Chapter I
"Two there should be; no more, no less. One to embody power, the other to crave it."
―Darth Bane
The Cave
Daybreak, a sword-shaped XB-7 type fighter jumped out of hiperspace. The ship was an old, military vessel, with a standard drive and weaponry, but painted in silver and blue and with far more luxuries―leather seats included―that replaced the military rawness.
The ship flew towards a small, red planet, located in the Outer Rim, far from the core of the Galaxy and the Republic’s influence. The ship entered the atmosphere and after a few more minutes slid out its landing gear and sat down on the barren, grit surface, rising clouds of dust. A hatch opened with a hiss, and a metal ramp slid out, on which a tall, cloaked mare started to walk down.
The mare touched the arid ground and stopped. She looked around, observing the empty landscape, its flatness disturbed only by clouds of dust and a small, black, triangular mountain. The mare’s eyes, hidden under the cloak, stopped at that last, definitely most interesting part of the terrain, hugrily scrutinizing an entry to a small cave.
Yes … the piramid-shaped mountain stood out on the planet’s red surface like a stain from Alderaan vine on a pure, white tablecloth. The cloaked mare took a few steps forward, but then stopped again, as she felt a twirl in the Force, one she hadn’t felt since a long time.
With a quick move of her head, she trow off her cloak’s hood back, showing a dirty-white face and sickily reddened eyes with dark rings around them. She also had a scar going just under her lower eyelid. A long horn protruded from among her gray mane, which strands looked more like thin, weak branches than hair. The mare’s lips formed a weak smile.
“You may reveal yourself, my dearest apprentice.”
Not more than twenty steps to the left small reflections of light appeared and a moment later, as if created from thin air, another hooded figure showed up, though this one was much shorter.
“Your ability to hide your body and energy is amazing. I’m not sure Master Starkiller himself could have detected you, even if you were standing right next to him.”
The other mare stood in silence for a moment before answering. “A pity then that we won’t get to find that out.”
“Talking to someone who had his head cut off could be problematic, true,” the first mare agreed. “But we were speaking about your abilities… Yes, if it weren’t for the complete lack of other live forms on this barren planet, perhaps even I would have trouble detecting your aura. You’ve become strong …”
She gazed into the blackness of the cave. The energy of the Dark Side flowing from within the mountain was powerful and draw her like a magnet. Obtaning Darth Platinum’s holocron, along with other information that made it possible to find this place took half of her life and bilions of credits, but now she knew it was a most beneficial investment.
“Which means,” she said, “that you followed me for only one reason. Leaving me alone on Hock IV during the battle with Master Starkiller a few years ago … I actually assumed that you run away, or that you simply hoped the Jedi would kill me, thus allowing you to easily become the Dark Lady of the Sith. Both possibilities disqualified you as my successor.”
“If Starkiller killed you, it would have only proved you were too weak.” The other mare took her cloak off. She had a grayish purple coat and short mane and tale, in which one could still see faint traces of pink streaks. Her wings were ruffled and partly lacked feathers, and the tip of her horn was slightly chipped. Only her eyes seemed to maintain some brilliance, still sparkling violet. A single lightsaber hilt was attached to her front leg.
“You tought me yourself that the end justifies the means,” she continued. “It was risky, but I knew you would be able to beat the Jedi Master … and that you also have a backup plan, in case you found me unworthy of taking your place. I needed you to believe I was gone, so that you would start putting that plan into action. And finally, after three years, I know it was worth the risk.”
“Then you also knew of the explosives I placed in my ship,” the taller mare stated.
“A drastic, but obvious safety net. Your ship’s computers contained valuable data, data you did not wish to fall into anypony’s hooves … So yes, I pretended to steal your ship, and faked my own death as well.”
“You always were a master strategist, my dear apprentice. Not only did you manage to hide from me for all these years, but you also discovered where I was heading and waited for me here … Have you finally thought yourself ready to take my place?”
“I would have challenged you long ago, but I was keen on learing all your secrets. You claimed to see the potential in me, but I’m not blind. I knew of your … obsession with eternal life. And I finally understood that was not your backup plan, ment to grand the Sith rule over the Galaxy … I was the backup. You started to teach me only for the legacy of the Sith to survive, if you somehow did not manage to reach your goal.”
The taller mare stood with a stone-like expression for a moment.
“True,” she admitted finally. “Though I was being honest about your potential, I never intended to share power or authority with you. The Rule of Two, that has existed for centuries, was suppose to make every new Sith stronger … but how much longer must we wait? The cycle repeats itseft since generations: the Master chooses his apprentice, trains him, and then is killed by him. The apprentice becomes the Master and chooses his own aprrentice, over and over. And even though our influence in the Galaxy is great, none of us managed to obtain absolute domination so far. I intend to finally break that vicious circle.”
