Author's Notes

Firstly I would like everyone to know that this chapter and several of the first chapters have been Beta'ed by SolaceHollow. He has been working on fixing many of my usual mistakes and has so far beaten my Beta curse.

Second, next chapter will be after a four year time skip which will place the story at 279 AC 54 BBY. Then there will probably another time skip after that which will bring us to Robert's Rebellion. I'm looking forward to that arc.

Fay stared out into the void of space. Somewhere out there Darth Nagash was bullheadedly making his way back to that strange world. He was unlike any possible expectation of a Sith she had in her mind before all this. He wasn't cruel for cruelty's sake, a bloodthirsty monster. He was a man that valued things, had people he loved, and was very approachable in a casual way. At times he had an arrogance but he felt more like a common man playing with ultimate power, but then you find out that he was really a manipulative genius that was just playing with you. She couldn't decide what he was, and so she wouldn't alert the Republic of his existence but she would alert someone, but only one person that she knew to be wise enough to act on this information responsibly.

"Ah… I've felt like this for a very long time. But it's finally time to do it." She steeled herself for what she was about to do and know that from this point on she would be hunted down. She may not officially join the Rule of Three Sith as one of them, but after today she was going to be seen by the Jedi as little better than a Sith.

And with a tap of her finger several messages flew out onto the Holo-Net. A few were to some of the uncorrupted Senators, containing information that she had gathered that might help them in their unending crusade to better the Republic. Fay didn't know how much of a help it would be, but she no longer had a use for those secrets or felt especially bound to keep them. Other messages were to her fellow Jedi in the Counselor Faction. Advice, plans, secrets, and warnings that felt were needed. But most importantly goodbyes, she hoped in her heart that one day she would be able to see them again and speak as friends once more… but the coldness of reality dampened those hopes. Lastly, many-many messages to various Guardian Jedi, Military Officials, Corrupt Senators, and several media goons, was a general statement blasting the Republic and their current ways. A scathing report on their tyranny and wars, saying that both the Jedi and the Republic have lost their way.

Fay smiled as she felt a weight leave her soul. She felt unburdened by the fact she was apart of a grotesque machine that claimed one thing and did another. The Republic war mongered all in the name of peace and freedom, but in reality brought neither. True, she was working with people that sought to bring about a Empire that would crush democracy and rule over the galaxy with a iron fist… but at least they were honest. And if she had to choose between the Republic and Nagash's vision of the Empire reborn… the latter seemed far more appealing. She enjoyed the moment a bit more than sent out a call. Once this was done she would be heading back to Terra.

"-Master Fay, good to see you again, it is.-" Grand master Yoda said as the transmission came through. She smiled at the sight of her old friend and dearly hoped that he would be fine without her. "Found what you were looking for, have you?"

"Yes I did… but it has revealed truths that I can't ignore. Truths about the Jedi, Republic and the Force itself." She explained and master Yoda's soft smile turned a bit at these words. "I can no longer serve the Force as a Jedi. I am calling you to tell you this because of my respect for you and to give you final warning of what I have learned."

"The Force, it has brought you to these truths it has?"

"Yes and no. The visions that we had, they were created. I have found proof Master Yoda, the Ones are real. And some of them are plotting their return. I believe that one of these beings has influenced our visions." The existence of the Ones was an old myth that very few even in the high levels of the Jedi knew of. But what she had experienced on Terra and what she had been told by Darth Nagash, she couldn't deny that those very myths were very real. "Master Yoda, the galaxy is on the verge of a new age. One in which myths and legends both new and old will walk the stars. Threats and names from ancient and distant times will be coming back, and I have seen things that show that the Jedi are not ready for these times."

"Return you will not. Already spoken your mind to the High Marshal have you?" Yoda gave this amused, all knowing chuckle. She nodded, if she returned and tried to warn people about the coming threat she would just be locked up at worst and ignored at best.

"Among other people. The Jedi and the Light Side are much too exclusive to each other Master Yoda. And the Force is far more than just two sides tugging at the soul of the Galaxy, not anymore." The words that Darth Nagash had given her still rung in her mind. That those that fought for the Dark and Light would tear apart the galaxy with their wars. The pendulum would keep swinging until it broke all. "I can't tell you everything my friend, but I will warn you that I have come to see that evil exists in this galaxy. Both in the shadow and in the light. But there is one person that I have found that I can count on to not be one of them."

"Oh, an ally in the Force, you have found?" Master Yoda asked, the sound of his voice felt hopeful but measured.

"Yes… a very odd one. I believe him to be working toward bringing about Balance to the Force. However, he is no friend to the Jedi and Republic. But-"

"Nothing more, you will say." Master Yoda cut her off unexpectedly. "The Force, it guides us all. Brought you to this man, to act you must. Believe in you, I do." Fay set back in her seat, soaking what the venerable old Jedi had said. Even if the cause of her encountering Nagash was suspect to likely tampering, she still felt that it was destined. And now she had a better idea of what she was doing now. To act as a counter to the darkness that could grow unchecked in the new Sith Order. She had already started by teaching its first generation the Light, but now she had to extend that to its head. To be as the angel of light on his shoulder to the devil of the Dark Side on his other. "Hmm. Wise you have become, Master Fay. See you again, I hope I do." She smiled one last time before cutting out the connection. She wasn't sure how all of this would turn out in the end, but she dearly hoped that she could stem a bit of the sorrow that would inevitably come.

