Chapter 3: Whispers in the Dark
The training chamber was silent except for the ragged sound of Anakin’s breathing. Sweat dripped from his chin, splattering onto the polished obsidian floor. In the center of the room, a simple durasteel ball, no larger than his fist, hovered a trembling hand’s breadth above its pedestal. His entire body was rigid, every muscle straining not with physical effort, but with a furious, desperate focus. The memory of his mother’s face, contorted in pain, flashed behind his eyes—a fresh wound he kept prying open. The ball wobbled, dipped, and then with a sudden, violent lurch, shot across the room and slammed into the far wall with a deafening crack, leaving a sizable dent in the solid stone.
He dropped to one knee, chest heaving, the phantom smell of Tatooine’s dust and his mother’s blood filling his nostrils. The anger was a live wire in his gut, potent and terrifyingly easy to tap. Controlling it was the problem.
From the shadows near the doorway, Talon watched, her arms crossed over her chest. Her expression was unreadable, but her crimson eyes missed nothing. The raw power was there, undeniable. It reminded her of a storm on Dromund Kaas—untamed, destructive, and magnificent. But Baras wanted this storm leashed, directed, made into a tool. The thought made her lekku twitch with a familiar, simmering discontent.
The failed mission on Tatooine played in her mind. The too-convenient Republic intelligence. The way Baras had sacrificed three other promising Sith acolytes as “acceptable losses” while he remained safe in his fortress, his reputation barely scathed. Drazin had taken the public fall, but Talon knew. She’d been on the ground. The patterns of the Republic assault didn’t feel random; they felt orchestrated. Sabotage from within was a Sith’s oldest trick, but using it to cull rivals at the cost of a major strategic objective was a special kind of hypocrisy. Baras preached strength for the Empire while secretly bleeding it dry for his own ascent.
But first she needed to confirm her suspicion of her masters treachery. Only then, would she begin to scheme his downfal.
She needed leverage. Anakin was a potential weapon, but he was years from being ready. She needed something now. Someone who saw Baras for the bloated, self-serving threat he was.
Someone like Lord Zash.
Zash’s sanctum was not what Talon had expected. It was a library, cavernous and silent, buried deep within the Sith Academy’s less-frequented wings. The air was thick and still, heavy with the scent of old parchment, dry rot, and something else… ozone and dried herbs. Towering shelves reached into the gloom, crammed with ancient tomes, their spines cracked and leather peeling. Scrolls were stacked in precarious piles, some so old they seemed ready to crumble to dust at a touch. The only light came from a single, flickering blue hologram projecting the rotating image of a Sith glyph that Talon didn’t recognize. It cast long, dancing shadows that made the carved stone faces of long-dead Sith Lords seem to whisper from the walls.
“I don’t often receive visitors so late,” a voice said, smooth as oiled silk. It came from behind a vast desk heaped with yet more books and data-slates. “Especially not ones who slink through the shadows like a tooka-cat. It suggests a conversation one doesn’t want overheard.”
Lord Zash emerged from the deeper shadows. She was younger than Talon anticipated, her face sharp and intelligent, framed by dark hair. She wore simple, dark robes, devoid of the ostentatious armor favored by so many of her kind. Her smile was pleasant, almost warm, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Those held a cold, predatory curiosity.
“Lord Zash,” Talon said, dipping her head in a minimal show of respect. She dropped out of the shadows. Zash immediently turned around, the lightsaber stubbornly at her side. Yet Talon could sense that Zash was ready to pounce. Should it come to that.
But she was not here for that. "I come in peace." She said. "Infact I think you will be very pleased with me when I leave."
Zash laughed melidioucsly. "What do you want from me, Lord Talon. We move in very different fields. Besides I am pretty sure that there is nothing you can offer me that would convince me to leave my studies." She turned around and opened a book.
"Not even the fact that Baras may be behind the failed mission on Tatooine."
Zash looked up at the Twilek. "What do I care about Baras? He does not intrude upon my studies."
"No, but his allies do. And when Baras has taken actions to weaken his enemies you will find no friends you can work with to take action when he comes for the power (the information you gathered) you posess."
Zash thought for a moment. The war was a nuiscance to her. But one that provided her cover. She had to fight against the Republic, take actions against the Jedi, if she didn't want to suffer the displeasure of the Dark Council. But other than that, it also assured that the Sith let her do anything in her free time. Persue her studies as she wished. Still the Sith hungering for her life were becoming a nuiscance. Especially Skotia. Just yesterday she survived an assanation attempt by a fellow Sith lord. Maybe it was time she involved herself more in politics again.
