"Oh, Maker." Satele growled as another wave of pain ripped through her tired and aching body. "I can't take this anymore." She cried and then turned her head toward Malgus.

Sitting behind her, he whispered into her ear.

"You are so strong my love. Much stronger than I have ever been. You can do this."

"Ahhhhhh." She moaned as the pain got stronger. "I feel like my body is being ripped in half." She panted while her hands held Malgus's in a death grip.

"Satele." Marr said as he took his place between her thighs that were now uncontrollably shaking. "I'm going to check if you are dilated. Is that alright if I put my hand in there?" He asked, anxiously looking at Satele's sweat-drenched face.

Nodding her head, she said through gritted teeth.

"Do whatever it takes to get this child out of me."

Then, Marr's eyes met Malgus's. Nodding in agreement, Malgus said. "Thank you, Marr."

"Vowrawn." Marr said turning to the astonished and sickly looking Sith. "I want you to get me some hot water and plenty of towels."

When Vowrawn didn't reply or move, Marr added in a louder voice.

"If you don't move, I swear I'm going to throw you out the window.

Within minutes, Vowrawn collected as many towels as he could and a large bowl of hot water. Then he placed everything beside Marr's legs.

"Do you need anything else?" He asked, hoping to be sent away again. He hated seeing Satele in such a condition. He was not looking forward to witnessing childbirth. Every time she cried out, he felt like fleeing the room. The smell of blood or any human or non-human secretions always made him cringe. He had never seen childbirth before, but he knew it was not a pleasant sight.

"Yes." Marr replied, enjoying Vowrawn's apprehensiveness. Pointing to the left side of the bed, he said. "I want you to sit down there and have a wet towel ready." With a mischievous grin, he added. "It's going to get messy, so you better roll up your sleeves."

Swallowing hard, Vowrawn looked at Marr. Then, reluctantly he picked up one of the towels and dipped it into the water. After wringing it out, he sat down on the bed and watched as Marr pulled Satele's nightgown over her swollen belly.

The view of her private parts made him want to look away in shame. Quickly, he tore his gaze away and looked at the towel in his hands.

As he slipped his hand inside Satele, Marr said.

"Not quite there. You still have a little more to go."

"What do you mean?" Satele asked with a growl. "How far?"

Pulling away, he motioned Vowrawn to give him a towel to wipe his hand, and then he said.

"Not long now. I felt the baby's head. But you are not ready to push yet."

"Ahhhhh." She cried out as another painful sensation enveloped her. "Please." She begged. "Do something. I can't take this anymore."

Satele's legs felt like jelly and every time her belly tightened up, she tried to keep the agonizing pain at bay. She had no idea how painful childbirth was, and now when she was in the midst of it, she wished she stayed a virgin.

"There is nothing I can do." Marr replied calmly. "You have to allow your body to adjust to accommodate the baby through your birth canal. We have to wait." Saying that he pulled down her nightgown covering her up.

This was the last thing Satele wanted to hear.

She wished to smash her fist into Marr and not just him but Malgus as well for putting her into a situation like this. However, she was already in labor and they were just trying to help. Embarrassed or not she needed them.

While Malgus tried to comfort Satele as much as he could, Marr pulled Vowrawn aside and said in a low voice.

"If everything goes well tonight, I promise you I will never ask anything of you like this again."

"What if it goes the other way?" Vowrawn asked anxiously.

"Then I guess it was nice knowing you." Marr replied with a grin.

"What do you mean?" Vowrawn inquired.

"It means that either Satele will kill us in a fit of rage, or her great-great-great-grandfather will finish us when he comes back ." Marr said smacking Vowrawn on the back.

"Then we better get this right." Vowrawn mumbled. He didn't wish to die, at least not until he sees Sidonie and holds her in his arms again.

While Satele's anguished cries enveloped the room and feeling her body trembling against his, Malgus felt useless and agitated. He wanted to help to ease her pain, but he knew she had to endure this on her own. The anxiety was driving him crazy. Malgus hoped the baby and Satele will be fine. If anything happens to them I don't know what I would do, he thought disheartened.

Hours later, that felt like an eternity, while Malgus's hands were getting numb from Satele's tight grip, Marr sat down in front of her. After checking Satele, he said with a smile.

