CHAPTER TWO
Serenno
“Have you heard the news? The Dowager of Sedratis is dead.”
Count Tyr Valmar glanced up from his glass of jhantorian wine. “Is that right?” he said after taking a sip. “Where did you hear this?”
“From Valera. Her daughter.” The Count of House Malvern took a sip from his own glass, staring out the window at the city of Carannia, Serenno’s sparkling capital. The Funeral Moon of Mantero glowed in the nighttime sky.
“Isn’t she a relative of your wife’s?” Count Malvern asked after a moment’s pause. “Valera, that is?”
Valmar’s face briefly twitched into a scowl. “She’s the daughter of a cousin, I believe,” he muttered, taking another sip. “Calran Teramo, son of Lecron.”
“Calran, yes, that’s right. I remember seeing him with a blond woman at the court one time, back when your father was Count. I don’t believe they were married for very long before his death, were they?”
Valmar shrugged. “To be honest, I never really paid much attention to his affairs. His father was never head of House Teramo; that honor went to Valdar.”
Malvern smirked. “Of course. You had eyes on his daughter because he was the one with all of the wealth and prestige. If Lecron had been born first, you probably wouldn’t have even given Cynda a second thought.”
The scowl returned to Valmar’s gaunt face, though yet again it was merely for a passing second.
Malvern paced away from the window, staring down into his half-empty glass. “I’ve heard she’s engaged, Valera. To a Naboo man, of all things. While I’m sure it’ll stir some of the more conservative members of the court, I doubt it’ll cause too much of a fuss among the Great Houses; she has no chance of becoming a Countess, especially not after House Teramo was disgraced by Count Avron’s actions.”
Valmar slowly leaned forward to place his glass on the table in front of him, his face a blank canvas of emotion. He then lifted his dark eyes to look at Malvern, assessing his cousin with a hollow look.
“It’s getting late, Lyon,” the Count of Serenno said. “You should probably go home to your wife.”
“The night is still young, Tyr.” Malvern took another sip from his wine. “Besides, she’s a busy woman. She probably won’t even notice my absence.”
“Is that right?” Valmar rose from his seat and clasped his hands in front of his chest, his fingers interlacing with each other. “Do you make a habit out of being absent? Such as for extended periods of time?”
For the first time since the night had begun, Malvern’s eyes met Valmar’s. The lesser count swallowed, which sounded louder than he perhaps intended.
“I mean, there have been times where my meetings with the other counts stretched out well into the night,” Malvern said uneasily. “Some lasting until dawn.”
“And would these ‘meetings’ perhaps entail the spouses of some of these counts?”
Malvern gaped at him, his eyes wide with… fear, perhaps? Possibly even confusion? No, it had to be fear, Valmar told himself. It would only make sense.
“I… I beg your pardon,” his cousin croaked. “I… I don’t know what you could possibly be insinuating.”
“Really?” Valmar stepped closer to him, his dark eyes taking on a golden glow. “Then you would not know what it is like to find your own wife in a bed with another man.”
Malvern staggered back, eyes still wide, mouth still agape. “I… I don’t know what you are possibly—”
“If you don’t believe me, then my chief of security will gladly show you the footage,” Valmar snarled. “She was very keen on showing me.”
“My lord, there must be some sort of misunderstanding,” Malvern said hastily, continuing to back up against the window, his glass-holding hand shaking. “I assure you that I would do no such—”
“Don’t insult me with your lies, Malvern.” Valmar extended his hand and an invisible force grabbed the other count, hoisting him up in the air. “You will only bring shame to your family’s name.”
“My lord, please!” Malvern cried, flailing his limbs. His glass fell to the floor, shattering and spilling its red contents onto the rug. “Have merc—”
Valmar flicked his wrist and the Count of House Malvern was sent crashing through the window. His screams quickly receded into the distance as he plummeted towards the ground some fifty feet below, before being totally silenced.
As the night exhaled its cool breezes into the room through the now-opened window, Count Tyr Valmar collapsed into his seat, exhausted. A few minutes later, his comlink buzzed and he picked it up from the table.
“Captain.”
“My lord, we’ve just found Count Malvern’s body out in the gardens,” the voice of his chief of security came through. “It looks like he fell from your window. Is everything all right?”
“Everything is fine, captain. Please provide Count Malvern with any medical attention he needs.”
He did not wait for a response and set his comlink back down onto the table. For a long time, he simply stared at the shattered window, feeling the icy winds blow onto his face.
Then, he heard it call out to him.
“You have done phenomenally, my apprentice.”
He rolled his head to the side, his eyes focused on the partially open door that led into his private chambers. Even through the small crack, he could see the holocron’s scarlet glow, which pulsated with every word it spoke.
“Come to me. Hear what I have to say next.”
His body moved on its own accord as it pulled itself out of the chair and walked lazily towards his chambers. He pushed open the door, giving him full view of the pyramidal-shaped device planted on the center of his bedside table.
