17 Chapter 3.1: A Deal

AN: Merry God Damn Christmas more to be said in end notes!

Enjoy!

(Tatooine, Phantom, Dessert.)

(Ashara PoV)

The warm wind of the desert caressed my cheek as I kept still. Master stood a meter in front of me as he watched the lowering suns. Even though I would call him Mace, usually when we were in a more intimate setting, I always thought of him as my Master.

Even though I was now a Darth, a lord of the sith, a person with my own apprentices, he would always be my master. Even though he was my second master, in the end he was the man I respected… trusted… loved. And in the end both of my masters were one in the same.

Everyone close to him knew that Alira was with him at all times. Using an ability that he would never tell another soul, she followed him even after death. Sometimes she would talk to me, it had been a long time, but I loved seeing her.

I said nothing as I looked at his calm figure. There was a presence about him that screamed the power hidden underneath his skin; if he wasn't actively keeping it concealed I would be able to spot his presence from a system away.

My eyes flickered for a second as I felt the presence of the Jedi and sith on the planet. Two were leaving the planet, they couldn't feel my small probe as masters technique kept me concealed from them. I could just feel the presence of Ayillh on the ship as it left orbit. I was interested in the stories she would be coming back with.

Other than her there was also a strong presence in the force, one that was untrained, but the raw power they radiated was eye catching. I turned my sight from them onto the sith, if you could call him that. I had felt his presence for so long on the planet, but compared to a real sith he was… an animal.

Something that wasn't as rare as expected, I had seen many people that had been bred as attack dogs, he felt like them. He had raw power, but there was no strength in the force, nothing substantial that announced to a person, that they were in the presence of a real sith Lord.

I shook my head slightly as I finally rested my sights on the two Jedi I had taken down. I had just given my report to Master and that was what he was thinking about. They had been… disappointing to say the least.

I had really wanted a tough fight, the Older of the two had been some exercise but I hadn't been able to vent my feelings, something which I craved to do, to let loose. The two were still unconscious from what I could sense.

Vette had been complaining all the way back to the ship about the amount of sand that had 'invaded' her personal gear and the 'incessant itching'. She was sure to be taking a sonic shower as I stood here. I stifled the incoming laugh as I thought of her antics.

My eyes came to rest back on my Master as he finally moved. He was looking in my direction, a small smile tugging at his lips. He had been able to sense my probing of the others. I said nothing as I waited for him to speak.

"How was Vette's performance?" I wasn't surprised by the question, he had put a lot of time into her development. "Her skills in the force are growing, she is still having trouble connecting to the environment around her, but I think she is ready to move onto the next step."

Master gave another nod as he retreated into his thoughts again. I had no clue how he did it, some type of force technique or sith alchemy that he found in the private collection of the eternal emperor, but it had done the impossible, it had given a non-force sensitive the ability to use the force, or more accurately connect to it.

I still remembered the day I had felt her connection to the force grow, from a small sprout or bud, into a full flower reaching towards the universe. I had asked him then and their how it was possible and I would never forget the answer.

"Everyone is connected to the force Ashara, every living being. She and I are closely connected through the force. All I did was take that already formed connection and opened her eyes in a sense. I let my power echo through her, so that she could feel the unseen world around her, so that she could take her first steps into our world. I am sure you can feel the small connection that binds us?"

And I did, I had felt that small tug connected to my heart, the small thread that connected me to him, to more people that I would think to imagine. There wasn't just that one thread though; there had been another, two threads that had lead to him. One for him, the other for my first Master.

He had offered me the same opportunity, the option to have his presence echo through mine but in the end I refused. We were already connected, I already had the force, and there was no reason. I wanted to gain power myself, create my own echo, my own presence, I wanted to improve myself, there were no short cuts on the road to dominance. I would not take any.

Though those like Ayillh and Vette were different, they jumped at the chance, the chance to grow stronger. And so he had done something that was thought impossible, he had given the force to those without. Even if just a glimpse and guide or an 'echo' as he called it. Their power was growing.

