Part 2

Gaia went through her training exercises again. Ever since the attack on the Jedi Academy Master Skywalker had intensified the training for the padawans. He also increased the defenses of Yavin IV. Several Jedi had died during the attack against Desann soldiers called Reborns and Shadowtroopers. Gaia only knew that they had been trained enough in the Force to be dangerous.

Gaia felt a few strands of her hair fall out of her ponytail but was not able to lose her concentration of the droid in front of her. It was using two lightsabers to her one. She was having some trouble keeping the droid at a distance. She looked for some sort of weakness in the attack that it was using against her.

The droid attacked again not giving Gaia any time to formulate her defense. She used the Force to speed her blocks against the droid. Quickly realizing that she had to disarm the droid she put in a few feints to throw the droid off. Then she saw an opening in the droids attack and a chance to even the odds against her. With a quick strike one of the lightsabers the droid was using was cut in half.

Now the odds had even up against her. The droid no longer had two lightsabers which would allow her some time to formulate a plan of attack her way. The droid attacked again this time she was ready. She retreated for a few feet towards a cliff allowing the droid to make a wide slash that missed her. She spun around the droid and used a quick Force push and the droid went off the edge and into the river below.

Jedi Master Fie-Tel shook his head as he watched Gaia go through her training. She still refused to use deadly force even when pushed. He thought he finally had a situation where she would have to use it. Instead she had foiled him again and pushed the droid off the edge of the river bank.

"I see that she's being stubborn," Luke said as he walked up to Fie-Tel who.

"Yes she is Master Skywalker," Fie-Tel replied not taking his eyes off the young woman.

"I admire the fact that she's so ingenious in her reactions to her plans," Luke said smiling at the fact.

"She's definitely giving me a challenge unlike any other padawan," Fie-Tel replied. "I know that we should not change her, but I want her to be able to use force if she ever had to."

"I know, and you know that she knows. Perhaps it is time for the next part of her training," Luke replied as he thought about it.

"Do you really think so master," Fie-Tel said.

"Yes, and call me Luke," Luke replied knowing that Fie-Tel used the term 'master' as the old Jedi did with the Jedi Masters of their era. It was a sign of respect, but it was something that Luke was not sure he wanted.

"Of course," Fie-Tel replied as they both knew that he would not.



Jessica paced around the room waiting for the time that she would meet up with the man called Tyi. She had gotten some information from the man yesterday and now she had an idea of where she needed to go. Now all she had to do was meet up with the mysterious Darth Zarius who had contacted her at the Valley of the Jedi.

A knock on her door and she figured who it was. She opened the door and saw Tyi was indeed standing there waiting for her. She noticed that he had made good time which pleased her.

"I hope you don't mind that I'm early," Tyi said hoping that she would be angry at him for being early.

"No, this is just right. I hate to wait," Jessica said putting on a black cloak. Tyi marvel at the transformation of the woman in front of him. She seemed to be much more menacing than she had been before. She turned to him and told him to lead on.

He swallowed a bit at the presence the woman had then turned and then went to lead her out to the area they had discussed earlier. She had asked him about some tombs that were in the area for some reason. Now he found himself leading the woman out there. He had heard the local legends that said there was great power out there for those who were invited. Many had tried and so far none had ever returned.

Tyi did not put much into legends that he had heard. He did stay away from the area because no one had ever come back. Now here he was leading a mysterious stranger out there. She did not seem to be the type to wonder into strange lands just by the power he could feel coming off her.

"You there," a voice said as they walked along the street. Tyi turned around to see several men walking towards them. Tyi recognized the leader as Blondie. He mentally sighed at what was about to happen and knew that it was not going to be pleasant.

Jessica glanced at the man who she recognized as the man she had evicted from her room earlier in the day. She saw that he had a few more friends and laughed a bit. This might turn out to be interesting and be a way to relieve tension. After all she was not sure what to expect later in the day.

"In the alleyway, now," Blondie said producing a blaster and pointing it at them. "And don't try any funny business. Tyi get out of here now," the leader ordered.

"Wait here Tyi," Jessica calmly said to him as she walked unafraid into the alleyway where even more gang members were waiting. She could see that some of them were already afraid of her. That would be useful indeed.

