"Married?!" Vowrawn's astonished voice filled up his office. "When did this happen?" He asked, looking at Darth Marr with disbelief.

"Just recently." Marr replied suppressing a smile beneath his mask.

"And how do you know this?" Vowrawn asked suspiciously eyeing Marr.

"I have connections." Marr replied.

Walking to his desk, and as he let out a frustrated sigh, Vowrawn threw up his arms and asked.

"How could he leave his duties behind and run away with that woman?"

"She is a pretty one." Marr said as he chuckled beneath his mask.

With an angry expression, Vowrawn looked at him and exclaimed.

"Pretty or not, she is a Jedi and he is in love with her! My General is in love with a Jedi! How did this happen?"

Pointing his finger toward Marr, he said.

"Tell me where they are. I need him back!"

"They are not coming back." Marr replied.

"What do you mean not coming back?" Vowrawn asked.

Stepping closer to Vowrawn, Marr looked at him and said.

"They are happy where they are. Leave them be."

"You need to tell me where they are." Vowrawn said angrily pointing his finger at him.

"Or what?" Marr asked towering over the other Sith. Then he asked. "Are you threatening me?"

Looking up to his mask, Vowrawn swallowed hard, and then as he cleared his throat he said.

"Of course not." Stepping back he said. "All I'm asking is that you bring them back, married or not, I do not care at this point. We are at war and he is one of our best soldiers." Then as he walked behind his desk and placed his hands on it, he said. "I will promise you they will not be punished. The only thing we need to keep between us is their marriage. No one in the council can know about that."

"She could be pregnant by now." Marr said with a smirk. "How are you going to keep that as a secret?"

"Pregnant?" Vowrawn asked with a frown.

"I could see you weren't considering what married life would entitle." Marr said looking at the other Sith's troubled expression.

"You're right, no I wasn't." Vowrawn said scratching his chin. Then he said. "I'll figure out something." If she happens to be with child, he thought, I would want the child to be born on Dromund Kaas. Vowrawn was certain their offspring would be a very powerful one, and he couldn't pass on an opportunity like that.

"Why would you think they would want to come back?" Marr asked folding his arms in front of his chest.

"Lord Kasdar is devastated." Vowrawn said taking his mind off the baby. "He came here the other day nearly crying in my office about his son's thoughtless actions. If Lord Malgus cares about his father, he would return and take back his position as the General."

"So you just want to make his father happy?" Marr asked shaking his head.

"Not just his father but the rest of the council including me would want him to return. You know how good he is. Although he had made mistakes in the past, still he is a great asset to the Empire. I can't let someone like him go." Letting out a frustrated sigh, and as his pleading eyes were on Marr, he said. "Thankfully the Emperor is away, otherwise I have no idea how I would have been able to explain this disgraceful situation to him."

"Maybe it's time to change certain things around here." Marr said looking at him.

"What are you talking about?" Vowrawn inquired.

"First of all," Marr said. "If I decide to bring them back, which I can't guarantee they would want to return, I need to make some changes within the council. I'm getting tired of all this pointless bickering amongst us. We need to find members that are like-minded. We need to put our citizen's needs in front of our selfish needs to show them that the Empire is here to protect them instead of taking advantage of them. Our Imperial defenses need to be strengthened and the only way we can achieve this is by all of us working together. As of now, within the council, I have only seen hatred and scheming. I'm getting tired of this Vowrawn. We need change, and we need it now."

Then as he walked closer to the table with a determined voice he said.

"By all means necessary I would do anything to achieve this vision. However, I would need your permission."

With a frowning expression, Vowrawn looked at Marr and as he sat down he said.

"I always made sure to place the Emperor's best interest above all." Taking a deep breath he said. "I'll grant you the permission if you bring them back. You have my word."

Nodding his head in agreement, Darth Marr turned around and left the office. He wanted to get back home where Nico was waiting on him. After he received Lana's message about Malgus and Satele, he felt satisfied to know that they made the next step toward a possible and better future. He wasn't keen on bringing them back, but the new General that Lord Angral appointed was not for his liking.

He never cared much for Lord Anglar's little pet, however, he knew that Lord Adraas couldn't be trusted and Marr was not looking forward to having someone like him in charge of the military. His arrogant attitude was something hard to deal with and if he had to choose between him and Malgus, he would definitely choose the latter.

As soon as he walked into his home the first thing that caught his eye was Nico flirting with his Twi'lek maid.

