--

Colonel Talia Rickter’s Office, The End….

They weren’t smart, they were stupid. Purposefully circumventing the holo-cams, making moves they thought she couldn’t see. But Colonel Rickter had eyes everywhere. And even more informants. Gangs didn’t exist in ‘Max pop’, the area where Mrysti and most dangerous inmates were held. There was no reason to form a gang. All of the individuals in that section of the prison were lethal in their own right. Some were former gang members, most led their own coalitions. But separated from the group, they were just dangerous individual inmates. Like all of the rest. Well, almost all of the rest. There was no one like Mrysti in that quad. A fact Colonel Rickter was coming to realize.

After the second member of the ‘goon squad’ was discovered in the shower the Warden and Captain Oberisk came up with a new plan. They started recruiting more heavily in the less ‘dangerous’ quads. But not obvious or deliberate. They were planning something, building a war chest.

The killing had Mrysti written all over it. ‘Muscles’, as the Twi’lek in question was known, was no ordinary prisoner. His record was filled with incidents of HIM intimating or outright beating other inmates to death. To have something like that befall him—Colonel Rickter shook her head cutting off the holo-file and the spinning mugshot of the Twi’lek which floated above her desk. No one else could have done it but Mrysti; retribution for years of rape and torture. The Sith Lord had given her word to Colonel Rickter to amintain control, but the Colonel was not angry. Sith, in her experience and at the level of power Mrysti attained could not be controlled. They did what they felt was right. And to question them—Talia didn’t want to think about that.

But it did present a problem. The Warden and the Captain were building their forces, getting ready to move on Mrysti and that meant Talia as well. It was time to take a piece off the Dejarik board.

--

“Captain” Talia sat behind the desk as Captain Oberisk reported and saluted. She looked up, an annoyed look on her face. As an officer, he looked slovenly. Vestiges of the previous conversation were written all over him as he stood ramrod straight, eyes straight ahead. But Colonel Rickter sensed a smugness. That he knew something she didn’t. Which of course, was untrue. His uniform looked as if it had been hit by an explosive attack of several wrinkle bombs. Talia made no mention of it. They were way beyond etiquette and protocol.

Activating her holo-unit a scene played out. The Captain walking through medium security. Several well-known gang leaders trailing behind. And the exchange of something. He looked down, his eyes getting wide. Talia shook her head for him to remain quiet as the scene changed. One of the same gang leaders entering the office he was standing in and standing on the same spot he occupied. Talia sat back and smiled, the scene cut off before the gang leader reported all of the Captain’s dealings, but he already knew what all of those dealings were.

“The trust of killers and thieves…not something to stake your life upon.” Raising a finger and making a gesture with it toward his headgear. “Please remove your cover in my presence. This is official business.” The Captain looked ramrod straight ahead after he removed his cover and once Talia leaned forward to start reading from her datapad.

“Captain P. Oberisk…you stand accused of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. Abuse of inmates under your care and disregard for my standing orders and procedural rules…how do you plead?”

“Excellency…I-I don’t understand. That image in the quad, I was only--”

“--What don’t you understand Captain? I am reading you the riot act. I am charging you with crimes against your station as a Captain in the Imperial Army. I warned you. I thought I made myself clear. HOW do you plead…”

“But I did not return to Maximum Security, just as you ordered. I was only—"

“—you were only trying to circumvent my order by going around it. That gang leader, the one in the image; he told me everything once I offered him something he wanted. I was loathed to do it, but matters necessitated it. Now, I understand exactly what you and the Warden are trying to do. That you don’t understand, I gathered that. But you may rest easy knowing I am not charging you with any of that. Allow me to refresh your memory on what you are truly being charged with….” Talia pressed a button on the desk. The door to her office opening as she gestured with her finger. A black armored guard was escorting in another guard who was not wearing his armor. The other guard wearing only the skin tight undersuit which all guards wore under their gear. His hands shackled to his front. Talia stood up, placing her hands on the desk looking at the man in shackles. “Guard, you serve at Captain Oberisk’s leisure…escorting him on midnight excursions into various parts of the prison. Care to enlighten us as to those activities?”

The guard gave the Captain a helpless look, Capatin Oberisk only returning a rather stern one. “Ma’am I-I-I’m not really sure what you mean…”

Talia sneered and drew her pistol. The Guard was more afraid of him than her. That was about to change. “Article forty-three of the combined Sith and Imperial Military Code for conduct of Junior Military Officers and Troopers. Being ordered to do something illegal, it is the trooper's duty in being commanded to conduct that unlawful act to either inform his superior he will not execute his order or report that superior to the next highest authority. You are familiar with that regulation?” The trooper nodded. “Was the order you were given a lawful one and were you bound to obey?”

“Ma’am I’m not sure—the Captain and I—”

Talia lifted her arm and fired, a blaster bolt forming neatly in the guard’s head before he dropped to the ground. She looked back to Oberisk, who was gritting his teeth.

“Colonel, you can’t do that…it’s—”

“--Illegal? Against my sacred oath as a Commanding Officer? See, that’s where you’re wrong, Captain Oberisk…funny thing about this place; the AI records everything. I did a little digging after getting an anonymous tip. You’ve had quite the adventure here in our prison system, haven’t you?”

“Colonel, he is never going to let you get away with this. Do you have any idea who he’s friends with?”

“The question you SHOULD be asking yourself is…do YOU have any idea whom I answer to? So I am going to ask again….HOW…do you plead…”

“Plead to what? I-I was merely following the orders of my superior…”

“Mmmm, is that so? So, ‘The Warden’, who is a complete coward will…” Talia sat down on the edge of the desk and looked back the datapad, the pistol still trained on the Captain as she read. “...admit to ordering you to rape inmates repeatedly; I would have to count these incidents to add up the charges. They go back years. Where was I.... Intimidate and recruit other inmates you referred to as ‘trustees’." Talia looked up, "They weren’t ‘trustee’ material, they didn’t even have the minimum time served or the light crimes required to be considered.” Talia stood up, “You are going to answer me Captain, or the next thing you see will be the flash of this blaster. HOW…do you plead…”

“Guilty…Ma’am…”

Talia stood up slowly. Extending her arm she pointed the blaster at Captain Oberisk’s head. “Then by the authority granted to me by the Sith Empire and as convening authority of Imperial Military Law in this sector. I sentence you to…Death. Sentence to be carried out immediately….”

“Colonel…” Captain Oberisk said softly, “…you will never win this. The Warden will—”

The bright flash and recoil of the blaster cut off the rest of the Captain’s statement. The body dropped to the floor as Talia sniffed hard and looked at the guard who was still standing at the door. She never intended to spare Captain Oberisk. The man was dead the second he walked in the door. But, it was official and all on record. No one could challenge not only her findings, but the evidence she amassed to justify her actions. “Ensure the entire proceedings make it into the official record.” She moved back behind her desk, holstering her blaster. “And…” gesturing to the body on the floor, “…get rid of ‘this’ filth on my rug.”

