Question Knight of Empire Teaser

Happy Thanksgiving!

3643 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)
Taris, Ojoster Sector, The Outer Rim Territories

I won't ever forget the first time I saw the planet Taris.

Which in and of itself is rather odd because, strictly speaking, the 'me' who had been named Edward and had come from a little planet called Earth in a different, unremarkable galaxy, had never seen the planet Taris. However, the Sith Lord, Nyeomi Fens, who I was now, whose body my consciousness had merged with hers had seen it. Confused? Don't worry, so am I.

In any event she had seen it from the observation lounge of the liner Pride of Coruscant which 'our' mistress, Darth Vannacen and she had traveled on to the war torn world. Ok, that's too confusing, I think I'll just go back to using first person pronouns. I remember not being very impressed with the so-called Coruscant of the Outer Rim. Three hundred years ago it had been a jewel in the territory, perfectly balanced between gleaming ecumenopoleis of tall buildings rising to the sky and yet still retaining its ocean giving the planet a blue and gray coloration from space along with clouds and attendant weather.

That had been three hundred years ago.

Taris was unfortunate enough to be the nexus of the far edges of control of three separate military powers, the Galactic Republic, the Mandalorians and the Sith Empire. Between the Mandalorian War, the Jedi Civil War and countless other little skirmishes, the planet had suffered, but remained. Until Darth Malak attacked the world, bombarding it from orbit and laid waste to the entire planet. Now, centuries later, the Republic suddenly had decided they wanted to re-colonize the world which had been bombed into oblivion and was just a collection of ruined cities, slowly being reclaimed by what plant life had been on the world, mostly from parks and a limited number of nature preserves.

Now most of the land masses were gigantic swamps or jungles with crumbling ruins falling into collapsing infrastructure tunnels. While that made the planet dangerous, the real threat were Rakghouls. Rakghouls were corrupted, mutated humanoids, mindless for the most part, cannibalistic, rabid and violent. The true horror was they were not an indigenous life form, but victims of a highly infectious blood pathogen, the aptly named Rakghoul Plague. No one really knew who had invented it, likely as a failed (or successful depending on your point of view) bio-weapon, but the plague was highly contagious and could be spread by a Rakghoul biting or scratching you.

That meant only someone with a death wish, or someone looking for something incredibly valuable would risk going to Taris.

Since the Republic were 'restoring and re-colonizing' Taris, they must be after something and so my mistress and I had been sent to find out what. I was twenty, young, foolish and excited to be sent on my first mission outside the Empire. I must confess it had been an interesting journey. As on paper at least the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire were at peace, we had been ferried to the edge of the Empire by the Navy, then an independent freighter had born us into the Republic, from which, using our real passports and credentials, booked passage on the Pride of Coruscant to Taris.

The Republic officials seethed, of course, but by flying under our own colors so to speak, we had rendered them toothless. We were tailed, both overtly and covertly, the most obvious of which were a pair of Jedi Masters who my Mistress took considerable pleasure in making them out as fools in the debates they would conduct in that very lounge. Darth Vannacen argued them into befuddled circles with a smile on her face and a sniffer of brandy in hand as she bent their logic back on them. Most nights I entertained myself watching her, keeping an eye on the Padawan of one of the Masters who had been assigned to keeping an eye on me, but some times I must confess I took a kind of perverse pleasure by leading him on a merry chase as I wondered the ship aimlessly.

This was how I found out the other Jedi, probably the former Padawan of one of the Masters but he at least had graduated to his knighthood. The Padawan had needed to call for help which was how I outed him and with a sweet smile once his cover was blown, I had returned to the lounge to finish the evenings entertainment. It goes without saying I'm sure the Knight and the Padawan had an...interesting...conversation later.

I had been sure my mistress would make seducing one of the Masters the icing on the cake of her journey, but evidently she found both not to her taste. We disembarked and took the shuttle down to the center of Olaris, the settlement that the Republic had carved out of the ruins of Taris, which was also where they began to show their hand.

The customs officials made a great show of having issue with our passports by putting every road block they could in front of us. Finally, they could give us no further issue without sparking a diplomatic incident and we were allowed to leave the space port and reconnoiter Olaris. It was here that I got my introduction to Leontyne Saresh, the Twi'lek Governor of Taris. She was a green skinned version of the species, with darker, yellowish green striping on her lekku, or head-tails. In her middle forties at the time, she had gone to seed a bit, but there was still enough of that legendary Twi'lek beauty to show she had been something in her youth. Perhaps that had been part of the reason of her success and now that it was fading she resented me for my youth.

