HOTH

"My Lord, I am docked at the space station above Hoth." Lord Sern proceeded as Baras was already on standby on the holoterminal.

"Very good. Now that Admiral Mink and the War Trust have fallen to your might, all that remains is Jedi Knight Xerender." He proceeded to his instructions. "Xerender has dedicated himself to the Republic like no other, he's led our enemies to many cunning victories. Not only is he a symbol of inspiration for the Republic, but he's also been a thorn in my side for a long time."

"Do you know what he's trying to achieve here?"

"The Chiss traitor you spared confirmed Xerender's presence and has since informed me that the Jedi is seeking a secret superweapon. I can uncover no information about this weapon, only that it was a lost in the wreckage of the crashed starships from the war."

"Maybe we can use the Republic's toy against them." It was only natural for the Imperial tied soldiers to agree on this decision, Jaesa, despite her loyalty to her Master – was wary.

"Perhaps." The Master agreed. "Xerender wants it, it must be a very powerful weapon. His death is the goal, but if the weapon can be salvaged, all the better. Your contact on the surface is Commander Lanklyn. He's been tracking Xerender and should be ready to meet you at the Imperial Base. The commander occasionally bites off more than he can chew. But he's been warned that his mission cannot afford anything less than perfection. Xerender is the last of your targets. Report to me when you know the nature of the superweapon he seeks. Get this right, apprentice." The last statement was received as a warning.

With the transmission ended, Leena briefly closed her eyes as she could sense something similar. A surge of power that was pulling her towards the planet.

"Hoth." The Captain spoke in distaste. "Back in the day, I managed to escape an assignment here. It chills my bones just to be in orbit above this frigid planet."

Vette couldn't help but agree. Dromand Kaas was cold, but it wasn't made out of snow and ice. "Uhm, yeah, you should—" she coughs "leave me on the ship. I'm-" she coughs even more, "I think I'm fighting off a cold."

"Forget those cowards, my Lord." Pierce on the other hand spoke boldly in her presence once more. "A little snow won't stop me. I'm ready for action."

"I too would gladly accompany you on this mission, my Lord." The apprentice somewhat agreed with the Lieutenant. "I wish to see all the galaxy has to offer."

"I appreciate your concerns and… willingness to join me, but I will proceed to hunt for this Jedi alone." Her response shocked them all, even the Captain couldn't believe his ears. Of course, their Lord proceeded to the last two missions alone but this was a task of a different scale.

The dragon inside of her was eager to proceed, but she, herself – she was not ready for what the Force has plans for her on Hoth. No matter how much she hated the cold, she had to go.

"Woah!" Vette raised immediate concerns. "At least take Jaesa, Pierce, or both of them with you!"

"I hate to admit it, my Lord but I agree with Vette on this matter." Quinn and Vette managed to agree on something for once. "It is too dangerous, it is too reckless to proceed on this mission alone. Jaesa is well trained and equipped on immediate medical procedures, with her gift with the Force and a lightsaber, she is a valuable asset for you—"

"Enough." She didn't even need to raise her voice to earn that complete, cold, dead silence on the ship. As Lord Sern wore her helmet, she proceeded to exit the ship, leaving her crew to their own devices.

Upon her arrival on Hoth, the mere sight of snow made her hate this planet more than the cold rain of Dromand Kaas. She couldn't help but narrow her eyes behind the mask before she could even move her feet and head inside the base. If it wasn't for the upgrade 2V got for her armor, she would have been freezing herself to death before she could make it on the planet itself.

With a desolated world covered in ice and snow, one could argue that there won't be enough life on the planet and yet – hundreds or even thousands of Republic and Imperial troops were defending themselves along with pirates and beasts.

The moment she stepped onto the snow of Hoth, she began to see vivid and rapid images in her mind. The nervousness, the natural feeling of fright, it was haunting her. The deeper she goes into the darkness, the deeper she was stabbing herself. She could still feel it, the painful memories of the past – the people she killed, the people she failed, the haunting guilt of everything she did in the name of her Master.

In the name of revenge.

The time of mourning was done.

Killing became the sweetest thing there is. She's not the girl Baras saw on Korriban anymore, not after what she did, not after all the suffering he gave her. Lord Sern became a potential threat to his chain of power, everything he had worked hard for decades.

She proceeded inside the base to see nothing more than a child, fresh out of the academy. Most probably in his early 20's – not too far from her age nor her sister's age. "I seek Commander Lankin."

