Re: Naboo: The Hidden Threat

Meanwhile, outside Sythis' chamber…

Niobe jogged to catch up to Sivan, taking great care not to step on the flow of her cloak as she marched forwards. Sythis’ abrupt dismissal was certainly unwarranted, Niobe knew that. His latest obsession, this Darth Scira, had clearly diverted his attention from what was happening on Naboo. Enough to the point where he was beginning to forget his loyalties. He was simply playing games with the Jedi rather than taking concrete action. And to make everything worse, Sivan and herself had been pushed aside to make way for greater plans; plans that were apparently too important to include them. Niobe was through with the deceipt, the lies, Sythis' little schemes.
   
“Master…”
   
The Sith woman showed no signs of hearing Niobe. Lost in her own thoughts perhaps, Sivan had probably already begun plotting the next step. Niobe sensed that their rushed meeting with Sythis had gotten under her master's skin. However reluctant she was to admit it, Niobe stopped her dead in her tracks.

“MASTER.”

Sivan halted. She gave no audible response, made no further movements, but Niobe knew that she had the Sith’s attention.

“Master, listen to me. I know you aren’t blind.” Niobe glanced around nervously at the other soldiers lining the halls. She slowly came up to her master’s side and spoke softly. “Sythis is slipping, and we are paying the price for it. He’s got both of us completely outside the loop. It doesn’t even feel like we’re in his jurisdiction anymore.”
   
Sivan’s gaze remained locked in front of her, her stone expression showing no traces of understanding, sympathy, or rationalization. Niobe moved in even closer. “Who’s to say there isn’t more he’s keeping from us? Huh?”
   
This last bit seemed to strike a nerve with Sivan, seeing as she quickly resumed her brisk pace leaving Niobe behind. Niobe's initial approach was not working. It seemed to only be making Sivan angrier. She had to see reason.
   
“Do you ever listen to a word I say?!" Niobe yelled out. She hadn't meant to speak so loudly, but her voice echoed through the palace halls drawing attention from all directions. "I'm sick of being labeled as this naive little girl. What is it going to take to prove myself to you people?"
Sivan was speechless. Niobe had never confronted her to this magnitude before. The two stood toe-to-toe in the center of the Grand Hall now. Having enough sense to reduce her voice to a harsh whisper, Niobe continued.

"I refuse to stand idly by while this bastard is…” Niobe let out a sigh of frustration “Sivan… we've been tossed aside."
   
Something flashed briefly across Sivan's features. She wasn't sure what it was… worry… anger… panic. But it was something.
   
“What do you—“

"Sivan… I know I'm not making this up. He spends every second he can spare with her in there.” Niobe said, interrupting her. “Haven’t you wondered where the hell he has been lately? We’re being left out to dry! There was a time when he only needed one person at his side, Sivan… and it was YOU. And now that he's lost his castle and his prisoners, he's beginning to lose his mind."
   
Sivan pivoted on her heel and pressed Niobe firmly against the wall with the back of her forearm. “You need to keep your voice down, NOW.” She growled into her apprentice’s ear. “Your opinion carries no weight in this situation, and I suggest you keep your ruminations to yourself before we both get killed.” Niobe struggled to free herself, and Sivan reluctantly released her.
   
 Niobe stared fiercely into her master’s eyes. “So that’s it, huh? We just march blindly on? What the hell do you owe him that would cause you to ignore something this obvious? You've been replac–“

   
The back of Sivan’s hand finished Niobe’s sentence before she could go on any longer. The force of the impact sent her back to the wall again as she clutched her face. Every part of Niobe wanted to strike back at her master: flesh, bone, lightsabers. Everything. But Niobe knew that would achieve nothing. They were already competing against each other. The last thing any of them needed was some kind of internal power struggle on top of their current problems. Whatever was happening, Niobe and Sivan were finding themselves right at the core of it. Sivan had since begun pacing the hall in front of Niobe. She refused to make eye contact with her apprentice, instead scanning the halls to make sure they hadn’t drawn any further notice. The guards watched them in their peripherals, afraid to be seen gawking. Niobe wiped some blood from her lip and folded her arms, watching as her master moved restlessly in thought.

"Let's say you're right," Sivan began. "What's to say we're in any position to do something about it? We just lost everything on Vjun. Sythis is coping with it just like the rest of us."

"Oh, what? Do you think Sythis has some master plan to defeat the Jedi? He's stalling, Sivan! And if he isn't going to act, somebody needs to." Niobe had already unsheathed her comlink and begun to hail someone. Sivan reacted instantly, grabbing her hand to stop her.
 
"What the hell has gotten into you?"

"I'm getting ahold of Darth Hydran. She's the only other one who might be able to help us. Saevita and Luke are a lost cause. Soma as well. Which leaves Sythis, Scira… and Hydran." Sivan loosened her grip. "I'm hailing her now."

"Are you crazy? You don't know where she stands. You can’t go around sounding alarms without any proof, Niobe. It raises suspicion amongst those far more powerful than yourself." The apprentice began to interject, but Sivan continued to talk over her. "If you are serious about this, you need to find something you can show Hydran and the others to get them on our side. Until then, we don't know where people's loyalties lie."

Niobe nodded solemnly and stowed her comlink. "So where do we start?"

Sivan began trotting down the wide palace steps. "We deliver Sythis' message to Hydran as planned." Niobe followed obediently in her master's wake. “When the opportunity presents itself, we will see it. And then we will act. Until then, my apprentice… try and exercise some restraint.” The pair finally reached the bottom of the cascading stairs and began marching towards the nearest hangar.

"Oh, and one more thing Niobe." Sivan went on to say.

"Yes, Master?"

"Don't ever talk to me like that again."

Niobe gave a small grin.

“Yes, Master.”

Re: Naboo: The Hidden Threat

Inestra had been given a grand guest room, made for visiting ambassadors. It had a massive four-poster bed too large for one, two or even three people. A window and balcony opened out to a view of the cliffs near Theed. The drawers and desk were made of a dark wood. A large closet, empty save for her trunks of clothing and belongings, broke off from one side of the room, and the other had a door to a bathroom large enough to host guests.

She ran her finger along the banister of the balcony. She lifted it and held a drop of water there for a moment. Then she crushed it with her thumb.

She had an uncomfortable itch in her mind. Something she had always had, some sense, had suddenly and drastically shifted. The distant feeling was now a dull throbbing, too small to be truly angering, too large to be ignored, buzzed somewhere within her. It was annoying and stupid and growing. She disliked it and feared it and mistrusted it. She had no idea what it meant or what it was.

She turned from the balcony, frustrated and made her way into the room, irritably stripping off her armor to get into something more appropriate for a king's guest. She tossed the pieces upon the bed and stood in her black undersuit. She stretched sore limbs and opened the suit, rolling it down to her waist as she entered the closet.

She heard the door of her room open and sensed Sivan enter.

“Is the ability to knock lost on you, sister?” Hydran spoke, not turning from her task of finding clothes.

Sivan tossed her bare back a look, then moved across the room and sat down in a chair. Niobe was far less comfortable, and moved to another seat, eyes avoiding the Sith Mistress. Hydran took her time, found a pair of dark pants, heeled boots and a long red and white blouse. She put them on with care, then turned and left the closet.

“There,” she spoke, “what is it, then?”

“There has been a disturbance at Soma's compound,” Sivan spoke impatiently as Inestra sat at a third chair, forming a triangle with the other two. “Two Jedi got in without difficulties.”

Inestra pondered this. “Is our Master worried at this?”

“No,” Sivan said, her fingers rasping along the arm of the chair, “he says it is all according to plan. In fact, we're to believe the problem has already been…eliminated. But he has called for a tightening of your guard around the other key areas.”

Inestra tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Of course. This is as much a test of my troops as it is a trap, I am sure. The troops failed at the compound. They'll be contacted and dealt with immediately.”

"You may want to be careful with punishments, sister," Sivan spoke, "men are limited."

Inestra waved a hand vaguely. "I disagree. We have a whole world to recruit from now. I have a few of the best propagandists that the Empire ever created. We could have more troops than we knew what to do with."

"A clever plan," Sivan spoke, then continued with slight hesitation. "Our master will be pleased."

"These troops would not be for our master," Inestra spoke, seating herself. "I am my master's servant, but my troops are mine."

"You would keep things from Sythis?"

Inestra sat back. "I keep nothing from him that he needs to know. He would know of the recruitment drive. He would not have direct command of my troops. I have worked too hard and too long building my fleet and my army to just hand it over to a new master. They are mine."

There was a momentary silence as both the Sith judged the situation. It was natural for Sith to oppose one another, it was in the nature of the Order, but occasionally it worked better to have allies. Hydran recognized this fact. And Sivan would be the best ally she could have. The first of Sythis' apprentices would have a special place in his heart. A foothold to more power.

Sivan seemed to have more to say.

“Yes, sister,” Inestra sighed impatiently, “you have more to ask.”

“This Lost Fleet,” Sivan said, “when do you intend to leave in search of it?”

“As soon as Soma returns and can provide us with direction. My ships also need some repairs, which are currently underway in orbit. The past has not been kind to them, and any repairs I can have done before such a long mission would be for the best."

"True," Sivan agreed with a nod, "we cannot have your ships fall apart halfway to the new fleet."

Hydran smiled. "I am happy about those ships. Imagine the strength of the Sith with such an expansion to our fleet."

"The strength of the Sith is in the Force."

"True, but the physical presence of a fleet of that size does not hurt."

Sivan stood. "Good. I will be prepared to leave when Soma returns."

"Of course."

Sivan left the room, Niobe following close behind.

Inestra rubbed her temples. That annoying shift was growing. And whatever it was, it knew where she was.

Re: Naboo: The Hidden Threat

It is the rainy season in Theed.  Moisture had gathered in the air, blanketing the rooftops in fog.  The upper windows of the palace are illuminated by flashes of multicolored light; which the Naboo people had come to know as the Jedi apprentices practicing their lightsaber skills.  Unknown to the casual onlooker, on this particular night the flashes of red and blue have a far more sinister purpose.  

*Crash*  Luke’s body is propelled through the glass of a palace window, tumbles through the air, and smashes into the slope of the nearest dome tower.  The wind is knocked out of him for a moment as he begins to slide down the dome, which has become slick from the fog.  Luke opens his eyes, blinking a few times to clear his vision.  He slowed his fall by plunging one of his lightsabers into the dome’s surface, he glances back at the window to see a thin line of red lightsaber light through the mist.  

“You’re not getting away that easy!” a high-pitched female voice shrieks from above.

“You think that was easy?” Luke muttered to himself still sliding.

Luke hears more glass breaking and can feel through the force Saevita manipulating the glass shards around her, and propelling them directly at Luke’s heart.  

“How did I get myself into this mess?” Luke thinks to himself.



Only 8 hours before, Luke was riding a speeder through the city square on his way to the palace garage.  The winds were changing on Naboo, and the feeling was being embraced by the populace.  Naboo was about to undergo a great change which seemed to hang, tantalizingly, just over the horizon.  In the Taverns and homes across the planet, local news was repeating the recent speech of the new Senator proclaiming a strong Naboo, one ready to defend itself against aggressors, to no longer be the victim planet of the galaxy.    


Luke had missed these events, and was listening to Sythis’ speech through his speeder helmet.  The reason that he had been absent was due to a mission to the Southern Province, assigned by the new Senator himself.  It was a shit assignment, and Luke knew it.  The Jedi had finally come in response to the coded message he had sent.  Luke had thought it strange that they came in only one ship, and soon found out that there was no fleet backing them up like he had expected.  Apparently the message he’d sent was greeted with skepticism, and they’d sent a scouting party. Shortly after the Jedi’s arrival, the Sith had had a meeting, at which Saevita had falsely accused Soma of bringing them.  Sythis was unconvinced and seemed to suspect the truth.  Despite Luke’s successful mission to Sterling which had assisted greatly in the populace’s choice to create the Royal army, Sythis seemed to have been growing suspicious of Luke ever since his arrival.  Whenever Luke was in his presence, he had to work very hard to keep the Sith Lord’s probes at bay; mostly this involved playing Sabaac in his head, a technique he’d learned while dealing with telepathic customers during his smuggling days.  He didn’t know if it worked on Sith Lords though, but took his continued survival as evidence that it was doing enough. Shortly after the meeting Sythis told Luke about the agent in the Southern Province who needed updating on the Sith’s current plans and her role in the situation.  Apparently, the information was sensitive, and could only be sent by messenger.

