Outer Ring. Korriban.
751 DBY.
13 years before the Mandalorian Purge.
And again, a few moments later.
Darth Doom.
"I have heard of you." — After a few seconds of silence, I acknowledged, running through my mind all I knew about this intelligent being. — One of the Darkest Triad — King Adas, you, and Mark Ragnos. — I recalled the ancient name of the three greatest Sith according to ancient sources.
They were not just another group of Jedi who had become disillusioned with the Republic and their Order and resented them like little children, wanting revenge. For them, such petty revenge was far more important than real ambitions, which is why neither I nor the most intelligent ancient Sith took them seriously, ignoring even the actual founder of the old and first Sith Empire, Sorzus Sin's comrade-in-arms, Ajanta Palla.
"That's right," he nodded slowly, looking around the Sith Academy. "Hmm... This is the first time I've felt the aura of this place so strongly... As for my comrades in the Triad. Adas did not participate in the massacre you staged, playing on our desire to become the one who would train the restorer of the Sith's glory and the first Sith'ari in the millennia after me and Ragnos..." — giving me credit, Lord Sith nodded deeply, not moving from his place. "Ragnos... He's been insane for a long time, unfortunately. He despaired of restoring the former glory... And by process of elimination, that leaves only me. Honestly, did those idiots who were buried on Korriban before and after my death really think they could defeat me? A bunch of misfits and imitators." — The Sith finished in a very familiar tone of voice, smirking contemptuously behind his mask, judging by the sound.
"You have proven yourself worthy to speak with me." — I shrugged, covering my eyes for a few seconds. " — I have no doubt of that.
"But I still... I still sense dissatisfaction with the outcome, my... colleague." — correcting himself in time, said the intelligent being clad in a dull steel armour suit.
"And what feeling should I have towards someone who was the first to use lightsabers instead of the unlimited power of the Force?" — I said venomously, opening my eyes wide and concentrating sparkling lightning bolts in my palms. "In the archives, you are mentioned as the greatest swordsman, perhaps the greatest of all. But what is your sword skill worth against the pure Force and its, ha, power?
"I have already proven to you, Darth Doom, that I am somehow more powerful than all the other ghosts of Korriban." — he began, without a moment's hesitation or a worthy response. — But that was not the question, I admit. The point is that your lightsabers are nothing more than pathetic cheap toys, just technology similar to a blaster! You have distorted the truth!" — the spirit suddenly became enraged, causing the walls around them to shake and crumble with ancient sand. — I have never, ever used what Ajanta Poll and his allies brought here! This pathetic technological imitation of a real weapon, a proto-sword, later became the abomination that hangs at your waist..." — he pointed his finger, clad in black cloth, at my light sword. " — I have used only and exclusively the Force Sword!
"Don't forget!" — I struck with my Force, causing the ghost to dim and shrink slightly. "Realise who you are talking to!
"Ahem... Yes. That's a sore subject for me... I suppose you have one too, considering what I've heard about you from Mephisto. So you can understand my anger." — In response, I just nodded, cursing with all the bad words I could think of the demon who had ruined my life. Nothing, nothing. Not much time left until that wonderful moment when I would gut this demonic creature.
"Power Sword?" — I asked a moment later, having heard no mention of it in the archives of Sorzus Sin or in any of the data collected by the Beynites.
"Oh yes!" — I was clearly hitting Tulak Hord's favourite topic. "This weapon was created by the Rakata... You know about them, judging by the look in your eyes... Good..." — he muttered. "According to well-known history, the Rakata created this weapon during the heyday of their empire and revealed the secret of its creation, along with the holocrons, to King Adas in order to deceive him. Naturally, they failed." "A contemptuous laugh came from the ghost's transparent mouth. "But anyway, the Force Sword is not some pathetic piece of looped plasma generated by cyber crystals. No, no. There was a crystal, but it was created by the purest alchemy of the Force in a laboratory, not by nature. And the energy blade of the Force Sword was not made of simple plasma, but of the embodied energy of the Dark Side of its owner, which passed through the alchemical crystal...*
*— pure canon, by the way.
"...And thus, such a sword is an ideal conductor and focus for the Force... Moreover, it is not susceptible to cortosis and other vulnerabilities of light-based weapons..." — Having drawn logical conclusions from what had been said, I continued for the ghost. Hmm... Like a staff for a mage from modern games. Very interesting.
