Peace is lie, there is only passion

Through passion, I gain strength

Through strength, I gain power

Through power, I gain victory

Through victory, my chains are broken.

Nox knew all about chains. A slave since the age of three, he had spent most of his life bound, shackled, and restrained. The masters had come and gone, like the seasons passing by, but the chains had always remained. He remembered the oath he had sworn: when he first set foot on Korriban. With the harsh desert winds blowing hot on his skin, the sun beating down on him in an unforgiving blaze, and the sensation of being as immersed in the Dark Side as a fish at the bottom of the ocean, he had vowed to do whatever it took to never be in chains again.

He had nearly despaired when he discovered that the Sith were as much in bondage as anyone else. Paranoia, honor, bloodlust, death, all were chains that the Sith unwittingly bound themselves with. The manacles were cushioned, and the links gilded, but they were chains nonetheless. But Nox would not remain bound, he refused to be. Only through ascending in power, far beyond that of his peers and rivals, could he break the chain of fear. Only by rising above the burden of morality and conscience, could he break the chain of honor. Only by conquering his carnal urges and being the wielder, not the weapon, could he break the chain of bloodlust. Only by shedding the mortal coil, and donning the mantle of immortality, could he break free of the last and greatest chain: death. It was only through power that he could break every chain that bound him: Power undeniable, power unspeakable, power unstoppable, power absolute.

Other Sith also sought power, but they sought it out of greed and desire, lusting after it like a lover. Nox did not lust after power, he thirsted for it. He did not want power, he needed it. He needed it as much as he needed air, like plants needed rain, like the galaxy needed gravity to hold itself together. Only through constantly increasing his power, constantly ascending, could he ever be truly free.

Gathering the Force to him, he bent it to his will and let the power swell up within him. It became a rising tide of darkness that surged against the restraints that kept it barely in control. Reaching out with the Dark Side, he seized upon the essence of the prisoner chained at his feet. The Twi'lek screamed in pain as Nox unleashed the darkness in a mighty wave, trying to bind their souls together through the Force, to make the helpless being nothing more than an extension of himself, a vessel. The Dark Side, wild and savage, ripped into his victim's soul like a rampaging storm. Nox could feel himself straining as he tried desperately to control the unnatural powers he had summoned, but he was losing his grip. The Force began to shred and devour the essence of his victim, like a ravenous beast feasting on a kill. Nox could no longer hear the being's tormented screaming, so great was his focus in trying to reign in the power of the Dark Side, but try as he might he could not control it. As the foul energies shredded the Twi'lek's essence Nox felt a sudden spike of energy, but before he could react he was hit by an enormous blast of power, the wave lifting him off his feet. He had barely enough time to erect his Force armor before he was slammed into the stone wall with a resounding boom. He dropped to the ground, somehow able to land on his feet and not topple over onto his face, feeling as sore and bruised as if he had been trampled by a herd of Banthas. He knelt on his hands and knees, once more prostrate before the power of the Dark Side.

Utilizing the dark art of corruption, he repaired the minor damage to his internal organs and bruised muscles. Sinew and organic matter twisted beneath his skin, causing it to ripple and bulge as if there were living creatures moving around just beneath it. Dead tissue regenerated as if infected with a cancer, cells multiplying at unstable rates to replace the dead ones. The process through which the damage was repaired was even more painful than the damage itself, but in a different way. Even as Nox felt the damage to his body being repaired by the same unholy forces that had inflicted the damage, he felt a small part of himself die, the price that the Dark Side demanded. The branch of sith sorcery known as corruption allowed the practitioner to repair the body, but at the cost of the soul. Every time the power was used, it exacted a toll, feeding on the very essence of the practitioner in order to power the unholy restoration, corrupting that essence and consuming, piece by piece, whatever light remained in it. Those who practiced the art could live very long lives, but by the time entropy surpassed their ability to regenerate their dying tissue, there was nothing left of the being they had once been. They still had their mind of course, but the fires of passion that had once burned within them were all extinguished...leaving only the seething coals of a deep, abiding hatred. They were unable to feel anything else.

Nox of course, didn't care. He did not plan on ever weakening let alone dying, not now, not ever. He would use whatever means were necessary to achieve his goals, regardless of what it cost him. Getting to his feet, he inspected the place where the subject of his experiment had once been. There was nothing left, not even a scrap of cloth. The explosion of raw power had vaporized everything: flesh, bone, fabric, even metal and armor. Nox was surprised that he himself was relatively unscathed. It seemed the explosion had been exponentially more intense at the source, accounting for the subject being completely disintegrated while he was left mostly unharmed. The Twi'lek had been a Sith, an apprentice who had failed his master one too many times and been imprisoned for it, awaiting sentencing. Nox had pulled a few strings and managed to make the prisoner fall through the cracks, vanishing into obscurity. Not that anybody would have cared enough to look for him, but Nox wasn't reckless: he wanted to leave as few clues as possible for any potential rivals or enemies. His plan was still in the early stages and he couldn't afford to have even a single being be aware that something was going on.

Moving towards the table he had wisely bolted to the stone floor, he stopped to gather the various holocrons that the explosion had scattered around the area. Once he had acquired them all, he returned them to the table and reorganized them. He picked out the one in which he was recording his notes and activated it:

"Project 00941, day 3. Today's experiment was a significant failure. I could not control the dark forces involved and they tore the subject to shreds. The resulting explosion was deadly but highly focused. The subject was vaporized while I remained mostly unharmed."

He paused for a moment to reflect on the data. "I believe the problem lies in the control rites of the ritual itself, they appear to be inadequate given today's results. I will have to improvise my own or find significantly stronger but compatible rites to replace them which will, unfortunately, take time and effort." He stopped to draw a breath before continuing.

"However, these results are somewhat promising. Despite the unintended consequences the base elements of the ritual appear to be bonding well. The Force Walk ritual structure isn't causing linear polarization between the elements from Tulak Hord's Essence Transfer and the Force Child ritual, although the extracts from Terrak Morrhage's Force Plague appear to be quite unstable within the structure, hence the need for stronger control rites." Stopping briefly, he began to consider something.

"My main concern," he continued, reaching up to stroke the metal chin of his helm while thinking out loud for the benefit of the holocron "is that substituting stronger control rites will induce repressive failure in the third and sixth elements of the Force Child ritual. These elements are meant to be implemented slowly over time, and I am forcing them to accomplish entire weeks of work in mere minutes." He returned the hand to his side and his attention to the holocron.

"But hopefully once the control rites are in place the Force Plague will provide the infectious nature that is needed to create such a complex bond structure in such a short amount of time. I believe the cancerous effect of the Force Plague elements will accelerate the development of the Force bond beyond normal parameters." He reached out with the Force, ending the recording and deactivating the holocron. Satisfied with his notes on the day's experiment, he placed the device among the others and turned towards the steps in the corner of the room, leading upwards.

Reaching the door at the top, he unsealed the lock he had placed on it, exiting into the dark, stone corridor, resealing the door behind him. Turning, he walked down the eerily silent hallways, winding his way through the confusing maze of passages towards the central chamber of the Dark Temple. He had discovered this secret room himself, only a week ago, while attempting to research the Emperor using the knowledge and artifacts within the Temple grounds. It had taken only a standard day to set up the hideaway as a laboratory for his experiments, and the strength of the Dark Side within the temple made it perfect for testing dark rituals. The general chaos and darkness surrounding the area would shroud any violent reactions within the Force, reactions like the one he had experienced today.

As he began to draw closer to the main corridors, he began to encounter the possessed beings that wandered the temple. Rather than face the annoyance of dealing with them he slipped into the Dark Side, concealing himself, and moved between the hordes of ghoulish minions like a phantom. As he walked he began to lose himself in thought. Either he needed to find better control rites for his ritual or create his own, but he simply wasn't confident enough in his skill as a ritualist to try the latter. Although that option would allow him complete control over the specifications, creating Force rites of such power and with that level of complexity required a mastery of the art that only came from years of intense study. Nox had mastered many of the Sith arts in his brief five year career, but ritualism was not one of them. He could, of course, procure the services of an appropriately competent Sith ritualist, he knew that his fellow Dark Councilor Darth Vowrawn was a master of the art, but bringing anyone else into this would mean he would have to kill them to cover up his secret after they had given him what he wanted and any ritualist skilled enough to perform the task would also be well-known enough to be missed, and Nox couldn't risk any suspicions being raised.

That meant his only option was to find compatible rites. No easy task, even for Nox. While control rites for bonding rituals were some of the most resilient and powerful rites in Dark Side ritualism, the rites of the rituals he had combined were not enough. He couldn't simply add more, as there was limited space within the ritual structure for control rites. If he wanted to just add more rites he would have to extend the time needed for the ritual from hours to days, and he couldn't afford that.

Minutes later he was soaring high over the landscape on his personal speeder, an Aratech Nethian. The streamlined shape of the vehicle cut through the air like a vibroknife, speeding his return to Kaas City and the Citadel. Where, he wondered, could he find control rites for a dark side ritual that would be compatible with four different rituals, one of which was thousands upon thousands of years old? Then the thought struck him. Rites from particularly ancient powerful Rakatan rituals could be exactly what he was looking for! Such rituals should be old enough to be compatible with all four of the separate rituals he was combining, and if the rituals he acquired them from were powerful enough the control rites would be more than up to the task. Behind the grisly visage of his helm, a sinister smile split his face. The speeder roared over a bridge, flying straight towards the dark towers of the city that loomed menacingly through the mist.

______________

Jay-Li sat motionless in front of the computer terminal in the Jedi Archives. He'd been there for the past four hours, painstakingly researching the artifact he'd seen Lord Xalek acquire in the cave on Melenor. It was not easy going, the holocron's existence seemed to have never been discovered or recorded by the Jedi, and Jay had spent most of his time chasing red herrings and meeting dead ends. He was about ready to call it a night. Just one more article, he told himself. If I don't find anything worth pursuing I'll save it for tomorrow. Distracted and bored, he glanced outside; it was nighttime. The vast Tythonian landscape was dark and motionless except for the lights of the Twi'lek camp, and the more distant fires of the Flesh Raider camps in the foothills. Despite the quiet and serene beauty of it all, Jay couldn't help but feel a vague sense of unease. The Force too, felt dark and silent, but this darkness wasn't a symptom of day or night, but something more unnatural and disturbing.

Shuddering slightly, he turned his attention back to the screen, opening an article at random. As he skimmed the sentences, one suddenly caught his eye: The holocrons of Terrak Morrhage's knowledge were never found, although theories suggest the Sith may have hidden them in multiple systems across the Bolemian sector. Jay-Li sat frozen in his seat for a moment as a faint sensation of recognition stirred in his brain. He quickly typed "Bolemian sector" into the search bar and waited impatiently for the results to load. When they did his suspicions and apprehension only became stronger. The Bolemian sector was an ancient name for an area of space bordering on part of the Tion Hegemony. It's ancient borders had once overlapped with the modern borders of the Black Spiral, of which the Melenor system and all the previous systems Lord Xalek had visited were a part.

The implications of this discovery disturbed Jay to his core. Not again, this couldn't be happening again. The last time this power was unleashed upon the Jedi, it had nearly caused a galactic-scale catastrophe. Resolve hardened his face and put a steely glint in his eye, it wouldn't happen again, he would see to it. He would hunt down Lord Xalek and retrieve those holocrons no matter what it cost. He couldn't allow the Sith to unleash such a devastating weapon on the Jedi, it was his duty as the Barsen'thor. He remembered then that Lord Xalek served under a very important Sith. He couldn't quite remember who it was, but he seemed to recall it being someone close to the Dark Council, a Darth. He rapidly typed in his request and in moments, the terminal spit back some information, but nothing helpful. Apparently nobody in the Empire or Republic seemed to know exactly who Xalek's master was. In a determined panic, he continued to furiously research the Sith Lord, delving deep into nearly forgotten sections of the Archives database in his quest for the truth. After another hour of searching, he found what he was looking for; an SIS report written by a now-deceased operative that had been embedded in deep-cover. The report held a detailed profile on Lord Xalek. The Sith had been captured by the Empire in battle and taken as a slave before being sent to Korriban. As Jay scrolled down the page of information he stopped short when he saw the name of the Sith Lord into whose service Xalek had graduated from the Sith Academy. Xalek's master was Darth Nox.

Jay leaned back in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes with one hand as if he was trying to clear them, to rid them of what was obviously a hallucination, brought on by stress and fatigue. When he lowered his hand, he found with mounting fear that the name was still there; Darth Nox. This couldn't get any worse. The holocrons of Terrak Morrhage, possibly containing the knowledge of his Force Plague, may have just found their way into the hands of the one member of the Dark Council who would know how to use them. This was very, very bad.

For a moment, he just sat there staring at the screen, not knowing what to do. Finally, he removed a data stick from one of his many pockets and downloaded the article and the rather limited profiles of Lord Xalek and Darth Nox into it. He was exhausted, he would be of no use to anyone like this. He needed to rest and meditate, to commune with the Force, before he decided on his next move. Jay-Li didn't know what exactly his future held, but he was now absolutely certain that these two Sith were about to become a very large part of it.

_______________

Xalek stepped out of his ship and into the familiar miasma of the battlefield. The smell of smoke and ash hung in the air like a veil, and the sounds of distant explosions, roaring fighter engines, and cries of pain filled his ears. Through the Force, he could sense the sheer scale of the death and destruction spreading across this world, and it made him hungry to be a part of it. Behind his bone mask, his fangs bared themselves, aching to sink deep into the flesh of a worthy foe. On his hip, his lightsaber seemed to be trying to leap into his hand so he could feed it with bloodshed and agony. As he descended the ramp, he took a look around at the ruins of the ecumenopolis that was Detrimos.

Many of the great towers and soaring structures that had once marked the world as the "Imperial Coruscant" had collapsed in on themselves, some were slowly burning, and others were completely leveled. Entire blocks were now just craters filled with solidified metal slag and powdered, fragmented duracrete. The experience reminded Xalek of his time on Corellia, fighting by his master's side in the Kaggath that had seen Darth Nox take his rightful place on the Dark Council.

Detrimos was, without question, the largest Imperial population center. Billions upon billions of beings called the tiny planetropolis home, despite the fact that it was only considered a planet because it had its own orbit around the system's primary, and was just barely large enough to hold a small asteroid moon in its gravitational grip. But over the course of its thousand year reign, the Empire had turned the small planetoid into a planet-wide city that rivaled Coruscant in its splendor, capacity, and vision. Construction had been going on for nearly a millennia without stopping, with a new layer being completed every century or so. Imperial engineers had discovered ways to continue expanding the planet's size through construction without compromising structural integrity, and so the Empire continued to expand Detrimos's living capacity through a building cycle that saw the city forever rising towards the sky. Gravity generators spread equally across each layer provided added stability to the structures and allowed the planet to expand its atmosphere as the dark gray towers continued their eternal ascension.

Despite its proximity to Dromund Kaas, Korriban, and Ziost, the war hadn't come to Detrimos until the supposed death of the Emperor. A rebel faction had been hiding here, gathering strength, influence, and followers. Upon the apparent death of the Empire's monarch, the emboldened rebels had struck, catching the Empire off-guard. But the rebellion had been swiftly put down by the much more efficient and organized Imperial military. On the brink of extinction, the remaining rebels had reached out to the Republic. As it turned out Supreme Chancellor Suresh had been merely waiting for such an excuse to attack the planet, and she promptly ordered a full-scale invasion. Millions had died in the first battle, and millions continued to die as the destruction raged across the city-world's surface. Upon the invasion, the lower levels had been sealed and now received supplies from heavily fortified imperial base camps on the upper levels. Those upper levels however, were collages of carnage and devastation. The civilian population had been decimated in the initial assault, with the survivors being whisked down to the safety of the lower levels, so most of those dying on the planet's surface were soldiers. Even so, the sheer scope of their deaths invigorated Xalek.

He drank in the suffering, destruction, and death as he walked into the building that now served as the Empire's base of operations. His master had sent him here, but given him no instructions other than to utilize his talents and skills to benefit the Empire in any way he saw fit. The command was somewhat strange, Xalek was used to specific and direct missions, ones where his goals were clear. This mission, however, seemed to be less of an assignment and more like...a test. The realization began to dawn on him. His master must be testing him, to see if Xalek had the vision to lead the Empire as a Lord of the Sith. He wanted to see if Xalek was truly worthy of the title Darth Nox had bestowed upon him. Xalek's confusion turned into steely resolve; now he understood, he knew the mission. He would lead the Empire to victory here on Detrimos and prove to his master that he was worthy of the mantle of Dark Lord. His anticipation grew as he realized something else; There weren't many other Sith on Detrimos, most Sith were spread out across the galaxy fulfilling personal vendettas or ravaging the Empire's enemies, and the few that were on Detrimos were likely of low rank, mere apprentices or lords of very little influence. That meant that with his rank and position as the Hand of a member of the Dark Council, Xalek was likely the being with the most authority on the entire planet! The thought filled him with bloodlust and pride. He held all the power here, he would single-handedly turn the battle for this planet around, and then his master would recognize Xalek's true worth, his true power.

He was still reveling in his newfound authority when he entered the office of Moff Tralyk, the leader of the Imperial operations on Detrimos. He strode into the room with an air of confidence and power, approaching the Moff to stand, feet shoulder-width apart, with his hands behind his back. The Moff noticed his entrance and rose to greet him. "My Lord." She bowed respectfully and came out from behind the large desk she had been hunched over moments ago. She came within a few meters of him and stood at attention, "What can I do for you my lord?" She asked sincerely. "We're a little stretched for resources right now but if there is contributions we can make, I'll see that it happens."

"Actually Moff," Xalek replied "It is I who am here to help you."

"My lord!" The shock and relief on the woman's face was gratifying to Xalek. "We are so honored that one of your stature would lend us your power and guidance."

"As it should be." Xalek said solemnly. "I will be taking command of operations here, and I will be leading those operations in the field." Xalek paused before making a final declaration "From now on, you answer to me."

"Of course my lord." Moff Tralyk bowed again. "What would you like to do first?"

"I require a status update." Xalek said, somewhat impatiently. "I cannot take control of the war effort here unless I know the situation."

"Not so fast!" A familiar voice called from behind him. He turned to see Jaesa Willsaam, exactly as he had last seen her in his master's penthouse on Dromund Kaas. She strode into the Moff's chambers with the same confidence with which he had entered them. "You're not taking command of these forces, I am!" Xalek felt familiar passions rising within him.

"You couldn't handle all this." he said snarkily.

"I've handled much bigger." she replied evenly.

Xalek looked her up and down. "Somehow I doubt that. Your slim, delicate figure suggests you can't handle anything of substantial size."

Jaesa crossed her arms under her chest. "I assure you Lord Xalek, that I can handle anything you can throw at me."

Moff Tralyk coughed once. The two Sith lords turned to look at her. "Pardon me my lords, but shall we get on with the business at hand? I can fill you both in, then you can decide amongst yourselves who is taking command of what."

"A fair solution." Xalek admitted and turned his attention back to the Moff, "Please Moff Tralyk, begin your report." Xalek felt Jaesa move up behind him as the Moff brought him up to speed about the war effort on Detrimos. He was mildly surprised when she didn't attempt to stab him in the back and instead moved off to the side and listened to the Moff's report.

"Our most recent efforts have been focused around disrupting the Republic's front line." The Moff said. "But they have proven to be incredibly resourceful and careful. They've fortified themselves in the industrial sector, using the facilities there as shelter. They've rigged up structural defenses and have a superior tactical advantage. Our forces suffer heavy casualties with every assault." Xalek held up his hand to stop her.

"Tell me Moff, why have you not attempted to infiltrate their bases?"

"We have my Lord," She said respectfully "But they have some kind of prototype stealth detection tech that rips through cloaking fields like paper. Our operatives get shredded whenever they try to enter."

"So you've resigned yourself to attempting a siege? A war of attrition?" Xalek asked, disappointed.

"Yes my lord, it seems to be the only option available to us." Xalek shook his head in exasperation. Soldiers, always so shortsighted.

"It is a good thing I am here, Moff. You said the entire Republic front is hunkered down in the industrial sector?"

"Not the entire front my lord but a significant portion of them, the remainder of the Republic's front guards the territory they've claimed. Normally we would take advantage of this and launch assaults to reclaim that territory, but if we do that we leave ourselves completely exposed to an organized attack from the main front in the industrial sector, and if they successfully destroy the orbital shield generators for this sector, the Republic can launch orbital strikes on us at their discretion."

"There are no Imperial ships in orbit?" Xalek questioned incredulously.

"None capable of engaging the Republic fleet my lord." The Moff replied sadly. "The entirety of the Imperial fleet is occupied defending the rest of the Empire from the Republic." She paused, a mournful look on her face. "We're on our own I'm afraid."

Xalek seemed to consider this a moment, then he spoke again. "Who is the commanding officer of operations in the industrial sector?" He asked.

"Lieutenant Falimore." The Moff replied. "He's been commanding the assaults on the sector and is currently preventing the Republic from repositioning their troops."

"Tell him to expect me. I will be arriving there shortly to end this ridiculous waiting game." Xalek turned to Jaesa. "Now Lord Willsaam," he said "as far as the matter of command is concerned I would say we both are on equal footing here. You and your master are outside the normal chain of command, which means I cannot exert authority over you. You however, also cannot exert authority over me because of who my master is." He gestured to the Moff without taking his eyes off Jaesa. "But since we both have the right to command the armed forces here, I propose we share command, and merely stay out of each other's way."

Jaesa seemed to consider it a moment "A fair proposal, but I'd much rather duel you to the death to see which of us deserves to take authority over operations here."

"And waste valuable time and effort that should be expended against the Republic?" Xalek questioned incredulously. "Surely you are not so shortsighted Lord Willsaam." He grinned behind his mask at the well of emotion that rose up in the young human woman at his insult.

"Fine" she growled. "But don't you dare interfere!"

"Same to you." Xalek replied, a satisfied smile on his face. He turned and walked out of the office, a plan already beginning to form in his mind. He was so occupied with his own thoughts, that he failed to notice that Jaesa had turned to engage the Moff in conversation after his departure.

"So," Jaesa said with bloodthirsty eagerness. "Tell me about the Republic's defenses."

_______________

Nox sat cross-legged on the floor of his laboratory, watching as the mindless zombie before him moved awkwardly through the series of movements he was telepathically instructing it to perform. A failed Sith acolyte taken from the Korriban wilds, the now enslaved human woman performed the motions slowly and spastically, but still, she was performing them at a mere thought from Nox, with not even a word leaving his lips. His ritual was coming along well. The control rites he had found were working, but as he had feared they had caused repressive failure in some of the ritual's elements. That meant he would have to find more specific rites that were better designed for this sort of ritual. Still, his progress was substantially promising.

As he watched the acolyte he allowed himself to slip into a meditative trance, and he began try and pull inspiration from the Force on how he could hide his true plan and movements within the Force from the Jedi, the Sith, and the Emperor all at once. It would not be easy, both the Jedi and Sith had eyes everywhere and the Emperor had a habit of knowing things that no one else did. Still, Nox thought, there must be some way to distract all of them. Distraction, misdirection, and deception were his greatest weapons here, he would need to employ all of these concepts in abundance in order to deceive most of the greater galaxy and hide his true purpose. I need to manufacture a threat to galactic security, he thought. No, several threats, he amended. The entire galaxy needs to be so busy panicking and fighting that they don't have the time or the resources to consider all the factors and put the pieces together. I also need to create a precedent for my plan to succeed, he realized. If I'm to accomplish my end goal I need the citizens of both the Empire and Republic to be in a certain state of mind.

