A New Player in the Force (SW/Lite Gamer)

[tiwarikk]

Great chapter, quite good to see cam now in control, although he still isn't ready to face a master or a proper sith lord, and I suspect he won't be until he creates his own version of the code that would centralize his ideals in brief but deep lines.

 

[Marlow3]

Awesome world building chapter.
Thank you.

 

[Anonymous Fapper]

There will be no public chapter for ANP until mid->late August. This is because I'm off on holiday to visit my wife with my son. As she's in China, that will place me behind the GFW and I'll be taking it easy for the month while I'm away.

Click to shrink...

Take ur time man great chapter and enjoy ur holiday trip with ur son : )

 

[Cyrvus]

Such power belonged in mine.

Click to shrink...

So true King!
Cameron for the Sith Emperor Chancellor!
Vote now! For Managed Democracy! For the Republic!

 

[Grimmouse197]

I don't think i've ever seen a star wars fic in which his master survived and I'd Chancellor besides him. Well done. Most people wanna follow cannon like it's sacred but you..... You've done an amazing job leaving that mold. You could say that you you broke you chains.

And it's glorious

 

[USSExplorer]

A/N: As always, a huge thank you to those helping with lore and planning for this and my other stories.

And again, this chapter was released to those of sufficient rank on the story's Discord (it pays to talk) about a month ago. For those who support my writing, then it was released between 2 to 7 months ago (and those supporters can also access chapters that far in advance).

If joining the Discord or supporting my writing interests you, there is a link at the end of the chapter for how to do so.

---

Tremors of the Ancient Past 1
… …​

I sat in the pilot's seat, looking over the controls of the transport that I was using for this mission. As much as I preferred to be at the helm of Raven, she was far too recognisable a vessel to be taking towards Korriban and then deeper into what was formerly known as Sith Space. As such, I'd rented a vessel from Clan Ordo that, according to Torrhen, was used for covert actions by House Ordo outside Mandalorian space.

To anyone looking at it from the outside, or even scanning it, it would appear to be a slightly more armoured than normal HWK-290 light freighter. However, the rather aptly named Nekebi Vhett – False Farmer in Basic – was more akin to a small warship than a freighter. A Class 1.0 hyperdrive along with vastly enhanced sublight thrusters granted her more speed and manoeuvrability to help any Mando'ade onboard speed away from anyone they wished to avoid, which, when added to the coating that helped minimise how easy she was to locate with scanners, meant it was a useful covert insertion ship. Add in that she boasted an impressive array of offensive and defensive systems that started with more powerful shields, thicker armour, and stronger laser cannons meant that, if forced to engage patrol craft, it could either outrun or overpower them depending on the threat it faced.

Raven was remaining on Mandalore, hosted at the House Kryze compound, to imply that Anakin and I were still there. It was unlikely that anyone was monitoring my comings and goings now I'd left the Order, but I felt it was safer not to use her for this mission. To help sell the deception that I was still on Mandalore, Bo would take Raven to other systems in the Mandalore sector. Or, perhaps more accurately, Raven would allow Bo to sit at her controls while she flew herself.

When I'd explained and then shown Bo that Raven was capable of flying without a pilot, she'd been impressed and a little concerned. Not so much because she felt Raven might betray me as Bo was aware of the connection that I shared with my ship, but because of the implications of a vessel being able to think and grow like any sentient could. Now, Raven wasn't sentient in the same way as me or others, but she was alive and had matured in the years since I'd bonded with her to save our lives and that of those with us on Zonama Sekot.

Regardless, Raven would travel the sector while I was away, creating the impression that I was not simply staying on Mandalore. Eventually, I knew the Banite Sith would begin monitoring my actions, perhaps even hoping to find ways to turn me to their ideals, which always made me chortle. I had already committed to a dark path, one the Jedi would consider that taken by a Sith, but I wouldn't be following the path set out by Darth Bane. Nor would I, as Dooku was concerned, tread the path laid out by Adas. No, of all the paths before me, the one that interested me the most was that of Darth Malgus, at least regarding breaking free of the ideals and lies of the Jedi and Sith Orders.

What made that particularly amusing was that I, along with those onboard the Nekebi Vhett, was heading to Sith Space. We were bound for the world from which the Sith Empire Malgus had been born into, served, and ultimately turned against. I'd spoken to the Holocron a little about my intentions in the weeks where Dooku, Maul, myself, and others had worked on the plan to reach to Dromund Kaas, and while the holocron had offered little in the way of help, I sensed that he was intrigued to learn what became of the Empire he had found unworthy.

His holocron had been locked away by the Jedi, seemingly not long after it was created, as the Gatekeeper knew of none save Malgus who had interacted with it. Or that was what he was telling me at least, and I had no reason to suspect I was being deceived; both because of my skills and the fact that there was no hint of trickery within the Force as I spoke with the holocron.

"Nav computer reports we'll be emerging from hyperspace in five minutes."

I turned to Simvyl, who was sitting at the co-pilot's station, and nodded once. "Well, she's not as fast as Raven, but so far so good."

The Cathar groaned softly and shook his head. "Don't jinx us."

I chuckled. "Oh, if I wanted to jinx us, there's a lot I could say, but I think the choice of team is enough."

Simvyl grunted in response, choosing to turn his focus back to the controls of the ship we were still getting familiar with after just a week of travel. His opinion, like that of the others, about my chosen team was well known to me. While he had reservations about me bringing Maul along, particularly having the Zabrak out of his chains, he accepted the situation, just as he did with Anakin being present. He had made clear his discomfort with the situation but trusted me enough to accept that this was how things would be going forward. At least for this mission.

Dooku was accepting of Maul's presence, having used the Force much as I had – though I also had the cheat of Observe to rely on – to confirm that Maul was serious about travelling a path free from his former Master. The reveal of who Sidious and Plagueis were, not just their names but their public personas, had disrupted my former Master's balance. At least in reference to what he thought he'd known about the galaxy and those he considered allies.

In a rare and unexpected moment, he had spoken with me at length about how long he'd known Palpatine and Damask, explaining how it was through them that his inclinations to distrust how the galaxy was progressing had grown, if not stronger, then more defined. He had even openly pondered if they had intended to turn or use him as they had with Maul, to bring about chaos in which they could shatter the Republic and replace it with a Sith empire.

I didn't know exactly how Dooku had realised the truth, but whether it came from a Force vision, careful consideration of the logical path he had been on before I became his Padawan, or other factors, he had been incredibly close to the truth. At least in another timeline where I wasn't present.

Because of this revelation, Dooku had retreated to a remote section of Mandalore, needing time to meditate on what the truth meant for him and his life up until that point. I wondered if, in his time in solitude, his thoughts turned to Sifo-Dyas. I knew the former Jedi Council member had been close to Hego Damask, and it was through the Sith Lord that the Jedi had been convinced – some would say tricked – into heading to Kamino and commissioning the clone army.

Dooku had returned after a few weeks, seemingly recentred and now fully committed not just to the mission to Dromund Kaas but also to the path he was walking and the alliance that existed between us. I hadn't yet asked him about his intentions once we returned from the former Sith throne world, but I hoped that he would return to claim his title. Yes, his nephew was the current Count of House Dooku, and his sister-in-law ruled as regent in her son's stead, but even if he wasn't a pawn in Sidious' plans, I felt Dooku would take the title from his nephew and thus gain access to the considerable resources that House Dooku had gathered over the centuries. As useful as that was - and it would be of tremendous help so long as Dooku and I remained aligned in our goals - I wouldn't need to rely on Dooku for financial support.

Before I'd left Mandalore, I'd spoken with my publisher and accountant, learning that, based mainly on the unexpected success of the Fellowship of the Ring holomovie – something driven by the presence of both Co-Chancellors at its premiere – my earnings were rapidly approaching six hundred billion Credits in the nine months since the movie premiered.

It seemed that because the galactic premiere had been attended by the Co-Chancellor, everyone who wanted to be seen as important went to see the holomovie whenever it was released on their world. Some even travelled to Coruscant to view it early. Add in that the reviews were almost all positive, and that the second holomovie was due to be released in a few months – around a year since Fellowship's premiere – and it was clear my earnings from the movies alone were going to top a trillion easily, with one and a half trillion possible. And all that was before considering the attention the Knights of the Old Republic series was drawing now that people linked them to the same creator of the LotR.

The company behind the LotR holomovies had placed an opening offer to convert my telling of Revan's life, or at least his life after losing his memory, into a new trilogy. My publicist was still talking with them, but my cut from this trilogy was going to be higher, since I now had a successful holomovie to my name, with two more to follow.

I wasn't sure when the KOTOR trilogy would be made into holomovies, never mind released, but it was conceivable that by the outbreak of galactic war, I could be worth north of two or even three trillion Credits. At least according to my publicist and accountant. I felt they were overestimating my earning potential, but given every figure they'd given me so far as projections had been lowball estimates, I wasn't discounting the possibility I'd be insanely rich by the time of the war. Credits that, once I became Mand'alor, I'd need to finance the work preparing my people for war on a scale not seen in a millennium.

A ripple of excitement in the Force caught my attention, and reaching through my Force bond, I brushed against Anakin's mind. My son and apprentice was active in the main hold of the Nekebi Vhett, discussing something with Maul. HK and Fenrir were there, keeping an eye on the boy while he was around the Zabrak, but I felt certain that Maul wouldn't target Anakin. Not just because of what Observe told me about his loyalty towards and opinion of me – 50% and Liked Acquaintance respectively – but because he seemed to genuinely enjoy being around Anakin. Or at least that was how I interpreted the faint flickers of emotion that rippled from Maul into the Force.

The pair had, much to my surprise, bonded over technology, and the Zabrak was offering ideas to Anakin regarding the droid he was building. I wondered how many of those ideas came from the droid that had been discovered on the Scimitar. Thinking about that ship, I'd decided that, provided Maul proved himself on Dromund Kaas, then I would take him to Dagobah to recover his vessel. It would undoubtedly need a major overhaul of its systems as the odds there wasn't some way for Sidious to track the ship were insanely small, but using the Nekebi Vhett to tow it through hyperspace while powered down would ensure the Banite Sith didn't become aware that the ship was still around, and through it, that Maul lived. The last thing I needed was for Sidious and Plagueis to learn that Maul was alive and now working with me, as it would destroy my ability to remain in their inner circle, or at least the public one, while actively developing plans to stop their plans for a new Sith empire.

Maul hadn't interacted with the rest of my crew or family if I was being honest about what everyone bar the Zabrak meant to me, but he seemed comfortable in the presence of HK and Fenrir. The latter made perfect sense, since while he was seemingly domesticated, Fenrir was a beast created by the Sith in millennia gone by. He was a creature of the Dark Side, and thus something Maul would perhaps feel some odd kinship with. As for HK, the reveal that the droid was the one built by Darth Revan altered Maul's opinion of the droid. It seemed that Darth Bane had used the teachings of my great-grandfather, at least while he'd been a Sith, to found his lineage. Maul retained no love for his former Master or any of Darth Bane's line, but he respected the accomplishments of Revan. Well, those from when he'd been a Sith Lord, anyway.

Of everyone in my crew, only Simvyl and R2 seemed hesitant around Maul. The Cathar had been honest with his opinions, expressing that he didn't trust Maul because of Naboo, but he trusted my judgement on the matter. As for the little astromech, it was less that he disliked Maul and more that, if I was understanding the droid accurately, he just didn't have much of an opinion on the Zabrak.

Anakin reached back through the Force, letting me know that he was fine and curious when we'd arrive. As I went to respond, the ship's computers beeped and, a moment later, we dropped out of hyperspace. While the shift from the swirling exotic energies of hyperspace to those of normal space was expected, I once again found myself missing my connection to Raven. The way she reacted each time we entered or exited hyperspace, or travelled to a new system with a star for her to experience the energy of, always made me smile.

I pushed those thoughts aside and used the scanners to locate what orbital platforms and defensive structures were in the Korriban system. As almost the entirety of Sith Space was surrounded by the Stygian Caldera, a giant ring-like nebula that encompassed the sector and marked the boundary of the worlds considered to be Sith, the only easy way to enter the area was to pass through the Korriban system. That meant the Republic and Jedi, in the decades after the New Sith Wars and the last battle of Ruusan, had established a series of stations and defences to monitor who was coming in and out of the sector. Yet, as the scanners reported back on what was here, or in most cases no longer functioning, I couldn't help but grunt in annoyance.

"We'd have been safe to bring Raven," I muttered as the Nekebi Vhett's scanners detected only a single active station in high orbit above Korriban, with the other platforms in the system seemingly offline or working at such low power that the ship's scanners couldn't discern if they were active or not.

"Most likely, but it was better to be prudent," Simvyl added as I piloted us deeper into the system. The hyperspace routes I had for this sector were ancient, nearly four thousand years old, and this likely suffered from some interstellar drift. However, they were enough to help plot a basic course – something R2 had already determined – which would first be updated based on the positions of the stars in the sector, and then enhanced by my drawing on the Force to guide us towards our destination. "We're getting hailed."

I picked up my helmet and slipped it over my head. While I did that, Simvyl placed one on as well. It wasn't a Mandalorian helmet, but it would hide his face from whoever was trying to reach us, and thus prevent anyone linking his presence to mine.

A flick of a switch at the communication console, something I didn't need to do with Raven, had the image of a Human appear. He was dressed in standard Republic garb, and the HUD of my armour determined the sigil on his right upper arm was that of the Republic's security bureau. "This is Korriban Station to unknown vessel. You are entering a restricted sector. State your name and purpose here."

I bit back a chuckle at the man as he tried to sound both important and hide the boredom in his posture. It was easy to tell, even without the sensors reporting on what wasn't happening in the system, that there was barely any traffic here.

"I'm Cody Rex of Mandalore. I'm here with my team to hunt."

"This sector is not open to visitors. If you want to head deeper into the sector, you will dock with our station and allow us to search your vessel."

I growled at the man. However, while his tone was already starting to irritate me, as was the arrogance he stood with, carrying the misguided belief that he had any power over me, I knew he was nothing more than an unimportant minor nobody. Otherwise, he'd not have been assigned to such a backwater position.

"I will dock with your station. However, if you or any of your men dare to set foot on my ship, it will be the last thing you do." My tone left no room for negotiation. If I had to, I'd just race past the station and head deeper into the sector. Even if the station had fighters, they'd be no threat to me or my current vessel.

"Republic law…"

"The words of the Tsad Droten carry no weight with me, utreekov! The only way anyone gets onto my ship without my permission is over my cold, dead corpse." I leaned forward so all he could focus on was me. "And I assure you that there is no one on that pathetic, decrepit station who has even the smallest chance of managing to kill me!"

Perhaps I could've played nice, but beyond that, not being the way of the Mando'ade, or at least not how much of the galaxy thought we behaved, the way this pompous little fool was trying to control me was an annoyance. Not enough that I was in any danger of losing control, but enough that I wanted to avoid heading to the station entirely.

The Republic officer gulped loud enough that it carried over the channel. "I… That is to say…" He paused. "One moment." The channel muted, and he turned. The HUD let me know what he was saying as it read his lips. Apparently, someone offscreen was arguing with him, and while I wasn't entirely sure what the topic was, it seemed as if this other person didn't even want me to dock with the station.

"Mister Rex," the officer resumed once he reopened the audio, "you are free to proceed deeper into the sector. However, I must request that when you leave, you inform us of what you did and where you went. The items and creatures in this sector are under the watch of the Galactic Senate and Jedi Order, and anything removed is to be recorded."

"We'll see," I replied before cutting the channel while simultaneously manipulating the controls, guiding the ship away from Korriban. While I did wish to visit the planet and explore its ruins, that wasn't why I was here today. Plus, even without reaching into the Force, I knew there was a Jedi on that station.

While I knew I could defeat them, killing one of the Order would have others arrive and beyond the irritant that would be to any attempt to explore the planet, the longer I could avoid the Order seeking me out, or even hunting me down, the better. It was inevitable that I'd find myself in conflict with the Order, not least because of the manipulations of the Banite Sith. However, I'd prefer to work under the radar, so to speak, for a few more years before I had to deal with the Jedi seeking me out.

"What an irritating little man."

I grunted at Simvyl's opinion, making clear my agreement. "Delusions of grandeur aren't that uncommon when one is the senior voice of power in a backwater region like this," I replied as the Nekebi Vhett accelerated through the outer edges of the system, heading towards the hyperspace point that would take us deeper into the sector. "And as much as I'd enjoy seeing Anakin school him in how pathetic he is," Simvyl growled in amusement, "he's not worth the time."

With the officer now in the past, my thoughts turned to what lay ahead of us. The files I had on Dromund Kaas were centuries out of date, with most of the data coming by way of second or third-hand reports. The world was a Dark Side nexus, but that was something I suspected was true of most worlds in this sector. It was certainly true of Korriban. Even at the distance we were from it currently, I could sense the faint tremors it created in the Force. Whispers of power radiated outward for those strong enough to claim it, tempting, tempting those weak and unprepared to the dangers that lay on and under the surface. Today wasn't the day I would respond to those whispers and rip what power and knowledge lay on the dusty, dead world, but I knew I would return if I could.

I blinked as the Interface provided me with a notice, and after opening it, I smirked. The offer of a quest, one ranked as highly as Tremors of an Ancient Sith Empire and Changing Fate [Anakin] linked to Korriban, was what I'd expected to see given my current location. I did have some interest in accepting it, but after thinking the matter over for a short while, I decided not to accept it.

The rewards were just as impressive as the one I was about to complete. However, I couldn't be certain when I'd have time to complete it, and with the Republic having a station in the system, it would be harder to pull it off without others learning of my intentions. I could return to it later, and while the rewards might be less, the same should, if that happened, be true of the penalties as well.
… …

---

… …
I opened my eyes, pulling back from the depths of the Force. We were almost at our destination, and there was no need for me to continue dominating the Force to reveal the route through hyperspace so that we could traverse the path to Dromund Kaas any longer. Like much of the sector, the planet radiated power into the Force, teasing and tormenting those able to sense it with the promises of untold power. However, what emanated from Dromund Kaas spoke to me in a different way - on an almost primal and instinctual level.

The world was as shrouded in the Dark Side as Korriban was, but there was something extra about this ancient throne world that called to me. Something was there that, in ways I couldn't quite understand, beckoned me on a personal level. What it was I'd soon, I hoped, learn, but I could sense that it was something that would be quite profound.

The Force was aware of what awaited me, but it resisted my efforts to rip the knowledge from it. As I had to focus heavily on guiding the ship through hyperspace, along a lane that hadn't been traversed for around a thousand years, if not longer, I hadn't been able to crush the Force's interest in keeping the knowledge from me and learning the truth. However, as the ship reported that we were about to emerge from hyperspace, I knew that I would discover what lay on Dromund Kaas that called to me soon enough.

The door to the cockpit opened, and I sensed the entrance of the three other Force users aboard as they entered. "Ready for the reveal?" I asked without lifting my head from the consoles.

"More to see the source of the power that radiates into the Force in ways that could engulf a star," Dooku replied calmly. I blinked at his words, but as I reached out with the Force, no longer having to focus on guiding us towards the system, I felt what he was talking about. Beyond the personal pull that I felt towards the world, there was something far more to it than just a simple well of the Dark Side that one felt from any nexus in the Force. It was almost as if there was more than one nexus on the planet or the system it was part of.

I couldn't focus on that; instead, I had to manage the Nekebi Vhett's systems as we slipped back into real space. As we did, I heard Anakin inhale sharply and sensed his reaction through our bond. While I had been trained fully in using the Force, at least as a Jedi, and through what I'd learnt from Adas and more recently Malgus had prepared myself for the almost dominating aura of the world that swept over and engulfed the system, Anakin had not.

[Don't let it lead you,] I spoke to him through our bond even as my hands moved over the consoles, guiding the ship into the system towards the two planets in the system in the habitable belt. Already, I knew which was Dromund Kaas, as its power and danger rushed into the Force, almost threatening to overwhelm the senses, at least for someone not fully trained to handle or ignore it. [You are in command of the Force, not the planet or the Dark Side.]

I heard Anakin gulp before he responded. [I… I know. It's just… so much.]

Taking a glance back, I saw he had paled slightly, though before I could speak to him, Dooku's hand came to rest on his shoulder. "You are stronger than whatever is on the world, Anakin. Do not let your fears dominate your thoughts. Otherwise, the planet and the dangers it holds will be victorious before you set foot upon it."

I offered the boy a smile as confirmation of what Dooku had just said, and as I watched, he straightened his shoulders, and I felt the barriers around his mind strengthen. Pleased at his reaction, I turned back to the controls and a moment later we emerged from the swirling exotic energies of hyperspace into the Dromund Kaas system.

As the records that I'd used as a base to guide us to this system stated, there were five planets in the system. The outermost and largest, as was a regular feature in the majority of systems in the galaxy, was a gas giant. There was no outer icy planet as was common in multi-planet systems, leaving the gas giant – Dromund Kalakar – as the outermost world. From the scanner data I'd taken from the Sith ship that had brought me to this era, that world had housed shipyards. However, the Nekebi Vhett's sensors weren't detecting anything there. Or at least nothing - given that Kalakar was on the far side of the system from where we'd emerged from hyperspace - drawing power in a significant way to register with this ship's sensors.

Even if anything remained of those shipyards, it was unlikely they were in any condition to draw information from their millennia-old databanks. Still, I would guide us around the system and scan each planet before we finally arrived at Dromund Kaas.

That was the third planet in the system, and along with Dromund Fels, was capable of supporting life. Kaas had a damp atmosphere, the records stating that much of the world had been covered in swamps before the Sith Empire that rose there under Vitiate pushed it back to carve out their settlements. What state those settlements would be was something we'd determine once we were closer, but I expected almost everything to be overgrown and decaying in the damp, possibly rancid conditions of the swamps. At least if the swamps on Kaas were similar in any way to those on Dagobah.

Fels was a more arid world, but what little I'd learnt about the planet from records suggested it wasn't a place of importance. Slaves and unimportant or broken prisoners were sent there to mine the planet for resources and other such activities. There had, according to what little the Celebratus Archive had on the system, once been a weapons testing facility on the planet along with tombs of many ancient Sith; however, the chances that any remained, respectively, useful or unopened, were slim.

The inner two worlds of the system were barren rocks and unlikely to be of any value. Still, I'd swing us over them so we could give them a decent scan. There was a small chance the worlds had been used for resources or factories, and those might be in better condition than anything on Dromund Fels or Dromund Kalakar. The former because the climate would've ruined anything left behind, and the latter because when this empire fell, those shipyards were likely obliterated.

"Hope no one minds the scenic route," I muttered as I programmed the computer with our flight path to survey each of the other worlds before Dromund Kaas. I felt some irritation from Maul slip into the Force, but neither he nor anyone else commented. All seemed content to follow my lead on the mission.

… …
"I fail to see why we are wasting time heading here."

The comment came from Maul about an hour after we'd emerged into the system as we neared Dromund Kaas. Or more accurately, what remained of a formerly impressive large space station. Well, what had once been a space station. This was the same one I remembered seeing when I'd arrived in this system sometime around two thousand years ago. Now I was guessing the time frame, but given I'd had two trips in hyperspace that took me from Talravin to Coruscant and across thirty-eight hundred years, it seemed safe to assume when I'd been here last had been about halfway through the time skip.

The station was nearly three kilometres wide, though, given the sections that floated around the planet and hadn't yet been dragged into the atmosphere and either burned to ash or crashed to the ground, I suspected it had been closer to five kilometres in its heyday. From what the Nekebi Vhett's scanners were reporting, it seemed the entire station had been opened to the vacuum of space and was entirely unpowered. Yet, for all its seemingly worthless appearance, I had an objective to investigate the station, and while the most direct objective to complete – telling or not telling the Banite Sith about my visit here was by far the easiest, and one I'd already completed by coming here without them knowing – there was the chance the station might be of some use.

"We're here as this was the main station over the world, and thus where any civilian and most military vessels would've docked," I replied as the Nekebi Vhett eased closer with just her manoeuvring thrusters. "Yes, it's a wreck now, but if there's a chance the computers on the station can still be powered up, we might be able to glean some intelligence that could serve us well for the war to come against your former Master."

Maul growled faintly at the mention of Sidious, though he didn't react. Nor had he at any time I'd brought up Sidious or Plagueis since I'd defeated him on Mandalore and gained his allegiance. I knew he raged at being so badly deceived and wanted vengeance, but it appeared he had, in the time imprisoned by the Mando'ade, learnt to temper his need for blood so that he was more than a raging beast. Now, from what I'd learnt of Maul, he'd never been the beast I'd believed, nor did he suffer from the insanity shown in The Clone Wars after he was sliced in two by Kenobi, but I was still surprised at how thoughtful, careful, and resourceful he was.

Beyond bonding slightly with Anakin over technology, he was able to debate with me and Dooku on certain points of Sith, Jedi, and Republic ideals eloquently – though not to the level he'd ever be mistaken for a Senator. He had also displayed a cunning that extended beyond combat and had offered pointers on ways to handle certain situations. So far, none of those suggestions were things I hadn't already considered, but the fact that he wasn't just some monster to be unleashed on the Jedi was encouraging for someone I felt might one day be a true right hand to enforce my will.

"While I agree with Maul that this is probably an inefficient use of our time, as we are in no hurry and there is the potential, however remote, that you might be correct about what we might find, Cameron, I see no reason not to at least venture onto the station. I would caution against spending too long or pursuing too deeply into the wreckage." Dooku paused for a moment. "That said, it is the odd point on the planet below that has drawn my attention."

I nodded, understanding what he was referring to.

As we'd neared the planet, we'd been prepared for the rippling Dark Side aura of the world to wash over and attempt to consume us. Yet, as we'd come closer and overcome that first challenge, all three of us, along with Anakin, had sensed something extra on the planet. Or several extras, really.

Dromund Kaas was a Dark Side nexus, but within that nexus lay points where the Dark Side felt stronger. The most obvious of those had been what appeared to be the remains of the largest city on the planet – Kaas City, according to the records – along with a large complex on the outskirts that Maul had been the first to realise had been the residence of the Emperor of this Sith empire.

That structure was something between a palace and a fortress, or at least it once had been. Now, like with Kaas City and any other major place on the planet, it was overgrown by the jungle that seemed to cover almost every square kilometre of land. The only major regions free of the jungle's influence were the poles, though neither was covered in ice and snow as would be common; instead, they were just barren ground where nothing seemed to grow. There were a handful of islands that didn't appear to have been engulfed in the jungle that ravaged everywhere else, but none of those islands stood out as important enough to warrant even a simple flyover.

The Imperial Palace was the place that was calling to me on an almost instinctual level. I had tried to rip the knowledge of why I felt the pull there from the Force, but a presence – one long gone, yet powerful – resisted and hampered my efforts. Just with the Palace, this presence felt oddly familiar, yet I couldn't quite lay my finger on why. Soon enough, I would discover why I was being pulled towards the palace, but only after we'd investigated Kaas City and this station.

Yet, for all that the palace, the city, and the station were places I'd been expecting to investigate here, there was another location that had drawn my attention. Well, the attention of everyone on the mission who could sense the Force, even Fenrir.

Far to the south of Kaas City, on another continent in the middle of a jungle so thick the ship's sensors couldn't detect anywhere within a hundred kilometres where we could land, the Dark Side of the Force swirled almost viciously. The presence of a spot where the Dark Side was so heavily concentrated and enhanced, at least outside of Kaas City and the Imperial Palace, was something I'd not expected, but it made sense. Those two places were essentially nexus points within the Dark Side nexus that was Dromund Kaas, so there not being other such points would've been surprising in retrospect. What was unexpected, and had seemingly caused the quest to generate a new objective, was that this spot to the south was another Dark Side nexus on the planet; one that felt active, or at least that was how I understood it.

I knew from the objective that there was a Dark Side Temple there, but the exact details of what I might find were being kept from me. All I had to do, according to the Interface and the objective it had generated, was to take control of the Temple. How I was to do that, I had kriff-all idea, but it meant there was another location on the planet that I had to visit.

A ripple of agitation within the Force had my thoughts shift from the planet and the station that I was slowly edging us nearer, to Fenrir. Ever since we'd come close to Dromund Kaas and begun experiencing the powerful, malignant presence it radiated into the Force, the tuk'ata had grown agitated. That unsettledness was only getting worse the closer we got. While Anakin was currently with him, trying to keep him calm, I suspected that once we landed on the planet, Fenrir would have some sort of challenge to face. One that I was uncertain I could help with.

"There."

Simvyl's comment drew my full attention back to the controls, and I saw him pointing at a section of the station. One with a seemingly working airlock. The same airlock we'd been slowly easing towards for the last ten minutes, having to slip through the debris that still hovered around the ruined station.

My hands moved carefully over the controls, once more missing Raven's presence. With her, I didn't need to focus as heavily, as I could allow her to guide herself towards the spot I wished. The Nekebi Vhett was an excellent vessel, and in another time, I might've purchased and modified one of the HWK-270 line of ships for myself. However, for all the modifications that Clan Ordo had made to the vessel, it wasn't Raven, thus I had to focus far more on actions I could have left for Raven to make independently.
… …
I pushed off one section of the damaged station, letting my gentle momentum carry me towards the next section that was in good enough condition that I could secure myself on it. I could use the magnetic clamps in my armour to secure me once there or bend the Force to guide myself. However, the station was somehow even more of a wreck on the inside than it appeared from the outside. While the area around the airlock we'd docked at was secure, beyond the second bulkhead, things became chaotic. Walkways, corridors, and access crawl ways were either missing entirely, twisted so that passing through them was a pain in the arse to manage without risking further structural damage, or merged so badly that plotting a path to the centre of the station, where Command should be located, was a kriffing nightmare.

I'd been exploring the station for almost five hours now, slowly working my way inward, at least where I could. Most of my travels had taken me to the side or outward, but eventually, I'd found a terminal that was both intact enough to allow access and able to be powered up. From that, I'd gained a layout of the station, including the location of the Command Centre – which lay at the literal centre of the facility as expected – and the location of various cargo holds, regular and secure, hangars used for military vessels, secure stations that required security clearance to enter, and anything else that would be on a semi-public map.

Using the Battlenet, I'd linked with the Nekebi Vhett and compared the layout the terminal provided with what the ship's sensors had reported. All the hangars – military and civilian – were gone, or exposed to space to such a degree that anything there wouldn't be worth the effort to locate. The same was true of the majority of the cargo holds and most of the secure locations. The innermost facilities should, in theory, have survived the damage. At least enough that I might find something worthwhile there. However, as I had discovered over the last few hours, getting to them had been a bleeding nightmare.

Even using my lightsaber as a tool to slice through debris, there were many places where the damage was so severe that there was no way I could slice my way through without removing what little structural integrity remained. The few places that were passable, with or without cutting a path through, had led me on a semi-wild goose chase around the station.

Eventually, perhaps because the Force and TPTB were growing bored of watching me fumble around in what remained of the station, I'd managed to reach a secure section of the station and discovered a working security station. It had taken HK and R2 time to reach me, though only a third as long as it had taken me to discover a path to the station. While the astromech worked on first overcoming the station's security and then accessing whatever he could of the data that remained, I'd pushed deeper into the station.

I hadn't expected to reach the Command Centre, nor if I did that I'd find anything of worth there, and after over an hour of working my way slowly deeper into the debris, I'd not come close to doing so. I had managed to find one of the inner cargo holds – guided there by R2 once he overcame the first few layers of security at the station he was interfacing with. Sadly, the hold was useless. Now, it was full of crates, but every single one was either damaged, ruining what had been inside, or contained items that were either outdated or worthless.

"Observation: I believe that R2 has extracted all he can from the system, Master. At least without us attempting to reach the Command Centre, or whatever might remain of it."

The message from HK came as I moved away from that hold, reaching an intersection that, in theory, led to one of the bulkhead doors granting access to the Command Centre. However, as the HUD scanned the twisted metal wreckage before me, it was clear there was no way I was getting through this way.

I snarled at the newest blockage and turned, pushing back towards the section of the station I'd just travelled from. "Very well," I replied to HK via the Battlenet. "Head back to the ship. I'll be right behind you."

"Would it be correct to say I was right that this was a waste of time?"

Even though there was nothing in his tone to hint at anger or amusement, I knew Maul was feeling both. He'd been the most against this exploration and would be enjoying the fact that he had been right. At least if he ignored how long I'd spent moving through the debris.

"You would, but it hasn't cost us much time, and better to have at least tried," I replied as I pushed off the current section of wall and floated towards the next. My boot clamped against it, the magnets in the armour securing me even as I continued to reply. "I've also deployed some detonators at what should be key points of the superstructure. If there was something of value here that I've missed, I'll be damned if anyone else can ever find it."

A glimmer of amusement rippled from Maul at my words. "Acceptable."

The channel closed there, and I returned my focus to moving through the debris. The sooner I was off this station, or what remained of it, the sooner we could descend to Dromund Kaas and begin the true adventure.

… …
I grunted as the Nekebi Vhett slipped into the upper layers of the atmosphere of Dromund Kaas. The space station, or what remained of it after I'd detonated the thermal detonators within its structure and shattered the remains, was far behind us. Based on the rough calculations, most of the debris would burn up when dragged into the atmosphere over the coming years. Those sections that didn't burn up would crash into the planet, doing serious damage. Since none of that was due to happen anytime soon, and certainly not while we were present, it wasn't an issue to be concerned about.

Yes, it was perhaps petty to destroy the station and deny anyone else who came after us to this system the chance to find anything of worth on it, but I couldn't risk the chance that Sidious or Plagueis would one day come here and find something that I missed. Something that they might be able to use against me.

