The stage is set. Lord Martel has begun a wholesale
slaughter of all the Sith Lords,
Marina has escaped Domino's clutches, and Arcana has had his ship destroyed!
Exciting, ain't it?
Marina's heart sang with the joy of freedom as she left Deominia behind. 'Not
going back.' she thought with a grin. 'Not ever.' Her smile faded slowly
after a few moments, her thoughts turning to other, darker matters.
'It was too easy.' she thought, biting her lip. 'With all the firepower he's
got, it's a wonder the whole planet didn't come crashing down on me. More than a miracle
that I got away. Maybe he...No, there's nothing he could gain by letting me escape.
Still...' Marina sighed as she stared out of the viewport at the ever-changing
patterns of hyperspace.
'I wish I knew what the heck is going on with me. And with Domino. Why? Why did he let
me go?'
She never came up with the answer. When the navicomp beeped at her, she tried to forget
her problems--she was home! Despite her worry, she found herself increasingly joyful and
expectant as she piloted the shuttle through Yavin IV's atmosphere. Soon, she would be
with Kyp again--Kyp, her beloved husband that she missed so much--and her children. The
smile on her face grew and grew, and would not stop growing. 'Home!' her heart
sang. 'Home, home, home!!' She thought she couldn't be happier.
Marina opened the door to the room she and Kyp shared in the Great Temple, and was
disappointed to find it empty. Frowning, she turned to leave, and then noticed the noises
coming from the adjoining room--the kids' room. She walked over to the door that separated
the two chambers and opened it slowly, to see Kyp kneeling on the floor roughhousing with
all three children. Her presence sparked an immediate reaction. Kyp noticed her first, the
result of their bond, Marina knew, and nearly crushed her in his sudden embrace as he
reached her. The entire world melted away, even the kids, as he kissed her.
"I missed you so much," he whispered, although words were not necessary. She
knew it. She knew how he had felt. She had felt it herself so often that it had made her
job hard. She found that she couldn't speak; she let herself be caught up in the power of
their mutual love, and hugged him fiercely, holding him as if she would never let him go.
Then Deanna tugged on her pants leg, and she was obliged to kneel down and be reunited
with the children as well. She looked up at Kyp; he was grinning stupidly at her, and it
was then that she realized just how long she had been gone. Several months. It shocked
her, but she was glad to be home. She smiled at Kyp, and heard his voice whispering in her
mind. ~Tell me about it tonight.~ was all he said.
Her smile widened. It was good to be home.
It was a happy reunion, and Kyp and Marina hugged each other over and over again.
Only then would Marina allow herself to think about the duration of her absence and how
joyful her family was to have her back.
"I wasn't expecting you," Kyp said with a smile when they were finally alone.
"I wasn't expecting me either," Marina replied.
"Oh, stop it," she said in response to the blank look on Kyp's face,
"Listen, I came home because, in all bluntness, I was caught. I'm not even quite sure
how I got away."
"What does that mean?" Kyp asked.
"It means that it almost seems as if Domino de Devastator, the Dark Lord of the
Sith, let me escape. It was almost as though he didn't care."
"Imperials..."
Kyp muttered.
"Seriously," said Marina, "I don't understand it. I thought I was dead for
sure when Domino found out what I had been doing all these months. Treason is punishable
by death in the Empire."
"Maybe it's something you'll discover later," Kam Solusar said, as he walked in. "Sorry to jump in, I promise I only heard the last few sentences. I got word that Marina was back. Master Skywalker is away on personal business, so I thought I'd serve you a welcome in his stead."
"Thank you," said Marina, "it's truly good to be back."
"And it's very good to have you back." Kam replied. "Now for both of you, it's about time to eat. Coming?"
"Thank you," Marina responded, "I don't mind if I do!"
Marina sat on the edge of her bed staring around her room. It felt strange to be
here again, but it felt good. She closed her eyes briefly and they snapped open again
suddenly, but the visions of violence did not stop fluttering before her eyes.
Something that was not her, but was somehow within her, wanted to cause pain; wanted
blood, death, anger, hatred. Marina's eyes widened. "no," she whispered.
"Not now, not here. Please..." She closed her eyes again in concentration,
willing herself to be calm, peaceful. It worked, but not as well as it should.
Kyp walked in, his forehead creasing in worry. "Are you okay, Marina?"
She glared at him. "Of course I'm okay! What makes you think I'm not okay? I'm perfectly fine! I...I.......just leave me alone! Okay?!"
Kyp took a step back, looking shocked and even more concerned. "Sure," he said, backing out of the room. "Sure." He closed the door softly behind him.
Marina bowed her head, feeling guilty and miserable. 'I shouldn't be this way.' she thought, scowling. 'This isn't the way it should be. I should be happy, free... clean. But I'm not clean. I can feel the darkness in me. Kyp's got to be able to feel it too.' Marina felt like screaming in frustration. Her long-awaited homecoming, and it was spoiled by her actions at Dantooine. Spoiled by a mistake she should have never made, by the loss of control and the recklessness of her run-away emotions. Cursing herself silently, she wondered how she would find the time and opportunity to purify herself. 'It will have to be soon.' she thought sadly. 'Very soon. Otherwise, I might not have a way back. Ever.'
Kyp could not understand the actions of his wife just s few moments earlier. He
tried to sense her through his bond, but had an extremely difficult time doing so. He
didn't like the only explanation that came to his mind. 'The dark side...' he
thought. 'This isn't be good. If only I could talk to Luke. Hmmmm.....Kam is the
senior student here at the academy, and headmaster in Luke's absence. I'll talk to him.'
He walked to the door of Kam Solusar's quarters, and as he did so he felt a sense of
urgency. He had to do something about this. Marina had been to the Dark Side and back
once. If she went to the Dark Side again, it would be harder to bring her back. And he
couldn't bear the thought of losing her. He arrived at Kam's chambers and knocked on the
door a bit louder than he actually meant to.
"Who's there?" Kam called from behind the door.
"It's me, Kyp!" hollered Kyp a bit louder than he meant to.
"Okay, coming," Kam announced. He arrived at the door a few seconds later, still in his Jedi robe, and still had his lightsaber strapped to his belt.
"What do you need, Kyp?" he asked.
"I'm not sure, really. I walked into my...our room and Marina was...rather harsh. She turned me away. You know how we're bonded, right? Well, I can't sense her either, and she's only a few yards away!"
Kam frowned. "Sounds like the Dark Side may be tainting her." he said.
Kyp nodded. "That's why I need you to help me out," he said, "Can you help me, please? I need to know what it wrong with my wife."
"I don't know," Kam said, "maybe time alone is the best thing."
"You mean I can't do anything?" Kyp nearly shouted.
"Try sensing her again," Kam suggested. "Maybe it's passed. Almost any Jedi has flashes of the Dark Side from time to time, and almost any Dark Jedi has flashes of the light side sometimes. Maybe..."
"I can sense her! Thank the Force!" said Kyp, "I need to get back to our room. I'll see you in the morning Kam!"
"Goodnight, Kyp!" Kam hollered as Kyp ran out of the room.
'I feel a grave disturbance in the Force.....One of my infernal rivals has been cut down. It is no shame to lose Sith Lord Neel, for he was a sick little man, but who would have been able to do it?' Domino pondered this as Flimmox was escorted through a door on one side of his audience chamber, and Arcana was escorted through a door on the other side.
"My Lord," the stormtrooper began, "We found the smuggler, Arcana, lurking in the hangar bay where Commander O'Conner's shuttle was. We thought it best to bring him straight to you."
Domino studied Arcana's face for several minutes. 'I can see the very foundation
of fear in his eyes, but the trust I have in him is still feeding his loyalty.'
"Arcana, I trust that your arrival on Deominia was well received by my staff."
Domino offered his usual pleasantries.
"Lord Domino, it was an uneventful flight, until I cleared the cloud." Arcana said. he appraised Domino of the entire list of events before, during, and after arrival; paying close attention not to give the Dark Lord any knowledge of Aria's presence.
Domino listened with rapt attention, then gestured for the parcel that Arcana held for him. "I will take that off of your hands now, Arcana. You will find that our usual payment arrangements have been made." Domino said as the package floated across the room to his waiting hands. Of course, Domino knew what was being contained within the box, so it didn't surprise the assembly when he did not open it. What surprised the assembly was the obvious change in Domino's personal aura. The atmosphere of the room changed from forbidding to outright sinister.
Domino looked from Arcana to Flimmox, then turned his gaze back to Arcana. "What connection do you have to the smuggler who arrived when you did?"
It was happening again. She was having the same dream that had been haunting her
ever since she gave into her anger on Dantooine. It was beginning to be more than she
could bear. She awoke and bit her lip within Kyp's tight embrace. She wiggled just enough
and Kyp woke up.
"Marina, what's wrong?" Kyp asked.
"Nothing," Marina replied quickly. Then she bit her lip again. She had never lied to Kyp before. "I just had that dream again!" Marina nearly yelled at him. She had never done that before either. What was happening to her? "Kyp, I need to go. I need to go purify myself. I need to get away, to get away from you and the kids.Just for a little while."
"But you can't," Kyp uttered, "You just got here!"
