satanic. I don't know if you or anyone else noticed, but the Crest of the Dread Master helm in-game actually has the grooves running vertically down the face part around the forehead area in a design that suggests the wearer has opened their third eye, a concept I think you would be quite familiar with Luna. Of course I'm making that assumption based solely on what incredibly little I know of your personal beliefs, so please don't take offense if I'm wrong lol!

The snake imagery was therefore meant to liken the Dread Masters to powerful occultists. Their powers are, after all, much more demonic in appearance and nature than Tenebrae's. The differences between Yavin IV and Oricon are proof enough of that I think. I had a Judeo-Christian upbringing so Biblical themes are going to have a strong presence in my writing, especially since the scale and scope of my trilogy is going to be similar to the scale and scope of the Bible (I mean the Bible IS over 1000 pages long and spans millennia in most versions lol). Plus, if we're honest with ourselves I think the Dread Master's powers of persuasion are quite similar to the potency of Lucifer's own seductive tones, if the Genesis story is any indication. Hence their powers manifested in my mind as wriggling serpents invading the thoughts of their enemies, whispering lies and half-truths and everything in between to drive their victims mad and pave the way for total mental domination.

Ashara sat quietly in the meeting hall of the People's Palace where the many members of the Felquarran Parliament were discussing the proposition to join the Empire. The debate had carried on for two hours already, with only some small progress towards the outcome Ashara had hoped for. The Prime Minister was doing his best to keep up the appearance of being impartial and unbiased, but when many of his closest friends, advisors, and cabinet were skeptical, it has hard for Ashara to believe that he didn't have strong doubts as well.

"The Empire has a long and well-known history of war crimes, atrocities, and genocide!" A pro-Republic Minister named Willerk Byusi was saying. "Their heinous reputation is well-earned, not a product of Republic propaganda."

"So you admit, Minister Byusi, that the Republic does indeed have and make ample use of propaganda machines." Came the cool, calm voice of Minister Ryhelm, an advocate for Imperial rule.

"Nay, Minister Ryhelm." Byusi replied, and Ashara could tell he was struggling to keep himself calm in the face of his challenger's accusation. The irony of an elderly man losing himself in his own passions while debating a calm and collected young man easily less than half his age was not lost on Ashara, and she allowed herself a quiet chuckle at the optics. All the average Felquarran watching at home would see was a group of tired, old conservatives desperately trying to avoid nationalization so they could keep taking bribes from big companies in exchange for loosening legal restrictions on big businesses, while their opponents used cool logic to deflate their arguments and advocate for what was obviously in the people's best interests.

The thought reassured her that the move she had made was the right one, and that the result would be met with public support. The removal of democracy would be seen as the toppling of a tyrannical dynasty of greed and corruption by the general public, and the example set by Felquarra might convince other worlds to follow.

"So what you're saying, Minister Lok'Tual," boomed a large, strapping young man with a stern face, "is that while the Republic is guilty of many, if not all, of the same crimes as the Empire, we should ignore such facts and focus on the Empire's travesties out of misguided tribalistic loyalty."

"If you were listening, Minister Valghii" came the reply from a hawkish-looking man in his late forties. "you would have heard the good Minister from Chuyuuma state that the Republic's crimes should not be ignored, but that in the Empire such transgressions are committed without any chance for justice or recourse!"

"On the contrary," came the voice of Minister Whesigal, "in the Empire the ideal of justice is actually upheld, whereas in the Republic it is merely a tool of convenience used by the powerful to extort and oppress the weak."

"As if the Empire doesn't oppress the weak." Minister Ladiis chuckled, her wrinkles showing around her eyes and mouth, and scorn taking over her face.

"Do not confuse law and order with oppression, Minister Ladiis." A tall, willowy woman replied with cool detachment. "The Empire has laws, and unlike the Republic, they enforce them on everyone."

"Except the Sith." Snarled Minister Tyqez. "They're allowed to run rampant, murdering and pillaging on a whim!"

"I would advise you to watch your tone, Minister." Said Valghii. "Especially considering that we have a member of the order you are accusing in these very chambers. In response to your question, let us entertain, for a moment, the notion that this accusation is true. How can you explain the fact that you are still alive and not, say, being Force-choked to death by our most esteemed guest? Most beings accused of such things as you accuse the Sith of would react quite badly, and if the Sith are truly as depraved and violent as you claim, then surely none of them could ever allow you to live after offending them in such a manner?"

"Do not be so foolish, Minister Valghii." Minister Tyqez replied, anger in his voice. "They show us what we want to see to lure us in, before striking from the shadows. They're a bunch of murderous, deceitful cowards!"

"It would be good for the assembly to be reminded," Minister Valghii said when the collective gasp of surprise and murmurs of agreement or dissent had died down. "that Minister Tyqez had a daughter among the Jedi, and a son who was a soldier in the Republic military, both of whom were killed by the Sith."

"That doesn't change the facts!" Minister Tyqez burst out.

"What do you know of facts, Minister?" Came the response from another minister in the crowd. "Unlike you we don't change the facts to suit our personal feelings!"

"Order! Order!" The Prime Minister bellowed when the hall erupted with shouted arguments and insults. The hall quickly quieted, and the Prime Minister spoke.

"Let us remember, ladies and gentlemen of the assembly, that while this is a place of free speech and free expression, the members of the assembly are expected to conduct themselves in a manner befitting their station, regardless of personal convictions or feelings. Arguments are welcome, insults and slander are discouraged."

"If our opponents cannot make their arguments without hurling slanderous accusations at us or the Empire," Minister Whesigal said, as a man approached the Prime Minister and whispered something in his ear "then it seems obvious to me which side has won this debate."

Minister Byusi opened his mouth to reply, when the Prime Minister, his face as pale as a ghost cut him off.

"Ladies and gentlemen I'm afraid this debate must be put on hold until the current crisis is resolved." He said, and murmurs of concern swept through the crowd. The large holoprojector in the center of the hall activated, and the image of the Gam'Tuak fleet in orbit over Felquarra turned the murmurs into outright cries of alarm.

"Mere minutes ago the Gam'Tuak fleet arrived in-system and blockaded Felquarra." The Prime Minister said gravely, his face drawn. "They've issued an ultimatum. We are to stand down immediately and deliver the Imperial ambassador to the Gam'Tuak commander of the invading force. We have twenty four hours to respond or face a full-scale invasion."

The hall was now dead silent. Everyone stared at the holo image with looks of fear and horror on their faces. Normally, Ashara felt sick whenever she sensed fear in another being. That feeling had often driven her to action to reassure those afflicted by it, but now, looking at the image of an alien fleet in orbit, knowing that she had brought it here to fulfill her purpose, and sensing the fear these people had for the tool she had chosen accomplish her will, she couldn't help but feel elated. These people feared her. They didn't know it, and they likely never would, but in this moment, without saying a word, without raising a weapon or giving an order, she had instilled fear. The euphoric rush as she fully realized her own power invigorated her. She drew on the fear of those gathered in the hall, and she found it no longer sickened her, but nourished and strengthened her. Yes, they were right to fear her, they were right to fear what she could do. They would be wise to bow in abasence...but that would not happen, not yet. Her squeeze play was not yet complete, but one way or another, it soon would be.

"This assembly is dismissed for a three hour recess." The Prime Minister said. "We will reconvene to begin discussion of how we will answer the ultimatum." Quietly, one by one, each member of the Felquarran parliament rose to their feet and began a stunned shuffle towards the exits. Ashara, pretending to have spaced out staring at the holo image, waited until the majority of ministers had left the hall. When there was only the Prime Minister, his cabinet, a few close friends and advisors, and the occasional straggler left behind, she rose to her feet and left. There was one more thing she had to do to tip the balance in her favor, and with any luck, it would make all the difference.

Nox strode back into the Imperial base camp, HK-51 trailing behind. The brainwashed Republic soldiers he had acquired were already there, being treated for their injuries and resupplied. They obeyed every order from a Sith or Imperial without question, and Nox noticed a cadre of four Imperials ordering a group of the mind slaves to perform humiliating or amusing acts for their entertainment. Nox gestured to HK, and the droid moved off and took up a sentry position just outside the camp's borders, ready to pick off any incoming enemies with sniper fire.