Being that he Sythis had assigned him the task personally, Luke could not refuse.  While preparing his speeder for the journey however, he gave R1-9, his loyal droid, instructions to contact the Jedi if the opportunity presented itself.  The assignment had gone well enough.  Luke had found the Sith agent, now posing as a smuggler.  Luke found it interesting that the agent was the same tattooed girl he’d seen when he’d glimpsed inside Koto’s mind once.  He did not mention it though, even when she asked about Koto after seeing his face on the secured datapad Luke had given her from Sythis.  He did not feel that it was his place, the fact that he didn’t care about any of these people was merely a technicality.  His unwillingness to give her the information she wanted angered the woman named Jaden.  She only calmed down when Luke reminded her that she would not want to incur the Dark Lord’s wrath should she blow her cover.  Luke left shortly thereafter, and began his journey back to Theed.  

It had taken a day and a half each way, but he made it back without difficulty.  He pulled into the Palace hangar, and checked his speeder in with the dock master.  Then he went straight to his ship, the only true home he’d ever known.  Luke admired the Freedom’s Edge as he strode across the hangar bay.  He knew every pipe and rigging on it.  When she was flying he could even tell the speed by feeling the deckplates, Luke grinned and said to himself “There’s no place like home”.  He reached the gangplank, and reached the hatch at the top.  Pressing his thumb into a panel that would look like a normal plate to anyone else, ship’s system scanned his DNA and opened the door.  R1-9 was there to greet him.

“Hello Master Luke, it’s so good to see you home once again sir.” The droid said in his oh so proper tone.

“Nice to see you too 9, so what’s been going on, did you speak to the Jedi?

The droid tried to avoid the question for a few minutes, telling Luke about all the work he’d done to the ship, and how many percentage points of efficiency were added by them.  Eventually Luke stopped him and the Droid laid it out.  How he had tried very hard to get the Jedi alone, but never could manage it.  He wasn’t going to leave a message, as that seemed far too dangerous.  Luke agreed with the droid’s conclusion and bade him to continue.  

“Well, sir, now it seems that it is too late.”
“How do you mean?” Luke queried.

“Well sir, the younger Jedi has been taken in by the one called Soma, to what purpose I do not know.”

“..And the elder one, was he able to escape?”

“No sir, he was killed by Lord Sythis earlier today according to the Palace computer.” The droid said after a brief hesitation.  

Luke put his head in his hands and processed the information.  After a short time R1-9 asked “Are you quite alright sir?”

Luke snapped up and said “Oh yeah, fine, this just changes things a bit.”

“May I ask how sir?”

“I’m not sure, but be ready if you get the signal.  You remember the signal right?” Luke asked

“Yes sir” the droid answered pointing towards the cockpit and adding “The green light flashing on the console is the signal.”

“Good, cause I’m getting the sinking feeling that we might have to make a hasty exit sooner rather then later.  Stay frosty 9, gotta get back to my ‘boss’.” Luke said leaving.

“Yes goodbye sir” the Droid replied as the door shut once again.  “’Stay Frosty’, does Master Luke want me to increase my coolant levels, and if so, by how much?”  the droid began to wonder out loud sincerely.


Making his way into the Palace, Luke strode through the corridors without opposition.  Security, having been instructed that the Jedi were to have full reign, merely stepped aside as he approached.  After a few quick elevator rides, and a few inquiries,  Luke found Sythis in his new posh office a floor below the King’s chambers.  Outside the door, Koto was standing guard.

“Back are you?” the dark skinned Sith said in his low deep voice.

“Nope, I’m a force ghost come back to haunt you” Luke responded sarcastically.

Koto merely sneered at Luke’s   “Did you complete your mission?” he inquired.

“That is for me to report to Sythis, not his underlings” Luke replied, contempt obvious in his voice.  Koto was junior to Luke in the Sith ranks.  This was a fact which Koto did not enjoy, and challenged at every opportunity.  Luke had to admire the younger man.  For someone new to the Sith, he’d picked up the basics rather quickly.

“Stand aside, or you’ll spend another night drooling on the floor.” Luke said menacingly while he made his hand glow slightly.  Koto’s eye widened slightly, but he regained his composure rather quickly.  Luke’s threat was in reference to one of their training sessions a week ago where Luke had used his Force Drain ability on Koto during a practice duel.  On this particular occasion, Luke had hung on too long, and Koto was unconscious for a full day before waking up.  Unlike Force Absorb, Luke could not control this ability, but Koto and Saevita were unaware of this fact.

“Master Adena is with the Senator, and has requested no admittance.” Koto replied.

“Forgive me if I don’t believe you” Luke said stepping towards the door again.  In response Koto ignited his lightsaber in front of Luke’s path.  The red light illuminated Luke’s figure.  Narrowing his eyes, Luke force pulled his blue lightsaber and ignited it.

“ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU STAND DOWN!” the two would-be combatants heard Sythis shout in their heads.  “Koto, allow Halcyon entrance.”

Both clutching their heads, the two Sith apprentices glared at each other, then retracted their deadly blades.  Koto was silent as Luke walked passed and the ornately carved door opened, and then closed behind him.

Inside, Luke saw Sythis sitting behind a large ornate desk, and Saevita standing to his right.  

“Welcome back Mr. Halcyon, we’ve missed you.” Sythis said in his calm cool voice.  Luke always thought that the Sith Lord’s voice was far too congenial and friendly for his station, but then deception after all is one of the Sith’s most potent weapons.  

“Speak for yourself my lord.” Saevita muttered, but was silenced with a severe look from Sythis.

“Now, did you complete your mission?” Sythis purred.

Luke could feel the Sith Lord’s powerful mind reaching into his, instinctively he started playing Sabacc hands in his head.  This seemed to produce a slightly raised eyebrow from Sythis, but the gesture was so quick that Luke had barely registered it.  

“Yes my Lord.  I successfully contacted the agent and gave her the parcel.” Luke said as he kneeled.

“Excellent my servant.  You may rise.” Sythis stated and Luke rose.  “Did Jaden respond with any message of her own?”

“Only that she awaits your next orders my liege” Luke replied.  He decided not to mention Jaden’s near outburst to save himself some grief.

“I see, very good very good.”  Sythis intoned.  “Now, onto a more pressing matter.  Your ascension…”

Luke ears perked up, and his eyes widen in genuine surprise.  “As…ascension my lord?” Luke questioned not believing his ears.

“Yes indeed.  You have proven yourself an asset to the Sith cause, and a potent opponent in the ways of the force.  In fact, Saevita has just informed me of the new skills you’ve cultivated under her tutelage.  Add these accomplishments to your successful endeavors in Sterling, and it is most impressive.  Therefore, I’ve decided to fulfill the promise that I made to you when we first met.  At midnight tonight, in the throne room, you will be made a true Lord of the Sith.”  

“WHAT! HIM!” Saevita shouted obviously outraged.  Luke swore that if the Maraluka had possessed eyes, they would have popped out of their sockets with shock.  

Sythis’ reaction was immediate, turning to face her he pushed out with his arm, and Saevita was pinned to the wall, and apparently unable to speak.  “When I want your opinion Saevita I shall ask for it.” Sythis hissed.  He turned to Luke and gave a congenial smile, something which looked rather out of place as Saevita vainly attempted to struggle against the wall behind him like some sort of grotesque wall ornament.  “Now Luke, we’ll see you tonight.”

“Yes my lord, and thank you.” Luke said as he exited.  

Once Sythis was sure that Luke had gone, he released Saevita who crumbled to the floor gasping for breath.  

“Now Saevita, you had an objection to my decision to promote Luke?  Oh, and do speak softly this time or I will have to silence you again.” Sythis said his hands clasped behind his back.

Saevita regained her composure and stood slowly.  It took most of her will, but she managed to say in a calm tone “You promised Halcyon’s life to me, as a reward for securing Naboo.”

Sythis stroked his chin and said “So I did my child, so I did.  Now tell me, did you think I had forgotten such a promise?”

Saevita looked confused, of course on a Maraluka this was difficult to discern without eyes.  “No, I mean Yes, I…I had a moment of doubt my lord, please forgive me”  Saevita said as she prostrated herself before Sythis.

The Dark Lord smiled, Saevita was cruel and volatile, but loyal to a fault.  “Rise Darth Saevita.”, she did not have to be told twice, and stood.  “I accept your apology, just be sure that it does not happen again.”

“Yes m’lord” she said bowing slightly.  She gritted her teeth and said “Do you wish me to participate in the ceremony tonight?”

Sythis grinned, “Of course I would….if there was a ceremony taking place tonight.”

Saevita’s head popped up and tilted to the left, a clear sign that she did not understand her master’s plan.  

“You see Saevita, I did not forget my promise to you.  You have done well here on Naboo, and used Halcyon effectively.  I had considered sparing his life.  His powers are growing and he would be a powerful ally, but…”  and the Sith paused, and with a look of sadness continued “…he cannot be trusted.  He shields his thoughts from me, and I no longer sense the rage and hatred within him that drove him to our ranks.  I surmise that he may try and follow the path of the traitorous Ceveir, his first master, this I cannot allow.  Therefore, I have decided to grant you your dearest wish Saevita.  Luke Halcyon will come to you tonight expecting to be rewarded for his service to the Sith, do see he gets what’s coming to him won’t you?” Sythis asked.

“Yes M’lord” Saevita hissed happily.

Luke sat in his Naboo bedroom thinking of the upcoming event.  He had spent the remaining hours in deep thought.  He had seen people after they had been through this ceremony, and he was extremely concerned about what it would do to him, and more importantly to his new found self-control.  He had witnessed Corran, Adena, and several others pass this rite of passage in his time with the Sith, and they results were always the same.  The recipient of the new “Darth” title overflowed with darkside energy.  Luke didn’t know how Corran had contained it enough to manage his defection after going through it.  Adena had been so entirely corrupted that Luke didn’t know if she could be saved at all.  If only he knew how it felt, maybe he could prepare for it.  Frustrated, Luke got up and started pacing for what felt like the 100th time since he’d left Sythis’ chambers.  He’d already washed and changed into his good Corellian clothes, and he couldn’t think of anything else to do to distract his mind.  The chrono next to his bed chimed, and Luke knew it was time to go.  He took a deep breath, and resolved himself to try and absorb as much of whatever Sythis put into him with Force Absorption.  Maybe he could find a way to dilute it.  It wasn’t a great plan by any means, but it was all he had.  He left his room, and walked through the corridors to the throne room.  Luke’s footsteps echoed throughout the empty halls, for not a single soul did he see on his way to the throne room.  Luke had expected this though, Sythis would not want the fact that a Sith ceremony was taking place in the palace to be public knowledge.  As he got off the lift to the top floor of the Palace, he saw Koto again blocking his way.  He braced himself for another battle of wills, but surprisingly Koto merely stepped aside, and opened the door for Luke to enter.  

The throne room’s motif had been altered since Luke had last seen it.  It was lined with lit candles which were the only light source in the room.  The throne itself was occupied by Saevita.  Luke suddenly got a cold shiver running down his spine.  He glanced back to find Koto securing the door.

“Trapped” Luke though, and he slowly turned his head back towards Saevita.  He had been found out, and led like a nerf to the slaughter.  Luke glared at Saevita, and watched as she stood, relishing every instance of this moment.  She was wearing a skintight black material around her legs, and a scrap of the same material contained her breasts and covered her eyes.  This left the medallion resting on the black cloth, and the majority of her Sith tattoos bared to the world.  Her lightsaber was twirling in her hand.  

“Ah, the guest of honor has finally arrived, now the party can finally start.” Saevita said starting to pace around Luke, Koto mirroring her movements on Luke’s other side.  He had to think fast.

“What’s going on Saevita?  Where’s Darth Sythis?” Luke asked buying for time.  He needed time to try and think of a way out.  He ran his hand through his hair, convertly pressing the slave transmitter placed there so long ago.

In the cockpit of the Freedom’s Edge a green light began blinking.   

“The Dark Lord won’t be coming tonight Luke, he knows of your treachery, and he’s given me the reward I so wanted for capturing Naboo.” She said licking her blood red lips seductively.  Luke knew what she was referring to, but he was still trying to figure out a plan.  Stalling would only work for so long.  “Time to push her buttons, see if I can get her to reveal anymore info.” Luke thought to himself and then said “I see, so candle lit room, skintight clothing…well it’s not really my cup of tea, but if you want another roll in the sack I’d suffer through it.”

*SNAP-HISS*
*SNAP-HISS*  
*SNAP-HISS*
*SNAP-HISS*  

Four lightsabers came into being, Luke’s blue one catching Adena’s downward strike, and his red Sith saber pointed at Koto who had drawn his blade last.  

“How DARE YOU!  You pathetic weakling!” Saevita spat, the spittle vaporizing on the blades.  

