Star Wars Invasion: Episode II, Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

The entire cantina was silent save for the quiet hum of Anakin's blue-colored lightsaber. All of the patron's stared at him and the others coldly, blasters aimed and ready to fire. The air strong with tension, neither combatant made a move, silently daring each other to make the first one. 

Eventually, one of the cantina patrons- a rough-looking man- grew impatient and fired a shot from his slugthrower. It narrowly flew past Tesara's head, prompting her to return the gesture with two simultaneous plasma bolts from her blaster pistols, hitting the man square in the chest.

Chaos erupted. Blaster bolts went flying everywhere, some ricocheting off walls or bouncing off Anakin's lightsaber. One such bolt was redirected by his blade, sending it across the cantina and through the Neimoidian bartender's shoulder, knocking him out cold.

Nearby, Anakin could see that Commander Naar had his hands full with a Skrilling brute. Sensing an Ishi Tib approach him from behind with a slugthrower, Anakin dodged in time just as the Ishi Tib fired his weapon and seared through the Skrilling's head, killing him. Anakin then spun around and severed the Ishi Tib's right arm with his lightsaber, letting it drop to the floor with the slugthrower.

A warning cry from Jast made him look over his shoulder to see a large man charging towards him, fists with spiked knuckles attached to them raised high. Anakin raised his hand, attempting to use the Force to push the man away, but it only managed to slow him down. Bracing himself, Anakin lifted up his lightsaber as the brute grew closer. When the man threw his punch, Anakin dodged it and swung his blade in an upward-slashing motion, slicing off the man's hand. Growling with rage, the brute thrust his other arm forward and it made contact with Anakin's abdomen, sending him staggering backwards.

With a cruel grin on his face, the burly man reeled his arm back, preparing to throw another punch. Just as he was going to give a blow aimed for Anakin's face, there was the sound of a blaster going off and the brute lurched. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground, a thin wisp of smoke rising from the back of his head.

Anakin looked up to see Sev Nep standing before him, blaster pistol in hand. The Sullustan's facial jowls curved into a smile.

"If we hadn't heard back from you after five minutes, we figured you had run into trouble."

Anakin smirked. "The sounds of blaster fire weren't enough?"

Before Sev could reply, Jast shouted another warning and Anakin barely managed to duck in time as a rather large Dug threw himself at him. When the Dug landed, Sev placed an accurate plasma bolt through his chest.

The battle went on, with nearly no end in sight. Anakin was starting to grow tired and strained from deflecting blaster bolts and disarming combatants. It almost seemed like they were growing in number...but how? Where were they all coming from?

Suddenly, as if made in response to his thoughts, the fighting ceased. The 'patrons' dropped their weapons and stood erect, their eyes widened with what Anakin could have sworn was either terror or awe...or neither. 

The strange silence that briefly hovered over the room was broken by the sound of slow, loud footsteps. Anakin, Sev, and the others turned to see a humanoid being, their face completely obscured by the hood of their black cloak, walk into the room. The stranger seemed to stare at them for a moment before looking down at the Neimoidian bartender, who was just beginning to arouse.

"What happened here, Naet?" the cloaked one asked in a masculine voice.

The Neimoidian, too weak to speak, instead raised a bony finger at Anakin and the others. The being raised his hood slightly and Anakin caught a glimpse of his emerald eyes, staring at him and the team balefully.

To his surprise, the stranger let out a harsh, mirthless laugh. "I knew Toah Jarsan's message would draw you here," he said, mostly to himself. "He should have known that the Alliance would not simply heed his words. They just had to see for themselves..."

"Mind telling us who you are?" Naar demanded, his blaster aimed at the stranger's head.

The being chuckled. "My name is Zordo. I...bought this place after some...aggressive negotiations with its previous owner."

"You mean you blew his brains out," Jast muttered under his breath.

Zordo seemed to have overheard him for he looked past Anakin to see the short man crouched down near the ladder that led up to the hatch, his hand on the first rung.

"Now, now, Jast. You're not thinking of abandoning your friends now, are you?" The cloaked man chuckled. "Unless I am mistaken and they are not actually your friends."

"Enough of this," Naar snapped, giving Jast a warning glare at the same time. "We're here in search of a species called the Glorians. Can you lead us to them?"

Zordo laughed again, his mirthless cackle echoing off the walls. Suddenly, the frozen beings began to stir, their skin bubbling as their bodies began to reshape themselves, growing and shrinking, heads elongating, straightening out, and stretching...the sight nauseated Anakin.

Soon, the entire cantina, instead of being full of Ishi Tibs, Skrillings, and Dugs, was now filled with a single, humanoid species, clad in bland, featureless armor with blades attached to their wrists, emerald eyes glowing from behind their masked helmets.

Zordo threw back his hood, revealing an appearance not unlike the others. From a sheath on his back, he pulled out a silver blade which glowed with electric energy. His green eyes glowed with malice as he spoke.

"Lead you to the Glorians, you say? Well, what else did you think we were?"

Star Wars Invasion: Episode II, Chapter Eight

Since I forgot to put up a chapter yesterday, I might put up two today.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Thanor Jax. Shadow recognized the surname; according to recovered Imperial records, Carnor Jax was the name of an Imperial stormtrooper who was recruited to become one of Emperor Palpatine's Royal Guards. It was no surprise then, that Palpatine would take an interest in Carnor after finding out that he was a possible descendant of a Dark Lord of the Sith.

This also made Shadow wonder if Lumiya knew this as well and, if so, she had found Carnor Jax and took him as her second apprentice, after Flint's death on Vjun. If this was all true, Shadow was amazed by the coincidence of him finding Darth Erebus' holocron and it leading to him finding another to two possible Sith Lords, which he was supposed to be hunting, and the Sith relic which he currently sought.

Or perhaps it was simply the Force at work. He wouldn't have known.

But none of this solved Shadow's present situation: how did he find Lumiya and, possibly, Carnor Jax? All records of Jax stated that he was last sighted on Dromund Kaas nine years ago, working for Darth Vorath's Sith Empire, and was surely gone by now.

Or dead, Shadow thought, but he ignored that consideration.

At that moment, his ship's communications device beeped and Shadow activated the small holoprojector placed on his control board. A shimmering, miniature humanoid male, dressed in a hooded cloak not unlike Shadow's, appeared before him.

"Agent Shadow," the being said with a greeting nod. "What is the current status of your mission?"

"I have...somewhat located the holocron of the Sith king Adas, Agent Umbra," Shadow replied. "It is in the hands of someone named Lumiya."

"Lumiya..." Shadow's fellow agent scratched his chin in reminiscence. "Ah, yes, the Watcher's other agents created a file on her twenty years ago. One of Palpatine's dark side adepts, correct?"

Shadow nodded. "I believe she has taken on the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith."

Agent Umbra gave a mirthless chuckle. "Well, someone has to do it, especially with Vorath gone."

Shadow felt no amusement from his fellow agent's humor. "She will have to be eliminated in order for the Plan to proceed."

Umbra waved an airily hand. "Yes, yes, of course. Have you located her then?"

"That's the problem," Shadow muttered. "I have found it extremely difficult- to the point of impossibility- to find Lumiya and whoever she has taken as a apprentice."

"How sad," the other agent replied, his voice tinged with smugness. "If you were a wannabe Sith Lord, where would you go to learn of the Sith?"

"Well, at the moment, I can not go to any planet in the Esstran sector, due to what happened to Korriban and the Horuset system." Shadow thought for a moment. "But...Lords Naga Sadow and Exar Kun did leave behind Massassi temples behind on one of the moons of Yavin."

Umbra nodded. "Yes, I remember you telling me as much. And there is also Prakith, Onderon, and Almas..."

Shadow's eyes glowed with a combination of realization and anticipation. "Indeed. Thank you, Agent Umbra."

The holographic figure tilted his head. "Coming from you, those words sound quite alien."

Shadow ignored him. "Tell the Watcher that my mission is still ongoing. Agent Shadow, signing off."

Once Umbra's hologram had vanished, Shadow began setting in hyperspace coordinates. He was certain that Lumiya and Jax would have already visited Yavin 4, for Sadow and Exar Kun were very successful Dark Lords, and their relics and writings left behind in their tombs would likely give them the most information on the old Sith Empire.    