"Now, I know that you were the one that kicked me out of my place and no one does that to me," Blondie said with rage as he thumped his chest.

Jessica scanned the group and an idea came to her. "You are nothing but space slime," Jessica said to the group. "Now if you want to be more than that, then join me. Attack me and you'll die. That simple," she said looking at everyone in the group.

"That won't work with my men," Blondie said. "Attack," he ordered rushing the woman in their midst.

Jessica reacted with the rage she felt at the man. Her lightsaber came to life with a soft click-hiss. She Force pushed a few of the gang members off their feet and easily deflected the few shots that were fired at her.

Jessica's red blade became a blur as she suddenly ran through the men. She cut through several men with ease before turning back to the leader. All of the others had stopped attacking and a few had even run away in fear of her.

"You will pay for that," Blondie said getting back up as he raised his blaster at the woman.

"I thought you might be intelligent, but I was wrong," Jessica said raising her hand. Lightning shot out from her hand impacting Blondie causing him to convulse in pain as the dark Force energy surged through him. The last thing the dying man saw was the tall dark haired woman's smile.

The group was stunned into silence at the violence that they just saw. This woman was not anything like they had ever encountered before. The ease at which she had defeated their leader and her calm almost gleeful appearance made them step back a bit.

"Well, that was fun, anyone else," Jessica said with a cruel smile on her face. The men around her quickly shook their heads no as they glanced at the dead bodies around them. "Good, now if any of you want more out of life than this petty life, meet me here tomorrow night, spread the word."

Jessica did not wait for any replies as she walked out of the alleyway to where Tyi was sitting there waiting for her. He got up the moment he saw her coming. She noticed that he did not seem surprised that she was still alive.

"Let's go," Jessica told him.

Tyi nodded his head and lead her to the location of the tombs outside the city. He only knew where they were, not who was buried where. As he entered the valley where the tombs were located he marveled at the scale of the tombs. There were statues and doors that had to be at least twenty feet tall. The energy surrounding the area made his hair stand on end and slightly shiver.

He glanced back to where his silent companion was standing. She seemed to be taking it all in almost as if she belonged there somehow. He realized that it was eerie to watch. He really wanted to step back away from her and run screaming from her but another part of him wanted to be near the power she possessed.

"Stay here, I'll be back," Jessica told the man watching as he almost ran back to the entrance of the valley. She chuckled at the man's antics as she walked towards the tombs. She noticed a couple of tombs where one strongly called out to her. It must be the tomb of Darth Zarius Jessica thought.

The wind picked up as she walked down the valley of the tombs toward the one. Each was dedicated to an ancient Sith Lord. Most of the tombs looked like they had been here for hundred, even thousands of years just waiting for something. Walking up to the tomb doors she briefly wondered how to open them up as the size of the doors loomed over her.

Jessica first wondered which way the door would open and studied it carefully. Deducing that the doors opened out she gathered her strength and used the Force to pull the doors open. The massive doors creaked and groaned as they were forced open by Jessica's will. The wind whipped up as the doors opened and Jessica could feel the crackle of power come from inside the tomb itself.

Taking out a light from her pocket she used it to illuminate the dark hallway in front of her. Inside she passed several skeletons that appeared to be beheaded. Knowing that danger might be in front of her she tuned her senses to anything that might be moving around her. There was no sound coming at all from the hallway as even her footsteps made no noise.

Then Jessica felt something move and a glance in the direction she noticed a droid. It quickly fired a couple of shots at her. She activated her lightsaber and managed to deflect the blaster shots back at the droid. A few shots hit the droid causing some damage but not enough to slow it down. Jessica decided that she could not allow the droid time to regroup and launched her own attack.

The droid was equipped with an old bladed weapon. A vibroblade which would allow it combat someone with a lightsaber. The droid was good that much Jessica had to admit. She figured that it was probably some sort of guard droid.

The droid suddenly ceased its attack and shut down. Jessica looked at it warily as she expected it to come to life at any second. Walking around the droid she made her way to the central tomb and stepped inside.

The tomb area had several large statues placed around a raised platform that made up the center of the tomb. Jessica assumed that it was the tomb of Darth Zarius. Walking up to the tomb she briefly wondered what was going to happen next.