It was time to deal with the Warden.

--

- Nar Shareef, Hutt Controlled Hotel/Casino #83

Another night, more debauchery. Only this time, the one who went into Waylon’s room had seriously kriffed up.

Aurore sliced the door control. Rushing in, blaster held out in front of her. Dead eye.

The one she as aiming at barely had a chance to look, much less say anything before the Zeltron fired. Planting a blaster bolt neatly in her forehead. The blaster bolt sent the body back against the headboard. A black charred entrance wound; small compared to the charred mark that passed through the head of the woman and into the back wall.

Immediately, Aurore dropped the blaster and doubled over. Vomiting everything she ate at dinner. Apparently, not having mastered how to deal with that one extreme emotion. Having to kill the woman who had been sent to kill Waylon. Even after spending days building herself up toward it.

“What the ACTUAL KRIFF, AURORE?!?!” Waylon was off the bed. Having launched himself toward the gunbelt hanging off a chair, snatching one of his blasters out of the holster and nearly killing the Zeltron as she entered. It wouldn’t have mattered. He was fast, but not fast enough to stop what had to happen.

Aurore stood up, wiped her mouth and picked up the still smoking blaster. Glaring at Waylon she gestured at the door.

“I told you to watch who you brought into your bed. Time to change hotels…this one has been compromised….”

--

- Coruscant, Remnants of the Jedi Temple….

Sitting down in the rubble, Sam removed her lightsaber and placed it across her lap. Legs crossed under one another, she closed her eyes and reached out. Knowing that her connection was not as strong as that of her sister, Grace.

But she had to know.

Like traveling a long dark tunnel, Sam saw the light pass quickly in her mind’s eye. Felt her presence, her spirit travel the great distance between them. Reaching the destination and feeling it slow. Like a finger, reaching out and tapping the outside of a bubble she felt it pop. Inside, the mind she was hoping for, needing to feel that warmth, that love once again. A love that only a mother had for her daughter.

But what she touched was anything but love. It was rage, anger…excited hate. And it was moving, growing beyond any proportion. Stoked by the flames of another and the actions being taken against her.

Mrysti was alive, but she was deep in darkness.

And Sam would do anything to be there with her.

--

- Maximum Security, ‘The End’….

Eyes snapping open, she felt the touch of her daughter and sat up immediately. Could it be? Did Sam possess that kind of power to project herself across a distance of that magnitude? As soon as she felt it and tried to respond, it was gone. Mrysti frowned, perhaps it was just wishful thinking. The love that momentarily filled her heart and warmed her turned black as she looked around her cell remembering where she was.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. Shielding herself against too much warmth and love, thinking about her family. It was the only way.

Outside, the klaxon began to sound loudly against the voice of the AI which was lowering turrets and opening portholes.

Mrysti stood up and moved to the door. Before she touched it, she heard a high pitched whine next to her ear. Reaching up out of reflex to touch the suppressor which had become her constant companion during her stay at the facility.

But it didn’t activate. Instead, it dropped off. The door to her cell opening. Her door and Cornelia’s door as well. Along with a carefully picked selection of other cell doors. Across the facility, other doors were opening in every part of the prison. The AI informed everyone a lockdown was initiated, but someone was overriding the program.

It was time to leave the prison.

--

Warden’s Office, ‘The End’….Thirty minutes prior to lockdown….

He had, of course, read a decrypted copy of the transmission between Colonel Rickter and Darth Malgus. Quickly sending a message to Darth Vowrawn to inform him that all of their plans had been compromised and requesting permission to terminate Colonel Rickter in order to proceed with getting rid of Mrysti. But before he did that, he wanted to talk to her. To actually see where she stood. If there was a chance she would get on board, then it would be worth keeping her around. She was, after all, the Sector Commander. With much more access to military grade logistics than he had as a lowly government servant.

Colonel Rickter getting rid of Captain Oberisk was a non-sequitur. The Warden didn’t care. It was irrelevant in the greater scheme. But the action had forced his hand. Relaying the message to Darth Vowrawn that things had progressed to a level that required his intervention. Colonel Rickter was doing as he was, stacking the deck; preparing for war. But he had allies, not just the ones who pulled the strings hundreds of light years away. But within the prison. The Warden saw the holo-footage. That Captain Oberisk had approached the right inmates before his untimely execution. It didn’t matter that the Colonel had turned a few. Sheer numbers were on his side.

When she entered, he stood and immediately noticing she was wearing a gun belt. Something he had rarely seen her do, if ever. Talia placed a hand on the hilt of her pistol cocking a hip out as she looked at the man in disgust. Waiting. The Warden did his duty, stood up at a relaxed position of attention and bowed slightly. Talia relaxed the disgusted face slightly and nodded in return. At least he was still acknowledging her.

“I don’t appreciate being summoned, Warden. I am running an entire sector…from here it seems, since you are incapable of running your own facility.” Bile, right at the start. Why should he expect anything less? Forcing a smile, he gestured to the seat in front of him. Typically, a subordinate would give up their own seat, especially to one in a position of power. The chair in the Warden’s Office should have been offered to a superior, but he didn’t. Talia crossed the room and reluctantly took the ‘guest’ chair. Sitting down gently and crossing her legs one over the other ensuring the leg with the pistol strapped to it was readily accessible. The man thought he held all of the cards, steepling his fingers and leaning forward.

“Colonel, I apologize for ‘requesting’ your presence, but I feel we have a matter to discuss.” Taking a bottle from the silver tray which sat at the edge of his desk he poured himself a concoction of some type of green, mint smelling liquid. Colonel Rickter quickly identified it an Alderaanian Crème de Menthe. Rich luxurious tastes and not a fitting drink for someone in his position. Inclining the bottle toward her in offering, she raised a hand shaking her head.

“No, thank you Warden. I am on duty. As you are…” That was as far as the chastisement went. A test, to see if he would actually put the drink down. He didn’t. Talia’s look of disgust deepened.

“Talia…” He began after releasing a relaxed sigh. “…I really want to get you on my side on this. As you are aware, the tension in the prison is reaching a critical level. This incident…with the two guards, the murder in the laundry, that unfortunate killing in the shower and…Captain Oberisk. I’m not questioning your authority. But death? Surely, we could have consulted one another on that. I know you realize, I am fully within my rights to conduct a trial and dictate sentence as you did concerning Captain Oberisk. And I feel I’ve done my duty in ‘allowing’ you to take charge in these trying times. But, Darth Retuvisa is not only guilty of those murders, she is also guilty of assaulting an Imperial Officer, namely me. I suspect she is guilty of murder against another inmate, perhaps two. Though I cannot prove it, I may pin it on her anyway. I’m afraid, if we can’t see eye to eye, drastic measures may have to be taken.” The Warden smiled to himself and sat back in his chair turning sideways to lean back as he watched her, sipping his drink. The Warden was about to drop the bomb that all of her subterfuge with Darth Malgus was for naught, that he knew everything and that once Darth Vowrawn messaged him back, most likely she would be finished.