"Exactly, my friend!" exclaimed the Lord of Hatred, who was instantly delighted by my understanding, which gave him incredible pleasure. Apparently, he had missed communicating. "And these lightsabers... The Jedi and Sith were tempted by their ease of use. Okay, the Jedi, those nobodies fear the Dark Side, but the Sith... You see, they were too lazy and found it too difficult to fill their blades with their own power, which is why they all, all of them, degenerated! Every last one of them!" — The Sith Lord's mood changed just as quickly to pure rage, shaking the already overly stressed walls of the pyramid. — "Shh..." — he exhaled, catching my warning glance.
"I must admit, you've piqued my interest, Tulak Hord." — Putting my hands behind my back, I headed past the ghost towards the exit, pulling the frozen woman to her feet as I went. "Come to your senses immediately, or I'll leave you here to die." — I briefly conveyed my position on her shock as I moved on.
"Our communication will be difficult." — sighed the intelligent ghost I had mentioned, appearing beside me in an instant. — But I complain in vain. Over hundreds and thousands of years, I have lost the habit of communicating with my equals...
"What about the other ghosts?" I asked, and without slowing down, I rushed into the entrance of the Sith Academy. No need to make the Jedi's job any easier.
The trash dissolved and scattered in the frenzy of the Force I had summoned, but it was still best not to leave any clues behind.
"What about the other ghosts? A bunch of morons, not worthy of talking to me. Too limited and stupid. Especially those who... Well, few of them, those I would deign to talk to, have already completely succumbed to the Force or gone mad amid the general degradation of our teachings." — Tula shrugged, levitating nearby. "So I remember the time when I was still alive. I had a general, ambitious and dangerous. Lord Callig, if my memory serves me right. He was a worthy and intelligent man. A worthy rival, whom you remind me of." — The Sith fell silent for a moment, remembering the past. — When he fell by my hand, I even... felt a little sadness, can you imagine?
"Hmm." — I responded with a short, surprised grunt, because if the Lord of Hatred was even remotely comparable to me in greatness, then such a feeling must indeed be caused by someone incredibly valuable. For me, it was always my mother... Perhaps my first love, Valeria... But then I was young and foolish. And this trait clearly killed him when he was at the height of his power." — Better think about what you're going to teach me, Tulak Hord. I'm already letting you get away with too much.
"Ha! I'd call you a cocky youngster, but I can't. I'd like to kill you, but I can't. I'd like to hate you, but I can't. You are our last hope, Darth Doom. That means I need you... And you need me... Ha-ha-ha! The familiar cooperation of my time is returning to the Galaxy!" — said the ghost in an extremely pleased tone that made one want to vomit. The dead man quickly picked up on the change in mood: — However, enough fun. It's time to get down to business, Darth Doom. In order to understand what to teach you, besides how to create Force swords, I need to know what that crazy Beyni who we sent to find you taught you.
"Not here," I replied, glancing at Vi, who had caught up with me but, for her own good, remained silent. "You should have sensed the death of the Jedi in the system. They were sitting at their station, guarding... I would have ignored them, but somehow, in a way unknown to me, the pathetic Padawan saw me through the Force as I approached the planet. I had to kill them and blow up the station.
"So that's what happened a little earlier..." — Tulaq Hord muttered thoughtfully. "Now the situation is becoming clearer. And since you have already bound one of our victors to yourself, why can't I leave you..." — continued the Lord of Hatred, with a hint of respect and irritation appropriate for such a situation.
"We must leave the planet as quickly as possible." — I interrupted him, approaching the ship. "If the destruction of the station and the deaths of our brothers in the Order have not yet reached the main Temple on Coruscant, then a ritual of such power, albeit with less than ideal results..." "For I was counting on several puppet spirits as sources of knowledge, yes." "Surely someone will notice. And a whole army of Light adepts will fly here. It is premature to fight them.
"You could destroy them. The current Jedi have degenerated. Even in my time, I destroyed half a thousand in a few weeks of battles on planets necessary for my Empire. And no one on Coruscant ever found out." — My new source of knowledge shrugged, clearly loving this gesture.
"Times have changed. Technology has improved. And the incident with the Padawan, which disrupted my plans for a thoughtful and lengthy study of Sith Space, proves once again to me, and to you, that the Light Side and its followers have tricks up their sleeves. Revealing this will ruin my plans. No. It's not time to act on such a large scale yet." — I replied categorically, climbing inside the ship.
