Finn

From SW:TOR-RP-Wiki

Contents 1 The Arthornio Bloodline 2 Description: 2.1 Appearance: 2.2 Distinctive Marks: 2.3 Class/Skills/Attributes: 2.4 Equipment/Apparel: 2.5 Starship: 3 Character: 3.1 Personality: 3.2 Relationships: 3.3 Beliefs: 3.4 Quotes/Mottos: 4 TimeLine of Events 5 History: 5.1 Birth of Finn / Basilisk Training: 5.2 Clan Arthornio: 5.3 Invited into the Cardinal Syndicate: 5.4 Love and Betrayal: 5.5 Freedom and Vengeance: 5.6 Reunited with the Cardinal Syndicate: 5.7 Battle Against Quygo: 5.8 The Battle at the Rimma Trade Route: 5.9 The Year of Hylo Visz: 5.10 Assault on Balmorra Comm Center: 5.11 Sacking of Coruscant: 5.12 Reunited with Jen'jidai, Only to Die: 6 OOC Information: 7 External Links:

The Arthornio Bloodline

Mandalorian Admiral of Recruitment for Jen'Jidai, Guild of Legend Gaming
For our passion and determination are the true phoenixes; the phoenix Hope;
who can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revived from ashes, arise.

Description:

Finn Arthornio is an old man who has seen his fair share of battles, and had plenty of time to truly think about and reflect upon his life. Granting him, thus, wisdom and a vast repertoire of knowledge. He was born to a house of warriors, he was trained and raised by warriors, and he has experienced life events so traumatizing that his evil nature comes of no surprise. But the things he would have to endure during his lifetime were far worse than his childhood and, no doubt, would cause him to truly turn to the evil side of conscience, if he still had one.

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Appearance:

Although many may say he is breaking the Resol'nare of the Mandalorian people, Finn does not always don the armor of the Mandalorians. In fact, Finn is strongly pulled toward the more, Asian, style dress in armor as it makes him more flexible and commonly better camouflaged. He stands a tall 6'4" with a white pony tail reaching towards the middle of his back. His face is war torn and severely scarred by a major event in his life that sucked away 20 years from him and his family.

Distinctive Marks:

Very few people in the world can recall what exactly distinguishes Finn from the average person in the world because very few have ever seen him without his armor on. With a large wide brimmed hat extending a shadow around his body and a sniper rifle and vibroblade attached to his shoulder harness. His armor showing a dark earth cammo color combined with a dark black canvas. A wrap of cloth around his face to hide his scars.

Class/Skills/Attributes:

Finn was trained during the age range of eight to thirteen by the legendary Mandalorian Tanderin Ordo on the planet Basilisk. During his training he was forced to train until his veins bled battery acid, and then forced to train more. Along side his best friend and companion fighter Kandus. During his training he was also forced to make a decision that would forever loom over him until the day he died, and would eventually lead to his fall to the dark side of the world. Although said to be skilled with most any weapon, he is best at using his DC-15x and twin vibroblades.

Equipment/Apparel:

Finn is adorned, commonly, in a suit of Asian style Bounty Hunter armor designed for the sole purpose to increase the agility of an old man while offering some protection and camouflage. These two aspects of his armor help to increase his ability to hide whilst using a sniper rifle and to increase his agility when using his swords against a religious zealout, or, force user.

Starship:

During the Battle at the Rimma Trade Route he piloted an M22-T Krayt Gunship into the fight but was subsequently shot down by Hylo Visz. Now, during the war between the New Sith Empire and the Republic his starship is a Bes'uliik named Betts. After being shot down over Coruscant he was forced to buy another which is now known as Betts 2.

Character:

Personality:

Finn is a torn down man who has seen far more than any man should ever have to see. On top of the torturous training he went through during his adolescence he has seen many wars, many deaths, and has been the bringer of doom to hundreds, possibly thousands of people around the galaxy. This decent in darkness has been the cornerstone in his possession by the darkness of life. He has embraced all in the world that is typically scorned, as his way of life. He is a great person to have at your side; but the worst person to have as your enemy.

Relationships:

During his many adventures he has made many relationships some of which led to relationships he was forced to live without for some time. Across his journeys he has made the best of friends and the worst of enemies, enemies of friends and friends of enemies. So long as someone provides Finn with a reason for being and an unwavering loyalty to whatever cause he may hold dear, then that person may sustain the right to live. But the moment that reason for life ends, so does one's own by his rifle or sword.

Beliefs:

Finn believes in a superior force, a chariot rider; a golden helmed, doughty in heart, shield bearer; savior of cities, harnessed in bronze, strong of arm, unweariedly mighty with spear; rampart of Olympus; father of Nike who herself delights in war; ally of all vod to the Mandoa, stern governor of the rebellious, sceptered king of brawn.

Hear me, oh God of War, helper of men and dispenser of this that is sweet courage! Shed down a ray upon my life and bestow the strength of war and hate, drive away cruel cowardice and diminish that deceptive rush of spirit and kindliness; unleash the battle fury brought forth with pride and poise, that keenest of fires which burns forward toward victory avoiding the violent fiends of death or embracing them in the most beautiful of fates.

Quotes/Mottos:

“Without hatred there is no fear; without fear there is no courage; without courage there is no strength; without strength there is no triumph. If a man fears for his life, then perhaps one day he will end mine. Beautiful death on the battlefield is the only thing I can wish for, and the only justice for my crimes.”

TimeLine of Events

Year in BBY - Event in Timeline (Age)
The blue is the story of my son, Venetius

---

3,718 – Birth of Finn Arthornio (0)
3,718 – 3,693 – Raised by Mandalorian Family on Basilisk (1 – 25)
3,710 – 3,705 - Battle Training on Basilisk. During his trials he sets many records that would long go unbeaten. Even his own son, whose strength is true, cannot best them.(8 – 13)
3,705 – 3,693 – Carries out orders for clan Arthornio. (13 - 25)
3,689 – 3,683 – Time spent filling contracts for Cardinal Syndicate (29 - 35)
3,683 – Meets a nice woman (Tatianna Vates) and has formal sexual relations. (35)
3,683 – Finn visits Hutta and accepts a mission from the Huttenese Prince Zig the Hut. This mission takes a full year to perform and ends up being a trap to have Finn killed. When he reveals the trap and returns to the Hut's planet he is taken prisoner by a large squad of armed Republic Troopers. (35)
3,682 – Frozen in Carbonite by a Huttenese Prince Zig The Hut (36)
3,682 – Woman (Tatianna Vates) realizes she is pregnant with Twins. (36)
3,682 – 3,664 – Frozen in Carbonite. (36 – 55) (0 - 19)
3,682 - Venetius Vates and Inora Vates are born on Basilisk. (0)
3,679 - 3,677 - Jinto Akaan meets Tatiana Vates and courts her.(3-5)
3,677 - Tatiana Akaan and Jinto Akaan marry. (5)
3,674 - 3,669 - Venetius undergoes battle Training on Basilisk.(8-13)
3,669 - 3,668 - Venetius is forced to assume Jinto's surname as his own and is soon forced to leave Basilisk with his mother, sister, younger step-brother, and step father. (13 - 14)
3,668 - Arrives at Eriadu at the force of Jinto Akaan. (14)
3,664 – During a visit back to Basilisk to see his uncle, Venetius was confronted by his uncle Phidias Arthornio. During their talk in the Cantina, Venetius mentioned his sick feeling towards his step father's wishes to join the Republic. Phidias Arthornio was furious hearing about this and finally informed Venetius as to the origins of his birth and where he could find his father. Why he hid this information from Venetius is unknown. (18)
3,664 – Freed from Carbonite prison by son, Venetius and brother, Phidias. (55)
3,664 – They all go to Venetius' home where Venetius' Step Father, Brother, Sister and Mother reside. They attempt to convince Finn to join the Republic with them. Finn then kills them all, with the help of his Brother, Phidias. Inora escapes, quickly running out the front door at an incredible speed. (55)
3,663 – Rejoins the Cardinal Syndicate. (56)
3,661 – Cardinal Syndicate, led by Admiral Buku is hired on by Jen’jidai as a permanent Imperial Army for the upcoming fight.
3,661 – Commissioned in the fight against Quygo. Survives barely.(57)
3,661 – Finn becomes an Admiral for the Cardinal Syndicate, following the death of Admiral Buku. (59)
3,661 – Call of the Mandalore Rallies some of the Cardinal Syndicate Away for One year.(58)
3,660 – Battle of Rimma Trade Route(59)
3,660 – Shot down to the planet Chak'Dor (58)
3,659 – Year is spent tracking and hunting Hylo Visz (59)
3,659 – Hylo Visz is allegedly killed by Finn Arthornio (59)
3,654 - Attack on the Planet Balmorra (64)
3,653 – Sacking of Coruscant, Finn sees this as ample opportunity to get some battle time in. He makes his way to Coruscant and fights in the space battle.(65)
3,653 – Treaty of Coruscant(65)
3,643 – (((Game Time)))(75)

