THE MASTER’S PLAN

For the next few days, Jaesa hid in her quarters in silence.

The captain noticed how her attention was far away, somewhere out of reach for anyone to even get. Something was in her mind, it was bothering her – for a few nights he would find the young apprentice approaching him by the bridge, asking for something that could help her sleep through the night. Jaesa was reminding him of their Lord, how Leena was also having trouble with sleeping.

Quinn noticed the dark circles under her eyes, how she was slowly becoming unfocused. She no longer meditated, she did not train with the dummy, nor went out of the ship at all.

Waiting for Leena was becoming a sense of agony for those who have served her for some time.

They waited.

And waited.

Until she finally came, but the Sith Lord was not alone. Jaesa came out of her quarters to find her Master and the Captain talking about what use their new companion would be on this crew. With her helmet off, Lord Sern's expression was stern but those yellowish eyes told a different story. The apprentice didn't need the Force to know that somewhere in her Master's mind, she was calculating something that would put her in an advantage.

She's Sith, after all, it wouldn't be surprising if she started to go against her own Master. No one would be surprised with that at all, with all of the horrors she endured.

"Apprentice, you are looking at a very pleased man." Baras had a more cheerful tone through the holoterminal. "Admiral Mink destroyed, the War Trust no more… Now, with Jedi Xerender and Master Wyellett neutralized, all of the Republic's most vaunted leaders are no more. Plan Zero is complete."

"I'm honored to have had a hand in it." The apprentice bowed, in turn. Jaesa couldn't help but narrow her eyes as she watched her own Master. She didn't dare to use her abilities, it felt like a breach of trust and yet the temptation was real.

She clapped her hands together while the captain and Lord Sern had their full attention to Darth Baras, where she could feel it – the deception that her own Master was planning right before the man who tamed her. She felt anger, hatred, vengeance, and yet there was a sense of wanting for justice – the justice she demands so many people who died because of her.

"Your contribution will be rewarded beyond the simple gory of it. There is more to discuss – much of it of a sensitive nature, which I do not wish to convey via holo." Said the Master. "Return to my chambers here on Dromund Kaas. Immediately."

When the transmission ended, Leena turned her attention to Jaesa and then to the Captain. "Set a course for Dromund Kaas, you're all free to do as you like when we arrive as well. Make sure we have enough supplies when I get back."

"Of course, my Lord."

"Jaesa. A word." The Sith Lord guided her apprentice to her quarters, reaching out her hand to the Jedi Holocron in the room. When the doors closed behind Jaesa, the Holocron gently landed onto the hand of her Master.

She could no longer tell what she's thinking unless she used her powers against her Master. But Lord Sern had other ideas when she finally turned around to meet her apprentice in the eye. "I understand why you reached through a conclusion to use your power against me. But break my trust again, I can kill you here and now, Jaesa. Remember that."

Jaesa nodded, avoiding her Master's gaze. "Of… course, Master. I won't do it again."

"You have a remarkable gift with the Force, don't abuse it." Her Master warned. Her tone was no longer gentle and kind, unlike before. The woman that stood in front of her felt like a stranger. Replaced by someone more frightening. "The fondness for power is seen in all kinds of beings. Soldiers, politicians, Sith, and even Jedi. And it is only natural for it to be abused when acquired, but test me again… I'll make sure you die slowly, do you understand me?"

"Yes, Master."

With a small nod, the Sith Lord handed Jaesa the Holocron that was given to her by a friend. Jedi Master Tarun was always a man of knowledge and gentle care, Leena felt that the Holocron was a waste on her. That its teachings wouldn't help her, grant her the power that she was seeking in the process.

To destroy those who are in the dark path, she had to take the gamble and walk among them with her head held high.

"This is yours now." Said the Master. "Take great care of it."

"Of course, Master."

Upon their arrival on the Imperial capital planet, the Sith Lord proceeded to wear her simple robes before leaving her crew to do what they must. She felt something the moment she entered the atmosphere – some sort of dark roots forming a connection with her.

There was this unsettling disturbance that was similar to the one she felt on Balmorra, and yet it was something more than that. It felt dangerous.

The cold atmosphere was never welcoming for Leena, as much as she disliked the surroundings and the feeling to Dromund Kaas – she could not deny the memories she had both good and bad.

She came back to her supposed home for a reason, something that her Master couldn't trust through a single call. Nor to the ears of her crew. For a year she traveled around the galaxy, and planet to planet she left her mark in the name of her Master, in the name of the Empire. But a woman of her potential should never be wasted, Baras understood that the moment he laid his eyes on her.

The daughter of Zylas Sern.

But those concerns no longer matter now, for him especially.

The moment she entered the room, Baras couldn't help but have this devious smile behind his mask. She was everything he hoped for, an obedient apprentice who succeeds in every mission he had for her. Her talents weren't wasted, he understood what having this child as his apprentice meant – the power he could never hold, the power that he could never tame.

"I'm back, Master." She greeted him in a humbled tone.

But he had bigger plans. "There is no time to waste, apprentice. Listen up. Plan Zero was always my desire. I've been whispering in my master Darth Vengean's eat for years. Inciting full-scale war was but one goal. The other was the downfall of Darth Vengean so that I may ascent to his seat."

"Making an enemy of a Dark Council member isn't the wisest thing." Leena had truth in her words, some would make Baras pay dearly for such a mistake. And yet, Darth Occlus was always a careful one and had plans of her own.

"I have patiently waited and carefully set the stage." Said her Master. Vivid memories of Arrun's murder ran through her head, though not clear – the feeling of pain she had during those times were still there. Deep down inside of her heart. "The council doesn't appreciate being undermined – they're all but calling for Vengean's head. A strike against him now would be met with universal support. How would you like to face off against one of the twelve most powerful Sith in the galaxy?"

