The soft hum of the ship's engines dwindled as it pierced the clouds of Serenno. Within the belly of the sleek, pitch-black vessel highlighted in streaks of crimson, silence reigned but for the breathing of its passengers. In the dimly lit quarters, curled in their bunks, the three women Karn had freed lay in the warm afterglow of their time with him, smiles gracing their faces. Blissful, serene—a stark contrast to the man who sat cross-legged at the center of the ship.
Karn, clad only in black pants, hovered his crimson-bladed lightsaber before him as he meditated. The low thrum of the kyber crystal pulsed with his focus. His thoughts wandered through the Force, pulled by whispers he could not fully hear—a ripple, a disturbance. His master's voice echoed in the recesses of his mind.
"Strange," Karn murmured to himself, golden eyes opening behind the T-shaped slit of his visor-less helmet resting beside him. "Why do I feel a pull toward this one?"
Before he could press deeper, the subtle shift of their descent grounded him. The Force rippled around the ship as it entered Serenno's atmosphere. The time for pondering had passed.
Karn stood, reattached his saber to his belt, and methodically dressed. Layer by layer, the armor sheathed his body until the helmet clicked into place, obscuring his face. He turned once toward the sleeping quarters.
"Stay here," he instructed over the comms. "The palace is aware of your presence. You'll be given guest quarters. No one is to enter the ship. Trust no one."
In the corridor, the women stirred and acknowledged his command. They were no longer helpless slaves but warrior-trained companions in various degrees of armor. Evi—the soft-spoken, tattooed Mirialan—gave a silent nod. Nysira, the confident lavender Twi'lek, tightened her blaster strap. And Keela, the fiery-haired Theelin, kissed her holstered weapon with a smirk.
The ramp hissed open.
Outside, Serenno's noble architecture stretched in sharp stone angles under the sun's pale gaze. Awaiting Karn was Count Dooku, cloaked in his regality and flanked by battle droids, as his own ship powered up nearby.
"I see you've arrived promptly," Dooku remarked, voice cool as ever. "I trust your journey was uneventful?"
"Only in the ways that matter," Karn replied, descending the ramp with unhurried confidence.
Dooku gave a small nod before motioning to the ship behind him. "We depart shortly. I take it your master informed you of our destination?"
"Dathomir," Karn confirmed, tone flat.
"Indeed. Mother Talzin has extended an invitation. She offers a warrior in exchange for past debts. I must confess... I do not relish dealings with witches, but we Sith do what we must for the cause."
Karn said nothing.
"Your companions may take residence in the eastern wing," Dooku continued. "They've been granted access codes. The droids won't bother them."
Karn turned back to his ship, and the girls were now gathered in the entryway.
"You heard him," Karn said, his voice softening. "Stay sharp. If anything feels wrong, trust your instincts. V, you're in charge while I'm gone."
"Understood," the Mirialan replied.
"And girls?"
They all looked to him.
"Don't break my ship."
Keela saluted with mock ceremony. Jynari just rolled her eyes.
Moments later, Karn boarded Dooku's ship, and together they ascended into the void.
Dathomir.
The world pulsed with an ominous rhythm, its skies cast in blood red and its soil blackened with ancient magic. The ship descended upon the mist-laden clearing where the Nightsister village lay hidden, protected by the tangled web of both nature and the dark side.
Dooku and Karn stepped off the vessel, flanked by a minimal security escort. The forest opened before them like a mouth, and from the shadows, Mother Talzin emerged. Clad in flowing garments, her body shimmered with dark energy. Her green eyes, luminous and sharp, fixed immediately on Dooku.
"Count," she said, her voice ethereal, echoing with unnatural cadence. "You honor our world with your presence."
"Mother Talzin," Dooku greeted, bowing slightly. "The war escalates. The Jedi grow bolder. I require an assassin, and I hear your sons are... formidable."
Talzin tilted her head. "Formidable, yes. Loyal? Only to blood. Still, you have aided me in the past. A debt I have not forgotten."
She turned, motioning into the shadows. "Come, then. Witness your weapon."
From the mists strode a giant. Muscled like a beast and draped in bone, the Dathomirian Zabrak known as Savage Opress stood silent, his yellow eyes burning with primal fury. Tattoos marked his face like those of the Sith.
Karn's helmet turned slightly toward him, the red slits of his visor pulsing faintly. That feeling returned—recognition without memory. He had seen a face similar when he had used psychometry in one of the buildings he trained at when he was twelve. One of several buildings owned by Sidious, or more specifically, Sheev Palpatine. Except that face was red...hmm, family perhaps.
'Well, whatever the case...my days on Seranno should be more interesting,' thought Karn as he started heading back to the ship, sensing no threat to Dooku that Count couldn't handle himself.
"He is the fiercest of his kin," Talzin intoned. "Strong in the dark side, and disciplined in brutality. He will serve."
Dooku stepped forward, circling Savage like a merchant inspecting a prize.
"I foresee we will do great things together," the Count whispered. "I shall teach you the ways of the dark side. Soon, your powers will rival even Darth Maul. We shall be more powerful than Lord Sidious. Together, we will rule the galaxy."
Talzin, arms crossed, spoke again.
"Do not mistake this gift for loyalty, Count. Once this debt is settled, I wish never to see your shadow cross my lands again."
"Of course," Dooku replied with diplomatic grace, bowing his head.
Karn remained a silent pillar beside him.
The meeting ended, and Savage Opress boarded the ship without protest, his eyes briefly locking with Karn's as they passed.
A spark.
The Force pulsed.
As the ship lifted off, Karn stood alone at the viewport, eyes focused on the red world below.