{"id":2180,"date":"2017-09-20T07:29:07","date_gmt":"2017-09-20T12:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=2180"},"modified":"2017-09-23T07:26:01","modified_gmt":"2017-09-23T12:26:01","slug":"the-sith-empress-part-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=2180","title":{"rendered":"The Sith Empress – Part 24"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Sith Empress<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

by AJ Marks<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 24<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Luke made his way back to his quarters after a long day and little had been achieved if at all.\u00a0 He had more questions now than when started the day.\u00a0 Of course his mind went back to a mysterious visit he had as well.\u00a0 The very fact someone could get into the academy without them seeing was not a comforting thought to him, nor was it to Kyle or Fie-Tel.\u00a0 They would have to step up security a bit.\u00a0 He also knew that some groups had special skills and it seemed this group was one of them.<\/p>\n

His mind wondered to another disturbing event, the fact that it appeared a new Sith Lord had appeared.\u00a0 This one seemed to be different than previous Sith Lords as he sense a real power behind this one, more like the Emperor than a fallen Jedi.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaster Skyalker?\u201d a young Jedi padawan said startling him out of his thoughts and he looked back and recognized the Jedi.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes Tries?\u201d Luke asked wondering what he had to say.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am to inform you that the Republic has accepting in meeting with a new group calling themselves the Rizonians, and the President has asked for one of us to be there as well,\u201d he said to Luke.<\/p>\n

Luke considered the request, Leia was still in training and had abilities but wasn\u2019t a Jedi.\u00a0 She had concentrated on her job instead of training like he had.\u00a0 It was a tough decision as he wanted the Jedi to operate independent of the Republic yet they had to remain aware of what was going on and keep a working relationship between the two groups.<\/p>\n

He knew that despite everything he wanted someone to go.\u00a0 They needed to know what was going on out there as well, especially considering everything which was going on.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell the President that we will send someone to attend these meetings, but only as an observer and nothing more, then tell Fie-Tel to pack and head to Coruscant to observe the meeting,\u201d Luke said making a decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes Master Skywalker,\u201d Treis said and quickly left to carry out the orders.<\/p>\n

Luke turned to continue on to his quarters for some sleep.\u00a0 He felt unsure if this was the right path to take considering everything which had gone on.\u00a0 Perhaps it was time to reinstate the Jedi Council to help govern the Jedi and make decision instead of one person.\u00a0 He would have to consider it for the future.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Gaia couldn\u2019t believe how long she had been left alone this time.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t much for her to do except medicate considering she hadn\u2019t seen Rizon lately.\u00a0 Gaia wasn\u2019t sure if she was disappointed or happy about that part as the dark-haired woman confused her.\u00a0 Part of her wished to see her again while the other part never wanted to see her again, a conflicting contradiction.<\/p>\n

The door opened allowing the tall woman to walk into the room causing Gaia\u2019s heart to pound.\u00a0 Why did she have such a reaction to the woman and it wasn\u2019t from fear either.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, your precious Republic has agreed to meet with me, of course they don\u2019t know it me,\u201d she said with a smile at Gaia.\u00a0 \u201cDo you want to hear more of all of this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t matter, you\u2019ll tell me anyways,\u201d Gaia replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell them I\u2019ve been attacked by some outside, unknown force further out in the universe.\u00a0 The New Republic fools will fall over themselves thinking it\u2019s the same group and by the time they realize who is really attacking them, I will have an unstoppable force of Sith warriors,\u201d Jessica said to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Jedi will stop you,\u201d Gaia said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Jedi are weak, their numbers have been hurt by recent attacks against them, both external and internal,\u201d Rizon said to her.\u00a0 \u201cThose forces are nothing compared to my forces, they are true Sith warriors.\u00a0 These new Jedi are nothing like the Jedi back then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what?\u00a0 You\u2019ll have the universe to yourself?\u201d Gaia asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith you as my queen,\u201d Rizon said, surprising Gaia a bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to be queen,\u201d Gaia replied back to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you will be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doubtful,\u201d Gaia said as Rizon walked over to stand beside her and caressed her cheek.<\/p>\n

