Here is a collection o fimages my friend converted for our Star Wars RPG campaign.

Our characters and some NPC’s:

The Bull Rancor figure; unpainted and then painted:

I got a new computer last night! I have a laptop from work that I have been using, which works quite well. But with a wife and a teenage daughter at home, one computer isn’t enough to go around. I am always competing with them on the weekends and evenings for CPU time, which is when I do most of my publishing work. I have been toying with getting a better desktop, and with the sales from last month and the GM’s Day Sale I had enough in my PayPal account that I could swing buying a desktop. So last night I went to BestBuy to look at my options. I ended up seeing an “open box” CPU selling for half of what it normally sold for. 2GB memory, 400GB hard drive and a dual core processor. Best of all it has tons of room for additional drives and components, and a dual monitor video card. I am going to blow Vista away and put XP Pro on it tonight, re-load the Adobe Creative Suite as well as my other apps and transfer my files to my new workstation.

I got some work done on AE: Iron Rations yesterday. I did the cover and started the layout. I hope to have it out tonight or tomorrow. (Depending on how long I am installing software tonight.) I have several other projects “on deck” after that as well.

I picked up Dark Heresy the other day. I have been a 40K player/fan since 1986, and have been waiting for the RPG since then.

[BEGIN SIDE RANT]

Why GW waited twenty freaking YEARS before putting it out, then canceling it after the first printing sold out before it was even published I’ll never know. But, this is the same company that fought CCG’s for years and years, saying they would NEVER do a CCG and then decided to do one ten years later, you know…after the white-hot CCG market had cooled off. The list of GW’s famously bad business decisions are legion. Rumor has it that a small company called Blizzard once approached them about doing a game based on Warhammer. The deal fell through and that game later became Warcraft. Then Warcraft 2, Starcraft and later The World of Warcraft. Could have been World of Warhammer. But, true to form, GW will be releasing their own version ten years after they should have. And as a former employee of GW at their HQ in Maryland, I have seen all of this first-hand. Having said that, they are a great miniature company. Every time they re-do a range of minis they step up and create figures I want to buy and paint. I love the product, but those limey’s in charge have some real issues.

[END SIDE RANT]

Back to the 40K RPG. The production value on this massive book is great. They left out a ton of stuff; no stats for Space Marines, Orks or Eldar. They want you to start out as part of an Inquisitor’s group so you are limited in that way. All in an effort to get you to drop more cash on the next couple of books that will expand your options. I find it kind of annoying, but not a deal-breaker since it’s easy enough with the basic rules to stat-out just about whatever you want to do. My group will probobly begin doing this game after we finish up our Star Wars Saga edition campaign.

Speaking of the Saga Edition, I took a few pictures of the miniatures our GM converted and painted of ourr characters and a few important NPC’s.

Chapter 7

They stood in a long hall that ended in a door to the right and continued around a corner to the left. Emergency lights and klaxons lay dormant on the walls, having been disabled by R5.

Momla strode toward the door on the right purposefully, opening himself to the Dark Side. His face twisted into a snarl as he filled himself with an uncontrollable rage. He gestured toward the door as he approached and it withdrew into a recess in the wall. Two guards turned toward the door, startled at the sudden motion. Their eyes grew wide as they caught sight of the demonic looking Sith bearing down on them.

They raised their blasters and the enraged Momla lunged with a growl. His blade arced wide as he landed low to the floor, two halves of blaster rifles falling to either side of him with a clank. He sprang back up, cutting up across one guard, and continued into a spin that brought the lightsaber around and plunging into the second guard’s face before the two halves of the first fell to the floor.

Momla turned and strode out of the room and back into the hall.

Shar, Yin and MP went to the corner on the left and started down the next hall. Halfway down they saw two guards round the corner of another passage. Their apparently jovial conversation cut short as shock crossed their face and they fumbled for their blaster rifles.

The three Sith started towards the guards when a door to the side of them opened as they passed. In a blur, MP ignited his staff and cut the top of the Gamorrean’s head off before he even registered what he was seeing. The alien’s body dropped heavily and MP stepped over the corpse into the side passage as Yin and Shar continued down the hall.

The guards barely brought there blasters to bear when they fired full auto, praying something would hold back the visions of death coming for them. Panic ripped into them as one of the bolts slammed into the Kel Dor mid chest and the energy washed over him, sinking into his flesh, absorbed.

Yin closed on the first guard and opened his belly with a quick low stroke. Shar brought his hand up and closed it into a fist as the second guards neck snapped loudly and he fell away, dead.

His metal feet ringing off the steel floor, MP5 marched down the hall to the first door he saw. The droid touched the activation panel and the door slid away with a hiss. Inside, a Weequay lay snoring softly on a cot, oblivious to his coming end. MP5 brought his thrumming blade down onto the sleeping guard and through the bed, cutting a gouge out of the floor.

Some sought a killing strike in hitting a vital organ or component of the target. MP5 found it more effective, and somehow satisfying, to simply cut the target in two or more pieces. He had yet to find the organism or machine that could effectively continue after such damage. Indeed, such was the case with the parts of Weequay and cot at his feet now. He liked to call it ‘The Rule of Two’ as he thought it an amusing pun.

MP5 heard another door open and turned to see a Gamorrean emerge from an adjacent room, the alien’s blaster leveled at him. MP dove to the side of the small compartment as energy bolts crashed into his metal frame. Sparks flew and molten carapace sloughed to the floor as the guard emptied his rifle at the droid. Another guard emerged groggily from another door and immediately woke up at the sight in the hall. The man ran past the blaster wielding guard and out the hall door as MP5 closed on the now empty Gamorrean.

The alien squealed and tried to run back into his room. MP5 struck low and cut the guards legs off at the knees, cutting another gouge out of the wall beside him on the follow through. The Gamorrean rolled over onto his elbows and tried to squirm away as MP5 split him in two from shoulder to waist. ‘Textbook’ thought MP5.

He killed the next waking guard as he opened his door, slamming his saber into the Rodian’s chest and pulling it out through the screaming guard’s side. The last one, apparently still intoxicated from the night before, never even woke up. MP5 ensured it would stay that way.

Momla heard blaster fire around the corner down the hall. He drew the Force into himself, filling his limbs with it’s implacable energy. Power burned within him and he burst forth like a shot.

In the front room of a second wing of holding cells, four guards fired indiscriminately down the hall on full auto, sending dozens of bolts of energy toward Shar and Yin at the other end. Two of the guards would spend their ammo as the other two would reload to keep up a constant barrage of fire.

“For Grinnak’s sake, keep firing!” ordered the Rodian commander. He was desperately trying to hold the men’s discipline together when a blur flew around the corner. “Shoot it!” he screamed, “Shoot -” His voice suddenly silenced as his snouted face left his skull. The other guards looked over to see Momla standing over the commander’s corpse and charged him. Shar and Yin ran to get in on the butchering.

Momla deflected a force pike and plunged his lightsaber into the guard’s hip. A dagger punched into his side as he pulled his lightsaber free. The second guard brought his knife back for another strike aimed at Momla’s ribs. His arm came forward and dropped to the ground, severed at the shoulder. Yin finished him, decapitating the guard’s head on the return swing.

The wounded Guard grabbed at the wall for support, his ruined hip no longer able to support his weight. Momla walked up to him and pushed his saber blade into the man’s head.

Shar brought his blade down in an overhead swing at the third guard. But the man was quick with adrenaline and the saber only cut into his leg as he side stepped the strike. Committed to the attack, Shar’s face was open, and the guard brought his fists into Shar’s nose with a two handed swing. There was a loud ‘Crack!’ and Shar’s white face was stained red with exploding blood as his nose broke. He stumbled back into the wall as the guard limped down the hall, desperately trying to get away.

Another Rodian commander, wondering what the hell all the noise was, appeared at the end of the hall. “Run!” the wounded guard yelled to him as he limped down the passageway. Instantly taking in the sight and the sabers, a look of intense desire for self preservation crossed the Rodian’s face and he ran for the entrance to the base.

MP5 was coming out of the now empty guard’s quarters when he saw a Rodian run past. He entered the hallway and saw the Rodian round the corner and out of sight towards the blast door. He turned back toward the direction the Rodian had come from just in time to see a limping guard round the corner and look at him with an “Oh poodoo” look.

The four Sith proceeded down the main corridor to a large blast door. Three more guards appeared around the corner further down the hall and opened up with their blasters.

“I’ll see to this.” said MP5, jamming his saber blade into the locked blast door. Yin nodded and he, Shar, and Momla ran towards the guards.

The guards retreated down the hall towards a third set of holding cells and took up positions to keep up the firing.

Yin and Shar went through a side door as Momla charged the holding cells. Drawing the Force into himself again, he leapt, somersaulting into the air. He landed in the middle of the astonished guards and set into them with his blade.

The first one pitched over, his intestines spilling onto the floor as he died. Momla ducked under a clumsy attack with a bayonet and cut the legs off the second guard. As the man fell screaming to the ground, the third guard charged, plunging his knife into Momla’s gut. The Sith brought a heavy backhand across the guard’s face, knocking him back. Fueling his rage with the pain, Momla struck out with his saber in a backhanded hay maker, slicing the guard open from neck to groin.

Like a storm of destruction, Yin and Shar swept through the supply warehouse. The first one to see them, a Nikto, died with a scream on his lips, Yin’s unforgiving blade freeing his head from his shoulders. They moved from room to room slaughtering as they went.

MP5 had just cut through the blast door when Yin, Momla and Shar returned.

“Tednal is inside.” MP5 stated.

As they went through the door Momla nodded, “Then our mission will soon be at an end.”

The wide corridor beyond was empty. They walked to the end and saw that half way down the adjoining passage a great blast door stood open on the left side. Shar felt something unfamiliar and dark brush his senses and he looked to Momla.

He said, “I sense it too.”

Shar and MP5 stormed into the audience chamber beyond beyond the great blast door. The Force lending him speed, Shar punched his fist toward three of the five Nikto guards inside before they could fire their weapons. A wave of Force energy sent the guards flying into the wall with a bone breaking crack. One of the guards stopped moving completely while the others were knocked senseless.

MP5 charged the other two guards, slicing the end off the first ones blaster as he brought the opposing end into the second Nikto’s face. As the faceless Nikto fell dead, the other one ducked inside MP5’s arc and plunged his vibro blade into his leg. Sparks flew and MP5 kicked the guard in the chest, sending him into the wall.

Momla ran into the room with Yin and charged toward a pale woman standing behind the Nikto, dressed in a heavy black uniform and great coat. She drew her blaster and fired at Momla. He dodged and leapt, but a number of bolts found their mark. To Momla, the woman reeked of the dark side. But she was untrained and unfocused. She was no Sith. He drew upon the Force, focusing it into his hands and caught the barrage of bolts on his open palms, the energy bolts dispersing harmlessly upon them. The woman eyed the charging Ithorian and smiled, dropping her blaster and drawing her vibro-ax, swinging it in a figure eight before her.

