Rise of the Sith Dominion

[Sigundr]

Kaoin pulled a lever and the white streak stars of hyperspace faded into normal space.

 

"Courscant Space Control. This is the cargo ship Ephetheus. Request landing." Kaoin said.

 

There was a few seconds of silence, then, "Ephetheus, you're clear to land on pad 23."

 

"Thank you Control. Ephetheus out." Kaoin moved the ship into the atmosphere. The pad was near the senate hall, and closer still to the Jedi Temple.

 

He landed the ship and walked to the back of the ship. "Jsrai." He said to the meditating Dark Jedi. "It is time."

[Flamehart]

((Time to give Strider something of an apprentice - it's about time too.))

 

He looked to the students, and at long last, spoke.

 

"Your Council has stated I am no longer with you. As such I am no longer a part of this Order, but I urge you to study deeper into the teachings of the Jedi, and become the model Knights for the future generations. I will not fight you, I will not raise conflict with you - I do not wish to be a traitor to those whom I've spent so much time teaching."

 

Strider turned away and headed for the exit of the Temple. He had said what he needed. His past students were used to his rather odd nature of leaving things open-ended, as there were always new things to come when Sith Hunters were around. As him and Riebe left the temple, he had took only a few steps down the steps of the temple when his name was called by a student.

 

"Master Flamehart!"

 

Strider's step froze. He recognized the voice, a student he had personally trained for a time during his time in the temple. He turned and looked over his shoulders, his eyes meeting with the female student. Katherine Vamos, a lightly tanned-skinned girl with a height of about 5 feet and 6 inches, athletic build, emerald green eyes, and long, black hair. He turned to face her, and looked straight into her eyes penetratingly, as if trying to find her reason for addressing him as such.

 

"I am no Master, Miss Vamos, never was one while in the order either. You people were just fond of that title on me," Strider said.

 

The girl turned, looking back at the Temple, then stepped forward towards Strider. "You taught me everything I know now of Lightsaber combat and Force techniques. I still feel you have far more to teach me, more so than I could ever learn here. I seek not power, Strider, just knowledge. I wish to fight alongside the Sith Hunters."

 

Strider looked at Riebe, as if looking for her opinion. He did not wish to turn a student against the Order, but she was very well old enough to make her own decisions as well. He turned back and said to her, "You know very well the consequences your choice carries, Katherine Vamos?"

 

The student nodded. She was seventeen, and although formal Jedi tradition required that she have a Master at thirteen, her training under Strider was permitted under the will of the former Council as acceptable.

 

"Very well," Strider said, and turned away and continued to descend from the Temple. He looked over at Riebe. He could tell she was probably thinking something along the lines of, "Do you intend to train her?" and he only smiled back and said into her mind, I think the Sith Hunters could use another addition. Two is too few. And I'm confident in her abilities, before you question my suggestion.

 

((Sorry for the bit of character control, attempting to move things along a little. WJ feel free to backtrack if you still had things to say))

[Writer]

"Then it's settled," Riebe said quietly. "Katherine Vamos, you have ignored your Council's decision to turn on the Sith Hunters. As this is the case, you are no longer a Jedi. Your training will be by the Sith Hunter Strider Flamehart and I will help when necessary. From this day forward, though you do not have the genetic alterations to live as long as us, you are a Sith Hunter."

 

She turned to Strider, smiling slightly. "Why didn't we ever think of recruiting before?" She laughed. "Alright, we'd best be moving. There's no telling what the Jedi will do if we stay much longer."

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

The three reached the hangar as Danni's ship took off. Concerned, Riebe climbed aboard her fighter, leaving the cockpit open, and activated the comlink. "Danielle Bayers, what are you doing?"

 

"Stay out of my business, Sith Hunter," Danni spat.

 

"I can still sense your mind, Danni," Riebe said softly. "I don't want to do this, but you know I can rip your destination out of your head, whether you want me to or not."

