The Galaxy in Motion

[Black Knight of Keno]

The Togruta homeworld is a relatively calm and peaceful planet, unaffected on the most part by the chaos in the Galaxy, as the Galaxy rarely has anything to do with the Togrutan natives. At least that had been the case for a long time now. This would change soon, however. And a bit too soon to be a random event in the Galactic theater of drama.

Somewhere in the darkness of space, a ship floated silently, observing the planet and remaining as far off from space lanes as one can be in order to not be picked up by sensors. It was not a large ship, but a powerful one despite it's rather tattered outlook. Any pirate vessel coming in alone to check it out would get a nasty surprise when the arms of the ship began blasting. In any case, as far as outlooks could be determined from, the ship was lifeless and silent in a drift. However, at all times something down on the planet was transmitting to the ship a coded report. The probe droids on the surface had found something from amongst the Togrutas. Something which the ship's owner would be most pleased about.

 

--- --- ---

 

A small black probe droid skimmed over the crowd of one of the Togruta cities, attracting relatively no attention from the civilians while it made it's way following some trace which it had found about it's potential target. The target was elusive, hiding from everyone and everything in plain sight. It was the worst kind of target one could ever imagine, even to the target himself.

 

Rosha Te slipped into an alleyway, getting away from the crowd and rushing off to some more quiet of a place. There was a nagging feeling that something was following him and the feeling did not go away with a more random path of walking around the city. He knew for sure he was being followed by the time he heard the sound of repulsorlifts behind himself. As he grasped his lightsaber and slipped behind a corner to ambush the probe droid, a command from the ship above made the droid stop and open it's holoprojector.

 

"Rosha Te, you are a hard man to track down. As well you should after all the Jedi you have saved from annihilation. Now I am requesting your aid in helping the Jedi once more" the holographic image said, peering into the darkness.

 

Rosha stepped forwards, looking at the image of a hooded man with a dark armor showing beneath his lordly cape. A raised eyebrow was an indicator of the confusement in the Togrutan's mind. There was nobody who could have known of his location and even less who knew of his actions to save the Jedi. Who was this man and where did he get his secret information?

 

"I am Rosha Te, but I fail to see why you would come to me. I am but a civilian now" the Togruta said and stepped forwards to the image, trying to peer beneath the hood the best he could.

 

"It is no use to try and peek, Rosha. And I am not here as a faceless employer either, if you are wondering about it. Let me introduce myself. I am Gastus and I am in the employ as a sith hunter. Not one of the Sith Hunters, mind you. Just a regular sith hunter. I work for the Dominion and it is in the best interests of the Dominion if the Jedi Order regained control in the Galactic Alliance" the hologram said and drew his hood back, revealing a young face with eyes which could be mistaken as Arkanian eyes due to the lack of color in the image. He lacked irises and pupils, making his face that much odder.

 

"I have removed myself from such line of work, I am afraid" Rosha Te said and shook his head, clipping the lightsaber back on his belt.

 

"Even so, there are others who must be collected in order to make a difference against the New Sith Order. We could use your help finding them. You have my word we will not attempt anything against the Jedi we find. It is not in our interest to harm the Jedi Order any more than what it already has been harmed" Gastus said before staring directly at Rosha's face.

 

"Hypothetically speaking, if I were to join this expedition of yours, how am I supposed to meet you and where?" the Togruta Jedi asked and tilted his head slightly.

 

"My sister should be planetside with a shuttle. Find her. I'm sending the probe droid a picture to show to you. I eagerly wait for our meeting, Rosha Te" the Dantes heir said and bowed before the holographic image disappeared and was replaced with an image of Alena Batel.

 

"Hmm... What am I getting myself in to?" the Jedi asked himself before lighting his lightsaber and slashing the probe droid into four roughly same sized sections. The Togruta dispersed the parts around the alley to get rid of any possible Dominion presence on the planet before rushing back into the shadows. He would have to find this 'sister' of Gastus. And something told him it would be simpler than it seemed at first.

[Writer]

A sleek ship came out of hyperspace not long after Roshe Te and Gastus had completed their conversation. It shimmered silver, reminiscent of the paint jobs of the Naboo Royalty starships. But unlike those ships, this one was heavily armed, bristling with weapons from every conceivable nook and cranny. This was undeniably Alena Batel's ship and it entered orbit shortly after leaving hyperspace.