But Sadow and Kun were also connected by another Dark Lord, who had apprenticed himself to Sadow's spirit and later completed Exar Kun's fall to the dark side post-mortem.

Freedon Nadd.

After setting a course for the Japrael system, Shadow leaned back in his seat and waited for the hyperdrive to kick in, anticipating the upcoming end he would bring to the Sith.

*  *  *

Kyle Katarn awoke to the sound of the low hum of a lightsaber. He groggily lifted up his head to see a man clad in crimson armor not unlike those worn by the Coruscant Guard during the time of the Galactic Empire. In the man's hand was a double-bladed lightsaber, blazing with a scarlet light.

Standing behind the armored man was the same fearful Rodian Kyle had tried to calm down. The scissor-handed cyborg Nekuz stood nearby, glowering at Kyle, while the female Zabrak Veshira still laid unconscious.

The Jedi Master soon realized that he was tied to a chair, most likely one of the ones the three Snatchers were sitting in during their sabacc game. He also sensed the presence of someone standing behind him. He craned his head around to see another man, covered in armor that looked like a mix of armor worn by Mandalorians and Ubese mercenaries, which, along with his bare arms that ended with cybernetically implanted claws on his hands, gave him a frightening appearance.

Kyle then realized that these two men were the two Dark Jedi he had briefly spotted earlier. But something about their appearance made him think they were more than just mere Dark Jedi. After staring at Kyle through his visor, giving the Jedi Master a cold, foreboding feeling, the man behind him looked up to face the one clad in Coruscant Guard armor.

"You have done well, my apprentice. You may wait outside while I finish business here."

The other Dark Jedi nodded, deactivated his lightsaber, and strode out of the room. His master then walked around Kyle's seat and spoke to the cyborg Snatcher.

"If you don't mind, Nekuz, I will be taking the Jedi and the four troopers with me."

Nekuz snarled. "What about the ransom money we had planned?"

"I will pay you extra for your services to compensate for that. Do we have a deal?"

The cyborg reptilian tilted his head in a somewhat grudging nod. "Yes, very well."

"Good." The dark warrior tore off Kyle restraints and grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up with great strength. Through the man's slit visor, Kyle could feel the warrior's eyes coldly gaze into his own.

With a quiet chuckle, the Dark Jedi said, "It certainly has been a long time, hasn't it, Katarn?"

Kyle stared at him. "How do you know my name?"

"All will be clear in due time." With that, the warrior turned and headed for the door, dragging Kyle behind him along the way.

Star Wars Invasion: Episode II, Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

Anakin, Naar, and the others rode into Anchorhead driving three of the four landspeeders they had rented in Mos Eisley, returning the fourth one to the trader they had brought them from. Anakin wasn't sure if Kyle Katarn would find a speeder large enough for him and the other troopers once he had freed them, but knew that the Jedi Master would find a way.

If he rescued the other troopers...

As they entered Anchorhead, Anakin wasn't surprised that it did not look much different from Mos Eisley, with buildings made of hard, sand-colored rock and residents of all species roaming everywhere. In fact, Anakin would not be surprised if all settlements on Tatooine looked the same.

"So where is this hideout, Jast?" Naar asked the smuggler, who sat in front of Anakin, beside Naar, likely so he would be under careful watch. Despite Kyle's reassurances, Naar didn't seem to fully trust the short man.

Jast pointed in a direction somewhere to his right. "It's right near the Tosche Station. Just keep going, I'll show you where it is."

The group continued to ride through Anchorhead, passing by a cantina, droid shops, lodges, and other businesses. They finally reached the outskirts of the settlement, where they found the Tosche Station right where Jast had directed.

The entire place seemed to be abandoned, with womp rats scurrying in and out of the unlit building. Damaged power convertors laid outside, as if someone had thrown them out of the station, and electric cables dangled from the top of the door way.

Vex let out a low whistle as he got out of the speeder Sev was driving. "Gee, whoever owned this place really let it go..."

Jast gave a somewhat solemn nod. "Sometime during the Civil War, Fixer left the station to join the Empire or something. And ol' Merl, the guy who founded the whole thing, left for Mos Espa and never came back."

Anakin stared at the abandoned station, uncertainty fixed on his face as he watched the womp rats claw through the mess of cables lying around.

"So where's the hidout?" he asked Jast. "You did say it was near the Tosche Station."

Jast responded with a lopsided grin. "Ah, I misphrased that. I meant it was under the Tosche Station. But close enough, right?"

Naar glared at him. "Anything else you'd like to tell us before we go in?"

Jast's smile faded, along with some of the color of his face. "No..."

"Good, because if something you didn't tell us about comes out of nowhere and starts killing us, I'll make sure it kills you first."

Sweat beads began to drip down Jast's face. "Master Katarn wouldn't be happy if you did that..."

"Maybe so," Naar said coldly. "But he wouldn't be happy with you lying to us either."

Jast gulped as he nodded. "Understood...Commander."

He then led the others into the Tosche Station, where Anakin suddenly sensed the strong smell of womp rat droppings and other odors and did his best to keep nausea from taking over him. They stopped before a hatch on the floor, hidden behind a counter. As Jast began to unlock it, the stormtrooper known as Kalvin tilted his bald head.

"Wait," he said, quietly and slowly. "How do you know how to get into this hideout?"

Jast gave him an uneasy chuckle, throwing a quick, nervous glance at Naar. "I've been here before. I used to be partners with a guy who owned this hideout before he died."

"Who killed him?" Anakin asked.

Jast's mirth vanished. "The same guys who own it right now..."

He lifted up the hatch and noise immediately blared out from under it. Below the door, Anakin could see what almost looked like an underground cantina. Shady patrons of all sorts of beings gathered at tables, drinking their beverages, while Nautolan musicians played their native music throughout the vicinity. The sight deeply contrasted the Tosche Station's one right above it.

Naar glanced at Jast skeptically. "Are you sure we'll find evil alien invaders here?"

Jast shrugged. "I can't promise anything...but I'd say this would be a good place to look."

The Iktotchi commander grunted. "All right. Anakin, Jast, Kalvin, Tesara, you're with me. The rest of you, stay up here."

"Good luck," muttered the young Duros stormtrooper Levat, eying the underground cantina below nervously. "You might need it."

Anakin, Naar, Kalvin, and the female stormtrooper Tesara followed Jast down a ladder that led into the cantina. As soon as they had set down, the music came to an abrupt stop and the place went silent. All eyes turned to focus on them.

Anakin froze, as did Kalvin and Jast. Tesara's hand twitched, reaching for her dual holstered blaster pistols and Naar simply returned the glares aimed at them. In order to ease the tension, Jast gave a nervous wave of his hand.

"Uh, hey, you guys! Remember me? Jast Kyjar? I was friends with Jago, remember?"

One of the patrons, a tall, burly Trandoshan, hissed. "You mean the guy who got his brainsss blown out by Zordo?"

Jast laughed uneasily. "Um, yeah. That guy..."

At the other end of the cantina, a Neimoidian bartender eyed Jast and the other warily. "What brings you here, Jast Kyjar?"

The short smuggler stood straight. "My friends and I are...looking for something."

The Neimoidian's gaze hardened. "For what?"

Jast glanced at Naar, who responded with a curt nod. Looking back at the bartender, he said, "Has anyone here heard of a Glorian?"

At first, silence hung over the room. Then, with each second, the click of a blaster sounded all around the cantina, sounding like a clock counting down the seconds Anakin and the others all had to live. Soon, every blaster in the cantina was aimed at the. Naar, Kalvin, and Tesara all brought their own blasters while Anakin ignited his lightsaber and Jast cowered behind them.

The Neimoidian bartender smiled cruelly as he brought out his own weapon. "You certainly have come to the right place...and the wrong one."

Star Wars Invasion: Episode II, Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

Things had become complicated for Shadow. Although he was satisfied in knowing who currently- or, at least, recently- held King Adas' holocron, it was close to impossible to locate Lumiya and the holocron. Searching through copies of files recorded by and given to him by the Watcher's agents, Shadow traced the name 'Lumiya' to an Imperial agent named Shira Elan Colla Brie.