 

In response, Danni sent a surge of images; some were her past, some of Jahara, some of where she was going, but mostly the images were things that didn't apply to anything. The random images, she pushed on Riebe as hard as she could and Riebe cringed, trying to block them. But Danni, touched by the Dark Side, pressed harder.

 

"I don't want to hurt you," Riebe told her former friend, still cringing slightly. "But if you insist on continuing as you are, I have no choice."

 

At that moment, Danni went to hyperspace and the mental connection was lost. Riebe gasped and shivered for a moment. Then, she groaned and climbed out of the fighter. As she came out of the cockpit, she lost her grip and slipped, falling and landing flat on her back on the ground. With another little moan, she sat up.

 

"She's falling," she said quietly. "And I know where she's headed." Looking up to Strider, she shook her head, "I can't just let her go... she was once a friend."

 

((Joe, if you intend to help us, now's the time to jump in, screaming "Wait up!" ))

[Black Knight of Keno]

The Sith Battleship landed on the desert planet with the Interdictor and the Sphere that hid themselves in a canyon, blasting themselves some more room if they had tom but eventually indeed landed. The Dark Lord swiftly organized a cloak on the Interdictor and the Sphere by using the force to create a sandstorm over the canyon. The Battleship opened it's many ramps and soldiers poured out in full armor, resembling the sith that once made war on the planet. The nearby city's population came to greet them, but after seeing the armor, the human-like people feared them and it did not help that a swoop bike carrying the Dark Lord in full Sith Armor as it was first of all cooler with the armor on and he could travel throught the sand storm he had created without any harm. He also looked much more menacing. The civilians fleed from the scene and alerted the city to go into hiding, which they did.

 

"Make sure the city is empty. Stun any survivors and drag them to safety if you must. Also, make sure no ships leave the merchant base near the city and make sure everyone stay there until we have left the planet. Destroy any ship with no remorse. I care not if the senators get their supply of the finest art and clothing" Tepe commanded the Commander that had come to greet him. The troops went towards the city with haste, knowing they hadn't got all day. The swoop bike continued to the cit and as soon as Danni had jumped out of hyperspace, the Dark lord implanted the view of the Sith Battleship and the City Square into her mind. He would wait for her there. He could already feel her become one with the Dark Side of the Force. She had played her part in the conflict and was no longer needed, so he would have no remorse if he would have to kill her, but he would not do it without playing around with her feelings and emotions for a while. He also needed some decent duelling practice with someone he didn't know that well unlike the Dark Jedi and his apprentice who all were nowadays much too predictable

[Joetheeskimo]

Kin ran onto the landing pad, breathing hard. "Wait up!" he screamed. (())

 

He ran up to them. "I don't get it," he said. "What's all this about you guys turning against us? The Jedi are all muttering things about you two." At this point he noticed Strider's apprentice and gave a questioning look, but didn't say anything.

 

Hardly without taking a breath, Kin continued, "Anyway, it doesn't matter now. The Council is dead. I saw it myself. Someone -- and undoubtedly someone powerful -- managed to kill them all moments before I arrived. What am I supposed to do now? I don't intend to wallow at the Jedi temple while the Sith take over those planets."

[Writer]

Riebe laughed harshly and stood. "I somewhat suspect most Jedi would tell you we killed the Council. How would you respond to that?"

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

Danni's little fighter swept downward and landed in the city square. By this point, she didn't care who saw her or what they thought of her. As she climbed out of the fighter, it was quickly surrounded by civilians.

 

"The Sith are taking over," they told her.

 

"Like hell they are!" she grumbled. "Out of my way!"

 

Still they tried to gather as close to her as they could. Finally, she was annoyed enough to toss them aside with the Force. Startled, they scattered.

 

"At last, some peace," she growled. That's when it occurred to her that Jahara's presence was not nearby. And shortly thereafter, she saw Tepe.

 

Placing a hand on her lightsaber, she demanded, "Where is she?"

