emile fischer

Xaash-tâ: Dark Augurs

​

There are only a few things in this world... only a few sounds, which are no longer chilling, which no longer make your hair stand on end, in the heart of the night... in the hollow of your ear... only the terrible and vile flight of the mosquito. Ah, that filth. There are in all the galaxies, it's inevitable as crap. The shrill noise of the little vampire, which only augurs a night of futile fights, and promises beautiful dark circles and a good big mug of coffee the next day... And worse it scratches this bullshit!

But that's nothing. Absolutely nothing. No, it's nothing compared to the long, sinister howl of the red-sharded alarm that sounds when attacked. This lugubrious repetitive lament, which sings to us, again and again in our ears, that we are all going to die.

[Lexrul: An 12 ATC / -3641 BBY]

The alarm rings in the night. My comrades rush into the dark corridor which glows its most funereal red. The enemy is at our doorstep.

I throw myself out of bed, already in armour, snatch my rifle from the ground and rush to their side. No time for my helmet. I follow my brothers in arms in the corridors, slipping in the curves, ready to do anything to protect this damn complex. Direction: main gate, quick!

I know the way, I've been stationed here for a long time. I rush through each straight line of these narrow corridors, my heart racing…but I keep going. I must give my life so that the Empire does not get its hands on this data. Courage, Eddo! You can do it !

A few more bends and I rejoin my brothers, all parked in the thin black hallway, in front of the huge armored turadium door. They all aim for that huge cylinder that separates us from the elevator, that takes it to the surface… but when I see what frightens them, I feel the rhythm of my heart quicken: The door crackles and spits sparks, while a blade of red plasma cuts an arc through the armor.

He's a sith...

I raise my weapon towards the door like all the others, and I wait. A bead of sweat is already beading on my temple. My eyes fix the 'O' of fire and molten metal which is taking shape little by little a few meters from me, already aware that many will stay there. It's almost impossible to kill these things… But suddenly, the blade freezes.

…

Suddenly a huge piece of the wall to our left rips open, and flies towards the opposite wall, crushing two of our soldiers with such violence that the entire bunker shakes. Their bodies, a sickening red mush, spill out all around the massive block of metal.

And then my body froze.

A figure crosses the flames and comes out of the hole. A long, thin figure holding another lightsaber, and donning a robe, a dark frock…and a hood. A figure without a face, but whose glowing red eyes would devour any soul.

The door's lightsaber swirls through the armor and joins his other hand. She has two… two lightsabers redder than blood.

Oh no… It's HER…

My comrades open fire, but she doesn't care about their response. As the sith steps out of the hellhole, ignoring the flames, her majestic weapons begin to dance in her hands. The ruddy blades of light spin on themselves, taking turns one after the other; their center remains centered on the shoulders of this woman, in a series of perfect circles, dragging her with them in this simple mortal waltz. Blaster blasts bounce back and forth, illuminating the darkness with their intense blue, punctuated by the crimson flash of alarm. I can't open fire. I am petrified.
 

Her round ceases when she puts away a saber and snaps out her arm. The soldier closest to the sith lifts off the ground and dashes towards her as if by magic. Its throat joins the steel claws of the beast, which now uses its body to block my team's shots. She lifts him up as if he weighs nothing. When her back finally looks like a Gruyere cheese from Matakel, she sinks her five claws into her flesh and rips out her throat, clenching her fist. The horrid faceless creature swings the bobble-headed corpse at the squad leader, then draws his second lightsaber again.

One of my roommates shouts in my ears. He tries to wake me from my frozen state. I barely react. My eyes cannot leave the carnage that spreads before me. Willbee, a friend, leaves the ground before my eyes, between her and us. He screams as his back bends like a toy, then breaks with a crash. The back of his skull now touches his own coccyx, then his bent double body falls to the ground. A bewildered-looking contortionist, tucked into a gruesome position even a droid can't perform. The light in his eyes fades as he stares at me. That blank stare...

It is at this moment that I come to myself. I have to go away. I have to get out of here, and never come back. I don't want to end up like this! I push my own colleagues to get out of this mess. They keep shooting.

When I finally manage to escape from this small crowd, I come across Mev running up with an FWMB-2K heavy blaster. He sinks, takes my place and fires in bursts. I can only turn around and wish him luck… A few shots go off, but pretty soon the blaster gains its own will, and soars into the air then turns back towards the squad. Mev is still clinging to the handle, barely touching the ground. My team gets decimated as the ruby-eyed monster stalks and slices, next to a real flying turret now ripping through my friends.

With each step, the sith leaves a fiery imprint on the ground. The squad leader gets up at the wrong time and doesn't have time to understand: his face passes in the wake of sabers which slowly scrape the walls on each side. In a flash, the fiery blades carve limbs, faces, lives. She swoops down on my colleagues like an enraged ghost. Finally, the turret, to which only Mev's bloody hand is attached, falls to the ground and slows down. Me, I resume my run, terrified.