"It's time for you to push this baby out."

Then he looked at Vowrawn and said.

"Get me more hot water and keep the towels ready."

"Alright." Vowrawn replied anxiously. Then he rushed toward the refresher to get more water.

Ten minutes later while Satele pushed as hard as she could, Vowrawn watched with apprehension. As blood and other body fluids soiled the sheets beneath her buttocks, it turned the bed into a bloodbath causing him to feel sick to his stomach.

Oh, Maker, I can't take this anymore, he thought, as he kept changing the towels.

"Push." Marr insisted as Satele let out another painful cry. Sitting behind her, Malgus anxiously watched as her legs shook from the strenuous effort of pushing the child out of her body.

"I can see the top of the head now." Marr said. Then he added. "The baby has dark hair."

"Aghhhhhh!" She screamed as the baby's head stretched her to the point that she wanted to run away from the pain and her body. The burning sensation was so unbearable she thought she was going to pass out. Then feeling momentary relief, she heard Marr's voice again.

"The head is out. Two push and it's all over, Satele." He assured.

Gathering her strength, she pushed again and felt the baby gradually slipping out of her. Then when she pushed one last time, Marr picked up the child and proudly said to Malgus.

"You have a son. Congratulations!" Then he said to Vowrawn. "Give me your knife."

After handing him the knife, Marr quickly cut the umbilical cord and then patted the newborn's back a few times. A loud cry left the infant's mouth as he took his first breath. Malgus felt overjoyed and tears started to run down his face seeing his son for the first time. As he kissed the top of Satele's head, he let out a wide smile and then he said.

"He looks beautiful."

"And big." She said between sobs. "I can't believe he is here." She added wiping her face. As she turned toward Malgus, he pressed his lips to hers, and then he said.

"You did it. I'm so proud of you."

While Malgus and Satele shared a tender moment, Marr and Vowrawn placed the placenta in a bowl and then cleaned and wrapped the baby into a towel. Then Marr stepped closer and handed the child to Satele.

"He looks like you." He said smiling.

"Thank you for your help." Satele said to Marr gazing at her baby. At that moment all the pain and suffering he had put her through felt insignificant. She felt so happy she wanted to jump with joy if she could.

"We need to clean up." Marr said pointing to the blood-drenched sheets.

While Malgus picked her up with the baby, Vowrawn and Marr pulled off the sheets and replaced them with fresh ones.

After putting Satele down on the bed, Malgus sat beside her admiring the child. Taking the baby from her, he said gazing at his son's face.

"He is just perfect."

"What's his name?" Marr asked feeling happy with a pang of jealousy looking at Malgus's beaming expression. A long time ago, when he was as young as Malgus, he wanted to have children with Gilina, but it never happened, he thought with sadness.

"His name is Drade." Malgus said proudly.

"Strong name for a strong boy." Vowrawn said with a smile. "Congratulations." He added. "The first child in a thousand years to be born on Korriban. A new generation that is going to change everything."

"Indeed." Marr said with a thin smile. "He is a perfect mixture of you both. He'll be someone people will remember even hundreds of years from now."

"You think so?" Malgus asked pulling up one of his eyebrows.

Nodding, Marr replied with slight mischief.

"My intuitions are keen as my vision." Tapping his finger beside his right eye, he added. "I might be old but my eyes have never betrayed me."

Then the baby started to cry.

"I think he might be hungry." Malgus said handing the child back to Satele.

"We'll be in the kitchen." Marr said, and then he and Vowrawn left the room.

As soon as she placed the baby on her breast, he immediately latched onto her. While his little hands curled into fists, his hungry mouth suckled on her nipple. It was an odd sensation but Satele welcomed it with delight.

"He's got my hair color." Malgus said with a smile.

"And your nose and ears." She said admiring the child. When he opened his eyes and looked at her, she said. "He has my eyes."

"And your mouth." Malgus said with a mischievous grin. "I hope he'll use it wisely."

Frowning she looked at him and said.

"I'll get you for that later."

"Oh, I can't wait." He said with a sly grin.

A half an hour later, while Satele rested, Malgus picked up the sleeping child and stepped out of the room.

The early morning light brightly shone through the kitchen windows as he walked in with the baby in his arms.