[Joetheeskimo]

"I would be slow to believe, at best," said Kin incredulously. "What's going on here? Why do the Jedi suddenly distrust you?"

[Black Knight of Keno]

"Oh, your friend? You are quite naive and impulsive, young Danni. But as you asked so nicely, she is not here" he said and grinned,removing his helmet and tossing it aside before crossing his arms infront of his chest. His dark cape flapped in the breeze that tossed the sand around a bit.

 

"Your friend, if I remember correctly, is on Ossus, recieving further training from Luke Skywalker himself. It was quite lucky for him he wasn't on Coruscant. I must thank you of your contribution to my cause. You have driven the Sith Hunters from the Jedi Order, causing them now to feel them as a threat. Plus the 'historian' that managed to sway your thoughts killed the Council while you were heading for the hangar. Well done indeed, young Danni. I couldn't have done it any better myself" he said and took a step forwards, towards her. He took out his lightsaber, attatching together as a single double-bladed lightsaber.

 

"Have you noticed that your emotions are taking over? Have you felt how good it is to hurt people? Like just now, you pushed several innocent people from your way quite brutally. Did you like the feeling it caused inside of you? Do you not spread hatered around you when you left Coruscant?" the Dark Lord asked and laughted.

 

"Do not fear me, as I am not a threat to you more than Riebe is to the Jedi Order. And all this depends in your view on Riebe, I guess. So, how big of a threat is Riebe?" he asked and activated his lightsaber's both ends

[Writer]

"History seems against us," Riebe answered. "We have never truly been a part of the Jedi and when the Jedi have needed us most, where have we been?"

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

"They..." Danni stammered, thinking of the people she'd just tossed roughly aside. "They got in my way..." She grimaced. Completely ignoring what he'd said about the Council, she went on. "How big a threat is Riebe?"

 

Shaking her head, she said, "If I had to face her alone, I'd run. There are no Jedi living who could match her. Paired with Flamehart, I'd say you could be concerned for your well being if they caught you alone... which I doubt would ever happen."

 

She drew her saber. "But you tricked me into coming here... something tells me you wanted more than to duel a stupid little Jedi whose emotions were so wrapped around telling off the Sith Hunters and saving her friend that she fell for it."

 

Almost playfully, she tapped one of his blades with hers. "So what do you want?"

 

"The Jedi is fighting away the Sith!" one of the civilians exclaimed. A few others peeked out from behind their shelter to watch. Danni cringed and slammed one of them backward into a wall behind him. He collapsed unconscious and the other civilians took cover again.

[Black Knight of Keno]

The sith laughted at her quite rudely. He started the duel with a roll of his blades around himself and then hit her blade.

"The Battle of Ruusan was one of the largest and most bloody fights between Jedi and Sith. I thought this would be right the place to turn you" he said and grinned at her before attacking fully towards her and ending up with her locked into a defencive position.

 

"You have done it before. I can already feel it in you. You stink of it. The Dark Side of the Force is taking you in to feel the powers it will give to you. You cannot run from this battle. Your ship cannot enter hyerspace, so it would be just a waste of your time and unsprtsmanship to shoot you that easily off the sky. Feel your true self approaching the surface. Let all the greed, passion, atred and envy come out and take in the dark side. Embrace it or perish by it" he said and attacked, backing her off towards the square with some major blows that could easily knock down a more fragile being. He used the force to speed up his attacks, making it more hard to block them, even if he really wasn't out to hurt her, but more of testing her abilities and limitations

[Writer]

Danni blocked his blows... barely. She'd been startled by his sudden attack, but his mention of turning her and the Dark Side actually helped his efforts by angering her.

 

"The Sith wants a fight," she mocked, using her anger to enhance her power in a way she hadn't ever considered before. As she realized he was backing her into the square, her determination not to go there increased. Finally, she planted her feet where they were and refused to move further backward. When Tepe got too close for comfort, she flipped over his head and landed behind him.

 

"If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight I've got for you," she yelled, embracing the feelings of rage surfacing within her.

