The faint sound of the heart rate monitor beeps at a steady pace beside Adagio Dazzle's hospital bed. She had been asleep for hours. It was probably the first decent night's sleep she's had in a long time.
Now, she had finally begun to stir. The Neimoidian orderlies had brought it to your attention, as requested, and you were in her room now alongside Sunset, Pinkie, and Rarity.
Adagio groans weakly and her eyes flutter open. She groggily looks around the room for a second before her eyes widen. "Wh... Where..?"
Her breathing quickens a bit before Rarity rushes to her side. "Darling, please take it easy. You're in a hospital bed on Cato Neimoidia. You're safe."
She gives Rarity a confused, nervous look. "Cato... Neimoidia?"
Rarity nods. "Yes, darling. My name is Rarity. My friends rescued you and brought you here for medical attention. I believe you're already familiar with them, hmm?"
She turns to you and Adagio follows her gaze. It takes a second, but she eventually recognizes you and Sunset. The same fury you first saw her with weeks ago returns to her face.
She clenches her teeth. "...Mandalorian scum..."
You scoff a bit and cross your arms. "Is that how they say 'thank you' where you're from?"
"It's your fault that this happened to me!" Her eyes are still full of rage, but they begin to fill with tears as well. "I... was almost free! I-I almost got out, but I was put through that hell again because of YOU! You and her both!" She points at you and Sunset. "You sent me back to that...that evil pervert on Coruscant for a few lousy credits!"
She breathes audibly for a moment before slouching and burying her face in her hands, sobbing.
You and Sunset look at each other for a second before looking back to Adagio.
"I...wanted...to die... The things he did to me... The things he made me do... I wanted everything to end forever..." She continues to break down, but she slowly returns her gaze to you. "Do you know what that's like, Mandalorian? To want to escape? To actually want to end it all?"
No, you don't.
You've been through hell more than your fair share of times, but you've never wanted to die to end it. Suicide is a coward's way out.
Rarity looks at you and Sunset with a hint of sorrow on her face. You know she isn't disappointed with you bringing her in. Adagio was just another job at the time, and she knew it.
Still, you can't help but wonder if she's having regrets.
Are you having regrets too?
Ooh... Don't open that door...
"Look, Adagio..." Sunset steps forward slowly. "I know we haven't always gotten along, but we need you to know that we didn't lie when we told you that bringing you to Hoity Toity wasn't personal. You were just another contract." She moves to her side and crouches down a little so she's on her level a bit more. "I'm sorry you went through what you did. We realized a bit too late what a scumbag he really was. He's involved with some really bad people, and so we decided to go do something about it."
She stares at Sunset blankly for a moment.
"Do you remember what happened?" You ask. "You were there."
She looks to you. "No... I-I was... I was out of it."
"I threw him out a window, then we dropped his penthouse on him." You reply bluntly.
She's taken back a little by this. "You mean... He's..."
"He's rotting in hell, where he belongs." You say. "He won't do anything to you or anyone else ever again."
Adagio exhales softly and leans back in her bed again. You want to say that she looks more content, but she doesn't look like she's feeling much better. She probably needs time for his death to hit her.
You walk up beside Sunset. "Adagio, we have some questions for you."
She exchanges glances at you two. "Why should I help you?"
"Well, we saved your life and killed your kidnapper. That should count for something." You reply.
Adagio pauses for a moment before exhaling. "...What do you want to know?"
Alright, now you're in business.
"Well, first off, I want a specific answer to the question I asked you weeks ago on Nar Shaddaa: your gem."
The familiar fury returns to her eyes a bit when you say that. "Where is it?"
"I don't know anymore." You reply. "I met a Jedi and she took it away."
"It was my sister Maud!" Pinkie says.
You roll your eyes and exhale softly as Adagio looks at Pinkie sitting behind you for a moment, but otherwise ignores her. She sighs again and crosses her arms, almost like she's pouting.
You continue. "She said that it was an artificially made lightsaber crystal that was strong with the Dark Side of the Force. Why did you have it?"
She doesn't respond for a few seconds. "I... I don't want to say..."
You stifle a groan and just exhale again instead. "...Why not?"
"Because... Because I'm... I'm afraid. I'm afraid they'll find out..." Adagio replies.
"Who?"
She looks back at you. This time, with a hint of fear in her eyes. "The Sith." She whispers.
Interesting.
"So you were working with the Sith?"
She looks to the ground. "Not willingly..."
"What do you mean?"
She takes another deep breath and looks around the room once before speaking again. "I'm Force sensitive. I've been a slave to the Sith for so long, that I can't remember anything about what it was like to not be. To be free from their control, their influence, their cruelty, everything."
