Before - Legends Swamp Demon ? A Day in the Life of Darth Zannah. Updated FINALLY

Swamp Demon ? A Day in the Life of Darth Zannah


Legal Disclaimer ? The usual. I own absolutely nothing in this story. Star Wars, Darth Zannah, etc. are all the intellectual properties of somebody else (Lucas Arts, probably Dark Horse Comics, and so forth.)

Character Disclaimer ? As far as I know, there?s no official description of the sort of woman that Zannah grew up to be, so I?m writing one possible option. I don?t know if it will be any good, but, hopefully, it will at least be different.

Also, I?ve read several interesting and entertaining Zannah stories where the authors used a Sith alias (Darth Torrent and Darth Nefari are the two that come to mind). In this case, I?m just going to use ?Darth Zannah? or simply ?Zannah?. It?s not particularly imaginative, I realize?

Story Disclaimer ? The first post is going to seem, uh, fairly uneventful. Basically, I?m trying to set the mood. There will be more action later on, but, for now, I?m working under the assumption that not every Sith Lord can be contemplating galactic domination all the time.


|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|


Outer Space, above the planet Somov Rit
Twenty-three years after the Seventh Battle of Ruusan


A small starship - to all appearances a sleek, executive transport craft - dropped from hyperspace, and began a gradual, controlled descent into the atmosphere of Somov Rit.

A nearby observer, had there been one, might have been intrigued. A wealthy business person or member of high-society, the sort of person to which such a ship would usually belong, would have little interest in a resource-poor, agrarian world such as Somov Rit. As it was, there were no observers, no other space traffic, nobody nearby to care.

The ship had no official designation, or, depending on one?s perspective, many official designations. It?s aftermarket, blatantly illegal identification transponder, was capable of broadcasting any one of fifty-nine different aliases, thought not a single one of those aliases was the actual name of the ship.

To it?s pilot-owner, the ship was called the Soft Landing, a name which carried a very deep, very personal significance. To her last breath, she would never explain to another soul why she chose Soft Landing; she even refused to explain the name to the ship?s own droid-intelligence system. The name was a reference to her childhood, a time of innocence long gone and nearly forgotten.

Soft Landing landed next to a sedate lake, near a fishing village. Such locations were common on Somov Rit. The planet was an uninteresting mass of lakes, rivers, and wetlands, with no large cities. Somov Rit could easily sustain its small population, but had little to offer the galaxy at large.

Of course, first appearances were often deceiving. Such was the case of this planet.

Such was the case of Soft Landing.

Such was the case of Soft Landing?s pilot.

She was a strikingly attractive woman, blonde-haired and blue-eyed, somewhat shorter than human norm, but highly athletic. She was also obviously a woman of means. Her blouse, pants, boots, and vest were custom-tailored of highest-quality leathers, and quite effectively accentuated the curves of her body, while allowing complete freedom of movement.

Far less noticeably, her clothes were reinforced with several highly resilient layers of armorweave, plus an underlay of bacta-dispensing mesh. Though hardly a battlesuit, such a wardrobe provided considerable protection against attack, plus healing properties. This was a woman accustomed to a life of danger.

Oddly, though, she exited Soft Landing tentatively, nervously. There was no apparent cause for concern. The lake had no obvious hazards. The only activity came from a few small birds, plus the occasional waves created by small fish swimming near the water?s surface.

?Zannah,? she said softly, her full attention focused upon the idyllic waters.

Nothing happened, nothing at all.

 

Very intriguing.

To it?s pilot-owner, the ship was called the Soft Landing, a name which carried a very deep, very personal significance. To her last breath, she would never explain to another soul why she chose Soft Landing; she even refused to explain the name to the ship?s own droid-intelligence system. The name was a reference to her childhood, a time of innocence long gone and nearly forgotten.


Of course this only makes me want to know why the name.

Has she come home to battle this supposed swanp demon??

Please add me to the PM list for updates.

 

What a great start!

A good game, she thought, enjoying her triumph. My complements. It was a small victory, but a victory nevertheless, and, thus, another of her chains was broken.

Looking forward to more! Please put me on your PM list.

 

Swamp Demon ? Second Post


Credit where it?s due: ? The first part of this entry (the flashback that takes place on Somov Rit) is taken verbatim from the Jedi vs Sith graphic novel, published by Dark Horse Comics, or by Titan Books in Britain. Darko Macan is credited as the script writer. I have made two minor changes:

One character calls out another character?s name at one point. This is literally one word of dialogue, and would have required a full sentence just to describe.