The small mercenary followed, nervously glancing at Tulak, whom she clearly saw. But he ignored her, understanding her role as nothing more than a pawn on my chessboard and a tool in the game.
"That's your Beyni training talking," the Lord of Hatred grumbled discontentedly.
"Don't you dare blame everything on this bunch of lunatics and nobodies." — I replied threateningly, pausing for a second before activating the ship's systems. "It is exclusively my superior intellect that allows me to recognise the difference between your resources and mine. I do not have an entire empire, and it will take time to build one.
"Are things really that bad with the Sith?" — the ghost asked in surprise, looking around the ship and staring at me in amazement.
"Oh, Tulak Hord. You have no idea how bad things are..." — I said, switching to a more colloquial tone. "And I have to fix it all. What an ungrateful task..." * * *
Central Worlds. Coruscant. Jedi Temple.
751 DBY.
13 years before the Mandalorian Purge.
A little earlier.
Master Yoda.
Leaning on a cane that had become familiar over the past two years, a representative of a race unknown even to himself took small steps through the gigantic building that had become home to many generations of younglings, Padawans, Masters... And since the Rusan Reform, Jedi Masters as well.
According to Yoda, this reform was necessary for the Order, which had become more organised and strict. It was supposed to prevent various divisions and vacillations, during which some ambitious members of the Order could stumble upon forbidden artefacts or techniques capable of leading a Jedi into the sinister clutches of the Dark Side.
The closure of all academies and other places of learning outside Coruscant also led to increased supervision of other generations, which would help experienced masters to identify potential threats more quickly. As did the increase in the power of the Order's High Council over its members. As did stricter control over the transition of Padawans to knights, rather than the empty formality that had previously existed.
Grand Master Fay Coven, whom Yoda still remembered, did a tremendous job of preventing a new schism among the Jedi.
In fact, if one studies the history of the Order in sufficient detail, one can see that all the Great Schisms that led to the emergence of the Sith over the millennia were caused precisely by the very loose rules of the former Order. The changes are intended to make it easier for senior Jedi to control the younger ones, so as not to allow them to fall into the tempting embrace of the Dark Side, whose followers, according to legend, will be freed by the Chosen One.
But when he will appear is the question. And the Sith have been defeated... Could Lord Hoth have been the Chosen One? The leader of the Army of Light that fought against the Brotherhood of Darkness, whose confrontation led to the Ruusan Reforms... Yes, the evidence of the end of the New Sith Wars is vague, but... The outcome is what matters.
The Jedi survived, and the Sith were destroyed.
The last of their Lords went mad and was killed by a squad of Jedi...
"Master-master Yoda..." — a girl's voice rang out next to the green dwarf.
"Oh..." — blinking, the Jedi returned his mind to reality. "Is there something you wish to know from this old Jedi, Padawan?" — the Master asked in his familiar manner.
"Well... I know you like to teach younglings, Master Yoda..." — The pink-skinned girl scratched the back of her head, looking down from above, somewhat embarrassed. "And I'm a Padawan, so I'm not that far from them..."
"A few of our Padawans are capable of acknowledging their young age." — The dwarf smiled slightly, tapping his cane on the floor. "Tell me your request."
"Well... You, like me, practise Ataru!" — blurted out the Zeltronka, whose race, according to many Jedi, should not be part of the Order. She was too emotional.
Yoda disagreed with them. Anyone can become a Jedi if they are sensitive to the Force. And anyone can control their emotions, no matter what race they belong to.
The reform had too much influence on many things. It had both positive and negative effects. The Jedi became too zealous in denying their emotions. So much so that they did not understand that by arguing about such things, they were giving in to their emotions more than those who had them. A balance must be maintained, rather than striving to become droids.
Therefore, the representative of a race whose name has been lost in the mists of time treated the young Himeko with more than kindness.
"…and I want you to give me some lessons. Here!" — finished the Padawan, shaking her braid of scarlet hair. She was strong. Powerful in the Force. Perhaps at an early age she would have to undergo trials in order to cut off her braid and become a Jedi knight.
"I see hope. And I would be foolish and arrogant to refuse such a small request." — The master smiled kindly. "But I am a little busy right now, Padawan. Tomorrow we will continue with our lessons, Padawan. Go now."