[Black Knight of Keno]

As she landed and yelled, he already had his blade on her neck.

"You're sloppy. Maybe I should send you back to the Academy for some lightsaber training. Lesson number one, never do a flip over a Sith Lord without knowing what he's going to do when you land" he explained and drew his lightsaber away, taking a step back and defencing himself. He would now let her do the attacking byusing her anger.

 

"That's it, Danni. Tap into your anger and frustration. It'll only help you to defeat me if you have enouht skills to do so, which I doubt you have. Nothing in you is professional enought ven for a padawan. Your lightsaber skills are elementary and your mind is a maze where even you have taken a wrong turn" he said and got ready to parry. He kept taunting her, increasing her anger toards the situation.

 

((How about you Sith Hunters speed it up a bit or you'll miss the duel))

[Writer]

((I was more thinkin' you'd have turned Danni to your side by the time we get there and Strider's new padawan would have somebody to fight while we give you a run for your money ))

 

Without thinking, Danni fully embraced her anger and attempted to strike at Tepe with Force lightning. The lightning burst from her fingertips...

[Sigundr]

Raek jumped from the ramp leading into the hangar to right infront of Reibe and Strider, a good 100 feet. He took out one of his lightsabers and ignited it, the side of his body facing them, not looking at them.

 

"Tell me you didn't do it." Raek said, holding the saber right infront of Reibe's head.

 

((Tepe, give me people to kill.))

[Writer]

Riebe saw Raek coming, but did nothing as he approached. As he held his saber out, challenging her, she turned to Strider. "My, my, this is the most confrontational I've seen the Jedi in years." Turning to Raek, she answered honestly. "No, we did not do it. The... historian or whatever he was had to have been responsible. He was the only one in there once Strider and I left."

[Sigundr]

Raek did a twirling motion of putting his saber back on his belt. "Well, that explains a lot. I saw him walk in from the landing pad with 2 jedi guards and then walk back by himself." Raek said, crossing his arms. "Besides, who would think two cuddly people such as yourselves could do that?" He said, a wide grin spreading on his face. "Where you going? I'll come too." He said as he nodded to Kin and patted his back as he was still breathing heavily.

[Joetheeskimo]

"I don't know where I'm going," said Kin. "With the Council dead, I was hoping the Sith Hunters could answer that question." He turned to them both. "What would you have me do? I'm naming you as my commanding officers, if you will. Of course, I don't yet know if you still care about the Jedi, after what they accused you of. Do you intend to stop the Sith menace? Or are you going to leave us again?" Kin's tone was not one of anger, but one of imploring.

[Writer]

Riebe couldn't help but smile. "Well, Strider, it's looking like we'll need something larger than my little two-man fighter."

 

To Kin and Raek, she said, "If you ally with us, you are no longer Jedi. They will disown you. For my part, I couldn't much care what the Jedi think of me. I know what I am. Sith Hunter, I am called. And as the leader of the Sith Hunters, I guess I'm recruiting... something we never used to do. But people are volunteering."

 

"Make no mistake," she went on. "This won't be easy for you. If you are to be Sith Hunters, you ought to fight like one. Therefore, Strider and I will be training you as we go. But we're running out of time. A Jedi Knight is falling to the Dark Side. She is our first goal. If we can save her, we will. If not, we will withdraw for a short time... only the time it takes to train these two Knights and the girl."

 

With a little sigh, she closed her eyes. "I have done too much hiding in my life. There is a threat to the galaxy and I cannot in my right mind ignore it."

[Flamehart]

Strider Flamehart let out a smile. "As second in command," he said, looking at Riebe for a moment then back at the other three, "I announce the full return and operation of the Sith Hunters."