Shar moved to flank the Force user, when he felt a tremor in the Force. He looked to the back of the room and saw Tednal Corga. The Bith had taken cover behind a dais and fired with twin blasters at him. He tried to leap out of the way, but Tednal’s aim was true.

Shar knew it was a killing shot, and soon he would be dead. Fate wanted his life and he raged against it. The natural order meant nothing, Shar’s vengeance would not be denied. With a terrible force of will, Shar wrenched his destiny back from ruin. Against all that was natural he flew out of the path of the blaster rounds to land mere feet from Tednal. Incalculable rage contorting his face into the incarnation of hate itself, Shar raised his hand toward the crime lord and began to squeeze.

Momla struck first, the weight of his lightsaber giving him the advantage of speed over the dark woman. His blade bit into her shoulder as she quickly dodged to the side. Smoke curled up from the wound as she brought the great ax around at him. Momla felt her draw on the dark side, pushing her strength into the realm of the superhuman. Her ax crushed into his right side just below the armpit, splitting flesh and crashing through bone. The blade ruptured his lung and burst out the front of his chest, barely missing his hearts. Momla fell to the floor, darkness threatening to engulf him.

MP5 finished the last guard with a stroke and looked up to see Momla fall. A door opened behind the dark woman standing over Momla and a Feeorin emerged shooting at Yin as he crossed to engage the woman. “Rav” said MP5 and started toward the woman in support of Yin when something crashed into his side sending the droid tumbling. MP5 instantly recovered, looking up to see a Nexu beast lunge at him.

He rolled back and kicked out, his solid metal foot connecting with the lunging animals jaw and resulting in a satisfying crunch. The Nexu fell to the floor and instantly pounced again. As close as it was MP5 had to bring his staff around as a blunt weapon. It rang slightly as it smashed into the side of the Nexu’s head. The beast fell to the ground again and rolled onto it’s feet just as MP5 brought his blade down onto it’s back. The Nexu fell in two spasming pieces upon the floor. MP5 was reminded of his Rule of Two philosophy.

Yin leapt at the dark woman with a high strike. She ducked it and came up with a sidelong strike at the Sith. Yin flipped back, kicking out as he did so and hitting the woman in her jaw. She stumbled back and recovered herself.

The Sith felt her drawing upon the Force and laughed, “Pathetic schutta, you know nothing of the Dark Side!”

Rage boiling within her, the woman growled and lunged at him.

Yin began drawing the Force into himself, focusing it and bending it dangerously to his will, “Allow me to enlighten you.” He reached out with the Force and ripped the ax from her grasp, the weapon flying to the front of the room. He channeled the Force into his strike and his blade parted her head from her neck.

Rav looked at Yin and the droid coming toward him and all confidence left him. He broke out in a run and disappeared into the hall outside the audience chamber.

Yin and MP5 looked down at Momla to see he was still alive and concious. “The Force is strong with you.” said Yin as MP5 helped him up.

“My determination is even stronger.” Momla wheezed, “As is my hate.”

They turned to see Shar approaching them, Tednal’s corpse sprawled on the dais behind him.

“Come on dammit!” screamed Rav, “Hurry up!” The two guards stood just in the doorway, firing into the welded blast door. Lan Ree sat curled against a wall inside, still sobbing softly. Rav stood inside the room next to the terminal, trying desperately to think of some way out. There had to be something. Something he’d missed. ‘Come on,’ he thought, ‘ you haven’t lived this long to die because of a locked door. Think! What the hell are those things, anyway? They damned sure aren’t Jedi!’

Suddenly, the two thugs fell away dead as they were cut down from behind. Startled, Rav looked up at the reapers before him and begged, “Please.” They stepped into the room and Lan Ree yelped. MP5 walked over to the Gran and lit his lightsaber.

Lan looked up at Yin, “But you said you would set me free.”

“We are.” replied MP5 as he plunged the saber into him.

Yin looked at Rav and the pirate felt his heart go cold. “You are not meant for death this day.” Yin said, “We have spared you for another purpose. This organization is now yours. Given to you, as is your life, by us and those we serve. Remember what you have seen this day, for there will be others like us who will call on you in the future, seeking repayment for the gifts given you. Be certain you are considerate of these requests. It would be a shame if you proved “unappreciative”.”

His lightsaber igniting with a hiss, Yin stepped toward Rav. Shar lifted his hand toward the Feeorin and said, “To ensure you remember.” Rav felt his body go rigid and struggled uselessly against the iron like force restraining him. Yin drew the point of his saber slowly across Rav’s left eye in an “x”. The Feeorin screamed in pain as the organ burst and the skin split, burnt and blistered around the energy blade.

Yin stepped back and said, “It would be a shame if we had to give you this lesson again.”

Chapter 6

The ramp descended from the Nomas and the sounds of Lai Nim’s cries and pleas filled the bay. The two station guards waiting at the bottom of the ramp grinned as Yin, Shar, Momla and MP5 led the unfortunate bounty to them.

“Aw, now don’t cry.” one of the guards said to Lai in mock sympathy, “We’re going to have all kinds of fun.” His companion laughed ominously as they started to lead Lai Nim away to the holding cells.

“No harm or discomfort will befall our bounty.” Yin said ominously.

The guards turned around, a little taken aback, “You don’t have any authority here. And if you think you can threat-”

“If it does,” he continued smoothly, ignoring the guard’s rant, “our anger with you will be substantial.”

The guard’s mouth moved silently for a moment as he struggled to come up with a suitable response to the threat. Then thought better of it, nodded and left.

Yin watched the guards leave. “Fools.” he said to the others, “They flaunt their position thinking they display the power of life and death. They display only the type of self certainty that ignorance and stupidity can breed. They know nothing of true power.”

MP5 added, “Such stupidity, if left unchecked, could ruin our designs.”

“They won’t hinder us now.” Shar surmised.

“Maybe.” Momla replied as they headed toward the turbo lift, “But if they do…”

Yin interjected, finishing Momla’s thought, “Then we will personally give them an abject lesson in True Power.”

Drogis looked up as they approached his usual table, “You did a good job getting Lai. Short time, too. I’m impressed.” He pulled out a cred stick and laid it on the table, “Here’s your money. I’ve got more work, if you’re interested.”

Yin took the cred stick, “Always.”

Drogis grinned, “Good. Come back in three days and I’ll have a new contract for you. Until then, just hang around. Enjoy the pleasures of Starforge Station.”

“Three days then.” Yin said, and they left.

Drogis pulled one of his thugs over as he watched the Sith leave, “Take a couple others and keep an eye on our new “friends”.”

For three days they waited. Momla had noticed almost immediately the Dug’s henchmen shadowing them.

“We’re being followed.” he said sarcastically as he pointed openly to the two thugs watching them. They quickly tried to look nonchalant.

Yin said, “Well, let’s hope our Dug friend doesn’t get to smart. If he searches Lai and finds the tracking devices we planted, we’ll have to kill him. And that will make tracking Tednal all the more tedious.”

When they got back to the Nomas, MP5 ran a complete scan and found a tracking device Drogis had planted. “Leave it.” said Yin, “It may be of some use to us.”

After the second day, MP5 walked into the crew cabin of the Nomas, “I’ve tracked movement on Lai Nim. He was put on a transport and taken off of Starforge Station.”

“Have we calculated a destination?” Shar asked.

The astromech beeped excitedly. “It’s destination was successfully vectored.” interpreted MP5, “The Socorro system.”

On the third day, they went back to the Dug. Still sitting at his usual table. “Is that job ready?” Yin asked as they walked up to him.

“Yes.” said Drogis, apparently satisfied with their intentions, “This ones an Iktotchi named Daesae Kyren. He’s apparently pretty dangerous, but I think you can handle him. He was last seen on Tatooine. Seventy five hundred when you bring him in…alive.”

Yin piloted the Nomas out of the hanger bay and into the heavy clouds of Starforge Nebula. He turned to the astromech and said, “R6, plot a series of jumps along the Perlemian Trade Route and then the Corellian Run. Destination is Rodia.”

“Why are we delaying?” asked Momla.

“No delay.” replied Yin, “We’re going to make certain Drogis knows we’re going to Tatooine.”

Yin fed the first coordinates into the nav computer and engaged the hyperdrive. The Nomas disappeared into hyperspace.

Four jumps later the Nomas landed on Rodia. MP5 removed the tracking device and placed it on a transport headed for Tatooine. The Nomas then took off again and jumped for Socorro.

Entering Socorro space from outside the system, Yin cautiously flew the Nomas into orbit around the smuggler’s haven. The signal from the tracking device MP5 had implanted in Lai Nim had been dampened soon after entering Socorro’s atmosphere. So a precise destination at landing was impossible to determine. They would have to do some reconnaissance to find Tednal’s base.

Staying close enough to successfully monitor any interspace transmissions from the surface, Yin was careful to keep the ship far enough away to elude sensor detection from the planet’s meager defenses. For days they watched and waited as interstellar traffic came and went to the various towns and small cities that dotted the planet surface. All with not a mention of Tednal Corga. But they were patient in the Force and continued to wait.

Finally, on the fourteenth day, MP5 snapped the comms on, “Outbound transmission from the Killee Wasteland. It says bounties are collected and ready for pick up. The name of Lai Nim is among those on the list.”

“The Killee Wasteland.” Momla repeated as Yin moved the Nomas into geosynchronous orbit over the town.

After a few hours, MP5’s voice came over the comms again, “Inbound transmission to the Killee Wasteland. Origin is planet Duro, Duro Starshipwright Shipyards Corp. They are acknowledging the previous transmission and confirming incoming scheduled transport pick up for Lai Nim.”

Momla asked, “How soon?”

“Two standard days.” MP5 answered.

“Do we have a reversion point?” Yin asked.

“Yes.”

Shar looked at Yin, “What are you planning?”

“A surprise visit.” he replied.

The DSS modified Corellian Star Shuttle raced through hyperspace toward the Socorro jump point. Outside the bridge view port, gravitic reflections of real space stars made it seem like the ship was flying down a tunnel of light. “Prepare for reversion. Engage on my mark.” ordered Capt. Desh as he started the countdown. His copilot Vosh began powering the ion drives and preparing the hyperdrives for shutdown.

“Mark.” said Desh as the ship seemed to stop dead in space, the stars shrinking back to single dots in the void. “Power to ion- What the Hell!?” he yelled as he looked up to see the Nomas flying towards them on what looked like an attack run. A forward cannon flashed on the front of the Nomas and Desh screamed, “Brace!”

The ship shuddered as the ion bolt slammed into the aft hull. The lights dimmed momentarily as the back up generators kicked in, and the ship began to visibly list to the left through the view port.

Vosh scanned the damage report and shouted over the warning klaxon, “Direct hit on numbers one and three sublight engines! Engine two still functional but failing fast!”