To say we didn't get along was something of an understatement, and the beginning of a long standing grudge that would come to haunt me later on in life.


3638 BBY (The Present)
Office of the Supreme Chancellor, Senate Hall, Coruscant, Galactic Core

In retrospect, I should have seen Ziost coming.

A past me, a me that seems ages ago now, knew that after the battle with Revan on Yavin, Vitiate fled to the world called the Gateway to the Empire; Ziost. Ziost which was an old world, strong with the Bogan, that had served as Capital of the Sith Empire ages ago, had scholars arguing whether the Sith Species had originated on Ziost or Korriban, and had long been a center of Sith power and knowledge.

You know, your perfect place to conduct dark rituals.

In my defense my experiences had been so different from the game I had enjoyed that I simply didn't think of it. I had convinced myself that Vitiate had fled to Korriban and that I could catch him there. Between my victory over the Will of the Sith, the whirlwind awarding of accolades and titles that followed that victory and my own marriage and honeymoon, it just didn't occur to me to look for Vitiate on Ziost.

And half a billion people were dead because of it.

Ziost was a fairly major trading hub, despite it's somewhat isolated position. Its proximity to Korriban, Dromund Kaas and the Trail-ward heart of the Sith Empire meant there were tens of thousands of ships in orbit, coming and going. Ships who had born witness to the wave of death that washed over the planet, saw the work of Vitiate the Mad consume every organic thing, plants, bacteria, animal, people. As the wave washed over them then turned to dust and ash, consumed by his lust for immortality.

To say the news spread like wild fire was a colossal understatement.

An embargo had been hastily placed on the system, trying to catch Vitiate before he could escape, but dozens of ships had jumped into hyperspace after all life on the planet had been obliterated. Vitiate had been on one of them, and now panic, real honest to God terror, gripped the Galaxy. Who would be next? What would be the next planet wiped from existence?

Which was how I came to be standing in the office of the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, coolly returning the glare of the aforementioned Supreme Chancellor, Leontyne Saresh. The former governor of Taris, and the bane of my existence, was glaring at me because she had demanded that Emperor Malgus put his best operatives on the hunt for Vitiate. This decision His Imperial Majesty had delegated to his Minister of Defense, Prince Marr, who picked, wait for it, me.

Because the Supreme Chancellor (I swear I hear peasants ranting about wielding Supreme Executive power) had also demanded to meet the chosen expert I found myself in her office, along with a hologram of Prince Marr and the ever diplomatic Jedi Grand Master Shan. Now Leontyne, as I have noted previously, is a Twi'lek, not that there's anything wrong with that, but it did show they could be more than crack pilots and dancing girls. Her green tinted yellow skin was flushed to a darker shade from her anger and her twin tails or lekku as they were known in their own language at the back of her head were whipping like snakes from her movements. “Is this a joke?” demanded the Chancellor of Prince Marr with a furious gesture at me. “Are you trying to provoke me deliberately?”

“Countess Fens, as Grand Master Shan will attest, exemplifies the Sith Ideal and her list of accomplishments under impossible circumstances speaks for itself,” Marr replied in a remarkably even tone.

“Her accomplishments?” Saresh demanded. “Her failure to capture Vitiate on Yavin IV? Her failure to catch him on Korriban? Or her failure to put her personal life on hold to deal with a threat to our entire galaxy, which accomplishment are you referring to, Prince Marr?” The holographic Sith Lord crossed his strong arms over his barrel chest.

“Don't take that tone with me, Chancellor,” he warned her softly. “The Republic requested aid from the Empire and we gave it. The Republic requested our best and we have sent her...”

“This reckless, wanton little...”

The hologram pointed his gauntlet clad finger. “Don't...interrupt me,” Marr ordered. “Your personal issues with Countess Fens not withstanding, the Republic requested our best operative, and I have sent her, end of story. Either accept her aid, or provide your own agent, I do not care which. This matter is closed.” With a burst of static, the hologram of my immediate superior vanished. I watched Saresh seethe for a moment, then turned to Grand Master Shan and shrugged.