“Yes, you’re right, how dare I lower my standards to have ever slept with you!”

“AHH!” Saevita screamed, and Luke had to block three strikes from her in quick succession, and catch Koto’s side swipe with his off hand.  

“You can’t hold both of us forever Luke.”  Koto drawled.

“Thank you Captain Obvious” Luke thought, and then knocked each of their blades away, and force flipped back onto the Throne.  

“Maybe not Koto, but I can still give you one heck of a parting gift.” Luke said twirling his lightsabers menacingly.  “I’m surprised you brought your pet Saevita, too frightened to face me alone?”

“Me, frightened of you.” She laughed a high pitched cruel laugh.  “Hardly… Koto is here to learn how one disposes of a traitor.  He knows the killing blow belongs to me, but it would be unfair to deny him your prolonged agony.  This will not be brief Halcyon, You owe me a debt, and I am here to collect with full interest.”

“Traitor am I, and where did you hear that?” Luke asked as the each slowly approached from either side.

“Lord Sythis told me himself, he is aware of your treachery.” Saevita answered

“Well, I guess there is no use pretending anymore then. “ Luke said, and let down all his force guards which had been suppressing his force signature.  Through Saevita and Koto’s eyes, Luke grew brighter in the force, as his light side force energy swirled with his dark side energy.  Luke’s true nature was revealed to them through the force, and it halted them for a moment.  Luke used that moment of hesitation, and side flipped over Saevita and ignited his two sabers again.  Saevita reacted first and swung her own saber into Luke’s.  He batted her strike away, and sliced his off-blade at her chest.  She dodged it with ease.  Luke felt the Saevita and Koto both building up force energy, and put up a force shield around him.  Koto performed a Force push, which complemented Saevita’s amulet assisted Force wave.




The glass shards flew at Luke’s heart.  De-igniting his lightsaber, Luke slid to the end of the dome.  The glass stabbed into the dome following his path.   Luke slid off the slick dome, using the force, he caught himself on the Palace wall, and Force jumped off of it to the neighboring dome.  Landing with more control this time, Luke caught the stone lip just below the dome and was able to find his footing.  He stowed his Sith saber, and leaned against the stone wall for support as he had about 3 inches of stone that his feet were clutching to.  He reached out with the force to try and feel where his aggressors were, but he did not have to look far.  Luke force pushed upwards towards an incoming Saevita.  The last second push caused Saevita to slow, but instead of plummeting to her doom, she flipped to the side to regain her trajectory and land 5 feet away from her intended target.  Her lightsaber ignited she said “No escape for you this time Halcyon” and began her attack.  Luke ignited his blue saber and began dueling.  Her strikes came fast, but they were light, both were struggling with the thin railing that they fought on.  Luke felt Koto’s energy in the force as he landed on the dome above them.  Saevita thrusted forward but Luke batted her blade aside and jabbed her in the face.  Saevita took 2 steps back.  Luke’s blow had drawn blood, and she smiled.

Licking the crimson liquid with a look of perverse pleasure she said “Good Halcyon, good, I didn’t want this to be too easy.”

Koto was trying to control his slide down the dome, but failed and came hurtling down the slanted structure.  Luke was shocked and intimidated when Saevita actually caught the Sith apprentice in mid flight and force threw him behind Luke so that they flanked him.  He noticed the green hue in her eyes, and saw that the amulet had shone slightly as she did that.  The two Sith closed in on Luke.  Taking the offensive, Luke attacked Koto who was the weaker of the two, forcing him back.  Saevita didn’t waste anytime in attacking Luke’s back which he blocked with a reverse stab.  Taking advantage of her surprise, Luke kicked her in the ankle, and felt the tension on his blade lessen.  Luke then took two steps forward and slashed at Koto, who blocked Luke’s lateral strike with a vertical stance.  Twisting back he caught Saevita’s blade and pinned it to the wall.  Sensing Koto behind him, Luke drew his Sith saber, and ignited catching Koto’s blade with another reverse grip stab.  All three combatants were in saber lock, but Luke had no free arm, and therefore couldn’t block when Saevita kicked his kidney.  Luke yelled out in pain, but didn’t release his tension on their blades.  He had to get out of this somehow, maybe make a blind jump for it.  Luke was about to do just that to avoid Saevita’s second kick when a light shined down on them.

“YOU THERE, THIS IS THE NABOO ROYAL GUARD.  YOU ARE TRESSPASSING ON PALACE PROPERTY, LOWER YOUR WEAPONS OR WE WILL BE FORCE TO FIRE!” the hovering security ship shouted through the loudspeaker.  The red lightsabers must have caused them to investigate.  The “How to identify a Sith” security pamphlets had been passed around the entire planet, and it was why Saevita had been having Koto and Luke use different colored training sabers in their  duels.  Luke didn’t care why they had come though, cause he had never seen something so beautiful in his entire life.  Luke used the Sith’s distraction to twist batting away their blades just enough to allow him to force jump to the ship.  Luke landed on the hovercraft’s rear, but slipped and grabbed onto a vent.  Saevita reached out angrily through the force and snapped the patrolman’s neck.  Immediately the ship began to fall.  Luke sensing what had just happened, grabbed the stick through the force, and pulled it up and away from Koto and Saevita.  Koto leapt onto the security patrols’ ship, but slipped, and dug his lightsaber in to stop himself.  While this slowed Koto’s trajectory just enough to allow him to grab the wingtip of the ship, the engine began to sputter.  Luke felt the stick become unyielding, and with great effort through the force he pitched the ship so that it would fly over the grand ballroom.  Like all the roofs in the Palace, this was a dome, but unlike the others it had a flat top.  As the ship passed over, Luke and Koto slid off and used the force to cushion their fall.  Both combatants were sweaty messes.  Between the humidity in the air, and using the force almost constantly, they were both tired.  They knelt across from each other staring at the other, waiting for the charge they both knew would come.  

“You don’t have to do this Koto, you know that you can’t win.” Luke said breathing heavily.

“I’ve beaten you before” Koto gasped.

“Yeah, three times out of thirty, and that’s when I messed up.  This isn’t your fight, stand down, and just let me go.” Luke pleaded with the younger man.  

“My mistress’ love will give me strength.”  Koto said as he ignited his saber and charged.  Luke stood and intercepted the blade with his own, and replied with “LOVE!, HA!  She doesn’t love anything Koto, not even herself!” The two warriors spun apart, and Koto attacked again, this time Luke caught the over hand strike, spun it away and elbowed Koto’s nose which began to gush blood.

“You broke my nose!” Koto bellowed.

“An improvement I’m sure.” Luke replied, a cocky grin on his face.  “She’s using you Koto, and once she no longer has a use for you…she’ll kill you.”

Koto lashed out in anger at Luke, swinging his lightsaber wildly.  Luke’s lightsaber was batted away again and again with the force of Koto’s strikes.  Luke saw Koto’s pattern and ducked underneath one of his swipes.

“I warned you Koto, naptime!”  Luke reached out with a glowing hand and grabbed Koto around the neck.  In the fog, a brilliant flash of white light could be seen as Luke drained Koto’s energy into himself.  He saw the same glimpses of Koto’s past he’d seen before.  As always, Luke couldn’t let go, and so he force pushed Koto’s now limp form to the ground, and out of his own grip.  Luke checked the man’s pulse to make sure he was still alive.  He was, and Luke smiled.  He hadn’t wanted to kill Koto, only immobilize him.  

“Sir, are you there Sir!?” Luke heard R1-9’s very proper voice in his head.  

“9, where the devil have you been” Luke said into the mist.  He was trying to sense Saevita, but she didn’t seem to be anywhere around him.  

“My apologies Master Luke, but I was recharging at the time you trigger the signal, I feel just awful for having missed it, are you quite alright Sir, do you still need me to come?”

“Yes, I’m fine”  Actually, thanks to the energy he’d absorbed from Koto, Luke felt very refreshed.  “Home in on the beacon, and come and pick me up, we’ve just over stayed our welcome.  Also, plot a course though the least guarded part of the planet’s defenses based on the fleet formations you’ve been monitoring.

“Yes master Luke, right away”

“Great, I’ll see you in five.”

Luke quickly cut a hole in the roof of the ballroom, and with two quick force jumps to the upper terrace, and then the floor he was off running through the palace corridors.  He was almost at the lift when he paused.  Something was wrong here…

Luke ducked under Saevita’s blade just in time to see it whiz over his head and cut into the marble wall.  He’d forgotten that she didn’t see like he did.  Using the force she could pick him out anywhere.  Luke backed up and ignited both of his sabers.  The two old foes glowered at each other.  

“Almost had you there…getting tired?”

“Yeah, well I can still smell your vile stench, and no I’m not tired, Koto was nice enough to offer me a recharge.”

Luke reversed his grips on his lightsabers and flicked his head at Adena, “Come on Adena, you’ve wanted this for a long time, come and get it.”

The use of her pre-Sith name enraged Saevita even more and she charged Luke, her blade spinning so fast that it was merely a blur.  They danced around the hallway, Luke parrying her strikes and slashing back at her midsection.  Saevita side twisting, and flipping trying to get past Luke’s defensive stance.  For ten minutes they dodged, weaved, struck, danced, jabbed, twirled, jumped, twisted, and parried their way through the halls of the palace.  Saevita dodged one of Luke’s strikes by jumping to the left, kicking off the column, and nailing him in the head with her boot.  Luke stumbled down a side hallway and fell.  His lightsabers clattering along the floor.  The blow had been to his temple and he was seeing stars.  Still he attempted to get up, but was lifted up by the neck before he could put up a defense.  Saevita’s eyes and tattoos started to glow green, as she drew power from the amulet around her neck.  

“Now, feel the power of a TRUE LORD OF THE  SITH!”  she exclaimed as a powerful force wave emanated from her Luke was flung through another window and out onto a balcony.  Unlike the first window, Luke had not had a force shield protecting him this time through.  Pain erupted in him as he rolled over and pulled a piece of glass from his arm.  Saevita stood framed in the door frame, her hand held out stretched.  As Luke stood, she began to form a dark sphere of energy in her palm.  

“Do you remember this Luke?  You should,  it’s the technique you used to put Rax Alateen into a coma on Yavin.”

Luke did recognize the technique, it was a force bolt, this was it, this was how he was going to die.  Saevita began to weave green energy from the amulet into the Force bolt, making it even more powerful then the one Luke had used on Rax.

“Master Adena!  What are you doing?!”  a royal handmaiden shouted behind Saevita.  Without looking Saevita ignited her saber and jabbed the handmaiden in chest, she fell to the ground, dead.  “Little whelp, how dare you interrupt me in my moment of triumph.” The Sith mistress spat.  She turned back to Luke, but he had already covered the distance and had grabbed the force bolt in her hand.  Instead of damaging his hand as it had done when he’d used it months before, Luke now absorbed the Force bolt into himself.  He had never attempted this amount of energy before, but he had no choice.  As the bolt disappeared into Luke's hand he felt his force reserves replenish.  “NOO!” Saevita yelled as she went to slash Luke with his lightsaber, but he sent out a powerful force push that sent her reeling.  Force pulling his lightsabers back to him, he performed the most rudimentary force healing on his arm to staunch the blood flow, but that was all he had time for.  Saevita had recovered and was charging him again, her eyes bright green and livid.

Luke ignited his lightsaber and blocked her attack, but she had force jumped at the last instant.  Her momentum sent them both over the balcony’s railing.

“I WILL NOT BE DENIED MY REVENGE!” Saevita screamed.

“You’ll kill us both!” Luke yelled, and tried to force push his way out of the lock.

“Then we’ll DIE!” Saevita replied and matched his force push with one of her own trying to keep them locked in the embrace.  As they spun and twisted towards the bridge linking the rest of the palace with the observatory, the two force users increased the intensity of their pushes until the combined force sent them spinning apart.  Each landed crouched on the side of a spire of the palace on either side of the bridge, and both force jumped back at each other.  

Their lightsabers ignited and they clashed in the middle of the bridge.  Each combatant landed on either side of the bridge neither having hurt the other.  They started to charge one another when they heard the roar of engines and the Freedom’s Edge burst from the fog.  It rained down stun blasts on Saevita’s side of the bridge.  Unable to block the blue pulses, the Sith collapsed.

“Perfect timing 9!” Luke said as he force jumped to the ship.  Looking down to Saevita crumbled against the stone.  Seeing what she had become, he had a sudden onset of guilt.  He whispered…”I’m sorry” and hopped down into the ship through the roofhatch.

“9, Get us out of here!”

“With the utmost Pleasure Sir! The droid echoed from the cockpit.

