"Is it done?" Andronikos asked.
The assassin turned the mask over, examining its construction. "Not quite. It's missing a component. I know where it goes but not where it is."
"What does it do?" he asked.
"I don't know yet," she said. "But the Force wanted me to have it."
The holoemitter beeped.
"More Zash fun," Andronikos said.
Instead, someone else appeared, Darth Thanaton, Skotia's master and first in line to succeed Darth Arctis to the Council.
"You're looking for Zash?" Thanaton said. "Well, she's not here. Allow me to introduce myself. Darth Thanaton. Don't worry, I haven't done anything to your master." Of course not. You wanted to see how I'd react. "I'm far too interested in how this game she's playing will turn out." You have no idea what she's doing, but you think she has power available. "I've waited a long time to meet you. An alien in the Sith ranks is an extremely rare thing."
The assassin said, "Those statements are true but not connected. You have not waited a long time to meet an alien."
Thanaton said, "I'm not concerned with your origins." Deflection. "The trials on Korriban are an honored tradition designed to sift out the unworthy. I trust they've served their purpose." Distraction. "I want to speak to you about your master."
The heart of it. "Are you still angry about the Skotia incident?" she said. Two can deflect.
"The 'Skotia incident' is the least of my concerns or your master's transgressions," Thanaton said. "Darth Zash is arrogant and reckless." She frightens you. "The reckless have a way of defeating themselves in the end." You're hoping she'll fail. "When she finally self-destructs, be careful not to get caught in the blast." You see me as a potential asset? Perhaps. "A young Sith should not associate herself too closely with a master like Zash."
He knows about the artifacts, and he's surprised I succeeded. More than that, he's researched them himself. And couldn't get them. That's why Skotia had the key to Kallig's tomb. She smiled for him. "It's all right. I'm going to kill her anyway."
"I will pretend I didn't hear that." While you jump for joy. "You must seek your own way, carve out your own victories." Building me up? It's a bit heavy handed. "The cult you won on Nar Shaddaa was a good first step, but it's not enough. A Sith cannot live without a power base. Good luck." He switched off.
Feeling out a rival? Seeing what he can get from me? Turn me against Zash? Yes. Throw a spanner in the gears.
"Do I get to eat that one, little Sith?" Khem said.
"Eventually," she replied.
"My child," a voice echoed.
Oh. Him again.
"Your power has grown since we last met," Kallig said, appearing before her. "Your strength will rise and shake the Sith. I feel it! Now I have another gift for you, one that was dearer to me than even my life. My own lightsaber. Until now, lost to me. I have found it. You must claim it."
You know, it's not really a gift if I have to get it myself. "Where do I find this lightsaber?"
"What lightsaber?" Andronikos said.
The assassin looked at Khem, and he dragged Andronikos from the room.
Kallig continued, "I entrusted it to my faithful retainer, Jonas Escalus, the only servant who didn't betray me when Tulak Hord moved against me. He swore he and his heirs would keep it safe until the time that my heir would return to claim it. His heir is on Nar Shaddaa. Her name is Mila Escalus. Go to her and claim your inheritance."
The missing component was a circuit chip, easily hidden in a lightsaber. "Captain, take us out of hyperspace. We're going to Nar Shaddaa."
"Welcome to the Star Cluster Casino," a large man at the door said. "Force Sensitives are not allowed to gamble."
"Wasn't planning on it," she told him. After asking a waiter, she was directed to Mila's pazaak table. She sat down and smiled at the dealer.
"Sith can't gamble," Mila said. "House rules."
"I was sent for Kallig's lightsaber," the assassin said.
"I knew this would happen," Mila said. "I warned him, but he wouldn't listen. Please don't kill me. I'll get the lightsaber back. I promise!"
"For fuck's sake," the assassin said. "I'm not going to kill you. Just explain yourself."
"It was my no-good father," Mila said. "He broke the oath. Dad was never very smart, but a couple of years ago, he topped himself. Put everything we had, lightsaber included, on the sabacc table against a sleazebag named Gyl Rosen, a known cheater. Lost it all."
Why can't it ever be easy? Go to Nar Shaddaa. Pick up a lightsaber. That shouldn't require twenty steps and a sleazebag.
"I warned him! But 'Mil,' he says-"
"Yes, yes. Where is Gyl Rosen?" the assassin said with a sigh.