The ensign immediately straightened himself up to give the Sith Lord a proper salute, despite the cold atmosphere of the planet. He didn't want to die in this post. "My Lord, I am Ensign Sinte, Commander Lanklyn's second-in-command. You've arrived sooner than expected." He seemed young to be a second-in-command and yet, this was her Master's network after all. "The commander is in the field, tracking Jedi Xerender, but has failed to report in. His tracer beacon hasn't moved for quite some time."

"Did he transmit any information for me?"

"No, My Lord." He shook his head with worry. "Transmissions on Hoth are sketchy and hard to make secure. This planet is a pitfall of hazards. There are a massive Republic presence and all manner of power-hungry alien pirates. Our forces are stretched thin. A rescue party for Commander Lanklyn would take several days to put together."

"I cannot afford delays." She warned the young man. "You and Lanklyn are taxing my patience."

"A-apologies, my Lord. I believe the commander was successfully tacking the target. I'm not sure what went wrong." He proceeded to take out a datapad and proceeded to transfer the data she would need to find the commander. She did not have the patience for it anymore, her temper was running hot – she used to be so calm. "Here is the location indicated by the tracer beacon. It's in hostile territory. There are rumors of a heavily defended pirate stronghold in that sector. It will be hard to get in."

That's what people said about the Republic base on Balmorra. "Tell me about these pirates."

Tactical dispositions should be effective on a group of pirates but she cannot be too comfortable with the idea. Never the less, things could be difficult since she is not used to the planet such as Hoth regardless of the gear she was wearing. The more she could learn about her enemies the faster she could think of plans to overpower them and proceed with the task at hand.

"Ruthless scavengers. Trandoshans, Chargians, Weequay, they're everywhere, organized, and armed to the teeth. The Pirates hate the Empire. If Commander Lanklyn has fallen into their clutches… I hate to think about what's happened."

Walking in the snow was suffering enough, but she eventually found herself near the coordinates where the Commander should be found. Hopefully alive.

'Listen'. She heard the voice again.

Further and further she went from the base into the middle of nothing, the snow was thick and yet the beasts around her didn't take much notice due to the distance. The Sith Lord turned her gaze upward where the sun as – she's alone on such a cold planet. No companion to protect her, no friend to keep her sane, and yet her mind kept on dwelling on the idea that she was nothing more than a pawn in Baras's game.

It was a terrible thing to think that everything was for nothing, all those lives she slaughtered or were slaughtered on her behalf. Her recklessness and ignorance caused more than a thousand lives. People may have supported her but they don't know her as anything but a symbol, something that she thought would be incorruptible.

But there she was, corrupted by the dark side of the Force.

She couldn't win. Leena learned it the hard way and once again, her late husband was correct. Being a Sith means being surrounded by hate and distrust, and she was being swallowed in it. Leena was impatient and yet she valued the opportunity to strike when its right, it was rather difficult holding it in as she entered the base where the pirates were.

The sun was slowly setting, allowing the skies to remind her that light is only temporary.

That day is nothing more than an illusion.

It only took one lightsaber to proceed with the slaughter. Her skin was turned from porcelain to ivory, to steel.

'Tell me, when you hear them whispering Baras's apprentice doesn't it bother you?' She remembered her father's question.

'Of course, it bothers me'. She didn't know how she managed to live with herself, with those lightsabers, with all of those bloodstains in her hands – how could she tell herself that she was a decent person. The only way to destroy a monster was to become a monster herself, she came to terms with that. Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength.

She murdered people so she could exact her revenge.

All to get Baras's head, just like she said she would.

She was lucky enough to find Commander Lanklyn barely alive. "My Lord, is that you?" He looked up to find a masked Sith Lord in his presence. He was injured and cold, he could have died if she was even a few more hours late. "I heard the sounds of battle outside and grew hopeful."

"Rise to your feet, Commander, you're freed."

"Sorry for this trouble. But the truth is, my capture gives us great insight into the enemy. Jedi Xerender is a craft adversary. I thought I was tracking him and his men when I found myself led into a pirate ambush. It seems he has the Republic's elite Talz commandos lure me off his trail. The Talz are unmatched trackers, highly cunning."

"Could have happened to anyone." Xerender doesn't waste his time on being resourceful. Like her, he too was a stranger in this world.