"Welcome," a voice said as an apparition appeared in front of her. It was dressed in dark clothes and an evil glare at her.



Gaia walked into the large area that made up the top of the temple where Luke Skywalker's office, meditation and one of his living quarters was located. She pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and continued toward the two figures standing in the room. She recognized both of them. One was her mentor, Master Fie-Tel, the other Master Skywalker.

"Welcome padawan," Luke said as she entered the room. "Fie-Tel was telling me about your progress in your training. I have decided that you are ready for the next level of training," he told her.

"I await your wisdom," Gaia replied.

"We feel that you would do better in the next phase of training. Your lightsaber skills are quite good. This next phase of training will be more mental than it is physical. You will be meditating most of the day as you concentrate on the living Force," Fie-Tel said watching Gaia's reaction. He thought that she seemed to be glad that her lightsaber training was over.

Gaia was led to the meditation rooms were most students were trained on how to meditate but anyone could use the room. She got herself comfortable and concentrated on the Force as it flowed through and around her. This was something she actually enjoyed doing. There was no pass or failure in this training. She only had to learn to concentrate of the Force.

Fie-Tel walked back to Luke's room with the Jedi Master. He was sure that Master Luke knew that Gaia was comfortable in her meditation and wondered what she was supposed to learn from this new training.

"Master Skywalker, I do not fully understand why you are taking this path with Gaia," Fie-Tel said when he was certain they were alone.

"Fie-Tel, I have felt some sort of disturbance in the Force. I do not think that other have felt it yet. Before the Jedi Purge I read what few texts have survived from Master Yoda. He states that there were too few who looked beyond the here and now. I feel that we should learn from the past's mistakes. Gaia could be the Jedi for the job," Luke told Fie-Tel. "And I think we'll need someone like her."

Fie-Tel thought about what Luke had just said before replying. "You said that you felt a disturbance in the Force. Do you have any idea as to what is causing it," Fie-Tel asked a bit curious as to what Luke was feeling.

"I'm not sure, only that it seems to be coming from the Dark Side of the Force. Whoever it is they are subtle yet very strong," Luke told him.

"Gaia is not that strong in the Force master," Fie-Tel said still curious about what was going on.

"We both know that the Force works in mysterious ways Fie-Tel, but we must also remember that there are other forces at work in the universe," Luke said.

Their conversation was cut short by a young padawan who came running into the room.

"Master Skywalker, come quickly there's something wrong with Gaia," the young boy said in a breathless voice.

Luke and Fie-Tel quickly ran to the meditation room. Everyone was crowded around Gaia who appeared to be still awake as her eyes were open and her mouth was slightly open. The only problem was she did not appear to be noticing anything going on around her and she was shaking slightly.

"Gaia, can you hear me," Fie-Tel said rushing to his padawan's side as he tried to find out what was going on. The longer she did not say anything Fie-Tel become more worried about her. "Master Skywalker can you do anything for her," he asked Luke as he was not able to think of anything to help out Gaia.

After a few more seconds Gaia closed her eyes and slumped forward. Fie-Tel rushed to catch her before she fell to the ground. A few seconds later her eyes opened up and she glanced around to see where she was.

"Are you all right," Fie-Tel asked his student after he realized Gaia knew where she was.

"I'm not too sure," Gaia replied with a bit of a shaky voice. She was trying to figure out what she had seen.

"What happened," Luke asked stepping forward and looking right at Gaia hoping that she would have an answer for him.

"I was doing my medications as you and Master Fie-Tel had requested when a feeling I had never encountered came over me. I have never felt anything so strong or like it before," Gaia replied trying to sort out her feelings from what she had felt just moments earlier.

Gaia got back up into a sitting position and thought about how to tell Master Fie-Tel and Luke Skywalker what had happened. She was not sure about everything. Ever since she had seen the mysterious black clad attacker she had been having strange feelings. Gaia tried to figure out if she should tell them about that and decided not to just yet before continuing.

"I was caught in a swirl of mist, or fog, I'm not sure, and an overwhelming sense of evil," Gaia said shuddering in the memory of it. "The mist parted and I saw a tall person. I think that it was a female, but I'm not sure about that. She was dressed in black with a deep red cloak. There was something else in the area but I could not see it only feel it."

