Chapter 19: Peace?

Alderaan…

With his hands behind his back, Darth Rhal stood in a richly furnished room in Thul Palace and glanced out the window.

The scenery on Alderaan was quite beautiful compared to many of the other planets Rhal had visited in his lifetime. Smooth grasslands with snowcapped mountains were a common sight here and, if one didn't know the planet's situation or the general attitude of its people, it might even be considered a nice place to live.

Rhal knew better. Far better.

He knew that Alderaan was one of the founding members of the Republic and, until recently, was one of their strongest and most loyal members in the Republic Senate.

However, Alderaan's relationship with the Republic started to change during the last war when the Empire launched a massive invasion on the planet. Darth Malgus had led the assault and devastated the planet's defenses, even capturing Alderaan's ruling family, the Panteers. Victory was all but assured until Malgus and most of his forces were ambushed and defeated by elite Republic forces led by then Jedi Knight Satele Shan, who Rhal learned had recently risen to become the Jedi Grandmaster.

After that, the battle of Alderaan was all but lost for the Empire. Malgus survived the ambush, barely, but his forces had been too heavily depleted and, with the arrival of Republic reinforcements, all remaining Imperial forces on the planet were forced to withdraw.

But the Alderaanian people weren't satisfied with just getting their home back and wanted revenge, something Rhal understood well. He also found it ironic that, despite their loss, the Empire's actions did ultimately cause the Republic to lose one of their oldest and most valuable allies.

Where once Alderaan and its leaders had fought for peace, when the Treaty of Coruscant was signed, Alderaan's senator and next in line for the planet's throne, Gaul Panteer, was so enraged that he stormed out of the Senate and publicly declared Alderaan independent.

Afterwards, the situation on Alderaan was unstable and remained so for several years until both Gaul Panteer and his mother, Queen Silara Panteer, were both killed nearly simultaneously under mysterious circumstances. Things quickly spiraled into chaos after that as there was no longer a clear successor to Alderaan's throne. The Empire quickly took advantage of the chaos and used it to return the exiled House Thul to the planet to act as their puppets.

Then, in a foolish and perhaps fortunate move, Bouris Ulgo, a retired Republic General and the head of House Ulgo, seized Alderaan's empty throne and declared himself King. That was the spark that set off the civil war that continued to the present day. 'Had he not seized the throne, perhaps the other noble houses would have eventually united against House Thul. Instead, Ulgo was kind enough to take their attention off the Thuls and focus them on himself long enough for us to properly establish these noble fools once more.'

At the moment, Rhal was wearing his dark robes and mask and had no plans to remove the mask while he stood on this world. 'I doubt I'd be able to hide my disgust for these pathetic creatures.' Rhal thought with a scowl.

The nobles of Alderaan were certainly useful. A single noble house had more influence and wealth than most star systems. The problem was that most of the nobles of Alderaan believed that such things made them untouchable and were extremely arrogant as a result. Some had even compared them to the Sith with their attitude, something that infuriated the young Dark Council member greatly.

Yes, most Sith were arrogant, overconfident, and generally irritating, but there was one key difference between the Sith and the nobles of Alderaan:

Self-preservation.

As foolish as many Sith could be, most of them did at least possess a few of the most basic survival instincts. For example, they were able to recognize when one had greater rank or power than themselves and knew that to survive, sometimes they needed to show deference or at the very least tolerance.

But most of the nobles on Alderaan had a complete lack of self-preservation. In many of their eyes, all outsiders and offworlders were beneath them and they tended to make that quite clear to any who crossed their paths. Not even Jedi and Sith were exempt from such treatment, as Rhal had personally seen several Thul nobles speaking to other Sith like they were no more than mere servants. 'How these fools haven't gotten themselves slaughtered yet is something I will never understand.' He thought, remembering Sith who had killed others for insults far less than the ones delivered by these noble scum.

Rhal despised them because they thought themselves powerful when the reality was that they were all but powerless. Just seeing one of these pathetic maggots speak to a Sith Lord as if they were somehow superior filled him with no small amount of disgust and rage. 'Wealth is not power, it's a tool. But these mindless fools actually believe that money and power are the same thing!' Rhal thought with a shake of his head. It would have been amusing if dealing with them wasn't so frustrating.

