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| - It was a beautiful night at my seaside retreat. The stars of the Star Cluster were shining brightly in the dark sky, like Adegan crystals in the caves of Ilum. In the ocean, just a few meters from the mansion, swam colorful fish, shining in all the colors of the rainbow. Birds sang in the garden. The galaxy was a wondrous place indeed. When I stood there on the balcony of Boga Mansion, I suddenly heard a voice echoing through the back of my head. Now, that was something that would have frightened a Jedi Knight to no end. Telepathy was not unheard of for a Force-using group as ancient as the Jedi Order, of course. But while most users of the Force could project emotions and impressions over interstellar distances, rarely were they able to project actual words. That was before I developed a quite marvelous piece of Sith technology, of course. You see, I had this necklace. It was a really beautiful thing – a three-inch, blood-red crystal, hanging from a chain of the valuable mineral known as electrum. Nobody would ever think it strange that I, an Emperor, wore such a piece of jewelry. But there was more to it than met the eye. The crystal was telepathic. When touching the crystal, I could project words – specific instructions, even planetary coordinates – to any Force-sensitive in the entire galaxy. It was in many ways like any comlink, only powered by the Force instead of an internal battery. So I took hold of the crystal, and again heard the voice in my head. Even though I did not technically hear it, I still recognized the voice. It was the speak of Lord Kii Xoney, my apprentice. A dangerous man, to say the least. When I chose him, I had imagined that he would one day succeed me. But the temptation of power proved to be his weakness. He could not be trusted. Though I let him command most of my fleet, I would never let him rule in my stead. I admit I underestimated him. Either way, I answered his call. Very good, Lord Xoney. I will meet you on the Dark Majesty. "Lord Xoney," I said as I left my private craft, a starfighter-sized meditation sphere called the Life of Light – another fascinating piece of Sith technology. I had named the ship such a Jedi-like name to make clear that my allegiance was not to the Sith. I would have preferred the Dark Majesty, my flagship, to have a similar name, but Xoney had been given the privilege of naming her. A feeble attempt from my part to keep him satisfied… and under my control. “My Master,” Xoney welcomed me. He did not bow. That was bad protocol, and he knew it. He was a special case, of course, but I had to teach him a little respect. Focusing the Force, I grabbed him telekinetically and bent his back. He gritted his teeth, and I could feel his anger, but he was disciplined enough not to strike back. Not in public, anyway. But he was more Sith than I had ever been. Sooner or later, it was inevitable that he would betray me. I held him in an iron grip for a second or two before releasing him. He met my gaze with his own. I would never forget those eyes of his. They were bright red, and seemed to burn with a hate hotter than molten lava. I knew he would never stop loathing me, not until the day Geonosis froze and Hoth melted. “So, my apprentice, what is the situation?” I did not need him to tell me, not really. After all, the Life of Light employed clever Rakata technology to increase my own considerable awareness and Force sense abilities. I already knew that Jedi Lord Namelesennius, who held the prestigious title of Jedi Weapon Master, had pulled back his fleets to regroup. I also knew that they were currently mobilizing behind the moon of Shi Maka, preparing for another attack. I had asked for one reason only; it was an excuse to call him my apprentice, another way to try and teach him his place. He was too keen to forget it sometimes. “We have pushed their forces back to a defensive position, my Master,” Xoney claimed. “We have held their advance despite their superior numbers.” “No, you haven’t,” I said. “You have only allowed them to regroup. Why in the blazes have you not pursued?” He looked shocked that I knew. He did not know of the technology the Life of Light employed – he thought the sphere was just an unusually sophisticated starfighter. And it would do him good to think me omniscient. “We… thought we should wait for you at the designated rendezvous point,” Xoney stated. “I told you I would meet you at Dark Majesty, you gullipud!” I said, consciously insulting his honor and courage. “The ship would not change name because you entered a combat zone, would she?” “But…” “No buts, Kii,” I interrupted. I grabbed the crystal again, this time focusing to one of my warlords, Taral Admiral Nort Hogna. Get the fleet underway. The Jedi fleet is regrouping behind Shi Maka. Let us spoil their day. I will be in my ship. Copy that, Your Majesty, a voice echoed in my head. Without another word to Xoney, I went aboard the Life of Light again and departed from the Dark Majesty. It was a long time since I met a Jedi in battle, especially one as adept as Lord Namelesennius. I would almost enjoy. Almost. Escorted by a pair of modified Blade starfighters, I directed the Life of Light through the battle zone. We were now fully engaged with the massive Jedi fleet. Numerically, my own fleet was inferior by far. That was the way it always