“Raise shields!” shouted Desh as he fought to gain some measure of control over the ailing ship.

“Trying sir. I’m having difficulty rerouting power to shield generators.” Vosh said with some annoyance.

Desh watched as the Nomas banked around for another pass almost lazily. “They’re coming around! Send a distress signal to - ”

“They’re jamming us, sir!” interrupted Vosh.

“Brace!” yelled Desh as another ion burst shot towards them.

Yin saw the bolt impact directly on the bridge and the ship went dark. Flashes of electrical discharge were visible inside the bridge view port as the ships nose angled down, the transport beginning to tumble.

Shar opened a channel to the stricken vessel, “DSS shuttle, you will power down all functioning systems except life support and prepare for boarding. If you don’t comply, we will destroy you.”

“There systems are powering down.” said Momla, “Engaging tractor beam.”

Yin began his approach for boarding.

Captain Desh, his copilot and the navigations officer waited at the airlock. The clanking of the docking assembly rattled through the hull as the Nomas attached to the shuttle. The airlock hissed and slid into the ceiling recess as Shar walked through the portal. The Sullustan copilot and Duros navigator blanched at the sight of the silent Umbaran, his fierce yellowish red eyes settling on Captain Desh as he began to yell, awless, at the Sith.

“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Desh began as Yin, Momla, and MP5K came through the door, “Do you know who we are? We are here at the express invitation of Tednal Corg - Ach!” Desh grabbed at his throat, choking as Shar casually raised his hand toward the captain.

MP5 pounded over toward the copilot, who shrank back from the imposing droid, “You will take me to the Gran named Lan Ree.” Vosh looked over to Captain Desh as he fell to his knees, his eyes bulging, gasping for air with his hand stretched out toward Shar in pleading. With a final gurgle, Desh fell heavily onto his face and lay still. Vosh looked back to the droid and nodded hastily, quickly leading MP5 toward the cabins.

Yin and Momla searched the rest of the ship bringing the remaining crew to the conference room. MP5 returned with a very frightened looking Gran and the still blanched copilot.

Shar looked at Lan and smiled warmly as Yin said, “MP, would you take the crew and give us some privacy with Lan?”

“As you wish.” MP replied as he marched the crew out the door.

The door closed and Yin turned to Lan and said, “Don’t worry, we don’t want to harm you.” Lan glanced back at the door, shaking as he heard what he was certain was two lightsabers ignite.

Men started screaming on the other side of the door as Yin continued unconcerned, “All we want is your cooperation and we’ll let you go. Do you understand?” Lan, still looking at the door, nodded quickly and then jumped about a foot as something slammed into the door, clawing at it from the other side. There was an energy like humming followed by a blood curdling scream and then the clawing stopped.

Yin kept talking conversationally, “We want you to give us access codes and get us into Tednal’s base. Then we will let you go. Do we have a deal?” Tednal looked back toward Yin and nodded again as the screams died down to pleas and begging, then silence.

“Good. Then let’s begin.” Yin concluded.

The door opened and MP5 entered the room. Lan looked past the droid and his mouth fell open as he fell to the floor at the sight in the hold beyond. Blood and various organs slicked the floor and stained the wall, with little bits of tissue stuck to various surfaces where it had splattered. Arms and legs hung like meat from tables, crates and counters. The torsos cut into so many parts that he could not for the life of him tell which pieces belonged to which crew member.

MP5 looked at Yin and said casually, “I have made certain you will have all the privacy you need.”

Yin Piloted the DSS shuttle to the Killee Wasteland space port, giving them the pass codes Lan provided and landed at the dock.

Lan descended the access ramp, the three hooded and fully robed Sith to his sides and front with MP5 and R6 at his back. Two Rodians approached them cautiously.

“You are Lan Ree?” one of them asked.

Lan nodded as Momla answered for him, “He is.”

“Then you will have payment for Tednal Corga, yes?” said the Rodian, “Corga demands payment before delivery. First you pay, then we take you to collect your bounty.”

Momla moved aside so Lan could pay them. He gave the Rodians a cred stick and they checked the identity of it’s source account as they extracted the money.

“Good.” the Rodian said as he handed the cred stick back to Lan, “You are who you say you are.”

“Why all the security?” asked Lan nervously.

“Tednal has many enemies, yes? And he hasn’t gotten to where he is by being careless.” the Rodian answered, “Now we will take you to collect Lai Nim.”

The Rodians led them to the center of the town where a large heavy blast door stood at the front of a tunnel leading under the ground. They opened the door and led them down a long, sloping, dank passage with little in the way of lighting, to another blast door. The Rodians opened the blast door and they entered a security room with a door on the other side guarded by two Nikto. A security camera hung from the ceiling and a terminal stood next to the Nikto.

One of the Rodians said, “We turn you over to them, they will take you to Lai. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”

“Thank you.” said Yin as he threw open his robe, drawing his lightsaber and igniting it just as his stroke reached the first Rodian’s neck, cutting the surprised alien’s head off.

MP5 activated one of the blades of his staff and cut the security cam from it’s base before he spun and jammed the energy blade into the seam between the blast door and it’s frame. He began slowly drawing the edge along the seam, welding the portal shut.

Momla was on the Nikto by the console before he knew what had happened, cutting through his ample armor and polearm like water and leaving him in two pieces on the floor.

Shar drew his saber and took the other Rodian at mid thigh in an upward strike. The Rodian fell to the ground, his chest split and steaming.

The second Nikto lunged for the security console and Momla ran his lightsaber up to the hilt in his chest. The guard stumbled and fell to his knees as Momla withdrew his saber and cut the Nikto’s head from his shoulders with a casual circular stroke.

R5 accessed the console and disabled the security system as MP5 finished sealing the blast door. Stepping around Lan Ree, cowering on the floor and sobbing with fear, the Sith opened the opposite door and entered the base of Tednal Corga.

Then the slaughter began.Chapter 6

The ramp descended from the Nomas and the sounds of Lai Nim’s cries and pleas filled the bay. The two station guards waiting at the bottom of the ramp grinned as Yin, Shar, Momla and MP5 led the unfortunate bounty to them.

“Aw, now don’t cry.” one of the guards said to Lai in mock sympathy, “We’re going to have all kinds of fun.” His companion laughed ominously as they started to lead Lai Nim away to the holding cells.

“No harm or discomfort will befall our bounty.” Yin said ominously.

The guards turned around, a little taken aback, “You don’t have any authority here. And if you think you can threat-”

“If it does,” he continued smoothly, ignoring the guard’s rant, “our anger with you will be substantial.”

The guard’s mouth moved silently for a moment as he struggled to come up with a suitable response to the threat. Then thought better of it, nodded and left.

Yin watched the guards leave. “Fools.” he said to the others, “They flaunt their position thinking they display the power of life and death. They display only the type of self certainty that ignorance and stupidity can breed. They know nothing of true power.”

MP5 added, “Such stupidity, if left unchecked, could ruin our designs.”

“They won’t hinder us now.” Shar surmised.

“Maybe.” Momla replied as they headed toward the turbo lift, “But if they do…”

Yin interjected, finishing Momla’s thought, “Then we will personally give them an abject lesson in True Power.”

Drogis looked up as they approached his usual table, “You did a good job getting Lai. Short time, too. I’m impressed.” He pulled out a cred stick and laid it on the table, “Here’s your money. I’ve got more work, if you’re interested.”

Yin took the cred stick, “Always.”

Drogis grinned, “Good. Come back in three days and I’ll have a new contract for you. Until then, just hang around. Enjoy the pleasures of Starforge Station.”

“Three days then.” Yin said, and they left.

Drogis pulled one of his thugs over as he watched the Sith leave, “Take a couple others and keep an eye on our new “friends”.”

For three days they waited. Momla had noticed almost immediately the Dug’s henchmen shadowing them.

“We’re being followed.” he said sarcastically as he pointed openly to the two thugs watching them. They quickly tried to look nonchalant.

Yin said, “Well, let’s hope our Dug friend doesn’t get to smart. If he searches Lai and finds the tracking devices we planted, we’ll have to kill him. And that will make tracking Tednal all the more tedious.”

When they got back to the Nomas, MP5 ran a complete scan and found a tracking device Drogis had planted. “Leave it.” said Yin, “It may be of some use to us.”

After the second day, MP5 walked into the crew cabin of the Nomas, “I’ve tracked movement on Lai Nim. He was put on a transport and taken off of Starforge Station.”

“Have we calculated a destination?” Shar asked.

The astromech beeped excitedly. “It’s destination was successfully vectored.” interpreted MP5, “The Socorro system.”

On the third day, they went back to the Dug. Still sitting at his usual table. “Is that job ready?” Yin asked as they walked up to him.

“Yes.” said Drogis, apparently satisfied with their intentions, “This ones an Iktotchi named Daesae Kyren. He’s apparently pretty dangerous, but I think you can handle him. He was last seen on Tatooine. Seventy five hundred when you bring him in…alive.”

Yin piloted the Nomas out of the hanger bay and into the heavy clouds of Starforge Nebula. He turned to the astromech and said, “R6, plot a series of jumps along the Perlemian Trade Route and then the Corellian Run. Destination is Rodia.”

“Why are we delaying?” asked Momla.

“No delay.” replied Yin, “We’re going to make certain Drogis knows we’re going to Tatooine.”

Yin fed the first coordinates into the nav computer and engaged the hyperdrive. The Nomas disappeared into hyperspace.

Four jumps later the Nomas landed on Rodia. MP5 removed the tracking device and placed it on a transport headed for Tatooine. The Nomas then took off again and jumped for Socorro.

Entering Socorro space from outside the system, Yin cautiously flew the Nomas into orbit around the smuggler’s haven. The signal from the tracking device MP5 had implanted in Lai Nim had been dampened soon after entering Socorro’s atmosphere. So a precise destination at landing was impossible to determine. They would have to do some reconnaissance to find Tednal’s base.

Staying close enough to successfully monitor any interspace transmissions from the surface, Yin was careful to keep the ship far enough away to elude sensor detection from the planet’s meager defenses. For days they watched and waited as interstellar traffic came and went to the various towns and small cities that dotted the planet surface. All with not a mention of Tednal Corga. But they were patient in the Force and continued to wait.

Finally, on the fourteenth day, MP5 snapped the comms on, “Outbound transmission from the Killee Wasteland. It says bounties are collected and ready for pick up. The name of Lai Nim is among those on the list.”

“The Killee Wasteland.” Momla repeated as Yin moved the Nomas into geosynchronous orbit over the town.

After a few hours, MP5’s voice came over the comms again, “Inbound transmission to the Killee Wasteland. Origin is planet Duro, Duro Starshipwright Shipyards Corp. They are acknowledging the previous transmission and confirming incoming scheduled transport pick up for Lai Nim.”

Momla asked, “How soon?”