Due to her status as a spy for Emperor Palpatine, Imperial records on Brie's activities were nearly nonexistent. However, the Watcher's agents were able to discover that Darth Vader had trained Brie as a secret Sith apprentice, along with her future apprentice Flint, although ultimately she was just another dark side pawn to both Vader and Palpatine.

After the Battle of Endor, while seeking to become the next Dark Lord of the Sith, Shira Brie, now known as Lumiya, was 'recruited' by Atha Prime- an alias of Finis Valorum- to 'serve' in the Dark Empire, which, as the Watcher's agents had perceived, was part of Darth Vorath's plot.

The records did not say anything beyond that, for agents had lost track of Lumiya after Vorath's death, having been last sighted on the planet Vjun twenty-three years ago.

Shadow sighed out of exasperation. Although he was certain that Lumiya was likely on one of the many Sith worlds, so she could gain knowledge necessary in becoming Dark Lord of the Sith, it would take forever to find out which one she was on.

He gazed endlessly through his ship's viewport, staring at the stars that blinked through the darkness of space. For what seemed like hours, he sat there, as motionless as a corpse. Finally, he reached into his travel pouch, which was placed right next to his pilot's seat, and brought out the holocron he had taken from Remulus Horne on Nar Shaddaa.

Without activating the device, he wrapped his hand around the holocron and tightened his grip on it. Before him, the transparisteel viewport that showed the blackness of space dissolved and began to reshape all around him...

*More than two centuries ago*

Standing on a balcony that oversaw a Sun Guard academy on Thyrsus, Darth Erebus watched with great intrigue as his son went through the training course repeatedly, performing better and better with every powered punch, every flip over the pit of fire, and every Echani move he made. The more he saw his son train, the more doubtful he became on having kept Darth Furor as his apprentice.

But, alas, he had made a deal with the Sun Guard. In exchange for their services, he had given them all the credits he had inherited from his master's estate, as well as giving them his son for the Sun Guard to raise and train as one of their own. And the deal was sealed.

He sensed the approach of his son's mentor and he turned to face the Sun Guard commander.

"I am impressed by the results of your training, commander," Darth Erebus said. "I am sure my son will be a worthy member of the Sun Guard."

"The pleasure is all mine, my lord," the commander replied, bowing to the Sith Lord. "Do you wish to speak with him one last time before you leave?"

Erebus shook his head. "No. Enough words have been spoken. But I do want you to give him this."

He reached into his cloak and brought out a pyramid-shaped object, which glowed with red energy. He gingerly placed it in the Sun Guard commander's hand, as if it was very fragile, and told the man through his eyes to be careful with it.

"I shall give it to him as you wish, my lord," the commander said, bowing his head out of respect. 

Erebus nodded. "Very good. Farewell, commander."

*  *  *

The scene vanished and reshaped itself again. Shadow soon found himself on Coruscant, most likely during the Galactic Empire's reign, for he saw Emperor Palpatine himself sitting atop his throne, somewhere within the Imperial Palace. Shadow leaned back in his seat as he watched the scene take place.

*Roughly forty years ago*

Fingers interlaced, his scarred face hidden beneath the rim of his hood, Palpatine sat in contemplation. Placed on top of a desk set before him was a Sith holocron he had 'inherited' from Darth Plagueis many years ago. It was likely his master was given the holocron by the Sun Guard while they were under the Muun's services.

Darth Sidious finally reached across the desk and took the holocron into his hands, activating it with the Force. The miniature pyramid opened up and the holocron's gatekeeper- a small, holographic robed man- appeared before him.

"Greetings, Lord of the Sith," the gatekeeper said. "If you are of Darth Bane's legacy, then that tells me the Order of the Sith Lords continues to thrive. If you are not, then what has happened to it?"

"Worry not, Lord Erebus. I am of Darth Bane's Sith Order," Sidious replied calmly. "The Grand Plan he initiated has finally succeeded."

A small, partially mirthful smile appeared on the gatekeeper's holographic face and he gave what appeared to be a respectful nod to Sidious. "I am proud to hear that. What is it you require of me?"

"Your birth name," the Emperor said simply. "It has come to my knowledge that you had a son who trained under the Sun Guards. It is my belief that a descendant of his is currently serving me as a guard, and I seek confirmation of his heritage."

Darth Erebus laughed without mirth. "Is that so? Well then, I hope that he is powerful and worthy enough to be your apprentice. As for the name I was born with..."

The gatekeeper smiled. "In my past life, before I became a Dark Lord of the Sith, I was known as Thanor Jax."

 

Star Wars Invasion: Episode II, Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

As Anakin, the troopers, C-3PO, and Jast walked out of the Toydarian trader's shop, with four landspeeders in tow, Naar's comlink chimed and the Iktotchi commander answered it, putting the audio reception on a volume high enough for the others to hear.

"Master Katarn?" Naar said. "Have you found Arek and the others?"

"Yeah, kind of," Anakin heard Kyle reply. "They're being held at the Snatchers' hideout on the outskirts of Mos Eisley."

"And have you 'dealt' with these Snatchers yet?" Naar asked.

"That may be difficult," Kyle muttered. "First of all, mind tricks probably won't work. I think they know one of us is searching for them. And secondly..."

"What is it?" Naar asked urgently when Kyle's words trailed off. "What?"

Anakin heard the Jedi Master sigh. "They have two Dark Jedi with them."

"Dark Jedi?" Naar repeated, as if he had never heard the term before. "Isn't that pretty much the same thing as a Sith?"

"Not quite," Kyle muttered. "But in the end, I suppose it doesn't really matter..."

"So what do we do?" Sev Nep asked, loud enough for Kyle to hear him through the comlink. "Should we go on ahead to Anchorhead?"

"Yes. Jast knows a place there that serves as a hideout for a group of mysterious criminals that could be Glorians. And don't worry about me. I'll meet up with you once I'm done."

The Iktotchi commander nodded. "Very well. May the Force be with you, Master Katarn."

"And with you," Kyle said before ending the connection.

*  *  *

Hooking his comlink back onto his belt, Kyle Katarn looked back down through the steel grate in the air vent he had found himself in within the Snatchers' hideout, which was on the outskirts of Mos Eisley just as Jast had said. Through the grate he could see a male Rodian, a female Zabrak, and another being of a species Kyle did not recognize, with large, scaly, scissor-like hands attached to cybernetic arms. In fact, the being's entire body seemed to be almost droid-like, including his head, where only a reptilian snout was left organic.

All three of the Snatchers seemed to be playing a game of sabacc, although they seemed to be more interested in their conversation instead of the game.

"So how much are you willin' to bet on what price them others will want to pay for their friends, Nekuz?" the Zabrak woman asked the cyborg.

The scissor-handed Snatcher grunted. "I'm not gonna gamble in a sabacc game, Veshira, but I'd say, knowing those goody-two-shoes in the Alliance, they'd probably give an arm and a leg for them."

The Zabrak let out a shrill, high-pitched laugh. "Yeah, you're probably right."

She seemed to glance around the room and Kyle followed her gaze. Sitting in a nearby corner was who he presumed to be Commander Jokar and the other three troopers. From his position, he could catch a glimpse of Jokar's dark brown hair and a little bit of Reeda's green head.

"Say, Harido?" Veshira said to the Rodian Snatcher. "I know for me it's hard to tell your kind apart, but doesn't that Rodian girl look kinda' like you?"

Without looking up, the Rodian Snatcher hastily shook his head. "No. Not at all."

The three criminals fell silent, returning to their game. Kyle stayed where he was, thinking of a strategy to rescue Jokar and the others without starting a conflict.

Of course, given his history, that was likely close to impossible.

After taking a deep breath, Kyle grasped the bars of the grate with one hand and used the Force with the other to loosen its screws. Freed from their sockets, the tiny bolts dropped to the floor, creating a tinkling sound scarcely heard by the three Snatchers. Then, after counting down to three, he released his grip on the grate, letting it fall to the floor with a loud clang. Before the Snatchers could react, Kyle leaped down from the air vent and landed gracefully, igniting his lightsaber's azure blade.

The Zabrak Veshira was the first to fire, unleashing a round of plasma bolts from her BlasTech light-repeating blaster. Kyle easily deflected the shots, redirecting one to hit the Zabrak woman in the shoulder, incapacitating her for the time being.