Without a word, Nox walked up behind the group of Imperials, drew his lightsaber, and began cutting them down one by one. Their cries of shock, anguish, and suffering immediately drew the attention of every being in the camp, and the rest of the task force watched wordlessly as their slothful comrades were slaughtered, the atmosphere of fear that permeated the camp growing stronger. When all four bodies of the indolent soldiers lay in pieces on the ground, Nox sheathed his lightsaber, turned on his heel, and stalked over to Lord Hargrev.

"I've recovered about twenty Republic assets and ten Imperial ones." He stated, his voice as calm and relaxed as if he hadn't just butchered four men mere seconds ago. "I trust they are being prepared for the assault to push back the Dread Guard?"

"Of course, Darth Nox." Hargrev said, seeming to be struggling to keep himself calm and composed. "All eighteen of the Republic soldiers and twelve of our own that you recovered will be battle-ready within the hour." Nox nodded in approval.

"Continue monitoring the preparations, I will not tolerate languidity. No-one here is irreplaceable."

"As you command, my lord."

"Oh and see that I am not disturbed as I meditate." Nox indicated the spot he had in mind, a sizable rock outcropping overlooking the lava sea, and far enough from the camp that the noise of the lava would drown out most of the ambient noise. "I sensed two sources of dark power outside the fortress during my roving, I intend to locate their exact locations and move on them before or in synch with the attack on the Dread Host."

"It will be done, Darth Nox." Hargrev said, bowing his head in fearful respect and obedience. "Take as much time as you need, I will ensure nothing disturbs your concentration until we are ready to launch the assault."

Satisfied, Nox turned and leaped across the camp, landing atop the rock outcropping more than twenty meters away. Walking to its most distant edge, he seated himself in a kneeling position and began to call upon the Dark Side. He could feel them out there, like two pulsing hearts of dark power they drummed out a beat that left ripples in the Force, their metaphysical percussion creating a dark symphony in the mind that permeated the land and air.

Reaching deeper into the Force, Nox perceived that while the twin heartbeats were the source, their influence was spread out over the rest of the terrain separating the Empire's camp from the Dread Fortress. Nox reflected on his journeys, he remembered that as he had sought the Republic survivors he had spotted strange devices mounted on three metal legs, surrounded by members of the Dread Host engineering corps, easily identifiable in their purple and black armor and by the aura of dark Force energy that surrounded them at all times. Each member of the corps was a minor Force user and was trained as a Sith trooper, but the more powerful members wielded lightsabers and were referred to as "Corrupters", overseeing the recovery and application of Force artifacts and ancient technology.

He also remembered seeing packs of heavily mutated Tukata roaming near the forces of the Dread Guard, but simply ignoring them, as if they were used to the presence of so many sentients, as if they had been trained... These were clues, of that he was certain, but there was no way to know what they were hinting at without investigating. This area was so saturated with the Dark Side that he could not determine more than a very general location of the two sources of dark power, so he would have to do some exploration to determine their precise coordinates.

Rising to his feet, he felt his connection to the Dark Side slip away until he called on it again, and after a moment of consideration, he chose Khem to accompany him. The two assassins slipped into stealth, making their way towards the power source in the south. Eventually they began coming across those strange, three-legged structures, being guarded and maintained by squads of Dread Host soldiers, who were often accompanied by repair droids and the occasional Corrupter. Upon closer inspection of one of the devices, Nox discovered that the device was channeling Dark Side energy into the ground. He also discovered that the innate fear the moon itself seemed to cause grew intensely stronger the closer he got to the device. Setting Khem on the guards, Nox studied the thing while Khem defeated and devoured his foes one by one, leaving the Corrupter for last. With an outstretched hand and a burst of Sith lightning, Nox overloaded the strange machine and it broke down with a small explosion.

Nox immediately noticed that the fear-inducing effects of the moon weakened almost instantaneously, and with a start he realized that these Force manipulating machines were terraforming devices, or rather, terror-forming devices. He smiled at his own joke, and looked up just in time to see Khem devour the screaming spirit of the Dread Guard Corrupter and sheath his massive vibroblade.

"Come on Khem," He said rather cheerily. "We have to destroy every single one of these!"

An expression that could have passed for excitement crossed Khem's usually unchanging face, and the hunger in his beady orange eyes was evidence enough as to why.

Nox unleashed a burst of lightning that fried the last of the terraforming devices, and turned to see Khem locking blades with the only survivor of the four-man squad of Dread Guard that had been protecting the apparatus, a Corrupter. The man's purple blade moved in simple, broad strokes as he defended himself from Khem's blows and struggled to land some of his own. He seemed to be a Form VI practitioner, and a bad one at that. Reaching out with the Force, Nox plucked his foe from his position, pulling him through the air with an invisible hand, and plopped the surprised Force user directly in front of him. Immediately Nox went on the offensive, showering his shocked and off-balance opponent with strikes and blows meant to be unpredictable and difficult to defend against, but that were also well-balanced, so that any attempt at retaliation could be parried or blocked. Nox effortlessly mixed bursts of lightning into his sequences, and his enemies defenses fell quickly. By the time Khem reached them, the Sith was so weak he couldn't even parry the Dashade's executioner's blow in time, and the vibroblade cleanly decapitated him.

Returning his lightsaber to his belt, as Khem sheathed his vibroblade, Nox found he could think much easier now. The serpentine voices that had been dripping psychic poison into his ears since he arrived on planet were not gone, but their power was less irresistible, and Nox found it easier to squash the bouts of paranoia that threatened to overtake him periodically.

Signaling to Khem to keep watch, he kneeled in meditation, and when he opened himself up to the Dark Side, he could perceive the location of the dark power source much more easily. Pinning down its location to a cavern on the southernmost shore of the lava sea, he rose to his feet and began to move in that direction, Khem following close behind as Nox cloaked them both in the Force.

Within minutes they arrived at the cavern, and sneaking past the guards spread out on the carved steps leading up to it they entered. Nox felt the disembodied voices regain their strength, and he steeled himself for whatever he might find at the other end of the long, winding tunnel they were following. When they reached a large cavern, Nox immediately saw the final terraforming device, also of interest though, was the absolutely massive, mutated Subteroth bound between twin energy generators by two ropes of crackling energy.

Sensing the connection between the generators, the Subteroth, and the final terraformer, Nox walked up to the machine and unleashed a blast of lightning to destroy it. The contraption exploded, and Nox instantly felt the energy in the room shift. Turning towards the Subteroth, he saw the generators shut down from the feedback overload, releasing the gargantuan creature.

At first, the beast looked stunned and disoriented. It moved its head from side to side and pawed at the ground as if trying to regain its bearings. Nox had to wonder how long it had been used as a battery for Dark Side energy, then decided he didn't want to think about it.

Gesturing to Khem, Nox moved off to a distant side of the cavern and signaled his Shadow Assassin to attack. Drawing his vibroblade, the crimson Dashade leaped at the subteroth, striking the surprised creature with a blow across the chest. It barely scratched the thing, but the beast reared up and roared angrily, immediately leaping at Khem with claws ready to rip and shred. Khem was too quick, however, and easily dodged the monster's clumsy efforts, even managing a counter attack.

Nox was about to charge in when he suddenly felt an explosion of Dark Side power within the monstrosity. Through the Force he saw the surge of dark energy rejuvenate and empower the creature, making it invulnerable to pain and healing its wounds instantly. For just a brief moment, Nox thought the Dread Masters had succeeded in creating some unstoppable beast, but then he saw the energy begin to fade away and he realized the effect was only temporary. Even so, with the last of its newfound unnatural strength the subteroth ripped a chunk out of the dirt-and-stone floor of the cavern the size of its torso and hurled the huge projectile at Khem.

Khem avoided being crushed like a Pelko bug by diving to the side, all the same the force of the impact shattered the boulder into fragments that nearly finished Khem off, and almost hit Nox clear across the cavern. Deciding it was time to intervene, Nox discharged a precisely calibrated burst of lightning that stunned the subteroth, leaving it nearly helpless. Then he erected a Force bubble around Khem, who was just now getting to his feet, and harried the beast with a constant stream of lightning from his fingertips. Battered and sliced by Khem's vibroblade, and ravaged by Nox's Force lightning, the monster's already fading defenses and strength nearly evaporated. In moments it collapsed to its knees and, with a final roar, fell flat on its face.