“Two standard days.” MP5 answered.

“Do we have a reversion point?” Yin asked.

“Yes.”

Shar looked at Yin, “What are you planning?”

“A surprise visit.” he replied.

The DSS modified Corellian Star Shuttle raced through hyperspace toward the Socorro jump point. Outside the bridge view port, gravitic reflections of real space stars made it seem like the ship was flying down a tunnel of light. “Prepare for reversion. Engage on my mark.” ordered Capt. Desh as he started the countdown. His copilot Vosh began powering the ion drives and preparing the hyperdrives for shutdown.

“Mark.” said Desh as the ship seemed to stop dead in space, the stars shrinking back to single dots in the void. “Power to ion- What the Hell!?” he yelled as he looked up to see the Nomas flying towards them on what looked like an attack run. A forward cannon flashed on the front of the Nomas and Desh screamed, “Brace!”

The ship shuddered as the ion bolt slammed into the aft hull. The lights dimmed momentarily as the back up generators kicked in, and the ship began to visibly list to the left through the view port.

Vosh scanned the damage report and shouted over the warning klaxon, “Direct hit on numbers one and three sublight engines! Engine two still functional but failing fast!”

“Raise shields!” shouted Desh as he fought to gain some measure of control over the ailing ship.

“Trying sir. I’m having difficulty rerouting power to shield generators.” Vosh said with some annoyance.

Desh watched as the Nomas banked around for another pass almost lazily. “They’re coming around! Send a distress signal to - ”

“They’re jamming us, sir!” interrupted Vosh.

“Brace!” yelled Desh as another ion burst shot towards them.

Yin saw the bolt impact directly on the bridge and the ship went dark. Flashes of electrical discharge were visible inside the bridge view port as the ships nose angled down, the transport beginning to tumble.

Shar opened a channel to the stricken vessel, “DSS shuttle, you will power down all functioning systems except life support and prepare for boarding. If you don’t comply, we will destroy you.”

“There systems are powering down.” said Momla, “Engaging tractor beam.”

Yin began his approach for boarding.

Captain Desh, his copilot and the navigations officer waited at the airlock. The clanking of the docking assembly rattled through the hull as the Nomas attached to the shuttle. The airlock hissed and slid into the ceiling recess as Shar walked through the portal. The Sullustan copilot and Duros navigator blanched at the sight of the silent Umbaran, his fierce yellowish red eyes settling on Captain Desh as he began to yell, awless, at the Sith.

“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Desh began as Yin, Momla, and MP5K came through the door, “Do you know who we are? We are here at the express invitation of Tednal Corg - Ach!” Desh grabbed at his throat, choking as Shar casually raised his hand toward the captain.

MP5 pounded over toward the copilot, who shrank back from the imposing droid, “You will take me to the Gran named Lan Ree.” Vosh looked over to Captain Desh as he fell to his knees, his eyes bulging, gasping for air with his hand stretched out toward Shar in pleading. With a final gurgle, Desh fell heavily onto his face and lay still. Vosh looked back to the droid and nodded hastily, quickly leading MP5 toward the cabins.

Yin and Momla searched the rest of the ship bringing the remaining crew to the conference room. MP5 returned with a very frightened looking Gran and the still blanched copilot.

Shar looked at Lan and smiled warmly as Yin said, “MP, would you take the crew and give us some privacy with Lan?”

“As you wish.” MP replied as he marched the crew out the door.

The door closed and Yin turned to Lan and said, “Don’t worry, we don’t want to harm you.” Lan glanced back at the door, shaking as he heard what he was certain was two lightsabers ignite.

Men started screaming on the other side of the door as Yin continued unconcerned, “All we want is your cooperation and we’ll let you go. Do you understand?” Lan, still looking at the door, nodded quickly and then jumped about a foot as something slammed into the door, clawing at it from the other side. There was an energy like humming followed by a blood curdling scream and then the clawing stopped.

Yin kept talking conversationally, “We want you to give us access codes and get us into Tednal’s base. Then we will let you go. Do we have a deal?” Tednal looked back toward Yin and nodded again as the screams died down to pleas and begging, then silence.

“Good. Then let’s begin.” Yin concluded.

The door opened and MP5 entered the room. Lan looked past the droid and his mouth fell open as he fell to the floor at the sight in the hold beyond. Blood and various organs slicked the floor and stained the wall, with little bits of tissue stuck to various surfaces where it had splattered. Arms and legs hung like meat from tables, crates and counters. The torsos cut into so many parts that he could not for the life of him tell which pieces belonged to which crew member.

MP5 looked at Yin and said casually, “I have made certain you will have all the privacy you need.”

Yin Piloted the DSS shuttle to the Killee Wasteland space port, giving them the pass codes Lan provided and landed at the dock.

Lan descended the access ramp, the three hooded and fully robed Sith to his sides and front with MP5 and R6 at his back. Two Rodians approached them cautiously.

“You are Lan Ree?” one of them asked.

Lan nodded as Momla answered for him, “He is.”

“Then you will have payment for Tednal Corga, yes?” said the Rodian, “Corga demands payment before delivery. First you pay, then we take you to collect your bounty.”

Momla moved aside so Lan could pay them. He gave the Rodians a cred stick and they checked the identity of it’s source account as they extracted the money.

“Good.” the Rodian said as he handed the cred stick back to Lan, “You are who you say you are.”

“Why all the security?” asked Lan nervously.

“Tednal has many enemies, yes? And he hasn’t gotten to where he is by being careless.” the Rodian answered, “Now we will take you to collect Lai Nim.”

The Rodians led them to the center of the town where a large heavy blast door stood at the front of a tunnel leading under the ground. They opened the door and led them down a long, sloping, dank passage with little in the way of lighting, to another blast door. The Rodians opened the blast door and they entered a security room with a door on the other side guarded by two Nikto. A security camera hung from the ceiling and a terminal stood next to the Nikto.

One of the Rodians said, “We turn you over to them, they will take you to Lai. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”

“Thank you.” said Yin as he threw open his robe, drawing his lightsaber and igniting it just as his stroke reached the first Rodian’s neck, cutting the surprised alien’s head off.

MP5 activated one of the blades of his staff and cut the security cam from it’s base before he spun and jammed the energy blade into the seam between the blast door and it’s frame. He began slowly drawing the edge along the seam, welding the portal shut.

Momla was on the Nikto by the console before he knew what had happened, cutting through his ample armor and polearm like water and leaving him in two pieces on the floor.

Shar drew his saber and took the other Rodian at mid thigh in an upward strike. The Rodian fell to the ground, his chest split and steaming.

The second Nikto lunged for the security console and Momla ran his lightsaber up to the hilt in his chest. The guard stumbled and fell to his knees as Momla withdrew his saber and cut the Nikto’s head from his shoulders with a casual circular stroke.

R5 accessed the console and disabled the security system as MP5 finished sealing the blast door. Stepping around Lan Ree, cowering on the floor and sobbing with fear, the Sith opened the opposite door and entered the base of Tednal Corga.

Then the slaughter began.

Chapter 5

For years they trained and practiced, growing in strength and skill. Learning the secrets of the Sith. Any sign of weakness or fear was met with ruthless brutality. Those that could not rid themselves of such debilities, were killed. Strength, ruthlessness, and power, honed with wisdom, were rewarded with more knowledge and advancement in the academy.

Yin, Momla, and Eevie excelled at the curriculum, but Shar struggled against himself. Constantly undermining his own success with guilt and uncertainty, he showed just enough determination and potential to keep Lord Trado from killing him as a failure.

They excelled at the Force, martial, and saber arts. Striving for greater power, they devoured the knowledge given them. Yin, Momla, and Shar became allies. Recognizing that the increased strength their alliance gave them against common rivals, allowed them greater ascendancy in the power of the Dark Side.

Eevie had taken to Pak’s offer with some success. A Zeltron, Eevie was predisposed to earning favor anyway, and found it easy to do so with Pak, and even some instructors.

One day, twelve years after beginning their training, Darth Bellator walked up to them at the end of saber class. They each immediately knelt on one knee, head bowed, “My lord.”

“You have done well, my students.” he said, as they heard a metallic clanking in the hall and looked up to see Lord Trado and his vicious droid Empy enter the training hall. Lord Bellator smiled as they saw this and said, “Your training now enters another phase. Prepare yourself for battle.” then turned and walked to the challenge circle.

The droid gave a courtesy, “My lord.” as he marched directly into the circle and the radiant blue blades of his lightsaber staff snapped into life.

Lord Bellator looked at Momla, “You will be first. You will use your lightsaber for this test. You will block the attacks only. You will not attack. Block three times to pass. If you don’t, and you are not already dead, you fail.”

Momla strode into the circle, drawing his lightsaber and igniting the emerald blade.

Lord Bellator stepped out of the circle, “Begin.”

Immediately the droid brought up the lower blade of his staff in an upward strike at the Ithorian’s groin. Momla felt the attack coming in the Force and angled back on his feet as he brought his blade down to meet Empy’s with a pop. He immediately pivoted to the side and dropped to one knee, giving himself room enough to swing the saber up flat over his head and meet the second energy blade, as the droid brought the upper edge down at him.

Empy brought the lower blade around in a strike at the Ithorian’s back, Momla pushed off of his back foot. Coming up as he swung his lightsaber back down, he just caught the blue blade before it cut into his spine.

Empy stopped and went back to a ready stance. Lord Bellator looked to Yin. Momla bowed to Lord Bellator and backed out as Yin entered and did the same. Yin rose, his blue saber blade springing forth.

Lord Bellator nodded, “Begin.”

Empy shot forward with a stab to Yin’s gut that caught him by complete surprise. Anger flared, and everything went into slow motion. He watched the lightsaber closing with him and raged at himself. Furious that he should fail now, he instinctively called upon the Force. Wrenching his destiny back from the precipice, Yin fueled himself with the Dark Side. His body moved with an unnatural quickness, and caught the blade mid way.

Empy brought the second blade down at Yin’s shoulder, but the Kel-Dor was filled with the Dark Side now. He batted the stroke away almost before it was made. Empy tried a low sweep with his staff, but Yin’s blade was already there.

Empy went back to the ready position. Yin extinguished his blade and bowed before Darth Bellator, before leaving the circle.

Lord Bellator looked to Shar, “And the last.”

As he rose and walked to the circle, Darth Bellator held out a practice lightsaber for him to use. Shar felt a pang of jealousy and embarrassment that he was the only one without his own lightsaber. It immediately reminded him of that choice on the Jedi vessel, and his weakness. He would show no such frailty today. Shar took the lightsaber and bowed. A crimson blade snapped out as he rose and pushed the activation stud. Darth Bellator backed out of the circle again, “Begin.”

Shar stayed focused. He used the Force and let it guide him. The first strike was parried before he realized it. The second was blocked with a quick downward swing that he followed into a low wide cat stance. Bending over at the waist almost to the floor, Empy’s blade cut the air above his back.