"He's holed up in the industrial area," Mila said. "I'd get the lightsaber back, but it's too dangerous, and I can't exactly afford help."
"I quite understand," the assassin said. She took out her holocomm. "Rylee. Good to see you again."
"You're... back," Rylee said. "I can be there. Where you are. Right away."
"Do you know a man named Gyl Rosen?" the assassin asked.
Rylee said, "Gambler, gangster, scumbag."
"That's the one," the assassin said. "He has something I need. Be a dear and fetch it for me. I'm in the Star Cluster Casino."
"We will stop at nothing," Rylee said.
"Very good," the assassin said. "And get him to cancel all debts of one Mila Escalus."
"Of course, master," Rylee said. "It will be as you say." She disconnected.
"Mila," the assassin said. "Could I get a meal delivered here?"
An hour later, Rylee appeared with three additional cult members.
"He would not fight the Cult of the Screaming Blade," Rylee said, handing the case to the assassin. "And the debts are canceled." She leaned in. "And I am still yours."
"Thank you, Rylee," the assassin said.
"We are always at your service," Rylee said. The cult members departed.
"Mila, if you please," the assassin said.
"This should only take a second," Mila said. "There you go. I hope this makes us even."
"Very much so," the assassin said.
"What's so special about it?" Mila asked.
The assassin said, "That gets complicated."
"Fair enough," she said. "Anyway, now that I don't have to pay Rosen off, I'll probably ditch this place."
"I'm sure that's for the best," the assassin said. "Good day."
"We good?" Andronikos asked.
"We are," the assassin said. "Set course for Dromund Kaas. I will be in my cabin."
Once she reached her workbench, she began to disassemble the lightsaber, checking each part thoroughly. The chip was not difficult to find. She paused briefly to pop her ears as they entered hyperspace then finished extracting the chip. She slid the chip into the waiting slot in the helmet, and the mask activated. She put it on but saw nothing unusual. Yet. She turned toward the artifacts and smiled. Glowing letters hovered above the surface of each artifact. A cursory translation suggested maintenance information. She switched to a different frequency, and the lettering changed current status. Then, control surfaces. Warning indicators. But no instructions. She turned toward the holocron of Darth Nihilus but found it dark. She cycled back through the frequencies until the lettering appeared on the surface of the holocron. Sith text, contemporary to Nihilus. Interesting. She translated the writing and thought, So, that's the trick. She reached into the holocron with the Force, found the correct controls, and opened it. The information was a detailed analysis by Darth Nihilus, not original instruction. But, he got them to work.
"You've got Zash on holo," Andronikos called out.
She deactivated the mask and removed it. She could play with it later.
"Apprentice!" Zash said. "Why did you divert to Nar Shaddaa?"
"Kallig's apparition visited me again," the assassin said.
"Well, it is most fortuitous," Zash said. "Dromund Kaas is under attack by Darth Jadus!"
"It seems it's a day for dead men," the assassin said.
"Quite," Zash said. "Continue to the system, but do not attempt to land. The satellites will fire on you. The Sith Tower is shielded, but we don't know how long it will last." Detonations could be heard in the background. "I've heard Imperial Intelligence is doing... something, but no one knows what."
Nina, the assassin thought.
"I will contact you again when I have more," Zash said.
"Understood," the assassin replied. The emitter switched off.
Twenty minutes later, Zash called again. "They've done it! Imperial Intelligence stopped the attack! Jadus is in custody, or so they claim. The Dark Council wants all available Sith Lords to remain at the spaceport in case something happens. I'm afraid that includes you, apprentice."
"Happy to help," the assassin said.
Zash said, "I'm sorry I don't have more time to talk. There is much work to do to prepare the ritual. Zash out."
"Look at her," Kallig said. "'No time to talk.' Too busy plotting your demise. Cruel witch. You have done well, flesh of my flesh, in seeking out your inheritance. But things are more dire than I suspected. I have discovered the nature of Darth Zash's strange rituals. There is no doubt-"
"'Discovered'?" the assassin said. "Your mask, the artifact in your tomb, the control chip in your lightsaber. The gold inset. That's it, isn't it? You never had that. You know I'm not your descendent. You always did. You knew I had the inset, and you told me this pathetic lie. Take off that fucking mask. You're a ghost. You don't need it."