Re: Naboo: The Hidden Threat

The picture in front of Jaden was a satisfying image of the beauty of the night as she leaned over on the balcony of one of the Royal palaces guest rooms that overlooked the city of Theed below.  Above dark clouds absorbing the moon’s light as they raced past.  The cool night’s winds seemed to move slightly more than usual; below she could hear the chatter of the crowds whom were constantly present gathering around the capitol whether it be tourist or for individuals in Theed business; it didn’t seem like the palace ever was out of the spotlight.

“So many, so many” she said with darkness in her voice.  So many would soon have begun to see Sith as a blessing from the force.  So many would later understand that the universe isn’t built on equality, but rather survival of the fit.  So many get to be corrupted by the Sith and will eventually welcome themselves to join the Sith’s cause against the Jedi and the New Republic.  “So many…so many indeed.  Well done Sythis.”

“Enjoying the view?”  The cold voice said  directed towards Jaden.  She didn’t nneed to turn she knew this could only have come from one individual whom she knew.  She re-entered the room where the assassin droid known as Kim was waiting in the entrance of the doorway next to the two Noghri who guarded the door.  Jaden knew that Sythis had Kim programmed to obey her however she also realized that they both had the same master and at a moment either of them would be instructed to kill the other there would be no hesitation.

Jaden motioned for the Noghri to let Kim pass as they lowered their weapons and allowed the droid to enter the room.

“Yes, but I don’t believe that’s why you have came here.” Jaden replied stopping at the center of the room as Kim walked forward pulling one of the Sith training sabers Jaden had seen on Vjun out of her sheathe from her back.  

“Our master has tasked me with improving your skills with a lightsaber.  He commends your abilities in the force, along with your skill in hand to hand combat; yet your skills with the lightsaber leave something left to desire.”  Jaden almost burst out laughing before the words seeped deep into her, she had killed many with her lightsaber, Smugglers, Rebel Soldiers, Bounty Hunters, un-loyal Moffs, Jedi, and enemies of the Empire alike yet her master thought that her skills weren’t sufficient?

Jaden remained silent.  Letting the cool breeze blow past her, if this droid thought that it could best Jaden in combat it had another thing coming.  

“I’m certain that you have heard what has occurred with Saevita and Koto.  This was an unforeseen yet not anticipated.  Our master wishes to make sure you are ready for your next task.”

Jaden knew that she was always prepared for a mission yet the events around Saevita nd Koto were still and mystery.  She had always prepared for the worse yet the events were still unbelievable as she once again retraced what had occurred.  After she completed her task of destroying two public transports she met with the man from Yavin 4 who Koto and her had recruited to meet with Sythis named Luke.  Luke gave her an encrypted data pad with her new assignment she set off to the city of Selton.  After gathering the ship and disposing of the crew she flew it to Theed where she had requested modifications be done to the new ship.

When she arrived back to Theed it was then that she felt Koto was in danger.  Yet with all of these Sith; she didn’t expect an amount of destruction to occur.  They found Koto on the roof unconscious and not responsive and found Saevita on one of the upper level balconies of the palace not responsive also.  They were both placed in bacta tanks in the palaces infirmary immediately.  Jaden did not know the woman’s capabilities that well, but she looked like she could hold her own; she knew Koto is very skilled and for something to over power both of them like that and leave them still alive reeked of Jedi.  She had received reports from the security team that two Jedi had landed on Naboo, it could have been them, but the thought of a mere Jedi Knight and their Padawan doing this just didn’t make sense, nor did it seem probable given her knowledge of Koto’s capabilities and Sythis’ notorious apprentices.  Something wasn’t adding up.

She considered this before speaking.  “So I’m hunting a group of Jedi, I assume…”  

“Perhaps he will decide after I report back to Sythis.”  Kim said igniting the red colored training saber.  Jaden was already in her open fighting stance similar to stance she used against the droids she trained with on Vjun.  She thought this to be no different, but she knew that Sith were always one step ahead of their competition and even though Kim was a droid Jaden knew better than to underestimate her.

“Oh and Jaden, no force usage.”  Kim said before tossing the other Sith training saber towards Jaden.  A conditioned reaction was to reach out to the force and let the force guide the saber into her hands, yet she found no force.  What is going on? She thought a moment before her eyes shot wide open as she receiving a sharp pain on her arm.  

A loud crackle was overwhelmed by Jaden’s hiss of pain.  As she backed away from Kim in a defensive stance holding her now ignited red blade tip pointed toward Kim.  She attempted to focus yet the pain was ever present.  What is going on? She thought to herself as her mind raced back and forth on possible reasons why she couldn’t call upon the force. Her left arm was limp and in immense pain.

“Come on now Sangra”, she said mocking her, “I expected more from a Sith.”

Jaden knew what Kim was trying to do, yet she remained silent focusing her defense.  Kim wanted her to go into a rage and act wildly making careless mistakes so that the bout would be over,  but Jaden knew better than that and remained focused watching the assassin droids movements as Kim continued her assault on her swinging with precision only a blademaster could perform.  Humans make mistakes, droids are programmed not to have that human element and this showed as her attack was without error.  She devised another plan as she realized that she would eventually make the error and loose focus if it came down it.  But like all things, droids also have a major flaw, they could be duped.  Jaden continued patiently blocking until she saw her opportunity.  Kim was swinging from left to right as Jaden rolled toward the blade allowing it to once more this time in the leg.  She shut off the saber as she began her ploy as Kim stood above her looking down.

“Pity” Kim said with disappointment “Our master will not be pleased.”

Jaden continued her ploy expressing her pain this time before replying back to Kim’s words.  

“Pleased at who?  I know my short comings, you don’t realize that your his second class droid, who doesn’t even know anything else than death.  He could have assigned you to anyone if he wanted you to spar with them.  Did you ever process that your master assigned you to me for another reason?”

That’s it, come a little closer Jaden thought as the droid began to process Jaden’s words yet her blade was still by her side.  “If this were true, what is the logic behind his actions what does he want me to experience.”  The droids posture now more relaxed.  Jaden rolled over on her back looking up at Kim.  “Don’t know, but what ever it is I’m sure it didn’t involve…”  she pretended to not be able to breathe, she had known about the effects of the microbacteria on the blades, and there limits as far as shutting down the vital organs of the body, yet the droid couldn’t process this due to not being able to feel anything.  Kim strongest asset of being such an efficient lifeless killer would be her fall this time as squatted down.

“Didn’t involve what?”  The droid said with more confusion.

Jaden’s hilt shot to life as she thrusting her blade into the droid’s abdomin.  “That.”  She said with a little smirk on her face still showing the pain of the attacks.  Kim stood up pulling the training saber from her abdomen, every organ inside of Kim was artificial and there for there for show.  She looked down at Jaden who lay there.  

“Impressive Sangra, you hit a number of critical organs that if I were alive I would not be dead within a matter of moments.  Indeed you have learned that no matter whom your opponent is you use anything to win. Now I am aware of this, so you should be aware that this shall not happen again and I’ll make sure next time you try to question my protocol that I aim for your head with my blade.”

Jaden struggled to get up the bacteria still was effective and would be that way for a while.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way Kim.  I only have one question how did you cut me off from the force?  I felt a void around us as soon as you said that?”  Kim smirked as she left the room.  Kim immediately made contact with Sythis.  

“Report” The dark voice of Sythis said.

“The pilot project seemed to work master.  The Ysalimari successfully was able to shut off Sangra from the force which allowed me to overwhelm her within 19 seconds.”  

“Excellent she is indeed strong in the force and a gifted user.”  He paused for a moment “And the creature is still intact?”  

Kim reached into her abdomen to feel the severed head of the baby Ysalimari. “The creature was regrettably killed in the exercise, when Sangra impaled me.  It was a momentary lapse in my processing master and I can assure you with 100% that this will not happen again.”  

“So Sangra was able to defeat you without the force.  Perhaps there is more to her than originally foreseen, this presents a new opportunity for me.  The death of the creature is most unfortunate.  Perhaps you are getting close to decommission, or…you are to close to Sangra as these lapse never occurred prior.  I do not need to remind you of what happened to your predecessor when it became obsolete and you took its place.”

“As I said Master, this will not happen again.”

“Make sure it doesn’t, I have much to discuss with you, dispose of it and report to the droid maintenance room for repairs.  Once your repairs are complete you are to meet me in my chambers.”

“Yes master.” Kim said as she headed toward the maintenance room unhooking the wires that connected her circuitry to the baby Ysalimari.


“Sangra are you okay” One of the Noghri guards asked while helping her up.  

“I’m fine.  These wounds will heal and I will be fully recovered soon.  You all need to get prepared, I sense something is coming and we must be ready at dawn.”

“Yes Sangra.” The Noghri replied as the helped her over to the bed.

“Have you all checked the modifications for the ship as instructed?”

“Yes, everything requested will be completed by tomorrow.”

“Good”, she said now laying on the bed.  The pain was starting to be much more severe and she knew she needed to rest before her great journey…

She laid there till she felt a familiar tingle in her limbs as she reached into the force to allow herself to regain her strength in the limp limbs and soon she was slowly able to bend her hand and then was able to put weight on her leg once more.  She slowly headed toward the bathroom.  After showering and cleaning up she stopped in mid step as she caught a glimpse of someone in the full mirror.

She stood there looking at the image of a pale woman; a dark burnt grey hood covered the top of her face exposing her eyes and the lower portion of her face.  Jaden continued to look at this woman whose reddish eyes looked as if they were permanently set on fire.  She wore a similar tattoo on her face just as Jaden had along with many more scars particularly one on her neck, her dark Sith robes were lined reinforced with armor.  Jaden’s attention then turned to the woman’s hand which looked like a claw no doubt a prosthetic limb.  As Jaden lifted her hand to touch it, the woman in the mirror mimicked her.  Jaden continued to do different actions as the reflection mimicked these actions for a few moments.  Jaden finally looked into the eyes once more as the reflections eyes began to turn black.  It was then that she realized the person in the mirror was herself.  Within seconds Jaden’s skin started to feel as if it’s on fire causing Jaden to claw at it.  She continued clawing at it so much that her nails had cut through her skin yet she couldn’t stop herself.  It was getting worse the reflection of Jaden suddenly lifted her hand and Jaden began to feel as if someone was choking her.  She was lifted off the air trying to break the grasp around her neck as her body started smoking.  She let out loud scream staring at the figure who held and evil grin before waking up from her sleep on the bed body covered in sweat.

She immediately rushed to the mirror only to see her normal self in the full mirror.  She splashed her face in the sink’s water as she took a deep breathe not knowing what had occurred.

Jaden turned back to the balcony looking outside noticing that the sun had came into the room without her noticing.  “Aw Frak” she immediately said she quickly washed up before putting on the smuggler garb, her saber and the data pad then ran out the room.

The data pad that she had received from Luke contained two parts.  The first part was to secure the smuggler’s ship which she had already completed.  The next part would be to infiltrate the rebel station and either free the prisoners of Vjun or dispose of them.  The dark lord had received information from one of his spies that the captives are in route and would be transported to another transport before transported to Coruscant to finally stand trial in front of the galaxy and potentially expose the new Senator.  The Rebel Alliance has been transporting the captives since Vjun in order to reduce to possibility of escape.  Jaden and her crew, which up to this point she knew included her 2 Noghri guards and Kim, were to go to the rebel station and disguise themselves as the transport crew and recover the prisoners.  There was a high possibility that the prisoners were heavily guarded and possible Jedi protection.

She made sure her concealed her saber as she ran down the hallway toward the turbo lift as she was set to depart within 20 minutes…

Re: Naboo: The Hidden Threat

Darth Sivan and her apprentice, Niobe, exited the chambers of Darth Hydran and suddenly became instantly aware. She had felt a great disturbance in the Force. Something was not right.

"Master?" Niobe quickly spoke up. "I sense it too."

They both turned in the direction of the disturbance of the Force and began moving cautiously down the corridor of Theed Palace. Sivan sent out her thoughts to check on the other Sith: Hydran, Jaden, and Scira first. Nothing seemed amiss with them. When she reached out farther toward the throne room, she was stunned to feel a cold, black whirlpool of twisted Force around the dome of the palace. It stunned her.

<I>Saevita, Koto, and Luke!</I> she recognized. <I>The traitor is here! I must help destroy him!</I>

Sivan sprinted toward the direction of the battle, hesitated, then a voice boomed in her head. It nearly overwhelmed the Sith mistress.

<I>My disciple! DO NOT INTERFERE!</I> The Dark Lord's thoughts lanced into her mind. <I>They will rid the traitor, Luke. You will do as I say, my servant!</i>

Niobe spun around to stare at her master, her robes swirling with the rapid motion. "Master?! What is wrong?!"