Because just that glimpse was immense almost immeasurable, or so Vette told me. There would never be another to come close to the power of my master, that I was sure. And that assurance always brought a small smile to my face. Because even though I was sith, grappling for my own power, to know that he had already gone ahead, that there was something more to achieve, was exhilarating.

I watched him as his brow twitched every now and then, sometimes his eyes would move from side to side. He was talking to her, only those who talked to him frequently would notice the small signs that he was, but it was as clear as day.

She was his wife, his confidant, his closest loved one and my first master.

They finished their internal dialogue as I felt the force shift and call for him. He looked into the ship, past the metal walls and bulkheads. I could tell he was looking at where Vaylin was. He stared for a few seconds before moving towards the ramp.

"Thank you for the Report Ashara, I have much to think over. I will leave the new training for Vette upon your shoulders, until I am required to finish it. Once Blizz returns to the ship, prepare to leave orbit, I will decided our next course of action at that time."

His boots clanked up the ramp as I gave my most respectful bow. "Yes my Master." My heart meant every word as I trailed behind him.

**************

(Tatooine, Phantom)

(3rd Person PoV)

Mace walked into the ship as he followed the tug of the force. Ashara moved off to the right towards the cockpit to keep Vette Company if she was currently there, unless she was still having her sonic shower. Mace smothered the small smirk that came to his lips as he thought of her expression as she returned to the ship.

Mace didn't spare a glance towards the armory or engine room as he made a beeline towards the quarters that held Vaylin. Her presence was wrapped in the force as she meditated on the bed. Her body floated just above the covers as he moved into the room.

He kept quite as he made his way up to the bed, feeling the force trying to tell him something. A frown came to his face for a second as he sat cross-legged in front of the floating woman. He didn't particularly like when the force was being pushy with him.

At most times he would scoff at such prodding and put it in its place, but the situation had been changed greatly. He had been transported to the distant future, he had no clue why this was done, or what the force wants from him. Something that frustrated him to now end, not that it showed.

So now that the force wanted to 'talk' with him, he had to get the answers that he sort, if the force tried to play hard to get he would force it to tell him what was going on. The information on the two Jedi that Ashara had run into had been long passed to the back of his head as he started to close his eyes.

The report had left him greatly disappointed with what he had learned, he needed the distraction that the force provided.

As he closed his eyes and started to listen to the force, letting it guide him in his endeavors. He felt the presence of Vaylin come to him. They both starred at each other through the force as it wrapped around them and brought them somewhere.

Images started to flash through their heads, of troops, ones following the republic, walking to the temple he knew so well, that was situated on a planet he rarely visited, but one that every sith wanted to destroy. He saw the one tainted by the dark side, the one that lead a slaughter only dreamed about by many before him. Of a battle of deceit, one on a grand galactic scale, or betrayal and desperation, of wrath and vengeance, and of the death of the Jedi. Mace and Vaylin became lost as the force showed them what was to come.

**************

(Tatooine, Deep Desert Cave.)

(3rd Person PoV)

Small tremors radiated outwards as the cave shook from the beast that was approaching. The area was dark, only lit up by the sun that shined through the caves entrance.

At the mouth of the cave a small speeder was parked that held a few bags filled with parts and equipment. Inside the cave the tremors started to get louder and louder as muffled bangs went off in the enclosed area.

A small figure shrouded by a brown hood, that covered most of his body, looked on in anticipation as he gazed at the approaching beast. Blizz mumbled to himself as he played with the small device in his hand. Strapped to his belt were a few incendiaries, blasters and charges that he had taken for the trip.

He need to blow off some steam, he was truly angry beyond belief, he had finally had a family, finally found a place he belonged and was loving the adventure he was having with his boss. And all of that had been taken away. He had tried to talk to a few of his own people when he got out, but even that hadn't quite quelled the emotions that were tearing him up.