The cyborg known as Nekuz charged towards him, snapping his scissor-like hands. The burly being jabbed his arm as if to skewer Kyle with his blades, but the Jedi Master moved to the side, narrowly avoiding it. He then grabbed Nekuz's arm and severed its scissor appendage, causing the Snatcher to howl in pain and back away from the Jedi.

This left only the Rodian, who had his blaster pistol aimed at Kyle's head, his arms shaking. Deactivating his lightsaber, Kyle stared at the mercenary calmly.

"You don't need to do this," the Jedi Master said quietly. "Just drop the blaster. I will take my friends and you will be left unharmed."

"N-no..." the Rodian stuttered, his voice trembling. "I can't...I can't let you!"

"Yes, you can," Kyle said, slowly approaching him. "Just drop the blaster and everything will be all right."

"I find that highly unlikely," a low voice muttered. Hearing the quiet hum of a lightsaber, Kyle gripped his own weapon, turned around, and saw a face he never thought he would see again before everything in his vision went black.

Star Wars Invasion: Episode II, Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

   Although the vision given to him by the glove of Darth Vader had directed him to the Belderone system, Shadow had chosen to not to travel there for a few reasons, the main one being that he had figured out why Darth Tenebrous and his master were going to the system: to retrieve the holocron of the Sith King Adas.

   Thanks to the 'resources' given to him by his master, Shadow knew that, many decades ago, two Jedi had retrieved the holocron from the planet Kodai and had brought it to the Jedi Temple. During Palpatine's purge, the holocron was stolen by an agent of the Mecrosa Order, a Sith cult, and was brought to the Order's headquarters on Nyssa.

   Sometime later, the Sith Lord Darth Vorath, in his search for the Sith gods, managed to obtain the holocron from Nyssa. However, when he was not satisfied with whatever information it contained, he returned the object to the Mecrosa Order, which was now its current owner.

   As Shadow's stealth fighter came out of hyperspace and entered the Nyssa system, Shadow mused over what he knew of the Mecrosa Order. Founded during the Tapani sector's Dynastic Era, the Mecrosa Order was a group of Force-sensitive nobles that served House Mecetti. Across the span of two centuries, the Order became corrupt and later became a Sith cult under Exar Kun's Sith Empire. After the Great Sith War, the Jedi Order began cleansing the galaxy of the Sith and the Mecrosa Order was soon defeated.

   However, unbeknownst to the Jedi, the Mecrosa Order slowly rebuilt itself in secret and came back to the fore during the New Sith Wars, during which they killed the Dark Lady Belia Darzu. Since then, the Order had remained intact during Emperor Palpatine's reign, serving as an ally to both the Order of the Sith Lords and Vorath's Sith. With the collapse of both, Shadow was not sure where the Mecrosa now stood in galactic affairs.

   The planet of Nyssa soon came into view and Shadow piloted his fighter towards the fog-cloaked world, enabling his ship's stealth system. Soaring through the planet's thick clouds, he was reminded of swamp planets such as Dromund Kaas, which had a foggy atmosphere as well. Thus, Shadow was prepared for whatever type of swamp he would find beyond the thick fog.

   However, much to his surprise, Nyssa wasn't much of a swamp world at all. Although he did indeed find a swamp once he had passed through the clouds, the rest of the planet's terrain was more agricultural, with large plains and fields, as well as vast forests.

   The thing was though, all of it was dead.

   The grass was a dull shade of beige, the trees were weak and in the danger of falling. Decayed plants and vegetables loitered the fields, carcases of animals laid everywhere...the whole planet seemed to be dead.

   Quite fitting for a Sith cult, Shadow mused.

   After taking a few minutes to observe the rest of the scenery, Shadow located the Mecrosa Order's headquarters, which was a lone, stone castle, which seemed to be on the verge of collapsing just as everything else.

   Silently landing his fighter before the castle's entrance, Shadow put on his ebony cloak and armed himself only with a small bladed weapon. As he walked off the fighter, he saw two human females guarding the entrance. They were cloaked in several drapes and had nearly their entire faces covered, save for their eyes.

   Upon noticing Shadow, or sensing him through the Force, they tightened their bladed spears and aimed them at Shadow's face.

   "Who are you?" one of them demanded. "Are you of the Mecrosa? Speak!"

   Shadow ignored the woman's question and instead simply said, "You will let me enter."

   The guard's dark eyes fixed on him in confusion. "W-what...?"

   "You will let me enter."

   "He's using a mind trick, sister!" the other guard snapped. "Don't listen to him!"

   "That is correct," Shadow said coldly. "Instead of listening to me, you will allow me to enter."

   Now both of the women stared at him, their eyes filled with confusion, wonder, and perhaps admiration. Finally, the second one said, "Very well. You may enter."

   The two guards parted, opening the gate, and allowed Shadow to stride into the castle without intrusion.

   Inside, the castle was colored in black walls made of stone, with scarlet drapes covered over them. Throughout the long corridor that Shadow walked down, he heard a quiet, morbid chant echoing. At the end of the hallway, he found a large door, guarded by two male guards dressed similar to the females. After convincing the two men the same way he did the women to let him pass, the door opened and Shadow walked into a wide, circular room, crowded with several beings cloaked in black and red robes.

   The chanting suddenly ceased. The gathered beings all turned to look at Shadow, malice glowing through their eyes. At the opposite side of the room, sat atop a regal throne and guarded by two large Herglics, was a tall woman dressed in scarlet robes with a red hood raised over her dark-skinned face. Her appearance almost made Shadow think of the Nightsisters of Dathomir, who dressed in a similar fashion.

   Gazing at him with fire-colored eyes, the woman said, in a rather calm voice, "Speak your purpose here."

   Shadow inclined his head as a sign of respect. "Greetings, Lady Zandra Balis of House Mecetti. I am Shadow, agent of the Watcher."

   Lady Balis' gaze did not waver, but her eyes did narrow in suspicion. "Who is this 'Watcher?'"

   "That is not for you to know," Shadow said coldly. "All you must know is that he is a being of greater power than you."

   Balis continued to glower at him. "What is it this Watcher wants from me?"

   "A holocron," Shadow replied. "A holocron, if I recall correctly, that you gave to a Sith Lord named Vorath and it was later returned to you."

   The woman slowly nodded. "Yes. You are speaking of King Adas' holocron, correct?"

   "Indeed. And if you do not mind, I would like to have it."

   A small, mirthless smile touched Lady Balis' lips. "I am afraid I cannot give it to you."

   Shadow stared at her menacingly. "Why not?"

   "A few years after Darth Vorath's demise, we were visited by someone claiming to be his successor and asked for Adas' holocron. Considering who she was, we kindly obliged."

   Shadow's eyes narrowed. "What was this person's name?"

   "Not one you would recognize," Balis said. "She called herself Lumiya."

Star Wars Invasion: Episode II, Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

   Anakin stood patiently in the shadow of the Dowager Queen, a crashed ship in Mos Eisley that had been turned into a hotel, as he waited for Kyle Katarn and Commander Naar to return from the Chalmun's Cantina. Nearby stood C-3PO and the Sullustan GA lieutenant Sev Nep, who had chosen not to go with Arek and the others to explore Mos Eisley.

   "I've been to spaceport cities like this before," Sev had said. "They're all breeding grounds for thieves, pirates, and other scum."

   "That's an apt way to put it," Anakin had said in reply. It also made him wonder what Kyle thought he would find in Mos Eisley, let alone its cantina.

   As the minutes passed by, multiple times did Anakin notice a masked being from the corner of his eye. But whenever he turned to look at them, they were gone, replaced by a Rodian or a Jawa passing by. And each time, he could have sworn it was the Revanchist he and the others had encountered on Dantooine who he was seeing.

   But why would he be here? Anakin wondered. Isn't he supposed to be protecting Dantooine from these Glorians?

   His musings were interrupted by the sound of laughter. He looked to see the five stormtroopers of Ronn Jokar's team returning from wherever they had been. This was the first time Anakin ever saw them out of uniform. Dressed in casual clothes, some which closely or vaguely resembled his father's smuggling outfit, the stomtroopers looked a lot less intimidating than they were before in their armor.

   "I'm telling' ya, Kalvin, that Jawa nearly made Levat wet his pants!" the trooper known as Vex was saying. "But you can't blame him," he added, patting the Duros trooper Levat on the back. "That little guy probably had set his zapper thing to kill!"