"Is he bothering you?" Marr asked stepping inside the kitchen.

Looking up, the blue beauty stepped away from Nico, and with a smile, she shook her head.

"Leave us." Marr said to her. Then his attention turned to Nico.

"I'm glad that you are enjoying your stay, however, I'm afraid we have to say goodbye to each other."

"Are you kicking me out?" Nico asked with a mischievous grin.

"I want you to do me a favor." He said looking at Nico.

"It will cost you some credits though." Nico said with a beaming smile.

"No problem." Marr replied.

"What is it that you want me to do?" Nico asked folding his arms in front of his chest.

"I want you to return to Lehon and bring them back." Marr replied.

"I thought you wanted to leave them alone." He said.

"Initially yes I wanted to do that." Marr replied. "However, things might change around here very soon and I'm hoping to achieve this new vision with their help."

"I guess then it's time to say farewell." Nico replied as he pushed himself away from the kitchen counter. After shaking hands with Marr, he left the apartment.

Walking into the bedroom, Marr opened the closet and called for his servant.

"Gilina come and help me."

Within seconds, the Twi'lek servant arrived at the bedroom and approached him.

Getting out of his armor always felt like a chore and he liked her to help him with this task. She had been with him for years now, and he truly appreciated her presence in his home. Being mute, others did not care for her much, except for Marr. From the first moment he laid eyes on her, he knew she was going to be perfect for him.

As her delicate fingers lifted off the mask, a sweet smile enveloped her face looking at him. Then she pulled him closer and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

"Did you have fun today?" He asked as she helped him out of the rest of the armor.

Nodding her head, she signaled that indeed she had some fun.

Placing everything down on the floor, he pulled her closer and embraced her. With a smile he looked at her and in a hushed tone, he said.

"I missed you today."

Smiling back at him, she folded her arms around his neck and crushed her lips to his.

Her sweet kiss was what he needed. Pressing his body against hers, he enjoyed the moment.

Then breaking the kiss, with a mischievous smile he said.

"I need to take a shower." Then he asked. "Care to join me?"

As she nodded her head in agreement, he swiftly picked her up and walked toward the shower.

That night as they lay in bed, and while his arms enfolded her body, he looked at the ceiling and said.

"These changes I'm about to do will bring a new era to the Sith world. It's about damn time that we started something new and productive which will bring us to the highest level."

Placing her chin on his wide chest that was covered with battle scars, she looked into his eyes signaling for him to continue.

"Once these new changes are made, we might not have to hide our relationship anymore. Would you like that?" He asked as he lifted up her chin.

Nodding her head, she cracked a smile and bit her lower lip. Pulling her up, he passionately kissed her. While their bodies entangled beneath the sheets, from the spaceport, Nico's ship lifted up leaving Dromund Kaas behind.

"It tickles." Satele snickered as his hands slid down on the back of her thighs caressing her beneath the sheets.

"What about this?" Malgus asked with a sly grin, sliding his hand up her backside.

"Much better." She said with a wide smile enjoying this little private time with him in their cabin.

"You are in a good mood." He said observing her gleeful face. In the last few days of their travel, he had noticed that her attitude had changed a little. She looked energized and happy. Although their mission should've made anyone else in their right mind nervous, somehow she seemed relaxed and strangely content.

Gazing into his eyes, she pulled the covers up to her chest and said.

"I feel good. I don't know how to explain it but I feel like I have tremendous energy."

"I can tell." He said with a smirk.

Then his face became more serious and searching her eyes, he said.

"I have no idea how you would be able to defeat him. He is extremely powerful." Letting out a frustrated sigh, he said. "I want to trust Lord Scourge about his vision, but I just can't imagine how this whole mindless plot would play out. I'm very skeptical about it."

Caressing his solemn face, with a small smile, Satele said.

"He is right about one thing. Everything happens for a reason."

Malgus tried to understand her reasoning, but the anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach wouldn't let up. He hated this feeling. When it came to her, he felt like he had become utterly possessive. The possibility of losing her made his mind go mad.

"I want to be there with you." He said.

"But Lord Scourge said." She started to say when he abruptly cut in.

"I don't care what he said." Malgus said feeling a little irritated. "I want to be there with you and that's my final word." He hoped that with their combined powers, they might have a chance to defeat the Emperor. He knew he should show loyalty and respect toward his Emperor, but after what Scourge said about his plans of extinguishing all life in the galaxy, Malgus wanted to help by stopping this insanity.

