The Sith space cruiser Abyss, entered hyperspace and traveled along the Hydian Way. It would be a long flight, one that Darth Oomis was accustomed to, but he doubted that Josie was. Her current home on the planet of Anaxes was near Corruscant. That was a citywide planet and the center of the entire universe. The business Darth Oomis dealt with frequently brought him there.
They were now well on their way towards Yavin; a small, sparsely populated jungle moon. It was once home to the Jedi Training Academy, but no longer. In an attempt to take the Jedi by surprise, the Sith staged an attack by using a spy to smuggle and set bombs. The mission was supposed to wipe out most of the young trainees, but the spy gave misleading information.
That spy had been Josie's mother.
Back then Darth Oomis was a pupil to the prior Sith High Lord, Darth Rell. His Master had used an unusual method for seducing Mattie Grant to the dark side. Rell preyed on her weaknesses and twisted her mind. It was all for naught; he never managed to change her core morals. Before setting out to dispose of her, he made sure to destroy her reputation.
Darth Rell would have succeeded in killing Mattie if her sister hadn't intervened. It was an action that Oomis also found himself wrapped up in. One that ultimately concluded with Mattie living and he became the new High Lord.
According to his data, Mattie's eldest daughter Josie was now twelve years old, nearly a teenager but in most ways still a child. She was highly dependent on her parents and was too sheltered to form her own opinions. This was the perfect time for her thoughts to be molded into a different pattern that could be used to his benefit. He would extend more time to invest in her training. Josie would be his personal responsibility.
He was unsure how Josie would respond to a new environment. Her family moved from planet to planet many times, but he did not know how exposed to the different communities Josie had been. The galaxy was a strange and dark place. Josie couldn't know what she signed up for, she was irrational, deciding to go against everything she'd been taught, and she was uncertain about it all.
After some time, Darth Oomis took the turbo lift to the lower deck, he turned left and found Josie where he'd left her in the main hold. She sat at the propulsion systems maintenance console. He'd told her not to touch anything, so she was staring at the foreign lights and symbols. As he came near, she turned suddenly and sat up straight.
"The flight to Yavin will be long." He informed the girl. "You'll want to eat and sleep before we arrive. The galley and spare bunks are down the hallway."
He expected Josie to act immediately and follow his instructions. She did stand to her feet, but she didn't move as she remained silent, eyes glazed over. He wondered where her mind was. It wouldn't take long for her life to be turned upside down. Until then, she could only speculate about what she'd gotten herself into. Finally, she spoke her mind.
"Is it hard to become a Sith?"
The question was clear, but it came from a girl who didn't know the first thing about his kind. The Sith relied on the dark side of the force, which the Jedi assumed to mean "evil." The Sith were direct and their ways were subjective.
"Becoming a Sith will be your sole objective. It will be tiresome, tedious, and overwhelming. There is no use for family or friends. You can only trust yourself and obey the Sith Masters."
Josie nodded. He watched as her mind tried to process this information.
"Are there just as many Sith students as there are Jedi students?"
"More." He motioned for her to follow him and she did.
It was early into the flight and he decided that Josie needed to keep busy for a while. He led her to the galley and made her a simple meal. Besides asking a few questions, Josie was quiet and he didn't add much to the conversation. They were left to silence as they ate, and when finished, he produced an item from his robes and slid it across the table.
"What's that?" Josie asked, picking it up.
"It's a book. Similar to a data pad, you can read from it but the words are written on many paper pages."
"Isn't that wasteful?"
He felt compelled to laugh, but didn't want to insult her for being oblivious.
"No, this holds more value to me." He waited for her to open the book and see what was written inside. "That is for you to read and study as we travel."
As he cleaned up, he glanced over at Josie to monitor her turning the pages of his book. The tomb had always been his possession. It was difficult to give away, but he had little use for it, and the girl had everything yet to learn.
"Did you write all this?"
He peered over her shoulder to see what page she was on. He did recognize his handwriting. There were many fine lines scrolled with his thoughts about the rising Sith Order. When he was just an apprentice, he'd written down some controversial thoughts. At the time he was curious about why the modern Sith had moved away from Darth Bane's rule of two.
"Most of that is knowledge I've obtained, some personal opinions, and quotes as well."