It was suicide. Leena was fully aware of that. She doubts that Occlus would even vouch for her with this recklessness if she does fail. Nor would her Master even try to save her. But to go against Vengean meant one thing, the murder of his own Master would automatically be pinpointed at him – and Baras doesn't have the guts to get his hands dirty. In all her years serving him, he was a man who remained in the shadows.

Thus, why she always executed his plans to his expectations. To pretend to be a dutiful apprentice and fight him without even realizing it. Playing this dangerous game with Baras, of all Dark Lords was also suicide.

"I'm more than ready, Master."

"There's another wrinkle. Darth Vengean's apprentice, Lord Draahg, has been secretly working for me – which Vengean discovered before I could recall him." Her Master was a coward with power. Leena could feel it, he was slowly getting desperate. "Vengean's rage is growing. You must free Draahg and face Darth Vengean together."

"I can handle Vengean myself." The apprentice spoke.

In truth, Baras knew she could. "I applaud your confidence, apprentice. But you will need Draahg to even forge access to Vengean. Draahg knows Vengean's weaknesses and how to breach his inner sanctum. Administer this resuscitation drug to Draahg. It will restore his strength."

Taking the serum, this may be one of the most difficult tasks Leena would endure for her Master. Going against Republic armies with a single lightsaber, annihilating lowly Sith Lords and Jedi Masters – for her to go against a member of the Dark Council was nothings she had encountered and yet it felt right.

"It will take both of you to overcome Vengean. So free the apprentice and destroy the Master. Be off." Leena bowed, leaving the quarters of her Master.

The path to power has always been a dangerous game. It was an endless cycle for the Sith and for the Jedi – no matter what others say. To abuse it would eventually become their downfall, one example was her mother and soon, it would be Baras.

The young Sith Lord proceeded to her stronghold, having the droid assist her in wearing her armor. According to 2V, none of her companions have yet to return from their errands. Some plan to return to their families while Vette made sure that Broonmark didn't commit any murders around the capital planet.

Leena has always made strange choices throughout her travels. Made sacrifices necessary for her to even reach this point. So close to freedom and yet it felt so far away.

The Sith Lord turned her attention towards the helmet that was quietly resting on the table of her quarters. She remembered telling herself that the only reason whys he wore the helmet was to become a symbol, something that could be considered incorruptible. She became a symbol as Baras's most prized apprentice, the weapon that could never be killed.

But on this day, she was beyond being a simple symbol for a Master who was too scared to get his hands covered in cold blood. No one knew how things would turn out and even so, Leena had to make a choice. She always does.

In her way, she acted on her authority. Under the orders of her own Master, to grasps his full faith in her – having him believed where her loyalties lie, she no longer had an excuse to pretend afterward.

This was her key to salvation. To achieve her peace of mind, vengeance must be obtained.

To walk through the halls of her Master's Master, igniting a single lightsaber to make her presence known in the company of Imperial guards – Lord Sern was no stranger to a slaughter. And upon a mountain of corpses that's he made for herself, is where she finally stood.

Her presence didn't go unnoticed as the guards began to scatter and build up their defenses. All they could hear were the alarms of the compound and the footsteps of the Sith Lord heading towards their way. This menacing Lord who had the balls to challenge a Dark Lord in the council, as much as the men wanted to believe that she could be killed – there was this aura around her that made them see their lives flashing through their eyes.

"Open fire!" One of the soldiers commanded. In fear, the soldiers proceeded to pull the trigger.

But blaster fires were not enough to contain her at all. Unlike the incident on Balmorra, Leena was no longer that girl who cried for a boy who had no part in this conflict. These men had families, like the rest – but they were nothing but simple walls blocking her simple goal.

Her freedom.

The deeper she went, the fewer guards she encountered, and the more Sith that stood in her way. Surrounded by young acolytes who have yet to prove themselves, Leena couldn't help but crack a smile on her lips. She hasn't encountered fools who think that they could win against her.

Slaughtering them felt like she was simply slicing up animals in the forest, or the beasts back on Korriban. As each of the bodies fell after a single strike, Leena didn't care about how many Lords she had to kill or how many walls she had to break to complete this.

For peace is a lie, there is only passion.

"Lord Draahg, Baras sent me," Leena spoke as she dropped the corpse right on the ground before even going near him. "I'm administering a resuscitation stimulant."

"I…" he began to speak. "I'm grateful. To you and Baras. I look forward to serving him directly once Darth Vengean has been destroyed."

Leena listened to what he had to say as she finally set him free from the torturing table. "We have been ordered to do just that."

"Then we better begin." There was something about him that she wasn't so sure about. They were Sith, only a few would be honor-bound and Leena was sure that Draahg was not one of them. "Vengean grows more powerful every moment. He's in his inner sanctum, communing with the dark side, channeling his rage and power. We have to confront Darth Vengean there, but it won't be easy to access."

"There's nothing I can't handle."

"Good." He smiled. "We need to be ready for anything. I know Darth Vengean well – he'll have tricks up his sleeve. Three outer rings of this compound must be breached before we can reach the inner sanctum, then a key is needed to enter. It's Darth Vengean's key, but I made a copy and hid it. I'll receive the key while you break through the outer rings."

"What would I be fighting?"

"Darth Vengean oversees the Imperial military during the times of war." He began to provide the intel. "He's cherry-picked the very best to serve him. You run the gauntlet of Darth Vengean's security. I swear to you I'll do whatever it takes to deliver the key. You'll see, we'll make a great team."

For now, at least.