But deal with them he would. As much as their arrogant disrespect got under his skin, Rhal understood just how valuable Alderaan and its people were and he was not about to avoid dealing with them just because they grated on his nerves. And there was no better time for him to take advantage of Alderaan's chaos than now.

Rhal had been filled in on the current status of the ongoing civil war and learned that Bouris Ulgo, the fool who declared himself King, had recently been killed during an attack on Castle Panteer, which Ulgo had seized for himself after murdering the previous occupants. It was still unclear whether it was Republic or Imperial forces that struck him down, as both sides were attempting to take credit for his death, but the truth mattered little to him. The false king was dead and his only son and heir, Vessex, had also been killed in a previous attack by Imperial forces after attempting to steal Thul's secrets.

Now, once again, Alderaan lacked a ruler and clear successor to the throne. Several of the noble houses were attempting to open peace talks now that the usurper was dead, but Rhal was under no illusions that just as many houses wanted the civil war to continue. The Empire wanted it to continue as well so that the Republic's strongest allies on Alderaan, primarily the Organas, would be further weakened. 'I could make a move or two that'll definitely keep this war going, but I doubt it'll be necessary when these people hate each other so much. And there are other ways I can use that hatred to my advantage.'

The young Sith had received several reports from Intelligence and Rhal was aware that there were many opportunities to take advantage of on Alderaan. So many in fact that he'd contacted several of his followers on Dromund Kaas to join him on this world.

It would have been easy to deal with most of the tasks himself, but the simple fact was there was too much happening too quickly for him to take advantage of it all on his own. Even with all his strength, his mastery of the power of the Dark Side, the Dark Council member could not be in multiple places at once.

"My Lord." Commander Tovar's voice on the door's intercom drew his attention. "They've arrived."

'Excellent timing.' Rhal thought before saying, "Send them in, Commander."

The door slid open, and three figures walked in. Rhal had no problem recognizing all three of them.

The first two were his Sith followers, Ralesk and Rora Seake. Ralesk seemed to be fully recovered from his injuries on Tatooine and his guards and the spies he'd had observing Rora Seake determined that she was ready and eager to take on missions again. Rhal could sense the determination within them both. 'Not surprising. Seake wants to prove she's worthy of becoming my apprentice and Ralesk is hoping for another chance to prove himself after his poor performance on Tatooine.'

The third figure was one Rhal had only met briefly once before, but that brief meeting was enough for her to earn his respect. A female Mirialan wearing an Imperial infiltration uniform with a blaster rifle on her back, she looked exactly the same as the last time Rhal had met her with her face showing nothing but cold indifference.

Captain Zora, better known by her codename Wraith, had arrived on Geonosis shortly before Rhal departed for Alderaan. The young Sith quickly realized the one key reason why she was so skilled when it came to infiltration and assassination:

It was disturbingly easy to overlook her.

Wraith was small, over a head shorter than Rhal himself and quite thin. She was also extremely good at blending into her environment, so much so that Rhal and even his Imperial Guardsmen hadn't noticed her arrival until she stood almost directly before them. Though that had been helped by her emotions more than her appearance.

To put it simply, she was almost completely empty of emotions. It was different from the Jedi Rhal had faced. They suppressed their emotions and tried to pretend they didn't possess them. For Wraith however, she didn't need to pretend. Or perhaps it was better to say what emotions she did have were so muted that it was almost more appropriate to call her a living weapon rather than a living being. 'It's fitting, considering how skilled she is.'

She, along with Ralesk and Seake, all dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. "My Lord." They said, almost as one.

"You are all aware of the ongoing war on this planet?" Rhal asked. When they each gave a nod, he continued. "I have several assignments for all of you and I expect them all completed before I depart this world. As long as you complete your objectives, how you do so is up to you. Understood?" Again, the three nodded. "Good. Ralesk, Seake, you two are dismissed. I'll transmit your instructions later."

The two Sith stood up, bowed once more, and made their way out of his chambers, leaving Rhal alone with Wraith. "Report." He ordered once the door had closed and he could no longer feel the presence of his Sith agents.

"They're dead."

Rhal smiled under his mask. Wraith was a truly exceptional operative, not just in terms of her physical abilities either. She spoke very little, only saying whatever needed to be said with few exceptions. But she also had a talent for saying much with only a few words. A very useful skill to have, especially when unwelcome ears could be trying to listen in.

