I had just finished eating lunch. Khem and I would head down to the cafeteria and bring our food back to Lady Zash's sitting room, which had turned into my de facto space during the day. I was beginning my meditation, sinking into the Dark Side more readily than I had in previous days, when I felt the echo of something strange through the Force. It was something, large, colossal even, and it heralded an awful, unexplained doom. Never had I sensed anything vaguely like a vision or an omen before, and I was struck by how foreign I felt. I delved deeper, trying to discern what exactly I was experiencing, and my mind exploded.
Pain, the most fiery, indescribable agony overhelmed me. I couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't even see properly. I was overwhelmed by flashes of light and the roar of explosions and screaming sentients. For what seemed like infinity I spun through space, too battered to even realize what was going on. The wave of shrieking Dark Side energy passed by, and I slowly realized that Khem Val had my shoulder in one large claw, shaking me roughly.
"SITH!" he snarled again. I realized that he'd been calling me for a while. His massive broadsword was drawn and every muscle of his body was tense and ready. I had thankfully been seated on the floor when meditating, so my body hadn't fallen far. Seeing me coming to myself, he lifted me to a sitting position.
"What enemy do we face?" he growled. I shoved his concern away, clutching my head in my hands as lesser waves of terror and death struck again. This time I didn't lose myself. Something terrible had happened.
"Apprentice?" shouted Lady Zash, bursting in. Khem snarled, blade flicking up to block her path. She froze, her face pale and furious. "Back, monster!" she ordered.
"Khem," I waved him away weakly with one hand. "Lady Zash, what's happening?" My voice broke in panic.
"Something's happened," she said, stepping forward as my Dashade servant backed away. "She's not being attacked, Beast, she's sensing what every Sith in this sector is sensing!" The Dark Side was screaming around us now, a chaotic whirlwind as the panic and fear in the Citadel grew. An alarm began blaring throughout the building, exacerbating the roaring headache that I was rapidly developing. It wailed on and on. Over the cacophony, a voice came through the intercom system.
"This is General Vaughnta, Commander of the Red Guard and head of the Citadel's Security. By order of Darth Marr and the Dark Council, the Citadel is on lockdown until further notice. Shelter in place." Lady Zash, Khem, and I ran out into her antechamber, where Theseus was on his feet, confusion all over his face.
"What does this mean, my lady?" he asked. Lady Zash stood before the door, but it wouldn't open. She waved her hand sharply in front of the sensor, but it remained sealed. She glanced out the large glass windows to the side of her door towards the hallways and the lobby beyond. I wasn't sure what she was looking at, but a moment later, she hissed and turned away.
"They've locked us in," she said. "They sealed the blast doors and the lifts are offline." I looked past her to realize she was right. "Whatever happened, we must stay here until they come to let us out."
"Do you know what happened, my Lady Zash?" he asked.
"I haven't the faintest idea," she said, her face tight with fear and frustration even as she tried to smile in her usual carefree way. "But I'm certain we'll know soon."
She retreated to her office to meditate. I remained with Khem and Theseus in the antechamber, trying not to panic and waiting and watching for anything to change. It was only a few minutes later that the lifts powered back on. Soon after that, a squad of red guards with riot shields and force pikes came storming out of the elevator, quickly and systematically clearing the entire floor. Two random bureaucrats had been caught outside of their offices when the lockdown had taken effect, and they were escorted to an empty conference room and sealed away inside. I was grateful that I'd been in Zash's chambers; at least we had a refresher!
Almost an hour later Theseus started jerkily as his desk suddenly powered back on, it having been cut off when the incident began. His comm lit up again, as did his holoconsole. He'd been quietly sitting at his desk, doodling on his holopad, so he quickly set his belongings aside in a drawer and began to access his terminal. I watched him work in silence for a minute until he pursed his lips.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Only the internal network is up," he said. "We're completely blocked out from the outside world, my lady. They've enabled communications but that's about it. Everything else is locked."
"Why would they do that?" I asked.