Shar got up and Empy shut down his staff and stood back as Lord Trado approached the three students, “Your skills have grown, but I wonder, has your competence?”

Yin, Momla, and Shar, kneeling, all replied as one, “Yes, lord.”

Lord Trado raised a brow, noticing the certainty with which the Umbaran had answered, ” We shall see. I am giving you your first mission. Tednal Corga is a Crime Lord operating somewhere in the Outer Rim territories. Lord Krayt wants him dead. Find his base of operations and kill him. Leave no evidence exposing the Sith Order. Wipe out all other’s there save one; a Feeorin named “Rav”. He is to be the only one spared. Be certain he knows exactly who it is that spared his wretched life, and by extension, who now owns it.”

Bowing their heads, they replied, “Lord Krayt wills, and we obey.”

“Indeed.” said Lord Trado, turning to leave, “Do not fail me.” He stopped next to Empy’s shoulder and said in a hushed tone, “Go with them. Insure the mission is done correctly, if need be. Report to me on the execution of their task.”

*   *   *   *   *

Within the hour, a Firespray-31 rose from the spaceport and shot off into the atmosphere. Yin piloted the ship to the hyperspace jump point at the edge of the system, Momla sitting at his side in the co-pilot’s seat searching the long range sensors to ensure they were not discovered by any in-system traffic. Korriban was considered a dead planet by most of the galaxy and largely forgotten… but some remembered. The fact that it was the birth place of the Sith, ensured that every year a certain number of archaeologists and treasure seekers went “missing” after visiting the planet.

In the main hold, Shar and Empy sat at a terminal, using the holonet to compromise numerous Galactic Alliance and planetary system law enforcement databases. Empy activated the comm, “Tednal Corga is noted as awarding bounty contracts on numerous wanted organics. Starforge station is mentioned as the point of origin for the contracts awarded. No definitive location regarding the organic “Rav”.”

Yin turned to the nav computer and calculated the coordinates for the necessary jump to Starforge Station. The Firespray shot forward and disappeared into hyperspace.

Built on a nameless planetoid tumbling through the Starforge nebula seventy years before the Galactic Civil War, Starforge Station looked less like a mobile space station, and more like a massive hanger and small city built into a gigantic asteroid. Since it’s construction, it’s served as a shadow port for the black market and other illegal activities across the galaxy.

For decades the Empire, New Republic, Imperial Remnant, and Galactic Alliance had each tried to find and destroy the smuggler’s haven. But Starforge Station was just valuable enough to each of them to keep the earnestness of the effort half hearted, at best. When the occasional crusading admiral did try to destroy the station, it would simply jump to safety in the heavy clouds of the nebula. The relative safety, neutrality, and success of the station meant that hundreds of thousands of criminal and less than noble elements and organizations, made use of it’s services. And though they could not know it, another organization was about to be added to that roster…the Sith.

“Unknown vessel, identify yourself. What is your purpose here?” a gruff female voice warbled over the comms, as the Firespray emerged out of hyperspace heading for the station.

Momla replied smoothly, “This is the “Nomas”. We were told this was the place to find work.”

The voice warbled again, “And what work would that be, Nomas?”

“Bounty hunting.”

“Starforge Station is a secure location, Nomas. How did you find it?” she asked.

Momla thought for a moment, “We were referred by Saesee Tiinn.” Yin looked at him, grinning beneath his breath mask.

After a moment of dead air, she said, “Continue on your present course. You will have berthing at dock 129.”

Yin said, “It seems they had a similar name on their lists. Unfortunate. That will make things…easier.”

“Don’t lose hope, my friend. You may get to kill someone yet.” replied Momla as Yin took the ship in on it’s approach.

The Firespray breached the atmospheric shield and settled gently on the metal decking. The access ramp extended as two station security guards approached the unmarked ship. They took an involuntary step back as the first thing they saw was the imposing MP5K marching toward them. Glittering metal and deep black cape, combining to make it seem as though part of the star filled blackness of the void had come in with the ship. They took another step back as the droids companions followed after him.

A humanoid, with his skull marked in white and black. His red and yellow eyes all the more profound, set within the pitch background of a surrounding tattoo. He wore a long, intricate, feathery looking cloak, the exotically hued purplish white garment lending him an even more disconcerting aspect. A Kel Dor followed, with the faceless breath mask indicative of his species, but of a golden metal, set against the blood red hue of his tattooed skin. His black robes billowed softly as he strode down the ramp.

Finally, and probably most disturbingly, thought the guards, an Ithorian. Disturbing for the way the alien looked and carried itself. Yes, they had seen Ithorian criminals and bounty hunters before, though rarely to be sure, but this one went beyond even that extreme. It’s skin was tattooed the deep blood red of the Kel Dor’s, with what looked like black tribal or gang markings on top of that. It had the same yellowish red eyes of the humanoid, and walked with the same deathly purpose as the others. The creature seemed to be a complete contrast to the pacifist, cordial, stereotype.

Indeed, though the two guards had seen many of the worst and most dangerous creatures and aliens in the galaxy over their years of service, they had never experienced a group of beings that seemed to exude death and evil so completely. They felt cold and wrongness in the presence of these “things”. Even the droid felt dark.

Unease crept into them as the Kel Dor approached, “Your cantina, where is it?”

“Take the lift up to deck twelve.” said one of the guards, leaning slightly away from the Kel Dor. “We were sent to have you, uh, log you’re vessel, to…uh-” Yin stood there, silently staring at the guard. “We’ll log you in, so you can go to the cantina.” said the guard, “What name should we enter? Sir.”

The group turned and started toward the turbo lift as Yin said, “Miao Yin.”

The turbo lift opened and they were immediately assaulted with the offensive odor of a multitude of unwashed races. What passed for music in Ado sector blared across the room. Which along with the odor and various bodily noises of the clientèle, was pushing the Sith’s rage dangerously close to the surface. They pushed their way to the bar, where an Ithorian bartender was taking a nefarious looking Deveronian’s order.

Momla said to the bartender, “We’re looking for Tednal Corga.”

The Ithorian handed a glass of some pungent smoking liquid to the Deveronian, “You looking to pick up of drop off?”

“What do you mean?”

Looking rather irritated the bartender replied gruffly, “What do mean “What do you mean”?! Listen, you karking murglak, are you trying to pick up a bounty or collect on one?! Come on schutta, I’ve got paying customers here!” He looked over at the Sith for the first time, and his demeanor immediately softened. The Ithorian made a burbling noise that was the equivalent of a human smile, “You’re looking to business with Corga, you want to see Drogis.” He pointed to a corner table with a particularly ill tempered looking Dug surrounded by females, and some thug underlings standing around.

There hands slipping towards there blasters, the thugs became marginally more alert, and allot more nervous as the disturbing strangers walked up to the table. Drogis sipped his drink and asked, “What can I do for you?” apparently not nearly as intimidated by the Sith.

“We were told you are the one to see about Tednal Corga.” Yin said.

“Why would you want to see Tednal?” asked the Dug.

“We’re looking for work.”

“Got any experience?”

Yin replied coolly, “More than you could possibly imagine.”

Drogis examined them for a moment, “I’ll bet. Tell you what, I’ll give you a tryout. I’ve just been given a new contract. You fulfill it, and I’ll see about putting you on the list of preferred contractors.”

“Done.” said Yin, “What’s the contract?”

“A Duros named Lai Nim. He was last seen on Coruscant. Bring him back, alive, and it’s worth five thousand, and more contracts.”

Drogis watched as they left, “Interesting.”

The first impression Shar had of Coruscant, was that it looked like the perfect home for the Sith. Bedecked with so many lights, it’s surface looked molten from space. The amount of traffic around the planet was staggering, and as they approached the upper atmosphere, the sheer size of the planet covering city was awe inspiring. ‘I will rule this one day.’ he thought.

The voice of the Coruscant Defense Force over the comms broke his reverie, “Incoming vessel, please identify and state your purpose.”

“This is Capt. Miao Yin of the “Nomas”. We’ve had a major equipment failure. We are requesting emergency docking.” said Yin, trying to sound a little panicked. He hoped the carefully planned “failures” that their protocol and astromech droid, D1-CK and H0-LE respectively, had instigated would be convincing.

“Proceed on present course. Emergency berthing granted at Hydian Way docks.” came his answer.

Their initial inquiries into Lai Nim showed he had last used his credit to book passage with Hydian Way charter service on Coruscant. In order to find out to where he booked passage, they needed to access the financial database. An isolated computer bank kept on Coruscant.

Yin brought the ship in a little faster than normal, and set down with a ‘THUMP!’

Emergency crews ran out to the ship and started their various diagnostics and repair routines. D1-CK, H0-LE, and Shar descended the ramp and began talking to the crew chief, keeping his attentions on the front of the ship. Meanwhile, Empy, with stealth belying his build, went to the dock offices and hacked into the company database. After a few minutes, he disengaged and walked out to Shar, “Recopia. The island of Altal.”

Shar turned to D1-CK and H0-LE and nodded. The astromech droid went to a panel at the side of the ship, opened it, and turned a regulator.

“What the hell?” said the confused crewmen, as all of the diagnostics suddenly went to green.

Shar walked over to the crew chief, “Thank you for your time. How much do we owe you?”

“Uh, 300?”

Shar handed the credits to the bewildered man, and left without another word.

Covered with sulphuric oceans and poisonous and corrosive clouds, Recopia’s only attributes of importance, were it’s galactic location, and the relative anonymity living on such a world provided. Huge towers of land, eroded until only the sturdiest of rock remained, jutted into the sky. Some, more than a mile in height, breaking the deadly cloud barrier and reaching into the more habitable atmosphere. It was upon these “islands”, that those who lived on Recopia made their homes. Travel could only be done by air, so even the most rural of settlements had at least a rudimentary airfield. Such as the one on Altal, to which Yin now piloted the Firespray.

It was still night, and none of the island town’s citizens were up and about yet. The ship landed silently, and Empy was first off, going to the only other transport at the dock, a run down air skiff, and sabotaging the vessel. On command he could now cause the ship to explode by remote. If Lai tried to escape, he would now find it exceedingly difficult. The others scouted the island to be sure there was no other avenue of escape. Once they were certain, they waited.

Jerl Vanh woke up with a groan and smashed his fist into the alarm. He let out a sigh as he thought very seriously about just going back to sleep. He hated his job. At least the hours and the location, anyway. Recopia. ‘How the hell did I end up here?’ he thought for the millionth time. He used to have such dreams, piloting a star fighter for the GA, maybe even command on a Defender. He had some skill. He had no doubt about that, but it never happened. Sometimes he felt trapped. He loved his wife and his daughter, but he wondered now and then what his life would be like if he just left and never came back. Dropped all his responsibilities and took off for a new life.