"Alright then." Satele said not wanting to start an argument with him.

There was a knock on the chamber's door. With a frown, Malgus called out.

"Who is it?"

"It's me." Lana's voice drifted through the door. "Can I come in?" She asked.

Before Malgus had the chance to protest, Satele spoke up.

"Yes. Come in."

Opening the door, Lana stepped inside and as she looked at them in bed, she swiftly suppressed a smile. Closing the door behind, she walked in and stood in the middle of the room with folded arms. Then she said.

"We are a few hours away from The Maelstrom. Once we get there, and while you are doing your own business, Lyrna and I would go ahead and free Revan. I believe that the distraction you will make will give us the opportunity to get to his cell."

Sitting up, Malgus looked at her and asked.

"Are you able to handle this?"

"I busted you out from Coruscant, didn't I?" Lana asked with a sly grin.

"Yes, but that was a different situation." Malgus replied.

"Don't worry." Lana assured, while her piercing gaze was on Malgus. "I can handle this." Then as she started to walk toward the door, she said.

"I'll let you get dressed and then I'll meet you in the control room." Standing in the doorway, she looked back and with a mischievous smile, she added.

"Nice pecs…Veradun."

In an instant, Malgus picked up his pillow and threw it at Lana, who rushed out of the room laughing hard.

"I have never met such an annoying Sith like her before." Malgus said, shaking his head.

A half an hour later they met in the control room.

After listening to Lord Scourge's instructions, and analyzing the space station's blueprint, they were ready to get on with the mission.

"I'm going to stay behind on the ship, and engage the Imperial defenders in a space battle, while you two." Saying that he looked at Lana and his wife. "Are going to find cell I-23 and get him."

Then his attention turned to Satele.

"From a trustworthy source, I know that the Emperor is here on the space station. Is it purely a coincidence, or not?" He asked looking at her slightly anxious expression. Then he added. "With this mission, we can achieve two aims at once. Once you are in his presence, you'll know what to do. I have an undeniable faith in you, Satele. I know you are the one who could end him." Then he added. "The only help I can offer you is T7-01. He can help you if needed."

"You want to send her in with a droid?" Malgus exclaimed looking at Scourge's stern face.

"Do you have a better idea, Lord Malgus?" Scourge replied with a scolding expression.

Stepping closer to Scourge, Malgus stood in front of him and while his piercing gaze was on the Pureblood Sith, he said.

"Forget your droid. I'm going in with her."

"It's very risky." Lord Scourge replied. "The Emperor can invade your mind and you can do more damage than help. So I say no to your plan."

Feeling aggravated with his decision, Malgus took a few deep breaths, and then he said.

"She is not going in without me. This is my final say."

"As you wish." Lord Scourge replied with an icy tone. It was pointless to argue with him. The only thing he would achieve was getting into another fight with Malgus and this was not what Scourge wanted.

An hour later the spaceships entered the huge green cloud of space dust charged with raw energy. Instantly, their navigation system went down, causing loud beeping sounds within the control room.

"Turn it on." Lord Scourge said to the pilot.

Turning the Gree computer on, and cloaking the ship, the pilot carefully navigated through the green dust followed by the other spaceships. A few minutes later the faded outline of the hidden space station came into view.

Through the intercom, Lord Scourge addressed the rest of the ships.

His holographic glowing image showed up on each and every Chiss ship that was ready for battle.

"This mission will cost more lives before it's done, but it's a necessary sacrifice to save our galaxy. Be ready for my signal and may the Force be with you all."

Then he pointed toward the ventilation shafts and said. "Over there."

As their ship unnoticeably approached the space station, Lord Scourge gave his signal to attack. Within seconds his fleet attacked the space station drawing out the Imperial forces to meet them in battle.

While the ships engaged with each other, Malgus, Satele, Lana, and Lyrna entered through the ventilation shafts. As he let go of his wife, Lord Scourge said in a worried hushed tone.

"Take care, my love."

"I'll be fine." She said nodding her head. Then she was off running after the others.

Shutting the ship's door, Scourge hurried back to the control room to take charge of the battle that now ensued the space station area.

While in space the battle raged on, Malgus and the women made their way deep into the station. The loud sound of the alarm annoyingly rung in Malgus's ears as they stepped inside a wide foyer accompanied by Imperial soldiers.