"He is coming right?" Rathari asked as he, Fay, Peirce, Melisandre, and Lyarra all sat in their given room at the Red Keep. It had been a full ten days since the incident with the Faceless Man and the Acolytes happened and in that time news slipped out and Naraiz had been called to the King's Court to answer for what had happened. The girls' parents were enraged however Rathari could easily see that given these girls were girls and both weren't close in the line of succession, both sets of noble parents weren't grieving genuinely. When he, disguised as Naraiz, first arrived in the city he had been confronted by those very parents and he could sense sadness from them but it wasn't nearly the amount a parent who just lost a child should have.

"I gave him the message and he did that thing where he goes all quiet and still. He was mad and I bet he dropped whatever he was doing to come." Fay explained and what was he expecting? That she finds him and escorts the Sith Lord back to Terra. She had just arrived a few days ago, her ship was currently being taken care of by the Imperial Tactical Droid back at the Valyrian base. A convenient feature they had neglected to mention to her was that her ship could now be remote controlled by said Tactical Droid.

"Lord Nagash needs to return soon, I can not possibly influence the king as he can." Rathari said while omitting the fact he simply didn't believe that he could pull it off personally. Meeting with one or two or even a small group of people as his emperor was one thing, he had instructions on exactly how to handle those meetings. But appearing before court was far more subjective, more creative in a fashion. Rathari crucially lacked the same flare that Darth Nagash had.

"It depends on where in the galaxy he was. If he was back on Anoat then it would take at least a week with the Chilling Sound. But then again, he was probably dealing with stuff so that might delay him." Pierce said aloud but that still gave Naraiz plenty of time for him to arrive. They assumed that he was busy wrapping up whatever he was doing at the time he was told.

"You all underestimate my power and fury." Everyone gasped and took a step back as Naraiz suddenly materialized out of thin air in the middle of them. Most of them were also scared as his face was like chiseled stone, an unreadable look on his face as he stared forward with a murderous aura. Thankfully they had expected this and was the reason why they had brought Lyarra along to act as interference.

"Master!" The wall of pure unflinching fury melted as the Stark ran over to her beloved and wrapped her arms around him. As he hugged her back, the rest of those present took a sigh of relief that one of the most dangerous men in the galaxy had been somewhat defused.

"Smart of you guys, Vette tried her best but I was too focused on getting here for it to work." Naraiz explained as he and Lyarra walked over to a nearby couch, both sat down with Lyarra resting her head on his shoulder and sinking into his side. "Firstly." He said looking to Melisandre who stood up once she was addressed by her master. "As I understand it, my daughter is only alive because of your actions."

"Yes my lord." Melisandre said simply, the way he had spoken was curt and to the point. Everyone knew that Darth Nagash saw her as a useful tool and little more, having some sort of personal revulsion toward her despite how she tended to do for his goals.

"You have my genuine thanks. I know… I treat you less than your contribution should suggest. You have earned your place among us, don't let my demeanor toward you bring that to doubt." He said begrudgingly but with complete honesty. He then took a deep breath and looked back at the Red Woman. "As thanks… I will grant you any single request you have. Think about it and use it wisely."

"Thank you my lord, I will treasure this gift you have given me." Melisandre said with a bow and then withdrew from the group. At this Rathari stepped forward.

"Thank you for coming my lord, I trust that Fay hadn't interrupted anything important." The Sith said and with her mention Fay glared at the back of Rathari's head.

"No… nothing too important. I was already done with the majority of it anyway. My new apprentice was able to clean up after me." Darth Nagash explained casually and both Fay and Rathari raised their eyebrows at the mention of a new apprentice. Neither was under the impression that he had been looking for one. But they didn't ask further questions. "The delay came from me having a small bit of sense left and having the Chilling Sound detour at Dromund Kaas so I could keep my cover with Vette's crew. I then took one of Cipher's personal ships here. But enough of that, let's deal with the politics and then the Faceless Men. I already know exactly what I want to do with the latter but I need more information on the situation on the former." He said getting back to business while at the same time placing a hand on Lyarra's small baby bump.

"The children that died were Retta Vaith and Girel Darry, both their Houses are claiming criminal negligence. Unfortunately we can not counter this by saying that we had been taking precautions and that the children died because they flaunted those very precautions-" Rathari began but Naraiz interrupted him with a raised hand.

"Because then you would have revealed that you knew that there was even a threat in the first place. Which would open us up for attacks on why we had kept this information hidden and why was there a threat in the first place." They all watched as he groaned and stared down at the floor in contemplation. A small growl escaped him as he was clearly thinking this over, the others were growing more worried about his mood. They knew that they were right to bring Lyarra along. "Either we get called negligent or they'll ask us an increasing number of questions we don't have or want answered. The first will open up avenues of political attack on us, the most likely result will be outside oversight of the Sith Order, the worst possible result is total revocation of our lordship over Harrenhal. In that event we will be treated like the Maesters in Old Town. But that is a worst case probability."

"So… we tell them about the Faceless Men?" Pierce asked and Naraiz made more unsure noises.

"I'd rather avoid even the remote possibility of losing Harrenhal. That being said, even if I do go that route, that doesn't completely absolve us in the eyes of many." The rest slumped back at this hard truth. Even if they shifted the blame, Fay personally found it in bad taste to do so on the victims, that wouldn't deny the fact they still died under their watch. "I can not use my power to influence the king to make this go away. The Sith Order, and me specifically, are seen by the nobility as favorites of the inbreed fool. If he suddenly excuses something like this, that view will only grow in strength and weaken our credibility."

"Damn, is there any way out of this?" Pierce asked and it was a question that didn't seem to have an answer.

