Before - Legends Sith Politics: A Series of Short Stories and Spin-offs

While I work on the sequel to Sith Politics: Fun and Games, I got this idea to do side stories from events that occurred in the main story. Here's the first one. I hope you'll enjoy these.​

Tell me what you think. Thanks!​

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The Day Her Master Died​

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Medilia Stald, returned from her task. She held the packaged gourmet mid-day meal carefully in her arms as she stepped off the turbolift. It didn't hit her right away. Her mind was swirling with worries about her master's reaction. Would he accept the gourmet mid-day meal without incident? Would he criticize her for some infraction? Would he punish her for some unknown failure?

The slave walked down the unusually quiet and empty corridor towards her master's office. He was a lord of the Sith. Lord Tancit Kranet was his name. He was a prominent Sith in Darth Acina's power structure. Certainly, he was not at the top, but he was a power within her powerbase, so he held sway. He had real power.

In some ways, this was good for Medilia, as far as slaves went, she lived luxuriously. In other ways, it was a liability for her, as was common among slaves, if her master had any bad days, he'd take it out on her. He would punish her for his failures, Medilia was beginning to think.

The smell in the corridor was bad, Medilia began to notice. She decided to report it to the Janitorial Services Department, get them to send in some cleaning droids to rectify the problem.

She started to realize how quiet the floor was. Usually, there were Sith, government functionaries, and soldiers walking up and down the corridors, but the corridors seemed abandoned somehow. Medilia entered the offices of her master, Lord Tancit Kranet. The desks seemed abandoned.

She asked herself, “Where are the secretaries and office workers?”

Medilia was in a rush, however. She didn’t want to be late delivering her master's mid-day meal. She didn’t notice the bodies on the floor behind the desks. She entered her master’s office and saw him slumped in his chair.

She spoke apprehensively, “My lord? Master? I have brought your mid-day meal as ordered.”

He didn’t move. He didn’t berate her.

She moved closer to his desk, beginning to realize something was horribly wrong. Medilia set his mid-day meal on his desk and leaning over his desk, peered carefully at him. He was not breathing she realized.

Medilia reached her hand, carefully, apprehensively towards her master. She touched his shoulder. He did not react. Medilia told herself the truth.

“He’s dead.”

Then it hit her.

“The whole place is too quiet,” she told herself.

She stepped out of his office and took a much closer look at the desks and cubicles. She found the office workers laid out on the floor behind their desks. In the corridors, as she made her way, in terror, towards a security station. She finally understood that the bad odor, was the smell of blood.

At the security station, she was met with silence when she called for assistance.

“I need help. Please!”

Looking in the small office, she saw the dead Imperial soldiers, heaped on the floor.

Medilia ran in horror of the slaughter and in fear that she would somehow be held responsible. She ran, and ran, and ran into the chest of an Imperial Army captain.

Medilia screamed.

“Ahhhh! Don’t kill me! I don’t want to die!”

The army captain waved his hand at her. His troops immediately grabbed and immobilized her.

Medilia screamed again, “Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!”

The captain removed his armored glove and lightly slapped her cheek with his bare hand.

Medilia stopped her screaming and looked at the captain. Her eyes wide with fright.

He asked her, “What happened? Why are you running? What are you screaming about?”

Medilia replied in a panic, “I didn’t do it! It wasn’t me! I wasn’t here!”

The Imperial Army captain said, “I’m Captain Horotz. I’m here to investigate a matter. Soldiers aren’t answering their check-in calls. Now tell me why you are in such a fright.”

Medilia replied, “My master is dead. Lord Tancit is dead! They are all dead! Someone killed them all! I swear it wasn’t me!”

Captain Horotz told two of his troops, “Take her to the headquarters. Place her in protective custody. Go!”

Two of his coal-gray uniformed men took the woman to their headquarters while Captain Horotz led the rest of his troops into the Sphere of Technology Sector. It was Acina’s Sphere of influence within The Citadel.

He was horrified at what he found. It was a slaughter. A few were killed by a weapon that left burns and wounds consistent with a lightsaber, but the majority of the dead looked as though they didn’t see their deaths coming. There was no evidence of resistance on their part.

Captain Horotz counted at least forty Imperial soldiers dead, and twenty office workers, as well as eighteen Sith killed.

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Lord Salistia Cawlwood knelt in the center of the office space. She meditated carefully, slowly unraveling the events that had befallen The Sphere of Technology. The carnage affected three levels of The Citadel, and was obviously carried out by a Force user.

Some thought it might be a Jedi, but others completely discounted that idea, reasoning, “If it were Jedi, then they would have brought an army and a navy with them.

Lord Salistia listened to The Force, and it told her that this was the work of a single Sith. A small quiet woman shrouded in darkness.

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Three days later, Captain Horotz watched the holo-vids with everyone else in the galaxy. It was huge news! A space station, belonging to the Sphere of Technology suddenly appeared in orbit over Korriban.