 

"Secure all systems for my return," she instructed. "Initiate shuttle launch prep."

 

With these commands given to her ship's AI, she left the cockpit and made her way down to deck six, the lowest deck on her ship, where the landing shuttle docked. She entered it and said, "Seal shuttle, and launch."

 

The shuttle ejected from the underside of the ship and Alena took control, directing the shuttle down toward the surface. As it descended, she allowed herself a few brief moments to be annoyed at her brother. Of all the people in the Dominion she could get her assignments from, Gastus was the one that annoyed her the most. Given her status as a spy for the Dominion, she felt that she was authorized to access a lot more information than Gastus ever let her. And so, she was landing on the Togruta homeworld to meet someone.

 

"Prick," she muttered under her breath. She supposed she could think of it a bit differently. Perhaps Gastus never told her the full story on her assignments because he was confident she could handle any situation he might throw at her. She scoffed. Yes, let's pretend he's like that, she told herself. My brother, the faithful one.

 

And on that scoffing note, she landed her shuttle, hoping Gastus had given more information to whoever she was supposed to meet here. But the first person she laid eyes on upon leaving her shuttle was a surprise to her.

 

"Rellis Thren," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "Fancy meeting you here."

 

The young Sith Hunter laughed softly. "Let me guess," she said. "You had an argument with your brother and so he's been very vague on whatever information he gives you."

 

"Either that or he didn't know you were coming," Alena shot back. Rellis nodded.

 

"Yes, let's call it that," she said. "Gastus is rather amusing when a situation takes him by surprise. At any rate, Hunter Leader told me the Dominion wanted one of us for something. Reibe chose me, and therefore, here I am."

 

"Are you the only one I'm to meet here?" Alena asked curiously. Rellis shook her head.

 

"I think not," she answered. "Let us hold here for a few minutes. Reibe mentioned 'at least one other', though she couldn't give me any specifics."

[steven]

"...and their ancient machine gives them eternal life, a life they have devoted to fighting the dark forces that have gripped the galaxy in a tight claw of darkness. Despite the powers of the Sith, and even with their empire of minions and starships, the rulers of darkness fear to sleep because of these assassins. They are living proof that even monsters have nightmares and that two words can cause the most evil of being to shiver in fear, and those words are Sith Hunters," Dakran Ardles said in a low tone voice as if he was telling a ghost story. Having recently left his self imposed exile in found the galaxy he left in a complete mess. Since he left the circulation of society, everything had seemed to go to hell. His beloved Order had entered hiding and he knew of few people he could trust.

 

One of those people was Kavrik Zall, who he trained alongside during his time in the Order. They had developed a decent friendship however that was many years ago. Shortly before Dakran went into exile for the massacre of the Hutts palace and his assault on his mothers new family, Kavrik left the Order with his lover to join the ranks of the Sith Hunters. The two haven't spoken since his career change however Dakran believed that Kavrik would point him in the right way into finding the order. It came him during a dream he experienced whilst meditating.

 

The force had blessed him with visions that sent him on the right track in the past. So when he saw the face of his old friend, his old robes and the planet Nar Shaddar, he assumed that by heading to crime-ridden planet he would find someway to the Sith Hunters where he could reunited with his old friend and in turn return to the Jedi Order. However his search hadn't been going too well. It came the point he was surrounding a flaming bin telling a group of refugees ghost stories but this ancient order he was searching for.

 

This bin was like all overs. The refuges laughed at the idea. In the current state of affairs, who wouldn't laugh at the idea of Sith Hunters. Two major Sith factions had considerable large territories and forced the defenders of peace into hiding. This supposed order should have removed the threat long before it emerged to be what it has today. Once he was done chatting with the group of refuges, he headed else where. Eventually he find himself leaning against railings looking at part of the bright side that had engulfed the planet. Taking a deep breath, his thoughts slipped through his mouth and through the force, echoing the words "I wanna be with my kind again."

[Writer]

As soon as the words had left Dakran's mouth, he felt a powerful Force presence right next to him. However, if he glanced to either side, there was no one there. This person had to be strong in order to fool a Jedi. Then, her voice came to him from all sides.