But how to create these threats? And how to do so while shrouding their true nature as mere distractions from the perceptive, prying eyes of the Jedi and Sith? The thought puzzled him and he turned the problem over and over in his mind, searching for a solution. After a few minutes of deep thought, a small seed of an idea sprouted in his consciousness. The Jedi might well sense his plans, although he had taken precautions of late to prevent anyone from discovering his machinations through the Force, and might even now be preparing for the Dark Side to be suddenly loosed upon the galaxy. If that is what they expect, he thought, then perhaps I should give it to them.

A smile broke across his face as he followed that line of thought. He'd give the Jedi exactly what they expected, and the Sith would be so busy fighting amongst themselves or taking advantage of the Jedi's distraction that they would fail to notice his manipulations too. Of course as a member of the Dark Council he could take even further steps to ensure his plans remained completely hidden from the rest of the Empire, and even his fellow Dark Councilors. Suddenly he frowned, that left the Emperor.

Nox had no illusions about the Emperor's capabilities or intellect, Vitiate had more than proven his power and foresight over the past thousand years of Imperial history. Deceiving him would be extremely difficult, and infinitely dangerous. If the Emperor discovered Nox's plans before they were brought to fruition Nox had no doubt he would suffer a fate far worse than death at Vitiate's hands. The Sith Emperor would judge him a threat, or worse, a fascinating specimen. Nox had no desire to become the subject of one of Darth Vitiate's experiments, so he had to figure out a way to deceive the Emperor along with the rest of the galaxy.

Well, he thought to himself, let's just assume that, for the sake of caution, Vitiate can see through any shrouds, veils, or illusions in the Force that I can erect. If that is the case then the manufactured threats cannot be false, they must be really and truly real. They cannot merely be facades that don't pose any threat at all, they must be genuinely capable of succeeding. That means I will have to manipulate a counterbalance into the proper positions to stop these real threats at an appointed time, as the success of any of these distractions will mean the likely failure of my overall plan. He frowned and stroked his chin, manipulating the Republic was difficult, but doable under the circumstances his ritual would provide. Manipulating the Jedi might prove...more strenuous than that. It would be no easy feat to manipulate the entire Jedi Order, he would need to be very careful in his dealings. The slightest mistake could lead to complete exposure and subsequent, catastrophic failure.

But the counterbalance...the counterbalance he would need to stop these diversionary threats before they could harm the very plan they disguised, what could it be? What could he use? Who could he use? Would a single individual do? Perhaps Supreme Chancellor Suresh? Jedi Grandmaster Satele Shan? What about using Republic Special Forces, the Republic Navy, or some combination of all of these? He shook his head to clear it. I'm thinking too complex, he chided himself. He thought back to the lessons Darth Zash had taught him, one in particular rang out in his mind:

"Many Sith try to create complex and convoluted schemes by intertwining and melding various plans simultaneously." He heard his old master's voice as clear as if she were once more standing in front of him. "This is the path to destruction," she had warned "the best and most complex plans are forged from the most simple beginnings, with one thread providing a foundation for subsequent threads. By focusing on one aspect of the overall plot at a time, and building off of the foundation first, followed by winding that thread around the others as needed, you can create schemes so incredibly complex that no one will be able to decipher what is really going on until all the wheels are in motion and the point of no return has been crossed."

Exactly, thought Nox, I must begin with the foundation; the diversionary threads must build off of the foundation first, and each other second. The counterbalance can only be chosen once all the other threads are in place, and I have a clear vision of what must happen.

He brought his mind back to focusing on the diversions, they had to be genuine, but just being real wouldn't necessarily distract Vitiate if Nox's movements in the Force could still be sensed. Nox had to somehow disguise the machinations for his true plan in the diversions he would create, but how? He thought. How can I...then it came to him, suddenly and without warning, as if placed there. The thought had a distinctly foreign feel to it, and Nox's consciousness briefly resisted the thought as antibodies might fight off an infection, but the thought remained.

He would be the distraction, the diversion. He would become the very threats to galactic security that he needed to create. If his influence and manipulations were ingrained on galactic events and his Force signature imprinted everywhere across the galaxy, no one could ever separate the diversions from the true plan. The thought struck him as completely mad, but it set it roots in his brain and as it spread and expanded, he began to see the method in the madness, the order in the chaos. It was insane. It was ludicrous. It was absolutely brilliant.

The ancient stone walls of the Dark Temple echoed with the reverberating sound of Nox's malicious, triumphant laughter.

______________

Jay-Li moved quickly over the desert sands of Tatooine, his feet a blur that kicked up a storm of sand and dust behind him. The Force propelled him forwards, enabling him to move as fast as any speeder bike. As he neared his destination however he slowed to a walk, allowing the power of the Force to fade from his body. He arrived at the peculiar rock formation that marked the location of his target and sank into the Force, vanishing into the shimmering air. Now invisible, he surveyed the sight before him with a meticulous and thorough eye.

The complex consisted of two constructs, both of them of standard design for Tatooine; single-floored, flat roofed, square buildings painted white so as to reflect as much light and, subsequently, heat as possible. The thing that differentiated this complex from the millions just like it across the planet was that it was swarming with Mandolorians patrolling the base in loose but effective patterns. But it wasn't so much the mercenaries that concerned Jay, rather what awaited him inside those buildings: according to SIS reports, this small complex was one of Darth Nox's safe houses. The Dark Lord was believed to have dozens, possibly even a hundred of them scattered across the galaxy. He no doubt intended to use them as a way to hide and recoup should his power base suffer a blow that left him vulnerable.

Jay wasn't here to damage Darth Nox's power base however, not yet at least. He was here on a hunch: he believed that as a safe house, this complex would likely have access to Darth Nox's restricted network, which the Sith used to pass encrypted data to his allies and minions, or to store secrets that he wanted to keep especially safe. All Jay had to do was infiltrate the complex, find an access terminal, then slice in to the network with the special data spike he'd gotten from Tharan. Then he could find out what Nox was up to, and find a way to best prepare for it. If Nox intended to use the knowledge in Terrak Morrhage's holocron, Jay needed to find a way to stop him before the madness began.

Memories came flooding back to him, unbidden. He saw Master Yuon's face, twisted into a terrifying expression of malice and hatred by Terrak Morrhage's Force Plague. He saw Laranna Fain, tormented and driven to madness. He saw Parkanas Tark, proclaiming himself to be Lord Vivicar, his features darkened by the spirit of Terrak Morrhage possessing his body. Jay-Li shut his eyes and banished the painful visions. He thought about how he had saved them, even Parkanas. How grateful and relieved they had been to be free of the ancient Sith's power. He felt the light within him grow and envelop his mind, strengthening his resolve and restoring his focus, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Moving like a shadow, he swiftly slipped past the Mandolorian guards, heading for the closest building. If he couldn't find an access terminal there he would have to check the second one. Entering the doorway, he suddenly sensed someone approaching from inside the building. He threw himself to the wall and fell deeper into stealth, the Force wrapping him in its embrace to make him completely indistinguishable from the very air surrounding him. Even a Force user standing right next to him would sense nothing. A Sith warrior in grey armor appeared from the building's interior, walking right past him down the short hallway and out the door. Jay breathed an inward sigh of relief and relaxed, fading partially back into the mundane world. He was still invisible, but not undetectable.

He moved deeper into the building where two rooms awaited his inspection. He found the access terminal in the circular one that seemed to serve as an office. He emerged from stealth, plugging the data spike in and waiting patiently while it attempted to decrypt the network's security. After a few minutes of soft whirring, sparks flew from the port where Jay had inserted the data spike. Jay flinched in response to the sudden outburst and stared at the terminal, then removed the spike and inspected it. It was ruined. Frustration began to nip at him but he squashed it and returned the spike to his robes. That Sith from earlier was, in all likelihood, the one in charge here. He would have access codes to the network, no doubt. Jay would simply have to take them from him. Slipping back into the Force, Jay moved silently out of the room and headed for the exit. Moving from the cool interior of the building to the blazing heat of the outdoors caused him to momentarily flinch, making his Force cloak waver ever so slightly. Jay froze, inspecting the guards for any sign that they had noticed him. If they had, they gave no sign. If anyone had seen what happened, Jay reasoned, they probably dismissed it as the effect of the heat.

Satisfied that his cover was intact, he moved towards the second building. He was surprised to see a mercenary standing directly in the doorway, fully blocking the portal with his bulk, preventing any entry. It was almost as if he knew there was a stealth operative loose in the camp and was trying to prevent them from entering...No, Jay decided, that's not likely. If he knew I was here he would have alerted the entire camp and they would be scouring the place for me. In all likelihood it's a safety measure to attempt to thwart infiltrators like me. Now, how to get past him? Jay thought on the problem for a moment and considered his options. Within seconds he had made a decision: he gestured with his hand, reaching out with the Force as he did so. He reached into the man's mind and planted a thought there. Shifting suddenly, the man left the doorway to peer out at the rock formations to the west, as if looking for something. Jay took advantage of the distraction. Calling on the Force to assist him, he dashed forward in a burst of speed, and was through the doorway and inside the main building before the guard returned to his place seconds later.

Sensing the presence of the Sith in the living quarters section of the building, Jay moved stealthily into the barracks. The Sith was deep in discussion with a mercenary at the far end of the room, while a group of three Mandos played cards at a small table in the corner. Two women and one man, Jay noted. The Mandolorian that the Sith was talking to was also a woman. He supposed their gender didn't matter though, they might end up dying in the next few minutes. He didn't relish the thought of killing them, but it was unlikely he would be able to disable them without causing serious harm. He took a deep breath, centering himself in the Force. He felt the warm, empowering light fill him from head to toe. He felt his strength gather, and he knew he was ready.

As Jay decloaked, the Sith whirled around and drew his lightsaber in one fluid motion. The dark warrior had sensed the Jedi's attack only moments before it happened and reacted preemptively, even so, he was too slow. In a blur of green plasma Jay severed the hands of all the card players, slicing the table into scorched splinters in the process. The cries of pain from the three mercenaries fed the Sith's power and he reached out with the Force to try and slam Jay into the wall. The attack succeeded only in causing Jay to stop moving in order to resist the push. His robes fluttered briefly from the kinetic wave, then stilled. Surprised at his opponent's fortitude, the Sith charged nonetheless. Jay met his attack with ease, falling into his favored Soresu-laced variant of Niman. The female mercenary the Sith had been talking to drew a blaster pistol, but before she could fire Jay reached out with the Force to yank the blaster from her hand and send it flying into the opposite corner.

The woman didn't give up. She drew a vibroblade from behind her back and charged towards him. Suddenly she was thrown back by a Force push that knocked her into the wall, causing her to slump to the ground and lose consciousness. Jay realized with surprise that the Sith had been responsible. Stretching out with his instincts, Jay quickly came to the realization that the Sith and the woman were lovers, the man had been trying to protect her by preventing her from fighting the Jedi Master. A noble gesture, one Jay would not have expected of a Sith. Ducking to avoid a massive swing from the bigger man, Jay retaliated with a sharp crosscut the forced his opponent into a defensive position. Bringing all of his focus into the fight, Jay pelted his opponent with multiple attack chains that seamlessly melded with Force attacks to create an offensive that quickly overwhelmed the Sith. Using the Force, Jay brought its oppressive weight down on his opponent, seeing the man's reactions become incrementally more sluggish, as if he was submerged in a liquid that was slowly solidifying. The man tried valiantly to defend himself, becoming more and more desperate as he realized just how outclassed he was.

His lightsaber movements became jumpy and erratic, and Jay batted away the attacks like they were pebbles. Within moments, Jay severed the man's arm and his opponent collapsed to the ground, crying out in pain. Jay leveled his lightsaber at the man.

"Give me the access codes to Darth Nox's network"

The Sith spat. "Go to hell Jedi scum!"

Jay sighed, lowering his lightsaber. "Very well, remember that you brought this upon yourself." He reached out with the Force, extending his awareness towards his opponent's mind. He felt the Sith trying to resist him, and he applied more pressure. But the Sith's will was strong, and he was bolstering his mental barriers with his hatred and rage. Jay-Li centered himself and drew more heavily upon the Force, eventually pushing through the mental barriers.

"Get out!" The Sith growled "Get out of my head! Kriffing Jedi filth!" He clutched his head in his remaining hand, convulsing under the mental strain of trying to resist the intrusion.

Ignoring the man's hatred, Jay searched the corridors of his consciousness for the information he sought. Finding it, he retreated and the man collapsed to the floor, released from the mental hold Jay had held him in. Jay shook his head regretfully.

"If you had given me what I asked for this unpleasantness could have been avoided."

The Sith snarled at him. "Typical hypocritical Jedi. You attacked us first! Whatever happened to your precious diplomacy!"

"Would you have given me what I wanted without trouble had I simply asked nicely?" Jay inquired, although he already knew the answer.

The Sith's face became even more twisted with hate. "Never!" He hissed.

"Then there you have it." Jay said, turning and walking towards the door.

The Sith reached out and called his lightsaber to his one remaining hand. The moment it impacted his palm he launched it in a spinning arc aimed at Jay's neck. The weapon suddenly stopped dead in mid-air only a hair's breadth from Jay. Suddenly the crimson blade deactivated, and the Sith realized with impotent fury that he wasn't in control of it anymore. He watched with rage and horror as his weapon shattered into a thousand pieces that dropped to the floor in a heap, even the synthetic crystal had been broken. Jay turned around and extended a hand. The Sith felt blackness begin to overshadow his mind, then the darkness of sleep took him.

_____________

Nox strode purposefully through the ruins in the area of Belsavis prison known as Section X. Around him, constructs of both the Rakata and Republic lay in various states of disrepair. Fences that were easily ten feet tall were mere decoration, as they had long since been cut through or broken in areas where beings had wished to pass. Rakatan vaults were no longer sealed, and the bestial cries of their contents, now spread across the region, were evidence of the threats one would face should they brave the wilds of Belsavis.

Nox wasn't concerned. Alone, he was more than capable of dealing with any beast he might encounter here. Despite the Rakata's experiments, their test subjects would still be mindless animals and easy to outwit, and besides that, he wasn't alone. Behind Nox, seven feet of raw, force-resistant muscle kept pace with him. The Dashade's name was Khem Vaal, and he was Nox's oldest and most trusted companion. But Nox didn't trust Khem out of kinship, compassion, or honor, he trusted Khem because the Dashade simply wasn't intelligent or dishonest enough to be a threat to him. This quality, more than any other, made him an extremely useful tool. It allowed Nox to bring Khem on secret missions with no fear that the Shadow Killer would talk about what he had seen, secret missions such as this one.

Nox had come to Section X to search for knowledge that could lead him to control rites that were compatible with his ritual. The Rakata had hidden away many things on Belsavis, not just prisoners. Under Nox's orders, the Imperial Reclamation Service had discovered many artifacts of the Infinite Empire on the prison world. This was why Nox now believed that he could find the knowledge he sought, or at least clues to its whereabouts, here.

Currently, Nox was heading towards one of the old vaults that the Republic had opened and was currently investigating. The Jedi had kept strict control over the vault, so the Empire had yet to discover any of the secrets it might hold. Nox was certain that it would have something he could use, why else would the Jedi have guarded it so closely? Arriving at the vault, he made himself and Khem Vaal vanish with a wave of his hand. Quickly and silently, the two made their way carefully through the tunnels of the vault, investigating every passage, room, and the artifacts and technology they contained, taking great pains not to disturb or alert the archeological crews or their Jedi supervisors. Turning a corner, Nox saw they had reached a dead end. A little disappointed, he realized they had scoured the entire vault without finding anything of significance. A brief flash of anger sharpened his focus and renewed his resolve, he would simply have to go back through the vault again. He turned around and headed back towards the previous room, with Khem trailing along just behind him. After thoroughly investigating three rooms, Nox discovered something of interest in a tiny alcove that the archeologists and the Jedi had completely ignored.

It was a small, square panel embedded in the wall, the same size, shape and color as the surrounding stone blocks, but Nox could faintly sense a fraction of Force power in it. Extending his reach, he touched the panel with the Force. The panel slid about a centimeter into the wall, and a rune engraved on it began to glow a soft, subtle red. Nox could sense that the Force alignment of the panel had changed, for it now emanated low undertones of Dark Side power. Nox waited for something else to happen, but nothing did. Suppressing his frustration, he moved on to the next room, only to find a similar panel in an almost identical alcove in the passageway. Activating it, he saw that the rune was different than the last one. It seemed they spelled out some sort of code or sequence in a language he didn't recognize as being the dialect of the ancient Rakata. Quickly, he scoured the vault and found three more panels in identical alcoves, all of them with a different rune engraved on them. Upon activation of all five panels, he found they deactivated, and realized that what he had suspected was true; they needed to be activated in a specific sequence. He spent the better part of a standard hour attempting different combinations. He could sense Khem growing hungry and restless, and his own frustrations were gradually mounting. If he didn't solve this riddle soon, either he or Khem would end up killing someone and blowing their cover.

After what must have been his twentieth attempt, he stopped and found a secluded spot to meditate. Drawing upon the Dark Side, he felt the power coursing through the vault. Ancient technology that drew power from the Force had been stored here, and despite the efforts of the Jedi and Republic to remove or destroy it all, the power still remained. Expanding his awareness, Nox felt the five panels spread throughout the vault. He felt their connection to the vault and their alignment to the Dark Side. Focusing on each of them in turn, he eventually realized that each had a slightly different Force signature. Recognizing the value of this discovery, he focused even more intently on them, and understood that they weren't just a sequence, they were a word. Although the meaning of the runes escaped him, he now understood what order the switches had to be activated in.

He moved with the haste of a child on Life Day morning, somehow maintaining his Force Cloak over him and Khem despite his distracted excitement. Upon activating the last switch, which was in the alcove nearest the very isolated "dead end" he had encountered before, a door appeared in the wall, the stone vanishing into floor. Eager but wary, Nox maintained his Force Cloak as he and Khem entered the portal. They moved out of the narrow passageway and into a room twice as big as any of the others. The floor, ceiling, and walls were completely covered in runes and script in the language of the Rakata. Upon closer inspection, Nox realized he had found more than he could have ever hoped. The entire room was a secret store of Dark Side knowledge.

Nox busied himself recording, skimming, and scouring the texts for the information he sought. For a while he found nothing promising, until he accidentally brushed against one of the characters with his hand and it lit up with the same soft red glow as the key panels that had opened the door to this room. Recognizing the letter as a part of the Rakata's sixth alphabet, he quickly found and activated the other letters belonging to that alphabet that spelled out the same combination he had used to enter the room. He couldn't help but smile when, upon completion of the task, he felt a subtle trembling in the ground. Turning to the center of the room, he watched in triumph as the panel in the very center of the floor slid aside and a red datacron rose on a pedestal from the secret compartment. He walked towards it, watching in fascination as the waves of red light rippled across the walls, ceiling, and floor. He could feel the great power of the Dark Side contained in it, and he knew the Jedi had felt it too. Now revealed, the datacron was emanating raw power. There was no time to lose, the Jedi would be here soon, following the dark energies to their source. Nox knew he could destroy them easily, but he wanted to test this datacron's power right now. He turned to Khem.

"The Jedi are coming, hold them back at all costs. Kill them if you must but I'd prefer they be left alive when I awake."

"Duu shaa, ilnuk vas depaa shuna ouone." Khem replied with a bow of his head, moving towards the narrow hall the led to the rest of the vault, drawing his massive, two-handed vibroblade as he went. The vow had been something to the effect of "They will know the fear and terror of darkness, master". Nox had to admit even he didn't fully understand what the Dashade was saying sometimes. The Force always gave him vague impressions that, combined with his limited knowledge of the Dashadi language allowed him to understand the Shadow Killer more often than not. Usually what Khem said didn't matter, conversations between them were few and far between, and their relationship mostly consisted of Nox giving orders and Khem following them.

Turning his attention back to the datacron, Nox extended his hand, reaching out to touch it. The moment he did, darkness fell over him.

_____________

Iliyander Jax was as shocked as the rest of his Jedi colleagues when the wave of dark energy swept over them. After the emergence of the strong Dark Side presence that now filled the vault, the Jedi supervisors from the various archeological teams met in the final room before the dead-end passage from which the dark energies emanated.

"Three of us will go in first," Master Tanlak was saying "the rest will go in behind them, with Graalig and Rali acting as support."

Iliyander glanced over at Rali, who was listening attentively to Master Tanlak, when she noticed him looking at her, she smiled back at him. Iliyander smiled too, before turning back to Master Tanlak to avoid exposing their exchange.

"I will be in the front line with Garen and Demik," The blonde-haired human Jedi master was saying. "The rest of you will follow behind and protect Graalig and Rali while they support us. Any questions?"

Iliyander looked around. There were nine Jedi present, the other two had been dispatched to escort the archeology teams to safety. He felt confident that even a member of the Dark Council would have a tough time defeating all of them. Even so, he couldn't help but wonder if what they were about to face was something more dangerous than a Sith. He'd heard the stories of what kind of powerful monstrosities the Rakata had sealed away on Belsavis, and despite his curiosity as to the source of the Dark Side power, he hoped it was the evil he knew rather than one he didn't.

"Good!" Master Tanlak said. "Let's move." He turned and marched towards the passage, following the scent of the Dark Side. Iliyander trailed after him with the rest of the Jedi knights. Upon reaching the dead end, they could see a narrow passage had been opened, and that a panel on the wall had a glowing red rune engraved on it. Careful not to move into the view of whoever or whatever might be on the other side, Master Tanlak stopped short of the doorway. Garen and Demik moved up beside him. Master Tanlak whispered a few words to them and made a few gestures, and they stood shoulder to shoulder behind him. Master Tanlak turned to the group and signaled that they should move two by two down the passage, as it was far too narrow for them to all pass through at the same time. Then he turned back to the passageway, and charged into it.

Garen and Demik followed in hot pursuit, along with the rest of the Jedi group. Iliyander couldn't see what awaited them on the other side thanks to the four Jedi and Master Tanlak in front of him, but he could feel it. The raw power of the Dark Side washed over him like a tidal wave. He felt an intense urge to vomit, but managed to suppress it and continue the charge forward. Then, as they reached the passage's end, he saw it. A monster the likes of which he had never seen. It stood taller than Master Tanlak, easily seven feet, possibly even eight. It's skin was the color of dried blood, lined with white tattoos. It's muscles were enormous, it looked strong enough to rip him in two. It wore silver armor that protected its shoulders, legs, waist, and the back of its nearly non-existent neck. It's thick, bulging arms ended in cruel, three-fingered, talons. In those talons it gripped a massive vibroblade, easily as long as a lightsaber and three times as wide. It had a lamprey-like mouth full of fangs for teeth, and it's eyes...Iliyander would never forget those eyes as long as he lived: deep reddish-orange slits full of hatred, malice and something else: hunger.

