Dark Days I: Zenith

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Dark Days I: Zenith
Author: Mortis
Series: Dark Days
Length: 158,825 words
Source: AO3
Publication Date: 2023
Timeline Placement: 1999–1998 BBY
Preceding: Following:
Heart on a Trigger by Cinlat Dark Days: Perihelion by Mortis


Zenith is the first novel in the Dark Days pentalogy by Mortis. The novel focuses on the rise of Darth Cinder in juxtaposition with the fall of Darth Ruin.

Jacket Copy

For a thousand years, the Republic has stood as the galaxy’s uncontested bulwark in an unprecedented golden age. As the Senate pushes for expansion into the Outer Rim, so too does the Jedi Order. Unchallenged for a millennium, and undaunted by the tottering threats of bureaucracy, Jedi Lords lay claim to the hinterlands as barons. But the actions of one man threaten this era of peace. The fallen Jedi Phanius has schemed in the shadows for ten years. Taking the mantle Darth Ruin, he crowns himself the first Dark Lord of the Sith since the time of the Old Republic. At his side stands his Shadow Hand, Darth Cinder. Together, they have assembled the scattered Sith tribes under one banner. But when Ruin, in a fit of madness, reveals his new order to the Jedi, Cinder is left to deal with the fallout. Her master has disappeared into reaches unknown; the full might of the Jedi Order is descending upon Korriban; and her apprentice, Darth Fell, is a deadly thorn in her side. There is only one path: find Darth Ruin and make him pay.

Plot Summary

The Fall of Korriban

Darth Ruin, formerly the esteemed (and eccentric) Jedi Master Phanius, has established a new Sith order on Korriban. Ruin left the Jedi Order a decade prior after a violent disagreement with the rest of the High Council over the nature of the Force, several score Jedi apprentices at his back, including his apprentice Lysara Synder. While his unwavering solipsism has made him an effective Dark Lord, it has left him despised by his followers. Nonetheless, Lysara, now called Darth Cinder, serves dutifully at his side as Shadow Hand.[1]

In a fit of madness, Ruin issues a declaration of war against the Republic. In an attempt to purge the new Sith threat at the source, the Jedi besiege Korriban. Ruin leaves the planet aboard his flagship, Solipsis, alongside his Dark Council.[2] Meanwhile, the purge catches Cinder off-guard; she sought to bring her own apprentice, Darth Fell, before Ruin and have him join the Dark Lord's Council. However, Fell attacks her when it becomes clear they have both been left behind.[1]

The Escape

Cinder easily defeats Fell, reminding him that he is nowhere close to taking her place. The pair plan their escape, avoiding Republic and Jedi forces as they make their way back to Cinder's ship, The Ashen One. Aboard the ship, Cinder reactivates the ancient protocol droid HK-47 to assist in the escape plan. Before The Ashen One can take off, Cinder finds herself cornered by her former friend—and lover—Leide Pall. Pall is in command of the Korriban siege; in the years since Cinder's departure with Ruin, she has taken a seat on the Jedi High Council. Cinder kills Pall in a brief duel, severing one of the last links to her past, and flees with Fell and the droid.[1]

Having escaped the ground battle, the trio find themselves ensnared in the Republic blockade. In a last-ditch effort to break through, Cinder and Fell board a Republic Hammerhead and destroy it from an inside. The momentary distraction allows them to make a lightspeed jump out of the blockade.[1]

The Dark Lord

Darth Ruin convenes with his followers—Darth Kaos, his spymaster; Darth Hopel, his liaison with the Lost Tribe of the Sith; Darth Bestia, his assassin; and Eradicus, his squire—aboard the Solipsis. In his wroth and regret over leaving Cinder behind, he has spent the last several days lashing out at his Dark Council. Bestia has been the repeated victim of Ruin's unwanted attention, as the Dark Lord views her as a surrogate for his unrequited lust over Cinder. She confides this in Darth Hopel[3], who Ruin kills in a fit of rage during the meeting.[2]

It is revealed Ruin has a voice in his head prodding him along on a path to Rhen Var.[4] The voice has promised him unlimited power and knowledge, knowing that Ruin's curiosity will leave him unable to resist. However, it has left him prone to increasing fits of madness that only earn the contempt and confusion of his followers. Ruin embraces this scorn, and uses it as a vessel to fuel his power.