History:

The year was 22 BBY, we pan in on a broken Boba Fett as he makes his way into his father's quarters. The battle at Geonosis had ended, and Boba was set to bury his father in a few short hours. All that he had left of his father was his armor and two books that Jango left to help instruct him, in the event of his death. One book was the code of Jango Fett, the other the personal memoirs of a Bounty Hunter from the Old Republic era... his name was Finn Arthornio. As Boba opened the memoir, he noticed an inscription on the front inside cover...

“Without hatred there is no fear; without fear there is no courage; without courage there is no strength; without strength there is no triumph. If a man fears for his life, then perhaps one day he will end mine. Beautiful death on the battlefield is the only thing I can wish for, and the only justice for my crimes.”

The words sunk in deep; they felt like the wounds of a thousand battles waged in one night. As he turns the page he knows he is about to learn what it means to be a Bounty Hunter. He feels a warmth overtake his body; it was rage for the vengeance of his father's death and a feeling of a strong future aided by the dying words of his mentor, Jango Fett, and Jango's mentor, Finn Arthnornio. He continued to read...

---

Birth of Finn / Basilisk Training:

---

It's common for most people to remember little about their childhood, and typically nothing about their birth, but for some reason the events of my adolescence remain as a constant memory within me. Perhaps because of the time I spent frozen in solitude, alone with nothing but my mind to keep me company, I am able to recall the events of my past. Or maybe, just maybe, the memory of my son is what helps me to remember what life was like in the old days, the early days of my life...

I was born in the year 3,718 BBY to the Arthornio family of Basilisk, a core world in the Arrowhead of the Slice, near Coruscant. My parents were Mandalorian warriors; my father in particular who was a formidable Bounty Hunter, although truly only known for the capture of the Huttan Princess Zagae. But, I loved them dearly. I remember that we were pretty well off also, at least for a Mandalorian family on the barren terrain of Basilisk.

I spent most of my younger days being weird and crazy and making friends all along the way. My best friend at the time, Kandus Janes, and myself were misfits to the core. We couldn't wait to go to training together and cause as much havoc as was allowed. But, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared of the trials I knew were ahead of me but at the same time, I couldn't keep my aggressive anxiousness down either. I wanted so bad to begin my battle training early so I could be a strong warrior like my father.

“Just wait...” he would always have to say to comfort me, “Your day will come young one, and when that day does you be sure you are ready for the journey.”

When that day finally came it was time for me to put away my toys and begin on my path to becoming a strong warrior; I traded in my wooden gun for a real blaster, kissed my mother goodbye, and looked into my father's eyes. “Do well son...” he said to me, “Do what comes naturally to the Arthornio line.” There were no tears of sadness, no empty stare as though he were losing his one and only son, nothing in his expression but one thing that would stand with me all throughout my trials. Pride. He was proud of his son, he was proud of me, and I wasn't going to let him down.

Five years is the typical length of battle training for a Mandalorian on Basilisk. For some families it can seem like a lifetime to lose a young son for so long but as far as I was concerned, it wasn't long enough. It was entirely fun to learn the martial and combat arts that had been the pride of the Mandalorians for centuries. I finally understood the legends.

My friend Kandus and I were assigned to a Captain Tanderin Ordo, a man whose clan was more well known than most and who expected much from the likes of us; and a man whose methods were little too extreme. You see, there was no doubt in my mind that Basilisk was home to a vile type of person and even more vile type of creature. But what I found deep in the halls of the Mandalorian training academy was unlike anything I had seen before.

Tanderin Ordo had Kandus and myself working our asses off day and night. We would spare, we would hunt Basiliskians in the middle of the night, there were times when we would even leave planet (against all regulations) so Tanderin Ordo could complete a mission while he was training us.

Kandus and I did everything together. We perfected our martial arts, we perfected just about every weapon known to Mandalorians, we became the elite of the Mandalorian people, or at least the Mandalorian children. There was no doubt that we were both going to be at the top of the Mandalorian trials.

It was the night before our trials that burns in my memory best; we were both now thirteen and we were more than ready to head into the trials and completely destroy the competition. Kandus came to me in the night; neither of us could sleep, we were far too excited. As we sat their, contemplating what was to come, Kandus took out a golden knife. I had never seen anything like this before, it was old, it was ancient, it wasn't even vibrotech. He told me that for centuries upon centuries his family has carried this knife into the trials because of its mystic nature.

An Ancient Sanguine Blade

“This knife has been in my family for thousands of years.” He said as he explained the history of the blade to me. “For centuries my family has taken this knife into the academies. My father told me, as did his before him, that when this knife cuts into the flesh of two families they become of one clan.”

Kandus cut open his hand and handed me the blade.

“You've been a dear friend to me; let's become one name. Merge the strength of our clans together, dominate at the trials tomorrow, and we'll be brothers from today forward.” I couldn't say no.

I cut my hand, and handed the knife back to Kandus. We fell asleep soon after.

The next day came with the sound of loud alarms. Kandus and I sprung to our feet only moments before Tanderin Ordo came crashing through our door. “GET UP MAGGOTS!” He yelled in a loud booming voice, “It's time for your tria......” He paused as he looked down at our hands. Blood had dried where the knife once slashed. He saw the knife in Kandus' hilt. “A Sanguine Blade?” he asked knowing the answer. He grabbed us both by the arms and led us into a confined room, no windows, one door.

He threw two vibroblades at our feet. “When I come back, if one of you isn't dead, I'll kill you both myself.” He left the room.

We looked at each other for only a moment before picking up the blades. Survival was key, and although our relations had made us the best of friends, I think we both knew only one of us was coming out of that room alive.

We fought for a good while. We were both very formidable warriors and had trained with one another for so long it was as though we were each fighting ourselves. After clashing swords for long enough Kandus and I finally fell to our knees in exhaustion. “This is ridiculous...” He said to me, taking deep heavy breaths in between each word. “We know each other all too well and I am beginning to believe that because of our pact the fates won't let one of us kill the other.”

Finn beheads Kandus

I moved myself closer to Kandus and placed my hand on his shoulder. For a moment as our eyes met I believed Kandus knew what was going to happen next. I reached for his hilt and grabbed the Sanguine Blade and cut his throat. “You were a good friend, but this is my day.” I slammed my fists against the door as I screamed loudly for Tanderin Ordo to let me out.

As he opened the door I looked him in the eyes and told him, “One day, I will come back to this forsaken place and ruin everything you hold dear. But now, take me to my trials so I can face the other fools who have had to go through this barbaric training.” We made our way to the main hall.

My faith in man had been shattered and all that I once held dear was proven worthless; my best friend was dead and by my own hands, but this was what I thought to be Mandalorian training and I had to get used to that. We finally arrived in the Hall of the Elders where I would meet again with all those who went through the training at the same time as me. As I looked around the room I saw a every captain standing with their two infantry cadets. I was the only one standing alone with his captain.

I looked up at Tanderin Ordo and he grinned back at me. He put his hand on my shoulder and whispered to me. “Look around my boy, all these children in here want victory, want power, want to succeed. But you, you have the strength you siphoned from your friend when you killed him. You are stronger than all these pathetic slugs, and you will be great one day. Just you wait and see.”

I was furious with rage... but I couldn't deny the power I felt flowing through my veins. The rest just sort of happened; like instinct. At each trial I succeeded in flawless victories. Record after record was shattered by my performance and by the end of the day I was known as the prodigal warrior. In my mind, I was the best the galaxy would ever know for the rest of its eternity but I would forever question the pride I took with me at the end of that day.

