darth bane - rule of two (drew karpyshyn)

8/10/2019 Darth Bane - Rule of Two (Drew Karpyshyn)

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Star Wars

Darth Bane

book 2

Rule of Two

by Drew Karpyshyn

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To my parents, Ron and Vi, and my youn!er sister, Dawn

"K$%W&'D()'$TS


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This book *ame to!ether in the spa*e of only si+ monthsan unbelieably short time to transform an

idea into a finished work on the sheles- ./d like to thank eeryone at &u*as &i*ensin! &td- and Del

Rey Books who was part of this in*redible a**omplishment, alon! with a spe*ial thanks to my wife,

0ennifer- Without her help and understandin! . don/t think this would hae been possible !ien the

deadlines . was workin! under- But most of all, ./d like to thank all the fans who bou!ht Darth

Bane1 ath of Destru*tion- Without your support, this se3uel neer would hae happened- 4ou hae

my sin*ere and humble !ratitude-

R%&%(5'

Daroit made his stumblin! way throu!h the bodies that littered the battlefield, his mind numb with

!rief and horror- 6e re*o!ni7ed many of the dead1 some were serants of the li!ht side, allies of the

0edi8 others were followers of the dark side, minions of the Sith- "nd een in his da7ed stupor,

Daroit *ouldn/t help but wonder whi*h side he belon!ed with-

" few months earlier he/d still !one by his *hildhood name, Tom*at- Ba*k then he/d been nothin!

more than a thin, darkhaired boy of thirteen liin! with his *ousins Rain and Bu! ba*k on the small

world of Somo Rit- They had heard rumblin!s of the neerendin! war between the 0edi and the

Sith, but they neer thou!ht it would tou*h their 3uiet, ordinary lies--- until the 0edi s*out had

*ome to see Root, their appointed !uardian-

(eneral 6oth, leader of the 0edi "rmy of &i!ht, was desperate for more 0edi, the s*out had

e+plained- The fate of the entire !ala+y hun! in the balan*e- "nd the *hildren under Root/s *are had

shown an affinity for the 9or*e-

"t first Root had refused- 6e *laimed his *har!es were too youn! to !o off to war- But the s*out had

persisted- 9inally, reali7in! that if the *hildren did not !o to the 0edi, the Sith mi!ht *ome and take

them for*ibly, Root had relented- Daroit and his *ousins had left Somo Rit with the 0edi s*out and

headed for Ruusan- "t the time, the *hildren had thou!ht it was the be!innin! of a !rand adenture-

$ow Daroit knew better-

Too mu*h had happened sin*e they/d all arried on Ruusan- 'erythin! had *han!ed- "nd the

youthfor he had lied throu!h too mu*h in the past weeks to be *alled a boy anymoredidn/t

understand any of it-

6e/d *ome to Ruusan full of hope and ambition, dreamin! of the !lory that would be his when he

helped (eneral 6oth and the 0edi "rmy of &i!ht defeat the Sith serin! in &ord Kaan/s Brotherhood

of Darkness- But there was no !lory to be found on Ruusan8 not for him- "nd not for his *ousins-

Rain had died een before their ship tou*hed down on Ruusan- They/d been ambushed by a

s3uadron of Sith Bu77ards only se*onds after they broke atmosphere, the tail of their essel shorn

off in the atta*k- Daroit had wat*hed in horror as Rain was swept away by the blast, literally ripped

from his arms before plun!in! to an unseen death hundreds of meters below-

6is other *ousin, Bu!, had died only a few minutes a!o, a i*tim of the thou!ht bomb, his spirit

*onsumed by the terrible power of &ord Kaan/s final, sui*idal weapon- $ow he was !one- &ike allthe 0edi and all the Sith- The thou!ht bomb had destroyed eery liin! bein! stron! enou!h to wield

the power of the 9or*e- 'eryone e+*ept Daroit- "nd this he *ouldn/t understand-


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.n fa*t, nothin! on Ruusan made any sense to him- $othin!: 6e/d arried e+pe*tin! to see the

le!endary "rmy of &i!ht he/d heard about in stories and poems1 heroi* 0edi defendin! the !ala+y

a!ainst the dark side of the 9or*e- .nstead he/d witnessed men, women, and other bein!s who fou!ht

and died like *ommon soldiers, !round into the mud and blood of the battlefield-

6e/d felt *heated- Betrayed- 'erythin! he/d heard about the 0edi had been a lie- They weren/tshinin! heroes1 their *lothes were soiled with !rime8 their *amp stank of sweat and fear- "nd they

were losin!: The 0edi whom Daroit had en*ountered on Ruusan were defeated and downtrodden,

weary from the seemin!ly endless series of battles a!ainst &ord Kaan/s Sith, stubbornly refusin! to

surrender een when it was *lear they *ouldn/t win- "nd all the power of the 9or*e *ouldn/t restore

them to the shinin! i*ons of his naie ima!ination-

There was moement on the far ed!e of the battlefield- S3uintin! a!ainst the sun, Daroit saw half a

do7en fi!ures slowly makin! their way throu!h the *arna!e, !atherin! up the fallen bodies of friend

and foe alike- 6e wasn/t aloneothers had suried the thou!ht bomb too:

6e ran forward, but his e+*itement *ooled as he drew *lose enou!h to make out the features ofthose tasked with *leanin! the battlefield- 6e re*o!ni7ed them as olunteers from the "rmy of

&i!ht- $ot 0edi, but ordinary men and women who/d sworn alle!ian*e to &ord 6oth- The thou!ht

bomb had only taken those with suffi*ient power to tou*h the 9or*e1 $on9or*eusin! folk like

these were immune to its deastatin! effe*ts- But Daroit wasn/t like them- 6e had a !ift- Some of

his earliest memories were of usin! the 9or*e to leitate toys for the amusement of his youn!er

*ousin Rain, when they were both *hildren- These people had suried be*ause they were ordinary,

plain- They weren/t spe*ial like he was- Daroit/s surial was a mystery;ust one more thin! about

all this he didn/t understand-

"s he approa*hed, one of the fi!ures sat down on a ro*k, weary from the task of !atherin! the dead-

6e was an older man, nearly fifty- 6is fa*e looked drawn and ha!!ard, as if the !rim task had

sapped his mental reseres alon! with the physi*al- Daroit re*o!ni7ed his features from those first

few weeks he/d spent in the 0edi *amp, thou!h he/d neer bothered to learn the old man/s name-

" sudden reali7ation fro7e Daroit in his tra*ks- .f he re*o!ni7ed the man, then the man mi!ht also

re*o!ni7e him- 6e mi!ht remember Daroit- 6e mi!ht know the youn! man was a traitor-

The truth about the 0edi had dis!usted Daroit- Repulsed him- 6is illusions and daydreams *rushed

by the wei!ht of harsh reality, he/d a*ted like a spoiled *hild and turned a!ainst the 0edi- Sedu*ed by

easy promises of the dark side/s power, he/d swit*hed sides in the war and thrown himself in with

the Brotherhood of Darkness- .t was only now that he understood how wron! he/d been-

The reali7ation had *ome upon him as he/d witnessed Bu!/s deatha death for whi*h he was partly

responsible- Too late he had learned the true *ost of the dark side- Too late he understood that,

throu!h the thou!ht bomb, &ord Kaan/s madness had brou!ht deastation upon them all-

6e was no lon!er a follower of the Sith8 he no lon!er hun!ered to learn the se*rets of the dark side-

But how *ould this old man, a deoted follower of (eneral 6oth, know that< .f he remembered

Daroit, he would remember him only as the enemy-

9or a se*ond he thou!ht about tryin! to es*ape- 0ust turn and run, and the tired old man still

*at*hin! his breath wouldn/t be able to stop him- .t was the kind of thin! he/d on*e done all the time-But thin!s were different now- Whether it was from !uilt, maturity, or simply a desire to see it all

end, Daroit didn/t run away- Whateer fate awaited him, he *hose to stay and fa*e it-


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)oin! with slow but determined steps, he approa*hed the ro*k where the man was sittin!,

seemin!ly lost in thou!ht- Daroit was only a few meters away when the man finally !lan*ed up to

a*knowled!e him-

There was no !lint of re*o!nition in his eyes- There was only an empty, haunted look-

="ll of them,= the man mumbled, thou!h whether he was talkin! to Daroit or himself wasn/t *lear-

="ll the 0edi and all of the Sith --- all !one-=

The man turned his head, fi+in! his a*ant stare on the dark entran*e to a small *ae nearby- " *hill

went throu!h Daroit as he reali7ed what the man was talkin! about- The entran*e led under!round,

throu!h twistin! tunnels to the *aern deep beneath the !round where Kaan and his Sith had

!athered to unleash the thou!ht bomb-

The man !runted and shook his head, dispellin! the morbid state he had slipped into- Standin! up

with a weary si!h, his mind was on*e more fo*used on his duty- 6e !ae Daroit a sli!ht nod but

otherwise paid him no further heed as he resumed the ma*abre task of rollin! the *orpses in *loth sothey *ould be *olle*ted and !ien honorable burials-

Daroit turned toward the *ae- "!ain, part of him wanted to ba*k away and run- But another part

of him was drawn to the bla*k maw of the tunnel- )aybe there were answers to be found inside-

Somethin! to make sense of all the death and iolen*e8 somethin! to help him see the reasons

behind the endless war and bloodshed- )aybe he/d dis*oer somethin! to help him !rasp some

purpose behind eerythin! that had happened here-

The air !rew steadily *ooler the deeper he des*ended- 6e *ould feel a tin!lin! in the pit of his

stoma*h1 anti*ipation mi+in! with a si*k sense of dread- 6e wasn/t sure what he/d find on*e he

rea*hed the under!round *hamber at the tunnel/s end- )ore bodies, perhaps- But he was determined

not to turn ba*k-

"s the darkness eneloped him, he silently *ursed himself for not brin!in! alon! a !low rod- 6e

had a li!htsaber at his belt8 !ettin! his hands on one of the fabled weapons was one of the

temptations that had lured him oer to the Sith- But een thou!h he/d betrayed the 0edi ;ust to lay

*laim to it, in the darkness of the tunnel, he no lon!er felt any desire to i!nite it and use its li!ht to

!uide him- The last time he/d drawn it had resulted in Bu!/s death, and the memory had tainted the

pri7e he had sa*rifi*ed eerythin! to !ain-

6e knew that if he turned ba*k, he mi!ht neer !ather enou!h *oura!e to make the trip down a!ain,so he pressed on despite the darkness- 6e moed slowly, rea*hin! out with his mind, tryin! to draw

on the 9or*e to !uide him throu!h the li!htless tunnel- 'en so he kept trippin! oer the uneen