Lord Salistia Cawlwood cracked a tiny smile and shook her head in deep admiration, as she listened to a speech given by a dark lord on the Dark Council.

He said, “….Darth Acina fled from before me as I wrested control of her space station, the Technocratium, from her grasp, the coward!...”

Now she understood. Lord Salistia realized that it was Darth Nox’s people who went on a slaughtering rampage in Darth Acina’s domain within The Citadel.

“A Kaggath?”

She asked herself. Lord Salistia Cawlwood dictated her report into her datapad.

“The announcement by the dark lord, Darth Nox, that he had conquered a space station belonging to Darth Acina, and the slaughter at the Citadel, as well as at other facilities throughout Dromund Kaas is consistent with the activities of a Kaggath.”

With that, she decided that the case was solved and closed. She submitted her report.

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Medilia Stald, didn’t know what else to do, nor where else to go. She merely maintained her duties, keeping Lord Tancit’s estate clean and tidy. She paid the bills, and ran his estate as though he still lived. Without meaning to, Medilia began to live the life of an aristocrat.

 

Here's another short story. Really short.​

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2V – R8 Goes Grocery Shopping​

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Darth Nox and Khem Val had left the apartments for Lord Frennus' headquarters. 2V – R8 was left in charge, by the dark lord, to maintain the apartment and clean it out of droids, bugs, and other bugs. The droid spent an inordinate amount of time attempting to interpret its master’s orders… “Sweep this place for bugs, electronic and otherwise...”

2V – R8 searched the holo-net for examples of insectoid droids. It wasn’t until he asked a security official at Frennus’ headquarters, "What is an example of an electronic insect that I should sweep for?”

The official asked, “You mean bugs?

2V – R8 was astounded that the official would so quickly make the connection.

The droid replied, “That is what my master called them. He instructed me to sweep his residence for bugs electronic and otherwise.”

The official, thinking to herself, “How stupid can a droid get?” said aloud, "Bugs is a term that means insects, but it is also used as a term to describe hidden, miniature electronic listening devices.”

2V – R8 was profoundly astounded, exclaiming, “Oh!”

The security official proffered, “Your master probably wanted you to look for and eliminate hidden miniature electronic listening devices, and to eliminate actual insect pests as well.”

The droid was again astounded, exclaiming, “Oh!”

The official replied drily, "Glad I could help," and then terminated the holo-transmission.

Armed with this newly acquired information, 2V – R8 performed its task with the utmost of efficiency, as was expected of a highly advanced model ship droid.

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Later that evening, 2V – R8 went to the local commissary, to purchase ingredients for that evening’s dinner for the sentients it was charged to care for. It had procured various vegetables, and particular cuts of Nerf steaks.

The ship droid wasn’t done shopping, however. It needed to find Khem Val’s favorite food. The Dashade detested vegetables, and found Nerf steaks dissatisfying. Although illegal throughout most of the galaxy, cannibalism was still practiced by some cultures.

The droid found it a challenge to meet the Dashade’s dietary requirements. However, today was the ship droid’s lucky day! It had received information, indicating that a Sith lord had met with an unfortunate end. His name happened to be Frennus, but really that wasn’t important. What mattered was that 2V – R8 was fortunate to have found the Dashade’s favorite food in stock at the local morgue.

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Later that evening, the droid’s master, Darth Nox, and his subordinate, Khem Val, had both come back to the temporary residence, feeling quite hungry.

2V – R8 was pleased to announce to its master, “I will prepare a wonderfully nutritious and satisfying dinner for you, master.”

When the Dashade expressed its own dissatisfaction that such a meal had not been prepared for it, 2V – R8 surprised the Dashade by announcing, “I have your favorite food on hand.” Then it asked, “Shall I prepare something different?”

Khem Val seemed satisfied with that announcement, replying much less menacingly, “No. That shall do.”

So, Khem dined on his favorite food. Although he did complain that it was overcooked.

 

I find side stories a lot of fun to write! Medilia's story is pretty interesting...wonder what's in store for her? Okay, really weird suggestion probably--but I'm actually kind of interested in Darth Nox and his family life--any potential side stories for that?

 

These are cool.

 

Halcyon Days​

Darth Nox wore soft comfortable clothes. He sat in a chair at the side of the family’s common room, in his palace atop Dromund Tower. He watched as his two small children laughed and squealed as they chased their nanny droid in a game of tag.

Nox smiled serenely. Next to him in another chair was his wife and apprentice, Ashara. She watched her husband’s serene expression, and found joy in it, but then was saddened when she remembered that at a whim he could become explosively furious. Ashara banished the thought, as she turned to look at her children at play.

The nanny droid zigged and zagged. The children unable to keep up, tripped and tumbled over each other onto the softly carpeted floor. They laughed in delight, as did their father.