Stunned, Sivan reeled backward, clutching her head. "Master Sythis orders me not to interfere with the conflict," she said. "He wishes us to do another task."

"Master," Niobe said, keeping her voice even and taking a step toward her, "what is it Darth Sythis orders us to do?"

Sivan reached inside her robes and retrieved a small datapad. Activating it, the information quickly downloaded into its memory from the Dark Lord's chambers. The brilliant screen ignited, humming and ready for use. The Sith quickly scrolled through its contents and frowned after she finished reading.

"We are to meet a new client at Theed's spaceport. A passenger liner has just landed. Master Sythis has a job for our new asset," Sivan explained, raising the datapad in her hand. "His task is noted in this datapad. We are to meet and escort the client back to Theed Palace to do the assignment."

"So now we're lowered to mere couriers to this new visitor?" Niobe spat. "This person should come to <I>us</I> instead!"

"Do not question Master Sythis," Sivan hissed in a low voice and clentched one of her fists. "Remember your place, my apprentice." Niobe's muscles suddenly coiled and tensed. Stabbing tendrils of the dark side drove into her body. She felt a sudden rush of cold.

"I'm sorry, Master," Niobe tensed. "I shall learn my place."

"Good, my servant." Sivan made a dismissive gesture with one hand, and the sudden wave of the dark side vanished into thin air. "Now let us make our way to the spaceport."

+++

The air speeder headed east, toward the spaceport.

The airborne vehicle lanced through a remote system of criss-crossing traffic. Towering walls of durocrete buildings loomed across the skyline of Theed, all but blocking out the setting sun.

Niobe had spoken little during the long journey. Sivan could tell she was deeply disturbed by the course of action and the place she had now taken among the Sith. As if Niobe should be ruling over Naboo already!

She looked at Niobe with concern. After spending so much time together, she had hoped that she would be quicker to open to her when she was going through a rough time. She wanted to be there for her, especially at moments like this. <I>Give her time</I>, Sivan told herself. <I>This is all pretty new to her and she still is dealing with her brother's death as well…</i>

The landing pad loomed ahead. A lone figure was waiting for them at the spaceport's entrance.

"Looks like our new client," Niobe guessed.

"It is," Sivan confirmed. "Master Sythis informed me that our new client is a Verpine. One of the best slicers so it claims. We may be the first humans he's worked for in a while."
 
+++

"Lost Dax," Sivan greeted the alien. Her face and voice held a warning. "Welcome to Naboo. My Master sends his greetings. I am the Mistress Siovan."

The Verpine's two huge black eyes blinked in greeting. "Greetings, Siovan. I was recommended by Savo on Nar Shaddaa. He says you have a job for me?"

The Sith mistress nodded slightly. "You can slice, forge, and manipulate anything? Transmissions? Holographs? Coding?"

"Of course. We have an exceptional eye for detail, so anything that needs to be forged will be of the highest quality" The Verpine's eyes blinked again. "You've never dealt with our kind, have you?"

Without warning, Niobe approached from behind standing right behind Drix’t. The insectiod alien spun around and looked up. "And you are?"

"Your escort," Niobe replied. "Master is an impatient client. We should get going."

"The speeder is this way, Dax." Sivan gestured toward the stationed vehicle. "Niobe is correct. He is quite impatient."

+++

Master? Master of what?

Drix’t's mind wandered at the title as he was escorted inside Theed Palace. Several war droids greeted them in the foyer and they continued their journey deep inside the massive structure.

Eventually, they entered a large conference chamber in which another human– a female– stood in the shadows nearby. Fully dressed in long skirts and bare-footed, she kept a close eye on the Verpine, who was now standing by a long wooden table. Datadiscs and recording rods, recovered from the Jedi, were stacked atop the table. On the other side of the table, a dark figure with long flaxen hair was seated. The Verpine eyed his client nervously, no longer trying to hide his fear behind a sardonic manner.

"Greetings… Master?–"

"Verpine, I have a job for you." He interrupted. "If you accept, you will become involved in a project that will be centered to destroy the New Republic, the Jedi, and the remnants of the Galactic Empire." Darth Sythis stated bluntly. "You will be paid handsomely if your talents work out for you. Do you have a problem with this?"

"Tell me what I have to do and I will give you my answer. I cannot commit if I don't know what the extent of my work will be." Drix’t reasoned. The Verpine thought about the specifics of his payment, but decided against asking. He could tell this man would not be troubled with such "petty" matters.

"A good response, Verpine." The Dark Lord flipped through the holoprojector's controls as he spoke. A blue image appeared at the center of the table. It displayed the visages of two Jedi, then morphed to the shuttle they arrived in.

"The Jedi have come to Naboo to overthrow the reign of King Tymen by order of the New Republic. Fortunately, his Majesty's guards have successfully defeated their coup and were killed." Sythis looked up from the image to the Verpine. "I need you to enter into the shuttle's comm systems and slice their encryption coding to send a false message back to the New Republic. By now I am sure they are wondering what has happened to them. I don't want them prying again to find out."

Drix’t nodded. "It can be done. What else do you need?"

"I want you to generate a false message having these Jedi plea for help from an Imperial attack on their shuttle. You also need to falsify an image having the shuttle being destroyed by an Imperial Star Destroyer. It will then silence the New Republic's suspicions as to what happened to the Jedi they sent here." He gestured to the stack in front of Drix’t. "These datadiscs should help you with the project. It has information on each Jedi and the Imperial ship to be blamed on."

Drix’t took one datadisc in his hand and studied it.

Lord Sythis now stood from his seat and glared. "Well, Verpine? Do you accept? Or decline? Time is of the essence."

Re: Naboo: The Hidden Threat

Kyle entered the capital building with a new found confidence brought on by his new powers.  This was a feeling that radiated to those around him as well, guards quickly parted as he passed them, some too afraid to make eye contact with him, his eyes were another change, while his anger burned throughout him, his eyes radiated yellow with hints of orange and red.  At times it was all that could be seen through the shadow of his cloaked head.  His new master Soma was there to greet him, once a Jedi Master, now turned into what, Kyle was not so sure, whatever it was, he still commanded much respect as he had quickly learned.  He bowed conveying that respect.

"Master."

"Done well you have, my apprentice, but I still sense conflict in you I do."

Kyle rose as he responded to his masters question.  "Yes master, I must confess there is."

"Troubled by your actions you are?"

"Yes master, when I killed those men I felt free for the first time, there was no conflict, I felt justified in my actions while in the moment but as my anger subsides I find myself more confused by the force than ever.  My actions…they were not what my former master taught me about the force…they were not good, they were not the Jedi way.  It was the way of the darkside which is said to be evil."

Soma was amused by his answer.  As they walked he coupled his hands together as he responded.  

"Ah yes, way of the Jedi you speak.  In time, help you see through their hypocrisy, I will.  Remember Kyle, the force is everything and everything is the force.  The darkside you speak of, only believe you of light and dark, good and evil mmmm?  Nothing more to the force there is for you?  Determines what is evil, the Jedi do?"  

Soma stopped, looking him in the eyes as he turned to face him, motioning to the ground as he spoke.  “Where on the ground, which stands good and evil?”

Kyle shook his head as if still confused.  "But master, my actions were of the darkside, I was out of control."

"Out of control, you were not" he responded sharply.  "Only excuses you make."

"Excuses?."

"Lying to yourself, you are?  Believe that type of person you are, you do not."

Kyle took the initiative and started walking once again.  He spoke with a sudden clarity of the force now, confidently, he felt back on firm ground.

"The Jedi value life, they don't destroy it.  That is how you tell the difference, that is how you know where stands good and evil.  When I went into that room, all I wanted to do was hurt every last one of them."

Soma peered up him with a sense of his own confusion now.  "Wrong that is?"

"Yes master, that I know is the darkside."  

"Matters only to you why you did it, not what you did mmmm?

"Well no master I-"

"If sent there by the noble Jedi, done something different you would have?"

"That's not what-"

Again his master cut him off.  "Killing them in a Jedi way, makes them any less dead it would?  To them it matters not that you killed them while enraged or cool and calm like a Jedi?"

Determined to finish his thought this time, he spoke with a little more force.  "It matters to me."

"Mmmmmm, so kill you can then, as long as you are calm.  If there you were, when killed your loved one was, would you not have been angry, would you not have killed those responsible?"

Kyle finally was starting to catch up to the rationale his master was making.  He couldn't honestly say he would not have killed those responsible had he been there.  He questioned if time really made any difference.  As they arrived to the conference room Soma stopped him once more to make one finally point.

"Offer many powers and abilities the force does.  Make you invincible it can, up to you it is, to decide which to learn and how to use them.  The force is one, the force is life and death, waiting to corrupt you, it is not."

It made sense, if the force created and sustained life why would it wait to corrupt you as well.  He was beginning to see the hypocrisy of the Jedi ways now.  But now was not the time to ponder these questions.  As the door slid open he saw an older human male garbed in dark overflowing robes, what appeared to be his mistress, and oddly a Verpine.  Darth Sythis was the first to greet him.

"Welcome Kyle, we have been waiting for you, I am Darth Sythis, this is my mistress Darth Sivan, and our new Verpine friend, Dax."

He bowed showing his respect.  "It's a pleasure to meet you Lord Sythis."  All the horrors he'd been told about the Sith seemed unfounded.  They were welcoming and courteous, perhaps another lie he had been told by the Jedi.

"I understand Soma has taken you under his wing."

"Yes master, his guidance has been most valuable in the short time I've known him."

"Good…I'm also glad to see you have eliminated our separatist threat as well.  With your task completed I fear you are long overdue for a report back to the Jedi?"

“Yes master I’m sure if they don’t hear something soon their suspicions will be even worse.  But what am I to report, I can’t go back now.”

Soma answered with a vow of certainty.  “Handle that, the Verpine will.”

Drix’t stepped forward tapping a datapad in his palm as he walked.  

“This here will solve all of your problems.  All I need from you is A-list acting and a little bit of your time.”

Kyle looked at his master for some reassurance.  Soma nodded in approval.  

“Well, tell me what I need to do then.”

“Certainly, if you’ll take me to your ship, this won’t take long.”

The Verpine was right it didn’t take long at all.  After a few rehearsed tries he had succeeded.  Initially he had Kyle report back to Master Ranzen stating that the Separatist threat had been eliminated and turned over to the local Government for prosecution.  The Jedi's next instructions were to report back to Courscant for a more formal debriefing.  The rest of the operation was trivial for a slicer of Daxes skill set.  He sliced Imperial records for an authentic ISD registry, created static for the transmission, downloaded the emergency locator's transmitter frequency from his ship triggering it to go off once the transmission ended.  He ripped through the process with skill and precision, it was confusing and he had lost Kyle a long time ago.  Finally Dax had finished, it was all well timed, all Kyle would have to do is hit send and they were done.  Taking a deep breath he obliged.  

“……..c…me…in”  The transmission briefly steadied as if Kyle was attempting to boost the power or reroute it around Imperial jammers.  The ship could be heard buckling under the unmistakable sound of a capital ship’s turbolaser fire.  “This is Kyle Lok of the shuttle Probity.  We are under attack”  The transmission was interrupted as if the jammers once again caught up to him.  “we were ambushed, yan……ed….fro…..hyp…space near Zo….an…approaching…the…Corel…..run.”  Once again the transmission steadied.  “We are critically damaged, our attacker is the” but again static broke up his words.  “…..Destroyer…..Erra……ture.”  As if in one final attempt to ensure the New Republic and the Jedi council knew who was behind the attack, he managed to send out one more clear transmission.

“IT WAS THE EMPIRE!”

Following his final words was the eerie but brief sound of his ELT transmitter indicating the destruction of the ship followed by silence.

Re: Naboo: The Hidden Threat

“As I’ve said countless times, the Manda-Roon Merchant Route is both faster and safer.”

“And as I’ve said countless times, I don’t want to be seen by New Republic or Imperial Remnant swine, do you understand me? We take the Death Wind Corridor.”

The seemingly constant arguments were becoming frustrating. She knew that her prime astrogator aboard the Black Moon, a man with infinite skill but no sense of self-preservation around his master, was simply trying to keep them safe during the looming flight to the Lost Fleet near Roon, but she was growing weary of his arguments. The extra time it would take to go to Ryloth and then to Roon through the Death Wind Corridor would be worth it. It only added two days to their journey, and with such a small company as they were taking (only the Black Moon itself and two Victory-class Star Destroyers, the Wrath of Dragons and the Wyrd-Way), it would be safer in the long run.

“Ma’am, I beg you to reconsider,” the astrogator, whose name was Bradley Uther, said.