“And once you gain immortality, you will be able to focus on careful elimination the Jedi and conquering the Galaxy, instead of worrying of your own student wanting to overthrow you,” the other alicorn said. “Well, it seems your worries come to an end today. The winner of this duel will not only become the Dark Lady of the Sith, but she will also get the chance to enter that cave. Though I must admit I do not know what exactly lies in it. What kind of Sith artifact was supposed to reveal the mysteries of immortality to you?”
“The Force emanating from there is too raw to be coming from any artifact. This place … this mountain surely outcroped as a result of some ancient Sith ritual, one that was suppose to grand them life eternal. And all evidence points to the fact that it failed.”
“But if one was to obtain knowledge of that ritual, he could eliminate its flaws and try to recreate it,” the smaller mare finished with a nod. With calm steps, she placed herself between her former mentor and the cave’s entrance. “The Galaxy shall fall to it’s knees againts such power.”
She shifted into a fighting stance, grasped her lightsaber with the Force and placed it above her right ear. She activated the weapon―a red blade of energy slid out, buzzing in a characteristic way.
“I’ve waited many years for this moment,” she said with a flash in her eyes. “I challenge you … Darth Eclipse.”
The other alicorn’s lips formed a small smile. Eclipse’s horn shined and from under her cloak, a pair of identical lightsabers flew out. The sabers flew in front of her and also slid out their red blades. Their sound was like the hiss of the Galaxy’s most poisonous snake.
“May the winner take all … Nightfall.”
Eclipse send her blades spinning forward, and shot a Force Lighting right after them. Nightfall summoned a force field that reflected the lighting and one of the sabers. The second saber she parried with her own weapon, sending it flying aside, out of her Mistresses range. Just then she saw Eclipse’s back hoof, pointed at her face. Powered by the Force, the hoof penetrated Nightfall’s shield and collided with her left cheek, throwing her backwards.
Nightfall rolled over on the ground, landing on her back, her wings half-spreaded. Thankfully, her barrier absorbed most of the strike’s energy, thus allowing Nightfall to keep enough concentration to place her lightsaber in front of her. Only that saved her from Eclipse’s atavistic attack from up above. The energy blades collided, creaking angrily while being pushed at each other by the two powerful warriors. Eclipse pinned Nightfall to the ground with her body, making advantage of her greater size and weight.
Nightfall lashed her in the face with her wing; the second of disorientation was enough to use a Force Push and throw Eclipse off. Nightfall rolled back to her hooves and instantly moved her lightsaber to the right, blocking the strike from a flying saber that her adversary managed to send back towards her. She spread her wings and flew up.
Darth Eclipse managed to land on her hooves after being striked with the Force Push. She looked at her opponent rising up. Eclipse threw off her cloak, outstretching her large wings. Beating them, she rised in the air and leveled with Nightfall.
“I hoped such a strategist like you would be better prepared for this fight,” she said.
“The speed of your attack maybe have surprised me a bit, yes … but do you really believe I haven’t learned anything more than the things you tought me?” Nightfall answered. She grabbed her lightsaber with her hoof, turned it off, and cloaked herself with the Force, becoming invisible.
Eclipse set her saber in front of herself, opening herself to the Force and sharpening her senses. But even though she focused with all her might, she could not fell Nightfall’s aura. She cursed soundlessly.
She fell into a trap. Surely Nightfall allowed her to find her earlier, so she wouldn’t give away her master cloaking abilities. She was also smaller and more agile, which gave her advantage in an air fight. In the back of her head Eclipse felt a strange sensation, like pride mixed with respect towards her former apprentice. She quickly disposed of those unwanted, distracting thoughts.
She started to form strategies. Nightfall had to attack her at close range, for she couldn’t keep her lightsaber hidden when not holding it. A strike with the Force was highly unlikely, since she probably used most of her energy to keep herself invisible. But she still had the advantage of the first strike, and, to be honest, that was all she needed.
Eclipse’s twin lightsabers started to spin around her. She held her breath, focusing on the one thing that could allow her to escape this dire situation.
A powerful explosion of the Force burst from her body, just as the sound of a lightsaber being turned on cut the air. Nightfall attacked from underneath, but her blade managed only to graze Eclipse’s tail before she was send flying towards the ground by the shockwave. She hit the ground, broking one of her wings that unfortunatelly happened to be right under her at the time of impact.
She clunched her teeth and disappeared again. Half a second later two lightsabers impaled in the ground.
Eclipse landed and summoned them back. The cut-off hair strands were falling slowly around her.
“So this is your tactic?” she called, looking around. “You’re going to keep hiding like some scared foal? If so, then by all means you do not deserve to become the Dark Lady of the Sith.”
Nightfall, hidden at the foot of the mountain, clenched her teeth again. Her wing was hanging limply at her side, pulsing with pain. She knew that would make her fighting more difficult. She wasn’t surprised that her Mistress managed to put her back on the ground, but she didn’t expect it to happen so fast.