"I have to," said Marina as she began dressing herself, "and I am." She strode out of the room and shut the door.
"Marina, wait!" Kyp hollered as Marina turned a corner in the temple. He hadn't even found out where she was going.
The package aside, the credits deposited in his bank account, Arcana would have
normally been a very happy man. But here he stood, in front of the Dark Lord of the Sith,
dull as ever. This hadn't been an ordinary cargo run. Not since Aria Ka Djo had followed
him into the nebula. Ever since she arrived, this thing was starting to blow up into a
gigantic mess.
"What? The smuggler?" Arcana said, in as carefree a manner as possible.
"Phht, how the hell am I supposed to know what she has to do with me?" He
pretended not to care, to be totally oblivious to the events; but as he accidentally
glanced into Domino's eyes, he knew that the Dark Lord could see right through him. He
trembled under the intent gaze, much to his embarrassment.
Lord Domino smiled. He obviously liked seeing the smuggler uncomfortable.
"Well, she is Jedi. I'm sure that you," his voice was lightly painted with
sarcasm, "have figured that one out. And she flies that ship. Ban... whatever it's
called. She has an awfully mean look around her... and she's rather competitive." He
shrugged, shivering slightly. "Oh, and she also has a hard time trying to thank
people for favors too," he added.
The Dark Lord stared directly into his eyes. Arcana tried to casually stare back to meet
the gaze, but he found that he couldn't look him in the face for more than a second. His
mind wandered momentarily to Aria. He wondered what she was doing now. Hopefully, she
wasn't wandering around the halls on the complex. She probably went through his things,
and knows how to unlock the door. 'Maybe she's...'
Domino leaned back satisfied at what he saw inside his soul. "Thank you, Arcana," he said finally.
Arcana stood, waiting for any further orders.
Lando Calrissian looked across the table at the man sitting in the shadows. The
former Alliance General felt an aura of pure evil emanating from the figure and could not
believe he was sitting here. But, Lando had nothing to lose. The Rebellion had
court-martialed him for the death of Admiral Ackbar, and because of his infamy within the
Empire for his part in the destruction of the second Death Star, he could find very little
work in the galaxy.
And so it was that he wound up here, destitute, in a cantina on the deep space
installation Hyperspace Crossroads, holding a conference with a man he did not
know, not even knowing why he was here. He figured the man needed some dirty work done,
and needed someone fairly well known to do it, but Lando could not believe that someone
would seek him out. But someone did, and that was all that mattered.
"Hello, Baron Calrissian," the shadowed man rasped in a harsh Corellian accent. "I know you're wondering why someone would seek you out, especially since you are a disgraced former Rebellion officer. But I have certain information about the whereabouts of one Admiral Ackbar." Wisps of blue smoke emerged from the corners of the man's mouth as a surprised look crossed Lando's face.
"Ackbar!" Lando gasped. "But he was killed in the battle over Sullust. The Alliance found his remains in the aftermath of the battle."
The man laughed. "Synthesized flesh and organs. An old Sith trick. Lord Vader and I used it plenty of times. Which tells me who is keeping the esteemed Admiral prisoner. The only Sith Lord who takes active part in Imperial battles. The Dark Lord of the Sith, Domino de Devastator of the Deominian Sector."
Lando gasped again. He had heard of the man, obviously. But he had heard the Sith Lord's own propaganda, not the reality. The man laughed again. "Domino is a third-rate magician who has no grasp of his own powers. He does not understand the Force, seeing the Sith disciplines as the true path of the Force." The man waved the shadows away, revealing his face as that of Commander Martel.
Lando had seen this man's face many times in Alliance records, but the Alliance
recorded this man as a stormtrooper commander, not a man who would've personally worked
with Darth Vader, not a man who would speak ill of the most powerful Sith Lord in the
Empire. He was obviously not a stormtrooper commander.
"Who are you?" Lando asked nervously. "The Alliance records you as a
stormtrooper, but you are not. I can plainly see that" Lando glanced around at the
patrons of the cantina. For sure, these alcoholic spacers would not, could not know who
this man is. Lando was not sensitive to the flow of the Force, but he could tell this man,
Martel, was even stronger than Emperor Palpatine, stronger than even the Sith Lords, past
and present.
Martel glanced at Lando. "The Alliance is a weak group, occupied with attaining an unreachable goal of restoring the Old Republic. Too occupied to care about a Force-user like me." Martel lit another cigarette and continued on. "I am going to make this offer to you once. Take it or leave it. But I'm warning you, if you don't accept, you will regret it. I am going to retrieve Admiral Ackbar from Deominia in the very near future. I have other reasons for being there, but they do not concern you. I will allow you to have Ackbar in exchange for a pact between myself and the Alliance. I need a man with your knowledge of the Rebel government for my plans. Come to my ship and think it over.
The Song of Circe landed on Korriban's surface. Mumar ordered her women,
"Inspect the citadel. I feel a stirring in the Force ladies, and we must be ready for
anything!"
Mumar dressed in her blood red armor, she marched into the ancient tomb of the Dark Lord,
Naga Sadow. She kneeled in the middle of the of the floor, "Master, it is I, your
humble servant Mumar."
The voice of Naga Sadow spoke, ~You have come asking for our protection.~
Mumar nodded, "Yes."
Sadow growled, ~You have proven very worthy to us in the past, but you let Mara Skywalker slip through your fingers and Luke Skywalker is still alive!~
Mumar bit her lip, "I will not fail you next time."
Sadow's voice boomed, ~It is too late! Mara Skywalker is stronger with the Light Side of the Force now, along with her weak hearted husband. There is no way you can turn them.~
Mumar nodded, "Then I have failed, but I won't fail with the Sithspawn, I promise you."
Sadow's voice trailed off, ~Keep that promise, if you break it, we shall destroy you.~
Mumar bowed, "Yes, master." She left the tomb and rejoined her women in the citadel.
Aria woke to the jostled movement of being half dragged, half shoved down a
corridor. She felt like she just got through wrestling several Bantha's, all at once. The
pain in her body was enough to distract the healing trance she used several times. Still
she had rejuvenated enough to walk on her own and maybe take out another of
these...things. Their minds were totally foreign, though they appeared to be simple
animals, but their minds had become twisted and dark. Aria guessed they might be native to
this planet, but that didn't matter. What mattered was she was being taken someplace she
didn't want to go, to meet with someone she definitely didn't want to meet. The worst
problem was she could not thing of one way out of this mess.
The envoy arrived at another door and Aria was jerked to her feet and roughly shoved
towards the still closed door. Confused and stumbling, she hit the door with a thud,
melting to the floor in new pain. She attempted to crawl up into a ball to avoid the blow
she knew was coming. She received a swift kick in the midsection for her troubles. Anger
flowed through her and she lashed out at the owner of the offending foot, only to be
tackled by several more of those beasts.
"You...will be the....the first...to go! Xerana will DIE!!" She spit at him.
"Insignificant thief. You will hold your tongue once you are in the presence of the Dark Lord Domino."
"He will....at least....smell better than YOU! You reek of cowardice."
The officer snatched her up and pushed her towards the door again. Gratefully, this time it was open. "You will soon be dead REBEL!"
Aria entered the main audience chamber and saw Arcana with Lord Domino. Her stomach turned, this was worse than she expected, much worse. She was shoved towards Arcana and she could see a man on the throne. 'That must be Lord Domino.'
As she approached, Arcana realized she was much worse for wear. Though beaten up, he could still see the flame of defiance in her eyes. 'Does this woman ever give up?' He turned from her to look on Lord Domino as his mind raced for a plan.
All the while, Lord Domino absorbed and noticed everything taking place around him, including Arcana's reaction to the condition of the smuggler. 'Most interesting...'
Alex shook her head. "No questions."
The major handed her the coordinates of the rendezvous point. He said good bye and left Alex sitting in the booth brooding over her drink. She was crazy to be working for the Alliance again. But then again she never wanted to leave in the first place. All of it the cause of the empire. She guessed it was better to work for the Alliance than the Empire. She picked up her drink and finished it off.
She made her way to her ship, she had six days to get to where ever. She quickly reached her ship and had Screamer prep it for take off. As soon as she got clearance she would leave.
~Ice Princess this is the spaceport control. You are cleared to leave.~
An hour later she was in hyperspace on her way to the planet Yavin. 'Yavin Four?'
she thought to herself. 'That's where the Jedi Academy is. Why would they need
missiles?' She shook her head. It didn't make sense. But then again nothing did these
days.
six hours later Alex was roused from her nap by the sounds of warning bells going off in
her head. She had a very bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling. "Screamer pull
us out of hyperspace as soon as possible." The droid whistled and went to the
computer but was to late they were pulled out of hyperspace by an outside force. Alex
rushed to the controls.
"What the heck? An Imperial Interdictor!"
~Ice Princess. Power down your shields and weapons. Prepare to be boarded.~
Alex felt a sense of dread come over her.
They had found her.
Ka'tsh'ith.