Nox pontificated, “It is not enough to chase after your nanny. You must catch her.”

His children untangled themselves getting back onto their feet, and with a squeal gave chase to their nanny droid again. This time, the nanny droid did not move as adroitly as before. The children cheered when they captured her.

Nox clapped his hands, laughing, and proclaimed, “Well done! Well done my children!”

His children ran to their father, cheering. They jumped into his lap. He hugged them to him. As he embraced them, a tear left his eye. He knew that a time would come when it would be time for their trials at the Sith Academy on Korriban.

The laughter and happiness of innocence would be no more when their training began. He cherished this moment, kissing his two children on their cheeks before setting them down onto the carpeted floor again. The children ran to their nanny droid when it enticed them with a chance to listen to an epic tale of heroism.

Nox turned to his wife and saw that mixed with her happiness was sorrow.

Nox told her, “We must cherish these days for as long as they’ll last.”

Ashara sadly nodded her agreement. She was torn by a terrible secret that she kept from her husband and father of her children.

She knew that their days of happiness would end much sooner than Nox imagined. The Force had revealed to her the end of days for herself, and for her children, and that Nox would be left alone and in torment. Ashara was determined, however, not to tell him. She knew that telling him would alter his destiny, and she believed in his destiny. She had bet everything on his destiny, sacrificing her own happiness to see to it, that he would fulfill his role one day in the years to come.

Nox could see, faintly, her sorrow. He leaned over to kiss his wife’s cheek. She smiled for him.

 

Awwww! So cute!

It seems that Vader is not the only Dark Lord who can trigger cuddling instincts.

 

This was so adorable. Hooray for family fluff.

 

This happens a few weeks before chapter one of the main story. And then in the "Of Vengeance, Grief, and Loathing" chapter.

Ashara's visions become true.

 

EDIT: I just realized that a lot of my sentences have been jammed together, I'll re-edit it later. Sorry for the mix up.​

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EDIT 2: Fixed (and cleaned up the story a little bit).​

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Recruiting Requirements: New Blood Needed​

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Darth Zash walked up the ramp of the ancient red stone pyramid, carved as a single piece out of a mountain that used to be there. At the top of the ramp, Zash turned around to look at the two rows of giant statues of slaves facing inward, towards each other, with their heads bowed low. The two rows started a kilometer from the bottom of the ramp that ascended the pyramid, and stretched tens of kilometers to the horizon.

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The statues, the Pyramid, and the catacombs, below ground level, between the statues and the pyramid, were all carved out from the same red stone mountain range over eight thousand years in the most ancient past. Zash missed the Sith Academy. Memories of her one hundred and ten years, researching the ancient secrets of the Sith, here on Korriban began to flood her mind. Zash swept her eyes to either side of the statues. The landscape was flat rocky wastes that stretched from horizon to horizon.​

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Zash turned away from the vista, making her way to the pyramid entrance. Today was her first day back to Korriban since her formal reintroduction to the Dark Council several weeks before. She had just returned after spending those weeks reorganizing her sphere of influence at The Citadel on Dromund Kaas. She had been granted a seat on the Dark Council by Darth Nox’s rivals, to the incredible disappointment of her former apprentice.​

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Thinking of her climb up the seven hundred meter long, thirty degree slope of the ramp, Zash thought, “How I hated climbing that ramp in my old body, but in my new body it is so easy!”

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As she approached the entrance to the pyramid, one of the sentries clad in red armor lightly stomped his boot, the other five Imperial guardsmen snapped to attention. Zash passed between the guardsmen, three on either side of her, facing inward. When Zash had passed the guard, and entered the pyramid, the same guardsman scuffed his boot on the stone floor. The remaining five joined their leader and relaxed their stance.

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In the main hall of the Pyramid interior, Zash approached an attendant that sat at a kiosk. The attendant was a graduated acolyte who had recently passed his trials and was waiting for his new master to arrive on Korriban to begin his training out in the wider galaxy.

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He stood, bowed at the waist, and greeted Zash, “My lord, I am Relman Gordic, how may I be of service to you?”

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As he straightened up, Zash reminded herself that she was in a new body, and that the wider galaxy was not yet aware of her return to the realm of the living, so she forgave his impertinence towards her.

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Instead she asked the young Sith lord, “Does Overseer Ranate still serve the Sith Empire here, or has she moved on?”

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The newly minted Sith lord answered, “Overseer Ranate is with her class of acolytes in the lower archives, my lord.” Then he asked, “Does my lord remember the way there?”

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Zash replied, “I do, and for your information, my name is Darth Zash.”

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The young Sith didn’t know who Zash was, but he certainly did know what a Darth was.

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He quickly dropped to his hands and knees, exclaiming, “Please forgive my rudeness, my lord! I had no idea.”

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Zash said, “I understand perfectly, but I wanted you to know for the next time we meet.”

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The young man groveled, “Thank you, Darth Zash for your forbearance, towards me. I will not forget.”

