sort of thing have never been in my interest. But keeping her talking was good as it gave me more time to commune with the Light Side to heal my body and to purge the poison in my system. "I am Berthia Alizua, I have led this noble line for fifty years. I have ensured that like a seed, we will grow into a mighty tree that will shadow even the glory of the old Empire. And to do that, we must always be wary of any weeds popping up in our garden."

"Really taking the theme hard aren't we darling?" At that I got a blade to my neck, I glanced up and to my surprise… I couldn't sense this assassin in the Force. A natural human Null. Rare and very useful. This was clad in all black, a dark glass face plate covering his head so I didn't get to see his face. But his body type was male, a bit on the skinny side but definitely male unless she was flat as a board. But I was going with male. Imperial body types didn't usually produce petite or flat women. But I was far more interested in the fact I got nothing out of them in the Force. He was naturally born without Midi-chlorians. Unless they had been able to make a similar plant that the Faceless men had, given what House this is and their business it was possible. "Oh please, if you were really going to kill me you would have done it when I was out."

"Stand down Moria." The black clad guard pulled away at once. Ah, fanatic loyalty. "Apologies once again. My aide is quite protective of me and is a stickler for proper etiquette."

"Accepted, the mantle of leadership is heavy and it is understandable to want to keep close those that understand their place so very well, it lessens the load." She looked at me with narrowed eyes, but I could sense she ate up that line like candy. While at the same time also being very on guard that I had such insight into the topic. "But let's get on with the show. Why am I here? I'm just a ragtag treasure hunter. I don't knows nothin' about no poloticery."

"Please don't try playing the fool, it doesn't suit you." Ha, that's where she's wrong. "You have been brought to the seat of House Alizua. For the past three years you have swayed many of my sworn Houses, and have petitioned to have your House be recognized by the Noble Elite of Dromund Kaas. Many families of self-respecting loyalty now proudly display artifacts that were procured by you."

"I'm not hearing anything wrong. I'm just trying to get my claim recognized as is legally proper. I was even cleared by the Genitsarent." That had been a bit of a risk. The Genitsarent were the Kaasen keepers of noble lines and had the genetic information of noble families dating back thousands of years. Thankfully the Jedi didn't seem to care about it once they had gotten rid of all the Sith.

"House Rhyhall is an ancient house, it is difficult to believe that it could have survive for so long without notice." She threw at me the main point of contention I knew there would be with my claim to my own name. "But as you said, the Genitsarent cleared you. And truth be told I don't care what name you take. What I do care about is your worming into circles that are of no place for someone so… unfamiliar,"

"And why should someone like you care. Obviously we aren't even in the same league in terms of power." I said and that didn't change the look of amused hatred she had been giving me this entire time. Despite the larger truth behind all of this, what I said was true. Even though I myself was a great threat to her power… in time… I and my house didn't even have an appearance of being a threat to the established power bases. Were we gaining notoriety, yes. But as a House that was able to procure rare pre-war artifacts. Not upstarts looking to change things up.

"My family has not faltered in our position for many reasons. One of them, is our eye for talent. We pride ourselves at seeing the rising stars before anyone else does. It's how we have been able to discern between a foolish Hutt trying to worm their way into our markets but who is only doomed to fail because of their own incompetence, and a unassuming treasure hunter that has dreams of grandeur but holds far too much potential for their own good." At that she stood up from her seat, then began to move behind the battered man that had stayed quiet this entire time. With all the danger and guile of a snake, she moved to rest her hands on his shoulders causing him to visibly wince in fear. "You've been quiet pet, why don't you introduce yourself."

"I… I am no-" I watched as her grip tightened on his body.

"Not that, your name." This is not a healthy dom/sub relationship here.

"R-right. I am Toli Domiot." He's the Head of House Domiot. Malgus' old House. Oh my god. That bastard is spinning in his non-existent grave at this shameful display. Though, to be fair Malgus was only adopted into that House. But still as a matter of principle this is shameful. The Noble Houses of Dromund Kaas are supposed to be headed by those with the strongest wills and sharpest minds.

"Good boy, but next time get it right the first time." She warned with that dominating warm voice that also had an edge of warning to it. Yes, she was very used to controlling the people around her if not by rank than by any other means. "As you can see, our two Houses have a very close working relationship."

