STAR WARS ENDGAME
Finale: The Final Destiny
Timeline: 41 ABY (six months after Volume VI)
PROLOGUE
--The Vanguard--
The world of Jakku was as remote as planets got. Boasting a population that even Tatooine outmatched, Jakku had very few settlements, with most of its population being concentrated in one or two towns. Save for one encounter during the last days of the Galactic Civil War, it had been generally overlooked by the galactic powers.
As he observed the world from the command bridge of his Star Destroyer, Admiral Vin Borgas wondered why he was here; why had he been sent to this remote system on the orders of his superiors? It was of little worth to the Imperial Remnant and largely forgotten by even those who had been there at the battle.
Unfortunately, he was in no position to question orders, lest he incur the wrath of the man standing next to him.
Turning to one of the bridge officers, Borgas asked, "Has Lord Scorpius' shuttle been prepared?"
"Yes, sir. Shuttle Upsilon is ready in hanger 55B."
Borgas glanced at the man standing next to him. Clad in black armor and with a cybernetic cover over the right side of his face, Rion Scorpius fit the stories Borgas had heard of Darth Vader when he was a cadet in the Imperial military, having never met the Dark Lord himself. He wondered if his uncle, who had served Vader personally, felt as intimidated as he did now.
Scorpius was silent for a moment as he stared emotionless at Jakku. Finally, he turned on his heel and headed down the bridge, without even a word to the admiral. As soon as he was gone, Borgas allowed a quiet sigh to pass through his lips.
Why did it have to be Sith?
--Jakku--
Night on Jakku was quiet, for the most part. When Unkar Plutt's thugs weren't breaking into others' places of residence and causing shootouts on the streets, it could almost be called peaceful.
But Zarmach felt anything but peace. How could he, knowing what was to come?
The news Lysira had brought back after tracking down her apprentice had confirmed what they had all feared: one of their students had gone astray and was repeating mistakes of the past. They had traced his activities to a lair on Ziost, only to find it abandoned, and by then they had all seen his broadcast to the galaxy.
None of them knew what endgame this Darth Taral was pushing towards, but it could be anything but good.
Zarmach felt a familiar ripple in the Force. His apprentice had arrived.
Stepping out of his residence, he looked towards the moonlit sky and saw an Imperial shuttle landing upon the desert sand. He wondered if anyone else had noticed its arrival and if Constable Zuvio's militia would be coming to investigate.
Or, more likely, they simply found it wiser to keep their hands out of this.
The shuttle lowered its ramp and a single figure emerged from it. Zarmach almost didn't recognize him with the black mask over half his face, but from the rest of his outfit and the pure hatred in his remaining eye, his identity was unmistakable.
After so long, Zarmach had come to view Rion Scorpius as like a son. Evidently, that was not the case vice versa. As his apprentice approached him, Zarmach knew there was no further point in maintaining his fatherly alter ego. It was time to put on a different face.
"Hello, Scorpius," Lord Acheron said.
"Hello, master," Scorpius replied, coming to a stop before the Sith Lord. As a Snivvian, Acheron was considerably dwarfed by his student, but that meant nothing to either Sith. "Interesting choice in residence. I had not even heard of this planet until the Imperials informed me."
"The best hiding places are the ones no one believes to exist," Acheron said evenly.
Scorpius smirked. "But hiding is not your intent, is it, master? You have summoned me here for a purpose."
"Indeed I have." Acheron stepped aside and gestured for Scorpius to enter his residence. "Come. Make yourself at home."
Scorpius complied and stepped into his master's abode. When the door closed, only a few lanterns provided light for the two Sith, casting an orange glow on Lord Acheron as he walked up to his worktable.
"I'm surprised you actually responded to my call," the Sith Master said as he rolled up the scroll he had been viewing earlier. "The other masters have had difficulty in finding their own apprentices."
"I'm here only because you have something I want," Scorpius said, nodding to the scroll. "Hand it over."
"Not yet," Acheron said, turning to face his former pupil. "Not until you tell me why you want it. You've never shown interest in the Sith lore before. Why now?"
"It is not I that desires it, but my master -- my new master. He requires it for the endgame of his plan."
"What plan? What is it that your 'master' is trying to accomplish, by toying with both the Alliance and the Empire?"
Scorpius grinned. "There is a new order coming. One that shall ensure peace and justice for the galaxy."
Acheron glowered at him. "Peace through tyranny, you mean."
"How else? Nothing else has worked at this point. The only reason it failed Palpatine was because his apprentice foolishly returned to the light."
Acheron shook his head. "You sound like so many Sith before you. And why do you think they fell? If the Sith are to be preserved, they must become like the Jedi and stay out of galactic affairs."
Scorpius sneered. "You're suggesting that the Sith should be weak."
"Is it weakness to not show one's power? This is where your master has failed: he is theatrical with his power. In the short-term, it may serve him well, yes. But in the long term, he is doomed for failure."
Scorpius sighed, though Acheron knew it was just for show. "I see. Yet again, you and the other masters underestimate what we are capable of."
Acheron frowned. "I never underestimated you--"
He was cut off by the sound of a lightsaber's snap-hiss. A red light merged with the orange in the room.
"Don't bore me with lies. You knew this was coming."
"Scorpius... Rion, please." Acheron started to reach for his own weapon, but he knew he would not be quick enough. "I don't want to do this."
"A pity, because I do."
Acheron activated his lightsaber and raised it to deflect Scorpius' first attack... but instead of going for his head like he first thought, Scorpius instead sliced his blade through the Snivvian's arm, rendering him defenseless. His mind racing, Acheron attempted to summon Force lightning, but the scarlet blade at his neck told him that his time was up.
"The new age has begun," Scorpius said. "The First Order is about to begin."
The former apprentice raised his blade, murder in his eyes.
"And nothing can stop it."
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