The vessel buckled slightly, the computers of our current ride slower than Raven would've been in detecting a shift in the air currents and lightning that rippled throughout the air and reacting. I knew it wasn't fair to compare this vessel to Raven, but I was always doing so. Raven was mine and a part of me, almost like a child, and not having her here, not being able to interact with her and expect her instantaneous application of my requirements was unsettling. Something that another shift in the currents that had the Nekebi Vhett shaking drove home.

Beside me, Simvyl grunted, his hands firmly around his controls. Something that, again, wouldn't be needed with Raven. Yet, as the Nekebi Vhett slipped lower, dropping below the turbulence, I accepted that it was unfair to judge any ship against Raven. She was more than a simple vessel, and comparing them to her was like comparing a shiny pebble found on a random beach to one of the wonders of the galaxy.

Pushing thoughts of Raven aside, I guided the vessel I was piloting downward, swooping us through dark, gathering clouds that heralded a coming storm. Emerging beneath them, the first visual of the surface came into view. As expected, the place was covered in jungle, though as I angled the Vhett towards Kaas City – the location confirmed by data taken from the now obliterated station – I could see the tops of towering structures breaking through the canopy. Yes, many were badly damaged and almost all overgrown with foliage, but it seemed the structures the Sith Empire had built endured even when challenged by the vibrant flora of the planet.

While the Dark Side Temple – though only I knew it as such – drew everyone's attention, or at least that of myself, Maul, and Dooku, it wouldn't be our first destination. No, it would be Kaas City where we would start, at least once we found a landing platform that was stable enough to support our vessel.

Nearing the city, my eyes caught sight of the central building, one that towered over everything else. The central spire rose into the sky, and its heyday would've drawn the attention of everyone to it. Haran, it was high enough that it could, conceivably, have allowed a larger starship to dock with it, though such a thing would've been an unnecessary display of power and grandeur. Even without the Force hinting that I needed to head there, and the data from the station marking this as the most important building in Kaas City, I'd have headed here first. Beyond its central location, it was clear the city, or at least what remained above the jungle and standing, had been built around it.

On one side of the spire, rising from a lower part of the complex, rose a much narrower spire. This was connected to the main spire about halfway up the latter, and while there was no smaller spire on the other side of the central spire, enough of the arch that would've connected them remained to make clear it had once been there.

The rest of the city was in various stages of disrepair and neglect. Hardly a shock given that the place had been abandoned for millennia. What I did notice was that many of the buildings that still stood, or had partly fallen into others, had spires on top. Ones that reminded me heavily of lightning spires designed to ensure the people further down weren't injured. Given the atmosphere of the planet was riddled with storms, it made sense the city's builders had covered the place in such spires.

I whistled as we passed over one large section of the city that was just gone. As in, there was nothing standing there to even hint that it had once contained buildings. There was a chance that the area had just been a park, but from the lingering screams I swore I sensed in the area as we flew over it, something had happened there to render the area not just uninhabited but devoid of buildings.

I circled the Nekebi Vhett around the Citadel, noting that on all four sides the symbol of the Sith Empire, the same one that Sidious would take for his empire in the other timeline, was carved into the structure. Like everything else in this long-abandoned and now overgrown city, no light emanated from the ancient building, yet I could easily conceive of how imposing and controlling it would've looked in its zenith.

"Scanners have several landing platforms around the middle of the main tower and a few more on the secondary towers. Most won't take the ship's weight, though," Simvyl reported as I continued to circle the Citadel.

"I'd prefer not to have us land at ground level. We've got no idea what's down there." Simvyl knew all this, but I still felt the need to comment. "Are there any blast doors on the tower?"

"One moment." I brought the Nekebi Vhett to the front of the Citadel as Simvyl ran the scans. It was simple to determine which side was the front, as at the base of it, there was a large open space that at one time would've been a plaza. We could, in theory, land there, but I'd have to blast a clearing in the foliage that had overgrown the area, and probably brought down many of the statues or monuments that had once lined the plaza. "If there is, the ships' scanners can't find them."

"Great," I muttered as I shifted the vessel around. "Target the plaza with the cannons." While I wasn't overly concerned about the creatures that might inhabit the jungle, as the sound of laser fire would drive them away, we had little idea of the condition of the plaza, or whatever it was under the canopy. A stray shot could ruin the area and prevent us from creating a stable landing spot. Still, it was better than having to scour the city looking for another point we could land at. The less time I had to spend hiking through the overgrowth that had reclaimed the city after the fall of this Sith empire, the better.

… …
I checked Anakin's armour, making sure by hand that the seals were tight. The Battlenet confirmed that he was secure inside the armour, but I felt better giving it a final check by hand. "Remember, stay close and do what I say when I say."

"I know," he replied, a small hint of exasperation in his tone. That was understandable, as I'd made clear that on this mission he would obey me without question several times before we'd even left the Mandalore sector. I knew that bringing him here was dangerous, but Anakin had been insistent that he come, and I'd taken the knowledge from the Force that he needed to be present. Dooku had given me a hard look when Anakin had boarded the Vhett with us, but no comment was made. Anakin was my son and apprentice, and how I trained him was my prerogative.

After checking the seals by hand and with the Force confirming there were no issues, I patted him on his shoulder and smiled. "Good, because if you disobey me, there will be consequences." I turned from him, ignoring the small trickle of concern that I sensed slipping from him into the Force, and looked at Fenrir. "You," I said forcefully, getting the tuk'ata's attention. At least as best I could, given how agitated he'd become. "Scout the area around the ship, but don't stray too far."

Fenrir's head bounced at my words, which I'd enforced by bending the Force to my will to make clear he understood I wouldn't broker dissent. There was no point in trying to keep him at my side. The moment the Vhett had touched down in the area our cannons had cleared, the tuk'ata had started snarling and pacing. Almost as if he sensed a challenge to his position. Even using the Force to assert my dominance over him had only calmed him slightly, and I knew the moment the doors opened, he would take off. It was better that I made it with my blessing than not.

I placed my hand on Fenrir's maw, just above his nose, to get him to focus on me. "Stay near the ship," I repeated, drawing on the Force. Dromund Kaas was awash with the Dark Side, the supremacy of the place continually whispering to me of hidden power that lay nearby. However, I wasn't allowing it to tempt me, and instead asserting my rule over it. I was in control, not it nor my baser emotions.

Fenrir gave a half-growl, half-whine in response. He wanted to explore, to fight, and to conquer whatever was within the ruined city. A feeling I understood and even agreed with. However, I wasn't going to allow him to lose himself in the challenges and dangers of this new world. The sound he made confirmed he understood, though I suspected that his definition of near would vary from mine. So long as when it came time to leave the city and journey to the Dark Side Temple or elsewhere on the planet, he returned promptly.

Once assured that he would return, I moved to the side of the bay and pressed the button to open the hatch and lower the ramp. Fenrir was out before the hatch was even fully open, never mind the ramp starting to descend, and as the metal slipped down from the Vhett to touch the ground of a city that had lain abandoned for millennia, I watched Fenrir disappear into the undergrowth.

"I hope he'll be okay."

I smiled at Anakin. "Tuk'ata were bred for worlds like this. There will be other predators in the ruins of the city and the swamp beyond, but I doubt anything could stand against him. If any did, he is smart enough to withdraw and seek the strength of his pack."

"It is conceivable that there are wild tuk'ata on this world," Dooku offered as he stood with Maul and the others waiting to disembark. "Or another creature with similar genetics to Fenrir. If there are, then he will seek that pack out to assert his dominance over them."

"As he should," Maul added, a small smile on his face that hinted he was looking forward to whatever challenges awaited us on this world. A sentiment I shared.

"Cautionary: In my travels with the Creator, I encountered many beasts that would be a greater threat than a tuk'ata. If such creatures exist in this ruined meatbag city, then the tuk'ata may be overwhelmed."

"Fenrir can take on anything!" That came from Anakin and earned a small chuckle from me.

"He could, but he's smart enough to avoid those where the chances of survival are small. Or at least wait until we arrive to help him." Not wanting to dally any longer, I stepped forward onto the ramp. The HUD of my armour made clear that the air was safe to breathe, but I felt better – more complete – with all my armour on. Behind me, Simvyl had on armour as well, though unlike mine and Anakin's, his wasn't made by Mando'ade. It had come from the Lokella, and thus was composed of phrik instead of beskar like mine.

Dooku and Maul wore more traditional garments for Force users, though I did note that Dooku's attire had gotten subtly darker since we'd left the Order. Maul wore loose-fitting clothing, his repaired lightsaber – I'd given him components to do so – at his hip. Beyond their blades, neither was armed save for their command over the Force.

As the air from the Vhett mingled with that of the planet, the full power and depth of the Dark Side on Dromund Kaas washed over me. For a moment, perhaps half a step, I hesitated; unused to such raw, primal power. However, as the moment passed, I reached out into the Force around me, grasping onto it and began asserting my dominance over it.

The Force fought back; millennia of Sith had walked here before me, leaving an indelible mark within it and helping shape and empower the Dark Side nexus that engulfed the planet. I swore I could sense the billions of sentients who had once called this place their home, those who led the empire, the most powerful and able. Yet, even with their echoes stirring in the Force, tempting and teasing me with promises of untold power, I asserted my dominance over the Force.

I was not here to be corrupted. I was not here to fall to the insanity that lay in the depths of the Dark Side. I was here to take what I wanted. If anyone was going to dominate the Force, to bend and break it to their will on this long-dead world, it would be me.

The Force resisted. The echoes of billions raging at my demands and at the depths of my power, but I would not be denied. I would not allow anyone to prevent me from claiming what was mine. The galaxy was bound for darkness, and in that darkness, as the sentients across every world feared what terrors of war would be brought to their door, what dangers the future would bring, I would rise and lead those willing to fight for their stake to glory.

Around me, the Force swirled, my intentions and my demands twisting the tremors of the more deranged legacies of the Dark Side on this world inward. I knew I couldn't reshape the nature of the planet, not without far more time, power, and control. However, at least in the area around us, I would be its Master. The Force would serve and obey me above all.

Time became immaterial, slowing and fading away as I waged my war against the echoes of the past that refused to surrender. That denied the truth that their time was past and mine was at hand. But, as with every threat I had faced in this life, no matter how extreme or how it might break a lesser mind, I would not be denied. I had not fallen to the Dark Side; I had not lost myself in the maddening depths of its raging tsunamis. No, I had chosen to step into the maelstrom and command it to aid me.

I knew that I could never take full control over the entirety of the Force. That sort of action was beyond the realm of any mortal being. Yet, in this moment, on this world from where a Sith empire had risen and come close to shattering the Old Republic and the Jedi, I would not be denied. This place, this moment, was mine, and the Force would accept it.

Eventually, I felt the voices and their dizzying, unfulfillable promises fade away. Their memories, the marks they had left on the Force, remained, but they and the Force understood that I would not be tempted this day. That I would not fall into the chains that dragged down so many who failed to break them. As the Force settled, accepting that I had control in this area, I opened my eyes and looked back at my team, and in many ways, my family.

Dooku and Maul were looking at me the most intently, their minds attuned to the Force sufficiently that they'd have felt my actions in not just resisting the lure of the whispered promises, but in dismissing and dispersing them. Neither showed any outward reaction, though thanks to my bond with him, I could sense the faintest hint of Dooku's pride at my display of power and control. Anakin had tilted his head to one side, and while his face was hidden under his helmet, I could tell he had felt what I'd done.

His training had shifted since Kiffex, becoming harder and more demanding; however, he understood I was doing so to prepare him for the future. Not just for claiming his vengeance on Decca the Hutt, but for helping me reshape the galaxy into a fairer, more honest, and just place. One where we ruled.

The others were simply standing there, the droids waiting patiently for orders while Simvyl seemed to have a faint inkling of what I'd done. At least that I'd been busy with a matter pertaining to the Force. That I retained his faith and loyalty even after leaving the Order was something that I could easily take for granted, as I would admit his lack of presence in the force could easily fade to the background in my mind. However, for all that he could not draw on the Force as the rest of us could, I trusted him and respected his presence, and knew that he would, unlike many, remain a voice willing to question me if he ever felt I went too far or chose a path he considered wrong. Time would tell if I listened to him or not.

"Remember where we parked," I said warmly, moving past my moment of asserting my supremacy over the Force in this area. The comment was designed to lift the mood slightly, though I had no idea if it worked.

Lifting my head, I looked up at the Imperial Citadel, the HUD indicating that the building had, based on the windows that could be seen and the overall height, several hundred potential levels. Silently, I hoped that the places we were most interested in – that of the various ministries of the Sith Empire, along with the chamber from where the Sith Council that had overseen the day-to-day operations of the empire – weren't too far up the structure. However, I already knew my hopes were likely to be dashed.

While it was the centre of the city, the Citadel was built as a fortress. The walls were reinforced – something the Vhett's scanners had confirmed from the sections where the walls had succumbed to the rigours of time and erosion – and each part of the complex had firing lines to another. The various walkways that ran from the central structure to the others likely had bulkheads on each side, while the internal defences, when they had worked, would've been enough to keep out an army. Based on all that, and other recordings of the external features, the places we wanted would be in the most secure and isolated sections of the complex. Something that included the upper reaches of the main spire.

I moved forward, taking point to lead us towards the Citadel while accessing the Vhett and locking down the ship. As the ramp pulled back and the hatch sealed, Maul and Dooku fell into step just behind me on either side. Anakin and R2 were in the centre, as they were the weakest combatants among us, while HK and Simvyl brought up the rear. The assassin droid was armed to the teeth, carrying satchels of explosives at his hips along with enough spare gas refills for his rifles to take on an army. Normally, I'd caution him about such a loadout, but not for this mission. There was no hint as to what awaited us in the Citadel and elsewhere in the city, and right now, I firmly believed in the concept of there being no such thing as overkill.

My lightsaber ignited as I neared the edge of the overgrowth, marking where the Vhett's weapons had cleared us a landing zone. The red light of the blade added an eerie light to the plants, though that lasted only a moment before I began cutting a path through them. It was an unglamourous use for such an elegant weapon, but one that it performed admirably.

The HUD detected movement in the foliage as various small creatures scampered, slithered, and scurried away. None of them was a concern, as each was a prey species, not a predator. However, even as I cut our path towards the main steps of the Citadel, I knew it was only a matter of time until one of the local species of predators decided to make an appearance and challenge us for disturbing their territory.

… …
I moved back, the large, clawed hand of the gundark rushing at me, grasping nothing but air. A moment later, and with the slightest flick of my wrist, the arm attached to the claws was severed from the beast. It howled in pain, a sound that only grew louder a moment later as I drove my beskad into its gut and then pierced its back with the tip of my lightsaber.

As the beast fell to the ground, its control over its body severed, I turned. My blades were already moving to take out the next beast as it rushed at me. The HUD and the Force both alerted me to the danger, though even in a swarm of dozens, these gundarks were little more than nuisances to me and my team.

As that beast fell to the ground, cut in two at the waist, and another joined it, I surveyed the area seeking to see what threats remained. I grunted as I saw that the gundarks were all dead or retreating. The HUD quickly provided a count. Forty-seven of the beasts had emerged as we reached the main entrance to the Citadel, deciding that we had pushed too far into their territory. That had been a mistake, as less than ten minutes later, the remains of forty-one of the beasts lay scattered around us.

Attacking a group of three trained Force users, one apprentice, a trained warrior, an assassin droid, and even an astromech upgraded with defensive systems had been folly. Still, it was a nice diversion after the short trek from the Vhett to the stairs leading to the main entrance of the Citadel.

"Indignation: I do hope that those beasts are not at the top of this planet's food chain. They were barely worth the Tibanna to kill them."

"I'm sure they won't be," I replied, ignoring the fact that HK might well have just jinxed us. "But if not, then next time we encounter some gundarks, we'll let you deal with them by yourself. That should increase the difficulty slightly."

HK scoffed. "Indignation: I was programmed for assassinations of meatbags and Jedi, Master. Gundarks barely require the use of one-fiftieth of my processing power. "Suggestion: If we do encounter them again, might I suggest letting the Young Builder and the astromech handle them?" R2 beeped with indignation and rocked from side to side at the suggestion. "Speculation: I have yet to see the upgrades the Young Builder granted you tested in combat. It would be advisable to do so under manageable conditions." R2 beeped and whooped back, making clear his dislike of the idea, though I couldn't say I was against HK's idea.

Beyond the fact that taking down gundarks in a group such as ours wasn't much of a challenge, it would allow me to observe Anakin in combat against a threat that was a danger to him. Yes, I'd be nearby, ready to step in if needed, but one thing he lacked was a taste of combat, and as well as gundarks being worthy challenges for him, it would help me prepare him for his verd'goten in a couple of years.

"If we are quite finished discussing this distraction, we have a more pressing issue to address." I turned to see Dooku had climbed the last few steps to the entrance of the Citadel, one hand held out towards the massive doors that protected the entrance and now blocked our passage. "These doors, while old, are formidable. It is conceivable that even with our blades we would be unable to easily create a passage through them, and that is before we consider the potential that removing a section of them might cause them to crash down upon us."

I moved towards him as did Maul, the three of us working in concert to delve into the Force and demand it offer knowledge of how to get past these large obstacles. In theory, we could rip the doors open, but as with Dooku's suggestion, doing so might damage them enough that they came down. Something that could potentially bring down a section of the Citadel. Without knowing anything about the internal layout, such an act was foolish at best.

While I had Shatterpoint Acclimatisation, I knew I'd not find an easy way to weaken the doors without risking them all coming down. Hells, even with all six stages of that Perk, the Interface was clear that I'd never be a natural with the power, never mind reach the proficiency with it that Mace Windu had. Thoughts of Windu caused flashing questions about Serra to rush through my mind, but I banished them almost as soon as they formed. As much as I missed her presence, I wouldn't let myself be distracted by her, nor grant the Dark Side eddies that dominated the Force on this planet a path to try and tempt me into insanity.

After opening my eyes, I stepped back and shared a look with Maul and Dooku. "Looks like we're going to have to hunt for another way in," I said, not bothering to keep the irritation from my voice. "You two head to the right with HK, I'll go left with the others."

Dooku's brow shifted slightly, and his eyes drifted past me to Maul. "Very well," he replied slowly with a fractional nod. "If we locate a potential entrance into the building, we shall contact you."

I returned his nod, confirming with the gesture that I'd do likewise. As I moved off, Anakin came to my side and opened a secure channel between us. "Why did you send them together?"

"You have a theory?" I responded with a question of my own. I could sense Anakin already knew why, but it was worthwhile learning his thoughts on the matter and using the moment to teach him.

"You trust Maul, but Master Dooku doesn't, and the reverse is true for Maul. By having them work together, you want them to begin trusting each other, and other than you, Master Dooku is the only one who could stop Maul."

I smiled under my helmet, pleased that he saw my logic. Or at least most of it. "I thought you said that if Maul hurt me, you'd kill him." The comment had been made not long after the pair met, and while Maul and I knew that Anakin currently couldn't do anything to stop Maul, the threat and the conviction behind it had oddly endeared Anakin to the Zabrak. At least to the point, the pair had somewhere to begin developing a working relationship.

"I did, but we all know I can't. At least for now." I nodded; pleased Anakin knew his limitations. "But I'm right, aren't I? You sent Maul with Master Dooku because they don't trust each other."

I considered reminding Anakin that Dooku was no longer a Jedi Master and so didn't need the honorific, yet I didn't act on it. I still called him Master, so asking Anakin to do something I didn't was wrong. "You are," I responded. While I couldn't see his smile, I could feel the small burst of joy that came from him at having his belief confirmed. "I know you and Maul are getting along, but I need them to start learning to work together. We're all in this fight together, and having allies who can't work together, to say nothing of trusting each other, creates problems that could be fatal."

We settled into silence, moving forward around the outer wall of the Citadel. As with getting to the main entrance, I'm forced to use my lightsaber to slash and burn a path through the vines, trees, and other fauna that had overtaken the city since it was abandoned. There will be other entrances into this building; all I can hope is that they're both still accessible and that what lies beyond them is traversable. Otherwise, we're going to have to consider other methods of gaining access to the complex, ones that will risk weakening the already compromised structure.

… …
I stepped through the archway, the door that had previously been here removed. Or, more accurately, the remains of the door, along with the vines that had managed to slip through a narrow opening and then over countless centuries, bent the door back, had been removed. Inside, there was no light, though even before the flashlight that was part of my helmet activated, the HUD was already providing me with details while I reached out into the Force, demanding knowledge of where to head within this building.

As I moved deeper into the corridor, I quickly reached the bulkhead that blocked passage deeper into the Citadel, even as the HUD found a small interface panel. Maul followed me through the archway, entering the space so high above the world, it was as if we were on board a starship rather than firmly planted to the ground. "R2, get in here," I called out as he was still down below.

The astromech beeped, and a moment later, I heard the sound of rockets engaging. It still amused me that one of the first modifications Anakin had made to the small droid was to give him the rockets inside his legs, allowing him to fly around as he had done in the other timeline. At least before the fall of the Republic. There were other modifications he had, some offensive and some defensive, but the rockets were useful for helping the astromech move over uneven or unstable ground.

As R2 touched down inside the room, Maul shifted to the side to allow the droid to roll forward. I stepped back and let the droid get to work. The interface port looked old and probably had no power, but R2 would find a way to at the very least open the bulkhead before us. If he couldn't, then I'd just have to make a path through it, though I was reluctant to do so.

While it was unlikely there was any power left in the emergency generators and capacitors that this building undoubtedly had, I'd rather not force my way through security doors and defences and risk having the automated systems of the Citadel power up. Most wouldn't likely work after all this time, but any that did would be unnecessary problems. Dangerous ones too, as this building had once been the command centre for an empire that spanned half the known galaxy.

I stood back, letting R2 get to work, my mind reaching out into the Force, demanding hints of where to head within this imposing structure. The echoes of those who had once worked and ruled from here lingered in the Force, challenging my intentions. I frowned when, as I pushed those echoes back, they seemed to split. Some acquiesced to my commands, others grew stronger and more violent in their resistance to my presence. As if they somehow knew me.

Still, with the echoes split, I found it easier to assume control of the Force around me; those echoes that chose to help were allowed to do so cautiously. They had once been Sith, and trusting such a being when you knew nothing about them was dangerous. Even more so, perhaps, when you did.

The turning of R2's small arm that had slipped into the interface's socket, something that was amusing to see still worked even after millennia, filled the area as I and Maul stood there waiting on the droid to either open the bulkhead or not. Soon, there was a faint hiss as the bulkhead's seals were released, though it only slid a few centimetres to the side before stopping.

I suppressed a groan of annoyance and reached out with the Force, and quickly pushed the bulkhead back, exposing what lay beyond. The HUD reported the air wasn't as stale as I had expected, suggesting there was a breach or several somewhere in the building that was allowing the wind to enter and swirl around. Nothing dangerous was detected around us, though I wouldn't put it past those who designed this imposing complex to have traps with poison gas installed at key locations.

Stepping through the now-opened bulkhead, my lightsaber ignited, ready to strike at anything that lay beyond that might attack me. Thankfully, or perhaps sadly, as I wasn't able to channel my anticipation into combat, there was nothing beyond the bulkhead that was a danger. Instead, I found myself in another corridor, one that seemingly led towards the centre of the building.

As I moved forward, lightsaber at my side and ready if needed, Maul came behind with Dooku leading the others. Through the Battlenet, I knew HK and Simvyl maintained their position at the rear, cautious of any defences that might activate and trap us within the building. The corridor was, all things considered, empty and clean. Yes, there was a light scattering of dust on the ground, and a few abandoned items lying here and there, but overall, it was in better condition than I'd expected. Not that I was complaining, I just had been prepared for us to find the building in the same condition as the rest of the city, yet it appeared to be almost functional except for the lack of power moving through millennia-old circuits.

The corridor reached an intersection with three paths. One led inward still, angling towards the centre of the building, while the other two led elsewhere, angled to the outer wall, though where they led to, I had no idea. "Maul, HK, head left. Dooku, R2, head right. I'll go forward with Anakin and Simvyl," I said after taking a moment to consider how to separate us. I was trusting Maul to behave, yet while I knew my standing with him was reasonably secure, I couldn't be certain of his loyalty, hence sending HK and his phrik-coated body with him. I didn't bother saying to the Zabrak or my former Master to be careful and contact me if they found anything, as that was common sense and while that could be uncommon in the greater galaxy, both Force users had heavy doses of it.

The plan is to find a terminal from which we can gain a layout of the building and then determine where we're heading first. However, I suspect that to get such details, we're going to have to find a security station, and probably find a way to power up the terminal in isolation from the building's network. Even if there's power in the generators we could draw on, there will undoubtedly be layers of security to overcome in a terminal before we can get access to a map of the structure. The odds are that in the process, R2 or whoever attempts to slice the system will trigger alarms, and the last thing I wanted to deal with is having to fight my way through the place. Particularly if, as I expect, the Dark Council chambers are near the top of the central spire.

… …
I growled as I found myself again discovering a dead-end. "This is getting kriffing ridiculous," I muttered as I turned around, Simvyl and Anakin parting to let me once again take point. We'd been at this for over an hour now, slowly working our way down corridors trying to find anywhere that might contain a terminal we could use. Yet, all we'd found were dead ends and empty rooms barely bigger than a closet.

Another growl slipped from me as I stomped back to the last point in the passageways, where I knew there was a corridor that wasn't just another dead end. I could feel my anger rising as time slipped away and we kept heading down corridors to nowhere, though I was in no danger of losing control of my emotions. My control was sufficient to not only protect me from my restraint slipping, but from allowing the whispering echoes that lingered in this place to deceive me with their withering promises of power.

"Anyone having any luck?" I asked through the Battlenet, letting some of my agitation slip into my tone.

"So far we are failing to discover any locations of worth," Dooku replied first, his tone as reserved as always, though through our bond I felt the faint flicker of irritation from within him. "I had anticipated that the building would have considerable physical defences that would delay our passage, even with the power unavailable. However, the … extent to which the designer of this facility went to ensure anyone attacking it would become lost in its labyrinth-like corridors makes navigating the corridors of the Senate and Jedi Temple child's play in comparison."

I bit my tongue, holding back a snarky comment of agreement even as Maul spoke.

"I too, have failed to find anything useful. Yet while the urge to simply create a route deeper into the building is growing, I don't think we have reached that moment yet."

"No, but I won't deny the idea isn't growing more appealing by the minute," I responded.

"Observation: We have been fortunate so far, Master. While the continual failure to find a suitable route to the centre of this structure, or even stairs leading up, I have noted that each failed exploration has only resulted in the need to backtrack. If this complex had power, then we would undoubtedly find ourselves under attack each time we entered a dead-end, if not within every corridor we have traversed so far."

A growl of annoyance slipped from me at HK's words. He was right, as the HUD had located several powered-down defensive points as we'd moved. While they weren't an issue to us currently, I had used the Force to sever each that the HUD located. That way, if we were unfortunate enough to trigger the internal defences, the number of problems would hopefully only grow to the irritating and not to the infuriating.

"Keep searching," I said into the Battlenet. "There has to be a way through, though, if we're still drawing blanks in an hour, we'll start making a new path."

The channel closed, and neither Dooku nor Maul bothered to verbally confirm my instructions. As we moved, I found some amusement in that. Both were older and better trained than me, yet because this was my mission, they were following my orders. A novel situation for all of us, but one I hoped would become more commonplace once we were finished on Dromund Kaas and I began moving beyond the Mando'ade towards reshaping and preparing the galaxy for the chaos that would engulf it. Each of them had a role to play in that, though I already felt that it would be ones that kept them as allies semi-independent of my powerbase among the Mando'ade than fully-fledged supporters, which, perhaps, would be far more useful to me in the coming decade.

… …
"You're certain the system is isolated from the rest of the building?"

R2 beeped back in the affirmative as he connected to the terminal before him. It had taken another hour of searching before, finally, mercifully, HK and Maul had located a pathway that led somewhere. After everyone gathered there, we'd moved out of the labyrinth-like series of corridors we'd found ourselves in and emerged in the main lobby – for lack of a better term – of the Imperial Citadel.

There, rather unexpectedly, at least to me, we had quickly found a map of the building, or at least we had once R2 had interfaced with it and supplied the system with enough power that we could see the map. It didn't take long for the droids and my HUD to break down the map and determine that it only provided details on reaching certain areas of the building.

The upper third of the central spire was marked as off-limits, as were large swathes of other sections in all the spires that formed the complex of the Citadel. Those were undoubtedly places we wished to head; however, without knowing how to access them, and what, if any defences they might have that remained active, or at least ready to reactivate if we entered without permission, it was unwise to venture forth.

Thankfully, the general map marked out a security station that anyone should go to if they wished to report an issue. That was where we were now, though to enter the station, we'd had to melt the blast door sealing the room off with lightsabers.

"Observation: I have a bad feeling about this, Master."

I grunted, not liking HK's comment as he stood ready in case something went wrong. I agreed with him, but wasn't going to voice that opinion. Taking a second to confirm that everyone was prepared in case something went wrong, or R2 tripped an alarm he'd missed. Anakin was near the astromech, and thus furthest from the door that led into this security station. Simvyl and HK were on either side of the boy and R2, watching over them while I stood facing the door, prepared to strike if needed, Dooku and Maul at my sides.

"Do it, R2."

A single beep came from the astromech, followed by the sound of the extension he used to interface with computers spinning. My grasp on the hilt of my lightsaber grew tighter as the Force around us stilled. Something was about to happen, and while I didn't have the time to rip the knowledge of any potential threat from the Force, I was ready for whatever dared challenge me.

The seconds slowly slipped away, the only sounds in the room that of R2 as he worked to overcome whatever defences the security terminal had, along with the hum of three lightsabers that waited, poised to strike any that dared threaten us. I could feel the Force shifting and churning in anticipation of something. Yet as time continued to pass, and nothing seemingly happened, I wondered if I was perhaps overly concerned about potential danger.

A beep from the HUD alerted me to new data being transferred over the Battlenet, and as I stood there, waiting to defend my family if a security measure was tripped, the information R2 was pulling from the security terminal flowed into the armour. Even though it had been checked by R2, the inbuilt systems went over the data in a secure section, and once confirming it was safe from viruses or trojans, added the details to the map already present of the Citadel.

My eyes widened as the blank sections of the map were filled in. The various ministries for the Sith Empire had been housed in this building, or at least their senior offices. A design that allowed them to interact with the Dark Council.

The Ministries for Logistics, War, and Intelligence – though that was listed as Sith Intelligence, suggesting it wasn't independent, as the other ministries were – among others, were located in the building. The same was true of the empire's Diplomatic service, which included something marked as Special Operations, Transportation, Treasury, Citizen Bureaus, along with countless others that were needed for running an empire.

While many of these departments might seem trivial, I quickly saw the chance that all might have something of potential use. A listing of citizens would no doubt contain the worlds of the empire, and while most were likely unimportant, the knowledge of any worlds forgotten by the wider galaxy or with hidden coordinates could be potential goldmines for future expeditions.

Transportation might help me to learn how a government ran so that, once I led the Mando'ade, I had an inkling of ways to improve the sector. Yes, my people very much preferred to live their lives how they wished so long as they followed the Resol'nare, but others who flocked to my banner would need a more rigid structure of society in which to live and grow.

While much of what the base Diplomatic Service might know about other worlds was likely horribly out of date, there was always the chance that something of use could be located. And if their Special Operations was what I thought it was, then there might be caches of resources dotted around the galaxy that I could locate and repurpose.

It was unlikely the treasury would have anything of worth. Any credits it had controlled and monitored would doubtless have been looted in the destruction of the empire, if not rendered worthless in the thousands of years since this empire fell. Still, there was a small chance that it might contain accounts that remained in existence and had lain dormant in the various banks of the galaxy that I could, with the codes the Treasury held, access and repurpose for my use.

Yet, while there was potential that any of the civilian departments in the Citadel might contain something of value, I was drawn to the Ministries. Each had the potential to provide clues and pathways to lost knowledge and resources that I could use. Most of the Ministries served at least one of the Dark Council members, though the Ministry of War reported to three.

Those were Defence of the Empire, Military Offence, and Military Strategy; the names were supplied along with the other nine Council positions by R2 while I was watching the information flow into the Battlenet. The others were Ancient Knowledge, Biotic Science, Expansion of the Empire, Imperial Intelligence – which was also the leader of the Ministry of Intelligence since it seemed the department had been brought under the direct control of the Dark Council at some point in history – Laws and Justice, Production and Logistics, Sith Philosophy, and Technology.

A beep from R2 signalled he was finished, and refocused on the potential for something to go wrong. I stood still, ready to strike anything that reacted as the astromech severed the connection to the security terminal, yet nothing came. Still, I remained where I was, on the chance there would be some delayed reaction; a trap designed to catch intruders unaware after they thought they'd managed to gather whatever intelligence they had downloaded and were about to get away without incident.

Only after a minute of nothing happening did I relax, and as my lightsaber powered down, I turned my focus back to the data R2 had gathered. The Dark Council had, as I'd expected, a meeting chamber near the top of the central spire. They each also had private residences, or, as I supposed, Inner Sanctums, going by how the quest phrased it. The locations of those weren't in the security systems, but it was suspected that they were scattered across the planet. Something that was going to drag out the mission. I had to hope that the Dark Council chambers had some method of enabling learning where these Sanctums were. If the positions changed as often as the data R2 had gained were accurate – and the violent methods with which one member of the Council was replaced by another – then there would have to be some relatively simple way to learn where the sanctums were. Otherwise, when one Council member was killed, executed, or replaced via other means, then the knowledge they oversaw would have been lost. Since this Sith Empire lasted for hundreds of years, they must've had better foresight than that.

While the Dark Council Chambers were the place we would eventually be heading, and we'd try to reach as many of the various ministries and departments within the Citadel as we could, there were two places revealed by R2's slicing that had my attention. The first was a Mandalorian Enclave.