Just yesterday she would have laughed at the notion that came
Especially as the Dark Council grew weary of her and denied her accesses she needed for her studies. Funds were being spent no more on her studies and were instead directed to Marr and Malgus to wage war. All because of the Empires failure on Tatooine.
A failure that may have been orchastrated by Baras all along. "What evidence do you have that Baras sabotoged the mission? I have seen to many apprentices that want to overthrow her master."
Talon's smiled dimmed. "I want nothing. Baras set me there, knowing full well the Republic might kill me. To him I was expandable as was the wellbeing of the Empire. We don't need Sith who to advance their own goals harm the Empire."
Zash looked at Talon. Another Marr. It was true, she didn't harm the Empire. She needed it, otherwise she would never be able to do her research in time. The Jedi would oppose her constanlty. Better they were busy with a military. As long as she had the freedom to do as she pleased with her research.
But now, she faced a problem. The entire apparatus had decided to divert her resources. He couldn't take care of them. He had to lobby for her research. Talon might serve as a good first step for that.
"I will see what I can do to find evidence on the situation. I will contact you when done."
______ Underground base____
Anakin felt the Force flow through him. The rage inside him grew as he recalled the anger he felt as he recalled his mothers death. The Force was strong here, he could tell. He remembered his first steps on the planet. Here the Force felt more raw. Books in this underground base told him that the planet was a nexus of the Force. Anakin had searched long and hard to figure out how it came to be, but ultimately could find nothing.
Anakin had a feeling that Talon wouldn't like him researching the Force itself. "Then again," he thought, "if she wanted me dependent on her, she should have not left me with such knowledge around me." Yet he knew that he needed her. There were thousands of books here. Right now, he was not even able to discern what books were usuful to him. Besides he doubted that even if he wanted, that he could be able to read all of them.
Finally Talon returned. She seemed to be in a good mood. "I see that you have taken a step into the library. "
Anakin said nothing. There was nothing that could be done. "Good." Talon congratulated him. "There is wisdom to be found in the pages of the Old Masters but focus on what I teach you." He nodded. "Now, show me what you have learned." Anakin nodded. There was little to be done. He let the dark side flow into him. It was easier now, he could channel more of it. Yet the Force resisted him. Channeling his will, Anakin made the stone around him rise. He was stronger now, he could feel it, but still deeply inexperienced.
Talon seemed even more amused. "Let us extend your training further. This time you will meditate. She mentioned for him to sit. In meditation you will not focus on the breath, but to channel the Force into you and learn to control it. Start with small amounts, and progress from there."
The apprentice nodded. But he was uncertain. "Why are we only training in the Force?" Talon was not amused. "You think to begin combat training." From her voice he could tell Talon was being angry. "You are a fool!" She said. "It is the Force that lets the Sith and Jedi wield lightsabers. If I were to give you a lightsaber now, you wouldn't be able to reflect a blaster. Your body lacks the Force enhancement to give you speed. The lightsaber is only a tool, allowing you to channel the Force. Even then, you lack knowledge. I intend to train a Sith, not a brute! You know nothing of the Force, alchemy and all its other comportilization." Force Lightning crackled out of her finger and Anakin jumped when suddenly Talon was behind him and the book he had been reading exploded. "Remember, we do not rely on technology. We rely on the Force. Now focus on your training in the Force. I will tell you when you are ready to begin your training in other matters."
Anakin nodded. Staring at the burning book. He hoped one day, he would wield the power Talon had.
____The next day__
Zash knew the Republic had been warned. Her spy in the Republic told her that they were tipped off. The tip-off was traceable to Dromund Kaas. There were few people that had reason to tip the Republic off. No it was all but certain, he was the one who tipped the Republic off. But Baras was a dangerous enemy. Darth Ekkage, his sister sat on the council as did his master, Darth Vengean.
No, they needed inside into the order of the Force assasins of Ekkage. And she knew she had an ally in the assasin order of Ekkage. But right now, she needed to think on how best to approach Zannah. But first she needed to thank Talon for her intel. She had given her enough intel from Baras spy. Now the subversion began. How to best target him? She would need intel, infiltrate his power base and then take control of it. She spoke into a comm, the line secured. Talon would take care of it. She would find out this spy weakness and then he would belong to her.