The planet where she had buried her past and looked to the future as a guiltless woman free of all painful memories. The place where she had, in more ways than one, died. Marina skillfully piloted the Giveria into a deep canyon with purple-veined rock walls and set it down on the rocky canyon floor. She got out of the ship, taking with her a small canteen and a packet of rations. She hiked around the bottom of the canyon until she found the craggy boulder she had often sat upon during the 2 years she had been stranded in this Light-forsaken canyon on this uncivilized planet. She climbed to its peak and sat down in a deep crevice that provided both shade and support for her to lean on.
For a moment, she just sat there, letting the silence of the place penetrate
her......and then she let loose.
Everything she felt: rage, sorrow, guilt, loss, and horror, came out in alternating fits,
screams, tears, and whimpers. She yelled about the injustices of the galaxy, cried with
the pain of her guilt and sorrow and remorse, sat and silently contemplated the path her
life was hurtling down, and how she could change it; if she could change it.
She knew from past experience that a trip to the dark side was not irreversable, but she
had never heard of anyone who had walked in the darkness twice. She had a terrible
suspicion that another trip down that path would make her truly unredeemable. She knew
that the last thing she wanted was to abandon Kyp and the kids and become an evil, inhuman
monster who delighted in the pain of others. She also knew that here, while she tried to
figure out what to do and how to do it, she was very vulnerable. Open to the dark side,
even, because the darkness still dwelled within her, and she wavered between darkness and
light as often as she chose one.
Domino de Devastator probably knew that as well, making it doubly dangerous for her. Ever
since Domino had discovered that his best commander
was truly a Jedi...he had realized Marina's incredible power and amazing abilities, and he
knew that she could be a very useful woman. And so he wanted her. He wanted her for her
power, and if he knew how weak she was now...he had probably determined that when she was
firmly standing in the light he would not be able to sway her (a reasonable assumption)
but now, while there was still guilt and darkness in her soul, he had a very good chance
of turning her. Marina buried her head in her hands. Domino coming here was something she
dared not think about until this evil was rooted out of her.
'So get it out!' she told herself fiercely. And so, with
a little doubt and apprehension, she did.
Arcana comtinued to stare up at Domino, not looking into his eyes. Then, with a clenched fist, he gestured to a spot to Arcana's right. He turned his head.
Arcana's stomach twisted as he saw Aria Ka Djo being escorted by Imperial officers. They tossed her uncermonomiously onto the floor. She was bruised and cut all over, she seemed out of breath, her hair was a mess, and dried blood was on her face, lips, and hands. She coughed once, spitting something on the floor. It was blood. Arcana moved to her side, prepared to help her, when she looked up at him with a fierce glance.
'I do not need your pity,' the glare told him. With a grunt of effort, she heaved
herself up to a standing position, looking battered, but more defiant than usual.
And Arcana could only stare.
"You didn't leave my room, did you?" he asked softly.
She shook her head, glancing only momentarily at him.
Arcana scanned the smuggler's figure again. She stood as proud as possible, but her
knees were shaking, and she was trembling. He wondered if it was fear.
The woman didn't seem to know fear.
The wolf-creature on Arcana's left made a low growling sound, one of comtempt and rage. It was soft enough not to be readily heard.
He locked his eyes onto Domino de Devastator's trying to see why he had sent her
here. It was only one damned mission! One damned mission, and
everything was going wrong! First, his ship was rigged by a Trader group, then some
Force-Sensitive girl follows him through the Deominian Cloud. Then he loses thousands of
credits worth of cargo when his ship blew.. as well as the ship itself. And now, it was
this. He was in a room with a very battered Aria. Arcana drew in a stuttering breath and
he began to feel his brow sweat.
Domino smiled, and he blinked once. As he did, Aria's knees gave way from under her, collapsing her to the floor in agony. Arcana rushed to her side, shoving the officers roughly aside as he reached for her hand. He heard the clatter of blasters as the guards trained their weapons on him.
"Look here," he said sternly, but with a shaky voice, "I didn't risk my butt out in the docking bay to see her die now." He stood, holding Aria's hand, wondering if she was going to accept his help.
And Lord Domino bore down on all of them with his watchful glance, his all-seeing eyes.
The Imperial Star Destroyer Blackhunter tractored the Ice Princess into the hanger bay. With precision, the Stormtroopers boarded the freighter and escorted Alex out of her ship. In the hanger bay of the Blackhunter, Alex saw a dark and imposing man waiting for her.
"She was the only one on board, if you choose to overlook her droid." The Stormtrooper reported to the man.
The man only nodded, as he regarded Alex with malice. "Thank you lieutenant." He approached the smuggler and grabbed her chin. "I am known as Sith Lord Dalamar. You are under arrest in the name of the Galactic Empire, and your cargo is now the property of the Imperial navy."
Turning toward the turbolift, Dalamar muttered, "You will enjoy your new life on Coruscant, short as it will be. You'll soon be performing hard labor on Bnach. Take her to the detention level."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "No Gaeriale? Hmm...And I thought this had her
fingerprints written all over it. I mean who else would attack a ship carring
just an innocent Trader and a droid? I mean what Idiot?-"
"Shut up Alex! We know who you are and what you are carrying. We were waiting for you. Gaeriale will meet with you on Coruscant. Don't worry she will be glad to pry information from you" Dalamar told Alex as binders were placed on her hands.
'Damn! She is behind this! She must have figured out it was me who wrecked her computer systems. And she hooked up with some idiot Dark Jedi.' She thought to herself.
"So Who are you? Some sort of 5th rate Dark Jedi who can't even strike fear into an Ewok? I don't recognize you at all!" Alex taunted the Jedi. "Oh I am shaking in my boots. an Unknown Sith Lord! Get a real name! Like Domino de Devastor. Now that's a name that strikes fear into Ewoks' hearts! Even I'd hate to run into him in a dark alley."
"You think I will get mad? No not at all. Gaeriale told me about you. You are
very sly, very cunning. Very ingenious. Almost as smart as Gaerial-"
Dalmara droned on.
'Damn, Gaeriale sure can pick them. What a boring guy! Sure is stuck on himself and Gaeriale. Only a little while longer.'
"Arcana, your honesty in this matter is quite refreshing, as is your compassion
for your friend." Domino relinquished his pain attack on Aria for a moment.
Turning to Aria, he said, "I am told your name is Aria. What clan on Dathomir are you
from?" She assumed a quizzical look. "Yes, I can feel your heritage, there is
nothing you can hide from me here."
Flimmox continued to watch, and yet a growl escaped his throat before he realized it. Domino turned to him. "My friend, I must apologize for your treatment at the hands of my over-eager Grand Vizier. I would like to make it up to you, if you would join me for a refreshment. Please do not refuse."
Flimmox studied Domino for a moment, then nodded.
"Good. I shall have your personal effects and your ship brought here to the
palace, and see that you are provided with adequate quarters."
Grand Lady of Darkness, Tionne was standing near Domino's throne. Domino addressed her.
"Lady Tionne, see to it personally that the Wolven, Flimmox, has
everything I have promised him. We have his forgiveness to seek."
Tionne stepped forward as Domino spoke her name, then spoke when he was finished. "Lord Domino, I shall carry out your wishes to the end. It will be a pleasure to give Flimmox reason to forgive us." The sarcasm was subtle, and no one caught wind of it, save for Tionne and Domino.
With that completed, Domino turned back to Arcana, with what seemed to be a hurt expression on his face that slowly and perceptably turned to anger. "Arcana, I am certain that you can understand my feelings of betrayal. However, I wish to give you ample opportunity to explain your actions to me." As the Dark Lord paused, Arcana glanced at Aria. "Pay her no mind. Her destiny is no concern of yours. For the moment, you may return to your quarters, but I would like you to join me for a meal in the banquet hall as well. I will not accept a declination. You have proven yourself to be a valuable resource, and I do not wish to stay angry with you." Arcana only nodded, then risked a sad glance at Aria as he turned to leave the room.
"So, Nightsister, you have found your passage to Deominia wrought with pain and peril. What do you seek from your journey here?"
"I am through with you. When we reach Coruscant you will be Gaeriale's problem
and I will wash my hands of you." Dalamar left Alex to be dealt with by the
stormtroopers.
Satisfied that the situation was quite thoroughly concluded, he retired into his
meditation chamber to seek the counsel of the Dark Side.
Once he could feel that he had succeeded in his mission and feel his path in the Dark
Side, Dalamar returned to the bridge of the Blackhunter. As he looked out of the
viewport, the com officer announced that he had a call from Deominia. He took the call in
his ready room to allow for privacy.
~I have received word of your success with your mission to intercept the missiles intended for the alliance.~ It was Grand Vizier Skien Graize, Domino's Major Domo. ~The Lord Dark Master, Domino de Devastator, requests that you come immediately to the Deominian sector to meet with him personally.~
"Does Domino de Devastator think that I answer to him? I am a self-made Sith Lord, and a direct descendant of Exar Kun. I owe Domino No fealty whatsoever. I will meet with him after the rendezvous at Cadezia."
~Dalamar, there will be no rendezvous at Cadezia. Bring the
missiles to Deominia. I shall send the 'change of orders' document with haste, if it will
make you a willing participant in the Emperor's plans.~ The Grand Vizier broke
off the connection.
