{"id":2219,"date":"2017-10-14T07:21:26","date_gmt":"2017-10-14T12:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=2219"},"modified":"2017-10-18T08:16:31","modified_gmt":"2017-10-18T13:16:31","slug":"the-sith-empress-part-31","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=2219","title":{"rendered":"The Sith Empress – Part 31"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

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

Part 31<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Jessica made her way out of the room into the larger room and looked around for some people who worked there.\u00a0 She was relieved when Gaia had awaken and appeared to be recovering.\u00a0 Now she was looking for some food and drink when she spotted a few people.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, can I get something to eat for two?\u201d she asked her voice startling them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d one said and walked out of the room to carry out the request.\u00a0 The other, who Jessica recalled was the doctor from earlier stood and made his way over.<\/p>\n

\u201cI take it she\u2019s awake?\u201d he asked her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, she\u2019s hungry as well\u201d she replied back to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see,\u201d he said moving into the room to check on his patient.\u00a0 \u201cAnd how are we feeling?\u201d he asked her moving to check on her vitals before nodding to himself and checking on her bandage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel a bit better,\u201d Gaia said, looking over at Jessica.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019ll make a full recovery,\u201d he said to her.\u00a0 \u201cSurprising considering not many survive such a shot with no armor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess I was lucky,\u201d Gaia replied.<\/p>\n

Jessica slammed that thought shut, or what she might have done had Gaia been dead.\u00a0 Her anger and rage probably would have washed over her leaving no one safe.\u00a0 The only way they could have stopped her would have been killing her.<\/p>\n

The orderly returned with some food, two different types, one for her and another for Gaia.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, here you go,\u201d the doctor said as Jessica sat down next to the bed and ate as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll let Master Skywalker know that you\u2019re awake,\u201d the doctor said leaving the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd they\u2019ll want to speak with me,\u201d Jessica replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember what I said,\u201d Gaia said.\u00a0 \u201cThey are nice people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll keep an open mind,\u201d Jessica replied.<\/p>\n

She moved out of the room before asking the doctor where the leaders where.\u00a0 After gaining that information she made her way down wondering how much they knew.\u00a0 They probably figured she was the Sith Lord Darth Rizon.\u00a0 There was also that one man, Trona, who Jessica wanted to talk to some more.\u00a0 He seemed to have a knowledge about them no one else had.\u00a0 Not knowing made Jessica twitch, she wanted to know.<\/p>\n

She knocked on the door to Luke Skywalker\u2019s officer.\u00a0 The door opened allowing her in, she noticed he wasn\u2019t along but another man, with brown hair and a beard was in the room as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou probably wanted to talk to me,\u201d Jessica said to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Luke said turning around and siting down motioning for her to sit as well.\u00a0 Jessica walked over and sat as did the other man.\u00a0 \u201cThis is Kyle Katarn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one who defeated Desann,\u201d Jessica said.\u00a0 Her statement seemed to startle them all.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s where all this started,\u201d Jessica said.\u00a0 \u201cI was at the Valley of the Jedi, one of the group who Desann sent though.\u00a0 But when I went though, I had a vision from a Sith Lord.\u00a0 He saw something in me.\u00a0 So during the attack where Desann was killed I left the fight on my own mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you\u2019ve been working in the shadows all this time?\u201d Luke asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could say that,\u201d Jessica replied back to them.\u00a0 \u201cAfter heading to his tomb I went and visited a lot of other Sith tombs slowly gathering the information I needed to start building an empire, for that I needed warships.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sith battleships?\u201d Luke asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Jessica replied not surprised they knew that much.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere did you find them?\u201d Kyle asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are remnants of the original fleet from Darth Raven and the Forge,\u201d Jessica replied.\u00a0 \u201cYou had to visit a half a dozen Sith tombs to gain the location.\u00a0 Even then I still needed people to man the ships.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, how did you manage that, and money?\u201d Kyle asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was able to gather the resources of a businessman thanks to a connection I gained early on, and most of the crew was made up of the scum and vermin of many worlds at first.\u00a0 As I grew I gained some officers from both the Republic and Empire who were disgruntled at how things were going,\u201d Jessica replied honestly.\u00a0 She had no reason not to tell them, her empire had fallen.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost impressive,\u201d Luke finally stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what happened?\u00a0 It seemed like you were rising up and going places,\u201d Kyle asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cA subordinate of mine, Tyi,\u201d Jessica answered.\u00a0 \u201cHe had been one of the first to follow me, knew a lot of contacts but seemed like a weak minded idiot, which he was.\u00a0 He used his position as second in command to move pieces against me.\u00a0 He ordered a ship to open fire on my flagship destroying it, and most of the people who were loyal to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She watched as Luke and Kyle seemed to take all that into consideration before Luke spoke up again.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, why didn\u2019t you regain your power?\u201d Luke asked.<\/p>\n