The look of disgust on Colonel Rickter’s face relaxed slightly and turned into a sarcastic grin as she sat up. “Calling yourself an Imperial Officer, that’s quite a stretch, Warden. And since we are on a first name basis, ‘Kenneth’…can I call you Kenneth? I feel like I should since you see fit to try and use my first name with such regularity.” The Warden narrowed his eyes as Talia continued.

“You are correct Kenneth, you are well within your right to try, convict and sentence anyone guilty of a crime that occurs within your walls, just as I am fully within my rights as the courts-martial authority in this sector to put on hold any proceedings I see fit until ‘I’ am satisfied that a full investigation has been done. I won't even bother mentioning that Captain Oberisk was acting on your authority. Authority that got him executed. You will just deny any knowledge because of the sniveling coward you are.” Pausing for effect, Talia cleared her throat. “But, Captain Oberisk lied to me. He disobeyed a direct order and let’s not forget…he and his ‘men’ were serial rapists. My only regret is that I could not kill the man twice, though I considered it. Everything…the proceeding, his questioning and his admittance are part of the official record. Feel free to review it at your leisure.” Talia narrowed her eyes. “As far as Darth Retuvisa is concerned…she is not some run of the mill Sith, her death will have repercussions that reach farther than you or I can see.”

The Warden slammed the glass down and glared at the Colonel. “Let’s cut the shit, Talia.”

The Colonel sat up in time with the Warden’s gesture and smiled viciously, “Yes, lets…”

“You are involved in something that is so far beyond you that—you know what, it doesn’t even matter. They are both hundreds of light years away and the two of us are here. Darth Malgus can give you any order he wants. I take my orders from a higher power…as you are acutely aware.” The Warden’s eyes widened with a sudden glee. Talia remained silent. “I have already sent a message to Darth Vowrawn requesting instructions. I have no doubt he will want me to ‘take charge’ of the situation.” The Warden glanced at the pistol on Talia’s thigh and back up again, she made no move toward it. “But, I don’t want it to come to that. You and I can work together on this, both of us can benefit and perhaps…together, we can both leave this place and get back to positions which denote our true potential. Let’s face it Talia, you didn’t sleep with all those senior officers, Sith and assorted politicians believing you would end up somewhere like this.” Talia’s jaw clenched as she flexed it. “You know, I could very easily just do what it is I want to do. I don’t even need your approval, with Darth Vowrawn at my back I am near—” Talia stood up and opened her jacket slowly, taking out a datapad. She dropped it on the Warden’s desk before glaring down at him.

“—what is this?”

“No, please continue. You were saying that you don’t need my approval and if I join you then all of those people I slept with won’t be for nothing.” The Warden looked at the datapad and back up to the Colonel.

“What is this?” He asked again, more sternly.

“Well, if you are done being so full of yourself you can’t see the truth of things standing in this room, perhaps you may want to take a look.” Talia folded her arms over her chest. As the Warden picked up the datapad opening it up to the first entry she watched as his face grew pale and ashen. “I realize that nothing is secret in this place and that you would eventually find a way to read my secret communications. Only, the transcript you read was a week old.” Talia dropped her arms, a hand dangling by the handle of her blaster. “And that last communication to Darth Vowrawn you sent…gone. I intercepted that the moment you tried to send it out. The man has no idea what’s going on out here.” Leaning forward, Talia placed a hand on his desk, the free hand close to her blaster. “Now, give me one good reason I should not shoot you for treason this second. You have just admitted to your commanding officer that you have plans to circumvent and disregard her orders. I would permit you the courtesy of shooting yourself, a privilege reserved for a fellow officer and gentleman. But I don’t like you that much.” The Warden sat up quickly causing Talia to grab her pistol, but not draw it. He sat back down hard and dropped the datapad.

“You are driving us to war, Talia. I cannot disobey Darth Vowrawn. The penalty—”

“Worry about me, Kenneth. I am here…NOW. And between the two of us, I am the only one who knows how to fight a war. You see, I didn’t just lay on my back and spread my legs…no, I am not like you. It’s true, I did do somethings for my own advancement, it cost me dearly. But unlike you, I actually used that slight edge to get what I want. Unlike YOU….I live for war. I enjoy conflict.” Talia put her hand back on the blaster and squeezed the grip. “Do you really want to go to war with me, Kenneth? You…will lose. I too have orders I cannot disobey. Unfortunately for you, I am following those orders. The orders of MY superior. I am YOUR Superior…and Kenneth, you just stepped over the line.”

Talia stood up and turned to walk out.

“Talia, this isn’t over…”

Stopping sharply, Talia turned and walked a couple of steps back toward the Warden. “Oh yes it is, for you at least. Warden, you are hereby relieved of your duties effective immediately. I want you on the next shuttle bound for the ‘Endeavor’, once you are on board you will turn yourself over to Captain Tanis and place yourself under house arrest until this entire matter is settled.” Without another word Talia left the room.

Once she was outside, she watched as the two guards she came in with turn and fall in behind her. They were trusted troopers, from her own ship. But things were about to get more interesting as to who could and could not be trusted. Turning to one of the guards, Talia spoke over her shoulder as they continued on. “Place the sector on high alert and assemble the men in the ready room of the prison. I want this facility locked down, starting no-.”

The facility alarm sounded, interrupting her words. Talia drew her pistol. Bulkhead doors began shutting in the administration area and the office she just left. The Warden was sealing himself inside. She fired at the Guard formerly seated at the desk outside the Warden’s office once the trooper stood and drew his carbine.

Motioning with her blaster toward her own guard mount, the two troopers began to fan out covering both sides of the hall. Talia went toward the bulkhead and pressed the comm panel, opening a channel back into the Warden’s office.

“Kenneth…Kenneth, if you can hear me. Don’t….do this. There is still time for you to survive this. Darth Malgus wants you alive…don’t force me to make a decision here…”

--

The voice came through the comm, but The Warden was already flipping switches. The master control for the entire facility was located in his office. Once the AI came up, he activated the facility alarm to its highest level. Containment would be to ‘sanitize’ any inmates who failed to abide by the parameters set up by the AI. Opening doors, he started releasing the inmates he knew would sew the chaos he would need to effect his escape. Darth Retuvisa was going to kill herself. This whole situation would be impossible for her to ignore. The AI would see to her destruction.

--

In her own office, Talia activated her own control system. Slamming a blackmarket spike into the terminal surface. A trick she picked up from one of the former agents under her command. Once the terminal locks were successfully circumvented, Talia began opening some doors of her own. Adding to it a slice into the suppression and restraint system. Green icons across the facility started to blink between green and red, eventually dropping off altogether.

The AI no longer able to recognize friend from foe.