!round, or stubbin! his toes- .n the end he found it easier ;ust to run one hand alon! the ro*ky wall

and use it to !uide himself-

6is pro!ress was slow but steady, the tunnel floor be*omin! steeper and steeper until he was half

*limbin! down it in the darkness- "fter half an hour he noti*ed a faint li!ht emanatin! from far

ahead, a soft !low *omin! from the distant end of the passa!e- 6e pi*ked up his pa*e, only to trip

oer a small out*roppin! of stone ;uttin! up from the rou!hhewn !round- 6e fell forward with a

*ry of alarm, fallin! and tumblin! down, the sharp slope until he *ame to rest, bruised and battered,

at the tunnel/s end-

.t opened into a wide, hi!h*eilin!ed *hamber- 6ere the dim !low that had drawn him forward was


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refle*ted from fle*ks of *rystal embedded in the surroundin! stone, illuminatin! the *aern so he

*ould see eerythin! *learly- " few stala*tites still hun! from the roof hi!h aboe8 hundreds more

lay smashed on the *aern/s floor, dislod!ed when Kaan had detonated the thou!ht bomb-

The bomb itself, or what remained of it, hoered a meter aboe the !round in the ery *enter of the

*aernthe sour*e of the illumination- "t first !lan*e it appeared to be an oblon!, metalli* orb four

meters from top to bottom, and nearly three meters a*ross at its widest point- .ts surfa*e was a flat,dusky siler that pro;e*ted a pale radian*e but at the same time deoured all li!ht refle*ted ba*k to it

by the *rystals trapped in the surroundin! walls-

Risin! to his feet, Daroit shiered- 6e was surprisin!ly *old8 the orb had su*ked all the warmth

from the air- 6e took a step forward- The dust and debris *run*hin! below his foot sounded flat and

hollow, as if the thou!ht bomb were swallowin! not ;ust the heat of the *aern, but the noise as

well-

ausin!, he listened to the unnatural silen*e- 6e *ouldn/t hear anythin!, but he definitely felt

somethin!- " faint, thrummin! ibration runnin! throu!h the floor and up into his body, a steady,

rhythmi* pulse *omin! from the orb-

Daroit held his breath, unaware he was doin! so, and took another tentatie step forward- When

nothin! happened he let the air es*ape from his lun!s with a lon!, soft si!h- (atherin! his *oura!e,

he *ontinued his *autious approa*h, rea*hin! out a hand but neer takin! his eyes from the sphere-

6e drew *lose enou!h to see dark bands of shadow slowly twistin! and turnin! beneath the

shimmerin! surfa*e, like bla*k smoke trapped deep within the *ore- Two more steps and he was

*lose enou!h to tou*h it- 6is hand tremblin! only sli!htly, he leaned forward and pressed his palm

a!ainst the surfa*e-

6is mind e+ploded with wails of pure an!uish8 a shriekin! *a*ophony of oi*es rose from the orb,

all the i*tims of the thou!ht bomb s*reamin! out in torment-

Daroit wren*hed his hand free and sta!!ered ba*k, droppin! to his knees-

They were still alie: The bodies of the 0edi and Sith had been *onsumed by the thou!ht bomb,

*rumblin! into dust and ash, but their spirits had suried, su*ked into the orte+ at the heart of the

bomb/s blast only to be imprisoned foreer-

6e had only tou*hed the surfa*e for the briefest of se*onds, but the keenin! of spirits had nearly

drien him mad- Trapped inside the impre!nable shell, they were *ondemned to an eternity ofendless, unbearable sufferin!- " fate so horrible that Daroit/s mind refused to fully !rasp the

impli*ations-

Still hun*hed oer on the !round, he *lasped his head in his hands in a !esture of helpless futility-

6e/d *ome here seekin! answers and e+planations- .nstead he/d found an abomination a!ainst nature

itself, one from whi*h eery part of his bein! instin*tiely re*oiled-

=. don/t understand --- . don/t understand --- . don/t understand ---=

6e muttered the phrase oer and oer a!ain, huddled on the !round, ro*kin! slowly ba*k and forth

on his heels and still *lut*hin! his head in his hands-


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hapter >

ea*e is a lie-

There is only passion-

Throu!h passion, . !ain stren!th-

Throu!h stren!th, . !ain power-

Throu!h power, . !ain i*tory-

Throu!h i*tory, my *hains are broken-

The ode of the Sith

Darth Bane, the only Sith &ord to es*ape the deastation of Kaan/s thou!ht bomb, mar*hed 3ui*kly

under a pale yellow Ruusan sun, moin! steadily a*ross the bleak, wartorn lands*ape- 6e was two

meters tall, and his bla*k boots *oered the !round in lon!, sweepin! strides, propellin! his lar!e,

powerfully mus*led frame with a sense of ur!ent purpose- There was an air of mena*e about him,

a**entuated by his shaed head, his heay brow, and the dark intensity of his eyes- This, een more

than his forbiddin! bla*k armor or the sinister hookhandled li!htsaber dan!lin! from his belt,

marked him as a man of fearsome power1 a true *hampion of the dark side of the 9or*e-

6is thi*k ;aw was set in !rim determination a!ainst the pain that flared up eery few minutes at the

ba*k of his bare skull- 6e had been many kilometers away from the thou!ht bomb when it

detonated, but een at that ran!e he had felt its power reerberatin! throu!h the 9or*e- The

aftereffe*ts lin!ered, sporadi* bursts shootin! throu!h his brain like a million tiny knies stabbin!

at the dark re*esses of his mind- 6e had e+pe*ted these atta*ks to fade oer time, but in the hours

sin*e the blast, their fre3uen*y and intensity had steadily in*reased-

6e *ould hae *alled on the 9or*e to keep the pain at bay, *loakin! himself in an aura of healin!ener!y- But that was the way of the 0edi, and Bane was a Dark &ord of the Sith- 6e walked a

different path, one that embra*ed sufferin!, drawin! stren!th from the ordeal- 6e transformed the

pain into an!er and hate, feedin! the flames of the dark side until his physi*al aspe*t seemed almost

to !low with the fury of a storm it *ould barely *ontain-

The terrifyin! ima!e Bane pro;e*ted *ontrasted sharply with the small fi!ure that followed in his

wake, stru!!lin! to keep up- ?annah was only ten, a waif of a !irl with short, *urly blond hair- 6er

*lothin! was simple and plain to the point of bein! rusti*1 a loosefittin! white shirt and faded blue

*oeralls, both torn and stained from weeks of *ontinuous wear- "nyone who saw her s*amperin!

alon! after Bane/s massie, bla*k*lad form would hae been hardpressed to ima!ine she was the

Sith )aster/s *hosen apprenti*e- But looks *ould be de*eiin!-

There was power in the *hild- 6e/d seen ample proof of that at their first meetin!, less than an hour


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earlier- Two nameless 0edi were dead by her hand- Bane didn/t know all the details surroundin! their

deaths8 he had arried after the fa*t to find ?annah *ryin! oer the body of a boun*er, one of the

telepathi*, !reenfurred spe*ies natie to Ruusan- The stillwarm *orpses of the 0edi had been

sprawled beside her, their heads lollin! at !rotes3ue an!les atop broken ne*ks-

learly the boun*er had been the *hild/s friend and *ompanion- Bane surmised that the 0edi must

hae inadertently killed the boun*er, only to meet a similar fate when ?annah e+a*ted her reen!e-5naware of her power, they/d been *au!ht off !uard when the *hilddrien by mindnumbin! !rief

and pure, ab;e*t hatredhad unleashed the full fury of the dark side on the men who/d slain her

friend-

They were i*tims of *ruel misfortune1 in the wron! pla*e at the wron! time- 4et it would hae

been ina**urate to *all their deaths pointless- .n Bane/s eyes, at least, their sa*rifi*e had allowed him

to re*o!ni7e the youn! !irl/s potential- To some the series of eents would hae seemed

preordained, as if the hapless 0edi had been ine+orably drawn to their !rim end with the sole

purpose of unitin! Bane and ?annah- $o doubt there were een those who would profess that fate

and the dark side of the 9or*e had *onspired to present the )aster with a suitable apprenti*e- Bane,

howeer, was not one of them-

6e belieed in the power of the 9or*e, but he also belieed in himself1 6e was more than ;ust a

serant of prophe*y or a pawn of the dark side, sub;e*t to the whims of an ineitable, ines*apable

future- The 9or*e was a tool he had used to for!e his own destiny throu!h stren!th and *unnin!- 6e

alone amon! the Sith had truly earned the mantle of Dark &ord, whi*h was why he alone amon!

them still lied- "nd if ?annah was worthy of bein! his apprenti*e, she would eentually hae to

proe herself, as well-

6e heard a !runt behind him and turned ba*k to see that the !irl had tumbled to the !round, fallin!

in her haste to try to keep up with the relentless pa*e he/d set- She !lared at him, an!er et*hed a*ross

her features-

=Slow down:= she snapped- =4ou/re !oin! too fast:=

Bane *len*hed his teeth as a fresh bolt of pain ripped throu!h his skull-= . am not !oin! too fast,= he

replied, keepin! his oi*e een but stern- =4ou are !oin! too slow- 4ou must find a way to keep up-=

She s*rambled to her feet, swattin! at the s*uffed knees of her oeralls to wipe away the most

obious tra*es of dirt- =)y le!s aren/t as lon! as yours,= she replied *rossly, refusin! to ba*k down-

=6ow am . supposed to keep up


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her new )aster- 6oweer, it was neither her spirit nor her willin!ness that made her worthy of

bein! his apprenti*e- The Dark &ord had *hosen her for one reason, and one reason only-

=4ou are stron! in the 9or*e,= he e+plained, his oi*e still betrayin! no hint of emotion or the a!ony

he endured- =4ou must learn to use it- To *all on its power- To bend it to your purpose- "s you did

when you killed the 0edi-=

6e saw a fli*ker of doubt *ross her fa*e- =. don/t know how . did that,= she muttered- =. didn/t een

mean to do it,= she *ontinued, suddenly un*ertain- =.t ;ust sort of--- happened-=