“Chancellor,” the Jedi began in a neutral tone. “I suggest we move on. I have worked with Darth Fens before and...”

“Don't you sing this...monster's...praises too, Master Shan!” Saresh snapped. Her mouth worked as if she tasted something foul as I continued to stare at her, mute and aloof. “Fine, if this is how Darth Marr chooses to deal with a threat of this magnitude, it falls on me to set it right.” Turning to me, she held up a finger and declared, “But I am sending my own agent on your little expedition to see that our resources aren't squandered!” She pressed a button on her desk and ordered, “Come in!”

A side door opened revealing a man in his thirties, but exactly where was hard to say. He was grown and in his prime, but still youthful. He was good looking, with a rugged chin, a nice tan and full head of thick, dark brown hair that was just short enough to stand up without being a buzz cut. He had rather intense olive green eyes and three small metal tell tales of a cybernetic implant protruding from the skin around the orbit of his left eye. He wore a blaster on a fast draw belt holster over khaki trousers and boots. A black double breasted shirt under a red and white leather jacket with the collar standing up completed the ensemble. He was a good looking sort, not that I noticed as I am a happily married woman.

His eyes narrowed a bit as he took in the room, but he walked forward confidently.

The Jedi stood, her eyes on the Chancellor. “Please, excuse me,” she said as she turned to me. “I have pressing business. I hope you will come by the Jedi temple before you depart, Countess.” She looked up at the man, then walked out by the other door.

Saresh smirked and made a gesture of introduction. “Darth Nyeomi Fens, Theron Shan, Republic Strategic Intelligence Service.”

I stood and offered my hand which he took, obviously surprised. “I look forward to working with you,” I told him, pleased he gave a firm, cordial handshake. Turning to my nemesis I asked, “Unless there is something else, Chancellor?”

I took her silence as dismissal, and turned to leave. The spy walked beside me as we exited her office and made our way through the lavish surroundings to the bank of elevators. Tari stood from the seat she had been awaiting me in and fell in step with us. “You seem more down to earth than I was led to believe in our reports on you,” Theron told me in an off hand way as he pressed the call button for me.

“You'll find me an immanently practical woman, Mr Shan,” I replied as I looked him in the eye. He was a bit under two meters and I had become quite comfortable in wedge heels despite already being tall for a woman so we were about the same height. “My sole priority right now is the destruction of Darth Vitiate and ending his threat to the galaxy. I am willing to work with anyone to accomplish that.”

He considered that for a long moment, then nodded. “I'm glad to hear that. I have some leads that we can follow up on, but perhaps I should brief you and your team all at once. Who else is assisting you?” he asked with a glance at my apprentice. “Your normal group of followers?”

It is an interesting feeling to be spied on. The car arrived and I entered it, pushing the button for the landing platform of the building. Theron joined me after allowing Tari to enter the car first. “I wasn't aware I had followers,” I told him loftily with a cool stare. “But if you've decided I have, you must already know who I arrived here with.”

He made a placating gesture. “Just putting all the cards on the table,” he pleaded. “From what I've read of your file, my lady, the galaxy is a much safer place with you around rather than not, but that won't stop SIS from keeping an eye on your comings and goings. Especially as you and the Chancellor have a somewhat...colorful...history.”

Tari looked up at me, the curiosity written on her face, but I just winked at her and continued to concentrate on the spy. “It's wonderful the Republic has so many assets they have manpower to spare to keep an eye on me,” I told him. “With so many resources, I'm curious why my help is even needed.”

“It wasn't my call,” Theron told me earnestly.

I opened my mouth to make a retort about guards following orders and realized he likely would not get the metaphor. “That's very convenient,” I decided instead. “For you.”

Theron shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the side of the car. “Ok, I probably deserved that. The question now is are we going to be able to work together to find and stop Vitiate?”

“I may take issue with your methods, Mr Shan,” I told him evenly. “But Vitiate is a danger that leaves me no option to be picky in my allies. I must stop him and I am willing to work with anyone to accomplish that.” He nodded.

“Fair enough.”

The car came to a stop and the door opened. I stepped out, but noticed he hadn't moved. “Are you coming?”

“I have some files I need to get from my computer before we leave. I'll meet you at the Aces and Eights' hanger in...two hours?”

“Agreed.”