One character, nicknamed ?Root? is only referred to as a cousin by the other three, in spite of a large age difference. I have therefore taken it upon myself to assume that he is a cousin-once-removed.

Note: I would ordinarily feel somewhat guilty about this, if not for the fact these changes are nearly invisible compared to the many, many, many more changes made in Darth Bane: Path of Destruction.


Apologies for entry length and format: ? As often happens with my stories, this one turned into a long, non-linear mess. I had a specific end point that I wanted to reach, and I wanted to establish certain aspects of Zannah?s character, and the only way I could think to do that was with a pair of flashbacks. I hope it works, but I acknowledge that it possibly won?t

Also, this is the first time that I?ve attempted to write a female character, and I think I have a long way to go.



Healer Leona: The name Soft Landing is a reference to the original story detailed in Jedi vs. Sith, and touched upon briefly in Darth Bane: Path of Destruction. I?m not sure if I can incorporate the details into this story in a way that would make sense, but maybe I?ll figure out something.

Suffice it to say that Zannah was saved from a fall from a great height, and the character that saved her died tragically.


VaderLVR64: I appreciate the complement. Something you may find humorous. The line you quoted was not in the original post; it was edited after the fact. The first draft, I wrote Zannah as thinking to herself ??Excellent?? I then realized that, coming from a Sith Lord, this sounded like something Montgomery Burns would think.


|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|


Flashback:
Planet Somov Rit
Simpler Times


?Come. That?s right, fish. Come to me! Come to your doom!? Said the boy nicknamed ?Bug? from the relative comfort of his small, open boat. He was drawing upon the Force and, as he desired, a nice, big, juicy catfish hovered in the water, just below the surface. With long-practiced skill, he plunged his trident into the lake, and drew the impaled fish into the boat.

?Ha ha ha! It?s too late to be sorry now!? Bug laughed. Meanwhile, on a nearby, grassy shore, his two cousins were occupying themselves with a game of sorts.

?All right, Rain! I?m ready!? Said ?Tomcat?, a boy of similar age to Bug. Tomcat stood blindfolded, with a club-like stick in his hand. The youngest of the three cousins, a sweet-natured, ten year old girl nicknamed ?Rain?, threw an overripe fruit directly at Tomcat?s head.

With his blindfold in place, Tomcat swung his stick, batting the fruit away, smashing the not-terribly-dangerous projectile into a thousand mushy fragments.

?I did it, Rain, I did it!? Tomcat celebrated. ?You did it, Tomcat!? Rain cheered her cousin. Their celebration was cut short, however, when a similar fruit, expertly thrown by Bug, splattered on the back of Tomcat?s head.

?You didn?t do it, Tomcat!? Bug mocked.

?Why are you always doing such things, cousin?? Rain asked.

?Why not?? Bug shrugged. ?As if Tomcat would get to fight fair if he ever became a Jedi! ?I am ready, Dark Lord! Do strike first!??

?At least I don?t use the Force to kill fish!? Tomcat protested, rather feebly.

?Of course!? Bug said, confidently. ?Though eating them is not beneath you, I?ve noticed!?

?Cousins, please!? Rain tried to calm the two.

?Quarreling boys, Root? Are they the best you can of

 

Excellent use of the flashbacks.

Unfortunately, she?s right about how useless I am without a lightsaber,


That's thinking rather negatively.

WHoa!! Nothing like beiing disturbed from you relaxinf day on the lake. What is beneath the water in search of Zannah?

 

I love how you've constructed this story!

She became melancholy. She became introspective.

As a Sith Lord, she?d committed countless felonies, usually for her own betterment. She?d become very wealthy through theft, murder-for-hire, more theft, industrial espionage, blackmail, even more theft, etc. Through it all, she had few regrets. In spite of the inherent danger and darkness, she was content with the life choices she?d made. There were, however, exceptions?

Wonderful!

 

In this case, I?m just going to use ?Darth Zannah? or simply ?Zannah?. It?s not particularly imaginative, I realize?

I'd relax, "Darth Zannah" is her canon Sith name anyway.

I have a great interest in this character, and your story certainly does her justice. Keep it up!

 

Swamp Demon ? Third Post


Planet Somov Rit -


As she hovered, motionless, near the bottom of the lake, Zannah considered her options.