Bane dete*ted a hint of !uilt in her oi*e- 6e was disappointed, but hardly surprised- She was

youn!- onfused- She *ouldn/t truly understand what she had done- $ot yet-

=$othin! ;ust happens,= he insisted- =4ou *alled upon the power of the 9or*e- Think ba*k to how

you did it- Think ba*k to what happened-=

She hesitated, then shook her head- =. don/t want to,= she whispered-

The !irl had already endured immeasurable pain and sufferin! sin*e her arrial on Ruusan- She had

no wish to reisit those awful e+perien*es- Bane understood8 he een sympathi7ed with her- 6e, too,

had suffered durin! his *hildhood, a i*tim of *ountless saa!e beatin!s at the hands of 6urst, his

*ruel and abusie father- But he had learned to use those memories to his adanta!e- .f ?annah was

to be*ome the heir to the dark side/s le!a*y, she had to *onfront her past- She had to learn how to

draw upon her most painful memories- She had to transform and *hannel them to allow her to wield

the power of the dark side-

=4ou feel sorry for those 0edi now,= Bane said, his oi*e *asual- =4ou feel re!ret- Remorse- )aybe

een pity-= The easy tone fell away 3ui*kly as his oi*e be!an to rise in both olume and intensity-

=But these are worthless emotions- They mean nothin!- What you need to feel is an!er:=

6e took a sudden step toward her, his ri!ht fist *len*hed before him to pun*tuate his words- ?annah

flin*hed at the une+pe*ted moement, but didn/t retreat-

=Their deaths were not an a**ident:= he shouted as he took another step forward- =What happened

was not some mistake:=

" third step brou!ht him so *lose that the shadow of his massie frame eneloped the !irl like an

e*lipse- She *owered sli!htly but held her !round- Bane fro7e, blo*kin! out the pain in the ba*k of

his skull and reinin! in his fury- 6e *rou*hed down beside her and rela+ed his *len*hed fist- Thenhe rea*hed out slowly with his hand and pla*ed it !ently on her shoulder-

=Think ba*k to what you felt when you unleashed your power a!ainst them,= he said, his oi*e now

a soft, sedu*tie whisper- =Think ba*k to what you felt when the 0edi murdered your friend-=

?annah dropped her head, her eyes *losed- 9or seeral se*onds she was still and silent, for*in! her

mind to relie the moment- Bane saw the emotions *rossin! her fa*e1 !rief, sorrow, loss- Beneath

his massie hand on her frail shoulder, she trembled sli!htly- Then, slowly, he felt her an!er be!in

to rise- "nd with it, the power of the dark side-

When the !irl looked up a!ain her eyes were open wide8 they burned with a fier*e intensity- =Theykilled &aa,= she spat- =They desered to die:=


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=(ood-= Bane let his hand fall from her shoulder and took a step ba*k, the hint of a satisfied smile

playin! a*ross his lips- =9eel the an!er- Wel*ome it- 'mbra*e it-

=Throu!h passion, . !ain stren!th,= he *ontinued, re*itin! from the ode of the Sith- =Throu!h

stren!th, . !ain power-=

=Throu!h passion, . !ain stren!th,= she said, repeatin! his words, respondin! to them- =Throu!hstren!th, . !ain power-= 6e *ould sense the dark side buildin! within her, !rowin! in intensity until

he *ould almost feel its heat-

=The 0edi died be*ause they were weak,= he said, takin! a step ba*k- =%nly the stron! surie, and

the 9or*e will make you stron!-= "s he turned away, he added, =5se it to keep up- .f you fall behind

a!ain, . will leae you here on this world-=

=But you still haen/t told me what to do:= she shouted after him as he mar*hed away-

Bane didn/t reply- 6e/d !ien her the answer, thou!h she didn/t know it yet- .f she was worthy of

bein! his apprenti*e, she/d fi!ure it out-

6e felt a sudden sur!e of power rushin! toward him, *on*entrated on the heel of his left foot as she

tried to trip him up to slow him down- Bane had bra*ed himself for some kind of rea*tion the

moment he/d turned his ba*k on her- 6e/d pushed her to the ed!e8 he/d hae been disappointed if she

had done nothin!- But he/d been e+pe*tin! a broader, more basi* assaulta wae of dark side ener!y

meant to hurl him to the !round- " fo*used strike a!ainst a sin!le heel was mu*h more subtle- .t

showed intelli!en*e and *unnin!, and thou!h he was ready for it, the stren!th of her atta*k still

surprised him-

4et een with as mu*h power and potential as ?annah had, she was no mat*h for a Dark &ord of the

Sith- Bane drew upon his own abilities in the 9or*e to absorb the impa*t of her atta*k, *at*hin! it

and amplifyin! its stren!th before firin! it ba*k at his apprenti*e- The redire*ted blow stru*k

?annah in the *hest, hard enou!h to kno*k her to the !round- " !runt of surprise es*aped her lips as

she landed hard on her ba*kside-

She wasn/t in;ured8 Bane had no intention of harmin! her- The *onstant beatin!s infli*ted on him by

his father throu!hout his *hildhood had helped transform Bane into what he was today, but they had

also *aused him to hate and despise 6urst- .f this !irl was to be his apprenti*e, she had to respe*t

and admire him- 6e *ould not tea*h her the ways of the dark side if she was not willin! een ea!er

to learn from him- The only thin! 6urst/s beatin!s had eer tau!ht Bane was how to hate, and

?annah already knew that lesson-

6e turned ba*k and fi+ed his *old !a7e on the !irl still sittin! on a hard, bare pat*h of dirt- She

!lared ba*k up at him, furious at the way he had humiliated her-

=" Sith knows when to unleash the fury of the dark side,= he informed her, =and when to hold ba*k-

atien*e *an be a weapon if you know how to use it, and your an!er *an fuel the dark side if you

learn how to *ontrol it-=

She was still fumin! with ra!e, but he saw somethin! else in her e+pression now1 a !uarded

*uriosity- Slowly she nodded as the meanin! of his words be*ame *lear, and her e+pression

softened- Bane *ould still felt the power of the dark side within her8 her an!er was still there, butshe had hidden it below the surfa*e- She was nursin! it, feedin! it for a time when she *ould

unleash it-


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throu!h the thron!, he was !rateful for his slim physi3ue-

=&ord Valenthyne,= he *alled as he drew near- 6e raised his oi*e further to be heard aboe the din-

=&ord Valenthyne:=

9arfalla turned, tryin! to pi*k out the owner of the oi*e from the wall of bodies and fa*es, then

!ae a nod of re*o!nition as the youn! man finally burst into iew- =adawan 0ohun-=

=. want to ;oin the res*ue teams,= 0ohun blurted- =Send me ba*k down-=

=./m afraid . *annot do that,= the 0edi )aster replied with a sympatheti* shake of his head-

=Why not


13/178

9arfalla shook his head- =Kaan had some spell, some power, oer his followers- They were

enthralled to his will- When he led them down into the *ae, they all followed him willin!ly- 6e had

them *onin*ed they *ould surie the thou!ht bomb if they united their power--- but he was

wron!-=

=What about the Sith minions


14/178

=Did you want to fly us down, or should .


15/178


16/178

blaster pistol- "s he *ame down irtually on top of his enemy, he deliered an oerhead, two

handed des*endin! *hop a *lassi* moe from D;em So, the fifth and most powerfully a!!ressie

form of li!htsaber *ombat- The heay strike perfe*tly bise*ted the unfortunate man/s helmet and

droe deep into the skull beneath-

The !ruesome ends of the first two mer*enaries !ae the others time to re*o!ni7e what was

happenin!- They drew their weapons and fired a full olley of blaster bolts at Bane as he turned tofa*e them from a*ross the *amp- Smoothly transitionin! from the atta*kin! style of 9orm V to the

more defensie style of 9orm ..., Bane defle*ted the in*omin! bolts with twohanded parries of his

li!htsaber, fli*kin! them aside with almost *asual disdain-

Twirlin! his weapon in his ri!ht hand, Bane paused to relish the hopelessness and terror emanatin!

from the half a do7en suriin! mer*enaries as they re*o!ni7ed the ineitable fa*t of their own

deaths- lustered to!ether in the *learin! between the tents, they did the only thin! that !ae any of

them a *han*e of surialthey broke and ran-

They s*attered in all dire*tions1 one of the women ran off to the left, two men ran off to the ri!ht8

the other three turned and fled in a dire*t line away from the deadly interloper- Still twirlin! hisli!htsaber, Bane thrust his empty hand out before him, palm e+tended as he unleashed the 9or*e in

a wae of *on*ussie power at the woman fleein! to his left- The wae *ut a swath of deastation

throu!h the *amp- Tents were uprooted from the !round, their material torn and shredded- Wooden

supply *rates e+ploded into kindlin!A the shattered *ontents sprayin! out in a shower of splintered

shrapnel-

The 9or*e wae slammed into the woman/s ba*k, puleri7in! her spine and snappin! her ne*k as it

droe her fa*edown into the dirt and pinned her a!ainst the !round- 6er *orpse twit*hed on*e, then

went foreer still-

len*hin! the fin!ers of his left hand ti!ht a!ainst his open palm, Bane wheeled toward the two

men on his ri!ht and thrust his fist up into the air- " do7en forks of blue li!htnin! ar*ed out from

aboe his head to enelop the s*reamin! soldiers, *ookin! them alie- Shriekin! in a!ony, they

dan*ed and twit*hed like marionettes on ele*tri* strin!s for seeral se*onds before their smokin!

husks *ollapsed on the !round-

.n the few se*onds it had taken to dispat*h the others, the suriin! three mer*enaries had rea*hed

the far side of the Sith *amp- " few meters beyond the ed!e of the tents a line of trees marked the

start of the thi*k Ruusan forests- The *on*ealin! bran*hes taunted them with offers of safety, !iin!

een !reater haste to their terrorfilled fli!ht- Bane wat*hed them retreat with idle disinterest,

saorin! their fear-

" handful of steps from freedom, one of the men made the fatal mistake of !lan*in! ba*k oer his

shoulder to see whether their adersary was followin!- %n a whim, Bane sent his li!htsaber hurtlin!

toward him with a *asual toss- The spinnin! blade sli*ed throu!h the air in a ti!ht loop, *rossin! the

e+panse of the *amp in a fra*tion of a se*ond before swoopin! ba*k to be *au!ht in the waitin!

hand of its )aster-

Two of the mer*enaries anished into the forest, *rashin! throu!h the underbrush- The thirdthe one

who had paused to look ba*k stood still as stone- " se*ond later his head toppled forward from his

shoulders to boun*e and roll a*ross the !round, seered from the *auteri7ed stump of his ne*k by

the *rimson blade of Bane/s thrown li!htsaber- "s if the fallen head were a si!nal, the ri!id limbs ofthe de*apitated *orpse went suddenly limp, and it fell oer sideways-