Luke sat down and pondered on what Gaia had just told him. He knew in his heart that what Gaia was saying was true, but he did not want to believe it. Finally after thinking for a few minutes Luke realized that everyone was looking at him. "I have a feeling that we are dealing with a new Sith Lord, one that is chosen by the ancient Sith Lords themselves."

"But what about the dark Jedi and their academy that they have," Fie-Tel said to Luke.

"This new Sith Lord is as powerful as my father or even the Emperor. We might have another Naga Sadow, Freedon Nadd, Exar Kun or Darth Raven. This Sith Lord will be powerful," Luke told the group.

No one in the room liked anything that Luke had just said. The names he had mentioned were powerful ancient Sith Lords who were capable of doing a lot of damage on their own.

"We've defeated ones like Desann and their types before and the Emperor twice," Fie-Tel said hoping to place some spark of hope in the group.

"Yes, we knew what to expect from the Emperor and compared to Desann this person is much more powerful," Luke replied to him. ""I have been feeling a slight disturbance in the Force for a while now. I think I now know what it is."

"This woman," Gaia said not saying that she had felt an attraction to the woman.

"Yes," Luke said glancing at Gaia. "I can't go to the Republic Council without proof about what I feel. But I can warn those who will listen."

Gaia watched as Luke got up and walked out of the room. There was something about that act that disturbed her. At the end of her latest 'vision' another two people had appeared to her. They were both dressed as Jedi would have about six hundred years ago. The pair had looked at her and then to each other. With a deliberate action she had watched as the taller one had pulled the smaller one to her into a protective embrace.

Fie-Tel watched as Gaia's face got a look of determination on it. He wondered what else had happened during her vision. He knew enough that if he asked his padawan would not say anything right now.

Gaia got up quietly and walked out of the room. She had questions in her mind. She also knew that there were not many places that she could go to find her answers. Perhaps she could go to Coruscant and see if any records of the Jedi Library had survived.

Gaia walked towards the hanger area hoping that she could catch a flight to Coruscant. She saw that Master Skywalker was readying a ship for takeoff. It was a small ship but if he was willing to allow her to come along she might be able to find some answers. It was worth a try.

"Master Skywalker," Gaia asked shyly as Luke was talking with a droid.

Luke turned around at the sound of someone addressing him. He was not really surprised to see Gaia's small form standing there. He already knew what she wanted before she asked. He was just waiting for her to ask to come along with him.

"Yes, Gaia," he asked prodding her along.

"You are headed to Coruscant, right," Gaia asked hoping that she was not out of her place. She watched as Master Skywalker nodded his head yes. "I would like to come along please," she asked boldly.

Luke looked down at R2-D2 and then up to the ship that he was flying. There would be room in the ship for both of them especially seeing how Gaia was not that big. He also had a feeling that she would be important with what was going on in the Force. Yoda had appeared to him right as he was thinking about her. He decided that it could not be an accident.

"Tell Master Fie-Tel that you are going to be going with me. Then meet me back here as soon as you can," he told her watching as the young woman went off to find Fie-Tel. He then thought about what he would have to tell his sister. Another challenge to the New Republic was not something that anyone needed right now. The people had just survived through several Imperial resurrections of the Emperor and Grand Admiral Thrawn. There had also been a few outside attacks that they had managed to beat off.

Luke did realize that it would be good to see his niece and nephews again though. They were getting bigger each time he saw them. That was something the new Jedi Order had changed. Jedi were now allowed to marry if they wanted. Luke realized that Jedi were people as well and to ignore feelings for others could lead to disaster.

Leia had grown in her power of the Force and now had her own lightsaber as well. She could not use it as well as Luke but she was still getting good at using it. He had a feeling that if his father had survived his last encountered against the Emperor he would have been proud of them. Luke had a feeling though that it was for the best that Darth Vader had been killed on the second Death Star.

The sound of footsteps announced the presence of Gaia behind him. She had a small bag which held a change of clothing which Luke put in the cargo bay of the ship. Luke then connected R2-D2 to the ship and they both climbed aboard the ship. Within minutes they had left Yavin IV for Coruscant.