   As the other troopers laughed, Vex caught sight of Anakin and Sev and waved to them. Noticing Kyle and Naar's absence, he frowned. "Don't tell me those two aren't back yet..."

   Sev sighed, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "Either they've found what they were looking for, or someone has drunk too much Jawa juice."

   "I can get behind the latter reason," Vex muttered with a smirk.

   At that moment, Anakin finally saw Kyle and Naar emerge from the cantina, followed by a short, light-skinned man with thinning hair and brown, almost hazel eyes, filled with what looked like greed.

   Kyle gestured to the man in introduction. "This is Jast Kyjar, an old smuggler accomplice of mine back during the Rebellion. Jast, these are some of my friends in the Galactic Alliance."

   "Pleasure to meet ya'," Jast said, shaking hands with the stormtroopers and Sev, the latter who did so hesitantly. The short man then looked at Anakin and narrowed his eyes.

   "Say, Katarn. Did Han Solo drink a youth potion or somethin'?"

   Kyle laughed. "No, Jast. This is his son, Anakin Solo."

   Jast cracked a wide grin. "Well, no wonder!"

   He grabbed Anakin's hand by the wrist and shook it vigorously. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Anakin Solo! I'm sure you'll be just as great as your father!"

   "Er, thanks..." Anakin muttered, rubbing his wrist once Jast had let go of it.

   Looking up, Kyle noted Sev and the five stomtroopers' presence but seemed to realize that Jokar, Arek, and the other two Alliance troopers were still missing.

   "Sev, see if you can hail Arek on your comlink," the Jedi Master told the Sullustan. "Tell him that we're going to rent a few transports and head for Anchorhead."

   As Sev did so, Anakin again suddenly felt the presence of a masked man. Without turning his head, he glanced to the side and saw the mysterious being, clothed in similar black robes and red armor to the Revanchist, standing amongst a group of conversing tourists that had just walked out of the Dowager Queen. Keeping his eye on the man, Anakin turned around fully to face and confront the stranger, but his vision was suddenly obstructed by a large, passing Baragwin. Once the burly reptilian had moved out of the way, Anakin lost sight of the man.

   He then felt Kyle tap his shoulder. "Anakin?" the Jedi Master asked with slight concern. "You all right?"

   Anakin nodded, at the same time shaking the suspense he had felt in his head. "Yeah, I'm fine."

   Although Kyle did not look fully convinced, he said nonetheless, "Okay, if you're sure."

   He turned to Sev. "Any luck?"

   The Sullustan shook his head. "None. Not even Commander Jokar is picking up."

   Kyle frowned, worry creasing his eyebrows. "What about Reeda and Jasel?"

   "I got a blast of static from Reeda's comlink," Sev replied. "The only think I could hear her say was something about being 'snatched.'"

   Jast Kyjar let out a small yelp. "'Snatched?' Oh no...that's not good."

   Commander Naar looked at him. "What do you mean?"

   "There's a mercenary group- they came to Tatooine sometime last year- that call themselves the Snatchers."

   "Mercenaries, huh?" Kyle's face fixed with concern as he turned back to Sev. "Where did Arek and the others go to?"

   "Somewhere in Kerner Plaza," Sev replied.

   The Jedi Master nodded. "I'll go search for them. The rest of you go to Anchorhead. We'll meet at the Tosche Station."

   "Should I go with you?" Anakin asked, but Kyle shook his head.

   "No need. I've dealt with mercenaries before. These guys shouldn't be a problem."

   "I certainly hope you're right on that, Master Katarn," Naar muttered. He signaled for Sev, Anakin, and the others to follow him. "Let's go. Jast, do you know a place that sells landspeeders?"

   "Yeah, there's a Toydarian trader down Spacer's Row," the short smuggler replied. "Follow me."

   As they all followed Jast, Anakin once again felt the feeling of being watched. This time, he did not so much as glanced at the masked man he knew was standing there. Instead, he pretended to ignore him as they walked further and further away. Soon, the mysterious stranger was far behind them. Despite this though, Anakin still heard a faint whisper in a strangely cold breeze. When it spoke into his ear, Anakin though the voice sounded very familiar.

   You should not have come.

Star Wars Invasion: Episode II, Chapter Two

EDITED 10/5/13 Corrected mistakes, revised a few sentences, etc.

CHAPTER TWO

   "Hey, only paying customers can sit up here, fella'."

   Baleful eyes glared at the bartender standing before him at the counter. When the tall Yarkora did not cower under his gaze, the cloaked man grunted. "I'll have the Javarican espresso."

   As the bartender turned to fix his beverage, Shadow- the only name the man knew himself by- looked over his shoulder and observed his surroundings. Not so surprising to him, the atmosphere at Zargga's Cantina was very similar to any other in the galaxy. Smugglers and bounty hunters congregated, Twi'lek dancers moved to music played by Bith musicians, and beggars constantly bothered him for money. 

   If Zargga's Cantina was not the epitome of what an average cantina was like, Shadow wasn't sure what would be.

   "That'll be twenty credits," the Yarkora bartender said as he returned with Shadow's espresso. Glancing at a stool next to him, occupied only by Shadow's tool belt, the Yarkora added, "You savin' a seat for someone?"

   "Yes," Shadow muttered in a slightly harsh tone as he paid. The bartender seemed to realize that the man was not in the mood for small talk as he turned to serve another customer. 

   At that moment, Shadow sensed the approach of another being, and this time, he was certain it was not a beggar.

   "It's about time, Remulus Horne," he muttered as the Snivvian con artist walked up and sat in the stool next to him. "You do realize that I don't believe that that's your real name."

   The Snivvian called Remulus Horne shrugged. "Hey, anyone who's been to Cadomai Prime as long as I think you've been is bound to hear about the Ballad of Remulus Horne."

   "Indeed." Shadow glanced at the Snivvian. "Do you have the holocron?"

   "That and more!" Remulus said with a wide grin. "I think the Sith didn't want their stuff all in one place, so they spread it out across the galaxy!"

   Shadow's eyes glowed with intrigue. "What else have you found?"

   "Well, this salesman on Ord Radama gave me a Sith sword. He claims it belonged to Naga Sadow, but I think he was just bluffing to get more credits."

   Shadow nodded. "Go on..."

   The Snivvian's grin grew wider. "Oh, and you will not believe this! When I got the holocron on Teth, the Hutt also gave me this!"

   Remulus reached into his travel pouch and brought out an ebony Mandalorian crushgaunt, which was fitted around what Shadow sensed was a Sith amulet, still strong with dark side energies.

   Shadow's eyes widened slightly. "Is that...?"

   Remulus nodded, still grinning. "The glove of Darth Vader."

   Shadow could not believe it. He had heard others speak of the glove of Darth Vader back during the later years of the Galactic Civil War, but he had assumed it was merely a myth sparked by Imperial propagandists. He had no idea it had somehow survived the second Death Star's destruction.

   Catching his amazed gaze, and as if reading his thoughts, Remulus said, "I guess it's true that these things are indestructible."

   Shadow ignored him and extended his hand. "Give it to me."

   The con artist held the glove far from Shadow's reach. "Not so fast, buddy. You're a great guy and all, but I don't give anyone anything without a price. Give me a thousand credits and I'll give you this."

   Shadow glowered with malice. "I'll give you five hundred."

   Remulus shook his head. "Sorry. I can settle with nine hundred, but that's just because we're good friends."

   "Six hundred."

   "Eight ninety!" the Snivvian snapped. "That's as low as I can go!"

   Shadow glanced to his side, seeing that some of the mercenaries and smugglers sitting nearby were watching their argument. Ignoring them, he turned back to Remulus and spoke in a disturbingly calm and quiet voice. "How much do you value yourself?"

   The con artist's expression became one of confusion. "What do you-?"

   He let out a short yelp as Shadow seized the collar of his shirt. The cloaked man leaned in and whispered into his ear.

   "How do you prioritize yourself? What matters more to you? The glove, the credits...or your life?"

   Remulus whimpered, his black eyes darting across the cantina. Finally, with a gulp, he managed to say, "How's two hundred credits? Compared to some dealers, that's going cheap-"

   Without warning, Shadow lifted the con artist up from his seat. Ignoring the bartender's protests, he used all of his might and hurled Remulus into the opposite side of the room. The Snivvian's head hit the wall hard, knocking him out cold, and his hand unconsciously let go of the black glove.