"Yes, there is. We lie."

All war is based on deception. Even when that war takes place off a battlefield that ancient truth holds. To win you must convince your enemy of the absolute lie that they are about to claim victory.

"You're fidgeting." Lyarra said as she helped me dress in one of my more ornate Sith Robes. Court was about to start in an hour and we were getting ready. The only thing of any real importance today was the accusations against myself and my Order. Both Vaith and Darry were unimportant Houses in all things, and yet right now those posed an actual threat to me.

"I should just-" My murderous rant was cut off before it began by Lyarra's soft lips taking my own. All my anger stalled in its tracks as it was replaced by deep seeded bliss as I leaned into the kiss. My emotions were cooled as she pulled slightly away and finished adjusting my robes. "Thank you, I don't think I could be here without you keeping me in check."

"A man's duty is to protect and provide, a woman's is to soothe and support. I'm just happy to be by your side again." That's some outdated thinking there but that's from my perspective. She was a woman that had grown up in a feudalistic male dominated society. But I appreciated the intent behind it. For right now I needed to stay calm and handle this situation one step at a time. First I would deal with the buzzing nobles, then I would collect a few things and then meet Talzin and her best soldiers in Braavos. As much as I liked the idea of the Faceless Men, they threatened my family and that was intolerable.

Eventually the time came and I walked to the Red Keep's throne room. It was filled with the usual court goers, nobles, merchants, clergy, the odd commoner. All of them. Each and every one of them stared at me as I entered. It was early and the court had yet to start, but even so the air was filled with a tension that was centered around me. As I walked, my steps echoed in the chamber but slowly whispers once again began to fill the throne room. The bored and unimpressed look on my face made them all believe either I was arrogant to think I would come out of this unscathed, or I already had a plan in place to save myself.

"Lord Nagash." Queen Rhaella said as I approached the front section of the throne room set aside for only the most important of court goers. She looked… well. It was around time that I should reinforce the King's mental commands concerning her. Something to do before I leave.

"I'm not a lord, not really." I chuckled as I took my spot and began waiting for the king to show up.

"In all but name." She replied and she was right. We stood silent for a time, eyes continued to stare at me and now her as well. I'm sure that there was some rumor or another starting but they would vanish. I wasn't in King's Landing nearly enough to have an affair with the Queen, that alone would sink those rumors. Even so, a small soundproof barrier protected us. "It's been some time since you visited, I've missed your company."

"Reconsidering my offer?" I asked and she felt conflicted. Something had happened, she wasn't as sure in her place in the world as she used to be.

"I live for my children, there is no other love I need." She said with the same conviction as she always had. But the intent can go both ways. She might be forcing herself to say this both for my sake and herself. But what caught me really was the way she said it.

"You're with child?" I asked and she stiffened. "Is it his?"

"I believe so yes." There has been gaps between when the mental commands have worn off and when I reapply them. Rhaella was very careful when it came to the possibility of having a bastard, even with her affairs. So the chance that it was Viserys was high. "I should be happy, but all I can feel is dread. That I give birth to a girl and she is forced to suffer the same fate as I."

"He won't be." The least I could do for her is soothe her of that fear. She looked at me, hope and disbelief at first but then soft thankfulness.

"Thank you. I know it is a small thing for you to tell me such a thing with your powers. But it truly is a great burden taken off me." This has me curious, Rhaegar wasn't his father. Or at least he didn't show overt signs of becoming his father in the books. But then again… he died young and Aerys didn't start showing his madness until adulthood. She then looked down and clenched her hands a few times before looking up to me. "I live for my children, that is as true as anything can be for me. But, i do enjoy your company and would like to have it more."

"Mmm." I smiled as I hummed a noncommittal answer. Silence then came between us as soon enough Aerys showed up with the rest of the Small Council. He didn't look too mad or happy, in fact, he seemed pretty lucid. Meaning I couldn't influence him even if that would help this matter. He did notice me on his way up that giant chair of his, he frowned at how close I was standing next to Rhaella but then waved whatever thought had entered his head away. My guess is he thought she wasn't good enough for me to take notice of her in that way. Which was stupidly wrong, now that she was taking better care of herself and he wasn't constantly beating her, some of that Targaryen beauty was starting to come through. But the man can't help seeing her as he did, good cover for me in any case.

"Let us begin today's court. Hand! Read the first item on our docket." Aerys said in his usual manner of not giving Tywin the least bit of respect. I had to feel for the man sometimes, I could recall back in my old life what it was like to work for a boss that was shit, yelly, and took all the credit. But then I remember all the reasons why I hate Tywin and that pity vanishes.

"Tell me the truth since our words are just for us, what is happening in Harrenhal?" Rhaella asked as a group of merchants came and started to beg/demand the king to do something about the change in rules and pieces for trade with the Free Cities.

"Have you ever heard of the Faceless Men?" I asked with a bored droll as my eyes stared over the throne room without a measure of focus.

"I believe so yes. An order of assassins."

"No you haven't. There is no such group… maybe one day long ago there was. But that's ancient history now." She looked at me and once she turned away from me I took a curious glance at her. I sensed she appreciated that answer. She was smart enough to get the real message and I guess she found the confidence I had in the future outcome… attractive. Being married to a king that could little but bark and throw tantrums must leave a queen hungry for one that actually gets things done.

"Silence! I have spoken!" Speaking of tantrums. My attention was brought back to court as Aerys screamed. I don't know what the contents were of this particular ruling as I brought down my barrier again, but someone was being dragged out of the throne room by gold cloaks. "Now… I believe it is time for the main issue that we are here today for."