I pass by seven soldiers rushing into battle. I do try to warn them, but they only listen to their duty. I don't stop. When I look back, I can see them all huddled together in that intersection, pulling in the same direction, to the left. I think we are almost out of the woods when suddenly, in a quarter of a second and with a most horrific cry, the silhouette and its long red trail mows them all down at once and disappears into the junction. Their bodies tilt and detach in perfect synchronization. They all fall into an eternal sleep. Other cries resound in a chilling echo. I can't do anything for them.

So I go for it, I launch myself as quickly as possible towards the most reclusive bottom of the complex. Too bad for the others...

The corridors are emptying, panic has devoured them all. A sith has come to take us, it's death personified. Women and children are evacuated. To go where ? We are trapped. And then what are they doing here anyway? The soldiers equip themselves, and leave to fight… no, rather to save time. The complex is still on general alert, the red flashing lights continue to stir the white walls and the sirens still sing the anthem of the end. It doesn't help anyone, that... It's just creepy!

I push those who don't let me pass. I know where I'm going. Finally, I arrive in a corridor which leads to a crossroads. I no longer hear the cries of panic behind me, that's a bad sign! I charge harder, when a stinging light stops me. A heavy guard emerges into the intersection and fires a flamethrower in front of him. But what is he doing?

The impressive explosion that follows sweeps through my hair, reddens my eyebrows and makes me cover my face with my arm. When I look again, the poor man is on the ground, motionless, he burns from head to toe. His back pack imploded and set the whole crossroads on fire. Unable to pass.

But worse than that… Through the flames, through the wall of heat and the air which vibrates like in a mirage… the silhouette appears. She stares at me with her big Adrianople eyes from the depths of flaming hell. She wants my soul. I feel it. His lightsabers crackle and are ready to greet me. Tears well up in my eyes I'm scared. I can only breathe in panic and tremble. But a force in me pulls me out of this spell, and orders me to flee. I take off in the small bend to my left. However the silhouette copies me and goes in the same direction. I can't be wrong, or she's going to fall right on me!

The corridor in which I rush then becomes more and more narrow. I'm not cloistered - fortunately otherwise I would never have accepted this position - but it's really tight. A real maze here. But since the time, it's going, I have retained the shortcuts.

Oh no… SHIT! Why did it turn off? Ok, the red alarm is scary, but total black is not better! They had to shut off the backup power. Quick my blaster! I turn on the small lamp which is attached to the end, and I illuminate my passage between the pipes and the ventilation grilles. Awh it's a real nightmare, even in the movies it doesn't give the chips so much! The halo is tiny, why is it so faint!?

Alright, calm down Eddo, calm down… Come to your senses, you'll be fine. Maybe… Shit, I don't even believe it for a second. My palms are sweaty, I want to stop, roll into a ball and cry. I miss my mother.

I will die.

It's over, it's screwed I'm going to die. It's simple, I'm going to die, that's all. My time has come, it's the end of qana, it's... it's...

Uhhh…

Maybe I'll suffer first, maybe not.

…

BUT MEEERDE !!

No no no please no! I do not want ! II don't want to die. Not now, not here… not on Lexrul… I just want to go home…

What was that !?

The slightest shadow that moves with my lamp terrifies me. They hide behind each wall relief as I walk through the darkness. Little ghosts watching me and stealing away...

I move a little further, and I finally get out of the infernal crossroads. I'm on the lower levels, in the great corridors of the warehouses. Huge attic corridors, as high as they are wide, leading to large armored and locked trapezium-shaped loading doors. Every few meters thick columns of reinforcement adhere to the steep walls. Above, no more noise. Absolute dead silence. I am alone…

I have no time to lose, she will be here any minute, I have to hide. I walk through the huge dark tunnel, skirting the walls, armed with my ridiculous laser loupiotte, looking for an open hangar.

Ten good minutes pass, when finally I arrive near a crossroads. I sprint to get it over with, when something grabs me hard and slams me into a column.

Friends ! They took me for a stupid imperial soldier.

I feel reassured. They are three. A tall human sidekick with enough grenades on his chest to blow up a tank asks me what I know. It is accompanied by an advozsec and a vurk, which cover the backs.

I explain to them how relieved I am to see them, when I notice something strange on the soldier's armor. A multitude of small metal rings levitate and rotate around the grenades on his chest. When he notices it too, he lets out a cry, but it's too late...

BOOM! An intense white light, a crash of thunder, and here I am, landing ten meters backwards, blood all over my face... I'm stunned... the world is spinning... The hot guts on the ceiling tell me that my new friends have abandoned me. Instead, a thick gray mist lays in front of me. The ringing in my ears still rings, but as it gradually fades, and my sight improves…it's a whole different sound that comes to me. A buzzing sound, a long technological and haunting 'Hmmmm'. Then, in my greatest terror, the mist blushed.