---

Clan Arthornio:

---

The trials were finally complete, five years of my life went by in a flash and I was stronger than ever. The ceremony was nice; I was awarded many medals based on the outcomes of my tests. But no matter how many gold stars I wore I couldn't shake the events that had just transpired. I looked down into the crowd and saw his family, confused, wondering where there son had gone. Tanderin Ordo comforted them, no doubt with a lie that would bring them some semblance of peace.

I could also see my family; my mother's grin was as wide as the Bungan Canyon we used to play chicken at with our speeders. My father had a prideful glow about him but you'd have to know him to really see it. When the ceremony was over I ran to them and jumped into their arms. They were much happier to see me than I could have possibly imagined. My father put his hand on my shoulder; I wanted to tell him so badly what had happened... but I think he knew. He gazed over at Tanderin Ordo with a taking grin and nodded towards him, then looking at Kandus' parents he smiled to himself. We made our way home.

As we walked into the house my mother went to the kitchen, my father grabbed me by the shoulder and took me into his study. Unlocking a secret passage revealed a room filled with suits of armor, very much Mandalorian in nature. My father turned to me and said something that I would never forget. He said, “Without hatred there is no fear; without fear there is no courage; without courage there is no strength; without strength there is no triumph. If a man fears for his life, then perhaps one day he will end mine. Beautiful death on the battlefield is the only thing I can wish for, and the only justice for my crimes.” As he was speaking he reached for a set of armor, and removed it from the stand, handing it to me. “You are now a real warrior and part of a greater destiny than just your own, son. You are of Clan Arthornio, the Clan of the Vulture. From here on out you'll be performing missions and contracts sent to our clan from the countless employers all over the galaxy. I hope you are ready.”

At the time I had no idea what my father meant by missions and contracts, an all over the galaxy. I had no clue where the destinies would take me, how many times I would step foot on a battlefield, nor how many lives would end at the tip of my actions. For nearly 13 years I worked with my father all around the galaxy on missions; some of extreme importance and some of little.

---

When I was 19 my father and I accepted a mission that led us to a very dangerous planet, Aeten II, far out in the Outer Rim Territories. We were supposed to pick up a delivery of stygium crystals for a buyer currently settled on Hutta. It was believed he was using them to create cloaking devices for starships; but a few rumors were that he was going to use them as lighstaber crystals. However, it wasn't our place to judge how the item we carry is to be used.

The planet was little more than a fiery abyss covered with lava rivers, volcanoes and vast red desserts. There was supposed to be life on this planet, but as we surveyed nothing could be found. As we began to lose faith in our contractors a sharp ping began to sound from our sensors. A settlement appeared on the horizon. The coordinates were not exact to the specifications, but they were close enough.

As we landed a species of red Twi'lek came to greet us. They had a look of suspicion in their eyes as they raised their blasters towards our faces. One extraordinarily large Twi'lek made his way to our ship, on approach asking “What have you come here for!?” to which I responded.

“We were sent here by Val su'Data of Hutta to retrieve a shipment of stygium crystals.”

It was as though the mere mention of the crystals themselves sparked immense rage in the hearts of these people. Time for an explanation was not given. “Fire on them!” the fat Twi'lek announced to his men as he quickly moved for shelter. My father and I hesitated not a second before our jet packs had carried us to the top of our ship; our flame throwers practically cloaking our presence and burning the closer Twi'leks in the process.

We looked at each other as we reached cover and laughed. “You never do make this easy do you son?” my father said to me with a grin. “Well, would you have it any other way than this? Let's have some FUN!” I returned with a heckle and snap in my step.

My father burned his jet pack and flew into the crowd of Twi'leks shooting them down as they fled for their miserable lives. Their attention, at that time, being turned to my father left them wide open for my DC-15x. It was a great father son moment, as he was killing one after another, I was shooting the others in the forehead.

But no heartwarming moment can last long enough before terrible times arrive. In the corner of my eye I could see the makings of a long brown robe and a shiny sword. As he reached his arm out towards my father I quickly turned and aimed towards him. With a fast motion he waved his arm towards the ground, a loud thud could be heard. Two shots rang out, the first deflected by this shiny sword of his, the second landing aptly in his clavicle, my favorite spot to aim. He turned and ran at a speed I had never seen someone move without aid.

As I peered back to the fight I could see my father surrounded by enemy combatants. The lower half of his body had been burned in the flame water he landed in. One shot after another filled the sounds of the planet, my father was being hit from every direction.

I looked at the battlefield. Everyone, everything, destroyed. I leaped from the ship to the ground and ran towards my fathers unmoving body. I held him in my arms as he reached for his breath but could not find it. I carried his body to our ship and laid him to rest in a sealed pod. I would finish this contract and make the journey home to bury my father. But my hatred for this cowardly Jedi scum would never subside.

---

There is one more memory that has served me well and made me a little more famous for my ruthless nature, and of course the invention of the Hunter/Saber Form known as D-Form.

Many years after the death of my father, at the age of 23, I found myself accepting a mission to hunt down and retrieve the Jedi, Tereth Amil, on the frozen wastes of Hoth. Tereth was an Anx Jedi who had become a recluse after the bounty on his head reached a point far beyond his skill to defend himself. At 50 millions peggats, the Huts had decided I was the person reliable enough to bring his living head to them on a silver platter.

From the moment I appeared near his worthless existence, I could feel his fear of death upon my lips and taunted him for abandoning his Jedi teachings. He drew his saber and leaped at me, pathetically in his fragile state, and with a quick draw and a steady aim I hit him at his upper clavicle, severing his arm from the rest of his body.

As he lay in agony I retrieved his limb and with a turn of his bicep the saber returned to life. With a wide grin I forced his arm to remove his last remaining tie to the force, his other arm. Before taking the remains of this pitiful Jedi to the vengeance of the Huts, I played a cruel practical joke using his arms as puppets. For a moment, I think he honestly believed the force was controlling his arm to choke me to death... but I laughed and struck him over the head with the butt of my rifle. What the Huts did with him from there, well, that was there business, I got my money.

---

Invited into the Cardinal Syndicate:

---

I had finally made a name for myself in the galaxy. When people spoke of me, there would be a moment of pause in most breaths. My name was feared, my presence was respected, and my reputation was always on the line. At this moment I was sitting in a chair enjoying the fire that was cooking my wookie burger. I had some free time, finally, to sit and rest, letting the galaxy ponder what may be next for those at my mercy. The doorbell rang. I was reluctant to answer, I didn't typically get visitors, but I was compelled to move. At the door stood an man with a symbol on his armor; a bright and shining circle with a flaming bird in the core. He was an emissary of the High Admiral Buku of the Cardinal Syndicate. I had heard of this organization in the past, and I would assume by this man's presence, they had heard of me as well.

“May I come in, esteemed hunter?” he asked in a polite fashion. Treating me as though I were royal. A nod is all I could afford at the time, beckoning him in. He stood and looked at me for a moment. I wasn't exactly... presentable. Standing in a robe or oriental design, a breeze could be felt between my thighs and an awkward face could be found on the emissary.

“It's amazing how much you and Admiral Buku are similar, he dreads wearing pants as well." A moment of silence followed... "Well I hear you are a man who desires business over all else, so I shall skip the pleasantries and get down to it. We've heard a lot about your exploits in the galaxy and would be honored for you to consider joining our ranks, Mandalorian.” He spoke as though there were no chance of a decline. “Through us you will perform guild contracts and earn more money, more respect, and more fame than you could ever desire.”

“Fame and respect are nothing in this galaxy. I demand fear, garner infamy, and earn cold cash for warm blood.” I responded sternly.

“Even infamy can be earned. Join us, and you shall have it. But be warned, although we are feared and respected throughout the galaxy, we as well are hunted. So what will it be...” he asked of me in return.

I looked over at my fire in the corner of the house. Accepting this invitation would mean the end of my relaxation period, but would that really be so bad. I am a man of action, a man who lives for the hunt and hopes to one day die at the pistol's end of another. I accepted. Performing contracts for the Cardinal Syndicate was exhilarating and exhausting all in the same.