"Very well your grace." Tywin said before he looked over the throne room, his eyes landing on me. "Would Lords Vaith and Darry, as well as Darth Nagash, please step forward." I walked forward, not even ten steps, meanwhile the other two men had to journey from the middle of the throne room. Symbolism was astute, these two men were still lords of Westeros but I couldn't be bothered to know of their existence before this day. One was a wiry tall man that looked fairly malnourished, his noble robes were adorned in small icons of the Faith. The other was more opulent and had this messy beard that I swore still had some food left in it. Their contrast to each other meant they likely never thought to associate with the other unless it were dire circumstances, I should be soooo honored. "Darth Nagash, you stand accused of negligence, failure in your duty to the noble children of Westeros, what do you say for yourself."

"It's their fault." I said not even missing a beat as I nocked my head toward the two men beside me. The entire court was stunned, no one had the will to breathe after my words. I'm sure many people expected me to beg, those were the fools, others might assume excuses, still fools, and some likely predicted I would craft some wild story, again… fools. But those last ones were a little smarter than the rest.

"Y-you vile demon dare!" The wiry man shouted and I couldn't ask for a better reaction.

"Lord Vaith." Tywin said sternly and knew that I knew which one was which, and what little context their family names had for me, I easily came to a path to get out of this. "The truth of this matter will come out, but please remain of the dignity of your title. Darth Nagash, explain yourself."

"Sure, several weeks ago we discovered and eliminated an assassin that could steal the faces of others. Using this strange power they had infiltrated the keep and stalked the academy. We found them outside the door of Lord Darry's daughter. Same thing happens a few days later, this time with the assassin having the key to Rette Vaith's chamber. After this we started a strict curfew and none of the acolytes were allowed to leave the keep without guard. We feared that there was a plot against the general population but… it would seem that the two girls were the only targets. Targeted by the same order, within days of each other, and it was only when in the presence of others were any other acolytes were threatened. Those are the facts I have at my disposal. Oh… might add that Lord Vaith seems to be under sway of the Faith's accusations of me and the prosperity of Harrenhal has dampened House Darry's lucrative trade hub on the Trident." I said all of this in a serious yet soft assured tone. Not boasting as that would be seen as distasteful given the circumstances, but also not downplaying the importance of the facts. My job was already done, whispers were making their rounds and a majority of people didn't look as sure as they did prior. Now it was time to let people's minds do the rest of the work for me.

"Are you accusing us of sending assassins after our own children?!" Lord Darry bellowed and his belly jiggled with how animated he was. Some might see it as anger born from a false accusation of indirect kinslaying and others might see it as a brash cover for the fear of being discovered for that very crime. But I had a barrel of gasoline to throw on that fire.

"No, I'm accusing the two of you of sending assassins after each other's children to avoid the sin of kinslaying. Lord Vaith has the connections to the Free Cities to find such an order of assassins, but he also has the morals to not do the deed to his own kin so… he needed a partner. One that could also pay for this… with untraceable gold that might be skimmed off the top of a trade caravan or two." The whispers were growing louder now as people started to look at the two lords with disgust and horror. They themselves were doing very good impressions of fishes snatched from a lake. I glanced back at Tywin, his face unreadable but I could tell he wasn't pleased but also not surprised. "I of course have no hard evidence of this conspiracy. But I turn to our wise and fair king to decide on these matters."

"I want both these men locked up at once!" I doubt anyone would expect otherwise that this was the reaction the king had. He wasn't full on paranoid yet, unhinged yes but he still didn't see plots where there were none until a few years from now. But that didn't mean he wasn't predisposed to react badly to the idea of plots, especially to those that targeted me.

I held a soft smile as I returned to my place beside the Queen, meanwhile the two lords that had tried to inconvenience me were being dragged away by the King's Guard. Now, to begin my real revenge.

Talzin stood on a small boat that her people had taken from some reckless treasure seekers early in their inhabitation of Valyria. It had been used to ferry more extra supplies and trade useless bobbles from the ruins for said supplies. But now it was floating in the bay of Braavos. A little ways through the morning mist was a small island with a single structure on it, the House of White and Black.

"Has everything been prepared?" Talzin turned and saw her husband and emperor staring out directly toward the home of the assassin order. When he had arrived on the world, he contacted her and gave very exact instructions.

"Yes, my sisters have finished setting the runes and are in position to power the masking ritual. Nothing shall interrupt you as you carry out your will." Talzin bowed, thanking the Fanged God that she would not be spectating this bloodbath. She was a woman of Dathomir but the bloodlust coming off Darth Nagash at this moment was disturbing. But that was what made him their prophet, that he could so wonderfully embody the Dark and Light when the time suited him.

"And the Nightbrothers?" He asked as the ship started slipping through the water toward the lonely island that the House of White and Black rested on.

"They are ready to follow you." Aboard the ship was several squads of Nightbrothers all armed and ready to secure the temple. They were instructed to follow behind their lord and simply clean up after him. It would not do them any good to get caught up in his fury. Their primary duty was to kill any lingering assassin as well as find any possible secret tunnels or doors and seal them.

"Make sure that the entire island is secure, I don't want a single one of them escaping to cause us trouble later." He said as the ship softly hit the stony shore. Talzin then watched as her emperor jumped off the ship as several Nightbrothers set up the ramps down to the shore. Through the mist, she held up a hand and sent out a green flare of her power, signaling her sisters to begin the ritual.