Later, Darth Kaos relays that one of his moles involved in the Sack of Korriban spotted Cinder's vessel leaving the system, before going down with his flagship. Relieved that Cinder is alive, Ruin intends to send Kaos to retrieve her.[4]

The Ossus Diversion

Seeking refuge from what she perceives to be a coordinated hunt, Cinder directs HK-47 and Fell to land on the abandoned Jedi world Ossus. She started Fell's training there six years prior, but left without exploring the Great Library. Hoping to kill two birds with one stone, she plans to finish Fell's training and scour the Library for Sith secrets of old.[5]

HK-47 is left to his own devices, hunting in the woods. Meanwhile, Cinder destroys both her and Fell's lightsabers, claiming they will need to build new ones. The next day, the pair explore the Great Library. Fell finds a silver Kyber crystal[6]; meanwhile, Cinder uncovers the Sith holocron of Darth Phobos, a sorceress who claimed the title Dark Lord in the years before Ruin's order when the Sith were thought destroyed. True to her name, Phobos manipulates the power of the Force to instill fear in her enemies. She incapacitates Cinder.[7]

Fell realizes that he and Cinder are not alone in the library. Finding her knocked out before the holocron, he debates leaving her for dead but ultimately decides against it. He flees the Great Library with Cinder draped across his back and the holocron in hand, a squad of Ysanna nipping on his heels. When Cinder comes to, the Ysanna try to attack. Fell kills one by inadvertently redirecting its spear. Believing them provoked, Cinder and Fell flee the Great Library and make plans to leave the planet on the morrow.[6]

While camping that night, Cinder tells Fell the story of Jedi Master Phanius and his apprentice Lysara, and how their unbridled curiosity led to their turn to the Dark Side. Fell correctly deduces that Phanius has become the Dark Lord Ruin, but remains oblivious as to the identity of Lysara, assuming she is long dead.[8] The next morning, Fell and Cinder build new lightsabers as Cinder recounts the old Sith tale of Darth Traya. While Fell dismisses the tale itself as nonsense, he still learns the intended lesson: Ruin must be killed if the Sith are to survive.[9]

However, without knowing the location of the Dark Lord, Cinder and Fell are left with little they can do. Half-mockingly, Fell suggests they go to Nar Shaddaa to find a navigator. Despite not wanting to find herself entangled with the Hutts, Cinder knows there is no real alternative and follows Fell's lead.[9]

Rhen Var

Ruin arrives on the frozen hellscape of Rhen Var and immediately sets his forces to the excavation effort.[10] The voice reveals itself as a survivor of the Hundred Year Darkness, having studied with the likes of Ajunta Pall, XoXaan, Sorzus Syn, and the other Exiles during the First Great Schism. He demands Ruin set him free while subtly shifting the terms of their arrangement, now requesting to become Ruin's new Shadow Hand in the absence of Cinder.[11]

Kaos pinpoints the location of Cinder's ship using the tracking beacon his mole planted. Ruin grants Kaos permission to go fetch her.[10] Later, he sends Bestia to parley with the Mandalorians, who have taken the Jedi's crusade against the Sith as an invitation to start marauding across the Mid Rim. Ruin is left alone with his squire Eradicus, whom he nearly kills after the latter sees him during one of the voice's induced seizures.[11]

After his own half-successful parley with Mandalore the Unassailable, the voice breaks free from Ruin's head in the form of a Force projection. It names itself "Cronos", and behooves Ruin to move faster in setting him free from his tomb. Again, it changes the terms of the deal, claiming to take place as Ruin's new master.[12]

The Hunt for the Navigator

Fell verbally spars with HK-47 prior to landing on Nar Shaddaa, learning the droid has an almost-jealous protectiveness over his master.[13] After they land, Cinder and Fell assume the guise of traveling Jedi and set out for a dive bar called the Viridian Slug, where they hope to locate the famed navigator and spice runner Marcus Kregg.[14] Fell knows Kregg only through legends and spacer's tales, but Cinder was once tasked with apprehending him during her time as a Jedi Knight.[9]