Iliyander felt sick. He wanted to run, to get as far away from here as possible, and take Rali with him. But he suppressed his fear by reciting the first line of the Jedi Code: There is no emotion, there is peace. He calmed down just in time to get a grip on his senses as he burst into the room with the other Jedi. The monster had already met Master Tanlak and the other Jedi that had been front of him in battle. Despite the fact that it was facing overwhelming odds, the monster seemed to have the upper hand. His massive bulk brought a tremendous presence to the battlefield, and Iliyander was even more shocked to see Master Tanlak attempt a Force push, only for the monster to remain completely stable and unmoved. It retaliated with a large, sweeping blow that severed Garen's head from his shoulders, and forced Master Tanlak and Demik to duck. Iliyander watched in horror as the creature opened its twisted jaws, and he felt the spirit of Garen scream. He saw a ghostly white energy drift off of Garen's headless corpse and flow straight into the creature's gaping jaws. All the while, Garen's screams echoed in his mind.

The whole event took only a few moments, but when it was over, Iliyander felt as if he'd been standing there, frozen in shock and fear, for hours. The monster had eaten Garen! His attempt to restrain his emotions failed utterly, and he was unprepared when the creature loosed a burst of dark energy that expanded like a dome around it. Caught in the blast, Iliyander felt his body grow deathly cold. Looking at his hands, he saw they were pale and nearly translucent. His veins had become blackened and corrupted, and he felt weak and alone. He realized that the Dark Side was eating him alive. Using tremendous effort, he turned his head to look at Master Tanlak. Miraculously, the Jedi master was still on his feet and fighting, although he too looked sickened and pale, and seemed to be growing weaker by the second. Iliyander could feel the Force being drawn out of his own body, as if the creature was feeding on his very essence. His strength was fading quickly, and he felt the end drawing near. With the last of his strength, he turned his head to see Rali. Her once beautiful face was like his, pale and covered with blackened veins that marred her once perfect features. She lay unconscious on the floor by the entrance. No not unconscious, Iliyander realized, dead.

He felt the void closing in, sounds became more muted, and his ability to feel vanished. The stone floor beneath him fell away, and he surrendered to the eternal darkness.

______________

Darth Nox awoke with a start. He was standing with his arm outstretched, still touching the datacron. The knowledge that the ancient device contained had been copied into his memory. Hundreds of hours of memories and learning filled his head, only they weren't his memories. Regardless, he now possessed the knowledge that the datacron held. He turned to see Khem Vaal with eight dead Jedi surrounding him, only one of the group was still alive. The once strong, healthy human was now utterly weak and powerless. Khem had fed on his essence to bring him to the point of near death, but as Nox had ordered, he hadn't killed him. Approaching his servant, Nox gestured to the bodies strewn about on the floor, several of them missing limbs or heads.

"Why didn't you keep them all Khem?"

"Nuu shaap etidey, ho suman gaan." Khem replied apologetically.

Nox was surprised, "Really, they couldn't even withstand one blast?"

"Hapugan." Khem replied.

Nox dismissed the matter with a wave of his hand. "Then they wouldn't have been useful anyway."

Internally, Nox was concerned. If Khem had been able to defeat these Jedi with such ease, that could only mean his power was growing, and at a rate Nox himself had failed to recognize. He would have to be more careful around Khem, the memory of the promise the Dashade had made to him so long ago rang out in his mind. Khem had swore to one day devour him, and despite the monster's oath to serve him unto death after Nox had freed the Dashade from Zash's spirit, Nox felt more confident in the strength of his companion's hunger than his honor.

None of that mattered for the moment however, as he still wanted to test this ritual. Standing before the kneeling Jedi, his hands began to move in strange and eerie patterns. The Jedi, too weak to do anything but watch, stared at him with hollow eyes. After a few seconds, Nox finished the rites and unleashed the power of the Dark Side upon his helpless victim. The Jedi cried out as his mind was seized by the power of the Force. Nox could feel the bond forming between them, and recognized the ritual as being one of total mental enslavement. It's power was evident, he could feel the strength of the energies that coursed through the bond, the rites it possessed would be more than sufficient. Joy and triumph surged through his veins, flooding his mind with malevolent ecstasy. He felt the power of the Dark Side burgeoning in response, and his triumph was magnified tenfold.

He had found it. Of all the places in the galaxy he could have picked to search for a ritual like this one, he had found it here, on Belsavis. This was destiny at work, he was meant to take this path, he was meant to succeed. This was proof. Looking at his hand, he saw dark energy floating off of it like ectoplasm. He felt the wavering life force of the Jedi as surely as if he held the man's heart in the palm of his hand. He squeezed his hand into a tight fist, and the Jedi collapsed to the ground; stone dead.

_____________

Nox was still feeling elated as he walked towards the only Imperial base for the region, his speedy discovery of the kind of ritual he had sought fresh in his mind. It was no doubt due to his good mood that he was in a rather agreeable state when the Imperial astromech I4-D6 landed nearby and rushed up to him, chittering and making its best semblance of a bow. It was no doubt due to his good mood that he listened carefully and patiently while the little grey and red droid hastily conferred the request for help its master had dispatched it to deliver. But it was curiosity, rather than jubilation, that saw him agree to follow the droid and assist its master with an important operation that had gone south.

Following the droid's lead, they soon reached a frozen lake. Nox was only slightly surprised to see that a sizable Imperial warship had crashed into it. The lake was frozen solid, so the ice had reacted to the ship's crash much like stone would have, and the broken vessel lay in large chunks scattered around the area. The droid led them to an alcove in the rock face of the lake's eastern side, where a few troopers and an officer with a general's star on his lapel waited, typing furiously on his datapad.

"Well, it's about time!" He exclaimed hearing Nox approach. "I requested a medic and heat source hours ago!" Turning around, the look of fear and utter shock on his face made Nox smile behind his mask. "Please, my lord forgive me!" The general pleaded with a bow. "I-I didn't recognize-"

"You're lucky you aren't dead, general." Nox interrupted. "If I was an enemy you might have just become a prisoner, or victim, of the Republic."

"Your wisdom is humbling my lord." The general said in supplication.

"It is not wisdom," Nox hissed "But mere common sense. It is no wonder that this operation failed with you in charge of it. From now on, I am in command."

"I surrender my authority completely to you my lord." The general said, dropping to one knee in the freezing snow.

"Good, now give me the full briefing so I can salvage this mess." Nox demanded.

"Of course, my lord, right away." The general said, rising to his feet. "My mission was to reclaim a death trap" he said motioning to the wrecked ship. "It went about as well as you would expect. Years ago, when the Dread Masters were imprisoned here, one of their apprentices stole the Imperial destroyer named "Fatality". We never learned why. The Fatality was believed lost, until several days ago that is, when we discovered the forces of the Dread Guard excavating its wreck from the ice here. High Command sent me to reclaim the vessel." Nox glanced around briefly at the frozen lake populated only by various fauna native to Belsavis.

"I don't see the Dread Guard anywhere General." He remarked. "Did they abandon their efforts?"

"If only it were so my lord." The general said mournfully. "They only excavated enough of it to enter the ship." He gestured towards the part of the wreck nearest the alcove. "There is an exposed airlock over there, that's how they got in. They've fortified themselves and we simply don't have the manpower to break through their defenses."

"What was the Fatality carrying?" Nox asked without taking his eyes away from the entrance.

"High Command thinks the Fatality's cargo is so important, they won't even tell me what it is." The general said, a hint of enmity in his tone. "I'm just supposed to find it." Nox turned back to the general as the dark-skinned human continued the briefing. "But we weren't prepared for the savages inside that vessel. The Dread Master's forces are lead by a Houk who keeps our dead as frozen trophies." A thought came to Nox and he absentmindedly voiced it aloud.

"Why is Imperial High Command competing with the Dread Masters for the Empire's property?"

"I don't know my lord." The general said regretfully. "I thought the Dread Masters were on our side."

"They are." Nox said. At least they're supposed to be, he thought to himself. He remembered meeting them in person when he had freed them from Republic imprisonment. It felt like a lifetime ago when he had defeated the Esh-Ka leader Heart Rend and his company of Esh-Ka mystics in combat, releasing the legendary Sith from the confines of their stasis pods. He had heard them speak and felt the raw, terrifying power of the Dark Side laced into every syllable. He had seen their powers firsthand. Even weakened by their long imprisonment, mere moments after emerging from the stasis pods they had been able to stand and move perfectly fine. Most beings that Nox had seen released from the Rakatan stasis pods needed at least a few minutes to adjust to using their bodies again, but the Dread Masters had been as mobile and spry as if they had never been in stasis. Their power in the Force seemed to have suffered a slight detriment however, as even when they had combined their powers to break Heart Rend's will, it took a few seconds for the Esh-Ka leader to die from pure terror. Whether the Dread Masters had combined their power out of necessity or desire, and whether they had been truly trying to devour the ancient alien's mind with fear, or simply toying with him, Nox didn't know.

Nox had felt Heart Rend's power and the strength of his will during their battle, at that time the beast's willpower had nearly rivaled Nox's own. Yet with only their outstretched hands, the Dread Masters had brought him to a swift and horrifying end. They had then gone on to drive Republic Warden Graal so insane with terror that he slaughtered his own platoon of soldiers that he had brought with him in a futile attempt to keep the Dread Masters imprisoned. The moment had, at Nox's request and the whim of the Dread Masters, been a lesson in the art of terror. The pride he had felt when Dread Master Raptus had complimented him both for his strength in the Dark Side and his skill in manipulating it swelled anew, but brought with it suspicion and uncertainty. Had the Dread Masters begun to turn against the Empire? Even with Vitiate's withdrawal from the greater galaxy, surely they saw the foolishness in turning the Empire into their enemy alongside the Republic.

Then again, Nox thought, Vitiate was the only being the Dread Masters truly feared and respected. Perhaps in his absence they have grown bold and have designs on conquering the galaxy, as Malgus did. The difference between Malgus and the Dread Masters, Nox knew, was that the Masters held true power. Their ability to inflict unrestrained terror on entire fleets and armies through the art of battle meditation was legendary. Perhaps, Nox thought, if they truly mean to follow Darth Malgus's lead they are far more likely to succeed. Nox had no loyalty to the Empire outside of the influence and resources it afforded him, and thus the thought of allying with the Dread Masters over the Empire should the choice be offered was...appealing.

The Dread Masters had gained their power from unlocking the secrets of the Phobis devices, ancient dark side technology created by the Rakata. The power they now wielded in the Force was far superior to any power possessed by Nox, other members of the Dark Council, or any being in the respective orders of the Sith and Jedi. Like Vitiate, the Dread Masters had extended their lives to unreasonable lengths, a power Nox knew he would likely need if he ever hoped to become truly immortal. The opportunity to learn from them was simply too good to ever pass up, and he resolved to take Raptus's suggestion; that he and the Masters might one day "talk" about Nox becoming educated in the art of fear, to heart.

"Regardless of their reasons," Nox said conclusively "I believe this matter bears further investigation by the Dark Council. I will enter the Fatality and attempt to determine both its cargo and the Dread Master's motivations. For all we know, the Fatality's cargo belongs to them."

"You don't believe they will, uhh... protest to you slaughtering their troops, my lord?" the general inquired.

"I've met them personally, general." Nox said, enjoying the fear and respect his remark kindled in the human. "I don't believe they will care what I do, so long as I do not interfere with their goals."

"Of course my lord, forgive me." The general said, bowing his head in apology.

"One more thing, general. I want you to hold this position for me. Report to High Command that this operation is now under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Reclamation Service, authorization code 141524."

"Right away my lord." the general replied, taking out his datapad and beginning to type as Nox turned and headed towards the entrance to the Fatality with Khem in tow. They infiltrated the ship, and after a few minutes of stealthily winding their way through ruined corridors swarming with the Dread Guard, they found themselves at a large door on the cargo deck. Concentrating, Nox reached out with Force, his cloak dropping as his concentration was redirected. The door's locking mechanism released and it slid open with only a thought and a gesture from the Dark Lord. Beyond it was an intersection, although all of the other three doors were closed. In the center of the intersection stood a large Houk and two Dread Guard. At the sound of the door opening, the two soldiers cocked their blaster rifles and aimed them at the Sith Lord entering the makeshift room. The Houk simply stood there with his arms crossed, his vibroblade still attached to the magnetic holster on his back. He was wearing various pieces of armor obviously scavenged off of dead Imperial troopers, and stood about nine feet tall, easily dwarfing Nox. Khem, however, seemed to be the perfect match for the big man in size, muscle mass, and bulk.

"Well, well." The flabby-looking monster grunted. "Look what we have here, another Imperial runt who wants to meet the void."

"Runt?" Nox asked incredulously. "Do you know who you're talking to? I'm a Lord of the Dark Council, I've killed more people than you've met in your entire, worthless life."

"Ooooooo I'm shakin!" The Houk said mockingly, not moving a muscle. "Say, Mr. Bigshot, before I kill you do you mind tellin me where to find that traitorous Kath mutt in red'n black armor that left me for dead? I'm guna pay her a visit once my bosses let me off this stinkin' planet."

Nox reached out with the Force, and was shocked to find familiar dark energies swirling around the big brute. The Houk was force-sensitive? He looked again and was relieved to see that the dark forces encompassing the man were not emanating from him, they merely clung to him like an odor. They also bore the mark of beings whose power Nox knew well: The Dread Masters. The energies, combined with the Houk's stubborn will, made him practically impervious to mind control and would likely shield him from the most potent effects of Force attacks. The scavenged armor was patchwork but well made in spite of it, the Houk was obviously good at improvising. This would not be as easy as he had expected.

"I know plenty of traitorous thugs," Nox said with feigned exasperation "you'll have to be more specific."

"Called herself the champion of some hunt or somethin', pretty little thing too, you'd never guess she could put up a fight. Helped me catch up with an old "buddy" of mine, then blasted me in the back."

Nox smiled, he couldn't help but approve of Nei'tiri's choice to beat this useless thug senseless and abandon him to die. Seems I'll have to finish the job she failed to complete, he thought.

"I know her, but she is the least of your concerns right now, thug."

"The name's Skadge," The Houk said angrily "remember it, because after I peel open that tin can on your head and smash your face into the back of your skull word is gunna spread all over the underworld that I killed a Sith bigshot!"

Amused, Nox dignified the bravado with a nonchalant response. "Well Khem, I told you I would find you a nice big meal didn't I?"

"Haguva vau marvina wasu, meginis hua dumin ouky deiis." Khem said gesturing towards the simmering brute.

"O come on - it's not that fatty" Nox protested. "It just looks that way, plenty of meat and muscle underneath all the blubber."

"What did you say? You're gunna pay for that!" The Houk roared. "I was gunna kill you quick and painful, but now I'll make sure you suffer."

"I already am," Nox said in a bored voice "every time you open that gaping mouth-hole I lose brain cells."

With a roar, the Houk drew his vibroblade and charged, while the two soldiers opened fire. Nox deflected the bolts with ease as Khem drew his own, much wider and larger vibroblade and met the big alien's advance with an intercessory leap. The two giants engaged in brutal combat, their nearly equal size and strength being brought heavily into play. Khem was only a few inches shorter, but his body was all muscle while the Houk had a slight height advantage but was carrying more than his fair share of fat.

Tiring of toying with the soldiers, Nox stopped bouncing their shots right back into their armor and extended one hand. In the same instant, one soldier was thrown back into the wall behind him and pinned there by the power of the Force. Nox deflected two more bolts from the remaining guardsman and unleashed an intense barrage of lightning that quickly encompassed the man. The victim's blaster dropped from his grasp as his body was racked by thousands of volts flowing through his nervous system and leaping through the rest of his body. The man collapsed to the ground dead just as Nox released the pinned soldier from his telekinetic grasp. In a panic the guard fired off three shots in rapid succession, only to have them directly impact his chest plate, right shoulder, and helmet. The latter shattered the visor revealing terrified yellow eyes. The sight gave Nox some pause, only agents of the Dark Side were supposed to have eyes of that color, yet this Force-blind human had eyes reminiscent of a Sith. Then Nox unleashed another torrent of blue lightning at his foe and the human screamed as his flesh melted and his brain overloaded with pain. When the smoking corpse collapsed, Nox paid it no heed and descended upon the Houk in a whirlwind flurry of lightsaber attacks.

Abandoning his favored Niman variant for the more aggressive, lightsaber-focused Juyo, Nox pelted the Houk's armor with Force-enhanced blows. The armor quickly began to show wear, as the Houk was forced to focus largely on fending off Khem's powerful overhand cleaves and sweeping blows. Scorch marks quickly became burns, and soon the burned spots began to become tattered and thin. Finally deciding that Nox might be the bigger threat, Skadge turned and began focusing on the Dark Lord. Nox was ready for him: deftly switching from Juyo back to Niman, he maintained his defensive stance while launching potent Force assaults on his foe. Although Nox's Force attacks did little damage thanks to the spells the Dread Masters had placed over the Houk, they were having another effect. The Houk's confidence was growing, and his attacks were becoming more and more reckless. When Khem saw the opening he took it. The massive vibroblade came down on a particularly weakened spot of armor, cutting through it like butter before slicing through flesh, muscle, bone, and out the other side. Skadge roared in pain as his free arm dropped to the ground, blood gushing profusely from the wound. In his anguish, the big man left himself wide open, and Nox's lightsaber obliged him by severing his massive, flabby head from his shoulders. The remains dropped to the floor, bathing the icy durasteel in blood.

Nox didn't even spare the corpse another glance, he sheathed his lightsaber and walked towards the door to the cargo bay. Prying the broken door open, he entered the bay, only to find it dark and far colder than the rest of the ship. He found his way to the power control panel and activated it. Slowly, one by one, the lights began to come on. Nox watched in stunned fascination as the lights revealed what the cargo bay was filled with: industrial-sized stasis chambers. In each chamber was what looked like assassin droids, HK assassin droids, and a lot of them. The sleeping sentinels stood like tombstones in a graveyard, only tombstones couldn't possibly come to life and attack you all at once with an extremely wide variety of deadly weaponry and incredible skill and finesse.

Moving to a mainframe access panel halfway across the cargo bay, Nox spent the next few minutes slicing into the half-frozen computer and retrieving what little data he could. Apparently the Empire had commissioned Czerka Corporation to produce two thousand of its latest HK-series model droids: at the time that was the HK-51. All of the droids had been damaged in the crash and during the subsequent deep freeze. Most of the parts, Nox realized, might not even exist anymore, at least not in such large quantities. Gazing around the cargo bay, Nox noticed one unit in the single-occupant stasis chamber situated in the center of the room. Noting the unit number printed on the chamber, he quickly looked up the unit's profile and found what parts were in need of replacement.

Just then his earpiece crackled and the voice of Lieutenant Hosser, the protection squad commander for the regional branch of the Reclamation Service, emerged from the static.

"Darth Nox, it's an honor. We received the dispatch order at base and are here as you requested. We've arrived at the entrance to the ship, but we're seeing hostiles inside."

Nox activated the com "My apologies commander, I forgot to clean up on my way in. I hope you're up for the challenge."

There was a pause, "Not a problem my lord, we'll get to work straight away!" The com cut out.

Nox began searching the database for schematics, he was angered to find that the data core containing the information had been breached during the crash and was now frozen solid inside and out. There would be no way to retrieve that data, not from here at least. But even as he exited the cargo bay and began heading back through the ruined ship to meet the expedition, an idea came to him. Czerka Corp. had created the HK-series droids, and despite the HK-51 model being a few years old he had no doubt that he could find its schematics in one of their laboratory archives...if he could get in. Czerka was notorious for being very closed off about its inventions, and the HK series was no exception. Negotiations would be long, arduous, complicated, and worst of all; boring. He'd have to find another way around this. A sudden inspiration struck him and he activated his earpiece, opening the link to his ship. "Andronikos, I need you to look up Czerka Corporation laboratories abandoned no earlier than two years ago."

"Huh?" came the confused reply "sorry, say that again?"

Nox sighed. "I need you to look up Czerka laboratory facilities abandoned within the past two years."

"Yeah, just hold on a sec, something came up." Andronikos said, his voice slightly muffled. Nox stiffened with anger at the casual dismissal. "Sorry my lord that wasn't meant for you." The bodyguard apologized. Nox said nothing for a moment while he processed something in his head.

"Andronikos," he asked "are you...is there someone there?"

Silence, then: "Would it make any difference if I said yes?" the ex-pirate asked sheepishly.

"I appreciate your honesty," Nox said, somewhat exasperated "but I really wish you would inform me of these things ahead of time."

"I try," insisted the bodyguard "but sometimes these things just...happen." To the woman that was with him he said; "Yeah I was having a great time too, but my boss is on the horn and needs me to work, so we'll continue this later, all right?" The response was too distant to make out, not that Nox wanted to, but it seemed whatever Nox had interrupted was over and he had his bodyguard back. "Hang on just a second and I'll look that up now." Andronikos said hurriedly. After a few minutes wait, he came back on the line. "Only one result."

"Really?" Nox said, genuinely interested "Fascinating, where is this laboratory?"

"The unknown regions." Andronikos said, concern creeping through in his voice, "in an asteroid field."

"Plot a hyperspace route." Nox commanded, "have the ship ready for take-off as soon as I get there." He paused for a moment before asking his next question. "Out of curiosity, does this laboratory have a name?"

"Yeah," came the compliant response; "the Theoretika."

_______________

Xalek moved through the streets of Detrimos's industrial sector, the Force cloaking him with invisibility and shrouding his presence from any Force-sensitives, Jedi or otherwise, in the area. He had met with Lieutenant Falimore and given the commander instructions to mobilize his troops to enact a containment and clean-up operation. Surprised by an order that seemed to imply that Xalek was going to route the Republic all by himself, the man had enough wisdom to simply follow the order without much questioning.

As he slipped between Republic patrols, taking the shortest route to the power plant that was his destination, Xalek allowed himself to slip into a slight meditative trance. This way, he could lose himself in thought, while the Force would remove him from the depths of his own mind in plenty of time to avoid any incoming hazards to his mission. His master had taught him the technique.

"Planning is a Sith's greatest asset," his master's voice reverberated in his skull, as if Xalek was still on Dromund Kaas all those months ago, listening attentively to one of his master's first lessons, "the ability to plot and scheme, predicting and anticipating the movements and intentions of both your allies and your enemies is crucial to achieving long-lasting victory and ensuring your survival. A Sith must shape the future by constantly attending to it with his thoughts."

"It is this philosophy that separates us from the Jedi. While they simply sit still like leaves on a pond, allowing themselves to be blown whichever way the wind wills, we are like gliders sliding across the surface, creating ripples and disturbances that buffet the leaves and reshape the pond with every move we make. The Jedi are content to simply accept the will of the Force as if it were a sentient being that would exalt them or reward them for their selfless sacrifice. They would surrender their free will in exchange for an illusion, a lie meant to placate and comfort those weak-minded enough to believe it. Sith do not desire to be deluded, and thus we do not desire peace. Instead, we reach forward through space and time, seizing upon the future we desire, and pulling the rest of the galaxy into line to make it reality. With our mind firmly anchored in the future, we can use the Force to reach back, use our bodies as a conduit for our power, and drive the physical world down the path that leads to the future to which we've anchored ourselves, thereby shaping our own destiny."