 

"I liked your story back there," she said, but he still could not see her. "For all the times I've heard it, I must say you managed to get it mostly right. You're one of the few who's ever bothered to do a little research, and that tells me you're looking for us."

 

She suddenly appeared, leaning against the rail to his right. And what a sight; dressed fully in black leather, dark brown eyes glittering in the low light, long brown hair braided neatly, and a tiny patch on her left collar, an embroidered 'SH'. For all the stories he'd told, and all the rumors he'd heard, now Dakran Ardles found himself face to face with a Sith Hunter. And not just any Sith Hunter, as her next words proved.

 

"Reibe Vailar, Hunter Leader. What do you want, Kid?"

[steven]

Dakran looked at the woman for several seconds in silent. She was certainly a stunner, even though she's lived longer than Empires, she didn't look that old. If anything she looked younger than Dakran. He had to admire her resistance to age and wondered what women of this galaxy wouldn't do for her secret to combat the effects of aging. Despite the fact she was old enough to be his ancestor, he couldn't help but be attracted to her. He laughed inside his mind and blamed the attraction on spending too much time with the mercenaries during his exile. Then she asked him what he wanted. "A person's wants and needs are two different things. For this conversation, let's focus on the needs."

 

From his pocket he drew a hologram photo of his old friend."I'm looking for Kavrik Zall. He's one of you. There are things I need to know and I can only trust them from coming out his mouth. And I don't particularly want him coming to me if you catch my drift. I want to know where he is so I can speak to him alone." Dakran slid the photo back into his pocket. "So Ms.Vailar, how about it? Feel like helping a lonely Jedi out?"

[Black Knight of Keno]

As the planet Shili turned around it's axis and moved along it's course around the system's star, the quiet vessel hiding beyond sensor reach began to rotate. As it rotated, the planet moved out of the way of the star, unleashing a flood of light at the ship, which shone with a bright painted finish. As it was, the ship was far from unnoticeable in it's current state and every crack and dent in it's hull were shown clear as day. It was revealed to be one of the Dominion's various updated and heavily armed Consular-class vessels.

 

Within the vessel, a lone figure meditated, levitating within a darkened salon pod and concentrating upon the planet. He could sense Rosha Te. He could sense Alena Batel. He could sense ... a Sith Hunter? What was a Sith Hunter doing there? This was far from their nearest interests and even if Reibe's little gang of spies and thugs had managed to infiltrate the planet, they would mask their presence better than this. This was a disturbing turn of events indeed. The man opened his eyes and placed his feet on the ground before walking over to the holopod in the room and opening a line directly to the Mjolnir, Lord Tepe's personal command ship and the flagship of the entire Dominion Navy. A large hologram of Lord Tepe appeared in front on the dark-clad man knelt and bowed to his Lord.

 

"My Lord, I am currently above Shili. My sister has arrived and should be tracking down Rosha Te as we speak. However, there is a slight problem" the young Gastus spoke and did not notice the smile on Tepe's face as he mentioned a problem.

 

"The Sith Hunters are wily creatures. Ones to be respected once fully trained. This one that's on Shili is not even half as powerful as you, my worthy Grandson" Tepe pronounced and closed his eyes.

 

"What should I do with the Sith Hunter, my Lord?" Gastus asked and raised his eyes to look at the hologram, despite it being a mere aesthetic.

 

"I sense a purpose for this one's presence on Shili. I sense a purpose as set by Reibe Vailar. A spy or an ally, I cannot determine from this far. However, I propose you meet with the Sith Hunter, just as was planned when only your sister and the Togruta were involved. This Sith Hunter may turn out to be useful yet" Lord Tepe said and chuckled, staring at his great-grandson.

 

"Yes, my Lord" Gastus said before the communication was cut. The young Dominion guard stood back up and walked up to the bridge of the small vessel. As he took his seat and drew his hood on, the captain of the vessel looked back at his commanding officer.

 

"Sir?" the captain asked and received a smirk from the powerful young man.