"Maybe they don't want word of whatever happened getting out right away, my lady," he suggested.
"I'm sure people already know," I said, thinking of how the impact of whatever had happened had echoed through the Force like an explosion. "At least, the Sith know something happened."
"Of course, my lady, I didn't presume to suggest otherwise," Theseus hastily added. "They must just be bringing the systems online one thing at a time."
But although we had a greater connection, we still didn't get any updates for ages. It was an odd juxtaposition of fear and boredom. Eventually I went back to my studies for something to do, trying to ignore the incessant whine of the warning siren. The chime of the holo broke me out of my concentration.
"This is the office of Lady Zash," said Theseus.
"This is office of Darth Skotia," said a woman. "Darth Skotia commands her to speak with him immediately."
"I shall connect you at once," he said. "Please hold a moment." He pressed a button on his desk. "Lady Zash? Darth Skotia commands you to speak with him immediately."
"Put him through," came the reply. We all waited anxiously for the conversation to finish, hoping for more information, and we were not disappointed. The desk chimed again. "Theseus, Apprentice, come in here please."
"Well," she said, as we came in, Khem following close behind even though he hadn't expressly been invited. She was much more in control of herself, now, and she smiled normally at us. "I just finished speaking with Darth Skotia. Apparently there was an attack on an Imperial Dreadnought called the Dominator, right above Dromund Kaas! A member of the Dark Council, Darth Jadus, the head of the Sphere of Intelligence, was aboard and is presumed dead. At this point, a terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for the attack and made additional threats against the Sith and against the Empire. The Dark Council has already left the planet, and they've given strict orders for the Darths to disperse to various locations around the galaxy. Only Darth Marr and his direct subordinates will remain to maintain order."
"What does that mean for us?" I asked.
"Skotia is heading to Korriban to oversee the selection of a few new apprentices, thanks to you," she said gleefully. I didn't correct her that it was entirely thanks to Khem, although we all knew the truth. "He'll be off planet for quite some time, and this may be the opportunity we've been waiting for. He's practically untouchable here on Dromund Kaas, but perhaps we can act while he's vulnerable." She clapped her hands together briskly.
"We, however, are going to be faced with substantial scrutiny," she said. "Kaas City is entirely in lockdown with the highest security threat conditions. Only essential personnel will be allowed into the Citadel; the rest of us will be restricted to our homes and the residential districts where we live. As a Sith Lady, of course, I'm sure that there are ways to work around those restrictions, but we shall have to see to that later. Imperial Intelligence is taking the lead on the investigation into all things relating to the terrorist attack, and they have been given additional authority. You must not provoke them, Sith apprentice or no, is that clear?"
"Yes, Lady Zash," I agreed.
"Skotia says that once the Darths are gone, the red guard will start evacuating us. It's going to take some time," she said. "We're just going to have to wait."
So wait we did. A few minutes later, the warning sirens cut off abruptly, and the building PA came alive again. "This is General Vaughnta, Commander of the Red Guard and head of the Citadel's Security. By order of Darth Marr and the Dark Council, the Citadel lockdown has been lifted. Continue to shelter in place until Imperial Intelligence comes to direct you." Slowly, I began to observe personnel hurrying around, staffers and droids and secretaries, all escorted by dozens of guards and imperial intelligence officers. It was well into the evening before a group of soldiers led by Imperial Intelligence came to unseal our door.
"Damn Skotia!" Lady Zash had ranted, once she realized that we were being repeatedly passed by in favor of evacuating and assisting other Sith and bureaucrats. "I'm sure this is his doing." It probably was, but there was nothing we could do about it. She seethed, pacing from one end of her chambers to the other, and I kept well out of her way until the door hissed open and the Imperial Intelligence Officer leading his soldiers bowed.
"My Lady, you are one of the Sith who have been chosen to vacate the Citadel and work remotely," he said.
"I am aware," she said haughtily.