---

Love and Betrayal:

---

During my sixth year with the Cardinal Syndicate, I found myself back on the planet Coruscant. I was there on a diplomatic mission for the guild. We were seeking new recruits and we thought that the underbelly of Coruscant was as good a place as any to find able bodied hunters traveling through space and stopping for information, much as I once did.

Somehow, I found myself once again in Samuel's bar. It had been a long time since I had seen him last. He mentioned he had heard rumor that Hylo Visz had apparently disappeared and had not shown her face in many, many years. Questioningly he gazed into my eyes, but I did not reveal what fate I left her to. Instead, he dropped the topic.

“Finn,” he said with another one of his grins, “I've got a surprise for you. We have a new dancer, she's human, her name is Tatianna Vates. She's... got a thing for hunters. Let me introduce you.”

She came out from behind a curtain and began walking towards our table. I was not normally a man filled with the more feminine of emotions, but I certainly could not deny this woman's beauty. She stood tall and slender with an average bust and a waist that would drive a Chagrian crazy. She moved as though she had a purpose, not so much sinister as it was seductive.

When she sat down our eyes met for the first time. We did not speak, nor did move for that matter. We simply sat and looked at one another. There was a certain magic about that moment. Nothing needed to be said. Sam left us alone.

I asked her where she was from, as it turned out she was born on Hutta and sold to Samuel through the slave trade federation. To this, I was quite offended. Although truly, I had never cared before about the slaves that worked under Sam, I simply had to have this woman. It took quite a long time to convince him to unhand her into my custody, but he did eventually give her to me. It's needless to say, but a well made blaster and a few credits to soothe the wound was typically enough to convince even the hardest of criminals.

We returned to my ship shortly after. She was very happy to be free of that place that had enslaved her into a dancing career. To show her favor she took me into my own chambers were we would spend the night together. There was a certain love about the air, a certain change in my spirit. I knew what was to come next, there is little left to do when an appreciative woman leads you to your bed chambers holding the tips of your fingers. It had been a long time for the both of us; a man who had been on one mission after another and a woman who saw little other than the wet pants of a patron. We didn't waste a moment of that night.

For many months we toured the galaxy. During this time I did not take any contracts from the Cardinal Syndicate, an option in which I reluctantly continued. We enjoyed the money we already had and the time we could spend together. I had almost decided that is would be a good time to retire from this profession, but I could not decide on whether or not I was the type of man who could settle down and start a family. Being away from war was boring, tireless, and entirely dishonorable by my blood.

Tatianna came to me one morning with news that her former master on Hutta had died, and that the new Prince, Zig the Hutt, wished to see her. She told me that news of this event had reached her through a wave on my ship's intercom. I didn't trust the Hutts, not one bit; I reluctantly agreed to meet with this, Zig.

The moment I exited my ship and my feet touched the dirt back on Hutta, a chill shivered down my spine. I was uneasy and extraordinarily uncomfortable to return to this wasteland. It had been a long time since I last saw this desert planet and I truly hoped my last would be the final viewing. Only a bit of ways in the distance was an enormous stadium protruding the skyline, a new construct since my last visit. This is no doubt where the prince would live.

“Right this way Master Finn!” a droid spoke to me, leading me in towards the landing station. “We just need to check your vitals sir, to be sure you are not bringing any disease to our planet.”

I laughed. What more disease could be brought to such a place than that which already infects it.

Outside the station a caravan awaited to bring us to the Hutt's lair. Our driver was a interesting creature that I had never seen before; a very short and fat creature that resembled an overgrown crocodile. The ride to the stadium was long and arduous, albeit uncomfortable as well. I still had a bad feeling about this place, about this visit, about these Huts.

Approaching the stadium the guards moved out from our path, allowing us passage into the large mechanical door. We parked the caravan and exited the vehicle. The sound of a belching creature, occasionally screaming a cry of terror could be heard. My fingers hovered about my blaster.

We came upon the chambers of the Huttenese Prince, Zig. He was large and unkempt, disgusting to view and an unimaginable odor coming from his rotting flesh. When he spoke saliva flew across the room; I couldn't understand a word that came out of his mouth. Don't get me wrong, I spoke the language of the Hutts, but this Prince spoke as though he were missing his tongue.

Laughter began to fill the room, making me ultimately uncomfortable yet again. Tatianna left my side and joined the Hutt on his leveraged stage. Two sabers immediately began glowing behind the Hutt, shining a bright blue and purple. My first instinct was to draw my blaster and begin firing, but as I reached to my hip I realized nothing was there. I had been pick pocketed of my weapons, and now I was surrounded by those crocodile creatures holding large blades in my face.

One look was all it took to Tatianna; she could not bare the evil that lay on my face. Somewhere, deep down inside, I think she knew that I would be back for her some day.

The creatures and Jedi led me into a dark room filled with an off putting red glow. A deep hole in the center of the room filled with a cold mist. They pushed me into the chamber. I heard them speaking of a new machine they had acquired from a bounty ransom they had received all too recently. They spoke as though they didn't know exactly what they were doing.

I could feel the cold chill of death at my feet as it began to rise towards my waist. It was a fast chill and it was so cold. I couldn't move. My entire body was frozen; I couldn't hear; I couldn't see; but I knew something was wrong. This process, I had heard of it a long time before. It was called carbonite; a cold metal that would be frozen around an individual freezing them in time and space. But why was I awake, and how long would I be trapped in this prison?

---

Freedom and Vengeance:

---

For almost 20 years I felt the cold sting of death upon my mind. How could something so creatively deviant, so imaginably useful, go so wrong? I was supposed to be suspended in space and time; I was supposed to eventually wake up and feel like only a few seconds had passed. Instead I was trapped in a prison of frozen steel, left with nothing but my thoughts of my past and the vengeance that lay dormant in my heart. It was lonely, and dark; a desolate isolation.

I lost all track of time. I didn’t know what year it was; I started to forget who I was. Before He showed up I began to lose sight of my plans for the future, my plans for revenge. Up until now that was the only thing keeping me sane. I felt all the rage in my body leave me, every evil deed I had ever done escaped from my memory. The lives and souls of the people I’ve killed departed my very being. For a moment, I felt serene, I felt as though my life was becoming clean. Was this death?

But right before hope settled on my warm soul; He came. I felt his cold footsteps upon my spine. In the darkness I could hear his voice calling out to me. He said his name was Finn, and that he was sent to keep me company while I lay frozen in the wastes. He was deranged, a psychopath; you could feel the temperature change in your blood as he came closer. His very presence was enough to sway even the holiest of men to fear of the devil within. For many years he kept me company, for many years, we kept each other alive.

---

In the outside world, my son, for whom which I had no knowledge of, had found and met with my brother, Phidias, in the halls of Basilisk. Venetius was visiting a local cantina, one in which I had not visited in some time, for obvious reasons. There my brother surely recognized him as kin and sat him down to buy him a drink. My boy was a mere eighteen at this time, a young man, hopefully a strong man much like his father.

They spoke for many hours, the topic of conversation wildly varying from one to another. Each time the topic of his father was brought up a cold chill was sent through the spine of Phidias. There was something he was hiding, something he refused to tell Venetius in the past, a history that assuredly haunted him much the same as it would have Me.

Venetius informed Phidias as to the sick feeling he received each time his father, Jinto Akaan, had mentioned their intentions to join in the fight against the Sith, to join the republic. Phidias was furious in hearing about this and finally informed Venetius as to the origins of this birth. Surprised, most certainly, Venetius would sit, stunned at the revelation. This would explain the estranged feelings of family he had felt since he was a child. Venetius looked up from his shame and realized that the man who sat before him was no kind stranger, but instead was his uncle. The Force that flowed through Phidias’ body was enough to convince Venetius that this was no lie. But there was sadness in his face as well.

“Where is my father, that I might meet him finally!?” he would ask but to receive a negative nod. The assumption was that he was dead; for it had been many years he last stepped foot on a planet where he was known. It wasn’t long before Phidias could no longer bare the stress of hiding the secret of my entrapment from my son.

Over the course of many more drinks, Phidias expunged every piece of information he had on the whereabouts of my lifeless body to Venetius. He knew how it happened, when it happened; he even knew why it was done. Venetius could not believe his ears, could not understand the reason that his mother would do such a terrible thing to earn her freedom, something I could have given her just as generously.