Kregg, who is imprisoned within the Viridian Slug, relays that he is indebted to the local ruling Hutt, Durgulla the Fat. He also relays that the Hutt Cartel has left Nar Shaddaa for Nal Hutta in an effort to avoid a bloody civil war. Durgulla is now the sole ruling Hutt on the smuggler's moon, styling himself "The Fat Minister" and taking roost inside the former Chamber of Commerce with his decadent court. Kregg tells Cinder and Fell that if they can convince Durgulla to renege on his debt, he will join their crew as a pilot.[14]

Darth Kaos

After leaving the Viridian Slug, Cinder and Fell head back to the ship to retrieve HK-47, as Cinder does not want to face a Hutt without a proper translator. While in the market district, Cinder realizes that she and Fell are being followed. They lead their pursuer to a residential construction project, where he reveals himself as Darth Kaos. Cinder doubts Kaos' claim that Ruin sent him to retrieve her. However, Kaos—confused by Fell's presence as Ruin never mentioned a boy—readily admits he would rather kill Cinder than bring her back. In a rare burst of ambition, he boldly claims he will kill Ruin while the Dark Lord grieves over Cinder.[15]

The trio fight within the construction zone. Cinder takes a glancing blow to the side. Ultimately, she and Fell prevail, and they claim Kaos' lightsaber as a trophy.[15] However, Cinder faints when she and Fell reach The Ashen One. Fell and HK-47 work to heal her. Cinder's fever dreams set her on a death drive; she goads Fell into trying to kill her, though knowing he will fail. HK-47 stops the boy just short of landing a fatal blow. He refuses to accompany Cinder to Durgulla's palace so long as the boy is at her side.[16]

The Fat Minister

When Cinder recovers, she and Fell set off to Durgulla's palace. Within, they are disturbed at the decadence and depravity of the Hutt's court. Durgulla himself grants them audience, but prefers picking a new concubine from a pack of slaves to listening to Cinder and Fell's propositions. Cinder realizes the Hutt is trying to exploit their impatience by splitting his focus. Fell, in his impulsivity, hastily accepts a corrupt bargain: bring Durgulla a lightsaber and the head of Mandalore, who has been plundering his trade routes.[17]

Cinder leaves the palace in a rage, dragging Fell with her. After scolding him, she sets off to find Kregg and a way to fix their predicament. Fell takes the opportunity to reconcile with HK-47. The droid reveals that not only will he thwart Fell's every attempt to kill his master, but that he knows Fell's given name and how Cinder loves him as a son.[17]

The Ziggurat

With the excavation complete, Ruin opens Cronos' tomb. Inside, he meets a withered husk of a man barely clinging to life. Cronos reveals his intention to start a new Sith Triumvirate, comprising of Ruin, Cinder, and himself. However, Cronos is aware of Fell's existence. He claims the boy's survival poses a threat to Ruin's power. He uses a variant of Force Drain to rejuvenate himself at the cost of Ruin's arm.[18]

Cronos, still bound to his tomb and continuing to manifest as a projection, later directs Ruin to uncover an ancient Sith citadel across the valley. Ruin sets Eradicus to the task as he prepares himself for Cinder's impending arrival.[19]

The Landlocked Smuggler

Durgulla sends his henchmen to intimidate Kregg following Cinder and Fell's disastrous parley. The Hutt demands Kregg attends a speech in the Forum commemorating the sixth year of his reign. He also reveals his intention to feed the "Jedi" to one of the pets in his menagerie.[20]

Cinder pays Kregg a visit in an attempt to clean up Fell's mess. She reveals her identity as Lysara Synder to him, but Kregg doesn't recognize her. A holonews broadcast shows the Mandalorians are raiding Malastare, giving Cinder a lead to pursue.[20]

Unassailable

Cinder, Fell, and HK-47 embark for Malastare to intercept Mandalore's fleet. When they arrive in the system, they are immediately cornered by Mandalorian interceptors and brought aboard Mandalore's flagship, Invictus. Confronted by a firing squad, Cinder and Fell are saved from certain death when HK-47 speaks.[21]