Darth Oomis retired her to a spare room before returning to the cockpit to check on the flight details. He was eager to arrive on Yavin IV, to get the procedure going and find out if Josie was as special as he hoped she would be. If nothing else, her curious mind would be a great asset.
Most non-force users relied on technology far too much. They were quick learning tools, but also expensive and unreliable. A simple virus or skilled slicer could alter its information and render it useless. Josie would soon get used to living without. Oomis's Sith Order thrived by using old data and merging it with newer methods.
Darkness was a mystery that must be sought out, a path that must be traveled; there was knowledge there that every Sith must find. Throughout all of time, there had been secrets that the Jedi tried to hide from the universe. The Sith had fought for them, dedicating their lives to learning and keeping that information alive.
Even the legend of Darth Blazes.
No matter what young Josie proved herself to be, Darth Oomis had already set his mind on training her. He believed that she would become an influential and fearsome heir. Teaching her the Sith ways would not be an easy task. The High Lord held back so much experience in hopes that he'd find a worthy apprentice. This girl was his last chance. Age would soon have an effect on him and then his reign would end. Josie would have to live up to everything he required the Sith Order to become.
Standing outside in the early morning humidity, Darth Kyves met with some of his fellow Sith Masters. They were instructed by the High Lord to be ready for his arrival during this pre-dawn hour. Kyves blinked away the blurriness in his eyes caused by a long night of physical exertion. A few paces away, he saw Lady Xeno doing the same.
The ship appeared in the grey sky and descended upon them. It landed in the clearing and a moment later two figures emerged. When they saw the High Lord, each of the Masters fell to their knees with heads bowed.
"Arise, my friends." At Darth Oomis's command, they stood.
This time Kyves blinked hard to confirm what he was looking at. Beside the High Lord was his charge, the girl was barely a teenager, but she was not what Kyves expected. The top of her head barely came to his shoulder. The early sunlight brought out the highlights in her cinnamon-brown hair, and showed off just how pale-skinned she was.
"Josie Devis, these are a few of the Sith Masters that you will become acquainted with." The High Lord went on the introduce them all by name and told her what their primary role at the Sith academy was.
He could tell that Josie was uneasy in the presence of such a diverse crowd. Anyone looking in on this small group would feel that way. Lady Xeno was a striking Noorian, her honey-colored skin and well placed black tattoos accentuated her features. The strongest of which were her golden striped eyes.
Kyves himself knew that he easily stood out, even among those of his own species: the Chagrian. He was born with blue skin, but over time he devoted his body to the Sith Order by engulfing it entirely of black and red tattoos. In addition, he stood eight inches taller than the High Lord. Long horns protruded from the top of his head and another two came from the overgrowth along his face and rested upon his chest.
The other two Sith were Darth Perigo and a medic named Fust. Kyves was unsure why Perigo was in attendance; he was hardly ever seen off the planet Tangren. That was an unpopulated planet where prisoners of the Sith were sent to and never seen again.
The group of Sith followed behind Darth Oomis and Josie. He pointed out certain rooms along the way. Kyves and the others remained silent as they walked through the damp hallways. The tour ended a few floors up as they entered the deficient medical room. A few empty bacta tanks stood at the far end where some beds were pushed out of the way.
Fust instructed Josie to sit down in a long, deeply reclining chair. It was the kind used for any needed medical procedures, and it had hidden restraints for if a patient couldn't lay still. Josie sat upright. She appeared nervous, eyes darting from Fust to the High Lord.
"Before we begin the midi-chlorian transfer, I must first extract some blood from you. This will be no different than a typical human blood withdrawal." He explained that it was normal to feel anxious and then lightheaded afterwards.
"How long will it take?" Josie asked as the medic wrapped a tourniquet around her left arm.
"Only a few minutes." He cleaned her arm and carefully inserted the sterile needle into a vein.
"I forgot I don't like needles." Josie's voice raised in pitch, going from scared to panicking.
"Just think how worth it this will be." Fust was doing well in calming the girl while keeping things moving right along. "When we start giving you the midi-chlorians, there is so much you'll be able to do. Your count right now is seven thousand, but we will be raising it to nearly fifteen thousand."
"That's a lot!" She exclaimed.