 

He turned to Riebe, this time with a grin. "Your two-person fighter isn't enough? Didn't you forget I keep the most up-to-date starship in the galaxy?" he asked, reaching into his robes, pressing something on a device in his pocket, and Strider's signature starship, the Ragnarok uncloaked in the port next to Riebe's ship. The ship was quite large, however sleek and armed to the teeth. "If you want Riebe, the Ragnarok has a side dock, you can dock on there and hitch a ride inside, so we can make a plan prior to our arrival," Strider offered as the entry ramp lowered, and he stepped up on it.

[Writer]

Riebe smiled. "I guess I had forgotten your ship... I think I will dock mine on yours... but we have to hurry. Once the rest of the Jedi discover their Council dead, they're going to suspect us and begin a hunt."

 

She ran over to her little fighter and climbed in again. Only a few seconds later, she was docked with the Ragnarok.

 

"Let's get ourselves out of here," she said. That very instant, alarms began to ring in the Temple.

 

"The Sith Hunters have slaughtered the Council," an announcer screamed over the intercom. "If they are still here, find them and destroy them!"

 

"No time to loose," Riebe observed. "Let's go."

[Flamehart]

With that, the Ragnarok wasted little time in lifting out of the hangar, turning in place, and soaring out into Coruscant airspace. Before long, they had passed through the atmosphere and into space. Strider set the coordinates according to Riebe and set the jump to Hyperspace, then turned to everyone, and spoke.

 

"Alright. Let the training begin."

[Black Knight of Keno]

Tepe looked as the lightning failed to do anything but draw out her energy. The sith closed his eyes and took a deep breath, sucking in her anger.

 

"Welcome to the Dark Side" he said and grinned at her, his eyes flashing bright yellow like the headlights of a hovercar in the darkness. He stepped forwards with his other leg, standing now at full lenght and undefended.

 

"Let me show you how" he said and took a civilian peeking from behind a corner by raising the creature with the force and landing it next to them. He then with the same hand turned it so the palm was down towards the earth and his fingers were as far from each others as they could. Then the fingertips started to glow, emitting a blue and white light for a second before the civilian started to run, only to be caught by a strong force lighting. When the Ruusanian got out of the lightning, he slumped on his knees, tried to speak and then fell down dead, clothes starting to burn slowly away and his body charred by the electricity, face mutilated the most into a terrible, agonizing scream that never got further than his mind. Tepe laughted and turned towards Danni with rarely seen pleasure on his face from the killing of an innocent. At the same time, a Dark Jedi rushed from behind and ignited his lightsaber while jumping towards Danni. He would be her last test. By defeating the Dark Jedi, she would become one with the Dark Side.

 

------

 

Kaoin's comlink beeped as a transmission started. The Grand Admiral stood there infront of him and smirked.

"Good day, my lord. Your master has left for Ruusan unfortunately and I must hand out your assignment. Everything you need to know will be transmitted to your ship. Your target will be the Senator of Aldereen. He will be in his room at the Golden Palace Hotel. If you find his bodyguard, a well known pirate and mercenary Jalax, do not hesitate to kill him also. Kill all witnesses, but keep it as clean as possible. Avoid lightsaber marks if possible. After that, head for Ossus. Sell the merchandise there and buy food and parts for lightsabers and by that slip insidethe Jedi Praxeum. Stay there undercover as long as you can and steal as much from the library as you can. Remember to hide your presence both on Coruscant and Ossus" he said and bowed before the comm was closed

[Writer]

Danni watched in fascination as the Ruusanian suffered under Tepe's lightning. She grinned as the dying man tried to scream, but failed to succeed at it.

 

"That is power," she observed. Then, sensing the Dark Jedi behind her and sensing his intent to kill her, she spun, attacking him before he had a chance to do anything. Startled by how aggressive his opponent was, the Dark Jedi staggered backward, trying to regain his footing.

 

Eager for more of a challenge, Danni backed off and let him recover. This time, she let him attack first. His attacks were quick, but Danni let her feelings enhance her fighting. First, she mocked him, flopping this way and that, pretending she didn't know what she was doing and yet all the while managing to block any attack he could come up with.

