Chapter 1:

  Alone, the fourteen year old sat with her hands in her lap. This was the day she'd waited for for the longest time, and had arrived, but nothing seemed any different. It didn't appear to make any difference. It was just another milestone in the milestone filled life of hers.

 Kerryna Occot was graduating from the Jedi Academy.

 As they called her name, she stood up slowly, gracefully, and walked up onto the built up stage where the Jedi instructors waited for her, took her diploma, and made her way up to the grand Jedi master.

 "May the force be with you." said the master, to which Kerryna bowed, and made her way back to her seat. The rest of the ceremony seemed like a large, long blur, until it happened.

 The door of the auditorium swung open, and in blasted a cold streak of air. Everyone turned around to look. No one appeared in the doorway until a few seconds later. White figures could be seen to appear in the entrance, yet no one could make out what they were. Until finally, the shrieks of fear confirmed what people had feared for so long.

 Stormtroopers. They entered the large room, and each grabbed a few Jedi children, graduates, and those who were still students, alike. The children did everything they could to get out of the troopers' grasp, but there was nothing that could be done. Within minutes, the Jedi children were on an Imperial StarShip, and their parents, families, friends and masters were on the floor of the auditorium. Dead. Kerryna pulled at the grip the soldier had on her, but it was futile. It seemed like she's lost, and that she was in the hands of the Empire. Upon being thrown onto the floor of the StarShip, the last thing she remembered was screaming for her young sister, Lilandra, who had just started at the Jedi Academy, and then a ray of blue light flying towards her. They'd set for stun. She could hear her own thoughts, almost as loudly and clearly as whe she spoke.

 "Why did they do this? Why? Ack, they're trying to stun me. Well they know I can't be stunned that easily... I'm a full fledged Jedi!"

 It didn't take the Stormtroopers long to realize this, however, and quickly altered the controls on their blasters from 'stun' to 'kill'. She wouldn't die, but would remain unconscious for several hours. And they carefully aimed the blasters, and shot.

Chapter 2:

 When she awoke, she was lying on a cot in a dark room, with huge windows on either side. Out of nowhere, a voice came up.

 "Welcome, my friend."

 Kerryna sat up on the cot, looking around, like she didn't know where the mysterious voice was coming from. It sounded cold, hard, and with an ominous creepiness that sent chills down her spine.

 "Who are you?" she asked, her voice trembling with fear, curiosity, and most of all, uncertainness.    "And what do you want with me?"

 The large black chair that sat facing one of the windows turned around slowly. In it rested a figure, back bent forward, clutching onto a cane, whose face was overcast by a shadow cast by the hood attatched to the cloak it wore. Looking up into the light, Kerryna saw it was an old man, probably around one hundred or so, with wrinkled green skin.

 "I, you ask? Who am I?" the scary old figure chuckled, almost seeming thrilled that he'd found someone new, someone unexperienced. "I am Cos Palpatine, Emporer of the Sith."

 "SITH?" screeched Kerryna. "You mean the... the... the Sith? Dark Side of the Force Sith?" she shreiked, and went to get off the cot and run away. As a Jedi child, she had been taught about the Sith; that they were evil, and had to be stopped before they achieved their ultimate goal... universal domination. However, the old man held out his hand, and Kerryna froze, as if under the spell of his power.

 "Yes, I'm afraid." he laughed, with an evil grin. "And you, my dear, are going to help me!"

 "NO! I'll never help you! You're evil, twisted, and you're against all I was taught!"

 The old man laughed again. "That's what you were taught. But is it what you believe?" Kerryna didn't want to answer that. She turned around, so that he wouldn't see the look of uncertainty on her face.

 "I can see right through you, child. I know you want to help me. You know you have no other choice. You are the strongest of all the Jedi I kidnapped. And I need you, regardless of what you may think." He stood up, and approached her.

 "Your family is dead. So are your pitiful little friends. You have no one here but me, now."

 Kerryna was ready to break down after he told her this. "No. NO!"

 "Yes, my dear. I promise, you will be well taken care of here. You are my daughter now. What is your name, child?"

 "Kerryna..." she said, sobbing. "Kerryna Occot."