Reaching in her pocket, she removed the Sith Runic symbol embedded in the fob she created from the transmission sent by Darth Malgus.

There was too much at stake to simply worry about Mrysti at the moment. The Dark Lord could take care of herself. The chaos Darth Malgus cautioned her against had finally come.

Talia grabbed the two guards with her and proceeded toward the lift.

She was headed to the vault.

--

Gently, the Solitary cell door popped open. Canton wouldn’t even have noticed it, but for the chains around his wrist and ankles dropping off with a slight buzz of deactivating electronics. The guard was still in the hall, now more alert than ever due to the ongoing sound of the klaxon. He approached the door, nearly leaning into it as he listened. Once he was sure, Canton threw his entire weight against the door. The heavy cell door flew open as if a stiff breeze hit it. Smacking the patrolling guard hard and knocking him against the far wall.

The Mandalorian rushed out. Bending down to grab the guard’s carbine, quickly switching it from ‘safe’ to ‘fire’; putting the weapon into operation. In time to level it against the other guard who was just rounding the corner at a full-on sprint. Red fused blaster plasma lit up the dank hallway as the smoke and ozone clouded the direction out of solitary. The blaster’s bolt hitting the guard center mass. Canton fired from the hip. Not quite as rusty as he thought. And he already knew where he was going, running that direction.

First, the Armory. Then….Cornelia.

--

'Sides' 'Phase III'

--

--

Dromand Kaas, Mandalorian Enclave….shortly after the Sith Empire’s surrender to the Eternal Empire….

“That’s not for you to decide ‘Empress’…we….do not answer to you….” Clan leader Vol’ka stood as well as several others. A show of defiance. Taking a step back, Empress Acina grabbed the corner of her cloak and pulled it slightly around herself. A sneer forming on her face as she looked from one Clan Leader to the next. They had been summoned, called to reassemble under the banner of the Mandalore. Most had already left the Enclave, the few who remained were the Clans who honored the last of their commitment to the Empire. But with the Empire’s defeat and surrender, that pledge was now broken. No Empire, meant there was nothing left to defend.

“I am here…now…living proof that the Empire still exists. The Sith Empire lives on through me. This fight…is not over. I AM THE EMPIRE….”

“Excuse me, what did you just say? YOU are the Empire? What a joke. Pardon me for not taking that completely serious, ‘Your Highness’….but you came to power like all Sith of your station. Through subterfuge and deceit. Killing your way to the top. The last true Sith and even he had much to answer for was Malgus. At least he honored our arrangements. We are not an Army for you to use as you will. So, this fight is over for us, Empress…” Another Clan Leader spoke up. The Mandalorian already stepping down off the high circle to leave.

“Mandalore has summoned. We will answer the call…an enemy even the Sith had to take the knee for. Mandalore will not take the knee, not for any ‘Empire’.” Another turning away and stepping off their side of the high circle to join his fellow leader.

“You bend the knee to those who would enslave us all. Our enemy…YOUR enemy. There is no capitulation. There is only the fight….we honor our commitments. Our words are our bond, but Mandalorians will never bend the knee to those who would enslave us.” Yet another leader turned away. Taking a step down to move toward the exit. Acina lowered herself by coming to the Enclave in person. A fact not lost on the Mandalorians. She would have done better in their eyes to remain on her throne, though it would have changed nothing. The decision was made long before her arrival and plea for the Mandalorians to join the fight.

“You speak half-truth’s Empress…we will not be your cannon fodder so you can plan your next surrender. We take to the stars, join our brethren under Mandalore and take the fight to the enemy…this is the time.” Cheers of ‘yes, yes’ rose around the now almost empty High Circle, the leaders all deciding to leave Dromand Kass and abandon the Enclave. Acina stepped back as her guard force raised their rifles. One of the largest Mandalorian’s, the Leader of Clan Tu’aaka who spoke a moment before smiled under his visor, placing his hands on his hips. “So…you wish to compel us by force. So be it…” He raised his arm, ready to initiate a rocket barrage from a wrist mounted unit hidden in his gauntlet.

“Wait!!!” The Leader for Clan Fett stepped forward and rose his hands. “Brothers and Sisters…hear me. I know, for myself and those of my Clan our alliance with the Empire was in hopes that one day we could return to the glory days of our people. Those Neo-crusaders who once spread our language and culture across the galaxy. Compelling those who were once weak, to be strong in the embrace of our Clan. I see now the Empire is no longer the vehicle to do that…if you want to leave, then leave…but we are not so dishonorable to kill those who once stood as our allies.” He looked at the Empress through his visor and waited. She gave a slow nod as the door which slammed shut in the enclave opened once again allowing everyone to leave. “Some of our warriors will remain behind to see that you arrive safely back at your citadel Empress….” Fett spoke then turned and joined his other Clan Leaders as the sound of footfalls made a distant echo.

Acina’s head snapped upward. The sound of blaster fire and fighting. She drew her saber as the guards and the Mandalorians who remained behind drew weapons looking toward the door. Unsure of what happened after the Clans departed. Shortly answered by the sound of footfalls heading back their direction.

Escorted by a team of Zakuul Knights, the High Ambassador entered in a fluster pointing back the way he came. “What’s this…a secret meeting? A planned insurrection? Empress, you have much to explain. Emperor Arcann will be most displeased to learn that so soon after the assurance you gave him, we find you here…planning your next uprising.” The Clan leaders ended up shooting their way out of the enclave after all. Leaving the Empress and those left behind to pick up the pieces. She had to think fast. Already Zakuul saber pikes and Sith Lightsabers were drawn and pointing at one another. Looking up and directly at the High Amabassador, she rose her chin slightly, giving a cursory glance toward the few Mandalorians who were left behind.

“I am just as alarmed as you are, Ambassador. I discovered the Mandalorian plot and arrived just in time to see the Clans all leaving the enclave. Too late I’m afraid.”

“You…’Aruet’ii’…” Both armored Mandalorians stepped back in alarm. One screaming out loud through the vocabulator in his helmet.

“Seize them….” Acina shouted, lifting her saber toward the last two warriors.

Canton was not going to be seized. Launching himself alongside that of his other brother. The two Mandalorians leapt into the air, propelled by jet powered boots and pack. Launching rail and blaster fire from his wrists. As the second Mandalorian from Clan Fett doused the Imperials and Zakuulians with fire from a flamethrower. They landed behind the elevated ‘Great Circle’ running for the door to the back landing pad. The other Mandalorian hit by in coming blaster fire, he turned, only after looking toward Canton.

“Go…GO, Brother!! Mando’ad draar digu!!!” Canton initially turned back. Better to die in defense of what he believed in than run. The other Mando shoved him through the doorway with a push of strength enhanced armor. A blue field shimmering around the red and black armor of his companion. “Tell them, we are betrayed….and we are on our own!!” The Mandalorian ripped the signet off his chest and tossed it toward Canton before the other could scramble to his feet. “Speak my name…I join the rolls…” The blast door slammed between them as the Mando from Clan Fett slammed his hand against the door controls shorting it out.