 

When she really applied herself to the fight, he lost his saber hand only a few seconds later. She kicked him to the ground and removed his other hand. Then, she grinned and cut off both his feet.

 

"Now this is cruel," she said, but she didn't stop. Instead, she seemed to be enjoying the process. He attempted to crawl away and Danni casually removed his legs. Then, she took his arms. Finally, she rolled him over to his back and stared into his eyes.

 

"Fear, rage, and pain," she said. Then, she stabbed him in the stomach. "How all good Dark Jedi should die." With a grin, she took off his head. Then, she stood and turned to Tepe.

 

"It means nothing that I could defeat this weakling," she told him. "If I want power, I'll need to learn it."

[Black Knight of Keno]

The Dark Lord pulled the helmet to him with the force and placed it on his head while shutting off the blades.

 

"You will have more challenge once the Sith Hunters arrive" he said as his soldiers marched to the swaure, the citizens fleeing from the troops. Tepe turned towards the Commander and nodded.

 

"Proceed with the plan. We leave the planet as soon as we can. Get ready for the arrival of the Ragnarok. If there is any ship they will use, it will be Strider's. Call in the fleet. We take over the planet as soon as the fleet arrives. Send a message to the Interdictor to stay hidden with the Sphere. Clean out the city mayor's manor. We'll put a temporary control there. Secure the city!" he shouted as the commander was already giving out the orders. It wouldn't take long for the city to be under their control as no opposition would be found fro mthe loclas except maybe the guards of the merchants on the outskirts.

 

"And you! You have done well. Now claim your place as my second apprentice and left hand. The young rival to my current apprentice who thinks he can take care of me just like that. You have already become a part of this large puzzle. and now you are going to see wha I am planning" he said, clipping the now two lightsabers onto his belt and then moving his hand across her face. Pictures of a destroyed, dark Coruscant flashed in her mind. Pictures of fleets and armies of the Sith Dominion marching over the Dunes of Tatooine and throught the alleyways of Corellia. Ships spewing out of the many drydocks assembled around every resource-rich planet. Clips of doom of the Jedi. Even her own master laying there on the ground amongst Republic soldiers, Stormtroopers, other jedi and the wreckages of hundreds of Republic war machines and Imperial walkers. She would see the ultimate battle between two shaded figures before a birght flash on the large field where they were fighting and then silence as everything was wiped from the planet as a great figure appeared behind the scene, who was eventually Tepe himself as the picture got clear enought to see. Tepe laughted as he ended the show and turned, starting to walk towards the manor.

 

"Admire your work, my young apprentice" he laughted and left for the manor, leaving her to stand there to collect back throught the pictures and clips.

[Flamehart]

The Ragnarok streaked into view above Ruusan. The ship was cloaked as it entered Ruusan airspace, however to those who had a sharp eye could see the slight blurred edges of the ship as it descended. However, even if one could not see it, but could sense the individuals onboard, there was a strong Force energy resonating from the interior - and not just the abilities of Strider and Riebe.

 

Strider sat behind the controls of the Ragnarok, the others were also strapped in for the heat of re-entry.

 

Strider's new primary apprentice, Katherine Vamos, was no longer donned in her traditional Jedi garb, but now a more comfortable, black garment with a padded front and leather bracers around her forearm and hand.

 

Strider no longer wore his black robes with red tabbards, but now his traditional black outfit with a red cape and read headband, with metal bracers covering the back of his hand and forearm.

 

During the trip in hyperspace, Strider taught them as much as he could about lightsaber technique for battle. As they neared the landing pad, and witnessed the Sith conquest of the city, he was glad he had. The Ragnarok made it to the pad without setting any of the now overtaken planetary defenses, landing and uncloaking, the loading ramp lowering. Strider stood quickly, and Katherine followed suit. Flamehart looked at those in the ship with him and said shortly,

 

"Keep your senses sharp. Time to go."

 

And with that, the Sith Hunter descended the loading ramp, lightsaber in hand.