It's not true…

I turn around and take off. I don't have my weapon anymore, I'm just a prey that has lost all its chances. Another tear crosses my cheek. I dry my eyes, when a mirage appears to me. No, not a mirage… a real last chance! They are there! A whole squad is posted in barrage, a few meters in front of me!

I give them big signs, I shout to them that she is coming, and I rush to the other side of their barricades. Ah, my saviors, what luck! I will stay with you, but I prefer to hide far, far away from...

…

I've only been about 15 yards, but when I offer them one last gratifying look…all hope is snatched from me again. The sith got them. She devoured them. There are hardly any left... The beast rips a zabrak's face off with a single swipe of its claws, then impales it with a laser and moves on to the next one. This one, she drives her teeth into the wall. His lower jaw sank into his own throat, he dies staring at the ceiling. Finally, she advances languidly towards the last, who is already on her buttocks and moves back. When the terrified poor man reaches the wall, he pulls out a pocket blaster, closes his eyes, and blows his brains out. Not that he doesn't want to leave this pleasure to her, no… In truth, he doesn't even dare to imagine a death at the hands of this monster, and offers himself the luxury of a quick and painless end.

But why me !? Why is she stalking ME!? What did I do to her? There are plenty of people on whom she can feast here!... It is at this moment that I pick up. I am the last survivor. No more a cry resounded in the complex. No more hiding place. Nothing…

I turn left, I cross the gigantic corridors like a rocket, and I try to sow it. Very quickly, I arrive at another crossroads. On the sides, exits. Straight ahead… an open hangar! One last chance to hide! I rush forward, straight towards the dark mouth that welcomes me with big arms, when suddenly the mouth of quadanium falls in front of my nose. The square prongs of the door sink into the ground and almost crush my foot. I brake in panic and turn around.

She's right there.

The sith advances towards me. His two lit sabers almost scrape the ground, his long crimson robe undulates with each of his throbbing steps, his hood offers only a semblance of a face that I finally begin to perceive. She is so close. I'm done. The doors to the side corridors close slowly, lit by other flashing lights. But I give up. I don't even dare take refuge there. It is the end.

I turn to try to close my eyes to this nightmare, banging a few fists on the giant door, when an unseen force knocks me down on my stomach. I slide, as if the entire floor was leaning towards her. I rock, attracted by an impossible gravity. I try to hold on, I even dig my nails into the metal floor, but nothing stops it. I'm slowly falling into the jaws of death.

When I finally stop, and my whole body shakes like a leaf, I feel a painful weight on my lower back. The sith presses her boot to my spine and leans toward me. Now I feel its claws scraping my head and grabbing my hair. She pulls me back, I moan in vain. Then my soul ceases to be. I hear the beast smell my scent. I hear his breath, his indomitable hunger purring like a beast. I turn my eyes to my right, and guess the hideous features of this creature, which has just stuck its face close to me, as if to whisper something in my ear.

His complexion cold and pale... His eyes redder than his sabers... his face is torn with deep bloody scars... His lips and chin sport long scarlet teeth.

Then I feel intense pain. The stinging heat at a specific point. My central vertebra, my entrails, everything boils and merges, melts and disappears in a shrill hiss to leave room only for a long bar of plasma which comes out of my stomach and lights up the ground.

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! »

I wake up again, drenched in sweat. And the real world is slowly coming back to me. I am in my tent, resting on Dantooine. It was another one of those damn nightmares.

Ever since I miraculously escaped her… I haven't stopped dreaming of her.

This woman... this sith... this abomination... I escaped death myself, and she didn't like it. She follows me like my shadow every time I sleep.

Besides, I heard the day before… that she had become the new 'Emperor's Fury'. It sends shivers down your spine… Such monsters really do exist! And we're supposed to face it!

It's decided. Tomorrow I will resign. I prefer to live. I don't want to risk running into her again! I would never survive it...

Uuhhhh… Brrr, I prefer waking up the mosquito a hundred times…

Please let this stop!

Pity !

[Dromund Kaas: An -3 BTC / -3656 BBY]

" Pathetic ! Start again. »

Xaash stood up. She dusted off her poor tunic and rubbed her thin arms. A small black burn darkened her marble skin. She looked up at the balcony.

From his perch, the tall figure of Master Maygoll towered above. And although she couldn't see the expression on his face, Xaash could still guess the pair of amber eyes that glared at her.

“I apologize master. I will try to do better. said the 9-year-old girl in a thin but solemn voice.

“Don't apologize, child. Execute. Quickly. Ehhzo never let me down, will you let me down? Maygoll asked in his hoarse but calm voice.

“No, master! »

"Do it again..." he growled.

At these words, new droids armed with blasters entered the arena, crushing the debris of their predecessors. Xaash immediately drew his precious sabers, and the tall figure stepped back into the shadows, pressing the timer once again.

