Rise of the Sith Dominion

[Flamehart]

Strider's eyes looked back at Riebe. The spirit that used to reside within him seemed to be dying in his eyes, and she could see it, she could see everything. His past was catching up to him, and soon he would be forced to fight a war, pushing all emotions back and holding no remorse and mercilessly pressing on until fatigue overwhelmed him. She knew he wouldn't refuse. His gaze met hers, a bit of his old spirit looking rekindled in his slightly faded blue eyes.

 

His voice was low, "Yes...I will promise you that, Riebe..."

 

Strider then sent into her own mind, I am forever loyal to you and our friendship. You can count on me, Riebe.

[Flamehart]

((Joe...

 

Once the shuttle reached the landing pad, it kept hovering as the people inside evacuated and the autopilot was set to on-position and continued up to upper orbit where a ship was to secure it and then make sure the bombs wouldn't go off.

 

We're already off.))

[Joetheeskimo]

((Oh, yeah. Sorry.))

 

((Are we heading for the council chambers, then?))

[Black Knight of Keno]

((Yup, you probably are. WJ, be sure to mention the report of the shuttle's status when you arrive to the jedi council. I want the jedi to start wavering on their opinion on the Dark Lord))

[Writer]

Riebe led the way into the council chamber, but before she had a chance to speak, the Council began asking questions.

 

"You told us there was a bomb aboard the shuttle," one of them said. "We were prepared for it, but there has been no explosion."

 

"That is correct," Riebe answered. "I can only assume Tepe's intentions are not what we originally assumed."

 

"He had a bomb placed on our shuttle!" Danni objected. "What point is there to a bomb if not to destroy something?"

 

"Yet another show of what he could do, but will not," Riebe answered calmly. "He does seem to love those..."

[Flamehart]

Strider quietly stood next to Riebe. He did not share his opinions. His choice was Riebe's, and she knew it. Whatever the two of them agreed on, he would follow, even if it threatened once again his membership in the Order.

 

Finally, Strider interrupted the exchange of argument with a firm voice, "Like all Sith, Tepe likes contest for power. If he did not think it amusing to see us struggle against him, he would have killed us then. He is merely waiting for us to decide to fight back, or obediently cower in our corner as he commanded us to do. One will make it amusing for him, the other will make it easier for him. Either way, he gets what he wants."

 

Strider crossed his arms, looking at the rest of the group. "As a Sith Hunter, my instincts tell me I cannot stand by and allow this merciless conqest to occur, however, he has held to his promise and no attacks on any Jedi Temples have been reported. There's too many different ways to lose here, and very few to win. We need to act soon," said the Hunter, eying everyone in the room with his once-again penetrating blue gaze.

[Black Knight of Keno]

The door to the council chamber opened and an old man stepped inside with jedi robes seemingly starting to turn into dust because of the old age. A younger jedi accompanied the man. The man was a weequay, leaning onto a wooden cane and two arcane lightsabers hanging on his belt. Some of the jedi council was amazed, some merely bowed slightly in disgust of the old man's disfigured appearance that had come with the years.

"I am terribly sorry to interrupt, masters, but the man wished to speak with you. He has just arrived with a merchant from Corellia" the young jedi said and bowed before leaving. The weequay master chuckled and looked at the jedi council.

"Some of you seem to know me. That is good. I am a sort of... historian. I know much of the Hundred Year Darkness and all the threaths towards the Republic since then to this day better than most of you. I have come here to help you with your decision on what to do with this Darth Tepe" he said and took a step forwards before noticing the two sith hunters and his eyes slightly narrowing.

"What are the sith hunters doing here? They are a tool that Darth Tepe can use against us in proving how similiar the jedi are to the sith by using them as an example. Or is it not so that the jedi used the sith hunters to purge the sith from this world similiarly that the sith tried to jedi and later succeeded when the Old Republic was broken?" he said and hit the floor with his cane a couple of times to make his point

[Writer]

"The Jedi did not use us, old man," Riebe retorted, her eyes narrowing. "If you are truly as good an historian as you claim, you ought to know we had our own agenda for being rid of the Sith. After all, though they made us what we are, they were typical Sith, lying and deceiving."