 

"Approach my sister's vessel and transmit the deactivation code. I wish to board the vessel prior to the shuttle's return from the planet. And make sure the deactivation code is correct this time. I do not wish to fight through my sister's defenses as I was forced to before. Damn her slicing..." he grumbled. The captain nodded and leaned over to the two pilots, giving them orders to launch the vessel for the sleek vessel orbiting Shili.

 

--- --- ---

 

Rosha Te could sense an odd presence in the Force. It was something... elusive and dangerous. Sith Hunters did not give such a signature from themselves, so it could not be the one he had been sensing before. This one seemed more dangerous than anything he had faced since he was forced to flee the Sith onslaught on Ossus. This might be the one Gastus had sent to get him or one of the Sith attempting to take his Jedi life to please Darth Krayt, sitting upon his throne in Coruscant.

 

Rosha walked silently towards the source of the presence he felt and took hold of his lightsaber just in case it was the Sith and not the Dominion. As he got closer, however, he also sensed a Sith Hunter signature coming from the same place as the weird force signature he felt before. The Togruta picked up speed and eventually got within seeing range of a shuttle. The man knelt and took out his Jedi macrobinocular to take a closer look. The macrobinoculars zoomed in on the two figures talking to each others in front of the small shuttle and the man observed the two seemingly waiting for something.

 

A few moments later, the Jedi leaned on the outer hull of the shuttle and watched the two in silence for a moment.

 

"Might I inquire who are you waiting for?" the Togruta asked and raised an eyebrow at the two. A smile danced upon his face as he stepped forwards to the two women.

[Writer]

Both women saw the Togruta man approach, and once he'd asked his question, Rellis glanced aside to Alena and waited. Alena eyed the man carefully before replying.

 

"You may inquire," she said, "but I need not explain myself."

 

Rellis laughed softly. "Eh, be nice, hey Alena? Maybe he's the one you were to meet."

 

Alena retrieved a small holo-projector and switched it on. "Ever see a guy like this?" The holo was one of Gastus, his face fully exposed. On second thought, she switched the projection to one where he had his hood up, concealing his face. "Eh, he'd probably have looked like this, talking to you."

 

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

 

 

Reibe stiffened. "You know," she told Dakran, "I've been alive for a very long time. Therefore, it really takes a lot to set me off. Nevertheless, the name Kavrik Zall still irks me. It wasn't your friend's real name; he swiped it out of the past. The real Kavrik Zall was a bounty hunter about a hundred and forty years ago."

 

She shook her head. "Either way... why are you looking for your friend?"

[Black Knight of Keno]

The Togruta smirked at the response given to him and observed the hologram without as much as a flicker of any kind of emotion on his face. The alien man stared at Alena for a moment before crossing his arms across his chest.

 

"You may inquire, but I need not explain myself" Rosha Te answered and bowed slightly before finally nodding.

 

"I am Rosha Te, at your service youngling. And I am the one you are to meet, I believe. That is, if you are one of the Dantes. However, this one was not mentioned. A Sith Hunter?" the Togruta Jedi questioned and looked at Rellis Thren. As he stepped forwards to the pair, he nodded his head to the Sith Hunter in respect before turning back to Alena and tilting his head towards the other side.

 

"Shall we go then, or not?"

[steven]

"I don't know what the differences between the Jedi and the Sith Hunters are, but I do know the similarities, I mean we both pledged to fight the Sith menace before it could rise to grip the galaxy by the throat. Both our orders failed in this respect. I know that both of our orders have been forced into the shadows however I believe your order can help your find me. Or at least the force wants me to use your faction to help me find where I belong. And when the force talks to me, as a Jedi I follow it's words. That's what a Jedi does after all. That's why I want to speak to the man I know as Kavrik Zall," Dakran admitted as his vision turned from the Ancient woman to the cityscape. All the lights that shown, all the people he could hear through the force, none of them could make him feel at home. He needed his own kind more than ever.

[Writer]

"This one was not announced," Rellis said with a smirk. "Not to Alena, and I daresay not even to Gastus." She extended a hand to Rosha. "Rellis Thren."

 

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

 

Reibe laughed softly. "Oh, you know so very little, Kid. You are right when you say we both pledged to fight the 'Sith menace', but you are so very wrong when you think the Hunters failed. Do you know what a hunter does when its chosen prey is stronger than it is?"