That was located within the area designated as overseen by the Imperial Diplomatic Service. Details of what purpose the Enclave served weren't listed, but the chance to discover something about the role the Mando'ade had played in the war against the Jedi and Republic, and even how they were used alongside Force wielders, had my interest.

The other location was located at the top of the central spire, several floors above the Dark Council Chamber. That was the Emperor's Chambers. Beyond the potential for tactical and imperial knowledge that might be housed there, I felt, for lack of a better word, a pull towards that chamber. As if there was something there that might be important or highly useful to me.

Closing my eyes, I reached into the Force, intent on ripping the knowledge of what was in the Emperor's Chambers that called to me. Yet, as before when I'd tried to learn what on this world seemed to resonate with my soul, the Force resisted. I pushed more of my power and focused rage into learning the truth, but the Force resisted.

No… the Force wasn't resisting me. Something… someone who was long gone was somehow managing to resist me. They were denying me the knowledge I demanded, and were powerful enough that even millennia after their probable death, they were able to influence the Force enough to stand against my power.

My eyes opened, and I gasped, the action hidden from others by my helmet. Whoever this Sith had been, he'd been incredibly powerful. Given where the resistance was centred, it was probable he had been the Emperor of this version of a Sith empire. I had a name for the most likely figure, Vitiate, as that Sith pureblood had ruled the empire the longest. However, the details of how he was defeated and lost the throne were confusing, to put it mildly.

No exact details had been given in the Celebratus Archives when I'd downloaded everything I could on the era this empire, along with Satele Shan, Darth Malgus and others had lived, as to how Vitiate had been defeated and his throne seized by another. There were rumours, stories, and legends. However, none were any more believable than another, with each being, even when one considered what a Force user was capable of, downright incredulous.

I knew that I'd have to head to the emperor's Chambers, just as I needed to head to the Imperial Palace on the outskirts of Kaas City. Yet, a part of me was reluctant to do so. No, not reluctant, more cautious. Something was going on here that was beyond my understanding, yet from all I could gather from the Force, it was something that was important. Perhaps not to my wider plans for the galaxy, but to me on some personal level.

After asking my head to recentre myself, I stepped forward. "Move out," I said over the Battlenet, already developing a path that would take us through each area of the Citadel before rising to the Dark Council chambers and then onto the Emperor's Chambers.

We'd have to split up again, as travelling to every department, ministry, or other place that might be of some use would take time even in smaller groups, but I felt reasonably confident that we'd not face a challenge in most of those places. At least not anything that one of Dooku, Maul, or I couldn't handle.

The real threat, if there was any, was at the top of this spire. Either in the Dark Council chambers or those of the Emperor above that.

… …
Once again, for perhaps the hundredth time since we'd entered the Citadel, I stood before a sealed door, prepared to strike at any threat that might appear when R2 managed to open it. Behind me, Anakin and Simvyl also stood ready to support me if needed.

Currently, we were standing outside one of the secure landing bays the Citadel possessed. Their location had been gained from the Ministry of Transportation, while the codes to access the doors had come from the Department of Internal Security. However, those codes had proved not only ineffective, but had slammed shut security blast doors preventing us access to this bay.

As I waited for R2 to work his magic, the Battlenet clicked to life. "I believe that I have located the issue with the bay," Dooku began from wherever he was in the Citadel with Maul and HK. The appearance of a small flashing light on the map, the HUD now indicated he was within the Ministry of Intelligence. "We have just secured access to the central archives of Sith Intelligence and determined that the bays you are seeking access to were designated for their use. As such, there are additional security codes and defences that must be negated before access can be gained."

I grunted at his words. "Of kriffing course," I muttered, not bothering to hide my frustration. "I don't suppose you managed to find an override code for when the security measures were tripped?"

"Not as of yet. HK and Maul are still working to overcome the outer layers of security of the systems. I understand that a ministry of intelligence would require stringent measures to protect its operations. However, the fact that a secure terminal in the office of whoever had been the head of the ministry, or at least the direct underling of the Dark Council member who oversaw this ministry, has protections that make those in the Galactic Senate or Jedi Temple look like challenges for younglings is both impressive and concerning."

"Aye." Such protective measures made sense, as the Sith wouldn't want anyone gaining access to their intelligence operations easily. However, given that the location of the terminal they were at was at the very centre of the Ministry of Intelligence, and according to the HUD-provided map – one updated with reports from Dooku's team as they moved through it – had such imposing levels of protection…

I shook my head, pushing aside thoughts about what projects Sith Intelligence had been working on, not just at the fall of the empire but throughout its history, that required such security. Then again, I remembered the odd moments in my former life where I'd worked with a spook. Those bastards always claimed everything was 'need to know' or 'classified' whenever anyone in my unit asked for extra details of whatever operation we were conducting alongside MI5 or MI6. Those agencies no doubt had insane levels of security to protect their operations, so when you scaled that up to a galaxy-spanning intelligence ministry, it wasn't shocking that the protections in place were extensive to the point of absurdity.

"Let me know once you've at least gained access to the codes for the bays," I said to Dooku even as R2 whined in annoyance, and I heard something beyond the blast doors slide closed. "It looks like we're going to be here a while, seeing if R2 can slice his way through."

"If you require, I could send Maul to your location. It seems he is skilled in the art of Mechu-Deru." My brow rose upon hearing that. Mechu-Deru was a Force power the Jedi considered dark, as it allowed one to manipulate, influence, and control machines and droids. I'd never heard of Maul having that power in what I knew of this universe before my rebirth here, but thinking on the matter, it made sense that he would've learnt that power. The uses for it on assassination or infiltration missions would be immense, and it might be how, in that other timeline, he was able to craft legs for himself while missing the lower half of his body.

"No. I have faith in R2 to get through the doors, and if not, then I can always attempt to create another entrance," I replied to my former Master. "I would caution Maul about using his power on a system designed by the Sith, and thus likely by those who could use that power, but I feel that would be redundant."

"Indeed." The single word carried a hint of amusement at my vocalising the warning without actually giving it, and even through the background whispers of the Dark Side that flooded this planet, I swore I felt a ripple of annoyance slip from Maul.

"Very well. Do what you have to." With that, I closed the channel. There was no need to tell Dooku, HK, or Maul to remain in contact with us. They weren't undisciplined Padawans or fools, and understood the dangers of this place as well as anyone.

With the channel closed, and R2 now offering a series of rather rude-sounding beeps and whistles as he worked at the controls for the doors, I turned to Anakin. His armour hid his expression from me, but through the Battlenet I could read his vitals and with the Force sense his unease. His heart rate was slightly elevated, though it had been that way since we'd landed on Dromund Kaas, but otherwise, he was in good health, minus, perhaps, beginning to get a little hungry. Understandable, given we'd been exploring this structure for hours now at something akin to a snail's pace.

It was his Force presence that I was more interested in, however. As I reached into the Force and pulled on the bond we shared, I once again sensed his unease at our location. Or more accurately, at the continual presence of the tremors in the Dark Side of all those Force users who had once lived, worked, and died on this world in service of their emperor.

[Are you well?] I asked him through our bond, offering him support in driving back the most insistent tremors that whispered of the power he could have if he only struck me down and seized it.

[Yeah.] The reply was instant, but there was an almost imperceivable undercurrent of hesitation and uncertainty with it. [I mean,] he continued as I worked to subtly strengthen his barriers against the Dark Side, [I know why we're here, and that I need to be here. But… this place… it feels odd.]

[How so?]

As I waited for his reply, R2 beeped happily and again the HUD picked up the sounds of something shifting beyond the blast doors. That probably meant the astromech had corrected his earlier mistake.

[I don't know. It's just… I can hear them, sort of. The voices of those who died here.] He turned to face me as he continued. [They… The Sith had slaves here, Cam. Millions of them. I can hear their wails. They want vengeance for what happened to them. They… they're begging me to kill their masters. All the masters in the galaxy. To free every slave everywhere, and to grant me the power to do so.]

[Do you want that power?] I hadn't intended on making this wait into a teachable moment for him, but it seemed the Force had other ideas.

[Yeah. I mean… I want to free slaves, like you did for me and my mother,] he replied slowly as if gathering his thoughts into something approaching coherence. I was glad to sense him not lingering on Shmi's memory, and thus creating a potential avenue for the derangement of the worst of the Dark Side to corrupt and control him. [But the voices… They want me to kill everyone who controls me. You, Master Dooku, Ferox… everyone that might stand in my way.]

[Is that what you want?]

[NO!] The response was instant and forceful, and beyond pleasing me with the certainty of his words, the fact that his conviction drove back the eddies of the Dark Side I sensed pushing against his mind filled me with pride. [I won't kill you! Or Ferox, or Lia, or Master Dooku! Only those who deserve it.]

I moved towards him and placed one hand on his armoured shoulder. [That is good to hear. However, be mindful that you don't lose sight of the truth of your goals and ideals in any lust for vengeance. Such a path only leads to insanity and becoming everything that you seek to destroy and oppose. You're powerful, Anakin, more so than me. However, you have much to learn before you're ready to strike against those who have wronged you and those who deserve to suffer for their choices. When that day comes, I will stand at your side, not as buir bal ad, but as brother Mando'ade, united in a common cause. And with the power you will one day wield, few if any will be able to stand against you, and none if we remain brothers in arms.]

He lifted his head, and I knew he was looking at me intently. Not just with the sensors of his HUD, but through the Force. I made sure I hid nothing from him about the certainty and veracity of my words, for I had nothing to hide. I knew in my heart that the only path on which my goals could be achieved, and the future I would take our people to, whether they were ready for it or not, could only be achieved in its entirety with Anakin at my side. Individually, we each had the potential to be insanely powerful, but united in common cause, we would be unstoppable.

[I know, and I'll always stand at your side, buir.]

I smiled at his response and squeezed his shoulder. He wouldn't feel it due to the armour, but the HUD would report the increased pressure. Letting go of his shoulder, I returned my focus to R2, a small sigh of irritation slipping from my lips.

It wasn't the droid's fault that he was struggling to slice the terminal. However, it was but another delay in moving through the Citadel. One that was slowly causing us to fall further behind my expectations of today. I had hoped that we might reach the Dark Council chambers before the day was finished and then return to the Vhett to rest for tomorrow. However, while there were still several hours of theoretical daylight left – the planet was covered in thick clouds that made it difficult to determine when sunrise and sunset took place without a computer having plotted out the details – it was obvious that we'd not get anywhere close to the Council chambers today.

Now, we could reach there if we abandoned everything else and went there first. However, I felt that was the wrong way to go about the exploration of the Citadel. Not only would the defences of the chambers be greater than what we were currently facing – and had already dealt with – but we would have to pass by many of the Ministries and bureaus located inside the complex. Skipping them in a rush to head to the chambers of the Dark Council and the Emperor above was foolish.

Those two chambers, along with most of the complex, would have to be reached tomorrow, but before then, I wanted this bay open. There should be something inside that would be of interest, and if not, then we'd at least have a location to bring the Vhett; one that was safer than remaining parked in the plaza in front of the Imperial Citadel, where any creature that lived in the swamp might come closer than I'd like.

My head turned to the right, as through the Force I felt a wave of enjoyment reach me. Fenrir had hunted or defeated something in his exploration of the city, and I couldn't help but smile. At least one of us was having a productive day.

… …
I stood underneath one of the ships in the secured bay that had been controlled by the Sith Empire's Ministry of Intelligence, running one unarmoured hand along the lines of the craft before me. The vessel was one of nine that were in the bay, though only this one and two others appeared to be flyable from a quick look at their superstructure.

The ship was carved beautifully, almost as if it had been created from a single section of curved durasteel. The hull curved and angled naturally, giving it the look of something that was built to cut through the air, let alone the emptiness of space. At around eighty metres long and nearly a hundred wide, she wasn't a small ship, but much of that length and width wasn't designed for crew or cargo. No, the flowing, ethereal lines of the vessel filtered to a point beyond the cockpit while her width was dominated by two mounts that housed her armaments. This was primarily a heavy laser cannon – or what passed for one at the time this magnificent vessel was crafted – along with smaller laser cannons underneath and missile tubes.

At first glance, the ship and the one beside it had looked out of place in the bay, parked as it was alongside the five others, though only two more were in any condition that might make them airworthy, perhaps even capable of hyperspace after thousands of years. Yet with time to consider the design, I saw why that was the case. This ship, I still didn't know its designation or model, was intended for covert insertions.

She looked like a luxury shuttle, something akin to what the Theed Palace Space Vessel Engineering Corps on Naboo might craft, bar the lack of the chromium finish. Yet it was armed like a heavy fighter or light freighter used for smuggling. The perfect ship for secret operations and something I would have to consider creating for those who served such a role for me in the future.

"It is an elegantly designed vessel," I turned my head as Dooku began to speak, his approach recorded by the HUD even as I marvelled at the vessel before me, "one that I would have been proud to have as mine if I had lived in the era it was designed for."

My former Master had, along with Maul and HK, come to the bay not long after R2 had managed to overcome the security lockdown in place. HK had departed with Simvyl to head back to the Vhett with the intention that the Mando'ade vessel would be brought into the bay for the evening. Of course, for that to happen, R2 and Anakin would need to gain control over the bay's systems. Maul was further down the bay, looking over a ship that had much clearer Sith design influences, and honestly wouldn't have looked out of place in the empire Sidious raised in the other timeline.

"It might still serve that role, Master," I said as I turned fully to face him, lifting my hand from the ship's unusual hull. It wasn't standard durasteel, but some sort of composite that, as odd as it sounded, reminded me of the coating applied to stealth aircraft in my former life. "Once we gain entry, it might well be possible to power it up and prepare it for launch."

The smallest shift in Dooku's lips was accompanied by him stroking his beard as he turned his gaze to the vessel. "It is unlikely this ship is capable of atmospheric flight, to say nothing of journeying through hyperspace. However, I see no harm in determining if that is possible," he added, that shifting of his lips turning into what was, for him, a pleased smile. "Particularly as we will not be exploring any more of this complex this evening."

"Indeed," I replied, unable to miss the chance to use what often felt like his favourite word against him. After a small nod from him, I turned and left him with what I was now certain was a clandestine ship that had once been used by Imperial agents to slip through places they might otherwise struggle to do so. Ideally, the vessel, along with the other two that appeared space-worthy, would be so, though until we boarded them, powered up their systems and ran checks, we couldn't be certain.

The ship next to the covert operations vessel was unlike anything else in the bay, workable or not, and was one that was easy to tell wasn't Sith but Republic in origin. From all appearances, the ship was little more than a courier vessel, barely more than thirty metres long. Still, it was another vessel that, while ancient, might be space-worthy, and thus of use to me if I had more artefacts and Force-knew what else to transport from Dromund Kaas once I was ready to leave.

Moving past the ancient Republic ship, I reached what was either a Sith heavy fighter or light transport. Like the covert vessel, this one was armed. Far more, in fact, than the ship I had left Dooku near. Hardly a surprise given this vessel had clear lines one would associate with the Sith in another timeline.

What this vessel, along with visual recordings of capital ships from the Sith Empire that had ruled from Dromund Kaas, confirmed was that Sidious and Plagueis had drawn inspiration from the ancient Sith for the designs of first the Grand Army of the Republic, and then the Imperial Navy. The fact that no one spotted the similarities, and that if they did, the matter wasn't brought to the attention of the Jedi Council, was astounding. However, the more I'd thought on the matter, the more I suspected that they would've tried to investigate and been led around in circles by Sidious and those who served him. Blind fools and charlatans, the lot of them.

The ship had clearer armaments than the other vessel, and a far more imposing design. The lines were sharp and angular as the galaxy would one day see in the Venator and Acclimator-class of warships the GAR used. However, the black and grey colouring was a visual reminder to me of the Empire Sidious created in the other timeline, and while millennia old, this ship was far more appealing to me in almost every way compared to a TIE fighter.

"Should I be surprised to find you admiring this vessel over the others?" I asked Maul as I saw him moving around the rear of the Sith vessel, his eyes gliding over the sharp lines that no doubt had invoked fear into those who found themselves facing the vessel millennia ago.

"Perhaps not," The Zabrak replied with a small, rueful smile. "However, I find myself oddly sentimental about my former vessel. The one I commanded before our duel on Naboo." He paused, turning his gaze fully from the Sith vessel to me. "What happened to the Scimitar?"

"Last I saw her, she was securely hidden on a random world in the Outer Rim. Precisely where I left her," I answered. Maul's brow rose, and I sensed a hint of surprise at the reveal before he regained control over what emotions leaked into the Force. "Once we're finished on this world, I'm willing to take you to reclaim the Scimitar. However, I would be cautious about powering her up. The ship, I assume, came from Sidious?"

"It did," he confirmed with a small nod, "and yes, I am aware of the dangers of powering up the ship without running a detailed examination of the systems. Perhaps not even before I could oversee the ship being taken apart to confirm there were no hidden trackers placed upon it by my former Master."

"I'm sure I can find Mando'ade capable of handling such an operation," I replied as my eyes returned to the ancient Sith vessel beside us. "However, if it's possible, then like the other two seemingly functional vessels here, I'd love to take this with us and get it flying," I stated, one hand coming up to touch the hull of this ship. "It would be a worthy vessel for someone such as yourself, once it is upgraded to modern standards."

Maul went still and then lifted a hand to his chin, contemplating the idea. "Perhaps there is merit to your idea," he said slowly. "The Scimitar was both my method of transport while serving my former Master, and in some ways my prison if as we believe Darth Sidious can trace its movements through hyperspace. There are elements of the Scimitar that I would prefer to transfer over to a new vessel, not least the cloaking generator, droids, and my speeder bike."

I smirked as I responded. "I didn't realise you were a speed freak."

Maul chuckled, a sound that was rare but not that unpleasant to hear. "There is a… freedom in racing over an open plain, or sweeping through traffic in pursuit of a target," he explained before his eyes darted to the back of the bay, where Anakin and R2 were located. "A joy your apprentice understands and appreciates."

"I suppose he told you he wanted to be a pod racer before I freed him from slavery?"

"On occasion." The reply was accompanied by a gentle – for Maul – laugh. "In many ways, I find myself seeing in him what I might once have been had my former Master been truthful in my education." He returned his gaze to me. "I still believe that you are too soft on the boy, too protective. However, he is yours to train, and from what I have seen so far, he has the potential to rival any within the galaxy."

I nodded in agreement, though I held my tongue. I was curious about what Maul had gone through while being trained by Sidious, but wasn't going to pry. The matter was a personal one for Maul, one undoubtedly filled with hardship and pain daily. Perhaps one day he might tell me and others what he endured, but until then, I would let the matter lie dormant.

The sound of metal grinding against each other echoed around the chamber, making me grind my teeth at the unexpected and irritating noise. Before I could ask what was going on, I saw the answer. The doors of the bay were slowly opening, though it appeared that after millennia of non-use, the machinery required a good service as sparks were beginning to appear where the gears scraped against each other.

I looked at Anakin, getting a sheepish shrug in reply to my unspoken question. It seemed that he and R2 had managed to get the doors open, and while the sound was already grating on my nerves, that wasn't their fault.

"Come on," I said to Maul as I moved past him towards a group of three ships that occupied other platforms in the bay. "We'll have to clear a space for the Vhett."

The Zabrak nodded and fell into step at my side. While the other vessels in the bay were beyond salvageable, I wasn't going to simply push them from the bay with the Force. Beyond the damage they could cause when they struck the ground below – to both the Citadel we were in and the surrounding buildings – they might still have a purpose. The three ships behind me all looked serviceable, but until we unlocked them and examined them carefully, we couldn't be certain.

The odds were good that all three would need repairs, and while none of the wrecks in the bay were of the same models as those behind me, they should have parts that we could transfer to the others. Perhaps allowing us to make one or all of them space-worthy again.

Haran, even if only one became capable of hyperspace flight, then as long as it had a tractor emitter, we'd be able to tow the other vessels with us when we left. The Vhett could pull one, possibly two of the ships behind her, though it would cost us speed in hyperspace, and if I had to, I knew which ship would be remaining behind. That being said, the greedy side of me wanted all three vessels if possible. Not just for the expansion of my fleet – which currently consisted of just Raven – but for extra cargo space for whatever valuables we located in this complex and elsewhere on Dromund Kaas.

… …

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… …
A/N: Back, finally, from China. Too bloody hot there for my liking, but at least the flats/hotels have air-con.
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This story is cross-posted on Fanfiction.net, Archive of Our Own, and Royal Road.
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For those wishing to join the Discord for the story, the server link is:
For this series: Heart of the Force
For general chaos/Gamer stories: Shiro's Gaming Omniverse
(Those on the story server who engage in chat can earn access to a chapter ~3 weeks before it goes public).

For those who wish to support my writing, and get access to drafts and completed chapters anywhere from 1 to 4 months earlier head to one of the links below:
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Regardless if you join the discord or support my writing, I hope you enjoy the story and suggestions, valid criticisms, and ideas are always welcome.
And of course;

May the Force be with you. Always​

 

[Idrial]

I'm assuming 2 of the 3 are the X-70B and the Fury class but what is the 3rd one? The Ebon Hawk?

 

[apg666]

"I've also deployed some detonators at what should be key points of the superstructure. If there was something of value here that I've missed, I'll be damned if anyone else can ever find it."

A glimmer of amusement rippled from Maul at my words. "Acceptable."

Click to shrink...

Maul: That's petty as fuck: I'm here for it

 

[Morkail]

That is far more then I expected it almost seems like when the republic won the war they never even entered the sith capitals command center. The whole place seems untouched.

Which is all kinds of nuts there former Sith worlds that just went silent after the war and are still trucking along.

Thanks for the chapter.

 

[USSExplorer]

I'm assuming 2 of the 3 are the X-70B and the Fury class but what is the 3rd one? The Ebon Hawk?

Click to shrink...

If it had been the Hawk, Cam would've recognised it instantly.

Maul: That's petty as fuck: I'm here for it

Click to shrink...

Maul is fun to write here as he's not what he was in TPM, nor how he became in TCW.

That is far more then I expected it almost seems like when the republic won the war they never even entered the sith capitals command center. The whole place seems untouched.

Which is all kinds of nuts there former Sith worlds that just went silent after the war and are still trucking along.

Thanks for the chapter.

Click to shrink...

TBF, by the time of the war, the Sith Empire had its HQ on Korriban, with the routes to world like Ziost and Dromond Kaas heavily restricted. While there is a lot of damage to the city, the Citadel was designed to withstand bombardment, so its in far better condition than the rest of the city, which was heavily reclaimed by the nearby jungle.

 

[Idrial]

If it had been the Hawk, Cam would've recognised it instantly.

Click to shrink...

I thought he would have but I have no idea what other ship it could be.

 

[Cyber_Leader1234]

I thought he would have but I have no idea what other ship it could be.

Click to shrink...

If I had to wager a guess, having played Many hours of SWTOR, it could possibly be the ship the Jedi Characters get. I would also guess the Smuggler, but that one looks very similar to the Ebon Hawk so I imagine that would have been mentioned in Cam's description of it.

 

[USSExplorer]

A/N: As always, a huge thank you to those helping with lore and planning for this and my other stories.

And again, this chapter was released to those of sufficient rank on the story's Discord (it pays to talk) about a month ago. For those who support my writing, then it was released between 2 to 7 months ago (and those supporters can also access chapters that far in advance).

If joining the Discord or supporting my writing interests you, there is a link at the end of the chapter for how to do so.

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Tremors of the Ancient Past 2
… …
​

I moved forward slowly, my lightsaber lit and ready to strike if any threat presented itself. The Force shifted around me and those with me, yet within the darkness that swarmed this planet in layers that those unable to manipulate and influence such power would find stifling if not terrifying, I felt no hint of danger. Or perhaps more accurately, no immediate threat.

Ever since we had arrived on Dromund Kaas yesterday afternoon, there had been a faint, untraceable sense of danger and threat. One that went beyond the fact we were standing in the ruined capital of a long-dead Sith Empire. Something lay in wait for us on this world, potentially many things. All of them promised danger and harm, yet I found myself looking forward to facing them; to taking on and destroying the challenges presented to me.

It was around the middle of the afternoon on our second day in the Citadel, and finally, we were nearing the Dark Council chambers. Or at least those with me were. Anakin, Simvyl, and HK remained in the bay we'd secured yesterday evening. My son and Simvyl were working on checking over the three seemingly intact vessels, and if needed, salvaging parts from the wrecks of the other vessels while HK kept watch. We had control of the bay and its defences, but I wasn't taking any chances that there weren't fail-safes built into the complex's systems to prevent intruders from invading the various spires that comprised the Imperial Citadel.

While my son and Simvyl had worked in the bay, Maul, Dooku, R2, and I moved through the various ministries and bureaus in the complex. Or at least the major ones. Dooku and Maul had searched the Ministry of Intelligence yesterday, though once access to the bay, under its control, was gained, they'd fallen back. We'd returned there first thing with R2 having established a connection with the datacore in the Ministry, or more accurately, Imperial Intelligence within the Ministry.

While the astromech could locate most of the operations carried out by the Sith Empire that had once ruled this world, accessing the files for details wasn't possible. It seemed there were two cyphers needed for each file, each several hundred digits long in not just in AureBesh, but another language that R2 wasn't programmed to understand. Even if he could, without the second cypher for each file, there was no way to access the data, and it would be destroyed if a single failed attempt was made to decipher what was held in a file. Something we'd discovered when R2 had tried to hack one of the newer files.

At that point, beyond copying the database to a large portable storage drive that I'd brought with us – one of several I'd prepared on the chance we'd have mountains of data to sift through – we'd left the Ministry with little to show for our efforts. Yes, we had names of various projects and places where Sith Intelligence had bases and operations, but without the second cypher for each of those files, we'd never learn where those places were. Hells, it was probable that most were gone; either destroyed by the Empire's enemies, ransacked by looters in the years since the Empire fell, or simply forgotten about and lost to the ravages of time.

Some other files and data were housed in the Ministry of Intelligence, as it seemed that the ministry was responsible for informing the people of the Empire of what was happening, but nothing there appeared important. Certainly not as to the files downloaded from the Imperial Intelligence archives, even if those files were locked and would remain so until we located the second set of cyphers needed to access them.

The Ministry of War, which had been our second place to visit this morning, had been more helpful. At least in direct knowledge gained. The Ministry held details of every shipyard, mine, prison, and the like in the Empire. Not just at the time it fell, but going back to the Empire's founding. From a skim over the list of shipyards and mines, most were in systems that were part of the Republic, and for those I knew of, matched up with facilities there. The prisons were unimportant, at least in theory, as anyone of value there would either be long dead or have been freed when the Empire fell.

However, there were several shipyards and mines that, from what I could tell when using the Battlenet to access the Vhett's databases, had the potential to be in systems rarely, if ever, visited. That a few of the mines were marked as critical suggested they might be worth visiting, or at least sending someone I could trust to visit them. As with the Ministry of Intelligence, access to what was done at certain shipyards and mines was classified, and while the cyphers needed to access the files weren't as complicated as those from the Ministry of Intelligence, we'd not tried to slice the files in case they had the same protections as those from the other ministry.

The lists of the various ships in the fleets of the Imperial Navy at its fall were another thing that had been gained. While learning the names of the ships the Sith had once commanded was interesting, if only for the names that I might want to use on ships of my own fleets, learning of the types and models of everything from the smallest snub fighter to their largest warships piqued my interest. The specifications of those ships were stored in the files we'd copied, but as with others locked behind cyphers such that we'd yet to learn anything of use.

The same issue extended to the Imperial Army. Names, numbers, and locations of various regiments, battalions, and special forces were all given. However, while the planets where those units had been stationed – at least before their defeat and destruction – were available, along with the equipment and supplies they'd last reported as having, much of the more sensitive details were encrypted. Not a huge issue, but it had become a recurring and annoying theme of the day.

The Ministry of Logistics was both the most and least helpful of the ministries we'd searched today. They were the largest ministry that the Sith Empire had held, but also the one with the least important activities. At least from a Force or military perspective.

Data on the various worlds in the Empire – both those inside Sith Space and beyond – along with hyperspace corridors connecting many of them, had the potential to be useful. However, as many seemed to be standard routes known in the current era, some whose names had since been changed, there was little useful data in learning all of that. Knowing a world that had millennia ago served as an agriworld for the Empire was all but irrelevant. Not unless one of those worlds was one forgotten about by the wider galaxy, and thus might be of use in supplying an army when the time came to do so.

One interesting thing that we'd gathered from the Ministry of Logistics that had caught my eye, but I'd not yet managed to go over, was the history of this Sith Empire. That covered everything from its founding after the destruction of an earlier Sith Empire during the Great Hyperspace War by Lord – and later Emperor – Vitiate through the war with the Republic, their defeat and surrender to the Eternal Empire, all the way until their eventual collapse as various figures fought to assume the throne and in the process weakened it so that the Republic and Jedi could shatter it. I'd be reading that from tonight as while to many it might seem like ancient history, there may well be something there that I could learn from and thus avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

We had also ventured into the various bureaus, copying what data we could for later study. The potentially most interesting one might well be the Treasury Bureau. There were lists of accounts that they had held. While most were linked to banks within the Sith Empire, which had no doubt been liquidated and destroyed when the Empire fell, several were linked to banks and institutions outside Sith space. It was unlikely that any of those accounts still existed, but the chance that even one was still in existence, and held over three thousand years of interest, wasn't something I was going to ignore. That sort of capital was… well, insane. That said, I wasn't getting my hopes up that any of the accounts would yield any credits, and even if there were active accounts, we'd need to locate the right codes for accessing them and then see about avoiding anyone – or specifically the Jedi, Republic, and Banite Sith – learning that such ancient accounts had been accessed.

The one place that had been a waste of time had been the Mandalorian Enclave. The area of the Citadel where that had been housed was abandoned. Even when compared to the general state of the complex, it was clear that the ancient Mando'ade who had once frequented Dromund Kaas had left long before the Empire fell. Kriff, the area still listed as the Mandalorian Enclave, had been converted into a general location for any bounty hunter or mercenary the Empire had hired in its waning days. It appeared that, when they'd left the service of the Empire, they'd taken anything and everything not nailed down with them.

There was something that stood out with all the ministries, bureaus, and departments that we'd explored over the last day and a bit. While they were the central location from which the Sith Empire had run its operations, they hadn't been the headquarters, at least not for large swathes of time that the Empire had existed. After they had retaken Korriban, the Empire had constructed a command citadel there from which the Dark Council had run the Empire along with the heads of the various sections of the civilian government. The Emperor – or at least Vitiate when he had been Emperor – had remained on Dromund Kaas, as had the majority of the day-to-day operations of the Empire. Thus, even though for hundreds of years the Imperial Citadel had remained the heart of the Empire, it hadn't been the command centre.

Still, because they had never removed all the operations away from Dromund Kaas, then it meant that there was more data and intelligence for us to gather everywhere we went. Yes, it was thousands of years out of date, but the chance to find even one corusca gem in the useless data meant this expedition had the potential to be extremely useful. And that was before I considered what might lie within the Dark Council chambers – or at least the one in the Imperial Citadel – and the Emperor's chamber above it. Yet, as we rounded a corner that led to the stairs leading up to the chambers, I grunted in annoyance. "Of course, there'd be another kriffing blast door," I muttered, not caring that my words had carried into the Battlenet.

"Given the defences and security measures we have encountered in the last day and a half, it is hardly surprising that the entrance to the most important sections of this building would be secured. That we only face a single door is perhaps a potential gift we should not ignore."

"The odds that this is the only blast door blocking our path, or that there won't be defences to overcome, are unlikely."

I ignored the banter between Dooku and Maul, focusing on the door before me. This, along with several moments yesterday, was one of those rare times that I could've found myself regretting my choice after Naboo. Of all the Force powers that I had to relearn after taking Natural Evolution, the ability to phase through objects or teleport to other locations were the two that I'd used the most that I still had to relearn.

Unlike any other power, I couldn't draw on teachings from when I was a Jedi Initiate or Padawan or ask Adas for help. Each of those powers was a rare one, with few ever mastering them. I intended to one day relearn them as their uses were myriad and had saved my hide on more than a few occasions before I'd been knighted. Even during the duel with Maul, I'd had to use Phase to avoid a deadly blow.

The issue now was that both Force users behind me knew I could use that power, but saw me once again not do so. I'd already given an entirely logical reason for why I wasn't doing so –that I had no idea what lay beyond anything that blocked our path and the Citadel, and its defences would've been designed to counter Force users. However, the more regularly we encountered restrictions like this blast door, the more the pair would begin to question my reluctance to use those powers.

That wouldn't at least be an issue for the moment, as R2 quickly beeped in excitement, and a second later, the blast doors hissed and then began to slowly pull back. The corridor beyond was dark, no emergency lights in this section offering any illumination, leaving the lightsabers we carried and a flashlight that was one of R2's attachments, the only light we had to work with.

"I'm not detecting any power in the walls," I said as I slowly stepped through the doorway, mindful of any threat that might exist beyond. "I suspect that the power we managed to restore to the complex doesn't affect what lies above us."

"A logical conclusion and a tactically wise choice," Dooku remarked, the blue of his lightsaber standing in contrast to the red of Maul's blade and the unusual red edging with a black core of mine.

At times like this, I did miss my old crystal as the white edging generated more light to counter the dark of the centre of my lightsaber. However, I felt a deeper connection to my new blade. As if creating the replacement microcrystal with my will had empowered the bond I shared with it. The fact that the Mantle of the Force was now a part of my lightsaber only seemed to heighten my connection with the blade, and the crystals, and the pearl within.

"It also means that the defences of the council chamber are probably on another system from those we've already faced. The same will then be true of the Emperor's chamber above." Maul's added words made sense, and once again, he seemed to settle into the dynamic that Dooku and I had easily.