The apparition removed the helmet revealing a middle-aged Zabrak scarred from life and years of combat. He laughed. "You remind me of my wife. If you were Zabrak, you could have been her daughter."
"Tell me about these rituals," she said.
"Zash praises your great strength, yet she fears it," he said. "The rituals she performs are to protect her against-"
"No more distractions," the assassin said. "Why did you want the artifacts?"
"They are power," Kallig said. "Tulak Hord did not create the artifacts. He found them. His was not the only set. Their power is more than you imagine. Do not let Zash move first. Arm yourself with anger, steel yourself with hate. Crush her before she has a chance to strike. And if at all possible, do not face her alone. That is how I failed."
"You don't know what they do," the assassin said. "You never had a complete set."
Kallig shook his head. "Tulak Hord entombed me with the only artifact I found. I never knew why. I stood guard until I could find someone who might succeed where I failed. You have a complete mask. You have already surpassed me. I can be no further help to you. I am too weak to face Zash. Just remember, whatever you do, do not enter the Dark Temple alone. Zash is prepared." Kallig faded away.
"He's gone," she told Andronikos.
"It was nice to hear you do that to someone else," he said. "Tells me it's not personal."
The assassin went to the cockpit. Again. The ship hadn't moved for two hours. The Fourth Fleet kept every ship from landing until it had been scanned. She sat and waited. Andronikos was on his third? mug of caf.
"I honestly can't get a straight read on you," he said.
"Secrecy is a Sith's best asset."
"Then you're a master Sith," he said. "Still, I like to know who I'm working with."
The Juggernaut, assigned to Darth Baras, the comm traffic said.
Proceed.
Another Fury passed overhead. She watched it go, hiding her presence the whole time.
"I don't know much about you," she said.
"I was an accountant on Moneylend when I decided I wanted a little more adventure," Andronikos said.
"You were what?!" she said.
"It wasn't for me," he said.
"No shit."
He continued, "So I put a blaster to the head of the InterGalactic Banking Clan and walked off with a few million credits. Been robbing and murdering ever since."
"How much of that story is true?" she said.
"Does it matter?" he replied. "In three years, the Sky Princess-" The comm beeped.
"Identify yourself."
Andronikos said, "The Pilgrim, assigned to Darth Zash."
"Confirmed. Proceed to scanning zone four. Deviate, and you will be destroyed."
"Pilgrim," he said to her. "Not really a Sith name."
"Private joke," she replied.
"The Sky Princess took more cargo and harassed more Republic ships than half the Imperial fleet," he said. "I'm a liar, and a thief, and a murderer. But I'm good. How about you?"
She watched him for a moment and said, "Well, I'm not a thief."
She was there, as instructed, but in the shadows, watching Mau'te. Full Sith Lords, even a couple of Darths, waited nervously. Mau'te was bored.
The transport landed, and soldiers crowded around it. Not enough to stop Jadus, but they might distract him for a while. Then, the stench of the Dark Side filled the hangar, and Jadus emerged from the ship. Everyone nearby, herself included, was sickened by him. Except Mau'te. They all had their gifts. She had her precognition. Yvie had her luck. Agenord had his clairvoyance. Mau'te had his mental defense. A week before the incident, he'd kept out all but three Jedi Masters. That was nine years earlier. Not even Jadus could break through now.
She shook her head to clear it but without success. Khem watched her with disappointment. He wasn't affected either, which did not surprise her.
Jadus walked slowly, scanning the crowd. He was looking for followers. The Dark Council had been right. Jadus was going to try something. His helmet moved slowly then stopped when he saw Mau'te. Not a flicker of pain. Did he see Mau'te as a threat or a curiosity? she wondered.
She watched the crowd herself, wondering where it would start. Mau'te whispered something to the Imperial standing next to him. The man nodded and spoke into his comm. He already knows. It seems he's kept up with his strategy classes. Soldiers in the crowd began to move. Now she saw them, the teams of followers, waiting for their master's command. Jadus stopped. The movement of the soldiers surprised him. He wasn't the type to like surprises. He looked immediately at Mau'te. Too early to move. His followers were being surrounded. He had no choice. With a burst of power, he tossed away the soldiers and Sith Lords guarding him. His handcuffs fell away, and he reached out, pulling Mau'te's lightsaber from his belt. The saber flew toward Jadus, but stopped halfway. Mau'te held out a hand, pulling the saber back, freezing it in place.