The soft thrum echoed across Braavos but before anyone even looked toward the source, the eerie island that no one spoke of vanished into a thicker mist than a mortal eye could see through. But for the Nightsisters, they watched as several glowing rune clusters formed in the air and extended around the island that they surrounded. Talzin opened her eyes as she powered the ritual's initial jump start, then the strain lessened as it was now shared across her and her sisters.

She watched as the small force of Nightbrothers led by Nagash approached the doors of the House of White and Black. The Sith waved his hand as if to pry them open with the Force, only for nothing to happen. Expected. This also confirmed that whatever means the Faceless Men had for nullifying the Force was not limited to people. Talzin now suspected it might be a natural occurring animal or plant whose resources could be taken. Nevertheless, after some shouting from their lord, the Nightbrothers readied themselves at the doors, and with a combined effort hacked away at the doors with their axes. The doors came down and the first to enter was Darth Nagash. Even from the distance away, Talzin could hear shouts of fighting, mostly her husband screaming out his rage on the assassin and the rest were the bestial males of her kind roaring their own savage war cries.

"Mother Talzin, are you sure that we can leave this to the brothers?" One of the Nightsisters set to guard her asked as they all watched all but two Nightbrothers enter the temple. Two of the largest brothers stayed behind and watched the door, with orders to kill anyone that tried to leave no matter who they may be. With the abilities of their enemy, they could take no chances. Only once Lord Nagash himself returned would it be safe to leave that door.

"Their role is minimal, our savage brothers and sons know their place. They are under the command of their better and know to stay out of his way." Talzin replied but as she did so… she felt the expected change in the Force. The Dark Side was clawing at the edges of her mind, the anguish and slaughter that was happening inside the House of White and Black was feeding into the Darkness. They knew this going in, but what surprised her was the fact there wasn't a lingering darkness to the island beforehand. This was the home of an assassin order that wore the faces of the dead, something like that had to attract the Dark Side but prior to the butchery she felt little if any real Dark Side presence.

A sudden shake to the ground below gave an indication of what might be happening inside. Darth Nagash had found his way to whatever underground lair that the Faceless Men had. Soon it would be over. To her this was inevitable, the assassins might be unparalleled in their craft here on Terra but against the might of someone like Darth Nagash they were children. They had no advanced technology, no true concept of the Force and it's powers beyond a basic understanding, and no doubt they underestimated their foe simply by the virtue of ignorance of the scale of such a foe.

"You could almost pity them." Talzin stated more for herself than her sisters near her. They had just been following their doctrine, their laws that they had held for who knows how long. They never stood a chance but they had no idea what sort of power they had drawn to them.

Then ground on the far side of the island collapsed and the sea swept in to fill it. It was ending, Darth Nagash was cleaning up his involvement. The waters of the Braavosi bay would flood the lower levels of the House of White and Black, ensuring whatever secrets they held would be lost forever. The Nightbrothers should have been gathering any artifacts, treasures, or lore they had found in the surface level of the temple. All in all, the entire destruction of the Faceless Men order took a little under two hours of fighting. Talzin watched as the two guard Nightbrothers turned their heads to the door and then followed a command to enter themselves. Then the Nightbrothers began hauling out creates and bags filled with the spoils of war. She looked over all of this dispassionately and it was only once all of the Nightbrothers and their loot was accounted for did she give the order to end the masking ritual over the island.

If someone were to look toward that same island, it would look as if nothing had changed but for a piece of land had sunk into the waters of the bay. That was not as unusual as an outsider might think, the city of Braavos was facing a slow crisis, it was sinking into the waters that had made it so wealthy and safe. But no one did look toward that island. It was a place that all Braavosi knew and feared, it was left out of their mind and only thought about when completely necessary. So that meant that no one saw the ship that was beached there or the gray skinned woman that was walking up to the temple that stood in the middle.

Talzin walked up the steps to the House of White and Black. Her husband and lord had yet to return. The danger was no past and she could not say she wasn't curious. What she found only peaked her interest further. It had been a chamber filled with various icons of death, a well in the middle and several small culverts at the edges. But now those icons were torn down and in their place were several men crucified.

"It's a moss." Darth Nagash said as he walked out of the back door that had led into the rest of the temple. In his hand was a small flask of a greenish slick liquid. "It's like a Ysalamir in effect. The Faceless Men would mix in with a combination of olive oil and other plants. They would apply the mixture on once they transformed, creating a protective shell."

"Fascinating. Can we produce this concoction?" She asked as she walked over to her husband and took the flask into her hand. The other ingredients would need to be studied to determine if they indeed were necessary or were just there for some pointless superstitious reason.

"Not in mass, the moss is native to the Braavosi swamps and doesn't last long outside of them unless already processed beyond transplantation." He explained and while this was disappointing it was not a total loss. Depending on how well the mixture does in storage, they could begin making it and storing it away for specialist missions to eliminate Force Users. While they might not be able to equip armies with Force Nullifying powers they could still gift their own assassins or spies with it. "You're not even going to ask?" He said with a cruel chuckle as he glanced back up to the crucified men in the chamber.

"It does seem rather tame for your anger toward them." Talzin said, honestly she cared little for the fates of these men. But was in fact curious about their lack of punishment.

"Look at their heads." Talzin did as told and took a closer look at the ring of thorny metal that had been placed on the heads of the men. Other than that sole piece, they were stark naked and nailed in several places to the crosses. "Those are a creation of my Master. A man that exceled in torture like no other. He called them the Crown of Thorns, it is a very slow death that they bring. Each one has several spikes that grow with time, impaling the skull over the course of months."