There were no issues between the two, and bar the gundarks we encountered outside yesterday, we had yet to be tested in battle, but I found the three of us formed a balanced trio. Each brought something different but complementary to the group. Though, as I knew, I couldn't be certain of how well that worked until we were truly tested: in and outside of combat.

The walls of this passageway were as high as any in the Citadel, easily tall enough that I could stand on Maul's shoulders, and I would still be unable to touch the ceiling. The walls were covered in panels that would've flashed with light as power flowed through them when this area was active. However, like everything since I'd stepped through the archway and entered what should have been the corridors that led to the Dark Council chambers, they were dark and unlit.

Interestingly, unlike almost every other section of the complex that I'd moved through over the last day or so, there were no obvious defensive turrets or weapon pods at any point. Nor doors that led anywhere by the single right turn that was a few metres ahead of me. It was almost as if the Sith felt that if anyone reached this far inside their command complex, then it would not be machines that stopped them but those who sat on the council and commanded the Empire in the name of the Emperor. Either that or the defences were hidden to lure any attackers into a trap at the moment before they entered the Council chamber. A perfect place, in my opinion, to prepare an ambush.

I moved around the first corner cautiously, my senses – natural and within the Force – alert to any potential danger. The HUD tracked everything, seeking the slightest hint of a threat, yet none was found. Looking down the corridor as R2's light illuminated it, I saw all that lay before us reaching the Council chambers was a long corridor. The walls were smooth, though light reflected in places off displays and power conduits that sat empty. I was curious as to the various systems here, but until we were within the chambers I was reluctant to have the astromech power anything up. The chances that we would trip a defence system were far too high for my liking.

Traipsing down the corridor, I remained alert to potential danger, though none presented itself, and we once again found ourselves before a large, secured door. This one, however, bore the seal of the Dark Council upon it, and as I looked at the edges where the door slid into the wall, I saw the recesses for another door, one almost half a metre thick to emerge from. Those doors were undoubtedly security doors to protect the chamber beyond, and even with a lightsaber, would take considerable time to melt through. If it was even possible in the first place, as, if this had been where I ruled from, I'd have made the doors – along with the walls around the chamber and what was above it – from material able to withstand almost any damage, presuming such alloys and metals were available to me.

R2 beeped and moved towards a small terminal in the wall to my right. One that had the standard interface he could use to access the complex's controls. "Try not to trip anything," I muttered to the droid as he extended one of his attachments and slipped it into the socket. The droid beeped back, seemingly assuring me he had this. I just hoped he did, as I'd rather not have to force my way through a blast door that had likely been designed to withstand attack by force users.

… …
I grumbled as I fiddled with the loose wiring of R2. The astromech droid was on his side, whining and groaning as I worked as best I could to fix him. Sadly, even after the warning about not tripping anything while he tried to open the Dark Council chamber door, and his assurance that he wouldn't, he had.

The resulting surge had launched him across the width of the corridor, barely missing Dooku, who'd had to move quickly to avoid the astromech, and slammed him into the opposite wall. The impact had damaged several of his systems and knocked loose a handful of his myriad of attachments; some I'd not even known Anakin had added to the droid.

"Force, what has Anakin been doing to you?" I asked the wounded droid as I attached some internal cables to what I thought were the right connectors. R2 emitted a beep that sounded more like a pained whine in response, and I resolved to speak with my son this evening. R2 was my astromech, and not knowing every modification that Anakin had added to R2 was a mistake it was time to correct. I was just glad that the violent rejection of the terminal hadn't permanently damaged the little guy.

A grunt tinged with rage, and that echoed into the Force came from behind me. Turning for a moment, I saw Maul leaning over the terminal, his body blocking what he was doing. I could sense he was using the Force in some way, and I assumed it was Mechu-deru in action. However, it appeared the system was fighting him; hardly a surprise, as with R2's ejection from interfacing with the terminal, the thick blast door I'd seen hinted at earlier had slammed closed. To make matters worse, another door of similar size and probable thickness had slammed over the entrance to the corridor we were in.

Dooku was currently working to override that door, though I had little faith he would manage it. While skilled at a great many things, when it came to computers and machinery, he felt it beneath him, hence why I'd been forced as his and Fay's Padawan to learn how to fly, maintain, and repair starships. At the time, I hadn't enjoyed learning all that, but now I found the training beneficial, a way to engage with Anakin, and enjoyable. At least when at the helm of a worthy starship.

"Any luck?" I asked Maul as I pushed another of R2's attachments back into its slot. Or at least what I hoped was its slot, as several had been knocked loose entirely when the terminal had rejected his presence.

The Zabrak snarled. "Not yet. The system is actively fighting me even though it shouldn't be drawing power," he replied. My brow rose at his words, as R2 had needed, like with every terminal in the complex, he'd interfaced with, to supply power to access it. That the terminal was working enough to counter Maul's demands, or at least stifle his progress, without any obvious power source, was concerning, and did nothing to ease the hint that had formed and now lingered in the Force that something was nearby that might be a threat.

I turned my focus back to R2, checking that another of his attachments – this one a small flamethrower that I'd not known had been added to him – was undamaged. The last thing I wanted was my astromech suddenly getting doused in flames from a malfunctioning appendage. With my luck, or perhaps more accurately, when the Force wished to inconvenience me the most, that would happen at the worst possible time in the worst possible place.

Ideally, I'd be contacting Anakin, seeking help on the modifications made to the astromech. However, when the blast doors had sealed, the Battlenet had been severed. I could still sense Anakin through the Force and was able to let him know that we were all alright. I could've spoken to him through our bond as well, but I couldn't display the readout from my HUD regarding R2's damage, and thus Anakin wouldn't be able to help as I wanted. Instead, I ordered him, Simvyl, and HK to remain in the bay and continue working on the vessels we'd found there.

From the last message that had come through the Battlenet, the two Sith vessels were flightworthy. However, both had sustained damage to their hyperdrives and computers that required maintenance. We didn't yet have the specifications of the vessels, or more accurately, hadn't found the cyphers to unlock the files containing that information, but Anakin was working around the issue. The boy was a savant at technology, and I suspected that whatever repairs and modifications he made to the two vessels would improve upon the designs.

The third ship that had appeared salvageable could potentially be the hardest to repair. The issue there was that not only was the damage to it more severe, but the spare parts Anakin would need weren't present. That was hardly a surprise, given it was a Republic vessel inside a Sith citadel; however, it did make repairs more difficult, and why Anakin had left that as the last of the three he would look at. I'd told him that, at worst, I wanted it space-worthy as we could tow it through hyperspace if needed. So far, we'd yet to find enough supplies, technology, or anything really that would require us to need a second ship, but I wanted to be prepared. That it kept Anakin busy, and generally out of the way for the time being, was just an added bonus.

As much as he wanted to explore the Citadel with me, I'd realised after the first day here that much of our activities were going to be, in simple terms, slow and potentially boring. Travelling around a dead complex that made the Jedi Temple look like a playground and having to wait for someone to access datafiles, override security measures, unlock doors, and then download everything we could find onto portable data storage wasn't something Anakin had found fun. Focusing on the ships in the bay beside the Vhett – which Simvyl was keeping ready while there with Anakin on the chance we had to make a hot exfil – appealed more to Anakin. That said, once we left the Citadel to head to the Emperor's Palace or anywhere else on the planet, he'd be coming with us. We would use the Citadel as a base location, but there was no way I was leaving my son and apprentice behind while I went somewhere else on this Dark Side nexus of a world.

Once I was sure the flamethrower attachment was secure and not at risk of malfunctioning, or, in the case of the small container of fuel, rupturing, I stood up. "There," I muttered as I wiped my gauntlets on my armoured legs almost on reflex, "that should be everything." R2 whistled slowly as I leaned down and pulled him back to his feet. Well, what passed for feet on the astromech. "Run a system check to be sure," I added.

As R2 did as I asked, I turned to Maul, curious how his efforts were going. I paused as I saw Dooku step around the corner. A simple shake of his head was enough of an answer to my unspoken question, and I sighed heavily. Yet, as I shifted to see if Maul needed help, I tensed as the Force shifted.

My hand went to the hilt of my lightsaber even as the HUD detected a rise in power levels on almost every panel in the corridor. Part of me wanted to ask Maul what he'd done, but somehow I suspected this wasn't his fault. No, as the Force grew thicker around us, the threat of danger loomed heavily in the corridor, and the whispers of countless souls who'd died on this world grew more fervent, I suspected that whatever was about to happen was intentional. Perhaps even a part of the council chamber's defences.

The gears in the wall on either side of the entrance to the Dark Council chambers ground against each other, slowly working after millennia of inactivity. I unhooked my lightsaber from my belt, the faint howl of the blade's ignition mingling with the mechanical noises around me and providing me with a moment of comfort. The blast door slowly started moving, sliding back into the wall, and I moved closer, readying myself for whatever lay on the other side.

"This is not my doing." The comment from Maul confirmed that danger was gathering around us and that he wasn't responsible. I hadn't suspected that for more than a fleeting moment. No, this was the defences of the Citadel, or at least those of the chamber beyond the door, flaring to life. Somehow, even after untold years, the systems still drew power and would deal with us as they would any attack against the most powerful Sith of the Empire.

As the blast doors vanished back into the frame of the walls, my feet shifted and I pulled the Force to me, bending it to my will in readiness for whatever threat lay beyond the entranceway. Whatever awaited me inside wouldn't deny me the knowledge I sought, nor the treasures they protected. I would claim what was mine and nothing and no one in this dead city of defeated Sith would stop me.

The door separating us from the council chambers rose into the ceiling, reminding me of the entrance to a castle when what sounded like the clap of thunder echoed through my soul. As the first slivers of light emitted from the lightsabers and R2's flashlight slipped into a room that had remained untouched for thousands of years, I braced, ready to strike at anything that challenged me. Yet, within the shadows that swarmed the room, nothing emerged.

The Force remained on edge as if we stood on the precipice of a moment of grand importance. A meeting of an era long since forgotten by the wider galaxy and those who would shape the new era that lay just beyond the horizon. However, for all that the moment felt within the Force to be monumental, the HUD found nothing that registered as a threat. No weapons emplacements powering up to fire upon us, no walls sliding back to reveal antique droids programmed to eviscerate those who dared intrude on the senior leadership of the Empire. Nothing at all that might require the use of a blade, blaster, or the Force to counter it.

I took a single step forward, standing on the precipice of the chamber, intent on entering the chamber, only to stop, as the Force before me shifted. My eyes closed as a wave of immeasurable ancient power washed over me within the Force, drowning out everything for a few moments. There were whispers of warriors, generals, and leaders long dead who wished to tease me with forgotten arts and rituals. Promises of unimaginable supremacy that could be mine. Yet, the voices were easily ignored as they were washed away in the tidal wave of power that swirled and rose around me.

The air around me felt as if it were aflame with desire, so strong was the Force presence in this room that had until moments ago been sealed for aeons. I swore a small smile crept onto my face as I marvelled and revelled in the power twisting around me, though a moment later I gasped as the flames of authority that echoed through the eras within the Force turned their gaze and supremacy upon me.

My knees tensed as my connection to the Force was assaulted and challenged; those who had once worked, lived, and died within the chamber before me were testing my worth. They sought to determine if I was ready and able to assume their legacy. I could sense their challenge and feel their doubts. From within myself, I called forth my power and took a single step forward, crossing the threshold and entering the chamber. These ghosts and spirits that lingered within the darkest depths of the ether of the Force would not deny me what was mine. They would not stop me from claiming my destiny and reshaping the galaxy into what I knew it needed to become.

The echoes of ancient Sith pushed back against me, unwilling to acknowledge my power or accept I was worthy of taking their mantle. Their chaotic, incessant chattering and screams insulted and belittled me, yet I would not be denied what was mine. They had failed, and I would not.

Even as I felt phantom hands seemingly grasp at me with the Force, intent on tearing me to shreds, I pushed back against the echoes that trembled in the Force. I unleashed much of my power in a controlled, focused rage that burnt away the voices, proving I was worthy of what they had once built. That if not for a quirk of chance, I would've taken my place alongside them. Perhaps even replaced them and the might of the Emperor beneath my heel.

The voices of those long since turned to ash faltered and then withdrew. The display of controlled power that I possessed was enough to still their challenges. Perhaps they remained doubtful of my abilities, or that I would never rise to surpass what they had once been, but they were seemingly content to allow me access, for now, at least.

Another step was taken, moving me fully within the chamber, and I felt invigorated. As if I had passed a test I had not understood or realised had existed. No, not passed… I had aced the test. The legacy of the Sith who had once ruled from this room had been thrown at me with their assault upon my very being. Their presence remained, lingering at the edges of the beacon that I blazed as within the Force, but they permitted me entry to the chamber. An act that seemed to renew and empower me in ways I struggled to describe. It was as if they now deemed me worthy, or at least possessing the potential, of taking my place amongst them, if not leading them to glory.

My eyes opened, and I took in the chamber before me, marvelling at the design that radiated pure, refined power and destiny. The air was stale, yet even through my armour it felt thick and heavy. The unfulfilled promises of countless sentients, along with the remnants of failed potential, mingled together to create an aura that would, to many, feel suffocating and debilitating. Yet to me, it felt almost invigorating. As if for the first time in my life, I was finally able to see what the Force was, and taste what I could be capable of becoming with it bent to my service.

There was no power flowing within the chamber, no shifting of lights behind panels that had once carried energy throughout the citadel. Yet there was light, though of the form that many would consider unnatural and deranged. On the walls of the chamber, and embedded in the circular raised platform that housed the seats of the Dark Council, were gems that glowed with unholy power, pulsing in sickly yet dangerous shades of red and purple.

That light reflected off the polished surfaces of the chamber. The walls of the chamber, along with the raised dais that housed the seats of the Council, were crafted with runes and symbols that, even though I didn't understand them, vibrated within the Force with power that could only mean they were Sith in origin.

The twelve chairs of the Dark Council rested on the dais, each facing towards a point a few metres in front of me, where those summoned to face them would've stood for judgment. I moved forward slowly, stepping carefully but with intent towards that central spot. The Dark Council was gone, but I stood before what remained of their legacy and their echoes within the Force.

Each chair of the Council was towering, imposing, and ominous. Carved from obsidian inlaid with the same foreign inscriptions, yet imbued with power runes that were present elsewhere in the Chamber. Each chair rose so that it created a shadow of the darkest black behind those seated there. I could easily picture the visual it would create when the council had been at its apex and the Empire had ruled half the galaxy. It was incredibly easy to feel the aura of untouchable power and influence that each Council member had projected to those summoned before them.

Yet, for all the grandeur and imposing nature of the twelve council seats, the thirteenth and central seat dwarfed them all; as if it was designed for one who ruled over others that were as far beneath him as an ant was below any simple, unskilled sentient. That throne – there was no other word that came close to describing it – sat on a higher level than any council seat. The back was twice as high as any other seat here and inlaid with gems and crystals that pulsed with unnatural yet enticing fury. What I was now semi-certain was Sith script ran in lines up the throne and seemed to vibrate with malignant menace designed, I suspected, to shatter the minds of those unworthy to stand before the Emperor while weakening any that might think to challenge his might.

As I reached the point where the Council would pass judgment on those summoned before them, I felt something shift. As if the air had suddenly been infused with the power of a thousand suns. A weight crushed me from all sides as if trying to grind the very essence of who I was and what I was capable of to dust. A grunt slipped from my lips as I braced against this assault, my mind snarling as I lashed out at the challenge.

The Force shifted as I focused my fury, bending, twisting, and manipulating it so that the challenge of a long-dead and almost forgotten council of Sith lords would not break me. I wasn't just worthy of standing before their shadows in their former place of power, but of claiming my seat beside them if not that of the Emperor himself.

The pressure pulled back as suddenly as it had appeared, and I recalled my command over the Force, though I remained vigilant of whatever next challenge this chamber had for me. My eyes scanned the seats, watching as each seemed to pulse with malignant energy before falling silent. As if the chamber was calling forth the members of the Council to pass judgment upon me.

Since there was no one to answer the call, each pulse through a seat worthy of a king went unanswered, the air growing heavier and thicker with each failure. The pulses moved slowly, inching one seat at a time towards the imperial throne, and I watched as the throne was engulfed in the darkest, most refined depths of the Force as it attempted to summon the Emperor to pass judgment on the interloper. On me.

As with the chairs of the Council, the call went unanswered, yet this time the Force within the chamber seemed to freeze. Almost as if such a concept was foreign to the Force within the chamber. The concept that no Emperor sat on the throne and that none were worthy of claiming the power was so alien to the design and purpose of the chamber that the way the Force was shaped in the creation of this place couldn't process it.

"Fascinating."

The single word from Dooku was a simple reminder that I wasn't alone in the chamber, though my thoughts remained on the seats before me. I could feel, even from their withdrawn positions on the very periphery of the Dark Side that flowed like aged wine through this chamber, that the echoes of those who had once sat on this Council, and those who had led it, were watching me.

My eyes narrowed as I corrected myself. Not all were observing me. No, further back, something or someone who had once been far more powerful lingered. Whatever or whoever that had been seemed content to let my testing before the shadows of the Council take place without it. Yet, in those darkest recesses within the Force that lay just beyond my ability to grasp, I sensed the familiar presence of whatever or whoever was preventing me from understanding the call I felt to this world, or at least certain places on the surface.

I went still as I understood this was whatever lingered in this place of the one once known as Emperor Vitiate. The founder of this Sith Empire and the figure who had ruled it for hundreds of years. Vitiate was gone; the records I had read on him and his Empire made that clear, even if the details were uncertain, yet something of the Sith remained. A distant yet potentially powerful echo of the once-dominant figure in the galaxy.

"I sense there is more to this chamber than it appears."

I agreed with Maul's words even as I felt something about him had changed. Likely the chamber had brought forth a similar effect on him and Dooku as it had me when I'd first stepped into it. I moved forward, stepping towards the dais that housed the twelve chairs of the Council and the Emperor's throne.

Around me, within the depths of the Dark Side that permeated through this room with more right to be here than the very air, I could sense the echoes of those who'd come before watching me silently. As if waiting for me to do something, or perhaps more accurately, take something.

As I reached the dais, a single foot came to rest on the first level. The Force grew tense in the chamber as I slowly climbed the steps that led to the seats of the Council. As the fingers of my gauntlet-covered hand moved out, edging towards the armrest of one of the chairs, the echoes grew agitated.

The air seemed to thicken with fury as the Force once again tried to turn against me. I growled at the reaction and reached into the Force, grasping at the echoes that sought to stop me. My power flowed into the echoes as they raged and screamed impotently against my actions. "You will not deny me," I growled at the remnants of whatever Sith were standing in my way. They would not hear my words, but as I expelled a wave of controlled, focused fury into the Force, they understood my intent.

I breathed deeply, savouring the banishment – even if it was just temporary – of the remnants that had sought to stop me, and my hand resumed its path. The HUD reported the surface beneath me, detecting circuitry within the armrest, yet my focus wasn't on the physical but the spiritual and metaphysical.

My breath quickened as I sensed the lingering presence of those who had once sat in this seat; those who had helped guide, shape, and protect the Empire. Even through the armour, it felt cold to the touch, as if I was exposing my fingers to the depths of space, far from the warm embrace of any star. At the same time, even though the HUD reported no power was running through the chair, I saw lights within the armrest pulse and felt the Force somehow contained within it reacting to my presence. Yet for all that, it was the connection that sparked within me through the Force that had my attention.

The moment my digits had brushed against the surface, it was as if I'd been struck by lightning. Every nerve and fibre of my being felt energised with raw, primal, almost chaotic power that sang almost hypnotic songs of power and conquest to me. I stood still, letting the sensations wash over me as I struggled with how to react. Part of me wished to grasp the power at my fingertips and wield it in that instant to start shaping the galaxy, yet I knew that if I did, I might lose myself in the temptations of power that resided in the chair and the chamber around us.

I reached inward and focused my will before pushing it out and driving back the indistinct words of this ancient siren's call of power and influence. I would not allow the ambitions of those who had lived, failed, and died before me to influence and determine my fate.

As I pushed away the lingering offer of ancient power, I felt the echoes of those who had tried to stop me from touching the chair settle. Almost as if I had once again passed some unstated test. Now, they seemed… content, as they might ever be with my presence on the dais and touching the seat where they had once ruled from.

As I came to the realisation that I was being accepted by those who had come before, the Force around me shifted again. Time seemed to still as I felt the echoes and remnants of those who had come before moving towards me; shimmering in the Force as they coalesced. There was nothing to see, yet my mind created the image of what I was experiencing. It was as if I stood at the eye of a storm, one formed not by the raging winds but by whatever lingered of those who had once been members of the Dark Council.

I gasped as I felt something in the Force shift. Images of indistinct moments flashed through my mind. The legacies of victory, ascents to power, followed by inevitable betrayal, deceit, and death that every member of the Dark Council had endured within these chambers flowed through me, granting me a connection to those who had come before, along with a warning of the dangers I now faced as I claimed my place among their ranks.

It would make little sense if I tried to explain it to others, but as my fingers slid along the armrest and touched the back of the council seat, I swore I felt a connection to the Dark Council. Not to those that had once been members of it, but to the purpose it had served. A body that held and guarded the power of the ancient Empire from threats, internal and external.

A smile slipped onto my face as my hand brushed the back of the chair, and I felt I understood what the connection meant. That power had to be earned and claimed, but once done, you couldn't rest on your laurels. Others, be they close to you or enemies that would seek to tear down and destroy what you had built, would challenge you, seeking to undo all you had done. The path to power was difficult and dangerous, but the true battle began once you had the power and had to defend it from others who wished to extinguish everything you had.

This, above all, was the way of the Sith.

I, however, was not a Sith.

I turned my head, noting that Maul and Dooku had moved closer to the council chairs as I had dealt with the lingering presence of those who'd come before. Sensing what to do, I turned my back to the chair and placed both hands on the armrests. The former Jedi Master and Sith Assassin watched as I lowered myself into the chair, and while their expressions were stoic, in the heightened atmosphere of the Dark Council chamber, and with my connection to the Force feeling more energised and more intense than I'd ever experienced before, I sat on the chair.

A gasp slipped from my lips, though none would hear it due to my armour, as I rested on the chair, and three things happened all at once. The chair, even through the armour, felt colder than the deepest depths of space, while the Dark Side prevalent in the chamber surged through me. However, my focus was drawn inward to defend myself as the echoes and whispers of the past returned with a vengeance.

It was one thing for me to prove I deserved to stand before them in this chamber, but to sit upon one of the twelve seats of the Council, to consider myself their equal. That the lingering residual imprints on every Dark Council member who'd once sat here would not abide; not without testing me to my core.

Even as the Force surged around and through me, seemingly magnifying my power to levels beyond my understanding and in ways I'd never imagined, those remnants assaulted my mind and soul. My fingers grasped the armrests tightly as my physical and spiritual forms felt as if they were suddenly trying to withstand the weight of the galaxy itself.

The remnants flooded the defences of my mind with images. Fleeting, partial memories of moments from across the aeons. Images of these chairs being filled by dozens of Sith flashed through my thoughts, interspaced with several being cut down by others. The words of hundreds of ancient Sith Lords echoed in my ears and mind, drowning out anything else I might hear, even my breathing.

Sights and sounds from a myriad of locations and instants of time experienced by those who'd come before assaulted my senses. Smells that somehow seemed to linger within the Force clashing with sights of battles and heated moments, while my ears buzzed with residual sounds from yet more disconnected ages in the countless centuries that had passed when Sith sat here and called themselves Dark Lords.

Emotions of countless beings at a seemingly infinite number of points in time crashed against the walls protecting my sanity; the defences that kept my mind free and able to influence the Force without being lost in its unfathomable depths. I felt my teeth grinding together, my fingers digging into the armrests of the chair, the beskar limb straining to crush the alloy in its vice, and a silent scream of torment was trapped in my throat.

The echoes and fragments of all those who had once sat in this chamber that lingered within the Force were testing me and challenging me. They had accepted me into their presence, but claiming a place amongst their ranks, as I was doing by sitting in a Council seat, was another matter. I could sense them trying to pull apart my thoughts and seek the weaknesses and flaws in who I was to test me.

Images from my life rushed through my mind, brought forth unbidden by me. The faces of those I'd cared for, those I'd killed, and those I'd met in passing flew through my thoughts. Feelings and sensations of those memories and countless more mixed in, creating a maelstrom of insanity within my thoughts as the lingering elements of spirits that had remained in this chamber sought to tear me apart and prove I was unworthy of standing beside them and claiming their mantle. The onslaught was unrelenting, taking every ounce of my will not to break under and succumb to the ravages of the deepest depths of the Dark Side. Then, just as I felt I was about to slip, as my mind was forced ever inward and risked being drowned out and consumed by the power pressing against me, I felt something.

A spark in the darkness. A power buried deep within that I'd never quite realised was there before.

What it was, or where it came from, I didn't know. Nor in this moment did I care. All that mattered was that this spark, this infinitesimally small flicker in the darkness that seemed to be drowning everything that made me who I was, wouldn't allow itself to be snuffed out and drowned by the darkness of the past. I wouldn't allow the successes, failures, and everything in between of all those who had come before to destroy who I was and deny me the future I wished to create.

As I grasped onto the spark and used it to push back against the weight of history, emotions, and memories that were attempting to drown me, I understood what it was. It was me. The very core of my presence and identity in the Force. What, for lack of a better explanation, made me who I was.

Drawing on the strength of my resolve, something not directly linked to the Force but still connected to it, I drew my power to me and pushed back against the onslaught of those who had walked, spoken, and sat before me in this chamber. Those remnants had every right to linger here, but their time had passed, and mine was at hand. They would not keep me from claiming what I desired, nor shaping the galaxy as I wished.

The tremors of the power wielded by those who had come before fell back, forced to acknowledge my might. They would yield to me. This was my time, my era, not theirs.

My eyes snapped open, my connection to the Force feeling wider, more alive, and more dominant than it had ever been before. The chair beneath me seemed to come alive, thrumming with a deep, primordial rhythm that raced with aggression. As my heart rate slowed and my breathing settled, the chair's ancient beat steadied, matching the thumping of my heart.

A gasp slipped from my lips as I felt the power of the chair, of whatever new position I had claimed on the Council, through my body and galvanised my resolve. The energy that the chair was connected to, that of the Dark Council itself, was at my fingertips, and it felt deliciously divine.

Yet as I savoured the moment, new tremors in the Force whispered to me, trying to tempt me to claim more power. To eliminate any that dared to contemplate standing against me, to destroy those that might claim to be my equals or superiors. My eyes shifted to my former Master and the Zabrak as they climbed the dais to other chairs, and a strange, all-encompassing but enticingly intrinsic warmth flowed through every pore in my body. I could feel the darkest depravities of the Force demanding that I strike the pair down. That I deny them the right to stand beside me and instead force them to their knees.

The warmth that emboldened me promised that I could do that and more and that they would serve or die. Yet, as I took a deep, centring breath, I pushed those tantalising whispers away. I was not a servant of the Dark, nor was I a slave to its most deranged demands. No, it served me and those I deemed worthy. I was not planning to become an Emperor who ruled from a throne few could approach; I had no intention of becoming like Vitiate, or in the other timeline, Sidious. No, my path was one that, while still controlling the Force to shape my era, would see me create something greater. Something grander and more balanced than anything the Sith or Jedi that had come before me had ever managed.

As the pair continued their slow climb towards other seats, seemingly drawn to copy my actions, I marvelled as the chair no longer felt cold and distant. Now it was alive with warmth and power, something seen elsewhere as from the floor beneath me, gems began to pulse with energy. Those lines surged outward, lighting up the dais of the Council with purple and red light, bathing us in the power of the chamber.

Around the wall before me, statues that had sat silent and dark began to become illuminated. Almost as if they were waking from their eternal slumber. The light that had travelled from the dais moved over, around, and through the statues, granting them a sense of purpose and sentience that would, if one was not prepared or empowered by the room, invoke a sense of dread within those present.

Even as the HUD reported no reason for what I sensed, the air around me seemed to grow dense as the chamber returned to life after thousands of years of inactivity. It felt to me as if the room was reacting to and accepting my presence as a member of the Dark Council, and stood ready to help see my will enacted across an Empire that no longer ruled half the galaxy while terrifying the rest.

The whispers of the Dark Side and the lingering remnants of those that had come before stilled. It understood I was the one in power; that I deserved to be here, and that it would offer me advice whenever I desired it.

I felt the Force shift around the room, tightening as Maul and Dooku sat on other chairs. I watched as while almost no time passed for me, they battled against the same challenges that I had endured in claiming my seat. The dark echoes of whoever had once sat on those chairs challenged them as I had been challenged, seeking to determine if they were worthy, and if not, ready to destroy them in the darkest, most deprived depths of the Dark Side.

The seconds dragged as the room waited for my commands, and the pair with me fought to prove their worth. I could sense their struggles within the Force; the controlled, focused rage of Maul as he battled against another who felt themselves superior to him, a counter to the cool, determined, steely power that Dooku exuded with every breath he took. Each fought their challenge in their own way, yet I knew both were, like me, worthy of this position: of holding a connection to the ancient Sith Empire. They would help me shape a galaxy based on what we would learn and discover on this world.

The tenseness in the Force faded away as each proved their might to claim their seat. I offered each a nod and smile, though the latter was unseen under my armour. Both, however, felt my approval within the Force and returned the opinion in equal measure. Around us, the room had finished coming to life, the walls bathing the chamber in the light of the Dark Side, displaying our might to those who would come before us.

Yet, even as I felt that connection to the Empire that had once been ruled from this world grow stronger, other concepts blossomed within me. Beyond the desire for more – be that power, knowledge, influence, or control – beyond the hints of the Dark Side at what lay within my grasp now, I understood that the way of the Sith, the path they had walked since those first exiled members of the Je'daii had discovered Korriban, wasn't the path for me. Not if I wished to create something greater.

My path would see the Force bent to serve me and my allies, but not in an Empire ruled by the ideals of the Sith, ancient or Banite, nor one that tolerated the idiocy of the Jedi as they currently were. And with allies and confidants like Maul and Dooku, I knew the potential for something greater now lay at our fingertips.

"Amazing."

The single word from Dooku, accompanied by the tremor of understanding and appreciation that slipped from him into the Force, drew my attention. "To think that such… power sat here unclaimed – unknown even – for so long." His head shook a single time. "I cannot fathom why the Jedi did not cleanse the world in fire when the Empire fell. The mistake of that era proves that the Order has never understood the truth of the Force and its place in the galaxy. Though the Sith of this Empire, like those before and after, committed many cardinal failures that led to their eventual fall and defeat at the hands of a disordered Republic and a misguided Order."

I nodded, finding agreement with his words before turning to Maul. While he had passed his challenge to claim his seat, I could sense a lingering fury within him. As if the chair had revealed something that fuelled his desire for vengeance against Sidious to new heights.

"It is an… imposing location seeped in the Dark Side," the Zabrak began as his eyes shifted from me to Dooku in turn. "These Sith failed, as you say, yet there is wisdom in seeing how that happened. In how the continual need for power and betrayal led them to turn on each other and their Emperor, for petty, selfish goals."

"Are we not all driven by such goals?" Dooku countered. "Do we not all seek to shape the galaxy so that we leave a lasting legacy upon it?"

"We do. However, we now have the chance to harness the energy of the failures of the Sith who once ruled from here and use it to power us as we seek our vengeance on the galaxy that betrayed us, and mark our claims to power."

"Perhaps," I said softly yet with enough force to make sure my words were not ignored, "we should leave the philosophical discussions for when we return to the others. For now, our goal has to be seeing what we can learn from this chamber, and whatever else lies still hidden around us."

"Yes, I can sense there is more that lies just beyond our reach," Dooku said in agreement. "Knowledge that is tied to the very seats we sit upon and that of the Emperors who once ruled from this planet."

My gaze shifted to the throne to my right: the one reserved for the Emperor. Part of me wanted to sit there, to claim the title that had remained vacant for millennia. There was a pull, the same odd one I'd had since we'd first approached this world, that drew me to it, that promised me that I had the power to take what was mine by right. Yet, as I considered standing and claiming the chair, I felt the Force react.

It pulled itself around the Emperor's throne, growing denser and more malevolent than I'd ever imagined possible. Pure, refined, diabolical terror engulfed the chair, threatening to rip me asunder if I tried to approach it now. Almost as if the Force knew I wasn't ready to claim the throne.

"Yes. We must take whatever power resides here for ourselves. My former Master," Maul hissed with more venom than he had in some time, suggesting his experience with claiming his chair had affected him more deeply than I'd realised, "would burn half the galaxy to discover the secrets of Dromund Kaas. I will not allow him to learn and harness the power of this world for his own. Not when I can use it to help destroy him and Darth Plagueis."

I bristled internally as the throne challenged and mocked me as if deeming me unworthy of taking the seat. I heard the words spoken by Maul, yet my mind was focused on piercing the Force that layered around the throne so heavily that I almost couldn't sense the seat. It was as if the Force and whatever remained of Vitiate and those who had come after him knew I wasn't yet ready to take my place among their ranks.

"Yes, the knowledge here cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of the Sith on Coruscant. If we are to stop their plans and rebuild the galaxy after the Republic and Jedi have fallen, then we will need the information and authority that lingers on this world and elsewhere with Sith Space under our control."

A voice deep inside me whispered that I should show those who had fallen and failed so long ago that I was ready to sit on the throne and claim the mantle of Emperor. That I was better than they had ever claimed to be. Yet, though the voice was mine, I understood that even with the seeming boost in my connection to the Force and the Dark Side in this chamber, making such a move now was foolish. Perhaps I was ready, but when the Force resisted me even after I had ground it beneath my heel into servitude, I understood I should heed the warning. No matter how much it galled me to do so.