Mandalore holds audience with the trio, tossing a battered Darth Bestia at their feet. Mandalore tells Cinder he has spoken with Darth Ruin, but finds the Dark Lord weak and unfit to lead the Sith; similarly, he deems Cinder to be a pretender. However, Mandalore suffers from an obsessive nostalgia over the Mandalorian Wars that occurred almost 2,000 years ago. Cinder's possession of HK-47 moves him to believe that she might be the true successor to the Revanite line of Sith. While inspecting the droid, HK-47's long-dormant assassination protocol reengages, much to Cinder's surprise. His blaster bolts cannot penetrate Mandalore's beskar'gam. HK-47 and Fell are taken hostage, while Cinder and Bestia are sent down to Malastare's surface aboard Basilisk war droids to participate in a duel to the death.[21]

The Hutt's Court

Kregg attends Durgulla's speech in Nar Shaddaa's Forum, then is forced at the Hutt's behest to attend the celebratory reception afterwards aboard the pleasure barge Gourmand.[22] Through a private conversation with Durgulla's "concierge", Arvis Xiu, Kregg learns that the Hutt Cartel intends on reclaiming Nar Shaddaa via subversion in Durgulla's court. Arvis sends Kregg to the slave pens to speak with Twyla, Durgulla's newest concubine. However, Kregg is more intent on a long-overdue reunion with the imprisoned Nagai warmaiden Xira Morr instead.[23]

Following a failed attempt to assassinate Durgulla, Xira has been imprisoned and starved for six months, keeping herself alive off the scraps the other slaves refuse to touch. She, too, is in on the Hutts' plan. She points Kregg over to Twyla, who vaguely fills him on the rest of the details.[23]

After reaching Durgulla's palace, Kregg is granted a face-to-face audience with Durgulla himself. The Hutt toys with him by coating a Devaronian girl in ash and sugar, demanding Kregg take her as a substitute for Xira. Meanwhile, Arvis Xiu brings out the real Xira. Durgulla humiliates her in front of the onlooking crowd of guests before sending Kregg off to think on his offer.[24]

The Most Dangerous Game

Surviving the descent to Malastare, Cinder uses her Basilisk to hunt Bestia. When they locate one another, the Basilisks cast their riders aside to fight one another. Bestia relays to Cinder the indignities she has suffered in the aftermath of Korriban's fall, and also revealing that Ruin is holed up on Rhen Var, enslaved to a mysterious voice. Vowing to finish what Revan started, Cinder hatches a plan to tame one of the Basilisks and escape from Malastare.[3]

Meanwhile, Mandalore interrogates Fell to learn the boy's origins. Mandalore offers to take on Fell as his right hand; additionally, he proposes that his own clan will leave the galaxy to carve out a realm in Wild Space. Fell, after killing Cinder, will function as dual head of both the Mandalorians and the Sith Empire. Before Fell can accept, Mandalore is informed that Cinder and Bestia have deviated from his plans. Enraged, he sets out for Malastare with his personal squad to kill them both.[25]

Cinder and Bestia are attacked by the Mandalorians. Using a Force repulse, Bestia scatters Mandalore and his forces before he can kill Cinder. The pair of Sith become separated in the carnage. In a chaotic duel, Cinder defeats Mandalore and claims his head. When Bestia tells her that they've won, Cinder mistakenly calls her Leide and falls unconscious.[26]

With Mandalore gone, Fell reclaims his lightsaber and frees HK-47 from his restraining bolts. The two storm the bridge, manned only by a skeleton crew. Among them is the scoundrel Lynora, who shoots her bridge captain when it becomes clear the Mandalorians are losing. Fell jokes crassly that he wants to crash a ship; taking this literally, Lynora disengages the safety measures on the Invictus's engines, sending the capital ship in a nosedive towards Malastare's surface. As the few remaining troops on board scramble to evacuate, Fell and HK-47 board The Ashen One. While Fell is intent on waiting for Lynora to join them, HK-47 does not share his patience. The droid gets them out of the landing bay before the flagship breaches the planet's atmosphere. Circling back around, they retrieve Cinder, Bestia, and Mandalore's corpse from Malastare's surface. When Fell places the body in The Ashen One's cold storage, he hears shuffling within a nearby supply closet.[27]