This actually threw a wrench into Cipher and I's plans to take over the Imperialist Faction of Kaasen politics. Alizua was currently in control over the group with most of House Iligesh also entrenched with them, though some of that House supported isolationism a bit more. House Domiot was fifty-fifty but if what I was seeing was any indication, Cipher might need to reexamine that. If the Head of House was this subservient to another, there was little other a full coup could do to change their official policy. Thankfully I had been courting House Iligesh far more than either of these two. Plans would need to be amended but this wasn't a full deal breaker.

"That's very nice… can I leave now?" I ask still playing the part of a cripple but I could start feeling my arms and leg.

"I don't think you've heard the good news, have you?" She said as she looked at me with this mad gleam in her eye. Oh no. I know that look. That's the look of every woman that just caught a man in a I'm about to ruin your day trap. "You see, I know that you have been licking the boots of Urmas Iligesh for some time. So it would be my regret to inform you that he died yesterday… bit of food poisoning. So tragic."

"Uhhh…" My brain was short circuiting. Was this bitch actually risking the balance of power between the three crime Houses of Dromund Kaas just to stop me? No… I think I gave her an excuse to perform a coup and take the entire criminal underworld for herself. It's very in line with Kaasen politics, there's nothing more respected than a final culmination of plots and scheme all displayed in one grand gesture. I doubt I'm the audience, more like an appetizer before she goes for the main meal of all of seedier Kaasen society.

"You see my darling Ulysses or whatever it is you go by. You are far too young and naïve to be playing this game. You should have waited a few generations before trying to step into-"

"MOTHER!" Oh… hello emotional weakness. At hearing that deafening cry of a bratty daughter demanding their mother's attention I gathered two things. One, I sensed actual dread and worry in this supposedly iron maiden of a lady. And two, that this was an excellent point of attack that I could fucking exploit like there was no tomorrow.

The next thing anyone knew, the large side doors that led into this great hall slammed open and a twenty something woman that had striking resemblance to my gracious host stormed in. The nearby guards all moved a bit in the shadows, actually giving me their exact locations. And Berthia turned back to her daughter, in doing so her entire posture and emotional state changed. Stress, worry, concern, and dread all played with each other and shot in all sorts of directions. Toward me and the new girl.

"Elysali, now is not the time. Momma's very busy…" Now who's playing the sub? Oh my fucking lord, she might be a terrifying dominating Iron Lady to everyone but her daughter clearly has her whipped.

"No! I told you I wanted to go to the opera in the new sky limo, but the chauffeur said that it wasn't here! I can't be seen the old one, I'd die of embarrassment." I am loving this, a bratty daughter had just come in and ruined this whole thing her mother had planned. I was actually worried there that my plans to take over Dromund Kaas would have been delayed by a few years. Still would have succeeded eventually as my last resort was to literally kill all the leadership and come out on top in the power vacuum. But now?! Now I had the best kind of leverage possible. And I guess I couldn't hide my amusement at all of this as the brat locked onto me with a sneering look on her otherwise lovely face. "And just what's so funny creep? You're my mom's dumb hostage, just who do you think you are?"

"I'm a Sith bitch." I laughed as I levitated my body, breaking the chains that had been holding me down. My prosthetic leg opened up and out popped my lightsabers, I grabbed them as I landed on the top of the chair I had been sitting in. Three of the guards all charged at me. With an easy two bladed slash I cut the first in half before turning my eyes to the other two and disintegrated them on the spot with Deadly Sight. It all happened in less than five seconds and before anyone could even register what was happening, I sprinted across the hall. Everyone could blink and the next thing they knew I was holding the bratty daughter, one arm behind her back and my lightsaber's blade at her throat. "Thank you gorgeous, I was worried I was dealing with a actually competent player of the game. First rule, never have something you're unwilling to lose."

"You let my daughter go this instant!" Berthia demanded from behind her Null bodyguard, but I could sense that she was being overcome by fear. Fear for her daughter's life and fear of a real Sith in her presence. The red glow of my lightsabers were certainly having their effect as I'm sure that even these high and mighty criminal elites must have been raised on stories of the Sith Lords and their crimson blades. Oddly and pleasing enough, Toli Domiot was in more awe than fear, I could use that later.

"Um, no. I'm quite happy having such a beautiful woman all to myself. Though her attitude could use some work." I joked and it seems the brat didn't take too kindly to that and tried to kick me in the shin for that. Only to hit my prosthetic and hurt her foot.

"Elysali don't! Let me handle this." The mother pleaded as I caught the girl before she could fall on her feet.

"Don't tempt me, I'll spank you for bad behavior."

"Fuck you pervert." She snapped back, I'm starting to like her.