Canton landed on his back and cursed. He should have seen it coming. Rolling to his feet and running for the ship at the end of the landing pad he was thrown back by the explosion of it. Landing on his back again, but up and ready to continue the fight. If this was it, he was going down and taking a few of the Imperials and especially the Zakuulians with him. The shuttle which destroyed the other landed in the flames. It wasn’t a Zakuul shuttle, but Sith.

Acina stepped out with the Zakuul High Ambassador in tow. Gritting his teeth, Canton took aim at the New Empress. His arm moved in a flash, drawing a pistol only to have it snatched from his grasp by Acina with a wave of her hand. He charged, assisted by the jet power of his boots. One hit, one punch with all of his armor’s strength behind it. One hit with the force of a hundred men, backed up by the gravity drives in his crush gauntlets. Acina lifted the same hand and stopped Canton in his tracks. The jets pushing him, but his body not moving as they overloaded and exploded. Systems announced alerts throughout his armor. Before he could activate repulsors and try to back up, he felt the armor surrounding him squeeze in slightly and then pull away from his body before it shorted out. He fell hard, landing on his knees with an iron ‘clang’.

“I know how to deal with these Mandalorians….” Acina spoke snidely, looking over at the Ambassador.

“Shall we deal with him for you? Consider it a gift, a thank you for having dealt with this issue for us?” The Ambassador asked, Canton drug to his feet between two Zakuul Knights. Acina knew the Ambassador didn’t completely believe that an insurrection could grow right under her nose. But this was Dromand Kaas, the seat of her power. Even in the Ambassador’s skepticism, she still held sway. Feeling only slightly guilty that she had to use these last two Mandalorians as a sacrifice to buy herself more time.

“No…” Acina said quickly. “I have a special place for him.” She looked at Canton, the Knights backed off allowing two Imperial Troopers to come up alongside. His systems were coming back online, he needed a few seconds; just as quickly as the systems in his armor started to reboot they quickly shut off. Acina waving a hand again, snatching the power cell from an unseen port under his arm. “Remove his helmet….”

Once his helmet was off, Acina looked up into the eyes of the one she betrayed. A necessary cost to maintain the fragile peace she had with their conquerors, until the time was right that it no longer had to be so. Canton narrowed his eyes.

“Take him away…we have a special place for ‘traitors’ of the Empire….”

--

No one believed it. At least those closest to the Empress. They all knew those Mandalorians sacrificed at the enclave were a small price to pay in order to buy themselves some time; maintain the capability to move in secret until the moment to strike at the heart of the Eternal Empire arrived.

But those Mandalorians who escaped Dromand Kaas, they were watching. And no matter how fake the broadcast was meant to be. Those Mandalorians took it deadly serious.

They were now on their own. And the Mandalorians wouldn’t have it any other way.

>

--

- Armory, ‘The End’…

It fit a bit snugger than he remembered. Slowly he lowered the helmet onto his head, the lights on the inside activating automatically.

The HUD transmitted in a red haze. Canton reached up and switched on facial controls, blinking twice to switch the visor to a thermal view. Blinking three times, he switched to starlight; the visor darkening a second to raise back into a green haze with everything he looked at conning white in his vision. He grimaced. Way too much light in the Armory. Extending his arm and blinking four times, the vision switched to Electromagnetic, capable of seeing electronic emissions. Fire leapt from his wrist; Canton cleaning out the flame nozzle of his launcher. Something caught his eye next to the case that contained the armor he was brought to the prison in. It had been years, he flexed adjusting the armor on his undersuit, but his eyes locked on the other box and the strange emission from the inside.

Picking it up, Canton slammed the box down on top of his. His own crate now empty with its contents arrayed across his body and on his form. ‘SS-5647’ he knew the number all too well. Fate had that box so close to his own in the armory. Perhaps the administrators knew something he did not. Or fate placed those two boxes next to each other knowing that one day, Canton would come to this place and retrieve his. Opening the crate slowly and with a release of pressurized air, Canton reached down and took out the slight dark heavy cloth which covered the emission source at the bottom. He scrambled around, moving aside a datapad; picking it up to verify it was not the source, discarding it over his shoulder after realizing it was not what he was looking for. Finally finding what he was searching for in a cylindrical tube, the buttons on it still glowed with power. The power source; one that had a half-life of nearly ten-thousand years.

Stepping back, Canton shoved the box off the top of his own crate. He had no use for the other items inside of it and neither would she. It represented a life Cornelia no longer needed. The crate crashed loudly, his eyes viewing the cylinder in his hand. As he scanned it, he smiled. Cornelia’s lightsaber.

Fate. So strange. One had to believe. And even then it always threw curves along the way. If someone would have told him he would fall in love with one of the people who were part of the organization that betrayed him and his people, he would have killed them for saying it. Even greater, that one of the chief architects of the downfall of that Eternal Empire who made the Sith betray them all in the first place would be in the same cellblock as he…Canton laughed to himself. Fate, it was not only an unpredictable companion, it also had a sick sense of humor.

Activating the lightsaber, he was amazed at how light it was. The red blade of the saber smoking in the climate-controlled atmosphere of the Armory. Slicing down, he cut through his own crate, now empty. The blade passing through both the crate and the table with ease. Lifting it back up to marvel at its construction. Someone would have to be on the level of an armorsmith or tech engineer to design something so light, so elegant, but yet so powerful and destructive. Yet, Cornelia had explained in one of their many conversations, this was something that all Dar’jedii did. A right of passage. To construct their own blade in the hopes that it would not explode in the activation, designing it so that it bore the marks of the user, bonded to them; was a part of them. Sith and Jedi were not so different than Mandalorians in that regard. Constructing or having constructed for them, the weapons of their trade. To personalize their own combat styles. Deactivating the blade, he clipped it to the belt on his armor. The magnetic plates on his hip sucking in the tube to hold it tight against his waist.

Canton moved with a purpose, blinking his eyes five times so the HUD would change its view.

The HUD voiced inside his head.

Tactical information started flowing in front of his eyes. Size and construction of the door, enemies approaching. The HUD and his systems sought out and linked into the AI wireless terminals which sat at intervals in the ceiling all around the prison. Former monitoring devices that served to keep control of the prison, they would now serve as the real-time information relays he needed to combat and fight his way out of there.

“Locate prisoner SS-5647…” Canton spoke offhandedly, the door to his front opening as three Imperial Guardsmen entered, weapons drawn. He fired from the wrist. A rail shot hurled at incredible speed by the launcher which sat on the underside of one wrist. A metallic slug energized by raw energy, hurled at near lightspeed from his wrist with nearly no recoil. Squeezing his palm to send the piece of magnetically induced metal through the helmeted visor of one of the guards; Canton spun and drew the blaster on his hip. Firing at the center guard; the weapon system attached to his back moved up along his shoulder to track the third. Both fired. He and the armor-controlled cannon firing at the same time. Killing the other two guards.