 "Well, Kerryna Occot, you don't have to worry about anything anymore. There will always be someone to take care of you. You can forget about your past, and your insignifigant friends here. If they really cared about you, they wouldn't have succombed to the attack. They would have fought it out. This is your home now. All you have to do is do as I tell you."

 "Alright... father..."

Chapter 3:    (three years later)

 By this time, Kerryna had been forced into believing that what the Emporer had told her was true, and he had her hypnotized into forgetting her past, but keeping her Jedi powers, although she now was certain that the only thing she could use them for was the will of the Dark Side. One day, Palpatine summoned her into his chamber.

 "Yes, father?"

 "I have sent out the Stormtroopers. They are going to the Jedi Academy graduation, to recieve new Jedi children. We will find the strongest of them all, and then they will be turned to our side."

 "Excellent, father."

 "I must go after they return. An important meeting is taking place. I have decided to order the errection of a new Death Star. A more powerful Death Star; one that the insignifigant rebel fleet cannot destroy this time, and even if they do, we will know how they did it, and will know where to harden our defense."

 "Sounds deliciously evil, father."

 "Yes, it does, Kerryna, yes it does, but I've recieved word that my former right-hand Mon Mothma has joined the rebel fleet, the traitor." Turning around, to look at Kerryna, he said, "She had a very similar job to yours, then she left. Never said why. And now I know. That's enough for execution on planets controlled by the Empire."

 "Yes, father."

Chapter 4:

 Within a few hours, the Stormtroopers had gone to Chad III and returned, with dozens of Jedi children, whom they carelessly tossed on the floor of the dark room Kerryna awoke in, three years before. They appeared to range in age from two to fifteen, or so.

 A young girl woke up after being stunned, rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes, and looked around her. Nothing was familliar. Nothing was recognizable.

 "Mommy?" she called, half-knowing that she wasn't going to get any answer.

 "Your mother is dead." she heard a voice call, but it didn't sound mean. There was some mysterious pleasantness about it. It almost seemed empathetic. The young girl turned around, and looked up to see a tall, older girl, who more than likely hadn't even begun her teenage years, standing above her. She had red hair, and emerald green eyes.

 "Is yours?" the young one asked, not knowing what the answer would be.

 "Yes."

 Feeling able to relate to the girl, now, the child ran up to her and buried her face in her lap. She began to cry, as the meaning of what had happened finally sunk in.

 "What's your name?" asked the older girl, stroking the child's hair.

 "I'm (sob) Lilandra. Liliandra Occot."

 "Not anymore, you're not." cackled a voice. They both looked up, and saw two stormtroopers and Kerryna standing in front of them. One of the troopers grabbed the young child by the arm and started dragging her out of the room, amidst her constant screaming and shreiking. The older girl ran after them, but Kerryna grabbed her by the arm.

 "Let them have her. She's weak." she said, almost consolingly.

 "How would you know?" snarled the other girl, grimacing, and writhing, trying to get away from Kerryna's strong grasp.

 "It's obvious! Look at her! Too young to be useful. But you... you're strong. You'll do us some good!" Kerryna added, slowly letting the other girl go. But there was still some confusion in the red haired girl's mind.

 "Who's we? You and the troopers?"

 "Sort of, kid. We, meaning the entire Dark Side. We. The Sith." The girl's face turned from confusion to horror.

 "SITH?"

 "Yes. I'm Kerryna Occot. And you are?"

 "I am Mara Jade."

 "Mara Jade? Well. That's a beautiful name." As soon as Kerryna finished that sentence, she hit Mara with a blow to her face, knocking her unconscious.

 "A beautiful name indeed."

Chapter 5:

 Mara awoke in the same chamber she had been knocked out in. She recognized Kerryna, and when Kerryna saw that Mara had awoken, went over the the cot to see her.

 "Hello Jade."

 "Mara Jade."

 "It doesn't matter. What does matter is that you're one of us, now! A Sith. And one day you may very well work your way up to the rank of Darthina! That's my ultimate goal, I don't know about you. And maybe from there..."

 "Hold up. I don't even know who you are. Or why I'm here. Or what you want with me. Can you explain, please?"

 "I'm afraid I can't." Kerryna shrugged. Then, a tall, slightly bent, hooded figure, came into view.