"Thank you." I smirk before looking back at Berthia with a bit more serious face. "Seems the dynamics have changed a bit. With Urmas gone and his son being only two, House Iligesh is no longer viable for my plans. This one however…" I forced my captive to straighten up a bit as a show of threat. "… seems perfectly capable to act as my insurance. So this is what is going to happen. I'm going to walk out of here with your daughter, and she will stay in my hands until I see fit to return her. And that will only be after you and I speak extensively as to our future working relationship. Hint-hint, it's going to be nothing like what you have going on with Toli."

"Do you think you're getting out of this house alive?" She growled and once she was finished speaking two blaster bolts from at each end of the hall fired on me. Both of them sniper shots as I could tell they were aimed at my head to avoid hitting my hostage. Just as they reached me, they stopped mid-air and then shot back to their senders.

"Yes, yes I do." I smirked as I started walking back toward the open doors while pulling my hostage with me. Now… where is my stuff. I had been stripped of my armor and weapons, however I could still sense both my Force Blades were nearby. We eventually rounded a corner and I threw over a Force Cloak as I pulled myself and my hostage to the side and allowed the trailing guards to follow and see that we had vanished. They panicked a bit and to this woman's credit she had the brains to stay silent. After a few more moments of quiet once the guards had run off, I downed the Force Cloak and started leading the two of us toward where I sensed my blades were.

"Do you seriously believe that you're going to survive this? Kidnapping the daughter of the most powerful House on all of Dromund Kaas?" Elysali threatened, not smart but also pointless. "You're going to die, horribly. I'll make sure that it will be slow and painful and- ep! Did you seriously just spank me!?"

"Yes, I warned you. Now shut up or I'll do it again." I was not in the mood for her whining and was limited in ways to enforce the situation on her. I also just enjoyed the excuse to smack ass. Because she was right, I am a fucking pervert. But I'm also the one with the glow stick of death at her neck.

"You can't do that! I'm nobility and you're just some nobody dark Jedi pretending to- ow! Stop that!" Mmm… deep-deep inside her I think she's enjoying this. Lewd thoughts later, getting my Tsân back first. I continued to trudge my way through halls, dodging guards and dealing with a bratty heiress of Dromund Kaas' nobility.

Soon enough we came to a large sealed door. The manor's armory no doubt. An agonizingly long use of a lightsaber later and now the vault like door was rendered useless as a person sized hole had been carved into it. The brat tried to escape once I let her go to put my armor back on but it was easy to lift her off the ground by her neck with the Force. Both Midwan and Saarai were silent, but I still felt them inside their blades. The Null must be been a good fighter to be able to do this. But I didn't give it much thought as now I had to escape this place.

"So since you seem so intent on behaving badly, let's move on from spankings to handcuffs. You are just a kinky girl aren't you?" I said as I grabbed some binders from her own family's armory and slapped them on her wrists. I don't appreciate being kidnapped and I knew for a fact that this woman would smile at the sight of me being back in chains. "Well Lady Elysali, time to show me the way out of here."

"Eat shit dirtbag." I grabbed that dirty little mouth of her and turned her back to me. Her eyes widened as she saw mine turn glowing yellow and pulse with power behind them. Ooo… that enjoyment I was feeling in her was coming back a bit stronger now. Something to play with later when I was in friendly territory.

"Here's the choice, either I leave this place quietly and without a fuss or… I kill everyone in the building and leave it a charnel house. Which will it be?" I growled with a bit of my real voice leaking through as right now I was very much interested in getting out of here. As much as I might enjoy some of things this little unexpected side adventure brought, there were a great many more things that needed my attention. Vette and her crew, the job that brought me here, a Westerosi princeling wandering about, and Darth Plagueis' schemes.

She nodded, her entire mood changing. We continued to sneak our way out of the manor, though I did have to Force choke out some guards at the front door. And it seemed that the brat's temper tantrum was well timed, as the sky limo that she had rejected was still waiting for her. The droid chauffeur looked to be too hardwired to notice anything wrong as I followed the heiress into the ride. The door closed behind us and I gave the address for Cipher's bar. This thing would be blowing up once we got there as to leave no trace. I proceeded to check over my wrist-comm to see if they had been able to hack it, doubtful seeing as I had reprogramed the text to be English.

"So… you really are a Sith?" My eyes moved back up as I heard the now meek and cowed heiress finally work up the nerve to speak again. I just gave a shark's smile which made her flinch.

"Oh don't worry, I'm not gonna kill you." She visibly relaxed after hearing this. I honestly I couldn't help myself. "I'm just gonna hurt you, really, really bad."