Sunset speaks up. "So you were one of their apprentices or acolytes or something?"
Adagio shakes her head. "No. When I say 'slave', I mean slave. They tortured me and bent me to do what they commanded. They taught me to use the Force as a tool in certain situations. The way I commanded the Force was through my voice."
"Ah, so that's why I almost went deaf when you screeched at me on Nar Shaddaa..." You say. "You were using the Force."
She nods. "The only thing is, I could only use it if I had that gem. It also kept me under their control. Without it, I was powerless... They ensured that I couldn't do anything without it... I... I don't know how the Force works. They didn't teach me anything about it, except for how to use my voice with it and do as they commanded."
It's starting to make sense now.
"Was there more than just you?" You ask.
She nods. "There were hundreds of us. All of us were slaves."
"Why did they take you?" Sunset asks.
Adagio looks to her. "Because we were able to sense the Force. They needed us."
You and Sunset look at each other for a second.
Adagio continues. "They're planning something... Something that puts the entire galaxy at risk... The Sith Masters who watched over us would go on and on about fear... Fear this, fear that... They made us afraid of everything... Even when we knew we had nothing else to lose, they still made us feel afraid..."
"Fear..." You repeat softly.
Fear of what?
"The Jedi taught us that fear was one of the easiest paths to the Dark Side." You all turn to look at Pinkie. "Fear of loss, fear of being kept out of the loop on stuff, fear that something bad would happen, no matter what, fear was the first step on the most common path to the Dark Side."
"Explain." You say.
"Umm..." Pinkie thinks for a few seconds. "Uh... Okay! Pretend you're a Jedi real quick!"
"I don't want to pretend I'm a Jedi."
Rarity giggles slightly and Pinkie rolls her eyes. "Ugh! Come on! Just work with me for a second!"
You sigh. Might as well see where she's going with this.
"Alright, fine." You say. "So, I'm a Jedi. Now what?"
"Okay! Let's say that, um... Let's say that the Jedi Council is planning to accept another Jedi as a Master. You want to be a Master, right? Rise in the ranks, right?"
You shrug. "Yeah, I suppose I'd shoot for that goal."
What the hell goes on inside a Jedi's head? How are you supposed to relate to them?
"Except you really, really want to be a Master. You'd be one of the Jedi in charge."
Hmm.
"I think I'd like the sound of that." You say.
Pinkie nods. "Of course you would! You'd have secret knowledge and info that only the most powerful Jedi Masters on the Order would know! So you work super hard and train more than anyone else, but guess what? The Council is looking at another Jedi and they're thinking about choosing him instead!"
What?
"Why is he so special?" You ask.
"Because he's cheating!" Pinkie says. "He has to be! No one worked as hard as you did!"
If he's cheating, then that only means he's too weak to do it on his own.
Pinkie continues. "So you decide to tell the Council about it. He's cheating and you know it, but they don't believe you, and they end up choose him. He's got them wrapped around his finger."
You'd be pretty angry.
"So even though you deserve being a Master, he got it instead." Pinkie explains. "What would you want to do?"
"If I wanted it that bad and had it taken from me unfairly, I'd probably attack him."
She nods. "Right! You attack him! You deserved being a Master, not him!"
Yeah...
"He has no right to take what is yours! He needs to die!" She says.
"Yeah..." You nod.
Her countenance darkens a bit. "You'd wanna kill him, right?"
"Yeah, I'd want to kill him."
She gets a sinister grin on her face. "You'd hate him, right?"
"Definitely." You nod. "If I wanted it that bad and he got it by cheating, I'd hate his guts."
Pinkie pauses and takes a deep breath through the nose. "...And that's how easy fear can turn someone to the Dark Side." She says with her usual, bubbly smile.
Wait...
"...What?"
"The other Jedi." Pinkie says. "You were afraid that he was going to take your place, so you worked extra hard to beat him. He became your focus."
"Right..?"
She continues. "Then, when the Council started to like him, it made you angry and you made yourself believe that he was cheating."
You're pretty sure you know where she's going with this.
"Then, he was chosen instead of you. Because you believed that he cheated and made it, you decided to try to kill him."
That does make a lot of sense.
"Killing someone in hatred isn't the Jedi way, I assume." You say.
She shakes her head. "Nope! Fear is one of the the Dark Side's roots. Fear, then anger, then hatred. After that, it's suuuper hard to come back to the Light, if you can even come back at all."
That's actually kind of interesting.