 "But I can, child." As he entered into the light, Mara saw his face. His skin was wrinkled, and almost greenish looking. Maybe it was because Mara hadn't gotten very much sleep lately, but she somehow knew who he was.

 Under her breath, she muttered "Palpatine."

 "You are here," he continued, ignoring her, "because we, the Sith, need to destroy the Jedi. You, my dear, are a Jedi. And a strong one at that. It would indeed be a shame to put the strong ones to waste, when they can easily be turned. You, Mara Jade, will easily be turned. And you will become my right hand, taking the place of Kerryna."

 "What?!" Kerryna exclaimed, rushing up to the old man. "Father. This is my life. I would rather die than be replaced."

 "You, my dear, will become my new Grand Admiral. After Tarkin was killed in the explosion of the Death Star, by those no-good rebels, I've been without one, Grand Moff Occot."

 Kerryna bowed to the cloaked old man, and said "Father, it would be the most supreme of all honours. Your highness." With that, she left the the room, with an insufferably pleased look on her face.

 "As for you, Mara Jade, you will, as I said, be my right hand. You will act as a messenger, confidante, and aide." As he said this, he waved his hand in front of her face, but she said nothing.

 "I said you will be my right hand, confidante and aide!" he yelled, throwing his hands in her face, and shooting mild bolts of lightning at her. She looked stunned for a minute, until she finally spoke, looking dull, and monotonous.

 "Yes, master."

Chapter 6:

 The nine year old red-head was shown to her quarters by a Stormtrooper.

 "Here's your room. You can stay here whenever you want to, unless his Highness commands your presence. If he does, it's wise to obey him."

 Mara Jade was still in a state of dillusion from the shock of he lightning bolts, but she mustered up the strength to say "Really? What can he do besides electrocute those who don't listen?"

 The Stormtrooper's face darkened behind his massive white mask. He knew the consequences for disobeying the Master.

 "Well, the lightning is the most powerful of his attacks. You got a milder taste of it." he said, loosening his mask. "If the strong stuff doesn't kill you, you'll be left with this." He pulled off the white piece of plasteel, and turned to face the young girl.

 .She gasped, and dropped the small paper bag of belongings she had managed to grab when the attack came.

 She had never seen a face so distorted. So twisted. So burnt.

 Right there, she vowed to herself that she would obey the Emporer.

 And inside, without knowing it, she was secretly hoping that no one she loved, no one she would ever end up loving, would ever be hurt by the crooked old man.

 Or his electricity.

Chapter 7:

 Kerryna Occot stared into the mirror of her room. Blankly, withour expression, but with a new level of sternness. She glanced down at her olive-green uniform, the uniform of the Imperial Force. Where once had been material now rested her rank-pin, denoting the rank of Grand Admiral. 6 blue squares and 6 red.

 Palpatine came into the room then.

 "Good evening, Father." Kerryna said, without even turning around.

 "Good evening, my young apprentice," he said, standing behind the young woman. "That young girl you brought in with the Stormtroopers, Mara something or other... was it Ruby?"

 "Jade, Father."

 "Ah yes, Mara Jade, well, she is strong in the ways of the Force. If she was turned, she could be a powerful ally. My only fear is that she is too strong to be forced over to our side."

 "If she is, we have no other alternative than to destroy her."

 "Dear Kerryna, dear dear Kerryna, I do wish you wouldn't speak that way!"

 Kerryna turned around, and looked at the old man with a puzzled look. He had, after all, taught her that those who were a threat to the Dark Side were evil and must be done away with. But the crooked, evil Master continued.

 "You fill my miserable old heart with such joy when you say things like that. You really are my daughter."

 That, thought Kerryna, was the most selfless compliment anyone could have given.

Chapter 8:

 Three days had passed since the title of Grand Admiral had been bestowed on Kerryna. They seemed like minutes for her, minutes for Palpatine, and months, agonizing months, for Mara Jade.

 At first, Kerryna marched herself into Mara's room, sat herself down on the nine-year old's bed, and calmly asked her a question that Mara would hear, echoing in her mind, for the rest of her life.