Darth Maygoll was a nagai, a slender humanoid species with pale gray skin, space-black hair, and renowned for their speed and agility in battle. Like many of his kind, he spoke little, and rarely used facial expressions, but he was a fearsome warrior, and an eminent teacher.

After a year with Dark Liother, training mostly in the Force, little Xaash's training had now passed into Maygoll's care. The latter felt that the work of this dear Liother concerning the handling of the lightsaber had been of poor quality, and had promised himself to remedy this. In addition to the lightsaber, Xaash therefore had to practice using the Force during combat. If her predecessors had felt that their protege was still too young, the nagai wanted to treat Xaash as a warrior. Plus, little Xaash was ahead of her age. After having succeeded - by some miracle - in decimating a troop of the Republic and in killing its first Jedi Master at only 5 years old, the human prodigy had spent all her little life giving her maximum at every moment to become more powerful. Maygoll was aware that her apprentice was gifted, but never, oh never, had she been able to surpass her former apprentice.

He talked about it constantly. Ehhzo over here, Ehhzo over there. All that Xaash accomplished was never more than the draft of his favorite's work. No one came close to him. The nagai being obsessed with their honor, Xaash had never managed to honor him. Ehhzo was Maygoll's pride alone. She… was only ever his 7th apprentice. She was barely worthy of a name in his eyes.

But where any other student would have given up, Xaash used this eternal simile. If she could surpass herself, if she managed to prove to her master that she too could contribute to his honor, then she would give everything.

" Wretched ! »

Xaash, vibroblade pointed at her throat, closed her eyes in frustration and deactivated her crimson weapons. The 10 assassin droids surrounding him snapped to attention.

“Ehhzo had managed to eliminate them all. He had faced them like you, all 10 at once, and emerged victorious. You must find the time to parry each opponent, never losing sight of them with the Force. You're not fast enough, apprentice. You disappoint me. Start again. »

Every day Xaash trained, and every day his master praised Ehhzo to him. With each failure, she learned a little more about this eternal rival with the glorious score that she herself dreamed of taming.

Maygoll was tough, but his advice was valuable. Xaash knew that thanks to him, she was on her way to becoming the Empire's next pride. So it didn't matter if he didn't appreciate it. She had known much worse. And from this teaching, she got what she wanted. Step by step, she grew stronger.

“Stop! … 32 seconds... That's too long. Ehhzo managed to defeat those same 50 droids in 19 seconds. Do you wish so much to dishonor me? »

Every night, Xaash exhausted herself, and every night she lay awake for a few moments before a well-deserved deep sleep, just to find herself in this waking dream. To imagine that fateful day, where student number 7 would finally meet student number 1. Where Xaash could finally look Ehhzo in the eye, and challenge him to single combat.

She had learned this scene by heart. A whole speech, which she repeated every evening before going to sleep, ahead of a day that she was impatiently awaiting. The day when her master could finally witness, in spite of himself, the legitimate rise of a little girl like her.

“You fell again. Come back upstairs and pour me the tea again. »

This was Maygoll's most delicate test. A test that was as much about self-control as a circus feat.

But of course, as always, Ehhzo had succeeded.

Yes, he had been able to keep his balance on that infernal horizontal ladder made of ropes; connected at each end at a single point, the slightest movement through it made it turn entirely on itself. He had been able to stay there, blindfolded, and use his lightsaber to deflect the shots of this damn probe that was circling him. All this while pouring tea for his master, sitting nearby in an armchair, using only the Force.

But Xaash was still far from achieving this. As soon as she stepped onto one of the wooden steps of the ladder, the droid pulled at her, and this kind of weighbridge turned around, sending a poor blind woman to the carpet of shame, two meters below. A test as frustrating as it is difficult. But Xaash never gave up. If she could defeat a probe with her eyes closed, or serve tea with the Force, or even tame that seesaw ladder… a way had to be found to do it all at the same time.

“Shabby. »

So, day after day, week after week, month after month, the 9-year-old got up early, even before her master, and practiced becoming better. A true fighter, she only gave up when it was time to sleep, and the next day offered another chance to win.

" Pathetic. »

And in the meantime, she dreamed of facing her master's apprentice. It doesn't matter if he's big, terrifying, alien or human, friendly or demonic, noble or in the mud. She would find him, and she would send him underground, for his master. For all the masters she had had before him. For her.

It was his passion. And through her passion, she would become unbeatable.

" Still. »

So was the way of the Sith.

And little by little… Xaash's efforts paid off. Slowly but surely, the various tests of Maygoll fell under the yoke of the gifted little girl with a thousand scars. Gradually, the great nagai mentioned less and less the name of his doggie. Although no compliments came from his mouth to warm the heart of the child, the teacher could not deny the considerable advances of his combative virtuoso. The one whose only motivation was to become the most powerful of the sith, for the good of the people who had taken her in as an orphan.