"I assume it has some function to keep them alive during this period." She asked as it was hard to imagine that it would a effective torture method if they just up and died the second the spikes cracked the skull.

"It contains in it a supply of modified Bacta. The spikes release this fluid as they grow and heal as they harm. This modified Bacta solution is very effective at quickening the healing processes… at the cost of increasing the pain of the injury." They stood staring at the poor souls that could all hear them clearly. Talzin sensed in them a cracking will, it was difficult to break a fanatic but when presented with such a description of the last few months of life… it tested the spirit. "My master claimed that no man had been able to retain his sanity for more than three days once the spikes had pierced bone. Maybe you lads could prove him wrong." Darth Nagash said as he bid farewell before walking out of the temple with Talzin behind him.

"I assume that they were the leadership of this order?" Talzin asked as they crossed the stony island back to their ship.

"Yes, they were the priesthood. The rest of the occupants of the House of White and Black are all dead. It's likely that there are assassins out in the world on the job, we have their records so we'll go over who's dead and who still need to be hunted." They walked up the ramp to the ship and with a gentle Force Push, they were back on the water. "We must stay on guard for a time, but I think that any Faceless Man that returns here will get the message. If they knew about Pandora then this should be enough of a threat to get them to back off… unless they are that stupid. And if not, it should be interesting to see how they react or not. After all… that house was home to no one."

Thoren sighed in annoyance as the many acolytes chatted among themselves. Many rumors were circulating about the meaning of this gathering of Acolytes in the Hall of a Hundred Hearths. Most of them suspected it was about the two that had been killed. Thoren glanced over to the table that had all the North and Dornish acolytes, specifically Mysa Sand. She wasn't speaking with those around her and her friend and partner in crime Miana was clinging to her like a protective blanket. If that group operated more like the others, he would suspect that a mutiny was in the works given the weakness they were showing but he doubted it. The North/Dorne Block was too tight, had too much brotherhood and camaraderie for something like that.

But then again, it wasn't like that the current weakened leadership in that group wasn't being exploited. Both Grayjoy and Puff were picking off neutral votes that usually sided with Mysa and Miana. The Honor Block as per their name was far too honorable to take advantage of the situation. And as unofficial leader of the loosely connected neutrals he had only said that people should do as they felt was right. Even if both Mysa and Miana were bastards they were in his opinion more proxies than actual leadership. Benjen Stark was still too young to lead and the Martells had yet to have an Acolyte of their own.

"What do you think, is Lord Nagash going talk about Rette and Girel?" Cayle asked as he picked at the small plate of little foods that had been set out for the acolytes.

"What else is there to talk about? The question is what is he going to do about it." Jadith interjected as she pulled an apple out of a nearby bowl. Thoren glanced over to her with a small frown on his face. She had been popping up here and there around him for a year now but now she just didn't seem to go away. In terms of placing, she was undeniably in the upper tier of the acolytes in terms of skill and grades. So he didn't immediately shoo her away like he did with the other low born acolytes that tried to get close to him. But still, she irritated him.

"Even better question… who's getting punished." Thoren said as he returned his gaze back up to the front of the hall where the man himself and the rest of the staff were currently seated. Darth Nagash sat waiting for something, his eyes were just looking over them all and to Thoren it was unnerving. But eventually he stood and the entire hall looked up as he moved the staff tables back a bit to give himself a larger platform to speak from. The hall went silent as he took a few steps forward and stood in front of the entire class of acolytes.

"Since the beginning of this new Order of Sith, I have given all of you a lot of freedom." He started before pacing back and forth. Thoren noticed that Captain Pierce and Governor Quinn both looked uneasy when he started doing that. "So long as you showed up for classes, didn't overly hurt each other or the staff, steal from the staff or the keep, and respect the Black Cloaks… I was content to let you all do as you wished. Those days are done." He said bluntly and with a great deal of bite.

"I don't like where this is going." Cayle whispered and Thoren gave him a warning glare to shut up.

"Several weeks ago, myself and governor Quinn learned of a possible threat against what we thought at the time was the general population of acolytes. So we issued a curfew and took steps to keep this threat at bay until we could find out it's source. You ignored this, and it resulted in the deaths of two acolytes." There was a gloom that fell upon the tables of acolytes, and for those that didn't care about the deceased a fear of what was to come of this. "Back in my academy days, it was perfectly normal for acolytes to die… usually by each other's hands. It was believed that this would weed out the weak, we didn't mourn their loss but laughed at their failure. Not only do I want to change the culture of Sith from those brutal times but also I do not have the luxury of numbers to enforce such practices."

"Why do I get the feeling it's more the second thing." Thoren thought to himself but assumed that many others were thinking the same thing.

"But, I being the merciful man I am… will be giving you all another chance. But instead of the anarchy you used to have, we will be implementing a mix of self governance and a new series of rules that extend beyond the classroom. But before we get to that." Then Darth Nagash had this sadistic smile that sent a chill down everyone's spines. He looked over to the side door that flung open, almost comically. Then the acolytes watched as a large… something… was being brought out onto the platform next to Darth Nagash. It was large and covered in a tarp, but then their leader pulled it off and revealed a large flat wheel with lots of little pegs around its edges. On it was painted about twenty four slides, three of which were painted red and one was green. "May I introduce you all to the Wheel of Punishment!" He announced in an all too happy tone.

"I really don't like where this-"

"Shh!" Thoren didn't either but could use it without the commentary.