"Thank you, Master!" — The girl smiled contentedly and quickly ran away.
"She still lacks dignity. Although she already possesses patience." — said the elderly Jedi, blinking. "Isn't that right, Master Murata?"
"Master... You know very well that I do not wish to publicise our relationship." — The woman who had emerged from the shadows of the columns covered her eyes and stared at the oldest member of the Jedi High Council. He had been a member for almost fifty years. "It was my mistake, my betrayal of the Order's ideals... Which I will atone for with my life.
Dressed in dark blue robes, including fabric armour and looking like some kind of uniform, an incredibly rare representative of the Zeltron people with black hair exotic to them, she stood before Yoda like an unbreakable mountain.
Unbreakable, but stubborn.
"We are not droids to be deprived of emotions forever. We must control them, not be controlled by them, like the Sith." — The little Jedi shook his head.
Tallis Murat was a good Jedi. But once she fell in love with an untalented man, gave in to the peculiarities of her species during her knighthood, and had a child, she considered it a betrayal that could not be redeemed. A sin that could not be washed away.
And yet she did not suspect that this self-flagellation was once again caused by the heightened emotionality of her race. But she had to realise this herself, otherwise the effect would be insignificant. Therefore, Yoda, who was rightly considered the wisest of the living Jedi, chose not to pursue the subject further, allowing the now mature and independent woman to come to terms with herself.
It was her right to feel that way about her mistake.
The right to choose. One of the many differences between Jedi and Sith.
As long as it does not harm the Order and intelligent beings, the right to choose must exist and be actively exercised.
"You are too lenient with me. My guilt is undeniable, and the decision of the High Council that I may remain in the Order is also extremely... Master...?" — The Zeltron blinked in confusion when Yoda froze in place and let go of his cane.
"The Dark Side... has grown stronger. A flash... I felt it." — The old master muttered, clutching his heart. — I have never felt anything like this before. But I have heard of it from those who were alive when I was a youngling here... When the Sith died on Ruusan centuries ago... The power of the Dark Side is unimaginable, that is what it is. — Pulling his cane back with telekinesis, the Jedi concluded in a grim tone. — Some cult, or a remnant of the Sith, or a fallen brother of ours has performed a sinister ritual. We must contact the Council of the First Knowledge immediately...
And despite the fact that the Jedi Master preferred to travel long distances using a repulsor platform created exclusively for him, this time Yoda used the Speed of the Force and, with incredible speed for his small frame, rushed to the north-western part of the Temple, the tower where the members of the Council of the First Order sat, whose job was to track down and destroy the legacy of the Sith.
"Master Yoda..." — nodded the current Keeper of the First Knowledge, the only member of the council of the same name who was elected for life.
The others were here for only five years, then they were replaced. Only every other time could they return to their place, which often happened.
"You felt it too, old friend." — The dwarf nodded slowly, looking around at the other members of the Council, which consisted of a wide variety of races.
But then his gaze returned to the stern human man, chosen for his mastery of the Force and lightsabers, his firm adherence to the ideals of the reformed Order, and his unwavering rejection of all manifestations of the Dark Side of the Force.
"The Dark Side is rising. We have lived in peace for centuries. The Republic has lived in peace... And now, once again." "I sincerely hope that this is only an isolated incident. We have not had a mass exodus of discontented individuals... So perhaps someone found a Sith holocron and used its knowledge... for something.
"Perhaps." — The little Jedi nodded slightly. For in his senses, the source of the sinister Darkness was a single being. But definitely a powerful one.
Which is what Yoda had said.
"You can be trusted, Master. So there is one... And he is powerful. Hmm... Sith are like a plague, where there is one, we will find his disciples. There is too much trouble in the galaxy for a new Sith not to find followers. Those who are angry with the Republic. Those who are angry with the Order." said the man, covering his grey eyes.
He was blind, but he could see with the Force. The Force had become his lost sense of sight.
"We must eliminate the threat. Before the Dark Side spreads. Before it reaches the minds of the unwise." — Yoda nodded in agreement, clenching his small fingers around his cane. "The direction of the Force... I am familiar with it. There... Something has happened in the Sith worlds. There, where they were born, and where they waged war against the Republic. Again... It is beginning there once more.