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Zash walked towards a side passage that led to a stair well that went below the main hall, and descended to the lower levels of the pyramid, the archives were located there. Zash entered one of the chambers, sweeping her eyes across the open space, searching for Overseer Ranate. The walls were lined with shelves, and the shelves were filled with replicas of the original holocrons, filled with faithfully accurate copies of the ancient knowledge and history of the Sith.

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The overseer wasn’t in this chamber. Zash tried the next chamber, and immediately spotted Overseer Ranate, seated at a desk and lecturing her four acolytes. The overseer was in her mid fifties, with long grey hair done in a conservatively styled braided tail, down her back. Dark Side corruption made her seem ten years older, however. She wore the traditional Cobalt blue robes of an overseer and her lightsaber. Zash sat at another desk and, deciding to have a little fun, allowed her aura to radiate from her.

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Ranate and her four acolytes could feel her presence, but none of the acolytes seemed impressed. Ranate, a thinly built woman of average height on the other hand, ceased her lecture and bolted to her feet. She looked straight at Zash, and immediately walked to where she sat.

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Ranate, with deep suspicion in her tone, asked Zash, “Who are you?” Then, “What are you?”

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Zash only smiled at the overseer in her charming manner.

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Renate shook her head side to side and said, “This can’t be. This shouldn’t be possible.”

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By this time, Ranate’s acolytes had gathered behind her, peering at the lovely athletically toned woman seated at the desk.

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Zash asked, “How have I returned from the dead?” Then, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

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Ranate knew Zash wasn’t going to tell her that secret. Instead, she said, “Acolytes, who among you can recall my talks about Darth Zash, and her relentless pursuit to the secrets of Tulac Hord?” She didn’t wait for an answer, as she continued, “This is Darth Zash.”

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One of her acolytes said, “Master, I thought you said she was killed by her apprentice, who later became Darth Nox.”

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Zash chimed in, “And on a whim, Darth Nox performed a variation of Tulac Hord’s technique to get me back. So, here I am, alive again – in someone else’ body, mind you.”

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Ranate turned to her acolytes and said, “Not a word to anyone about this! Speak of this, and I’ll kill you!”

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Zash said, “I don’t mind if they talk about it. The news is going to get out anyway.”

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Ranate sharply dismissed her acolytes. They evacuated the archival chambers rushing up the stairs to Ranate’s offices.

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She turned to Zash and asked, “How may I serve you?”

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Zash replied, “What do you think of your acolytes?”

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Ranate replied, “They all show promise, but if….”

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Zash interrupted, “I’ll take all four of them.”

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Ranate asked, “But how will you find the time to train them all?”

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Zash said, as though thinking on that problem, “You have a point, especially now that I’m head of the Sphere of Technology, these days.”

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Ranate asked, “You’ve ascended to the Dark Council?! Forgive me Dark Lord! I had not heard of this!”

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Zash shrugged, “It’s no wonder. Darth Nox is still sore at me and at the Dark Council, because they elevated me against his wishes. So, it makes sense that he hasn’t permitted the Academy to hear about me.”

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The Sith Academy was under the jurisdiction of The Sphere of Ancient knowledge, which was Nox’ domain. Ranate realized she was talking to her master’s rival, becoming ever more cautious of what she said to Zash.

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Zash said, of how she would find the time to train her acolytes, “I’ll figure it out. In the meantime, I want to ask if you would consider transferring to my Sphere of Influence, not much ancient knowledge there to study, but plenty of administrative work that needs to be done. I need people with the right skills, and….”

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Zash saw the change in Ranate’s eyes, and reassured her, “Don’t worry, I intend to ask Darth Nox’ permission, first. I just want you to think about it.”

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Ranate bowed to Zash and said, “I will consider your invitation, and confer with Darth Nox. Then I will get back to you with an answer, Dark Lord.”

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Zash stood, and said, “Wonderful!” Then as though speaking confidentially, “You know about that Kaggath Darth Nox had with Acina?”

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Ranate nodded her head, replying, “Yes, Dark Lord. I know of it.”

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Zash said, as though embarrassed by it, “I was in his service, after he brought me back from the dead, and helped him kill Acina’s best leaders.” She laughed. Then added, “Then I get handed the remnants of her powerbase. I tell you, it’s a mess!”

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Zash said, “I’ve got to get going, now. Please, think of my offer.”

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Zash walked out of the archival chamber, leaving Overseer Ranate alone to think.

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She realized why Zash needed her, “She wants me to reshape her powerbase, to retrain those weak Sith still in her service.”

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Ranate made her way to her office. She knew she needed to report her meeting to Darth Nox, her lord.

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Oh, Zash, Zash, Zash. She is something else, isn't she? I like how she's playing it cool, apparently not doing any major plotting against Darth Nox, yet, because face it, she's just back from the "dead" and he can still be useful. But will she seize any opportunity to annoy the heck out of him? Oh, Hells yes!