"I have been waiting for you all to screw up so I could bring this out. I dislike the fact such a wonderful occasion was given to us by the death of two young ones. However, the blame of their death does not rest on your shoulders, that lies elsewhere. For this, you are being punished for the disregard of curfew." Darth Nagash explained and almost immediately several of the boys from Grayjoy Block stood up from their seats and began shouting how this was unfair. Why are they getting punished because someone else broke the rules. They had their yell and once they slowly stopped after realizing maybe they shouldn't have said anything, they suddenly jerked back to their seats, and each was given a shower of whatever was in their mugs. "I know for a fact that the group that had went through with what happened were not the only ones that had broken the rules on curfew. They simply were the ones that caught the eyes of a predator. Not only that, but I know that you lot have been trying and it seems, failing to rule over yourselves. So, you must take responsibility for that failing."

"They won't." Thoren knew that they wouldn't in the way that Darth Nagash wanted them to. He remembered that Darth Nagash had said that things would be changing, and those changes would involve self-governance. The noble born acolyte suspected that Darth Nagash was going to implement something like the Acolyte Assembly but official and controlled by the Academy. It wouldn't work out the way they wanted. The Assembly was too strong now, despite what Darth Nagash was saying people did listen to the rules the Assembly created. It did work as intended. In fact, Jarman had proposed to the next Speaker to address the disregarding of the curfew but the deaths happened just two days before that Assembly meeting.

"But many of you must be curious as to how the Wheel of Punishment works. Well let me explain." A great many more were thinking that he was enjoying this way too much. "I shall spin the wheel and whatever punishment it lands on will be carried out upon the entire class. Now, the normal twenty punishments that could be landed on range in severity and content, with duration decided by me. The three red ones… those are permanent. They are new rules that shall take away more of your liberty and freedom. And that last little sliver of green is your only hope as if the wheel spins on that you all get out of punishment completely."

"It's not going to land on that one." Thoren snorted at the very idea that Darth Nagash would allow for them to get a free pass on the first use of this stupid way of punishing them.

"Now without further ado… time for The Wheel! Of! Punishment!" With that he yanked one of the pegs down and let the whole wheel spin. A small little flicker at the top filled the hall with the noise of it hitting each other pegs as they spun by. Then it was interrupted by the sound of more drinks being tossed onto people's heads. Thoren sighed at how stupid people could be, as if Darth Nagash would let any of them try to rig the wheel with a Force Pull. The wheel slowly started to slow down, peg by peg it moved slower and slower until it was hinging on its last peg and then stopped. Thankfully, one of the normal punishments, one that just showed a drawn etching of a piece of bread. "Well-well… how interesting."

"What do you think that means?" Karne asked and Thoren stared at it for a moment before it hit him. People would not like this and he didn't either. It was degrading and simple all at the same time.

"Let's see… How about for the next year? Just because the consequences for your disregard for the rules was the death of two of your peers. For the next year, you all will be eating nothing more than what your bodies need. Water, bread, basic veggies, and just enough protein to keep you all strong… but no salt or pepper." With that Darth Nagash snapped his fingers and servants all started to remove the provided plates of food that the Acolytes had been enjoying before the meeting had started. Of course many of the noble born used to good food, as well as commoners that had gotten very used to the quality meals, all began to complain as it all hit them. That they would be effectively be eating as well as the Night's Watch did for a whole year. "Silence!" Darth Nagash roared as a flare of his presence in the Force hit all their senses all at once. "Not only is this punishment for your lack of respect for our rules and leadership, but it is a lesson in humility. You will learn to live on only the most basic of sustenance, and be grateful as you are not starving. There is little a worse fate in life than to starve to death."

I leaned back on a lawn chair I had made for myself, before me was the growing cityscape of Harrenhal. Sitting nicely on the ledge of the landing pad that stood at the top of the middle tower, I was all alone with only a bottle of Braavosi vodka. It seemed appropriate.

In the end, the loss of the Faceless Men wouldn't change much. Their role in the plot of A Song of Ice and Fire didn't come much later. And it was during a point after things would be dramatically changed for my world. Arya would never meet that weird speaking man because she would never end up with that group of Night's Watch recruits. Perhaps they had an impact that was unseen, a plot or two that they were involved in that shaped the future of Westeros that was never mentioned in the books or show… but if that was true I have no way of knowing. Their secrets, funds, and techniques will all come in handy someday. I did plan on inducting them into my empire peacefully but then… they proved themselves incompatible.

I needed to change my way of doing things. My time was torn between the stars and here on Terra. On one hand I needed to be up there, getting all the pieces together and securing my assets for the Empire. But then, I have ties here I can't ignore. Family and growing Order of Sith that needs to be watched and taught right.

"Perhaps I could learn to do the Shadow Clone Jutsu next… that would help a bunch." I said before taking a drink from the bottle. I then glared at it as it was empty. I chucked it forward and then as it arced down I sent a Force Push through the air and sent it flying far past the city walls. "Up there… a waiting trove of big guns, arcane secrets, god-like artifacts, and possible game changing allies. Down here… Lyarra, Joanna, Jaesa all naked and in my bed. Oh and my daughter." I chuckled, a little sloshed from all the drinking I had been doing. That wasn't the first bottle I had gone through.

"Good to see your priorities are all set." I glanced to my side and saw Fay standing there. Her eyes looked down at me exasperated and her arms crossed over her chest. "Stop staring at my chest!"

"You're not small… but not huge. Respectable medium." I said, too drunk to really care about my words.

"Shut up idiot!"