Jessica considered that for several seconds.\u00a0 It was a question she wrestled with as well in the beginning as she went about her revenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, its complex and personal,\u201d she finally replied not really wanting to say it had everything to do with a certain blonde-haired Jedi.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s just say I had a revelation about my path.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about that fleet of ships, the remnants of Darth Raven\u2019s fleet?\u201d Luke asked.\u00a0 \u201cWe need to make sure those don\u2019t into another Sith Lord\u2019s hands, or some pirate group.\u00a0 There were how many ships?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA couple of hundred,\u201d Jessica replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat many?\u201d Kyle said, almost in a panic about the number.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know where they are?\u201d Luke asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d she replied.\u00a0 The old part of her, the part of her which was Darth Rizon protested giving this information to the Jedi, but she knew in her heart it was the right thing, not that it mattered really.\u00a0 \u201cBut, the ships are not a threat anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

That gave them all pause as they looked at her for some sort of clarification of her statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I mean is the ships have been destroyed,\u201d Jessica said.\u00a0 She had learned that the inactive ships had been equipped with a self-destruct which could be triggered by the Force.\u00a0 She had done that before moving onto Tyi\u2019s ships, giving them a countdown.\u00a0 By now all the ships had been destroyed which she hadn\u2019t started to man, which was less than twenty.\u00a0 Those which survived had probably fled and without a leader were isolated ships.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you managed that?\u201d Luke asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething Darth Malak put into the ships so they couldn\u2019t be used against him,\u201d Jessica said.\u00a0 \u201cTyi never understood that part, something I never told him about.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, how many are left?\u201d Luke asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder my command, we had about twenty ships, with just over ten manned and operational,\u201d Jessica replied.\u00a0 \u201cTyi ordered my flagship destroyed, two more were destroyed in orbit that leaves about seventeen, and the internal battle cost them another four, so probably around fifteen depending on how many were destroyed in orbit in the recent battle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe captured three and destroyed one,\u201d Luke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, about ten or so,\u201d Kyle said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether they could be formidable,\u201d Luke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut without a leader, or resources to keep them operational they are worthless,\u201d Jessica said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll have to send a fleet to the location, salvage the scrap to make sure they don\u2019t\u2019 get parts to repair the ships, keep an eye out for them,\u201d Kyle said which Luke nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll inform my sister,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cShe can send a Republic fleet out to investigate the area and secure it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything else we should know?\u201d Luke asked.<\/p>\n

Jessica took that to consider everything she had done.\u00a0 She would tell them some things, others, she would keep those a secret when it might prove useful further down the road, like having a senator with dirt on.\u00a0 She never knew if she might need his help in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all I can tell you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about this businessman?\u2019 Luke asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wasn\u2019t part of the Republic,\u201d Jessica replied.\u00a0 The answer seemed to satisfy them for now.\u00a0 \u201cFor now, I\u2019m going to return and check on Gaia.\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned and left the room heading back to the med-lab to check on the blonde and how she was doing.\u00a0 For now the blonde was where she could start rebuilding her life, away from the Empire and Dark Side.\u00a0 It seemed like a daunting task, and one she hoped would work.<\/p>\n