His master had paused, looking down at his kneeling apprentice, the dark voids of his mask's eyeholes seeming to pierce Xalek's flesh and see what lay beneath. "But we do not have the luxury of remaining still and placid while we forge our destiny. We do not bind ourselves with the chains of apathy and complacency as the hated Jedi do. Instead, we live in the moment only in the physical sense, while casting our minds ahead of us into the future that we desire. By dividing our focus while remaining single-minded in our intentions and purpose, our mind harnesses the Force to construct the pathways to the future that we envision, so that our physical existence, this mundane body, can follow the path we have laid out for it to reach that future that we most desire. You must learn this technique, how to place yourself in the future and guide your mundane physical existence down the path you wish to forge through the power of the Force. By instructing the Force to command your physical form on your behalf, you can focus on forging a path for yourself through the cosmos. In mastering this technique, you will never be taken by surprise."

Xalek savored the wisdom of his masters words, they resounded within him as the revelation he'd received back then alighted with the fires of renewed passion, ambition, and desire. In some ways he often felt that echoes of his master's presence renewed his strength and empowered him simply by calling up memories of being at his side, although they were nothing compared to the power his master's unique presence in the Force bestowed upon him in person. That power wasn't purely invigorating however, Xalek hadn't been with his master very long, compared to others of his lord's inner circle, but he'd seen Darth Nox's presence oppress and suffocate his enemies with the same potency that it empowered those who fought by his side. Foes whose reputations seemingly left no doubt of who the victor would be in the confrontation with the then-Lord Kallig, had all fallen one by one. Whatever powers they possessed blunted and stifled by the oppressive, overwhelming power of Darth Nox's unique aura. Despair, doubt, and weakness had flooded their minds all too quickly, slowing their reactions, dulling their senses, sapping their strength, and causing them to wither under the darkness Xalek's master exuded.

Many of the enemies Xalek had fought alongside his master had lost far too quickly for the Kaleesh's taste. Their blunted skills and almost non-existent strength proving to be no match for Xalek's overcharged powers and his master's terrifying command of the Dark Side. The only battle worthy of note was when they had faced Darth Thanaton on Correllia in the deciding battle of the Kaggath. Even then, it had merely been a matter of when, not if, he and his master would defeat the old fool, and he had proved to be hardly a challenge for Darth Nox alone when they finally fought before the eyes of the Dark Council. Truly, Xalek thought, it is a foolish and suicidal endeavor to defy my master.

The thought troubled him somewhat, after all the way of the Sith demanded that he one day surpass and kill his master, but Xalek couldn't see how he would ever surpass Darth Nox. Even if he one day reached the level of power Darth Nox had now, his master would likely have learned far more secrets, acquired more power, in the time that it took for Xalek to reach that point, and for all his hard work and ambition Xalek would be no closer to victory than before. Nevertheless, he thought, I must go on. I must continue to learn from my master and continue to increase my power. Should he ever show any sign of weakness, should he ever falter or fail, should his guard ever drop, then I will know my time has come, and I must be ready to seize upon that opportunity to the fullest. He was woken from his trance be a disturbance in the Force, the Dark Side had brought him out of his thoughts when his attention was required, as expected. He had arrived at his destination, before him, the power plant loomed. A small smile, hidden by both his bone mask and the Force cloak concealing his presence, spread across his face. It was time to turn the future into reality.

Moving swiftly, he ran towards the entrance in front of him. He dropped his Force cloak, remembering what the Moff had said about the Republic's stealth detection systems. He heard shouts of alarm, and klaxons began to blare as the Republic guards opened fire on him. Shielding himself with the Force, Xalek drew his double-bladed lightsaber and activated it. He swung both hands, sending the weapon on a long arc through the air, spinning like a circular plasma saw. Guided by the Force, it severed the heads of both guards in sequence before returning to its wielder, sinking into his waiting claws. With the speed of the Force, Xalek dashed towards the entrance just as the portable defense turrets installed on either side of the entrance registered him within their range of fire. Unable to keep up with his immense speed, they fired on the spot where he had been, only for Xalek to turn them into scrap with blindingly swift attacks from his lightsaber. Without even stopping for breath, Xalek continued his assault, carving his way through the scrambled Republic troops that were attempting to stop him. Many of them were foot soldiers, armed with only basic blaster rifles, blaster-resistant armor and light shields. Xalek slaughtered them in groups ranging from as small as four to as large as nine. Now and then he would encounter a commander or officer of similar rank clad in cortosis armor with better weapons and a higher-quality shield generator, but Xalek defeated them too, just with a little more effort. He realized with some disappointment that he had fully expected the number of enemies he would face to be larger. A location as crucial as this was supposed to be better guarded, unless the Republic commanders of the invasion were complete fools.

When he finally reached the door to the power core chamber, he was annoyed to find it locked down. He paused to gather his strength. After a full minute of summoning all the power he could muster, he lashed out with the Force. The massive durasteel door exploded inward, metal shattered and bent as if destroyed by a powerful explosive. His attempt had created a hole big enough for Xalek to walk through, and when he did, he saw why the Republic forces hadn't been as numerous as he had expected.

Standing in the middle of the chamber, near the power core's computer interface, was Lord Willsaam. She was standing, staring at him. He could tell she was at least somewhat impressed by his display of power.

"I thought you might be here." She said in bored voice. "Good to know you're as predictable as I thought." Xalek might have taken offense to the comment if he didn't think her misconception would be useful to reinforce.

"Following me like a lost Kath pup, are you?" He prodded eagerly.

She scoffed "You wish. I'm here on my own business. Do what you came to do and get out."

"I plan to." Xalek assured her. "But you may want to follow my lead when I do leave."

Jaesa laughed. "What makes you think I'd follow you?"

"Well that thought of imminent death in a fiery explosion might do the trick." Xalek said with more than hint of arrogance. Jaesa's mind put the pieces together.

"Ah, you plan to blow this place sky high." Xalek nodded. "Very well, let me just find what I'm looking for and I'll let you do what you want."

Xalek almost laughed at the thought of her preventing him from accomplishing his task, but his derision was cut off by a sudden disturbance in the Force. He drew his lightsaber at the same time Jaesa drew hers, and the two were suddenly engulfed in a haze of blaster fire. All over the chamber, Republic Special Forces troopers decloaked or popped up from their hiding places and opened fire. The two sith stood back to back, and began deflecting their blaster fire back at them, letting the Force guide their hands, but the soldiers had high-quality, powerful shield generators that absorbed their own bolts easily.

"Well," said Xalek "this is a fine mess you've gotten us into."

"What you mean me?" Jaesa said accusingly. "You're the one who set off the alarms, I was still outside when they went off."

"Yes but you stood around talking when I could have already set the power core to overload."

There was a sudden disturbance in the Force. Jaesa's response didn't come in the form of verbal rebuttal. Instead, she suddenly whirled around, bringing her lightsaber around in a move that would have cut off Xalek's head if it wasn't for the armor protecting the back of the Kaleesh's neck, and for the fact that Xalek had ducked. Jaesa's goal, however, wasn't to kill him, instead, she released her lightsaber at the peak of its arcing swing and sent it flying out over Xalek's head in the direction he had been facing. Meanwhile Xalek began to turn while still in his semi-squatting position with his own lightsaber seemingly aimed to cut off Jaesa's legs at the shins. Jaesa's lightsaber spun as it travelled, slicing through thin air that then became the headless corpse of the previously cloaked trooper, before collapsing to the ground. Jaesa's lightsaber returned to her, and her feet left the ground just as Xalek imitated her move but on a lower angle. His lightsaber whirled like a plasma saw as it cut the other cloaked trooper off at the knees. The man's screams of pain were silenced by a stray blaster bolt as Xalek's lightsaber returned to his waiting hand, Jaesa's feet dropped to the floor, and they returned to their back-to-back positions, deflecting blaster bolts by the dozen.

The whole incident had occurred in the space of a few seconds, and it took the members of the Special Forces unit attacking them longer to realize that their plan had failed. Fear and doubt began to spread among the unit, and the two Sith fed on that to give them power.

Jaesa turned her head just slightly to one side so Xalek could hear her speak. "I need some information in the database first before you destroy this place. If you have a problem with that I suggest voicing your displeasure after we deal with these scum."

"Fair enough," Xalek admitted "as long as your quick. We need to destroy this place before the Republic can send reinforcements."

"Aww, but I wanted to kill more Republic weaklings today!" Jaesa pouted.

"Trust me, you'll love what I've got planned." Xalek said maliciously

"Ha! I doubt you could plan anything more complicated than a hyperspace route!" Jaesa hissed.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Xalek commented "I've got lots of complicated things figured out, even you."

Before Jaesa could form a response she felt Xalek dash off. Moving with Force-imbued speed she dodged a hail of blaster bolts as she descended on the nearest troopers, encompassing them in a whirlwind of lightsaber strikes, lightning blasts, and bursts of dark energy. Despite the strength of their shields, the technology soon proved no match for the power of the Force. She broke down their shields and granted them tormentous deaths under the power of her Sith lightning. She heard the screams and felt the deaths of other members of the squad across the room as Xalek was no doubt doing the same. Within moments some of the remaining squad members, terrorized by the Sith's power and the anguished cries of their allies, broke ranks and fled. The commander cursed and ordered them back, but they ignored him and fled the power core chamber. With their forces decimated by death and cowardice, the remaining troopers fought hard, but were quickly outmatched. Soon the chamber was silent but for the deep hum of the power core and the blare of the klaxons.

"Hurry and get that information," Xalek said "It won't be too much longer before all the Republic forces in the area descend on this place!"

Not even bothering to argue, Jaesa hastily sliced the computer terminal and inserted a data spike to extract and download the information. As soon as she pulled it out Xalek took over the controls and set the power core to overload, activating his lightsaber and carving deep gouges into the console until it sparked at hissed once he was done.

"Let's go!" He roared above the noise. Their escape was quick and uneventful, most of the troops were too busy trying to evacuate to stop them, and anyone who tried was dismembered, electrocuted, or impaled with all haste.

Once outside they commanded the Dark Side to cloak them from sight just as Republic drop ships and troop carrier vehicles descended from the sky or pulled up to the facility and unloaded their cargo of emergency response military personnel. Easily navigating the confused and disorganized Republic evacuees unseen, they made it to a rooftop approximately a mile away, and decloaked as they turned to watch the power plant enter its final death throes. They were not disappointed. The explosion looked like a small nuclear weapon had been detonated. Xalek and Jaesa both shielded themselves from the blast, but the heat and shockwave still forced them to struggle to stay upright and not be blown back. Xalek couldn't help but notice that Jaesa took particular pleasure in the explosion. The sheer power and spectacle, as well as the hundreds of deaths they both felt in the Force.

They stood there in awe after the initial blast, and Jaesa only stirred from her trance when she felt the three-fingered claw of the Kaleesh sith grasp her gently by her deceptively slender arm.

"Come on," he said, his grin so wide she could see it poking out from behind the edges of his mask "This whole sector is going to light up in the next few hours, I've started a chain reaction that's destabilized the whole power network for the industrial sector. The Republic doesn't even know how connected the power plants are, but they're about to find out."

The realization of what the Kaleesh had done brought her lust for him roaring back. Instead of feeling disgusted at the touch of his thick claws she instead felt a rush of longing and desire. The thoughts of having such an ambitious, powerful, cunning hunter for a partner, it was intoxicating. The way he sought death and destruction just as she did, how he held himself to a code of honor just like Galadius, how he tore apart his enemies with all the skill, finesse, and power of a born predator...For once her feelings of disgust and hatred for the alien were nowhere to be found. She inexplicably found herself craving his attention, his respect, his desire. So when he turned to go, she turned and followed him back to the Imperial base, where they would watch the Republic go down in flames.

_______________

"Approaching destination." Andronikos said from the pilot's seat. Nox got out of the captain's chair after the ship left hyperspace and he saw the Theoretika for the first time. The ship was a ruin. It looked dilapidated and aged, although that might have just been the coat of rust-colored paint and the years of being battered by asteroids.

"I'm going in." He said, turning to leave the cockpit. "Dock the ship and stay here."

"You're going in alone?" Andronikos asked. "It's not like I doubt your ability or anything, but isn't that risky, going into a death trap like that without backup? We have no idea what's in there."

"I don't sense anything inside." Nox said "The only thing I'll have to worry about is the ship falling apart, and I can deal with that easily."

"If you say so," Andronikos said uncertainly, banking the ship into an approach vector. "I just don't want you not coming back, looks really bad when I'm the only one here with you."

Nox laughed. "Selfish as always Andronikos, good to see playing bodyguard hasn't changed you."

"Hey I enjoy playing bodyguard as much as the next guy." The ex-pirate countered as the ship docked with the Theoretika. "I just don't like being electrocuted or getting my head chopped off when they blame me for your death."

"Then you have nothing to be concerned about." Nox responded. "I will get what I need and return shortly." With that, he turned and left the cockpit, heading for the airlock. Within a few minutes, Nox had exited his ship and found himself in a turbolift access room, dimly illuminated by the miraculously still active ceiling light. From what he could remember about Czerka facility layouts, the docking port was in between the top deck and the deck directly below it. That meant he stood a better chance of finding what he needed if he went down. Approaching the turbolift, he found it inactive, no surprise there, and proceeded to carve through the sealed doors.

Once he had access to the hatch he peered over the edge to see that the shaft descended into blackness. He could see the entrance to the deck below, but it too, was sealed. Lowering himself over the edge, hanging on by his fingertips, he swore to himself that he would dedicate more time to learning the secrets of Force Flight. Letting go, he dropped towards the dark abyss below, grabbing onto the edge of the next floor through a combination of using the Force to slow his descent and amplifying the strength in his arms and fingers so the tiny ledge wouldn't slip from his grasp. Bending the Force to his will once more, he used it to pull himself up onto the inch-thick ledge and pin himself to the door with his heels jutting out over the edge. Igniting his lightsaber, he carved open the door, amplifying his strength with the Force to get the leverage he lacked because of his awkward position. Finally, with the door no longer an obstacle, he emerged onto Deck Four.

The first thing he noticed through the gloom was a nearby box of light droids. Activating one of them, it burst to life and hovered a foot or so over his head, turning on its beam as it did so. The beam of light illuminated the corridor beyond the doorway ahead of him, the hall traveling perpendicular to the direction from which he now entered it and, of more interest, containing a corpse. Preserved by the stale air and lack of bacteria, the corpse appeared to have been dead for months, based on the accumulation of dust and the complete lack of any remnant of the Force in it, not even an echo or any fading imprints.

Ignoring it, Nox moved throughout the deck, investigating every open room and carving through every closed door he came across. Most of the rooms were just barracks, but he happened to stumble across a few storage rooms. After searching the entire deck, he finally found the room he was looking for. Situated on the far end of the level, the space was filled with consoles, wires, and assorted technical paraphernalia. After testing a few consoles, Nox found one that was still running, albeit on low power, and used it to access the emergency power generators. His joy at restoring power to the entire engineering level was short lived however, as he discovered through the console's readouts that power to the command deck had been severed. The troubleshooter program indicated that the connection had been cut off, leaving that deck's emergency power generator as the only way to restore power. Unfortunately, the program also informed him that the generator's last status had been classified as: "No connection", which could very well mean "destroyed". Nox sighed, it looked like he would have to make do without power while exploring the command deck.

Returning to the turbolift, Nox used it to ascend to the command deck. Upon arriving, he found the door from the turbolift to the rest of the deck sealed shut. Igniting his lightsaber, he attempted to carve through it, and was shocked to find the door lined with cortosis. Cortosis wasn't cheap, if Czerka had sprung for doors lined with the substance on the command deck of this vessel, that usually meant they were expecting trouble, possibly of the lightsaber wielding variety. Reaching out with the Force, Nox found the door to be far more sturdy than its predecessors on the engineering deck. Nonetheless, he managed to blast it off its hinges and imbed it into the opposite wall with a little more effort. Striding through the now open portal, he found himself in a hallway exactly like the one on the previous deck, no doubt every deck had the exact same layout. Armed with this knowledge, he approached the exact same area where he had found the main engineering compartment before. He was rewarded with an extremely large and thick door that he had no doubt led to the bridge.

Steadying himself, he extended his hands. Motioning as if he was placing his hands against the door, even though they were braced against only thin air, he began to push out with the Force. The door groaned and shuddered, Nox felt the vessel respond to the door in the same manner as his power began to test the strength of the walls surrounding the door frame. The massive barrier before him began to bend and buckle, but it did not give. Nox bowed his head, closed his eyes, and heaved. There was a roaring screech as the door was torn from its place and sent crashing inward. The door frame warped and buckled from the trauma, becoming as much of a jagged ruin as the rest of the ship.

Nox strode confidently and purposefully into the room. A large viewport dominated the opposite wall, and for a moment, Nox stood in shocked relief that he hadn't pushed harder. If he had applied more effort, he might well have sent the door flying into the miraculously still intact window, instead of crashing to the lowered floor of the bridge where it now lay. With that he might have ended up being sucked into space, and as powerful as he was, Nox doubted he could survive very long in that frigid void. Surveying the bridge, Nox noticed a large vat dominating the left side, surrounded by countless scientific consoles and technical tools. The vat would probably have been illuminated from the inside if the command deck had power, but as it was, only the machinery keeping the vat active was still running. Nox couldn't tell if there was anything in it, though he couldn't sense anything through the Force, and the vat appeared as dark and black as the vacuum outside the viewport - except for the stars of course. It seemed the bridge had also served as the main lab. Nox approached the console that sat on the raised part of the floor and tried to access the database. To his frustration, he found it sealed by an access code.

With the touch of a button on his wrist control, he activated his comlink. "Andronikos, I need the access code for this station's database."

"What? Oh sure, no problem, I'll just call Czerka now and ask for them." The pirate replied sarcastically.

Summoning the Force, Nox reached into his ship and applied a minute amount of pressure to the man's neck. Not enough to hurt or impede his breathing in a serious way, but enough to make him uncomfortable. "I'm not in the mood for your mockery, pirate." He hissed. "Hack into the Czerka computers over the holonet and get me the access codes for this station, then wipe all evidence of the incursion from the network. Let's see all those courses in Advanced Slicing from Imperial Intelligence put to good use!" He released his Force-grip on the man's neck and heard the barely audible sigh of relief.

"Access codes, coming right up." Andronikos said woodenly. Nox could have simply mind controlled him to get the same result, but with less resentment, from the bodyguard. But now and again Nox felt he had to remind the pirate of his place. The way he spoke to Nox was often too casual and familiar for a member of the Dark Council. The attitude had been permissible to a point when Nox was an apprentice, less appropriate when he became a lord, and borderline disgraceful upon Nox's ascension to the Dark Council. It was for this reason that Nox often ordered the ex-pirate never to speak to him or anybody else - besides soldiers - while they were in public. Nox knew that forcing the bodyguard to constantly speak in the rigid and formal manner with which all Imperial subjects were expected to speak to a Lord of the Dark Council would only breed deep-seated resentment that would, over time, become deep-rooted hatred. That sort of disposition might be useful to inspire in an apprentice or other Sith underlings, but in his personal bodyguard, that could very well be akin to a death sentence.

Not that Nox feared death. With the five spirits still bound to him through the power of the Force Walk, their very presence keeping his own spirit bound to his physical body, there was only one foe that could kill him now: time. Even so, an unexpected "death" could be detrimental to his current plans. He preferred to keep his apparent immortality a secret from the galaxy at large. Thanaton had been the only being outside Nox's inner circle who had reason to suspect that the Dark Lord was immortal, and thus he had been in the best position to figure out how Nox achieved his virtual immortality and counteract it, either with a ritual he created or with one he discovered.

"Got it, sending them now." Andronikos said curtly. Nox heard the beep as his wristcom received the access codes.

"Excellent." he said with satisfaction, terminating the channel. He quickly entered the code and searched the database for the schematics. Within minutes, he found what he was looking for. He was just about to download them when he felt a sudden disturbance in the Force. Slowly looking towards the vat, he saw two, bright orange orbs glowing inside. No, he realized, not orbs. Before he could complete the thought, there was movement in the vat. A sudden impact cracked the glass, and a shadowy fist withdrew to strike again. The second impact shattered the vat into a million pieces, the odd-smelling liquid pouring out over the ruined machinery below that had been crushed by the door. The creature stood to its full height and roared. Nox saw teeth the length of vibroknives, and a hard, scaly exoskeleton that covered the creature like a complete suit of chain mail. The beast's claws were thick and sharp, and its corded muscle seemed to belie a dexterity that a creature that size should not have.

Nox drew his lightsaber, preparing himself for the inevitable confrontation. The creature roared once more, took a step forward...and collapsed to ground, dead.

With utter shock, Nox stared at the corpse for a few minutes before cautiously approaching it. Confirming, both in the Force and by its pulse, that it was dead, he returned to the console and downloaded the HK schematics. While the download completed, he researched the creature in the vat. Apparently, it had been Czerka's latest experiment in bioengineering. They had created a predatory organism that could be programmed to combat and adapt to almost any enemy or tactic. The creature Nox had just confronted had been the prototype and, at the time of the vessel's abandonment, hadn't been ready to live outside the vat. They had also designed it to be Force-resistant, as well. Fascinated, Nox downloaded all the information and opened a channel to the ship again. "Andronikos, I need a dispatch order for a Reclamation service team to our coordinates. Tell them to send one of the black-level teams." There was a series of beeps and clicks, then Andronikos's voice came back over the channel.

"Sent."

"Fire up the engines." Nox ordered. "I have what I need, we're leaving."

"Roger that."

_____________

From the forest's outskirts, Jay-Li stared silently at the form of House Thul. The massive fortress of an estate stood as an imposing sentinel, solemnly watching over the land that was its heritage, from the elevated plain that had been carved into the side of the Juran mountain range to accommodate the massive structure. The place gave one the impression of extravagant wealth and abundant resources, while also displaying a remarkable amount of practicality and single-minded focus. Rather than spending the vast amounts of credits and resources supplied to them by the Empire on niceties, decorative propaganda, or grandiose architecture, the House of Thul had opted to invest heavily in their militant might, and upgrades to their security system and layout that made the estate very hard to break into.

The entire complex was surrounded on three sides by 40 foot walls, with the mountainside itself serving as the fourth. The layout was square, and everything, save for the northern speeder taxi terminal, was contained within the looming barriers of durasteel that were likely several feet thick. Jay-Li had no doubt that not a single bit of space within that area was wasted, and he had to admire the Thul's efficiency and tactical wisdom. House Organa, by comparison, was a sprawling, open estate. It's lack of walls, or indeed containment or protective barriers of any serious merit, left it constantly vulnerable to attack. A weakness the Thul's had exploited tremendously throughout the civil war. Upon arriving on the planet a few hours ago, Jay had been concerned to learn that a few months ago, House Thul had held House Organa's spaceport for almost a week. The fact that the spaceport was completely isolated from the House itself, unlike the Thul spaceport which was sheltered in the far corner of estate against the mountainside, and equipped with powerful defenses, had made it a perfect place for House Thul's forces to outlast a siege. Only the clever and selfless actions of two Jedi Knights had delivered the spaceport back into the hands of its rightful owners.