Hands That Feed

In her dreams, Cinder reminisces about her relationship with Leide. When she finally wakes up, Bestia's presence in her room catches her off guard and Cinder almost kills her. Stopping herself short, Cinder decides to reveal her secrets to Bestia.[28]

Later, alone, Cinder confers with Phobos. Phobos has become fascinated with Bestia, having sensed the immense amount of trauma she carries. When Cinder makes it clear she is unwilling to let Phobos use Bestia as a conduit to return to the world of the living, the witch confronts Cinder with all her doubts, culminating in a prophecy that her new Sith order will turn to ash and dust.[29]

Bestia meets Fell, expressing a desire for both of them to serve as Cinder's Shadow Hands. Fell remains skeptical of the idea, citing what he remembered from Cinder's lecture about the old Sith Triumvirate on Ossus. While listening to HK-47 reminisce about one of his own masters, Fell hears the stowaway moving in The Ashen One's underworks. Just before he can cut his way into the supply closet, Cinder stops him. She takes him to the engine room, where she reveals the nature of Phobos' holocron and the pair discuss their plan for the next meeting with Durgulla the Fat. When they reach Nar Shaddaa, however, they see the Hutt Cartel is readying themselves in the moon's orbit.[30]

Corrupt Bargain

Kregg meets with Arvis Xiu one last time over drinks. Realizing Arvis knows even less of the Hutt Cartel's scheme than he does, they get into a drunken brawl, stopping only when the palace doors burst open. Cinder and Fell return, bringing HK-47 with them, leading Bestia in binds. Durgulla chides them for not bringing Mandalore's helmet; instead, all they have is his body, as the stowaway made off with his head. To make up for it, Cinder presents Bestia and her lightsaber to the Hutt as an alternative offering. Before he can make a choice, hordes of Evocii spill into the palace, putting a bloody end to the revelry by butchering the guests. In a panic, Durgulla activates the trap door under Bestia's feet and sends her tumbling into his beast pit.[31]

As Cinder rushes after Bestia, Fell is restrained by a pair of Weequay. HK-47 disappears amidst the chaos, as does Kregg. Durgulla interrogates Fell, attempting to blame him for the carnage. However, the arrival of Urga Masidii the Elder and his retainer, Nem puts an end to the questioning. Nem shoots Arvis Xiu, then orders the killing of Durgulla at Urga's behest. Twyla and the Nautolan quartermaster, Shana strangle the Hutt to death as Xira carves out his tongue.[32]

In the pit, Cinder finds Bestia with her legs broken, as she had no time to control her fall. In the dark, she is pitted against a terentatek. Taking a heavy beating, she manages to wound the beast. Resigning to her fate, Cinder is taken aback when Bestia, using what little strength she has, unleashes a torrent of Force lightning to kill the beast. As Cinder lays in the dirt, Bestia crawls over to her side and kisses her.[33]

After Durgulla's death, Kregg successfully bargains for Xira's freedom. The pair find Fell waiting for Cinder to return. Assuring him that she is as good as dead, the three of them head back to The Ashen One as more of Urga's forces pour in.[32] Meanwhile, Cinder attempts to find her way out of the pit. Just shy of the exit, she is thwarted by Phobos, who appears as an uncomfortably corporeal apparition. Phobos attempts to exploit Cinder's shame and guilt to make her kill Bestia. However, Cinder resists, carrying Bestia out of the pit and leaving the witch impressed.[34]

On the way back up to Durgulla's court, Cinder encounters HK-47, who went looking for her in the chaos. In the animal pens, she learns that Durgulla had been unsuccessfully attempting to feed the terentatek with other fauna. In the pile of carcasses, Cinder encounters a corpulent monkey-lizard. Compelled by empathy, she takes the creature with her. Before Cinder can leave the palace, Nem tosses her Bestia's lightsaber, but not before warning the Sith to steer clear of Nar Shaddaa.[34]