Approaching the corpse, Nox examined it briefly, before taking notice of the control console behind the platform upon which the monster had been imprisoned. Reaching it, he found it wasn't even so much as password protected, and he shut down the terraformer system, ensuring the Dread Host couldn't reactivate it for a good long while, enough time to deal with them and the Dread Masters.

His work here accomplished, he turned and exited the cavern, heading back into the tunnel that lead to the surface. Noting Khem's injuries and weariness, he channeled his powers of corruption as they walked to heal the Dashade's wounds and restore his strength. By the time they reached the mouth of the cave, Khem looked like he hadn't been in a fight at all.

Reaching out into the Force once more, Nox sensed that his next target lay somewhere to the north, beyond the strange tower rising up out of the landscape in distance. Smiling to himself, Nox waved a hand as he took a step forward, and vanished into the shadows.

Ashara knocked on the door of Golys's office in the People's palace. The door swung open to reveal Golys himself, looking understandably stressed.

"My lord!" He exclaimed in surprise, trying to fake a smile. "I was not expecting to see you."

"Can I come in?" Ashara asked politely.

"Of course, of course." He replied stepping out of the way and opening the door to allow her passage. She stepped into the room and was surprised at how tastefully decorated it was. Paintings and sculptures from all over the galaxy adorned the office, even the furniture seemed to be works of art.

"Please, sit." Golys said indicating one of the high-backed chairs that looked more like a sculpture than a seat. "As you can understand my mind is very occupied right now, but if there's something I can do for you..."

"Golys," Ashara said softly, "I would ask nothing of you at a time like this. I've come here with an offer."

"An offer?"

"I'm authorized by my superior to grant Felquarra imperial sanctuary should the need arise," She paused. "And I think we can both agree that the need has definitely arisen."

"Imperial sanctuary?" Golys asked, puzzled. "I'm afraid I'm not aware of what that entails, Darth Skade."

"It means that the Empire treats the sheltered world as if it were one of its own, but not for free, as I'm sure you can imagine. The protection comes at a cost."

"That cost being...?" Golys asked.

"That the world must join the Empire within six months of receiving imperial sanctuary, or face very heavy fines. The kind that ruin a world's economy."

Golys sat back in his seat, seemingly stunned. "Darth Skade this is...I'm sure you can imagine that we need the Empire's protection right now but, to join the Empire in such a way..."

"I understand." Ashara cooed. "You're worried about public opinion of you and your father after joining the Empire. But there's no need to be concerned, the Empire chooses its leaders based on competence and capability, not popularity. We promote the people who are willing to make the hard choices that come with the responsibility of leadership."

"But what about democracy?" Golys asked. "What about letting the people choose who rules over them?"

"Most Felquarrans, like most sentients in the galaxy, are too ignorant about politics to be anything more than a ballot in the hands of a more intelligent and capable being." Ashara said with a softness that belied the harshness of what she was saying. "They only serve as a useful idiot in the hands of the greedy and narcissistic psychopaths that inevitably end up at the top of a democracy. They need direction, they need guidance, they need leaders, not representatives. They need someone to tell them what's good for them, because despite how much they think they know and how intelligent and perceptive they think they are, the opposite is true."

"My lord, forgive me." Golys said in dismay. "But I cannot believe that the Felquarran electorate is as ignorant as you claim." Ashara smiled.

"Governor." She said leadingly. "The case of your mother's murder, why did it go unsolved?" Golys fell back in his chair, looking at her with equal parts shock and suspicion.

"How do you know about that?"

"I always do my research, governor." Ashara said, placating him. "I knew that your mother was murdered the night that you told me she was dead. After you escorted me back to my room I did some simple holonet research and discovered the truth."

"I see." Golys said, still not fully satisfied with her answer. "My father and I worked hard to bury that story, we didn't want it being used against us in any way." Ashara smiled again.

"And with that statement you've just confessed to already believing what I said about the electorate." Golys looked at her, puzzled, and with a touch of anger on his face.

"How do you mean?"

"You said your father and you buried the story because you didn't want any of your opponents to find a way to use it against you. Answer me this, if the electorate was as perceptive and intelligent as you claim to believe, then would they not see through any attempts by your opponents to use it to hurt your campaign, thus making your concerns completely unfounded? Furthermore, if you truly believed that the electorate was so enlightened, why would you and your father have buried that story? Wouldn't you have left it out in the open, trusting the electorate to see through the lies and slander of your enemies?"

Golys was silent for a long moment, and Ashara could tell he was considering her words very carefully. At long last, he spoke.

"You are right, of course, Darth Skade." He said in solemn resignation. "I'm so used to the democracy-worshipping culture of the Republic that I failed to see the hypocrisy in my own actions. Now I see that the Republic only engenders such hypocrisy by making it necessary in order to participate."

"Then you are well on your way to true enlightenment." Ashara said reassuringly. "It isn't that long ago now that I was where you are, until my master showed me the truth." She snorted in disdain. "You know, it's funny. The Jedi preach so much about truth, while the Sith say nothing of it. Yet the Jedi are the ones who live in a world of lies, while the Sith are immersed in truth, merely as a consequence of their beliefs."

"I believe I'm beginning to see that." Golys said with increasing conviction. "But on the original topic of conversation, what did you come to me about this for? I'm merely the governor of Felaq. My father is the only one who can accept your offer." Ashara nodded.

"Indeed. However, I believe he will not accept the offer. Not if I approach him first that is."

"Just what are you getting at Darth Skade?"

Ashara mentally steadied herself and began to weave the Force into her words, gently pushing Golys's mind towards openness, making him more receptive to her words. "Only that we utilize political astuteness to remove your father's inherent biases from his decision-making process."

"How so?"

"I want you to approach him and inform him that I, as the Empire's representative, am more than willing to provide Felquarra with imperial sanctuary to protect it from the Gam'Tuak. Inform him of the cost, and then if he protests joining the Empire under such circumstances, recount the conversation we had about your mother's murder." Golys looked to be considering it.

"So you propose that I approach him instead of you, to remove any anti-imperial bias he might have."

"Exactly. Coming from me, a Sith, those words might seem to be whispered seductions to lure Felquarra into coming under Imperial rule, but coming from his own son-"

"-they will at least seem reasonable and fair-minded." Golys finished. "Yes, I can see where you're coming from Darth Skade." Ashara gave him a warm smile.

"Then its settled. I trust you will see him before Parliament reconvenes?"

"Of course. I'll go see him right now." He said standing up and rounding the desk.

"Good luck." Ashara said softly, sidling up to him as he came close to her. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her curvaceous body against him, kissing him passionately on the lips. When she pulled away, his smile was as big as starship.

"That's all the luck I'll need."

Nox slipped stealthily across the rocky landscape of Oricon. Unseen and unheard, thoroughly cloaked in the Dark Side, he and Khem were little more than ghosts navigating the haunted terrain, slipping past or through Dread Host patrols with casual ease. Reaching the other side of the strange watchtower, Nox noticed a large pool of bubbling lava with a natural stone bridge rising up out of it, providing a way for the Dread Master's minions to reach the steps of the tower, which he could see across the pool, from here.

Also on the other end of the bridge was a human woman. Her bald head gleamed in the orange light of the lava pool below, and her sunken orange eyes spoke clearly as to the nature of her connection to the Force. She had a Sith tattoo on her forehead, and she appeared to be dressed in the robes of an ancient ritualist, the style of which would have been unfamiliar to anyone but Nox. The robes were, as best as he could tell, replicas of the robes Rakatan Force-using acolytes were said to have worn for rituals and other situations where battle armor was not necessary.

An acolyte of the Masters? Nox wondered. It was possible, the Dread Masters had, after all, once offered him the opportunity to learn their dark arts, it was likely this woman had been given the same opportunity. Perhaps she was being groomed to become an elite servant of some kind, perhaps a commander of the Host, or someone to assist the masters in their studies of the Dark Side.