The Swamp Demon? No, dammit! She would NOT allow herself to believe in such a thing? The creature, or whatever it actually was, continued to circle the remains of her boat, near the water?s surface, in a more or less random pattern.

That, at least, was good news; such behavior implied a lack of sophistication, perhaps mere animalistic intelligence. Still, a battle under the current circumstances was utterly out of the question. Whatever its limitations, this creature was aquatic; whatever her abilities, Zannah was still a human. Her highest priority would have to be reaching shore.

Using the Force, she gently nudged herself towards land. At first she moved very slowly, without using her limbs, so as to produce as little apparent motion as possible. When the creature showed no signs of pursuit, she gradually became more confident, employing a combination of telekinesis and ordinary swimming. Eventually, as the lake bottom began to slope upwards, she broke the surface, taking some desperately needed breaths.

Soon enough, she was on dry land, or what passed for ?dry? land on Somov Rit. She drew her lightsaber from her belt ? thank the Force that she?d properly secured her weapon ? and arose / staggered to her feet. Though exhausted and inhaling in huge gasps, she was determined to fight the creature with whatever strength she had left.

No fight came. Not only had the creature failed to pursue her, there were no signs of it, not even a telltale wake. Aside from the floating debris of the rowboat, the lake was peaceful once more.

?Peace is a lie. There is only passion,? she mumbled, aloud. ?Maybe the code needs an update. ?Peace is a lie. There are only big-arse sea monsters and passion.? Great, I?m talking to myself and mocking the Sith Code. If Lord Bane were here, he?d turn blue.?

She settled herself onto the grass, meditated to regain her strength, and considered her options. Of course, she could simply return to her ship and leave the planet. She had confronted her deepest fear, and that had been the entire point of her journey to Somov Rit. She?d been ambushed by a deadly opponent, in an environment that put her at a complete disadvantage, yet she?d survived.

Through power I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken.

Had she gained a victory? Was mere survival, however unfavorable the odds, sufficient for a Lord of the Sith?

She?d discovered the truth. The Swamp Demon may have been a legend, but it was no superstition. There was something in the water, something real, something that, truth be told, had bested her.

And that, ultimately, was the crux of the matter. Something had bested her.

"My name is Darth Zannah!!!" She screamed, both verbally and through the Force, as powerfully as she could. "I?m Darth Zannah! Darth Zannah! Darth Zannah! Darth Zannah! Come to me, demon! Come to me! I DEMAND you come to me!"

She continued, over and over, and soon enough, the creature responded. The first indication was when a tight grouping of spikes broke the water?s surface, followed by a pair of web-palmed claws, attached to arm-like, scaled limbs.

Finally, as it reached the shallow water near the shore, the creature stood. It was huge, at least five meters tall, apparently reptilian, with an oversized head. Two massive mandibles jutted from its mouth which, combined with the creature?s claws, provided formidable weaponry.

?So, all along, you?ve been the Swamp Demon?? Zannah told it. That the creature couldn?t understand her words was of no importance. ?Makes sense, considering what you really are. Yeah, that?s right, I know what you are??


|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|


Flashback:
Planet Coruscant ? Four Years Earlier
The Jedi Temple ? Archives Wing


?Oh, hello, dear girl, hello!? Jedi librarian Nedal Agammor greeted the young Knight. ?What an unexpecte

 

Wow, fantastic fic!!!

I always wondered why nobody writes about the Ruusan period, it's one of my favourite. Excellent characterisation of Rain/Zannah. I'm a big fan of Darko Macan's characters. Wonderfully done!

 

What a great story!

Ever since reading Darth Bane - Path of Destruction, I wanted to know more about Zannah/Rain.

Really like your writing of her!

PMs at updates, pretty please??

 

Rain=Zannah character has fascinated me ever since I read Macan's Jedi VS Sith years ago, one of my favourite comics. Her interesting connection with the Bouncers and the Force convinced me that one day she'd make a brilliant Force-user (Sith?) under Bane's tutelage.
I was very happy when Path of Destruction came out and now I feel that hapiness when seeing that someone actually wrote a fanfic about about her. You did well on the characterisation and I also loved the descriptions in the story.
Very good job!

Please PM me when you update.

 

Outstanding fic! I really enjoyed reading it. Send a PM to me as well, once you post an update.

 

I could cry. Rain, how could you? Sobs and cry into the dead of the night.

 

Wow.
Some things are just shocking.