The Citadel

Ruin's mental state is in shambles after having been forsaken by Cronos.[35] Destitute, he finally makes his way to the uncovered citadel. A strange fascination draws him to the slab altar within its central chamber. With Eradicus the sole survivor of his Dark Council, Ruin begrudgingly knights the boy, renaming him Darth Radix.[36] Hastily, he decides to convene a meeting with the last of his military officers to reassess their allegiances. When the decrepit and ailing General Loram refuses to acknowledge Cinder as the rightful heir to the Sith Empire, Ruin kills him in front of the others. After the others reaffirm their allegiance, Ruin is captivated by Corporal Regina Orbus.[37] Viewing her as a suitable surrogate for Cinder, he retains her afterwards and breaks her mind in an attempt to make her into a consort.[38]

The Journey to Rhen Var

Cinder, HK-47, and Bestia return to the ship to find that someone has carved a hole out of the ship's hull. Cinder and HK-47 patch it up, then board the ship, with HK-47 heading to the medbay to tend to Bestia's wounds. Perplexed that nothing seems to be happening, Cinder finds Fell sleeping in his chambers. After learning that Kregg has brought an extra person aboard the ship unannounced, Cinder sends Fell to the cockpit in a fit of anger. In her own chambers, she finds Kregg and Xira. Xira heads off to the engine room after Cinder threatens her. Eventually, Kregg realizes that Cinder is, in fact, the Jedi who hunted him all those years ago. Appreciating the irony of his situation, he agrees to help her locate Ruin, starting by tending to The Ashen One's maintenance concerns.[39]

Afterward, Cinder confronts Bestia in the medbay over what happened in the pit. Intending to kill her, Cinder stops herself short when she is overcome with emotion. She instead offers Bestia to become her second Shadow Hand, claiming the Sith order will need to undergo changes if it intends to survive. Bestia readily accepts. Conferring with Phobos, Cinder learns that a malignant evil resides on the planet. Phobos wants her to destroy it, but Cinder remains apprehensive.[40]

Kregg plots with Xira to jack The Ashen One and go back to Nar Shaddaa. However, he refuses to act on the plan until he's fulfilled his debt to Cinder by getting her to Rhen Var.[41] The planet is shrouded in Force winds that cut it off from the hyperspace lanes, however. Bestia is initially able to guide him, but eventually loses track of the path. Kregg opts to gamble, drunkenly piloting the ship to Rhen Var and landing on a precarious mountain crag.[42]

Ruin's Plunge

Ruin constructs a jagged throne from the scrapheap within the citadel. Its gnarled edges cut his flesh at every opportunity. Cronos appears to him a final time to inform him that an impasse keeps him from deciding the makeup of his planned Triumvirate, claiming that Cinder and Fell are more powerful than he had realized. Fed up with Cronos' riddles, Ruin rebukes him. In a misguided attempt to kill the apparition, Ruin almost chokes Radix to death. Angrily, he demands the boy fetch him Corporal Orbus.[38] The throne, however, rends Orbus' flesh when she tries to undo his tunic. Enraged, Ruin snaps and kill her by smashing her face into the barbed metal.[43]

Sensing Cinder has landed, he sends Radix to find her and lead her to him—whether he dies or lives doing so is no concern.[43]

Reunion

Cinder and Fell disembark in search of Ruin. Bestia is enraged at being left behind; Cinder consoles her by telling her she needs someone to protect the ship. The pair make camp in a cave on the other side of the crag. The frigid cold plays tricks on Fell; digging up a frozen branch in the shape of a limb, he remembers the day he met Cinder and became a Sith.[44] The next morning, Phobos reveals to Cinder that she came to Rhen Var to learn the planet's secrets, but her own followers killed her when she found a tomb containing an ancient Sith Lord. Before disappearing, she points Cinder the way down to the tomb (and, by proxy, the citadel).[45]

Passing through the tunnels below the crag, Cinder and Fell narrowly avoid running into Radix, who they leave to his own devices. Cinder knows he is heading toward The Ashen One, frustrating Fell. After a spat, the pair locate the citadel and meet Ruin inside.[46]