"Are you hungry?" Vowrawn asked as he refilled his cup at the sink.

"No, I'm not hungry." Malgus replied and then he took a seat at the counter.

"What's wrong?" Marr asked looking at Malgus's worried face.

"Now that he is here I feel happy but also worried as well." Malgus replied. "He is so little and innocent. All I want for him is to have a great life, just like I did."

"And you worry that something might happen to him?" Marr inquired.

"We are at war and I have no idea how am I going to keep him safe." Malgus said with apprehension. Then taking a deep breath he added. "When we are ready to go, I need someone to watch over him."

"What about Satele?" Vowrawn asked confused. "She is not staying behind?"

"You should know her by now." Malgus said. "She is stubborn and wants to keep Drade safe. I tried to tell her that she needs to stay with him while I'm at war, but she didn't want to hear that."

"She is, after all, a Jedi and now a mother." Marr said looking at the baby's pink face. "I understand that she would want to keep him safe and away from the enemy."

"Then who is going to watch him?" Vowrawn asked with anticipation. He hoped it wasn't him.

"Vaylin!" Zallow shouted. "Please, come down here."

"Give me a second." Vaylin yelled back.

Carefully, she climbed down from the rubble. When she got closer, Zallow picked her up, and as he put her on the ground, he said.

"I don't know what got into you but you are one crazy woman, do you know that?"

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him, and then she said.

"That is why you love me, right?"

A smile appeared on Zallow's face and then he said.

"I love you no matter what. Remember that."

"You are so sweet." Vaylin cooed and then pulling his face closer she smashed her lips to his. While the happy couple passionately kissed, not far from them, standing in the shadows, Aryn intently watched them. Then she tossed the piece of brick down and deftly spinning around, she walked away.

As she rounded the corner, in the far distance she noticed several ships landing. First, she thought it was the enemy, but then she realized they were Chiss ships. Finally, they're here, she thought as she headed toward them. They've been waiting on them and Lord Scourge for a few days now, and now they've finally arrived. Aryn was not happy to team up with Scourge or his army but she had no choice in that matter now. Zallow was insisting on fighting back and Aryn didn't want to look weak or oppose him in any way. Although he had changed, she still respected him. Secretly she wished for Vaylin to disappear but she knew it was not going to happen anytime soon.

When she got to the ships, Senya and others were already at the landing pad greeting the newcomers.

"Welcome, Lord Scourge." Senya said shaking hands with the tall Sith.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Scourge replied. Then he turned to Lyrna and said.

"My wife Lyrna."

"Nice to meet you, Lyrna." Senya said with a smile shaking hands with her.

"My pleasure." Lyrna replied smiling. "I'm glad I have the chance to meet with the Empress."

"I am no Empress." Senya said shaking her head. "I'm just a humble person, soon to be a grandmother." Then with a sorrowful tone, she added. "My son, Arcann is the Emperor, however, he is not here at the moment."

"Where is he?" Scourge asked with a concerned face.

Shaking her head, Senya said.

"I don't know. But I hope he is alive and well. I hope he returns soon, where he belongs."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Scourge replied.

"Congratulations." Lyrna said hoping to lighten the mood. "Children are a blessing and our future."

"Indeed." Senya replied. "I can't wait to meet her."

"Oh, a girl?" Lyrna asked. "That's even better. I love little girls."

Then Senya looked behind her and after assessing the other ships, she said.

"I see you brought a formidable army with you. Let's hope we can add some more to it soon."

"How many men do you have?" Scourge asked.

"We have plenty of civilians that are ready to fight, also some Zakuulan Knights and of course a few Jedi."

"Jedi?" Scourge asked. "From where?"

"From Tython." Aryn's voice was heard behind Senya.

"And who are you?" Scourge inquired looking at the brunette woman.

"My name is Aryn Leneer." She said measuring up the Sith. "And who are you?" She asked.

"You can call me Lord Scourge." Scourge replied. For some reason, he didn't like her attitude, but he didn't come here to appease a cocky Jedi. He came because this was the right decision and he had enough of hiding from the Rakatans. Soon Revan is going to be here, he thought. While they were still on Csilla, he received a message from Revan. He was already on his way with the Revanites and Adraas. Knowing Adraas's reputation, Scourge was not looking forward to meeting him. However, he was very much looking forward to meeting Revan. If someone was going to lead them, he was the one, he thought. Then they gathered everyone and walked away from the ships toward the city ready to be greeted by the rest of the Zakuulans.