It didn't matter anyway though. her journey ended here and now. Nox needed information, and by the looks of this woman she could provide it. Whether she did so willingly or not was of no consequence. With a series of hand signals, he ordered Khem to move in on the Dread Acolyte while he took up a position near the far corner of the bridge, far enough away that the acolyte's attacks would have little to no effect on him, but close enough that he could still support and strengthen Khem through the Force, and even attack the acolyte if he so wished.

With a sudden leap and a roar, Khem broke from stealth and nearly landed on top of the acolyte. Had he succeeded, she would have been hurled into the lava by the sheer force of over three hundred pounds of raw muscle slamming into her at incredible speed. Instead, she foresaw the attack moments before it happened and raised a Force barrier that Khem slammed into full force. The barrier shattered, but Khem's momentum was lost and he only barely managed to stay on his feet.

Laughing manically, the acolyte drew and activated a purple, double-bladed lightsaber, charging at the Dashade, who was still a little off-balance. With an outstretched hand and a thought, Nox erected a Force bubble around his assassin, sheltering the Dashade from the first few blows of his opponent's lightsaber, and by then Khem had regained his balance and had assumed a defensive stance. The hulking monster's ancient vibroblade, specially treated by Tulak Hord's Sith alchemy to deflect lightsaber blows, proved a valuable tool for Khem to defend himself from the acolyte's ferocious assault. The broad side of the blade allowed him to swat away his opponents weapon with enough force to momentarily unbalance her, while the sharp edges allowed for deadly strikes that forced her to expend as much energy defending herself as attacking her foe.

Realizing she couldn't overpower her enemy with martial skill alone, the acolyte stretched out with both her hand and the Dark Side, attacking Khem through the Force with her sorcerous powers. Nox, not one to be outdone, used his own knowledge of Sith Sorcery to cleanse the spiritual infection. At this point, the acolyte was so engrossed in her battle with Khem that she hadn't even seen him, and didn't realize that the Sith Sorcery combating her own Force powers did not belong to the Dashade. She used balanced blade work mixed with Force attacks in an attempt to keep up with Khem, and Nox realized she was a Niman user and, although far less adept than him, her skills were nothing to sneeze at. Still, she was having some trouble against Khem's use of Djem So, and it was slowly becoming obvious who was winning the fight.

As her strength ebbed and Khem fed on it to become stronger, her desperation grew, and suddenly she leaped straight up into the air, the Force building inside her through two forward somersaults before she slammed one fist and one knee down onto the unforgiving stone with enough force to shatter half the bones in her body. The kinetic energy however, simply dispersed upon impact, allowing her to land as softly as a feather while a wave of pure power blasted out from her, lifting Khem clear off his feet and sending him flying in a lazy arc into the hissing lava below. The acolyte, having finally noticed Nox, charged, an insane cackle wafting from between her lips as she prepared to assault her true foe.

Thinking quickly, Nox extended his hand, reaching out with the Force as he did so, and plucked Khem from midair, pulling the Shadow Assassin towards him even as his other hand reached out towards the Dread Acolyte and unleashed a bolt of incapacitating electricity. The Force pull plunked Khem onto the edge of the bridge less than ten meters from Nox, but the bolts that were meant to stun the acolyte seemed to have no effect, the woman merely laughing all the louder as she took the first swing. Nox immediately erected an impenetrable Force Barrier, and her lightsaber bounced off it. Just as she hit it again, Khem, who had gotten to his feet, came barreling towards her, vibroblade ready to slice her in two, and the battle once again took the form Nox desired.

Nox savored the spectacle as Khem slowly fed on the Force within his opponent, as if he were eating her alive, piece by agonizing piece. When Khem finally knocked the woman's lightsaber out of her hand and was about to go in for the kill, Nox stopped him with the Force.

Approaching the defeated foe, Nox signaled for Khem to stand back, then used the Force to lift his enemies chin so he could look her in the eyes.

"Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way." He said. "Tell me what I want to know and I'll give you a swift and relatively painless death. Resist, and I will savor every agonizing moment." She laughed again, the expression marinated in insanity and masochistic joy.

"Never! You don't know, you don't know!"

"What don't I know?"

"The Masters, you don't know the Masters! Ohhhh but you will, you will! They have such big plans for you!" Her voice rose to a shrill squeak, and she dissolved into laughter again. Nox sighed.

"The hard way it is." Extending his hands towards her, he penetrated her mind with ease, her once formidable willpower, which had allowed her to resist being incapacitated by his Sith lightning, literally devoured by Khem during their battle. Rummaging through her mind with a level of apathy clearly displayed by his lack of reaction to the woman writhing and screaming in pain on the ground in front of him, he found the information he sought, and when he had acquired it, he released his hold, and the woman went still, breathing shallowly and groaning softly, barely conscious.

Backing away, Nox gestured to Khem, and the Dashade approached, seizing her by the shoulders and hauling her to her feet, holding her up with his three-clawed iron grip. Opening his mouth, whitish-gray, ectoplasm energy began to emanate off the woman's body. The sight resembled a massive star being slowly consumed by a black hole, and the energy rushed into Khem's maw, a final telepathic peal of unhinged laughter echoing through the Force. Khem let the carcass drop to the stone, and followed Nox as the two of them vanished into thin air.

Raze sat cross-legged in the center of his mediation chamber aboard the Starblade. Feeling the Dark Side ebb and flow around him, tasting the fear, terror, and despair of the beings on the surface of Damerok far below him. His fleet had conquered the remainder of the system after destroying Jedi Master Tyke Fisto's defense fleet, and now a blockade of the system's capital world was in effect, and a full-on invasion was about to be launched.

Raze felt pride swell in his chest, he was growing stronger every day, he could feel it. As his strength in the Force grew so too did his power base. The conquest of the Damerok system would be his first major political acquisition. Although the move would expose him to his master's enemies, it would legitimize him as a true Darth. Normally, he would have balked at betraying his master like this, but since his revelation on Vlestakk he no longer truly cared what his master's desires were. He would serve him only until he had surpassed him, then he would replace him. It was the way of the Sith, the way of the Dark Side.

He suddenly felt the presence of someone outside the chamber, and with a thought, he unsealed the door to allow them to enter. Commander Harkanous walked stiffly into the chamber, his exterior the perfect picture of discipline. He approached Darth Raze and bowed low.

"My lord, are you ready for the briefing?"

"Yes." Raze said, getting to his feet and turning to face the commander, hands held behind his back. "Begin, commander."

"As you wish." Harkanous said, activating a portable holo-projector that displayed various images of buildings, fortifications, and individuals that were involved in the invasion plans. Raze had assigned the actual planning to the cadre of commanding officers that ran his fleet, but before they would enact it, he had to approve it. Harkanous spared no detail, and Raze paid attention carefully to everything he said, despite the mounting bloodlust that drove him to simply approve the plan, end the briefing and order the invasion. He could not afford for this plan to have any mistakes or weaknesses the enemy could exploit. If he failed here, not only would his master realize what he was doing, but the failure would prove him to be an unworthy successor.

So he listened, as each minute dragged by he forced himself to wrap his brain around the invasion plans and tactics, analyzing them both individually and as a whole. Several times he had to ask Harkanous to go back and explain a specific part of the plan to him with greater simplicity and directness. The commander dutifully obeyed, his voice, face, and mannerisms never betraying even a hint of disrespect. A minor feat in its own right, one that kept many an imperial officer alive long enough to be promoted to Moff.

"And now we come to the crux of the entire plan." Commander Harkanous said, and Raze's pointed ears perked up. The image of a big hulking brute, clad in heavy armor from head to toe, and equipped with a top-of-the-line jetpack with a rather large and dangerous-looking blaster pistol in his hand, appeared above the holoprojector.

"Is this image life-sized?" Raze asked.

"Yes, my lord."

"Who is he?"

"His name," Harkanous said, gesturing to the image, "is Hydrax. He's a bounty hunter who is rather famous for his brutality and ruthless pursuit of his targets. He has yet to fail a single mission, or return any of his marks alive."

"Why does his name sound familiar?" Raze asked absentmindedly.