Ruin attempts to goad Cinder into killing Fell. When she refuses, he refers to Cinder by her real name. Fell, recalling the lesson on Ossus, accuses Cinder of lying to him. Fell forgives her when she confesses, admitting his own obliviousness. With the two of them poised against him, Ruin engages them in a chaotic duel, destroying Fell's lightsaber and almost killing the boy. As her trauma boils to the surface, Cinder is overcome by Battle Madness—the result of her Battle Meditation training being purposely cut short by Ruin. In her bloodlust, she forces Ruin to yield, stopping just short of killing him. However, when she sees Orbus' corpse splayed across the altar at the other end of the citadel, Cinder snaps and runs Ruin through.[47]

After Ruin's death, Cronos appears before Cinder and Fell, much younger in appearance than his interactions with Ruin. Cinder ignores Phobos' pleas inside her head to kill him, instead choosing to indulge her curiosity. Not entirely knowing why, she knights Cronos as the fourth Dark Lord in her Sith Tetrarchy.[47]

Mutiny

Kregg and Xira run through their plan one last time. Believing HK-47 to be nothing more than an old rustbucket and viewing Bestia as a useless cripple, they assume killing both of them will be easy. The plan goes awry when Radix appears in front of the ship. Bestia goes out to duel him.[48]

HK-47 seizes the opportunity to deal with the mutineers, revealing that he knew their plan all along. Both out of a desire to not tarnish his master's ship and a cocky belief that he doesn't need it, HK-47 tosses his rifle into the hallway before sealing the door, attacking Xira and Kregg with his bare hands. Holding the upper hand, he interrogates Kregg to learn the duo's exact intentions. Before HK-47 can smash Kregg's head in his grasp, Xira distracts him. Snikkit, having been returned to Kregg during the journey to Rhen Var, hops down from the cockpit rafters and attacks HK-47's head, sending the droid tumbling down. HK-47 dashes Snikkit against the wall, killing him instantly, but finds himself unable to get up. Xira demands Kregg destroy him so they can get away, but Kregg refuses, stating he's sick of running.[48]

Using his advanced aural receptors to playback audio from the duel outside, HK-47 demands that Kregg lets Bestia back into the ship. She has successfully defeated Radix; however, the combination of the biting cold, harsh winds, her poor footing, and Radix's barbarous fighting style result in her losing the four fingers on her sword hand.[48]

Later, after taking Bestia back to the medbay for triage, HK-47 approaches Kregg in the cockpit to come up with an alibi. After settling on a story concerning the ship being assaulted by Darth Radix, HK-47 reveals he ascertained Cinder's location after trawling the audio recordings of the duel. Together, they go to pick Cinder up from the citadel, arriving just after she has accepted Cronos into her ranks.[48]

Appearances

Characters

Viewpoint Characters

  • Darth Cinder, fallen Jedi and current Shadow Hand to the Dark Lord of the Sith.
  • Darth Fell, Cinder's apprentice.
  • Darth Ruin, the current Dark Lord of the Sith.
  • Marcus Kregg, a former spice runner and smuggler, held in bondage on Nar Shaddaa.