'Imagine the arrogance of de Devastator. Thinking himself to be my equal. Oh yes.....I will meet with him. And he will regret it.' Dalamar chuckled as he walked from his ready room and entered the bridge again.
Flimmox sat in the Dark Lord's main audience chamber staring inscrutably at the gaudy decor. His 1.5 meter long tail twitched with impatience and vexation, sweeping across the floor with a slightly staccato movement. He yawned, rolled his shoulders, and swiveled his ear around to catch the mechanical whisper of a comlink with his acute hearing as he observed de Devastator dealing with the smugglers. "A little impatient, aren't we?" Lord Domino said from in front of him.
Flimmox exhaled sharply, thought about a snappy riposte, but decided against it. He let it pass with a growl.
"So," Domino said, his voice dripping with arrogance. "What was it
you wanted to speak to me about?" A tremor passed through Flimmox's body, but he
surpressed his anger and forced a sabacc face. His hackles were slightly raised, but not
enough to be noticed by a human eye (though the eye that the Force could provide is a
different story).
"An offer," he answered simply, his "r" slightly rolling in a growl.
"How interesting," Domino said with little interest.
Flimmox leaned a slightly forward, "I offer an alliance with a group of Dark Jedi even the Old Republic's Knights would have found formidable." He let that sink in before continuing. "They are led by Imenodoc and aided by technology Ysanne Isard would have killed to possess." He stared at Domino with his ocean-blue eyes and waited for a response.
The Dark Lord only nodded and said, "I have heard little of Imenodoc, though his exploits aren't completely unkown to me, but Isard was a presumptuous fool and a blow-hard. Technology is not the only way to defeat a foe. Rogue Squadron taught her that the hard way, I believe. In any case, do go on."
Flimmox's hackles rose another half-millimeter. "The technology includes personal shielding devices. These belts are worn by an individual, and provide the wearer with protection from as many as five blaster bolts." Flimmox saw Lord Domino's eyebrows raise in approval, and his hackles fell in a rippling motion down his back.
Domino pondered that for a while. "Anything else?" the lord inquired.
"Much. This alliance also includes a fleet of ships complete with a skeleton crew on each. These ships are half the size of a Victory-class Star Destroyer, but they pack just as much fire-power. There is other technology that I cannot discuss openly. All I can tell you is that it is right up your ally."
The Dark Lord nodded. "So?"
Flimmox gave him a glare, "So?"
"What is the catch?"
Flimmox sighed. "The only things I would consider a catch would be, one: you must place your trust in Imenodoc, and two: the two of you would have to work as partners. A 'fifty-fifty' arrangement."
Lord de Devastator's eyes narrowed slightly, "And why else would I want to ally with this Dark Jedi?"
Flimmox grinned toothily, a fairly frightening sight, "He has Jedi under him as strong as Vader."
The Dark Lord nodded once, "And why do your people need my help?"
"We cannot eradicate the Rebel Alliance in our sector without an ally of your power."
Domino thought for a few moments then looked deep into the wolven's eyes. "Sit with me for a meal and I will give you my answer."
Mumar clenched her teeth in anger as she prepared to feed her pet Blood Eels. Zannah came into the room and kneeled before her, "Hecate has been entombed my mistress."
Mumar nodded as she took a baby womprat and held it out for the eel. "Good,
make sure that Lord Vader's empty throne is ready for
Mara Skywalker again."
Zannah's eyes widened, "But Freedon Nadd told you-."
The eel snapped up the womprat in it's jaws, "Maybe you're right, I think I
should
stick to the Sithspawn."
Zannah held her blade tightly, "Have you spoken to Lord de Devastator yet?"
Mumar growled, "It's been weeks since we have spoken. He's been too busy with prisoners. I hate working alone."
Zannah sighed, "But mistress, you have us."
Mumar grumbled, "Yes, but, oh, never mind, go back to work!"
"There's nothing to do, mistress."
Mumar growled, "Take the troops out and train them! Go! get the Hell out of here, now!"
Zannah bowed, "Yes, mistress!" She fled from the temple like a streak of red lightning.
Mumar whispered silently to herself, "I wanted my revenge, Palpatine. I wanted my revenge, and I failed you. I didn't want too, I wanted to turn Mara Skywalker fully, I wanted to create another Vader, so I could please you. She could have made a great Vader, Palpatine, and you and I could have had the galaxy to ourselves."
Aria's mind whirled as she felt the impending force grip coming from Domino. Try as she might, she had not the strength or training to fight such an attack for a long time. And to top it off, that son-of-a-Sithing Arcana blew his cover showing concern for her. He could have gotten away, but his conscience gave way at the most inopportune moments. Still she was appreciative, but all that was forgotten as pain washed over her body, seizing her attention.
A few moments later the attack ceased and the words in the room started to make sense, through Aria's throbbing head. Lord Domino was going to forgive Arcana, but was he going to torture him? Slowly she raised up to full height just as Lord Domino's words really took on meaning. He called her a NIGHTSISTER!
So many emotions ached for Aria's attention as she heard him call her a nightsister.
'Never! My mother...' Shaking these thoughts asides, Aria choose her next words
carefully.
"My name is Aria Ka Djo. You will never again address me as a Nightsister, I have
earned no such markings or disgrace. My clan is none of your concern, but I don't even
know which clan I truly come from anyway. The reason for my trip is credits, I have a
specialty. One I am willing to demonstrate."
Lord Domino's eyebrow raised slightly at the brashness of the smuggler and her truthfulness was an interesting commodity, or was it? He remained silent though he invaded her being to inflict her with more pain. He couldn't let her think that she could speak to him in such a way.
Aria cringed at his attack, but remained upright. She took the easing of her pain to be an indication to continue or die.
"As I was saying before, I have a specialty. I understand that you have a rancor here and you are particularly fond of tossing random victims in for your amusement." This was not a question, more of a statement. "I have a way with animals."
Domino gave no indication of amusement or anger, just subtle proddings to inflict pain.
"I wish to be your next chosen victim. But, if I get out of the pit alive I ask for two things. One, Arcana not be held responsible for his actions and two, the right to trade and hunt several rare animals on Deominia."
Either she was the most courageous person in the galaxy or the most dimwitted, suicidal fool Domino had ever come across as of yet. "You will not demand anything of me!"
"Consider it more of a request." Aria hoped he would give her a chance, her life was never a concern but she brought another person into danger. That was one thing she could not live with.
"A nightsister that is polite enough to make a request."
Anger clouded Aria's thinking and before she knew it she said something she could not bite back. "I AM NOT A NIGHTSISTER YOU MONSTER!" With that she flew at him anger broiling. Guards and Julayps approached her from all angles and she felt her anger building. Someone was bringing a blaster to bear. With one thought the weapon misfired in his hand. She let out a warriors cry and dove for Domino, only to be knocked down centimeters from her target. Instead, she focused on the blaster another guard was aiming at her and caused it to fire on Domino. The blast was easily deflected. She could feel her control of the Force growing but could not explain why as she, once again, in anger levatated a staff to hurl at Domino. It clattered to the ground at Domino's feet, useless.
The Dark Lord was finished toying with this wannabe Jedi and silenced her attack. His barrage of pain started again and did not stop til Aria was unconscious and her breathing shallow. "Take her to the..."
Arcana looked around his room, scanning the mess left by Aria. She had not only went
through his stuff, but she also managed to kill a few Julayps along the way too. Luckily,
the bodies were removed, but it would take a long time to get the stains out of the plush
carpet. Not only that, but the blood smelled a lot.
There was dinner with Lord Domino in about one hour. He shook his head. What was he going
to do then? What was going to happen to Aria? He was pretty sure that her life depended on
him... once again. Once again, he had the power of life and death. Just like in the
incident in the docking bay. He armed himself by changing the power pack in his blaster.
Not as if it would do him any good against Lord de Devastator. But it helped slightly, he
supposed. He slid it in his holster, feeling the handle of his stolen lighsaber on his
belt.
Arcana looked at the lightsaber curiously. He lifted it and activated it in his hand. The
blade shot forth. Arcana looked at it. Although it was a weapon scoffed at twenty-five
years ago, this weapon, advertised by Luke Skywalker, had turned into a thing of power and
beauty. It was also deadly in the hands on a trained Jedi.
And it also was potentially dangerous to the beginner.
He twirled it around, wondering if any old loser could go to Luke Skywalker's Jedi
Academy and get magical Jedi powers. He moved the blade in his hand, practicing basic
fencing thrusts and parries. 'Thrust forward, step back, block. It wasn't so hard,'
he thought. 'You just needed to know how to fence, that's all.'
Arcana thrust again, then gave a swing. Unfortunately, the smuggler did not account for
the light mass of the blade and it went flying out of his hand, cutting apart a table in
the process. 'Oops.' He'd have to get that grip correct.
He lifted the blade up and thought about the Force. What an interesting power. To hurt
people with the mind, to predict people's actions before they even did them. To follow
people through Deominian Clouds...
A sudden feeling went through Arcana's head as he thought about Aria. He deactivated his
weapon and sat down on his bed. Arcana placed his head into his hands, trying to sort
everything out.