The HUD produced an icon on his visor screen off to the side of his ‘War-vision’. A small map hovering and spinning in front of his face. Canton got to his feet off his knee and started at a run, following the icon identified by his systems.

--

Gangs were taking over the prison. Everyone fought everyone. People scrambled and ran in all directions. The AI taking shots randomly as it killed prisoners with impunity. Mrysti initially ducked, pulling Cornelia down behind her. But soon, she realized the AI was not only NOT firing at them, it was not tracking their positions. Realized by the prisoner that was struck down right next to them as he ran by. Standing up, Mrysti ran toward the exit gate, signaling Cornelia to come with her.

“Master…where are we going…”

“Out” Mrysti gave a clipped and short reply. She knew where she needed to go. Get to the administration level. Deactivate the lockdown around the hangar and find a ship in order to get off the station. Another blast from the AI took out two more prisoners. Her memory was holo-genic. She remembered the path they took when she was escorted to the Warden’s office.

A prisoner grabbed Cornelia. Mrysti turned to assist her apprentice, but found the man floating in air. The two exchanged a look as Cornelia twisted the hand which held the man suspended. The neck sounded like crinkling flimsy as it snapped. Cornelia discarding the body like a piece of trash with a brush back of her arm. The two continued making their way toward the exit. Dodging blaster bolts and guards until they reached the side wall.

Imperial guards were trying to hold the line against an onslaught of prisoners who were also trying to force their way out. Blaster fire came from behind the linked gate, Guards firing back into the quad trying to stem the tide. Mrysti stood and parted the group, blaster bolts meant for the other prisoners started coming toward her, she brushed them aside with a wave of her hand; thrusting the other forward to grab the gate of the exit in the Force and hurling the arm behind herself; ripping the gate from its hinges.

Guards moved back quickly, retreating as the behemoth led the charge out of the maximum security quad and into the main thoroughfare.

--

The guard’s transmission was cut off. The Warden slamming his hand down on the console. He watched as Mrysti and Cornelia ran through the open gate until he lost sight of them on holo-cam. “AI why are you not terminating all of the prisoners?!?!” He screamed.

The AI replied.

“Damn her….damn that woman….”

The Warden knew Colonel Rickter had somehow overridden some of the AI’s protocols. The situation had taken a turn that would be impossible to control. Reaching in his desk, the Warden opened a drawer and took out a blaster, charging it.

--

Tossing them this way and that; Mrysti grabbed, hurled and tossed prisoner and guard alike. In the chaos, she was able to get in the thrall and mix with speed and agility. It helped having an objective, knowing where she and Cornelia needed to go and dealing with who or whatever got in their way. The floor vibrated slightly. An explosion of some distance, somewhere else in the prison.

Looking back at Cornelia, Mrysti pursed her lips. “This is getting out of control quicker than I foresaw.”

Cornelia knew what that meant. It would only be a matter of time before either the Empire outside the prison responded or the prison itself imploded of its own accord. The two ran past the connecting hallways toward other cellblocks. Smoke and fire filling some passageways as people continued to scramble for safety.

“We need to find Canton…” Cornelia spoke matter-of-factly. The words made Mrysti turn sharply. She was about to rebuke her apprentice, but once she saw the other woman’s face, she relented. Nodding curtly as they continued on.

--

--

Vault Level, ‘The End’….

The lift stopped, depositing them on a level that was not even identified on the lift’s terminal. Talia used the code key encryption inserted into the terminal's data port to access a level that she wasn’t even sure existed. She smirked. Sith, magicians and sorcerers. You had to take everything they said with a grain of the saltiest salt. Talia had gone further below the surface of the asteroid and deeper underground than she thought possible. None of this was on the schematics for the construction of the prison and she had access to everything that had to do with the layout of the facility. This was something that was constructed off the books and long before the prison even existed on top of whatever was being hidden down there. Perhaps Malgus wasn’t joking.

The carved-out path was a mixture of ancient laser scorched cutting equipment and some kind of grinding/crushing mechanism. The age showed in the derelict power supplies and cables; some of which had long since been outlawed due to being unstable or hazardous to work with. All of it looked and smelled ancient, not just the equipment. Being there long before anyone thought of building a facility on top of the caverns.

Talia motioned for the guards coming off the lift with her to wait. Taking out a torch to light her way, she started down the path. Slowing as she came to the first lighted markers. The lights being powered by something which had a source capable of lighting the cave for eons if necessary. Taking out a comm-scanner, all of it registered as unknown. So old, the power sources were not in the database any longer. The light cast an eerie red pallor over everything, Talia looked around the circular carved pathway with her own light.

Runes were carved at specific intervals. She couldn’t read all of them, not as adept at her ancient Sith as she should have been. Something all officers were taught to read at the academy, for their own protection. Talia squinted in the low light moving up and along the edge of the wall, following the words which seemed to be carved in a specific pattern. They appeared to glow, but she knew that was just a mixture of the red lighting and shadow. Sith, always having a flair for the foreboding and dramatic.

‘…wary…’ She made out one word, continuing to walk. ‘…foretold…’ and ‘…destructor…’ were some of the others. Talia immediately got the impression that whatever she was headed toward was never supposed to be opened. The runes became larger and more aligned along a single path as she continued to walk. ‘…hateful…’ and ‘power…’ were words that stuck out to her. She stopped as the runes led to a name. It was easy to read because it was not quite as ancient and names were always proper. ‘…Eye…’ and ‘….Sion….’

Stopping, Talia swallowed hard. She had no idea who that name was or why whatever it was had been placed down there, but the feeling she started to get from the approach gave her pause. Steeling herself, she started again; heading for the end of the pathway.

--

- Conquest of Korriban, The Return of the Sith Empire following the attack on Korriban Station….many years before...

“…you have done well, Lord Malgus….”

The Sith Warrior was on a knee. Kneeling before the ominous disembodied voice that seemed to fill the expanse of the room. Malgus wasn’t sure the Emperor was even there. Not that it mattered. The Academy’s lights were on, the ancient Dark Council chambers were re-lit as they should have been. And the Emperor was seeing his key tools for that conquest in the order of their summoning. Malgus being one of the first as one of the renewed Sith Empire's primary war leaders.

There was still much to do. Korriban was still being fought over. The last of the Republic outposts being destroyed and the Republic personnel manning them, slain. Once complete, the Republic would no doubt send more to try and reclaim Korriban and drive the Sith back into the far reaches of space. Malgus was not going to allow that to happen.

“…it is unfortunate, the death of your Master on Korriban station…” the disembodied voice said again.