Still, Jay-Li had to admire Thul's efficiency and rejection of the prideful grandeur and arrogance that the nobles of House Organa so often displayed. House Thul had their feet on the ground, despite their lofty ambitions, and Jay had little doubt that was why they were currently winning the war. Cloaking himself in the Force, he took off towards the facility at a run. Upon reaching its borders, he slipped between the two turrets guarding the taxi terminal, making sure to stay as far away from either of the deadly sentinels as possible. Immediately after passing the turrets and entering through the gate, he made a ninety degree turn and slipped along the inside of the wall to avoid the large, four-legged battle droids patrolling the street. Still hugging the massive barrier, he slowly made his way towards the southeastern corner of the grounds, where the palace, the real "House Thul", stood. Upon arriving, Jay quickly noticed the two battle droids standing guard on either side of the semi-circular portal. As he had done with the turrets, he slipped in between them, careful to leave as much space as possible between him and either machine.

Once inside, Jay took the opportunity to survey the Main Hall. Architecturally, it was identical to House Organa's, but there were differences in the artistry and symbols that marked the houses as clearly different. Returning his mind to the task at hand, Jay slipped into a side hall. He assumed that the layout of the palace would be similar to that of Palace Organa, only to find that while the architecture was the same, the Thul's used rooms differently. He found himself in the armory, and resisted the urge to start driving his lightsaber into every single crate and weapon rack in sight. Turning, he retraced his steps back to the main hall and took a different path. After a few minutes of winding his way through countless passages, avoiding the few guards and battle droids patrolling the halls, he finally found what he was looking for; sheltered in a side room near the chambers of House Thul's nobles, was a rather grand-looking access terminal with a holoprojector.

Entering the room, Jay pressed a button on a small panel to the right side of the doorway. The door descended from the pointed arch of the portal, meeting the threshold with a soft "fwump". Pressing another button, Jay-Li heard a sharp click and knew the door was now locked. Anyone with an access code could get in of course, but it would take them a few seconds to enter to code and override the lock. Seconds Jay could use to slip into stealth once more and hide somewhere in the room until the intruder left.

Lowering his Force cloak, Jay strode towards the access terminal. Upon reaching it, he used it to begin sifting through House Thul's security holocam recordings from a few months ago. He wasn't finding anything pertaining to his goal, and was about to give up when suddenly, in a flash of recording, he saw Darth Nox meeting Sith Lord Serjay Thul, the new leader of House Thul and current contender for the throne of Alderaan. The two Sith were shaking hands, and, upon ending the exchange, Serjay motioned for Nox to walk beside him and they disappeared off-cam. Quickly perusing all recordings made after that, Jay quickly found many more recordings of Darth Nox performing several activities; meeting with nobles in private, conducting official meetings, doing interrogations, and all manner of business transactions. Most notably, Jay found a few instances where Nox wasn't wearing his usual battle armor, and was instead clad in ritualist robes that were no doubt more comfortable. Eventually, Jay found recordings of the Dathomirian Zabrak clad in only light robes or undergarments, appearing to be enjoying House Thul's luxuries.

Jay stopped at a recording of Nox lounging on a reclined lawn chair while a Nautolan female, obviously a slave judging by her garments, fed him from a large tray of fruits and snacks. Suddenly, the woman made a clumsy move and the large tray of expensive and no doubt delicious food clattered to the ground, spilling its contents. The slave woman instinctively threw up her hands and cowered, "Please master, I beg your forgiveness, don't hurt me! Please! I'm sorry!" Jay thought he saw a flash of anger fly through the Zabrak's eyes, but then he saw it replaced by a tenderness he would have thought impossible for a Sith, were he not seeing it with his own eyes.

"My dear," Nox said, slowly and gently reaching out to take the Nautolan's slender blue hands in his own crimson ones. The look of surprise one her face was quickly replaced with one of fear and suspicion, "Listen to me very carefully," His yellow eyes locked on her large, black ones, "I want you to clean this up this mess, then return to the kitchen and tell whoever it is who sent you that I have judged the food you brought unworthy and demand a better dish immediately. Tell no-one what really happened, it will be our little secret." He smiled at her, and her suspicion lapsed into gratitude and joy. "Oh thank you master! Most glorious lord! You are so merciful!" She prostrated herself on all fours, then began to gather up the mess.

Seeming to act on impulse, Nox reached down and grasped her arm, Jay saw a flicker of fear pass across the woman's face and for a moment he shared it, fearing that Nox's mood had suddenly changed. Instead, Nox pulled her up to him so that he could whisper something that couldn't be heard into her auditory receptacle that was on the opposite side of her head from the camera. The Nautolan woman smiled shyly as Nox whispered to her, and Jay noticed her cheeks turning dark blue; she was blushing. When Nox released her she bowed her head once, then collected the remaining mess and stood to her feet, heading off-cam, while Nox watched her go.

Jay ended the recording, and as he continued to search for more holovids of Nox he pondered the Dark Lord's actions. Most Sith would have yelled at the slave, a more cruel or vicious Sith might have punished her, not necessarily with physical force either. So the Dathomirian's show of kindness was all the more puzzling. Darth Nox's SIS profile indicated that he was ruthless, intelligent, and highly perceptive. There was nothing in it about him being merciful or kind to anyone under him. Jay thought about the young Nautolan blushing as Nox whispered to her, and the thought occurred to him that Nox might just be trying to seduce the slave. But even that didn't make sense, why seduce a slave? Sith simply took what they want, and if that happened to be the dignity of a slave, so be it. Why seduce the woman when he could have simply ordered her to give him what he desired?

As he pondered this, he suddenly came upon a holorecording of Darth Nox and Lord Serjay lounging in a hot tub. The two men sat across from one another, and bottles of intoxicants sat near their hands, placed there by servants or slaves, most likely.

"If you don't mind me saying so, those tattoos are quite exquisite my lord." Serjay said in compliment. "How can I procure full-body art of that caliber?"

Nox laughed "Be born of a Dathomirian Nightsister."

Serjay looked down at himself. "I think that might be a bit of a problem." He joked, and the two men laughed together.

"These tattoos do more than just make me look good," Nox supplied, indulging the other man's curiosity, "They were made with assistance from Nightsister magic, Dark Side sorcery that not only makes them permanent, but that ensured that I grew up strong and physically fit, regardless of my nutrition and environment. It is a common practice for Nightbrothers, as on Dathomir we are essentially slaves to the Nightsisters. They want to be able to abuse and mistreat us as much as possible, without sacrificing our usefulness to them."

Serjay nodded to show his gratitude at the Darth's expansion on the subject. "Yet you overcame that and became more powerful than those witches could ever hope to be." He paused briefly. "Have you ever considered taking revenge?"

"I was born on Dathomir," Nox replied "But I was sold as a slave by the time I was three standard years old. I was a slave right up until I was sent to Korriban." He stopped and seemed to reflect on something. "Two full decades of slavery." He said, almost mournfully. "I knew nothing else, but somehow I knew deep down, that I was destined for greater things." He spread his arms wide, "And look where I am now!" a savage grin spread across his face. "A Lord of the Dark Council, second only to the Emperor himself!"

"Indeed my lord," Serjay said respectfully. "Even the title of King of Alderaan pales in comparison to your position."

"Take heart, Serjay." Nox encouraged. "When you are crowned king you will be elevated to the title of Darth, Viktus consulted with the Council about it a few weeks ago." Serjay's smile became one of naked ambition and glee. Nox laughed at the sight, "Any requests for your Darth name?"

"Imperious." Serjay said after a moment of consideration. "Darth Imperious."

Nox nodded approvingly. "A fitting name for one who rules as a king." He seemed to consider something for a moment, then spoke again, "I have a gift for you, Serjay, one that I believe will reinforce your bid for the throne." He grabbed his comlink from its place near the bottles of alcohol and activated it, "bring it in." In moments, a dark-robed Sith apprentice entered, bearing a triangular artifact. From the look on faces of Serjay and the apprentice, the artifact radiated dark power. "I designed this artifact myself," Nox said casually "Upon being used it will grant you the power to siphon the life force of anyone with whom you have a force bond to give you more power in the Force, amplify your physical strength, or even to heal you." He stopped talking to take in the look on Serjay's face. "Normally this is a technique which takes months of intense study to learn, but I was inspired to create this shortcut of sorts by the late Darth Arho, who, as I'm sure you know, was formidable in battle because of this very technique. I thought it might be useful to someone looking to rule an entire world." He ended his little speech with a grim smile.

"My lord!" Serjay exclaimed, "You are most gracious!"

"Be mindful however," Nox warned him. "If you sacrifice too many to this technique's power, its usefulness decays. Sacrificing one person will produce a drastic and potent effect, sacrificing two will make the effect more potent than sacrificing one, but the power differential between one and two sacrifices is less than the differential between one sacrifice and none, and so on."

"I will keep that in the foremost of my mind." Lord Thul promised. Nox gestured towards the apprentice, and Serjay looked at the young man; "Take it to my quarters. See that it is secured, or your head will be its replacement." The casual threat, Jay knew, was to ensure the apprentice didn't attempt to steal the artifact for himself, and he marveled at the level of paranoia that was required to survive, let alone prosper, among the Sith.

When the apprentice had left, Serjay thought for a moment, then spoke in as calm and subservient a tone as he could muster. "My lord, why me? Wouldn't this artifact better be served in your hands where it can do the most damage to our enemies?" Nox chuckled. "Always thinking of the Empire, aren't you Lord Thul? That will get you killed eventually if you don't hold that loyalty in check and place yourself first. I created this artifact specifically for you, Serjay. I want you to succeed in your bid for the throne because that makes you and our alliance all the more valuable to me. Furthermore, as Councilor of the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge I am allowed to allocate any of the resources I recover, or in this case create, to whomever I please."

"Are you not concerned that my loyalty to my master, Darth Viktus, will override our alliance in a crisis?" Serjay asked.

"Betrayal is the game the Sith play endlessly," Nox said with calm self-assurance. "If you are so foolish as to attempt to betray me you will suffer defeat and death for it. If you are powerful enough to succeed, than I am unworthy of my title, my influence, and my power."

Serjay nodded sagely. "As always Darth Nox, your wisdom enlightens me."

"And besides," Nox said, a sinister gleam entering his eyes, "I have little need of such an artifact to destroy our enemies. For one thing I have already learned the technique. For another, I have plans in motion that will shake the Republic and the Jedi to their very core."

"Oh?" Serjay raised an eyebrow in avid curiosity. "Pray tell, my lord, what plans are these?"

Nox gave him only a wry smile, "Such a naked attempt to pry information, Lord Thul. I would hope you have greater political acumen than this, else the throne might very well be in danger of falling into enemy hands." Serjay stiffened, almost imperceptibly "But suffice to say, that when my plans come to completion, the Republic, as it is now, will no longer exist." Jay froze.

"They sound ambitious, my lord." Serjay replied. "But," he added quickly, "If there is any Sith in the Empire who could bring to fruition such ambitious and devastating machinations, it would be you. Your destruction of Thanaton and ascension to the Dark Council more than proved that."

An eerie gleam entered the Zabrak's eye. "Lord Thul, you have no idea."

_______________

Nox walked nonchalantly through the ruined courtyard of the Dark Temple. Around him, the fevered voices and shadowy forms of the possessed that haunted the Temple grounds flickered in and out of his awareness. He could feel the anger, hate, and rage of the forgotten wraiths that had armored themselves in the flesh of those sent to uncover the Dark Temple's secrets. They wanted to attack him, to overwhelm him and take his mind and body for their own, but they knew they couldn't succeed. They remembered the last time he had been here, how he had robbed them of perfectly good hosts with so little effort, and they knew to attack or even offend him might mean more punishment, so they stayed their ghostly hands.

Pleased that his previous visit had produced such a desirable effect on the ethereal parasites, Nox took the time to enjoy his surroundings. The aroma of the Dark Side was strong here, as strong as the sweet-smelling savor of a thick cloud of incense. It was tangible in the air around him, he could feel the dark whispering to him, subsuming him as it spoke of power, glory, and exultation. He allowed it to wrap around him, enjoying the experience more than any lover's embrace. He had enjoyed many women of many different species, but his one true love was the Dark Side of the Force.

After allowing himself a brief moment of reverie, Nox released his hold on the darkness and brought his focus back to the mundane realm. He was not here to bask in the Temple's dark glory, nor meditate on the Dark Side, he was here to find the HK droid piece that he needed. It's exact location was a mystery, but it was rumored to have been found here by one of Darth Hadra's expeditions before they all went insane and became possessed. All Nox knew was that it was somewhere in the courtyard, possibly even buried beneath it. But he wasn't about to scour every square foot of the entire courtyard to find it, he had a better idea. Removing a remote console from his belt, he tapped a button and waited a few minutes. His patience was rewarded when a small, disc-shaped droid, hovering a few meters off the ground, came flying up to him and beeped in acknowledgement upon reaching him. He entered the instructions into the remote, and the droid flew off towards the temple, rising high into the air to scan the area for anomalies like the ones he had instructed it to look for. Once it reached a certain height and position over the courtyard, the droid began scanning, streaming its results to the console screen. Nox followed the data as it unfolded, and soon enough his mind began to wander.

His recent good fortune in discovering the information he needed to continue perfecting his ritual was a sign that the Dark Side of the Force was working in concert with him, that his actions and plans were a part of its will. At the Battle of Ilum, he had been concerned that the Force was striking back at him through Malgus, attempting to take away the resources and influence he needed to conduct his plans without fear of interference or discovery. Of course he could have sided with Malgus, but for Nox an active Emperor and a united Empire were even more dangerous to his plans than a seemingly omniscient but apathetic Emperor and a fractured, feudal Empire. At least in the current Sith Empire, Nox could distract his rivals and pit them against each other. In any case, siding with Malgus was an idea that was only shown to be more foolish by the fact that the coup had failed.

Even before that, the Dark Side had been with him. His incursion into the Emperor's personal library seemed to go completely unnoticed by the Emperor or his Hand. If Nox didn't know better, he would swear Vitiate was completely absent, taking whatever amounted to a nap for an immortal. While he was confident that his machinations were in accordance with the will of the Dark Side, still, he had to be careful. Even for those who dwelled in the realm of the Force, the unforeseen could occur. He had to be ready for anything to happen, be ready to adapt and evolve to meet any unpredictable crisis or sudden changes to his plan. Failure to plan for the unexpected would be akin to inviting the unexpected in to wreak havoc and turn triumph into catastrophe.

The information scrolling by on the screen suddenly stopped. The droid had completed its scan, and Nox regarded the results: there were 6 locations that the data suggested to look. Calling the droid back to him, Nox approached the first area and, after a brief search around the general vicinity, instructed the droid to begin attempting to triangulate the position of the anomaly it had detected. Finding nothing, it requested further instruction. Nox told it to begin digging, placing signal boosters in the holes it created to enhance its scan results. While he watched the droid go about its work, Nox once more slipped back into the depths of his own thoughts.

Darth Aruk was becoming a problem, his audacious attempt to threaten Nox was typical of the Dark Council's head of the Sphere of Sith Philosophy. As staunch of a traditionalist as Thanaton had been, Aruk was also an adamant racist. He despised Nox simply for being neither human nor pureblood, and took every opportunity to undermine or discredit him. So far his efforts had all met with failure, but the most recent threat had been quite bold. Sending an emissary directly to Nox's place of residence bordered on being a both a personal insult and a threat on his life. Nox could see this one-sided feud quickly spiraling out of control, and he couldn't afford to run the risk of having his plans disrupted by some petty ronkworm. Of course, removing Aruk wouldn't necessarily solve the problem. His followers were just as prejudiced as he was, but any newly promoted member of the Dark Council would have to invest at least some time and effort into establishing their power base and asserting their authority over their sphere before they could turn their attention outward, and that might give Nox enough time to further his plans to the point where he could take care of the problem for good. If there was one thing Nox was good at, it was evading his enemies.

The droid returned to him, having found nothing. He instructed it to follow him and moved on to the next site, once more returning to the depths of his own mind once he had set the droid to work. The content of Aruk's threat hadn't escaped Nox's mind, if Ashara truly was being too zealous in incorporating her ideas of a united and placid Empire, that could become a serious problem. Her desires were a part of Nox's plans, but that was exactly why he needed her to be covert and subtle about introducing these ideals to the Empire. If she was too open about them it would draw unwanted attention to him, and might lead to his true plans being uncovered. He could not allow that. He would have to talk to her about this, get her side of the story and convince her that her ideals would not take root in the Imperial subconscious unless they were planted there in secrecy. Of course, forcing her to use deception and manipulation, even for a noble cause, would only accelerate her slow and agonizing fall, which suited Nox just fine. Convincing her even more that the good she wished to accomplish could not be realized through the Light Side was the way to get her to give herself fully to the Dark, and when she finally turned from the light that blinded her and saw the truth, nothing would stop them. Together they would rule this galaxy and bring order to the chaos that the Jedi and their wretched Republic created.

The droid beeped as it approached him, carrying something in its claw. Holding out his hand, he waited for the mechanical assistant to drop what it had found into it. When it did, he examined it for only a moment before he recognized it as a motivator for an HK-series droid. Thanks to the backward compatibility of the HK-51 model, he knew this part, old as it was, would work as a replacement for the broken one, after he had it cleaned and examined that is. He was glad for the information about where Darth Hadra's team had been camped, without it he would have had to scour the entire temple grounds himself, which would have taken days of his valuable time, days he couldn't afford to lose. He doubted the Reclamation Service teams he had dispatched to Tattoine, Taris, and Hoth would be so lucky. They had far less information to go on, and a lot of ground to cover, but he knew they would come through. The loyalty of his underlings was born out of respect, but with a healthy level of fear. They knew Nox rewarded those who performed admirably, and that drove them to exceptionality far more effectively than fear of failure. They also knew that Nox punished those who failed him according to their failure, which had established his reputation as a far more fair-minded master than the others on the Dark Council.

That meant there was only a few places left in the galaxy where Nox might find what he needed, and as he pocketed the droid motivator and sent the flying remote droid back to its dispatch station, he had already decided which one he was going to next.

________________

Nox surveyed the ruins of the Foundry as he strolled through the wide corridors. The ancient space station had been gutted and stripped of almost everything of value, then left to orbit a dwarf star in the far reaches of the Outer Rim, and with each room Nox was beginning to feel concerned that whatever part he hoped to find here would be missing. Despite his worries, he felt old memories begin to surface as he walked and viewed the carcass of what had once been a one of the greatest threats to the Empire. He remembered tearing through these halls, a newly anointed Lord of the Sith, side by side with the Grand Champion of the Great Hunt, his fellow Sith Lord Galadius, and the mysterious Cipher Nine of Imperial Intelligence. In what had arguably been their greatest battle, and greatest triumph, the Imperial Vanguard had torn through the ancient droid factory's defenses one after the other. Jedi defenders had fallen in their hundreds, battle droids in their thousands. They had taken down HK-47 in the Foundry's core, and that was the reason Nox was here. While the chassis of the assassin droid had been recovered by the Imperial Reclamation Service under Thanaton's rule, it had been passed into the hands of Darth Hadra, head of the Empire's Sphere of Technology, who in turn allocated it to Darth Malgus, along with the Foundry itself, for repairs and use in the front lines. The Vanguard had defeated the droid once more in the Battle of Ilum on the Emperor's space station, but what had happened to the droid's remains after that was a mystery, a mystery Nox had set his growing network of spies and informants on unraveling.

But here, in the ruins of an old triumph, he hoped to find parts that had perhaps been missed by the Reclamation Service in the initial recovery, or even a secret stash of spare parts that Revan was rumored to have kept. The man himself had nearly said as much when the Imperial Vanguard had confronted him in the Foundry's control center, claiming he could simply rebuild the loyal assassin droid, a feat that would be nearly impossible unless he had at least handful of parts hidden somewhere. Given that the Foundry had been Revan's impromptu command center for his planned attack on the Empire, it stood to reason that he might keep those parts on hand. It's not like he had known he would be defeated and that Nox would need those parts, so the only way such a cache could have been removed is if it had been found by the I.R.S. or the Schism Collective. Reaching the Core room, Nox began to scour the place with a thorough intensity that belied his eagerness and impatience. After a full standard hour of searching, he came to the conclusion that any parts left here after the battle all those years ago were long gone. He supposed he should have expected as much, even before his ascension to power the Reclamation Service had been exemplary, and he should have known better than to believe they wouldn't scour and scan every square inch of the room for valuable or useful items. Still, that left Revan's stash to find, and as thorough as the I.R.S. was back then, Nox doubted that, even collectively, they could outsmart Revan.

Minutes later, upon reaching the Command Center, Nox was hit by an intense feeling of nostalgia. The sensation was quickly followed by a vision that overwhelmed his senses and transported him through space and time to the past. He saw Galadius and himself battling Revan, Galadius's crimson blade locking with Revan's violet one again and again as Nox, then known as Lord Kallig, tried to exploit the holes in the Jedi Master's defenses to land a killing blow. Turning his head to one side, Nox saw Nei'tiri and Cipher Nine alternating between firing blaster bolts and shoring up the two Sith with Kolto. Nox watched as the battle took a sudden turn, his own memories giving the vision clarity and focus. Revan lashed out in a Force push, sending Galadius tumbling off the platform on which the Command Center sat, and into the abyss, though with the asteroid's weak gravity, at a much slower rate and softer angle than he would have on an actual planet. Believing his most dangerous enemy to be gone, Revan turned on the younger Nox and began ferociously attacking him. Nox watched as his younger self desperately struggled to defend himself against the intense offensive. He managed to turn so that his back faced the Command Center Console, but despite the support from two kolto probes and covering fire laid down by the Cipher, Revan managed to catch the aspiring Sith off-guard with a dizzying array of attacks that made the conflict seem more like a dance than a battle.

His guard down, young Nox was slammed into the Command Center console with another Force push, and Revan whirled on the bounty hunter and Imperial agent. In a flash of Force speed, he seemed to instantly cross the meters of distance between them and came at Nei'tiri with his lightsaber swinging. The clever Mandolorian barely managed to dodge in time, but in doing so exposed herself to a kick from the Jedi Master that knocked her to the ground. Revan raised his lightsaber to execute her, only to be sent sprawling by a full-blown body slam from Lord Galadius. The Sith warrior had leaped from one floating asteroid fragment to another, using the Force and the low gravity to his advantage. Leaping from the closest fragment floating by the exposed Command Center platform, he had aimed his leap to slam him right into the Jedi, sending the man staggering from the sheer shock of being hit by a large, solid object travelling at high speed while he was completely unaware. Nox glanced back to where the younger version of him had been slumped against the console. He was now standing, one hand raised in front of his face in a pose of concentration. He had been shrouding Galadius's presence from Revan, clouding the Jedi's mind to prevent him from seeing the future, and thus avoid Galadius's attack. But the Force drew Nox's attention past himself, to the console.

