Disembarking from the Black Talon took so long, it felt torturous. The ship had struggled hard since escaping the Jedi Grandmaster's fleet by leaping into hyperspace. Tensions had been high among the crew, fearing that Republic warships would somehow overtake us or intercept us. That was compounded by the fact that the Republic Ship Brentaal Star's guns, crippled though they were, had still done significant damage to our vessel during our brief battle. Entire sections had been opened to the vacuum of space, either by the pods of sabotage droids or by the bombardment of the Star's one remaining battery. Worse, our water recirculation system had taken some damage, forcing the Captain to carefully oversee the distribution of our remaining supply for the final two days of our journey.
Lieutenant Silas sent a runner to our quarters to alert me and my Dashade servant, Khem Val, as we began to dock. My monster's brief opportunity to destroy Republic battle droids in defense of the bridge had eased his restlessness somewhat, but he was still almost unbearably eager to get off the ship and planetside again. He was a creature of battle, and anticipating finally leaving our tiny ship's quarters had raised his sour mood, in spite of the long wait.
I myself had not enjoyed our journey. My passage aboard the Black Talon had been hastily secured after my attempted murder at the hands of Darth Skotia's apprentices, so it had not been a large berth, my master preferring speed and secrecy over comfort. Still, it would've been fine, if Grand Moff Killran hadn't blackmailed the ship and the crew into cleaning up his mess. Under the threat of destruction, I had grudgingly agreed to accompany a fellow Sith apprentice on a daring raid of a damaged Republic warship called the Brentaal Star. Tasked with dealing with a defector, we had located the traitor and dragged him back to the Black Talon, killing a Jedi apprentice in the process. Moff Killran had been pleased but also obviously surprised by our success, a fact that made me hate him all the more.
I didn't plan to stand around, undignified, in a hallway, waiting while crewmembers shoved past us, but when the message sounded that the Black Talon had officially docked, I gathered my satchel and signaled for Khem Val to follow me, leaving my three small cases behind for the steward droids to manage. I joined the crowd waiting at the ship's entrance just as they began the sequence to unseal the door. Captain Orzik stood there, along with Lieutenant Silas and a few ensigns and marines. The other Sith apprentice was there, along with his Twi'lek slave, bags in hand, as well as a few other passengers. Like always, when they spotted Khem, they gave way to leave us plenty of space.
"Sir, welcome aboard the Nexus!" As soon as the final door hissed open, I could feel the slight shift of air in my fur as the pressure in the ship equalized with the air pressure of the space station. A middle-aged human woman sprang forward to greet us. She and the others with her wore Imperial Navy Uniforms, and a large squad of marines waited to the side, just waiting for the signal to move. Captain Orzik went very pale, and I could smell the sharp stink of fear from him.
"I suppose you've heard from the Grand Moff then," he said, very resignedly. But whatever orders the Moff had given, the Captain's arrest wasn't one of them. The marines were apparently here for the defector, and Lieutenant Silas volunteered to lead them to the prisoner. As the Captain disembarked to go be debriefed, we all stepped back to let the soldiers by. They marched past in neat rows of two. I waited for a moment, hoping that we would be able to leave next, but the other Sith apprentice seemed content to stand in the ship's doorway, blocking all other passengers from disembarking. I shoved my way past Khem, and he grudgingly bowed his head and stepped out of my way, just in time for me to hear the Navy woman exclaim, "I hadn't realized you were carrying Darth Baras' own apprentice as well!" I pursed my lips in irritation. Once again people were falling over themselves to grovel before him, not me. I knew why-he was a physically intimidating Sith Pureblood, apprentice to a very important Darth, so it was only prudent that they try to ingratiate themselves with his master. Still, technically, we were both apprentices, so we were equals, and I was jealous. He was very powerful, excellent with a blade-that much he'd made abundantly clear during our assault of the Brentaal Star. But more than his skill, I envied the easy grace and arrogance that he displayed even as I despised it. Khem Val loved to tell me that I was nothing like his former master, Tulak Hord, or the great Sith of old, and I could see just how far I needed to come when confronted by such effortless aristocracy.
Some peon was tasked with escorting us to the shuttle bay, and we followed him down long hallways, passing curious workers who stayed well clear of us as they stared. I realized eventually that we were not at the normal Dromund Kass space station, our intended destination; rather, the Black Talon had docked at what was clearly a repair yard. It bore minimal signage and I found myself rather relieved that someone was guiding us towards our goal. We came to a hangar full of shuttles, and after a terse conversation via holo, he guided us to the farthest one, a moderately-sized ship with no windows but plenty of seating in the back. A pilot had already begun to warm up the engines, and a droid was disconnecting the fuel lines one at a time.