“Bradley,” she shook her head as she sighed his name, “I like you. You are a superb astrogator and a great pilot.”

He was taken aback. “Th-thank you ma’am.”

She shot forward and grabbed his throat in one armored hand. She squeezed so that he choked, his eyes popping out in shock. “But if you question my orders one more time I will crush the life from your body, do you understand?”

He nodded.

“We take the Death Wind Corridor through the Cloak of the Sith,” she let him go.

“Yes ma’am,” he wheezed.

“You’re dismissed.”

He hurriedly grabbed his supplies and left her private office aboard the Black Moon. She had taken a shuttle up the previous night, as they would be leaving Naboo in two days. Her presence was needed as the final preparations were put in place.

She pressed a button on her desk and commed a communications officer.

“Patch through Yuuir,” Hydran ordered.

In an instant, the young commander, once the Captain of one of Inestra’s best squadrons and now the commander of the Lord of Hades, glowed from a holo-projector on the Sith Lady’s desk.

“Commander,” Inestra spoke.

“Mistress Hydran,” Turi saluted.

“Are you prepared to take command of the defense of Naboo?”

“All your orders have been carried out, milady.”

“Excellent,” Inestra smiled at her. “You are taking on a heavy responsibility. You’ll be in command of five Star Destroyers and all of our frigates and support ships. Do you believe you are ready?”

Cmd. Turi Yuuir hesitated. “I believe I am prepared. I believe I am better qualified than my charges. I believe I have the skills. But I am nervous. No, I don’t believe I am ready.”

“Good answer. Honest. You will perform admirably.”

“Thank you, mistress.”

“Ensure that you maintain a tight perimeter on the planet at all times, and if the New Republic shows up with a fleet we cannot hope to defeat, jump to hyperspace. Run. I cannot afford to lose many more ships. If we find this Lost Fleet, it will be a different matter. But the Darkened Legions are to remain safe.”

“We are to run?”

“Only if the odds of victory are impossible. If we have reached the Lost Fleet and are returning, hold out for as long as you can. We may be able to reinforce you. But if they come earlier, or we are not yet returning, or, god forbid, the fleet is a lie, then you run to rendevous 13. Do you understand?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Good. Sleep well, Turi.”

“And you, mistress.”

The holo faded. Inestra legitimately liked the Commander. She was less arrogant than any of the others. Inestra had big plans for the girl. She would not be the simple commander of one of her ships for long.

Inestra stood and stretched lazily. She felt a pop in her back, and twisted it away. She walked to the massive viewport that covered three of the four walls of her office. This gave the illusion of the room jutting into space with no protection. She enjoyed the feeling, but she knew it made others uncomfortable.

She stared down at Naboo. In only a few hours, the first of her brethren would be boarding the Black Moon. From there, they would separate, so that at least one Sith was in command of each ship. But first Inestra was going to make sure that she could trust them at the helm of her pretties.

She looked at the chronometer that sat on her desk. It was midnight. A new day.

“Happy Birthday to me,” she spoke, turning and sitting down.


“Soma,” Inestra nodded at the diminutive creature that had just stepped off one of her Lambda-class shuttles. “Glad to see you and your new ward made it safely.”

“Uneventful, our journey was,” Soma replied.

“As it should be,” Inestra spoke, “if it wasn’t my fleet wouldn’t be doing their jobs.”

“Then their jobs have been admirably done,” the new one, Kyle, spoke. Their seethed beneath his voice the twisting emotions of one new to the Dark Side’s power.

“Ah, the emotions of the young,” Inestra smiled at Kyle.

He held his tongue.

“One day you might learn how to focus those emotions,” she stepped closer and reached up to his shoulder, picking off an imaginary loose thread. “One day you might learn to use all of your passions in the Force.”

She stepped back, letting the seduction fall from her lips. “Let me introduce you to the men who will be under your command.”

She had had the important officers from the Wyrd-Way and the Wrath of Dragons brought aboard the Black Moon. Soma and Kyle were to take command of the Wyrd-Way for the initial voyage, before disembarking to one of the new ships of the Lost Fleet. If Soma’s promises were accurate, the Black Moon would not be Inestra’s flagship for much longer.

“Meet Colnel Yavur and Flight Captain Thunt,” she said, “Thunt is the CAG for the squadrons we are bringing with us, and Colnel Yavur is the CO of the Wyrd-Way.”

The officers saluted. Thunt was a tall and skinny man, with an over-large nose and too-small eyes that simply accentuated his amazing olfactory organ. His hair was strawberry blonde and cropped close to the scalp. He kept his face in a constant half-growth, caught in a perpetual case of five o’clock shadow.

Yavur, on the other hand, was both neater and more intelligent with his appearance. He was equally as tall as Thunt, but was broader by far. His hair was white-blonde and perfectly groomed, his eyes ice-blue. A pair of glasses perched upon his nose, but he had chosen a pair without distracting frames. He was older than Inestra by perhaps a decade, closer to 50 now than the 40 that Nalla would be in a few short years time. He was an intelligent man, and one of the few COs of her ships who had managed to maintain a family while in the Darkened Legions. His wife, Leslie, lived aboard the Wyrd-Way, and his grown children were learning to be pilots aboard one of the frigates or another. He was kindly, likable and amazingly ruthless when it came to duty. He could execute a traitor with his own blaster, and go home to his wife with no burden on his conscious. Inestra liked that.

The two men saluted the three Sith. Inestra saluted back and they dropped their hands.

“Next, we have Commander Orson, the XO of the Wyrd-Way, and Commander Tyr, the leader of the Hydra aboard the ship. He will be in charge of your guard and executing any special orders you may have.”

Orson was a short, bald man with keen eyes and lips the colour of red wine. Tyr was obscured in his specially-designed Stormtrooper armor. She knew them both to be men of strong loyalty, Tyr especially. Orson was quick-minded, able to think up obscure strategies and bizarre tactics in a pinch. Tyr was one of her best shots, and an expert with most polearms.

They too saluted.

“These four men will be the most important of those you will be interacting with,” Inestra explained, “although I’m sure they will be more than willing to introduce you to the other officers if you should so wish. I, as you can understand, have work to do.”

“Soon, meet the other officers, we shall,” Soma spoke, “first, though, accommodations we must find.”

“Of course,” Inestra nodded, “Commander Tyr?”

The Hydra saluted and came forward. He turned to the two other Force-users.

“Follow me, sirs.”

Re: Naboo: The Hidden Threat

The <I>Wrath of Dragons</I> was orbiting the far side of Naboo, between the <I>Black Moon</i> and the <I>Wyrd-Way</i>. Patrols of starfighters dominated the space around the capital ships. The towering command bridges, busy with Darth Hydran's officers, were constantly receiving updates and transmissions from the command center of Theed Palace on the surface. Several freighters, bearing goods from all over Naboo and its moons, were anchored inside the hangar bays. The <I>Wrath of Dragons</i>, sleek and immaculate, looked rather out of place among the Naboo gunships berthed nearby. No doubt Inestra Shee had her own reasons for staying away from their outgunned navy.

Darth Sythis, Sivan, and her apprentice, Niobe, were peering outward from a large porthole as their shuttle approached the capital starship. Their view of the orbiting vessel offered few clues regarding what sort of reception they might encounter aboard the ship. "How do we know Soma isn't setting us up?" Sivan asked.

"There is no reason for our ally to set us up," Sythis replied. Standing beside her master, she questioned whether this was a good idea. She had heard already the false message that had been sent to Coruscant in order to deceive the Jedi Order and the New Republic itself, but still wondered if it was still part of an elaborate plan for Soma to take control of the Sith. After all, she and Niobe would be seperated from their master for some time.

She considered how best to approach her new crew and Inestra, herself. <I>Maybe I should do some probing with her crew first?</I> Lord Sythis wouldn't like her causing waves, but she was reluctant to walk into a situation without assessing what she was facing. <I>If nothing else,</i> she thought, <I>I have Niobe to back me up in case anything happens.</I>

With a sharp command over the comm system, a tractor beam attached to the shuttle. A second beam launched from the opposite direction. Glancing over to another porthole, Sivan saw an escort of starfighters surrounding their craft.

"Shuttlecraft, <I>Luminous</I>," the voice declared over the comm. "We have acknowledged your signal and clearance has been granted. The tractor beams will guide you to the hangar bay. The Rear Admiral welcomes you aboard and will be waiting for your arrival."

"This is <I>Luminous</I>," Sivan intervened. "We acknowledge your clearance and will proceed toward the hangar bay."

+++

Within minutes, with her master in front, Sivan and Niobe found themselves being escorted through a high-tech operations center aboard the ship. Sivan was impressed at the scale and sophistication of the setup. The advanced equipment rivaled anything possessed by the Naboo. She allowed a flicker of hope to enter her heart. Perhaps Soma and Inestra really did have the resources to deal with the threat posed by the Jedi and the New Republic.

<I>If they don't,</i> she mused, <I>we're out of options.</i>

A short turbolift journey brought them to the command bridge of the <I>Wrath of Dragons</I> which overlooked the ops center of the ship and eventually to the Rear Admiral's quarters. The elegant furnishings of the room reminded her of the opulent decor back on Naboo. Sivan eyed the captain of the ship with a touch of apprehension. Would he simply surrender his ship to her without protest?

Rear Admiral Luca Iseult greeted them from behind a large desk, beneath the watchful gaze of his guards. Sivan noted the man's dignified bearing and concerned expression. For a commander of a capital warship, he conveyed an aura of quiet authority. If he had any misgivings about being in the presence of a Dark Lord of the Sith and his apprentices, no trace of it showed upon his regal features.

He nodded at the Dark Lord in front of him. "Welcome aboard the <I>Wrath of Dragons</i>, Lord Sythis. Darth Hydran has informed me of what is to happen to my ship. I welcome your apprentice to command her."

Sivan wondered what was going through the Rear Admiral's mind. The Dark Lord's inscrutable expression defied her attempts to read his reaction.

Four armed guards stood by the exits, watching the Sith warily. Lifting his gaze from the Dark Lord, Rear Admiral Iseult motioned for the men to leave. "But, sir," one of them protested, looking with alarm at Darth Sythis and his companions. He was obviously reluctant to leave his superior unguarded.

"You are dismissed!" Iseult insisted brusquely. He waited for the men to depart before resuming his interaction with the Sith.

"I am most honored in taking command of your ship, Rear Admiral," Sivan spoke up.

The commander of the <I>Wrath of Dragons</I> gave her a cryptic smile, then gently nudged the hidden switch under the desk with his fingertip. The concealed code cylinders emerged from the top of the desk like clockwork. "These are yours. They will give you complete access to the ship and its secrets."

Sivan took the cylinders, took a closer look, then looked at the admiral with narrowed eyes. "Thank you, Admiral Iseult. I shall make sure to take full advantage of this ship to achieve the Sith's goals."

He glanced at the Sith Lord and nodded. "Of course, I will be at her side as the ship's executive officer to oversee every move and decision she makes." He rose from his chair and circled around his desk to face Darth Sythis. "But by any means, I am sure she will make a fine asset to our fleet."

"And for sure, Rear Admiral Iseult, the Sith are most thankful for your cooperation in this mission. The Lost Fleet is something to be pursued in order for our plans to come to its apex. Soma and I will make sure of this."

"For years I've stood by and watched the havoc the Empire and the Rebellion have wrought upon each other… and upon the galaxy." Iseult sighed warily and turned away from them. "I hope the Sith can finally keep the war contained for good." He sat back down behind his desk.

"Rest assured, Admiral," Sythis smirked. "The galaxy will fall under the rule of the Sith Order once more, as it was in the past. Any one who resists will be swept aside." His face was stern and unforgiving. His cultured voice dripped with scorn. "There will be no doubt we will rise again."

The Admiral was taken aback by his declaration, but only for a moment or two. "Of that, I have no doubt either."

The Dark Lord laughed harshly. "Then let us not waste anymore time and begin our quest." He turned to his apprentice, Sivan. She quickly kneeled. "As soon as my shuttle leaves, you will contact Soma and have him transmit the course to the Lost Fleet. As the admiral mentioned, he will assist you and the crew. The fleet will travel as one unit in case of any resistance."

Sivan nodded. "Yes, my Master. It shall be done. My apprentice Niobe shall assist as well."

"Good. Have Soma continue her training as well. There is much for her to learn from him." The Dark Lord insisted.

Niobe kneeled alongside her master. "Yes, Lord Sythis. I will do as you ask."

"The first part of our plan now begins. Now I must leave for Coruscant to begin the second plan. Farewell, my apprentices." With a sweep of his cape, the Dark Lord of the Sith began to leave in the direction of the turbolifts, toward the hangar bay.