There's a lot you don't understand about the Jedi and Sith's respective natures. In a nutshell, you always assumed the Jedi were peace-loving wimps who were afraid to reach their full potential, while the Sith were power-hungry maniacs who betrayed each other and killed for sport.
You hum. "I guess I never thought of it like that before."
Pinkie smiles softly. "You're not Force-sensitive, Anon. Your point of view of the Force is way different than the Jedi's point of view."
A different point of view... Huh...
Seems this outlook on the galaxy you've had is a lot more intricate than you'd like to believe it is. You're a bit mad that she's brought all this to your attention. It was easier to have your opinion before she did. Ignorance is bliss, after all. However, you can't live in ignorance forever.
You give Pinkie a grateful nod before turning back to Adagio. "So the Sith dig fear, huh?"
Adagio looks back at you and nods slowly. "They were obsessed with it. They would talk about the Dark Side and fear and how it would 'sweep across the galaxy like a blade', or something."
"What did the death sticks have to do with it?" You ask.
She pauses as she searches her mind for the right thing to say. "The death sticks... They were tampered with... Something had been added to them to make whoever took them lose their mind."
"We know that." Sunset takes a step forward. "We did an analysis on them. They deteriorate the brain within days, if enough of them are used."
"Right..." Adagio thinks. "I was forced to blend in and deal those death sticks to as many people as I possibly could. It didn't matter who, it just mattered how many. They wanted me to get the entire planet on them."
That doesn't make sense.
"How does that spread fear?" You ask.
She shakes her head. "I-I don't know... I didn't ask questions, I just did as I was told. I didn't have a choice."
You think to yourself for a second.
"So, let me see if I get this." You begin. "You were enslaved by the Sith and sold to Hoity Toity with the instruction to go and sell, or give away as many death sticks to as many people as you could for some big plan they may or may not have, right?"
She nods slowly.
Good. You're paying attention.
"Do you know why Hoity Toity put that bounty on you?" You ask.
"I have an idea..." She says. "While I had my gem, I was convincing people into buying those drugged death sticks. I'd sing and dance for them, and they'd be more...open to suggestions."
"You'd hypnotize them." Sunset says.
Adagio shrugs. "If that's the way you want to put it, I guess... Anyway, I was doing that to get money. I wanted to escape. I wanted to be free."
"Why did you think you could get away with it?" You ask.
"I could use the Force. Not as well as our Sith Masters could, but I could still use it a little. I figured if I could earn enough money, I could buy my freedom somehow... But then..." Her countenance darkens a little, and she glares at you. "...Then, you showed up..."
You don't miss a beat. "We've established that it was just another job. Get over it."
She takes another breath and exhales as she continues to glare at you. She probably doesn't have much else to say at this point.
No, you're not sorry. You made money off of that job. Good money. How were you supposed to know that she was being tortured by a Republic senator who was in bed with the Sith?
You turn around and walk to the other side of the room, thinking to yourself for a moment. What do you do now?
The Sith supposedly have this big, evil plan to control or destroy the galaxy, and the death sticks are somehow involved in it. They're capturing Force-sensitives and using fear to make them spread these death sticks around. There may be hundreds of them.
But, the source of this story is a delusional, malnourished drug dealer. Sure, the two of you have beef, so you're a bit biased, but still. That's not a very reliable source of information.
"You okay?"
You turn around to face Sunset, who has come up behind you.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just pondering a little." You reply.
She nods. "Adagio's story is a bit out there."
"Well, yeah, there's that..." You say. "But even if it does check out, I don't know what to do with that information, you know?"
She nods. "Right."
You continue. "Telling the Republic is out of the question. As of right now, anyway. Maybe we can tell them when things cool down a bit."
She smiles. "That must grind your gears, huh? Thinking about helping the Republic?"
You groan softly. "Oh, you have no idea..."
She chuckles softly. "Well, maybe we should just wait on it." You look at her. "We'll keep doing our own thing. We'll look for Discord-"
"Start looking for Discord..." You correct.
The bastard is elusive as hell. And you've been a bit preoccupied.
She chuckles again. "Right. We'll START looking for Discord, once we get a lead. In the meantime though, I say we follow this trail of crumbs and see where it goes. If it turns out to be a wild Bantha chase, then oh well. We have a good story to tell for the future."
You give her a small smile. She's done it again. She's eased your stress and given you peace of mind.
"Have I ever told you how fantastic you are?" You ask.
She smirks. "Once or twice. I know you can afford to say it more often though."
Before she turns away from you, she gives you a small smack on the ass. You grin and watch her slowly walk out of the room.
Damn, you love this woman.