17/178

Bane e+tin!uished his li!htsaber, the blade anishin! with a sharp hiss- 9or a brief instant he

reeled in his i*tory, drinkin! in the last lin!erin! remnants of his i*tims> emotions, drawin!

power from their fear and sufferin!- "nd then the moment was !one, fleein! like those who had

es*aped his wrath- 6e *ould hae pursued them, but as mu*h as he yearned to taste their pani*, he

understood the purpose of lettin! them lie-

=4ou let them !et away-=

6e spun around in surprise to see ?annah standin! ;ust inside the perimeter of the *amp- 'n!rossed

in the slau!hter, he hadn/t sensed her approa*h- 'ither that, or his youn! apprenti*e had taken pains

to shield her presen*e from him-

Don/t underestimate her, Bane reminded himself- She has the power to one day surpass you-

=4ou let them !et away= ?annah repeated- She didn/t sound an!ry, or disappointed, or een pleased-

She ;ust seemed pu77led-

=. told you to wait for me,= Bane admonished her- =Why did you disobey wanted to see the true power of the dark side,= she admitted finally-

=an you tea*h me to---


18/178

pleasurekillin! without reason, need, or purposeis the a*t of a fool-=

" frown of *onfusion *rossed the youn! !irl/s fa*e- =What purpose is there in lettin! s*um like that

lie


19/178

inspired in others *ould feed the power of the dark side- The mer*enaries had !rabbed these

trinketsornate rin!s and ne*kla*es fashioned from pre*ious metals and set with !litterin! stones8

*eremonial da!!ers and knies, their hilts inlaid with !leamin! !ems8 intri*ately *ared masks and

small statues of remarkable skill shaped from rare and deli*ate materialsand thrown them

hapha7ardly in a pile-

Sureyin! the inaluable treasures that were worthless to his purpose, Bane felt another ;olt of painat the ba*k of his head- .n the same instant he saw a fi!ure fli*ker at the *orner of his ri!ht eye, then

anish from his field of ision-

6e snapped his head around in the dire*tion of the moement, but saw nothin!- .t hadn/t been

?annah8 this fi!ure was mu*h taller- 6e rea*hed out with the 9or*e, but felt only himself and his

apprenti*e within the perimeter of the *amp-

=What/s the matter


20/178


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22/178

=Don/t look at it,= he berated himself in a sharp whisper, redoublin! his efforts to ease the pain and

ti!htness in his lower limbs- "fter another minute he dared to stand up a!ain- ins and needles shot

throu!h the soles of his feet, and his knees bu*kled briefly, but he stayed standin!-

6e looked from side to side, s*annin! the *aern by the li!ht of the orb- There were at least half a

do7en entran*es leadin! out from the *hamber, and Daroit swore when he reali7ed he had no ideawhi*h would lead him ba*k up to the surfa*e-

=4ou *an/t stay here,= he muttered-

i*kin! a tunnel at random, he made his way with slow, uneasy steps out of the *aern- The

darkness 3ui*kly eneloped him on*e he entered the passa!e, until he drew out the li!htsaber the

Sith had !ien him- 5sin! the faint !low of its ruby blade, he was able to pi*k his way alon! the

uneen terrain-

.t didn/t take him lon! to reali7e he/d made the wron! *hoi*e- 6e remembered the sharp in*line he

had tumbled down on his arrial, but the floor here was relatiely flat- .t would hae been a simplematter to head ba*k and take one of the other e+its- But the thou!ht of returnin! to the main

*hamberand the orb of trapped spiritspreented him from turnin! around-

=This tunnel/s !otta *ome out somewhere,= he told himself- =0ust follow it to the surfa*e-=

The plan sounded simple, but it be*ame more *ompli*ated when he rea*hed a fork in the passa!e-

6e hesitated for seeral moments, studyin! the bran*h headin! off to his left and then the one

headin! off to his ri!ht- $either offered any *lue as to whi*hif either would lead him to freedom-

With a resi!ned si!h and a shake of the head, he *hose the one on the left-

9orty minutes and three more bran*hes later he was re!rettin! his de*ision- 6e *ouldn/t !o ba*k to

the *aern now een if he/d wanted to8 he had be*ome hopelessly turned around in the subterranean

labyrinth- 6is stoma*h !rumbled, and the reali7ation that he mi!ht neer find his way out be!an to

*reep into the *orners of his mind-

6e pushed on, his pa*e in*reasin! with his risin! pani*- 6e was runnin! now, his eyes dartin! from

side to side, hopin! that the dim illumination of the li!htsaber/s blade would reeal somethin!

anythin!that mi!ht show him the way- 6e darted down another side tunnel, stumblin! alon! in his

haste until he tripped and fell-

"s he threw his hands forward to break his fall, the li!htsaber flew from his !rasp- .t s*ored a !ashalon! the wall, then boun*ed away from him a*ross the uneen floor, e+tin!uishin! itself and

*astin! all into total darkness-

Daroit had hit the !round hard- 6e lay fa*edown in the utter bla*kness of the tunnel, surrenderin!

to the hopeless despair that *rashed in on him- There was no point in !oin! on8 he would neer find

his way out- Better to ;ust die here, for!otten and alone-

6e rolled oer onto his ba*k, blind eyes starin! up at the *eilin!- "nd then he heard a sound- .t was

faint but unmistakable- " oi*e *omin! from a !reat distan*e, *uttin! throu!h the oppressie

silen*e-

$ow you re hearin! thin!s, Tom*at, he thou!ht- But a se*ond later he heard it a!ain, e*hoin!

throu!h the tunnel- Someone else was down here:


23/178

6e didn/t know if it was a 0edi *ome to witness the fate of his fallen *omrades, a minion of the Sith

who had fled the final battle, or someone allied with a *ompletely different !roup- 6e had no idea if

whoeer it was would wel*ome him, take him prisoner, or kill him on si!ht- But he didn/t *are-

'en the fear of !oin! ba*k to the *hamber and the unnatural, unholy siler orb didn/t hold him

ba*k this time- "nythin! was better than dyin! of e+posure or staration in these dark tunnels

beneath the planet/s surfa*e-

rawlin! forward throu!h the !loom, he felt around with his hands until his fin!ers *losed around

the hilt of the li!htsaber- 6e thrust it triumphantly up in the air as it i!nited, allowin! him to see

on*e more-

6e had no way of knowin! how far away the owner of the oi*e was- The a*ousti*s of the tunnel

were stran!e and unfamiliar- Sounds and e*hoes were unnaturally distorted as they boun*ed a*ross

the irre!ular stone walls of the under!round ma7e- But he was *ertain the oi*e had *ome from

somewhere up ahead, in the dire*tion he had been !oin!-

With the !lowin! blade to !uide him, he moed with an ea!er *onfiden*e- 'ery minute or so hewould *at*h another snat*h of *onersation *omin! to him from somewhere up ahead- 6e *ould tell

there were two speakers now, ea*h with a distin*t oi*e1 one a deep bass, the other a mu*h hi!her

pit*h- 'a*h time he heard the oi*es, they were sli!htly louder, and he knew he was headed in the

ri!ht dire*tion-

6e noti*ed that the darkness of the tunnel was fadin!8 he no lon!er needed his li!htsaber to see his

surroundin!s- But it wasn/t the yellow li!ht of the sun streamin! in as he neared the surfa*e8 it was a

*old siler !low- With a start he reali7ed he had somehow *ir*led ba*k and was on*e more

approa*hin! the *hamber of the thou!ht bomb- Whoeer the oi*es belon!ed tofriend or foehe/d

find them there-

The *hamber was *lose, so *lose he *ould make out the words the ne+t time the oi*es spoke-

=The Sith are only two nowone )aster and one apprenti*e = the deeper one said- =There will be no

others-=

=What happens if . fail


24/178

The trip to the *ae was 3ui*k and uneentful- Bane had noti*ed a few shellsho*ked suriors of

the final battle of Ruusan starin! at him and ?annah as they roared past on their swoop, but he paid

them little heed- 6e doubted any of them would re*o!ni7e him for what he truly was- "nd een if

they did, their tales of a suriin! Sith &ord ra*in! past them with a youn! !irl in tow would seem

as ludi*rous and unreliable as the a**ounts of the mer*enaries he had let es*ape ba*k at Kaan/s

*amp-

6e brou!ht the swoop to a stop outside the dark and forbiddin! tunnel that would lead them down

to the *hamber of the thou!ht bomb- Small pebbles *run*hed loudly beneath the hard soles of his

heay bla*k boots as he dismounted- ?annah was too small to simply step off the ehi*le, but she

leapt down from her seat without any si!n of fear or hesitation, landin! nimbly on the !round

beside him-

$either of them spoke as they made the des*ent, their way lit by one of the !low rods Bane had

found in the supplies ba*k at the Sith *amp- The air !rew *older and ?annah shiered beside him,

but she didn/t *omplain- They moed 3ui*kly down the rou!hhewn passa!e8 een so it took nearly

twenty minutes for them to rea*h their destination due to the len!th of the tunnel- "nd for the firsttime Darth Bane a*tually saw what his manipulations of Kaan and his followers had wrou!ht-

The pale, !lowin! orb floatin! in the *enter of the *hamber was nearly four meters tall- .t pulsed

with raw power8 it made the flesh on Bane/s ne*k *rawl and the hair on his arms stand on end- Dark

eins of shadow swirled on the shimmerin! metalli* surfa*e in slow, hypnoti* rhythms- There was

somethin! !rotes3uely *ompellin! about it, somethin! fas*inatin! yet repulsie at the same time-

Beside him ?annah !asped, drawin! a sharp breath in wonder then releasin! it in a slow hiss of fear-

6e !lan*ed down at her, but she didn/t return his !a7eher wide eyes were transfi+ed by the

remnants of the thou!ht bomb- Turnin! his attention ba*k to the orb, Bane stepped forward into the

*hamber- ?annah took a sin!le step to follow him, then held ba*k-

"pproa*hin! the !lobe, he rea*hed out with his bare hand and pressed it firmly a!ainst the surfa*e-

.t seared his palm with *old fire, but he was obliious to the pain, enthralled by the ob;e*t/s

mesmeri7in! *all- Beneath his tou*h the dark swirlin! shadows within *oales*ed into a sin!le mass-

The thou!hts of those trapped inside rushed up to meet him1 faint whispers in the dark re*esses of

his mind, the words unintelli!ible but full of hate and despair-

.nstin*tiely Bane/s *ons*iousness re*oiled- 6e resisted, fi!htin! the ur!e to pull his hand ba*k-

.nstead he thrust his awareness forward, penetratin! the surfa*e of the orb to plun!e into the

unfathomable depths of its bla*k heart- The hateful whispers erupted into shrieks of torment- Butthese were not the s*reams of sentient bein!s1 they were bestial howls of primal, mindless fury- The

identities of those the thou!ht bomb had *onsumed&ord Kaan, (eneral 6oth, all their Sith and 0edi

followershad been destroyed, ripped apart by the thou!ht bomb/s e+plosion- %nly torn bits

remained, broken pie*es of what on*e had been spirits, no lon!er *apable of *ons*ious thou!ht,

wailin! in the shared sufferin! of their eternal madness-

They swarmed oer Bane/s *ons*iousness, *leain! to his stillwhole identity like parasites

atta*hin! themseles to a fresh host- The keenin! spirits eneloped him, *lut*hin! and *lawin! at

his sanity as they tried to dra! him down with them into their dark abyss-

Bane tore free with *ontemptuous ease, shreddin! the already frail and tattered spirits as he *astthem aside, and let his mind drift ba*k to the surfa*e- "n instant later he was free, leain! behind

the prison from whi*h the others would neer es*ape-


25/178


26/178

!reatest stren!th = Bane *ontinued- =But it is also our ultimate weakness- The stru!!le to rise aboe

those around you is often iolent, and in the past the Sith were *onstantly at one anothers/ throats-=

=.sn/t that a !ood thin!