"Tell me Adraas, what is your purpose in life?" Revan asked looking at Adraas sitting across from him, while their ship cut through space heading toward Zakuul.

"My purpose?" Adraas asked pointing to his chest. With a sly grin, he added. "I want to rule the world."

"That's a bold statement." Revan said. Lifting the cup to his face, he swallowed the sweet liquid and then, putting the cup down he said. "You might never rule the world, but you can always let go of the past and start anew."

"You don't know anything about me." Adraas replied annoyed. "You have no idea what I've done or where I've been."

"Enlighten me then." Revan said lifting his arms to the side.

For a few seconds, Adraas stared at Revan with slight distaste. It seemed enough telling Malgus about his past, he didn't want anyone else prying into it. Only painful memories were to be remembered and it was best to leave it alone.

"I don't want to talk about my past." Adraas said leaning back in his chair.

"Alright." Revan said folding his arms in front of his chest. "Then let's talk about your future."

With a suspicious glare, he looked at Revan and asked.

"What is it that you want from me?"

"I don't know what I want from you, yet." Revan replied. "I can sense you have suffered tremendously in the past. However, if you follow me and learn the ways of the Force as it should be, I can guarantee you your future will be much brighter."

"You want me to become one of your Revanites?" Adraas inquired.

"Is that a problem?" He asked gazing into Adraas's eyes.

"What if I don't want to become one of your followers?" Adraas asked. "What will you do?"

Leaning forward, Revan placed his hands on the table and while his eyes penetrated his, he said.

"I had a friend once. He was a good man with great ambition. I admired his strength and loyalty. We were an excellent team, fighting our way through the galaxy for a greater cause. I would have never thought that one day his ambition would outgrow his reasoning. The idea of betraying me already crossed his mind once we set out to defeat the Republic."

"Why would he betray you?" Adraas inquired.

"I punished him once and I believe after that he was never the same man." Revan replied.

"How did you punish him?" Adraas asked shifting in the chair. The way Revan looked at him made him feel at unease.

"I cut his jaw off." Revan said without batting an eye. The eerie silence that enveloped the chamber was disturbed by Revan's voice again. "I don't mind punishing others if they are overstepping their boundaries. There are many ways to punish a person and, believe me, I have a great imagination." He added with a wink.

Adraas wasn't keen on joining the Revanites, but he wasn't looking forward to finding out what kind of punishment Revan had in mind. Nodding his head he said. "I'm listening."

While Revan talked about his experiences, on Dathomir the two Revanite spies were ready to seek out important information.

"How are we going to get there?" Brol asked looking at his companion.

"Do you see that mountain?" Lissil said pointing toward the closest mountain. "We can use that one to climb up to where they are at." Then she added. "They would never see us coming from that side. It's hidden behind the lush forest. We would be able to blend in perfectly."

"What about the wildlife?" He inquired.

"Are you afraid of Rancors?" She teased as her green eyes measured him up.

"Why, aren't you?" Brol asked.

"My father raised a few of them." She replied. "They are not as scary or as bad as some people would like to think. On the contrary, they can be very gentle too."

Scoffing, Brol said. "I would rather not want to find out their gentle side."

"Don't worry." She said. "I'll keep you safe."

"We'll see about that." He replied with a sly grin. "Let's go." He added.

It took them hours to get through the forest. On the way up, thankfully they didn't run into Rancors or any dangerous wildlife. It was nearly dark when they arrived at the top of the mountain. There was a narrow passage with a large waterfall leading to the cave where the enemy was hiding. Looking around, Brol didn't see anyone outside. He was about to step onto the passageway when she swiftly pulled him back and then pointed toward the other side.

"Look." She whispered. "Here they come."

Hiding behind the waterfall, they watched with awe as a dozen or more Rakatans marched by a few feet from them. After they left, Brol tapped her on the shoulder, and then pointing behind them toward the wall, he said.

"Look, there is another way."

"Help me up." She said taking out her lightsaber.