Gradually, the number on the stopwatch reduced. Gradually, there were fewer and fewer droids left standing when Xaash faced them simultaneously with saber. Step by step, the teapot moved closer to the armchair… before a for the moment inevitable fall.

One evening, when little Xaash had once again surprised her master by passing with flying colors a handful of other tests, and had spent the rest of the afternoon reading her living science lessons... fatigue did not come not. Dromund Kaas was already asleep, but not a yawn tickled the young aspirant's mouth. She had all the same undressed, and had prepared to sleep.

But Ehhzo did not come either. The scene she was playing on repeat, the speech etched in her heart, the epic battle before she closed her eyes…nothing.

Xaash remained lying under her sheet, and turned her head towards the window. Outside, the safran sky spat out its usual ivory light. A few stars even managed to perforate the constant slate sheet of the stratosphere. A light cool wind caressed her thigh, which stuck out from the sheet. She curled up in a ball, wrapped in her cocoon of warm comfort. His little chalky nose was barely sticking out, and his sinuous eyes slowly began to relax...

Suddenly she opened her eyes wide.

Suddenly, she stood up. She hastily put on her coarse black tunic, which she had made herself, ran down the steps, and sped straight towards the arena of her master, still asleep.

The next morning, Master Maygoll descended the steps of his room, wearily crossed the long cold corridors of his residence, and headed for the arena. He placed his pale hands on the large dark manax doors, and stepped inside.

He smirked when he saw what was in front of him. A smirk that Xaash did not perceive, because his eyes were blindfolded.

In the middle of the room, the girl was hanging upside down, knees bent around the swinging ladder. Her lightsaber twirled between her nimble little fingers behind her back, as the small spherical droid tried in vain to find a loophole to touch her. To the right of this scene, the large armchair and the small table which accompanied it floated skilfully. Just above, the teapot was pouring still steaming water into the cup, which was also levitating.

“Your tea, Master…”

At the end of the year, it was time for Xaash to leave Maygoll. His next master, a givin named Dark Ponzoggel, had come forward to take over. The young girl watched the two adults discuss, fixing not without a certain concern the disconcerting face of her next tutor. But you should never trust appearances. And when finally, the 7th apprentice said goodbye to the one who was for her her 5th mentor, she dared to ask him a request that had been burning her lips for a long time:

“Master… I would like your blessing to challenge Ehhzo to a duel, wherever he is today…”

The tall nagai, who was looking down at her, then displayed an expression that cast a vast shadow in Xaash's mind: A smile. Not the kind of benevolent smile, nor that of pride. But well and truly that of mockery.

"If that is your wish… Goodbye, and farewell… Xaash." »

The student bowed to his master with respect, but not without a certain disgust, and followed his next tutor without saying another word.

Was he so blinded by his past pride that he denied her any victory, any hope? Why didn't he want to admit that she had passed his dear Ehhzo?

Whatever. She would search the galaxy to find this rival. She would recite her speech to him, she would point her blade under his nose, and she would bring back his head to Maygoll.

Xaash turned one last time to his master, who was staring at her with his amber eyes. Hands behind your back, straight as a pickaxe, solemn, attentive, and madly silent...

They never saw each other again.

It was not until a short time later that the 7th apprentice realized that the name "Ehhzo" was not on any list, on any register. Because when we shift each letter of this name 7 places back in the alphabet… we read "Xaash".

[An 4 ATC / -3649 BBY]

What is our place in the universe? A question asked over and over again, too often perhaps. Yet here it is again.

Romantics sometimes find answers in poetry; more down-to-earth men are still looking for an explanation in their telescopes, but in reality, the answer is very simple, and is inscribed halfway, between the world of art and that of science.

Very often, we find our place by losing our gaze in the stars, and by letting their shimmering brilliance send it back to us.

[Dromund Kaas]

The Stygian Caldera sparkled. The huge nebula, usually a dull reddish-brown, took on surprising amethyst hues that day. Calmly, it stretched like a spatial cirrus, devouring the distant stars one after the other. In his belly, behind the scenes of this show, the sky of Dromund Kaas was clear. It was certainly the only location in the Sith capital free from storms. As on other neighboring worlds nations slowly crumbled, burying pain, ashes and flames… two lovely women looked up into the dark and chaotic infinity.

“…And straight ahead, about 390 parsecs from here, you can see Horuset. Her cinnabar furnace gilds the sands of the Academy as we speak…” The woman in red took out her pocket watch with bronze reflections, inspected it quickly, then corrected: “Mh… Excuse me, over there, it's night… "

Housed back against her comforting chest, the youngest, aged 16, did not take her eyes off the stage. Her eyelids, as captivated as she might be, had forgotten to close for a while. All the stars in the distance were reflected in her green irises of enormous beauty. Her small mouth, slightly parted as she held her breath, tore up the lines of her tattoos. Her two satiny hands, one resting on the other, held her raised knee under her long black dress.