 

She pushed lightly off the rail and began to pace slowly, back and forth behind him. "A true hunter will not become intimidated by the size or strength of its prey. It merely knows that it must become smarter than the prey, take measured strikes, bring about its prey's downfall in tiny little ways the prey could never suspect."

 

Her pacing stopped and she turned to fully face him. "The Hunters have not failed. Our tactics have simply changed. And if it means keeping out of the galaxy's gossiping eyes, ears, and lips, so much the better. As much as I miss the days when the Jedi Order was led by a Skywalker, we Hunters have finally returned to our roots."

 

She leaned against the rail once more. "The one you call Kavrik Zall. His name was Lotran Griss, and he is now dead. However, you are not the only one who believes in the visions brought to us by the Force."

 

With a sudden, unexpected intensity, she caught his shirt and spun him to face her, quite the feat of strength for a woman of her size to be doing that to him.

 

"Listen to me, and listen carefully, Dakran Ardles," she said, staring sharply up into his eyes. "The path you find before you will not be easy to walk. It will take you very near the Dark Side, and while you may think there is an easier way to find your hidden brethren, rest assured that any way that seems easier will lead to your downfall."

 

She put her left hand on his forehead and transmitted an unfamiliar Force signature into his mind. "Her name is Rellis Thren. Find her. She will lead you further."

 

Then, she pulled her hand away and vanished right before his eyes. Her voice whispered in the corners of his mind, Keep to the path, Dakran, for it is only at the end of this path that you will be reunited with your Jedi Order.

[Black Knight of Keno]

"A pleasure to meet you" the Togruta said to Rellis before glancing at Alena and the ship. It was an unusual shuttle in size, shape and design. There was something about the small vessel he found unnerving to the point of being nearly paranoid it might lunge at him if he were to lose his concentration for a moment. It was truly a vessel of a Dominion assassin.

 

"If I understood correctly, you require my help with something. Something which will not be solved by idle chit chat on my homeworld. Shall we embark upon your quest of legendary proportions?" the Togruta and flashed a mischievous smile at Alena.

 

--- --- ---

 

The Consular-class ship began to utilize it's engines to disembark from the silvery vessel orbiting the planet Shili. It had done it's duty and was ordered to withdraw out of sight until further orders. The effective commanding officer of this mission was already aboard the orbiting vessel and thus far had not ran into trouble, despite his experience telling him not to trust that any room or hallway in Alena's ship was anywhere near safe to be in. Not even with the deactivation code given to the vessel. The AI was cleaver and modified and there were systems outside the AI's control which only Alena had proper access to. One could not fathom how much these surprises agonized the young Dominion Guard trying to merely set a nice surprise for his sister.

 

While the small group on the planet was glaring at each others in mistrust, moreso the Togruta and Alena rather than Rellis, the blind man wandered through the hallways and went from deck to deck, finally entering the maintenance access, from which he could directly confer with the AI core of the ship. More exactly, he would temporarily shut down the AI's command interface, placing everything but life support, door controls, the stabilizers which kept the ship in orbit and lighting within the ship on standby until the AI was put back in control. This disengaged amongst other things the artificial gravity of the ship and would prove an interesting scenario for the ultimate meeting between the group coming from Shili and Gastus Dantes.

 

Chuckling, the blind man retreated into the cockpit, assuming it would be the first place Alena would go to in order to regain control of the ship.

[steven]

Dakran's hand waved in the area where once stood Reibe. He hoped to feel something that would explain her sudden disappearance however he felt nothing but air, both physically and through the force. Even when someone had walked away, he could still feel something left of their presence. Yet he felt nothing but the impression she left in his mind, the impression that would lead him to the stranger known as Rellis Thren, who in turn would lead Dakran to his own people. It was a strange prophecy, from an even stranger prophet, however as it stood, Dakran had no better leads. So he closed his eyes and focused on that impression, hoping it would lead Dakran to Rellis. When he began truly focused, the sounds of the surrounding world silenced and Dakran's mind drifted across the stars.

 

When he eyes snapped open he knew where she stood. "Great, she's on another planet. I have no ship, no weapon and no idea what exactly I'm doing... Feels like I'm already back in the order."

[Writer]

"Indeed," Alena agreed, "idle chat will do us little good. Come along, then."