How long the touch lasted Gaia wasn\u2019t sure, but the intercom chimed interrupting what they were doing.\u00a0 Rizon turned to answer waiting impatiently.<\/p>\n

\u201cLord Rizon, we\u2019re approaching the meeting point with the Republic,\u201d the voice said.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery good, I\u2019ll be right there,\u201d Rizon said ending the conversation and turning to Gaia.\u00a0 \u201cWell little one, our time is at an end for now, but I\u2019ll be back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gaia watched the tall woman walk out of the room before wondering what was going on.\u00a0 Part of her really liked the woman beyond all reason.\u00a0 She needed to think about this some more and figure out what she could do.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Fie-Tel waited as the meeting between the two parties was about to begin.\u00a0 He looked over at Leia, who was Luke\u2019s sister and wondered how.\u00a0 He had blond hair and she had black hair, an odd occurrence for them.\u00a0 He knew she could be a powerful Jedi if she had put her mind to doing so like Luke.\u00a0 Fie-Tel could feel the Force coming from her even if she didn\u2019t feel it.\u00a0 It made him wonder if she carried a lightsaber as well.\u00a0 The rumor was she had constructed one.<\/p>\n

It was probably like the Emperor, he had one but rarely used it.\u00a0 In fact, there were only a few instances of him actually ever using it.\u00a0 The man had been a master manipulator who used other means to get his way.\u00a0 The news that the Rizonian delegation had arrived and they were waiting for the person to come to the room.<\/p>\n

The door opened allowing a tall, dark-haired woman to enter the room.\u00a0 There was something about her presence and eyes which made Fie-Tel uneasy in her presence.\u00a0 There were a few others who entered as well, but the tall woman seemed to be the one with power.\u00a0 He made a mental note to ask Luke about her presence later on.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, I\u2019m Chancellor Rizon,\u201d the woman said to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome chancellor, I\u2019m President Leia Solo of the New Republic,\u201d Leia replied greeting the woman in front of her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to thank you for agreeing to meet with me,\u201d Rizon said with a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Republic tries to keep up with what is going on around it so we\u2019re not surprised by the unexpected,\u201d Leia replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, its always good to know what is going on,\u201d Rizon said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve been keeping an eye on an aggressive group which recently appeared on our border as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been hearing reports of a new aggressive group,\u201d Leia said.\u00a0 \u201cIntel states there have been several attacks on non-Republic worlds close to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen they are bothering you as well?\u201d Rizon said to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot directly, what information do you have on them?\u201d Leia asked as Fie-Tel listened in to the discussion.\u00a0 There was something here which he couldn\u2019t place but continued to listen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t\u2019 have much, only that they recently appeared and attacked without warning,\u201d Rizon said.\u00a0 \u201cThey appear to use old Sith Empire weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is news,\u201d Leia said.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps it\u2019s a new Sith Lord, we\u2019ve heard about such things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPossible, some lost remnant of the old Sith Empire,\u201d Rizon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn old group from the Army of Darkness which was defeated by Lord Hoth,\u201d Leia said, thinking about the possibilities.\u00a0 For some reason this seemed to get some interest from Rizon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was under the impression they were all killed,\u201d Rizon stated, obviously they had some shared history.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the stories go, but the stories and truth are sometimes very different,\u201d Leia replied back to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed,\u201d Rizon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cRizonian, and interesting name, and your name is Rizon,\u201d Leia finally said changing the conversation.\u00a0 \u201cHaven\u2019t heard of that name before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIts custom for the chancellor to take up the name Rizon, so we are all called Rizon,\u201d Rizon said causing Fie-Tel to frown.\u00a0 It sounded to him more like an Empress, or Emperor than a Chancellor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see.\u00a0 Any indication of where these invaders are coming from?\u201d Leia said turning the conversation back to the attackers and looking at a map.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know where this group might be attacking from?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, our empire isn\u2019t too big, and we usually kept to ourselves but this has been disruptive to our society,\u201d Rizon said before pointing to a spot on the map.\u00a0 \u201cThere are planets where we know attacks have occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fie-Tel noticed the planets indicated where the same ones intelligence had indicated as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I ask what type of ships do you use?\u201d Leia asked.<\/p>\n