He had even tried to tinker, to create, to do anything with technology that would take his mind off what was chewing him up, but that failed as well. Finally he couldn't take it anymore, he had taken a speeder he had acquired easily enough and some of the explosives he had been tinkering with.

As he looked at the hulking figure of the Krayt dragon that was in front of him, the huge horns, tough scales and gigantic teeth, Blizz found his mind buzz with excitement as it closed in on him. Having placed bait right behind him, it was really no wonder.

Just as the creature made it 50 meters away from him, he flicked the small panel on the switch in his hand and thumbed the big red button on one of the edges. *Boom* The explosives that were stuck into the walls of the cave all exploded at once and the roof started to collapse on the deadliest creature on Tatooine.

And as the rubble fell on the beast, Blizz flashed an even bigger smile as he pulled out a few grenades and his personalized blaster.

**************

(Naboo royal Starship)

(3rd Person PoV)

Ayillh stood in the shadows starring at the boy working on the small pendant in his hands. With the advanced tech inside her mask she was easily able to zoom in on the small object in his hand. Looking at it for a few seconds, she shook her head and zoomed back out.

She herself didn't know the exact reason she was so focused on the boy, or it was better to say that she had a small idea, but the concept was still very new to her. There was something drawing her attention to the boy, something about his presence that just drew her in.

She had only felt this type of occurrence one other time, when she was in the presence of The Commander, he naturally dominated any room he walked into with his presence, it was why he was so intimidating, it was also the reason he had become the leader of the alliance.

She wasn't able to feel it so clearly before, not before she had started to delve into the power that was the force. It hadn't and had been a long time since she had first touched that which encompassed all and started to feel the universe around her.

She could never understand the importance that the Jedi and Sith put on the force until she could feel it herself. Sure she was able to learn techniques to shield her mind from their probing and attacks, but never actual get in touch with it like them. It was a whole new world of possibilities; possibilities that she wanted to exploit and use to make herself stronger, faster, better, more deadly. The list went on and on.

Her first order of business though had been to learn concealment techniques, concealment for her presence in the force, one of the only draw backs that came with her awakening. Once someone was connected to the force like them, everyone would notice.

She wasn't like the rest of the non-force sensitive beings in the galaxy anymore; she was now clearly visible to Jedi from a distance, something which made her assignments very trick whenever they involved a Jedi or Sith. Luckily Mace had many a technique that he had gifted to her. It may have taken her a while, but it was one of the reasons that the Jed on board the very ship still hadn't figured out her true presence in the force.

Not that they hadn't tried, Ayillh had to purposely hide it from the Jedi master Qui-Gon numerous times, every now and then he would send a probe out through the force, something she had to fool each time. It wasn't that she couldn't just let them know, going to a planet that she was sure was filled with Jedi, she knew that little secret wouldn't likely last long.

What she truly had to conceal was her attachment to Mace or the sith, her most guarded secret once the mission was accepted. Once that cat was out of the bag she would be hunted by the Jedi for any and all answers.

Ayillh was snapped out of her thoughts as the small hiss of a door opening startled her. Looking over to the source, she spotted Padme walking through. She had a pensive look on her face which would have been impossible to miss.

She looked left and right, noting both Anakin and Ayillh. Giving the boy a small wave and Ayillh a nod, they both replied with a small acknowledgement. But it was easy to see that her mind was elsewhere as she moved to the holo-consol.

Pressing a few buttons soon the image of Sio Bibble appeared before her. "The death toll is catastrophic, you must bow to their wishes, you must contact me." The frown on Padme's face darkened as she closes off the small message that had been sent. She wanted more than anything to reply to the message, to tell them that they were so close to help, but she knew it was a trap.

Both the Jedi, Panaka and Ayillh had informed her of the transmissions deceit; it didn't make her feel better knowing though. Forcing her emotions down and trying to control them she looked back over at Anakin, before moving over to sit with him, she wanted to talk to someone, anyone to take her mind off her troubles.