Re: Naboo: The Hidden Threat

Tyr motioned for both men to follow his lead.  Instinctively he sized both men up before falling in stride next to them.  

"It's my great pleasure to serve you.  I have strict orders to provide anything that you may need, not likely that you'll need it, but, it is proper protocol, which as I'm sure you were told, includes security."

Kyle's smile was hidden behind the hood of his cloak.  Soma was the first to respond however.

"Good, good.  Basic our needs are, already have, that which we need."

"I figured as much."  

Their rooms sat adjacent to one another, mirrored in both their design and accommodations.  Upon entering the rooms both men wasted no time making their rounds, no doubt they were being watched, as they both had been from the moment of their arrival amongst the Sith.  After freshening up Kyle quickly got dressed, his dark robe hung loosely from his body his hair still damp.  Stepping over to the observation port, he peered down at Naboo as he tucked his hands in his sleeves grasping each of his forearms.  The thick transparisteel showed his reflection, overlaid on the planet below.  Even from this far away Naboo bustled in such a changed way, its innocence was gone, in many ways what could be seen reflected the power of the darkside that controlled it.  He shook his head, keeping his mind from wandering much further.  He pulled his hood up over his head as he turned to leave.  He force pulled his lightsaber off the table into his waiting hand, snapping it to his belt as he made his way to the door.  The quick pace was just fine by him, he had found it easier to deal with all that had happened if he didn't have time to stop and think about it.  Upon entering his masters room, he found him floating, eyes closed, legs crossed, with his forearms resting on his knees.  This was a technique he had never encountered before, and was amazed at the concentration it must have took.  Soma settled back to the ground, opening his eyes as the door shut behind Kyle.

"A question you have, mmmm?"

"I ah, no, how did you-, I mean how are you-"

"Rising meditation it is.  Distracting the ground can be.  Now come, waiting for us, Inestra is."  And with that Soma left the lesson on rising meditation for another day.    

As they left the room, Tyr was still waiting for them, he snapped to attention at the sight of both men.  

"Greetings my lords.  How may I be of service?"

"To your master, you will take us."

"Yes of course.  If you'll follow me."

Inestra rose as they entered the planning room.  She had expected it wouldn't take long before they came back.  

"Master Soma, Kyle, welcome."

"To our ship we must go.  Much to do, there still is."

Who was this, thing, to bark orders at her aboard her own ship she thought.  

"I have ordered the commanders aboard the Black Moon to discuss the plan and route we will be taking to the lost fleet, as well as other preparations required.

"No more need for discussing.  A plan, you already have, already know, that with which you need."

"Straight to the point, and you've read over the planning stages, routes, and objectives, good, I like that from somebody who will be in command of my ships.  Well then, I guess you are right, there is no further discussing required.  There is a shuttle waiting to take you, we will depart as soon as you're on board."

Perhaps she could trust these two after all.  She would have liked to have evaluated them further but from her encounters with them so far, she could tell she was not leaving two of her finest ships in the hands of a couple incompetents.  Now she could only hope they spoke the truth about the fleet.  

Both men wasted little time gathering their relatively unpacked items and departing for the Wyrd-Way.  Inestra was not exaggerating when she said they would be departing as soon as they were on board.  As the shuttle touched down an officer was there to greet them.  He bowed as the three men exited the Lambda class shuttle.

"My lords, I was instructed to inform you that coordinates have been received, calculated, and laid in.  The fleet is breaking up in preparation for the jump to lightspeed."

"Good, good, take our bags to our rooms, your men will.  To the bridge, you will take us."

"As you wish my lord."

The officer motioned for a couple deck hands to retrieve their things from the shuttle and take them to their rooms.  Tyr, as always was close by and kept an even pace.

"As you can see my lords, Lord Shee runs a very tight fleet.  We have been assigned a very strict schedule, and very rarely do we deviate from it.  She of course weeds out those who are unable to conform to her type of leadership, in her own, special way."

Now that, was the Sith Kyle had learned about all these years.  He had wondered when the true nature would finally emerge.  But strangely he didn't feel any resentment towards it.  In many ways he understood the rationale behind her method, and judging by the precision he'd seen so far, it worked.  Commander Orson and Colnel Yavur stood welcoming them aboard the bridge as they entered.  He wasn't overly thrilled to relinquish command to two men he barely knew, but it was what his orders called for him to do.  Hopefully, if this so called lost fleet truly did exist, it wouldn't be for very long.

"Greetings, welcome aboard the Wyrd-Way.  As you have been made aware, we have just made the jump to lightspeed, we will arrive at the coordinates you so graciously provided via the Death Wind Corridor hyperlane.  The Wyrd-Way and her crew, are now under your command."

"Very good, commander.  Ensure ready the boarding parties are."

"A special missions platoon has already been put on standby and will be ready upon arrival."

"Excellent.  Carry on commander, my apprentice and I, prepare we will.  Notify us, when close we are."

"Yes ma' lord."

Soma motioned for Tyr to remain on the bridge as he and Kyle made their way for the repulsorlift.  As soon as the doors shut Kyle finally let out a question that had jumped into his head.

"A special missions platoon?  Is that necessary, I thought we were just retrieving ships, not assaulting them."

"Left as is, the ships were, droids included.  To avoid piracy, programmed to activate once boarded, they were."

"One platoon, to an entire ship full of battle droids?"

"Know the deactivation code do I.  Controlled by a droid command ship they are, once deactivated from there, shut down all the droids will."

"Can they be reprogrammed?  Sure we are bringing skeleton crews but with the assistance of maintenance droids it would not take long to get the ships back up to speed."

"I agree, handle that the slicer will."

He nodded agreeing, it seemed as though every little detail had already been thought of.  There was silence between the two mend for the next few minutes.  They had already exited the repulorslift and taken a few turns, by this point Kyle had found himself following his master blindly, he had been so focused about the mission ahead, he lost the moment, in fact he wasn't quite sure what part of the ship he was even on now.

"It seems as though you have thought of everything, master.  I must ask though, what are we preparing for?"

"Training."

"Training?"  

A door slid open and Soma motioned for Kyle to enter.  It was a rather large room with high ceilings and plenty of room to move.  As he looked over the room from one end to the other he heard the unmistakable sound of his masters lightsaber snap hiss to life.  He spun igniting his own just in time to block an incoming attack.  Sparks flew as they met, followed by a crackling sound as they held the blades together.  Soma pushed him off and immediately put him on the defensive, he was barely able to keep up with his masters attacks.  As he struggled to keep pace he pushed harder digging deeper, finding strength in places he never knew existed.  Each time he found more strength, more energy, his master would just push harder.  The way the attacks came in gave him the distinct feeling if at any point he let his guard down, he would be struck down were he stood, it was this thought that began to anger him, a feeling Soma picked up on right away.    

"Good, use all of your feelings to attack me.  Only then, defeat me you can."

Years of training had taught him to suppress his anger, out of instinct he still tried, but the more overwhelmed and desperate he became, the more he found himself going back to it, until finally he let it all go.  His anger overflowed, granting him more power and speed than he'd ever known.  He pushed the attack now, backing his master up with a series of powerful slashes, strikes, and lunges until finally cornering him.  He thought he had won, but his master leapt from one side of the wall to the other, climbing up it like stairs before lunging over the top of his head, twisting 180 degrees in the air.  As he landed he sent a powerful force push as his feet hit the ground, knocking his apprentice back to the wall.

"Always expect the unexpected, you must.  With the force as an ally, always a way out there is."

The words made sense, but Kyle would hear none of it.  He leapt forward in a blind rage bringing his lightsaber above his head, poised to deliver his most powerful blow ever.  But he was met with a short burst of lightning that sent him hurtling harmlessly to the side.

Soma deactivated his weapon and returned it to his hilt as he walked over to his apprentice shaking his head.  Kyle rolled over, his upper body still smoking from the burst.

"Grant you new power your feelings will, but, come with a price it can.  Learn to control it you must, make it serve you, not you serve it."

"You have power beyond belief master.  I cannot match powers like that."

"That, my apprentice, is why you failed.  Come now, no more will I teach you today."

The timing couldn't have been more perfect, what seemed like minutes of sparring, had actually pushed on for hours, just as they were about to exit, Commander Orson signaled for them on their comlinks.  

"Yes commander."

"My lords, we are about to make our arrival at the prescribed location.  Lord Shee is requesting all commanders report to the bridge."

"On our way, we are."

They returned to the bridge just as the three ships dropped from hyperspace.  Their route had put them on the outskirts of a series of lethal asteroid rings.  At a glance there appeared to be no fleet, only rocks and meteors.  At this point all three ships no doubt saw the same thing.  Inestra was on the overhead display before anyone else had a chance to question it.

"I hope you have a good explanation for this.  Lord Sythis will not be pleased to know you have lead us on a wild bantha chase, wasting his time and my resources."

"So certain of treachery are you, mmmm?"

"We were promised a fleet of ships and you delivered us rocks."

Then, as if on cue there was a mild break in the asteroid ring closest to their ships, there just in view, the bridge on top of the Subjugator class heavy cruiser could just barely be seen.  It sat quietly between the second and third rings.  A sensor operator shouted out the news to her in the background.

"Ma'am, sensor sweeps are picking up spotty returns on what appears to be a ship, laying just beyond the third ring.  Very large, over 5,000 meters."

She smiled as she looked back into the display.  

"Well, well, perhaps this wasn't a waste of time after all.  Now, the bigger questions are, is the rest of the fleet with it, and how do we get to it."

"Blasted a route the Empire did.  By design, over time, filled back in with asteroids it has.  Fly through it together we will."

"Fly through it, are you insane!  Do you know how much damage flying in and out of an asteroid belt will cause."

Kyle recognized what his master had in mind as he looked on.

"We'll only have to fly through it once.  It will take some expert piloting, but, if we fly in close formation, we can extend the radius of our deflector shields and inertial compensators to provide overlapping coverage.  Together it should provide enough protection to make it through.  Then, we blast our way out on the way back."

Inestra wasn't to sure about the plan but at the moment it was the only one they had, and the potential prize was just too good to give up on.

"My pilots are the finest in the galaxy, it is risky, but I guess that's a chance we'll have to take.  Make it happen, I want it underway in an hour."

Re: Naboo: The Hidden Threat

Darth Sythis lounged in his chamber, in a large, padded leather throne-like chair, a leg indolently draped over one of the arms.  Scira stood nearby; lately she had taken to spending time with him even when they were not training.  She watched as he idly tapped the hilt of his lightsaber on his knee.

“You are ruler of all you survey,” she commented.

“Yes.  And so I was yesterday, and the day before.”

“I sense treachery amongst the other apprentices,” Scira continued.  She didn’t add that she was the cause, though she felt she had done nothing untoward.

“I am aware of it.”

“Is that why you sent them away?”

Tap, tap, tap.  “Do not question my methods, apprentice.”

Scira made a sound somewhere in between a sigh and a growl.  She still rankled at the thought of being any man’s apprentice.  “Why are we still here?”

Sythis turned his gaze toward her, his expression maddeningly calm.  “Do not take that tone with me.”

“I will!” Scira countered, moving to stand directly in front of him, her fists clenched.  The temperature in the room rose several degrees and her eyes burned orange.  That they were arguing again was nothing new.

Slowly, Sythis stood, so that his face was mere centimeters from her own, and simply stared back.  Then he smiled, and Scira’s expression turned from one of anger to one of confusion.

“Anger is good, my apprentice, but yours is wasted.  As we speak, a shuttle is on its way to pick us up.  It is time to put my plan into motion.”

“On Coruscant?” asked the witch.

Sythis inclined his head in response.  “If you have accumulated any belongings here, make them – and yourself – ready.”

“Yes… my master.”  Scira lowered her head, then left the chamber.

***

A lone starship orbited over the serene planet of Naboo. In the distance, the remaining ships of Inestra's fleet quietly vanished into the vortex of hyperspace as they departed to search for the lost ships Master Soma had discovered.

The <I>Jewel of Naboo</I> was a refitted star frigate, registered under the Naboo naval command. Over three hundred meters from bow to stern, it cruised in orbit without hesitation, despite its size. The ship was fitted with the best navigational computers and a powerful hyperdrive system which would provide plenty of quick escapes if needed. A shuttle bay occupied the aft section of the ship, behind the rear control room, and upper decks. Turbolaser turrents were no longer visible upon the converted frigate, but that didn't mean the <I>Jewel of Naboo</I> was unarmed.

Captain Tarken Navarr looked down on the ship as the shuttle <I>Luminous</i> approached the vessel. "Easy does it," he instructed the pilot. "We do not want our newly appointed senator's possessions damaged in any way."