Nightfall dropped the illusion and teleported herself above Eclipse. She cut down, but the Sith Mistress managed to parry the strike. Nightfall teleported again and again; each time she attacked from a different direction, in what seemed like chaotic sequences. But Eclipse was still able to block all of the attacks and soon enough even managed to counterattack, ending her aprrentice’s chain of teleports and forcing her back to defence.
Nightfall wasted no time during the last three years. Aside from constantly spying on her Mistress, she studied the mysteries of the Force and trained dueling in every fighting style she knew of with Eclipse’s holograms. Now she knew none of that could have prepared her for the tempest of strikes she had to confront.
Eclipse attacked with fury, slicing either with her lightsabers from both sides or with both blades hitting at the same point. Such a feral way of fighting would normally be very tiring, but Nightfall knew her Mistress had incredible endurance.
Both warriors knew the duel was not going to last for much longer.
Nightfall, being in retreat, used the Force Push again; however, this time she didn’t point it at her opponent, but towards the ground, pushing herself away and rising a cloud of dust. She somesaulted, landed on her hooves, and instantly swang her saber in a wide arc. All she cut was air.
Eclipse, instead of coming after her, stopped and shot another lighting. Nightfall had no time to rise a shield this time, so she intercepted the lightning with her saber’s blade and reflected it. But Eclipse was already in the air, attacking from above again.
The crossed, twin blades collided with Nightfall’s lightsaber; the impact was so strong Nightfall had to hold her saber with her hoof as to not have it burried in her skull. Eclipse used the opportunity and twisted her weapons, ripping her apprentice’s lightsaber out of her hoof.
Nightfall teleported behind Eclipse and disappeared, cloaking herself with the Force.
Eclipse started to look around. She spotted Nightfall’s lightsaber on the ground and lifted it with the Force. It joined her own blades, spinning with them around the mare’s body.
Eclipse squinted her eyes, slowly searching for the slightest signs of her hidden opponent. She barely hold her smile when she noticed small refractions of light some ten steps to her right. Nightfall was to tired to maintain a perfect camouflage.
Three lightsaber flew in that direction faster than a blaster’s shot. Wounded and weaponless, Nightfall had no chance at saving herself from the attack.
The air was pierced by the crack of blades colliding with a saberstaff that appeared suddently, whrilwinding in the air. Eclipse’s eyes widened as her chest exploded with pain. The blades she was levitating turned off and fell to the ground.
Nightfall appeared in front of Eclipse with her hoof coated in a black aura and burried in Eclipse’s chest. She pulled her hoof back and let the Dark Lady’s body felt to the ground. Nightfall eyed her for a moment, her expression stone-like.
“You can come out,” she said at last.
A humanoid battle droid, SPK-3, appeared behind her, holding a saberstaff in one of his mechanical arms. Nightfall turned towards him. The droid was of her own construction, equipped with a high-tech cloaking system and implanted with various protocols on lightsaber fighting techniques. It had no chance in a open duel with a experienced user of the Force, but that was not its purpuse. Actually, it was created by Nightfall a few years ago almost with the sole intention to be used in this fight.
SPK-3 turned off his saber. “What are your orders, Mistress?” he asked in a metalic tone.
Nightfall looked towards Daybreak. “Inform Diamond to take the Shadow down from orbit. When he starts entering the atmosphere, active the device I gave you earlier. Then log into Daybreak’s computers and download its data. After that, wait for me.”
“Acknowledged.” SPK-3 started to walk towards Eclipse’s ship.
Meanwhile, Nightfall approached to the cloak she tossed out just before the duel. She pulled out a small medkit out of its pocket, took out a syringe with a painkiller and injected it in the place where her broken wing connected to her back. Gritting her teeth, she held the wing with the Force and folded, tying it to her body with a bandage.
With her cloak dressed back on, she looked up. For a moment, the sky was birghtened in the distance by an explosion. A smaller one appeared seconds later, marking the escape pod. For the first time in many years, Nightfall smiled. Her student had potential, but she had no need for a backup plan anymore. Neither Eclipse nor Nightfall said it out loud, but they agreed in one thing: the Rule of Two was a relict. It was time for a new solution.
The mare took a deep breath and stood in from of the cave’s entrance, closing her eyes. The Jedi and the Sith alike used to say that the future was always in motion and therefore can not be accurately predicted. Nonsense. Yes, the number of variables was overwhelming, but not infinite. The future, or at least a part of it, did not have to be an enigma to one with enough patience and a mind sharp enough to decipher it. Nightfall proved that a few moments ago, when another phase of her plan, the most important one, ended in a success.
She opened her eyes, slowly picked up her lightsaber and attached it back to her foreleg.
The Galaxy shall fall to its knees againts such power.
The Dark Lady of the Sith and soon-to-be Galactic Empress, Darth Nightfall, entered the cave.