The Lockdown of Dromund Kaas broadly and Kaas City specifically showed no signs of stopping after a week. The entire city was under strict orders to stay indoors and prohibited from all travel. Only a few elite Sith had freedom to leave their homes; the rest of the Sith Lords could apply for specific exceptions, but only for official business. Imperial Intelligence and the Red Guard were everywhere. Patrols of soldiers and droids marched through every district, including the Sith Residential district, with extensive checkpoints at each gate and chokepoint. Droids were still allowed to run errands for their masters, so nobody starved to death, but automated scanner droids hovered all through the streets, verifying each delivery and checking for explosives and other threats.
My regular lessons had gone back to being done virtually by holo. I often felt like a child, doing beginner-level schooling as I was. The droid providing my instruction was the most basic model, lacking any personality or real conversational ability at all. It merely taught, correcting me as needed, eternally patient. With Khem getting stir crazy and my master sequestered in her rooms, doing whatever it was she was doing, I felt incredibly isolated, equal parts resentful and angry.
Lady Zash's home had a private rooftop garden which was separated from her neighbor by a wall. From there, I could look down into the streets in our district and into the neighborhood adjacent to us. With my master's permission, I went there to escape from my room and Khem Val's oppressive sulking. It was often stiflingly humid from the planet's almost incessant rain, but it was still a chance to breathe fresh air, even if it was unbearably wet.
The only room large enough to practice with my lightsaber was the dining room. Lady Zash had graciously ordered me a set of training remotes, so I spent hours in there with my lightsaber on its lowest setting so as not to seriously damage her home, trying to anticipate through the force the movement of the orb hovering in front of me and doing my best to block each blast as it sizzled through the air. I was terrible at it. Most of them slipped through my guard, but I kept at it. Nothing had stopped me thus far in my journey to become Sith, and basic saber mastery was a necessity. My force shield got a lot of practice; I grew adept at summoning the dark side around me, dispelling the energy of each weak training bolt that tried to sting my skin. Sometimes I was more successful than others.
Nineteen days into the lockdown, I awoke in the middle of the night to pounding on the antechamber door. "Apprentice?" called Lady Zash. I hopped quickly out of bed, pulling my tunic on over the thin nightgown I wore and scrambling to tighten the belt as I ran to the door, passing Khem sitting sullenly on his bed. I opened the door and she swept into the room, sitting down in the only chair available.
"Apprentice," she said, flicking up the lights casually with the force as she spoke. I blinked in the sudden brightness. "I've got good news! The most perfect opportunity has arisen, and it's time for you to make our first overt move against Skotia." That got my full attention. I stood before my master, hands clasped behind me, since there was no chair for me and I was not about to crouch or kneel on the floor like a slave.
"An alert just came in," she began. "There's an outpost in the jungles of Dromund Kaas a couple hundred kilometers from the city. A soldier named Commander Rilan was in charge of field testing new technology, but instead of driving the beasts away, it's driving them mad." The woman clapped her hands with delight. "They've lost two squads of men already, and they need help. This sort of thing would normally be taken care of by the army, but with all the extra soldiers on duty right now because of the lockdowns, they've opened it up to any Sith or Sith apprentices who want to assist with the trouble. I've already volunteered you, and a speeder will be coming to pick you up shortly to take you and the Dashade out to handle things there."
"But what does this have to do with Skotia?" I asked, when her pause continued long.
"Ah, but Apprentice," she said smugly, "this is just a cover story, an excuse to get you out of Kaas City and out into that region of Dromund Kaas. You see, I've had Skotia and his apprentices under surveillance for months now. When he was ordered off planet, he sent his last remaining apprentice on a secret journey out to a communications post very near where I will be sending you. That apprentice carried a very special package out with him, but when he returned, it was nowhere to be found."
"You've already seen that Skotia has those two Trandoshan bodyguards with him everywhere he goes," she explained. "He keeps them under control by possessing a rare artifact that is apparently sacred to their people. I've known for a while that he doesn't keep it in his estate outside Kaas City, and now I believe that I've finally identified the location of his secret vault." She chuckled to herself, tapping her fingers together in satisfaction. "I'm sending you to break into the vault and steal that artifact, so that when the time comes, his bodyguards will turn on him.
"So go pack!" she said to me. "I've already sent word for some equipment to be prepared for you at the outpost when you arrive, but you may need a few changes of clothes and boots. The jungles can be pretty filthy." She waved her hands at me, and I headed back into my room as she instructed.
"So I've noticed," I replied, digging through my wardrobe.