“…and his other apprentices, Emperor.” Malgus spoke adding the last part as if the Emperor had missed it. The disembodied voice did not. Malgus, still bending his neck and looking down. Only glancing upward after his Master was mentioned. The way the Emperor spoke, he knew. Knew that Malgus used the opportunity of his Master’s injury at the hands of the Jedi to strike. Taking his Master out and slaying the other apprentices once he arrived on Korriban. All but one and she would not be hard to find. The lure of Korriban and the secrets it held were far too great for any Sith not to return.

Already some of those secrets were making their way across the surface. Minions and undisciplined Sith opening tombs and walking into traps that none of them were prepared for. Secrets and spirits released that had to be reclaimed and tamed in order to preserve the History of the Sith. Something the Emperor was most interested in.

“…yes…” The disembodied voice said again. “…as well as the others. That places you in a unique position. Your hate is strong Malgus, we salute you on your conquest of the station and assistance in reclaiming our home….”

There was a pause as Malgus looked up again.

“…rise…and ascend ‘Darth’ Malgus…your journey is complete….”

--

It wasn’t a grim task, but a necessary one. Malgus walked into the ancient command structure to see the bodies of the Republic troopers who had once guarded it still laying where they had been killed. Several others as well as a few Jedi were scattered among those who survived. On their knees, hands interlocked and placed behind their heads. Eyes glazed over in a state of disbelief. No one foresaw their coming. Returning from the far reaches of the galaxy once their numbers were strong enough. Following the voice who was in all of their minds. That of the Sith Emperor.

Malgus gave a cursory glance at the Jedi and looked to the Imperial Officer manning the station. “These Jedi…” Malgus began in a grim tone. “…they are to be taken to the sacrificial chamber adjacent to the Dark Council. The Emperor wishes their deaths as not only a christening of the retaken Council, but also in keeping with the ancient traditions.”

Gesturing over his shoulder wordlessly, the Officer made a jerking gesture toward the Jedi. They said nothing as they were drug from the room by the Imperial Troopers. Malgus didn’t expect them to. Jedi, so in love with death and the thought of it. ‘There is no death…’ Malgus thought to himself, not finishing the part of the Jedi Code he memorized. Instead of finishing it with the rest of what the Jedi taught, Malgus smiled ruefully. ‘…there is only the Sith.’

Before Malgus could make his way back out of the guard facility, the officer he addressed cleared his throat. Malgus could feel that the man was itching to say something. Malgus was in no mood for distractions. There were larger plans, afoot.

“My Lord…the Emperor has requested that all of this be brought to the Dark Council chambers. But, we have a slight…’problem’....” Malgus looked down at the crates stacked inside and outside of the guard shack. Trinkets, some which emanated with power, others just useless relics.

Malgus looked down at the Imperial Officer. The man stepped back in fear. The fear of the ‘problem’ he was about to report suddenly overtaken by his fear of the one he was reporting to. The securing of the rest of Korriban was paramount in order to execute the next phase of the plan. A plan that Malgus already received approval from the Council and the Emperor to execute. Korriban had to be pacified first.

“I don’t wish to hear of ‘problems’, Captain…have they secured the Republic shuttle I requested?”

“Yes, My Lord…only minor damage. Our technicians are looking it over now. But this other ‘problem’, it could change things a bit….”

Malgus looked again, moving to the view screen to look down on the Valley of the Dark Lords and the problem the Captain was speaking of. A lone figure, no one of importance. An Imperial technician. Moving through the valley. As the tech walked, they destroyed everything in their path. It seemed the technician walked with the Force as his ally. Malgus’ brow creased in confusion, looking back at the Captain.

“An Acolyte…someone from Ziost or our assault force? Claiming power for themselves?”

The question would have been comical had it not been such a recent occurrence. Spirits and essences of the Dark Lords were infusing their way into the unexpected. And greedy Sith as well as fortune seekers within the ranks were competing with one another to see what could be gained. Some of it was for a legitimate reason. The Emperor had ordered that all recovered artifacts and data be brought to the Dark Council chambers. Some were complying with that order. But some of those ancient Dark Lord spirits would not be commanded. Their souls hungry once again for power and conquest.

“N-No…my Lord, they are…nobody. Just a technician on one of our recovery teams. They entered a tomb and when they emerged…” The Captain let his voice trial off. Malgus turned, a flurry of cape and wind; heading for the doorway. Knowing clearance to leave would not be granted with so much chaos ensuing on the surface. Whoever this technician was, we was going to die. Nothing was going to hold up the next phase of the plan and the destruction of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

--

“I am…’Darth Sion’….YOU, have no power here. YOU stand on my hallowed ground. Korriban, seat of my power…and I hold the secret of immortality in my—”

Scrutinizing the technician in the Force, Malgus lowered his hand and let the saber drop from his belt into it. Igniting the blade, but still watching curiously. The man, the technician; he possessed no real power. The Force led Malgus to the saber hilt the technician held. All of the power, it emanated from the hilt and controlled the man. Everything the man had done thus far had been against unassuming foes or those who lacked the power to see through the veneer of the false power the technician held. Squeezing his own saber tightly, Malgus narrowed his eyes.

Malgus leapt forward, hand extended. Grabbing the technician in the Force. The unassuming worker dropped the strangely lit saber he held, eyes darkening once Malgus grabbed them up in the Force. Malgus tossed the technician aside once he was sure he killed him. Reaching down, he nearly picked up the saber himself, but hesitated. An elegant design, something ancient. Malgus stopped just before taking it in his hand. Standing back up to look down at the deactivated hilt as it smoked in the sand.

Malgus could hear it. Hate upon hate, the need to consume. And it had. The last vestiges of hate from the one who used the Force itself to fuel his immortality, at great cost. The last of his lifeforce and will placed in the saber for someone to find as it called out to them. It was not Darth Sion, the man’s hate crossing the depths of space and time to implant itself in the depths of the crystal which powered his lightsaber. Very dangerous, very dangerous indeed. Sion, so powerful and so hateful that the last of him could not be destroyed even after his physical form had been.

Sucking in a breath Malgus harnessed all of his own hatred to reach down and take the blade in his hand. The hilt ignited into a brilliant red and purple plasma blade even without Malgus activating it. It shook in his hand. Hate meeting the hatred of Malgus. But Malgus’ hatred was stronger and it was alive; not some essence that had long since perished. Malgus was no echo, he was real. And the recent conquest and future destruction he would cause was more potent than any long dead spirit.

That was one artifact the Emperor would never see. No one should. Of the conquering Sith, only Malgus’ hate burned the brightest. It was why he had been given the honor of planning and executing betrayal the Sith were on the verge of organizing. Unsuspecting Republic, their Jedi lackeys. None would see it coming. The mere presence of the Sith reentering the galaxy proper lowering the shroud of the Dark Side around everything. And there was no pity or remorse. The Jedi brought this on themselves. And the Republic which harbored those ancient enemies would burn brighter than the hate which fueled Malgus’ black heart.