No, she thought. Not yet. Not this much. Not against him. Not yet. What were you thinking?
A wave of power rose from Mau'te, and the saber flew back into his hand.
What the fuck was that? When did he learn how to do that?
Another wave of power came from Jadus. He pulled a lightsaber from a different Sith Lord and rushed at Mau'te. She'd heard of this. Jadus's signature move. Force speed at a level that no one could follow. Thirty meters in a blink. She managed to see a blur and felt lucky. Jadus was not lucky. Instead of a shocked opponent, he met Mau'te's fist to his sternum, knocking him back. He threw lightning at Mau'te, and had it deflected. He threw a cargo droid at Mau'te, and it stopped between them, crumpling to a ball. Jadus stopped the tricks and attacked directly, saber to saber. He had considerable power. And skill. And experience. He was, at the moment, better than Mau'te. But he could not penetrate Mau'te's defense.
He was smiling. At moments when Mau'te turned, she could see the grin on his face. This was about Angral. Agenord had his battle. Mau'te wanted one just as good. He wanted it enough to risk discovery.
After ten minutes, a team of Darth's arrived, and Jadus surrendered. As he was taken away, he showed an awareness of Mau'te, which was more than Jadus showed anyone else.
The moment Jadus was gone, Mau'te grabbed Vette and kissed her. A kiss like that, and her response, showed they were finally together. He wrapped one of his lek around one of hers, and she scowled at him. No shit, the assassin thought. Control yourself.
The assassin wondered, in retrospect, if Mau'te really could have held back. People would have died. Vette might have died. Too many variables to consider. And, best not to mention this to Nina.
"Apprentice!" Darth Zash said as Khem and the assassin entered her office. "You've returned. Marvelous. What's this mask you're wearing? Is that Kallig's?"
"Inspired by it," the assassin said. "But its functionality is largely practical."
"I've no doubt," Zash said. "What was this visit to Nar Shaddaa?"
"Kallig wanted me to have his lightsaber," the assassin said.
"Indeed?" Zash said. "Interesting. Any particular reason?"
"It hid a component of his mask," the assassin said. "I'm still trying to figure out what it does."
Zash said, "You might consider taking the Kallig."
"He's not my ancestor," the assassin pointed out.
"True," Zash said. "But, you have his mask, his lightsaber, and his interest. Besides, it's better than 'skinny bitch', and I have no doubt he'd approve."
"An excellent point, master," the assassin said.
"I heard about that incident at the spaceport," Zash said. "Darth Baras's former apprentice. He'd been made a full Lord just days earlier. And a Twi'lek, no less. It seems to be your year. I heard the Jedi that killed Angral was a Twi'lek."
"So I understand," the assassin said.
"That Twi'lek agent you're so interested in captured Jadus originally," Zash said. "Or so they say. Quite impressive. But, enough of that. Let's get to work. Secrecy is vital. We will perform the ritual in the innermost chamber of the Dark Temple, where you pacified the apparition. I will need some time to prepare the artifacts. You'll have a couple of days to rest. The ritual will be taxing, and I want you at your best. I will contact you when everything is ready. That is all for now."
Outside Zash's office, the assassin told Khem, "Go to our quarters. I'm going to talk to Cipher Nine. She needs the conversation."
He nodded. "Your target. I understand now. He held back, even against that one."
"I know," she said.
"Three more years, and that Jadus would fall."
She'd done the right thing, the assassin thought as she walked away from Nina's apartment. Jadus was too great a threat. If he'd escaped, more would have died. Thousands more. Millions more. Nina's pain would have been delayed, not prevented. And she'd have known she could have stopped him. But, Nina didn't need to hear it again. Especially not with the news about Ter'viro.
Too much, all at once, she thought. She was missing something. Not forgetting, she had an eidetic memory, but not connecting. What? Where was the connection?
Tulak Hord did not create the artifacts.
His was not the only set.
Do not face her alone. That is how I failed.
Someone who might succeed...
You have a complete mask.
Yes, but so did- Shit!