"Good." Rhal said before handing her a datapad. "Your next targets. The unmarked ones you can deal with as you wish, but the ones marked must be dealt with indirectly. They must not look like they were assassinated." Rhal said firmly.

"Understood." Wraith said after taking a quick glance at the names on the datapad. "Further instructions?" She asked.

Rhal shook his head. "That's all for now. Once you're finished, return to me at once. I have another mission for you offworld."

Wraith nodded before standing and making her way out of his chambers. 'The easy part's over. Now I have to see if I can tolerate these nobles long enough to-'

"My Lord." Commander Tovar's voice interrupted Rhal's line of thought. "Moff Sarek is requesting an audience."

That caught Darth Rhal by surprise. Moff Sarek was the Imperial officer chosen by the Dark Council to bring Alderaan into the Empire's fold, though he'd been chosen before Rhal had gained his position on the Council. He was also known to oversee Imperial operations from his flagship in orbit and rarely came down to the planet's surface. 'If he's come in person, this should prove to be quite interesting.'

Deciding to see what the man wanted, Rhal told the Commander to send him in. A moment later the door opened, and Moff Sarek walked in.

The Moff was a slightly older man with a stern face and light brown hair. He was dressed in a standard Imperial officer's uniform and Rhal could see the man had great strength within him. It wasn't hard to understand why the Dark Council had selected him to lead their operations on Alderaan.

Dropping to one knee, Moff Sarek bowed his head. "Greetings, my Lord. It is an honor to meet the newest member of the Dark Council in person."

"Rise, Moff Sarek." Rhal commanded. The Moff was quick to obey. "I was not expecting you." He said simply, wanting to get to the point of the man's visit.

The Moff nodded, taking the hint. "Apologies for not contacting you beforehand my Lord, but the fewer who are aware of my presence and purpose here the better." He paused before his face became more serious. "Are you aware of the upcoming peace summit?"

Rhal nodded. Several of the most notable houses on Alderaan were preparing to send representatives to meet at a secret location to discuss a possible peace treaty. To Rhal, such a thing meant little. Houses like the Organas had tried such things before and they never amounted to anything. "Yes, and I expected that it would ultimately be fruitless. I take it that something has changed?"

Now it was Sarek's turn to nod. "Indeed, my Lord. The summit was set to begin in a few days but was delayed at House Organa's insistence. They learned of your arrival and are claiming that it's an attempt by the Empire to rekindle the fires of war and are now insisting that several Jedi be present for the summit. They claim that the Jedi will be there only for security of course, but even if that were true the Organas must not be allowed to make such a move. It would give them too much control over the gathering and could result in severe consequences for our operations here."

It wasn't hard for Rhal to figure out what the Moff was worried about. Having several Jedi attend on the side of House Organa would make it more likely for them to push harder for peace than they normally would. Worse, if there were no Sith present it would make House Thul, and by extension the Empire, look weak. 'I still doubt that the noble houses would agree on a peace treaty even if the Jedi interfere. There must be more to this.'

Unaware of the Sith Lord's thoughts, the Moff continued. "Fortunately, the Thuls and several of the other houses already objected to such an arrangement. However, the Organas are persistent and did manage to convince enough of the houses that a higher level of security should be considered. Now all of the houses are being permitted to send a higher, but still somewhat limited number of guards to protect their representatives."

"Which means that multiple Jedi will still be allowed to attend." Rhal finished, already seeing the scheme that Organa was trying to attempt.

Originally, each house was already permitted to send a very limited number of guards to protect their representatives with the only condition being that the guards would not be permitted among the gathered representatives while the summit was ongoing. Their only real purpose was to make sure their house's representative arrived safely and ensure that no others attempted to disturb the summit once it began.

Now though, with the increased security, that condition was likely going to be discarded. That meant that each of the houses were likely going to put on a show by sending some of their best to act as honor guards for the representatives. 'And it won't be just their greatest warriors. Some of the more influential members from each house will now also likely be attending, either disguised or openly acting as guards.'