There was Aria. She was in trouble with the Imperials. He stuck his neck out for
her. Then she went through his stuff... she asked him a lot of questions... she basically
gave him no thanks in return.
During a meeting with Domino, she is escorted in, battered and bruised, by Imperial
soldiers. Battered, obviously, for no reason. Tortured by Domino, for no reason.
Arcana lifted his head up for a moment, biting the skin on his hand. Just then, he
had to let himself go all weak and mushy. He tried to help her up. 'What the hell was
wrong with me?' He let out a sigh. 'I don't need Aria... if I want credits from
her, Domino can kill her and easily transfer her credit account to me.'
The Dark Lord would probably even buy him a new ship, and let things go away. He would
just let Arcana forget about the incidents at the palace.
But the image of Aria, already weakened and hurt, being jolted by Force pain, was too
harsh to leave his mind. It happened over and over again in slow motion.
She was falling, falling. She hit the floor, sprawled out weakly. Once on the floor, her
body was struggling to pick herself up. Her bleeding, battered
self. He shut his eyes and tried to block out the image. He worked with Dark Jedi! These
sorts of things were expected! He had seen people tortured already!
What was so different about this one?
He wondered what he was supposed to say to Domino de Devastator. The last thing he would
want to hear is that "Well, I felt sorry for her, so I decided to..."
But the image of Aria came back into his mind. Falling, falling, falling...
His head began to hurt. It throbbed with the heat of his blood. He lowered his head into
his hands again, trying to calm the pain, massage his temples. But he saw Aria falling to
the ground. Falling. In pain, in so much pain.
Despite her weakness, she was still defiant. She didn't want his help.
So why did he help her up anyways? Was it ever since that little docking bay incident? Did
he feel some sort of protectiveness towards her?
Or was it more than that...?
No, it couldn't be.
Arcana looked up. He checked the chronometer on the wall. It was later than he expected.
He showered, changed, then prepared to meet Lord Domino de Devastator for dinner.
And as he walked down the halls, he saw the image of Aria falling.
Falling....
Falling...............
Marina hugged her knees to her chest and stared up at the starry night sky. From
here, she couldn't tell where Yavin was, or Coruscant, or Corellia. Or much of anything
else, either. She'd never cared too much for astronomy; she had left that all up to the
navicomps and other pilots. But, looking up at them now, she realized how beautiful they
were, so beautiful and special to her because somewhere out there, among billions of stars
and planets, was home.
Home, the only home she had ever really cared for, the only one where her heart lay and
her body yearned to be. Where she actually had a family. A family that needed her.
With a small sigh, she returned to her introspective thoughts. Her mind traveled
down paths so convoluted and twisted that she did not know quite where she was going, only
where she wanted to go. She'd been working on this for a long time, working on her own
purification, her redemption, and she was not quite there yet. But she was better, so much
better.
But not done.
Not yet.
That would take a while longer, but she felt that she could do it. 'I'm not too far
gone to save.' And she was glad of it. Very, very glad. She looked back at the night
sky, wondering which bright pinprick on that black velvet canvas was home.
'Do you miss me, Kyp?' she thought, although it was a stupid question. 'I miss you so much that it hurts. Are you thinking of me? Do you still love me after all I've done?'
Domino recalled the situation as they prepared for the event of the day. He had been
sitting on his throne, listening in amusement to the proud
boastings of the Dathomirian smuggler.
"I understand that you have a rancor here and you are particularly fond of
tossing random victims in for your amusement. I have a way with animals." she had
said.
"I wish to be your next chosen victim. But, if I get out of the pit alive I ask
for two things. One, Arcana not be held responsible for his actions and two, the right to
trade and hunt several rare animals on Deominia."
Domino recalled his thoughts at the time, recalling he said nothing to confirm her
belief of the rancor's existance.
'It is true.' he thought. 'I do have a rancor. A well cared for, mighty rancor.
But this noble creature is not here for sport or amusement. How would she hear of such a
thing?'
It was after Domino made a stereotypical comment about implying that all Dathomirians were
Nightsisters that the situation became worse. The young warrior had sought to attack
Domino in a state of rage. Domino had merely called upon the Force to feed on her own
emotions. Such was the nature of the Force and Domino's ability to feed on the Dark Side.
Her advance was quite impotent.
The Dark Lord was finished toying with this wannabe Jedi and silenced her attack. His
barrage of pain started again and did not stop until Aria was unconscious and her
breathing shallow. "Take her to the sevrakarn den." he had said.
Just a few minutes later, The procession to the mouth of the sevrakarn den was led by eight Julayps holding the chains that bound Aria. Eight of Domino's palace guards were there, with their blasters trained on her. Grand Lady of Darkness, Tionne, was sitting with Domino and Rayla in the speeder that brought up the tail of the procession.
At the mouth of the sevrakarn den, Two of the Julayps held Aria tightly while two
more unshackled her. Then the two that held her grabbed her forcefully and began to fly
into the mouth of the cave. The den was actually an open pit in the ground. The Julayps
carried her straight down until Aria could just make out a strange dim glow.
The Julayps let her fall the final 5 meters to the floor of the pit, then flew back out.
Aria had noticed, to her credit, that if she should survive this trial she would be able
to climb back out (with great effort).
~Aria, find the ritual dagger and chalice in the inner chamber and bring me a chalice full of sevrakarn blood. Then perhaps we can discuss the terms of the arrangement you seek.~
Alex sat in her cell, thinking about what she knew about her captor. Nothing really
except he was cocky and thought he was a great Dark Jedi Master.
'HA!' she thought to her self, 'Let's see this guy take on me with a lightsaber.
Heck, I might win and I am not even trained to be a Jedi. What a Jerk!'
'It makes no sense.' she continued in thought. 'It wasn't Gaeriale, who else
would want me?' She searched her brains and came up with nothing. Everyone she had
crossed was eiether dead or didn't have the power to do anything like this.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard heavy footsteps on the metal surface. The footsteps stopped outside her door. It opened to reveal a squad of stormtroopers.
"Grab her, take her up to the bridge. Master Dalamar will be waiting for her."
'A squad of stormtroopers. I guess they think I am dangerous. Funny.' she thought to herself. She shook her head and allowed herself a small smile. 'I'll keep them guessing about why I am smiling.'
Alex was grabbed and pushed into the hallway and escorted to the deck. Alex saw nothing that would make this ship different from any other Imperial vessel she had been on over the years. Nothing at all. 'A good sign.' she thought to herself. A good sign and a little bit of a bigger smile.
Dalmar turned around, and gestured to the troopers to bring Alex closer. "Unbind her and remove the gag" The stormtroppers did so.
Alex reflexly took a step back. She liked a little distance between her and her captor. She was now very confused. 'Why let me go free? It makes no sense. Crazy even. He is doing this to keep me off balance. I know it.'
Gesturing out the main viewport, Dalamar asked Alex, "What do you see?"
"A cluster of dust? Prehaps"
"No not exactly. It is the Deominian cloud. You'll be meeting Dark Lord Domino de Devastator shortly"
That was the last thing Alex remembered other then Blackness.
Lord Martel stood on the bridge of his Imperator Warbird, the Nightshadow,
contemplating his next move. Ten of Palpatine's twelve Sith
Lords had been destroyed, their souls passing into the Force. Only two more were left, and
he had saved the best for last.
Martel's personal fleet of Warbirds hung in orbit, the fabric of space warped around the
ships, cloaking them from prying eyes and ground sensors, over Caladan, the fortress world
of Dark Lady Schala.
"My lord," the sensor master called out from his station. "We're coming into orbit over Schala's castle."
"Good," Martel acknowledged. "Prepare my shuttle for departure."
Martel's shuttle touched down on Caladan with no trouble. He knew Schala could feel his presence, as he had left his phaseshield back on the Nightshadow, but Schala was expecting him anyway. If she wasn't, then Martel had seriously overestimated her power. If she was expecting him, then this was going to be interesting.
After about fifteen minutes of walking, Martel reached the castle and was met by two guards, their enormous bloated bodies bulging with severly over-developed muscles to the point of deformity, their faces puffy and fat, shiny with sweat and pitted with disease. They wielded lightsabers, their opalescent blades curving slightly like scimitars.
'They're Sithspawn.' Martel thought with disgust. "Get out of my way," he grated and attempted to push past the hulking forms unsuccessfully. The two Sithspawn, attempting feebly to use their Force powers, tried to choke Martel, but he waved off the attack.
"Come on, boys, let me through. Schala's expecting me, and you wouldn't want to make the little Ice Queen mad, would you?" Martel grinned, reaching for his lightsaber.
One of the Sithspawn tried to speak, but it choked on its words, sounding more like a baritone power droid than a man. Martel looked at the thing again, trying to influence its mind, but if something has no mind, how can you influence it?
And so it was that Martel had to use force. He pulled the lightsaber from his belt and ignited it, its dark red blade glowing in the evening light. He swung it quickly, decapitating one of the Sithspawn, and swirling around to block the other's clumsy stroke. The blades locked, the pulsating hum of the blades turning into the sound of white noise, until Martel pushed the Sithspawn down with the Force.