"I have already submitted a proposal to create a combat group. I have selected its members... And I have submitted a request to the High Council. I ask you to come with us, Master. You will help reduce casualties." — Edmund Laxson asked firmly, confident in his words and future victory.
"Then we must speed up the work of my colleagues, don't you think, m-m-m?" — smiled Yoda, to the light chuckles of the members of the Council of First Knowledge.
When all authorities want a quick resolution to a situation, things don't just fly, they race at unimaginable speeds.
That is why, within an hour, a group of Jedi entered the fastest ship at the Order's disposal. It immediately set off on a series of secret hyperspace routes to the Sith Space, which the Jedi had known about for more than four thousand years, when the Great Hyperspace War began, which put an end to the first reincarnation of the Sith Empire, created after the Hundred Years of Darkness... Not the most pleasant period in the history of the Order.
Yoda meditated the entire way through hyperspace, trying to learn more about the impending threat from the Force, but... This threat, this intelligent being, seemed to be shrouded in mist. It eluded the mental gaze of the old but small master. An adept of the Dark Side was hiding. He was hiding in the shadows, afraid of being spotted by the Jedi.
...A very wise move on his part. It was unlikely to be some kind of natural ability... More likely some kind of skill of the Dark Side.
But at the same time, it meant that the Jedi now had not only a strong enemy, but also a cunning one.
Yes, someone like that could slip past the Jedi, including the Shadows.
"Damn it!" One of the members of the combat group, who stood out for his skills in fencing and the Force, but unfortunately was not the most tactful or intelligent, cursed without restraint.
"It may not be proper, but I agree." — The Watcher muttered discontentedly, casting a worried glance at Yoda.
But in response, the green-skinned Jedi could only shake his head sadly, indicating that his meditations had achieved nothing this time.
The reason for this reaction was clear through the windows.
The Jedi station, where the observers of the Sith homeland served, had been completely destroyed, and only its debris drifted in orbit.
Several more minutes passed before several sputtering explosions from lightsabers hit the ship.
"This is clearly not a technical error or a reactor malfunction..." — Edmund shook his head, running his hands over the remains of the hilts and their cyber crystals.
"You are right. The Dark Side has touched these weapons." — The small but wise master narrowed his eyes."The Jedi who were killed were the ones we are looking for, my old friend. We must set foot on the planet, for only there can we find the answers.
The rest of the group agreed with the words of the member of the High Council, and so ten minutes later, the adepts of the Light Side entered the sands of Korriban, which were overflowing with darkness.
Knowing full well what attracted them most on the planet, they examined the main gathering place of the Dark Side on the planet... a place called the Valley of the Dark Lords.
However, all those gathered were experienced and intelligent, and immediately got rid of the negative influence of the opposite side of the Force. By sticking together, such a large number of followers of the Light completely neutralised the passive influence of the Dark Side in this world.
"There was a flash here..." said Yoda confidently, touching the ruins of the entrance to the large pyramid with his three-fingered hand. One of the largest on the planet. "The Dark Side raged here, filling these walls..."
With a joint effort, the Jedi used telekinesis to somehow open the entrance, and as soon as the group entered the room, they immediately felt a chilling cold. The cold of death and destruction... The kind that remained in places where many intelligent beings had died... However, this meant nothing to the Jedi yet. After all, those gathered knew what had once been within these walls.
And in a place where the Sith had once trained their acolytes, the feeling of multiple deaths was not surprising.
"Someone was here." — Nevertheless, Yoda, probing the area with the Force alone, was certain of what he said. "And not just one. But who, I do not know."
"Then we'll have to conduct a thorough investigation... But I can see for myself that there are too few traces left here." — He twitched his cheek in dissatisfaction.
Head of the Council of First Knowledge. "It will be painstaking and time-consuming work, since even you, a master, were unable to learn anything on the fly.
"The Dark Side is not so simple. It is cunning and deceitful. Just like those who use it." — Chewing his lip, he told his old friend Yoda, tensing up and trying to understand what had happened here.
The master understood that it was some kind of ritual, but its purpose... That was what interested the little Jedi.
"Thanks for the obvious information..." — Someone in the group of Order members even rolled their eyes. "But what are we supposed to do?!"
Yoda glanced at Edmund.
"Patience, Jedi, Master Fanasa." — The completely unperturbed master shook his head. — This is what we will do next...
***
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