She rushed to her speeder and went straight to the Revanite camp. And found it empty. They'd been gone for months, from the look of it. They finally got what they wanted, Revan's mask, but they didn't know. She went to the ritual cave and found the entrance collapsed. A team of droids would need a month to clear it.
Tendrils of decay reached for Revan from something behind the shadow, not a part of it. A searing golden outline lay across the shadow's face, the mask within a mask.
How did Khem put it? The power of Tulak Hord in the hands of a child. Zash had no idea, but one did not volunteer information on Dromund Kaas.
"Such marvelous power radiates from you now," Zash said. "Clear. Strong. You have truly come into your own." She faced away from the assassin, her focus on the five artifacts. The Dark Side saturated the chamber, but not like an infection as it had been with Jadus. It felt present, aware, at home. "You possess great power, certainly," Zash continued. "But the teachings of Korriban seem to have had scant influence on you. How many times did you have the option to expand your power and yet stayed your hand? Do you really know what it means to be Sith?"
The assassin said, "I am a scalpel, not a grenade."
"Direct and efficient," Zash said. "But you might miss opportunities. I've arranged for you to receive the title of Lord of the Sith. I hope you realize what an honor and responsibility it is."
"I do," the assassin replied.
"You've already exceeded my greatest hopes and expectations," Zash said. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. There is still the ritual to undergo. And I'll warn you, the ritual may prove a trying experience."
"I gathered that." The assassin scanned the artifacts. She had already examined the four aboard her ship, but the first artifact, Kallig's, she had not seen through the mask. She was glad the mask hid her smile. The first artifact was authentic according to every test Zash could use. But, not intended for use. The first artifact was a prototype. Zash did not have a complete set.
Zash continued, "But once it's done, you will be truly great, truly powerful."
"You still haven't told me what the ritual does," the assassin said.
Zash said, "All in good time, apprentice. First, there is something more pressing." She turned around, revealing a face decades older than she'd appeared two days before. "I am sorry to have concealed it from you for so long. Various Force rituals have helped me maintain my appearance and some of my vitality. But inevitably, life fades. I'm dying, apprentice. My will, my intellect, my spirit are as lively as ever, but this body is dying."
Mind transfer? Is that it? Some Force researchers had theorized it. No one had made it work. No one known, anyway.
"You will be my second chance, my new life," Zash said.
Not with a missing artifact, I won't.
"Be prepared," Zash said. "As the ritual ends, you will likely see me collapse before you feel it taking effect. Do not panic. Know that this is what I have trained you for, primed you for, from the start. We will accomplish so much once I am in command of that wonderful vessel of yours. Just hold still."
The assassin prepared herself. Zash couldn't succeed, but she could still do considerable damage. They might both die, severed from their bodies with no way to reattach their essence.
Zash reached out and took control of the artifacts.
Wrong, the assassin thought. Only one artifact was controlled. It controlled the others. That was the missing artifact.
The power of the artifacts engulfed her, squeezing her essence to make room for Zash. She had it wrong again. The ritual took control of the body but did not replace the original. The assassin fought back, holding onto her sense of self, pushing Zash out of her mind. But she didn't know how. The artifacts attacked along specific neural paths. She fought along every path, stretching her concentration thin.
Zash yelled, "You can't stop this ritual from happening!" She doubled her efforts, committing fully to the ritual. The assassin felt her mind pushed down into her deepest memories. Zash might succeed by brute force. The assassin had underestimated the precision of the artifacts. As her awareness began to fade, Khem launched himself at Zash, breaking her concentration and stopping the ritual. The assassin collapsed while her mind regained its strength.
"Apprentice!" Khem said in Basic. "What have you done to me?"
Oh, that's not good.
"Why couldn't you just hold still for a few moments longer?" Khem said. "Why couldn't you call your monster off?"
"I wanted to keep my body," the assassin said.
"That monster broke through my defenses, interrupted my concentration, diverted the entire ritual."
"I figured that out," the assassin said.
"Five years of preparation, finding the right person, training them, researching the artifacts, gathering them- wasted. You were my legacy, my one chance to defeat death! You fool, you've ruined everything!"
"It could be worse," the assassin said. "At least you're not dead."
"No, that's true," Zash said. "And this beast's body makes me quite powerful indeed. Powerful enough to punish you for your rebellion!" She advanced on the assassin and froze. "What is this? Why can't I hurt you?"