"Normally I wouldn't risk you in this way," said Lady Zash, who had followed me in and now paced in the walkway between the refresher and Khem's room. She was full of excited, nervous energy. "I have several trusted agents to whom I would assign this sort of covert operation. However, with the lockdowns in place, only the Sith can move with any degree of autonomy. And you have your monster for protection!" She beamed at me. I tried not to grimace as I imagined the expression Khem was surely wearing as he heard her words. "I have full confidence that with his assistance, you will be able to safely complete this task for Commander Rilen and locate the secret vault."
I threw clothes into my large satchel along with my datapad. When I stepped into the refresher to gather the brushes and other tools Lady Zash had bought me, I took that opportunity to quickly strip off my nightgown and fully robe myself. The tabards I chose were heavier, made of something a bit more durable than mere cloth, matching the bracers and greaves that I'd found beneficial on the Korriban deserts. Lightsaber, comm, and other tools hung on my belt. One of my new, waterproof cloaks completed my ensemble, and Lady Zash nodded approvingly when I reemerged.
"Make sure that you try to be discreet," she told me as we walked through the house. Khem followed, carrying nothing but a small bag of tools to clean his great sword. "Skotia cannot know what we have done. He can suspect all he wants, but he cannot have your involvement confirmed. He has enough enemies that the uncertainty will force him to spread his defenses thin."
"Yes, Lady Zash," I said obediently.
"Make sure that you and the Dashade complete Commander Rilen's task as well," she added. "You must not arouse suspicions that you are there for any other purpose. And be careful, apprentice." She paused at the doorway of her home. Outside, the covered speeder waited for me and Khem. "The jungles of Dromund Kaas are dangerous, and while the communications array won't have very many security forces, I don't know what additional protections Skotia might have secreted away there. You have too great a destiny to be defeated at this time, and if there were any other way, I wouldn't risk your safety at all. Not with the great power we shall forge together!"
"I know, Lady Zash," I said, feeling the uncomfortable urge to reassure her. "But power is wasted if you don't use it, and I'm not squeamish." She barked a surprised laugh. "Once I put my mind to something, nothing in the galaxy can stop me."
"I do believe that, Apprentice," she said, pride coloring her voice. "Take care and return soon. I can't wait to make our next move on Skotia."
Khem and I sped through the darkness. Rain splattered down upon our speeder. The pilot had long since turned control over to the autopilot, and so we flew along the preprogrammed speeder paths, banking and twisting to follow the curve of the land. It was a good three hours journey, so I slept most of the way. We arrived at our destination only just before dawn.
Khem and I stiffly disembarked. The "outpost" was a tiny portion of the jungle where the trees and overgrowth had been cleared away. Duracrete covered the ground, and tall walls surrounded the entire encampment, which in spite of the permanence of the walls, was primarily made up canvas tents or plain box-like buildings with thin metal walls and roofs vaguely reminiscent of cargo containers. A perimeter had been created by burning a section of the ground outside the wall several meters in each direction, which I suspected that they had to do so often. Wardroids stood guard at the only entrance, and a manned guard tower was fairly centrally located in the small compound. Big bright floodlights illuminated stood tall above the compound, and above that, rotating dishes broadcast a combination ultrasonic and infrasonic sound that typically kept large beasts away. I recognized them from Korriban. Humans couldn't hear either frequency, but as a Cathar, I had better hearing and as such could make out some of the higher frequencies quite easily. I gritted my teeth and prepared to bear the headache that was already forming.
"My Lady?" My arrival had not been unnoticed; a soldier approached me as I tried to stretch out my muscles. "I am Commander Rilen. Thank you for responding to my call for aid so quickly."
"What seems to be the problem?" I asked. "My master gave me a brief description of your troubles, but I'd like a few more details."
"Of course, my lady, right this way," he said with a curt bow. We went into a small tent whose flaps had been pinned open in an effort to mitigate the stifling wet heat of the jungle and the dry heat of several large holoprojectors all running at once inside. I saw several maps and displays of what appeared to be the jungle around us. Technicians standing at other consoles seemed to be monitoring communications and further displays that were full of incomprehensible technical readouts.
"Our mission to this outpost was to test a new type of sonic field generator, one with a substantially larger range than the typical model," he explained respectfully. He gestured to a large map, bringing it up on the central display so that I could see it clearer. "This region was known for having very large beasts, so we installed six prototype sonic beacons in the jungle. They'd been online for two days when the Dominator was destroyed. Since then, we've observed that while the beasts are certainly affected by the signals, instead of being driven away, they are driven into a fury instead." He cleared his throat. "They've become much more aggressive, and problematically, the effect doesn't seem to subside when they leave the area. We've had packs of Vine Cats even trying to attack speeders, and I myself have lost two full squads trying to put down the monsters. Yesterday, an affected gundark attacked the estate of a prominent official, and that was the incident that allowed me to ask for Sith assistance." He bowed again to me. Even though it had been months since I'd been elevated to Sith, it was still odd to see this important man defer to me.
