Mortals of gods were often made in myths. They were the punished, the ones hurled from the thrones of the heavens. Fallen gods walked among men, but generally all were eventually restored to their former place among their fellows.

For above all things, gods are fickle.

Men never rose to the level of the gods. Always the gods were portrayed as bending down to men, coming to their level, as it were. Gods dallied with mortal women, and sometimes goddesses played with the hearts and affections of men, yet only to the ruin of humanity. Men eventually grew tired of this, and stopped believing in the gods. Without belief, the gods grew powerless, and eventually disappeared.

For men crave power... and so they reached up and snatched the power from the gods... the power of belief. Man began to believe in himself above all things, and rose to the height of the gods in his own mind, and occasionally in the weaker minds of those around him.

Yet mortality claims the lives of men, Death takes them away, and their kingdoms crumble around them like so many matchstick houses beside an open flame. Men burn brightly, but quickly.

Myth joins fact, fiction battles reason for supremecy. Set aside these childish stories, and read the truth of my words.

The Force is true. The Force is power. The Force can offer you everything you want.

It can make you a god.

It can make you more powerful than you can imagine.

All you have to do is close your hand around what it offers you.

Give into your hate. The fires of your soul will light the path of your destiny. The Force makes gods out of mortal men.

Do not be afraid to take what is rightfully yours.



De'Ville turned over in her bed, the cool sheets sliding over her naked body. Her hand patted the pillow next to hers, feeling it's emptiness, and then drawing it in close to her body and snuggling against it. Her sleep was troubled. It always was. Lately she'd been dreaming about monsters attacking her in her own bedroom, but always awoke to total stillness.

The Devil's Advocate sliced through hyperspace towards the Onderon system. She'd contacted Mortis already, and they were meeting in the fortified city of Iziz a few days hence.

Until she arrived, there was nothing to do. The ship ran smoothly without her supervision. The Captain was efficient but not overly demanding on his loyal crew. They'd just had shore leave on Ithor, and were feeling jovial and upbeat about their mistress. She felt like the silent partner. Michel kept her ship and cargo hidden from spying eyes and safe from pirates, and she was very rarely even on board.

The Revenge was berthed in the fighter bay, occupying a corner of a room full of spaarti cloning cylinders. Half full, anyway. Paladin had just taken a second load of parts off her hands. Soon she would show him her true wealth. But not yet. He was salivating, almost begging for the hook that would bind him to her. She would enjoy it.

He was useful.

The Dark Jedi restlessly turned over, shoving the pillows away from her and thrashing about in the bed a bit trying to get comfortable. Onderon... She'd done her research, with Silus. It wasn't exactly a vacation spot. They called its moon, Dxun, the Demon Moon. It was home to wildlife so deadly and horrible that only a heavily fortified and defended city like Iziz could keep out the beastial enemy.

Some planet dwellers had tamed the beasts, but not all of them, and not enough, certainly. Yearly the Demon Moon dipped close enough in orbit to share atmosphere with Onderon. Yearly the beasts migrated and strengthened the numbers on the planet.

Daily the humans and other beings on the planet fought for survival.

Lilaena sat up, and called an object off her desk towards her with the Force. The metallic cylinder smacked firmly against her palm and her fingers closed around it. This scroll was the secret to something. Its runes meant nothing to her... she didn't have an eye or an ear for languages, and Sith runes were difficult at best. Yet these were unlike any she'd ever seen or studied. She hoped that Gav Mortis would be able to decipher them.

Onderon was once home to the Dark Jedi Freedon Nadd. He had been destroyed many times by the Jedi, and then once more, finally, by Exar Kun himself. Lilaena's lips curled up in a half smile, snuggling back down into her sheets. She fell asleep once more with the metal scroll tucked in close to her heart.