She wasn't wrong. That number would be the highest of any current living force-user. The High Lord's rivaled the Grand Jedi Master by only a few hundred, and Kyves' own was a thousand less than that. It took a lot of knowledge and years of experience to develop a truly powerful force wielder. The amount of midi-chlorians the user had aided little in this, but a higher number did make a difference.
While the blood was being withdrawn, Kyves stood to the side, not interested in the details of this operation. He had enough going on to occupy his mind. His time would be better spent doing other things rather than witness this minor medical breakthrough. Darth Kyves had already seen this on a smaller scale and he didn't care about a simple, too young girl being able to use the force. The High Lord might believe that this girl had the makings of fate, be he couldn't see it.
When the blood bag was filled, Fust gave the girl a protein pack to consume while he set up for the second stage of the operation. Her hands shook as she brought the food to her lips. Kyves could tell that the girl wasn't doing well anymore. When her other arm was being prepared, she withdrew and brought it up to her chest.
"It's okay Josie, this won't take much longer. You'll be done soon." The words didn't help.
"No. I don't think I can do this." Josie blurted out. "I'm not ready."
"Not ready for what?" The High Lord asked her harshly.
"I can't be a Sith, I'm too scared! Please, please don't make me do this." She pleaded with the High Lord, tears forming in her eyes. With hesitation, she got to her feet and realized she had nowhere to go. "I just want to go home."
There was a moment where no one moved or made a sound. Everyone looked to the High Lord to see what his orders would be. He turned to Kyves and sent him a force nudge, he immediately felt compelled to stand by the door and did so. The other two Sith took steps backward, leaving Josie and the High Lord in the center of the room.
"You've already given verbal consent to this procedure. I suggest you follow through with it, lest this becomes more difficult for you."
"I take it back. I don't want to do this!" Josie lost control of her composure. She sat down against the wall and began sobbing into her hands.
Kyves felt even more irritated that his time was being wasted for this, to watch this young girl, who wasn't even old enough to handle the choices she made. He wanted to slap her and tell her that she didn't have a choice about the matter anymore. What the High Lord did instead, he appreciated.
"If you don't get off this floor right now, you're going to become very unhappy."
His words had the opposite reaction. She buried her head between her knees and sobbed louder. Following through with his word, the High Lord reached under her arms and picked her up off the ground effortlessly. With more interest now, Kyves enjoyed hearing the girl scream and attempt to wrestle free, but she didn't have the strength to fight a Sith. She was made to sit back in the chair. He had Fust secure the restraints while Oomis held her down.
They gathered back around her as the other needle was put into her arm. To her credit, she managed to struggle against her restraints quite well, but nothing could stop what was about to happen. After a few minutes, she quieted down, her eyes glazed over as she stared up at the ceiling. For a moment, Kyves wondered if she was having a bad reaction, although she was still responsive.
"Josie, are you still with us?" Fust asked, tapping on the side of her pale face.
"I hate you." She directed the remark at the High Lord and then looked back to a spot on the ceiling.
"Strong emotions will be most useful."
His comment was ignored and Kyves felt his earlier boredom return. This whole ordeal was bound to disappoint and then he would have to deal with the aftermath. His Master may just kill the girl if she didn't prove to be of use. That idea was fine by him. For now, he expected to suffer for a short, albeit annoying test of his sanity.
Josie felt as though she were dealing with the effects of a sedative. Everyone was quiet as she lay immobilized. Her mind was relaxed and the tears had passed. It wasn't so much that she came to terms with what was being forced upon her, but she was now devising a plan to get herself out of this mess.
A feeling of clarity and strength wakened her from the stupor. This had been what she wanted, but not like this. Not by threats and force. She breathed deeply, a tingling sensation spreading to her extremities. This was amazing! Did all force users feel like this all the time? It was exhilarating and she felt capable of doing anything.
This was not how she wanted it, she reminded herself. The Sith wanted to control her and she didn't want that. Still, how the blazes could she run away from them? She'd have to deceive them, make them believe that she'd changed her mind again. It wouldn't take long to find a way off this planet. That's what she'd do, and then she'd plot her revenge on the Sith who forced her into this.
"Revenge is a strong emotion of the Sith." She recognized the High Lord's voice. "Drink deep of your hatred, it will serve you well."
