A heavy silence had fallen across the room; even Kaan was left speechless. He could feel all eyes on him, watching intently to see what would happen next. Bane stepped in close, his face just centimeters from Kaan's own.
'How did you ever find the guts to poison me?' he asked in a low, menacing whisper.
'I… that wasn't me!' Kaan stammered as Bane turned his back on him.
'Don't apologize for using cunning and trickery,' the big man admonished, moving over to the strategy table. 'I admire you for it. We are Sith: the servants of the dark side,' he continued, bending down to study the troop positions and tactical layouts spread out before him. 'Now look at this map and think like a Sith. Don't just fight in the forest… destroy the forest!'
It was Githany who finally broke the ensuing silence, asking the question on everyone's mind. 'And just how do you propose we do that?'
Bane turned back to them with an evil grin. 'I can show you.'
Night had fallen, but in the lights of the blazing campfires Bane could see the others scurrying to and fro, making the preparations as he had instructed. When he sensed Githany approaching from behind him, he turned. She was holding a bowl of steaming soup and wore a cautious, uncertain expression.
'It will be another hour before they are ready to begin this ritual of yours,' she said by way of greeting. When he didn't reply she added, 'You look tired. I brought you something to restore your strength.'
He took the bowl from her but didn't raise it to his lips. He had discovered the ritual she spoke of while studying Revan's Holocron: a way to unite the minds and spirits of the Sith through a single vessel so their strength could be unleashed upon the physical world. In many ways the process was similar to the one used to fashion a thought bomb from the Force, though this was less powerful than the ritual he had sent as a peace offering to Kaan, and far less dangerous.
He realized Githany was still studying him closely, so he tilted his head toward the soup. 'Come to poison me again?' he asked. There was just a hint of playful teasing in his voice.
'You knew all along, didn't you?' she said.
He shook his head. 'Not until I tasted the poison on your lips.'
She raised a single eyebrow and gave him a coy smile. 'But you came back for a second helping. And a third.'
'Poison should not harm a Dark Lord,' he told her. Then he admitted, 'Yet it almost killed me.' He paused, but she didn't say anything. 'There are too many Sith Lords in the Brotherhood,' he went on. 'Too many who are weak in the dark side. Kaan doesn't understand this.'
'Kaan's afraid you've come back to take over the Brotherhood!' After a moment she added, 'I think he's right.'
Not take over, he thought, but obliterate. He didn't bother to correct her, though; it wasn't the time yet. He still needed further proof that she was the right one to become his apprentice. Two there should be; no more, no less. One to embody the power, the other to crave it. It was a choice he wasn't about to rush into.
'I can show you the true power of the dark side, Githany. Power beyond what any of these others can even imagine,' he said.
'Teach me,' she breathed. 'I want to learn. You can show me everything. after you've taken Kaan's place as leader of the Brotherhood!'
He couldn't help but wonder if she was still trying to manipulate him. Did she want to play him and Kaan against each other? Or was she looking for him to usurp Kaan as proof of his newfound strength?
No, he admitted. She still doesn't understand that the entire Sith order must be torn apart and rebuilt from scratch. Maybe she won't ever understand.
'Tell me something,' he said. 'Was it your idea to poison me? Or Kaan's?'
With a slight laugh, she ducked beneath his arm holding the bowl of soup and came up close against his chest, looking right up into his eyes. 'It was my idea,' she confessed, 'but I was careful to make sure Kaan thought it was his.'
There might be hope for her yet, Bane thought.
'I know I made a mistake before,' she continued, moving away from him. 'I should have gone with you when you left Korriban. I didn't realize what you were after; I didn't understand the secrets you were seeking. But I understand them now. You are the true leader of the Sith, Bane. I'll follow you from now on. And so will the rest of the Brotherhood, after we use your ritual to destroy the Jedi.'
'Yes,' he agreed, keeping his voice carefully neutral and taking a sip of the steaming soup. 'After we've destroyed the Jedi.'
Bane knew they couldn't really destroy the Jedi. Not here on Ruusan. Not like this. Somehow the Jedi would survive. No ordinary war could completely eliminate the servants of the light. Only the tools of the dark side, cunning, secrecy, treachery, betrayal, could do that.
The same tools he would use to wipe out the entire Brotherhood of Darkness… beginning with the ritual tonight.
Chapter 28
Kaan, Githany, and the rest of the Dark Lords had gathered atop a barren plateau overlooking the vast forests where Hoth and his army were hiding. They had come on their fliers: short-range, single-person, airborne vehicles front-mounted with heavy blaster guns. The fliers were parked at the edge of the plateau, fifty meters away from where the Sith sat in a loose circle. The ritual had begun.
They were communing with the Force, all of them slipping into a meditative trance as one. Their minds drifted deeper and deeper into the well of power contained within each individual, drawing on their strength and combining it through a single conduit. Bane stood in the center of the circle, urging them on.