27/178

=Tom*at:= ?annah shouted, her fa*e li!htin! up with ;oy- She took a step forward, e+tendin! her

arms as if she wanted to hu! him- Then, as if suddenly rememberin! the presen*e of her Sith

)aster, she pulled up short and *lut*hed her hands to her *hest-

%bliious, the boy kept *omin!- 6e didn/t re!ister her sudden *han!e in mood8 he hadn/t een

noti*ed the twometertall fi!ure loomin! in the shadows behind her- There was somethin! patheti*

about him, a desperate loneliness in his oi*e and his eyes that turned Bane/s stoma*h-

=./m so !lad, Rain,= the boy !asped as he skidded to a stop in front of ?annah, rea*hin! forward to

hu! her- =So !lad you/re=

She stepped ba*k and shook her head, *ausin! his words to *at*h in his throat- The happiness in his

fa*e anished, repla*ed by a look of hurt bewilderment-

=.--- . am not Rain,= Bane/s apprenti*e said, re;e*tin! her *hildhood ni*kname and all it symboli7ed-

=. am ?annah-=

=?annah


28/178


29/178

0ohun would hae preferred somethin! in a more military ein8 he doubted the autona would be

any use should a Sith Bu77ard suddenly appear on the hori7on- &o!i*ally, he knew this was hi!hly

unlikely- 'ery Bu77ard in Kaan/s fleet had been a**ounted for1 either shot down, *aptured by the

"rmy of &i!ht, or seen fleein! the system at the tail end of the final battle- But s*ores of dan!er

filled fli!hts throu!h enemy*ontrolled airspa*e in the months before their ultimate i*tory had

trained his mind to be on *onstant alert when approa*hin! the planet/s surfa*e- 9rom the way

.rtanna was whiteknu*klin! the shuttle/s steerin! *olumn, he knew he wasn/t alone in his irrationalfears-

There was the faintest bump as they passed from the *old a*uum of spa*e into the upper layers of

Ruusan/s atmosphere and be!an their des*ent- .rtanna worked the *ontrols with a *onfident hand,

makin! subtle ad;ustments to their *ourse as 0ohun studied the s*anners skimmin! the !round

below them, lookin! for si!ns of life- 9our other *raft were isible on the ship/s monitors- &ike the

StarWake, ea*h was *rewed by a four to si+person res*ue team sent by 9arfalla to help *lean up

the aftermath of the war-

=We/e !ot moement on the !round,= 0ohun *alled out as unidentified blips popped up on his

s*reen- =Transmittin! *oordinates-=

=(ie me details,= .rtanna ordered, bankin! the shuttle around in a wide ar* that brou!ht them in

line with the people on the !round-

=Two walkers on foot= 0ohun informed her- =an/t tell if they/re friendly from up here-=

=Takin! us down,= .rtanna replied-

&o*atin! and helpin! in;ured suriors was the team/s first priority8 proidin! re*onnaissan*e

reports to 9leet ommand *ame se*ond, and a**eptin! the willin! surrender of enemy troops was a

distant third-

The shuttle nose dipped, and the a**eleration pushed 0ohun ba*k into his seat as they died in to !et

a *loser look at the fi!ures- .rtanna took them in low and fast, a military maneuer that pushed the

*iilian essel to her limits-

=./e !ot a isual,= 0ohun reported as a pair of tiny, indistin*t shapes on the !round be*ame isible

throu!h the shuttle/s *o*kpit iewpoint-

Bordon lifted himself up out of his seat and leaned forward oer the ba*k of 0ohun/s *hair to !et a

iew as the shuttle plun!ed toward the rapidly !rowin! fi!ures- "s it drew *loser the details *ameinto fo*us1 a man and a woman, ea*h wearin! li!ht armor and runnin! hard-

The roar of the rapidly des*endin! shuttle/s en!ines *aused the two on the !round to stop runnin!

and turn ba*k to look up at them- "n instant later they threw themseles fa*efirst to the dirt as the

shuttle swooped in less than ten meters from the !round and bu77ed them-

ursin! under her breath as she stru!!led with the *lumsy *ontrols, .rtanna eered around sharply

and brou!ht them in to land less than fifty meters away from their 3uarry- Throu!h the window

0ohun saw the pair slowly *limb ba*k to their feet as the pilot *ut the en!ines- The woman said

somethin! to the man, who nodded in a!reement- Then they raised their hands and be!an mar*hin!

slowly toward the essel-

They were dressed like members of Kaan/s Brotherhood- But 0ohun didn/t feel the presen*e of the


30/178


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32/178

=Don/t let them !o:= the man shouted, turnin! away from 0ohun to wat*h as the *raft flew off and

out of si!ht, then whirlin! ba*k to implore the youn! 0edi on*e more- =)ake them turn around: Tell

them to *ome ba*k:= There was a desperate ur!en*y in his oi*e that mirrored the tone of his

*ompanion-

=Don/t worry,= the youn! 0edi assured them- ="nother ship is on the way-=

=We *an/t stay here,= the woman insisted- =There/s no time- 6e/ll find us- 6e/ll find us:=

=.t/s okay,= 0ohun e+plained, holdin! up a *almin! hand- =. *an prote*t you- ./m a 0edi-=

The woman raised an eyebrow and !ae him a skepti*al !lan*e- The sli!ht youn! man widened his

stan*e, pla*ed his hands on his hips, and thrust out his *hest, hopin! it would make him appear

noble and impressie- 6e tried to pro;e*t the ima!e of *onfident selfassuran*e he/d often admired

in 6oth and the other )asters-

The man !rabbed 0ohun by the arm, tu!!in! it like a *hild *lin!in! to his mother/s apron- =We haeto !et off this planet,= he said, the words *omin! out in a terrified whisper- =We hae to !o now:=

0ohun shook free of the man/s !rasp with only minor diffi*ulty- There was somethin! unsettlin!

about this whole en*ounter- 9rom the way these two were dressed, it was *lear they were

e+perien*ed soldiers for hire- 6e suspe*ted they were deserters from the re*ent battleminions of the

Sith who had fled the instant the "rmy of &i!ht had broken their ranks- But their fli!ht would hae

been an a*t of opportunisti* preseration rather than fear or *owardi*e- Still, these *ombat eterans,

a**ustomed to fa*in! death and bloodshed, were a*tin! like traumati7ed illa!ers after a slaer raid-

='en if you are a 0edi, you *an/t sae us,= the woman muttered with a slow shake of her head- =4ou

*an/t prote*t us from him-=

=Who


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=These the prisoners


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be of use to you- 4ou will need to find new sour*es of knowled!e- 4ou will hae to seek out a new

apprenti*e so that you may pass on the se*rets of the Sith %rder to another-

=When your power e*lipses mine . will be*ome e+pendable- This is the Rule of Two1 one )aster

and one apprenti*e- When you are ready to *laim the mantle of Dark &ord as your own, you must

do so by eliminatin! me-

=The *onfrontation is ineitable,= he *on*luded- =.t is the only way the Sith *an surie- .t is the

way of the dark side-=

?annah didn/t say anythin!- 9rom her e+pression Bane saw she was still stru!!lin! to *omprehend

why her )aster would train her knowin! that she would ultimately betray him- But she didn/t need

to understand- $ot yet- Ri!ht now she needed only to obey him-

=)ake your way to %nderon,= Bane instru*ted her- =. will meet you there in ten standard days-=

"fter . find $add/s tomb on D+un-

=6ow am . supposed to !et there


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=We were neer part of Kaan/s army,= the woman *alled out to him from behind the bars of their

*ell- =We/re ;ust farmers-=

=9armers don/t wear battle armor and *arry weapons,= 0ohun said, pointin! to the *orner of the room

where the *lothin! and e3uipment *onfis*ated from the mer*enaries had been piled atop a small

table-

=That stuff/s not ours= the man e+plained- =We --- we ;ust found it- We were out for a walk this

mornin! and --- we *ame a*ross this deserted *amp- We saw all this e3uipment lyin! around and, uh,

we thou!ht it would be fun to dress up like soldiers-=

The Republi* !uard standin! wat*h oer the prisoners with 0ohun barked out a lau!h at the patheti*

lie- 0ohun ;ust *losed his eyes and rea*hed up to rub his temples- Ba*k on Ruusan the prisoners had

been all too ea!er to *onfess to their *rimes- 9resh from their en*ounter with the unnamed Sith

&ord, they had been temporarily s*ared strai!ht- $ow that they were safely away from the planet/s

surfa*e, howeer, the soberin! reality of a rietotenyear senten*e on a Republi* prison world was

makin! them re*ant their earlier testimony-

=What about the others


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3ui*k wae as they went by, too busy with their own duties to en!a!e in any kind of *onersation-

There were also many fa*es 0ohun didn/t re*o!ni7e1 refu!ees from Ruusan- )any were ea*uees

brou!ht here in the mad rush to es*ape the thou!ht bomb, preparin! to head ba*k down to the

surfa*e to try to rebuild their lies- %thers were men and women whose homes or families had been