"The trains have been suspended, but a personal transport has been arranged for your return to your home," he said politely. "It will meet you in private hangar C on floor 31. Do you require an escort, Lady Zash?"
"No, my apprentice and I can manage," she said. "Theseus, I will contact you when I require your services. Until then, you are dismissed."
"Yes, Lady Zash," the secretary said with a bow. We swept off to the lifts while the Imperial Officer waited to give him his own instructions.
We had gathered together a few of Lady Zash's belongings. I carried most of them. I resented being reduced to grunt labor, but the sight of other apprentices doing similar tasks appeased me somewhat. Khem loomed threateningly behind us as we passed by the guards who stood at every lift entrance, their mobile scanners blinking over us, checking for something or other. We came out to the private hangar, where a few other Sith Lords and apprentices waited with their own bags in hand. Another speeder pulled up.
"Lord Iuyeb?" said the Imperial Officer, checking his datapad. One of the waiting Sith Lords stepped forward and boarded. Lady Zash signaled for me to stay back as she walked over to another Sith Lady and struck up a quiet conversation. From the way they were gesturing as they talked, I assumed they were friends. I wondered absently if I would ever make friends like that. There had been other slaves that I had been friendly with, fond of, even, but after the death of my mother, I hadn't allowed myself to truly become close to anyone. Now, as a Sith, the idea of trusting anyone but myself made my stomach churn. They would betray me for any reason, including boredom.
"Lady Zash?" called the Imperial Officer. The three of us climbed into the speeder, tired and hungry after a long day. Instead of taking the normal precharted flight routes, the pilot took off and headed directly for Lady Zash's home. I assumed he had special dispensation to fly however he wanted, since the situation was so unusual. We zipped across the empty sky. As I peered down, I could see that the gates between the various districts were all closed. Soldiers patrolled the districts in various armored vehicles. By now, almost 8 hours after the attack, the city's lockdown was fully in place. It was eerie. Above us, the night sky was getting very dark. The stars were bright, and several massive capital starships were visible from their position high above the city.
Our pilot landed smoothly on the street in front of Lady Zash's house. "Thank you," she said.
"It's an honor to serve the Sith," said the man, straightening his Imperial Navy Uniform. He bowed in his seat and waited for us to enter our dwelling before zipping back the way he'd come.
"Well, apprentice," said Lady Zash as the service droids came forward to attend to our needs. "We won't need to get up early tomorrow any more, and in light of all that's happened, I think that getting a bit of extra rest would do both of us some good. Continue your studies, and I shall send for you when I have a better grasp of the situation at hand." She nodded firmly, meeting my gaze. "We are going to turn this to our advantage, you'll see." We were dismissed, so Khem and I walked back to our rooms. Behind me I could hear Lady Zash talking with the droids, instructing them on the changed situation.
Once I had eaten and was finally alone in my room, I sat down in my bed and pulled my knees to my chest and buried my face in my arms. My jaw hurt from clenching it all day. The terror and fear and fury from the explosion had broadly dissipated, but all day the Dark Side of the Force had poked into my mind like the prickles of a thorn bush on Korriban. So many Sith had been dealing with the repercussions of the attack that the Force was aggressive, sharp, painful to grasp and hold, so full was it of the emotions around me. Now that we were far away from the Citadel, the Dark Side was less wild and less potent, and I felt a little less afraid of delving into it.
The Force was a whirling storm around me. There was a shadow of menace that loomed over everything, but I didn't know how to interpret what I could sense from it. I'd spent the day first afraid of an unknown threat and then afraid of an unknown group capable of infiltrating and destroying the Flagship of a Dark Council member, the Dark Council member in charge of Imperial Intelligence, no less! As I sat there, I tried very hard to turn my fear into anger, to rage at the audacity of someone thinking they could stand against the Sith, to seethe that I would be confined to these small quarters for the indeterminate future because of the attack. I told myself that I was furious, not frightened.
It was a lie. I knew it was a lie. I hated that it was a lie. But lie I did, again and again and again, until sleep took me.