Simultaneously igniting their weapons, Malgus and Satele looked at each other, and then quickly they attacked the soldiers while Lana and Lyrna went to search for the prison cell.

Using their combined Force powers, they quickly cleared out the corridor leaving mangled bodies behind.

"This way." Malgus said as they ran toward the Emperor's chamber. On the way to the chamber, they cut down more soldiers. As the last one's head flew through the air, Malgus looked at Satele and signaled for her to open the door.

Using the Force, she blew the wide double doors in, leaving the mangled metal pieces in the middle of the expansive chamber.

The chamber was empty except for the Emperor, who sat on his throne on top of the staircase.

It looked like he was waiting on us, Satele thought with surprise.

As his crimson eyes landed on Satele in a confident deep voice he said as he leaned back on his chair.

"The circle closes. And now the end begins."

Then he casually stood up and walked toward the stunned Satele.

"I knew you were coming." He said. "I have foreseen it."

While he spoke, Satele couldn't take her eyes off him. Dressed in full armor, his tall frame looked quite intimidating, while his pale, narrow face was hidden beneath his hood. His deep-set crimson eyes never left hers as he walked down the stairs taking one step at the time.

Then he looked at Malgus, as he stood behind Satele, ready for the fight.

A small, evil chuckle left the Emperor's mouth looking from Malgus to Satele.

In a mocking tone, he said.

"Sith and his Jedi, what a pitiful picture to behold indeed. You are wasting your time dissipating your energies to save the weak. There are consequences."

As soon as he said those words, he swiftly sent a burst of powerful energy bolt toward Satele. In a split second, she lifted her weapon deflecting the immense energy, causing her arms to vibrate with an unprecedented force. Then the Emperor lifted his left hand and suddenly Malgus and Satele found themselves surrounded by several of his projected images instantly attacking the couple.

"Lana watch out!" Lyrna yelled as another Imperial soldier fired at them. While Lana was busy cutting down some of the soldiers, using her Force powers Lyrna turned the rest of them against one another, blasting each other with friendly fire.

"Here it is." Lana said, feeling breathless as she stood in front of cell I-23. Using her powers, Lana blasted the key panel next to the door, shorting out the electrical current within the panel. As the door opened, to her surprise, Revan was not shackled as she had expected, but in a cryostasis, sleeping within a pod.

"We don't have time to wake him up." Lana said in a hurry as she looked down on the pod. Looking at Lyrna, she said. "We have to take him like this."

Disengaging the pod from its base, they walked out the door with the levitating capsule, leaving the damaged cell behind.

As the last of the Emperor's projection was cut down, Malgus felt cold sweat running down his back beneath his armor. Breathing heavily, he looked toward Satele and saw the Emperor stopping in front of her. Holding her weapon in front, she aimed at the Emperor's head while he spoke up.

"My life spans millennia. Legions have resented testing me. And you, the descendant of Revan had the audacity to come here and challenge me. Who do you think you are?"

Slowing down her breathing, Satele looked into his eyes and said.

"You are a threat to every single being in the galaxy and need to be punished."

A loud chuckle left his mouth. Then he said. "How dare you say that, when you betrayed your order by saving this scum from their clutches." Saying that he pointed toward Malgus. Then he added as he looked at Satele. "Do you think there would be no consequences to your actions?"

Satele felt the anger rising within her. Yes, he was right. What she did was unacceptable, and if she were to be caught, the Jedi order would definitely punish her.

Sensing her great conflict he tried to invade her mind, however, he quickly realized he was unable to do that. She was like a shield and he couldn't penetrate her mind. Looking toward Malgus, he said to Satele.

"You underestimated my powers. It was a mistake to bring your lover to this fight."

For a second Satele didn't understand why he said that. Then as she turned around and her eyes met Malgus's, in an instant she realized what was happening. The look on his face was the same he had on their first fight on the space station. His eyes burned with the desire to hurt her and as he lunged at her, Satele swiftly had to block his attack. Colliding with his weapon, she had little time to react at this unexpected turn. Suddenly Lord Scourge's words echoed through her mind. The Emperor can invade minds.

Satele knew she had to do something and act quickly.

While their weapons fiercely slashed at each other, Satele had no choice but to tap into the dangerous dark side that she dreaded using, so to bring this fight to an end. Suddenly, Malgus flew through the air and collided with one of the pillars, knocking him unconscious.