was. After all, the Republic ruled most of the known galaxy, while I only had a few dozen star systems under my control. But numbers were only part of the game. While the Republic fleet had a dozen Jedi in their ranks, almost an entire tenth of my forces were attuned to the flow of the Force – some to the dark side, some to the light side, and some to the shady areas in between. Together, we were superior to any equal-sized fleet in the galaxy. Easily. Of course, the Republic task force we battled was not equal-sized. Their warships out-numbered ours by a good five-to-one margin. Still, as proven, Lord Xoney and Admiral Hogna had managed to fight them to a standstill, if only barely. But that was not enough. We had to drive them off, once and for all. And there was only one way to do that. To kill the Jedi Lord, Namelesennius. And that was where I entered the picture. My ship was rapidly approaching the flagship of the enemy. It was a big ship, almost two thousand standard Coruscanti meters long. There was nothing my fleet could throw at it that would destroy it. No way could we destroy such a Whaladon of a ship. There was nothing preventing the Life of Light from landing on top of it, though. My maneuver was so unexpected that even the massive battleship’s Jedi commanders did not see it coming. As soon as my meditation sphere touched the outer hull of the Jedi ship, I opened the hatch and stepped out into space. False modesty aside, I am a powerful Jedi… or Sith. Considering both the Jedi and the Sith see me as an enemy, I guess I’m neither. But even so, it was quite a feat to survive in the hard vacuum of space without any protective suit. In theory, it was easy. Just use the breath control ability to hold my breath, and keep the pressure of vacuum away telekinetically. To do both of these feats at once, though, required immense concentration. Concentration not easily found in the middle of a battlefield. Either way, I managed to get to the emergency entry hatch without suffocating, if only barely. Once I got inside, I took several deep breaths. Thank the Force that the Republic employed organic crews, and as such required oxygen-filled corridors on their ships. Then I went for the bridge. Nobody seemed to expect an enemy to get inside, so there were no guards on the way. I cannot believe that not even Lord Namelesennius sensed my approach. But then, he was probably focused on the battle. I cannot blame him. The first guard I encountered was just outside of the bridge. She was young, perhaps eighteen years old, holding a green protosaber raised towards me. Twi’lek. Beautiful. It was a pity she had thrown her lot to the Jedi. A pity that I had to kill her. I did not draw a weapon. Instead, I focused my contempt and loathing for the Jedi. Then, as she invited me to surrender, I used the dark side to form these emotions into an invisible spear of hate. Then I hurled this spear of midnight black straight through her heart. She fell to the ground. She was dead. At least she had not suffered a lot. She was, after all, just an unfortunate victim of fate. It was not her fault that the Jedi had kidnapped her as a kid. Not her fault that they had brainwashed her to believe their arrogant ways. Then, stepping over her corpse, I opened the door to the bridge, and was startled to see that the room was virtually empty. Only one man was in the room. He sat in a cross-legged position in the middle of the command bridge, where the captain’s chair had been on the average ship. Yet I still sensed the presence of other crewmembers in the different positions around the bridge… Then it dawned. The man had used the Force to create powerful illusions to fool me. I – Emperor, Grand Moff, Jedi Knight, Sith Lord – had walked straight into a trap. There was only one Jedi in the task force strong enough to manage such a feat… “Lord Namelesennius, at last,” I greeted him. “So, I have finally drawn you out of hiding,” Namelesennius replied. “Your Majesty.” Well, that was a new one. A Jedi Master who actually had some manners? “I am impressed,” I admitted. “Well, thank you,” Namelesennius said. Though his face was the other way, I could feel his arrogant smile in the Force. I felt an urge to kill him so strong that I was surprised. I had rarely felt such contempt for a Jedi. Did he really think he would beat me easily? I, who was, to be frank, one of the strongest Force-user in the galaxy? “Surrender and you will not be harmed,” he continued. “I will only ask you once.” “Once was once too much,” I said. And, without further delay, I focused my anger to create another spear of midnight black. As I threw it, the Jedi Lord leapt into the air. My spear missed him by an inch and pierced a command console behind him. It exploded in a shower of sparks. Meanwhile, Namelesennius drew his protosaber and landed in front of me in one, fluid motion. The protosaber lit up the entire bridge in a smooth, blue light. I, myself, drew my sword. It was a simple sword, consisting of black metal. Yet it was strengthened by Sith Alchemy, and as such strong enough to deflect blaster bolts and, even, the blade of a protosaber. And now, when hate and contempt flowed through me, the dark side made it even stronger. It shone as red surges of dark side-energies pulsed through it. I did not bother to use the proper salute of Makashi. He was not worthy of such an honor. So, instead, I rushed