"Now, take me to Schala," Martel said as picked up the spawn's lightsaber. Why Schala chose to oppose him with these pitiful creatures, he would never know. Perhaps he would ask her.
The Sithspawn groaned, a distorted and disgusting sound, as it lifted itself to its feet. He nodded for Martel to follow and they stepped inside.
The castle was a dark forboding place, and every meter or so, someone or something
was hanging on a wall of the corridors, small
plasteel wedges driven into the victim's flesh, stapling him into the wall. Their mouths
were gagged with barbed cables, blood oozing from the wounds. Crucifixtion was an old form
of torture, and if it was done right, could keep the subject in excruciating pain for
months, even years, if they were fed intravenously.
After forty-five minutes or so of these bloody horrorshows, the Sithspawn grunted towards a small door. Martel stepped towards the door and entered.
Martel was surprised at what he saw. It was not a large, extravagent throne room like most Sith Lords had, and it was not filled with slaves and serfs to do the Master's bidding.
"Hello, Martel," Schala said warmly, as if she were welcoming an old friend into her home, not a man who wished to destroy her.
"Hello, Schala," Martel returned the greeting, disarmed at the surroundings. He had known Schala for a long time during the height of the Galactic Civil War, and had become friends. But this was business.
"Come in, Marty," she said, using the nickname Martel had tried for centuries to get rid of. "Sit down, and make yourself comfortable. We can catch up on things." She smiled again, revealing pointed teeth that were stained dark with blood.
"You know what I'm here for, Schala," Martel admonished her.
"Yes,"she shot back. "Your tired little quest to rid the galaxy of the Sith. But I'm not stupid, Marty. I wish to join you on your anti-Sith crusade." She grinned again. "And besides, we work well together."
Martel felt a small ripple in the Force. She was up to something. He had known her
long enough to remember her touch, and found she was trying to alter his perceptions.
Illusions flickered in his field of vision, illusions of her and Martel destroying the
Rebellion. "I could do that without you, Schala." He nodded his head. But
finally he considered her offer a good one, and that she truly made it in earnest.
"Fine, you mass your fleet. We're going to Deominia."
"What!" She screamed, shocked. "You're going up against Domino? Are you crazy? He'll tear your fleet apart."
He looked at her. "A fleet of Imperator Warbirds? I doubt it, Schala."
A shuttle ventured out from the Deominian Cloud aproaching Dalamar's ship.
~This is Domino's Grand Vizier, Skien Graize. I shall be coming aboard.~
"I want to talk to Domino, Not one of you pathetic Yes Men!"
Grand Visier Graize replied, ~You will speak to Lord de Devastator in good time, if I am unable to deal with you personally.~
"Why must you come aboard my ship?"
~Be patient, Lord Dalamar. You know how Lord de Devastator is. He prefers to have me test the water before allowing visitor's to invade his dinner hour.~
"You may board, but no one else!"
~You are most kind Lord Dalamar. I will graciously accept your invitation.~ The shuttle carrying Grand Visier Graize flew in to the docking birth of the Blackhunter and the docking gear connected to it.
Grand Visier Skien Graize entered the hangar bay. he was greeted by saluting stormtroopers.....plus Dalamar and Alex. Graize smiled and said "How nice of you Dalamar. You have brought a fresh new Jedi to play!"
Domino laughed with grim satisfaction as the two Julayps exited the mouth of the
sevrakarn den.
'That poor Jedi-wannabe smuggler will perish among the sevrakarns, and I shall feel her
soul cry out when she dies! The poor pathetic fool does not stand a chance!'
Domino turned to the Grand Lady of Darkness, Tionne, and remarked "Tionne, you have
been silent throughout these proceedings. What do you have to say about this?"
Tionne merely shrugged. "What is there to say, my Lord? She trespassed here.
You were more than fair to let her speak of her intentions before condemning her."
Tionne paused, testing the ambience of the Force in th general area. "Why Lord
Domino, you actually believe that this Jedi smuggler may actually survive, don't
you?"
"My Lady, the thought did cross my mind." Domino admitted, slightly amused. Suddenly, two Julayps approached the speeder that Domino, Rayla and Tionne were seated in.
"Lord Domino, your cousin, the Grand Admiral Darin Tantiss de Devastator has just flown in from beyond the cloud." the first creature said in a metallic voice. "She will arrive at the palace shortly after you return."
" This is a wonderful surprise!" Domino declared. "I haven't heard from my dear cousin in many years. I am pleased to see that she will be accepting my invitation to serve as the Imperial Intelligence liason to Deominia in person." The speeder picked up in velocity as Domino gave many details to Tionne about training his cousin in the ways of the Force.
Arcana sat in the banquet hall, awaiting his host. Seated directly across from him
was Flimmox Danzirre, The Dark Jedi Wolven who had come to Deominia with a propostion for
Domino. To his left, the Assassin, Rayla sat patiently.
Across from Rayla, right next to Flimmox, Marquis sat 'Patiently enough,' Arcana
thought, 'but slightly nervous. I wonder if she would like to trade places with Rayla.'
Just then, the doors of the dining hall burst open. Domino was arm in arm with a
mysteriously beautiful woman, and Lady Tionne was following them closely.
Domino practically carried his cousin to the table to sit next to him. "Tell me of your most exciting exploits, dear Darin!"
Arcana's eyes practically popped out of his skull. 'Is this the same Domino? A beautiful guest shows up, instantly he's the most cordial being in the universe.'
Darin replied "It's been so many years, cousin, that I hardly know where to begin."
Domino studied his cousin intently, then said "All in due time then! Join me
and my dinner guests!" He showed Darin to her chair, at his right hand, and poured a
glass of Alderaanian ale for her.
As he sat her down, he communicated to her telepathically. ~The human male there is
named Arcana. He was my most trusted provider of goods and
services. As disappointed as I am with him, I cannot find suitable punishment.~ Darin
and Domino exchanged glances.
~What did this Arcana do, my dear cousin?~ Darin asked mentally.
Domino assumed a stern expression for the slightest of moments. ~He allowed another smuggler to follow him through the cloud of Deominia!~
Inside, Darin felt rage, yet she sat beside Domino, glancing around breiflly at the
other guests. "I could, however, tell you of my most recent adventure," she
said. "A band of pirates out near Corellia attempted to take over Admiral Daala's
Star Destroyer. The Relentless and the rest of my fleet was only about 4 light
minutes behind her, and we came out of hyperspace right into the middle of this
mess."
Darin continued for several minutes, detailing a brilliant spacebattle between Imperial
forces and a large band of galactic pirates. "....and that was the end of the fair
pirate ship Harmzway." Darin concluded, making a sweeping gesture with her
hand.
Domino felt a flutter in the Force as Darin motioned with her hand, and knew that she had done something. He knew precisely what she was up to when Arcana was served his dinner tray and the lid was removed. A human head sat in the center of the platter! She had caused a Sith hallucination!
'Ah! My marvelous cousin has grown so powerful over the years! It is indeed good to have her home where she belongs.'
As Arcana stared in horror at what sat in front of him, Domino looked at Flimmox and said, "My cousin and I have decided that an alliance with your master and the House de Devastator could be beneficial." glancing at Arcana, he added, "Don't let your dinner get cold."
On Korriban, Mumar was indulging in self-pity. Zannah and the other CODA Warriors were losing more and more respect and fear of her. "Day, by day, while she lies on her dais, sitting there like a hutt on top of soft pillows, she gives us nothing to do. Listen my women, we are going nowhere and we are being misused as her serving girls. I say we defect to The Rebellion."
Anticlea snapped, "The Rebellion?!"
Cleopatra nodded, "The Rebellion can give us a new life."
The ladies gathered in a circle conversing about how they would leave. "We'll take the Song of Circe." "No, the Hecate and the Circe are Mumar's personal ships. We should take the Executor II. It would be a grand gesture to the Rebellion. Besides the fact that they can always use more ships."
Isis asked in a cool voice, "But what about Mumar?"
"We leave her here."
"No, let's kill her!"
Zannah calmed them down, "We leave her here for the rest of her miserable life. We'll make our leave soon; possibly as soon as three days from now. Gather your things, all of you. We'll take the Sword of Hecate. Mumar won't need it anyway."
Meanwhile, Mumar laid on her dais, "I could have been empress, I could have ruled the galaxy. But no, Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker had to ruin my life."
The spirit of Freedon Nadd rumbled in, ~Are you going to fail us again?~
Mumar moved sluggishly, "I have failed master, I have failed, and I am willing that you give me any punishment that is needed."
Nadd rumbled, ~The only punishment we will bestow upon you is mortality. I am stripping you of the Force!~
Mumar screamed, "No! I will not become mortal!"
Freedon Nadd thundered, ~You will get your powers back, if you do one thing.~
The ancient Dark Lord of the Sith projected an image of the tombs where the ancient Sith sat. There she saw an empty throne, cold and bare. "What does this have to do with me?"
The spirit hissed, ~Bring us the Dark clones of Luke and Mara Skywalker and your powers will return.~
Arcana listened idly to the conversation around him, something about a pirate group
around Corellia. He knew exactly who had planted the bombs
on his ship, and it wasn't those pirates. It was the Trader's Guild. If... when he got out
of here, he would go back to Corellia and face those bastards in person.