"Cameron?" I turned away from the throne at Dooku's voice, looking at my former Master as he watched me carefully, piercing into the Force to try and sense what I was doing. "Is something the matter?"

"No. I was just… considering how to locate what remains hidden." I gestured at the throne, or more accurately, behind it. "There is a door for the Emperor behind his throne," I explained, the HUD having detected it as the lights and power returned to the chamber; however, if my thoughts hadn't been elsewhere, I'd have seen that easily enough myself.

The door was massive, easily three metres tall and half that wide. A faint line down the middle suggested it split open, while the face of it was reported by the HUD to be reinforced durasteel, along with something else it couldn't quantify. Engraved in the metal were lines of Sith runes, each glowing with an unnatural, ominous crimson. Beside the door stood two giant statues: depictions of Sith warriors from some point in the past. Each held a blade about half as long as the statue was tall, the tip resting at their feet. Their faces were hidden beneath armour, but their presence alone caused ripples of danger to radiate within the Force, as if they were guardians of what lay beyond the door.

Turning back to Dooku, I continued. "It's logical that the Council members all entered through another door, if not one for them privately."

"They would need somewhere to not just control the areas of the council they oversaw, but plot against rivals," Maul added, drawing a small nod from me. "As they would have before the Council moved to Korriban to lead the Empire from there, and perhaps even after, they needed a place near the chambers to communicate with their underlings but remain close at hand should an issue arise."

As Maul spoke, Dooku's fingers moved over the armrests of his chair. Almost as if he was searching for something. "There appears to be no controls built into the chair that I can see. However, I believe the ability to access those passageways lies not in the mechanical, but within the Force."

Even as I understood what he was saying, he closed his eyes, and I felt him pull the Force around him. It shifted not just into him, but through the chair he sat upon. As the seconds ticked away, and he remained focused on whatever he was doing, I felt the Dark Side shift. At first, there was a hint of resistance to Dooku's actions, but after he crushed the challenge with a focus akin to the hardest alloy, the Force aided his intentions.

Behind his chair, the sounds of metal scraping against metal echoed in the chamber. Leaning as best I could, I saw a section of the wall – until apparently empty and seemingly unimportant according to the HUD – rise, revealing a passageway.

Dooku's eyes opened, and he turned to us, a slight twitch of pride teasing the corner of his lips at his achievement. "It appears I was correct."

"Should we explore the passages together or separately?" I asked, though I felt I already knew the answer.

"I would suggest alone," Maul replied instead of Dooku, as I expected. "Each chair represents a council member's sphere of influence. With the way the Force seems… conscious of our actions in this chamber, it is probable that only the one who sits in the chair can enter the relevant corridor."

"I concur," Dooku said, offering Maul a small nod of respect at his chain of thought. "While there will undoubtedly be defences in the corridor, they should not be keyed to target the one who has control of the sphere covered by that corridor."

"What about the other spheres?" I asked even as I prepared to unlock whatever sphere I now controlled by assuming this chair. "I'm not sure it is possible for us to claim more than a single chair and thus sphere of influence."

"That shall be an impasse we navigate once we arrive at it," Dooku replied as he stood. "There should be a way for us to override the locks on the other spheres. Potentially even access the Emperor's chamber without trying to claim his throne. For now, however, I suggest we discover what we have unwittingly unlocked."

With that, he moved around his chair, one hand lingering to brush against the edge almost as if he missed the presence of the chair already. He then stepped down behind the chair, slipping from sight for a moment. In the time that happened, I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, seeking to unlock the passageway linked to the chair I was in. I already knew that the door was there, the HUD having extrapolated where each door was based on Dooku opening his, but I had to prove my right to reveal it. I felt that trying to force a door open might damage or destroy whatever was held within that specific corridor, and I had no intention of risking the loss of anything potentially valuable.

… …
I moved down the corridor that led from the Dark Council chamber, noting the walls around me. There was a discernible lack of decoration in the corridor, with it having a simple, unitarian feeling to it with dark, ominous burgundy lighting that ran along the walls in three lines; one at my ankles, the other around my waist and the highest near where the walls met the ceiling.

The passageway had been opened a few moments ago from the chair in the Dark Council chamber. I had been the last to do so, and as I moved towards the revealed passageway, Maul was already heading down his while Dooku had long since vanished. A part of me was angered that they had both accessed the passageway linked to their chair before me, but I didn't focus on that rage, nor allow it to influence me. Both were older and more experienced with the Force than I, and I knew that, in time, I would surpass them both with ease.

I'd only moved a metre or so into the corridor, but already I had an inkling as to which sphere I'd gained control over without even meaning to. However, I was waiting until I reached the private chambers before giving that idea anything more than a passing thought. That inkling was seemingly confirmed as, after a few more steps, the walls shifted. Where before they had been smooth and precise, now images appeared upon them. I stopped at the first mural, looking intently at the scenes depicted before me.

The first showed legions of warriors marching against an enemy, their weapons firing almost as one at those who stood against them. Near the front of their ranks, weapons of every sort in their hands, pointing forward. Those were Sith leading those bound to them into war on some unknown planet. Turning, I looked at the other wall and saw a similar sight, though this time it was two groups clashing. Blades, axes, and all manner of brutal, offensive weapons were frozen as they clattered against the weapons of those who stood against them. Leaning closer, I saw faint markings around the weapons of the warriors and understood these were weapons imbued with the Force, indicating this was a battle before the advent of lightsabers.

Moving slowly forward, I traced my fingers over the mural before me and then shivered as I felt a ripple from within the Force; an echo that lingered from whatever nameless battlefield was depicted and honoured with this display. My mind drifted to the blade Plagueis, in his public persona of Hego Damask, had gifted me, which was linked to one who served in the Legions of Lettow. Was the battle depicted here from that war against the still-fledgling Jedi Order or a later conflict, perhaps taking place during the Hundred-Year Darkness that had seen the defeated Dark Side users exiled from the Order and Republic to one day land on Korriban, discovering the Sith people?

The unexpected link that might exist between the blade I owned and this battle from countless millennia ago ignited a spark of curiosity within me. The records from that age, like much of the ancient history of the Republic, Jedi, and fledgling Sith Orders, were lost to time. They had long been destroyed, burned, and vandalised over untold aeons of war and strife. It was unlikely that I would ever discover an answer to my query, but it would remain one that lingered at the far edges of my thoughts for years to come. Of that I was sure.

I let the thought slide away from the forefront of my mind and moved down the corridor, taking in the murals, paintings, and carvings that came after. Each showed warriors in battle across an almost infinite number of vistas. Often, the Sith – their weapons and armour seeming to improve with each new display I saw – clashed with the Jedi. In others, they fought against figures in armour I recognised: that of the Mando'ade.

Later displays showed my people fighting with the Sith at times, and against them at others, the Jedi often present in their robes and armour as well. All this made clear that while my people generally lacked the ability to draw upon the Force as the Jedi and Sith did, they were capable of standing against either Order, though we weren't the only ones capable of doing so.

Other murals depicted more groups of armoured figures, both fighting with and against the Sith. I wasn't as able to place those people, but as with the Mando'ade, they fought with the Sith as regularly as they fought against them.

Around me, the Force moved, as if whatever fragments of those who had once controlled this sphere watched and judged me. I wore the armour of the Mando'ade, but I commanded the Force as they once had. I was, perhaps, the merging of the two ideals in one body. Those fragments that lingered seemed to grow stronger the further down the corridor I moved, and as the depictions around me became scenes that felt more familiar, the air grew heavy with the memories of those who had once held this position on the Dark Council.

The final mural depicted in the corridor – though there was space beyond it for others to be added that now never would – was something I knew well from my studies of the war between this Sith Empire and the Jedi and Republic. The sight of the Temple aflame, the bodies of countless Jedi on the ground as Sith stood over them, caused a rush of emotions to surge within me.

The faintest hint of regret at the damage brought to the Temple and those within flickered for a moment only to be snuffed out by the delight and satisfaction of seeing those fools and hypocrites struck down for their arrogance. The only lingering annoyance was that, over thirty-five hundred years later, they had failed to remember the lessons of that defeat. Or perhaps chose to forget it.

Leaning closer, my eyes widened, and a small smile crept onto my face under my helmet as I saw the figure standing at the forefront of the Sith forces. There, when he had served the Sith Empire, stood Darth Malgus, the architect of the assault on the Temple and one of those most responsible for the sacking of Coruscant that gained the Empire almost half the galaxy.

In later years, he would turn against the Sith and their ideals, seeing through the flaws in their code just as I'd seen through the lies of the Jedi. However, to see the presence of one whose wisdom I was just beginning to learn from his holocron – one crafted after he departed from the Empire – here was ironically amusing. The recording the HUD was making would be shown, along with much of what was discovered here, to the holocrons of Malgus and Adas. Their insight into the Empire, its failings, and its successes would be extremely useful in planning for what I knew lay in the future.

As I turned, I tensed. The Force, while still thick around me, was shifting. My hand went to the hilt of my lightsaber, ready to be drawn if anything moved to attack me. From a point in the ceiling, a projection was generated depicting an unnamed planet. I watched as details were added to the location; units of warriors, Sith, Jedi and others who had likely fought in this battle. There were no faces, just symbols and numbers to represent the regiments and the like that appeared, and I watched in fascination.

Once every participant was present, the hologram froze, and above it, in a text I didn't understand – nor could the HUD translate – appeared words. Well, more like runes, as I recognised some of them as the same runes of Sith design carved into the chairs, dais, and walls of the Dark Council chamber. Even though I didn't understand what was displayed, I recognised a challenge. A test of my worthiness for my new title.

"I accept," I replied in Basic, hoping that whatever remained active of the system behind the challenge, understood my words and altered the displays to the language I'd used. I breathed a sigh of relief as the Sith runes shimmered away and were replaced by commands in Basic.

Before you exists a seemingly impossible challenge.
Your forces are outnumbered and outgunned.
The Jedi have sent a hundred of their Knights with ten thousand soldiers to claim what the Empire has located on this world.
The information your forces are guarding could help us defeat the Jedi and claim the galaxy, or be used against us to shatter our people and ideals to dust.
Relief is incoming, but it will not arrive for days, and you will only be able to collect a fraction of your forces and the information they guard.
Your orders are to ensure the information doesn't fall into the hands of the Jedi.
Are you ready to begin?
​

I looked at the floating words and then at the top-down display of the battle that was being projected. Oddly, it reminded me of games from my former life, ones steeped in history and fantasy, where you commanded from above, aware of much or all of the battlefield before and while it happened.

In theory, I could simply walk through the projection, ignoring it. However, I sensed this was a test for those new to the chair I'd claimed. The challenge that lay before me, at least outside of what the map was displaying, was determining which of the spheres I now commanded. Defence of the Empire, Military Offence, and Military Strategy were the most obvious choices, not least given the various murals that lined the corridor leading up to this display. What I had to determine was which sphere this was, as it would influence the conditions of the challenge being presented to me.

I moved around the display, taking in the terrain, noting every possible natural defence in the area nearby where my forces were gathered. The ground between my forces and those of the Jedi was wide, perhaps a few hundred kilometres based on the measurements generated by the HUD using the size of each unit on my side as a guide. A dozen possible plans for the defence were formed in my head and dismissed almost instantly. This battle was one that couldn't be won, not in any traditional sense, but the longer I studied the challenge, the more I understood that it wasn't about winning. No, it was about protecting the interests of the Empire and ensuring that in the grand scheme of things, we didn't emerge weakened from this engagement.

My skill in larger-scale warfare was, to be polite, greatly lacking. I knew the basics of such combat, but my forte was in small-scale actions. Working with and directing small-scale units on clandestine operations. Both in this life and the one before. Yet even with that flaw in my training – something that I already knew I had to work to overcome but had the realisation driven home by this challenge – I felt I had the potential to complete the mission to a level beyond that of the base requirement.

"Begin."

The single word had the text disappear. At the same time, the display of the Jedi and their forces faded away, lost in the fog of war.

The enemy has disturbed long-range reconnaissance of their position.
​

I didn't need that to be stated, but I could understand why this holographic map was doing so. It was acting to provide 'real-time' intel as the battle raged. Or would rage once my forces clashed with those of the Jedi.

I moved forward and placed my finger over one unit – that of heavy war droids – and moved my finger. I smirked as the unit began to move to where I'd dragged them, indicating that my thoughts on how the units were controlled were accurate. With that knowledge, and what I perfectly remembered from the surroundings before the fog of war engaged, I began moving my troops, stationing them in locations designed to harass, delay, and distract the Jedi forces.

The map moved slowly, my units shifting around as the intelligence, something attached to the unit of my commander – a Sith Lord and two dozen Sith warriors –blinked to remind me of its location. Those were the only Force users I had at this battle, and while I suspected the Sith Lord could take out many of the Jedi single-handedly, the Jedi had three to four times the number of Force users that I did.

Time in the battle passed slowly, though still I suspected quicker than if it was happening in real-time. My forces moved around, getting to the positions I had instructed, as I prepared for the engagement.

Report from orbital forces:
Jedi reinforcements have entered orbit. Air and space superiority is unlikely to last.
​

I grumbled at the new intel, irritated that conditions were worsening before the battle that I was commanding had even begun. Worse still, the advanced elements of my forces were now engaging the skirmishers from the Jedi lines. As I'd expected, they had chosen to bring their advanced elements on the quickest and safest path towards my position. The issue was that, as my forward unit began facing off with more Republic soldiers, without oversight of the whole battlefield, I had no way to be certain of the location of the enemy.

There were other routes they could have taken to reach my starting location. Ones that, while less expedient, would grant them the chance to flank and outmanoeuvre my men. I couldn't cover all those extra routes, not without pulling men from other locations and risking weakening all positions, so I'd done the best I could. Victory over the Jedi wasn't coming from defeating their army and killing the Jedi, but by surviving until the information could be evacuated. Yet, with the battle in orbit turning, it was probable that even that might be delayed if not removed as an option for completing the challenge.

There was one obvious path to take in simply destroying the information. However, even if I did that at the beginning of the battle and had ordered a full withdrawal, the Jedi and their forces would've pursued relentlessly. No, it was better to stand and fight where I knew the terrain and had some advantages I could use than fall back to an uncertain location.

One of the two elements that I'd deployed to engage any flanking forces sighted a Jedi commando unit moving through the path I'd expected. I smiled as the element waited for the commandos to reach the optimal position before ambushing them. The commando unit suffered heavy losses almost instantly, while the lead positions engaging the main Republic force were reinforced and holding. However, things turned at both almost instantly.

At the forward position, the Republic started swarming out, laying down so much fire that my forces there would quickly be overrun. At the same time, half the Jedi on the field appeared, striking the unit that was ambushing the Republic commandos.

I growled, knowing the unit facing the Jedi was done for, and ordered them to go down fighting. Turning back to the front line, I watched as my forces there were whittled down. They would fall soon, yet they were making the Republic pay for the ground. Even though my numbers there were falling, the Republic forces' numbers were falling three to four times as fast.

I started moving my other units around, shifting to a point I'd noted as a fallback location where I could at least group most of my forces for a final stand. As they started to move, I blinked as the unit engaged the Jedi and the area around it was engulfed in a bright light that smothered the battlefield. When the light faded, the unit was gone along with almost all the Jedi and most of the commandos. The ground was flattened, and I realised that the unit, or at least one part of it, had carried heavy explosives and used them in a last desperate gamble to weaken the Republic and Jedi forces. An action that had worked and brought a smile to my face.

That joy didn't last as my front line was overwhelmed by the bulk of the Republic forces. As they pushed forward and what remained of my men gathered for their last stand, I frowned as I realised I was still missing the rest of the Jedi. Their numbers had been heavily weakened by the glorious sacrifice of the warriors who'd engaged them, but around half remained.

I watched the battlefield cautiously, seeking the location of those Jedi. They were the trump card in the Republic forces and the ones I needed to weaken the most to give my men any chance of survival.

Orbital supremacy lost.
The Sith fleet has withdrawn to lunar orbit.
The Republic is deploying landers with additional forces.
​

I growled at the intelligence, though it did make clear that this wasn't a challenge for the Military Offence sphere. With that in mind, I altered my plans for my remaining forces and then waited.

The missing Jedi appeared to their right, having taken one of the longer flanking paths in the hopes of attacking my forces from behind. By withdrawing as I had, they lost that chance, but now could move to attack my lines while supported by the majority of the Republic army.

As I watched, the Jedi clashed into my lines, slicing through the warriors, though not without a few casualties. When they clashed with the Sith Lord and his Sith Warriors, the Jedi numbers began dropping faster, proving that an average Sith was a greater fighter than an average Jedi, even millennia ago. Yet, what they might lack in skill, they were making up for in numbers and support.

My lines had been broken by the Jedi's assault, and with the Force users battling behind them and the Republic army before them, I knew my warriors were doomed. Knowing this, I had them concentrate their fire as best they could on the strongest Republic units. They wouldn't kill as many Republic soldiers that way, but those units were the ones with the best training and equipment. Each of them that fell hurt the Republic's war effort more than some random grunt.

Time passed slowly as the chaos of the battle raged. The Jedi fought ferociously with my Sith while the regular forces clashed. The Republic army moved ever closer, fighting for every inch of ground as my warriors took out their best men when they could. Yet while the Republic and Jedi were losing men faster than my forces, the trickle of losses I was experiencing turned into a steady flow. It was only a matter of time until my men were overwhelmed, and the information was lost.

Knowing this, I accessed two of the units I had left, the same kind as those who had taken out almost half the Jedi with an earlier desperate act. I disliked throwing away the lives of those I was commanding, particularly the Sith Lord and his Warriors. However, my orders were clear and failing that might prevent me from gaining access deeper into the passageway.

The field was engulfed in a trio of blinding bright flashes of light. When it faded, almost nothing remained. A handful of Jedi had slipped away, sensing the danger and able to get away. The rest, along with ninety per cent of the Republic army that had been engaging my warriors and all my Sith, were gone. Reduced to ash along with the information they had been protecting.

The hologram snapped out after that point, and I stood, waiting to see what would happen.

​

Challenge Completed.
Welcome, My Lord, to the Sphere of the Military Command.
The lives of any beneath your command, on any world throughout the galaxy, are but tools to be used to protect the glory of the Empire and the enduring reign of the Emperor.
All will be sacrificed for the Empire, though their deaths should serve a purpose in protecting the Empire, for otherwise their lives and the time the Empire invested in them were worthless.
​

With that, the projection ended, and beyond where the hologram had been displayed, the walls were illuminated in the same dark burgundy as the rest of the passageway. At the end of the passageway, a large, foreboding door was revealed. It was crafted, the HUD revealed, from durasteel and obsidian and was engraved with a large seal: that of the Sphere of the Defence of the Empire.

I took a moment to consider the text that had been displayed. This should've been the sphere of either Defence of the Empire, Military Strategy, or possibly even Military Offence, though that was unlikely given the challenge I'd just completed. Yet the message had referred to this as the Sphere of Military Command. It took me a moment to realise why that was.

There had been twelve Spheres when Vitiate had ruled this Empire, but in the later centuries of its existence, the council had been reworked. Under the reign of Empress Acina, twelve had become five. The three Spheres I thought I had a chance of potentially having gained control over had been merged into the new Sphere of Military Command.

This chamber, along with the one on Korriban, which had become the command world of the Empire even as Dromund Kaas had remained the capital, had seemingly stayed at twelve seats, though only five were needed. That meant that multiple corridors would be openable by myself, Dooku and Maul, overcoming a question that lingered at the back of my mind about how we'd gain access to the other corridors, to say nothing of the Emperor's chamber. I'd still explore the other corridors I should be able to access, but that could wait until I was finished here.

I moved forward, sensing what lingered in this place of those who had held this office, approving of my ascension to command of this sphere. That I would do what was needed for the greater good of the Empire. Yet as I approached the door, my focus was on it and the way it seemed to radiate into the Force, generating one final challenge for me before the mysteries of the office were revealed.

I placed my hand on the door and closed my eyes. Reaching into the Force, I took command of it around me and pushed my will and power forward, engulfing the door and the Sith runes that were engraved into its edges, in my presence. A second later, I felt the door react, and as I opened my eyes, I heard the gears that controlled it begin to shift, working to slide open the door and, for the first time in millennia, reveal what secrets and knowledge were held within.

As the door slid open, the light in the passageway crept forward, slowly illuminating the chamber before me as I stepped into it. The room was large, with several desks against the walls that formed a triangular shape to the room. Each of the other walls contained a door as well, though neither was as grand nor imposing as the one I had just entered through. What dominated the room, however, was a large triangular table in the very centre of the room that was impossible to ignore when moving around the chamber.

I moved closer to the wall to my left, taking in the various banners and artwork that hung there. Each of the banners was old, ravaged by time and battle with the same unmistakable Sith script upon them. These clearly came from regiments and armies within the Sith forces that had fallen in battle, but had done so to earn remembrance for their sacrifice. Beneath each banner was a small bar, and when I touched it, the bar projected words into the air. Initially, those words were in Sith runes, but before I turned away, unable to read them, the text shifted into Basic.

Reading the citation, I learnt this unit, the sixty-third army from Ziost, had fallen in battle against the Republic during the Liberation of Taris. The date given wasn't one I recognised, though HUD quickly applied it to the current galactic calendar, and I was able to place it as a battle that took place before the Treaty of Coruscant was signed.

The text faded away as the bar powered down, likely a feature to save the Lord of the Sphere of Defence of the Empire from having to waste valuable time doing so themselves. The other banners and the artwork on the walls all had similar bars underneath, and I knew that once the room, along with whatever lay beyond the two doors, was examined, I'd return and press each bar. Not just to gain some insight into the history of the Empire, but out of respect for the sacrifice of those who fought and died for the Empire.

I turned to the central table, my fingers gliding along the edge of it as power flowed into the systems for the first time in aeons. The surface of the table was generally empty, with only a handful of ancient datapads on top. Indentations that could only be for holocrons – both Sith and Jedi – existed at one corner of the table; however, no holocrons were present in the room. Hardly a surprise, as during the final fall of the Empire, they would either have been looted by the last Dark Lord to command this sphere or taken to secure vaults somewhere on the planet for protection from whatever assault had driven the final nail into the coffin of this Sith Empire.

I could feel the embers of those who had held control over this sphere lingering in the Force as my fingers glided along the edge of the table. The design reminded me heavily of a Sith holocron, featuring the same sharp, concise, and controlled lines. The sort of form and structure that one tasked with defending the Empire from threats, foreign and domestic, would require. The table reflected the burgundy light of the room and that from my armour as I moved around it, though as my fingers slid along the edge, I was drawn to one corner.

There was a Sith rune, larger than any other on the surface of the table. It pulsed both with the familiar light of the sphere and within the Force. I moved towards it, sensing the connection I had with the rune linked in some way to my chair back in the Dark Council chamber. As my hand floated over the rune, a low hum seemed to echo through the Force; one that I instinctively knew how to react to. A moment later, the rune pulsed brightly, and the light from it raced throughout the table.

I stepped back, watching as a singular shaft of light rose from the centre of the table and touched the ceiling. The shaft expanded outwards, causing the air around me to shift, and as I watched, a map of the galaxy was revealed; one detailing the status of the Empire the last time the table had been activated.

Various worlds blinked for attention, others darkened almost as soon as they appeared, and as I watched, I saw that when the Empire had fallen, the Republic had driven them back until only Dromund Kaas and a handful of other locations remained under the control of the Empire. Those other locations were worlds deep within Sith Space, and as I watched, they began flaring. Almost as if the systems that connected this table to others within the Imperial Citadel and beyond were trying to gain updates on the status of those systems. One by one, each world began blinking, joining the list of worlds of apparent uncertain fates.

Leaning closer, I noted the names of several of those worlds. Ziost and Korriban were the two most well-known, though others also pulsed for attention within the depths of Sith Space. Begeren, Khar Delba, Korriz, and others were known to me, though only in passing, as worlds that regularly fell under the control of the Sith whenever they rose in their space before the sector was finally claimed by the Republic following the New Sith Wars.

Detailed records on those worlds and others within Sith space were few and far between, and while the information contained by the systems in this chamber would be vastly out of date, I was curious as to what made those worlds worthy of being tracked by this system. Or at least why they, above other worlds, were ones that were marked as important in the local galactic neighbourhood.

As the last of the worlds beyond Dromund Kaas blinked because of uncertain fates, a deep, echoing voice filled the chamber. The words were unknown to me, though I felt it a safe guess to assume they were the Sith language spoken for the first time here since the chamber was last opened. Thankfully, text appeared under the map in Basic, drawing my attention.

​

Welcome, my Lord.
This interface has not been activated in three thousand, two hundred and ninety-four years.
Would you like a report on the status of the Empire?
​

"Begin."

I stood back and watched as the map before me was filled with new symbols, spanning across Sith Space. However, almost as soon as they appeared, the symbols darkened, indicating – at least from my understanding of the map – that whatever the symbol represented, the facility, station, navies, or armies were unresponsive and thus considered lost. Hardly a surprise given the time that had passed. Still, it was interesting to see the various locations, and my curiosity only grew as a key was provided by the map, confirming what each symbol represented. The fleets and armies were of little use; any ships or weapons from those forces would either be long destroyed, taken and repurposed before I arrived in this era, or lost to interstellar drift. However, the location of classified locations – their purpose not confirmed by the map – that lay both within this sector and beyond caught my eye.

Several of them weren't in systems that seemed important, which made sense, but the fact that two of them sat within Sith Space and weren't in places with listed star systems that I knew of was interesting. Like the rest of the various items displayed on the map, they sat darkened, yet, as they were in locations that seemingly had been forgotten by the Republic, if they ever knew of them before, they could be worthwhile investigating once we left Dromund Kaas, but before we returned to Mandalore.

Amusingly, as I thought that the Interface noted a change in a quest, and without opening the message, I knew an extra objective had been added to the Tremors of the Ancient Sith Empire quest. That wasn't the first time it had happened to the quest, as I had an objective to discover why I was drawn to the Imperial Palace on the outskirts, nor, I suspected, would it be the last as there was just so much about this world that I didn't know, but I always found it interesting when a quest updated with either new objectives to complete or as in the case of Changing Fate [Dooku] how it added already completed Objectives that worked towards ensuring the primary goal of a quest.

I lifted my hand, understanding instinctively that the map responded to the gestures of the Dark Lord commanding it. While I was no Dark Lord as the Sith would've seen it, I had command of the seat and thus control over the system. The computer responded, letting me zoom in and out as I wished. Each world I chose to close in on expanded with more information, and while much of it was useless given the passage of time, it was still intriguing to see how the Empire had laid out its defences at the end. Which systems and planets warranted defences, and which didn't.

New icons appeared as I zoomed in on certain systems, revealing locations powerful in the Dark Side, or where certain strongholds of Sith long-dead by the time of the Empire had once been. Such locations caused a range of new quests to be generated by my Interface, and while many were intriguing, all were rejected. I had long since evolved past the urge to accept a quest simply because it was offered. Now, I might well activate those quests in future, but for now, they were ignored even as the HUD recorded everything the map revealed to me.

Time slid away as I used the map, sliding it around and tracking planets across the area of the galaxy the Sith Empire had controlled. As with the details of Sith Space, much of it was rendered useless due to the passage of time, but in several locations, new nuggets of intelligence I could use were revealed. The most useful of those were hyperspace routes that, as far as I knew, didn't exist on the wider galactic map. While I couldn't interface with the Vhett, I would be comparing these hyperspace routes to those on record. Still, I already saw two that led through the Stygian Caldera without passing through the Korriban system. Those hyperspace lanes weren't on any star chart I'd examined before travelling here, and potentially had been lost to the annals of history. I would have to explore to see if the routes were still active, or if not, use these maps to rediscover them so that I could slip in and out of the sector without anyone being aware. Something the Interface seemed to agree with, as it generated an update to the quest linked to my current activities.

I'd not been able to contact the Vhett since we'd entered the Dark Council chambers, but thanks to the Force, I could remain in contact with Anakin. However, I'd made sure to keep the connection dulled so that any of the sensations I might experience weren't pushed through the bond to him; a decision that had been proven wise by the ordeal that had occurred when we'd first entered the chamber and then when I'd claimed my seat upon the Council.

Eventually, after searching the map thoroughly, or at least as thoroughly as I could without spending the rest of the day at the table, I took a step back. There was no rush in me learning everything the table knew. Yet as I stepped back, I spotted something that, in my haste to explore what was shown and hinted at what I had missed.

On the other side of the table, half-hidden by the galactic display that dominated the space before me, a rune along the edge of the table was flashing. Moving around the table slowly, I examined the rune. I had no idea what it meant, yet I felt a small but insistent pull towards it. As if by the Force, or perhaps the lingering remnants of those who had held the seat on the Dark Council I had now claimed.

As my hand pressed against the rune, the map shifted, being replaced by a figure. He stood in armour, the sigil of the Sith Empire on his chest, and it was obvious he was the last to hold this command of the Sphere of the Military Command.

"To whoever is receiving this message, know that I, Darth Sol, along with the remaining members of the Dark Council, did all we could to preserve the Empire. However, the infighting in our ranks and the constant challenges of those beneath us who wished to claim our seats weakened our defences. When the Republic came, w…" the message fizzled as if the recorder suffered interference, "… unprepared. Our defences stood for a time, but… commandos on the… Assassins and War…. Their thousands."

The message had quickly become garbled, and it was clear from what little could be seen beyond this Darth Sol that he wasn't in this room but elsewhere on the planet. Yet I ignored focusing too heavily on his situation and tried to catch what there was of his message.

"…… failed. The Empir….. allen. Howe….. ost… eren, we…... st ho……."

The image cut out with a burst of static, one that the HUD suspected was an explosion at the location where the recording had taken place. It was clear that Darth Sol had recorded one final message before he fell, yet there was so little to work with that I doubted I'd ever discover what his final words were. I could sense they were meant to be important, but without more information, there was little I could do, and even if I learnt the entirety of his message, I doubted it would be of any use to me. That said, I would be examining the recording again, perhaps even having others do so as well, on the chance we might discover more of this final call from the last moments of the Empire.

I moved my hand back from the rune and then stepped back from the table. I knew I could spend days, even weeks, going over every record it had, trying to find every last kernel of potentially useful information that was buried under the mountains of now-worthless data. Yet I also understood that I couldn't do that now. Reaching into my belt, I pulled a datapad from a pouch and moved around the table, seeking a connection. Finding one, I was relieved that the interface there matched those elsewhere in the Citadel, and thus would accept the datapad in my hand. One of the concerns I'd had when first travelling here was that the technology that was used by the Sith during the era that Dromund Kaas was their capital wouldn't be compatible with modern technology. While there had been some issues yesterday, nothing major had been discovered, and the few alterations that had been needed were easy for me, or for others, to apply.

As the datapad powered to life, I used the table's controls to begin downloading the data relating to activities within Sith Space onto it. Several security measures flared to life at my orders, challenging my actions as it was a potentially massive data risk. I reasserted my newly acquired position through the Force, meeting resistance yet also feeling empowered in ways I couldn't quite understand. The technology within the table retracted its objections, and I was able to begin the transfer.

Leaving the pad to work, I moved to one of the doors leading from this chamber that wasn't the passageway that had brought me to the command table. There was no button or lock to open the door, nor did it respond to my presence and slide back. Yet, as if being informed by those who had commanded this Sphere – in both iterations that had existed – I understood how to gain access.

Reaching into the Force, I searched through it while focusing on the door. Finding a small, unusual flicker in the depths of darkness that engulfed not just the Citadel but the entire world, I grasped it. A second later, the door hissed and slid open, revealing what lay beyond.

The newly revealed room was slowly illuminated, the light creeping in through the now open doorway. Yet, as the light trailed over the walls of the room, I noted that there was less light present here. Taking in the design and apparent function of the room, that made perfect sense.

The air in the room was thick, but not with smoke or debris, but with the unmistakable power of the Force that had been bent and manipulated by those who had come before me. The light on the walls seemed to pulse with unnatural power that would terrify most sentients, but I found it oddly comforting, and as I stepped in, they seemed to bathe me in the power the room contained. My eyes closed for a moment as I embraced what I was experiencing, opening myself to the Force even as I exerted my dominance over it and my domain within the Empire.

Now, I knew the Sith Empire was gone and had no intention of rebuilding it from the ashes, but I could savour the power that lay at my fingertips with control of my domain, and this room that was built for the Dark Lord of the Sphere of Military Command within the Empire.

Opening my eyes, I refocused on the central feature of the room: a single platform made of obsidian. Upon that was a simple mat, one designed for meditation. The platform was covered in Sith runes and glyphs, each alive with the power of the Force, even though my HUD failed to understand how it could sense light emanating from them. The presence of those who had ruled this sphere before me was stronger in this room, and I swore I could almost hear their whispers carried from the depths of the Force where whatever remained of them resided. However, while I knew they might offer words of wisdom, I did not listen to them; I understood the danger such shattered spirits and remnants could present to any, even one as powerful as myself.

My eyes lingered on the meditation platform, yet I made no move to enter the room. While I might gain knowledge from the Force that permeated the room so powerfully, I was aware of the dangers such action might bring. Add in that I wanted to continue exploring, and the voices seemingly speaking to me from the deepest nadirs of the Force would remain unanswered.

I turned away from the meditation chamber, closing it with a mere thought and moved to the other door. This one opened more easily as there was a simple pressure switch near the door. As it slid open, the lights of the central chamber flowed in, revealing it was another passageway.

I stepped through the doorway and moved slowly down the passageway, aware of the Sith runes and glyphs in the walls and the continuing, lingering presence of the Dark Side that infused everything on the planet but seemed so heavily focused and refined within the Dark Council chambers and the passageways of the Dark Lords connected to it. Each moment was a heady mix of power and the promise of more and the threat of my control slipping, and letting myself be dragged into the abyss of the Dark Side. The constant challenges that rampaged through the Force, even though now more subdued since I'd claimed my seat on the Dark Council and confirmed my control over these chambers, never stopped, but I welcomed them. They were, I understood, a permanent challenge to prove I would remain worthy of my station.