By shielding himself with the Force, the younger Nox had avoided becoming seriously injured, and the console he hit had instead suffered the damage. The dented and buckled metal had been broken open in some places, and through one of these holes Nox could see two wires of opposite colors running side by side. Having seen and studied similar consoles, Nox knew that these wires were the console's primary power lines, and thus were almost always unbroken. However, these particular wires had been divided in half, with each half ending in connectors that linked the two halves of each line together. Basically this did nothing and was a completely pointless exercise, but Nox doubted that Revan would have wasted any time better spent preparing for the inevitable battle with the Empire by amusing himself with a pointless activity. That meant the wires had been altered for a reason, and Nox was already positive he knew what the reason was.

The vision faded, and Nox approached the broken console. Reaching it, he looked for and found the warped panel that covered the wires he had seen in the vision. Removing it, he disconnected the wires, watching the dimly lit console go dark as it lost power. After checking for any other tampering, Nox connected the wires again, only this time each half of the wire was connected to the opposite half of its counterpart. The console blinked back on, but it wasn't what Nox saw that interested him, it was what he heard. The sound of a lock opening. Rising to his feet, he turned around and used his Force sight. Glancing at the floor of the command platform in the direction the sound had come from he saw exactly what he expected to see; a maintenance compartment with a custom lock, no doubt installed by Revan so that only he could have access to it. Approaching the hidden trap door, Nox used the Force to lift it open, as it had no other method of release, and climbed inside. The space was small, and it didn't take Nox long to find the toolbox hidden behind a radiator pipe and a mess of wires. He broke the lock and looked inside, a smile spreading across his face as he saw what it contained. He lifted the loyalty chip out of the box, holding it up to the light given off by the compartment's tiny illuminator, the chip was in mint condition, as if brand new.

This would do, this would do very nicely.

______________

Xalek stalked the halls of the Semak building, cloaked in the dark embrace of the Force, hidden from all manner of detection. He slipped past the countless Republic guards patrolling the wide halls, their bright, self-righteous uniforms and armor at odds with the stalwart, functional gray of the building's utterly Imperial design. The headquarters of the Ministry of Logistics on Detrimos, the building was named after Dannis Semak, one-time Minister of Logistics and regarded as a hero among the Imperial populace for his reforms, which added additional shifts to formerly overstretched industries at no cost to the workers. These reforms had been made in the service of increasing efficiency, by reducing the number of workers who suffered burnout from being overworked and thus became less productive. They had also increased morale significantly, and resulted in a huge boom in the Imperial economy that had lasted for over fifty years.

That hardly mattered now though. The building was swarming with Republic wretches, ripe for the slaughter. Xalek was here for one wretch in particular. He always enjoyed these missions, though in a much different way from the battle lust he felt in open combat. As a warrior, Xalek took great pleasure in fighting on the battlefield, using nothing more than sheer power and skill to defeat his foes. But assassinations, they held a special, unique appeal to him. His interest in them had begun after becoming apprenticed to Darth Nox, while his master was still called Lord Kallig. They had fought on the great battlefields of Corellia, yes, but inexplicably Xalek had found the missions where he and his master infiltrated the enemy's greatest bastions and struck from the shadows, sowing fear and chaos, to be addictive.

He always savored the array of darker emotions their attacks instilled in the enemy, not even the Jedi were immune. When he and his master had infiltrated the headquarters of the Green Jedi, they had slain many Knights and Padawans as well as quite a few Jedi Masters, four of which were extraordinarily powerful in the Force and exceptionally trained. Nevertheless, they too had fallen before the combined might of the two Sith. They had fought them in pairs, with his master's Force presence invigorating and empowering him, and Darth Nox more than able to hamper the Force and martial abilities of the Jedi Masters, Xalek had been able to lay claim to many of the blows that spelled their end and had even succeeded in executing two of them. He looked back on those battles with pride, missions like those had been his shining glory. Compared to those days, this mission was child's play.

Rounding a corner, he nearly ran into the guards that were standing there, and managed to recover in time to prevent a collision. He cursed himself for not using the technique his master had taught him to meditate while in action, and slipped between the two sentinels, resolving to focus on the objective until it was complete. The objective was to assassinate General Fenharr, the leader of the Republic's ground forces. With him dead, the Republic forces would briefly be in a state of chaos, a state that the Empire could exploit to route them and send them scurrying back into orbit.

Ducking into a side corridor, Xalek followed the image of the building plans that he had burned into his brain before leaving the base. Another left, a right, then two more lefts brought him to the maintenance turbolifts. With a quick glance around and an extension of his awareness through the Force, he determined that he was momentarily safe and released his cloak. He was almost sad to feel the embrace of the Dark Side slip from him, but he wanted to perform full-blown meditation on the way to the subbasement that the general was using as a nerve center. He checked his chrono after pressing the button to summon the lift. There were only six minutes until the attack, if the general was still alive by then the battle's outcome would be uncertain. He needed to act quickly and decisively.

The lift reached his floor and he frowned, there was someone inside. He reached for his lightsaber as the doors opened and brandished it as the turbolift was revealed to contain Lord Willsaam. She was leaning nonchalantly against the lift's back wall and looked up at him standing in the doorway. He sheathed his lightsaber.

"Still following me I see." She said in a casual tone of mock exasperation. Xalek couldn't help but smile as he stepped into the lift. The doors closed and they began to descend.

"The stench of your weakness is overpowering, it's hard not to follow."

"Try me." She said in a low tone. "I'll show you overpowering."

"Your hygiene is not my concern."

"You're one to talk of hygiene, alien."

"I am indeed, after all I bathe in the blood of my enemies quite often."

"That was sarcasm."

"And my response wasn't."

They rode in silence for a few seconds, then Jaesa spoke again.

"Why are you here?"

"I have business with the general." Xalek replied vaguely.

"As do I." Jaesa replied evenly.

"I knew you were open-minded, but I didn't think you'd go that far with a Republic stooge." Xalek said with a wicked grin.

"Idiot!" Jaesa hissed. "I'm here for information, once I'm finished downloading what I need from his databanks I'm gone."

"I'm sure he'll be more than happy to empty the contents of his databanks into your database." Xalek teased, his glee rising with Jaesa's ire.

She whirled and swung a fist at him. He caught it in a single, clawed hand, moving the other to intercept her second shot at his gut. Once he had both her hands firmly in his grasp he twisted to the side to avoid receiving her knee in his groin, opting instead to take the blow on his thigh. She reared her head back to head-butt him, but he leaned his head to the side so that she struck his shoulder armor. Before she could attempt a second assault, he summoned the strength of the Force and whirled her around, still holding her fists in his claws. The result was that she ended up in position similar to wearing a straightjacket, her arms were crossed over her chest, held firmly in the Kaleesh's grip, with her back against his pectorals in a twisted version of a romantic embrace. She squirmed in his grip and screamed in frustration, but he held on tight. Behind his mask, his grin was as wide as a Nexu's, and he laughed boisterously as she struggled against his durasteel hold. Suddenly, she stopped struggling, and he felt her anger begin to build to a fever pitch as the air become charged with electricity. He realized she was about to retaliate with the Force, and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"I wouldn't do that, Lord Willsaam, the blast will overload the power conduits for the turbolift and kill us both in the explosion."

He sensed the power begin to die away, not gone, but suppressed and contained for release later. He smiled, she was so riled up now that she would be more than eager to fight the general or anyone else they encountered, which was exactly what Xalek had wanted in the first place. Well...not just that. He focused on the feeling of having her body pressed against his, enjoyed it, reveled in it. He could feel her emotions raging within her; hatred, anger, disgust, and...something else, something more elusive, something she was desperately trying to suppress.

"Are you going to release me? Or do I have to start breaking limbs?" She asked, her tone brimming with barely contained rage.

"Only if you promise to be reasonable and save your bloodlust for our mutual foes." Xalek demanded. When she nodded in agreement her released her. She immediately leapt from his grasp and whirled around to face him. For a moment, Xalek thought she was going to attack him again, but she just stood there with her gloved fist clenched in tight fists, her voluptuous body trembling with fury.

"When I kill you," she seethed "I will make sure you have as slow and agonizing a death as possible." Xalek regarded her with deceptive calm, his own lust and rage melding into a perfect storm of passion that consumed him.

"You will try," He said "But I think you will find that I will always be your superior, Jaesa." He could almost feel her gritting her teeth.

"I will kill you, I swear it!"

"But first," Xalek said, motioning as the turbolift stopped and the doors slid open "these Republic dogs." The tall, bulky Twi'lek male wearing a general's armor, hunched over the holoprojector he was using as a strategy board, stood up and turned to face the open lift at the sound of Xalek's voice. Seeing the two Sith, he drew his blaster rifle and opened fire on them. Jaesa's lightsaber was out and deflecting bolts before Xalek even moved. The human female charged her blue-skinned foe, attacking with the ferocity of a rakghoul. Her lightsaber clashed uselessly against the general's combat shields, and she was forced to go on the defensive to prevent a steady stream of bolts from ripping her in two. Exiting the lift, Xalek drew his lightsaber, but instead of employing it against his enemy, he gestured with his free hand as if grabbing something. General Fenharr was levitated into the air, and he stopped firing as he struggled to process the situation. Xalek didn't give him a chance. With a swift, sidelong motion he hurled the general into the wall of the chamber.

The energy shield miraculously held, but began to shudder when Jaesa unleashed a sustained stream of lightning at the general, who was slowly climbing to his feet. The blue sphere had protected him from the impact, absorbing the kinetic energy that might normally have broken his bones. Xalek joined Jaesa in channeling lightning at their quarry. To his credit, even as the shield keeping him not just unscathed but alive, flickered, the man simply rose to his feet, grabbed a plasma grenade from his belt, activated it, and lobbed it at Jaesa. Xalek moved in a flash, intercepting the grenade in mid-air and hurling it at the holoprojector. Just as quickly, he deflected the subsequent blaster bolts the big Twi'lek had unleashed in an attempt to disrupt Jaesa's outpouring of liquid hatred. Just then, the energy shield flickered and died, the generator on his back sparking as it overloaded. Jaesa's volts enveloped the man like hungry vipers, snaking around him in an embrace that should have scorched his flesh and left him a burnt husk. Instead, they danced over the surface of an invisible barrier that clung to his form; his personal shield. Xalek moved in on the doomed soldier with a slow, methodical malice befitting the spectre of death. The general unleashed another burst of blaster bolts, and Xalek's lightsaber protected Jaesa from the barrage. The man lobbed a grenade at her, and Xalek caught it with the Force and sent it flying back towards the general. The Twi'lek dodged, placing himself with his back to the ruined holoprojector, now in flames, as Xalek continued his slow and intimidating approach.

Reaching out with the Force, Xalek felt the man's mind. It was disciplined, battle-hardened, and highly structured, but not for long. Xalek planted the seed of fear, and watched with increasing satisfaction as the man turned to him and began to focus all of his attacks on the Kaleesh warrior approaching him. But every salvo was deflected, every mortar round redirected with the Force. Xalek felt his power become a malevolent aura surrounding him as he drew closer and closer to the general, and the personal shield surrounding the man began to give way under the constant and intense power of Jaesa's lightning, which hadn't stopped since she had first begun to channel it. Xalek savored the terror that was beginning to grow in the man's eyes, as if Xalek were death itself, come to claim him.

When Xalek was a few meters from the man, he stopped and gathered his power, unleashing it in a single, thunderous blast upon the petrified soldier. The crack that was released when the wave of electricity struck the man's shield was ear-splitting, and Xalek could barely hear the man's screams as Jaesa's ravenous volts consumed his flesh where he stood. Blown backwards by the sheer impact of Xalek's attack, the screaming victim fell back into the inferno that had once been the holoprojector, and Xalek could swear his screams got louder, although that may have just been his own hearing coming back to him.

Xalek turned to Jaesa when he realized that the stream of lightning was still going. She stood, trembling, her eyes glowing with violet energy as the Dark Side manifested itself. Her hatred and rage was a storm of Force energy that electrified the air around her. He tasted it and it pleased him to have helped evoke such raw emotion in her. Xalek could sense her power beginning to wane as the former general's screams of agony died with him, and he moved to catch her, just in time as it turned out, when the Dark Side released her from its grip and her exhausted body gave out on her momentarily. Her slender frame felt limp and frail in his arms, and she leaned against him without caring what she was doing, completely and utterly drained. Her own fury had almost been greater than her body could take, which was how she had managed to channel her Force lightning longer than any Force user Xalek had ever heard of - aside from his master, of course. Based on how it had affected her though, he doubted she would be able to do it again anytime soon.

He felt immensely pleased with himself that he had inspired such passion in her that she had been able to accomplish such a feat, but as he felt her struggle to stand and regain her strength, he felt a stab of remorse at manipulating her for his own gain to the point where she had quite possibly almost died from overexertion. He quickly swept the feeling away, regret was for the weak. The Sith didn't feel regret, they only acted and embraced the consequences. They did not reflect or second-guess themselves, they responded to their own self-determination.

He released her when she could stand, and she surveyed the scene with displeasure.

"I needed that holoprojector." She complained. Xalek gestured to the console against the far wall.

"Will that do for your information extraction?" She eyed the console with a critical gaze.

"I think so." She walked over and began entering commands. Moments later she inserted a data spike, and began a download. Xalek glanced over to the general's impromptu funeral pyre and extended a hand. Levitated by the Force, the scorched and burning belt of the corpse, with three intact grenades attached, rose above the flames and flew to Xalek's hand. Blowing out the fire still burning on the object, Xalek removed one grenade and tossed the belt into the corner. He stared at the small sphere for a moment, then, with surgical precision, created a miniscule crack in the durasteel shell that had prevented the grenade from exploding the moment it hit the fire. He felt Jaesa approach and turned to walk beside her as she headed towards the lift, the data spike firmly secured on her belt. Upon entering the lift, Xalek tossed the grenade across the large room and into the blaze. The lift doors closed and the lift began to rise. He looked at his chrono just as it turned to zero, and as he felt the explosion rumble up from below, he smiled.

_____________

Nox sat calmly on a couch in the main cabin of Rider. He had abandoned his usual battle armor and helm for a simple black cloak over a dark red vest and black pants. Where he was going, these garments would be more useful to him than a full suit of battle armor and a helm that looked like a skull. Of course, with his tattoos he would still stick out - Nightbrothers were rarely seen outside of Dathomir or slave pens, and thus were a rarity in the Republic. But Nox was confident that with some changes in his body language and some subtle mind control of observers, he could make himself seem entirely insignificant and unimportant.

The Rider was a freighter owned by a smuggler named Delriss Evik. A Twi'Lek, she was a former slave who escaped her brutal Hutt masters and managed to secure Republic citizenship. Despite the Republic saving her from being pursued by the Hutts for the rest of her life, she held no loyalty to them, and was somewhat well-known for working for anyone who paid enough - except for Hutts, obviously. Nox had hired her because he was confident she would be able to handle this job without issue, but he had kept his identity a secret, even from her. All she needed to know, was that he was wealthy.

Nox stiffened when he felt this ship come out of hyperspace. "We're here." Came a soft, feminine voice over the P.A. system. Nox got up from the couch and walked over to the nearby viewport, his heartbeat quickening with anticipation when he saw it, Coruscant, the heart of the Republic. "Our passenger might want to make his way to the cargo hold," Delriss's voice said over the speaker. "We'll be landing at the spaceport in a quarter of an hour, and we want the inspector to find everything in order, don't we?" Nox turned from the viewport and began to walk through the halls of the freighter towards the cargo hold. He wasn't going to enjoy this, but it was necessary. As he walked past the kitchen, he briefly saw two of the Rider's crew members; the Gen'dai and the Theelin, making themselves various meals from rather alien and disgusting looking ingredients. Continuing his march, he reached and entered the cargo hold, crossing the large room and arriving at a completely inconspicuous part of floor. When he found the hidden button on the wall and pressed it, the trap door popped open, revealing a smuggling compartment. He climbed into it and pulled the door shut after him.

After what felt like an hour of waiting, he felt the ship power down and assumed they had landed. All he had to do now was wait until after the cargo inspection, when Delriss would retrieve him and see him smuggled off the ship to avoid any unwelcome questions. His patience was rewarded soon enough, when he heard the sound of high-heeled footsteps approaching the cargo hold. His first instinct was to reach out with the Force, but he restrained himself. He needed to avoid using the Force as much as possible on this mission. Every use of the Force, especially the Dark Side, would increase his chances of being discovered by the Jedi. The Force movements of a Dark Side wielder as powerful as him could not be hidden on a planet so strong in the Light, not without altering the planet's entire aura at least.

He heard the footsteps descend the stairs into the cargo hold and stop, then a female voice: "This is all of your cargo, Captain?"

"Yeah, just like I told you." Came Delriss's response.

The footsteps began again and Nox felt them move throughout the cargo hold as the inspector examined each piece of cargo. Then the footsteps stopped.

"Open it." The female voice demanded. There was a pause, then footsteps as Delriss crossed the hold to open the cargo container the inspector had indicated. There was a soft hiss when the container was opened and Delriss's voice reached Nox's ears.

"Like I told ya, everything in here is on the manifest."

There was another pause, then the inspector's footsteps began again. There was a click as Delriss closed the container, but she didn't follow the inspector. Nox felt the inspector come closer and closer to his hiding place, and he forced himself to remain still and calm. Suddenly, the inspector stopped right over top of him, and she tapped the trap door with her foot.

Nox knew now was the time, it was now or never. He reached out with the Force and seized her mind. There is nothing here. Your inspection is complete, give the captain clearance and go about your business.

"My inspection is complete," the inspector said to Delriss. "I'll give you your clearance and leave you alone."

Delriss didn't say anything, no doubt she was speechless with shock that the inspector had seemingly failed to notice the hollow sound the trap door had made when she tapped it. Nox heard the sound of the inspector's footsteps leaving the cargo hold and disappearing down the hall. Delriss waited for the sound of the ship's hatch closing before she walked across the cargo hold and opened the trap door. Nox climbed out, stretching his cramped limbs.

"You'll need those stretches." Delriss remarked. Nox looked at her questioningly. She gestured towards the largest container in the hold. "Because that's your ride out."

_____________

Valkra watched the speeders zooming by overhead as he walked, with his wife Kira walking beside him. The big Iridonian was one of the Jedi Order's newest Masters, and the sole Jedi who had defeated the Sith Emperor. But that was not what he considered to be his greatest achievement. He looked sidelong at his partner, Kira. The two Jedi had been in this secret marriage just over a year, and rather than submit their relationship to the rigorous and zealous oversight of the Jedi High Council, they had opted to keep their love a secret for as long as possible and enjoy it while it lasted. Valkra continued to watch Kira as she gazed out at the unnatural skyline. They were far from the Jedi Temple, and both dressed in clothes meant to help them mingle with the crowds, instead of their Jedi robes, so Valkra had no reservations about showing affection. Kira must have felt him watching because she turned and caught his gaze, "What?" But Valkra just smiled. "Stop grinning like an idiot." Kira said, enjoying the attention.

"You're cute when you're lost in thought." He said, his goofy grin staying plastered on his face. She punched his shoulder affectionately.

"You love-sick bantha." She accused jokingly. "I can't even burp without you finding it cute."

"Well it's not my fault you burp like a baby nerf." Valkra protested. He leaned in closer and kissed her on the forehead. "Nor is it my fault that I love you."

"Awww, don't go soft on me now." She said teasingly, wrapping her arms around him. "I need you to stay big and tough for me."

"I'm only soft with you." Valkra replied, smiling down at her. The waves of happiness that radiated off of her as they stared into each other's eyes crashed over him, and he couldn't help but share in it. She moved in and kissed him.

"I love you big guy, I mean it."

"I know you do," He said, tightening his arms around her waist and pulling her closer so her body was pressed against his. "and I love you too."

"Don't leave me, ever." She said softly. "I need you around a good long while, you hear me?"

"Same to you." Valkra whispered back. "When this war is over I want us to retire, together, to a secret mountain villa on Alderaan."

"Please," Kira begged, "I need to hear you say it." Valkra could hear the worry in her voice and sense her fear.

"I'm never leaving you Kira." The tall, broad-shouldered Iridonian said with firm conviction. "I'm going to be with you every day of your life, I promise." He felt her relax and her fear evaporate.

"What brought this on?" He asked as they began walking. "Has something troubled you lately?" Kira looked pensive for a moment, but Valkra put her at ease.

"Kira, if you're having visions you shouldn't bottle them up, that will only strengthen your fear, and that path leads into darkness. You know you can tell me, sweet one."

"It's not visions exactly just...impressions, feelings, a vague sense of foreboding and...dread." She paused and looked directly into his eyes. "I get them every time I think of our future together."

Valkra thought for a moment before he spoke. "Have you tried meditating on the future - our future - specifically?" She shook her head.

"No, I've been too afraid of what I might find."

"Could this maybe have something to do with the Emperor? Could the link to him somehow be passively clouding your mind? You were, after all, still able to hear his voice in your head after we killed him on Dromund Kaas." Kira considered it.

"I don't know, maybe." Her face relaxed somewhat and a small smile began to show. "Maybe you're right, maybe I'm just -" She stopped mid-sentence, and mid-stride, and stood completely rigid, as if paralyzed. A bolt of fear shot through Valkra's heart and it took only a sheer force of will to restrain it.

"Kira? Kira!" He looked into her seemingly sightless eyes and shook her. "Kira!" She snapped out of it, but the petrified look on her face remained.

"He's here." She breathed.

"Who? Who's here?"

"The Emperor." Her face grew pale, as if she was weakened by the very word.

"No, no that's impossible." Valkra said, barely restraining the rising panic that threatened to leap from his throat and spill out over his words. "We killed him Kira, I saw - no - felt him die!"

"He's here, on Coruscant." She said with terrified certainty now. "It was only for the briefest of moments but I felt him."

"Are you sure?" Valkra asked. It was taking every ounce of willpower he had to squash his fear and let reason guide him, but he was doing it. "If it was really him, why didn't I sense him too? Did you sense him through your link to him?" Kira paused, and her emotionally-charged mind began to slowly make its way back to logic.

"No," she said after a few moments of thought. "But it had to be him, it was like a...cold void in the Force, a complete absence. Nothing could be like that except him." Valkra's holocom suddenly chimed and he briefly checked the caller ID.

"It's Scourge." He grabbed Kira's arm and lead her off the street and into a vacant alley. He scanned the alley with his Force vision to determine if anyone could be listening. When he was certain they were alone he activated the holocom, and the small image of the bald, muscular, black-armored Sith Pureblood known as Lord Scourge materialized.

"Did you feel that Jedi?" He asked apprehensively, the urgency in his tone apparent.

"I didn't feel anything," Valkra replied "But Kira certainly felt something. She claims the Emperor is here, on Coruscant."

"I felt it too," Scourge said, nodding to Kira in affirmation. "But it is not the Emperor. The differences are subtle, difficult to distinguish, but having spent three hundred years by his side, I'm certain: it is not Vitiate."

"Are you sure?" Kira asked. "Like, completely? It felt the exact same to me." Scourge shook his head.

"Like I said, the differences are subtle. This Force signature was similar, but fundamentally unique."

"Then why were only you and me able to sense it?" Kira challenged. Scourge seemed to think about this for a moment.

"I believe that whatever sorcery is hiding the source of this Force aberration is powerful enough to conceal it from all but those beings most highly attuned to the Dark Side." Kira refused to give up.

"But Valkra was under the Emperor's control once, and he's been in his presence before, why didn't he feel anything?"