"He's named after a being from ancient Rattataki legend, my lord." Harkanous supplied. "Apparently the Hydrax of legend was the jailer of the underworld, armed and tasked by the gods to ensure those imprisoned there never escaped, or that if they did, it was never for long."

Raze nodded in understanding. "Yes, I remember hearing that legend during my days back at the Academy, so what is his role in this?"

"We've received information that Hydrax was hired by the Damerokian military to protect the monarch, King Lareesh." The image of the massive, well-armed warrior vanished, to be replaced by a slightly handsome, elderly human male. "The king is your target, my lord."

"My target, commander?"

"Yes, we thought it a gross waste of resources to keep you out of this battle. You are, after all, our greatest advantage."

"Naturally, continue."

"The mission we devised for you is to infiltrate the royal palace using the invasion as a cover. Then you can kidnap the king and return to the Starblade with him in your custody. Whereas an actual invasion would take weeks to give us the planet and legitimize our control over the system, this way we can win with only one battle. With the monarch in our custody we can force him to sign a treaty dictating the terms of Damerok's surrender."

"A well-devised plan." Raze said, meaning every word. For a while there he had been worried that the invasion would indeed take weeks, and that he would have to listen to hundreds more briefings like this one on a regular basis. If he could pull off this mission, he could skip all that and move straight to victory, just like in a game of Sakash Serpents and Steps, but with much more bloodshed and battle. "Very well commander, begin the invasion."

"As you command, Darth Raze." Harkanous said, bowing low once again. "You shuttle will be prepped and ready for takeoff in fifteen minutes, you can depart at your leisure once the invasion has begun."

"I will depart as soon as possible, as always." Raze assured him.

"Then good hunting to you my lord."

Nox awoke, slowly emerging from the dark fog that clouded his mind, obscuring his thoughts in shadow. Instinctually, he raised his head to look around him, and was startled when he realized he couldn't see anything. The darkness seemed as black as the void, and for a terrifying moment Nox thought he was dead. Then he saw the eyes. They stared at him with the wide, glassy gaze of an abomination, a deep-sea creature that had never seen the light of day. Their eerie orange glow seemed to penetrate him, seeing into the depths of his being with the clarity of a god. But as his Force senses came slowly back to him, he realized they weren't eyes, they were merely the strange, glowing orange spots he had seen on the roots on Oricon.

Oricon! He thought, panicked. The Dread Masters! What happened? He suddenly realized he couldn't remember anything after killing the Dread Acolyte, whenever he tried to call up those memories they stubbornly stayed cloaked in the strange dark fog clouding his mind. Whatever had happened somebody or something didn't want him remembering. The Dread Masters? They seemed the most likely culprit, but he had thought they didn't consider him a threat. This kind of direct attack made no sense if that was true. Suddenly, one of the "eyes" moved. It was only slightly, barely noticeable, but Nox's senses were on high alert, and he suddenly realized that he could sense the presence of something living all around him. With mounting horror, he realized that even the bindings holding him in an upright, spread-eagled position were alive. Extending his Force awareness, he found Khem, similarly interred, only a few meters from him. Extending it further, he found that the "roots" were not plant life at all, but something else entirely. Harnessing the fear-based emotions rising up within him, turning them into anger and hate, Nox stretched out farther, simultaneously using the Force to dispel the brain fog and clear his mind.

Then suddenly, something broke, and it all came back to him in a rush. A flurry of images, sounds, smells, and various other pieces of memories flooded his consciousness, and he remembered. He had traveled further north, following the stolen memories of the Dread Acolyte he had just killed towards the cavern entrance on an island linked to the mainland by a natural stone bridge to the south, and a particularly strong and thick "root" to the east. Along the way he had observed roving packs of mutated Tukata being corralled by the Dread Master's beast handlers, whom he had also noticed seemed to be studying the strange vegetation that the Acolyte's memories told him were somehow linked to the source of Dark Side energy that he was after.

Upon arriving at the cavern's mouth, he had entered and begun winding his way down the long passage as it spiraled into the depths of the island. His and Khem's progress had remained unhindered, although the root-like plants grew so thick here that they nearly covered all but the floor of the tunnel. They had gone deeper and deeper, until they had been attacked. The root-like vegetation had unexpectedly come alive, the only warning being a sharp, clear premonition mere moments before the attack itself. They had seized the unfortunate Khem immediately, dragging him deeper into the cave, and surrounding Nox like a thicket.

He had tried to escape, first with a large expulsion of Dark Side power, then with summoned lightning, but the roots had expelled some kind of terrible gas, filling the enclosed space with the odd-smelling substance until Nox felt his attacks grow weaker and his thoughts beginning to slur and fade. He held his breath, but it was too late. The gas had already entered his system, and was already working to quell his ability to call upon the Force, preventing him from purging the poison with the Dark Side. The last thing he remembered was being swallowed up by a hazy dark fog, the same fog from which he had emerged.

His Force senses now fully aware of everything in the cavern, Nox started when he realized that the pulsing source of dark power, the second dark heart, was behind him. The bonds that held him fast were its appendages, as were all of the root-like tentacles, not just in this cavern, but all across the area around the Dread Fortress. The bark-like skin was camouflage, and the orange "eyes" were merely sensory organs that detected movement and light, but not much else. Instead the creature relied more on touch, on the vast nervous system that covered miles and miles of the planet's surface.

Suddenly possessed of an immense rage, Nox twisted his wrists to grab a hold of the tentacles binding his arms, and unleashed his hatred in the form of crackling energy. The voltaic ropes wrapped themselves around the tentacles, feeding back through the incredibly delicate and sensitive nerves, reducing the first few feet of the tentacles to ash, and horribly charring another few meters after that. Nox heard a psychic scream of pain and rage, and he dropped to the ground as the tentacles holding his feet released him to thrash about wildly. He landed in a pool of water about ankle deep, and quickly made his way to shore, half stumbling in his mad scramble to put some distance between him and his captor. He heard the loud splash of Khem hitting the water face first, and he prayed that the shock would jolt his morose monster awake. He didn't like the idea of facing this thing, whatever it was, alone.

Reaching the filthy shore, he clambered up onto it, and whirled to see what manner of creature his captor was. He expected something like what he saw, but even so the sheer perverseness of the thing left him in shock. It was a massive trunk, seemingly formed of many of the root-like tentacles all wound around each other. There was also one particularly large, glowing sensory organ a little off to the right from the center. The countless tentacles thrashed wildly, flailing and shaking, as the monstrous living tree bellowed its pain through the Force.

Nox briefly noticed Khem getting to his feet, and he reached out with his Force grip and plucked the Dashade out of harm's way, depositing him a few feet from him, already beginning to channel his powers of corruption.

"Khem!" he shouted, trying to be heard over the roaring in their heads. "Kill!"

Thankfully, that was all Khem needed. He drew his vibroblade and charged. The thing failed to notice him until he had started hacking and slashing at its trunk. Howling, the tree brought its countless tentacles to bear, all of them rushing towards Khem to constrict and crush him. Reaching out with Dark Side, Nox erected a Force bubble around his Shadow Killer, and the tentacles crashed against the barrier, continuing to batter the protective field in an attempt to break it.

Nox reached deep into the creature's unguarded, unfamiliar mind, and was staggered when the vastness of its consciousness opened up before him. The living tree was one of many, spread all across this world, each one a single, simple mind, but together, they formed a living consciousness greater than anything Nox had ever encountered since that day on Asation. He realized that now, every one of them was aware of him. Even if he were to kill this one and escape, every single one of these abominations would hunt him down, literally pursuing him to the ends of the planet. There was only one thing he could do now.

Summoning the Dark Side, he felt the void, black and pulsing, emerge from its slumber. It filled his body, and his being melded with the void as he called upon the arcane energies he required for this act of profound destruction. The knowledge possessed him, and his body and spirit acted it out, fulfilling the rites even as the Force burgeoned within him, rising like a great, slumbering beast, terrible in its wrath, and finally awakened. He completed the last rite, and he felt the power burst out of him. The Dark Side energy pierced the living tree, and a horrible cry, more haunting than any unleashed by the thing before, echoed across Nox's mindscape. The tree began to turn black at the core, and the darkness swept outward over the massive thing, spreading to the twitching, writhing tentacles, as the infection consumed the abomination. One by one the orange "eyes" dimmed, and the thing spent its final moments in silent agony.