“A plan! We must devise a plan to rescue my father, to set him free from his prison that he might get the vengeance he surely wants!” Venetius said with fervor much like his fathers. Phidias, reluctantly, agreed.

Unfortunately, a vast intelligence pool is not something that flowed openly within the Arthornio family. In fact, it would be a fair judgment to pass, saying that the Arthornio line relied heavily, if not entirely, on brute force over intelligent devising. So when planning, the two decided that busting into the confines of the Huttanese lair and taking them by surprise and with the force of their blasters and sabers.

As night approached so did my faithful saviors upon the lair that was my tomb. I was too busy yelling and screaming, arguing with what was left of my mind as to the best escape path, as if escaping from a solid tomb of carbonite steel was a possibility.

The doors to the entrance of the lair were not heavily guarded. Phidias burst forward, a yellow glow of molten steel pooling around his feet and about his purple glowing lightsaber. With a push, Phidias gathered the energy around him and forced the wall down. A horde of creatures small and tall rushed the two warriors as they made their way through the cavernous lair. But their cruel weapons and senseless battle tactics were no match for any kin of mine. Bodies and blood filled the corridors left behind in their determined wake.

They came into the chamber of the Huttanese Prince, Zig. A mere few soldiers filled the room, guarding the Prince with reluctance. The frozen statue of my soul sat next to the hut, terror on my face, hands outstretched attempted to warm my cooled body. Phidias became enraged, slipping into a deep, dark place that no sith goes unwarranted. His eyes filled with red and began to bleed, darkness filled the room; lightning would light it up momentarily. You could hear the screams and wailing even inside my tomb, we were both fearing the noise coming from the outside. We thought death had finally come.

Without warning the cold steel that held me tight began to warm up. I could feel the tightened constraints about my flesh loosen, giving me room to wiggle and move; my body, however, refusing to do so. The steel would not release from my face; the temperature began to rise. I could feel the flesh on my face begin to melt and scar. In agonizing pain I wrenched from my carbonite coffin; the last bit of flesh peeling and ripping off the walls of my 19 year prison. I fell to floor in a cold limp heap, motionless and in the greatest pain of my life.

I looked up at the two men who were at my rescue, my brother, my son; I could feel his blood running through his body and I knew it was the same as mine. I looked him in the eyes as he looked upon the muscles of my facial structure; what was left of me. “What took you so damn long!” I said with a huff; everything went black.

I woke up in my home on Basilisk only a few days later. My face was wrapped in a cloth, quite possibly the last thing that would ever touch this scared face of mine. As I sat up, I saw the two men who rescued me from Hell; grim looks on their face as they gazed upon my blood tattered bandages. “What's happened?” I murmured in a voice, raspy and destroyed from time's apathy.

The two filled me in on everything. What happened to me, where I was, who betrayed me. The very information tunneled its way into the deepest parts of my hatred for the world, especially the republic scum who would lead me to such unbearable pain. A fury of vengeance filled my soul, especially towards those who were at fault for my tombing.

Without even the slightest of pauses I stood to my feet, agonizing pain wreathing throughout my body. Phidias nor Venetius had the nerve to tell me not to move. I knew where I was, and they knew to bring me here so I might have vengeance upon my awakening. I grabbed a weapon from Venetius' hilt and moved out the door. I was back home on Basilisk, just as I thought, and right across from the place I once called home. Akaan Residence the sign read nearby. I made my way to the door, kicking it in. I entered the house and there sat a family of four, eating breakfast, how quaint, as though nothing had happened. Venetius and Phidias entered behind me.

Tatianna sat beside Jinto, their two children, Inora and Medelius beside one another. The children were younglings, no threat. Nor was Tatianna or this republic scum and traitor, Jinto. Jinto began to speak, but a swift shot of a blaster to his jugular would make him re-think opening that filthy mouth of his. I approached the table, blast pointed at the head of her youngest son, Medelius. I demanded information, but I would not have the desire to ask. Instead, I removed the bandages from my face so that she might see the damage she caused me. My face began to bleed on the table, scaring the young children.

Venetius jumped at my arm, praying that I spare the child. I swift kick sent him flying into a nearby wall. He looked up at me in anger and I looked at him; I was in the mind to kill the boy for his insolence toward me, but he would be spared because of his attunement to the dark nature of our heritage. Instead I faced the child and shot him in his chest, his lifeless body falling to the floor.

Tatianna screamed in terror as she leapt towards the dead body of her son. “Why!?” she screamed, but the voice that trapped me in my hatred only served to further fuel my rage. I pointed my pistol at the bitch who betrayed me, betrayed my love, but before I could pull the trigger I felt my body being pushed by the magics of the force. The young child, Inora, was a gifted child indeed. She stood there, hands outstretched trying to push me out of the way of harming her mother. The connection I felt reverberating through her force, the blood flowing through her veins was mine.

I looked, confused at Tatianna... I raised my arm to kill the child, squeezing the trigger I knew I was killing a child of mine, a child born out of my seed but during a time when it could not have been possible. The beam of hot laser made its way towards the child but before it could strike its target she fled at unimaginable speed. I looked back at Tatianna, she opened her mouth to speak. I would not hear it! I shot her, dead, in cold blood; I left their bodies to burn in that wretched traitor's house.

I looked at Venetius, in a cold and lifeless stare. “Come with me now son, we're moving onward...”

---

Reunited with the Cardinal Syndicate:

---

I lived in my old home on Basilisk with Phidias and Venetius for some few months after being freed from my prison. I needed to regain my barrings and recoup; bring my body back into the condition it was in before I was betrayed and left to die. Battling my mind, the two men who occupied it were driving me insane; I began to truly lose my mind. My kin began to worry as they would hear me arguing with myself.

After several months had passed I finally began to regain some sense of my physical well being. We were sitting in the halls awaiting passengers from outside worlds, or contracts from past clients. But nothing came. Nothing but a man from my past who I hadn't seen in ages.

A man entered the great halls, wearing little to no clothes; tall and very strong with a handle bar mustache you could hang your coat on. It was my old friend, and Admiral, Buku. “Finn! Old boy! How have you been!” I heard you got into some trouble with the Huts!?”

We laughed and talked about the times that had come and gone. Buku was getting to be an old man and was shocked and surprised at how young my body appeared to be. Fortunately for me, carbonite freezing has a way of destroying the mind but preserving the body. And although it was fun catching up and remembering the good old days during the wars, it was not without purpose that the Admiral had come to visit. Apparently a Sith Academy was under attack by a powerful and cruel Sith Lord, Darth Quygo; and our assistance was entirely warranted. In fact the group, Jen'jidai, had hired our entire syndicate to come and help. Buku needed me to serve as his Vice-Admiral during the battle.

How could I refuse the chance to whet my lips with the blood of enemies? I accepted his request and soon we were off to fight in the toughest battle out clan would ever know.

---

Battle Against Quygo:

---

A child's scream woke Drahl with a start, his breath coming quickly and his heart pounding. He tried to sit up in his bed, but his muscles were frozen. Though he was alert, his body had not yet caught up with his mind. He was trapped between sleep and wakefulness, a bitter line between sanity and insanity. His eyes moved though and he quickly began to scan his chambers. The room was dark and ominous, as if some malice hung in the very air he breathed. His eyes began to sag as his body bid him back to sleep. Again he tried to move his muscles, but he remained paralyzed. His heartbeat quickened as panic began to consume him at his helplessness. The feeling of dread hung in the air, a reminder that something was very wrong. Was he truly awake? Was he still sleeping? Drahl's mind began to work over the possibilities he was dreaming. It would certainly explain the paralysis he was experiencing. It was then the darkness stirred and a disembodied voice jolted Drahl's senses.

"We've been waiting for you, Drahl." the voice sang out in a creepy, melancholic tune. It was as if two voices had joined together. The voices almost sounded electronic, certainly not that of a human.

Drahl again tried to move his muscles, but they refused to comply. His eyes drooped and he drifted back to sleep. As sleep once again claimed him and his subconscious took him back into sleep, he heard the sound of children screaming.