Then she spun around and with all her might, she attacked the Emperor.

While they fought, she could hear his taunting voice in her head.

You are a blind insect contemplating the void of space. My ascendance is inevitable. A day, a year, a millennium, it matters not. I hold the patience of stone and the will of stars. Your striving my dear is insignificant. Let your death be the same.

As she looked around, suddenly more of his projections appeared simultaneously attacking her. Circling around, she swiftly slashed at the closest one, destroying him on contact. Then she did the same with the next one. However, after a few minutes of fighting Satele was getting overwhelmed with his trickery. Every time she managed to cut down one, another quickly appeared in its place. A sudden rage and frustration started to build up inside her. As her mind went to a dark place, everything in the room turned crimson giving her an unbelievably powerful feeling of rage that she had not experienced since her encounter with Adraas.

Slamming her fist to the ground, she sent a powerful Force wave throughout the chamber, causing large cracks within the marble floor, destroying the Emperor's puppets immediately.

Then she Force grabbed him and slammed his body against the floor.

As he lay defeated on the ground, he lifted up his arm and sent a weakened Force blast toward her that she absorbed with her bare hand.

Stepping closer to him, she looked down on his crumpled form. Looking up on her, with a low voice he said.

"You harness immense power. But you lack the purity of will to direct it."

Swiftly, he got on his knees and attacked her again using bolts of lightning strikes, which she absorbed into her hand again. To her surprise, this amazing power felt extremely good as it coursed through her body. She felt so energized that after just a few seconds of battling him, she forced him down on the ground and stepped on his back. Pushing the heel of her boots into the small of his back, she placed her weapon against his ear, and in a maliciously sweet voice, she asked.

"Are you ready to face justice?"

"There is no justice. Only death and revenge are all that remains." He said as he waited on her to strike him down.

But before she could have made her deadly move, suddenly his body disappeared from beneath her foot. Then his deep voice rang through the shaking walls of the chamber.

I will not be your trophy. If I must die I choose how. And everything dies with me.

Instantly the cracks she caused earlier within the floor widened causing her to jump out of the way. Then some of the large cracks snaked their way up the stairs splitting his chair in half.

After a few seconds, the chamber's walls stopped shaking leaving the room in an eerie silence. The only thing Satele heard was her beating heart and the distant firepower coming from outside. Walking up to Malgus's unconscious body, she looked at him with interest. Then placing her boot against his arm, she nudged him. With a wicked smile, she squatted down beside him. For a few seconds, she watched him contemplating on what to do with him. As she was about to touch his face, he opened his eyes and whispered.

"Satele."

Hearing his voice, Satele slumped down on the floor beside him and cradled her head between her trembling hands. As the redness disappeared from her vision, she broke down in tears. Then she reached out and pulled Malgus closer while she cried as she had never cried before.

Embracing her, he looked at her and asked with confusion.

"What happened? Why are you crying?"

She wanted to tell him that she was truly sorry about what she was going to do with him, but there were no words coming out of her mouth. Between sobs, she managed to say.

"He….. is …..gone."

Feeling relieved, Malgus sat up and as he looked into her swollen, reddened eyes in a low voice he said.

"I'm sorry about attacking you. He took over my mind and now I feel like a fool not listening to Scourge."

As he embraced her again, he looked over her shoulder and noticed the large chair was split in two, along with the stairs and the rest of the floor. Malgus wondered what went down here while he was out, but he was afraid to ask.

"Shhh." He shushed her. "Everything is going to be alright."

Cupping her face into his hands, with a thin smile, he said.

"If you want, after we drop Revan's body off on Lehon, we can start a family and forget about everyone else and travel throughout the Unknown to see new worlds. Do you want that?"

Nodding her head, she sniffled, and then letting out a shaky breath she pressed her lips to his.

Their passionate kiss was disturbed by the cynical voice of Adraas.

"Well, what do we have here?"

Looking toward the doorway, with terrified eyes, Satele saw Adraas entering the chamber, accompanied by many Imperial soldiers, holding Lana in front of him like a human shield.

From Lana's petrified eyes, she looked at the soldiers, and then something hit her on the neck. Reaching up, she felt a small metal object buried into her flesh. Then she looked at Malgus and realized that he had also been hit with an identical object. Suddenly the room started to spin and the last image Satele saw before she passed out was Adraas's metal mask looking down on her.

To be continued...