Through the Force, Nox could sense the other trees, even though they were miles away, and he fed on their primitive, animalistic shock and horror as they felt the infection, transmitted through the Force bond they all shared, spread like a viral contagion. Above it all Nox could sense the great consciousness of the planet-wide collective, and savored its more deep and profound sense of terror and loss as it slowly degraded with the death of each of its nodes. The mind that had once spanned an entire planet, comprehended the universe in only the grandest of scales, was dying. Having never had to contend with a death so complete, with an annihilation so utter, it felt only the deepest terror. The terror that only an immortal god felt when facing oblivion. Nox drank in every moment, feeding on the suffering of the planet-wide consciousness until the very last spark of life winked out.

Khem, who had been caught by the tentacles after they pierced Nox's barrier mere moments before Nox had unleashed his ritual on the creature, was getting to his feet after being dropped into the water once more. He made his way over to Nox, who was standing there, staring at the dark, empty husk of the dead tree.

"Ghuulhaben, jokiney ekidiess?" Khem asked. Nox didn't reply.

"Ghuulhaben, jokiney ekidiess?" Khem asked again. "Doshinaa yamea sinawaizuu?" Nox finally turned his head to briefly regard Khem.

"No, no I'm fine Khem."

"Jayleena zumeek ochiboun." Khem said, trying to hide his impatience.

"Yes, yes lets go." Nox said, turning his back on the empty shell, and heading towards the caverns only exit.

Welcome back. I really enjoyed the chapter, and the mythological spin on Hydrax was interesting, I really liked that it and it fits well. In a way I feel the Rattataki are underused and I'm quite sure they have a colourful and interesting background and mythology.

And what a terrifying thing for Nox to wake to. I loved the descriptions and the vivid horrible 'reality' that had taken hold of him and Khem. I also enjoyed the way you described how Nox broke free, with his lightning. Those tentacle things on Oricon always grossed me out.

If I haven't said it before, I'll say it now...I also like how you give a language to Khem with actual words, just like in the game. It's a nice touch.

Skade stood still on the platform erected in the Capitol Square, surrounded by members of the Prime Minister's Cabinet and select Ministers of the Felquarran Parliament. She observed her surroundings without moving, gauging the emotions of the Ministers and the crowd gathered below them through the Force. She believed her manipulations had borne fruit. The Prime Minister was nervous, despite his exterior exuding calm and tranquil certainty. Many of the gathered ministers were also very anxious, and as the holoprojector on the platform came to life with a clean hum, Skade found she couldn't blame them. The Gam'Tuak general was tall and broad-shouldered, the very picture of confidence and power. His scaly skin seemed more like armor than flesh, and his stunted snout, a residual trait passed down from his reptilian ancestors, was home to a mouth that contained rows and rows of needle-sharp teeth. He was an imposing figure.

"Well, Prime Minister." The general growled. "What have you and your rabble decided?" There was an unmistakable sneer plastered across his snout, and Skade remembered from her research that the Gam'Tuak hated democracy, and had only sided with the Republic out of misguided territorialism. They viewed the Empire as a threat to their sovereignty, while the Republic was nothing more than an impetus to continue their xenophobic culture of war and slavery.

"Felquarra will not bow to you." The Prime Minister said. The conviction in his voice was so firm, it even surprised Skade. She had thought the Prime Minister was still conflicted about the decision, and yet here he was boldly and confidently making the very decision she had spent the past few days leading him towards. My manipulations of Golys must have had more of an effect on him than I thought, she mused. His nervousness must have had something to do with the prospect of dealing with the immediate blowback, or perhaps with the reaction of the Gam'Tuak.

"As of this moment, Felquarra claims Imperial sanctuary!" The Prime Minister boldly declared.

The look of shock on the reptilian general's face was priceless. He'd likely never heard of such a thing, and had thought that he had the Prime Minister cornered. He likely had believed that he had forced the Prime Minister to choose between abandoning any hope of an alliance with the Empire, or facing an invasion. He never seemed to have considered that any kind of deal with the Empire could be worked out, approved, and enacted within his twenty-four hour deadline. Skade stood to her feet and walked into recording range of the holoprojector, allowing the lizard man to see her. She enjoyed the small growl he released at the sight of her, and the scratching sound he made by rubbing his claws together. All were clear signs of his hatred for her and what she represented.

"And with that, Felquarra is now under the official protection of the Empire. You are currently trespassing on Imperial space. You have five minutes to vacate the system before an Imperial fleet is dispatched to counter your unprovoked act of aggression."

"Unprovoked?!" The large reptilian snarled. "You and your Empire expand your territory closer to ours further and further by the day, and you claim passivity?" His gravelly voice was brimming with barely contained rage, and his eyes glowed with hatred.

"Four minutes and fifty-three seconds." Skade said stubbornly, never taking her eyes off of his.

"This is not over!" The general bellowed, and the holofeed cut out. For a brief moment, the square was silent as everyone looked to the sky. After a tense minute of waiting, a flurry of flashing lights indicated that the enemy fleet had jumped to hyperspace, leaving the system.

The crowd erupted into cheers, as the tension that had accumulated over the past few minutes released in a moment of relieved exultation. Skade couldn't help smiling either. She'd done it. She had secured this world for her master and furthered their secret cause of building trustworthy allies in preparation for their transformation of the Empire. Of course Felquarra wasn't fully a part of the fold, but with time and effort, they would become unshakable allies for her and her master, she could just feel it.

"I've dealt with the threats and the Dread Master's technology." Nox said as he approached Lord Hargrev, who was turning from his conversation with Maiya to face the Dark Lord.

"Thank you my lord." Hargrev said, and Nox noticed his shoulders weren't as stooped as they had been, and the panic that had once lurked behind his eyes was now greatly diminished. Nox too felt as if a great weight had been lifted from him. The formerly oppressive presence of the Dread Masters that had permeated the atmosphere was much lighter, making the air seem more breathable and Oricon's gravity much weaker.

"I want you to prepare small teams to salvage some of the technology to the south," Nox added before Hargrev could continue. "It would be remiss of us to let any of the Dread Master's knowledge and skills go to waste."

Hargrev looked as if he wanted to say something, but he bit his tongue and simply nodded. "As you command my lord. It shall be done."

"By the way," Nox said, turning to Maiya, "how are preparations coming for our assault on the fortress?"

"The troops are almost ready." Maiya said, "we can secure a route to the fortress and protect your flank if you act as a vanguard." She paused. "But we still need a way through the fortress gates. According to our recon data they're built with highly dense materials, impenetrable considering our resources, or rather our lack thereof."

"Can we circumvent them?" Nox asked. "How are they controlled?"

"There's an outer watchtower with command of the gates." Hargrev said, suddenly speaking up. "It's computers are built with ancient Rakata and Sith technologies, we scanned it from orbit. I know the Dread Master's designs-if you can seize the machine core, I can extract the codes needed to attack the fortress."

"That won't be a problem." Nox said with confidence. "That core is as good as ours."

"We'll have the troops begin moving on the fortress." Maiya said. "Once you bring back the core they'll strike at your command."

"Turn your terror into hatred." Nox said. "Set your nerves of cortosis, the time for the final confrontation is drawing near, I can sense it in the Force."

"We are ready." Hargrev said, his voice filled with a conviction and savagery Nox hadn't seen in him until that very moment, and he smiled as he realized that Hargrev's old nature was beginning to show through.

"Then the Dread Masters are doomed."

Nox slipped unseen into the command center of the Dread Guard's watchtower, with HK-51 not far behind him. The infiltration of the tower had been incredibly easy, almost laughably so, despite the immense presence the Dread Host had here. The number of guards and tamed beasts accompanying them was more than enough to protect the tower from a frontal assault, but fortunately Nox's powers of mind control and stealth were more than enough to sneak him past even the most alert of their Force-sensitive overlords, who all wore double-bladed lightsabers on their hips and bore skull-like helms of Obroan design.