The teenager sniffed the dense air of the jungle, which rose towards the north. What a sweet moment his mistress had chosen for a little lesson in local astronomy. She closed her eyes for a moment. His serene breathing reflected total comfort, without the slightest problem on the horizon. No training, no missions, no risks... Just two women, alone in the world, on the roof of a small building south of the city, quiet... A place of peace of their own, where the master and his apprentice had chosen to witness the stellar spectacle.

“I feel so good here…”, sighed the youngest. “I wish I never left…”

" Go… ? Do you have a journey to undertake, apprentice? »

“Korriban… Is it planned that I will go there one day? For my training…” she reminded him anxiously.

“Indeed… But today you are here, on Kaas… by my side. Don't project yourself so much, my dear. The future is cloudy, even for those who are good at deciphering the mysterious whispers of the Force. Let your imagination rest in the present. »

"Yes...", answered the young Sith at first, relieved to be able to remain in the arms of her guardian. She hugged herself warm against his chest. After all this time spent together, she was so attached to it. However, she had a moment of hesitation… then forced herself to close her eyes. " …Master. she concludes in a much weaker voice. A voice which in spite of itself translated a stream of thoughts resting rather on the past.

"You were going to call me 'mother'... weren't you?" asked the woman in a slightly colder tone, while observing the stars through a ridiculous little pocket telescope.

Guilty, the child did not know what to answer.

"Xaash… I can only be your guardian, and you have to remember that." Don't kid yourself: you did indeed lose your family that day. But it's not too late to find your place. »

The young Sith stared at her guardian, raising her head. The great lady smiled at him. Even in moments of weakness, she was so tender with her. She forced herself to hold back the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

"My place...", she repeated solemnly after having turned towards the stars impartial to her fate. She left her false hopes behind.

The professor caressed the soft hairless skull of his protegee, and continued his lesson:

“Hm hm… So… Halfway between us and Korriban, you can make out the sun of Bosthirda. Right there, slightly to the right, almost hidden behind Dromund Kalakar. You see it ? »

The young student, still a little dreamy, looked back in the direction her master was pointing. She nodded, a smile returning to her lips. The devoted budding astronomer continued:

“Jaguada, desert and uninteresting, is behind us. We will only face him tonight. Finally, if you followed the Kamat Krote, which goes from Jaguada to Korriban passing by here then by Bosthirda, and that you continued straight in the cosmos... about 657 parsecs from here according to my sextant, you would quickly come across Corbos, famous for the battle that took place there over 3,000 years ago. »

The teenager calculated quickly and turned around, in a hurry to clarify:

“3,251 years. The Battle of Corbos that ended the Hundred Years of Darkness. »

The golden-haired lady smiled, impressed by her apprentice's vast memory, but also by her perpetual perfectionism.

“You are absolutely right Xaash. she sighed, banging her head. "If only I had your memory…I wouldn't have forgotten your birthday presents." she said sadly, while handing him a tiny wrapped package.

The pale girl widened her eyes at the small gift, carefully wrapped in a cloth that looked like a thick brown leather handkerchief. All around, a small red ribbon, also in leather, sealed the mystery inside. The young sith looked up at her mentor, amazed before she even opened. This was his very first birthday present. At least, as far back as she seemed to remember. Without thinking, she threw herself into the arms of her benevolent mistress, and clutched her scarlet frock as tightly as she could. The two women almost fell off the roof.

“Thanks Zash…”

Moved, the great lady returned her embrace to the teenager. She lowered her head, brushed aside a lock of her golden hair, and placed a kiss on the forehead of her pupil:

"But open it before you thank me that much." It's really not much, I found it… OH! No wait ! She took Xaash's shoulder with one hand, put the other hand over his eyes, and swung him around blindly. When she withdrew her hand, she whispered to him, "First...there's that present..."

A light rain began to fall as a melodious breeze brushed Zash's hair. When Xaash opened her eyes, she didn't quite know what to look at. It faced the city of Kaas City. From the top of the building on which they had climbed, the city shone like every day and every night, in the constant darkness of the nocturnal planet. Still, one more sparkle slowly pierced the black. Between the roof and the city, someone was climbing the ladder that led to the roof. A small, frail hand gripped the chrome rung tightly, as a pair of footsteps sounded on the steps. Xaash's heart sank, she stopped breathing. The small package nearly slipped from his hands.

The one-armed figure that strode ahead of her beamed with all of its small body. His feet were bare, his face was low, his hair resembled Zash's except that it was more... light. A puzzled look stiffened Xaash's gaze. Even if she couldn't make out his eyes, she could recognize his silhouette among a thousand.

“Jahnelthra…? »

The student turned to his mistress, troubled. Zash, who was staring proudly straight ahead, replied:

“I decided to adopt them both. I could not resist. I thought you'd like them..."