"Please make yourselves comfortable, my Lord, my Lady," he said to us with a bow. I inclined my head in the movement that Lady Zash's instructors had made me practice dozens of times and made my way up the gangplank to settle in one of the small seats. Khem took up two seats, wrapping one massive hand around the hilt of his sword and the other around a strap to steady himself. It looked flimsy within his long clawed fingers. The other sith and his slave settled into the positions right at the front, just behind the entrance to the cockpit. I once again busied myself with my studies, rather than just sit aimlessly. Eventually, the other passengers also boarded, and droids loaded our belongings into a cargo area towards the back, carefully securing them with netting.
After several minutes, the door sealed and I felt the ship jostle slightly as the pilot lifted off smoothly and eased into flight. My claws extended as I held firmly, refusing to lift my nose out of the datapad I was reading. I did not enjoy spaceflight, and I was quickly coming to realize that the smaller the ship, the worse it felt. I was intimately aware of every twist and turn as we descended through the atmosphere of Dromund Kaas, down towards the planet below. It was certainly better than the chaotic flight from days earlier, during the assault of the Brentaal Star, but it still made my stomach churn uncomfortably. Eventually we landed on the planet, and the pilot opened the hatch.
The first thing I noticed was the air. It was nothing like I'd ever experienced before, and my Cathar senses were overwhelmed. Never in my life had a breeze carried such intense scents to my nose. The air was viscid, tangible; it was like I was breathing in the steam from a bowl of soup. My fur, which had grown thicker and softer since becoming a Sith and getting meat on a regular basis, felt instantly fluffier, and I felt like every inch of my skin was covered in sweat, even though it was nowhere near as hot as Korriban usually was. Even the Force felt different here. On Korriban, everything felt harsh and vaguely menacing. In space, there was an emptiness that made me feel small, but here, on the capital world of the Empire, the Force felt ancient, full of sleeping power and might and unknown depths. I was part of a vast network of force-users, a web of Sith from the tiniest pinpricks of light to great shining stars. It was humbling and inspiring and motivating all at once. Someday, I would shine like that. I would be a great Sith Lady! I would be a Darth, wielding unimaginable power!
My luggage was unloaded by droids, who carried it over to a series of consoles that I recognized from my departure from Korriban. It was a customs checkpoint, and my belongings were scanned and stacked neatly on the far side. I adjusted my ID token, which I wore on a delicate bracelet sent to me by my master as a gift, and passed it under the holoscanner. It registered my information, and I knew that the myriad cameras were cross-referencing my identity and confirming that I was who I said I was. It flashed blue, and I passed through the metal gates. Khem reluctantly pulled his own ID chit from his belt and scanned it. He absolutely hated doing anything banal, and with how he took every opportunity to try to make me afraid, I got a vicious pleasure from his discomfort. He, too, passed through the gates. I smiled.
"Khem, take my luggage for me," I said, making my decision. He snarled, showing his enormous fangs.
"I will not," he growled in Catharese.
"You have sworn to be my servant," I reminded him. "By my reckoning, you still have over 9 months left until you're free. Until then, you do as I say."
"I will guard and fight for you!" he growled. "That is the limit of my service. That is what honor demands."
"Fair enough," I said. "But which would be the greater shame? Carrying my luggage until we hire a droid, or being honor-bound to a sith so lowly that she has to carry her own bags like a slave?" I knew I had him by the way his teeth audibly ground together.
"If I must," he muttered finally. He scooped all three cases up in one arm, easily keeping them from falling.
"Thank you, Khem," I said with a nod.
Together, the Dashade and I made our way through the long, crowded promenade lining the various hangars and shuttle bays. Venders of every type of food imaginable lined the walls, hawking their wares to the passersby. There were many Sith, I noticed, but the majority were various humans and aliens, most in civilian clothing, although the military maintained a clear presence. In spite of Khem's griping, he didn't have to carry my boxes long. Courier Droid stalls were everywhere, and using the funds Lady Zash had allocated me via my ID chit, I arranged for our things to be delivered to the address she'd given me. My master had given me an allowance that had seemed ludicrous to me at the time; now, faced with the exorbitant prices, I knew that I would have to be mindful of the purchases I made.