*ompletely destroyed by the war8 for them there was nothin! to !o ba*k to but the painful memories

of what they had lost- 9arfalla had arran!ed for those people who didn/t wish to return to Ruusan tobe !ien transport ba*k to the ore Worlds of the Republi*, where they *ould find a fresh start away

from the horrors they had witnessed-

So many people, 0ohun thou!ht as he silently followed his !uide- So mu*h sufferin!- "nd it will all

be for nothin! if any of the Sith mana!e to es*ape-

When they rea*hed the *ommand de*k, the enoy led him to 9arfalla/s personal 3uarters- She

kno*ked on*e on the *losed door, and a oi*e from the ether side said, =ome in-=

She pla*ed a hand on the *onsole and the door slid open, then she nodded at 0ohun- 6e stepped

forward and into the room, and he heard the door whoosh *losed behind him-

The room was lar!er than he had e+pe*ted, and de*orated in the laish style for whi*h Valenthyne

9arfalla was famous- " bri!htly *olored ru! of *rimson and !old lay spread a*ross the floor, and the

walls were hun! with works that would not hae seemed out of pla*e in the finest art !alleries of

"lderaan- %n the far side of the room was an enormous fourposter bed, the frame fashioned from

the timber of a wroshyr treea !ift from Wookiee tribal leaders on Kashyyyk- The *oers and

pillows were woen from shimmerin! silks of yellow and red, and ea*h of the massie bedposts

was embla7oned with a handpainted mural depi*tin! a ma;or eent from 9arfalla/s life1 his royal

birth, his a**eptan*e into the 0edi %rder, his as*ension to the rank of )aster, his famous triumph

oer the Sith for*es on Kashyyyk- The !eneral was sittin! at an oersi7ed desk in the *orner,

reiewin! reports on a monitor built into the surfa*e- =4ou disappoint me, youn! adawan,= he said

as he fli*ked off the s*reen and turned in his seat to fa*e 0ohun-

=. am sorry . disobeyed you, )aster Valenthyne,= he replied-

9arfalla stood up and *rossed the room, his feet paddin! softly on the lu+urious *arpet- =That is the

least of my *on*erns,= he said, pla*in! a heay hand on the youn! man/s shoulder- 6is eyes were

dark and sunken, and his normally ;oyful e+pression was hidden under a mask of worry and fati!ue-

/Trtanna,= 0ohun said, han!in! his head in shame at the memory of how he had used the 9or*e to

tri*k the pilot into allowin! him to

;oin her *rew-

=" 0edi does not use his powers to manipulate the rninds of his friends- 'en if your moties are

pure, it is an abuse of your position and a betrayal of the trust others put in us-=

=. know what . did was wron!,= 0ohun admitted- ="nd . will a**ept whateer punishment you feel

is ne*essary to atone for what . did- But there is somethin! more important that we need to talk

about first-=

9arfalla !a7ed into 0ohun/s eyes, then let his hand drop- The adawan thou!ht he saw a fli*ker ofdisappointment *ross the )aster/s fa*e as he did so-


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=4es, of *ourse,= 9arfalla said, turnin! and walkin! ba*k to his desk- 6e rea*hed down and fli*ked

the monitor ba*k on- =The report from those prisoners you *aptured-=

=4ou/e seen it


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40/178

She/d been walkin! eer sin*e Darth Bane/s ship had disappeared oer the hori7on, leain! her

alone on*e a!ain- 6er mission was *lear1 make her way to %nderon- To do that, she had to find a

ship to !et her off Ruusan- That meant findin! other people- But ?annah had no idea where any

other people mi!ht be, and so she had simply *hosen a random dire*tion and started walkin!-

She was too small to pilot the swoop bike Bane had used to whisk them a*ross the lands*ape- "tfirst that hadn/t mattered1 She/d used her newfound talents in the 9or*e to propel herself alon!,

runnin! so fast that the world passed by her in a blur of wind and *olor- But while the 9or*e may

hae been infinite, her ability to draw upon it was not- 6er skills were still deelopin!, and fati!ue

had set in 3ui*kly- She had felt her pa*e slowin! as her stren!th ebbed, and thou!h she tried to

summon the power of the dark side a!ain by tappin! into her deep reseres of an!er and hate, her

e+hausted will *ould only *all up the faintest fli*ker of a response-

$ow she/d been redu*ed to a tired little !irl ploddin! a*ross the wartorn Ruusan lands*ape- 4et she

refused to surrender to despair, instead fo*usin! all her ener!y on puttin! one foot in front of the

other- .t was impossible to say how lon! she *ontinued her for*ed mar*hhow many hours or

kilometers she enduredbefore she was rewarded with what she sou!ht1 the si!ht of a shuttle in thedistan*e-

6ope !ae new life to her weary limbs, and she mana!ed a *lumsy, limpin! run toward the essel-

She *ould see people millin! about the *raft1 a youn! woman, an older man, and two teena!e boys-

"s she drew nearer the woman noti*ed her and *alled out to one of her *ompanions-

=Bordon: Tell the boys we/e found someone who needs help-=

)inutes later ?annah found herself inside the essel/s *ar!o hold, sittin! on a supply *hest while

wolfin! down nutrition bars from a ration kit and *hasin! them with a pipin!hot *up of *ha- %ne

of the boys had thrown a thi*k blanket oer her shoulders, and the entire *rew was now hoerin!

prote*tiely around her,

=./e neer seen someone so small eat so mu*h,= the woman said with a lau!h-

She didn/t look like she/d *ome from Ruusan ori!inally- She had dark skin and short bla*k hair, and

she wore a bulky padded est under her ;a*ket- There was also a blaster pistol strapped to her hip,

makin! ?annah fairly *ertain she was a soldier of some type-

=What did you e+pe*t, .rtanna


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=Where are your parents


42/178


43/178

promised herall the knowled!e and power of the dark sidewould be lost-

4et another part of her wanted to !o ba*k to the fleet- Bane had warned that her apprenti*eship

would be a lon! and diffi*ult stru!!le- She was tired of stru!!lin!- "nd Bane had abandoned her-

Bordon, on the other hand, had offered her his home8 he/d offered to let her be part of his family-

What would be so wron! about simply a**eptin! his offer< Bane had said she was the *hosen heir

to the le!a*y of the an*ient Sith, but was that really what she wanted2

0ohun shifted in his seat, tryin! to find a more *omfortable position and thinkin! how mu*h easier it

had been to bear the burden of starship trael in his youth- But he was no lon!er a teena!er on the

*usp of manhood- 6e was taller, for one thin!a full >-HE meters in hei!ht- "nd his sli!ht frame had

be*ome *orded with taut, wiry mus*le- The only remnant of the youn! man he had been was the

blond hair that still hun! down to his shouldersa sharp *ontrast with the s*ruffy bla*k beard that

*oered the line of his ;aw-

6e shifted a!ain and !lared pointedly at Tarsus Valorum, restin! easily in the seat a*ross from him-

The han*ellor was in his si+ties now, thou!h apart from a sli!ht !rayin! of his hair around the

temples he looked ery mu*h as he had the first day 0ohun had met him- Tarsus met the 0edi/s fier*e

!a7e with a smile and a shru!--- the *losest thin! 0ohun would eer !et to an apolo!y for hain! to

endure the lon! interstellar fli!ht aboard this se*ondrate essel-

The $ew Dawn was an 'missary*lass shuttleseri*eable, but far from lu+urious- .t would hae

been a simple matter for Tarsus

Valorum, former Supreme han*ellor of the (ala*ti* Republi*, to re3uest a more e+traa!ant ship

for his personal use1 one of the new y!nus Theta*lass shuttles, or possibly een the ma!nifi*ent

onsular spa*e *ruisers so popular amon! the diplomati* *ommunity- (ien his preious position,

there was little doubt the Senate would hae approed the funds for the pur*hase- But Valorum had

insisted that the tiny $ew Dawn, with her twoperson *rew, passen!er seatin! for si+, and lass Si+

hyperdrie, was more than ade3uate for his needs now that he had offi*ially stepped down from his

position-

.t was a small !esture of modesty and pra*ti*ality that spoke olumes about the man himself- %er

the years 0ohun had obsered the han*ellor in publi* and in priate, and the more he !ot to know

him the more respe*t he had for him- But that wasn/t to say the man *ouldn/t be stubborn and een

obstinate, as he/d proed when he refused the Senate/s offer of an honor !uard a**ompaniment forhis diplomati* missions-

" retired politi*ian is no threat to anybody, he/d ar!ued- "nd ./m *ertainly not important enou!h

anymore for others to put themseles in harm/s way for my sake-

0ohun still traeled at his side, but that was by his *hoi*e, not the han*ellor/s- 6e knew how

aluable Valorum remained to the Republi*, and he knew there were enemies who would do him

harm if !ien the *han*e- 6e had tried seeral times to *onin*e Tarsus to trael with more se*urity,

with no su**ess- So until his stubborn friend a!reed to a personal !uard detail, 0ohun was

determined to a**ompany him on eery mission-

=. hope we !et there soon,= 0ohun muttered, !iin! oi*e to his dis*omfort-


89/178

=4ou *ould always enter one of your meditatie tran*es to pass the time = the han*ellor said

;okin!ly- =4ou/re not one for idle *onersation anyway-=

Tarsus only permitted 0ohun to a**ompany him be*ause of the lon!standin! relationship between

them- The 0edi had been a member of the han*ellor/s (uard throu!h most of Valorum/s first four

year term and the entirety of the se*ond- $ow his offi*ial position was 0edi adiser, thou!h 0ohun

would neer presume to =adise= the han*ellor about anythin!-

Tarsus Valorum was known throu!hout the !ala+y as the man who saed the Republi*-

Spearheadin! the Ruusan Reformations throu!h the Senate, he had ushered in a new a!e of pea*e,

prosperity, and e+pansion- 4et it wasn/t what he had a**omplished that made him a !reat man in

0ohun/s eyes8 it was how he had done it-

Serin! at the han*ellor/s side, the 0edi had seen the true power of words and ideas- Tarsus

Valorum was a man of deep *oni*tion that rare breed of politi*ian who truly belieed his own

words- Determined to *reate a (olden "!e for the *iti7ens of the !ala+y, he had pursued with

tireless i!or his dream of a reborn and reunited Republi*- 6undreds of worlds that had fallen away

durin! the last few *enturies of war and !ala*ti* turmoil were brou!ht ba*k into the Republi* folddurin! his rei!n- "nd when his term of seri*e ended and the time *ame for him to pass his position

oer to his su**essor, he made sure eerythin! was in pla*e for her to *ontinue his work-