Biggest mistake he ever made was writing it down in a journal. When his wife found it, he spent the next week explaining that he loved her and would never leave them. It was just him thinking ‘what if?’ Though, if he was honest with himself, it was more than that.

But those were dreams and this was reality. Another day of getting up before the sun to ferry people to get food, and parts. At least it was honest work. And he still had time. He wasn’t that old yet. He could keep saving and maybe one day buy a second skiff. He could teach his daughter how to pilot it and build from there. Maybe it wasn’t much by most people’s standards, but at least it was hope. And he did love his family. Jerl wanted them to have something better, too.

‘Well,’ he thought as he swung his legs over the bed and made his way to the refresher, ‘no time like the present.’ If this was the lot in life he would have to work with, then so be it. He stepped into the refresher and the warm water played over him as he thought, ‘I’m going to start turning things around starting today.’ He shaved and ate a bit of biscuit and meat left overs. ‘Today is going to be different, I can feel it’ he thought as he walked outside and locked the door behind him quietly, so as not to wake his wife or daughter. Jerl walked off into the dark early morning with the spark of hope.

As the sun broke the horizon, Jerl saw 4 silhouettes at the dock next to his skiff and a ship on the landing pad. From the looks of it, it was an old Firespray-31. He hadn’t seen one of those since his Navy days, a smile crossing his face as memories flooded back. Still wearing the smile, Jerl walked up to the group, “Good morning. My names Jerl Vanh, proprietor of Vanh’s Van service. What can I do for you gentlemen?”

Shar stepped forward, “We are in need of replacement parts for our ship. Would you be able to give us transportation to an island to get them?”

“S-sure, I can do that.” Jerl said, a little taken aback by Shar’s unsettling appearance. He squinted to try to see the others, but the sun behind them made it impossible. “When would you like to go?”

Shar said, “Soon. We’re here looking for a friend.”

Jerl walked over to the skiff and started the prep work, “Oh? Well, let me get the skiff going and we’ll go get those parts so you can find your friend.”

“Have any Duros come here recently?” asked Yin impatiently from behind Shar.

“Sure, we get some now and again.” he replied, disengaging the power coupling to the skiff.

“We’re looking for Lai Nim.” Yin pressed.

“Lai?” Jerl asked, putting the coupling hose away, “Sure, he moved in to the house right there not to long ago. We could get your parts and be back in time for you to see Lai by breakfast.”

Finished with his prep work, Jerl walked over to Shar, “So mister, ready to go?”

“Uh, sure.” replied Shar a little uncertainly. Momla walked around the skiff with an annoyed grunt.

Jerl smiled brightly, “Great! How many of you are going? The rate is 30 creds per passenger, but that is round trip.”

Shar said, “Three of us, I guess?” turning to Yin with a questioning look. Weak, thought Yin, sickened. He and Empy went toward the hab indicated by Jerl.

“Alright, that’ll be 90 creds total. Pay up front if you don’t mind, and we’ll get going.” Jerl said, as Shar produced a cred stick.

Jerl took the the creds, “Great, let me just- Unh!” he grunted as a red energy blade appeared over his shoulder and cut through his body in a swift stroke. Sliced through from his right shoulder to left thigh, Jerl’s upper torso slid apart with sucking sound and hit the ground with a wet thud. He looked up at the other half of his body, pain wracking his face as he tried to scream from his split lungs. Momla extinguished his lightsaber and stepped over the pieces of the dying man past Shar. He pulled one of the skiff canvas covers free and wrapped the dismembered man in the heavy water proof cloth. Twisting the end of the cloth and dragging it like a sack, he threw Jerl into the sulphuric mists below. He turned back to Shar and said with disgust, “You would walk a mile around a river, rather than take the bridge to cross.”

Yin went to the front door of the hab while Empy went around the back. He knocked on the door, “Lai Nim!” He knocked again, “Lai Nim!” Through the Force Yin sensed someone watching him. One of the neighbors. A woman. Careful not to look at her and warn her of his attentions, he made a mental note of her and her house. Yin reached into the Force, sensing his surroundings, looking past the hab walls. He sensed inside and saw Lai behind a wall, his blaster drawn, breathing heavy with fear. Yin drew his lightsaber and cut the lock free. The door hissed open with a motion of his hand.

Lai ran for the back and opened the door. There before him was a silvery droid swathed in a black cloak. Empy oozed evil as he ignited the azure blades of his lightsaber staff. Lai dropped his blaster and surrendered.

“Please, I’ll give you anything.” Lai begged as they took him from the hab and towards the Nomas. “I’ve got lots of money. That’s what they want me for, you know. I stole lots of money from them. It’s your’s, take it. You can have it. Just let me go.”

As they reached the ship and it was apparent money wouldn’t work, Lai started screaming, “Help! I’m being kidnapped!” “Please, he-Uh!” he grunted as Momla hit him with the hilt of his saber in the jaw. Momla then proceeded to beat Lai into unconsciousness.

Yin looked at Momla, then nodded toward a hab next to Lai’s, “The woman.”

Momla looked at the hab and marched off, his lightsaber in hand. Carra saw the red and black skinned Ithorian coming and panic overwhelmed her. She ran for the back door and threw it open with one hand, holding her swollen belly with the other. She heard the Sith coming around the house towards her so she ran into the alley hid behind some cans. She stayed deathly silent.

Momla stepped into the alley and slowly walked over to Carra. She couldn’t hide, he had sensed her the moment he looked at the hab. He walked over and kicked the cans away. Carra sobbed softly as Momla ignited his ruby colored blade. He split her from chest to groin, her body bursting like an over ripe fruit, and slicing her unborn child in two.

Momla went into Carra’s home and took the sheets from the bed. He wrapped the remains and threw them into the mists below the island.

He boarded the ship and walked over to the now concious Lai Nim, “You see? Because of you, now she’s dead.”

Chapter 4

The once great spaceport of Korriban now stood in ruin. Millennia of war had taken it’s toll on the planet and left little of it untouched. Just enough debris had been cleared from the landing bays to allow berthing for massive ships the size of Lord Trado’s. Lest the Sith risk being discovered by some passing freighter.

The two and a half thousand foot long Acclamator I assault ship “Reclamator” set down on the landing pad, huge clouds of dust billowing up around it’s frame. The forward ramp lowered and a large armored transport, surrounded by an escort of speeder bike mounted Sith troopers, moved through the ruins of the spaceport and towards a mountainous valley outside the walls.

As they passed out of the space port, the younglings could see the Sith Academy in the mountain at the opening of the valley. Beyond, they could see the colossal tombs of the ancient Dark Lords buried in the mountains. Though surrounded by tons of rock, the academy and the tombs had not been spared by the endless wars. Cratered and broken, the mountain academy loomed up before them, as though standing vigil before the valley of the Dark Lords. Refusing to die and leave it’s master’s service.

As they got closer, the children could feel the Dark Side growing ever stronger. It saturated the planet so completely, that they had actually started to feel it’s presence at the outer edge of the system. But it’s power was apparently beyond exceptional in the academy and the valley beyond.

The transport came to a stop before the great stone doors of the academy, and a ramp began to lower from the side. The Sith troopers guarding the entrance knelt with heads bowed as MP5K pounded down the ramp followed by Lord Trado. The children following behind the Sith Lord listened intently as he began to speak:

“For over twenty thousand years have the Sith sought knowledge. In the beginning they were Jedi. Brothers in a common pursuit; to know the Force. Some of these Jedi discovered another aspect to the Force…” He stopped as he reached the great doors and turned to the children. A dire expression on his face, “A truly powerful aspect. But the other Jedi lacked the strength to master this new aspect and became consumed with fear of it’s power. These “brothers” turned on the future Sith, branding them heretics, and the aspect they explored as “dark”.

“The Jedi attacked their former “brothers”, slaughtering them and driving the survivors into exile. Fortunately the Force was with them, as they found Ziost and Korriban. Two worlds ruled by a race that found the truth in the gift the exiles offered. It was the Sith race.

He turned and waved a hand, encompassing the great Sith Academy with his gesture, “The institution you see before you is a remnant of the empire that followed. A repository of all the collected wisdom from twenty thousand years of mastery. Inside this building awaits your destinys.” Lord Trado turned back toward the children, “If you are strong enough to take them. Which brings us to the moment at hand; your second trial.”

Lord Trado nodded to MP, who took the blaster rifle from the Sith Trooper next to him. Trado looked back to the children and continued, “There will be twelve students accepted this time. Yet there are twenty five of you.”

“Know this, the Sith academy will not tolerate a student proven to harm or hinder another student’s instruction in any way. So, with this guiding you, determine a way to decide who these twelve will be.”

Darth Trado watched the children stand there for a moment, trying to process just what had been said to them. He saw the Ithorian and the Kel-Dor look around and then at each other. He could feel understanding flash between them in the Force, ‘We aren’t students yet. The rule doesn’t apply to us.’ These two were powerful and focused. Much less Jedi taint on them. Perhaps the Jedi training had even worked to the opposite effect of what the late Master Tilhn had intended. With these two, their hate ran very deep indeed.

He watched as the two younglings made an unspoken alliance. They had lightsabers, the others did not. Why fight each other when they were stronger together in a common cause?

So they had wisdom as well, thought Trado. He would watch these two with great interest. They could be very powerful Sith. The Umbaran boy seemed to sense what was coming and moved to the other side of the group. This would all be over very quickly, he thought. Lord Trado turned toward MP5K, “When there are twelve left, end it. Kill any who spare their opponent.”

Empy replied, “Yes master.” and powered up his blaster rifle.

Suddenly, Momla and Yin ignited their sabers, each swinging at the surprised looking child next to them. Momla’s clumsy strike bit into a girl at mid chest. Her screech cut short as the brilliant blade cleaved her arm away and emerged from her sternum. The remains hit the ground, slicking the ground with spilled organs and blood. Yin struck a Rodian boy on the top of the right shoulder, cutting away a swath of the alien’s chest down to his thigh. He fell to the ground and gurgled in pain until his life bled out. Yin would waste no more time on the boy, he was no longer a threat and his suffering was not Yin’s concern. He moved on to the next victim.

“Twenty three.” counted Empy.

The Zeltronian girl lit her saber and stuck the boy next to her in the stomach. He doubled over and squealed as she kicked him off. She eyed Momla with ambition, and charged him.

“Twenty two.”

The children around Shar stood shocked and transfixed by Momla and Yin’s attacks. He took the opportunity and punched the boy next to him in the face as hard as he could. Shar heard Wess’s nose crack and felt blood explode onto his fist. Wes fell on his back, stunned. Shar screamed and pounced on the prone boy, wailing at him with his fists.

A Togruta girl dropped to her knees crying, and pleaded as Yin advanced on her, “Please, no. I can serve you. I can-” He cut her head off and kicked the body over. A fist caught him squarely in the face as he looked up from the corpse. He staggered back, almost into the back swing of Momla’s blade as he killed another child.