 

She sighed. "And while it's true we worked with the Jedi on occasion, you must keep in mind we operated separately for the most part. Oh, and don't forget you're looking at only two of the ten there once were. Historian, are you? Then, you'd know it was the Sith that killed us off, one by one."

 

"They had to eliminate their creations," Danni said quietly. Riebe whirled on the much younger girl and Danni flinched slightly.

 

"What are you saying?" Riebe demanded softly. "That those of us left alive pose a danger to the galaxy at large?"

 

"You told me once that you killed many Jedi also," Danni said. "You weakened us, which allowed the Sith to gradually overpower us in the end."

 

Riebe's jaw dropped open. "I..."

 

But Danni cut her off, speaking louder. "And where were you as the Emperor prepared his plans, laid the groundwork, and rose to power? Did you not fake your death and go into hiding?"

 

"That was five-hundred years before anything happened with Palpatine," Riebe objected.

 

"And then, two Jedi found you again," Danni snapped. "But you never once stepped forward to fully support us. You always lurked about the sidelines. And when Palpatine rose to power, you joined him!"

 

"Do you honestly believe all the records?" Riebe hissed.

 

"No," Danni retorted, "I believe the Jedi blood you spilled while helping Vader conquer the Temple!"

 

Several Council members gasped at this remark, especially when they saw Riebe's right hand slowly close into a fist. Now, she was angry.

 

"Call me a coward, if you like," she growled. "Call me fearful, but if you ever call me a traitor again..."

 

"You'll what?" Danni cut in. "Strangle me to death? Fall back on your Sith training?"

 

"I spilled no Jedi blood that day," Riebe went on. "Clones dressed as Jedi, yes, but actual Jedi, no."

 

"But then, you hid... again!" Danni yelled. "You ran away to hiding, back to your own little planet, your own little paradise and let the rest of the galaxy go to hell."

 

"Danielle Bayers, you don't know what it was like in those days," Riebe snapped. "You weren't but five years old back then..."

 

"I know what I see," Danni interrupted. "And what I see is that one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy ran from a fight she could have easily won."

 

Turning to Strider, she grimaced. "And you're not off the hook, Flamehart. You ran off to hide before Riebe did... and you never resurfaced... not 'till recently."

 

"You have presented good points, Knight Bayers," one of the Council said. "Have the Sith Hunters any better excuse than that we couldn't possibly know the kind of things they went through?"

 

Riebe blinked slowly several times and sighed, turning to Flamehart. "Well, Brother, it would seem we are no longer wanted here."

 

To the Council, she said, "I have nothing further to say. If you want the help we can offer given our significant level of experience, we are here. If not, say the words and we'll be out of your sight."

 

Mentally to Flamehart, she added, If they choose to send us away, we'll still have our work cut out for us. After all the years and the things we've been through, I don't think we can let this go.

[Black Knight of Keno]

A familiar laughter rang in both the sith hunters' minds. Tepe had once again contacted them.

'Well done, Riebe. You have sparked again the suspicion towards you. No longer are you the to-be saviours of the galaxy, but a threath to the Jedi order, especially if you go vigilante on them. It will not now take me much effort to make you the new threath if you decide to kill me. The jedi will hunt you because they wil think you try to take over my armies. Haha! Well done indeed' he said and then they heard of him no more for now. Instead, he implanted a thought in the mind of Danni of her closest friend in trouble, reaching out for her from the planet Ruusan.

'Danni! Help me!' the image of her friend called out.

 

------

 

In his solitude of the now nearly finished Meditation Sphere, the Dark Lord laughted as he controlled the whole situation that was going on in the Council Chamber and the possible future of Danni. It was all too easy for him. Way too easy...

[Flamehart]

Flamehart's face held no emotion.

 

"I had my reasons, and I'm sure you all know I don't talk much about my reasons, but for once, I will give them to you," Strider said, stepping forward.

 

"I was an emotional and mental wreck. I was unstable, and a threat to those around me. As for the rise of Palpatine, and the Clone Wars, I was there for all of it, but I did not fight. I didn't like the thought of partaking in another Civil War where everyone isn't quite sure who the "good guys" really are, which side you're supposed to be on, so I fled, to the Unknown Regions," Strider said.