)ost ama7in!ly, the !reat reunifi*ation had been a**omplished with a minimum of bloodshed and

battles- Relyin! on ambassadors and treaties, he had a**omplished what *ould neer be done

throu!h armies and war- To win a world, you must win the hearts and minds of its people, the

han*ellor had on*e e+plained, shortly after 0ohun had been assi!ned to him- $ow, after a de*ade

of witnessin! all Valorum had a*hieed, he knew truer words had neer been spoken-

='stimated arrial in fie minutes,= the oi*e of the pilot *ra*kled oer the shipboard inter*om-

=repare for landin!-=

0ohun !ae an e+a!!erated si!h of relief, and the han*ellor *hu*kled softly- .t was a familiar

routine to both men- 'en thou!h he was retired, Tarsus was not a man to simply step aside from

the realm of politi*s- 6e remained a i!orous ado*ate for the Republi*- .n the two years sin*e his

term of offi*e had ended, 0ohun had a**ompanied him on oer fifty personal diplomati* missions---

like the one they were on now-

The planet of Serenno was an important world to the Republi*- The rulin! noble families were

amon! the wealthiest indiiduals in the !ala+y- .n addition to donatin! enormous sums to hi!hly

isible *haritable and politi*al or!ani7ations, they had the finan*ial *apital to help underwritemassie !oernment infrastru*ture pro;e*ts-

)ore important, their ast resour*es also enabled them to fund !roups that were opposed to the

Republi* should they so *hoose- Separatist fa*tions often sou!ht out wealthy benefa*tors in

arannia, Saffia, and 9iyarro, Serenno/s three lar!est *ities-

Valorum had *ome to meet with the heads of the si+ most powerful families on the world- 6e hoped

to *onin*e them to use their influen*e to persuade the other families to *ut off all fundin! to anti

Republi* fa*tions- .t was a diffi*ult mission, as the ounts of Serenno were not known for a**edin!

to the demands of outsiders-

To make ne!otiations easier, the isit was bein! *ondu*ted throu!h unoffi*ial *hannels- Valorum

had on*e e+plained to 0ohn that many rulers and politi*ians behaed 3uite differently when their


90/178

a*tions were e+posed to the publi* eye- Too often they would simply !ie the appearan*e of

meetin! e+pe*tations, a ta*ti* Tarsus personally despised- .n a publi* forum offi*ials would

fre3uently offer promises of support to a *ause they did not beliee in, only to reerst their position

on*e publi* awareness of the issue faded-

onersely, rulers mi!ht oppose or re;e*t an idea they supported so as not to appear weakminded

or easy to manipulate- Su*h was the *ase on Serenno- .f it was widely known that a representatieof the

Republi* was *omin! to pressure them into a*tion, they would oppose him on mere prin*iple-

$eer trust a promise made in front of a holopro;e*tor, the han*ellor often warned- .f you want to

!et anythin! done, you need to meet behind dosed doors and look a person ri!ht in the eye-

=)akin! final approa*h= the pilot announ*ed, and 0ohun felt their shuttle bank sli!htly to port-

They were s*heduled to tou*h down at the priate spa*eport of ount $al;u, head of one of

Serenno/s si+ (reat 6ouses and a staun*h ally of the Republi*- &andin! at a se*luded lo*ation onthe $al;u family estate, they would take a landspeeder to prearran!ed meetin!s with representaties

from ea*h of the (reat 6ouses in turn so Valorum *ould plead his *ase-

They felt the sli!ht bump of tou*hdown and heard the whoosh of the e+it ramp des*endin!- 'a!er to

!et out and stret*h his le!s, 0ohun ;umped to his feet-

=Shall we disembark, 4our '+*ellen*y


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There were no railin!s on either the landin! pad or the *atwalk- 0ohun knew the la*k of railin!slike

so many other aspe*ts of Serenno/s *ulturewere symboli*- There was a lon!standin! tradition of

fier*e independen*e amon! the nobility- Railin!s on the walkway or the landin! pad would hae

been a si!n of weakness, an admission of frailty and mortality that would hae undermined 6ouse

$al;u/s pride and position- 'en so, the 0edi *ouldn/t help but worry about the han*ellor/s safety

when he *ontemplated the fiftymeter fall off the ed!e to the *old waters below-

The sole purpose of their arrial was to aoid fanfare and attention, so it was no surprise that there

were only a handful of people waitin! to meet them- 0ohun !uessed they were serants from ount

$al;u/s household retinue, as they wore *lothin! similar to Valorum/s *ustommade *ape-

9our fi!ures were huddled to!ether on the platform in the middle of the walkway waitin! for them,

buffeted by the stiff o*ean bree7e that tu!!ed at their *lothes and made their *apes flutter out behind

them- Three of them were humantwo men and one woman- The fourth was a male Twi/lek with

bri!ht red skin8 0ohun wondered if it was some type of status symbol for the nobles to employ a

&ethan amon! their household staff-

Waitin! on the *lifftops beyond the platform were two more serants, standin! beside thelandspeeder that would whisk them away to their appointed meetin!s- 5nlike those on the platform,

they were too far away for 0ohun to make out any details that mi!ht indi*ate spe*ies or !ender-

The $ew Dawns en!ines shut down, only to be repla*ed by the *rashin! rhythm of the surf as it

pounded itself relentlessly a!ainst the fa*e of the *liffs-

=$ot my first *hoi*e of pla*es to tou*h down,= 0ohun noted, raisin! his oi*e loud enou!h that

Tarsus *ould hear him oer the waes and wind-

=Well, . did ask $al;u to let us land somepla*e remote,= Tarsus shouted ba*k with a lau!h- =. see

they only *ame out halfway to meet us,= he added, noddin! his head in the dire*tion of the four

fi!ures waitin! on the platform-

=Would you !o any farther out on this walkway than you had to


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purple tattoos and a hiss femalewere also armed- )ore alarmin!ly, the hiss seemed to be

*on*ealin! somethin! in her hand-

'en without turnin! around, his hei!htened awareness allowed him to see the $ew Dawn restin!

on the landin! pad behind him- "round the *ir*umferen*e of the pillar, ;ust below the ed!e and

*arefully hidden from iew, he sensed somethin! e+plosie- 6e !uessed that what the hiss held in

her hand was a remote detonator-

0ohun took in eery detail of the s*ene in the blink of an eye- 'en so, he wasn/t fast enou!h to sae

the $ew Dawn or her *rew- The hiss flipped the swit*h in her hand, and the *har!es wired around

the landin! pad e+ploded- The blast ripped throu!h the ship/s e+terior, leain! !reat smokin! holes

in her unarmored hull- The shrapnel fra!ments shredded the pilot and nai!ator inside, killin! them

instantly-

The top half of the landin! pad/s stone *olumn *rumbled away, sendin! the $ew Dawn tumblin!

down- .t ri*o*heted off the pillar/s ;a!!ed ro*k fa*e then hit the water with an e*hoin! sma*k,

sendin! a spray of foam shootin! skyward8 it sank almost instantly beneath the *old, frothin!

surfa*e-

"s the landin! pad fell away the durasteel walkway bu*kled and bent, sendin! Valorum topplin!

oer the ed!e- 'mpowered by the 9or*e, 0ohun leapt forward and landed on his stoma*h, his arm

shootin! out oer the ed!e to *at*h Valorum by the *orner of his *ape an instant before he plun!ed

to his death- The han*ellor dan!led there for a se*ond before 0ohun heaed him up with one hand,

swin!in! him by the *ape so he dropped safely on the listin! walkway behind the 0edi-

0ohun i!nited the !reen blade of his li!htsaber ;ust in time to defle*t a blaster bolt fired at him by

the woman on the platform, then s*rambled to his feet to fa*e his atta*kers- They hesitated at the

si!ht of his trademark weapon, *onsiderin! their *han*es a!ainst a 0edi,

Their delay !ae 0ohun a *han*e to ealuate the situation- Retreat was impossible1 the se*tion of the

durasteel walkway they stood on now ;utted out at a des*endin! an!le from the platform where their

enemies !athered8 the far end had been sheared away and now dropped off into empty sky- The only

es*ape was to !o forward toward the *liffseen if it meant !oin! throu!h his enemies-

=Don/t moe:= he shouted to Valorum as he leapt forward, landin! on the platform een as the

woman and both men drew their ibroswords and atta*ked- %nly the Twi/lek held ba*k-

"ll three wielded weapons la*ed with *ortosis, allowin! their blades to *lash with 0ohun/s li!htsaber

without bein! sli*ed in two- .t only took the first pass for him to reali7e ea*h one was a hi!hlyskilled opponent- Defle*tin! a 3ui*k slash intended to disembowel him by the first man, 0ohun

wheeled to inter*ept a hard swipe at his ne*k from the woman- 6e deliered a spinnin! round ki*k

to her side, sendin! her reelin! een as he rea*hed behind his ba*k with his li!htsaber to parry a

saa!e thrust by the third man at his unprote*ted flank-

0ohun/s trainin! in li!htsaber *ombat was limited to the strikes and parries of 9orm V., $iman, the

most balan*ed of all the styles- ollo3uially know as the Diplomat/s 9orm, $iman had no spe*ifi*

stren!ths or weaknesses- .ts !eneral ersatility had sered him well durin! the unpredi*table !rand

melees of the Ruusan battlefields- But oer the past de*ade he had made only the most basi* efforts

to maintain his skill with the blade- .nstead he had fo*used his attention on deelopin! diplomati*

talents- 4et he was still a 0edi, and a formidable foe for anyone to fa*e-

6e may hae been outnumbered, but his enemies atta*ked as indiiduals, unable to *oordinate the


93/178

timin! of their strikes- The woman re!ained her balan*e and rushed in, but 0ohun spun to the side

and shoed her toward the first man- 6er momentum sent her *rashin! into her partner, both of

them tumblin! to the !round in a tan!led mess of limbs-

Knowin! that the other two were momentarily in*apa*itated, he fo*used all his attention on the

se*ond man- "tta*kin! as a trio, they had for*ed 0ohun onto the defensie- %neonone, howeer, he

was able to press the a*tion- 6e *ame at his lone opponent a!!ressiely, holdin! nothin! ba*k,knowin! he was fi!htin! to sae not ;ust himself but the han*ellor, as well- 6is blade dan*ed and

si77led, moin! too swiftly for the eye to follow-

The man fell ba*k under the assault, franti*ally parryin! the blows and retreatin! until he felt his

heels dan!lin! oer the platform/s ed!e- .n desperation he lun!ed forward with a *lumsy stab at

0ohun/s *hest- The 0edi simply slapped his blade aside and ended the assassin/s life with a sin!le *ut

of the li!htsaber a*ross his *hest-

The other two were ba*k on their feet now- The woman rushed toward him re*klessly yet a!ain-