“Seventeen.” Empy counted, as three others died in the fighting.

Momla’s untrained block was crude. But Eevie’s strike had been cruder, and he batted it away, following with a shoulder to her chest that sent her stumbling back. As Eevie recovered to attack again, Momla shouted, “Stop! We are three WITH lightsabers. They are not.” Eevie looked at him for an instant and then nodded quickly, taking a position next to Momla and Yin.

Darth Trado looked at the Ithorian with approval, “Very impressive.”

Shar hammered his fists down at Wess, arms raised to cover his battered face. Another boy flew into Shar, bowling him over and off Wess. Shar’s head hit a rock as he rolled, cutting his head just above the eye. Pain blossomed and he rolled over to see the boy jump on him, his hands wrapping around Shar’s neck. Gasping for air, Shar reached for the rock he had fallen on and bashed it into the boy’s temple. The boy fell to the side with a glassy look in his eyes, and Shar rolled on top of him screaming with rage. Tears of pain and anger blurring his vision, he smashed the boy’s skull again and again, until he felt rock hitting rock and realized he was now pounding the dirt beneath.

“Sixteen.”

A Bith youth kicked Shar in the side of the head knocking him off the dead boy and back to the ground. Shar dropped his rock as he fought to keep his consciousness. The Bith child snatched up the rock and brought it back to strike at Shar. But the rock lowered again as the Bith’s eyes lost their anger at the sight of the helpless boy before him. He reached a hand down to help Shar up when a blaster bolt burst his head.

Empy lowered his blaster rifle, “Fifteen.”

Yin swung his lightsaber at his attacker in a wide brutish strike. The boy ducked the swing and came up inside Yin’s attack arc, driving his fist up into Yin’s ribcage. The air left him and his focus became muddled as he tried to suck air back into his lungs. The boy grabbed for his lightsaber, and Yin brought his knee up into the child’s groin with all his strength. The boy doubled over and Yin brought the lightsaber around in an overhead two handed swing that sliced the child in three separate pieces.

“Fourteen.”

Two boys and a girl decided to attack Momla at once. Figuring they would overwhelm him and deprive him of his lightsaber. Momla’s chest swelled drawing in a huge amount of air. His four throats opened and a shock wave of sonic energy burst forth as he bellowed at them. It crashed into the onrushing children dropping one of the boys in his tracks, blood pouring from his ears, his brain ruptured. The other two staggered, clutching at their heads and screaming with pain.

“Thirteen.”

Eevie nodded in approval and stepped up to the other boy, cutting his head off with a stroke.

“Twelve” said Empy raising the blaster rifle agian.

Eevie turned to the deafened girl and started to swing her lightsaber at her head. Empy’s stun shot threw Eevie to the side like a rag doll. She was unconscious by the time she hit the ground. The deafened girl turned toward Empy with a look of relief and mouthed, “Thank, you.”

Empy shot her in the face with a stun bolt. Lord Trado grinned and chuckled softly.

Momla and Yin extinguished their lightsabers and raised their hands before them in a show of yielding.

Empy shot them in the face in a rapid double shot. As they dropped to the ground unconscious, Lord Trado laughed and said, “MP5K, sometimes you are a great joy to me.”

“Thank you, lord.” Empy replied and shot another boy in the face as he walked over to the prone and battered Shar. The boy was struggling to stay concious. The last thing he saw before losing that battle was MP5K bring his blaster barrel to Shar’s face.

*   *   *   *   *

Yin dropped out of bed with a thud as a boot crushed into his side. He opened his eyes and looked around the rock hewn room he now found himself in. Sparse in accomadation and spartan in design, the room was large and cold. A Quarren, Cerean, and humanoid male were going around the room waking his fellow twelve students in as abrupt a manner as he had been. He looked up and found a smiling Neimoidian male looking back down at him. A very large Wookie (it looked male, but he wasn’t sure) stood just down the hall looking disinterested, and perhaps a little upset. Standing next to the Neimoidian was a female Zabrak with a wide cruel smile looking back at him.

When all of the younglings were up, the Neimoidian said in a thick accent, “Ah, good. You are awake. Congratulations schutta, you have been accepted into the Sith academy. I am Pak Niad, your class senior. You will address me as either Senior, or Master. Either is an acceptable show of your subservience.” he said with a dismissive wave.

“At my side you see glorious examples of Sith that you could not hope to achieve. They are also to be called Senior. For your kind, THAT is their name. I do hope you slept well. Your pathetic presence is required for Lord Bellator’s saber training class. And it would be a shame if their were an “accident” due to fatigue. Now get moving!”

Pak and the others started to leave when Pak stopped and turned back to them, “Make no mistake if you get in my way, I will kill you. Remember, no student ” proven” to have harmed another student will be tolerated.” Then Pak smiled and said, “And I will leave no proof.”

“However,” He took on a more conciliatory tone, “if you prove worthy, you may just get the opportunity to serve me.” The Wookie growled with annoyance, and Pak said something to him in a language they couldn’t understand. Pak turned back to the children and said with mock concern, “Now hurry, saber practice begins in 1 minute, and Lord Bellator frowns on tardiness.”

The younglings quickly put on their clothes and checked the terminal in the room to find Lord Bellator’s classroom. They ran through the academy and into a large auditorium with rows of students sparring with wooden lightsabers. As they pounded through the hall into the room, everyone stopped at the noise and looked at them. A hulking Trandoshan about the size of a Wookie, and swathed in black robes and glittering silver armor, turned toward them.

A Trandoshan’s countenance was widely considered frightening enough, to begin with. A furious Trandoshan was worse. A furious Trandoshan Sith Lord like the one now looking at them, his lip curling with rage and exposing his fanged teeth, was almost enough to make the younglings hearts stop.

The Trandoshan oozed hate and murder as he glared at them, “Ah, the new students. I am Darth Bellator, instructor of this class.” He looked over the young children and pointed to one, “Perhaps you would be so good as to demonstrate the opening stance required by Djem So, for an effective defense against dual lightsabers.” Gesturing the child towards his practice circle, he added, “We just went over it.”

“And I’m sure you remember it from our exercises this morning. As I’m certain you would not be so disrespectful as to be LATE to my class.” he hissed.

Yin, Momla, and Shar could see Pak at the front of the class grinning widely.

Tears streaming down his still swollen and bruised face, Wess hesitantly stepped forward, “P-Please. Lord, I’m sorry. I wasn’t g-given the -”

“Position!” commanded Lord Bellator.

Wess raised his hands up in defense. Darth Bellator ignited one lightsaber then the other.

Wess screamed, “No! I’m sorry! I-”

Lord Bellator’s strike matched the violence and rage that erupted in his expression. His twin crimson blades flashed in a scissoring stroke and neatly severed Wess’s head and hands. It rolled a short distance before stopping, life flickering in Wess’s eyes for a moment before becoming glassy with death.

“Wrong!” proclaimed Lord Bellator and pointed to Yin, Momla, Shar, and the others, “You, clean this up then join the class. Try to pay closer attention in the future.”

As one, they replied quickly, “Yes, lord.”

Pak walked by Yin and Momla as they began to pick up the remains, “I told you; I will leave no proof.”

Their training as Sith had begun.

Chapter 3

Almost before Lord Trado had finished asking, Momla stepped forward and knelt before the Sith Lord on one knee, “I am strong enough.”

Yin Tok and a Zeltronian girl named Eevie were immediately behind him, bowing to the Sith Lord in silent supplication.

Others began moving forward to take a knee before the Sith Lord and formally accept his offer. With eyes now almost swollen completely shut, Master Tilhn shed a tear as Wess became the last to kneel and swear fealty to Darth Trado.

The Sith Lord approached Momla, Yin, and Eevie, the first three to accept his offer. “Your decisiveness and courage are to be rewarded.” he said as he held the lightsabers he had taken from the Jedi out to them in his thin hands. Momla noticed he was offering him Master Tilhn’s, while he offered the Jedi Knight’s to Yin, and Padawan Dosch’s to Eevie. The prestige of the saber offered, determined by the order in which they had accepted, “These trophies are yours if you choose to take them.”

Their hands flew toward the offered lightsabers, suddenly stopping just short as Lord Trado continued, “However, are you certain this is what you want?”

The children looked at Lord Trado inquisitively.

“Having an actual lightsaber at such an early stage is almost unheard of. But having and using a Jedi weapon would be considered quite shameful by many.” Lord Trado returned their inquisitive look, “Do you still want this gift?”

Without hesitation, each one immediately took the offered saber.

Lord Trado smiled at them, “Good, gooood. A Sith knows the importance of appearances, both strong and deceptively weak, to others as regards power. But a Sith does NOT bow to vanity.”

Lord Trado walked past them and amongst the other children that had come forward. He smiled as he took a moment to bask in the anger and hatred they radiated, spawned by the jealousy of not getting a lightsaber of their own.

They had no one to blame but themselves. The Force rewarded the strong and decisive, not the weak or unsure. Such as the Umbaran boy he now stood before. He had noticed the indecision in the boy earlier about whether to join him or not, and sensed the fear at it’s source, “There is history with your kind amongst the Sith, boy. One of the greatest in our history, in fact.” Lord Trado eyed the Umbaran child suspiciously, “The Force is strong with you, yet I think you may lack your Sith ancestor’s decisiveness and insight. I wonder, are you strong enough for this destiny?”

“I believe so, lord.” Shar replied unconvincingly.

“We’ll see.” Lord Trado shook his head with undisguised loathing and walked toward the front of the group. Darth Ruin would be ashamed to be of the same race as that coward. He was certainly strong with the Force, but he was weak in conviction. Fear and self doubt ate at that child. A Sith did not “Believe So”. A Sith would “know so” with earth shattering certainty.

He turned to his aspiring students, “Rise. We must now take our leave.”

The younglings all got up and followed him to the door, where he suddenly stopped and asked them, “And what of the Jedi vessel? The other children, the crew, and the Jedi themselves? What should be done with them?”

Every single one of them simply stood there looking at him with a blank stare. Indecisive about what to say or indeed whether to say anything at all.

Weak. All of them. Disgust welled up in Lord Trado. He debated whether he should simply have MP5K strike them all down, then seek stronger aspirants. Smiling, he turned to Yin, “You, no decision?”

“No, lord.” Yin replied.

“Always have a decision. ” Lord Trado replied menacingly. He looked up to address all the younglings, “A Sith lives or dies by his decisions. Power, is won or lost by his decisions. Always have a decision.”

Then Momla spoke up, “Kill them all, lord.”

“Yes, lord. Kill them all.” agreed Eevie.

Shar’s head jerked up, eyes wide, “Lord, I say let them go.”

‘Perhaps the boy is simply mentally deficient’ thought Trado, ‘To “sweet” as the humans say.’ “Ah, decisions, good.” he replied, “But very different in result. So, now we come to the second part; A Sith arrives at his decision with insightful thought and the use of the Force. So I ask you,” Lord Trado looked at Eevie inquisitively, “why? Surely the boy is right. After all, they are no threat. Their drives are destroyed and their armaments are in ruins. Their escape pods inoperable. Why destroy them?”