"We've managed to deactivate three of the generators, but three remain, and every second that they're active they're driving even more beasts insane," he said. "It's imperative that they be taken offline as soon as possible. The beasts in the area will go out of their way to attack you, so you will need to exercise extreme caution."
"Lady Zash said you would provide supplies for me," I drawled, watching as the map data was downloaded onto my datapad.
"Yes, my lady," he said. He turned to one of his subordinates. "Fetch me the equipment that was prepared for the lady Sith." The man saluted and hurried off. "We've got some camping gear for you, in case you're out in the jungle for a few days. We didn't realize your companion was so large, though," he said, eyeing Khem Val with curiosity. I smiled, enjoying the respect that was afforded me as master of such a large and menacing being. "I'm certain that we will be able to accommodate him though," Commander Rilen continued after a moment. "I'll see to it that you receive extra rations and a larger bedroll before you depart.
"Now," he continued. "My lady, forgive me for asking, but have you ever handled explosives before?"
"That's not the usual weapon of a Sith," I said wryly.
"Oh no, of course not, my lady!" He quickly reassured me. "We have prepared explosive charges to help bring down the sonic beacons, but they are very stable and have multiple safety measures to prevent premature detonation. May I demonstrate their use?"
"Proceed," I said, enjoying his servility.
"Pay attention, little Sith," growled Khem in his ancient Catharese. "I do not want to die because of a careless child."
"Worry about yourself," I sniped back. "I don't want to die because you've grown weak and soft." He snarled at me, baring his fangs, and everyone else jumped in surprise and fear. I felt the hair on my neck prickle, but I stood my ground, and he pursed his lips and said nothing else.
"Proceed, Captain," I said again. Commander Rilen cleared his throat awkwardly and gestured to the technician waiting near the door. The woman came forward carrying a box the size of my foot with a small display on the side.
"My lady," he said, turning it in his hands so that I could see it more clearly. "This is one of the changes we've prepared for you. It should be completely inert, but I would recommend avoiding dropping it or banging it against things, just to be safe. In order to arm the device, you must first place it in the position you want it, either magnetically attached to the sonic generator, or merely placed at the base of the machine. Then, you press and hold both the red and the green buttons at the same time." He demonstrated this for me.
"On the display, it will ask you if you want a 30 second timer, a 5 minute timer, or a 20 minute timer," he continued. "Once you've made your selection," Commander Rilen pressed the button and 3 minutes became highlighted, "it will ask you if you would like to arm the device. Press Yes." He again showed me, and I felt my nerves rising at my proximity to the bomb.
"Now, at this point, it is still not armed," said Commander Rilen. "It will ask you to confirm your choice. Then, and only then, is the device armed. The countdown will begin on the display, and you need to get at least 20 meters away before it goes off. Safer to be further, of course, just in case. To disarm or cancel the device, simply press the red button at any time and it will immediately become inert once more." He canceled the bomb activation, and I could smell the relief pouring off of the other technicians in the tent. They were no more happy about this training than I was. "Would you care to try it, my Lady?"
"No, thank you," I said, a touch too quickly. "Your instructions have been quite sufficient." More relief stank up the room.
"Then I shall make sure the final preparations have been made for your departure," Commander Rilen said. "Is there anything else you will require?"
"No, thank you Captain."
"You have our comm frequency if you decide otherwise," he said respectfully. "We greatly appreciate your assistance in this matter."
Khem and I waited in the dawn light. We couldn't see the sun yet, because the jungle trees around us were far too tall, but the sky had grown light and the growling howls and deep, gravely scraping sounds of the fauna had given way to higher pitched chirps and sometimes almost songlike whistles. Around us, additional technicians and soldiers were emerging from tents. I could smell food being prepared somewhere, and it made my stomach growl.
"Here you are, my lady," said the Commander, returning with two ensigns bearing two small packs. "This should be everything you need. I've included rations for four days, as instructed, although I certainly hope that it won't take so much of your valuable time!"
"We will be ensuring that every maddened beast is taken care of," I said smoothly. "It may take a few days to track them through the force."
"Of course, my lady. Anything else before you depart?" He was clearly very eager for me to leave.
"Breakfast," I said, licking my lips.