The tunnel I now found myself in was restricting yet not narrow. The Force around me made it feel more confining than it truly was. The walls, as with everything in my new domain, were lined with gems that glowed a dark burgundy and Sith symbols that pulsed with ancient, malignant power. As I moved, I sensed defences in the walls hidden from sight; both those in the physical realm, such as concealed turrets or forcefield emitters and those rooted in the Force that were designed to challenge, confuse, and confound those unworthy to be here.

After a few metres, I came to two doors, one on each side of the tunnel. With no hint from the Force as to which was more important than the other, I turned to my left. The door was almost invisible to the naked eye, with even the sensors of my armour struggling to determine the panel before it meant an entrance to another room. Yet within the Force, I knew that something lay beyond it, as I did with the door behind me that my armour also couldn't detect.

I reached out into the Force, finding the same faint, lingering flicker that I'd felt for the meditation chamber and grasped that. The door slid open, vanishing into the wall so seamlessly that if I hadn't seen it present a moment before, I'd never have known it existed. As was becoming common, the newly revealed location lit up slowly, the light spreading along the walls through the glowing gems until the entire room was illuminated in the same dark colour.

Stepping into the room, my eyes scanned the location even as the HUD provided details of what I was seeing. I was standing in what amounted to a private office. A large, yet simple and efficiently designed three-quarter table dominated the room with a single chair, one with a tall back and carved of dark durasteel and obsidian, at the centre of the circular structure, where I was meant to sit. Moving forward, I eased into the chair and brought my hands up to the table, easily finding the controls for the interface there.

The table flared to life, reports flickering into existence before me, projected by small holographic systems that revealed the various documents that were contained in the computer core of this private chamber. Wherever that might be. My eyes scanned the reports that had been left open by, I assumed, Darth Sol, though nothing there was of use. Mentions of battles lost in various systems between Dromund Kaas and Korriban, the fall of Nicht Ka and the death of Darth Khefu, loss of contact with shipyards in the Krayiss system. All the hints of an Empire in its death throes.

I dismissed the various reports and accessed the records the table was connected to. My eyes widened in delightful surprise as I saw records contained within the core that the table connected to, going back hundreds of years before the fall of the Empire. All the way back, in fact, to perhaps the very creation of this chamber and the Imperial Citadel itself. Most of the names listed as having recorded files here meant little to me, though one, Darth Marr, stood out.

He was a name that had been a prominent figure in the Empire during the time Satele Shan and Darth Malgus had lived. Indeed, from what I'd read of the history of the era, he had clashed against both on several occasions. While it was unlikely that anything he or the other Dark Lords who had controlled either the Sphere of Defence of the Empire or the later Sphere of Military Command would be of tactical use to the galaxy today, I knew I'd be downloading and reviewing every file. A chuckle slipped from my lips as I realised the sheer amount of nighttime reading I now had at my disposal; a useful thing since I had retrained myself to only need a handful of full nights of rest each month to remain at peak physical and mental condition.

Shifting away from the personal records, I moved into the files that the table had access to. Quickly, my interest shifted to the logs of the various military vehicles of the Empire, from the smallest droids to their largest warships. My eyes widened, and a deep, almost menacing chuckle that would terrify a Jedi slipped from my lips as I opened the details of one of the more iconic ships of the Empire – the Harrower class – and discovered that not only did I have a complete list of every ship ever constructed in the class, but access to the plans for their design.

We had come across the files for this class of warship and everything else within the Ministry of Intelligence; however, the files had been sealed behind cyphers, ones that R2 was able to determine could only be provided by a member of the Dark Council. It seemed that, as the Dark Lord for the Sphere of Military Command, I didn't need those cyphers to access the details on the ancient warship. As I read the technical details of the ship, with everything from the names of the sub-directory organisations in the Empire that had handled the design of the food storage holds to the imperial design foundries that had crafted the rivets for the outer bulkheads and every other component and part in-between, it became clear I now had access to everything the Empire had ever crafted for war. Or at least the details of the weapons from the smallest sidearm to the largest turbolaser, though the locations of where all these parts were crafted required the approval of the Dark Lord for the Sphere of Civil Administration.

Even as my hand moved on autopilot to pull a datapad from my belt and attach it to the table, I closed the details on the Harrower class and moved to the higher-echelon projects the table could access. My eyes widened as an almost dizzying list of special projects and superweapons was revealed to me. Yet as the download of the files began – something I knew would require several dozen pads at least to handle the sheer volume of information I could access through this table – I frowned.

While I could see general details about the various special projects, to access any of them required the agreement of another Dark Lord. In most cases, the Dark Lords of the Spheres of Galactic Influence or Scientific Advancement. The former controlled Imperial Intelligence, while the latter was responsible for the creation of every special project. Haran, to learn the full details of the projects that had been created near the end of the Empire, a majority vote of the Dark Council, or the word of the Emperor, was needed to fully unlock the files.

I knew with Maul and Dooku taking control of two of the other four Spheres that gaining that access wouldn't be an issue. Safe, perhaps, from spending time determining how to achieve such votes and confirming them was handled from within the Dark Council chamber.

That could wait, as could reading the various files of older superweapons and special projects. Though I wouldn't deny that projects named Silencer, Sun Razer, Shock Drum, and Desolator, among others, sounded intriguing. At least from a purely name-based consideration.

Standing slowly, sometime after I'd attached a third datapad to the computer built into the table, I moved to exit the room. Time had, hardly surprisingly, slipped away as I read through the details of multiple creations for war that the Empire had used during its long existence. In truth, most of the designs were likely antiquated and of little use as they were in the current era. However, many would have the potential to be used as a base for a new generation of warships, starfighters, tanks, weapons, and other manner of creations that I would need for the wars I knew lay in my future. Not just those against the Banite-Sith manipulated and controlled GAR and CIS, but other forces that would challenge my rise to power.

Exiting the private control room, I stepped over the tunnel and used the Force to once more open a door. I then waited as it slid into the wall, hiding itself away even as the door to the private terminal behind me eased closed at the same time.

As the lights illuminated the room, a chuckle slipped from my lips. While I had expected to locate some sort of rest chambers, the large, luxurious bed that dominated the room revealed to me was a touch unexpected. I could sense fragments of moments that took place here; the pleasure former Dark Lords had taken with their partners, many reluctant to be intimate with a Sith Lord, though more willing to do so for whatever sliver of power and influence such a position granted them.

For a moment, the images of the many I'd loved passed through my mind, and I imagined how each of them would be taken on this bed. The way their bodies would squirm as I pleasured them, or the delectable sounds they would make as they worshipped me. The idea of seeing them debase themselves for me in reverence of my new power filled me with purpose and desire, and the urge…

Cam
​

I shook my head, pushing aside the thoughts that had formed in my mind as the single whispered word from the voice that dominated my heart more than any other echoed at me through the Force. A growl slipped from me as I reached out into the Force, crushing the lingering thoughts of the Dark Side in the room that had attempted to deceive and distract me by inducing thoughts of the pleasure of the flesh that I had shared and would share with others. How dare the depravity of the Force here use Serra's voice against me!

My hands clenched as I snarled, my presence rushing into the Force with the fury of a thousand suns, intent on not just pushing back the deceptions that had attempted to pull me into the twisted pits of the Force, but to burn them from existence. My mind, my emotions, and my feelings for those I cared for were not some toy for anyone or anything to try to exploit.

I felt the Force recoil around me as I crushed any lingering hint of rebellion within it. In this tunnel, in this citadel on this world, I was its master, and neither it nor whatever remained of those who'd come before would ever dare challenge me again. The Force stilled, its subservience in my vicinity confirmed by my power, and I pushed down the eruption of fury that had come from it, attempting to use what I had once shared with Serra to consume me.

My eyes closed as I pushed the feelings and sensations linked to every thought I had about her away. Closing off that part of my mind, not just because of the risk that the unanswered questions that lingered between us created within me, but because I would not allow anyone to ever again use her and my feelings for her against me.

Part of me wanted her here with me, to have her experience the power and domination that one should feel when the Force was used as it should be. Yet the more rational and focused part of my mind knew she wasn't ready for that lesson, and perhaps, as much as it pained me to consider, might never be. I would burn stars to have her back at my side, but I knew I couldn't force her to join me. Not if I wished for what we once shared to be rekindled and the flames of our passion to grow bright enough to engulf planets in our shared desire for each other. I knew that a reckoning lay in our future and that I would face it no matter what it resulted in and what outcome it brought forth.

With my emotions in check, I closed the door to the sleeping chamber of past Dark Lords of this sphere and moved further down the tunnel, continuing away from the main room and the triangular battle table that dominated the room. I'd returned four times while in the private study to replace the datapad overseeing the download of the table's data, but I knew it wasn't yet time to return to the Dark Council Chambers. Not when I felt there was more I could discover in these private passageways linked to my command of the Sphere of Military Command.

Further down the tunnel, I came to an end, though the way the walls shifted, merging in a corner that abruptly blocked my path, would've raised my suspicions that something was being concealed even if I couldn't already sense the two doors that merged seamlessly into the walls through the Force. Turning to one, I reached into the Force again, opened it, and once the door had regressed into the wall, stepped through.

Unlike the previous rooms, even the private office, this door fought against me. I felt three distinct conflicts forming in the Force centred on the walls around the door. Almost as if the room had a trio of challenges that I had to overcome and break to gain entry. That sort of protection fuelled my desire to enter the room and focused my power through the Force, meeting the triple challenge head-on.

Each Force lock – the best name I could come up with for the various ways I had to use the Force to enter a room – fought back, working in concert with its fellows to resist and counter my demands for entry. A small growl slipped from my lips as I fought the locks within the Force, meeting their challenges to my resolve, power, and control directly. The power these locks projected was impressive; so much so that I felt my teeth grinding as I pushed against the trio of challenges and slowly shifted the Force around me to turn their attempts at resistance against them.

Eventually, the locks relented. The moment the first was broken and brought to heel, the other two quickly followed. Without their compatriot, they were simply unable to stand for long against my increased focus. As the last lock submitted to my domination, I heard the hiss of air, like one would experience with a seal for an airlock opening or my armour when I removed my helmet.

Unlike the previous doors, this one didn't slide away into the wall. Instead, it swung open, the frame of it now glowing with power that flowed through the Sith runes engraved into it that had been dormant until I proved my worth. I stepped forward slowly, sensing that this room held some greater meaning. Perhaps not one that would reveal knowledge like the command table or the private terminal that I had datapads connected to so that I could download their files, but one with a more material presence.

My brow rose as I stepped into the room and took in the various shelves that covered the walls. Upon each shelf were pedestals and stands for various items. From what I could see, about half were empty, the rest not. Moving towards the closest one, my eyes drifted over the remains of what had once been a lightsaber. The hilt was shattered, and the component pieces spread out on the display as I quickly concluded there was no way this blade could be restored to its original purpose. Beyond several components being missing, there was no crystal for the blade.

Below the display was a plaque, though as the text was in Sith script, I was unable to read it, nor could the HUD in my armour translate it. That was a common feature of much of the data I'd discovered in these private chambers, and I hoped that if there wasn't a translation program already or soon to be downloaded for Sith script into Basic, that a few of the files I was copying would be in both tongues. If they were, that would create a base for a translation program that either I or, more likely, my droids could craft.

Curious about the blade, I used Observe on it.

Darth Nykro's Lightsaber
The remains of the lightsaber of the first Dark Lord of the Sphere of Military Strategy.
The focusing crystal is missing, as are several other minor components.
HP: 4
Rarity: Unique (though composed of ancient yet common parts)
Value: 50 Credits/ Potentially immeasurable historical and cultural significance
Special Features: None
...
​

I snorted at what was revealed. The remains of this lightsaber seemed unimportant, save that this Darth Nykro was one of the first Dark Lords to serve on the Council. Perhaps the plaque below carried more information, but it seemed the Interface wasn't willing to reveal that from my using Observe on the lightsaber. Curious, I looked at the plaque and used Observe on it.

Repository of Knowledge Plaque
This plaque is displayed below the remains of a ruined lightsaber, the text upon it in a seemingly dead and forgotten language.
What knowledge might it contain?
HP: 5
Rarity: Common (regarding the alloy used)
Value: 10 credits.
Special Features: The markings upon this plaque are from the ancient written form of the Sith language.
...
​

My eyes rolled as I got precisely nothing from Observe. Admittedly, I'd expected the power to reveal nothing, but it was still irritating that it hadn't. Turning from the display of the ruined lightsaber, I moved into the room, my eyes moving over the other items, trying to gauge some idea of what they were and potentially why they were stored here before turning to Observe. Within the Force, I could feel the Dark Side radiating from everything in this repository, and as I moved, I forced myself to push down the glimmer of expectation that formed within me at what hidden knowledge or cultural artefact I might discover.

Already, I could see a half-dozen holocrons, each commanding a private spot on the shelves, along with what appeared to be weapons of various styles. A handful of other lightsabers rested in the room as well, alongside sections of a former Sith's personal armour, banners like those in the main room of these private chambers. I smirked as I saw one of the shelves had a row of lightsabers, and given the lack of Dark Side presence swirling around them, I suspected they had once belonged to Jedi. Perhaps those of Jedi Masters who had fought and died in critical battles such as the fall of Alderaan or the Sacking of Coruscant. The Jedi Council would love to possess these relics, but I had no intention of granting them to the Order. They held innumerable artefacts that didn't belong to the Jedi, so I saw no issue with the Sith having done the same.

Several of the items pulsed viciously into the Force; their presence so imposing that I understood without knowing what they were that to claim those would require incredible effort. Hells, even removing them from this repository would be a challenge, but the ones that I felt had the potential to be extremely beneficial to my plans warranted the effort.

As my eyes continued to scan the room, taking in the array of relics within the room, I couldn't help but smile. I had no idea what much of anything here was, to say nothing of why they were stored here and not elsewhere in the Citadel before the fall of the Empire. However, I wouldn't deny that the unexpected treasure trove was something that I had hoped to find on the planet. Nearing one of the various holocrons, the small red triangular pyramid pulsing with power, I wondered how Dooku and Maul were doing in their chambers and what lost wonders they might be discovering.

… …

​

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This story is cross-posted on Fanfiction.net, Archive of Our Own, and Royal Road.
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For those wishing to join the Discord for the story, the server link is:
For this series: Heart of the Force
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(Those on the story server who engage in chat can earn access to a chapter ~3 weeks before it goes public).

For those who wish to support my writing, and get access to drafts and completed chapters anywhere from 1 to 4 months earlier head to one of the links below:
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Regardless if you join the discord or support my writing, I hope you enjoy the story and suggestions, valid criticisms, and ideas are always welcome.
And of course;

May the Force be with you. Always​

 

[USSExplorer]

A/N: As always, a huge thank you to those helping with lore and planning for this and my other stories.

And again, this chapter was released to those of sufficient rank on the story's Discord (it pays to talk) about a month ago. For those who support my writing, then it was released between 2 to 7 months ago (and those supporters can also access chapters that far in advance).

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Tremors of the Ancient Past 3

… …​

As had been a common occurrence over the last few days, I found myself standing in the centre of the Dark Council Chamber. It had only been in the last two days that I had paid enough attention to notice the pattern. Given I'd been passing through the Chamber several times a day since claiming domain over the Sphere of Military Command, it wasn't shocking I lingered here. However, even considering how often I found myself back in my new private domain, I did linger in the Chamber more than Dooku and Maul, who spent as much time in their new domains as I did in mine.



I smirked as I thought back to the domains we'd claimed when we'd first entered the Chamber, and how each of the Spheres we'd taken control of had suited us remarkably well. It was almost as if the Force and whatever remained of the long-dead Sith Lords who had once ruled the Empire from here had guided us to the seats we were meant to claim.



Dooku had gained control over the Sphere of Galactic Influence, which held control of the old Spheres of Imperial Intelligence and Expansion and Diplomacy. That Sphere, and the ones it encapsulated before the Dark Council were reduced from twelve to five by Empress Acina, were areas to which Dooku had a natural inclination toward. His poise, grace, and nobility suited a diplomat or statesman, while having control over any espionage elements was something natural to those in the diplomatic circle. At least those who understood the game was played by more than just what one said to others or in front of a camera.



I'd stood at the entrance to his domain and noted the difference in the walls between it and those of Military Command. Instead of the firm, functional, and precise form of the corridor leading to my private chambers – or, at least, what would be my private chambers if I were actually serving on the Dark Council of the old Sith Empire – his were lavishly decorated with an elegant but ominous style and lighting. Much of the layout, at least what I had seen of that entrance corridor, would not have looked out of place in the halls of the Galactic Senate or one of the more upmarket skyscrapers like 500 Republica that dominated the Senate district and the surrounding area on Coruscant.



Within his chamber, Dooku had stated he felt at ease, finding the place reminiscent of the status and luxury he expected in his life. I'd even noticed that he'd changed the cloak he regularly wore to one he had found there that he felt better suited him. Given it was made from silk that was no longer manufactured in the Republic – the planet it had come from had been scorched during the New Sith Wars – the regal rarity of it seemed to only enhance Dooku's natural, sophisticated grandeur.



That cloak hadn't been the only find from within his private domain. Unlike me, where everything was geared towards war – be that in defence of the Empire or in striking down its enemies – Dooku's domain focused on exactly what his Sphere oversaw. Beyond several dozen holocrons that he said contained records of the various diplomatic actions the Empire had taken – legal or otherwise – over its existence, he had found tomes, as in actual physical books of the kind rarely seen in the galaxy outside of those few people who preferred the tactile sensation of reading over the ease of a datapad, covering a multitude of ways in which one could influence individuals, groups, planets, and even entire sectors in directions that they would feel were serving their goals when they were truly serving the Empire.



He had found a handful of holocrons, most belonging to former Dark Lords who had held his seat before him. A few, however, were made before the Empire existed, or created by Lords loyal to the Council who had shown great aptitude with diplomacy, subversion, coercion, or subterfuge. Just as I was studying several of the holocrons I'd located in my private domain, Dooku was evaluating his for knowledge that he could use.



Most of the other items found were, as with my discovery of the various locations of shipyards or fleets that would either no longer exist or have been converted or scrapped by the Republic in the intervening millennia since the Empire fell, of far less present value. Masks designed to allow the Dark Lord of the Sphere to speak directly with agents dozens of sectors away, along with records of the various Senators, officials, business figures, criminal organisations, and everything and everyone else who had been bribed, coerced, or outright threatened into secretly serving the Empire, were at his fingertips. The names were useless, but there were accounts listed that might still be active and, most importantly, claimable. While many of those account codes matched ones taken from the Treasury Bureau, over a hundred were new accounts. Until we departed the system and Sith Space, however, we wouldn't be able to confirm if the codes linked to still active accounts and if the security clearances he had located would still be effective.



Maul had gained control over the Sphere of Sith Doctrine, which incorporated the former Spheres of Ancient Knowledge, Mysteries, and Sith Philosophy. I suspected that if the original twelve seats on the Dark Council had remained, then he would've taken one of the military seats, particularly if he hadn't evolved after I had defeated him on Naboo. However, he had changed since then, and in the short time I'd known him since I had bested him in a duel and gained his allegiance, he had displayed far more focus, control, and insight than I had expected for the former Sith Assassin.



From what I'd seen of the corridor leading to the chambers for that Sphere, the entrance had a more natural look than either Dooku's domain or mine. The walls were jagged and raw, as if one were entering the maw of some ancient beast. They were covered with Sith glyphs that glowed the same colour as those in the Sphere of Military Command, but with a more chaotic nature.



According to Maul, the main room of his domain continued that aesthetic, though the walls had the shapes of what he believed were ancient Sith lords. From the records he'd provided, rather amusingly, I'd seen one of the statutes – the one closest to the entrance to that room from the Dark Council Chamber – was that of King Adas. The one next to it wasn't anyone I recognised, but was another member of the Sith species.



The room held a large, central holographic projector, as my domain did. However, instead of being part of a table to allow command and oversight of every military operation inside and out of the empire's domain, the projector in Maul's domain allowed access to the teachings stored within a repository deeper within the private chambers. These teachings and concepts – some of which Maul claimed challenged or even outright conflicted with what Sidious had taught him – dated back to the time of King Adas, though the majority were from after the first Dark Jedi arrived on Korriban and took control of the Sith species.



Unlike myself or Dooku, the items Maul had found were still, in theory of use. Of those included manuscripts, some were made of the flesh of countless species, likely the skin of defeated enemies. They were covered in ancient Sith glyphs and runes, a few of which Maul could recognise from his training with Sidious, but not nearly as many as I felt he should. That was another small moment where it was confirmed to Maul that Sidious restricted some of his teachings. While the Zabrak had not vocalised it, I felt he believed that it was a further sign that Sidious never had any intention of making Maul his true Apprentice once Plagueis was killed.



The repository of Maul's domain also contained dozens of holocrons. While Maul had only managed to access one of them, he already believed they were focused on teaching and guiding Sith who followed in their footsteps, ensuring their knowledge, influence, and insights would not be lost to the ashes of time. There was one holocron that had been displayed more centrally than any other, and when Maul had shown it to me, I had felt the power and legacy of its creator swarming into the Force, almost as if it sought to reshape the very air into something different. That holocron, along with all the others and everything else found by the three of us, had been transported to the Vhett and stored in one of the cargo holds.



Said hold was off-limits to Anakin for obvious reasons, but he already said he felt a pull towards something inside it. When he was older, I would see about allowing him access to the growing collection of Sith artefacts that we were gathering, but he was far from ready for that. I had sensed he disliked being denied the chance to see what we'd procured from the Council chambers. Thankfully, with his work on understanding, repairing, and likely even upgrading the three potentially salvageable ships of the era this Empire had existed in, he was content to obey my rule on the matter, at least for the time being.



The collection from each of our domains was stored in one spot in the hold. Each pile was impressive for the number of items it contained. Though if the repositories Dooku and Maul had within their domains were as lacking as mine was, then what we had gathered from them was but a fraction of what would've been stored here during the apex of the empire's rule.



There were five collections in total in the hold, as we had eventually managed to gain access to the domains of the other two Spheres that currently sat empty. It had taken us most of the third day in the Chamber to determine how we could access those domains and then overcome the various mechanisms to unlock them. The mechanical controls, which Maul had discovered were built into our thrones, had been relatively easy to activate and then disable. The real challenge had lain in proving that there was currently no Dark Lord for the Spheres of Scientific Advancement and Civil Administration.



We had been tested by the Dark Council Chamber to prove we were capable of unlocking the currently unaligned Spheres. Beyond once more having to confirm our power and domination over our chosen Spheres, we had to work together to activate what Dooku had come to call the Seal of the Dark Council. A giant Sith rune, one etched into the ground before the dais on which our thrones rested, had to be empowered by our control and might. Without the presence of two other Dark Lords, it had been a challenge, requiring us to use almost all our reserves of the Force to activate it. It only took place after we learnt how to empower the Seal in the first place and then, through trial and error, discovered how to combine our power to ignite the Seal.



Once it had been empowered by our unified will, the Seal had engulfed the Chamber in a brilliant and ominous light that burnt the colour of a crystal from a Sith lightsaber. The entire Chamber had been flooded in that light to the point where it, even with the HUD working to dull the brightness without costing me vision, had been hard to see anything. Haran, the HUD had probably made it worse for me as it struggled to understand and process what was happening, as it failed to confine to any programmed parameters the armour's inbuilt system had.



Through the Force, we had all felt the Seal reach out to the throne of the Emperor – or Empress, depending on the era – as if seeking permission to grant our request, or the right to strike us down for our arrogance. When the throne had glowed with a dark power that seemed to swallow the light, air, and even the Force within the Chamber, I swore my heart had stopped. For the few moments before the Imperial Throne responded, I had feared we had overstepped so badly that the Citadel, obeying the last legacy of the final Emperor, would strike us down for our pride in trying to assume control over the unseated Spheres.



The Throne hadn't done that, thank the Force, but during those moments when the world seemed to stop, I'd felt something unexpected. A pull to the Throne, one that seemed to echo through the Force and my blood. I'd ignored the sensation at the time, concerned it was a trap designed to prove my inferiority for sitting on the Dark Council, and prepared myself for the Throne to challenge our intentions, and challenge us, or at least me, it had.



My mind had been assaulted by something far older and more powerful than anything I'd ever experienced before. It was as if, during those long seconds – for that was all the HUD confirmed to have been –the Throne was using the Force to rip the deepest parts of my soul from my body and pull them apart to find something. What it had been looking for, I still had no idea a day later, but when the moment had passed, and the Throne's will had released me, I had almost fallen from my chair.



When I recovered, I found both Dooku and Maul had come over, though the Zabrak was less concerned by my reaction than my former Master. The seal on the floor had darkened again while I had recovered from my ordeal, and after confirming to Dooku that I was well, I realised the doors to the other corridors had opened. Not just to the two remaining Spheres, but also the others that were linked to the seven Spheres that no longer existed.



Those seven corridors led to rooms controlled by one of the five later Spheres that Empress Acina had created, and while the central room and the systems there remained intact, the other rooms were empty. It seemed that in reforming the Council, Acina had ensured that all the items and knowledge of the old, abandoned Spheres were transferred to the new Spheres. Still, that left the Spheres of Scientific Advancement and Civil Administration for us to explore, which was something we had done yesterday, with both Spheres having considerable overlap with the Spheres that Dooku and I had gained control over. Hells, even Maul's Sphere shared some common ground with them, though to a far less extent than Dooku or me.



From Civil Administration, I was able to fill in many of the gaps regarding where the components of literally everything and anything the Empire had used were created, and the process of getting them to the various shipyards, factories, and training facilities throughout Imperial space. There were huge datafiles containing every law enacted, struck off, altered, or overridden for the entire history of the Empire, along with records of every crime, no matter how minor, that had been brought before any official in the Empire from the lowliest governor of a small backwater mining facility to those punished by the Dark Council itself. Most of that data was highly unlikely to ever be of use, but I did intend to go over the laws of the Empire. Given the insane list of files, I now had to examine and read, to say nothing of the various holocrons and other artefacts, there was a good chance that some might be adaptable in the future. Perhaps not for the Mando'ade, but for others who wished to join the forces I intended to build in preparation for galactic war and then whatever lay on the other side once the Banite Sith, Jedi, and Republic were defeated.



From Scientific Advancement, I gained access to the schematics of almost everything the Empire had ever designed, crafted, or used. From advanced concepts to improve blaster efficiency to ways to improve firing speeds without increasing the breakdown of the weapons, it was all there.



Now, there was a good chance that much of this information was now common in the galaxy, or perhaps more unfortunately, had been replaced by other methods. However, there was a chance that some of the information might've been lost to the modern era. Such data was the only thing taken from any of the Spheres that I intended for Anakin to browse once we left Dromund Kaas, though Maul had already begun going over some of the research when he wasn't busy with what he had learnt from the Sphere he controlled.



One rather unnerving place in the corridors belonging to the Sphere of Scientific Advancement was a vault. One containing genetic samples of a variety of creatures from across the galaxy. Some of the creatures stored there were ones I recognised. All that was functionally left was the data that had their genetic structure recorded, as any viable samples had long since degraded when the general power of the Citadel had failed millennia ago. Kath hounds, gundarks, rancors, sarlaccs, and others had their makeup recorded in the datafiles. Even, in an odd throwback for me, that of the krayt dragons of Tatooine. However, many other creatures were ones I'd never heard of. Maul and Dooku had, at least for some, confirmed they were long rumoured to be Sithspawn; beasts created by Force Alchemy, or perhaps more accurately, Sith Alchemy, using the Dark Side. Creatures such as tuk'ata like Fenrir.



Regarding my companion, I could still sense him through the Force. He was well and enjoying the new locations he could explore, claim, and hunt in. Well, bar one moment yesterday when it had felt as if he'd been in danger. Whatever had threatened him hadn't wounded him, at least not in any meaningful way. Fenrir hadn't killed it, as I'd never felt the rush of joy and demand for adulation that accompanied any truly worthy kill of his. Since we weren't planning on leaving the Citadel, or at least Kaas City, for a few more days, I was comfortable letting him spend time away from us, though, at the first sensations of him being in danger that threatened to kill him, I'd shatter a path to reach him and help him emerge victorious from whatever dared to challenge him.



For both Spheres that were unclaimed, the corridors leading from their central rooms were sealed. Dooku, Maul, and I had considered trying to force them open, but had decided against it. The Force shifted violently as we approached one of the internal doors inside the domain of the Sphere of Scientific Advancement, and without an understanding as to what lay beyond, or the danger we might face in trying to breach the inner rooms of the Sphere, we had wisely decided not to push further.



However, just as when the Seal had activated and opened the other corridors leading from the Dark Council Chamber, I felt the Imperial Throne held the key. Whoever led the Empire at a given time would be able to override any locks one of their Dark Council had placed on their domains and knowledge. They served at the pleasure of the Emperor after all. Add in the odd sensation that had lingered ever since the Seal had activated that seemed to draw me towards the Throne while making clear I wasn't yet capable of claiming it, and I'd often found myself standing in the Chamber looking at the Imperial Throne in the hopes that whatever was connecting me to it would grant me the answers I demanded but continually failed to rip from the Force.



Moving around the Throne, my eyes once again examined the design for any clue that I might have somehow missed when I'd looked over the imposing chair before. Beyond sitting on a slightly higher elevation than those of the Dark Council chairs and having the central location, the Throne demanded attention.



At nearly three metres high at the back, crafted from a strain of obsidian that was darker than anything I'd ever seen. Now that the power was restored to the Chamber pulsing with crimson energy that reached into the Force and stole any hint of warmth or light from the surroundings, it was impossible to ignore. The back of the chair was crafted in the image of a single figure, who I was all but certain was the first Emperor, Vitiate. I had no proof of that, yet I knew it. Almost as if the Force wanted me to know who had once sat here, as it teased and tormented me with the offer to claim the Throne, yet the clear pressure within to make clear it wasn't time for me to take my rightful place.



Behind the Throne, the massive, sealed doorway to the Emperor's Chamber also teased and tormented me. The metal the door was composed of defied my armour's ability to classify. There was durasteel, obsidian, and a dozen other alloys, metals, and gemstones within it, yet the HUD could neither explain how the doors were crafted from what was within it, nor why it resisted all attempts of my armour's sensors to scan it.



I felt as though I understood why. The door was a creation of Sith Alchemy, and the magnitude and power of the Force user who'd created it ensured none but one worthy of claiming the Imperial Throne could make the doors open. It was the only location within the Citadel that we had yet to enter, ignoring sections that were ruined to the extent that no entry was possible.



While the Citadel had stood undisturbed for millennia, during the fall of the Empire, Kaas City had been bombarded by a massive Republic fleet. The Jedi had led ground forces against the city, killing anyone and everyone they found. An act that proved the failings and hypocrisy of the Order and Republic. Not so much in trying to exterminate a threat that had loomed over them for centuries and had done so many times in the past, but in their inability to do what was truly needed.



They had ransacked the city, obliterated every meaningful building and location, yet the Citadel had been left almost entirely intact. It was as if they either wished it to become a monument to the failure of the Sith, or that even their greatest warriors were unwilling to enter the building, and specifically this chamber, and destroy the legacy of knowledge of the Sith. Haran, they could've simply committed to glassing the planet from orbit with their fleet, ensuring the knowledge on the planet was destroyed forever, and the world, and the Dark Side Nexus that it was, was rendered inert and devoid of any hint of anything of use. They hadn't, and the Sith had returned several times over the millennia since the fall of this Empire and almost brought down the Republic and Jedi on occasion.



While the Banite Sith would soon ensure the Republic fell, and take the Jedi with them, it was the failure on this world untold years ago that might have been one of the Jedi's greatest mistakes. The knowledge, history, and power that the Sith Empire had once wielded had lingered, and now, along with Dooku and Maul, I had control over it. Now, if I could only claim the final challenge the Citadel presented to me, I could leave here satisfied.



"I suspected that I would find you here." I didn't need to turn to know who the speaker was. I had sensed Maul's approach for a while, his presence one I was now extensively familiar with as it was one of only three Force signatures that existed within Kaas City. Well, signatures of a sentient, at any rate, as at the very edges of my senses, if I pushed them out as far as I dared go, I could feel the tremors of bestial danger within the Force that lingered from all manner of creatures that now considered the city their home and hunting grounds. While none that had come close to the Citadel would be something I considered a true threat, to avoid having to deal with any such creatures becoming distractions, the entrance that we had located on the ground had been sealed again. This time, in a way that only someone with high explosives or true command over the Force could overcome.



"Can you blame me?" I replied to the Zabrak as he climbed the steps of the dais to the Dark Council seats and the Imperial Throne. "We both know this represents power on a scale beyond anything we've encountered so far on this world."



"It does, but it seems that it only wishes for you to claim it."



I glanced at the Zabrak, flashing a smile that he would see as my helmet rested upon my seat within this chamber. "It might wish for me to claim it, but it also denies me the chance to approach, never mind rest upon it." I looked at Maul, catching a flicker of irritation from him through the Force. "Does it anger you that I'm drawn to the throne and not you?"



"Yes." The answer was quick and truthful. "I can hear the whispers of the Force; those voices we all endure that offer power while hiding the consequences of listening to them. As they do with Dooku, they whisper to me that I should assume the throne, not you. That I'm the worthy one."



"And will you try?" I asked, challenging him even as I failed to sense the potential shifting of the Force that indicated a threat was at hand.