When the teenager turned around again, she noticed that the ecstatic child was carrying something in his arm. There, pressed against his little chest, peacefully slept a tiny red dog, a puppy, no bigger than a young ysalamir.

The wind picked up and began to rumble. Xaash, completely lost, then looked down at her little wrapped present. She undid the ribbon that flew free as air, unrolled the long dark leather that took the shape of a purse, and looked inside.

A pair of tiny white eyes, twinkling like two tiny stars, stared at her eagerly from the bottom of the bag.

The storm raged. The chaotic gusts shook the planet. The world grew whiter and whiter, swallowed by a blinding light. A shrill scream rang in the disoriented young Sith's ears, causing her to lose her balance. A severe migraine gnawed at his mind. Consumed by a thousand suns, the planet faded away.

“Xaash…? »

The young girl would have liked to stay so much… but sooner or later, you have to wake up.

“Xaash! »

Snapping his eyes open, Xaash took a deep breath. A long shiver ran through his arms. Above her, Jahnelthra looked worried. The little echany placed one hand on the sith's forehead, in the other she held a candle that dimly lit the dark room, their secret chamber…on Korriban.

"Did you have another nightmare?" asked the 13-year-old girl in a soft voice. His slight accent stood out a little more than usual. Her hair, whiter than a wampa infant, fell to the human's neck.

The latter turned away, rolling to the side.

"It's alright… Go back to sleep…" she sighed.

Jahnelthra pouted disappointedly. With a sorry smile, she shrugged, and went back under the sheets. Curled into a ball, she snuggled up facing Xaash's back, caressing him carefully. The pale sith does not react. A few minutes later, the echania was sound asleep, clutching her big red cushion to her body.

Xaash, meanwhile, slept very little that night. She thought about Zash and his words. She still had to find her place… What had she meant? Should she think about a specific place to hold in the Empire, maybe…? She shook her head. It wasn't Zash, not the real one. It was all just a dream, no need to think about it anymore...

However, a little nostalgia still gripped his heart. She who thought she had found her place in this dream. Perhaps it was high time to give up hope for a family.

Ironically, she had no idea what mystical cogs the Force had set in motion.

[Yavin IV: Year 14 ATC / -3639 BBY]

Mmmmh… Mmhhhhh… Q… What…? Uhh…

The world is spinning too fast... I can feel its dizzying force stirring my mind like I'm a shrimp in a maelstrom. My vision is blurry, just like my memories, the colors are melting, the light is blinding. A bird is singing, not far away, I believe. Its chirp is muffled, as if I had just escaped from a grenade. I don't even try to get up. I stay lying here, wherever it is… I let my body and my mind awaken. I can't even tell my dreams from reality. Everything is changeable. It's all an illusion...

But what happened?

Why does my head hurt so much? Was I at a party? Did I try to drink? Was I drugged? I'm still in the clouds, everything is blurry and spins like a hellish top... My body is so tense. Why… ? Did I b-… Did I spend the night with someone? Is that the reason for my strange state? I-… Impossible… I'm rambling too much. No, Jahnelthra must have finally managed to get me to drink, it's much more likely...

My vision is clear again. I begin to see the tops of the trees that shade me. I'm in the middle of a scene that looks like the jungle of Yavin… I'm lying on the ground… alone… Higher still, at the top of the cliff, I discern the stone balcony.

I would have liked so much that it was a dream… But it is not so! In an instant, it all comes back to me. The world is collapsing into the black hole of reality once again. My little pump cracks as her beat drops. I find this dark chapter of a book that I am unable to pursue. His lugubrious existence reminds me, who don't want it. Worse than leaving the nightmare when waking up is the punishment than waking up to the nightmare. Once again, what was so dear to me has been snatched from me, like the mirage that slips from my fingers in the early morning.

Jahnelthra betrayed me.

My greatest ally, my childhood friend, the one in whom I had placed so much hope and confided so many secrets, has just thrown me off a balcony. She tried to kill me. My memories are becoming clearer. The dinner… She talked about a grand plan, to change the course of history, the course of the war… Oh no, she planted bombs on the capital. This is high treason! She has no idea of the repercussions… of the consequences of her actions. By doing so, she signs her death warrant. Maybe even ours. She puts an end to all her dreams of grandeur, to all those that I wished for her, to all those that I wanted to live with her.

My future, suddenly, takes a new turn, through his fault. She never knew how to hold her own. He always needed a bit of power, of pettiness. And now, a whole house of cards is collapsing, revealing its true nature as well as the fragility of our past ambitions. Why !? Hadn't she told me of a rich life atop a great castle, both living to destroy the Republic and the Jedi? So was this his vision of "the Empire at our feet", from the beginning? How could I have messed up like this?

I try to get up, but I collapse before even standing. The branches of the trees must not have cushioned my fall. My whole body is heavy and makes me suffer. But my heart is a hundred times worse.