This artifact, not for the faint or weary. Not for fortune hunters or fly-by-night apprentices. It was very powerful. Powerful enough to give Malgus pause. And it should be hidden, buried. Sion’s hate was legendary. But also, uncontrollable and dangerous. There was no focus in what the essence wanted to do, simply burn and destroy. It was too powerful, even for Malgus.

Too powerful and uncontrollable for any Sith to possess. And it must be discarded.

--

Vault Level, 'The End'....

Talia stopped outside of a massive doorway. Protective runes were carved on the outside which she could no longer read. But the door, it warded anyone away just by sheer presence. Reaching in her pocket, she produced the Fob created from the transmission she was sent.

Initially, the door reacted by dropping a ray shield around her and the door itself. Portholes opened along the side and above. Gas emitting within the bubble of the shield; blaster ports opening to reveal lethal looking automated defenses. Talia fell to her knees grabbing her throat. But she held the Fob up. Red scanners moved in and around her, stopping on the Fob as it transmitted its message. A strange voice in the Ancient Sith tongue began to recite loudly. The door spinning in on itself in different directions; the runes realigning in different directions. Spinning clockwise and counter clockwise in succession, but finally locking in on a combination.

The Colonel was nearly dead once the door opened. She coughed and gagged. Looking up from the dirt and dust of the cavern floor to see the pathway and doorway opened up into the beyond.

--

- Prison Level Red Twenty-Three, Administration and Refuse.....

Canton fired again, squeezing his palm and cycling the pressure in the balls of his hand. The pressure resulting in four consecutive shots. The cannon on his back and shoulder swiveling and tracking the targets. They went down in just as rapid a succession. Thrusting his other arm up to shoot out a piton from a launcher which embedded itself in the ceiling above.

This was the short-cut the HUD advised him on. It was too late to question the AI linked to his systems or to find an alternate route. He could only trust in his equipment. It was made by him, for him. Something he calibrated to work with his body as simply as any other motion and activity. Only the man that originally designed it all was a slightly smaller, leaner Mandalorian. Prison had put on a few pounds.

Grabbing the metal wire attached to the piton with his other hand, he swung across the maintenance causeway. The piton creaked and grumbled, he felt a bit of the sturdiness of the lance at the end give way a bit. Activating some jets on his boots just in case. Finally, landing on the other side hard, but on his feet. Eyes inside the visor tracked to the side and looked at the icon. It was moving again. Where was Cornelia going?

--

- Prison Level, Central Plexus...Rec Area....

The door to the rec area opened up. Blaster fire following them all the way to the door as Mrysti and Cornelia dove in landing on the grass and slamming the blast door shut behind them. Someone was watching their movement, even if the AI wasn’t. Redirecting all available forces toward them. Cornelia looked down in amazement, running her hands over the grass and looking up at Mrysti.

“Yes….I know…” The Mirialan said annoyingly. Cornelia had never been to the rec area. It was something Cornelia never expected to see again. Grass and trees. Mrysti looked back toward the door. There were too many for her or Cornelia to handle. And she knew it wouldn’t be long before the guard force following them got through. Her face twisted in frustration again. Where was Colonel Rickter?

--

As she walked, torches and lights lit in the floor. Each step activating some kind of hidden movement sensor. A faint purple and reddish glow in the distance was the only thing she could see. Not at all what she expected. Talia shrugged to herself, she didn’t know what to expect, especially from a Sith. It could have been anything down there. Someone locked away, a droid of some kind; some kind of superweapon? This was supposed to assist her in some way in the event of chaos. Looking down at her chrono and frowning at the time wasted, Talia kept on moving.

Reaching the altar, she looked around. The entire chamber was lit as Talia had reached the end. The light which projected down illuminating that which hovered in suspension came from a source Talia couldn’t identify. She looked around again in confusion, before looking back to the object which hung in air. Emitting the faint glow. A lightsaber, its blade lit and crackling with a purplish red plasma. Talia scrunched her brow questioningly. Perhaps it wasn’t for her, but for the ones she was supposed to assist. A Sith was nothing without their lightsaber, were they?

Glancing down at her chrono again she realized she spent far too much time doing whatever it was Malgus told her to do in coming down there. Abruptly she reached out grabbing the suspended hilt and immediately jerked, contorted backward. Her hand blazoned, locked on the hilt as she tried to scream.

But it was too late….

The voice merged with her own as Talia was lifted into the air. Anyone looking on would have only seen the Colonel lift in the air and grab her throat. There was nothing else there. But in Talia’s eyes, she saw him. Saw him the moment her hand was locked on the saber. Part of her mind wanted to run, the fear was something she never experienced. Seeing things through the one who once possessed the hilt. The pain, of being obliterated. Skin, cracked like the dune planes of Arvala-7. Held together by pure hatred which emanated through the cracks. A body held together by dark energy. With sheer strength she looked down at the glowing green ghost like form, seeing through it to the entity beyond. Her mouth moving in time with the voice in her head, her voice merging with that of Darth Sion.

--

- Prison Level, Central Plexus...Rec Area....

From the outside, they could hear it. Blaster fire and communications residue. The troopers all communicating frantically with one another. It wasn’t a matter of getting through the door just to get to Mrysti or Cornelia. The rec area held a central place within the construction of the prison. A crossroads from which all things could be accessed. The guards and troopers were running for their lives just as much as the prisoners were. Everything was chaos.

The door opened, Cornelia and Mrysti spun around to face whatever was coming. And were surprised to see just as the guards rushed through, they fell forward. Blasted forward from some force coming in behind them. The red armored Mandalorian stepped through and looked around, looking down at the carnage of scattered bodies and scrapped armor. Lowering his weapons as he looked over at the two stunned looking women.

Cornelia smiled viciously, running forward to throw herself into the arms of the large armored warrior. “Canton!!” He held the Sith with one arm, raising the rifle he held in his other hand up to look past Cornelia to Mrysti.

--

-Vault Level, 'The End'....

Looking at one another, the two black armored guards questioned if they both heard the sound they thought they did. Stepping off the lift in the silence of the passageway one of the guards lifted his rifle, a spotlight automatically coming on under the barrel.

‘BOOM’

Footfalls, heavy and slow. Sounding like a large boulder hitting the ground. It shook the cavern.

‘BOOM’

The Second black armored trooper raised his rifle, the light coming on under the barrel to light the pathway brighter combined with that of his partner.

‘BOOM’

‘BOOM’

Raising their carbines, both edged their way out of the lift looking ahead. The direction their Colonel had gone alone.

‘BOOM’

‘BOOM’

‘BOOM’

Silence. Both troopers stopped, their rifles raised; they slowly scanned ahead. One of them stopping on something.

The second trooper watched as the first was sucked down the pathway by an unseen force. He raised the light on his rifle up, firing into the direction the other trooper was pulled. In the air, the first black armored trooper was held overhead. The purplish and red glow of the ghostly saber protruding through the chest and back armor plating of the guard. The entity slung the guard off and moved almost instantly the length of the passageway coming up right in front of the other trooper.