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

Jessica made her way down the hallway when she spotted Trona walking towards her.\u00a0 It seemed like from his step he was looking to speak with her.\u00a0 He appeared to be a bounty hunter, or at least had some skill in that line of work.\u00a0 His steps and posture indicated it and wondered what he wanted.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, who are you really?\u201d Jessica asked him as he came up to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe, I am like you,\u201d he replied back, not really giving her much of an answer, but he already seemed to know that.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot much of a reply,\u201d Jessica replied back almost enjoying the feeling of the back and forth question and answer, like a friendly interrogation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must be careful these days,\u201d Trona replied back to her.\u00a0 \u201cWe can never be too careful, otherwise it could be a disaster for us all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are more of you?\u201d Jessica asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, like me, and you and the small Jedi, Gaia,\u201d Trona replied back to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do we have to do with you?\u201d Jessica said, her patience wearing a bit thin over all of this as Trona appeared to look around before answering her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou two are soul mates,\u201d he told her.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d Jessica asked, unsure what that term meant in how he was using it.\u00a0 Sure, she might consider Gaia her soul mate after a bit, but for now it seemed a bit strange.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you are both ready to travel, look this man up,\u201d Trona stated handing Jessica a card.\u00a0 She looked it over seeing an address and a name, Percy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, hopefully we\u2019ll get better answers from him than you,\u201d Jessica slightly growled watching as he nodded at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor now, I have to go report back on you two,\u201d Trona said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd is that good or bad?\u201d<\/p>\n

He paused looked her over.\u00a0 \u201cGood, very good,\u201d he said walking away leaving her to muse over his answer.<\/p>\n

Turning she made her way back towards the medlab and Gaia, to check on how she was recovering.<\/p>\n

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

Gaia was lying on her back looking at the ceiling and was actually quite bored with everything.\u00a0 However she really only wanted to see one person, but she had taken off to talk with Master Skywalker.\u00a0 She felt no disturbances in the Force and hoped things were going well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, how is my patient doing this morning?\u201d the doctor asked walking into the room and looking her chart over.<\/p>\n

\u201cBored,\u201d Gaia replied honestly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter what happened I\u2019m amazed that you\u2019re even alive,\u201d the doctor replied back to her.\u00a0 Gaia couldn\u2019t remember much aside from waking up next to Jessica.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t remember much,\u201d Gaia confessed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI only wish Trona would tell me more about what happened, it could save lives,\u201d the doctor stated.<\/p>\n

Gaia didn\u2019t recall a Trona and wondered what he might have done.\u00a0 For now, she was curious about how Jessica had managed to survive the destruction of the ship.\u00a0 As the questions built up the doctor finished checking on her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you can probably go out for short walks, try and gain your strength back up,\u201d the doctor stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

She watched him leave the room.\u00a0 The next person was a more welcome sight as Jessica made her way into the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t scare anyone?\u201d Gaia asked looking at Jessica.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a perfect Sith Lord,\u201d Jessica said standing up to her full height.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, no guards,\u201d Gaia said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, they are keeping an eye on me,\u201d Jessica said.<\/p>\n

Gaia studied the face in front of her which didn\u2019t seem annoyed, but mostly amused instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, I have questions,\u201d Gaia finally said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI figured you would,\u201d Jessica replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can take small trips,\u201d Gaia stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen let\u2019s go somewhere a bit more comfortable than a med lab to talk,\u201d Jessica replied<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n

End part 31<\/p>\n

Continued in part 32<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Sith Empress by AJ Marks Part 31 Jessica made her way out of the room into the larger room and looked around for some people who worked there.\u00a0 She was relieved when Gaia had awaken and appeared to be recovering.\u00a0 Now she was looking for some food and drink when she spotted a few […]
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