---

Admiral Buku burst through his bedchamber door, naked, as two Cardinal Syndicate troopers stood at attention before him. His large, handle bar mustache puffed up as a sigh escaped from his mouth. Yawning and stretching his arms, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he continued to ignore the two troopers whom had awaken him. Looking left and right, scanning the hallway, he finally focused in on the two troopers. Straightening out his mustache, a large grin swept the grizzled Admiral's face.

"Ah Hah," the old Admiral snickered as he coughed in the troopers face and yawned. Losing his interest in the men again, he turned back into his room and began to blow his nose upon a handkerchief his father had given him many years ago. The two troopers stood at attention, not saying a word. Finally the Admiral turned back to face the two men.

"Ahh my boys, I confess I'm none to happy about being awaken. I do hope a mad man is on the loose, killing needlessly in the hallways of our fine academy. Or perhaps we're under attack from above?" The Admiral said as he pointed to the ceiling, matter of factly. "Or perhaps a large herd of some brutal and grissly animal has stormed the city, maiming many innocents. Certainly there is a reason for this unsatisfactory interruption of my glorious sleeping time. Regardless I stand ready to assist my men." The Admiral said as he began to scratch his private parts. Looking down at himself, he realized he was still naked. "It seems I have forgotten to dress. But not to worry, the women are not here to swoon this early in the morning."

The two troopers began to smile.

Admiral Buku grinned again as he quickly wiped his handle bar mustache with the knuckle of his right index finger. Admiral Buku was head of the Cardinal Syndicate and perhaps one of the oldest living human Bounty Hunters in the galaxy. His skill and expertise were unparalleled. But the man did have a certain personality that one either loved or hated. He was a pirate, a swash buckler, and a smuggler all rolled into one. The man was both brash and charming. His men adored him. Admiral Buku spent much of his time in the east wing of the academy, where the children were trained. The man adored younglings and they adored him in return. Catching the man with three children on his lap as he told them stories in his boisterous manners was not an uncommon site. The younglings also enjoyed pulling on his mustache, an action that would prompt Admiral Buku's loud and boisterous laugh to fill the hallways. He was seen as a father by some, a grandfather by the children, and as a military leader by the Sith Lords. The man could not be equaled in his attitude, his gentleness, his ability to make all the men smile, and his story telling. Sith Lord Drahl kept him around not just because of his military expertise, but also because he knew the man's ability to lift the morale of Jen'jidai forces even during the roughest of times.

The two troopers, smiles on their face, remembered why they had come and the smiles evaporated. "Admiral, we are sorry for waking you," one of the men said as he scratched his shaved head. The other trooper nodded slightly and interrupted, "Admiral, two more youngling bodies have been found in the east wing. Their throats have been ripped out and they have been badly burned. Their bodies were found in one of the dormitory hallways.

The Admiral’s face grew serious and grim. "What were their names lads?"

"Japic and Loran" The troopers responded together.

The Admiral’s eyes began to water as he looked to the ground. "I had just seen Loran last night. I had told the little girl a story. Beautiful she was." Tears dripped from the old Admiral’s eyes and fell to the floor. His head still down, he blindly reached for his handkerchief as if it would be upon his belt. But the old man still stood naked. One of the troopers quickly walked around the old Admirial and retrieved his hankerchief from a small table just inside the doorway. Handing it to the Admirial, the trooper gently patted the the old Admiral upon the back. The Admiral sniffed as he pat his eyes and blew his nose again, "Thank you lad."

Admiral Buku finished wiping his face down and looked the two troopers in the eye. Inhaling deeply and exhaling out of his mouth sharply, his mustache billowing up from the air, he slammed his right fist into his left palm. "Blast it all men, lets find this killer. I've had enough of this butchery. Stay here while I go back inside and get dressed. Then we're going to wake Lord Drahl and see if he use his sorcerery to find an answer to this mystery."

Marching back inside his room, the Admiral disappeared around the corner as the troopers looked in through the open doorway. The two troopers could hear items being tossed around the room. Both looked at each other and shrugged. Finally the Admiral’s voice could be heard from deep within his quarters, "Blast it all, I cannot find me pants. Where did that wench put them?"

---

A scratching sound could be heard outside her chambers as the Mother Saari-Kar looked up from an old tomb she was reading. Looking towards her small end table for the time, she realized it was not yet dawn. Casually she tapped her fingers upon her lightsaber attached to a soft woolen cord wrapped around her slender waist. She stood and moved gracefully toward the door. Her black silken gown billowed ever so gently as she moved quickly and deliberately. Thelexpia was both graceful and extremely neat in both her appearance and her duties. Her movements mimiced that of a cat, agile and ready at a moment's notice. Though Thelexpia was a brutal Sith, capable of wrecking havoc if she needed too, she always conducted herself gracefully and nobly. Most men and women who met the Mother Saari-Kar figured her for a queen. Her appearance and movement suggested a strong aptitude for luxury, royalty, and snobbery. But that was not Thelexpia. When she spoke, her musical voice carried authority that no one dare to question. Her long hair was one characteristic easily noticed. But as a newcomer came closer to her, they would notice her sharp, penetrating, and beautiful eyes. Lord Drahl had once said it was her spirit that made her the Mother Saari-Kar. A strong willed woman, the spirit of a warrior combined with the vast intellect of the most cunning predator. But most of all, Thelexpia was the greatest administrator at the academy. Her amazing gifts for organization, management, and her seemingly unlimited attention for details kept the academy in top order.

Thelexpia casually entered the pass code in the panel next to her doorway. As the door slid open, her right hand gently caressed her lightsaber the way a lover caresses the arm of their soul mate. A stooped, hooded figure stood before her. It's black cloak covering every inch of it's body. It's hood kept the light from it's face, giving it's face the appearance of a endless black hole. It's hands were covered with black gloves. The creature did not bow nor pay the Mother Saara-Kar any respect as it seemed to glide into her living quarters, brushing beside her nonchalantly. The creature moved about the room with strict determination. Once it had circled the room, it moved back to the Mother Saari-Kar, who stood watching it with her hand upon her lightsaber. Annoyingly, she said, "Well?"

The creature slowly walked back into the hallway and turned to face Thelexpia, "Mistressss, there have been more killingsss in the dormatoriesss. Two children sssslain," it rasped. The Penitant of Kissai removed it's hood, showing it's disfigured face. It's bright blue eyes stared into Thelexpia's. "I sssense anger. Yesss..We move now..yess. You will come with me Mistressss Thelexpia. You will come with me now."

Thelxepia glowered at the Penitent and walked back into her quarters, removing her clothes and beginning to change. The Penitent stood, watching her. Thelxepia was the most beautiful woman on the planet, there was little doubt. But the Penitent could no longer be aroused by women, man, nor any emotion. They had butchered and chastised their own bodies into complete obedience to the force. This is why they were an unstoppable force and the perfect guardians and warriors. Once Thelexpia had dressed in her Council robes, befitting her station, she walked out into the hallway to join the Penitant. Looking in the direction of the dormitories, she plainly commanded, "Take me there."

---

Drahl shot from bed like a loaded spring, landing on his feet. He remembered his dream. Had it been a dream? The menace still hung in the air around him. It seemed so thick he could barely breath. His lightsaber was in his hand, by instinct. A red light blinked upon his comm console, beeping every few seconds. He pointed at the console upon the wall and channeled his force to turn the lights on. The room was empty. The comm light continued to blink and beep. Drahl walked over to the comm console and realized someone was paging him. The paging began only a few seconds ago, most likely when he woke up. The Sith Lord pushed the button and Admiral Buku's image appeared in the holocron. The Admiral’s mustache billowed up as he blew air out of his mouth in a huff. "Lord Drahl, I am sorry to disturb you. There has been a development that needs your immediate attention."

Lord Drahl stared down into the holocron, "Go on."

Admiral Buku yelled back over his shoulder, "Blast it, take 2nd division around the other side. I want the corridor surrounded. Someone go wake up Vice-Admiral Finn and tell him to bring the 4th division here now." Looking back towards Drahl, the Admiral continued. "My apologies m'lord. Two children have been murdered. Two more were missing. We found the missing children's bodies in the hallway leading to the hanger. Two Penitent’s bodies are also here, hanging from the ceiling, outside the Dormitory Hangar. The floor is covered with blood and intestinal matter. It's quite ridiculous. It reminds me of a few decades back when I and....."