 

What if - Zash spoke with Overseer Ranate, not because she needed her to rebuild her powerbase, but because she wanted to cause a rift between Darth Nox and the Sith Academy?

I'm not saying that's what happening. I'm just saying. You know? Cause I don't know what's going on in Zash's mind yet.... You know?

 

Well, Zash is a Sith, after all, so it could be a means to multiple ends.

 

Somehow, Sith and family life are a nice element from the regular being evil all the time It was definitely well-done--but sad, as we know what will happen later...and Zash scheming--this can't be good.

 

Moving Day​

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Felden Rickston was awoken from a sound sleep by his housekeeping droid. It was his day off, and Felden liked sleeping in late. He told his droid, groggily, “Friida, this had better be good, or I swear I’ll deactivate you for a month! You know your housework will pile up. Don’t you?”

FR1 – IDA replied, “Yes, master. I’m aware the work will pile up. I hope you will consider the inconvenience you will cause for yourself if you deactivate me.”

As Felden rubbed the sleep from his eyes and swung his legs over the side of his bed, his wife, who’d been asleep by his side, mumbled blurrily, “Honey, why can’t you keep quiet when you wake up?”

Felden wrapped himself in the robe his droid offered him. He walked out of his bed chamber and stopped in his tracks. He turned to his droid and asked, “Why the hell did you wake me?! What are you taking me to?!”

The droid reminded it’s master, “Imperial Soldiers at the door are demanding that you answer the door, master.”

Felden shook his head to clear the fog from his mind.

He asked, “Imperial soldiers? What do they want?”

The droid replied, “I was not informed, Master. I was only instructed to bring you to the door.”

Felden thought carefully of his business, “Nothing we did was illegal. Nothing we do is illegal.” Then, after searching deep within himself, he concluded, “I didn’t say or do anything incriminating...”

He turned around and looked back at his bed chamber entrance.

He wondered to himself, “Did Eriana say or do something out of character?”

He took a step towards his bed chamber, then stopped. Common sense hit him.

He told himself, “Eriana spends her time in her garden. She talks to her plants. She didn’t do anything to anger the Empire.”

He turned back, making his way to the turbolift that was the entrance to his domicile. He lived on the third level of a three story condominium complex. There were two of these condominium complexes in his culdesac, a total of six condominiums that overlooked the beautiful vista that was Imperial Settlement Number Three.

At the turbolift, Felden stood before the intercom, and said, “Accept call.”

The helmeted visage of an Imperial officer appeared on the screen.

Felden said imperiously, “This had better be good. What do you want?”

Felden Rickston was the CEO and President, as well as majority shareholder of Taris Metals. He was also majority shareholder of Taris Shipping Corporation. He made his living out of scrapping the ruins of the ancient city of Taris’ cityscape, turning scrap metal into ingots of raw metal, ingots of various metals which were badly needed for the Sith Empire’s war effort against the Galactic Republic.

The Imperial soldier introduced herself.

“Good morning, sir. I’m Colonel Merenia Halsk. I’m here to evict you from your residence. You’re five on my list of five, Sir.”

Felden took a moment to consider what he’d just been told.

He asked. “Did you say, I was being – evicted??”

That made no sense to him.

He told the Imperial officer, “Did you say your name was Hesk?”

She corrected him, telling him, “No, sir. It’s Halsk.”

Felden replied, “Very well, uh…., Colonel Halsk. I own this condominium. It’s fully paid for. So, how is it that I’m being evicted? And, more importantly, why is the Empire worried over a single condominium that it would send troops after it?”

Merenia Halsk was fully briefed, and had fully prepared herself for this moment. She already had her canned responses and queries ready to disarm the wealthy and powerful Tarisians of any claims of power and political connections to Imperial elites they thought they had.

She’d gone through this process four times already with his neighbors. She had perfected her delivery, and was ready for any questions the last tenant on her list might have for her.

She asked, “Master Rickston, do you know who Darth Komo is?”

Felden replied, “Of course. Who doesn’t know who Darth Komo is?”

Then Colonel Halsk asked, “Do you know who Darth Nox is?”

After a bit of silence and a sense of growing dread, Felden finally replied, “Yes, I know who the dark lord is. Who doesn’t know who Darth Nox is?”

Colonel Merenia Halsk replied, “Good. I’m glad you know who they are. That will make this easy.”

Felden shook his head and looked at the image, on the screen, of the Imperial officer as though she were crazy.

She then went on to say, “Darth Komo has given your residence as a gift, to Darth Nox. Darth Nox will arrive – here, in about six hours. We have to move you and your belongings out, and have this place refurnished before the dark lord’s arrival.”

Felden Rickston reflexively rejected Colonel Merenia Halsk’s assertions, saying, “That’s pure fantasy. The Dark Lord of The Sith, coming here? Nonsense!”