This was likely what Organa was really hoping for from the start. With some of the most valuable members of each house attending, and with the help of whatever Jedi were in attendance, the Organas were probably hoping to use such an opportunity to start planting seeds of doubt about the war in the hearts of not just the other representatives, but their honor guards as well.

It was bold and unlikely to succeed in actually creating a peace, but there was a good possibility that at least a few at the summit could be moved and it could lead to the start of new alliances. 'Clever. They might not be able to walk away from the summit with peace, but they could still manage to walk away with something of value.'

House Organa and its closest ally, House Alde, had both suffered greatly due to the previous war and the ongoing civil war. Giving them a chance to regain their strength by making new allies was too dangerous to ignore. "I presume you want me to attend the upcoming summit?"

The Moff nodded. "Yes, my Lord. A member of the Dark Council attending would show the Thuls how much the Empire supports them, and it would remind their enemies of what it means to take up arms against them." Sarek paused. "I also trust that, if there's an opportunity to better the Empire's standing on Alderaan or damage the Republic's, you would be more than capable of spotting and taking advantage of such a thing."

Rhal smiled under his mask. 'Yes, I can see why the Dark Council chose him to oversee Alderaan.'

Later, Rist Estate…

Victor Rist, also known as "The Shade", silently cursed as he received yet another report about one of their scout teams being ambushed and gunned down by an enemy patrol. As he expected, there were no survivors. 'Damn you brother for making us Ulgo's vassals.'

As the oldest living member of House Rist, Victor was the head of his house ever since his older brother was killed in an ambush by Alde forces near their lands some time ago. The old Rist assassin had felt disappointment when he learned of his brother's death. Not disappointment that he was gone, he and his brother had never been close, but disappointment because it made House Rist look weak. Worse, his brother's death had occurred shortly after he had pledged them to House Ulgo.

When he'd first found out what his brother was planning, Victor had protested swearing themselves to Ulgo strongly. Even though he'd lost his flesh and blood eyes in an explosion long ago, he could still see quite clearly that Bouris Ulgo was an unstable madman. His hatred of the Empire had robbed him of all sense, it was the only explanation for his actions in seizing the planet's throne after having the Queen and her son killed.

Victor didn't care about Alderaan's politics, he was a fighter not a useless bureaucrat, but he was smart enough to know war would erupt across the planet if the ruler and heir were both killed at the same time. This was not desirable for House Rist. They trained spies and assassins, not soldiers, and had profited greatly due to the unease and distrust caused after their world was declared independent.

Yet his stupid brother had thought Ulgo was some sort of great leader and agreed to send their assassins to do Ulgo's dirty work. And after they succeeded, what was their reward? To be treated like mere servants once Ulgo put that damn crown on his head! 'A crown we gave him! That poor excuse for a King would never have gotten as far as he did if it wasn't for House Rist!'

Now, ever since becoming Ulgo's vassals House Rist had faced attacks from all sides. Organa, Alde, Thul, just about every noble house on Alderaan wanted Rist blood and it had only gotten worse after word got out that those traitorous Saddek brothers had stolen House Thul secrets and attempted to sell them to Ulgo's son. They failed and though they were acting on their own, the damage had been done and House Rist's reputation had suffered due to Ulgo yet again.

Victor couldn't even celebrate Ulgo and his son's deaths because of all the damage their house had already suffered as a consequence of siding with Ulgo and, with their leader gone, the remaining members of House Ulgo had withdrawn what little support they had given and left Rist to fend for themselves. In response, Victor had declared Rist no longer vassals of House Ulgo, but he knew full well that it wouldn't matter much now. The rest of the houses would likely see it as them abandoning their allies and trying to save themselves which, while true, wouldn't win them any friends or allies. 'But at least now that Ulgo's dead we won't need to worry about them retaliating for this 'betrayal'. They've got bigger problems to worry about.'

And so did House Rist. Though their overall casualties were far less than houses like Organa and Thul, they also possessed far fewer forces than any of the other great houses and what few they did still have were unable to do anything more than protect their lands from raiding parties and any other enemies looking to take advantage of their weakness.

And even that task was proving to be too much for their weakened forces.

The old assassin sat back and let out a deep breath. House Rist was weak, perhaps weaker than it had ever been. They had no allies left, no more favors they could call in, nearly all of their underworld contacts had cut ties with them, and all the money in their vaults wouldn't save them if any of the great houses decided it was time for House Rist to become extinct.