   Disregarding the startled stares directed at him, Shadow casually walked over to the unresponsive Snivvian and retrieved the glove of Darth Vader, as well as the holocron and Sith sword from Remulus' pouch. After giving the Yarkora bartender his tip, Shadow strode out of the cantina, followed only by silent gazes. 

   Once he was outside and had found a deserted alleyway, he brought out the black glove and stared at it, as if he could see through its ebony texture.

   "Let us see what stories you have to tell," he murmured as he slowly placed his left hand on it. His eyes began to glow as the scenery of Nar Shaddaa began to dissolve all around him...

*Roughly two hundred years ago*

   "It is hard to imagine how this relic went under my master's notice," said a Twi'lek Sith Lord as he retrieved the Sith amulet from the ruins of an abandoned fortress on Korriban. "Of course, my master was more focused on using science to achieve power, rather than other ways."

   His Bith apprentice tilted his large head, eying the amulet with his black eyes. "What is so great about this gauntlet?"

   The Sith Master smiled mirthlessly. "This is one of the amulets of Skere Kaan, the last Dark Lord of the New Sith Wars."

   "Kaan?" The Bith adopted a confused look. "Wasn't he the Sith Lord Darth Bane overthrew because he disagreed with his visions?"

   The Twi'lek nodded. "Many Sith Masters before me deferred from searching for any Sith relics from Kaan's era, or any Dark Lord after Darth Ruin in fact, because of the turmoil he nearly put the Sith into."

   His gaze fell back upon the amulet. "But this relic has no connection whatsoever to Kaan's vision. It may not hold any great power, but it is a novelty item that may improve a Sith's status image when we have finally taken over the galaxy."

   The Dark Lord of the Sith rose to his feet. "Come, Darth Tenebrous. We are going to a planet in the Belderone system. If my sources are correct, there is a certain Sith holocron hidden there..."

      

Star Wars Invasion: Episode II, Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

The stillness of space was briefly disturbed by the presence of a Crusader-class light freighter jumping out of hyperspace. Similar in build to a Corellian light freighter and the Dynamic-class ships used during the Old Sith Wars era, the Adventurer served as the transport for a team of fourteen; two Jedi Knights, five Alliance soldiers, six Imperial stormtroopers, and a protocol droid.

Ten years ago, one would have found this a very odd team up, but with the recent alliance between the New Republic and the Imperial Remnant, it was hardly a surprising sight anymore.

Sitting in the co-pilot seat of the Adventurer's cockpit, Anakin Solo was forced to shield his eyes as the two blazing suns of the Tatoo system came into view. Below the stars was the desert-like world of Tatooine, looking like a giant ball of sand hanging in space.

Anakin had mixed feelings about going to Tatooine. On one hand, visiting the planet that his uncle and grandfather had once called home gave him a sense of completing the cycle. But on the other hand, knowing that his grandfather had also fallen to the dark side, he was not sure if it had been something on Tatooine that had began his descent into darkness.

Standing behind his seat, Jedi Master Kyle Katarn placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry," he said, as if reading Anakin's thoughts. "From what we know of Anakin Skywalker's fall, it's more than likely it was mainly caused by Palpatine, rather than from something that happened here on Tatooine."

The Adventurer's pilot, Arek Cobalt, let out a snort. "Doesn't make the place any less bad..."

"I certainly agree," said C-3PO, who stood at the ship's navigational controls. Much to Anakin's chagrin, the golden protocol droid had insisted on accompanying him on his journey. "If I have learned anything from my adventures with Master Luke, it's that it would be hard to find anything more greedy than a Hutt, or vicious than a Sand Person, or-"

"Stow it, Goldie," Arek snapped, "or else I'll toss you into a Sarlacc Pit and leave you there until we're done with the mission."

Anakin was sure that if C-3PO's face could show any emotions, it would have shown pure fright.

The others in the cockpit remained silent as the Adventurer approached Tatooine. After receiving a clear signal to land in Mos Eisley Spaceport, Arek steered the ship through Tatooine's dusty atmosphere and towards the spaceport up ahead. The light freighter soon came to a slow stop once it had reached Mos Eisley and began to descend into its designated docking bay. The moment it had landed, Anakin could see a shady band of Weequays, Niktos, and other aliens approach the ship.

"People don't kid when they call this place a hive of scum and villainy," Arek muttered as he got up from his seat, arming himself with two blaster pistols. "How should we handle these guys?"

"I'll try to persuade them," Kyle said. "You wait here until I give the 'OK' signal. And if things get rough..."

He grinned widely. "Then you can get a good view from the cockpit."

Anakin remained seated as Kyle walked down the ship's boarding ramp and walked up to the shady group, which Anakin and the others could see from the viewport. Enabling the cockpit's audio receiver, they listened in to Kyle's conversation with the group.

"How can I help you fellas?" the Jedi Master asked in a casual tone.

One of the Weequays, who seemed to be the band's leader, seemed to inspect Kyle, regarding the Jedi's casual smuggler attire that he wore on days not spent at the Jedi Temple on Ossus.

Sneering, the Weequay said, "There's a toll for those who land in Mos Eisley. How many passengers are you carrying?"

Kyle eyed the alien warily. "Why does it matter?"

"Fifteen credits per passenger," the Weequay snarled. "We don't want Mos Eisley getting populated by people who can't afford to live, now do we?"

Kyle smirked and waved his hand casually. "Actually, it's five credits per passenger."

The Weequay's eyed narrowed in suspicion. "No, the toll is fifteen."

Kyle's smug look began to fade as he waved his hand again. "No, it is definitely five credits."

Realization broke through the alien's face as he reached behind his back and pulled out a double-edged vibroblade, aiming it at Kyle's neck. "Jedi!"

The Jedi Master smirked again. "Yeah, I'm a Jedi. What, is being that a crime on this planet?"

"Jedi cause nothing but trouble," a Green Nikto said with a sneer. "Just because they have fancy powers and saved the galaxy a buncha' times doesn't mean they can do anythin' they want!"

Kyle nodded. "Very true. But does that mean you can?"

The Nikto's expression turned into one of confusion as he exchanged looks with his fellow thugs. "Uh...what's that gotta do with-?"

"Nothing!" the Weequay leader snarled. "He's using one of his Jedi mind tricks! Get him!"

"Actually, he's got a point," a Klatooinian muttered. "I mean, who are we to get in his way? He's got that laser sword and can chop out heads off if he wanted to..."

The Weequay growled, tightening his grip on his vibroblade, but soon said, "Fine. Ten credits, please."

"Five."

"Whatever." The thug leader held out his wrinkled grey hand, which Kyle filled with sixty credits worth of golden, metal chips. With a disdainful snort of 'Thanks', the Weequay and his thugs turned and left the spaceport. Kyle then turned to the cockpit's viewport and gave Anakin and the others the signal.

"Are you crazy or something?" Arek exclaimed as he and the others walked down the boarding ramp. "Giving those thugs seventy credits? We won't have enough to land on the other planets!"

"Actually, I gave them sixty," Kyle said with a smile. "If they notice, I doubt they'll come back."

"Why didn't your mind trick work on them?" Anakin asked. "I would've thought thugs like that would be weak-minded."

Kyle chuckled. "Well, their leader had to have been smart enough to lead those type of guys..."

"So where do we start looking for the Glorians?" asked the Alliance commander Zanjaar Naar.

The Jedi Master's smile became a grin. "A cantina is a good place to start."

Star Wars Invasion: Episode II, Prologue

Well, here's the next volume. No opening crawl for this one.

STAR WARS: INVASION

EPISODE II

GHOSTS OF TIME

PROLOGUE

Cold rain pounded onto the transparisteel viewport of an ebony colored starship as it soared through the storm clouds, headed for the first spaceport it could find. It soon reached its destination, which was a bowl-shaped hangar bay on top of a large, gravity propelled platform that hung in midair. Awaiting the ship at the port was a tall, cloaked being.

Once the ship had descended into the hangar, the landing ramp lowered and two humanoid figures, both clad in armor, exited the ship. Their greeter, a Muun, quickly straightened his stance and bowed.