Colonel Merenia Halsk smiled and replied, “I know! Right?! Darth Nox, here on Taris?! That sounds crazy!!” Then she got serious, “But he’s here on Taris, and Darth Komo gave us our orders.

Felden objected, “This is my home! I paid for this property!”

The Imperial Army officer asked, “Really? How much did you pay?”

Felden looked at the image and realized she was serious. He asked, “Where are my wife and I going to live?!”

Merenia told him, “We got this all figured out, sir. We’re gonna put all of your stuff up on storage, on the Imperial Army’s credit chip. You’ll move to a hotel, also on our chip. We’ll pay you market value for your residence. You tell us what that is – we’ll pay it.”

Felden said, “Give me a minute.”

He got on the turbolift to ride to the ground floor. The turbolift stopped on the second level, however. Professional movers loaded the turbolift with furnishings and carefully labeled boxes of belongings into the lift, then got in with him. The lift went to the ground level. He had to wait for them to empty the lift of all of his neighbor’s belongings before exiting the lift, himself. Walking to the main entrance, he stepped outside.

Outside, in the culdesac, he counted twelve Globe Transport heavy duty moving cargo speeders and six military troop transporters lined up, parked on the roadside. Soldiers assisted the professional movers to load the heavy cargo speeders, all working feverishly. War droids patrolled the culdesac, or stood on sentry duty. As he exited his building, he watched as soldiers and professional movers removed furnishings from the only other building on his street as well.

A helmeted Imperial Army woman as tall as he was, he was one point seventy five meters tall, spoke to him with urgency in her tone.

“We need to get started in moving you out, sir. Tell me how much you paid for your condominium, and we’ll compensate you.”

Felden his voice shaking with frustration, asked, “Why is this happening? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!”

Colonel Merenia Halsk put her hand on his shoulder, speaking sympathetically, she told him, “There is nothing we can do. The Sith have decided this, and we don’t know why.” Then she hardened her tone, removing her hand from his shoulder, telling him, “If you don’t move voluntarily, we’ll use force to remove you.” She softened her tone, and pleaded with him, “Please, move voluntarily.”

Felden Rickston, the wealthiest, most influential man on Taris, in this part of the galaxy actually, closed his eyes and bowed his head, and said, “Let me wake my wife. I’ll come back down with the figures for what we paid for our condominium.”

The Imperial Army colonel nodded her head in acknowledgment, and watched as he turned and reentered his condominium complex.

 

Theory confirmed! All Imperial officers are not inherently evil. Many of them are just doing their jobs.

 

A sympathetic Imperial? Not something you see everyday for sure but very interesting. Is Colonel Halsk going to have her own back story someday?

 

Imperial Soldiers are people, too. Not all of them are ruthless tyrants. Most Imperial soldiers are just professionals. They have been trained to be curt, direct, and to take no guff from the general population. However, in the case of "legitimate" powerful industrialists, the soldiers are trained to be firm but polite.

Personalities differ from individual to individual, so you are bound to get some people who are jerks. Some are sure to go on power trips, while others remain down to earth.

In my writings, you're going to find Republic Officers who are jerks, as well as upstanding people. You will find that I present Jedi as pragmatists which would make them seem contrarian. For example, in my sequel

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you'll see a Jedi that confronts Virulous (formally Shahn Lunn). This Jedi tries to use dirty tricks to accomplish his mission. His mission is to bring Andronikos Revel to the Galactic Republic, to face justice for his terrible crimes. Viroulous has been tasked to protect Andronikos Revel. Since they are on Nar Shaddaa, and in the presence of Hutt government officials, the Jedi and Virulous refrain from simply trying to kill each other.

Instead, Virulous uses the fact that she serves Darth Nox, and that means she has the weight of the Sith Empire behind her. The Jedi, on the other hand attempts to not only throw the weight of the Galactic Republic around, but he used the Jedi Mind Trick on one of the Hutt government officials to get him to hand Andronikos over to him.

Later the Jedi ambushes Virulous and attempts to spare her life, if she'd only yield and hand over Andronikos. On the one hand the Jedi did try to NOT kill Virulous, even though she is Sith, and he was definitely trying to bring Andronikos in ALIVE to face Justice, but he tried to use underhanded tricks to get his job done, including endangering Hutt security. If the Jedi succeeds in apprehending Andonikos, he risks Darth Nox's wrath on Nar Shaddaa.

So, you see the Jedi tries to do good, but he ends up using underhanded tactics to get things done, and he's willing to risk Nar Shaddaa's security.

It's similar to how Bastila, a Jedi, in order to avoid capture by Darth Malak, sacrificed Taris to Malik's wrath. He reduced Taris, a city world (like Curoscant) into a twisted mass of metal and toxic ruin.