Ascending the ramp, Nox entered the main room of the command center, and the first thing he noticed was the computer core. It hovered above a pedestal in the center of the room, rotating and tumbling in slow motion as dark energies emanated from it like a strong smell. Two red force fields, one around the pedestal and one around the platform both pedestal and computer core sat upon, surrounded it. Looking past the hovering cube, he saw a computer terminal in a large alcove behind the pedestal and its raised dais. On either side of the terminal were droid assembly chambers, seemingly dormant.

Glancing around Nox noticed two more terminals on the other two walls, each on its own raised platform with steps leading up to it, and flanked on either side by more droid assembly chambers. He quickly surmised that the terminals were likely for accessing and deactivating the security systems protecting the core, and he knew that without the proper access codes it was likely he would trigger the alarm if he tried to turn off the security measures that were in between him and his goal. The droid assembly chambers would quickly create guards to fight him while reinforcements poured in from outside.

For a moment, Nox stood there, considering his options. When he finished his deliberations, he'd arrived at the only correct conclusion. It felt like a waste of time, but it was better than having to fight the entire tower's worth of enemies he had just sneaked past. Turning to go, he checked to make sure HK was following him, before continuing out of the command center and back onto the outside of the tower. At one point during his ascent he had reached a fork in the path, and now he knew it was likely that the being he sought was at the end of the other path. Once he acquired the codes he would have to move quickly, otherwise he would simply receive the exact result he was trying to avoid.

Reaching the fork, he scurried down the second pathway and around a corner. He passed down the long stretch until he reached an open platform overlooking the landscape to the southwest of the Dread Fortress. Standing there on the edge of the platform, leaning on the waist-high wall that bordered the space, was a humanoid dressed entirely in red and black. Nox had never seen armor quite like what the man was wearing. It seemed flexible yet solid, and he had no doubt the strangely-styled rubbery material coating the man's shirt was nearly as resistant to plasma as the large cortosis armor plates that guarded his upper arms. His pants were black with strange red veins traveling down them to his boots, which were armored and covered his shins with thick fabric that probably made them fit more comfortably. On his head he wore a familiar helm. Nox recalled seeing holo images of Darth Jadus, and remembered him wearing a helm of similar form and design. Like his armor, the helm was also red and black, but only on the front. An odd "V" shaped design stretched across its smooth, featureless face.

Nox noticed the double-bladed lightsaber on the man's waist, and he knew this was the being he sought. Based on how he was dressed differently from the other Force-sensitive commanders patrolling the tower, it was likely this man had what Nox wanted. Communicating silently with HK, Nox laid out a brief plan of attack, and when HK had taken up a suitable position, he moved in on his prey.

The Dread Guard commander sensed the attack mere moments before it came, even so, he was nearly too late. His purple-bladed saberstaff sprang into his hand and activated with a crisp, clean hum, nearly in sync with the hiss of Nox's own blade activating, and the two weapons clashed with a screech. They threw themselves into the battle, Nox using his array of Dark Side powers to harry and oppress his opponent while maintaining an impenetrable defense, while the commander mounted a formidable offense, merging Force attacks with dizzying lightsaber sequences. He threw his blade around the battlefield, telekinetically manipulating and guiding it so that it seemed to take on a life of its own. He used the Force to create a temporary vacuum around himself, creating a strong current of air that nearly dragged Nox into close quarters, before he released the vacuum and the air he had sucked in exploded outward with a loud bang, nearly knocking Nox over. As it was, the attack caught Nox by surprise. He'd never faced such an ability before. It was nowhere near deadly or threatening in itself, but the element of surprise briefly gave the commander the advantage, and he harried Nox with a blinding flurry of blows that Nox nonetheless repelled with his spinning blades.

HK-51 fired a deadly series of precision shots at the commander, forcing him to divide his attention between his two enemies to avoid being shot full of blaster holes or losing his limbs to Nox's lightsaber. Nox was careful, however, to use his mind control to keep the commander's focus and hatred purely centered on him, allowing HK to fire on the man unmolested.

The battle carried on this way for thirty seconds or so, before Nox had finally worn his enemy down enough that he made a mistake. He left himself open in between sequences, and Nox rewarded him with a burst of electricity that staggered him and left him all but defenseless against the swing from Nox's blade that severed the man's weapon arm at the elbow, leaving the limb and the weapon to clatter to the ground. The lightsaber deactivated upon impact. Crying out involuntarily, the commander attempted to unleash lightning on Nox, but the Dark Lord absorbed it with an upraised hand, turning it back on its wielder with a malicious cackle. Enveloped in his own lightning, the man screamed through gritted teeth, and when the attack ended he slumped over, clutching his charred stump of an arm.

The air shimmered, as an invisible energy field emerged from the small, round device HK had placed on the ground. The noise-dampening field generator was an essential tool in any professional assassin's kit, and HK had only top-of-the-line equipment. The device would easily mute and muffle anything less than a Nexu's roar, perfect for Nox's intentions.

"If you think that was painful," Nox said, violet-tinged lightning beginning to crackle and form balls in his hands, "Just wait till you get a taste of mine!" He unleashed the energy at his defeated foe and the man screamed loudly. The electric serpents snaked around his spasming, twitching form, and he collapsed onto his back, writhing in absolute agony. Nox ceased the channel and moved closer to him.

"Now, unless you want me to wear you down like this until I can reach into your shattered mind with no resistance and take what I need, I suggest you tell me what I want to know. What are the watchtower's security access codes?"

Silence.

Nox sighed. "Very well." And with a snarl of hatred, he unleashed his power on his helpless foe again, savoring his victims screams, drinking in his suffering, feeding on his pain.

Nox, armed with the knowledge of the access codes, slipped stealthily into the watchtower's command center once more. In a matter of minutes he had deactivated the force fields and alarm systems, and as he approached the core, he felt a slight uneasiness. Brushing the feeling away, he reached out to claim his prize, and immediately received a vision of the future. He could see and feel the tall man in blood red robes, wielding twin lightsabers, one purple and one red, behind him, swinging them to take off his head. Operating on instinct, he ducked and the twin sabers sailed through the empty air where his neck had been. Whirling on his foe, he drew his own weapon as a barrage of high-powered blaster bolts were unleashed from the barrel of HK's sniper rifle, forcing the robed man to bend, twist, and contort himself to dodge and deflect the shots. Nox attacked his foe with his full fury, enraged at having been deceived. He had allowed himself a moment of weakness and vulnerability, and it had nearly cost him everything.

Wielding his blades in the deadly Juyo form, while also adopting the Jar'Kai tactic, the opponent unleashed a flurry of blows upon Nox that were as alien as the strange, spiked mask he wore over his face. The unpredictability of the attacks made them exceptionally hard to defend against, and if it wasn't for Nox's advanced precognition abilities he might have lost the battle in the first few seconds. Slowly however, the assailant settled into a pattern of attack, and Nox began to see and analyze the new style, gathering the Force to his aid, summoning the Dark Side to renew the strength and energy he had so desperately expended in the first moments of the battle.

Suddenly whirling on HK, the attacker hurled both of his lightsabers on an angle perpendicular to the ground. The two whirling blades nearly sliced the assassin droid into three pieces, but the automaton's finely honed reflexes saved him. He dodged to the side while simultaneously activating his cloaking field. Nox took advantage of his opponent's distracted state to unleash a burst of electricity directly into the man's nervous system, piercing his personal shield with the bolt like an arrow sinking into flesh. Stunned by the attack, only the man's instincts and unconscious use of the Force saved him from death, as his personal shield and Force armor absorbed the incoming bolts from HK, while his survival instincts drove him to stumble away from Nox, desperately putting distance between him and his would-be killer. With outstretched hands the man recalled his weapons to his hands, and they activated with a clean hiss. Turning, he whirled them in front of him to form shields of plasma to deflect the blaster bolts from the assassin droid, who was now positioned near one of the droid assembly units.