"This way Lord Sidious." The Nightsister escorting him through the caves of Dathomir spoke with a fake reverence that he could see through easily. Sidious knew that these witches didn't respect the Sith or even tolerate them walking on the sacred ground of Dathomir. But that didn't matter when the Sith held the leash of the Jedi who would be all too happy to blow apart this world.

"Thank you my dear." So he responded in kind and gave only surface level respect. But for all the animosity between the two groups, they had to acknowledge each other's strengths. That was why he was here. To find strength.

Sidious followed the Nightsister deep into the caves of the Nightsister tribe directly controlled by the Great Mother Gethzrion. But in recent years, both Sidious and his master had been getting reports that the Nightsisters were becoming even more unified under her leadership. These reports had been intercepted and edited before they reached the Republic as the Jedi would no doubt use this as an excuse to purge the witches. And they still had their uses to the Sith so that could not happen.

The change in Dathomir was even more evident as Sidious came into the main cavern of the village. He had been here once prior with his master and back then there had only been a small collection of huts strewn across the sides of the cave. But now no spot of stone was left to be seen. All across the cave were buildings built in the style of the witches and at the very center was a great statue made of beastly bones. A statue of a haunting man with a mane of quills. It would seem that the primitive mythos of the Nightsisters had evolved since he last was here. He would have asked had he been interested but he was not. Sidious was here for one thing and one thing only, an answer to his master's growing obsession with the upstart Nagash.

"Darth Sidious, the smiling face that hides the darkness behind. How goes your second run for Senator?" Sidious did well to hide the scowl at the taunt that came as he entered the Great Mother's home. Things were not going well, as per his master's orders he had tried to change political circles in the aftermath of the Blue Sky incident. Which had the exact results he had expected. Burnt bridges and spurned allies. The only saving grace was that old faces were rapidly being replaced by new so there was opportunity to make up lost ground there.

"Well, it is going well." The elderly witch gave an amused cackle at his answer but he paid it no mind. "I have come to speak with you on a mutually beneficial deal."

"Oh. Will it end the blockade around my world?" She asked in a tone that already knew the answer. Sidious walked around the bone covered wall to find the great witch hard at work dissecting one of her own people. She was in the middle of removing a rib and it took all his training under his master to not gag at the sight. While Sidious had killed before, he also had seen his master's laboratory and the horror that was inside it. The experience had left him somewhat adverse to the gory bits.

"No, but I can begin to work to take Dathomir down on the priorities list. Make it easier for smugglers to access your world." Sidious offered knowing that with the rise of various Blue Sky inspired groups that the Republic was becoming more interested in cracking down on them than the witches of Dathomir. The Nightsisters had never once attempted to break the quarantine themselves and Sidious knew there were several military officials that questioned the worth of the blockade. In all honesty the only reason why it was still around was because of the Jedi's paranoia around anything vaguely Dark.

"Mmm. That is an improvement. What is it you wish?" She said disinterested in him and far more attuned to her bloody work of removing all the bones out of her own kin. Sidious looked away in disgust at how gently the great witch moved to piece out the bones of the poor Dathomirian male.

"My master has proven himself to be distracted from the greater goal of removing the Jedi from this galaxy." His master was quickly proving himself to be outliving his purpose in the grand scheme of the Sith. But Sidious was under no illusion that he was strong enough to take Plagueis all by himself. So now it was time for Sidious to find his own tools.

"Ah yes, a tale as old as time for your kind. I believe I can find a suitable child who can be raised to your needs. To kill you master for you. He will maim him. He will savage him. He will maul him." With every description the mad witch gave she cracked a rib off, making Sidious unsure with every word that this was the best place to find an apprentice of his own.

Author's Notes

So several things happened in this chapter. And for anyone that was curious, Cipher Nine's name in this fic is Zrars'edun'ari – Seduna

Also just because I feel like it I'm going to clarify the ages of the time travelers of the main crew

Ages

Naraiz - 36

Vette - 33

Jaesa – 31

Pierce - 39

Quinn - 41

Reviews

Starlord Master - classic

dragon slayer of death 98 - I have my reasons, and no she won't.

Reads too much - Thoren was already leaning Light so I wanted to give him a tasty-tasty of the Dark. After all he needs both in order to find Balance. Naraiz has some plans for the Martells and the Doc Droid isn't part of them. Next chapter we will see Oberyn a bit more

Monkeylikespie - Naraiz is not planning on making a Death Star
SauronGotharur1 - only one in that list is a yes