"I'm sorry, my Lord." He bowed. "But this means I have no concrete leads. I can tell you this – if Xerender's been given command of the Talx, this weapon he's after must be supremely important. I know where the Talz headquarters is located. Maybe you can face one of them to confess what Xerender is after?"

"Tell me more about the Talz." The Sith Lord permitted him to continue.

The Commander nodded. "They're strong stealthy and leather. Oversized, white hairy beasts that thrive in the cold. They practically disappeared in the snow, so you don't know they're there until they've attacked. I wish you luck against them."

"I'll keep my eyes open."

"I hope this lead makes up for my blunder." The commander honestly expected punishment from Darth Baras's apprentice. Rumors about her can frighten the Imperial soldiers and yet some vouch that the apprentice can be merciful when deserve. "I'll rendezvous with you at the outpost in the next sector, and we can update Lord Baras."

More snow.

Leena found herself alone under the Hoth moonlight. Resting inside a cave as she allowed the snowstorm to pass. She sighed when she finally removed her helmet, staring at it as it looked back at her. For as long as she can remember, revenge on her Master was what she thought that fueled her to go forward and follow orders.

Her hate has made her powerful and yet, deep down inside, she felt trapped with a dragon guarding her every thought, her every action. It was irony – as much as she hated Baras, she began to hate her brother more. Tyrral who was alive and well, somewhere in the galaxy while she suffers in his place.

The Sith made her a monster, Baras made her a weapon, and the Force made it last too long.

"So far so good, Miss Sern." Leena turned her head, her eyes wide open as she stood up alarmed having to ignite her lightsaber in defense. Having her helmet fall onto the snow.

"You… you're supposed to be dead… how—"

"I refuse to be one with the Force." Arrun smiled sadly. "I do not wish to leave you. Not yet."

"You should have decided that before you married me." Everything was coming back to her. All the pain, all the misery, the loneliness, the deaths she was forced to do, forced to watch – all of it. "I told you there was something wrong… but you insisted anyway. You left me alone to play this game alone! WHY?!"

"Because the Force has great plans for you – and I saw it, Leena. I am not part of the plan. They are." Leena lowered her lightsaber as she looked into Arrun's sad eyes. He was like a ghost reminding her of the past that she rarely spoke about. "This is possible because we are connected by the Force, I drew on your link to become more solid just as I draw on it now to become visible to you. I'm nothing more than a spirit watching you grow and suffer by the shadows. But this… this is right."

"How… is this right?" She was desperately looking for an answer in his eyes. Wanting that same assurance, that same feeling of warmth, the same act of kindness – but she knew of all people, that she could never feel those again with him. Arrun was gone, he was dead, and he will always remain a mere memory in her life.

He was nothing more than a memory of the past she tried to forget. "If you have loved me in any way, you would have never left me in the first place."

The first thing he knew about Leena Sern was how broken she was from the moment he met her.

"I know I went too far." He had the hint of regret in his eyes and yet – this is how the game was played by the Force. It has always been such a cruel game and cruelty never disappears in the life of beings it creates. To maintain the balance there must be conflict, for Lord Zaine, this was his conflict. "But the more I save you, the more you need saving – it is like a wheel. There won't be another lifetime for me, no more learning from my mistakes but you… you have a long life ahead of you. Don't waste it. Don't waste your life."

Leena lowered her lightsaber as Arrun walked towards her, gently placing his hand onto her cheek like before. She could feel it, his warmth – one last time. She had no choice. She had played so many people's lives. To the woman without a home.

The lonely Lord.

She stayed in the deepest pit without hope, without witness, without reward – because that's how she sees the galaxy. She's like a flame that burns as bright as the star, knowing that one day her light would go out and be one with the darkness.

"Tell me, Arrun." She had to know from him. "Am I a good person?"

He smiled. "You are a good person, with a good heart… but it is hard for a good person to be Sith." For the moment she felt that the stars were gone as he vanished from her sight. It was so easy to kill her happiness and yet it is so difficult to kill her sadness.

And just like that – he was gone from her life, forever.

They were in the middle of Hutt space. When Vette woke up from her sleep, the Twi'lek sat up to find the apprentice sound asleep. She couldn't help but smile – what Jaesa endured for the past few months wasn't so easy. With the constant teaching, the training, the missions – maybe it was all too much. She was nothing more than eighteen after all. She was still developing, wanting to know what she could do, what are her limits – what can she do for the galaxy.

Leena is a Sith Lord.

She chose to be a Sith Lord.