And then Arcana was served his dinner. He sat back at first, waiting for the lid to be removed.
And then he saw it. The eyes were open in a horrid gaze, the stump bloody, and raw
flesh was strewn around the tray in a grotesque, but artistic manner. A vile
smell filled the air. Arcana opened his mouth in astonishment.
And he rose. "What the hell is this?" he declared, roughly shoving his tray across the table. It slid to a stop right beside Domino's food. "I refuse to be insulted like this," he added. His blaster and a Jedi Lightsaber lay at his side. Neither would be useful at this time. With one glance, Domino could choke him, or make his guts spill out, or some other awful ordeal.
He shook his head. Dark Jedi... they were too much of a handful, and too weird for ordinary mortals like himself. "If I may, I would like to take leave from your service," he declared, standing at ease. Domino could always get himself another smuggler to toss around with his games. But he couldn't live like this any longer. He had put up with a lot, and now this was too much.
He stared at Domino, refusing to let his gaze waver. But it did. His eyes went to the Dark Jedi Mistress, Tionne, and the Dark Lord's cousin, Darin. There was a flicker of amusement in Darin's eyes. And she smiled, barely noticable, but she smiled.
The smuggler had fallen bait to Domino and his cousin.
Domino smiled a barely threatening smile at Arcana. "So impetous still,
Arcana?" Domino chuckled, then continued. "Sorry about that little parlor
trick. I have decided not to take out my anger on you, THIS TIME. I have scanned both
your's and Aria's minds and know full well that her presence here on Deominia was none of
your doing. She must have the tenacity and cunning of a katarn to have followed you
through the cloud. We may yet see Aria ka Djo alive again."
Domino looked into Arcana's eyes and studied them for a reaction, then continued.
"Arcana, the very idea of you discontinuing your services to me is not only
unpalatable to me, it is out of the question. What would stop you from selling the secrets
of Deominia to the highest bidder? No, I will have you as a loyal and trusted retainer, or
you will die." Domino gazed into Arcana's eyes and finally noticed the tiniest touch
of fear.
Domino suddenly turned to Darin, who sat composed, sipping her wine. "My dear
cousin, I have a task that is worthy of your talents and experience. I would like you to
assume command over the 2nd Fleet.
Inform Admiral Daliwhel that if he wishes, he may assume the command position of the ISD Darkness
Rising or he can scrub the refresher floors in my detention center. Just one day ago,
the woman who pledged her life and service to me as my bride left Deominia to follow her
own agenda. I would like you to take the 2nd Fleet to Korriban and hunt down the woman who
calls herself Mumar Ali Kazar. Destroy all who align themselves with her. Then either
capture or kill her, which ever would bring you the most pleasure."
Arcana opened his mouth, then shut it again. He looked down at the platter to see
only a simple Corellian Meat Dish. He sat down quickly, ashamed.
"Will you... excuse what I just said?" he started hastily, almost too hastily
for his taste. He was usually a decent politician, but today things were not going his
way.
Arcana went back to his dish, realising that the head must have been a terrible
illusion. Now, by which Dark Jedi? He was truly sick of working for the demented
Force-competent beings, but the money was too good to be turned away. Unfortunately, he
still couldn't remove the image of Aria from his mind.
She fell, and kept on falling. there was nothing he could do, he couldn't catch her, he
couldn't even reach out for her.
"By the way, where is that other smuggler?" he asked casually, trying to expel all traces of concern from his voice. "I would hate to find out that she is dead now..."
Domino stood to fill his and Darin's chalices as Arcana said "By the way, where is that other smuggler? I would hate to find out that she is dead now."
Domino looked up at Arcana and searched for the words to describe Aria's present situation. "Aria is where only the Force and personal tenacity can help her. I would be more concerned about keeping your loyalties to me, if I were you."
Domino tasted the broiled nerfloin then turned to Flimmox.
"Flimmox Danzirre, of Wathowl, I have never met one from your race. I consider this
an opportunity for both of us to learn from each other, for though Deominians appear to be
human, I can assure you we are not. I hope you will stay with us on Deominia for another
few days."
Flimmox looked at the Dark Lord and replied, as he assessed Domino's abilities with
the Force. "I will stay one day more. I must begin arrangements for the alliance we
have discussed. If you will please excuse me, I must attend to some personal business in
the quarters you have provided for me."
Standing up from the table, Flimmox looked at Domino, hoping for some indication of de
Devastator's feelings in all this. 'He is far more powerful than I have ever given him
credit for. I cannot read his thoughts or emotions.'
"Very well then, Wolven. I would welcome you back as my guest any time."
Turning back to Arcana, Domino said, "One thing troubles me Arcana. You have
always been loyal without honoring me with any devotion as your master, and yet now you
have thoughts of frustration at serving me in the capacity you have. Why do you think this
way? Have I ever asked you to go against your own code of
ethics?"
Domino lifted his hand and the package that Arcana had brought to him was drawn to
him. "This package is of little value to any but myself. An old friend made this for
me."
Domino opened the box and produced a medalion from inside it. "This friend recently
died, and his daughter sent word to me that this medalion was the last object her father
had ever forged. I could never convince him to live here with me. I could have kept him
alive and healthy. Now he is gone." Domino took the medalion and placed it around his
neck.
It was hexagonal, and in the center of the medalion there was a symbol of a sword piercing
a heart.
"The Deominian symbol of life, ironically enough."
Arcana sheepishly picked at his meal. Regret for thinking ill of Domino (even for all of his evil ploys) began to form in his mind.
Shortly after dinner, Flimmox located the small holocommunications unit within his
quarters and switched it on. Using his claws, he
tapped in a frequency that seemed to be engraved in his mind like runes in stone. The
holoprojector came to life and produced lettering that read:
"Emissary three-of-nine-delta-alpha-nu-zeta-zeta-ista-rho-epsilon." Sithspawn, I wish my name was shorter! The image changed:
'Yee-haw.' he thought sarcastically. "Lambda-tridelta-by-delta-for-ista-one."
"Finally." The words vanished and were replaced by a shadow of a man-or whatever he was. "Three-of-nine Danzzire, this had better be worth my time. Have you a report?"
Flimmox nodded-a strange, human gesture-and spoke, "Yes master," he said emphsizing the word with a low growl. "The Lord Domino de Devastator has agreed to join us."
The image of Imenodoc remained inscrutable to Flimmox's vexation. "You will
expect the Reshini-fleet to arrive in a matter of days with fifty Frutrus on each. You
understand that is one thousand of my men, do you not? I expect you to make them realize
who their new master is. You're second mission, exect-gamma-bi-upsilon, does not need
completion. We need not worry about the daughter of the son of Cyperious with our
new ally to help us."
"I understand, master," Flimmox said with a low tone.
"One more thing, Danzzire. Please try to learn better table manners."
Only when the image flicked off did Flimmox bristle and growl, "Table manners! spleef pilf!" he yelled aloud as he glared vibroblades at the holoprojector. "That guy really knows how to get under your skin! Maybe I should just join the Furnamnrus and-EEEEEEEAAAAAK!" He yelped and tumbled to the ground as needles of pain shot all over his body, sending him into writhing convulsions. He vomited twice before another tremor took him, leaving him dazed and disorientated in its wake.
Something in his mind screamed* "THAT IS NOT AN OPTION!" and was followed by a putrid, piercing sound that set his teeth on edge. After all this had stopped, he repeated the message "That is not an option." He stood shakily as if his legs were made of flimsiplast, "Not an option at all."
*Point of interest: The Deominian Cloud prevents such things from being accomplished through the Force, but this could be an indication that Imenodoc used some sort of technological implant on Flimmox to gain this sort of effect on him.
Alex was thrown into a cell for the second time in three days. 'Hmm...Hope it's not the beginning of a trend.' She studied her surroundings, there was nothing to work with really, just four walls and a hard bunk. Nothing at all she could use to get free.
She shook her head. She had finally met her match and she knew it. She knew one of these days she would get careless and someone would catch her, but Domino de Devastator?
Why? It made no sense and it fustrated her greatly that she didn't know what Domino
was planning. No, it scared her. It frightened her to the core!
If they were going to torture her she rather die flat out, but they would never allow it.
'They will have fun torturing me and picking my brain for anything that I might know
that could give them an advantage on the Rebels. THE REBELS! I could give them access to
the rebels computer systems. They would have to let me go, and to have access to the
rebels computer I would have to have access to one of theirs.' Alex blew outa deep
breath. 'This might work!'
Alex started pounding on where she thought the door was and started yelling at the top of her lungs.
Thix sat resignedly on his bunk in de Devastator's detention block, absently
wondering when something interesting was going to happen. He'd been
sitting here for a week, or at least several days.
The cell was bland, featureless. It had a bunk, a refresher, and a sink. Meals were delivered on a regular basis and the food was good. For jail food, that is...
Either de Devastator had locked him up and thrown away the key, or he would be around soon to have a talk with him.
Martel and Schala's joint battle fleet cruised through the Deominian Cloud at one quarter sublight speed. It was a dangerous speed for this type of nebula, but Martel was in a hurry. He had heard rumors of Lord Domino going off-world for a while, and he wanted to catch him before that happened.