"No," He replied simply. "I gave you my word to stand as your ally as we move against my former Master, the Republic, and the Jedi, so long as you proved yourself worthy. So far, you have not disappointed." His lips twitched upwards into a smile that exposed his sharp teeth. "In fact, if I was feeling generous, I might say you have exceeded my expectations. Not just by insisting that I accompany you and others on this mission, but in how you have handled the power and danger that lurks ready to strike if we show the slightest hint of weakness or become unworthy of the power we have gained."



I chuckled. "I'm glad I impress you."



"Impress is far too strong a word," Maul shot back, his smile growing as he moved to my side. "As I said, you have exceeded expectations. For you to impress me…" his words trailed off, and his gaze moved to the Throne.



"I don't wish to become an Emperor," I said honestly, drawing his attention back to me. "Don't get me wrong, I intend to become the leader of the Mando'ade and any others who flock to my banner and are worthy of joining me. However, this throne, for all the power it represents, is a legacy of the Sith. A lineage that carries with it power but also failure. The Sith, no matter how powerful any single member grows, or how close they come to toppling the Jedi and Republic, always fail. Their code, much like that of the Jedi, is flawed. I admit that I don't truly understand how or why, but I know that it is. The Sith, at least the vast majority of them that have ever existed, lack the honour and conviction to truly be more than their code wishes them to be. They tie themselves to an ideal that cannot help them break free of their chains."



Maul stood beside me, silent as if pondering my words, as I returned my focus to the Throne. That lingering connection I felt to it, the draw within the Force that tugged at my mind and challenged me to claim the seat while taunting me that I wasn't ready, grew stronger. As if my words to Maul had been understood by it, the Dark Side swirled around this chamber, waiting to be harnessed and unleashed.



"You do not consider yourself Sith?"



"No."



"Yet you draw upon and control it as a Sith would."



"Because that is how one uses the Dark Side. To do otherwise with its power is to see yourself carried away into the depthless eddies that exist in the maelstrom of the Force. However, I cannot simply stand by and allow the Force to decide for me what is best, as those who draw upon the Light Side for aid do. Nor, as much as I might once have considered it an option, do I seek a path between the two sides of the Force. That path… leads only to madness. No matter what those who cannot understand the Force might say, the Force is always in conflict. Each side is a current that moves around in the greater whole, seeking dominance over the other so its ideals and goals, however foreign to our minds they might be, shape the galaxy."



"You are not the one I faced on Naboo." I turned to face him, seeking clarification. "Not within the Force, not in how you fight, nor in how you think. I admit, however, to not studying your thoughts as deeply as I might have. My former Master was more intent on ensuring I was capable of defeating you. Something, in your then limited form, I would have done so easily if not for your armour."



"A flaw I was aware of and prepared for, and while it did help me survive against you on Naboo, we can both agree that I only just did so."



Maul nodded. "Indeed. Yet when we faced each other on Mandalore, you proved that you had grown stronger since then, while I had not. At least not as a direct combatant."



"I assure you that the outcome will not be different the next time we duel," I said, sliding that into the void as he finished, the challenge he would present me not needing to be vocalised, "though I look forward to your attempt. Not because I seek to enjoy your defeat but because one can only grow stronger when challenged by those worthy of standing beside them as equals."



The Zabrak's head inclined slightly as if accepting the praise of his ability, even if I knew he felt he would win our next duel. "My former Master believed that we proved our might, our power, by killing any who stood in our way. The manner did not matter so long as the threat was removed. From the moment he began my training, that mantra was driven into my head, in manners that would break lesser beings."



"A flawed perspective."



"Two years ago, I would have struck you down for such a remark."



"Perhaps," I replied with a chuckle, one Maul matched. "And now?"



"Now, I find myself, as I do with almost everything related to my former Master, questioning his words and ideals. If one kills all those who might present a challenge, how is one able to continue to improve? How can a warrior do anything but dull their edge if no trial stands before them?"



"Judge a man by the quality of his enemies," I muttered, drawing a look from Maul. "It was an expression I heard when I was much, much younger." I chuckled at my private joke as the saying had come from my old life. "One that I didn't understand for a long time. Not until I faced my enemies. First on Zonama Sekot and then on Naboo."



Maul nodded, accepting the comment. "Yet you have turned this enemy into… an acquaintance."



"I hope to turn you into an ally, Maul," I countered with a smirk. "For what greater power can one have than to make those who would stand against them turn and fight at their side in full awareness of the truth? Sidious plans to use the Jedi as pawns in the war for the Grand Plan; to throw them into the fires of war, and while they think they are fighting to defend the Republic, he will turn the people against them. A bold plan, and one that I feel will work, but what good is it to stand alone in a galaxy turned to ash? What honour or value can one find when one has no enemies, no way to be challenged to grow and increase one's power?"



"Not all who face you will be willing, as I am, to listen to your words. Nor have the… opportunity to be open to understanding your meaning."



"Then that is their failing, not mine." I turned back to the Throne. "When I lead, I want those at my side who wish to be there. Not because they seek fame or fortune, or hope to indulge their passion for anarchy and carnage. What I want, what I perhaps even need, is for others to fight with me because they see what I wish to build from the coming chaos and wish to see it given form as well."



Maul stared at me intently as I continued to look at the Throne, feeling the almost mocking amusement of the Force that was layered around that seat so tightly that it was as if I was gazing into the event horizon of a black hole. "If not for where we stood, and having felt the truth of your power and how you wield it, I might consider such words akin to what a Jedi might say. Or at least a Jedi that understood that each day was meant to be a battle."



"Good thing I'm not a Jedi then."



Maul barking laughed at my comment. "It is indeed. Yet the more time I spend around you, Shan, the more I find myself questioning if you ever were one. Or how the Order ever tolerated your… proclivity for bringing forth disorder."



"For the latter, they believed, I suspect, that they could change me, and that my potential with the Force was too great to be ignored." I glanced at him for a moment. "The Jedi, or at least their senior members, know of the changes Sidious and Plagueis brought forth within the Force, Maul. They have been aware of the renewed potential threat of the Sith for over a decade. That I arrived, as if gifted to them by the Force, from an ancient time with a name linked to their past, was taken by some to mean I was their Chosen One."



Maul scoffed, dismissing that idea. I knew of the Sith ideal of the Sith'ari. Adas had been that in his era, as had others throughout history. Both he and Malgus felt the Jedi concept of a Chosen One was simply them copying – as they claimed was often the case – Sith ideas and corrupting them to their flawed mentality. Perhaps there was truth to that, perhaps not. What mattered was that both Sith and Jedi believed there would come some saviour, visionary, or champion to bring balance to the Force.



The Force didn't care about us; it never had. It cared about itself and sought balance within whatever passed for its sentience. To think that it would use one being out of an uncountable number that existed within this galaxy, to say nothing of other galaxies, to achieve that was insanity and delusion. When it came to the Force and how it saw us, we were dust in the wind or dirt in the current. Nothing more, nothing less.



"As for the former, you might well be right. The idea of sitting back and letting some, quote-unquote higher power, guide my actions, that I should ignore the deep, systemic issues that raged in the galaxy and clashed against what I believed because it was 'what the Force wills' never sat well with me." I laughed softly and shook my head. "Probably because I didn't grow up in the Temple for them to brainwash me with their ideology."



"Now, I'm not saying every Jedi drinks from the same fountain, but the majority know no other way. They cannot see the truth of how the galaxy views them or the Force. They remain blind to the realities of the Republic, yet cling to its coattails like Kath hounds raised in captivity."



"That is one of the reasons why I never told them what I knew of Sidious, Plagueis and the Grand Plan. I see the benefit in them enacting it and doing away with the Jedi and Republic. Not because what the Banite Sith have planned will be better." I raised my hands and indicated the chamber we stood in. "We can see how the Sith ideology always ends. No, I support the Grand Plan because it will, I hope, remove the blindfold from the eyes of many, both inside and out of the Jedi."



"You speak of the girl from Naboo?"



"Among others," I confirmed. Maul knew my connection to Serra, though not the true depth of it. Well, not unless Anakin had blabbed something he shouldn't. "Vos and Secura, the Kiffar and Twi'lek I have spoken about with Dooku, are two others whom I might be able to free from their shackles. Something I won't deny will be easier given the memory loss they suffered. However, I know they won't be the only ones. Many in the Order will turn against it, and those who come to understand that the Force doesn't care for us and that we should use its power for greater causes than seeking balance, have the potential to be worthwhile allies."



"Until the Grand Plan begins, none will understand the truth." Maul's tone was flat, but I felt the kernel of uncertainty from him. Not at his words but at my goals.



I smiled. One that, if any in the Jedi Council or even the Banite Sith saw, they would instantly recognise as a threat to their way of life. "I have plans for that, don't worry."



… …

---

… …

I piloted the Vhett through the skies above Kaas City, staying low enough that we avoided lifting into the storm clouds that engulfed the skies. As had been the case ever since we had arrived on Dromund Kaas, the sky was ablaze with a thunderous storm, one that roared within the Force and unleashed its fury regularly through lightning strikes against the ground.



While much of the city was in ruins, bar the Imperial Citadel that we had left this morning, many of the spires that had once sat on top of the buildings remained, drawing the strikes to them. Normally, that would make flying in the storm easier as the spires would conduct the fury of the strikes away from our vessel. However, many of the spires either lay at odd angles as the buildings they sat on had toppled over, or had fallen to the ground or into other buildings during the millennia of neglect the city and planet had undergone since the collapse of the Sith Empire that had once ruled half the known galaxy from this world.



Sensing an incoming strike before the ship's systems alerted me to it, I drove the Vhett down, swooping us under the remains of one building that had fallen into another, making it appear as some gigantic but forgotten bridge crossing the chasm of the jungle-covered streets below. Vines hung down from the toppled building, though they offered little resistance to our ships as we smashed through them, the thick stems of the plants bouncing hopefully harmlessly off the upper hull.



"Woo-hoo!" Anakin shouted from the gunner's station behind me, his enjoyment of the sudden shift in vector feeding his enjoyment of the chaotic flight we were taking this morning.



"I would prefer if you did not act as if this ship were a pod racer."



The comment came from Dooku who sat at the sensor station in the cockpit, while Simvyl sat at the co-pilot's seats monitoring the various power readings of the Vhett as pushed her to her limits for atmospheric flight as we banked hard to the left to avoid a rumble falling from above; no doubt broken loose by the very lightning strike I'd made us duck under the fallen building to avoid.



"Systems normal. Barely."



I ignored the report from Simvyl as I pushed the nose of the Vhett up, lifting us upwards again, though not above the tops of any building still standing. Normally, flying as recklessly as I appeared to be through the high-rise buildings of a city was a dangerous proposition, even more so given the damage Kaas City has suffered in the thousands of years since it was last inhabited. Thanks to files from the Bureau of Transportation, we had a full layout of the city which was programmed into the Vhett's computer and my armour. The HUD was displaying the map for me, plotting out the most expedient route to our destination, though I wasn't trusting it entirely as we'd already been forced to swerve down different streets due to debris and fallen buildings.



"I assure you, Master," I replied to Dooku even as the Vhett turned on its axis, "that I'm only taking the most expedient route to our destination." The ship had turned on its side so we could fly between two buildings that had crumbled and fallen into each other, almost entirely blocking the narrow space that had once existed between them. "If I wanted this to be a podrace, I'd have let Anakin take the controls."



"Really?" "Please no."



The second comment had come from Simvyl under his breath, and I felt his fear at having to endure Anakin's piloting skills again. My son and Apprentice had managed to repair one of the two Sith vessels – the one the records classed as a Fury-Class and its systems registered it as the Starblade – and had taken it out for a test flight the day before with Simvyl and R2. Of course, Anakin being Anakin had decided that once it passed the basic checks, to push the envelope and put the ancient vessel through its paces.



By the time the Starblade and the trio had returned, smoke was billowing from three points on the hull, while there was a large section of the underbelly that had been seemingly dug out by whatever they had grazed against. Anakin hadn't been concerned and almost bounced down the ship's ramp, wanting to fix the damage and go out again. Simvyl, however, had looked a little worse for wear while R2 had, much to my continuing amusement, reached the floor of the landing bay and then, with a painful-sounding whine, fallen over as if he was drunk or about to be sick.



I'd asked him not to push the ships too hard in future, as we were going to be taking them when we left, and I didn't want any to be unable to be capable of hyperspace flight because of him taking a joyride. Anakin had accepted my order reluctantly, though once I told him that he could push them to his heart's content once we were back on Mandalore, he had brightened up and begun assaulting me with suggested upgrades he wanted to apply to the trio of vessels in the bay. Much of it went over my head, but it was clear he'd found another project to satisfy his technical interests. I just hoped that he would wait to start these ones until the droid he'd been designing was ready for construction.



"The majority of us would prefer if your Apprentice did not assume control, Cameron. Certainly not while we are on this world and subject to the seemingly never-ending storms."



"Yes, Master," I replied with a chuckle that he couldn't see but would undoubtedly sense through the Force. Much of the rest of the conversation faded away there as I focused on piloting the vessel, guiding us ever closer to our destination. I ignored it and focused on what I knew lay ahead of us.



Even without the maps of Kaas City's layout, or even the scans taken with the Vhett when we'd first approached, I'd know where we were going. The entire planet was blanketed in the Dark Side of the Force to an almost tyrannical degree. Yet, within the boundaries of Kaas City, two places echoed into that oppression like beacons to those attuned to the Force. One had been the Citadel, or more accurately, the still unclaimed Imperial Throne and the chamber that lay behind it in the Dark Council Chambers. The other was our destination today, the Imperial Palace. A place that had for hundreds of years been the home of the first Emperor, and one whose reign was longer than every other Emperor and Empress combined, Vitiate.



With each second that passed as we neared our destination, the Force seemed to pulse with expectancy. Vitiate was long dead; the records obtained from the Dark Council Chambers confirmed that beyond any doubt. His very essence had been obliterated when he had gone too far and been challenged by Jedi, Sith, and even supposedly Force Ghosts, yet I could feel his presence. As if somehow, even after being obliterated and expelled from existence, some small part of him had managed to linger on, clinging to the Force on this world in the hope of… something.



I shook my head slightly, clearing thoughts of Vitiate from them. I had no proof of it, but I was certain it was his presence I felt around the Imperial Throne. The one that challenged me to claim the mantle of Emperor and yet laughed at me for being unready.



Enduring that every time I entered the Dark Council Chambers over the last nine days had pushed my control in ways I'd never expected to experience. I had resisted the mocking challenge each time it was given, but the constant certainty of it had grated at me each time. Perhaps it was making me stronger, more able to resist false temptations, but I couldn't be sure of that, and, while we would return to the Citadel once the Imperial Palace was explored and raided for what items of value we could gather, I was glad to be away from that chair.



As the Vhett emerged from the last building before the Imperial Palace, the systems bleeped for attention even as the HUD of my armour blinked. "Bloody hell," I muttered as I saw what lay before us.



What I had expected to see was the grounds of the Palace with the main building further on. Even from the Citadel, once I realised that there was a connection between what I felt from the Force and the Palace, I had felt a pull towards the Palace. Add in that the Force seemed to be bending inwards there as if using the Dark Side to draw the attention of anyone strong in the Force while simultaneously creating a foreboding sense of danger and death that only a fool would consider approaching, and I had been oddly excited to see the Palace up close. Yet what greeted my sight, and what had caused the sensors of the ship and my armour to go crazy, was the storm that appeared almost impenetrable.



The storm seemed to engulf every inch of ground that was considered part of the Imperial Palace, with lightning crackling inside dark, ominous clouds, threatening to strike at any who dared approach. The crack of one chain through the air burnt a vicious purple and seemed to laugh at me through the Force. I snarled at the challenge, as I felt the Force raging not just within the Palace but in the storm as well, as if this was no ordinary act of nature but a physical manifestation of the most dangerous and twisted sordid depths of the Dark Side of the Force.



"I do not recall this storm being present when we first landed on the planet."



"It wasn't," Simvyl replied to Dooku as I focused on the storm and the readings from the Vhett's scanners that were being fed into my HUD. "At least not anything like… whatever this is."



Each time the scanners detected the potential for a path that led deeper into the raging maelstrom before us, the route closed, and flickers of violent power snarled across the sky. No, not just in the sky, I realised, but within the Force. Whatever lingered of the first Emperor was controlling and directing the flurry that lay before us.



"It's the Force," I commented as I brought the ship to a halt, having us float close to the ground to avoid any strikes from the natural storm above us while staying high enough that no beast might get the insane idea to attempt to jump or fly up to us. "Something in the Palace is challenging our right to approach."



The door to the cockpit opened, and, without turning, I knew Maul was entering. "Magnificent," the Zabrak muttered as the door closed behind him.



"Perhaps not the word many would use, but I can see why you chose it," Dooku commented.



I remained silent as I watched the Force Storm that raged over the Palace and its surrounding grounds. Each crackle of power that snapped through the clouds caused alerts to flare on the Vhett's consoles. The energy readings were concerning. Enough that only a few strikes would be capable of overloading the shields, which weren't currently engaged as they drew the attention of lightning or at least natural lightning. I had no concept of what might draw the fury of the Dark Side storm that seethed before us.



"What are we to do?"



I ignored Simvyl's question, closed my eyes, and, after gathering the Force around me to my command, reached out for the storm. A gasp slipped from my lips as I sensed the remnants of something ancient, powerful, and malevolent. The lingering presence of the Sith who had once ruled an empire from this world. Now, I had no proof that what I was sensing, what was clashing against my probe and seeking to destroy, consume, and control me, was Vitiate, but there was no other entity that I felt it could be. This was his palace, and while it was far stronger here, the taste, for lack of a better word, of the Force that spread into and subjugated the Force around the Imperial Palace was the same as what I'd felt from the Throne back at the Citadel.



Just like the Throne, even within the turmoil of power that promised death to any who dared approach while unprepared for the challenge, I felt something call to me and beckon me forward. That if I could overcome the challenge of the Force-imbued storm and reach the Palace, that in its depths lay power that was mine to claim, along with answers to questions I wasn't sure I knew to ask.



Even though it couldn't be, my body seemed unnaturally cold, yet my skin felt as if it was on fire while a throb of unknown origin built within my replacement limb. I growled as the remnant of Vitiate within the storm pushed against my probe, trying to torment and crush my will. I pushed back, driving the sensations from my mind. They weren't real, nor was I being challenged by the Emperor, but the echo of him that somehow lingered and was centred around his palace.



Before I could fully recover, my mind was assaulted by images. Memories that weren't mine. I saw Sith fighting Jedi and each other. Wars against other groups of Force users, warriors, scholars, and scientists. Civilians, children, and anyone and everyone cut down in pain. Their terror, rage, sadness, disbelief and every other emotion under the stars flooded into my thoughts, attempting to overwhelm and consume everything that made me who I was. Screams of lives that were snuffed out by a wave that moved to engulf a planet. Anguished snarls as energy infused with the Dark Side ravaged their bodies and shattered their minds. Soul consumed by a monster with the power to end life on any world it touched.



Yet, within the swarming insanity that washed over me, I felt something pull me deeper, drawing me further into the bedlam that I was experiencing. It felt as if this was where I was meant to be, as if this was my purpose to exist, and all I had to do was claim my destiny and embrace my desires to see the galaxy tremble at my feet. Even as I felt those tempting moments of triumph, it felt as if I was being pulled asunder, that everything that made me what I was being obliterated in the madding eddies that lay at the darkest, most vile nadirs of the Dark Side.



The lure of it all, of power beyond anything I could ever imagine, while losing myself, assaulted my mind, trying to render me limb from limb or shatter my mind into countless fractions of what I was while becoming something greater and grander than the galaxy had ever known was an elixir and poison merged into one.



As the insanity my mind was enduring continued, I heard whispers in tongues I couldn't understa… no, I knew what they said, I could comprehend their word. The language of the ancient Sith was flooding into my mind even as I fought to retain my sense of self. The voices whispered of the power I could claim; that I would hold if I only accepted who I was. What I was. If I acknowledged the might of the emperor and let him in.



The offer enticed and tempted me, showing me my deepest desires and secrets. Of the chance to have everything and anything I wished. All I had to do was accept what was being offered. Yet I felt myself snarling at the offer, my fury rising from the innermost points of my soul to challenge the whispers, to reject their false promises.



There was something about what I was experiencing that was inviting, yet it would cost me everything to have it. That was a price I would not and could not pay. My path was one I would determine. Not that of one who had failed and fallen thousands of years ago.



The voices shifted, threatening me with the pain and suffering I would endure for failing to obey. Of the death, carnage, and violence rejecting the offers would bring, however, I pushed them back. My mind was mine, my future mine. No one and nothing would decide it for me. Not the Force, not the ghosts of long-dead Sith, not my bloodline. Nothing.



Within the Force, I pushed back against the snarling voices and the attempts to distract, divert, and divide my attention and being. The echo of the Emperor seemed to almost snarl back at me, and the whispered offers in the voices of a thousand dead Sith grew louder as if trying to drown out who I was with their intensity, but I was having none of it. No one but myself would determine my path forward.



Suddenly, I felt the presence of another in the Force with me and the echo. One of cold, refined, precise iron that could withstand the heat of the brightest sun. That, I realised, as I wasn't the only one being challenged by the echo, was Dooku, standing with me both as a friend and ally, ready to shape the path to the future. A moment later, I felt Maul's presence, one of controlled, intense fury, as well as he too resisted the offer and insanity rippling through the Force enough that I could sense him over the madness.



Yet, even as whatever lingering remnant of the Emperor that resided within the Palace pulled back, I suffered a moment of panic. We were not the only three Force users present. Opening my eyes and barely registering that the Force storm over the Palace had pulled back slightly, I turned and looked at Anakin.



His face was pale, and he shivered as I shifted from my seat to move to him. Moving across the cockpit, Maul shifted to one side to clear a path. I pushed my fury at what the echo was trying to do to the boy into the Force. My rage burnt back the lingering sense of it within the room enough that I could reach Anakin through the Force.



[Resist the voices, Anakin. You are better and stronger than any of them.] I said directly into his mind, hoping my voice would cut through the chaos he was enduring. I could feel the Dark Side latching onto him, trying to drag him down into its depths. The faintest of voices, offering the power to secure his revenge against those who had hurt him and his family, became clear to me. [This is not the path to power,] I continued as I placed my hand on his shoulder, grasping the collar of his armour. [This is not the path you are destined for, nor the one your mother would wish you to take.]



My words, perhaps specifically the mention of his mother, cut through to him. His eyes opened and locked on mine. "Cam." His voice was weak, as if just recovering from a plague. "What?"



"The Dark Side is strong here, Anakin. Stronger than I realised. It wants to draw you in through the offer of promises of power. It lies," I added with a snarl that had him blinking. "What it offers only leads to madness. If you take that path, you'll be lost to the Dark Side, unable to claim your path or revenge."



As I felt him push back against the Force, he blinked, the action a fraction of a second slower than normal. "I… it wouldn't let me avenge my mother?"



"It would not." That came from Maul. "It will promise you the power to do that, but in the end, it will take everything from you and make you worse than those who killed her. You would become no better than a rampaging beast."



Anakin's eyes had shifted to the Zabrak as he spoke before returning to me. When they did, I saw a fire in them that I'd never seen before. Before I could say anything, I felt Anakin's presence in the Force shifting and, for arguably the first time, I felt a true hint of the power he had. The air around him seemed to come alive as he pushed back against the echoes with all his might. There was little control to his actions, far less than I would want to see after two years of training, but it didn't matter. The sheer intensity of his will to not succumb to the offers of the remnant voices, or to fail to avenge his mother, was enough that any lingering touch of whatever remained of Emperor Vitiate was burnt away.



I reached into the Force, adding my will to his, pushing the Force back further. Dooku and Maul joined us as well, and our combination easily cleansed the area around us of the insanity of the worst elements of the Dark Side. It still filled the air, so to speak, as the trio of us with full training drew on that side of it to enact our wills. However, the echo of Vitiate did not influence the space around us. There was no opening to attempt to distract or disorientate us.



My hand moved from Anakin's shoulder to his cheek. "Well done," I said to him softly, earning a small smile from him. His skin was still pale, but the colour was returning, as was his inquisitive nature that I always felt within the Force. Even when he was shielding his presence from others in a natural way that few could ever hope to match, I couldn't miss something so deeply ingrained in him.



As I turned to return to my seat, I caught Maul's eyes. There was a flicker of respect there for Anakin, along with a hint of interest, more interest than I'd seen before. Understandable, as this was the first moment that he would've truly glimpsed the power Anakin could wield, and would one day use to help me reshape the galaxy into a better place.



Settling into the seat, I noticed that, while the Force storm remained over the Palace and no clear path existed through it, the Vhett's scanners could now determine details of the location. The outer grounds had been overgrown by the planet, but the main complex of the Palace was free of overgrowth. In particular, the part of the Palace that remained standing and rose like a dark monolith into the storm-filled sky was only framed by the storms above, painting an ominous yet powerful scene.



A good section of the complex, perhaps up to half the outer section, had been reduced to rubble, destroyed in some unknown calamity that had taken place here thousands of years ago. The jungle had reclaimed that area, but at the very point where the damage seemed to have ended, no vines extended. As if the echo of the Emperor that generated the Force-storm over the palace radiated such vile, empowered fury that the plant life of the planet knew to stay back, otherwise it would wither and die.



Even at the distance we were, with the storm pulled back, the design of the Palace was unmistakable. Sharp, angular shapes rose towards the sky with what appeared to be the central and highest section of the Palace. It was undoubtedly the location of the Emperor's quarters and the remnant of his legacy, which clearly seemed to be able to influence the Force around the complex.



There was no doubt in my mind that what we had to explore for the quest was how the Emperor's echo could linger here so long after his destruction. On a personal level, I needed to know why I felt some form of pull towards both the Palace and the Throne in the Citadel, both within that central section, one framed in a twisted form of a ziggurat. Yet, what we would find inside and how we would even gain entrance was unknown, save that the Dark Side would challenge us further the closer we came to the source.



Easing the Vhett forward, I aimed us towards a section of the grounds that, while now covered in growth, was meant to have once been a large, open area. A section designed for those rare times when anyone was summoned to the Palace to speak with the Emperor if he was not present in the Citadel. As the ship responded to my command, I steadied myself, preparing for the trials that lay before us. Trials that I knew would test us in as yet unknown ways.



… …

I moved down the ramp slowly, my lightsaber in my hand and ignited. The Dark Side of the Force swirled around the area heavily, seemingly strengthened by the echo of Emperor Vitiate that had managed to linger for thousands of years after his death. The landing area had been cleared with blaster fire before we landed, driving back the overgrowth of the jungle, yet at the edges of the area where the foliage remained thick, I sensed movement. Whatever creatures considered the swamp of Dromund Kaas home were watching us cautiously, trying to determine if we were predator or prey.



I wished Fenrir were present; his hulking, primal form would've dissuaded whatever was hiding in the brush and behind trees from approaching. However, he was still busy exploring, hunting, and generally doing what any alpha predator would do when dropped into a new environment, particularly one he was designed to flourish within.



I could easily push whatever was in the jungle back, making clear that I and those with me were more dangerous than anything that lurked in the undergrowth. Doing that, however, would mean opening myself up to the Force and pushing my fatal intent out around us. Normally, that wouldn't be a challenge, but with the way the Dark Side was threateningly swirling as I took my first careful steps on the grounds of the Imperial Palace and with the echoes of ancient Sith still whispering ominously at the edge of my perception, I felt better to keep my focus close at hand.



Turning to face the palace, I had to crane my neck back to take in the full size of the central ziggurat. From the air, it had looked massive, but standing as we were a couple of kilometres from the main entrance, it already looked far larger than that. Designed, no doubt, to remind any approaching of their inconsequential insignificance in the face of the Emperor.



I didn't need to look back to ensure the others were following me off the Vhett. Beyond the HUD providing locations for everyone, I could sense them all through the Force. As HK stepped off last, his rifle moving around with his optical sensors seeking a target, the ramp rose. R2 remained behind to ensure the vessel wasn't attacked or boarded by whatever lurked in the jungle, and also to ensure the engines remained hot on the chance we were forced to make a quick evac.



Ideally, I'd have left Anakin behind as well, not wanting to risk my son and Apprentice against whatever lay before us in the Temple. However, beyond his insistence that he felt he had to come – something I had snarled about when I felt the Force wished for it as well – and that I sensed both Dooku and Maul expected me to bring him along, I knew that if I left him he'd simply find a way off the Vhett when I wasn't present and stumble into a situation that might endanger his life. Or at least in a greater way than whatever lay before us in the Palace.



While all of us felt the challenge that lay before us within the Palace would be immense, I alone seemed to feel a draw to the place. As with the Throne in the Dark Council Chambers, it was as if part of my soul, or what connected me to the Force on the most basic and instinctual of levels, needed to enter the Palace and discover something that had been missing that I only now knew about. I was wary that this was some form of trap designed by the Emperor for me because of my bloodline.



Revan had supposedly fought against Vitiate at one point, according to the legends from that era. Some of them said it was Vitiate who turned Revan and Malak to the Dark Side before a connection formed with Bastila restored his soul to the light. Others stated that Revan and Malak had turned after barely escaping the Sith Empire and knew that the only way the galaxy could stand against the Emperor was if it united under his rule. I had no idea if any of those legends were entirely true, as not even HK seemed to know the full truth, or at least he wasn't willing to reveal them to me because of some final order from his Creator. However, whatever the reason for the pull I was experiencing to places drowning in the echo of the first Emperor of this Sith Empire, I knew in my bones that the answer lay within the Palace. The challenge was going to be not just discovering that answer, or even gaining access to the building, but getting to the front door.



Before me lay a bridge, one a good half kilometre long that stretched from the landing area to what appeared to be a courtyard before the first steps to the palace. The bridge was wide, easily able to see a dozen sentients walk side by side along it, yet, for all the grandeur and terror the bridge had likely generated in those forced to walk along it when this Empire stood, now it was barely hanging together by a thread.



Based on the few that remained, and the pedestals that had once housed others, the bridge had been flanked by giant statues of Sith, each one forty or fifty metres high. Each pair of statues had been about ten metres from the last, and all would've once faced inward and downwards at those crossing before them. As if the ancestors of the Sith who'd helped forge the Empire were judging those who now carried its legacy into the future. Those Sith, be it those the statues had been based on, or those who had served during its reign, were gone now, nothing more than dust on the wind. Yet, the imposing spectacle of the statues of those that still stood remained.



A far larger problem was that, of what should be a thousand statues that had once lined the bridge, the HUD was only detecting about two dozen still standing. About the same number lay shattered on the bridge; the force with which they'd crashed into the elevated path had either shattered the stone used in the statues' construction or destroyed sections of the bridge, sending those sections and what remained of the statues into an abyss below.



That abyss, according to the Vhett's scanners, went down at least three kilometres. What lay down there, or where the actual bottom was, the scanners couldn't say. The intense Force-imbued storm that still raged over the Palace interfered with the electronics of the ship, which was part of the reason why I'd chosen to land where we had. The other was that even with the storm having retreated to only cover the central complex of the Palace grounds, there still appeared to be no way through it. Not without the Vhett taking significant damage and potentially leaving us forced to hike back to the Imperial Citadel.



Normally, the damage suffered by the bridge would be minor, at least for those with the right equipment, strong in the Force, or both. However, the HUD was reporting winds over the bridge sweeping by at somewhere north of eighty kilometres per hour. That sort of wind speed, combined with unstable ground, was going to make advancing far trickier than it needed to be, and I was certain the wind was being caused by the Force storm. Not least, as the initial winds the Vhett had detected were less than a third of its current minimum velocity and that the area covering the landing fields was only enduring winds about a sixth of what was assaulting the bridge.



"HK, secure Anakin to your frame," I ordered the droid through the Battlenet. The order was heard by everyone as Maul and Dooku were wearing secure communication headsets. Without those, I'd be forced to speak with them through the Force while commanding HK and Simvyl with the Battlenet. That sort of split communication structure created potential pitfalls that could be fatal at the wrong moment.



Stepping onto the bridge, I braced as the winds snapped at me from the right. Even with the Force active to protect me, and the boots in my armour grasping into the tiles beneath me, I grunted. The wind struck with a vengeance while the whispers in the Force roared at me to go back. That I wasn't worthy of coming any closer. That I was nothing but an imposter.



I pushed back at the voices, driving them from my mind as I grasped the Force around me, twisting it to my will and ripping control of it from whatever echo of the Emperor lingered in the Palace. The winds died down drastically, falling to about half their previous velocity, which, while an improvement, still left me getting buffeted as I took my next few steps.



Moving slowly, I stepped around the first fallen statue, noting the armoured head that looked up at me with indignity at now being little more than a shattered ruin. There was nothing in the Force from the statue, yet I felt an odd connection to the warrior that this statue had been carved in honour of. To see the last link to whatever their legacy was reduced to nothing more than rubble was an injustice, but one I could do little about.



Once I passed that statue, I looked at the bridge ahead. With the wind now nowhere near as strong as it had been, plotting a path was easier. The threat of being caught unawares by hurricane-strength winds and risking falling over the edge of the bridge or into one of the hundreds of holes and breaks in the path and careening into the abyss below was lowered, yet it remained. Each step was taken cautiously, every reading from the armour's sensors along with faint movement in the Force registered and processed by my mind to avoid making a mistake that might cost me my life.



Behind me, the others followed, guided by the path I was crafting over the ruined bridge. My eyes continually flicked to Anakin's marker in the HUD, noting and confirming every minute or so that he was still there, secured to HK and close to Dooku.



Time passed without care as I moved. There was no rush to reach the other side of the bridge, no arbitrary time limit forcing us to race against it. The only threat, seemingly neutered as it was, came from the lingering remnant of Emperor Vitiate, but it felt as if he wished for us, or perhaps just me, to come closer. To step into what remained of his Palace and experience his power and enduring legacy in one of his last bastions of influence. Already, I could sense the Dark Side growing heavy. As if it understood something was slowly coming closer, a confrontation between my will and that of the spirit that somehow remained even after Vitiate was supposedly reduced to nothing by dozens of Jedi and Sith.