Tyi waited nervously at the edge of the valley jumping each time a loud sound came out of the valley. A large thunderstorm had come up suddenly even though the forecast this morning had been for clear skies. The wind whipped around the valley and several dust devils had sprung up making him keep a close eye on it.

Tyi could see that a couple of the dust devils were quite large yet they appeared to be staying in the same place. The entire visual was quite stunning if he had not been so terrified of everything. He wished that the woman would appear again and soon. He had already decided to give her until sundown before he left the valley.

He watched as a bolt of lightning struck one of the large boulders in the middle of the valley and split it in two. He huddled closer to the rocks he was sitting next to even though he knew they would offer no protection.

Tyi nervously chewed on a piece of candy that he had while waiting for the woman. He then saw a figure dressed in black as it made its way through the valley. Even he could feel the power crackling through the valley as the figure made its way towards him.

He was just about to run away when he was able to make out some features on the figure. It was the woman he was waiting for. She had on black clothing and a deep red cloak. Her black hair was whipping around her by the wind as her cloak rode the wind behind her. She never broke stride even when she walked through one of the dust devils. She did not even flinch when a large bolt of lightning struck another boulder a few feet from her.

Tyi wondered what he had gotten himself into as he noticed the grin on the woman's face. She continued to walk towards him without breaking stride. He then noticed that her eyes had changed color a bit. Their color had changed from a deep blue to what was now a clear ice blue color. It unnerved him as it seemed as if she could see right through him. Then he thought that perhaps she could.

Jessica walked up to the man who had been waiting for her at the edge of the valley. She could feel the power of the Dark Side flowing through her as she walked unlike what it had been just a few hours before. There were things that she had to do and Jedi to destroy. She knew that she would succeed where the other Dark Lords had failed. She also knew where to look to find what she was looking for. The only thing she needed now was to have some loyal followers. The gang member would be a good place to start.

"Come on Tyi, we have a meeting to attend," Jessica said as she walked past the man without giving him a spare glance.

As they walked towards the city Tyi wondered what had happened to the woman he was following. She seemed more capable than when they had left. Now she seemed to radiate with power unlike anyone he had ever seen before. He wondered how to approach the woman on the subject.

"You have a question Tyi," Jessica asked feeling the man's thoughts about her.

"Ah," he stammered for a second while trying to come up with a proper reply. He had a feeling that she knew he was curious about her but she might not like having such a direct question. After a few more seconds he settled on one question. "What's your name?"

"You can call me Darth Rizon," she replied with a smile on her face.

Tyi stopped dead in his tracks at hearing the woman's name. He glanced up at the woman who wore a smile on her face. He had heard the name 'Darth' before from others who walked about Darth Vader. He had later learned that the name Darth was given to Sith Lords.

Are you a Sith Lord," he asked nervously.

"Yes," Jessica replied coolly to his question.

Tyi gulped as the woman, or Darth Rizon, as she called herself answered his question. Tyi also wondered if he should even ask his next question.

"What is your next move, my Lord," Tyi finally asked. "Are you going to try and resurrect the Empire again?"

"The Imperial Empire, no, I'm going to do even better than that. I'm going to resurrect the Sith and once again the universe shall tremble at the might of the reborn Sith Empire," Jessica said with a smile.

"The Sith," Tyi said in disbelief. "The Jedi destroyed them eons ago," Tyi replied to her.

"You know your history, but only partly. After the Jedi had defeated them the Sith went into hiding," Jessica told him. "Have you ever heard of two Sith Lords called Darth Malick or Raven?"

Tyi thought about the two names that Rizon had just given him. He had heard of the two names before but could not remember where he had heard them. Finally after a few seconds of thinking he shrugged his shoulders and told her that he did not know.

"They were once Jedi who were largely responsible for the Mandalorian defeat thousand of years ago. They then found an ancient artifact called the Star Forge and built up a huge fleet. The Republic with the help of the Jedi eventually defeated the fleet but not all of the fleet was destroyed. I know where it is, and it is just waiting for me," Rizon said knowing that this was part of her grand plan.

