felt the power fading away.
At the threshold he halted. When he spoke, he was addressing the assembled gawkers as much as Qordis.
'Someone here once told me the Darth title was no longer used because it promoted rivalry among the Sith. It gave the Jedi an easy target. It was easier just to abandon the custom. To have all the Sith Masters use the same title of Dark Lord.'
He raised his voice slightly, speaking loud enough for all to hear. 'But I know the truth, Qordis. I know why none of you claims that name for yourself. Fear. You're cowards.'
He half turned and looked back at Qordis. 'None of the Brotherhood is worthy of the Darth title. Least of all you.'
There was a gasp from the assemblage. Some of the students stepped back, expecting some type of reaction. Of course there was none.
Shaking his head in disgust, Bane left them there. As he passed the other Masters, Kas'im stepped in front of him, placing a hand on his chest.
'Don't go,' the Blademaster said. 'Let's talk about this. If you just meet with Kaan you'll understand. That's all I ask, Bane.'
'It's Darth Bane,' he said, slapping the Twi'lek's hand away and pushing past him.
Nobody else tried to stop him as he made his way through the temple's halls. Nobody tried to follow him or even called out as he mounted the stairs to the small landing pad on the roof.
There was only a single ship at the starport: the Valcyn, a T-class long-range personal cruiser. The blade- shaped vessel was one of the finest in the Sith fleet, equipped with the latest and most advanced technology. It had arrived just the day before: a gift from Kaan to Qordis, in recognition of his work with the apprentices at the Academy.
Bane lowered the access hatch and climbed inside. During his stint in the military he'd been given rudimentary training in the basics of piloting a standard hyperdrive vessel. Fortunately, the Valcyn's controls matched all intergalactic standards of operation and were designed for ease of use. He sat himself down in the pilot's chair and fired up the thrusters, punching in the hyperspace coordinates of his destination even as he began the liftoff sequence. A moment later the Valcyn rose up from the landing pad's surface then shot off into the atmosphere, leaving Korriban and the Academy behind.
Part Three
Chapter 21
Lord Hoth, Jedi Master and acting general of the Republic forces on Ruusan, sat huddled on a stump outside his tent and stared up at the dark clouds hovering above the camp. He scowled at the brooding sky as if he could banish the coming storm with the fierceness of his expression.
'Is something troubling you, Lord Hoth?'
The voice of Master Pernicar, his longtime friend and right hand during this never-ending campaign, snapped his attention back to where it belonged.
'What isn't troubling me, Pernicar?' he asked with a heavy sigh. 'We're low on food and medpacs. Our injured outnumber our hale. The scouts report that reinforcements are on their way to assist Kaan and his Sith.' He slapped his hand down on one knee. 'All we have coming to our aid are youths and children.'
'Children who are strong in the Force,' Pernicar reminded him. 'If we don't recruit them to our side, the Sith will claim them for theirs.'
'Blast it, Pernicar, they're just children! I need Jedi. Fully trained. All we can spare. But there are still members of our own order who refuse to help us.'
'Perhaps it's how you ask them,' a new voice said from behind him.
Hoth rubbed his temples but didn't turn to face the speaker. Lord Valenthyne Farfalla had been one of the first Jedi Masters to join the Army of Light on Ruusan. He had fought in nearly every confrontation, and the Sith had come to know him well: Farfalla was hard to miss even in the chaos of battle.
He had long, flowing curls of golden hair that hung down past his shoulders. The breastplate of his armor was also gold, buffed and polished until it gleamed before every battle. It was trimmed with bright red sleeves and adorned with rubies that matched the color of his eyes and contrasted with his pale skin.
Lord Hoth found him insufferable. Farfalla was a loyal servant of the light, but he was also a vain and prancing fool who spent more time selecting his wardrobe before each battle than he did planning strategy. Farfalla was the last person he wanted to deal with now.
'If you showed more tact, Lord Hoth,' Farfalla continued, gliding into view, 'you might have rallied more Jedi to your cause.'
'I shouldn't have to persuade them!' Hoth roared, leaping to his feet and waving his arms in exasperation. Farfalla hopped nimbly out of the way. 'We're fighting the Sith! The dark side must be destroyed! We could do it if more Jedi were here!'
'There are some who don't see it that way,' Pernicar said calmly. He had become used to Hoth's outbursts during their time on Ruusan, and had learned to ignore them, for the most part.
'There are other Republic worlds besides this one that are under attack,' Farfalla chimed in. 'Many Jedi are aiding the Republic troops in other sectors, helping them against the Sith fleets.'
Hoth spat on the ground and was pleased to see Farfalla's look of horrified disgust. 'Those fleets might fly the banner of the Sith, but they're made up of ordinary beings. The Republic has the numbers to beat them back. They don't need the help of the Jedi to do it. All the real Sith, the Dark Lords, are here now. If we defeat the