The assassin said, "The Dashade is bound to me and now, so are you."
"That bond, that damn bond," Zash said. "How can your will be stronger than my own? I am the master, not you."
"Cope," the assassin said.
Zash screamed and clutched her head. In a moment, her aspect changed. "What new kink has insinuated itself into the twisted coils of my unfortunate existence?" Spoken in the Dashade tongue. "First Tulak Hord abandons me to this meager creature, and now, it is as if my body is no longer my own. Last I remember, I was attacking the female Darth when I felt this force, like something trying to drive me from my body. It was not my Mistress Death, but another. So I resisted the force's pull and then a darkness came over me. Tell me, master. What is going on?"
"You've gained a passenger," the assassin said. "You seem to share control."
Khem said, "What-no. No!"
Lord Kallig appeared and said, "Protest all you like, Khem Val, servant of Tulak Hord, but your ancient master's artifact has been turned against you."
The assassin said, "Where were you when everything went sideways a few minutes ago?"
"I have been watching from the shadows all along, powerless to help," Kallig said. But it's clear, my help was not necessary."
"Not necessary?" she said. "My homicidal master has been bonded to my homicidal servant."
"You have defeated your master," Kallig said. "The great danger that I feared is past, your rise to glory complete."
The fuck it is.
"I don't know whether we will chance to meet again on this side of death, but I am at peace. I came to say goodbye, and good luck."
"I was supposed to pacify you," the assassin said. "I guess not everything Zash dreamt was a lie."
Kallig said, "You are Lord Kallig now. It was once a glorious name. Use it well." He faded away.
She got that right, too. Precogs do make the best assassins.
From the entrance to the chamber, she heard someone say, "I'm telling you, Corrin, Zash is not all there. All this talk about dreams. It's nonsense."
He looked like an acolyte. Seriously? You're Sith, and you've never had a vision? Not a very good Sith.
"No, Kaal," Corrin said. "I saw Zash enter, and we both saw her first apprentice go in later."
Kaal said, "If I went around expecting everything I dreamt to come true, I-"
"Would be a precognitive," the assassin said.
"Darth Zash!" Kaal said. "You-you murdered her!"
"Actually, no, Khem did," she told him.
"Hold your weapon, Kaal," Corrin said. "This is not what Zash wanted."
There's some debate in that.
"My lord," Corrin said. "We have not met, but Kaal and I are Zash's newest apprentices." Well, you can see the writing on that wall. "She honored us by telling us about a prophecy, a dream she had... one that has now been fulfilled by you."
Oh, great. What is it this time? "Go on."
Corrin said, "Darth Zash dreamt that her strongest apprentice would eventually rise to destroy her. But she also foresaw that the same apprentice would rise to bring new glory and strength to a fragmented Sith Order. She went knowingly to her death at your hand so that you could lead the Sith to glory!"
Oh. She didn't want my power. She wanted my destiny. She would have been a bit disappointed. "Did she happen to mention how?"
"She did not," Corrin said. "But, we have been anticipating this day since Zash first leaked the rumors of your incredible triumph over Darth Skotia. Zash answered to Darth Thanaton." Yes, I know. "He'll want to speak to you. But we are your servants." More acolytes appeared.
Kaal said, "What are the rest of you staring at? Bow to your new master!" They knelt before her.
"Behold," Khem said. "The heir of Kallig, slayer of Zash, successor of Tulak Hord, Lord of the Sith. The new Lord Kallig."
"Master," the acolytes said together.
Corrin said, "What is your first command?"
The new Lord Kallig said, "Have any of you read Darth Styldit's Second Treatise on the Force?"
They looked at each other.
"We've heard of it," Corrin said. "It's considered... advanced for acolytes."
"Nonsense," Kallig said. "I read it my second year. Finish it by the end of the month. All of you. I don't want ignorant apprentices."
"Yes, master," Corrin said.
"If you finish early, read 52 non-destructive uses of Force Lightning. I want you well trained. You may go."
When they were gone, she told Khem, "We must take the artifacts. They will be needed."
"Why did they fail?" he asked.
She tapped her mask and pointed at the first artifact. "That one is a prototype. I thought it best not to mention it."
Khem's mouth twisted into what he considered a smile.