After giving Lissil a boost, he watched as her shapely backside disappeared into the dark hole above his head. Then a bright red glow enveloped her comely features when she ignited her lightsaber and looked down toward him.

"There is a passageway here." She said. Then extending her hand, she grabbed a hold of his and pulled him up.

"You are heavier than you look." She said rubbing her shoulders.

With a sly grin, he said. "And you are stronger than you look."

"Ah, I see." She teased and then said. "Follow me."

The rough texture of the ground chafed their knees raw as they followed the tunnel down on all fours. The tunnel had most likely been dug by an animal all the way to the other side of the waterfall.

Holding her weapon in front, she lit the way enveloping the narrow tunnel with a glowing red color.

Suddenly, she stopped and then deactivated her weapon.

"What's going on?" He whispered.

"Shhh." She silenced him. "Can you hear it?" She asked.

A faint sound of clicking was heard somewhere above their heads.

"Yes, I can hear it." He replied. "What can it be?" He asked.

"I don't know but I can see some light above. She replied in a hushed tone.

The tunnel ended in a larger area where they were able to stand up. There was a glowing purple light coming from a ledge above their heads.

"Give me a boost again." She said clipping her lightsaber onto her wide belt. "I want to take a peek."

As he boosted her up, Lissil's breasts brushed against his face, making him smile on the inside. Then she pulled herself over the ledge and looked down.

"Oh, Maker." She gasped.

"What do you see?" He inquired looking up.

"You need to see this." She mumbled.

There was a flat piece of stone sticking out on the side of the wall where she placed her legs, and then she lay flat on her stomach. Using the Force, he jumped toward the ledge and then pulling himself up, he looked over the ledge.

The view left Brol speechless.

As his dark gray eyes scanned the immense cave, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The huge cave was occupied with many Rakatans diligently working on a large glowing gate surrounded by countless pods. He wondered what was inside of them. The sounds of their tools echoed through the walls making him shiver. There was something frightening about the contraption, giving him second thoughts about this mission.

"What do you think it is?" He asked in a hushed tone looking at her pale, mesmerized face.

Shaking her head, she anxiously said.

"I have no idea, but it looks dangerous. I don't like this."

"What's inside those pods?" He asked turning his attention back to the gate.

His question was soon interrupted when a blue-skinned Rakatan entered the cave and ordered the crew to speed up the process.

"You need to hurry up!" He yelled. "No more slacking or you are going to feel the wrath of King Zael."

Saying that Astrol touched his scarred face where the King punished him for losing the key. He still couldn't believe that the Captain and his soldiers were slaughtered during the taking of Kaas city. He had no idea who killed them, but he was sure the person who did it was in the possession of the key now, which pissed him off even more. Although he tried to locate it, for some reason, the key stayed dormant and he was unable to find it.

"We are doing what we can." One of the crewmembers spoke up. "But we still need some more fuel." He added as he approached Astrol.

"There is another load coming in tomorrow." Astrol replied. "That should be sufficient enough."

"We need someone like him." The Rakatan said pointing to one of the pods. "He is extremely powerful. More powerful than the others."

"Let's hope we can find more like him from tomorrow's delivery." Astrol said annoyed. He was aware of how hard everyone worked to build this gate that will give them infinite power. He couldn't wait to see what the gate could do once it was time to turn it on.

"We have only got one chance." Astrol said. If his calculations were right, they did only have one chance and they couldn't afford mistakes. Then he walked up to the pod and looked down.

There was an unconscious man wearing golden armor lying inside.

His aging face looked calm and composed, but Astrol knew better. Within the temple of his body, he was fighting for his life.

Raptus wanted to scream from the anger, frustration, and pain that he had been enduring for weeks now. He cursed himself over and over again for being careless. After learning about the Rakatans plans, he was ready to report back to Vitiate, when he got captured and forced into the pod. Simultaneously, unfortunate victims were also locked up in the other pods, and his Force powers were gradually sucked out of his body, slowly powering up the machine. The process was slow and painful, causing him to gradually lose his mind.

Stepping away from the pod, Astrol's eyes scanned the other pods and then he said.

"There is one out there we definitely need to find. On his own, he would be enough to power up the gate."

"Who is this person?" The Rakatan asked.

Looking down on Raptus's pod he said.

"His Master."

To be continued...