Khem and I had been instructed to report to my master's office in the Citadel immediately, and so we walked towards the great grand entrance of the spaceport. I stopped dead in the doorway, staring, no, GAPING, at the sight that met my eyes. I'd seen trees in holos, of course, but this was the first time I'd seen one in person. They towered over the spaceport. The whole world was awash in different shades of green, from the trees, to the bushes and shrubbery, to the rich green carpet of growth that covered every place that wasn't stone or duracrete. Even the nooks and crannies seemed to be covered with a dark green fuzz that nestled in the shadows, creeping up the sides of tree trunks and light poles indiscriminately. The air was even wetter here, and while it wasn't quite as hot as Korriban, I felt sweat beading behind my knees and on my face. There was a constant, high-pitched drone from what I assumed to be the local insect population.
More incredibly, water dripped from the sky, splattering against the durasteel pathways and splashing into puddles that formed wherever the ground wasn't perfectly level. I knew this was rain from the stories that other slaves had told, back when I was a slave myself, but it had never rained on Korriban. I'd never imagined that it would be so vast. I gazed upward towards the solid gray mass of clouds, seeing millions of drops of water falling to the surface, and tentatively held out my hand, feeling each individual drop strike my fur.
A small duracrete pad with speeders stood nearby. I followed the covered walkway and approached the droid attendant. "How may I serve you?" it asked politely.
"I need to go to the Citadel in Kaas City," I said, accidentally lisping a little. Filled with self-disgust, I swallowed hard and continued. "I am to report to the citadel at once." He programmed in my destination on his screen.
"Of course," said the droid. He scanned my ID token, and I felt a little sick seeing the price. "Have a nice trip." Khem and I climbed into the semi-enclosed speeder and zoomed away, the wind and rain ripping through the open windows and rifling my fur as we sped through the jungle. I quickly discovered that I did not enjoy being wet. Water whipped up from the edges of the speeder, flung by our velocity to strike my clothes and fur. I pulled my cloak up to shield myself a bit more, meager protection though it was, since it was designed to defend against the sun and heat of Korriban, not the rains of Dromund Kaas. Khem ignored the water dripping down his skin.
I couldn't stop staring at the varied landscape around me. Every so often, we'd zip past a grand monument or large walled estate, and I'd crane my neck to watch as long as I could. Khem wasn't much more controlled than I was. He'd told me a little about his time on Dromund Kaas, but I assumed that almost nothing remained from those long-ago days. Presumably the forest and climate was still similar. Finally, after almost an hour, our speeder decelerated and we emerged from the trees to approach the Kaas City walls.
Our speeder pilot carefully followed the approved flight paths, merging with other speeder traffic and entering the city. Towering skyscrapers lined the avenues, and looking down, I realized that Kaas City was laid out in a very orderly, grid-like fashion. It appeared that each area of the city was compartmentalized, with clean, well-kept and well-lit streets and high walls separating each district from its neighbor. Far off in the distance, set back from other buildings, I could see the distinctive shape of the Citadel, headquarters of the Sith and the Empire, along with the towering compound of administrative and military skyscrapers. Lightning regularly struck the many lightning rods that dotted the roofs. From there, the entire Empire was run.
"This is as far as I can take you, my lady," said the pilot eventually, easing down towards a broad shuttle landing zone. "There's a no-fly zone around the Citadel for security reasons, but there's an underground rail line if you don't care to walk." When I glanced around, he indicated the entrance.
"Thank you for your assistance," I said, remembering the lessons I had on appropriate politeness and courtesy towards the lower classes. Lady Zash wanted me to be gracious, after all. The pilot bowed deeply in his seat.
"It is always a pleasure to serve the Sith, my Lady," he said.
Khem and I got out and hurried through the rain, which was coming down much harder now. We'd managed to shield ourselves from the worst of the weather during the speeder ride, but in the short dash to the sheltered entrance of the underground transport, we were thoroughly soaked. My boots squelched uncomfortably as water squished between my toes, and my clothing was plastered against my wet fur. I had never been so wet in my life. I felt hideous. I itched to properly groom myself, settling for doing my best to smooth my bedraggled fur away from my eyes.
We weren't the only ones who were wet, but most sentients who were in the tunnels were dry. When I caught sight of a map on the wall, I realized that the tunnels extended underneath the entire city. I scanned my ID chit to pay for our passage and stood by the group that awaited the next transport to the Citadel. It ran every 10 minutes, so I didn't have to wait long. Nobody stared at us, of course. Khem got a few sideways glances, but once they realized I, a Sith, was with him, they politely averted their eyes. Another Lord and his apprentices were in the crowd, along with many bureaucrats.