Josie did take a deep breathe. With her eyes closed, she could feel the power flowing through her. Now she wanted to try using it, but knew that being strapped down was a problem.
If I'm going to have this, then I'll use it to my own benefit. The touch on her arm brought Josie back to the present.
"What are you doing?" She snapped.
"We're done. I'm going to release your restraints."
She nodded and felt the relief of increased blood flow as the tight bindings were removed. They let her stand up to test her legs. She massaged her wrists, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone. All the while she was considering an escape plan, and wondering if she could find a way to run away that very night. There were no established cities on Yavin IV, so she'd have to steal a ship. They weren't too far from the hanger. Maybe with her new abilities to spur her on, she might be able to outrun the others.
The biggest problem in her plan was that she didn't know the first thing about flying spacecraft. That's where she might fail. Nevertheless, this had to be done, and now. She couldn't stay here; if she refused the Sith training, they would make her life miserable.
"W-where's the fresher?" Josie crossed her arms and leaned forward, forcing herself to shiver, hoping to look like she might be ill.
"You know that I can read your mind?" Oomis was stern.
"Please, I just need a minute."
Josie began to feel claustrophobic with four people staring at her. They were waiting to see what she would do and the pressure was getting to her. She didn't want to be here but couldn't find a way out.
"Look at me when you're talking."
Feeling like a scolded child, Josie met the High Lord's gaze and opened her mouth to form a question, but the words got lost on the way out. His icy expression turned into astonishment. The other Sith who caught a look at her face shifted uncomfortably on the spot. Josie could feel their shock and uncertainty, not just see it, as if that was the force alerting her.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Her voice rose in pitch.
In response, Oomis handed her a mirror face down. She gave him a puzzled look and then turned it other and looked down at her face. Her typically deep brown eyes were now a dark violet. The mirror fell from her hands and shattered on the ground. Both hands covered her mouth and she screamed into them.
It was all over for her. She'd heard the story before. It was only recently when her mother decided that she was ready to hear her family history. Her lineage could be traced back half a millennium to the last great time of darkness for the Jedi, long before the clone wars era purge.
The most powerful and feared Sith Lady in all of history was Darth Blazes. Josie was her direct descendent. Before her death, she made a prophecy that one day a female heir of her blood would rise to power. They would know who this person was because she would have purple eyes.
Her mother assumed it was neither of her daughters, but told Josie that because she couldn't use the force, there was a slight chance of it being her. Of course, her mom assured her that this was a slim chance and they'd never really know. One day it could be one of Josie's daughters, or granddaughters.
"Do you know what this means?" The High Lord asked her.
"Yes." It made sense to her now. The reason Master Skywalker wouldn't help her to use the force was because he was afraid of her. All she wanted was to be accepted by the Jedi. Instead she stood with the Sith and this discovery. "I don't want this!"
"You were chosen a long time ago. You must know that you cannot deny your destiny." He brought something from his pocket and presented it to her. "This is yours now."
"What is it?" Josie was skeptical. It was a small glass diamond with a red glow emanating from its foggy center.
"The amulet of Darth Blazes. Only her heir has the ability to use it."
"I don't want it." She made sure to look at the High Lord directly. "I just want to go home."
"This is your home, your family, your life. You were meant to come here and train to become a Sith. Disobedience will not be permitted."
He held the amulet closer to her, but she didn't dare take it from him. His hand shot out with force speed, grabbing onto her wrist and pulling it forward. She screamed and tried pulling away with all her might. Her hand unwillingly reached the amulet and Darth Oomis's hand clasped around hers. She continued to struggle until they both felt it move.
From between the sandwiched hands a vapor arose, it slowly hovered in the air and then moved towards Josie. Oomis let her hand go and she backed into the wall. Her eyes went wide in horror as the vapor followed her. It slowly drifted up her nose and did not reappear with the following exhale.
Josie could feel the vapor enter in, it seared through her body and she opened her mouth to scream. No sound came out despite how much she wanted to escape the pain. Her toes curled as her spine curved. Josie no longer had control of her herself. Her body reacted to this foreign pain without the brain's ability to process it. She saw merciful black spots fill her vision and felt the relief of unconsciousness fell over her.