The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived
Posted by: Darth Danno 03.28.07 12:01am
Previously:

• CHAPTER I: MEDITATION and REFLECTION
• CHAPTER II: SEEKING THE SITH
• CHAPTER III: THE PLOT THICKENS (Part I)
• CHAPTER III: THE PLOT THICKENS (Part II)
• CHAPTER IV: THE LEGEND OF THE MASTER
• CHAPTER V: A PADAWAN FLEES
• CHAPTER VI: DEBACLE IN THE DOCKING BAY (Part I)
• CHAPTER VI: DEBACLE IN THE DOCKING BAY (Part II)
• CHAPTER VII: CONUNDRUM ON CORUSCANT (Part I)
• CHAPTER VII: CONUNDRUM ON CORUSCANT (Part II)
• CHAPTER VII: CONUNDRUM ON CORUSCANT (Part III)
• CHAPTER VIII: THE PRODIGAL RETURNS (Part I)
• CHAPTER VIII: THE PRODIGAL RETURNS (Part II)
• CHAPTER VIII: THE PRODIGAL RETURNS (Part III)
• CHAPTER IX: ENTER THE APPRENTICE
• CHAPTER X: AN UNEASY ALLIANCE BEGINS
• CHAPTER XI: THE APPRENTICE REVEALED
• CHAPTER XII: SUSPICION GROWS
• CHAPTER XIII: XIII: STALEMATE (Part I)

CHAPTER XIV: STALEMATE (Part II)

Darth Mortis walked the halls of the Sith enclave looking for his master. Everyone he ran into either hadn't seen him, didn't care, or both. He finally found him on a small balcony overlooking the planet's surface.

"Something troubles you, my Master?" Mortis questioned.

Not bothering to turn around, Danno simply replied, "I just spoke with Lord Bloodbath. For some reason, he stood up for me in front of Lord Ruin, I wanted to know why."

"And his reply?"

"He believes Ruin's time may be at an end. After all my previous exploits, he feels I may the right candidate to succeed him. He wanted me to know I had his support"

"Do you trust his loyalty?" Mortis asked.

"No more than I would believe any of them. I feel he's just trying to save his own miserable skin in case I was planning an insurrection. But perhaps his words do carry some merit...'

"Meaning what, my Lord?"

"Ruin is an insufferable waste of life. I would be doing the Sith a favor by defeating his worthless carcass and assuming control which should be rightfully mine."

"But Lord Contagion?" Mortis interjected.

"Yes, yes. I'm well aware that once the deed is done, Contagion would be shaking my hand with his left and running a lightsaber through me with his right. I need to discern whom I can trust...if any."

Mortis dropped to one knee and lowered his head. "You will always have my loyalty, Master."

Danno finally turned to face his apprentice and allowed a smile to cross his scarred face. "I know, Lord Mortis. I know. Perhaps the Jedi may be able to assist us in our cause..."

With that last statement, Mortis snapped his head up to stare quizzically at his master.

NIGHTTIME. The halls of the base were mostly empty, save for the few roving patrols on guard duty. No one paid much attention to the cloaked figure that moved silently from shadow to shadow. Making his way down toward the docking bay. Arriving there, he opened the hatch and entered. The bay was silent and dark, except for a few work lights that lined the walls and always remained on. The figure made his way past the docked fighters to where Darth Danno's ship sat. Glancing around and spying no one, the figure removed his hood and stared at the rear access panel of the ship. Lord Contagion knew the ship would be locked, perhaps even with an alarm. But he had to get some answers, and quickly. He removed the faceplate from the panel, then reached down to his belt and detached a small oblong device. Opening the top of it, he extracted three wires. Plugging one end of each into the device, the other ends into various parts of the exposed console. Turning a small knob on the side of the device, it hummed to life as a small red light crossed its face repeatedly for several moments. Contagion glanced around nervously, expecting Danno or Mortis to appear behind him at any moment. The device then let out a long dull beep as the ship's rear hatch hissed open. Contagion detached the wires, replaced the faceplate, and returned the device to his belt. Cautiously, he entered the ship.

There were no lights on inside, and the Dark Lord had to pause a few moments to let his eyes become accustomed to the gloom. Carefully he made his way through the hold. Looking through some of the crates that lay on the floor. Finding nothing, he made his way toward the cockpit. It was surprising that considering how attuned his senses were, he never heard the click as a secret panel in the floor of the hold slid open.

Once in the cockpit, he rifled through the compartments above and beside the captains chair. Nothing but some star charts and maps. Looking through the compartments by the co-pilots seat, he found an old blaster and a some frag grenades, but again, nothing that would shed any light on the two Sith's plans. Resolving himself to the long night ahead of him, he knew he would have to tear this ship apart until he found something, but do it in such a way that if he found nothing, no one would ever know he had been there.

Perhaps it was a noise, maybe the Force alerted him, but he suddenly realized he was no longer alone.

Slowly reaching down to detach his lightsaber, He activated his crimson blade and spun around to face his opponent...

Darth Danno