Nox reached into the man's mind with snaky tendrils of dark thought, drawing the man's murderous attention back towards him and away from the droid that was the true threat. With a roar, the man leaped at Nox, bringing both blades crashing down on Nox's purple blade, raised in a defensive position. Only the Force kept him on his feet and prevented his own weapon from slicing through him as his opponent brought his full weight crashing down on the defensive block. With a burst of power he threw his foe off of him and unleashed the rising darkness bubbling up within him in the familiar salvo of depredating volts. Each one that slammed into the enemy's personal shield and Force armor rattled him visibly, but despite it he advanced on Nox, raising his blades to strike him down.

Finishing the attack, Nox got his blade into position in time to parry the attack and deflect the follow-up. His ire rose as his foe continued to deflect, block, absorb, and parry HK's attacks while continuing to mount his assault on Nox. This fight had gone on far longer than it should have, his foe was more formidable than he had expected, but it was time to end it.

"HK! Attack pattern C7 Aurek!"

HK-51 unleashed a storm of continuous fire while Nox erected a Force barrier to protect him from the plasma. The dual-wielding saber master stopped attacking Nox and focused entirely on defending himself from the unexpected hail of bolts. Normally such an attack pattern would have been reckless, but thanks to the hyper-precise programming of HK's assassination protocols and Nox's own Force abilities, the maneuver worked perfectly.

HK suddenly stopped his sweeping salvo mid-burst and unleashed a perfect bolt aimed directly at the robed assassin's chest. The bolt bore through shielding and Force armor, burning a hole into the man's left pectoral and short-circuiting his personal shield generator. He didn't even have time to scream, as HK was already gone, cloaking himself for the half-second that it took for him to close the distance and slam the butt of his rifle into the masked marauder's face. The man stumbled back, and HK launched an electro dart into his chest, near the smoking hole, and the man convulsed and spasmed as he tripped on the step of the computer core's platform and tumbled flat over onto to the ground. Nox approached, whirling his lightsaber above his head for a moment, before bringing it down and impaling his enemy.

Silence fell over the room, and Nox deactivated his lightsaber, while HK holstered his rifle. Nox glanced up at the computer core. It was still there, hovering, creating a soft humming noise that made the air in the chamber seem to vibrate.

Suddenly, the chamber grew darker. It was a subtle shift, one that you might not notice if you weren't paying attention, but with the darkness came that same unmistakable presence, like a smell from a childhood memory that you couldn't forget, no matter how hard you tried.

"Long ago, we learned of your abilities in the Belsavis prison." The voice of Dread Master Tyrans echoed off the walls of the chamber.

"Since then you have grown." The voice of Dread Master Calphayus said, a note of approval in his voice. "In mind and body; in skill and in spirit. A darkness roils inside you now, like the beast of entropy. Hungry, awakened after countless eons of slumber..."

"You delivered death to Lord Styrak and ripped him from our union." Dread Master Raptus accused, his voice yet laced with that insidious power that caused a twinge of guilt to wriggle its way up Nox's spine. He banished it immediately, but it persisted, rooting itself in his chest like a stubborn parasite. "You proved yourself worthy of our notice."

"But from our wound bleeds our memories; our names; our ambitions. We have tasted oblivion and it drowns us. Like you we are changing." Dread Master Bestia said.

"I believe I can help with that." Nox said. "Surrender yourselves to me, allow me to kill you and bind your spirits, your power, to myself. I will be your anchor to the physical realm and in return you will give me all your power."

"You do not comprehend." Calphayus said, his disapproval clear.

"Once we desired an empire." Dread Master Brontes explained. "Now with the death of Lord Styrak we are going mad."

Nox suddenly found himself transported into a vision. He stood in the midst of a roaring inferno, surrounding him in the flames, forming a circle, were the remaining Dread Masters.

"The wound must be healed." Calphayus stated definitively. "Our union requires a sixth-or there will be only chaos."

"You of all Sith know power and darkness and secret terror." Raptus said in a surprisingly genuine tone. "Once a slave, you became a being worthy of worship. Now you will join us... and we will feast upon each other's dreams as we grow strong together!" He finished, clenching his fist for emphasis as ambition and desire dripped from his words, inspiring a similar emotional reaction in Nox.

"If I were to accept your offer," He began, "how would we begin? How would I join your union?"

"You must first be degraded." Brontes said, adopting an arrogant pose, lording over him. "You must be humbled and humiliated, stripped of all but fear."

"You can promise power," Nox warned them. "But I will never be a slave again."

The vision vanished and Nox was back in the computer core chamber.

"Even now, our ships prepare to launch and deliver our devices to other worlds-Dromund Kaas, Nar Shadda, and Coruscant." Raptus declared.

A loud noise, like the hollow beating of an ancient, propeller-using aircraft's rotors filled the room, and Nox could not suppress the sudden terror that arose in his mind. He knew that noise. It was the sound of death, the heartbeat of the void, the sound of the Reaper breathing down his neck. He didn't know how he knew this, it was instinctual, like repressed knowledge released from deep within his being. He could feel it, death was near.

"Populations will be infected, and planets overgrown." Calphayus snarled, his voice filled with hatred and malice. "Mothers shall kill daughters as soldiers weep in terror!"

"All you love and prize, will fall." Dread Master Tyrans stated, his voice betraying not hint of uncertainty or deception. "You will try to stop our ships and fail. Then-you will be ready to join us."

The noise, and the presence of death in the room vanished, as did the voices of the Dread Masters. The computer core suddenly deactivated, ceasing to glow and dropping to the pedestal like dead weight.

For a moment, Nox just stood there, thinking. He realized now that the presence of death had been an illusion of the Dread Masters, they had conjured up a shadow of his worst fears and used it to seed terror in his mind as an example of their powers, but even so it had shaken him to his very core. He had no idea why he associated that noise with death, but it had come from somewhere very, very deep inside him, from the darkest corners of his mind where his secret nightmares lurked. The terror it caused had been irresistible and had swept throughout his whole body in an instant, paralyzing him. He would swear until his dying day that at that moment he had felt a bony finger tap him on the shoulder, and felt a cold, stinking breath that chilled him to his soul on his neck. He had been absolutely terrified to turn around, knowing that if he did he would have been staring into the black, empty eye sockets of a face that his own helm, he now realized, was a crude mockery of.

But that feeling was gone now, and he was a Dark Lord of the Sith. He would not bow down and submit, not to the Dread Masters, not to the Emperor, not even to Death itself. He would master death, he would enslave it to his will. The Dread Masters were merely another obstacle in his path.

As he reached for the inactive computer core, Nox turned his fear into hatred, and as he felt the darkness answer his summons he smiled. The door was open, and step by step he was walking over the threshold.

I didn't pull the idea from the Flash TV show however. I actually pulled it from an account of a brush with the Grim Reaper that a friend of mine claims she had. She's not the type of person to ever make things up like that, normally she's very no-nonsense and doesn't believe in the supernatural, which is what creeped me out all the more about her being the one to come to me with the story. She claimed that she was laying awake at night when all of a sudden an incredibly cold chill swept over her, followed by an intense despair. She said she then felt, rather than saw, a presence coming up the stairs. Most notably, and most chillingly for me (especially when I heard the noise the Reverse Flash made in the TV show a full year and a half later), she claims she heard "a sound like a helicopter". She felt it draw closer to the door of her room, and she knew what it was and that she was going to die.

She woke up the next morning, remembering nothing after that. At first she thought it had been a nightmare, except that it stayed seared into her mind from then on. She still remembers every detail perfectly, and when she first heard the noise that Reverse Flash makes she told me she had a panic attack. She hasn't watched the show since.

Now, I know she may well be doing this just to mess with me, because she knows that I believe fully in the supernatural. However, I think it should be noted that while she has played similar tricks on me before, none of them have gone on this long (its been a few years by this point and she still claims its true)

It may have also just been a nightmare born from her own psyche, but then why the helicopter sound? She claims that she has never been near a helicopter in her life and has no reason to fear them. It also resonated with me when I heard her tell it. For some reason that I can't explain, when she said "a sound like a helicopter" my mind didn't even question it and in fact I knew immediately what it sounded like. It was as if I had heard that sound before under similar circumstances...

Aaand now I'm rambling. lol. Anyway, my point was that I drew on my own personal experiences with encounters with death for visualizing Nox's encounter. It creeped me the hell out just to write it honestly, I've got goosebumps rn just talking about it.