Epilogue

In a secret underground facility there was a room full of sparti cylinders holding not clone but another experiment. The Mandalorians had been the prototypes to this little project, and Demus had perfected the process through them.

The young beings inside the cylinders were his offspring and were made up of a random genetic sampling of his and Aayla's DNA. Like Demus each was receiving training from a subconscious program made to interact with their dreams

In the program he taught each separately with a standardized program, and most reacted relatively the same. Demus had a hunch that one of them would react much differently than the others; Demus wanted only the strongest, the rest could remain here in this universe.

It required patience to wait and watch. Even during his time away when he attacked Coruscant part of him monitored them.

Wisps of consciousness would draw his attention hinting that something was stirring. Hurrying back from Coruscant he allowed Talas to accompany him this time.

Demus had always come here alone. The techs and doctors who had setup the automated system that took care of them were long gone.

Demus himself normally checked in on them, when he wasn't forced to leave to deal with Imperial business.

The stirring sensed as they came into orbit of the strange barren world made him hurry. When the shuttle landed Demus headed immediately to a small metal structure that contained a hidden lift to the lab far below.

Talas barely keeping up with Demus was surprised by the level of secrecy. Whatever lay below was very important to his master, that much was clear.

Entering the lift they stood inside as the enclosed lift zoomed down to the lab. He could sense his master's growing impatience.

The last time he had felt anything like this something was terribly wrong.

Stepping out of the lift Demus headed across the narrow metallic hall opening a door.

Inside glass shards covered the floor along with dozens of bodies. Talas saw their resemblance to his master and understood now why his master had kept this place secret.

On the far side of the two survivors stood: one wounded at the shoulder with a glass shard imbedded there and the other picking himself of the ground. The wounded one had blue skin like Demus' dead son and was almost a true clone of the original.

Both had black hair but the second looked relatively human, except in the eyes. The young child's eyes were the color of charcoal and his heart was equally as black.

As his eyes passed over Talas the Grand Admiral visibly flinched as looked into the eyes of pure evil.

The wounded son struck hard and fast sending a force push into his brother and smash him into the far wall. Picking up a shard of glass he leapt on his fallen sibling trying to stab him.

They struggled and fought with the black eyed one shoving him off using his legs. In fight for survival the bottom one had cut his hands on the glass weapon.

The first one hit the ground and quickly came to his feet. Before he attacked again Demus raised a hand, and shot bolts of electricity from each of his fingers between the two boys.

"Enough." Demus said as calm as can be.

He found this to be an interesting surprise. Demus had only expected to find one that would be stronger than the others. Not only did he see two survivors, but they were the only survivors.

Images of Canlin who was the black eyed one mercilessly killing the rest of his brothers while they were helpless was still present in Demus' mind. Each of them had been impaled with small shards of glass; most from their own capsules.

Kail had awoken in time to deflect the most dangerous of the shards with only one getting through as a bunch tried to hit him at once.

The fact that Kail was the one who had survived the attack was a welcome surprise, though Demus would never have admitted it openly.

Kail was almost the mirror image of his dead son with only minor differences. Demus had named each of the subjects but these two had felt different in the beginning. He had never been able to explain why.

Motioning for them to approach Demus eyed his two sons a small smile creeping over his face.

"More than I could have hoped for." Demus said.