"Welcome to Mygeeto, Lady Lumiya," the Muun said. "Chairman Hill is awaiting you."

"Lead the way," said one of the armored humanoids, clearly a female judging by feminine voice and appearance.

The Muun led the two visitors out of the spaceport and towards a tall building that was not too far away. Inside, they followed a long, narrow hallway which ended with a single door. Behind the door was large room with a long table placed in the center. Sitting in the chair at the end of the table, opposite of the door, was a formally dressed Muun in his seventies.

The tall alien's dark eyes noticed his three visitors and a sly smile touched his lips. "Greetings, Lady Lumiya. I am glad you could make it-"

"Skip the pleasantries, chairman," Lumiya interrupted him. "You said you had something that would interest me."

Chairman Hill nodded. "Indeed. A few weeks ago, I was going through some of the personal writings of my grandfather, Larsh Hill, which he had passed on to my father before his death roughly eighty years ago. Among his writings, I found mention of a Hego Damask."

Lumiya's eyes widened behind her mask. "Is that so? Were you able to trace the name?"

Hill's smile faded slightly. "Unfortunately, most records of the name 'Hego Damask' seemed to have been destroyed. But..." He rose a bony finger for emphasis. "We were able to trace the name to where he was born...which was here on Mygeeto."

Even partially concealed by a mask, Lumiya's face betrayed intrigue. "Really? Anything else?"

The chairman of the Banking Clan waved an airily hand. "Not much...other than that we found out Damask's mother had connections with a ship designer named Rugess Nome."

Lumiya folded her arms across her chest. "And why does this matter?"

The Muun's smile returned. "Well, Hego Damask- or rather, Darth Plagueis' strength in the Force had to have come from one side of the family. And if Damask's father had been strong in the Force, Plagueis' master would have chosen him as an apprentice instead..."

"So Damask's mother must have been somewhat Force-sensitive," Lumiya concluded. "Then Rugess Nome..."

Hill nodded. "May have had...connections with the Sith."

"Indeed." Lumiya slowly turned to leave. "Thank you for the information, chairman."

"It was my pleasure, my lady."

As Lumiya and her companion left the meeting room and walked back down the hallway, the latter turned to face Lumiya.

"So where do we go on from here?" he asked her. "I doubt we'll find much on Rugess Nome, let alone his teachings as a Sith...if he was one."

"We will find a way, my apprentice," Lumiya replied. "With enough time, we will find all of the teachings of the Banite Sith. And, thankfully for us..."

She reached into her cloak and brought out a pyramidical-shaped Sith holocron- the holocron of Darth Bane.

"...Lord Vorath was arrogant enough in his dreams of being the ultimate Sith Lord, that he saw no danger in leaving his predecessors' holocrons intact."

*more than two centuries ago*

"What is the point of all of this, master?"

In the shadows of the abandoned fortress, the human Sith Lord turned to his Devaronian apprentice. "Of what?" he asked.

The Devaronian gestured to the place they were in. "All of this. Why are we scouring the remains of some palace for a simple object?"

The Sith Master narrowed his yellow eyes. "This is not just 'some palace.' This was the fortress of Ludo Kressh, an ancient Lord of the Sith. And we are not searching for a 'simple object.' We are searching for his holocron."

The apprentice scoffed. "Ludo Kressh? Wasn't he just a selfish man who wanted the Sith Empire to stay on Korriban rather tan conquer the Republic?"

"You sound as if that was a bad thing."

"Kressh was a coward," the Devaronian went on. "He cared more about welfare than power, unlike Naga Sadow, who knew what was best for the Sith."

The Sith Master slowly turned to his apprentice, his eyes filled with menace, although his voice was calm and quiet. "And how are you so sure on what is best for the Sith?"

The apprentice opened his mouth to reply, but his master silenced him with the raise of his hand.

"In time, my apprentice, you will understand that there are more ways than just conquest to achieve power."

The Devaronian Sith scowled. "Such as?"

"Knowledge." The master gestured to the ruins of the fortress. "In these ruins lays the knowledge of Sith who lived in their golden age. By searching through their knowledge, we can find ways to bring back that golden age and take over the galaxy."

His face became somewhat solemn. "Many Sith Lords like you have failed to carry out Darth Bane's Grand Plan, because they fell to obsession and greed. But thanks to Darth Gravid's efforts, we can now see our path clearly.

"Knowledge is like a blade. With it, we can pierce through our enemies shells and severe their so called 'peace.'"

A cruel smile crossed the Sith Master's face. "History is a window, Darth Furor. A window to the past, which is a door to knowledge, which is the key to power, which leads to victory.

"Always remember that, my apprentice. Always fear the ghosts of the past."

 

Star Wars Invasion: Episode I, Chapter Thirteen and Epilogue

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

As the Adventurer traversed the stars of the Dantooine system, Anakin sat in contemplation at the ship's navigational controls. With the Revanchist's revelation on the truth behind Toah Jarsan's message, he was no longer sure on where he and the others were going to do next.

"We could just head back to Mon Cala," Arek said from the pilot's seat nearby. "No sense in going to any of those planets if these Glorians are there."

"What, and let those planets fend for themselves?" Anakin heard Ronn Jokar say from behind him. "And here I thought the Empire was heartless..."

Anakin stared at the navigation map, debating with himself on whom to agree with. Finally, he turned to Arek and said, "Set a course for the Tatoo system."

Arek gave him a surprised look. "Seriously?"

Anakin nodded. "Commander Jokar is right. We can't just leave the people of those worlds in danger of being killed by these invaders. Out of all the planets, Tatooine is the most defenseless. And also..."

He glanced towards the cockpit's viewport, gazing at the stars. "It'll be nice to visit the planet where my uncle and grandfather were raised."

"Sounds good to me," Kyle Katarn said as he entered the cockpit. He nodded to Arek. "Go ahead and make the jump to lightspeed."

The pilot looked as if he was about to protest, but he seemed to decide against it for he soon set in the coordinates for the Tatoo system and activated the hyperdrive.

As the stars began to elongate into hyperspace, Anakin briefly heard a voice speak in his head, in the same tone that the Revanchist spoke in. The same tone the man in his dream on Mon Cala spoke in.

Do not go to Tatooine, it said. Beware the Glorians. Turn back. Beware....

He shook his head and the voice went silent. Shrugging it off as nothing, Anakin sat in the chair besides Arek's seat and simply watched the hyperspace tunnel open.

*  *  *

The moment Cal Omas had just finished packing for his return to Coruscant, he had heard the news from his secretary, who had received the message from Admiral Sovv.

The Imperial Remnant had attacked Kuat Drive Yards.

Omas nearly tossed the suitcase he had just closed. First, Saxan had threatened him with the blockade of Kuat. And now she had ordered the Imperials to attack it.

The Corellian governor had taken it too far. He was actually almost glad that her people had seceded from the Senate, through he knew this would cause many problems for the Galactic Alliance.

Taking a deep breath, he turned to his Twi'lek secretary and said, "Tell Admiral Sovv to prepare the Defense Force. Once I arrive on Coruscant, I will speak with Grand Moff Verradun over this. If things go wrong..."

He sighed. "Then we may have another conflict on our hands."

*  *  *

"Rogue Squadron, this is General Ruk'thri," the Bothan commander's voice said through the comset of Jaina's helmet. "I have contacted Admiral Sovv, but reinforcements will not be able to arrive in time. He says we have no choice to concede."

"Are you crazy?" Jaina heard Soos snap. "We're just going to let the Imperials have Kuat? The senate will be furious!"

"Actually, I think they already are," Ruk'thri muttered. "I have already given the surrender to the Imperial fleet's commander. All squadrons, fall back."

Jaina let out a sigh before saying, "You heard him, Rogues. We're done here."

Even without having to use the Force, she could already sense the fury and anger that her comrades were most certainly feeling....

*  *  *

The Revanchist stared down at the corpses of the Glorians he had just slain. Only a dozen of them laid dead; the rest had retreated back to where ever they were hiding. But he knew that, with their commander dead, they would no longer pose a threat to Dantooine.

Deactivating his lightsaber, the Revanchist stepped over the bodies and walked out of the ruins of the old Jedi enclave. He began crossing through the lush green fields outside, passing by farmers and roaming Jedi, who did not notice him even through the Force. He was an invisible phantom to them.