 

She turned and entered the shuttle. Rellis hung back, gesturing for the Togruta Jedi to enter ahead of her.

 

"After you," she said politely. In reality, though her true motive for entering the shuttle last had been concealed extremely well, her reason was not simply to be polite and respectful; the Sith Hunters were trained never to turn their backs on anyone, not even a confirmed ally. Of course, there were circumstances in which it was acceptable, but entering an unfamiliar environment was not one of them. In fact, she found it rather unusual that Alena had not remained outside the shuttle until both her passengers had entered; of all the occupations that promoted paranoid tendencies, assassinations and spy work were the worst.

 

In the end, all three made it aboard the shuttle and Alena flew it out of the atmosphere and came along underneath her ship. After a few moments of observation, she swore under her breath.

 

"My prick of a brother seems to have done a slight bit of sabotage," she said. "The power readings are off. I rather expect he'll be waiting on the bridge. Rellis, if you'd meet him there, that'd be fun. Rosha, since you technically came to see Gastus, you may as well go with her. I've got business to take care of."

 

With that, she docked the shuttle with the larger ship and they all soon discovered that artificial gravity had been taken offline. Muttering a string of curses, floated out of the shuttle and on her way. When she was gone, Rellis turned to the former Jedi.

 

"Well then, Rosha Te," Rellis said, grinning slightly as she revealed that she did in fact know who he was, though Alena clearly had not. "Shall we go confront a Dantes?"

[Black Knight of Keno]

Rosha Te smirked at the question and shook his head.

 

"That's one question not heard too often in this Galaxy" the Togruta told the Sith Hunter and pushed himself off into the zero-gravity hallways of the strange vessel.

 

"I doubt even you have managed to memorize the layout of the ship" the alien said and glanced at the Sith Hunter. He would seriously hang himself if the Sith Hunter knew even the layout of an individual ship like this.

 

The man took off to avoid hearing an answer he would rather not hear and pushed himself along the hallways with the Force. At some point or another he stumbled upon some sort of indication to where the bridge might be and turned that way, only to find a locked door and a strong force signature within.

 

"I think this is it, but the door's locked. And I'd rather not thrash a Dominion assassin's ship, if you catch my drift" the Togruta said and turned to see Rellish Thren. As he finished the sentence, the door suddenly opened, however.

 

"Well... That was convenient" the man said and peered into the darkness ahead. Someone had switched every source of light off in the room.

 

--- --- ---

 

Gastus Dantes needed no lights to see his way through the ship. He could see as far as two walls away a strong force-user or an object imbued with the force, if not further in the case of an extremely strong force signature. This was the case with the Sith Hunter as well, because no matter how much the Hunter would cover up their powers, a Miraluka could see straight through them. As the pair got to the door, Gastus smiled and planted his feet on the floor of the bridge.

 

"I do wonder, where has my faithful sister gone?" the man asked in silence, knowing fully well the woman would be going to undo his sabotage. Nonetheless, Gastus had what he came for, may his sister be with the targets or not. He waved his hand and opened the locked door, seeing the flinch in the Togruta as soon as the door opened.

 

Gastus pushed himself off the floor and crossed his legs in a meditative position before the two came inside. He floated slightly backwards away from the pair and smiled as they came forwards into the pitch black bridge. Gastus waved his hand again and switched the lights on in the bridge in a near blinding flash. His eyelids were closed, yet the Dominion Guard stared intently at the Sith Hunter and Togruta. The feeling of having someone look through you had never been pleasant to most people and the Togruta shuddered slightly due to not being used to the feeling. Gastus would be most curious about the Sith Hunter's reaction to the stare.

 

"Ah... I've been expecting you"

[steven]

A few of the Jedi had a saying, if you need a ship, steal from those who probably acquired the ship through stealing. It wasn't a very good saying, and Dakran didn't really enjoy saying the sentence aloud, however it did have a point. When a Jedi needed a ship and couldn't purchase one through either Jedi accounts or his own pocket, it was always best to take from thieves, and on a planet like Nar Shaddar, you couldn't turn a corner without finding some sort of thief. So when the lone wanderer needed a ship, he headed to the closest spaceports where he spend a few hours observing the crews operating around theirs ships. During these three hours, he choose which ship he would hijack. It was an old orange cargo ship which was operated by a crew who after unknowingly suffered Dakran mind probing, was decided they didn't deserve a ship.