---
As Sunset flies the ship out of Cato Neimoidia's atmosphere, you sit beside her in the cockpit, speaking with Rarity on a small screen in front of you.
"How is she doing?" You ask.
"Adagio is asleep right now, darling." Rarity replies. "We're going to keep her for a few days and help her recover."
Good.
"Thank you so much for everything, Rarity." You say. "I know you've had your hands full lately, so I really appreciate this."
She nods. "It's quite alright, Anonymous. The payment you left me is more than enough to take her wherever she wants to go once she's recovered."
"Even so. It really helps us out."
She smiles. "I'll contact you when I have an update for you. I expect you to do the same."
"You won't be disappointed, Rarity. Thank you again." You return the smile and shut off communications.
Sunset reaches the beginning of space and starts to orbit around the planet. "So where are we going?"
"I'm going to find out in just a bit." You say.
You access the ship's computer and search the galactic criminal database for any posted bounties. Specifically, ones posted by either of the Twins: Flim or Flam. You're going to try the same method you pulled with Diamond Tiara and bring them a present. Hopefully, you'll also find out a little more about their supposed business associates.
A part of you just wants to ignore all this. You're picking up only a few pieces of an insanely large puzzle that would most likely end up just being a waste of time. The only real reason you've followed this trail for as long as you have is due to sheer curiosity.
However, the thought of this supposed galactic-scale plan by the Sith is also a bit unnerving. The Sith have tried and failed many different times to conquer the galaxy in the past. Sure, the Mandalorians have helped them out before, a few times in history, but you're starting to think about how the Sith differ from the Jedi in their view of the Force.
The Jedi embody the Light Side, while the Sith embody the Dark Side. If Light is selflessness, then that means Dark is selfishness. If the Sith did end up conquering the galaxy, any help they would have had in doing so would be useless and cast aside at that point. Their history of betrayal is enough to back up that theory.
If the entire galaxy is at risk, then that means Mandalore is as well.
Whether or not this is actually the case is uncertain to you, but you don't want to sit on your ass and wait for it to be too late. You need to know for sure.
"Hey. You awake?"
You blink a few times and snap yourself out of your trance. Sunset is looking at you, a little confused.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." You continue to browse the database for any bounties.
"Thinking about what?" She asks.
You shake your head. "Just about this situation we're in, and the future of everything."
She takes a deep breath and sits back in her chair. "I hate to admit it, but I'm a bit worried that it might all be true."
You nod slowly and look over at her.
She continues. "If the Sith really are planning something, then it sounds like it could change the fate of the entire galaxy."
She's right.
"You know, it has been a few centuries since the Sith blatantly tried to take over the galaxy." You say.
She nods. "Yeah. Just after the Mandalorian Wars was the last time, I think. Stories of Mandalore the Preserver tell of him fighting alongside the Jedi to take down a Sith Lord over the planet Telos."
"I remember that story. That particular Sith Lord supposedly had the ability to consume the life force of entire planets." You reply. "He was responsible for the destruction of the planet Katarr."
A power of that magnitude is one that no Jedi has ever possessed before. Nor should they, or anyone else ever possess it.
The Dark Side of the Force seems to be littered with unnatural abilities, even by Force-sensitive standards, you'd wager.
You continue. "After all those years, they would've had a lot of time to prepare and plan for something big."
"We're long overdue." Sunset says. "Maybe this is it."
You nod. "Maybe so."
The two of you sit in contemplative silence for a few more seconds, pondering to yourselves on the chance that this is the dawn of a new campaign for control by the Sith against the Republic and the galaxy.
You clear your throat after a few moments. "I guess we had better hurry and see if we can't find out who's behind all this then."
You turn your attention back to the ship's computer and continue browsing potential bounties. Most of them are for petty grievances that are worth a few thousand credits. After a while, you find a filter option and specifically search for bounties posted by Flim and/or Flam.
A few names show up. None of them really seem noteworthy though.
Then, someone catches your attention.
"Ooh, here's one." You say.
Sunset leans over to look at your screen. "50,000 credits for a Bothan named Ahuizotl... What the hell kind of a name is Ahuizotl?"
You just chuckle.
She continues reading. "Let's see... 'He's the leader of a gang that was recently taken down by the Republic. Just before that, he hit us hard and stole a large amount of valuables from us. He's awaiting trial at the prison orbiting Ottega, but we don't want him telling the Republic things he shouldn't. Waste him.'" Sunset nods a little. She seems satisfied. "Doesn't sound too hard."
"That's just what I was thinking." You reply. "Set a course for the Ottega system."
It's been a while since you've had a good paying contract for someone wanted dead.