Other Characters

  • Ajunta Pall, fallen Jedi of the Hundred Year Darkness. (Mentioned Only)
  • Ak-Gar, Captain of the Fat Minister's guards.
  • Arvis Xiu, "concierge" and slavemaster in service to the Fat Minister.
  • Bes, drunkard overseer of the Fat Minster's guards.
  • CB-99, a battered translation droid in service to the Fat Minister.
  • Cronos, an ancient Sith Lord from the time of the Hundred Year Darkness.
  • Curlig, an Ugnaught. (Mentioned Only)
  • Darth Bestia, a Sith assassin.
  • Darth Hopel, Sith emissary from Yavin IV.
  • Darth Kaos, Ruin's spymaster.
  • Darth Phobos, a Sith Lord who reigned prior to the Fourth Great Schism.
  • Darth Nihilus, a Sith Lord of the Old Republic (Mentioned Only)
  • Darth Sion, a Sith Lord of the Old Republic (Mentioned Only)
  • Darth Traya, a Sith Lord of the Old Republic. (Mentioned Only)
  • Durgulla the Fat, the corpulent overlord of Nar Shaddaa; styled "The Fat Minister".
  • Eradicus, Ruin's squire.
  • Exar Kun, a Sith Lord of the Old Republic. (Mentioned Only)
  • The Exile, a figure of legend from the Old Republic. (Mentioned Only)
  • HK-47, HK-series assassin droid and relic of the Old Republic.
  • Janis, a Jedi Grandmaster. (Mentioned Only)
  • Karness Muur, fallen Jedi of the Hundred Year Darkness. (Mentioned Only)
  • Leide Pall, a Jedi Consular.
  • Lorack, an Ugnaught. (Mentioned Only)
  • Loram, general of the Sith army.
  • Loras, a Jedi Grandmaster. (Mentioned Only)
  • Lynora, a scoundrel from the Nar Shaddaa undercity.
  • Mandalore the Unassailable, current leader of the Mandalorian clans.
  • Marlowe and Marlowe, unrelated, yet identical, twin servants in service to General Loram.
  • Marvis, the Jedi High Consular. (Mentioned Only)
  • Morag, an Ugnaught.
  • Norith, Vice Admiral of the Sith fleet.
  • Ooba Vyr, Durgulla's majordomo.
  • Ootono'nemura, retainer in service to Urga the Elder.
  • Ootwyla'nemura, an assassin.
  • Paulo Ghintee, a shipyard owner on Ord Mantell. (Mentioned Only)
  • Reeta Gill, a Jedi padawan. (Mentioned Only)
  • Regina Orbus, a corporal in the Sith Navy.
  • Remulus Dreypa, fallen Jedi of the Hundred Year Darkness. (Mentioned Only)
  • Revan, a figure of legend from the Old Republic. (Mentioned Only)
  • Shana, retainer in service to the Fat Minister.
  • Sivu Horace, a Jedi Master.
  • Sorzus Syn, fallen Jedi of the Hundred Year Darkness. (Mentioned Only)
  • Talos Crix, Supreme Chancellor. (Mentioned Only)
  • Tulak Hord, a Sith Lord of old. (Mentioned Only)
  • Ulag Shmardl, armorer in service to the Fat Minister.
  • Urga Masidii the Elder, head of the Hutt Cartel.
  • Varsh Myrm, First Captain of the Sith navy.
  • XoXaan, fallen Jedi of the Hundred Year Darkness. (Mentioned Only)
  • Xira Morr, Nagai warmaiden, imprisoned by the Fat Minister.
  • Yaris, admiral of the Sith fleet.
  • Yakob, an officer in the Republic Army.

Creatures

Events

Locations

Organizations and Titles

Sentient Species

Vehicles and Vessels

Weapons and Technology

Miscellanea

Continuity

Behind the Scenes

Sources

Notes and References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Cinder I
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ruin I
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cinder XI
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ruin II
  5. ↑ Cinder II
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Fell I
  7. ↑ Cinder III
  8. ↑ Cinder IV
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Cinder V
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ruin III
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Ruin IV
  12. ↑ Ruin V
  13. ↑ Fell II
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Cinder VI
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Cinder VII
  16. ↑ Cinder VIII
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Fell III
  18. ↑ Ruin VI
  19. ↑ Ruin VII
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Kregg I
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Cinder X
  22. ↑ Kregg II
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Kregg III
  24. ↑ Kregg V
  25. ↑ Fell IV
  26. ↑ Cinder XII
  27. ↑ Fell V
  28. ↑ Cinder XIII
  29. ↑ Cinder XIV
  30. ↑ Fell VI
  31. ↑ Kregg VI
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Fell VII
  33. ↑ Cinder XV
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Cinder XVI
  35. ↑ Ruin VIII
  36. ↑ Ruin IX
  37. ↑ Ruin X
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Ruin XI
  39. ↑ Cinder XVII
  40. ↑ Cinder XVIII
  41. ↑ Kregg VII
  42. ↑ Kregg VIII
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 Ruin XII
  44. ↑ Fell VIII
  45. ↑ Cinder XIX
  46. ↑ Fell IX
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 Cinder XX
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 48.3 Kregg X
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