Ayillh, who was watching the two, felt a small tremor in the force, it was almost unnoticeable, and if a person wasn't a Jedi or Sith standing in the same room they wouldn't have felt such a small thing, but Ayillh did.

Padme spoke up first. "You alright?" The boy was shivering slightly, with a blanket around his body. "I'm cold." Padme seemed surprised for a second before she nodded in understanding. "You come from a warm planet Ani, a bit too warm for my tastes. Space is cold."

Padme wasn't sure when she started to use the nickname, Ani so casually but she pushed that thought from her mind. "You seem sad."Coming back to herself, she showed a small smile towards him. He was worried about her and she couldn't help but find his concern cute.

'Well it won't matter if he knows.' she thought to herself. "The queen is worried." Ayillh lets out a small snicker at the words that both of them missed. "Her people are suffering, dying. She must convince the senate to intervene or I'm not sure what will happen."

It was at this point that Ayillh slowly made her way out of the room, she had seen enough and a small part of herself was nudging her to leave the room. She trusted that feeling and made her way out. Just as the door closed behind her she took a peek back into the room.

Anakin was holding up the small pendant he had been working on for the last hour. "I made this for you. So you'd remember me. I carved it out of a Japor Snippet, it'll bring you good fortune." As Padme carefully took it into her hands Ayillh just stopped herself from snorting at the scene.

Ayillh had other things to attend to before they reached Coruscant.

**************

(Tatooine, Phantom)

(3rd Person PoV)

Ashara looked up in boredom as the small scanner of the ship went off. Scooting herself over to take a look, she quickly noted the incoming blip on the sensors, looking at another reading sensors she quickly determined the type of speeder heading in their direction.

'Blizz didn't leave with a Speeder' Thinking to herself quietly she rose an eyebrow before stretching her tired body like a cat. The sweet pop of her bones and muscles releasing all their tension prompted her to bring her feet back to the ground, as she made her way to the landing ramp.

Walking up to the ramp, she pressed the button releasing the pressurized mechanism keeping the ship air tight. The ramp lowered at a steady pace as the warm winds of Tatooine blasted into her eyes, fully waking her up.

Her boots clanked down the ramp as she looked at the speeder approaching. From a distance she could make out Blizz sitting behind the controls, but he hadn't just brought a speeder, behind him was a small caravan of crates attached to the back.

Her eyebrows rose again at the unexpected cargo, but she shrugged it off after thinking about it. Blizz was always an eccentric Jawa, she should have expected him to bring something back. 'At least it looks like he's back to normal.' Ashara didn't like the quiet and brooding Blizz that had left the ship; as long as he was back to his normal self she would be happy.

She waited quietly as the Speeder approached the ship before finally slowing down in front of her. Blizz jumped down from the speeder landing with a small plop when he reached the sand. The speeder was too big for him, Ashara didn't even want to think about how hard it was for him to actually mount the vehicle.

Looking at Ashara for a second Blizz gave her a thumbs up as he walked to the crates behind him, just floating above the ground. He started to talk as he unhooked them. "Blizz blew off some steam killing big dragon. Blizz trade remains for new tech! Blizz can't wait to pull them apart!"

Ashara said nothing as Blizz began to tell her about his little adventure. A small smile came to her lips as she looked at his excited figure. 'Ohh he's fine alright.' After a short few minutes Blizz was ready to pull the cargo aboard as he set a small explosive onto the Speeder he was just using.

They could take the crates of tech he had just brought with him, but they couldn't keep the Speeder. They didn't want to leave much evidence that they had been in the area, so it had to go. Setting the timer to blow after a few seconds he pressed a few buttons on the control board and the speeder took off away from the ship.

Blizz turned his back on the craft as he made his way into the ship, he was heading right for engineering, he had a lot of research and tinkering to do. Ashara stayed back for another few seconds as she watched the Speeder explode in the distance.