After nearly half an hour of walking, the Revanchist finally reached his destination; the ruins of an ancient structure that was destroyed during the days of the Old Republic. Very few people alive knew of its origins, and even fewer knew of its purpose.

Despite the attack that had destroyed it, the contents of the ruined temple still remained intact, albeit buried underground. But the Revanchist knew there was a way to reach the object within, and he knew the Glorians did as well.

And he would make sure they did not live long enough to try.

He turned and gazed at Dantooine's setting sun. He knew that Anakin Solo and his companions would not listen to his warning, and that they would go on to Tatooine, Kashyyyk, and Manaan. All he could do was hope and pray that they did not find the objects on those worlds that were similar to the one he was guarding.

And if they did, it would mean the end of the galaxy as they knew it...

EPILOGUE

The shadows of the scarcely-lit stone chamber were not enough to conceal the fear that quaked the cloaked messenger's featured as he spoke to his master.

"The plan...is not going quite as planned, my lord," the messenger said. "The Galactic Alliance Senate is greatly angered by the blockade at Kuat, let alone the attack. And Corellia has seceded from the Alliance..."

The cloaked being gulped. "But the Chief of State is meeting with Grand Moff Verradun, who is just as displeased by these events. Thus, it is unlikely the Imperials will be siding with Corellia's predicted separatist movement."

His master responded with a voice that sounded colder than the empty vacuum that surrounded their chamber. "A pity. I was hoping to give the remnants of the Empire the end they deserved; as victims of democracy."

"That is a rather...politically philosophical way of putting it, master."

The master gave a quite chuckle. "A result of decades of studying the affairs of governments and factions in this galaxy."

The messenger nodded. "So, what shall we do now? With the Imperials most likely still at peace with the Alliance..."

"Oh, do not worry. We will find a way." The master stood up from his throne. "The peace between the former Republic and the Empire is like a piece of rope. Find a sharp enough blade and they will both be cut apart and free to claw at each others' throats like the animals they are."

A cruel smile broke through the shadows. "And we shall watch this galaxy tear itself apart."

TO BE CONTINUED  

Star Wars Invasion: Episode I, Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

"You know, when I joined Rogue Squadron, I was expecting a more exciting life."

Jaina Solo glanced from her datapad to look at Soos Marko. The Phuii's orange eyes were narrowed, and his lanky arms were folded across his chest.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," Jaina said, looking back down at her 'pad. "You can always resign if we don't exceed your expectations."

"You can't really expect much with the war being over, Soos," said the Nautolan Seph Kisto. "You're gonna be hard pressed to find anything more exciting than doing flight runs and practice exercises."

Soos sneered. "I'm sure I'll find something..."

Jaina rolled her eyes at the Phuii's attitude. Everyday she wondered why Gavin Darklighter had recruited him before he left Rogue Squadron to serve as an admiral. True, Soos' piloting skills were quite impressive, but his large ego and arrogance made her forget that sometimes. It also made her wish Vin Sadoon hadn't retired; he would have certainly put the Phuii back into line.

Just as Soos was about to continue his rant, the Balosar Jer Topaz ran into the Kuat Station's lobby room. "Guys, you've gotta check this out!" he exclaimed. "A whole fleet of Star Destroyers is surrounding Kuat!"

Jaina quickly got up to her feet and ran out into the field outside the station. Raising a pair of electro-binoculars to her eyes, she could see exactly what Topaz had described: a fleet of Star Destroyers hovering in Kuat's sky.

And exiting their docking bays were five squadrons of TIE fighters.

Jaina let the binoculars drop from her hands. "Get to your fighters!" she called to the others. "Rogue Squadron, suit up! Lensi, call in the other squadrons!"

She then glared at Soos. "Looks like you've got your wish."

*  *  *

This wasn't right.

No matter how many times Jagged Fel told himself that, he still could not gather the courage to disobey Admiral Noradan's orders to attack, mostly because his father had raised him to be dutiful and to obey orders with honor. But the Imperial Remnant betraying their truce with the Galactic Alliance did not seem honorable at all.

"Look alive, Shadows," the leader of Shadow Squadron spoke through Jagged's helmet comlink. "X-wings coming in!"

Looking out of his TIE Defender's viewport, Jagged could see a squadron of at least a dozen X-wing starfighters, followed by several A-wing interceptors and Z-95 Headhunters.

Jagged felt his heart skip a beat. Jaina's among them.

Ever since the Galactic Alliance's founding, Jagged had become good friends with Jaina Solo and the two of them often flew together on missions. To be fighting against her in a battle...he was not sure he could handle that.

"Shadow Two, are you all right?" Shadow Leader said into his comlink. "Why aren't you shooting?"

Jagged did not respond. Instead, he gripped the controls of his TIE Defender and swerved the starfighter away from the ensuing battle, ignoring the commands and cursed crackling through his comset.

I'm sorry, he said to himself, but I won't fight for a faction that's lost its honor.

*  *  *

Jaina maneuvered her X-wing fighter to narrowly avoid the first few emerald plasma bolts fired by the TIE Defenders. R2-D2, the astromech droid who sat in the droid socket of her fighter, let out what sounded like a surprised yelp.

Glancing to her side, Jaina could see that Kral Nevil's fighter had already been hit, and his astromech droid was frantically trying to repair the damage.

"Rogue Five, Rogue Six!" Jaina called into her helmet. "Rogue Two needs cover fire!"

"We're on it, Rogue Leader," said the Kuati pilot Jak Denon.

As the two X-wings flew in to help Nevil, Jaina focused herself on the five TIE fighters that were leaving Kuat and heading for the planet's orbital shipyards.

"Rogues Nine, Twelve, and Four, I'll need your backup."

"We're on our way, Rogue Leader," she heard Lensi reply.

The four of them accelerated their fighters and pursued the five TIE Defenders, firing rows of blaster bolts at them. One blast from Lensi's starfighter hit one of the TIEs in the wing and it spiraled through the air until it exploded in a blaze of fire just below Jaina.

The Rogues continued to chase the four remaining TIEs out of Kuat's atmosphere and towards the planet's orbital shipyard array. To Jaina's shock, a Victory I-class Star Destroyer was positioned in front of the array, firing upon it.

"Not good," said the Zabrak Shyra Jaaz. "What do we do, Rogue Leader?"

Jaina did not respond at first, simply staring at the Star Destroyer as its turbolaser cannons tore the ring-shaped shipyard. 

Finally recomposing herself, Jaina spoke into her comlink. "Contact General Ruk'thri down at headquarters. Tell him that we'll need some help from Mon Cala..."

*  *  *

This wasn't right.

Rolan Verradun pressed his fingers against his temple. True, he had secretly, deeply wished to control Coruscant. But that had simply been a dream he had had ever since he was a child, after hearing his grand-father's belief that the Verraduns would be more fit to control the Republic than the Valorums or the Kalpanas- or pretty much anyone.

Never once had it crossed his mind to use force against the Alliance, to set up a blockade around one of their most powerful allied worlds. He knew he should not have listened to Governor Saxan. He knew what the consequences of this blockade would be.

War.

Verradun broke away from his thoughts when he heard the door to his office opened. He swiveled away from the window that showed Coruscant's skyline to see his Neimoidian secretary in the doorway, a datapad in her pale, wrinkled hand.

The Grand Moff raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you contact me via comm?"

The secretary shifted her feet. "I...thought it was best that you read this instead of hearing it from me."

Verradun took the datapad from the Neimoidian and began reading it. Each time his dark eyes passed over the screen, they began to grow wider and wider. He could not believe what he was reading.

He dropped the datapad to his desk and stared at his secretary. "Who ordered the attack on Kuat? Governor Saxan?"

The Neimoidian shook her head. "I don't know, sir. This report came directly from Admiral Sovv on Mon Cala."

Verradun swallowed before speaking. "Contact him immediately. I wish to sort things out with him and Chief Omas."

The secretary nodded and walked out of the office. Once she was gone, Verradun sighed heavily and placed his head in his hands.

It seems as long as the Empire lives on in any form or fashion, Palpatine and Darth Vorath's ghosts will continue to curse us.

The Grand Moff gritted his teeth, speaking aloud to himself quietly. "Well then, my lords, I curse you to an afterlife of eternal chaos."