To prevent her capture, and being turned to the Dark Side, and using her power for the Sith Emperor, she chose to hide - a good thing. However, it resulted in her letting Taris burn, a bad thing. To Bastila's way of thinking, letting herself get captured would have been worse for the galaxy.

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Is there a way to use spoiler tags that hide the text until clicked on?

EDIT: I can be so long winded....

EDIT2: Thanks Cowgirl Jedi for the [ spoiler ] trick (and for your comments).

EDIT3: Thanks for your comments, gizkaspice.

 

How to do spoiler tags (IIRC):

[ spoiler ]Your text[ /spoiler ]

Without the extra spaces separating the brackets, what you get is.....

Spoiler

this.

 

Good insight PlanetSmasher not many stories out there of Imperials just being people doing a job, although more is needed I think. Diversity and avoiding stereotypes in SW is always great so I think you've got some pretty interesting characters in the making.

 

That New Ship Smell: Khem's First Impression​

Khem Val had gotten word that his master, Darth Nox was ready to leave Dromund Kaas.

Nox had instructed him, via audio only comlink, “Khem, meet with me, in my ship at my hanger bay in Dromund Kaas Spaceport. The others are also on their way there.”

Upon reaching Nox’s starship, Khem Val took note of a worrisome fact. The ramp was down, and the main air lock at the top of the ramp was open. Khem Val took his weapon from its bracket on the back of his cuirass, activating it.

It gave a high pitched warbling hum, that was barely audible and which became pronounced as his weapon moved through the air. Khem Val liked the zinging sound it made when he swung his weapon at his prey.

As he climbed to the top of the ramp at the back of the ship, he could see through the airlock aperture. The first thing Khem Val could see through it was the taupe colored leather padded bulkheads inside, and upon stepping through the airlock aperture, Khem was astounded by the wood flooring on the ship’s deck.

Khem Val thought to himself, “The pirate has lost his senses.” He absolutely hated it, thinking, “He has made this hard place to prepare for battle, into a soft den to accommodate a brothel!”

When he entered the crew space and looked at the luxuriously upholstered lounge seats, he shook his massive head in disbelief.

His disgust grew as he thought, “This was a ship of war! The pirate has made it into a ship of pleasure!”

The soft diffused even lighting that illuminated the crew space made Khem Val want to slash the upholstery and the padded leather wall panels with his weapon.

Khem Val raged, “Does that thieving pirate wish to weaken my master with this softness!!”

A sound caught the Dashade’s ear. He spun, adroitly, bringing his weapon to the ready. A heavily armored, helmetless Mandalorian warrior immediately greeted Khem Val with both hands up, empty, and in the posture of non-aggression.

“Su’cuy!”

Khem Val demanded, “Why do you stain my master’s ship with your filthy presence! Answer me now, or I shall make you into my dinner!”

The Mandalorian mercenary had been warned and thoroughly briefed by his client, Andronikos Revel, on how to stand, where to have his hands, and to be very quick to answer any question asked with only one phrase.

“I was hired by Andronikos Revel, to be in the service of Darth Nox.”

Those words seemed to have the desired effect, but the towering behemoth persisted, “I will lop your head off if you do not cease your lies!”

Maintaining his non-aggressive stance, with his hands up in front of him, the Mando mercenary replied, warily, “I was hired by Andronikos Revel, to be in the service of Darth Nox.”

Khem Val pointed his weapon at the mercenary and told him, “My master will be here on this ship. If you have lied to me, I shall peel your hide from you, and let you scream!”

The mercenary answered, “I will return to my bunk to wait for your master, whom I was hired to serve.”

He turned about and walked to the troop quarters. Khem Val stood, watching the mercenary walk into the troop quarters.

He realized, “There must be more of them in there!”

His weapon at the ready, he leapt to the door frame of the troop quarters, catching them by surprise. The shocked looks in their faces, the worry in their eyes, and the way they all froze mid activity, all caught off guard made Khem Val laugh at them.

“Ha! If I had wanted to, I could have butchered you all, and then I’d have many weeks’ worth of emergency food supplies!” Then, as he punched in a code at the side of the doorway, he ordered them, “Stay quietly in here, or come out to become my late evening snacks!”

The door slid shut, locking them in.

Khem Val secured his weapon, and proceeded to inspect the rest of the ship, just as Nox’s two apprentices entered.

He told them, “There are thugs locked in the troop quarters. Do not let them out. They shall be judged by our master.”

He could hear the voice of the Jedi that had become the voice of his hated enemy, Zash, say to the tiny quiet Sith, “Khem Val has always been one for being boorish.”

He told her, “My master is not here to forbid me from making you into my food! Speak again, witch!”

Noticing the tiny female Sith lord, looking nervously at him, he remarked, “Do not worry, little Sith. There is not enough meat on you for me to consider eating. I shall simply slay you and let the vermin have you.”

The two women remained silent, as the Dashade walked towards his quarters.