"How many ships my lord," Tyi asked knowing that it would take an extremely large fleet to even begin to take on the Republic fleets.

"Hundreds of ships," Jessica replied as they reached the city limits. It was time to begin her plan.

They walked to the place where Jessica had arranged to meet with the gang members. Tyi was feeling a bit apprehensive about the meeting. As they walked into the alleyway he noticed that there were quite a few gang members who were eyeing them with curious stares.

"So this is the bitch who took out Blondie," one man said as he looked at the woman in their midst with disdain which Jessica gladly returned.

Tyi was not sure what was going to happen but he was positive that it would not be good. If this man continued to push Darth Rizon as Blondie had, then Tyi was sure that he would also end up dead.

"Jonn, you can attack her but I feel like living today," one person said backing away from the man leaving him isolated.

The man who had wanted to attack the woman in their midst looked around to see if there were any others who would be with him. He noticed that they all appeared to be backing away from a confrontation with the woman. With a snort of disapproval he turned and walked away from the group.

Jessica watched as the man left with a bit of interest. With some help from the Force she knew that the man would not be a problem and if he ever did she knew how to take care of him. She turned to the rest of the group that had gathered and noticed that they were now waiting for her to tell them why there were all there.

"I have a proposal for all of you. It is one that holds many trails and dangers, but the rewards are great. If any of you feel like leaving then now is the time to do so," Jessica said to the group watching as the group looked around then back at her. "Good," she said with a smile.

Tyi wondered if he should have taken the opportunity to leave but realized that he was already in too deep to leave now. He also was not sure that he could leave. He listened to Darth Rizon as she spoke again about what she needed to have to carry out her plan.

"Now my name is Darth Rizon," Jessica said to the group watching as shock appeared on their faces at the name. She was sure that they had all heard of the 'Darth' names. "Welcome to the new Sith."

"You're not from the Empire are you," one of them asked having heard the name and figured like many others that she was Darth Vader's replacement.

"No, the Empire is weak and clueless," Darth Rizon replied to the group. "It is time for the Sith to rise once again like it had been in the days of the glory of the Sith."

The group murmured a bit at the news. A few were a bit unsure about this, but most wanted off the planet and were willing to do anything. After a few minutes of debate they all agreed to join the woman.

Jessica smiled to herself at the result. She had been right about the gang members. Most were considered to be the trash of the city. To Jessica they would be the perfect members to begin her rebuilding efforts as these men would not appreciate what she was doing. They would kill and destroy without remorse for her.

"Now then, we will need a good ship. We will be leaving this planet for our new headquarters," Jessica said watching as they talked amongst themselves. One of them mentioned that a wealthy merchant had a fast freighter that he might be willing to let them use.

Jessica thought about the news for a second. She realized that she would also need money and this merchant just might be a perfect source. With some money she could use it to fund her start up group until she found all she needed.

"Take me to this merchant," Jessica said to the man who had spoken.

"Of course," the man replied.

"Tyi," Jessica said turning to the man who had been her guide so far.

"Yes my lord," Tyi replied nervously swallowing as he hoped that Darth Rizon was not about to kill him.

"You will be my contact with the rest of the group," she said to him the turned to the rest of the men. "He will tell you when we are ready to move out," she then turned to the man who would lead her to the merchant and followed him out of the alley.

Jessica followed silently as the man led her to the house of a wealthy man. Climbing up to the door she knocked and waited until it was answered by a large Twi-lek. She wondered why everyone used Twi-leks for security these days.

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Handan is not seeing anyone today," the Twi-lek said.

"I have a business proposition for Mr. Handan," Jessica said with a slight wave of her hand.

The Twi-lek stood there for a second before responding. "A business proposition, of course," he said then led the two of them inside.

Jessica glanced around quickly as they were led to study. The Twi-lek opened the doors to the study revealing a large room with a spacious desk that was very orderly. Behind the desk sat a skinny Skulst. Jessica thought it was strange to see a Skulst as their species usually did not leave their own world. Perhaps she could use this to her advantage.

"Petrat, I said no visitors," Handan said as he looked up to see a dark clad woman standing in his study.

"I have a business proposition for you," Jessica said to the man.

End Part 2

Continued....