"Having your mind dominated by the Emperor and being attuned to the Dark Side are two different things." Scourge supplied with remarkable calm in the face of Kira's persistence. "Most likely we only sensed anything at all because of our respective connections to Vitiate, which persist despite his death." Kira opened her mouth to speak but Valkra cut her off with a gesture.

"Did either of you sense where the source was? Regardless of who or what it is we seem to be the only ones who know about it, so we need to find and capture it as soon as possible."

"I agree, we can argue about what it is after we contain it." Scourge added. Kira sighed.

"Alright, but I don't like this. We should be calling for backup."

"And what if it is the Emperor?" Valkra asked her. "Then all our backup will suddenly become his backup." He turned back to Scourge. "Where was the source?"

"I do not know." The pureblood admitted. "I could sense that it was on Coruscant, but nothing more."

"I didn't get any more than he did." Kira added. "It vanished as soon as it appeared." Valkra considered this for a moment.

"Scourge, meet us in the Senate Plaza." He ordered. "We'll be there within the hour."

"What are you planning to do Jedi?" Scourge asked with genuine curiosity.

"If this power won't reveal itself, perhaps the three of us can reveal it."

______________

Nox strode purposefully through the dark streets of Coruscant's lower levels. Around him, the various denizens of the planet's underworld congregated in the dim light of ancient illuminators. His desire to remain unnoticed was shared by most of the beings around him, and in a strange, unspoken social contract everyone simply seemed to ignore each other. Of course, this suited Nox just fine. Despite being shrouded in the mundane, his appearance was still something that would sear him into the memory of anyone who gave him a second glance. Becoming a vivid recollection in anyone's consciousness was something he could not afford. After taking a few side streets, he emerged from an alley across from a cantina called "the Pulsar". A gaudy establishment decorated with bright, flashing neons and aggressive advertisements, the Pulsar looked like it belonged in the Red Light Sector of Nar Shadda. Nox could hear the mingled roars of laughter, music, and loud conversation.

He crossed the street and entered the cantina, the sights, sounds, and smells overwhelmed him all at once. Everyone in the room was either too drunk, too self-absorbed, or too used to living in Galactic City's underbelly to notice the tattooed Zabrak wearing a long black cloak enter the cantina and make his way to a table in the middle distance from the door. Seating himself, Nox adopted a relaxed position while secretly scanning the simple minds of the room's occupants. Most of the patrons were criminals, thugs, bounty hunters, pickpockets or various other lowlifes, but there were a few interesting finds in the mix. There were two regional leaders of the Black Sun and the Exchange conducting a secret business meeting near the stage where the band was playing. At the bar, drowning himself in Corellian Ale, was a smuggler who had personally seen the Sith's reclamation of Korriban decades earlier. Peering a little deeper, Nox was surprised to find memories of meeting Satele Shan and Jace Malcom in the holo-album of the man's memory. Sensing the mental intrusion, the drunken smuggler jerked around and hazily scanned the crowd for whoever was invading his addled mind. Nox quickly pulled back into himself and focused on various locations around the room until the now-paranoid smuggler picked himself up off the barstool and stumbled out the door.

Nox turned his attention to the last target of interest; a Republic Senator. A small, slight human female of early middle age seated in the far back corner. Her eyes constantly darted furtively around the room as if looking for someone, and her fear was like a sweet-smelling savor to Nox. Amateur, he thought. Only a rookie would choose a spot so far back, the stereotypical spot in every cantina for a secret meeting. Only a rookie would display such naked emotion and vulnerability. Only a rookie would come dressed in low-quality but unworn clothing. It was obvious she had assembled her "disguise" earlier that day. Finished with his threat analysis, Nox signaled the Theelin waitress and ordered a Calamarian Solar Shower with extra poligita. When she brought him his order, he reclined in his chair and pretended to savor the drink while he kept his guard up. After a few minutes of waiting, Nox felt someone pass by him about one table over. He directed his gaze and identified the young Feeorin as being his contact. He watched the alien seat herself three tables away, facing the bar.

Nox bit down on the tooth implant he used to activate his secure comm, feeling the vibrations in his gums as the channel opened. A second vibration rattled his teeth as the channel opened on her end. The tooth implants would allow them to converse in the lowest whispers and hear each other without difficulty from any distance, the comms were even better for secrecy if you could speak without moving your lips, as the tooth implants picked up the vibrations of a beings vocal chords and tongue rather than the sounds issuing from the speaker's lips.

"Why did I have to meet you on Coruscant?" Nox asked immediately.

"I'm being watched by Security." Came the hushed reply. "I can't leave the planet without raising suspicion." Nox growled in mild anger.

"So that's why you couldn't just send me the location via secure holonet link, got involved in something you shouldn't have, did you?"

"Events were out of my control," was her response "Did you come to get your information or berate me for my bad luck?" Suppressing his anger, Nox responded in a low tone that indicated he was still angry, but was more interested in getting the information he came for.

"So what's the location?"

"The Temple." Nox was silent for a moment while he processed that particular bit of information.

"You're kidding."

"No." Another pause.

"Then why is it so hard to get a hold of? The Temple is deserted and in ruins, how hard can it be to retrieve one little droid part from some ruins?"

"It's not deserted." The Feeorin said. "It's home to Sith and some Imperial troops, remnants from the Sacking that were somehow abandoned and trapped here after the Empire packed up and went home."

"Interesting, so that's how you lost three men trying to retrieve it."

"Three good men." The Feeorin asserted. Nox snorted.

"If they were as good as you say, a small group of weathered Imps and some Sith weaklings wouldn't have posed a threat." He took a huge swig from his drink, finishing it. "But it hardly matters now. Thank you for the information, I'll be taking it from here."

"You're going in there alone?" Nox felt a sting of annoyance at the incredulous undertone of her voice.

"Yes, and you would do well not to underestimate me, or I will follow through on my temptation to use you as a meat shield." He hissed. He bit down to close the channel and stood to his feet. He was walking towards the entrance when a large Nikto came out of nowhere and bumped into him. Briefly stunned at being taken by surprise, Nox's shock quickly turned to anger when the big, leathery oaf got right in his face and growled;

"You got a problem buddy?" Nox could smell the Virulaga on his breath. A potent intoxicant, Virulaga heightened the senses, increasing blood flow and aggressive tendencies. This Nikto was so drunk he was looking for a fight, and he'd pegged Nox as a suitable victim. Were it not for Nox's desire to remain unnoticed, that would have been his last mistake.

"No problem." Nox replied in a calm, even tone. "My mistake." The thug snarled.

"Well then maybe you should watch where you're going!"

"I understand." Nox said, looking to get around him. "I'll be more careful next time."

"I don't think you will." The man sneered. "I think I need to teach you a lesson."

Kark. So much for staying under the radar, Nox thought to himself. He saw the alien rear back his fist to land a solid blow to his face. Suppressing the rising tide of dark energy welling up in him, Nox slipped to the side, using the bodily momentum of the swing to send the Nikto flying over his shoulder, straight into a table of four thugs playing cards. The flimsy table shattered like glass under the Nikto's weight and the angry card players leaped to their feet and stared daggers at Nox.

He dropped his hood, enjoying the expressions of surprise and fear that briefly flashed across the faces of all four men, and fell into a ready stance as the four gangsters attacked him. Nox dodged the first one's charge and landed two punches; one on his face, stunning him, the other in his abdomen, sending him flying into the empty table next to them. Without missing a beat, Nox blocked the second assailant's driving blow to his chest with a sweep of his left arm and landed a strong uppercut on his enemy's chin, making him stagger. The third assailant drew a vibroknife and the fourth drew a blaster. In a flash, Nox grabbed the third attacker by his forearms, preventing him from bringing the knife to bear or landing a punch to his gut. He lowered his head, exposing his horns and hairless cranium and drove his head upward into the man's face. The scream of pain and the sound of breaking cartilage filled Nox's ears, and he felt blood on his crown. The vibroknife dropped from the man's grasp and Nox pulled his screaming foe around to place him in between himself and the blaster-wielding criminal. The first rounds from the weapon's muzzle sank into the victim's chest, causing him to stiffen with paralysis. Nox shoved the man's failing body at his comrade, who tried to dodge but still ended up being toppled over by his friend and becoming trapped underneath the dead body.

The first attacker was now getting to his feet and hurled a bottle at the back of Nox's head. The Sith dodged it instinctually and it sailed past him to hit a large Wookie in the side of the head. Caught with his arm still extended, the gangster's look of rage became one of terror as the hulking, hairy giant barreled past Nox to tear his perceived foe limb from limb. The Nikto who had attacked first finished getting to his feet and attacked Nox with a roar, but the Dark Lord blocked his furious blows one by one before landing several strikes with his fists and elbows and driving the bulky criminal right into the Wookie's Meerian friend who was rushing to help out his buddy. Believing the Nikto to have attacked him, the scrappy little humanoid responded viciously, and it wasn't long before a poorly aimed chair beaned someone else in the head and the bar erupted into a sea of drunken violence and rage. Nobody noticed the tattooed Zabrak in a black cloak, expertly navigating the melee, slip out the door and disappear into the shadows as the sirens of the approaching Coruscant Security forces pierced the eternal night of the lower levels.

_________________

One standard hour later, Nox was slinking through the noisy darkness of the Works. All around him the hiss and hum of machinery and cries of local predators wafted through the near complete blackness of Coruscant's most infamous industrial sector. The Works seemed largely deserted, which wasn't surprising considering its condition and the time of day. According to Nox's chrono, it was the middle of the graveyard shift for what few industries still ran here, and with the place's reputation for being the hideout of smugglers, squatters, death stick runners, gangsters, and undocumented refugees, it wasn't all that shocking that he hadn't seen or encountered any other sentients.

Cloaked in the Dark Side, its embrace shrouding his existence from any being or animal who might otherwise see or sense him, Nox wound his way through the dark passages and narrow streets. After half an hour of travel he reached a taxi terminal guarded only by a obsolete protocol droid which was ludicrously easy to slice so that it could activate one of three ancient speeder taxis. Wiping the droid's memory of the encounter, Nox hopped in the taxi, switched it to manual, and took off into the cityscape, heading in the direction of the Jedi Temple ruins.

Reaching the Temple, it was only a few minutes of stealthy infiltration later when he stepped off of the turbolift and into the Temple's main chamber, which branched off into many different hallways and sections. The destruction he saw there was invigorating. The roof was now a large, gaping hole, and the center of the massive, circular space was completely occupied by a small mountain of rubble and refuse which reached almost to where the ceiling had been. The edges, too, were also covered in small, rolling hills of rubble and debris. Looking around, Nox could see small groups of ragged Imperial soldiers sitting around trash fires. The thought of Imperial troops using the former sanctuary and holy place of the Jedi as a squatting ground pleased him immensely. This was what the Jedi Order deserved, to have its holy place not only sacked, defiled, and destroyed, but denigrated. This was the revenge of the Sith against the Jedi, as they had defiled Korriban, so had the Sith defiled Coruscant. As the Jedi had denigrated the Sith, so had the Sith denigrated the Jedi. "There is no justice," Nox mused "there is only revenge."

Looking around at the sheer amount of work that would be required to recover the part, Nox decided it was time to give these soldiers a purpose again. He dropped his Force cloak and waited for the soldiers to notice him. When they did, Nox was surprised to see them reach for their blasters. The scattered camps of troopers suddenly became a mob, about fifty strong, that rushed within firing range of him and then stopped, all aiming their old and worn-out blaster rifles at him. It was then Nox remembered that these men and women had been out of contact with the Empire since the beginning of the Cold War, they were Imperials in a time when aliens were only slaves in the Empire. Cursing himself for forgetting such a troublesome detail, Nox decided he wouldn't accept ignorance as an excuse for disobedience. Unfortunately, bringing them into line would require him to use the Force, and that in turn meant risking revealing his presence to the Jedi, which could compromise the entire mission. But he had no choice now.

Without moving a finger, Nox summoned his power and reached out to touch their minds. "I am Darth Nox of the Dark Council." He declared in a loud voice. "You will now serve me and obey my every command!" He felt their collective consciousness weaken and heard the whispers of confusion and disbelief that surged through the crowd. The strain of trying to dominate so many minds at the same time was already beginning to give him an intense headache, but he simply grimaced and used the pain to strengthen his resolve. "I am Darth Nox of the Dark Council!" He said again, louder this time. "You now serve me!"

"You are not one of the Council!" An angry voice came from above and behind him. He turned and looked up to see a young, female Sith warrior standing atop the mountain of trash and rubble in the center of the massive room. She was dressed in the gray armor of a Sith Raider, and her red locks looked as wild as her fierce green eyes. The light pouring in from the large opening above her made her hair seem to shine like fire, and Nox couldn't help but admit she was remarkably beautiful. Were circumstances different, this woman would be an excellent candidate for one of his many casual affairs. She slid down the mountain of trash on her feet, approaching Nox with an arrogance and confidence born of ignorance once she reached the bottom. "You are no Sith!" She hissed, jabbing her finger in his face, "let alone one of the Dark Council. The Empire would never fall so far as to allow aliens to rule!"

Nox let her hateful, prideful words seep into his bones, releasing the oozing black tide of his hatred from its prison deep within him. His lust for her made a feeling of betrayal well up from deep inside him, and his outrage and emotional pain at being rejected so completely only amplified his anger. "You are nothing!" the Sith screeched, oblivious to the conspiratory whispers of the Force that were seeping into her mind. "You are a lowly alien Kath mutt who is not worthy to-" Her words were cut off as she suddenly clutched her head in both hands, bending fully over and unleashing a demonic howl of pain. In seconds she was rolling on the ground, clutching her head and screaming from the overload of her brain's pain receptors. Nox simply watched, his wrath burning in his eyes as the woman was seized by violent spasms that twisted her body in unnatural formations. After a few seconds of torment, and with a final scream, the woman's eyes rolled back in her head and her limp body fell still.

Nox slowly turned to the assembled troopers, savoring the terror, horror, and submission his demonstration had inspired. All the troopers had ceased to aim their rifles at him, and many had let them fall to their sides. This time when he spoke, Nox kept his voice only just loud enough for the troopers to hear; "I say again, I am Darth Nox of the Dark Council. You will all serve me." There was a brief moment where no sound was made and no one moved, then one trooper on the front line dropped to his knees, placed his rifle on the ground in front of him and bowed. One by one, the others began to follow suit, and soon the whole legion was bowing prostrate before the Dark Lord.

______________

Valkra's eyes snapped open, and he saw Kira and Scourge, both in similar meditative postures, doing the same. "You felt it too?" Kira asked, her voice laced with hope and eagerness.

"Yes." Valkra said, struggling to keep his fear in check. "Scourge is right, it isn't the Emperor. But whatever this dark presence is...it's just as dangerous."

"Did you sense where it was?" Kira asked. "For a moment I thought I had it but then it slipped away, like sand through my fingers."

"No." The disappointment in Valkra's voice was mirrored by the expression on Kira's face.

"I know where it is." The two Jedi turned to regard Scourge, who was sitting there with a smug look sitting comfortably on his crimson features. Despite his decision to stay with them after the Emperor's death, Valkra realized, Lord Scourge was still a Sith through and through.

"Where is it?" Kira demanded. "We have to stop whatever is happening, now!" Scourge turned to look directly into Valkra's eyes.

"He's in the Jedi Temple."

"He?" Kira practically squeaked. "Who is he?"

The red-skinned giant shook his head. "I don't know."

Valkra shot to his feet, startling the others. "We need to move. Kira, order a shuttle to take us directly to the Temple. Whatever is going on in there, we're going to stop it."

_____________

Darth Nox walked casually around the large chamber, supervising the impromptu project that was occurring. He'd distributed CZX-793 detectors among the highest-ranking officers of the remaining troops, and sent them to various locations throughout the Temple to search for the HK AI regulator, which he believed had been left here hundreds of years ago by Revan, after the Jedi Master had left the Republic and the Jedi to seek out the hidden Empire. The detectors would scan for working droid parts, then filter out the ones that were made by Czerka via a unique signal that all pieces of Czerka technology gave off. Of course, the detectors themselves could only scan within a limited area, which would have made Nox's search long and arduous had he been forced to do it by himself as he had expected to do. His good fortune at finding the Temple occupied by Imperial forces that he could commandeer, albeit with some resistance, was only one of many accumulating examples of his ascension being a matter of destiny.

Suddenly, the temporary, covert channel he had set up for the project buzzed and the voice of the lieutenant he had dispatched to the Archives came into his ear. "My lord, we've discovered something, we think you'll want to see it for yourself."

Nox wasted no time responding. "I'm on my way, don't do anything more until I get there, understood?"

"Yes, my lord." and the com cut out.

Despite having only seen the blueprints for the Jedi Temple a few times, Nox managed to find his way to the Archives with little issue. Upon entering, the lieutenant approached him and bowed respectfully, although Nox sensed it was more fearful respect than anything else. "My lord, we believe we've found the object you're looking for. It matches the description and the detectors confirm that is Czerka."

"Whether or not it is the exact item I need remains to be seen lieutenant. Take me to it."

"This way." The man said, turning and walking through the ruins of what had once been the galaxy's greatest library. Nox followed him, absorbing the pain and suffering of those who had died here. The sorrow and anguish felt by those few who had seen the state of the Archives since the Temple's demolition at the hands of Darth Malgus all those decades ago, before Nox was even born. They passed several places where other parts had been excavated by the team, and Nox was pleased to see they had correctly identified the parts as being not what he was looking for.

The lieutenant stopped when they arrived at a hole that had been dug with plasma torches in a huge mess of melted metal that had once been a storage unit. There, sitting in a warped compartment was a Czerka Corp. AI regulator, but not of the HK line, rather of the CX line. Nox whirled on the lieutenant, "you brought me here for this?" He questioned, motioning to the device. "Lieutenant, notice the lack of a C4V integrator chip, this is definitely not the specific regulator I require."

"Perhaps, my lord, if you were to tell us precisely what you-" the man started to say before Nox cut him off.

"Irrelevant. Even if I told you what I am seeking that information would not assist you in identifying it. I am not here to satiate your curiosity, lieutenant. I am here to accomplish my will, and you are here to assist me in that endeavor, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, my lord." The lieutenant bowed again, and even through his Force shroud Nox could perceive that the man was equally fearful and hateful of him. Turning, Nox left the archives, pleased to hear the men return to work once his departure signaled that the meeting was over.

As he was leaving the vicinity of the Archives, the channel opened once more and the voice of the leader of Team Surek addressed him; "Lord Nox, we've discovered something. It appears to be an AI regulator just like you described." Nox exercised skepticism this time and decided to determine the find's worth before heading to the team's location.

"Does it have a C4V integrator chip?"

"Apologies my lord, I don't know what that looks like." Nox sighed inwardly.

"It's a black and yellow chip with C4V engraved on the primer node."

"Let's see..." Nox waited with increasing impatience as the captain searched the device. "Ah! Found it! Yes, my lord it does have the C4V chip."

"Excellent." Nox said, his own hopes beginning to rise. "And what about the trimestal fillidrator?"

"That's that thing combat droids have in all their chips right?" The captain asked. "I saw the insides of a few droids during my academy training so I think I have a good idea what it looks like."

"Yes that's correct." Nox affirmed.

"Okay, yeah it's got a fillidrator." The captain said after a minute. Nox's face stretched in a smile of malicious glee. He had found it, all this trouble, all this effort, and he had succeeded. He had walked into the bowls of the enemy and would soon emerge with the treasure he had sought. He began to run, starting with a light jog and quickly picking up speed until he was bolting through the ruined halls at a full run. The Force replenished his strength and endurance, allowing him to maintain his pace with the same ease as if he were walking.

His comm buzzed and the channel opened, Nox's concern grew when he heard blaster fire over the comm. "Who is this, what's happening?"

"Jedi, my lord!" Came the voice of the Team Gresh leader. "We're holding the scum off as long as we can but they have a Sith with them, a pureblood." The thought gave Nox mental pause. Pureblood Sith were often some of the most racist, hateful, spiteful beings Nox had ever met. It made no sense that a Pureblood would be working with the Jedi, what with the latter's unfailing support of the Republic and its multicultural views. Then Nox remembered the rumors he had heard, the whispers that said Galadius's ascension to the position of Emperor's Wrath was due, not to the death of his predecessor, but rather his defection. The legends of a 300 year-old Pureblood Sith lord who served as Vitiate's personal executioner came back to him. So to, did how those "legends" had become seemingly much more real after Nox's ascension to the Dark Council with all the evidence beginning to stack in favor of the seemingly wild tale.

Kark, he swore, closing the channel. This situation was becoming extremely volatile now that the Jedi were onto him. It was likely they couldn't sense precisely where he was or they might have opted to adopt an infiltration strategy rather than a head-on assault, so as long as he kept his shroud up and kept moving, he could retrieve the HK part and escape the Jedi's clutches. He wasn't looking forward to facing Jedi without a lightsaber. Briefly, he regretted leaving his weapon behind, despite his Force talents and his great power in the Force, without it he always felt a little vulnerable. Still, if it came down to it he had no doubt he could defeat the Jedi without the aid of a weapon. After all, the Force was the ultimate weapon, and his mastery of it far surpassed that of any Jedi.

As he passed through the corridors towards the section of the Temple where Team Surek was assigned, his comm chimed again and the channel opened. This time the voice was different than the Team Gresh commander.

"Darth Nox, Team Brakk reporting in, a Jedi strike force has broken through Teams Gresh and Asallik and are assaulting our position. It appears they are being aided by a Sith."

"I'm aware of the threat, lieutenant." Nox replied with deceptive calm. "Continue your attempts to delay the Jedi."

"Understood, my lord." The channel closed. Reaching the chamber where Team Surek was waiting, the captain handed the regulator to Nox, who quickly appraised it before placing in a pouch on his belt.

"Captain, do you know of any Imperial assets nearby who are in possession of a suitable getaway craft?" The captain exchanged glances with the female trooper on his left before responding.

"We have someone in mind, although they won't be able to get you off-planet."

"Obviously." Nox agreed. "All I need to do is get out of here in a timely and direct manner."

"Is there something you're not telling us my lord?" The captain asked in as respectful of a tone he could muster.

"We're under attack captain, that is why you and your team are to accompany me to the main chamber, where my extraction will occur. I also want you to comm every team and order them to assemble themselves at all the entrances to the main chamber and impede the Jedi by any means necessary."

"Right away Darth Nox." The captain said obediently as he took point in the protective formation forming around the Zabrak, and they began to hurriedly march towards the Temple's center. A few comm calls and wrong turn later, they were once more in the central chamber. Nox quickly dispatched the team to cover one of the exits, and when the female trooper the captain had exchanged glances with stayed, he looked at her questioningly.

"The contact is mine, my lord." She said deferentially. "I'm here just to make sure he takes you." Nox nodded his permission and the two began to climb the mountain in the room's center.

_____________

Valkra, Kira, and Scourge hewed their way through the mobs of Imperial soldiers blocking their progress to the central chamber, where Scourge claimed the dark signature was emanating from. The presence of so many Imperial Troops defending all entrances to the place was a dead giveaway, but then again, secrecy might well be the last thing on their quarry's mind at the moment.