This time 0ohun stood his !round, du*kin! under the wide, flat ar* of her blade sweepin! in from

the side- 6e rea*hed out with his left hand and sei7ed her wrist as he rolled onto his ba*k, usin! themomentum of her own *har!e a!ainst her- ullin! hard on her wrist, he tumbled ba*kward and

brou!ht both feet up, plantin! them in the middle of her stoma*h- 6e *ompleted the moe by

ki*kin! out with both le!s, sendin! her flyin! up and oer the platform/s ed!e- She s*reamed all the

way down, her *ries endin! abruptly when she stru*k the water and ro*ks below-

0ohun was already ba*k on his feet, bra*in! for the first man/s ne+t atta*k- But rather than fa*e him

alone, his remainin! adersary turned to flee, makin! a break for the walkway leadin! from the

platform ba*k to the shore-

6e passed the Twi/lek at a dead run, then stopped as his body went ri!id and his hands flew to his

throat- 6e turned around slowly so he was fa*in! 0ohun, *lut*hin! the bloody !ash ;ust beneath his

;aw as he toppled forward and fell fa*edown on the platform-

.t happened so fast it took a moment to re!ister on 0ohun- Then he noti*ed the small, *res*ent

shaped blades *lut*hed in ea*h of the Twi/lek/s hands- They looked like miniature si*kles8 the one in

his left hand was a bri!ht siler, the one in the ri!ht dripped with red-

The hiss and the tattooed man had been makin! their way toward the platform to ;oin the battle-

Seein! the Twi/lek *ut their es*apin! a**ompli*e down, they abruptly re*onsidered- 9a*ed with a

wrathful 0edi Kni!ht and an ally who would kill them if they tried to flee the *onfrontation on the

platform, they made the only lo!i*al *hoi*e and ra*ed ba*k up the walkway to their waitin! ehi*le-ilin! in, they fired up the en!ines and sped away, wantin! no part of a plan that had !one so

wron!-

Steppin! oer the still!aspin! body of the a**ompli*e he had ;ust killed, the Twi/lek dropped into a

fi!htin! *rou*h- 6e didn/t seem to know or *are that the other two had abandoned him- 6is lekku

hun! down behind him like twin tails, the tips twit*hin! and *urlin! in anti*ipation-

=./e always wanted to test my skills a!ainst a 0edi,= he said, issuin! the *hallen!e-

0ohun was more than willin! to a**ept- 6e leapt forward, moin! with the blindin! speed of the

9or*e as he stabbed his li!htsaber s3uarely at the Twi/lek/s *hest to put a 3ui*k end to their*onfrontation- With an almost *asual !ra*e, the redskinned Twi/lek merely leaned ba*kward and

twisted out of the way, slashin! out with the stran!e *res*ent blades at 0ohun/s throat-


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Seein! stars, 0ohun rolled *lear, narrowly aoidin! de*apitation, as the *res*ent blades swooped in

a!ain- 6e re!ained his feet and took a wild swipe at his opponent- Dod!in! the blow, the Twi/lek

swooped in *lose, and 0ohun was for*ed to !ie !round yet a!ain to surie another series of

li!htnin!fast blows-

The Twi/lek pressed the atta*k, stayin! *lose enou!h to 0ohun that the 0edi/s only options were

blo*ks and parries- Dartin! from side to side he *ut off 0ohan/s paths of retreat, slowly ba*kin! himup until he was balan*ed on the platform/s ed!e-

0ohun knew he *ouldn/t beat the Twi/lek- 6is opponent was faster, his skills honed by years of

intense trainin!- 6e *ould *ontinue to fi!ht, but the out*ome was ineitablehe was !oin! to die on

this platform- 6e *ould not es*ape his fateyet he *ould still sa*rifi*e himself to sae the han*ellor-

There is no death8 there is only the 9or*e-

The Twi/lek had bra*ed himself in preparation for a desperate *ounteratta*k, e+pe*tin! 0ohun to try

to fi!ht his way *lear of the platform/s led!e- .nstead the 0edi dropped his weapon and both hands

shot forward to *lut*h ti!htly onto the front of his opponent/s shirt- The handle of 0ohun/s li!htsaber*lattered on the platform/s durasteel surfa*e, the blade e+tin!uished the moment it fell from his

hand-

The une+pe*ted moe *au!ht the Twi/lek *ompletely off !uard, and he hesitated for a split se*ond

before his eyes went wide with fear and dawnin! *omprehension- 6e slashed franti*ally at 0ohun/s

wrists and forearms, *arin! deep !ashes into the flesh- But the 0edi/s !rip neer faltered-

With his heels already dan!lin! oer the pre*ipi*e, 0ohun simply had to let himself fall ba*kward,

dra!!in! his enemy with him- The Twi/lek s*reamed as they plun!ed toward the deadly ro*ks

;uttin! up from the waes fifty meters below8 0ohun felt nothin! but a serene inner pea*e-

They seemed to fall foreer, the world moin! in slow motion as 0ohun surrendered himself fully to

the power of the 9or*e- .t flowed throu!h him, stron!er than he had eer felt it before- The instant

before they hit the water he looked into the terrified eyes of his foe and smiled- 6e had neer felt

more at pea*e than he did in that moment-

Droppin! from fifty meters into the o*ean was nothin! like diin! into a pool8 the surfa*e tension of

the water stru*k them with the impa*t of a sled!ehammer- Durin! the fall they had turned sli!htly,

so the impa*t took 0ohun on the ri!ht side- 6e felt his ribs *ra*k, and then a *old sho*k as the

free7in! waters eneloped them-

.t took 0ohun seeral se*onds to reali7e he wasn/t dead- 'en missin! the ro*ks, a fall from that

hei!ht should hae been lethal- 4et somehow he had suried, thou!h he was now sinkin! 3ui*kly

into the o*ean/s an!ry depths- The 9or*e, he thou!ht in ama7ement- 6e had !ien himself oer to its

power durin! the fall8 in return it had spared his life-

6e reali7ed he was still *lut*hin! ti!htly to the front of the Twi/lek/s shirt- Throu!h the murky

waters he *ould see his opponent/s head lollin! to the side at an unnatural an!le, his ne*k broken

when they had slammed into the unyieldin! o*ean surfa*e-

Releasin! his !rip he swam toward the surfa*e, pullin! with powerful strokes- 0ust as his lun!s

threatened to !ie out, he brea*hed, !aspin! and swallowin! hu!e !ulps of air- The !irderssupportin! the platform rose up out of the water before him, only a few meters away- 6e ki*ked his

le!s and rea*hed out to !rab the sli*k, wet durasteel with hands already !oin! numb in the *hill


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waters, then be!an the lon! slow *limb ba*k to the top-

Blood poured freely from the *uts to his forearms- But thou!h the wounds were deep, they hadn/t

stru*k any *riti*al neres or tendons, and he was able to use his hands to help him alon! as he

*lambered up the !irders-

6e had rea*hed the halfway point when he paused to rest, shierin! in the wind- " oi*e *alled hisname8 lookin! up, he saw the fa*e of han*ellor Valorum starin! down at him- Knowin! he needed

to sae his breath for the rest of the *limb, 0ohun/s only response was a weak wae of

a*knowled!ment-

6alf a meter from the top Valorum/s arm rea*hed down oer the ed!e to *lasp his own- The

e+hausted 0edi was !rateful for the aid as the han*ellor helped him *lamber up and ba*k onto the

safety of the platform- 0ohun tried to stand, but his limbs betrayed him- "ll he *ould mana!e was to

roll onto his ba*k and stare up at the sky, pantin! and whee7in! as he tried to *at*h his breath-

=4ou saed my life,= the han*ellor said, sittin! down beside him to wait for the 0edi to re*oer

from his ordeal- =. *an neer repay you for what you hae done, but if there is eer anythin! youwant of me you need only ask-=

=There is one thin!-= 0ohun !asped from his ba*k, still too tired to een try to sit up- =6ire yourself

a kriffm! se*urity team =

hapter >@

?annah made her way slowly throu!h arannia/s market s3uare, pur*hasin! supplies to repla*e

those Bane had inadertently destroyed- %nly a week had passed sin*e she/d last been here, but in

that short time a !reat many thin!s had *han!ed-

Kel was dead, for one- The 6olo$et was bu77in! with the news of the failed attempt to kidnap

han*ellor Valorum, and all the a**ounts made spe*ifi* mention of the redskinned Twi/lek and his

end at the hands of a 0edi Kni!ht named 0ohun %thone-

Three of the others from the small !roup were dead as well, thou!h reports indi*ated that two of the

terrorists had fled the s*ene- 9rom the des*riptions !ien it was obious to ?annah that aak andyndra were the two suriin! fu!ities-

The atta*k had prompted immediate *ondemnation from the Senate and the rest of the Republi*-

)ore important, the ounts of Serenno had promised swift and de*isie a*tion to stamp out the

separatist or!ani7ations that pla!ued their fair world- Based on the enormous rewards bein! offered

for information leadin! to the *apture of those inoled in the atta*k, it seemed the nobles intended

to keep their promise-

'en had Kel and his friends su**eeded, ?annah now reali7ed, the rea*tion of the ounts would

hae been the same- .n the aftermath of the iolen*e, the bodies of seeral members of ount

$al;u/s household staff were dis*oered near the landin! site- They had been sent to !reethan*ellor Valorum on his arrial, only to be murdered by the radi*als who had set the ambush-


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The deaths of seeral lon!serin! followers was a !reat tra!edy for 6ouse $al;u, but it paled in

*omparison with the horror eli*ited by the atta*k itself- The ount had personally sponsored the

han*ellor/s isit8 an assault upon his esteemed !uest was an insult to family honor, and a *rime

tantamount to atta*kin! the ount himself- "lways willin! to prote*t their own, the other (reat

6ouses had rallied to the $al;u *ry, owin! to hunt down and e+terminate those responsible for this

atro*ity-

$o doubt Darth Bane had foreseen this out*ome- 9or the ne+t seeral years the eyes of the Republi*

would be fo*used intently on Serenno and its *ampai!n to snuff out the separatist elements that had

infiltrated its *ulture-

=Don/t moe= a familiar female oi*e hissed in her ear, and ?annah felt the mu77le of a blaster press

itself hard into the flesh of her lower ba*k-

=./m surprised you/d dare to show your fa*e in publi*,= ?annah whispered without turnin! around to

fa*e

darth bane - rule of two (drew karpyshyn)

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