Fie-Tel knew why, the ship in question they had travelled in on was an older type of Sith design.<\/p>\n

\u201cSith Empire inspired designed, our empire discovered a cashe of leftover ships from Darth Raven\u2019s fleet a thousand years ago,\u201d Rizon said to them.<\/p>\n

That information shocked Fie-Tel, he had assumed that all those ships had been destroyed a long time ago.\u00a0 Now it appeared both this empire and the unknown empire were using such ships.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know how this sounds?\u201d Fie-Tel said speaking up for the first time as several others in the room all thought the same thing.\u00a0 Here was an unknown empire using ships which had been used in the attacks and they were admitting to using such ships.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do, that\u2019s why we\u2019ve come forth, in hope of peace between us,\u201d Rizon said.\u00a0 \u201cWe are not a powerful empire, and we use our ability to remain hidden to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reply was plausible to him when Leia spoke up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt also possible they are a splinter group of the Old Republic, after all, much information was lost under the Emperor,\u201d Leia said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis group was unknown to use until recently, we were aware of you, and the Empire, but we chose to remain quiet,\u201d Rizon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could have been a tremendous help to the Rebellion,\u201d Leia said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were not sure which side was going to win, and we wanted to remain our sovereign independence,\u201d Rizon said.<\/p>\n

They all nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, this was an interesting first meeting, I do have some other responsibilities to attend to,\u201d Leia said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think our assistants can help out a bit here,\u201d Rizon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think so,\u201d Leia replied.<\/p>\n

With that they left the room after getting the information started.\u00a0 Fie-Tel hoped for a peaceful continuation in the talks, but couldn\u2019t help shake some notion that not everything was as it seemed.\u00a0 Perhaps it was due to the fact they were secretive already, they would hide things from them.\u00a0 He would keep an eye on things but followed Leia out of the room.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Leia made her way to her office with Jedi Master Fie-Tel beside her as they walked down the hallway in silence.\u00a0 She was thinking about everything and wanted to remain quiet until she reached her office before saying anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what do you think Master Fie-Tel,\u201d she asked as they entered the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m unsure Madam President,\u201d he replied back to her, but she recognized he was thinking about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought she was truthful, but it can be so hard with politicians,\u2019 Leia replied realizing her statement.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I should know, I\u2019m one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was something there, but what I cannot say,\u201d Fie-Tel finally stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, its all politics in these first meeting anyways.\u00a0 It takes a while for both sides to understand each other,\u201d Leia said stretching a bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, if you\u2019ll excuse me I have to report in to Master Luke and let him know how it went,\u2019 Fie-Tel said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019s waiting for your report, tell him hi for me,\u201d Leia said.<\/p>\n

She watched him leave the office before going over the conversation once more.\u00a0 She wondered if somehow their previous clash with the Emperor had tainted their ability to see others in anything more than a cautious way.\u00a0 She was suspicious of the Rizonians without knowing much about them.<\/p>\n

They needed more information about this new empire and who they were.\u00a0 It would take some time but she felt sure things would work themselves out.<\/p>\n

End part 24<\/p>\n

Continued in part 25<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Sith Empress by AJ Marks Part 24 Luke made his way back to his quarters after a long day and little had been achieved if at all.\u00a0 He had more questions now than when started the day.\u00a0 Of course his mind went back to a mysterious visit he had as well.\u00a0 The very fact […]
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