But fantastic fic!!!

 

Awesome story. I really like your description of Rain/Zannah! Please PM me as well.

 

I'm still getting caught up, but please put me on the PM list!

 

?Peace is a lie. There is only passion,? she mumbled, aloud. ?Maybe the code needs an update. ?Peace is a lie. There are only big sea monsters and passion.? Great, I?m talking to myself and making jokes about the Sith Code. If Lord Bane were here, he?d turn blue.?


Can't help but chuckle here.

Superb update!

 

Thank you all so much for your support. My apologies for my slow updates, but my job sometimes makes it difficult to find time to write.

Most of you have complemented my interpretation of Rain/Zannah, and I'm very, very grateful. I wanted to write a Sith Lord that didn?t seem like a feminized clone of Palpatine ? I love Palpy, but that sort of character has been done already, and I could do little to improve upon the concept.

However, when I wrote her spear fishing, drinking microbrew, and genuinely befriending her victims, I was afraid I might have gone too far. Based on your feedback, it seems like those details worked out, and it helped me figure out this character. Again, I greatly appreciate your support.

Retcon Alert: ? Generally speaking, I don?t like to alter a story once I?ve posted it, but in this case I felt I had to. When I wrote the original post involving Petros Difilstrom, I didn?t realize that ? according to the Unofficial Encyclopedia and Wikipedia at least ? the Lost Twenty were all Jedi Masters. Therefore, I retroactively changed that post to make him a Jedi Master, albeit a young one. He?s still basically the same character; he still loved Zannah, and he?s still as dead as a Chicken McNugget.

Since I was making changes, I decided to clean up a few awkward passages, and altered some dialogue. The changes aren?t really significant, and there?s little to gain by looking for them, but for the sake of accuracy and completeness, I felt that I should mention them.

Credit where it?s due: ? I?ve included Darth Bane in this post, and that presents a problem, since the interpretations of Bane seem to vary among authors. What I?ve attempted to do is start with Darko Macan?s version (from Jedi vs. Sith) and supplement the character with Drew Karpyshyn?s details (from Path of Destruction).

I?ve included the events and changes that resulted from Bane of the Sith by Kevin J. Anderson; there really wasn?t much choice. Please note, I haven?t actually read Bane of the Sith, and I may have gotten a detail or two wrong.



Jedi_Drizzt: ? I'm a big fan of Darko Macan's characters. I am as well. There are certain things about Jedi vs. Sith about which I?m less than enthusiastic, but the characters are brilliantly written. I hope that he someday writes a story that provides more detail about Kiel Charny.

Qui-Gina-Jinn: ? Ever since reading Darth Bane - Path of Destruction, I wanted to know more about Zannah/Rain. As I understand it, the next Darth Bane novel will be published at the end of December. I suppose that I need to finish this story before then, before it all becomes invalidated

Ulic_Starwalker: ? Rain=Zannah character has fascinated me ever since I read Macan's Jedi VS Sith years ago, one of my favourite comics. I wholeheartedly agree. She?s a great character, and I also find it strange that so little has been done with her.

w-righter: ? Thank you very much.

Lightsaber123: ? I could cry. Rain, how could you? Sobs and cry into the dead of the night. Just wait?

Darth-Spider-Queen: ? Wow. Some things are just shocking. Just wait?

KotOR_girl: ? Thank you very much. By the way, are you as anxious as I am to find out who the characters eventually become? I?m reasonably sure that Haazen=Darth Sion, but aside from that? ;
VaderLVR64: ? I?m still getting caught up with YOUR stories. I feel awful about being such a chronic lurker, but you put up good material faster than I can write my comments!

Healer Leona: ? I?m glad you like that passage; I enjoyed writing it, though it?s one of the things I retconned in my earlier posts. I, uh, hope you don?t mind the change, but I just had to do it?



|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|



Swamp Demon ? Fourth Post



Citadel of Iziz - Planet Onderon
One year after the Seventh Battle of Rusaan
Twent

 

But the terentatek? it lay face down on the moist ground and cried, albeit in its own, animalistic way.


After all that, I can understand her hesitation and it affect on her.


She had no way of knowing that this breed mated for life.

And, with the creature?s resistance to the Force, her senses couldn?t detect the second terentatek emerging from the lake.

Unfortunately for Zannah, extenuating circumstances would prove to be cold comfort. Her first indication of peril was the sound of a large, heavy foot sinking into the wet ground near the water?s edge. As she turned around, the second beast spit a cloud of venom at point-blank range.