 "Look, Mara, I can make things lovely for you if you co-operate. Now, be honest. What do you believe?"

 Mara looked up, into the eyes of the Grand Admiral, expecting to find the usual cold, hard, stare taht she had grown accustomed to. Instead, she found warmth, hope, and almost, just almost, sympathy. She thought maybe Kerryna wasn't so bad after all, that she could trust her. And tell her the truth. Unlike Palpatine.

 "Well, I believe that I don't deserve to have to stay here, and that you won't make me become a Sith. And that one day, good will win over evil."

 Kerryna looked at Mara, took a deep breath, and looked down at the floor.

 "Really, Mara. That won't do at all. I feel you could be helpful to us. I guess we have no other choice."

 "No other choice than what?"

 "You shall find out unless you relent, child."

 And Kerryna Occot left the room.

 The next day, Kerryna did not visit Mara at all. Her Master did, instead. The Emporer arrived at Mara's quarters, escortorted by two Stormtroopers. As soon as he entered her room, the troopers left the old man alone with the young girl.

 "Child. You must be turned to the Dark Side."

 Mara, showing her childishness, crossed her arms and turned away from the Emporer.

 "Don't you fear me, child?"

 "No."

 The Emporer stood up. "Very well," he said, raising his arms, blasting the nine-year old with more of his lightning.

 "How about now?" he asked, wickedly, as the nine-year old writhed in pain.

 "Yah, alright," she trembled. "I'm afraid of you. I've always been afraid of you. But that's not going to make me turn to the Dark Side."

 With a dramatic flourish, he left her room. Mara hoped he wouldn't come back. She prayed he wouldn't come back, even though she had no idea to what, or whom, she was praying to. Whoever, or whatever it was, it didn't listen. Palpatine came back the next day.

 He didn't say a word at first, just glanced at the girl, laughing inside himself at the look of terror in her eyes. He tested her strength then, with the most powerful, strong, and intense bolts of lightning he could wrench out of his fingertips. This went on for several minutes. The only thing which made him stop was the fear in his heart that the girl would die, even though she might be ready to turn. He did not want to lose a possibly ally.

 She sat up in her bed, silently. Kerryna entered the room then, watching the girl behind Palpatine. The old man didn't notice it, but Kerryna saw that Mara had a different look in her eyes than she had ever had before.

 She turned to face to the two Sith, and said, simply, "There is no light, only the Dark Side." It was a part of the Dark Side's Oath, which Palpatine had written himself, years before.

 It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

Chapter 9:

 Things were peaceful, or as peaceful as can be expected for a group of Sith, for a little while. Until one day.

 "Summon Grand Moff Occot at once!" Palpatine bellowed to the Stormtrooper he had called for, who had just arrived in the throne-room.

 "Yes, sir."

 Palpatine cursed under his breath, and then, Kerryna arrived.

 "Yes, Master?"

 "I have some rather disgraceful news."

 "I can take it, Father."

 "That's just it. I am not your Father, of course you probably figured that one out yourself. I was wrong, Kerryna, my dear, dear Kerryna. You do have a family."

 "I have no family but you, Master."

 "I'm afraid you do, my dear Grand Admiral. You were kidnapped by my loyal troopers. And your family still exists. Your father and mother desperately missed you after you were kidnapped, and they couldn't bear the thought of an empty home."

 "Go on, Master."

 "They had another child a year after you were taken from them."

 Kerryna stared at the old man, cloaked in his black robe and hood, in silence. She swallowed. Hard. Looked down at the floor and began to pace.

 "How do you know this, Master?"

 "I know. I can tell. I've known all alone. I had forseen it. I should not have kept it from you."

 Kerryna was silent for a few seconds more, then she looked up again.

 "A sibling... male or female?"

 "Female, my dear. And I'm afraid she is also as strong as you are. And is training to be a Jedi."

 "You mean..."

 "Yes, my dear. They, those insignifigant rebels, can fight fire with fire. And this may be their way to stop us."

 "How do I stop this, my Master?"

 "You, Kerryna, my dear, you must continue to develop the Dark Side of your mind. You must continue to develop the Dark Side of Mara's mind. Then, only then, will we win."

 "How do you know this, Master?"

 "I have forseen it."