 

These people were slavers, murderers and down right scum who shouldn't even be allowed the gift of life, however Dakran wasn't an executioner. He was more of a Robin Hood styled criminal who believed that robbing from thieves should hold no moral consequences. So once he planned his attack, he made his move. Walking towards two Rodian guards, both revealed during their mind probes that they were once involved in child slavery, who noticed him walking towards them. They quickly tried to draw their blasters, but before their hands even touched the holster, they were brought to their knees by force lightning. A Gran engineering working on the hull of the ship noticed the scuffle and fired at the Jedi. As the laser bolts darted towards Dakran, he reached out and a force shock wave knocked it back towards it's origin, killing the alien.

 

When he entered the ship a human wielding a iron pipe jumped Dakran, however after a quick struggle, Dakran pulled the pipe from the human's hands and sent one end into the man's stomach. Whilst the man gripped his chest in pain, Dakran lifted him with the force and threw him out of the ship, quickly shutting the ships boarding ramp so the human couldn't follow. Dakran moved casually through the ship, his destination was the bridge. Halfway there he was met by a two Weequay grunts and a Zabrak marksmen. The Weequays charged at him with sharp staffs whilst the Zabrak waited for a clear shot at the Jedi. Dakran reached out with hand towards the Weequays, however his mind darted for the Zabrak and quickly ripped the blaster from the aliens hands. Faster than the Weequays, the blaster darted past the charging aliens and into the hands of the Jedi who swiftly switched the gun into stun before shooting the three aliens.

 

The rest of the journey to the bridge was uneventful. When he stepped into the pilots room, the Chiss pilot tried to strike the Jedi down however like the rest of the crew, he was overpowered and knocked out by the human intruder. When the Chiss awoke, he found himself and his crew mates in their mess hall with the Jedi sitting on the edge of a diner table. They looked confused at the strange man as he spoke.

 

"I am your new captain. Your my new crew. Neither of us liked the old captain or the old crew. They were bad, horrible people. You are people are just desperate. I've looked inside your minds and I've learned so much about you. I know the old captain used to taunt you, the old crew played embarrassing pranks on you and the stories they told each other made you feel uneasy. I made sure that the bad members of the crew were out drinking with the exception of a two Rodian guards and the human engineer. They'll believe your dead and are doubtful to give chase. Any arguments?" Not a word was spoken from the aliens, who strangely seemed to agree with the change of staff. He was right about the old crew and he seemed much better than their old captain. "Good. First I want you to get this ship into hyperspace. I'll do some meditating and let you know where we're going. Oh, before I forget, my name is Dakran Ardles. But please, call me Captain.. or guv."

[Writer]

"Cute tricks," Rellis said, far from intimidated by Gastus and his tricks. "The lights and the gravity I mean. Though how you managed to get past Alena's security systems is a feat quite deserving of respect." She tilted her head slightly forward and to the right, a gesture used amongst the Sith Hunters as an acknowledgment of their respect for someone.

 

"My name is Rellis Thren," she said. "I have been sent by Hunter Leader Vailar to assist you on your..." She paused to smirk at Rosha as she borrowed his phrase, "... quest of legendary proportions."

 

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

 

"Welcome, Alena Batel," the AI said as Alena drifted into the room which contained the main computer core. "Warning. Systems have been sabotaged. All security functions offline."

 

"That's alright," Alena said. "Leave them off. I don't want anyone aboard cut into pieces. I don't even hate Gastus that much. Let's work on other ship's systems. What did Gastus tamper with? Aside from artificial gravity, that is..."

 

"Navigation, propulsion, lighting, and refresher systems are all set for manual control from the bridge," the AI replied. "All doors are sealed."

 

"Hence me being forced to pry my way in here," Alena said, remembering just a few seconds ago when she had narrowly avoided a numbing agent Gastus had set up to spray outward from the door when she tried to force it. "Concentrate on gravity. I hate floating."

 

"All efforts concentrated on artificial gravity system," the AI responded. "Gravity should be restored in ten seconds... five, four, three, two, one. Artificial gravity system coming back online."