forward, feinted to his left, and came around in a powerful cut from the right. His effortless block only served to infuriate me further. And while I did not agree with the teachings of the Sith Empire on Korriban, I did know their art of focusing my fury into a power to be reckoned with. I made a few quick cuts against my Jedi opponent, with several feints in between, but he did not lose his balance as I had hoped. His practice of the Makashi form was good, I admit. Better than my own. It was not without reason he had been granted the rank of Weapon Master – I could see that now. He was a true warrior. But he could not match my power in the Force. While I knew the arts of many subtle Force techniques and spells of Sith magic, I did not bother with finesse. Instead, I unleashed the raw power of the dark side. In blue flashes, a storm of deadly lightning erupted from the fingertips of my left hand. I had killed Jedi Masters with that technique before. But once again, I underestimated my enemy. He may not be skillful enough to block my attack with a Force barrier, but he had other defensive equipment in his arsenal. After all, to block lightning with a protosaber required nothing but good reflexes and physical strength. Attributes essential to a Weapon Master. “You disappoint me, Majesty,” said Namelesennius with a nasty smile. “Perhaps the rumors of your skills have been… exaggerated.” I felt anger burning through my veins. Not only did he allow me to underestimate him, time and time again, but he used the Sith art of Dun Möch against me. Even though he did not even know of the Sith! It was insulting. “I think not,” I said. And as I focused the Force yet again, preparing for another attack, I realized it was time for the unexpected, the unorthodox. So I created a massive pulse of telekinetic energy. Namelesennius looked wary as he focused his own strength to create an extraordinarily strong Force barrier, hoping to block my attack. Of course, I did not intend this attack to be as clumsy and random as the lightning I had used earlier. No, my intention was far more original… dangerous… and destructive. With a shout of triumph, I unleashed the massive Force push. Not unto Namelesennius, you know. It soared straight past him, to his own great shock, and straight to the transparisteel viewports. Strong as the transparent version of durasteel was, its strength was insignificant compared to the power of the Force. It shattered into a thousand pieces. “You fool!” Namelesennius screamed and grabbed hold unto a set of controls. It was the only way he could prevent himself from getting sucked out into the vacuum of space. “You have doomed us both!” “I thought despair was not the way of the Jedi,” I said, with no attempt to hide my contempt. Then I used the Force to root my feet to the floor. The pull of the vacuum could not grab me. And as oxygen became scarce, and the pressure of hard vacuum tried to destroy my body, I knew what to do. It was not harder than boarding the battleship from the Life of Light had been. In front of me, Namelesennius tried to focus the Force to imitate me. It was doomed to fail. He simply did not have my control of the Force. Without oxygen in his lungs, and hanging from the controls on the bridge, he lacked the concentration required. Sooner or later, he would die. And suddenly, I realized he was not the evil commander I had thought him to be. Maybe it was the Force speaking to me. Maybe he used some Jedi Mind Trick to make me save him. Either way, I decided he did not deserve a painful death, not any more than the young Twi’lek I had killed earlier. Grabbing my necklace, I spoke to him. He looked at me, pain and suffering suddenly obvious in his eyes. It was not the physical pain that got to me. It was the mental pain; the sorrow of a man who had never known his family; the regret of a man whose life had been filled with war and battle. It actually broke my heart. Despite all his faults and errors, he deserved a better life. But he would not surrender. Instead, he let go. He flew out into space, still radiating sorrow and regret into the Force. It was a horrible way to die. I, too, let go and let myself get sucked into space. But, unlike my now dead enemy, I used my Force techniques to survive. Once again I grabbed my necklace, focusing my will unto the Life of Light. Like a robot, it possessed a sentient creature’s intelligence – only that it was not a mechanical intelligence, but one in the Force. So I could communicate with it through the Force. As my ship came and picked me up, the battleship behind me, with its damaged controls, began to explode from within. The battle was essentially won – without the coordination of Namelesennius, the Republic task force was no match for my fleet. But I could still feel the suffering and sorrow of the great Jedi Lord, the magnificent Jedi Weapon Master. Master, said the voice of Kii Xoney. We have them on the run. We are victorious. Oh, no, we were not. The Republic had been defeated, yes. For the moment. But sooner or later, Xoney would turn against me and take my place. For my true enemy was never the Jedi. And with sudden certainty from the Force, I knew the betrayal would be sooner rather than later. No, the battle was hardly over. In fact, it was only beginning. I would have to do something about him. Soon.
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