Watching the fire ball rise into the air before disappearing, as if nothing had been there, she once again slowly made her way into the ship and hit the button to raise the ramp. She watched the ramp close out the humid air of Tatooine before making her way back to the front.

It was time to get off this dust ball.

**************

(Phantom)

(3rd Person PoV)

I kept my face passive after what I just saw. There were no words really that could some up what I had just witnessed, what the force had shown me. Was it funny? Sad? Depressing? Insulting? Was it a triumph? A master stroke of the sith?

It was hard to tell, my mind kept going over the small amount of information I had been shown. Though I was happy that the Jedi were killed like dogs, that the sith had finally won, it felt hollow. And it wasn't just because I wasn't the one to achieve such an accomplishment.

It was a smart plan, the ingenuity of it was something to be commended, something even Alira was complimenting in the back of my head. But it felt sloppy, not worth it in the end. There were so many points where it could have gone wrong.

For example when the sith was cornered in his office of power, when the Jedi surrounded him, he was no warrior, he was good, but he wasn't that good. The Jedi had him dead to rights and everything that happened after could be placed solely on the shoulders of the Jedi that wielded the purple lightsaber. Just a lunge, a quick cut to the neck, one pierce through the heart and the plan would have failed.

I hadn't seen everything, but if the plan could have failed that easily, then it was sure to have been unstable and flimsy in the past. Even with an insurance policy, which I'm sure a conniving Sith like him would have prepared, if you are no longer alive then there is no victory.

In the end it was the split second decision by the traitor that allowed him to win and proclaim glory for the sith. Though even then the Jedi were a pale comparison to what they used to be, just seeing them falter one by one to the troops they once commanded, showed me that.

With the report from Ashara and what I had just witnessed I could not consider them a truly worthy opponent for the sith, a shadow of their past self. They disgusted me, and so did the sith that had won in the end.

I let out a light chuckle as I looked at my surroundings, in the end it all seemed like a joke to me. I didn't know where the force had dropped me off at; I was just standing in the stars looking out at the infinite space that surrounded me.

I felt Vaylin's presence join me as I stood there and turned to look as her form appeared beside me. She had seen exactly what I had. She too had an interesting expression on her face, it wasn't sorrow, it wasn't glee, it was indifference, exactly what I had come to.

We stayed like that for a few minutes unable to get back to our bodies as the force held us in place, it was waiting for something. After a while I couldn't wait any longer, and after seeing that vision I had an inkling of what the force wanted.

It wanted me to help it, a laughable notion really. It wanted me to stop the sith, save the Jedi. For what purpose I didn't know, but I didn't care. "Is this why you bought me here, to this time?" It still didn't move. "You want me to save the Jedi?" It suddenly warmed up to me, as if giving a hug, I felt disgusted. "Why should I?"

The force seemed taken aback for a second before the warm hug it was giving turned into strangulation as it roared in my ear and bore down a pressure on me. It was angry at my words, I laughed once again at the absurdity of the situation. "The Jedi lost! They died! Their temple destroyed! I may not think it's a worthy victory, but we won!"

The force raged further pressing down even more, but I had been fighting to control the force all my life, I wasn't a stranger to make it do MY bidding! I pushed back with everything I had, as Vaylin also joined me.

She hadn't said a word so far, but like me she didn't care for the Jedi. "Why bring me here? There are many 'Jedi' throughout history that you could have taken!" I almost spat the words Jedi as I continued to wrestle with the force around me.

My mind worked in overtime as these questions came to mind, before I stopped struggling… I stopped, as I finally got it. "Hahaha" I let out a full blown laugh as the situation finally settled in. Why would the force take me and not a Jedi? What could set me apart from the rest? Even though I would gladly let them die, it chose to bring ME here.

There was only one answer. I can get the job done! The force needed someone strong, stronger than the Jedi from the past, strong enough to do whatever is necessary to make sure that it survives! "Hahaha" I couldn't stop my laughter at the situation.