The train was cold. The climate control blasted chilled, dry air to counteract the wet heat of Dromund Kaas, and soaked as I was, I began to shiver. It irritated me, but there was nothing I could do but endure and try not to make a fool of myself. It was only a few minutes after all. I followed the crowd of people into the basement of the Citadel tower to another security checkpoint, this one actually protected by red guards, who I'd seen on Korriban, and a few sith. I felt my anxiety spike, worrying for a brief instant that they would turn me away or arrest me or kill me as an imposter, or by mistake, or something.
I needn't have panicked. I scanned my ID, hating that my fingers shook a little, and although the guards watched me and Khem closely, they didn't even speak to me as we passed through just like everyone else and approached the Information Station on the far side of the Lobby. The droid at the desk turned to me, ignoring the two humans in military uniforms that it had been in the middle of conversing with.
"I am seeking the office of Lady Zash," I said uncomfortably.
"Of course," said the droid, a holographic map emerging from his extended hand to display the highlighted path I should follow. "Take the elevator to the 41st floor and follow the signage for the Orange Wing. Her offices are on your left, clearly marked." I waited anxiously for the lift, Khem lurking behind me. Unlike the spartan cargo lifts throughout the Sith Academy on Korriban, which were mere platforms that afforded no protection from the mechanical workings and walls, these were small rooms made of glass and sleek durasteel that gently climbed smoothly skyward while allowing me to see what I was passing.
A towering, pyramidal skyscraper, the Citadel, or Sith Sanctum, had a hollow central interior that housed a grand power core that extended from the base towards the pinnacle. It was shielded by glass, and each floor had a walkway and viewing deck that wrapped around it entirely while leaving whole sections open between the actual office spaces and the core. I morbidly wondered how many fell or were thrown to their deaths each year. There were minimal decorations, consisting primarily of titanic banners bearing the Imperial Crest that were at least ten floors long.
The lift slowed and came to a gentle halt, and the doors opened to release me onto the 41st floor, but I couldn't exit because someone stood in my way. Tall, broad shouldered, wearing durasteel armor instead of the more typical sith robes even though he had a lightsaber on his hip, the man blocking my path had one cybernetic arm, with visible, obvious implants running up to meld with his flesh shoulder and neck and into his face. Half of his brain and one eye seemed to be completely gone, replaced with circuitry. Two large Trandoshians, half again my height, flanked him with quarterstaves ready. The crest on his chest plate left no doubt as to who he was, but his words confirmed what I already knew.
"Out of my way, slave, Darth Skotia is passing!" He was obviously not passing. He was obviously just standing there to intimidate me, and it was working. I felt the fur on my arms and neck stand, my claws extend, but I also knew that here in the Sith Sanctum, I was safer than anywhere else. Here, on Dromund Kaas, but especially in the Citadel, inter-Sith conflict was forbidden. Lady Zash had made it very clear to me that the Dark Council, those 12 Sith who managed the day-to-day affairs of the Empire under the Emperor's auspices, had absolutely, positively, totally prohibited violence between Sith. If this cyborg killed me, if he even wounded me, being a Darth wouldn't save him. Reminding myself of that, reminding myself that the very reason he was standing here trying to intimidate me was that he could not actually move against me with all the other Sith and witnesses and cameras made me bolder.
"You sent those weakling apprentices to kill me," I said in my best upper class accent. "I really should thank you. My Dashade enjoyed his feast."
"Give your master a message from me," he said, his red cybernetic eye fixed on Khem Val even as his human eye focused on me. "Tell her I know what she's up to, and she's going to fail. Tell her only I have the Key. You and your master may have gotten this far, slave, but it ends here." Yet even with all of his threats, even with the way he menaced me through the Force, he made no move to harm me. My confidence grew.
"What do you think?" I asked Khem in basic, the Dark Side rushing through my veins and making me even more reckless. "Can you eat him?"
"Bad for the digestion, too much metal," grumbled Khem back. Skotia seethed with fury, and I assumed that his cybernetics translated the Catharese.
"I will not make the same mistakes again," warned Darth Skotia. "There is no future for Zash or for you on Dromund Kaas or in the Sith Order!"
"Oh, go jump in a Sarlaac pit," I scoffed, stepping around him. One of his Trandoshian bodyguards slammed his shoulder into me as they went past me into the elevator. Khem snarled, stepping up quick to shove him away and drawing his sword in one blinding movement.
"Hold!" I said, placing my hand on his arm quickly. He breathed heavily, glaring at the Trandoshian, whose fellow had dropped into a ready crouch, preparing to respond. Skotia snapped his fingers at them, and the aliens turned away and joined their master in the elevator.
"Later," I said to him as they disappeared from view. "They'll get theirs."