But he had run into a few problems. The Imperial astrogation officers who were experts at navigating the nebula had taken a few wrong turns (An event that happened quite often when navigating the Cloud. Even de Devastator had gotten lost in the nebula a few times.) and ran into a dead end: a black hole. The fleet thrusted away before they were dragged in by the gravitational pull of the collapsed star and the navigators had been immediately executed by Martel. Since the flow of the Force was stilled by the nebula, he had to do it the old-fashioned way: he tossed them out an airlock.
Also, a few of the TIE Defenders and Avengers that had decided to fly solo were lost inside the twisted, gaseous maze. Martel thought about that for a while. Why was it called a nebula? Sure, it had the main components that made up a typical nebula, but it was most certainly not a nebula. He would have to classify it as a Spatial Anomaly. There were very few Spatial Anomalies in the Known Galaxy, and this would have to be one of them.
[Lord Martel,] the Nerakan sensor master called out. [We've run into some kind of, uh, I don't know, uh, some creature.]
[What!] Martel said. [A creature? Put it on screen.]
The main viewscreen shot up, and inside the swirling purplish-green field of the Cloud was a long, grey-skinned wyrm-like creature. It was half as long as the Nighshadow, about 350 meters in length, with glittering wings and gigantic fangs. It looked like a cross between a starslug and a mynock.
[Can we fire on it?] Martel asked the weapons master.
[We can't power up our disruptor banks with all this interference,] the weapons master said. [But we could fire our torpedoes.]
[Hail Schala,] Martel ordered the communication master.
The bridge holoprojector sprung to life. "What is it Marty?"
"Schala," Martel started, switching back to Basic. "Have your crews detected that creature yet?"
"Yes," Schala replied. "We were just about to fire our turbolasers at it."
"Good," Martel nodded. "Inform us when you've destroyed it."
It took seven more wrong turns before they finally reached the edge of cloud. One of
Schala's Carrack Cruisers was obliterated by an ion plasma streamer, and a few of the
Victory Star Destroyers' shields had been weakened by the ionized gases. The rest of the
fleet was at full
strength, ready for the assault on Deominia.
In his ready room on the Nightshadow, Martel was meeting with Lando Calrissian. They were both smoking Chandrilan cigars, and were finishing off doubles of Corellian whiskey.
"Lando," Martel said. "I am going to be putting you in charge of the Warbirds. Don't let Schala or Kallath touch them. Ignore any and all orders they give you regarding the Warbirds. These are my Master's ships, and I don't want them destroyed by one of Schala's whims or Kallath's treating the Warbirds like Star Destroyers. I trust you remember all of Ikarran's training and instructions?"
"Sure do, buddy." Lando said expansively. "I just wish I had the Falcon. She sure served me good at Endor. But, don't worry, de Devastator's forces won't get but a few of your Nerakan ships."
The fleet was still ensconced in the sensor-negating, protective confines of the Deominian Cloud, as Martel screamed towards the surface of Deominia in his TIE Avenger, on course vector for Domino de Devastator's Palace, with a murderous gleam in his eyes.
It was two days after the dinner in Domino's banquet hall, and Flimmox had called Domino out to his terrace. The Wolven turned to the Dark Lord and gestured with a clawed finger to the lizard-shaped shuttle floating two hundred meters away.
"So, what about this 'great technology' of yours, Danzzire?" Domino inquired skeptically.
"Watch," was all Flimmox said.
Legs unfolded from the side of the lizard-craft's hull and lightly touched the ground
below. The Dark Lord was expecting the slow, sluggish lumbering walk of an AT-AT as soon
as he saw that the legs were mobile, but what happened next surprised him. The
shuttle/walker moved with a fluid, cantering motion and covered the two hundred meter
expanse in only three strides, coming to a full halt five meters away.
"Impressive." de Devastator expressed, sounding too much like Vader for
comfort.
The "head" of the craft lowered to about a meter off the ground, before the jaw
dropped, forming a ramp. Twenty Wolvens of various colors and patterns trekked down the
ramp in perfect formation, each wearing a black uniform with silver trim. Unrecognizable
insignia broke the black on each uniform, and the Dark Lord observed that all of the
insignia displayed the same rank.
"Lord de Devastator," said Flimmox, taking on that diplomatic air of his, "These are the captains of the ships in the Reshini-fleet. Allow me to introduce Baris Chek Rovenwar, captain of the Icehound, the flagship in the fleet." Rovenwar shot off a snappy salute and Flimmox continued down the line. "This is Dwidle Zen D'voneaur of the Animosity, Xeniw Asni Shizon of the Quazar, Recwo Shik Sinzo of the Mutilater, Macren Tallaman of the Vista, Iilsrop Spleefasrik of the M'n'kry, D'lak Minz Quekka of the Nebula Skipper, his brother P'tak Rinz Quekka of the Nightmare, Nins Frek Tizzor of the Ekpirfinsurus, Qu'a Plazekl Reznipo of the Arrogance, Aripin Shrek Nekkiru of the Paradox, Ois Larkpir Kochi of the Stellar, Ular R'n'ak P'rank'n of the Flashrod, Shepra Esser Srilip'k of the Flamerunner, Jemri Soctrapt Tez of the Pwa'ii, Fenlar Crakusi of the Prestige, Frenkla Brak'p'r of the Galaxite, Surus Psicorf of the Sivraya, Plaker Shresi of the Sivrhirsmniiper, and Sivrruzf Reqhirsm Asrik of the Crasin. I am the commander of this fleet, and you, Lord de Devastator, are my superior. I will take orders from you, and so shall my subordinates."
The Dark Lord smiled, "I can't wait to see the ships."
Grand Lady of Darkness Tionne entered the cell block and coldly strode passed each
cell, stopping to stare ruefully at a prisoner if she could sense any abnormal fear. It
was a game to Tionne, causing fear. She not only found satisfaction in it, but she found a
certain form of sustenance in it. Causing fear to form in a prisoner, she could tap into
that fear and effectively feed on the Dark Side as it intensified. This gave Tionne a
surge of energy that she found quite addictive.
Like a prowling katarn, she stepped further down the corridor until she came to cell
number 58d11.
Thix Barkon, a squadron commander in the Rebel Alliance, a former student of the
Jedi academy, and current prisoner of Domino de Devastator sat on his bunk waiting for
anything, something, and nothing in particular to happen. He was about to settle himself
back on the cot and have a few nightmares when he felt an engulfing dread. It seemed to
mount with every passing second.
He felt it at first as a sensation not unlike getting caught by your mother with your hand
in the snack bin. As the moments ticked by, Thix became more and more aware of the fact
that he was in deep nerf dung. He began to panic, then took a deep breath as he thought 'It's
gonna take a miracle to find a way to yank my tail out of thi........'
The door of the cell burst open! Thix looked at his visitor, and just as he made out the features of her sinister beauty, he was bombarded with visions of his friends perishing, one by one, cut down in battle. He began to feel rage as he saw the people who had known him best die too early. He felt frustration at not being able to help them. He felt fear as he realized all too late what this Sith sorceress was trying to accomplish, as he regarded her through the visions and saw that her Dark aura had intensified to blinding proportions.
Mumar's CODA warriors were deserting her and leaving her on Korriban. They were rejoicing and contemplating surrendering themselves to the Rebel Alliance, as they left the atmosphere of Korriban and entered a portion of space that was saturated with the vessels of the 2nd Imperial Fleet.
Swarms of TIE Advanced overwhelmed the ship, and several Star Destroyers had decided to play a capital scale version of Tug-o-War with their tractor beams. It was over for the CODA warriors before they really understood what was happening.
On the flagship of the 2nd Fleet, rechristined the Pride of de Devastator,
Grand Admiral Darin Tantiss de Devastator took great pleasure in hearing the anguished
mental death screams of Mumar's servants.
"Now, in honor of my cousin, I shall personally remove the rotted heart of the
fearful Sith Mistress, Mumar Ali Kazar."
Domino observed the Wolvens as they stood in formation, impressed by their apparent discipline. "I am pleased with this august display of your military might. I think we will be getting along quite well Danzirre. Yes, quite well indeed."
Just then Lt. Gibron of the Deominian Ground Defense forces approached at a steady
run.
"My Lord Domino! I have most distressing news!" he declared.
Domino stared incredulously as the man seemed to wait for permission to speak. "The news then, lieutenant, or shall I boil your blood where you stand. This had better be good."
Lt. Gibron took a deep breath, then blurted out his news, matter of factly. "Lord de Devastator, a small fleet of Nerakan and Imperial ships has broken through the Deominian cloud!"
Domino brooded for several minutes, contemplated erradicating Gibron from existence,
then looked to Flimmox. "Martel is here to destroy me. If our alliance holds any
meaning, take your ships and crews and aid Omega Battle Group in the defense of
Deominia."Domino turned quickly and stepped out on a balcony.
~Martel, I know you are near. This will be the beginnings of your own undoing. Heed my
warning, for I will only give it once.~
Domino then went to prepare for personal combat.
MOVE ON TO PART III
RETURN TO THE ARCHIVES
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