 

"You knew very well which side to be on, Strider. You could have fought alongside the Jedi and prevented the great purge of our order," exclaimed one of the Council.

 

"But who is to say who is right and who is wrong? Even now, as you all know it, I still do things my own way even after rejoining this Order. There isn't always a right way to do something, but there is always some way to do it."

 

Strider looked around the council room again, his blue eyes meeting every face, including Danni's.

 

"I stand by Riebe. I do not need to answer for the things I have done the past four thousand years. If you wish our help, we will give it, but if you do not, so be it. Fight your war, and we'll fight ours," the Sith Hunter said.

 

He heard Riebe's voice in his head, and then Tepe's shortly after, which caused him to clench his fist involuntarily.

 

If they send us away..we will forever be enemies of the Jedi, they will be sure to flag us as enemies in their teachings, ironically unlike the Jedi way, but it is what they do. However, as I promised, you have me by your side whatever the decision. Tepe is right. They will hunt us, they will hate us...

 

He paused, his face grave as he came to realize something, then turned to face Riebe.

 

They will fear us.

 

He began to explain to Riebe.

 

That means one thing. Just as Tepe wanted, rather clever, yet horrible. The Jedi would let in every angry emotion that led to their desire to remove the "pestilience of the Sith Hunters," and thus by giving in to those emotions...

 

He paused again, and finished.

 

They will become one with the Dark Side of the Force.

[Writer]

Danni flinched at the image of her friend, but quickly shook it off. "Council, the Sith Hunters no longer have a place here. Both of them have shown complete carelessness when it comes to our safety when they backed into the shadows instead of helping us."

 

"What will it be next, Sith Hunters?" a Council member demanded. "Will you start an open war on the Jedi? Knight Bayers is right. There is no place for you here. Turn in your lightsabers and leave us."

 

"Turn in our..." Riebe stammered. She shook her head. "We will do no such thing. The Jedi did not instruct us in the making of our sabers and therefore you have no right to take them. We will leave you now."

 

One of the Council members flipped the switch to an intercom system that spread throughout the Temple grounds. "Attention all Jedi. The Sith Hunters no longer stand with us. They are armed with lightsabers and very dangerous. If they attack, it is your duty to this order to take them down. May the Force be with you."

 

Riebe turned to Danni, who took a step back.

 

"Is this what it's come to?" Riebe asked softly. "Open conflict within the Order?"

 

"You are not a part of this Order," Danni spat. "Get away from me!" She ran from the room and made her way toward the Temple's shuttles. Her friend, Jahara was in danger and she knew that the Council would never send her on a mission to find her. She had to do it alone... without permission. She smiled slightly. At least she'd helped the Council see how foolish it was to trust the Hunters.

 

Riebe took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Turning to Strider, she smiled. "It's clear where we're not wanted. Time to go."

 

She bowed to the Council and turned to the door. As she passed the old historian, she said, "I hope you're happy, old man." Then, she walked out.

[Black Knight of Keno]

"Quite well done, my friends" the old man said once the sith hunters had left and the other jedi had been dismissed. A grin appeared on his face.

"You haven't disappointed me. However, your lives are now over. It was a pleasure nowing all of you" As he finished saying this, his cane dropped and he swiftly drew his lightsabers, the blades flashing on. Only a moment later, the council chamber doors opened, revealing the man walking out and the massacre left behind by him. Once he had been a great jedi, before he had been transformed by the loss of his most closest friends. Once he had been Emukiel Al-Saefar, general in the Hundred Year Darkness and now a traitor to what he has been protecting for millenias. As the door closed, the man was seen no more, like a shadow he left the temple and vanished into the vastness of Coruscant.

 

------

 

The sphere slowly launched from the large drydock without most of the finishing touches that would be made once they arrived and on the way to the jump point to Ruusan with merely two ships, the other an Interdictor-class Star Destroyer and the other a Sith Battleship. The skeleton crew on the sphere was on full alert qhile the other ships were just on an escort mission until they reached Ruusan where it would turn into a intercept mission. When they eventually would indeed get to Ruusan, they would land and hide the sphere and the Interdictor while the Sith Battleship would work as a bait for the young jedi to pick up. It would be near enought to the scene of the ancient battle for her to be more easily succumbed to the dark side

 

((Dun dun duuun...