 

Wow! Quite an intense update!

 

Amazing update!
I hope you'll update more regulary, I really enjoy reading this one.

 

Ooooo, very very good! Keep me updated!

 

Swamp Demon ? Fifth Post

I must offer my apologies for taking so long to update this story. As I noted in my PMs, my time has been occupied by a change in jobs, and associated move, since my last post. This story (plus many other things in my personal life) had to be put on the shelf for a while. It turns out that change is good, but it?s not very convenient.

Credit where it?s due: ? Dialogue for the first part of this entry (the flashback which takes place on Ambria) is taken verbatim from the Star Wars Darth Bane: Rule of Two novel, published by Ballantine Books, and written by Drew Karpyshyn.

Necessary explanation: ? This story was begun before Darth Bane: Rule of Two was published, at which time the canonical Zannah was open to interpretation. If you?ve read Rule of Two, you know that the character has been much more clearly defined, and I?m not sure if my own interpretation is compatible. For one thing, she becomes a Sith sorcerer, and I would never have guessed that. For another thing, I wanted to incorporate an element of vulnerability into the character, and I don?t see that in Rule of Two. That?s not a complaint; it?s just an observation.

Also, and this is sort of cool, I wrote Zannah breaking into the Jedi Archives in my last post, and, when Rule of Two was published, it included a section where (wait for it?) Zannah breaks into the Jedi Archives! My ego would love to believe that Drew Karpyshyn stumbled across my little story and was so impressed that he was inspired to copy me, but my common sense knows that this is not the case. Oh well, I can dream, can?t I

Anyway, for the sake of this story, lets just assume that she infiltrated the Jedi Temple on several occasions, several years apart. Let?s also assume that Zannah, for all her abilities, is prone to making radical changes in her life and attitude. IMHO, that was one of the character?s defining traits in the original Jedi vs Sith graphic novel.

And, finally, the Darth Bane: Rule of Two novel includes a section where Zannah meets Darth Bane on Onderon, and my version of that event is not even remotely close to the canonical version. I?m just not willing to take the time to re-edit that passage of my story, so I guess this is officially an AU.


|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|<>|


Darth Bane?s Camp - Planet Ambria
Two years after the Seventh Battle of Rusaan
Twenty-one years before Zannah?s battle against the Two Terentateks


?The Force manifests itself in many different ways,? Darth Bane said. ?Every individual has strengths and weaknesses ? talents they excel at and others that are more difficult.?

?Some possess raw elemental power; they can unleash storms of lightning from their fingertips, or move mountains with their mere thoughts. Others are more gifted in the subtle intricacies of the Force, blessed with the ability to affect the minds of friend and foe alike through the arts of persuasion or battle meditation.?

Bane paused, seemingly reluctant to continue.

?A rare few have a natural affinity for the dark side itself,? he finally said. ?They can delve into the depths of the Force and summon arcane energies to twist and warp the world around them. They can invoke the ancient rituals of the Sith; they can conjure power and unleash terrible spells and dark magics.?

?Is that my gift?? Zannah asked. ?Am I a Sith sorcerer??

?You have the potential,? Bane told her. He reached into his robes and produced a thin, leather-bound book. ?Hidden deep inside the Holocron, I discovered a list of powerful spells. I transcribed them into this tome. They will help you focus and channel your power for maximum effect? but only if you study them carefully.?

?I will, Master,? Zannah said, as she took the book from Bane.

?My ability to guide and teach you in the ways of sorcery are limited,? Bane added. ?My talents lie in another direction. To unleash your full potential you will have to do much of the study and research on your own. It

 

Yay, the story continues!
Excellent post! I loved your descriptions of Somov Rit.

 

I was SO glad to see this story up and running again! And the latest post was well worth the wait!

Bane decided long ago that constant pain was a small price to pay for the vast benefits. As long as he was so enhanced, the Dark Lord of the Sith was effectively invincible. As he watched the small transport craft, Bane was certain that invincibility would probably be a necessary trait, very soon.

His apprentice had returned from her latest mission, but he could sense that she wasn?t the same woman who left his side weeks earlier. For someone as strong in the Force as Bane, his apprentice might as well have been trailing a banner with the words ??Today is the day Darth Zannah will rise up against her master??

Bane smiled in anticipation.

Love how you're devloping these characters.