Jahnelthra betrayed us. Both…

Andrax… What happened to him? I search a little deeper in my memories. There was a battle up there. Andrax drew, I remember. Then Jah's shockwave… He might still be there. In view of the calm that reigns above, I have reason to worry about his fate.

Jahnelthra's words come back to me… From the beginning, she only approached us… for the sake of her plan!? All this trust, all... all this... all this for his purposes of... of dissent!?...

She manipulated us... deceived us... Did she use her psychic powers to bewitch us?... Without a doubt...

I have to get up… I… there you go.

I can't bring myself to it… it doesn't matter…

What I can't understand… is how she could… How could she defy her own homeland, the Empire… me…?

Nope…

It's worse than that. She was never with us. I remember, she said that before she met me she… she was trained in d-…

of Jedi...

…

Hhhhhhhh…hhahhhh…n-nnh….

…

J-…

My eyes are burning. I shiver all over my body. The physical pain dissipates, and is replaced by a total and uncontrolled tension. My claws dig into my palms. My teeth are sharpening in my mouth and my eye sockets are cracking. My heart is heavy and pounding like never before. The monster comes out... Only remains...

…hate.

Jahnelthra…

I open my eyes.

This world will soon be blood and embers. This planet will remain cursed, no soul within it will ever find any rest. I will kill everything in my path. I'll gut them all, one by one, until there's nothing left. My rage will be irremissible and supreme. My suffering will engender my fury a hundredfold. No one will be able to stop the apocalypse that my flames will spread in these places. She wanted to play with me, my feelings, my dreams…!? His men will finally see me in my true face. If some feared my appearance once, for the first time, they will know. They will know who Xaash-tâ really is. They will know the true nature of the Emperor's Fury. They will taste my anger, they will feel my sword. The Force will wreak havoc between my fingers. No one will make it out alive….

As for you… you, my very dear friend… m-…

I make you a promise...

If you are not cloistered in your high tower when my blood-soaked fist breaks down your door… if you dare to flee the fate that I bring to you with all my passion… I will find you. I will cross the galaxy, I will move the stars and search the depths of the darkest black holes, whatever it costs me… My frenzy will descend on you, little white kitten, believe me. I will bend you, I will break you, I will make you implore me for forgiveness that you will never taste. And when your little moonlight eyes reflect mine...I'll scythe your beating heart with my own hand.

Place in the bloodbath. I can't wait to start killing.

[Korriban: An -12 BTC / -3665 BBY]

" My child. Have no fear, for your future will soon be engraved in the Force. Like your parents, and their parents before them. Your guard fences herself, and will keep watch in the distance. Let the dark night be witness to it. Today, my daughter… you were born and you will be reborn. So goes the Force.

Beyond the impartial flames and the crimson sand, the lesser dead murmur and lament their regrets. But their songs are frivolous, because they belong to the immutable. Outside, a blowing wind chases away the forgotten bones of time. Soon he will brush the backbone of the Valley of the Dark Lords. Listen to its zephyr and watch its grain, for it will guide you through the endless braids of your story.

By the heritage of our Master, and the blood of your ancestors, and the purity of your heart, dear child, accept your colors. Receive the caress of this simple brush. Your surety's hands are so dexterous; not a drop of the sacred blood ink will be spilled in vain. You won't feel any pain, you have my word. It's silly, my soul is so fragile, I can't offer you thorns to torture.

On your pale lips, your little chin and your still virgin throat, a promise takes shape: Application, devotion, power and sincerity. Applied, by the delicacy of your little fingers and your mind. Dedicated, in small causes as capital. Powerful, for your strength will dominate your allies as well as your rivals. Sincere, during each new path that will open before you. May your brands protect your legacy, and protect the dream. Because make no mistake, you're descended from the Sith Order, but I'm sure you'll go so much further...

But enough dreams... let your godmother compose this rite, because your future is engraved in the Force.

Oh, girl...your emerald eyes are so sweet.

To tell you the truth, I don't feel any torment, because whatever your path, you will have our confidence. Your father and I will only have lived for this glorious moment: the day you were born. Will your path forge that of this Empire, of this galaxy? Will your name become legend, when so many others fall into oblivion? Time will tell us. But I am certain that you are destined for great things, my daughter. For our Order, and for the Force itself. Our rightful and immortal ruler will be so proud of you, I'm sure.

Finally, my dear child, I am just an ordinary mother. So I express to you these simple wishes:

Realize your wildest dreams, as far as your passion will take you. Surround yourself with loved ones, allies, and if you can, friends, because we live in a dangerous era. Travel to the far reaches of the galaxy, while finding a home, a family. Finally accomplish the will of the universal energy from which emanates your true power, because it will be your most faithful guide. Don't forget, dear daughter, that I love you, that we both love you.

You will never disappoint us. We are already so proud of you… Xaash. So proud...

Shhhhhh… Don't cry my baby, for your future is etched in the Force. »