Something was coming, I didn't know what. But something was coming that scared the force and the Jedi being the Jedi, get themselves killed before it arrives. Without the Jedi to protect it, or the galaxy I presume, the Force will be greatly weakened, maybe even worse.

And the sith that won, the one that took over, he wasn't good enough, he wasn't strong enough! Everything finally started to fall into place as the force let up its relentless assault upon me.

It knew I had figured it out. Mostly anyways. "What is coming then?" It wasn't a question, I wasn't asking, I was demanding. The force pulled back for a second as if deciding if it should tell us, but in the end it conceded…bowed to MY will.

I heard words gather in my ear, as if they were brought by the wind. The force whispered to me of a threat soon to come. "They reject me. Enemies… savages…who will ravage the galaxy."

They reject the force? Beings that aren't touched by it? The concept was intriguing in and of itself, it was a known fact that everything in the galaxy was touched by the force, some more than others. But there was no one devoid of its presence. I thought over the implications for a short while before finally giving a glance towards Vaylin, she had her head down and was thinking about something herself.

As if feeling my gaze, which she might have, her head rose to look me in the eye. I stared into the yellow and red irises that seemed to share my thoughts. She wasn't a stupid person, she had ruled over the world of Zakuul, seen it first behind the emperor, then her brother, before finally ruling it herself.

She read me and I read her. We were both thinking the same thing. I could feel Alira's giddy thoughts at the back of my mind as she started to plan for the future that was to come. My smile grew even bigger, more predatory, as I turned back to the embodiment of the force.

There was a new path that opened before me. Knowing why I was here, knowing what was to come, knowing that I didn't have to worry about being displaced again, I spoke with renewed ambition. "How about we make a deal." The force stayed still once again at my words.

If it wasn't so desperate, maybe just maybe it would never give my words a second thought, but desperation made people, beings, do many things they never thought possible. Its words once again rang in my ear, more of a question really."Deal?"My smile grew wider, my ambition flourishing "You brought me here to help the 'Jedi'…" I didn't want to say my next words but it would pave the path heading forwards. "…I agree to help them sometimes or when necessary."

The force surged in happiness at the declaration but I held up my hand. "But you will give me freedom! You will not help the Jedi find me! I am to be given free rein to do whatever I see fit in the galaxy!" The force stopped its happiness and I could feel its apprehension at my words.

I gave another low chuckle. "Don't worry I will not kill anyone deemed too 'important' to the grand scheme of things, but other than that you cannot control what I do!" I would not budge on this. I may help the force as a part of the arrangement, but it would NOT control ME!

I lowered my hand at the end of my words. That was the deal, one that I could use for the time being. I let my power flare around me, showing the force my will, my unbending presence and determination. The force didn't reply for the longest time at the words. Vaylin and me waited and waited, before finally it left us with one word before disappearing. "Deal"

Vaylin and I opened our eyes on the Phantom at the same time. I took a moment to notice that we were out in orbit of Tatooine, I could feel our location through the force. I was about to say something to Vaylin when I felt the force tug at me once again, a small vision of Naboo appeared in my head. I grinned once more as I stood up and made my way to the door.

I pressed the intercom of the ship. "Master?" Ashara's voice sparked over the line. "Yes it is me. Set course back to Naboo, engage the cloaking device as well. I don't want anyone to know when we arrive." It was just a second later when she replied and I felt the ship change heading. "Yes Master, heading set now."

There was a slight moment of hesitation over the line before she spoke up. "Master, I felt the force spike in Vaylin's quarters, is everything alright?"I smiled once again as plans for the future rushed through my mind. "Everything is alright, even better actually."

She must have heard how happy my voice was as she then replied. "I can't wait to hear about it later, in your quarters perhaps~" I let out a small chuckle at her flirtations voice. "We'll see." With that I shut down the comms and moved back to the bed.

Vaylin had a growing smirk on her face as her eyes flashed with ambition and power, Alira was dealing with all the information in my head and wanted to have a chat about our future plan. I couldn't keep her waiting.