Zarvell was pleased that everyone was doing their part of his "Lucifer" plan. With only seconds standing between success and failure, it was time to do his.

He reached out in the Force to touch the soul of Dianiss--or whatever was left of her in Dianiss' body.

At the same time, he reached out, way out, with all of his will to grab hold of that moment in time and stretch it out just enough that he could pass through it, transcend it. The stimulant was helping to extend his reach outside of reality, even as he allowed his own consciousness to fade.

As his mind fell away, so did the world around him, allowing him to enter another place that was like the real world, but with an otherworldly yellow glow everywhere. It was the realm of the Dream Walker, where ghosts and spirits are made manifest, and all time slows to a stand-still.

Here, there is no physical body, nothing but spirit. Here, Zarvell could stand and look around.

He could see the physical world, cast in its bright yellow aura, and everyone locked in battle, still as statues.

He saw his own body lying on the floor, face-up now, with Drellik kneeling next to him administering some sort of injection.

Denevee was there, casting the Death Strike, nearly half-way finished. In this place, the buildup of power around her was coloring her in a deep, dark red hue that bled into the ambient yellow background.

Galadina was there, her body in motion, about to strike. On her face was a look of determination, but her mouth betrayed a frown that indicated that she already knew she was going to be too late.

The bodies of Khem Val and Qyzen Fess were both distorted in this place. Khem appeared more like a very VERY old woman than a Dashade, and Qyzen looked like the Dashade that should have been there, but with a Trandoshan intimately close, lurking behind while watching and following his every move.

But the most unusual figure to be found was there where Dianiss otherwise would have been. In her place was a man, a Sith Lord, surrounded by a bright blood-red flame, wearing a mask. Despite the mask covering up any facial expression, his demeanor was confident, even arrogant.

At his right hand, engulfed in the flame, was a little girl about 8 years old. She was lying on the ground curled up in a fetal position, frightened, covering her eyes. Zarvell recognized her immediately as the daughter he had sent away to the Jedi years ago.

At the Sith Lord's left hand, also engulfed in the flames, was Sianid. She was on her knees, bent over, face to the floor, with her arms behind her back. She was struggling, as if to free herself from some unseen bond, but without success.

Zarvell approached the Sith Lord calmly and confidently, much like he had done with Sianid just--well, here, it felt like thousands of years ago.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Darth Zarvell the Imperius, Lord of the Sith, Elder of the Order of the Starlight."

Zarvell executed a polite bow before continuing.

"Lord Aloysius Kallig, I presume."
Behind the Scenes:
* Finally, some of the imagery I've been using pays off. More of that still to come.
* If you're not familiar with the Inquisitor story, the "Dream Walk" comes straight from there...it's not something I made up.
* Although the name "Aloysius Kallig" is written as a dramatic REVEAL...it really isn't. I've been hinting and foreshadowing it throughout the story, going all the way back to Chapter 2 (and in fact, even Chapter 1, which will become clearer shortly).
Notes from the Future:
* The world bathed in a yellow glow here is a direct connection to the events of the Inquisitor story on Voss, where the player learns the "Dream Walk" ritual to interact with the captured ghosts.  Zarvell is using it now to interact with . . . well . . . Lord Aloysius Kallig (I presume).