“Because the Jedi are a threat by their very existence.” she stated surely, “They spread their weakness and bias to all they can, and cripple the galaxy with their beliefs and teachings. That causes chaos and destruction.”

Perhaps there was hope for some of them, he thought. He had to remember, they had been training with Jedi for the past two months. He would train that residual Jedi deficiency out of them, or kill them trying.

“Excellent answer and observation, young one.” he smiled at Eevie, then looked to all of them, “I wonder however, did you all know the Jedi are evil?”

He added a little of the Force to his suggestion. Not to much of his considerable power, but just enough to get to the meat of the matter and see just who was strong enough. The Ithorian, Kel Dor, Zeltron, and Umbaran all easily brushed aside the attempt. Not surprising really. It merely confirmed what he already suspected. Others were not so alert, or powerful. Neither condition was acceptable.

Those who failed the test mumbled, “The Jedi are evil.”

Lord Trado smiled at them and said, “No, they aren’t. But they are weak like you, so it would be best if you went back to them.”

As the failed children marched dutifully back through the torn blast door, Darth Trado turned to MP5K and said, “Destroy the Jedi vessel. Be certain there is no trace of it left when you are done.”

* * * * *

Shar Koran looked out of the large window on the observation deck of Darth Trado’s assault ship at the growing disc of Korriban in the distance. It’s dusty brown color broken only by sparse wisps of white clouds, and what looked like ice patches here and there. Very different from Umbara’s thick green clouds and vast oceans. At least as he remembered it looked, as he left the Ghost Nebula with the Jedi.

It was hard to believe it had only been a couple of months since then. The memories already seemed like a lifetime ago. Well, he thought, maybe they were. He was still so young, and yet he knew he was now a completely different person. The Jedi had made certain of that. And the Umbarans.

Few outsiders know that there are nearly one hundred castes in Umbaran society. Probably because only the top ten are ever allowed to leave the planet. They are royalty to the Umbarans. The elite face, the only face that the galaxy is ever shown. They have wealth and power. Influence and political strength. It takes generations of plotting, blackmail, subterfuge, and assassination to get to that level. It takes only one lifetime to have it all taken away.

Shar knew this because his father told him so. Constantly.

He would talk endlessly about how powerful the family used to be when he was a boy. He would tell him how, under the Empire, his grandfather commanded fear and respect. The Emperor - who was a great and powerful man, his father would say - relied on his grandfather to keep the Empire strong and the galaxy safe. His grandfather was trusted by the Emperor - who was a great man - to hunt down rebels and traitors like the Jedi.

Then the unthinkable happened. The Emperor died. Killed by his own traitor Jedi apprentice. With the Jedi backing the rebel armies and without the Emperor to fight them, the Empire soon fell. Shar’s grandfather barely escaped with his life by fleeing back to the Ghost Nebula. To Umbara.

But did he receive his hero’s welcome? No. The petty and jealous families of the lower castes saw opportunity in his families fight for survival. They betrayed his grandfather and his family, taking everything that was theirs and exiling them to the lowest of the castes. Those families that had called themselves his “allies” turned a blind eye to his predicament and a deaf ear to his pleas.

The only thing they had left was his grandfather’s shadow cloak. A symbol of status and authority in Umbaran society. Sometimes, his dad would let him see it. Though it was far to large for him, he loved wearing it and pretending he was an important commander in the Emperor’s Army. A beautiful and powerful reminder of his families former glory.

And so Shar and his parents lived; on Umbara in destitution and in the service of one of the now “greater” families. At least until the Jedi came.

He remembered it was raining that night. Shar remembered, because he liked the sound of the rain very much. He heard his father in the other room yelling and got curious. When he got to his bedroom door he saw his mother down the hall standing in the front room with a look of terror on her tear streaked face. Through quivering lips she just kept saying, “Please, no. Oh please, no.”

Then Shar felt…something, and his mother screamed. He saw the walls shake and involuntarily recoiled as something in the front room crashed into them. His mother started screaming, “Stop it! Stop it!” and ran into the room out of his sight. Shar ran down the hall toward the front room.

Just as he reached the corner, he felt that “something” again. If he had been an inch taller, Shar’s mother would have crashed into him, as she flew over his head and slammed into the kitchen counters. Cabinets and glasses shattered and his mother fell into a heap on the floor, moaning with pain.

Feeling like he was in some surreal nightmare, Shar turned and looked into the front room. He saw his father a foot off the floor up against the wall grabbing at his neck, gurgling and gasping for air. A man in a rain soaked dark brown robe stood in front of him with his right arm stretched out before him. His hand clenched as though crushing the air.

He got that feeling again. But this time it focused on him, found him. The man turned toward Shar, his eyes narrowing, “So,” he said “you have a son.” He turned back to his father and leaned in close, “I’m going to kill you now. But I want you to know, after your dead, I’m going to kill your wife and your son. Your “family” ends tonight.”

His father’s eyes, red with blood, widened as he fought against the invisible grip choking him. The man grinned and closed his fist. Shar heard a sickening crack and watched his father’s neck crumple and his body go suddenly slack.

The man turned to Shar and his father’s body fell to the floor, the head at a very wrong angle. He heard his mother scream and turned to see her on her feet and limping toward him, “Shar! Run! Run!” Panic flooded into him and he ran back toward his bedroom, his mother limping behind him. He reached the door and looked back to his mother, ready to shut and lock it the moment she got through. The Man turned the corner and started down the hall. Shar felt that power building again in the man. His right arm snapped up and an amber lightsaber blade sprang forth, the saber flying down the hall and plunging into his mothers left shoulder. She screamed as he turned his open hand to the side and the lightsaber tore free, her left arm falling to the floor.

His mother started to falter and the man raised his left arm toward her, his hand clenching into a fist. Spittle spilling through pain clenched teeth, Shar’s mother raised into the air. With wet snaps, her body began to crumple as the man crushed her with the power he used. Her eyes bulging, blood running from her nose and mouth, and pouring from her severed shoulder, she grunted to Shar, “Lock it! The window! Go!”

Through tear blurred eyes Shar smacked the access and the door shut with a hiss. He heard his mother’s body crack and then hit the floor on the other side. Shar turned to run but through his obscured vision, missed his footing, tripping over one of his toys.

With a tortured groan, the door flew open. The man stepped in intent on the boy, his lightsaber snapping to life. Shar watched his killer approach, when he sensed something. A figure appeared at the end of the hallway behind the man, “Senn, stop!”

Senn turned toward the the other man. He had the same long rain soaked robe and loose vest underneath as Senn, and a lightsaber hilt in his right hand.

“What have you done, Senn?” said the man, grief creasing his brow as he looked at Shar’s mother on the floor. He looked into the room at Shar and then to Senn, “This isn’t the Jedi way. This won’t bring her back.”

“I know, Arkan.” he replied, and turned back to Shar, raising his lightsaber.

“No!” screamed Arkan, and raised his arm toward Shar.

He felt a force surround him instantly and yank him beneath Senn’s strike. Shar flew down the hall as Arkan swung his arm to point behind him. Shar stopped right where the Jedi’s hand did, and the force released him. Senn and Arkan stood there for one silent moment looking at each other. Suddenly, their sabers ignited and they charged headlong at each other.

Their blades cracked and hissed as they crossed. Senn’s blade cut a livid furrow into the wall as he brought his blade around into an immediate decapitating blow. Arkan dropped his stance to block the blade, but the fallen Jedi had fury lending strength to his blows, and knocked him back. Glowing saber cuts scored the hall about the two men as Senn rained blows upon Arkan, driving him back into the front room.

Shar remembered trying desperately to follow their fight, but couldn’t. The Jedi were simply to fast. Suddenly, as Senn was bringing his blade around for an arcing strike, Arkan shot forward inside his swing and drove his forehead into Senn’s face. He reeled back, blood bursting from his nose and his split lip. Arkan followed with a backhand fist that knocked his head to the side, and a boot to the chest that sent Senn backward into the front door with a thud.

Senn roared with rage and punched out with an open palm. Arkan brought his arms up before him, as the back of the hab buckled and blew out with a metal rending tear. Arkan was thrown into the space beyond and disappeared over the edge as he fell.

Senn marched over to the ruins at the back of the hab and looked out into the rain, down five levels to the ground. The Jedi was getting back up as Senn leapt, lightsaber raised. Arkan rolled and reignited his saber as he came up to his feet.

He charged Senn, striking low at his knees. The Dark Jedi leapt over him, twisting in the air to come down in another strike. Arkan spun, catching the lightsaber blade an inch from his face. He could hear the rain hissing as it flashed to steam against the blades. The Jedi Knight used the force of the strike to reverse his momentum, dropping low and sweeping Senn’s legs out from under him. He fell onto his back and immediately did a kip-up onto his feet. Arkan spun back up from his sweep and lunged his blade directly into Senn’s shoulder as he sprang up.

Senn kicked the Jedi in the chest, sending him into a pile of debris. The fallen Jedi staggered back with a scream of rage. He refocused and snarled with anger. Raising his lightsaber, he charged at the Jedi.

Arkan reached out through the Force to a stone block behind him. As Senn brought his arcing strike down, the Jedi dropped to the side. To late he saw the stone block coming at him. It crashed into Senn’s face with a hollow crack, and he crumpled to the ground.

The Jedi reached out and Senn’s lightsaber flew out of his listless grasp and into Arkan’s hand. He walked over to Senn. His face was a ruin, and he was on the verge of blacking out. The fallen Jedi looked up at him and said, “Kill me.” then slipped into unconsciousness.

Arkan looked up at Shar watching him from five stories above in the rain and said, “No, theres been enough of that today.”

That was the last night Shar spent on Umbara. Master Arkan told him that the Jedi order would take care of him now. The only thing he took with him was his grandfather’s shadow cloak.

As they left Umbara, Shar sat in the co-pilot’s seat watching through the window of the shuttle as his home grew smaller in space behind them. He turned to Arkan, “Why didn’t you kill him?”
“He may be able to be redeemed.”

“What if he can’t?”

“Then the council will decide what to do with him.”

“Kill him?”

“No. Exile, imprisonment, that sort of thing.”

“Why not kill him?”

“It’s not the Jedi way. We don’t kill defenseless enemies.”

“But you fought him.”

“Killing someone during battle is another matter. But once they are beaten and defenseless, no. That’s cold blooded murder, not justice.”

“My parents were defenseless, and he killed them.”

“And he was wrong. Two wrongs do not make a right, Shar. And it wouldn’t bring your parents back.”

“You told him something like that, too. Who was he? Why did he kill my parents?”

“Your grandfather did some very bad things to allot of people. Senn was one of them. He wanted revenge.&#