They were desperate, and they needed support.

Yet…

Victor looked at the small holoprojector on his desk. It was small and unremarkable, the exact opposite of the message it contained.

It was an unusual sight. A few days ago, a lone Imperial scout droid had entered Rist lands and managed to make its way to the steps of the estate before being spotted and gunned down by the guards. When the remains were examined, the holoprojector was found and was rushed to him after one of the guards viewed the message it contained.

Despite having it memorized, Victor reached out and activated the holo. It only took a moment for a figure in black robes and armor to materialize above it. Then the masked figure spoke.

"House Rist, I am Darth Rhal of the Dark Council. I would like to discuss an alliance between myself and your house. If you are interested, inform your representative who will be attending the upcoming peace summit. I will also be present, and we can discuss further details there."

The message ended and the Sith's figure vanished. Short and to the point, those were the only things that Victor could say he liked about the offer.

Before the civil war began the Empire had been… well not quite allied with House Rist but they weren't as aggressive towards them as they were other houses and had still purchased their services from time to time. The Thuls reached out to them many times, but the Empire also paid them to take out targets when they wanted their involvement kept a secret, so Victor was able to recognize that Darth Rhal's offer was more than just another job.

An alliance.

Those were his words.

Sith were powerful, but they could be killed as easily as any other if an attacker was skilled or lucky enough. Victor himself had killed several Sith during the invasion so the thought of working with a Dark Council member didn't scare him. 'But I'd be a fool to underestimate him.' Victor thought as he tapped his fingers on the desk.

After receiving the offer, Victor had assigned several of his agents to gather all possible information they could find on Darth Rhal and his activities. They didn't have much time until the peace summit but already he'd received some very useful intel on the son of Darth Jadus and learned much about his rising status.

Victor could admit he was impressed. Darth Rhal hadn't been on the Dark Council for even a full year yet and he already had several impressive achievements to his name and had gathered some very fierce warriors to his side.

The fact that a group of extremely brutal Mandalorians had shown up on the planet and started slaughtering Ulgo forces hadn't escaped his notice. Nor had the fact that they'd appeared at about the same time as Darth Rhal's arrival.

But Ulgo's newest problem wasn't one that Victor could enjoy because he knew. He knew that House Rist needed this alliance. Desperately.

Darth Rhal likely knew it as well.

And that was why Victor was hesitant to accept.

"I hope you're bothering me because you have good news." He said suddenly.

The quiet of his seemingly empty chambers was shattered by a low chuckle as a figure emerged from a dark corner of the room. He wore the traditional green robes of a member of House Rist along with white pants, a hat, and likely had at least three concealed weapons hidden somewhere on his person.

Lord Maddor Rist walked across the room and didn't speak until he stood directly across from Victor. "You'll be pleased to know that both Duke Corwin and House Girard have been dealt with. It seems the bounty hunter kept his word and was even more skilled than anticipated."

Victor didn't smile but he was pleased. His younger cousin also looked pleased, and it wasn't hard to understand why.

Duke Corwin had promised House Rist a considerable payment in exchange for agreeing to attend the upcoming peace summit as well as taking care of some rather… delicate business. Maddor and his forces had taken care of that, and they were already going to attend the summit but, before they could collect what was due, the duke went running when a bounty hunter charged into their estate looking for him.

No one cheated House Rist and, while Victor would have gone after the Durasteel Duke personally, Maddor had gotten the idea to use the bounty hunter to deal with two of their targets instead of one. It was a gamble, but one Victor had approved.

House Girard was a minor house with little influence. Dealing with them would have taken a bit of time but would otherwise have been easy. They certainly wouldn't have been the first minor house wiped out by them. Instead, his clever cousin had recognized the opportunity for what it was and turned the Girards pet killer against them.

Maddor was always the smartest of his cousins and hearing that the bounty hunter had done as he'd requested didn't surprise the old Rist assassin much. "Very good. A dead traitor and a completed contract are both welcome news." He said before adding with a raised eyebrow, "But I know you wouldn't have come here just for that. Would you, cousin?"

He was answered with a smile. "You know me too well, cousin." Maddor said before his smile dropped and his face became serious. "You're still hesitating on accepting Darth Rhal's offer."