A trim-looking human with close-cropped blond hair, Tarken Navarr commanded behind the pilot. The rest of his crew were strapped into the seats behind him. Like their leader, they wore black uniforms and fixed, unsmiling expressions. The badges and insignias of Naboo kept from betraying their real identity as agents of the Sith. Navarr was proud of their professionalism.

The shuttle touched down on the ship's landing hangar. The crew didn't wait for the engines to cool down before piling out of the craft smoothly and efficiently to unload their cargo. Crates of the Sith Lord's possessions and confiscated artifacts were stacked neatly on the deck, before being transported into Darth Sythis's waiting quarters.

Captain Navarr decided not to keep his commander waiting. Confident that the crew could finish unpacking on their own, he turned and marched across the hangar toward the forward control center. A reinforced durosteel door kept the clammy air of the hangar bay outside. Navarr barely noticed the change in the temperature as he entered the enclosed upper deck. He had more important matters on his mind.

Curious eyes looked up to note his arrival, before turning back to the keypads and monitors in front of them. As Navarr strode through the busy command center, he overheard snatches of various news reports and communications. The latest news had the control room abuzz with captured chatter:

"…no leads so far in the destruction of the shuttle that contained two Jedi Knights in route to Naboo. Bastion has been questioned of any Imperial activity near Naboo…"

"…Naboo denies any sign of an Imperial Star Destroyer in their sector…"

"…King Tymen has refused any investigation by the New Republic…"

"…evidence still points to a lone Star Destroyer attacking without provocation…"

"…Bastion denies Imperial activity. King Tymen has dispatched newly appointed senator of Naboo, Brakiss Malkav, to Coruscant to lead the investigation…"

<I>And a long trip it will be</I>, Navarr thought. A turbolift at the far end of the command center led to the Dark Lord's private quarters, overlooking the bustling activity below.

The man who called himself Brakiss Malkav stared out toward the view of Naboo. The figure of a beautiful woman with long red tresses stood behind him like a guardian angel.  Despite the ongoing pace of moving the senator's things into his rooms, the Dark Lord's quarters was clean and meticulously organized. A skylight in the ceiling allowed the moonlight to fall across the deck. Glowglobes added a touch of extra illumination.

He raised his hand to signal his guest. Captain Navarr entered quietly and saluted as Themyscira quietly studied him with her dark eyes.

Darth Sythis did not waste time with pleasantries. "Have the last of my possessions been brought aboard now?" he asked Navarr. His voice was strong and clear, undiminished by age. Navarr heard the concern in his voice. "Make sure everything is accounted for."

"They are, Senator," Navarr assured the Sith Lord. "As you ordered."

"Good. Are we ready to depart then? There is much to do on Coruscant."

"Yes, Senator." He assured again. A judicious combination of bribes, threats, and blackmail had been enough to ensure the newly appointed senator of Naboo would not be questioned as to his past when he arrived. It helped, of course, tha most of the witnesses were never found or seen again. And who would believe them anyway, aside from the most credulous and disreputable tabloids?

But there was still Ceveir. He could still be a threat, but from the last holotransmission he received from Vigo Tarsk Mal'fey, that may now not be the case. As always, the Bothan now came running to him worrying about his plan unraveling by the prying eyes of the New Republic and the Jedi Council. Darth Sythis assured him briskly that the Jedi would not be a threat when he arrived, as long as the Bothan took care of the New Republic and Rogue Squadron.

"Command center has informed me the navicomputer has set course. We may depart anytime, my senator."

Darth Sythis slowly turned to stare at Themyscira and allowed a small smile to appear. "Then onward to Coruscant, Captain Navarr. Our journey toward victory begins."

Re: Naboo: The Hidden Threat

Inestra was summoned to her bridge, as her imposed one hour timeline was nearing its end.  She was eager to get underway despite the risks to her fleet.

“Is everything in order?”

“Yes malady.  Master Soma and Master Lok report all preparations complete.”

The plan called for all three starships to fly dangerously close in formation allowing them to extend the radius of their deflector shields and inertial compensators.  This risky tactic would provide overlapping shield coverage of the formation, which would in turn minimize the damage caused by the constant pounding the asteroid belt would inflict.

“Very well, are we in position?”

“Yes malady.”

“Take us in.”

Those were three words she hoped she would not regret.  But the prize, the prize that lay just on the other side of the asteroid belt was just too rich to pass up.  What she could accomplish with a new fleet, the worlds she could conquer, her ambitions soared to new heights as her mind raced.  She smiled and washed her thoughts away, she had to concentrate on the moment as all three ships powered into the belt.  

Suddenly a wave in the force came over her, like a pebble dropped in a quiet pond; she could feel the ripples as Soma reached out to her through the force.  He was touching her mind, speaking to her.  Reluctantly she reached back and could see his thoughts, and soon, Kyle and Sivan’s.  Once all four minds had joined she could feel them all reaching out to the pilots controlling each ship.  Only together, drawing from each other’s strength, could they keep them in unison.  Each time asteroids impacted the ships they reacted as one, steering the ships in perfect unison until finally they emerged on the other side.  Once clearing the asteroid belt each ship broke formation releasing their shields as Soma released the meld.  An instant later Inestra was in her private office, she was angry and anxiously waited to speak to Soma.  His image flickered to life atop her desk.

“More you require?”

“I congratulate you on a job well done Master Soma.  But let’s get one thing straight, right now.  If you ever, invade my mind like that again, Lord Sythis’ pet or not, I will blast you into a thousand pieces and leave you as space dust.  Do I make myself clear?”

He smiled in return.  “Crystal.”

“Good.”

She terminated the transmission without another word.  On the other end, Kyle stood facing his master in astonishment.  

“I’m confused master, if it hadn’t been for you, those asteroids would have pounded us beyond recognition.  Not only that but because of all of us working together we kept the formation as one, prevented disaster from within.  But yet she has so much anger towards you.”

“Pride, vulnerabilities, two things to let go of, easy they are not.  Despite her anger, she knows, right I was.”

“What now?”

“Now, the hard part, begins it does.”

He couldn’t imagine what could be harder than trying to focus four minds together to control the actions of three others but so far everything else his master told him had been right on the money.  And he wasn’t about to start questioning him now.  Before making their way towards the hanger bay Soma recommended that the ships be moved as far away from the lost fleet as possible.  If the sensor sweeps were still active and he had no reason to believe they wouldn’t be, as soon as they were detected the fleet would begin powering up to defend itself.  Droid starfighters such as the Vulture-class and tri-fighter would come pouring out of their hanger bays searching for the closest enemy.  The capital ships would target their closest threats and move to intercept as well.  The emperor had gone to great lengths to ensure these ships would not fall easy prey to pirates, but the more distance between the two fleets the more time they would have to shut the droids down and avoid any ship to ship fighting.

As they reached the hanger bay, their ferry, a Gamma-class shuttle awaited primed and ready.  It was heavily shielded, quick enough to make its way to the control ship and because they weren’t exactly going to be welcomed with open arms, it possessed a powerful tractor beam and separate boarding hatches for the command crew and the troopers.  Their Verpine slicer stood by the boarding ramp awaiting their arrival.  Kyle tapped him on the shoulder as they passed.

“Stay close to me once we get in there.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“Listen, I know every slicer, smuggler, and pirate in the galaxy believes they are immortal but if you get dropped by a droid our plans will become much more complicated.”

Wasting no time the shuttle dispatched from the ship, almost before the slicer, and two darkside users could secure themselves to their seats.  They raced full throttle towards the control ship.  Control ships had been abandoned early on during the Clone Wars but the strategy was brought back in this case, enabling the fleet to defend itself without the burden of leaving crews to man each ship for an infinite amount of time.  Kyle looked on with uneasiness as the Subjugator-class cruiser grew larger in the forward viewport.  

“Let’s just hope the sensor sweeps are not working.”

Right on cue, almost as if he had just jinxed their luck, lights began to flicker on the capital ship.  It was as if they had just awoken a beast from deep hibernation.  

“Hurry we must.  Soon on full alert they will be.”

As the shuttle closed on the cruiser, she locked her tractor beam near the shield generator of one of the larger cargo bays.  When she came to a rest the strike team had already launched for the shield generator.  Each trooper wore a mimetic enviro-suit and black helmets with tinted face bowls.  Laden with blasters rifles, bandoliers of flash grenades, thermal detonators, half-meter-long vibroblades, and survival gear they were an intimidating bunch, specialists in rapid deployment and infiltration, they were not to be taken lightly.  They made quick work of the shield generator, disabling it so the shuttle was able to land safely in the hanger bay.  Kyle, Drix’t, and Soma tightly fastened their transparent respirators over their faces just in case life support systems were offline.  Kyle and Soma emerged from the shuttles docking bay first, lightsabers at the ready in a defensive position. They found droids, as if frozen in time, lifeless, heads slumped in the same position they had been in years ago when they had powered down.  

“Well at least the droids are still powered down.”

The strike team was not far behind dropping in with their rifles sweeping from side to side. Then with a sudden jolt the ship began to move.

“Moving we are.  Move quickly we must, or destroyed our allies will be.”

They rushed across the hanger bay for the turbolifts.  Kyle, Soma, Drix’t, and two troopers were the first to board one of the lifts.  The rest of the strike team secured the entrance.  As the doors closed they could see the droids powering up finally, as they shot towards the command spire, sounds of muffled blaster fire erupted from below.  The ship was now on full alert and defending itself.  The lift doors slung open as they reached the top.  The two troopers emerged first shooting from the hip dropping two droids unfortunate enough to be in the way.  The other three piled out onto the bridge, lightsabers twirling in a flurry of deadly strikes, blocking and deflecting incoming shots.  With deadly efficiency and time the bridge had been cleared of its previous occupants and now belonged to them.

Inestra stood watching from her bridge as the dormant fleet came to life one ship at a time, searching for its closest threat, until finding her three ships.  

“Shields at maximum power now!  Launch fighters, tell them to form up in defensive patterns, sweep and defend.  Remind them we are not here to eradicate the ships, just buy us enough time to get them shut down.”

Her crew responded without question.  Tie fighters poured from the hanger bays of all three ships forming up to begin their sweeps, preparing for the droid fighters that had now locked onto their fleet.  They engaged ship to ship attacking just enough to keep them off of the star destroyers and focused on them.  They were trying to keep damage and destruction to a minimum.  Inestra was becoming impatient, she grew anxious, as she was now staring down the barrel of an entire fleet of ships intent on blasting her into oblivion.

“We have incoming!  Open a channel to Wrath of Dragons and Wyrd-Way.”

Commander Orson and Colnel Yavur stood at attention aboard the Wyrd-Way awaiting their orders from Inestra.  The image of Darth Sivan soon joined the display.  

“I want to remind you all of our mission here.  We have come here to acquire these ships, not destroy them.  With that in mind defend yourselves if it comes down to it.  I will not perish just to save these ships.”

All three responded with a respectful acknowledgment before being dismissed.  Inestra disliked being in this position.  She thrived on being the aggressor and despised being reduced to an almost helpless target.  The Subjugator-class cruiser was the first in range, but had yet to fire its turbolaser batteries.  Instead it maneuvered until its starboard side was completely facing her ships.  She stared hard at the viewport, her mind frantically searching for an explanation.  She didn’t have to wait long, the ship fired from its side a focused ionic pulse that completely neutralized all of her power systems.  Her fleet was now in grave danger and she was powerless to defend it.  

“All hands, brace for impact!  I want emergency power now or we are all dead!”

Men and women throughout the ship rushed with great determination.  If they were scared it did not show.  But the attack never came; the rest of the fleet came to a drifting stop before coming within range.  The heavy cruiser powered down all of its weapons and dropped her shields.  Inestra closed her eyes and took a deep breath, it was over, somehow Soma and his team pulled it off.  

“Malady, incoming transmission from the cruiser.”

“Put it through.”

“I hope nervous, you are not.  Present you I do, the lost fleet.”

In the background the Verpine slicer was already hard at work, laying waist deep inside a control panel slicing and rerouting wires to reprogram the droid programming.  She smiled as she spoke.

“Perhaps I should not get into the habit of underestimating you my little friend.  I applaud you on your efforts, and you will be rewarded.  Is everything in order for our next phase?”

Kyle stepped into view and responded.

“We have verified that all ships and their droids have been shut down.  Drix’t is in the process now of reprogramming the droids to assist us.”

“Good, keep at it, I will have Sivan lead the boarding parties at once.  The sooner we have this fleet functioning enough for deep space travel the better.”

She signaled for her comm. officer to end the transmission then returned to her command chair, whispering to herself as she sat back.

“And the sooner the rest of the galaxy will once again serve the Sith.”