“You have taken a large step in asserting your control by eliminating those who have done you wrong,” the Sith holocron spoke with the voice of the long-departed Darth Tyranus. “You have humiliated your brother-in-law for spurring you. You have poisoned your wife for betraying you. You have killed the man who was her accomplice. The Court has learned by now the price of wronging you. The leaders of the Great Houses will not dare speak against you.”
From the other room, Valmar’s comlink buzzed again. He did not pay it any mind.
“What is thy bidding, my master?” Valmar asked, bowing his head.
“Serenno is yours now, my friend. Your enemies have been sufficiently vanquished and quelled. It is time for you to reap your rewards.”
The comlink continued to buzz repeatedly. Then, it abruptly went silent.
Valmar lifted his head up, yellow staining his bloodshot eyes. “Is my training complete then? Have I become a true Sith?”
“You always were,” the voice of Darth Tyranus replied. “You simply needed to realize it.”
Had Valmar listened closely, he would have heard his guards posted outside scream as they fell to a lightsaber blade. Yet, the Count of Serenno heard nothing.
“Rise, my apprentice. Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth—”
The door to his chambers crashed open. Valmar launched to his feet, hand reaching for his lightsaber, only to be thrown back against the wall by an invisible force. The Sith holocron toppled from its pedestal and landed on the floor. Its red glow faded and it ceased speaking.
The masked warrior stepped into the room, his left arm outstretched as he held Valmar in place while he carried his unstable crossguard lightsaber in his other hand.
“Count Tyr Valmar,” the mysterious man said. “My apologies for the unannounced arrival. Your guards were rather… inhospitable towards me.”
Valmar sneered at him, despite the Force grip the other had on him. “What is the meaning of this intrusion?” he snarled.
“I am in need of answers. You were one of the eleven Sith Masters that served Darth Sedriss, were you not?”
“What is it to you?” Valmar spat.
“And, of those eleven, you are one of six that still remain, the others having been killed by their apprentices. Those apprentices have all been dealt with, but their masters still remain. I want you to give me their locations.”
“For what purpose? So you can kill them, just as you will kill me?”
“If I decide you are of use to me, then I will spare you from their fate. You can start being of use by giving me their names and locations.”
Do as he says. The voice of Darth Tyranus spoke once more in Valmar’s head, though he wasn’t sure if it was coming from the holocron. Those others did nothing for you. They were weak and foolish, and would have succumbed to their own devices had they not fled into hiding like the cowards they are.
The masked man’s hand started to close and Valmar gasped, his breath running short.
“Su Koda,” he managed to get out. “She’s on Cato Neimoidia. You will find her there.”
“Good start,” said the man and he lessened his grip, if only slightly. “Now, the others.”
Tell him, implored Tyranus.
“Vizun Naris. Talravin, in the Core Worlds.”
Good, good!
“Nasoth Alarin, I’m not sure. He was always traveling the galaxy, searching for something called the Whills. I have not heard from Viron; I’m not even sure if he’s still alive. And Voldess… none of us knew who Voldess even was. She was a mystery to all of us.”
A long, pressing moment of silence passed. The masked man kept Valmar in the air, not releasing his grip. Then, finally, he lowered his arm and the Count of Serenno dropped down onto his feet. He stared at the masked man, breathing heavily as he tried to get a read of the stranger’s face through the thin visor of his mask.
“Impressive,” the stranger finally said, the blade of his lightsaber retracting back into his hilt. “I did not think you had it in you.”
Valmar swallowed. “You will spare me then?”
“I am a man of my word. So long as you stay out of my way, you will not have to worry about facing my wrath.”
He turned to leave and Valmar watched him take a few steps before stopping to look back at the Count.
“You might want to do something about the bodies outside, though.”
Without another word, the masked man departed as suddenly as he had arrived. As soon as he was gone, Valmar collapsed onto the floor, clutching his head in his hands.
As he passed out from exhaustion, he didn’t even notice that the Sith holocron was missing.
* * *
The TIE Silencer departed from the planet of Serenno, leaving behind the political strife and chaos that was sure to break out as a result of Count Tyr Valmar’s actions. The question of whether or not the Great Houses would stand with the First Order when the time came remained in doubt, though Kylo Ren would leave that matter for others to deal with.
As he put in the coordinates for Cato Neimoidia into his ship’s computer, he spared a glance at the Sith holocron he had stolen from Valmar’s chambers, which he had stored in a side compartment. His master had not informed him that the Count would have been in possession of such an artifact; it was possible that the Supreme Leader wasn’t even aware of it himself. Kylo thought about contacting Snoke about it but thought better of it; there was no need for the Supreme Leader to know of it just yet. The matter could wait.
Once the coordinates had been locked in, Kylo Ren pulled the hyperdrive lever and the stars stretched into lines as his ship jumped to its next destination.
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