 

With a sigh of relief, Alena felt the gravity system tug her gently back to the floor. With that system restarted, she crossed the room to the computer console and entered the sequence in which she wanted the systems restored. Next were the doors and Gastus had made sure the scrambling was much more complex on them; the computer estimated restoration of the locking mechanisms in three minutes.

[Black Knight of Keno]

"Rellis Thren, Sith Hunter" Gastus said with a mocking smile as he stared at the pair.

"Yes. One of Reibe's many minions crawling about in this sad Galaxy" he said and shook his head slowly prior to pressing a button on his comlink, which would alert his ship to come close as soon as possible. Gastus sensed that his nuisance of a sister was doing well with her repairs to the computer system.

 

"There has been some time since I last met one of Reibe's minions fulfilling her little plan for this Galaxy. Tell me, what is the old fairytale up to these days? I hope no plans have been made against my kin. I would be so very cross if there was" Gastus told Rellis before the feeling of the artificial gravity began to kick in. He straightened his legs below him and as the gravity pulled the small group tightly against the firm floor of the ship, Gastus reached beneath his cloak and took out his lightsaber. He placed the double-bladed lightsaber in front of him and ignited both blades before flashing a smile at the Sith Hunter.

 

The Togruta Jedi Master glanced back and forth between Rellis and Gastus before the lightsaber was ignited. The whole reunion between a Dantes and a Sith Hunter seemed to be riddled with learned mistrust. At least on one part of the pair. When the red blades of Gastus' lightsaber ignited, the Jedi stepped forth.

 

"What is this madness? I was called forth to help aid in the saving of the Jedi Order, and now I'm between a Sith Hunter and an heir of the Sith Dominion in what seems like a warm reunion ending with a bloodshed" Rosha Te said and stared at Gastus, who stared continuously at the Sith Hunter. To the Togruta's surprise, Gastus lowered his lightsaber, shut down the blades and stood upright from his combat stance.

 

"You are correct, Master Jedi. There are priorities. However, I never trust a Sith Hunter, unlike my dear sister seems to. Not unless they prove themselves to the cause"

[Writer]

Rellis didn't even blink when Gastus pulled out his lightsaber and switched both blades on. Instead, she stared at him, smiling serenely as he basically insulted the woman who trained her. Then Rosha Te interrupted and said his piece, after which Gastus relented. After he commented on his sister's apparent trust of Rellis, the Sith Hunter laughed.

 

"Trust?" she said. "Oh, yes let's call it that. The first two times Alena and I encountered one another, she tried her very hardest to escape me, though both her boss and mine insisted I was there to aid her. The third time, I saved her life and earned her reluctant respect." She grinned. "You are more like Alena than you'd like to think, Gastus."

 

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

 

"Door locks released," the computer said. "Specify next system to restore."

 

"Restore propulsion," Alena ordered. "I've taken care of navigation manually."

 

The computer estimated propulsion systems would be restored in six minutes, to which Alena growled softly. Gastus would be in for it when she finally finished restoring all her ship's systems...

[steven]

Rellis Thren, a Sith Hunter that Dakran knew absolutely nothing about other than her name and the fact she was an individual he had to find in a galaxy of billions. It was essentially him trying to find a needle in a planet composed of hey. However Dakran had one of the best guides in the universe. He had the force. So when the crew of his ship busied themselves with getting the ship into the planet's orbit, Dakran sat alone with eyes closed. Using his mind he stopped the sounds of the ship from entering his ears so that only his own deep breath was left to relax him into a force-related trance.

 

His eyes snapped open and he found himself in a crowded street. The crowd composed completely of Togrutas walked past him. Each one looked at him, some with pity, others with humor, and even hatred. As they walked past the stationary Jedi, they began to speak to him. They began to taunt Dakran with wicked, smug smiles.

 

"The poor Jedi, oh so lonely..."

 

"So far away from home..."

 

"He's so lonely..."

 

"We're not lonely, we're so crowded here..."

 

"You should visit us. You wouldn't be so lonely.."

 

Understanding the strange dream, Dakran's eyes snapped open and headed to the intercom terminal. "Pilot, take us to Shili."