"HA! I called it… Jedi tsundere." I laughed before taking another swig of my bottle. "So, what brings you up here Fay? Here to pledge yourself to the Sith Order?" I joked knowing that she wouldn't. I honestly couldn't say that I trusted Fay the last time I saw her. So, her doing what she did, coming back, was surprising. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.

"No. I am an agent of the Light Side. I will belong to no order." She said and I narrowed my eyes as my mind sobered up at something Gethzrion said. Then shooed the thought away as it felt absurd. "I have come here to tell you that I believe that you stand the greatest chance at bringing the Force into harmony. And as such I will stay by your side and guide you to the Light just as others do so to the Dark."

"Oh dear god she was right." I grumble to myself. Whatever, I'm not going to let the prophetic ramblings of a hag dictate my life. I sighed and looked back up to Fay who was a bit confused. "I don't mind your company Fay. You are quite adorable in a stern big sister sort of way."

"Excuse me?"

"You're also very intelligent and can see through the bullshit that people put up to hide themselves from others. And unlike Jaesa you do so on experience and talent than mystic eyes." At that she quieted as she saw I was talking a bit more serious. She and Talzin couldn't be more polar opposites, but I guess that's the point. "I don't need someone telling me be a good little boy and don't murder everything. What I need is someone to remind me that sometimes the moral high ground is the reward in all itself. That while it may be harder, and not as satisfying, control and selflessness are things to strive for. That's what I need Fay, a moral compass that won't talk down to me."

"I see." With that an uneasy quiet grew between us. The sun was setting off in the distance.

"Hold it." I said as I heard her start to walk away. With the Force I pulled some railings away from the landing pad and used them to make a makeshift lawn chair right next to mine. "Sit."

"Darth Nagash-"

"You will sit. You will drink with me. And after tonight you will call me Naraiz like any friend would." I said as I held out the bottle between the chairs, waiting for her to sit and take a drink. To my enjoyment she squirmed a bit before huffing and walking over to the chair and sitting down.

"Fine, but I'm not doing this because you told me to but because this will help me get closer to you so I keep you from the Dark Side." She grumbled before taking the bottle and tentatively taking a drink, then coughed once the hard booze went down her throat. "It's not like I… (hic)… like I like you or anything."

"Hahahaha! I'm too drunk to know if this is real or not but it's greeeeeat." I laughed at the sunset. I wasn't sure what the future was going to bring but… I'm sure as hell going to have fun tonight.

Author's Notes

Some might not like the fact I didn't show Naraiz going to town on the Faceless Men. I tried writing it a few times but it just turned out boring. The Faceless Men are not prepared to face someone like Naraiz when he's in full wrath mode. They don't have the weapons or powers to properly fight someone like that in a setting like this. And I already did a Naraiz slaughter scene last chapter.

I'm also just say this now, Rhaella is in the harem. So not danny but her mother. And if people are going to complain about the fact I seem to be going after all the women that are already married then they really need to understand that pretty everyone in Game of Thrones at this point in its history is already taken or is a child. Melisandre is pretty much the only one and I dislike her based on the fact she's actually a old crone and I still can't get past the fact she burned the adorable cinnamon bun Shireen. So yeah. Plus in this instance... is anyone really going to complain about Naraiz cucking Aerys.

Next chapter as I said will take place four years later. Lots of stuff will happen during that time but nothing that really needs its own chapter to show. Just mostly progress in already developing plot lines. There is only one thing that will really change but to me it was a logical progression in relation to a certain character's personality. Not going to say more on that.

Reviews

Lordmaster123 - I fundamentally disagree with on everything you said. A lot of this story has been in Westeros. Hell we only got back to space at chapter 22. So you're just wrong, I've been spending way more time in the Game of Thrones world than Star Wars so far, with only three arcs taking place only in space.

GhostFang GF - Jango will not be the only Clone Template. Unsullied aren't really good for this as its more their training than their genetics that make them good soldiers.

AO Black - The Maesters have all kinda turned their noses up at Naraiz and his ways. Remember that Maesters are also a religious order with the Faith of the Seven, people forget that. And I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that former Maesters and those with a more open mind have traveled to Harrenhal to take part in his scientific boom. I might be thinking ahead because I know I wrote something like that in the next chapter. But generally the Maesters dislike and dismiss Naraiz and the Imperials to the point where they have written them off and don't consider them to be worthy of history. One of the greatest insults one can give to a enemy, is to ignore them.

Brezer - On the Force Lightning, i mentioned in the fight that he had scanned Naraiz's energy blasts and tuned his shields to cancel out the discharge. It's a insanely difficult thing to do but not impossible. As for the Force Choke, its for the same reason why all Sith don't just spam that in a fight. It take deliberate concentration to do that and he had automated turrets and the like distracting Naraiz.

Reads too Much - The Kaminoans that revolted were the ones that believed in the new ways of doing things so hard that the possibility of returning back to the ridged caste system they had freaked them out. It was panic move that wasn't thought out, mob mentality and all that. I hope you enjoyed how I handled the kids deaths, Naraiz didn't need anything more than for this incident to go away so that's all he got. And yes, music is something that will be brought in. Naraiz already peaked Cipher Nine's interest with Overhaul's theme. I even have a musical number planned out for the future.

Guest X - I'm sorry to disappoint, but I tried writing it out and it just very boring having Naraiz kill them without very much in the way of them having a chance. They would be fighting Naraiz as he's not holding back due to his anger, using all his powers and tools, and all they have is steel weapons and their means to nullify the Force is something that needs to be prepared and he caught them off guard. As for your other thing, that's kinda what i was going for back in chapter 13. What with Naraiz's big transformation. Plus that's not a Stand.