Mediation That Could Not Begin

"What superweapon?" Tang Xiao asked with a frown.

"When I was still a Jedi youngling... I think I was only five that year. I heard my mother mention that on Yavin 4, the Sith Empire unearthed a superweapon from the ancient Sith Empire during the Hyperspace War a thousand years earlier. A Sith Lord named Exar Kun activated the Dark Reaper, but he was ultimately defeated... under the guidance of Ulic Qel-Droma." Lucien Draay said, "That means this superweapon has a history of five thousand years."

"The Dark Reaper..." Tang Xiao pondered the name before saying, "Is it... the kind of superweapon that absorbs other people's Force as energy?"

"You know far too much about darkness and forbidden knowledge. That is not a good thing," Lucien Draay said.

"That's none of your business. Besides, what exactly are you trying to do, shamelessly squatting inside Kresh's Gauntlet? You ignored me when I called for you before, yet today you came to find me on your own because the Dark Reaper was activated?" Tang Xiao asked, sitting in his chair with one leg crossed over the other.

"I can only continue to exist by relying on your power. You can make me disappear at any time. But look, I gave you all my legacy. Perhaps in the future, I can even lecture within the Twilight Covenant you just established. I have my uses," Lucien Draay said. "And most importantly, I can keep you from sinking ever deeper into darkness."

Tang Xiao did not dwell on the matter and asked directly, "What is the current situation with the Dark Reaper?"

"It has already been activated. With its activation, I fear millions of lives will perish—perhaps even more," Lucien Draay replied.

"The Galactic Republic will not stand by idly, and Count Dooku does not