The two of you press a few buttons and lock in the necessary coordinates before Sunset hits the throttle and blasts off into lightspeed.
You stand up and head back toward the armory to prepare. Pinkie is sitting in the main hold, looking at her Pazaak cards. She looks at you and smiles when you walk in.
"Where are we going?" She asks.
"The Ottega system." You reply. "Prison break."
"Oooh! Sounds fun!" She says.
You walk past her and head into the armory. You'll go over a plan later, but right now, you just want to look at your gear and make sure it all checks out.
---
<<Somewhere in a hidden region of deep space>>
---
A Sith Admiral walks down a hallway toward the main observation deck. The large doors slide open and he proceeds through them.
On his left and right are navigation specialists and technicians; all working on terminals that control different parts of the station. Directly ahead of him, looking through the window, out to the vastness of space is the Dark Lord of the Sith himself.
Lord Sombra.
The Admiral nervously clears his throat and approaches him. He stops and stands at ease a few paces behind the Sith Lord, but dares not to speak until given permission. Sombra stays silent for a few tense seconds.
"Report." He calmly commands, his booming voice piercing around the room.
The Admiral gulps before speaking. "My Lord, there is a problem... Our plans to get rid of the Senator from Naboo on Dantooine have been compromised, and our contact on Coruscant is dead."
"The Mandalorians again?" Sombra asks.
"It would appear so, my Lord..." The Admiral says. "Our Dantooine contact reported seeing a Zeltron with a pair of Mandalorians that match the description of those who interfered with our operations on Malastare and Nar Shaddaa a couple of weeks ago."
"The same Mandalorians that defeated my former apprentice on Tatooine..." Sombra says softly.
"Indeed, my Lord."
Sombra wraps his arms behind his back and holds his wrist, but does not turn around to face the Admiral.
"My former apprentice left to kill them on his own accord... I would have killed him myself, for disobeying me when he returned... However, they managed to do it themselves... My apprentice was well-trained. I assumed his defeat was mere luck before, but it would appear I have underestimated these Mandalorians..."
Sombra finally turns around to face the Admiral; those terrifying red-yellow eyes staring directly into his own. "Where are they now?"
The Admiral clears his throat. "Our spies lost their exact whereabouts during the commotion they created on Coruscant. We could not pursue them. However, Hoity Toity was in contact with another one of ours on Kessel." The Admiral pulls out a datapad and hands it to the Dark Lord. "Since these Mandalorians know, or at least suspect something, I took the liberty of planning for a likely step they would take next."
Sombra takes the datapad and looks it over for a long moment. Every moment of silence in the Dark Lord's presence made the Admiral even more uncomfortable than he already was.
"This bounty was posted recently." Sombra comments.
"Yes, my Lord. This particular incident happened days ago. That Bothan is likely their next target."
Sombra stares at the datapad a moment longer.
"These Mandalorian bounty hunters..." He begins. "What do we know about them?"
The Admiral shifts slightly. "Our sources believe that the male's name is Anonymous, my Lord. The female's is Sunset Shimmer. We have also identified the aforementioned Zeltron as the famous Pazaak player and thief, Pinkamena Diane Pie."
Sombra looks back at the Admiral. "Pie... How very interesting..." The Dark Lord contemplates to himself for a moment before handing the datapad back to the Admiral. "The fear on Coruscant that these Mandalorians' actions have created will only help our plans. Rest assured however, they assisted us unknowingly... At this rate, I fear that they will soon discover the location of this battle station, and report it to any Republic comrades they still have..."
He pauses for another moment before speaking again. "The time has come to make ourselves known to our enemies, Admiral. Have our spies drop an undercover tip to the Republic about Anonymous and Sunset Shimmer. This information you have provided will be perfect for advancing my new apprentice's training... I will send her to Kessel to deal with these bounty hunters, and the galaxy will know the Age of the Sith has come once again."
The Admiral nods once. "As you wish, my Lord Sombra."
Sombra turns around to look out the window again and the Admiral turns around and heads back into the station.
Sombra waits for a few long minutes before turning around and proceeding deeper into the station as well. He travels to a small, private room and closes the door behind him.
In front of him is an inactive holographic display. He presses a button on the control panel. Mere seconds later, the hologram activates, and the image of a kneeling young woman appears before him.
Her Sith robes are in the traditional black, and her cloak drapes down her backside. Her face is mostly shrouded in darkness by her hood, but her yellow eyes can still be seen shining through.
"What is thy bidding, my master?" She asks.
Sombra slowly grins as he speaks to her.
"It is time for you to face your first true test, Limestone..."