They finally reached the last squadron of defenders, and after slaughtering them to a man, they rushed through the arched entranceway. Looking up, they saw a mountain of rubble and debris from the Sacking that occupied the center of the circular chamber. Standing atop the mountain's peak, was a figure in a dark cloak and a female trooper who appeared to simply be waiting for them. As soon as she saw them, the woman began to speak into her helmet comm. The dark robed figure however, simply lifted his hood, revealing his demonic visage. A hard, cruel face that was a brighter, more lustrous red than even Scourge's skin tone. The crimson countenance was marked by jagged, primal designs tattooed in black. The body markings extended over his hairless scalp and interwove themselves around and between the many horns that crowned his head.

Valkra recognized him immediately as a Dathomirian Nightbrother, a member of the society that served as a dark reflection for Valkra's own people. Even before the Sith, for surely that's what he was, removed his long, black cloak and let it fall to the jagged "ground" behind him, exposing his extensively and gothically tattooed chest and arms, Valkra knew his tattoos extended over his entire body. The Sith's facial markings and chest markings gave him the appearance of a supernatural predator, a monstrosity whose only goal was to prey on all who crossed its path, subverting nature and the Force.

He was just about to launch himself in a leap for the mountaintop when the Sith spread his naked arms wide and immediately ascended off the ground, hovering in mid-air, his yellow eyes fixed on them, burning with hatred and malice. Valkra barely had time to register the lightning bolts spiraling down his foes arms, mimicking the tattoos that were engraved upon the skin of the appendages, before he was suddenly overwhelmed by pain. His skin felt as if it were on fire, his nerves wrenched and yanked themselves about in a dance of agony. Only by calling on the Force to protect and empower him did Valkra manage to regain some control over his body. His instincts took over and he beat as hasty a retreat as he could. He realized that the Sith had summoned a maelstrom of lightning to envelop them in a storm of energy that would have fried any unprotected, Force-blind being, perhaps even lesser Jedi or Sith. When he finally stumbled out of the storm's radius he noticed with relief that Kira had managed to escape the vortex as well. Looking back into the electrical tumult, he saw Lord Scourge standing in its center, glowing with the sheer power of the Dark Side. Valkra could feel his ally's pain, and he hoped Scourge was strong enough to withstand the unfathomable amount of power their enemy was pouring out on him. Instead of retreating, as the two Jedi had, Scourge's small, halted steps were taking him through the storm, towards the enemy.

Valkra looked up towards the mountaintop to see the Sith still levitating through the sheer exertion of power, eyes ablaze with the fires of hatred. He can't keep it up for long, Valkra reasoned, once he stops we can charge him and end this quickly. His hopes were soon dashed by a roar that drowned out even the loud crackling of the lightning storm. From all the chamber's other entrances, Imperial troops surged in, unleashing a united battle cry as they charged the group's position. The Sith ceased channeling the storm, but it was quickly replaced by a hail of blaster bolts that assailed the two Jedi and their weakened Sith companion. It was only Kira's quick reflexes that saved Scourge's life, as she leaped out in front of him and projected a Force shield until the Sith could summon his power to rejuvenate his scorched flesh and replenish his stamina. With the sheer amount of energy being launched against her barrier, Kira's will quickly began to evaporate. In response, Valkra leaped in front of her and began deflecting the bolts that came close to her. Scourge, now recovered, unleashed a battle cry of his own and leaped into the center of a the nearest squad of troopers. He began to carve them into pieces, deflecting their bolts when he could and simply absorbing them with the Force when he couldn't. More than once Valkra saw him absorb blaster bolts with only his gloved hand and the Force, before executing a swing with his lightsaber that ended his assailant's life.

When Kira had recovered her own strength, Valkra followed Scourge's lead and catapulted himself into the nearest group of troopers. Kira followed suit, and they made quick work of the soldiers, protecting each other and assisting with kills. Despite the overwhelming odds against them, they soon began to gain the upper hand. Suddenly, a loud whine came over the noise of battle, and Valkra once more looked up to the mountain's peak. He saw a large speedercar descend through the hole in the roof, and he realized what was happening. The Sith was going to escape! "No!" He yelled, tossing his lightsaber in an arc meant to slice into the speedercar's left stabilizer and send it tumbling down the mountain. Valkra saw the Sith, who had donned his black cloak once again, extend a hand towards the flying blue disk. Valkra felt a surge of horror as his telekinetic grasp on his own weapon weakened, but he gritted his teeth and focused solely on keeping a firm mental grip on the projectile. Then Valkra felt fear and doubt creep into his mind, he tried to quickly reassert control over his emotions but the distraction was enough. His lightsaber slipped from his mental grasp and he watched it fly harmlessly into the Sith's waiting hand. His disappointment and horror at the loss was immediately put in check however, when the Sith reacted to the bare skin of his palm touching the blade's hilt as if it had burned him, dropping the weapon with a hiss of pain. Seizing his opportunity, Valkra managed to seize the lightsaber in his mind's grip once more, and before the Sith could react, drew it back to his own waiting hand.

Seeing him unarmed the nearby troopers focused their fire on him, believing him to be helpless. Kira came to his aid, deflecting every bolt back to its source with a fervor only a lover could possess. Extending his hand, Valkra snatched his lightsaber out of the air and glanced up at the mountain's peak, ready to launch another throw. His heart filled with fear, disappointment, and frustration when he saw the tail end of the speedercar vanish out of the jagged oculus in the ceiling.

____________

Darth Nox slipped covertly through the bustling crowds filling the streets of Coruscant. In a sudden break from the flow of the pedestrian traffic, he slithered out of the crowds and entered a rather dismal-looking alleyway. He quickly approached a run-down holoterminal embedded in the wall and tapped a few buttons, glancing around furtively as it flickered to life. When the fuzzy, blue-tinged image of the already blue-skinned Twi'lek: Delriss Evik appeared, Nox wasted no time addressing it. "Change of plans, we need to move the pickup."

"Oh?" The attractive young woman said, a note of expectant curiosity creeping into her voice.

"I've rewired my chrono to emit a homing signal exclusive to the frequency I used when I first contacted you, do you remember?"

The young Twi'lek nodded before answering "I do."

"Good." Came Nox's hurried reply. "Monitor the frequency, locate my homing signal, and pick me up - hot."

"This is an awfully big risk," the captain admonished, "it's going to have an impact on the price. Landing this beauty just anywhere on Coruscant is highly illegal you know."

"Of course," Nox admitted "I would not have hired you if I did not have the credits to compensate you for all possible inconveniences, rest assured that your risk will be balanced."

"I should hope so." The captain sighed, her lekku twitching with the stress and uncertainty of the whole situation. Sensing something, Nox's eyes darted towards the alley's entrance and the street beyond. "Something wrong?" His lovely contact asked.

"I have to go." He said, before reaching out to shut the terminal off before she could reply. Turning on his heel, he moved swiftly down the alley, away from the street, just as a speeder pulled up. The beings that got out of it were a rather motley crew; there was a large Iridonian Zabrak, who was closely accompanied by a smaller, red-haired human female with a figure most models would be jealous of. Backing them up, and standing in sharp contrast, was a large and bald Sith Pureblood dressed in a set of black armor complete with a cape, his head being the only exposed part of his body.

____________

Spying the black-cloaked figure vanishing into the alley's depths, Kira pointed and shouted "There!"

"You, stop!" The voice of the large Zabrak boomed, causing many passersby to stop and stare at the trio as they took off at a full run into the alley, vanishing into the fog of Galactic City's backstreets.

____________

Nox raced through alleys and passageways, the Dark Side giving him speed and sight. He leaped over low walls and dumpster crates, ducked under low-hanging pipes and fire escape platforms. He weaved through the complex maze of narrow, shadowy avenues like a native, the Force blazing his trail. He was running towards the Flats, where he was sure he could outrun the Jedi. He doubted any of them had the same mastery of Force Speed that he had. The only problem was that in order to access the Flats, he had to move up one level.

Spying a building tall enough to suit his purpose, an abandoned warehouse that disappeared into the ceiling, Nox used a Force push to blow one of the doors off its hinges and enter the building. He was disappointed to find that the only way onto the Flats above him was a rectangular window stretching around the warehouse's top. Sensing his pursuers approaching, he turned to face the gaping doorway. The large Iridonian entered first, followed by the young woman and the bald Sith. All three activated their lightsabers in sequential order.

"Surrender Sith!" The tall Zabrak called out. "We have you cornered."

"Don't try anything stupid." The young female human chimed in, her eyes blazing with anger. There is more than a hint of the Dark Side in that one, Nox thought to himself, smiling. He raised his hands above his head in surrender...then leaned forward, gesturing as he lashed out with the Force. The blast of Force power sent his opponents flying into the wall behind them. As they dropped to the floor and scrambled to their feet, Nox unleashed a storm of wind and lightning from his fingertips that caught the Pureblood off guard and swept him off his feet and into the air. The roiling tornado of unnatural current kept the Sith Lord unable to even call upon the Force as he tumbled and bounced around within the vortex. Valkra was just about to hurl his blue lightsaber at Nox when he felt an oppressive darkness sweep over him. His mind filled with doubt, fear, and despair, and it was only through calling on the Light Side of the Force that he was able to regain his focus. But the dark persisted, roiling on the edges of his consciousness like a sea of murky shadows, ready to swallow him the moment the light inside him flickered or faltered. Beside him, he could see Kira was having a much harder time dealing with it. Her ether body was showing signs of corruption, and Valkra could sense her giving in to her anger and fear. Stretching out with his will, he used the Force bond between them to project calm and focus into her mind. He felt her emotion's grip on her begin to fade and he extended his own Light Side aura around her, sheltering her from the overwhelming gloom.

Too fast to follow, the dark-cloaked Zabrak moved between them and the door, cutting off any escape and gesturing with an outstretched hand as the two Jedi turned to face him. A burst of dark energy appeared in his extended palm, and Valkra suddenly felt sick, like the Dark Side had taken root in the pit of his stomach. He could feel his strength slowly being sapped like water from a bucket with a miniscule crack in it. The affliction was the least of his problems however, as he turned around to face the enemy, he was struck head on with a thunderous blast of power that caused him to stagger. Immediately following the blast was a wave of pure electricity that slammed into him and Kira, temporarily paralyzing them.

The shock to Kira's Force defenses from the paralysis left her vulnerable to the subsequent burst of lightning unleashed by Nox that nearly electrocuted her. She cried out as the deadly current struck her square in the abdomen and surged through her nervous system, causing her to spasm and convulse. Valkra, recovered from the temporary paralysis, charged Nox with a battlecry. The Sith quickly erected a Force Barrier that met Valkra's lightsaber with a bursting hiss, and although the Jedi slammed his blade on the barrier repeatedly, it bounced off each time. From behind the barrier, Nox raised his fist and a bolt of lightning, seeming to come from thin air, descended on the Jedi, smiting him like the fist of a god. Through the power of the Force, Valkra absorbed the lightning strike and continued to hack away at the barrier, only to be blown back by a blast of Force power. Nox followed the blast with a storm of lightning that enveloped Valkra in its sinister grip, and it was all the Jedi Master could do to keep putting one foot in front of the other, slowly making his way towards the dark figure.

Kira, having recovered from the assault on her nerves, attacked Nox ferociously, her green lightsaber resounding harmlessly off of Nox's erected Force Barrier. Finally letting the storm of lightning subside, Nox whirled on her, lifting her off her feet with the Force and sending her flying across the room into a pile of crates in the far corner. Nox turned just in time to see Valkra once more slam his blade into the Force Barrier protecting him, but he didn't flinch. Instead he stretched out his hand and Valkra felt the knot in the pit of his stomach again. The Dark Side seeded itself inside him, afflicting him with dark and subtle emotions. He almost didn't realize what was happening until the same ring of lightning-charged dark power slammed into him with the force of a speeder. The Force was the only thing that kept him from ending up sprawled on the floor. The familiar wave of lightning that followed once more paralyzed him, despite his best efforts to resist.

Nox stretched out his hand, waving his fingers in an eerie pattern and Valkra felt the dark affliction inside him sprout into a sinister terror that crept up his spine and into his brain. Fear cemented the paralysis already affecting him, rooting his feet to the ground. Then Nox clenched his outstretched hand in a fist, moving it towards him at the same time as if he were pulling something, and a nova of dark power burst in the Sith's clenched hand. Valkra felt the Dark Side explode around him, and he saw and felt his very life force being drawn out of him and into the dark star shining in Nox's fist. The Dark Lord absorbed it, and the orb of power in his hand faded as he consumed the life energy he had stolen. Etching a series of arcane symbols into the air with his fingers, Nox unleashed the Dark Side on Valkra again, this time piercing the Jedi's now weakened Force defenses to tap his life force directly. Valkra felt horror dawn on him as his very life was sapped from his body, drawn through the Force into Nox by the power of the Dark Side.

Calling on the Light Side, Valkra brought his roiling emotions back under control and charged Nox once more, but the Force attacks the Sith had unleashed upon him had all taken their toll, and the Dark Lord was all the stronger for it. His Force barrier, which had been starting to give way and bend beneath lightsaber blows, was now as rigid and impenetrable as it had been at the start of the fight, and Nox responded to the attack with a maelstrom of lightning that wrapped Valkra in its electric tendrils, even as he called on the Light Side to lend him focus and rejuvenate him under the supercharged assault. Valkra could feel the Sith's influence beginning to seep into his mind, the terrifying darkness eating away at his mental and Force defenses. What kind of power is this? Valkra wondered. The power to crush your foes with your very presence, to cow them without lifting a finger...the power of the Dark Side is truly horrifying. He didn't have time to ponder it any further, because the storm of lightning vanished to be replaced by a concussive blast that sent him flying. He managed to hit the ground in a roll and leaped to his feet just as Kira, having regained consciousness after landing in a pile of heavy crates when Nox tossed her, charged across the room with lightsaber in hand. Nearby, the storm Nox had unleashed on Lord Scourge had faded. Scourge, having recovered from the serious disorientation of spending a full minute in a swirling vortex of wind being zapped by lightning, had also drawn his blade and was bearing down on the other Sith with an incredible fury. The Dark Lord seemed to pause, taking in the situation for a moment, then in a blur of motion, he acted.

Running up the wall behind him on an angle, he leaped off the wall to a walkway hanging from the ceiling. He leaped an impossible distance from the walkway to grab onto a pipe halfway across the room, using his momentum to swing from the pipe directly towards the thin strip of window rimming the top of the building.

"No!" Valkra cried, feeling a terrifying sense of déjà vu when he threw his lightsaber in an attempt to slice the Sith in half before he could escape. But it was too late, Nox crashed through the window and Valkra's blade sailed out after him, spinning harmlessly into the air before returning through the hole to its owner's waiting hand. "C'mon!" Valkra shouted, already heading towards the door, "We've got to catch him!"

_____________

Nox tore across the Flats with amazing speed. The relatively level plain of metal and duracrete was perfect for exercising his full command over the power of Force speed. With no real obstacles to avoid, he could focus entirely on increasing his velocity. The whine of a speeder soon attracted his attention however. This was restricted airspace, so there could only be one answer to who was driving the vehicle. A glance to his right confirmed his suspicions, approaching on a diagonal was a speedercar piloted by the bald Sith with the two Jedi seated beside him. With a playful smile, Nox decided it was time for a true test of his abilities. Turning his attention back to the wide open expanse in front of him, he dug down deep. He dredged up every memory from his past that caused him fear, memories of beatings, escape attempts, of hiding, of being pursued by his enslavers. One memory suddenly bubbled to the surface. He was being taken from his mother's arms, her embrace replaced by the cold and calloused hands of the Sith who had first bought him. He cried and cried, desperately reaching, grasping for his mother, but she simply stood there, unfeeling, uncaring, a silent statue watching him be taken as the Sith placed the young Teridax on his shoulder and carried the mewling infant towards the small shuttle that would take them away from Dathomir. Teridax cried louder, hoping his mother would rush forward, taking him back into her arms. That she would comfort him with her soft touch and silky voice, that she would assure him that she would never part with him...but she never did. She stood there as the boarding ramp closed behind them, and the ships engines began to roar. And Teridax, still crying, was carried up into the heavens, to forever dwell in the void between the stars.

A powerful wave of emotion welled up in him, pain, sorrow, rage, hatred, fear, and he let it come, let it consume him. He felt the Dark Side surround him, and his feet seemed to leave the ground. The world around him began to stretch and distort, as if he was a ship about to enter hyperspace. He no longer felt the resistance of the wind holding him back, and he ran. The plains of the Flats stretched out before him, and the whine of the Jedi's speeder seemed to be swallowed up by the vacuum he found himself in, or perhaps he had simply outran it. The world seemed completely silent, as if he had left sound itself far behind him. His entire body was vibrating with an intense energy that made him feel like he was on the edge of shattering the veil of reality and breaking through into a new world.

In eerie silence, he looked up to see the Rider lowering itself down out of the sky, the boarding ramp extended. Holding on to one of the ramp's pneumatic extension bars was Delriss, her hand outstretched and her eyes wide with shock and fear, her mouth forming words that were swallowed up the vacuum surrounding him. After a moment of internal confusion, Nox came back to himself and realized she was trying to help him get on board. Moving towards the Twi'lek's outstretched hand, he began to perceive sounds, the deafening silence becoming slowly filled by a muffled roar that he realized was the Rider's engines. Feeling a light breeze on his cheek, he realized with some concern that the vacuum he had created in order to achieve such an incredible speed was beginning to disappear. In moments his speed would begin to decrease, possibly allowing the Jedi to catch up to them.

He moved closer to the boarding ramp and reached out to grasp the woman's surprisingly strong arm, and she did the same for him, with a nod from her indicating she was ready, he prepared himself and pushed off, using the Force to lift himself several feet off the ground as Delriss pulled him onto the ramp. They moved up into the ship with all haste as the ramp closed behind them.

Nox leaned over, supporting himself with his hands on his knees, breathing hard from the fatigue that was sweeping over his body. He looked up to see Delriss staring at him in naked wonder and fear.

"I realize you have many questions, captain." Nox said, his breaths still coming hard and ragged, forcing him to stop to take in a gulp of air. "But I'm afraid that the answers would be far more fatal than ignorance." After a moment of continuing to stare at him, the blue-skinned Twi'lek spoke;

"In my business, it's smart to not ask questions." She said, pausing to consider her next few words, "but do you realize how fast you were going?"

A small chuckle escaped Nox's lips. "No officer, enlighten me."

Unmoved by the jest, Delriss just continued to eye him with suspicion and fear as she spoke. "500 klicks per hour."

Nox blinked, not processing the implications of the statement. "Pardon?"

"500 klicks per hour." Delriss repeated, her tone indicating she had a hard time believing it herself.

Nox seemed to consider this for a long moment, when he finally spoke, he said;

"I trust that we are currently leaving the planet, and not heading to, say, Coruscant Penitentiary."

"I'm not that stupid." Delriss said shaking her head, her lekku swaying behind her. "We'll be out of atmo in a few minutes, hopefully your friends don't have a mind to follow us."

"Yes." Nox said distractedly, "Hopefully they don't." Delriss turned to go.

"Make yourself comfortable." She said over her shoulder. "It's a long flight back."

_____________

Snow crunched under Nox's boots as he made his way across the frozen lake towards the wreck of The Fatality. He was once more wearing his battle armor, and his skull-like helm protected his face from Belsavis's harsh polar winds. His saberstaff was once more clipped to his belt, and he never felt more relieved to have it there. Leaving it behind had been a mistake. He had believed that being discovered with it on him would attract to much attention and likely identify him as a Sith immediately, but in his fight with the two Jedi and their Sith companion, it had become clear to him that such a risk was worth it. As powerful as he was in the Force, a lack of a lightsaber still gave his enemies an advantage. That was why he had originally tried to steal the Iridonian Jedi's weapon. Unfortunately, the strong Light Side aura of the blade, a consequence of it being wielded by such a powerful Jedi for years, had reacted badly to the Dark Side energies lacing his body. The resulting effect had made it completely impractical to wield the lightsaber, as it drained Nox's own Force powers and was painful to touch. Normally he would simply turn the pain into anger, and anger into power, but the pain the Light Side energies inflicted wasn't that kind of suffering.

Approaching the open airlock, he cloaked himself in the Force and slipped into the ruined vessel. In the time he had been gone, the Dread Guard had routed his forces occupying the ship. An unfortunate turn of events and a clear demonstration that what the Imperial Guard captain had told Nox was true: The Dread Guard was a serious threat to Imperial control of Section X, and they would have to be dealt with. But right now Nox had bigger issues to contend with, the destruction of the Dread Guard would have to wait. Moving silently and unseen through the ship's various rooms and corridors, Nox quickly descended to the cargo bay level. Successfully avoiding detection by the scanner droids each patrol was accompanied by, he reached the cargo bay without incident.

Entering the room, he realized it was not as dark or cold as it had been on his first visit. The Dread Guard seemed to have not noticed or not cared that he had activated power to the cargo bay, and Nox noticed that the ice in the room was now mostly water. Moving to the control panel, he accessed the system again and input the command to lower the stasis unit in the center of the room to ground level. He heard the sounds of rusted and half-frozen machinery as the pod descended, and when it reached the bottom of its track and hissed open, Nox approached it with caution. There was no telling how the damaged assassin droid might react to its reactivation. He looked on with interest when he heard the whir of the droid's mechanical systems activating. The ice still glossing the HK unit's exterior melted away as defrosting systems registered the temperature and heated the droid's exterior.

"Warning: 7 critical systems damaged." The machine stated in a flat monotone that was nonetheless signatory of the HK-series droids. "Request: Repairs required immediately. Error. Error."

Nox approached the droid a little less warily, upon reaching it he quickly searched the unit and found it's deactivation switch, flipping it and watching the droid's eyes go dark again. Once he was certain the unit was inactive he set to work removing the parts that needed replacing. Once that was done, he installed the new parts, one at a time, taking care not to damage the rest of the droid while working. Once the new parts were installed, he set about finishing the repairs on the parts that were broken but didn't need to be replaced.

After nearly a half hour of crouching in front of the droid with his hands buried in its guts, Nox stepped back and examined his work. The droid looked much better, although it still needed a full on check-up from an expert mechanic and a thorough buffing. Satisfied with his efforts, Nox reactivated the droid and watched the light come into its cold, mechanical eyes with all the pride and eagerness of a parent watching their child being born. Suddenly, the droid stood up straight and drew its sniper rifle, aiming it around the room while its optics scanned for threats. Nox's hand flew to his lightsaber, his fingers curling around the hilt but he didn't draw it. He had just fixed the droid, the last thing he wanted to do was start a fight with it.

The droid's optical sensors fell on him and it relaxed its weapon into a ready position. "Declaration: Self-diagnostics complete, assassination protocols active, all systems go. Salutation: Greetings master! I am HK-51, I am armed, operational, and at your command." Nox resisted the urge to rub his hands together with glee.

"You belong to me now droid."

"Acknowledgement: I had assumed so master, seeing as you are the only organic here who is not frozen solid."

"Tell me HK," Nox said, a smile spreading behind his mask. "are you ready for an immediate massacre?"

"Assurance: I am always ready for a massacre master!" The droid said, his tone rising with excitement.

"Good." Nox said, finally drawing his lightsaber and activating it. "Then let the slaughter begin."