About halfway across, I jerked my foot back and the Force screamed a warning. A quick leap back then saved me as the section of the bridge I'd been standing on, one flanked by three still-standing statues, had buckled. The wind had kicked up unexpectedly, and one of the statues on the side of the bridge enduring the buffeting, had buckled. As I kept moving back carefully, I watched as the stone legs of the statue cracked and gave. The entire section of the bridge shook violently as the body and head of the statue struck the walkway, and as some of the tiles fell into a freshly made hole, a statue on the far side toppled as well. Thankfully, that one fell harmlessly into the abyss.



I stayed still, letting the ground in front of me settle, scanning the area with the armour's sensors and using the Force to check for potential further damage that might pose a risk. Once certain there was a relatively safe path forward, I resumed my hike over the bridge, the HUD counting down the metres until I reached the entrance proper to the Imperial Palace.



Once at the other side, as the wind now assaulted me with nothing to offer any protection, I dug my boots into the ground, cracking some of the tiles as I secured my footing. Before me, standing a good thirty metres high, was a massive durasteel gate. The bars of the gate were engraved, like many of the more important locations I'd encountered on this world so far, with Sith runes and glyphs. Interestingly, these didn't glow with power; instead, they lay dormant. The gate rattled as the wind swirled past it and me, though even after thousands of years, I didn't feel they would fall. At least not to the assault of the elements.



Turning around, I watched as Maul joined me before the gate, the others no more than fifteen metres further back on the bridge. I watched quietly as they all moved forward, not turning back to the gate until HK, with Anakin still attached to him, stepped onto the ground near me.



Looking back at the gate, I moved forward slowly, lifting my free arm towards it. I could feel the Force fluctuating around the metal, yet there was no hint of danger. At least not beyond the general, all-encompassing, almost suffocating dread, and oddly encouraging teasing that had slowly risen with each step I'd taken over the bridge.



Not wanting to risk directly touching the gate, the odds of there being some form of trap here far too great to risk it, I summoned the Force to my palm and sent forth a blast. The gate snapped open, its hinges protesting loudly enough at the sudden, violent assault that even over the howl of the wind around my armour, the audio receptors picked it up.



I stood ready, mindful of any potential danger that might emerge from breaching the gate, my lightsaber ignited and prepared to strike. Yet nothing emerged that triggered a warning from the armour's sensors, nor was there a shift in the Force suggesting imminent danger. Oh, there was a looming threat that existed all around us, one focused on the Palace, but that had been the case ever since we'd begun the slow, perilous walk over the bridge.



Taking the lead again, I moved forward slowly, mindful of my steps and that anything might be hiding behind the walls of the Palace that shielded the insides from view. The first thing that greeted my sight was a large open pathway that led directly to the main doors of the Palace. The doors were easily twenty metres high and engraved, as was becoming the norm, with Sith runes and glyphs. The walkway to the Palace entrance was lined by statues like the bridge, but these remained standing, untouched by the passage of time, the planet's weather, or the rage of the Dark Side.



Above us, the Force-imbued storm raged and, as I watched, a bolt of purple energy snapped down from the heavens, striking one of the statues. The monument lit up, the until now unseen sigils carved into it in the alien script of the Sith. For a moment, I was concerned they might somehow become a threat, as if the lightning would cause them to wake from an eternal slumber.



That did not prove to be the case, and before the runes upon them dulled again, the HUD was able to translate a handful of them. The program had been developed over the last few days, starting from what little Maul knew of the script and then working to extrapolate where he could with the hundreds of seemingly unimportant documents he'd been provided with. The astromech was making good progress; however, with few of the files he was using having direct translations already available, it was an arduous process even for a droid.



We moved forward slowly, my eyes alert to anything the HUD or the Force might miss. Above us, the storm grew stronger; the sky ablaze with fury as energy danced among the clouds. Each moment, I wondered if the echo that seemed to be enhancing the storm might attempt to direct the furious power of the sky against us. However, as I led us near the end of the pavilion that ended at the base of the stairs that led to the main entrance of the Palace, no such strike came. That said, the Force was tensing, the air thickening, and the temperature around us dropping in a devilish manner that made clear a threat lay nearby, ready to strike.



As I placed one foot on the first step that led to the grand doors of the Palace, I took in the sight of the entrance. They were massive, composed of what the armour was reporting was blackened durasteel and some unknown alloy. One that the scanners were struggling to understand, never mind probe beyond. I could feel the Force in the doors, harshly pressed into them during the creation of the entrance. On either side of the doors stood another statue of a warrior. Each held the hilt of a lightsaber in their hands, the blade made from stone and rising in front of them. They stood like the final guardians of the Palace. The last defence of the Emperor before one stepped in to face his wrath.



Further along the wall, with lines of Sith glyphs running above and below them as they seemed to resonate with dark energy, were murals. They showed what appeared to be the defeat of an army, the death of a race, only for one figure to step forward. That figure was engulfed in the crimson light of the glyphs, and later sections of the mural showed him leading the broken, battered remains of the people to a new world.



It didn't take much to realise this was the story of how Vitiate had taken the survivors of the Great Hyperspace War and brought them to Dromund Kaas. A reminder to any brought before the Emperor of his glory and might.



I returned my focus to the doors, seeking any sign of how to open them. Save for the inlaid Sith markings and gems, they were smooth. No visible means to open them existed. I felt perhaps that they, along with the stone guardians that stood on either side of the doors, were somehow Force-activated. However, before I could focus on that idea, a roar filled the air. One that rattled through my bones and seemed to draw the Force with it.



Turning quickly to the source of the roar, I braced as a shape formed in the shadows from the destroyed section of the palace. As Dooku and Maul moved to my side, the others dropping back behind us, I watched as the shape moved forward. It towered over us, perhaps five metres in height. As the sharp edges of its form came into view, along with the razor-sharp claws and monstrous maw, I snarled in fury.



Of all the kriffing beasts to find awaiting us here, why did it have to be a Sith-spawned Terentatek?



The giant beast moved forward; its maw filled with rows of sharp, deadly teeth, snarling as it saw us. "HK, Simvyl, stay back and cover Anakin!" I ordered through the Battlenet, my tone making clear I wasn't going to let them, or more importantly, Anakin, argue.



I stepped forward, my free hand pulling my beskad from my hip as I quickly reviewed everything I knew about these great beasts crafted by the Sith aeons ago. Their natural armour was resistant to lightsabers, with even sustained contact doing little but annoying and angering the beasts. Its claws were soaked in a fast-acting poison that even those who could call upon the Force for power struggled to purge before it overwhelmed their bodies, and even if you could counter that venom, the claws themselves were capable of slashing through durasteel, according to the files I'd read.



To make matters worse, as a creature born of the Dark Side, it had gained a natural resistance that bordered on immunity to direct Force attacks. No attempted Force push or pull, no matter how powerful the Force user, was going to concern it. Add in that it could draw on the Dark Side, and it was an almost perfect hunter to be deployed against Jedi or Sith. Haran, every time the Jedi had launched Great Hunts where they worked in small teams to exterminate the beasts from across the galaxy, less than half of the successful Jedi returned.



About the only upside was that the armour of a Terentatek wasn't perfect. Much as with the armour I wore, or that knights might've worn in the history of my former life, there were weak points at the joints. Add in that its underbelly was supposedly less heavily armoured and that its eyes and mouth were glaring, if extremely difficult to reach, places lacking armour, and there were at least a few targets to aim for. Though I knew that, as Maul and Dooku moved up beside me, lightsabers blazing as we prepared to face off against this beast, knowing where to strike was only the first step. Landing blows there would be a challenge, to say nothing of something that would be fatal.



I latched onto the Force around me, bending it to my will. It resisted for a moment, the echo of the Emperor trying to weaken me as I faced this guardian of his palace. However, I wouldn't allow anyone, alive or not, Jedi or Sith, to deny me the power I had earned and wielded.



The air grew cooler, the storm fading into the background as my focus narrowed to the threat before me. The great beast, one larger than the records stated they should be – no doubt empowered by running wild in the jungles of Dromund Kaas – stared back at us, realising we were a challenge to its dominance. After a roar that seemed to shake the ground beneath us, it charged.



I pushed forward, taking point and drawing the beast's focus. My armour granted me more protection against the creature's claws and poison, though I wasn't naive enough to believe there wasn't a chance the creature born of the Dark Side might be able to damage beskar. Still, it was more protection than Maul or Dooku had, and the tools in my gauntlet, at my belt, and even in my Inventory were mainly suited for close-quarters combat.



At my sides, I knew Maul and Dooku were moving, and while we had yet to fight together as one, there would be no better challenge than a creature capable of defeating groups of Jedi with ease. No words were exchanged between us, either over the Battlenet or through the Force as we moved forward, but already I could sense the beginnings of understanding within the Force so that our actions wouldn't be as unaligned as they might otherwise be.



A bolt of lightning struck somewhere to my right, the burst of light reflecting off my armour, ensuring the great beast's focus was on me. One massive arm rose into the air as we raced at each other, the claws – each longer than my forearm – extending for a brutal strike intended to rend the torso asunder. With the Force aiding my actions, I shifted mid-stride and angled my body.



The claws slashed through the air, the bottom one just barely clipping the front of my armour before my lightsaber came up and pushed it away. Not by much, as the beast was incredibly strong, but enough that the claw wouldn't catch my helmet as I ducked under the attack.



As the claw and arm swung beyond me, I was correcting my stance, already aware that it was turning back to face me, enraged that its initial attack had failed. As its eyes locked on my helmet, Maul appeared behind it, his dual-bladed lightsaber slashing the beast's hide.



The Terentatek roared, one arm slapping out at the annoyance. Maul darted back, avoiding the strike, though the response of the beast created an opening. My lightsaber came up, sliding over the stomach of the creature. Its natural armour held, though I was pleased to see that as my blade dragged over the belly, the scales there shifted colour.



I had no time to savour the knowledge that its belly might be pierceable as the Terentatek roared at the strike and flung its massive head around. I danced back, the Ataru footwork I'd adopted into my form enabling me to avoid one of the beast's large, vicious-looking tusks. A leap back lifted me high over the arm that came after that as the creature refocused on me.



I landed a few metres away; my feet already set for battle. A smirk came to my lips as I felt the beast's rage. My blow hadn't wounded it, but the sting to its pride was a delicious appetiser for when the creature fell to my blade. The air shifted, and the beast roared at me. As it rushed towards me, its head lowered as it aimed its massive skull, from which three long, thick spikes extended that protected the back of its neck.



I braced, waiting as time slowed and the beast rushed at me. As it neared, I timed my movements. Its head dropped at the last second, costing it sight of me, which was when I moved.



The Force boosted my leap, and after using one foot to push off from the ground, the other crashed against the beast's skull. Before it could react, I was leaping clear, sailing high above it.



As I turned in the air, rotating to land, ready to engage it again, a simple command to my armour had the blaster in my gauntlet fire. The shots missed their mark, striking one of the spikes at the back of the beast's skull and not the exposed neck.



While my feet landed gracefully on the ground, readying me to continue the battle, I again felt the beast's fury. The anger at being struck three times now enraged it further. It turned, one massive claw swiping out to ensure Maul remained back. The Zabrak easily weaved around the strike, though he was unable to counter as the arm smashed through the legs of one of the statues that lined the pavilion leading to the Palace entrance.



The Terentatek took a step towards me only to stumble as a large boulder slammed into the side of its head. With a monstrous roar, it turned to where the strike had come from, locking eyes on Dooku. Before it could even prepare to charge my former Master, another boulder, levitated by Dooku, hurtled at the beast.



It raised one arm, the stone shattering against the limb. The force of the strike caused the beast to stumble back a single step. Before it could recover, I had closed the distance on it.



My lightsaber came around, crashing against the beast's other arm, drawing its attention. As that arm moved to swat aside my strike, I danced around the claws. My feet shifted fluidly to ensure that I wasn't struck but remained close. With that arm missing me, and the other not yet ready to strike, I had an opening.



My beskad thrust forward, aiming for the inside of the elbow of the arm that had blocked Dooku's attack. The beast roared, and I savoured the moment as the tip of my blade slipped between two thinner plates and entered the creature's flesh.



For a moment, I considered pushing forward to drive the blade deeper and wound the arm properly; however, the chance never came. The Force, obeying my will, alerted me to danger and as I pulled the blade free, I spun away.



The spot where I'd just been standing now contained the maw of the beast, its jaw having clamped violently shut on air that filled my former location. Under my helmet, I felt my smirk grow as the beast's rage increased. That smirk was driven from my face as the Terentatek thrust out one arm, the claws balled into a fist aimed at my head.



I barely managed to shift away, the knuckles of the fist filling the entirety of my vision for a brief moment. My feet danced around, guiding me further back, avoiding an open-clawed swipe from the other arm as I shifted to the defensive.



My lightsaber came out, clipping the side of one claw on the beast's right arm before I ducked out and then spun away from an attack from the left arm. The creature roared in my face, its spittle splashing against my armour before its head snapped forward seeking to bite off my skull. I flipped back, the Force boosting my leap to grant me extra distance.



As I landed, I saw Maul and Dooku behind the beast. The Zabrak came in from my left, his blade swirling around as he unleashed a flurry of powerful blows against the Terentatek's hide. The beast roared as his strikes landed, and it swiped back with one arm even as Maul swooped away, avoiding the reprisal.



That, however, left the beast unbalanced, and into that opening, Dooku moved. His blade, still burning blue as a link to his former life, moved with precise, controlled action. The tip danced around the natural armour and spikes that protected the beast's back as he sought to strike a weaker section of its hide.



A roar burst from the beast as I felt a moment of satisfaction emanate from Dooku. With more fury and speed than it had so far shown, the Terentatek turned, shifting its rage towards my former Master. As it did, I moved in, the Force guiding me to the small wound Dooku had caused on the beast.



As like with my beskad strike, the cut was minor, and because it was caused by a lightsaber, it was already cauterised. However, the glow from the strike remained, acting as a beacon for my attack.



While Dooku shifted back, drawing the focus on the beast for the moment, I swooped in, my beskad slashing at the wound. The beast shuddered to a halt in its pursuit of Dooku as Mandalorian Iron dug into its flesh just above the back of its knee.



Any enjoyment I had at drawing blood from the beast was short-lived. The angle of my attack meant I was close to the beast's back, and as I turned, I moved to avoid the spikes. In doing so, I was unable to avoid its arm as it came flying around.



A grunt of pain, one brought forth even with my armour, erupted from my mouth as the Terentatek's forearm crashed into my gut. I was sent hurtling back, crashing to the ground and then rolling from the blow. As the Force bent to my will and ensured my roll ended with me ready to rush forward at the insult of being struck, I saw the beast charging me, eyes filled with bestial fury at being wounded enough for blood to flow from a wound.



The Force rushed to me, acquiescing to my demands as I prepared to meet the beast's charge head-on. It might be enraged that it had suffered a wound, but for daring to strike me, I would ensure its death was painful.



I took a step forward, my blades ready to strike as I rushed at the beast, only to hesitate. Within the Force, I sensed one of the others was up to something. A moment later, the red blur of Maul rushed in, crashing against the beast's side. Even as it turned to face the new threat, Maul's blade swooping around with fury, one of the Terentatek's legs buckled.



I smirked as a large section of debris slammed into the back of the beast's unwounded knee. As it lost its balance, that knee crashed into the ground, shattering several of the tiles beneath it, while Maul's strikes struck against the creature's other side, keeping its focus split.



I pushed forward, offering Dooku a moment's look as he prepared another boulder to hurl at the beast with the Force. Even on one knee, the Terentatek was a ferocious beast. The arm near Maul swiped out, forcing the Zabrak back, while the other pressed into the ground, pushing it back to its feet.



That was when I came into range. With its arms occupied, it could only snarl as it realised I was there. My lightsaber thrust forward, slashing the inside of the elbow on the arm that was pressed against the ground. Shifting to the other side of its body, my beskad came up, targeting the same spot I'd struck earlier.



The blade slashed the inside of that elbow, even as I kept moving. As I slid under the arm, the Terentatek snapped its maw towards me, seeking to crush my body with its teeth. My beskad trailed behind, catching in the beast's flesh, and I used that to rotate my body.



As the blade slipped free and blood dripped from the edge and the wound, I found myself standing beside Maul as the Terentatek rose, turning to face us with a roar that kicked up the dust around us.



I shifted to my right, Maul to the left as the beast rushed at us, its good arm sweeping around with claws fully extended. I could sense its base instincts, how it wanted to rip our flesh from our bones and feast on our flesh. Yet the attack found no purchase, as had been the case most of the time so far.



As it readied another attack, its focus remained on me and its blood dripping from the edge of my beskad. Dooku's next attack came in, taking advantage of the beast's inattention towards him.



The boulder he'd prepared struck the beast's back, causing it to stumble forward. Into that moment of confusion, Maul and I rushed. Maul's blade danced around the good arm, seeking to find an opening while I targeted the already wounded one.



A roar of disbelief and pain filled the air as my lightsaber found the bleeding wound and burned deeper into the creature's flesh. Another roar slipped from it as Maul's blade found a weak point and cauterised more flesh. It was then driven to a knee as Dooku rushed in from behind, driving the point of his blade into the back of its knee.



As the beast stumbled, once more driven to a knee, Maul and I continued our attack. Our blades danced around, swiping at its arms, aiming for the joints even as it tried to swat us away. As Maul's lightsaber slipped under its arm and drove into the flesh where the limb met its body, the beast roared again.



Dooku's blade twisted and was withdrawn from the wounded knee, furthering the damage there and within the Force, I felt the first tremor of fear from the beast. It understood it was outmatched. That the seemingly easy prey were anything but.



Maul pulled back as the beast's maw swung its way, razor-sharp teeth snapping at the air in the vain hope it might find purchase against my ally's body. The move failed, but it left me with an opening; one the Force begged me to take.



I thrust my beskad forward. The beast roared as the metal found its neck and sank into the flesh. Its arm near me came up, trying to swat me away, but I was prepared. My feet used the arm to shift to the Terentatek's back, the metal dragging through the flesh and widening the wound.



As the beast dropped forward, its arm crashing into the tiles of the pavilion to prevent it from falling face-first, I pulled my beskad from the wound. My lightsaber drove into the opening, and I pushed down hard.



The body resisted the plasma of my blade, suggesting even its internal flesh had some ability to withstand a lightsaber. However, it was nowhere near that of its hide, and I felt the blade sink deeper. As the pressure against the plasma suddenly weakened, I pulled my blade to my right.



The lightsaber burnt a path through the beast's neck, slicing towards the other side from where my beskad had first struck. The roar of the beast turned into a gargled cry. A second later, the sound ended with a whimper before my blade burst free from the neck.



The body slumped forward as I leapt clear. As I landed, I turned and looked at the creature, and how the massive head of the Terentatek fell clear of the body. I looked at Dooku and Maul, sharing in the moment as the around us, The Force submitted to our might.



Even as the enjoyment of the moment ended, and I turned my focus back to the Imperial Palace and whatever lay inside, I couldn't help but enjoy this victory. Not only had we defeated a beast bred to kill Jedi, but we'd worked well together, easily slipping into roles that suited our styles.



I glanced at the body, noting how the body and head remained there, the only blood seeping from the remains coming from the damage done by the beskad. "We're taking that with us," I stated. I wasn't a game hunter, nor someone who needed to marvel at remains of a defeated threat, but this was a kriffing Terentatek. It deserved to be remembered for what it was and not simply cast aside and forgotten by the wider galaxy.



"That would be wise," Dooku commented. "Beyond examining the creature's armour to see if its resistance to lightsabers could be replicated, the poison it secretes on its claws may have—"



"That was awesome!" The shout, which cut into Dooku's comment, came from Anakin as he rushed forward, having slipped free of the protection of HK and Simvyl. The HUD confirmed that it had happened only after the Terentatek was beheaded, so it was excusable. This time. "You were awesome!"



I chuckled at the excitement rolling off my son and Apprentice. "And you obeyed well to stay back," I replied. "A Terentatek is not something an apprentice or child should face."



"Says the man who killed a krayt dragon."



I glared at Simvyl, though the look was partially lost because of my helmet. "Greater Krayt Dragon," I corrected.



"An impressive kill list," Maul cut in with a hint of approval radiating from him. "Along with the Vong, who I had the pleasure of defeating once in single combat, a krayt dragon is something few can claim to have killed." I turned to him, curious how and when he had encountered a Vong. As far as I knew, the war on Zonama Sekot was the only time they'd been located.



"He did it by himself and with just a vibroknife as well!" Anakin added excitedly before I could ask about Maul's fight with a Vong.



Maul focused on me carefully. "My former Master told me of this trial you faced. An impressive victory, however, I have yet to see proof of the battle."



"Commentary: I can assure you, red meatbag, that while you do not believe it to have happened, we have all seen the recording of it."



Maul's gaze narrowed as he stared at me, which had me chuckling. "Once we've cleared the Palace, I think we have stories to share," I said, pushing the matter aside for the moment.



"Indeed, we do."



"You know, the skeleton's kept on Mandalore," Anakin offered, in what I assumed was meant to be a helpful manner. "Duke Adonai wants Cam to hang it for others to see once we've set up a clan building."



I smirked, already certain where the skeleton of the great beast would hang once I was Mand'alor. The remains of the Terentatek, now that I thought on the matter, would make a suitable additional skeleton for display in my throne room. "While I'm reluctant to leave the corpse here, I suspect that it was the dominant predator in the Palace grounds, and should thus be safe from any other creatures attempting to loot the flesh."



"A logical assumption. Still, I would suggest dragging the remains closer to the Palace. The radiant energy of the Dark Side would add as an additional protection against unwanted poachers."



I nodded at Dooku's suggestion and, after securing my beskad to my side, reached out with my free hand. The Force did as I demanded, lifting the body and head of the great beast and then carrying it closer to the entrance. I placed it down near one of the large statues that stood guard on either side of the doors.



With that, I returned my focus to the giant doors that barred entry to the Palace. In the time the battle against the Terentatek had taken, the HUD had examined the data from its scans. However, there was still no obvious method of entry. That had me refocusing on the glyphs and runes that covered the surface of the door. They were the key to gaining entry. I could feel it.



Above, the storm continued to rage, almost as if it was taunting us, knowing that there was no clear way for us to gain entry beyond the doors, and learn what secrets the Palace contained. I could almost feel the amusement of the echo of the long-dead Emperor as he taunted us from beyond the grave. Dooku and Maul came to my sides, each of them peering like me into the Force, seeking to rip an answer from it on how we could get past this barrier.



Around us, the Force shuddered, and the air grew thicker as the echo of the Emperor fought to resist our attempts at domination over the Force. Yet, as powerful as Vitiate might once have been, what existed here was but an echo, and against the power, fury, and will we controlled, the outcome was inevitable.



Pulling back from the Force, I looked at the other two. "We cannot open the door with ease," I said, stating something we all know.



"Observation: Master, I believe that I could damage the doors significantly so that we could gain entry. However, that might risk damaging whatever lies beyond them."



"We will not be using such inelegant methods to gain access," Dooku countered HK as he lifted a hand to his chin. "I feel there may be a way we can… force the issue." I waited for him to detail his thoughts even as I ignored what I hoped was an unintended pun. "The Emperor clearly never intended for anyone but him to ever open these doors. However, while a remnant of what he once was lingers, it is not powerful enough to deny us entry if we join our power together."



"What are you proposing?" Maul asked tentatively, his eyes narrowing slightly even as Anakin moved closer, seemingly curious about how we were to gain access as well.



"In theory, one of us could augment their power and control by having the others channel their power into them. That person would then, potentially, have the boost needed to overcome the resistance of the door that radiates within the Dark Side of the Force and thus have their control yield to our demands."



I took a moment to consider his words. I had heard of Jedi working in tandem – in anything from pairs to large groups of several dozen – where they aligned themselves in the Force so that they could carry out actions that they might not otherwise be able to do. A sort of greater than the sum of their parts deal. However, what Dooku was proposing was something more brutal than that. Having two of us – there was no way that Anakin was going to help with this if I could avoid it – pushing our domination over the Force into the third carried an inherent risk that the third person would be overwhelmed by the power that would be at their fingertips. Their control would have to be immense, which made it clear who would be the focal point of this plan.



"Are you sure about this?" I asked my old Master calmly. "If you cannot handle the power we would be channelling into you, your mind would be in danger of being consumed by the Dark Side."



"I am aware of the dangers. However, of the three of us, if I might be so bold, I am the one with the greatest control and refinement in my domination over the Force. You, Cameron, have the greatest ability of the three of us to summon the Force, and you, Maul," he turned to the Zabrak, "are the one most comfortable dominating and using the Dark Side. Yet, while my life has until recently been that of a Jedi, I easily have more control over my connection with the Force than both of you combined."



I chuckled under my helmet even as Maul responded. "Arrogance is a dangerous trait for one using the Force. However, I can acknowledge that even with several years to reconsider how I used and interacted with the Force, my ability to manipulate in the manner you are suggesting we need to attempt is lacking."



Dooku lowered his head slightly, taking the compliment from Maul that was half-buried in his words.



"I want to help!"



I turned Anakin and placed a hand on his shoulder. "While we are grateful for the offer, you're not ready for this. Not only are we going to have to gather the Force into ourselves, but as we fight to retain our domination over it, we'll need to shunt it towards Master Dooku without pushing too much of our power, or doing so too fast that he might lose control of himself and what he is trying to accomplish."



"You have considerable power, Anakin. However, you are not ready for the challenge that we are about to undertake," Dooku added in support of my words. "That said, we thank you for the offer and the bravery you show in making it."



I felt my eyes widen slightly under my helmet. Dooku wasn't one to be gentle with his words, yet he had chosen to be here. It was unlikely that his leaving the Order had caused him to soften his more blunt and sharp behaviour, so I suspected he felt showing a hint of compassion towards my apprentice was the correct path to take.



Dooku turned there and walked up the final few steps so that he was standing directly before the massive doors. I felt him reach into the Force, drawing it under his command and wresting control of some of the area around us from the echo of Vitiate.



I gave Anakin a nod and a gentle squeeze of his shoulder – he wouldn't feel it, but his armour would report the pressure change – before I moved with Maul to join Dooku. We stood a step behind him, and as I closed my eyes, I reached inward to first ensure I retained control of my emotions and the Force that flowed through me. Once that was assured, I pushed my presence into the Force, mindful of the similar actions taken by Maul and Dooku, and started asserting my control over it as it swirled around us, thick like a fog that one couldn't see more than a few metres into.



I felt the whispers at the edges of my perception. The promises of the power and domination that would be mine if I simply ignored, or better yet, struck down Maul and Dooku, and took what lay within the Palace for myself. I ignored those voices, knowing well that what they offered was a lie and would only lead to me becoming little more than a raging beast lost to the madness that lies at the depths of the Dark Side. As the voices quietened, and my dominance over the Force grew more assured, I sensed something new. Yet at the same time, it felt familiar. As if a part of me lay somewhere within the Temple, calling upon me to reclaim it.



I frowned at the sensation, wondering if this was part of the pull I've felt to the Palace, and the draw I retain towards the Imperial Throne in the Dark Council Chambers. Yet even as I considered that there might be something to this idea, I dismissed it. Vitiate was a Sith, a supposed pureblood of the species and not Human. I could not share any connection with him. Beyond my mother making it clear in her holocron that my father was Human, I had selected that as my species when I chose this rebirth.



In retrospect, that was perhaps not the wisest of choices. Humans were little more than average in almost every way in this galaxy. However, I had made my choice based on a limited understanding of where I was heading, and there was nothing I could do about that choice now.



My mind refocused on the task at hand, and I felt the Force bend to my will. Once I was certain of my influence over it, I reached out with one hand and gripped Dooku's shoulder with my gauntlet-covered limb. I then pushed the power I possessed towards him through our Force bond.



For the first time, I felt his presence in the Force truly shift. The influx of power I was slowly granting him, and that Maul was now also providing, caused a faint but distinct tremor in Dooku's force presence. The refined, polished but cold durasteel that I always thought of when sensing his Force signature shifted. The surface rippled where my power flowed into him, granting me a momentary deeper connection with him.



There was a desire to push into this opening, to seek answers to many things I wondered about Dooku. Even if those voices that whispered false promises from the depths of the Dark Side of the Force were to be believed, of implanting a dominating influence over Dooku's mind. I rejected all of that. Beyond Dooku being an ally and one of those who trained me in my earlier life, he was family and even with now committing to using the Force for the power I needed for the coming decades, I would not turn on my family. It was one line I would never cross.



Even with my eyes closed and my focus on ensuring the power I was pushing to Dooku remained constant but never too much for him to focus, I could sense his movements. His hand lifted slowly as he pushed into the Force with just his power. Through our connection, I felt the door resist as he, presumably, traced his fingers over the glyphs upon it.



A snarl of rage pushed back against his probing. I felt Dooku draw on the extra power Maul and I were offering him, and as the rage from within the door tried to stand against the combined might of our authority, I sent more of what I could draw from the Force to Dooku.



[The spirit of Vitiate lingers,] Dooku said through our minds. [He seeks to protect this last bastion of his power.] Part of me wondered why he still had such power here. Had none of those who claimed the Throne after him even tried to take over the Palace? Had his impression, even in death, been so strong on the psyche of the Sith of this empire that they never dared to attempt to claim supremacy over what lingering echo remained of him?



Those questions, and dozens of others, are pushed aside as I sense Dooku gathering the energy flowing from Maul and me into him. With nothing more than the faintest of shifts, Dooku pushes the gathered power out of himself and through his hand, smashing our combined might against the wards of the door and the echo of the Emperor.



Around us, the Force grew thick and heavy. As if the weight of the planet, its past, present, and future, suddenly rested on our shoulders. The Dark Side flared with rage, a swelling force that could collapse a star. Yet Dooku remained still, his focus unwavering against the challenge facing him.



Time ceased to exist as I sent every ounce of power I dared push to Dooku through our bond, feeling Maul doing the same. The door, the power engraved into its Sith runes, combining with what remained of Vitiate's power, resisted. In my mind's eye, I saw tendrils of the Force rising from the Door, slapping and slashing against Dooku's stance in the Force. Yet, nothing the Force did could change him. Nothing even scratched the surface of the distinguished, superior control that Dooku projected.



Slowly, I felt the resistance of the door slacken. It was infinitesimal at first, but as this moment stretched on, the strength of the Emperor's rage weakened, and I knew Dooku felt it also. With a roar of his own within the Force, Dooku pushed every ounce of supremacy that currently flowed through him into the door. Sensing the moment was at hand, I sent everything I dared to transfer of my own immense power to him, aiding his action.



The door seemed to scream within the Force, and then the presence of the Emperor fell back. The echo of Vitiate wasn't gone. No, it was merely retreating inwards, seeking the next line of defence against our assault on this legacy.



I saw cracks form in the mental projection of the door and then registered a deep, resonating groan echoing in my ears. Opening my eyes, I saw that the door was alight, every rune, sigil, and glyph upon it glowing with fury. With a further moment to consider it, I realised that the light emanating from the door was growing weaker. A visible sign of its slow submission to our combined might.



Seconds passed slowly as I watched the door dull while in the Force, I felt the power within it weaken, slipping from the control of the Emperor's echo to Dooku. Suddenly, one of the glyphs flickered and then died out. It was followed by others nearby, the effect setting off a cascading reaction across the surface of the door.



Once all the runes had fallen silent, they suddenly pulsed again as one. This time, however, they weren't obeying whatever remained of Vitiate's legacy. No, now they obey us with Dooku, the one who commanded them directly.



A boom of thunder rushed outward from the door with the strength of a hurricane. My feet remained secure as dust and rubble were kicked up and blasted away. I vaguely saw the HUD report that the remains of the Terentatek were bouncing down the stairs, yet my focus remained on the doors.



I watched in amazement as the slit between them, one that was almost impossible to see mere moments before, blazed for a second. The next, the door shuddered, and as I lifted my hand from Dooku's shoulder, I watched as they swung inwards, daring us to enter the shadows that lurked within the Palace.



"That," Dooku began, stopping after the single word to take a deep breath, "proved itself more taxing than I expected."



"We are facing whatever remains of a Sith who ruled for centuries," Maul countered as he moved up the steps to stand with Dooku before the gaping maw that led into the Palace. "Even with him long dead and our power combined, he fights well."



"Indeed," Dooku replied as he recentred himself after the ordeal of forcing the door open. "Though while I am pleased we managed to overcome this challenge, I know others await us." He paused and turned to face me as I joined them on the precipice of entry. "Challenges that we all know seem to centre around you."



I nodded at his words, aware of the clarion's call that beckoned me forward, into the realm of shadows in which lay whatever remained of an ancient Sith Emperor. After taking a calming breath and pulling the Force around me as a barrier against whatever dangers awaited, I took the lead, taking the first step inside this palace in thousands of years.



… …

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This story is cross-posted on Fanfiction.net, Archive of Our Own, and Royal Road.
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[Doc Sithicus]

No matter what those who cannot understand the Force might say, the Force is always in conflict.

Click to shrink...

The Force IS Conflict.


View: https://youtu.be/_YuCvOxDgOE

 

[TFTwink]

Simvyl is my spirit animal bro. Also I think Cam is going too deep into the edge and I'm curious to see how much he'll bounce back when his actions/path is rejected by Serra.

Tftc!

 

[USSExplorer]

The Force IS Conflict.


View: https://youtu.be/_YuCvOxDgOE

Click to shrink...

Dudufilm?

 

[98ajaj]

jetpacks were semi-standard equipment

Click to shrink...

INFINITE HIGH GROUND