Victor clenched his jaw. "I told you-"

"I remember." Maddor cut him off, irritated now. "I remember it was a clever excuse to give yourself time to think of a reason why we shouldn't accept this offer. And judging by the fact that you've barely left this room since you got that message, I'm going to assume that you've failed to come up with anything that will be sufficient."

Victor's cybernetic eyes glared at his younger cousin. "The last time we swore ourselves to another we suffered greatly for it." He spat.

"He asked for an alliance, not our servitude." Maddor countered. "And even if we tried, Rehanna would probably kill us both before our knees could touch the ground." He added with a touch of humor in his voice.

Victor snorted. Rehanna would certainly kill them if she found out they were actually going to have House Rist bow down to a Sith. Understandable seeing as not long ago a Sith had broken into her private chambers and attacked her. 'At least she managed to survive the encounter. Many others wouldn't have been so lucky, and we've lost too many already.'

"I know how much you hate the Sith, cousin." Maddor continued, all humor replaced by a determined focus. "And I agree that any Sith must be handled carefully and with great caution, but House Rist needs this. Badly. An alliance with a member of the Empire's Dark Council could be exactly what we need to pull ourselves back from the brink."

"Or it could be what sends us to our doom." Victor shot back. Maddor gave a slight tilt of his head but kept his eyes locked firmly on the old assassin. 'Damn it, he knows I'm right but still doesn't get it.' Victor thought with more than a little frustration.

The Empire, bad as they were, could be reasonable and often paid well when a job was completed. But the Sith? They were different. Worse. Worse in perhaps the worst possible way. That way being that they were completely unpredictable.

During the last war, Victor's father had reached an agreement with Darth Malgus soon after Imperial forces launched their invasion. Victor never learned the terms of that agreement as his father kept no records of it and died of old age soon after, but Imperial soldiers and wardroids had never attacked or trespassed on their lands during their invasion.

Not unless a Sith was leading them.

Victor's hand twitched, as if to reach up and rub where his true eyes used to be, but the old assassin knew his cousin had caught the movement and cursed him and himself for it. 'Damn it. Am I getting sloppy or just old?'

"Victor." Maddor's voice broke him out of his thoughts, and he could tell by the look on his cousin's face that he was about to say something he knew Victor wouldn't be pleased by. "House Rist needs this. You know it. We all do. I am going to instruct our representative to set up a meeting so that we might discuss what it will take to make an alliance work." He said, and it was clear to Victor that his cousin had made up his mind on this and wouldn't be dissuaded.

Victor opened his mouth, but he was cut off before he could make a sound as alarms suddenly started blaring. Years of instincts kicked in immediately and the elder Rist jumped over his desk and pulled out a blaster while the younger suddenly held two small, poisoned blades in each hand. When the doors slid open and a Rist assassin came running in, Victor knew it could mean only one thing. "We're under attack!" He shouted. It wasn't a question.

"Yes, my Lord." The assassin confirmed.

"Who is it? One of the houses?" Maddor questioned, eyes already searching for threats.

The assassin shook his head rapidly. "No, my Lord. Jedi."

Victor cursed and turned to his cousin. "Go to the others and get them to the safe room. I'll deal with our uninvited guests." Maddor looked ready to argue but Victor ignored him and marched out the chambers before pointing down the halls. "GO!" He shouted before running in the opposite direction.

Maddor hesitated for only a moment before shouting out a curse and turning to the assassin still in the room. "Go with him! Now!" He ordered. The assassin nodded and ran to follow his cousin while Maddor himself ran to where he knew the rest of his family could be found. 'You better not get killed, Victor. We've already lost too much to this damn war!'

A.N.

That's right, I'm alive and so is this story! I know it took quite a while for this chapter to show up but unless I say otherwise, even if it takes me months or even years, this story will go on. That said, I am sorry it took so long. I was stuck for a while, things came up, there was just a lot going on and I couldn't write for a while. Still, thank you to everyone who has stuck around for so long and I hope you like the most recent chapter here. I've got big plans for Alderaan and after but that's all you're getting from me. As always, I'd love to hear any thoughts, comments, questions, or ideas you have so please review and tell me what you think. Thanks again to everyone who took the time to read this and see you all next time!