Remembering the vermin locked in the troop quarters, he vowed to himself, “I shall have words with that pirate! If his reasons for having those scum aboard our master’s ship prove inadequate, I shall petition my master for leave to make a feast out of him!”

This wasn’t the first time Andronikos had hired thugs to board Nox’s ship. He regularly hired mercenaries to plunder loot from Nox’s enemies, which the pirate had murdered. The phrase the mercenary had recited to Khem Val was actually a pass phrase which the semi-retired pirate and the Dashade had agreed to, after Khem Val had slaughtered another team of thugs that Andronikos had in Nox’s ship some years before.

_____________________________________________________________________________________​

Andronikos had walked into the troop quarters, and found Khem Val lying on his side, with his head propped up on his hand, snacking on a pirate’s forearm, while watching a holo-vid documentary about predatory sea creatures on the ocean world of Manaan.

Andronikos shouted at the Dashade, “Khem! What the hell did you do?! Please tell me that’s not my crew you’re eating! Dammit Khem! You’re eating my crew! You got any idea how much I had to pay up front for them? Now I gotta call their boss and explain how come they're dead!”

Andronikos was met with Khem’s silence.

He shouted, “Khem! You owe me thirty thousand credits!”

Khem Val replied, “Calm yourself, pirate. It is your fault for not telling me they would be in our master’s ship.” Picking up a severed foot, the Dashade offered it to Andronikos, saying, “It is full of bones, but the tendons and little muscles are very tasty.”

Andronikos shook his head in frustration, turning about and leaving Khem Val to his banquet.

_____________________________________________________________________________________​

Khem Val entered his quarters and stopped just inside the doorway. He immediately noticed that the volume of his quarters had been considerably enlarged. He walked to his storage locker, opening it. He found it had enough space for his oversized armor and weapons.

As he secured his weapons and armor in the locker, he thought, “I will not need to stack my armor on the floor, any longer.”

He walked to his desk and, as he sat in the swivel chair, found that the chair and the desk had been sized for his huge stature and bulk. A light went on in his head, as he whirled in his chair to face his bed. Khem walked to his bed and lay in it. His feet and lower legs did not hang over the end of the bed. It was large enough for him to lay comfortably in it. Khem Val felt quite some satisfaction and comfort from this. He found his mood improving quite considerably.

Another thought entered his mind as he felt the need to empty his bowels. He looked apprehensively at the fresher room door in his quarters. Khem rose from his bed and walked to it. The door slid open when he touched the door switch. He was breath-taken, a huge smile on his face, as he entered the fresher. Everything in the enlarged space was sized for his proportions.

Later, as he exited the fresher, he heard his master’s and Andronikos’ voices coming from his open door. As he approached Nox and Andronikos in the common crew space, he heard Nox’s query and Andronikos’ reply expressing ignorance as to whether everyone were aboard the ship and ready to depart. As he joined his master and the pirate in the luxurious crew lounge, Khem answered Nox’s query.

“Your apprentices are aboard, Master.”

Turning to face Andronikos, Khem, grumpy as always, said to him, "Pirate, for the first time, I find my quarters adequate."

Andronikos, was put off by Khem Val's seeming ingratitude, and repeated, "Adequate, eh?"

Khem nodded, and said, "For the first time I do not need to squeeze into a coffin to use the fresher, and my feet do not hang over the end of the bed. Because of this, when the day comes that I sever my bonds to my master, I shall not eat you, too."

Andronikos burst into laughter, telling Khem Val, “I’m glad you liked your quarters!”

Returning to business, Khem Val pointed a huge finger at Andronikos’ chest and asked, “What are those filth doing desecrating our master’s ship?”

Andronikos stopped laughing, replying, “Uh, oh…,” and worriedly asking, "You didn't eat them. Did you?"

 

"Andronikos had walked into the troop quarters, and found Khem Val lying on his side, with his head propped up on his hand, snacking on a pirate’s forearm, while watching a holo-vid documentary about predatory sea creatures on the ocean world of Manaan."

I can't decide whether I should find this hilarious or terrifying, but I think that holo-vid documentary takes the cake in this entire chapter.

 

I laughed all through that last part. Bravo!

 

I'm glad you guys liked it. It was hard making a dark comedy with Khem Val. He's serious 99.9% of the time. He's always hungry, and you can't take him lightly if he threatens to eat you. It was hard to make such a gruesome scene into a comedy. I didn't know if my attempt at dark comedy would fly, but at least it seems I got a couple of readers to laugh, here and there.

Thank you so much for your comments.

 

If the intent was dark comedy--I think it was spot on. It's actually tricky to write good dark comedy as you need a balance in making it light but also make it kind of terrible at the same time, but I think the way it was described here was successful.

 

You are good at dark comedy. All the way through Fun And Games, there would be a few paragraphs of Darth Nox being scarily mad, or pain and torture, or blood and guts, and then there would be something that made me laugh.