Drahl interrupted, "Admiral, do we know who did this." Drahl could see troops running past the Admiral as he peered into the holocron.

The Admiral cleared his throat, "Yes yes, I'll tell that story later. Good call m'lord. We have the Sith Master, Quygo, cornered in the hanger."

Pins and needles began to stab Drahl in the back as his skin went cold. Every hair upon his body began to stand upon end. It felt as if his stomach was moving into his chest, attempting to consume his lungs. "Are you sure Admiral? Quygo was banished from this planet. How did he get in here?"

The Admiral shook his head, "I do not know master. We are surrounding him now and will arrest him and bring him before you."

Drahl shook his head, "No Admiral, he will kill you all. Get my brother immediately and tell him to get here quickly. I am going to gather The fallen and some of the Jen'Derriphan. Surround him but do not engage him. I will meet up with Finn's division on the way and we'll meet up with you outside the hanger."

Admiral Buku nodded and the transmission ended.

Drahl immediately left his quarters and began running towards the Sith Military Dormitories to rally the Sith Knights. He would need all the help he could get.

---

Admiral Buku began directing his men to surround the hanger. There were two entrances into the hangar from the academy. Admiral Buku intended to have both fully surrounded. Admiral Buku instructed Division two, at a full 50 men, to surround the northern entrance of the hanger. He kept Division One with him at the southern entrance. The veteran commander also activated the shields covering the hangar, designed to prevent ships from landing or taking off. One of his Captains came trotting over to where the Admiral was leaning against a wall, putting leaves into a pipe. "Admiral, we have awakened Finn and he is preparing the 4th division on the other side of the academy now. He'll be here with 50 men in a few minutes."

The Admiral ignored the Captain and lit his pipe, sucking in it's aromas. Finally once the Admiral was satisfied with the smoke, he looked back at the Captain. "Ah Hah lad, very good. By then, Drahl will be here too. We'll kill this son of a wench and be done with the whole matter. Just in time for breakfast too!"

Handing his pipe to the Captain, he took out his comm pad and began contacting Lord Xenith. The grizzled Admiral began pressing keypads, in an attempt to contact Xenith's ship. The Captain dropped the Admiral’s pipe, the mouthpiece chipping off. Going to his knees, the Captain began to cover his eyes as blood dripped from his eys and nose. The Admiral looked down, "Are ye mad lad, what in the hell is wro...."

The Admiral was interrupted by a concussion filling the corridor, an impact without sound or origin. The blast sent Division One sprawling to their backs and stomachs. The wave flew through the corridor, knocking the wind from the men. Once the concussion wave had passed, an eerie silence followed. Men's moans and yells did not seem to register to Buku's ears. There was nothing but the sound of Buku's own heart deep within his chest. It was then that his heart stopped as the lights in the corridor brightened, Buku forced to cover his eyes. Strange voices filled the hallway as the Admiral looked toward the ground, covering his eyes from the sudden increased brightness of the corridor lights. The voices made the Admiral's skin go cold, a chill running down his back.

"We've been waiting for you Bomar."

The voices were both male and female, joined together in almost an electronic frequency as if they were coming from millions of miles away. The Admiral uncovered his eyes as the lights dimmed. Disembodied laughter filled the hallway. The Admiral stood, his mouth wide open in shock as more laughter filled the hallway; the laughter of children. But they children sounded many many miles away, as if in a different dimension. Division One of the Cardinal Syndicate looked around, confused and perplexed. Without warning an explosion could be heard far down the corridor that shook the entire academy. Admiral Buku peered down the corridor, the walls still shaking from the concussion. The hallway was dark as the lights began to flicker off, comm boards on the walls sparking and going out. The hallway was plunged into darkness, illuminated only by flickering lights every few seconds. The fifty men with Admiral Buku huddled against the walls, trying to keep their balance. The Admiral felt a compulsion to walk towards the direction of the explosion. Voices could be heard in that direction, voices of children.

"Help us Bomar. Help us."

Buku smoothed out his mustache with the knuckle of his right index finger and took a few more steps in the direction of the voices. The lights flickered on and off. Each time the lights flickered on, Buku got a glimpse of children at the end of the hallway. Then there was darkness. Admiral Buku continued to walk, feeling along the walls and the men that stood next to the walls. The lights flickered on again, three little girls stood near the end of the hallway reaching out towards the Admiral. Then the lights were gone and there was darkness again. Buku called out into the darkness, "I'm coming, stay still little ones. Buku is coming." The men of Division One stared at the Admiral as he yelled down the hallway and walked by them, as if in a trance. Several of them called out to him, but he kept walking slowly down the hallway, feeling his way along the walls in darkness. The lights flickered on again for a split second, the three little girls beckoning the Admiral towards them. Then there was darkness again. Voices filled the corridor, "We're cold Bomar, we're very cold." Buku quickened his pace, trying to reach the little girls. Once he had reached a point of the hallway where it split off in other directions, the lights flickered back on for a moment. Three little girls stood before Bomar, their pretty faces covered with ash. All three had blue eyes and beautiful almond hair. Buku's heart stopped beating for a moment. A cold feeling swept over his entire body as he slowly reached his hand towards them. Tears began to stream down his eyes, his hand nearing contact with the three little girls. He stared into the faces of his sisters, who had died when he was young in a fire. They reached out and touched his hands, sending a frigid chill though his entire body. Their skin was as cold as ice itself. Together, in harmony, they spoke, "We've been waiting for you Bomar."

The hallway was plunged back into darkness. Another explosion rocked the corridor as the ceiling began to cave in, water from the plumbing beginning to flow out of the stooping ceiling. Laughter again filled the hallway as Buku looked up and saw flame rolling down the hallway from the explosion. Three Captains grabbed him by the back of the collar of his armor and dragged him back down the corridor, as fast as they could. Men of Division One opened the blast doors to the hanger and everyone piled in, trying to avoid the fireball coming down the hallway. Admiral Buku was still on his knees as his men dragged him into the hangar, his world upside down. Looking up, he saw the southern entrance door open as Division Two limped into the hanger. Understanding began to fill his mind. The explosions were designed to make them enter the hanger. He had fallen into a trap. Standing before him, he saw the Sith Master Quygo upon a staired mound, where hanger workers stood to direct landing craft. The Sith Master stared at him and smiled. "Hello Bomar."

---

Captain Twerli of Division Two stood next to the blast door entrance on the northern side of the hanger, entering coordinates into her arm controls upon her Mandalorian armor. Admiral Buku had sent her and Division Two to this side of the corridor to ensure the hanger exits and entrances were completely covered. One of the other Captains stood next to her, a man named Edward. He was a burly man, strong and tall with wide shoulders. Twerli always admired the man. His smile and his raptor gaze gave her heart a start every time she looked upon him. Twerli tried her best to not think of the man, especially in situations like this where she was in charge of the Division while Buku kept the other side of the hanger surrounded with Division One. The rest of Division Two stood at the ready against the far corridor door, facing the blast doors in case Quygo tried to escape.

"I still do not understand the hesitancy in Buku's orders. We have 100 men total, all fully armed. We have the old bastard himself, Buku, at the helm. Why not storm the hanger and kill this man?" Edward remarked as he watched Twerli working on her arm pad controls.

Twerli glared up at him, pretending to be annoyed. "Because silly, he's a force user."

"And? We've killed our share of those before. I say we be done with this nonsense so we can go back to bed," a yawn escaping Edward's mouth.

Twerli did not reply as she finished entering the coordinates of Division Two's position, in case Buku wanted to confirm their position. The Cardinal Syndicate's armor was all attached to a broad network on Aeten II, allowing each other and the Admiral to check on their positions and conditions at anytime.

Twerli looked up at Edward, "You don't need to sleep anyhow..you need to work on your...."

An explosion cut her off mid sentence as the entire corridor shook, sending shards of wall and floor flying at lethal speeds through the air. Edward reeled back against Twerli, knocking her to the ground as Edward fell on top of her, knocking the air from her lungs. Other men screamed as the walls buckled and began to fall upon them. Fire fanned through the hallway, men diving over each other trying to get out of the flame's path. As suddenly as it occurred, there was silence. Emergency lights began to activate in the hallway, their brightness reflecting off the smoke and soot in the air, making it even harder to see. Captain Twerli could hear moans coming from many of her men. She tried to wiggle free from Edward, but he lay motionless upon her chest.