 

))

[Joetheeskimo]

((Eh...did you just kill everyone in the Council chambers?? And what about me, then? And Royal Guardian? And Curt-Man?))

[Black Knight of Keno]

((Agh... Let's just say the council dismissed you for now. I'll edit))

[Joetheeskimo]

((*Bleep* it...I just spent 10 minutes writing out a post, but was forced to log back in when I submitted the post (this has been happening for some time) -- and then it told me I had an invalid thread link. ))

[Flamehart]

As Strider left the building with Riebe, he felt a great passing in the Force. He turned to look at her. For a moment, she could see his desire to go back and investigate, then suddenly his expression changed. She could see a part of him was so filled with distaste for the contradictions of the Jedi of this era he hardly cared. He stopped and looked around. He saw all of the Knights, Students, and Masters whom he previously worked with. They looked at him, as if unbelieving someone who had once taught them and trained them now was no longer with them. Riebe saw in his expression that he could not turn on them. He could not allow whatever horrible fate was stirring to befall them. He looked at Riebe, as if looking to a friend for advice on what he should do.

[Joetheeskimo]

Kin ran through the halls towards the Council chambers, silently berating himself for leaving the landing pad late. The others would be there by now. I hope I didn't miss anything, thought Kin. He felt a queer sense of foreboding.

He burst into the Council chambers. "Sorry I'm la--"

...And stopped dead.

As he looked over the aftermath of the massacre, his last shreds of hope were lost. He slumped against the wall, unbelieving. The situation had seemed out of control before, but now...now his freinds and his leaders were gone, in a heartbeat. It was undoubtedly orchestrated by Darth Tepe.

Wait. Kin looked back into the room, searching the bodies. He couldn't find the bodies of his companions - the Jedi who accompanied him on the shuttle. Only Council members.

Perhaps they survived, thought Kin, and hope rose in him once again.

If anyone can take control of the situation, it would be Strider and Riebe, Kin thought to himself. And so Kin ran in search of the Sith Hunters, trusting that he could turn to them for help. He was unaware of the other Jedis' distrust.

[Black Knight of Keno]

((Joe, actually I was more hoping for a "The Sith Hunters did it!" kind of an approach, but you can be an exception ))

[Joetheeskimo]

((Well, yeah, but I'm currently the only human role-player with a Jedi character - since RG and Curt haven't posted in a while. I would to have to control the entire Jedi Order.))

 

((We'll just see how the RP plays out.))

[Flamehart]

((Wouldn't he have heard the intercom message though? Just suggesting the possible plot hole, not saying you had to have heard it/listened to it.))

[Black Knight of Keno]

((Actually, he should've been in the council chamber when the Sith Hunters were sent away and just afterwards dismissed))

[Flamehart]

((Yeah. Oh well.))

[Sigundr]

((I'll just say that Raek did not go to the chamber, mkay? Since I am more in tune to the force than Kin, can I just say I felt the death in the force and knew it wasn't Reibe and Strider? I mean c'mon, the whole damn temple is against them. Oh, and about not posting, sorry. I went to the last Busch Series NASCAR race in Richmond and havn't taken a **** in 3 days, so, yeah. Oh, and HS is a bitch, but afun bitch.))

 

*EDIT* ((Oh, yeah. When does Kaoin get to kill people?))

[Joetheeskimo]

((Tepe - I actually arrived late, having not witnessed the events in the Council Chambers.

 

Even if I did hear the intercom message, do you really think I would immediately say, "Traitors! Death to the Sith Hunters!!" without first investigating? No, I'd go off in search of them -- albeit, cautiously -- to find out what had happened.))

[Black Knight of Keno]

((Rebel, when he arrives to Coruscant.

 

Joe, my bad then. It's hard to keep up when people don't actually RP themselves getting into places. I'll just have to assume they got to the designated place with the group unless stated otherwise))