She gently pat him on the back, "Edward, move soldier. You're heavy!"

There was no response, only the sound of the moans of the dying and wounded in the hallway. She wiggled him again, more roughly this time, but there was no response. Twerli began scooting backwards slowly, bracing her hands against the wall behind her. With all her might, she raised her legs and thrust Edward off her. Regaining her balance, she crawled over to Edward. She immediately noticed a two foot long cylinder jutting out from the back of his neck, covered in blood. She grabbed both sides of his body and wheeled him over unto his stomach, looking into his dead eyes. They were still beautiful, but the raptor gaze was gone. Instead, there was nothing but lifeless emptiness there. Captain Twerli stood and began assessing the damage. Many of the men were dead, impaled by debris from the explosion. Even their armor could not stop solid metal cylinders and debris flying at hundreds of miles an hour at them. Others crawled, moaning, badly hurt from burns. The fireball had rolled through the hallway quite quickly. The lucky ones were the men that had been knocked over by the blast and had been shielded by the bodies of others falling upon them. Edward had fallen upon her and saved her life. That made it more real. It made it more personal.

Before Twerli could finish checking on the men, another concussion wave reeled through the hallway from another explosion. This explosion was on the other side, towards Division One and Admiral Buku. Still the shockwave slammed into the corridor, knocking her off her feet. The ceiling begin to cave in as rubble rained down. She could briefly see the ceiling fully collapse on the east side of the hallway, blocking any escape they may have wanted. To the west, the hallway was full of soot and smoke still with an orange glare in the distance, no doubt a fire. Twerli briefly looked at the blast door and realized the battle may have already begun.

"Men we need to get out of this corridor before it caves in on us. Those of you who can move, come with me. We're going into the hanger. I think Buku is attacking."

About a dozen men stood and followed her as she opened the blast doors into the hanger. Before her, she saw the Sith Master Quygo, his back to her, facing the southern entrance to the hanger. Across the hanger, at the southern entrance, her heart skipped a beat as she saw Buku on his knees before Quygo.

---

Drahl rounded the corner in the hallway quickly, a score of Sith Knights on his heels. The Sith Lord had rallied all of The Fallen and Jen'derriphan that were currently stationed at the academy. But he feared it would not be enough. He only hoped the Cardinal Syndicate could give them the performance they needed to win this battle. For a moment, Drahl's subconscious criticized him. He thought to himself, I am a Sith Lord, I am Darth Drahl, I am leader of Jen'jidai. Why am I so scared? Then an answer from his own mind came; because it's Quygo. Drahl had trained under Quygo for many months. He had learned more then he could ever imagine under the self proclaimed Sith Master. This creature, Quygo, even went so far as to claim to be the true Dark Lord of the Sith. Was he truly insane as many of his men thought? Though his master frightened him beyond comprehension, he knew he was as ready for this confrontation then he could ever be. He was at the top of his art now, the best Sith he could be. If the other Sith Knights and the Cardinal Syndicate could distract Quygo enough, maybe Drahl would be fast enough to defeat him this time. Thoughts went back to the other times he'd fought Quygo. They had all been training fights and sparring sessions. But Drahl had put everything he could into those fights and Quygo had always easily subdued him. But Drahl had grown much since then. It had been a long time since Quygo disappeared after Drahl ordeded the Jen'derriphan to send him away. He sent him away because he was afraid of him which caused him shame but also to protect the children. Quygo was always suspected of killing children. But now he was back and there was no sending him away this time. Drahl knew this time would be the last time they met.

Drahl and his Sith came to a intersection in the corridors. Down the other hallway, from the west, he could see Vice Admiral Finn approaching with the 4th Division of the Cardinal Syndicate. Drahl waited at the hallway intersections. As Vice-Admiral Finn approached, Drahl put his hand up to slow him down as they were running full speed. Finn came to a stop and put his hand up, his men glad for a moment to catch their breaths. Finn was in full battle attire, wearing his set of Mandalorian battle armor. His helmet was unlike anything anyone had ever seen. It had a wide brim that circled the entire helmet. The top of the helmet was not round. Instead it was pointed, like the top of a pyramid. Finn brought his fist to his chest, slamming his chest hard as he stood before Drahl. "M'lord, I am taking the 4th Division to Buku at the hangar if it pleases you."

Drahl nodded, "Yes Finn, my Sith will join in. We'll go together." The Sith Knights joined ranks with the 4th Division and they began to trot towards the hangar. As they moved towards the hangar, still several wings away, their progress was stopped as an explosion rocked the entire academy. It brought the 4th Division to a halt as Finn and Drahl looked at each other.

"What in the hell is that? I told Buku not to engage." Drahl said, gritting his teeth.

Finn only nodded, remaining quiet as Drahl took out his comm device and began trying to contact Admiral Buku. Drahl stared intently into the empty holocron, quietly mumbling to himself for Buku to answer. Moments passed as Drahl tried to reach Buku. Another explosion rocked the academy, shaking the entire corridor as Finn and many others put their hands upon the walls to stable themselves.

Drahl stared down the corridor as the lights began to flicker off and on. The explosions were knocking out the electronics. His lightsaber came into his hand and activated, the vibrating melody of the weapon filling the hallway. Other Sith Knights activated their lightsabers as well, their vibrating melodies joining Drahl's. The Sith Lord looked back, "We may be rushing into a battle. Be ready." The men yelled their eagerness and the group double timed it to towards the hangar.

---

Buku was still on his knees staring up at Quygo. Captain Twerli and a dozen or so troopers stood frozen at the southern door across the hangar, the remains of Division Two. Buku stared up into Quygo's eyes from across the room.

"I appreciate the devotion Buku. But do get off your knees, you did not come here to pay me homage today, yes?" Quygo quipped at Buku sardonically.

Buku stood, beginning to understand the images he saw in the hallway. It was simple sorcery from Quygo. Smoothing out his mustache with the knuckle of his right index finger, a wide grin swept his face. "Sorcery and mind tricks are all you have Quygo. I have blasters and fire. My men are going to approach you from behind. You are going to throw your lightsaber towards me. You are then going to put your hands behind your back and allow my men to tie them. Then we're going to go to Drahl and he will deal with you." Buku began to motion Captain Twerli and her men to approach Quygo from the rear.

Quygo did not move but continued to smile, "Am I?"

Buku quickly scanned the room. The hangar was full with small fighters. They had not yet been moved to the other hangar. Normally the Consequence, Xenith's ship, sat in this hangar. Buku began pointing towards emplaced blaster cannons in the corners of the room. Some of his men nodded and began running towards them to give them a major firepower upgrade. Quygo did not attempt to stop them. A catwalk ran around the entire hangar, small little elevators allowed entrance to the encircling catwalk. More men began moving quickly to those elevators, to man the catwalk and look down upon Quygo and the rest of the Buku's men. The Admiral pulled out his sword, an ancient weapon made from metal that could parry a lightsaber. Buku had won it many decades ago from a Mandalorian he had killed in a duel. Buku preferred close combat over blasters, though he was quite proficient with a blaster. Still there was something about killing Jedi with this sword that gave Buku a small sense of satisfaction. He thought blasters were so uncivilized. Quygo still did not move, simply staring at Buku.

The Admirial slowly walked forward, pointing his sword at Quygo, "Your lightsaber, if you please. Roll it over here and we'll take you to Drahl."

Quygo smiled and took his lightsaber from his belt, throwing it towards Buku. As the hilt got to Buku, it activated and launched itself at the Admiral. Buku dove away, rolling on the floor, it nearly missing him. A wave of concussion energy rolled out from Quygo, hitting everyone and knocking them back against the wall. The men closest to Quygo were utterly cut in half by the energy. Captain Twerli was sent sprawling backwards against the southern blast door, hitting it with a thud and sliding down to the floor. Her slouched body sat, eyes frozen open with a look of shock. Blood dribbled down from her mouth. After a few moments, her body slid down sideways and she fell upon her side. The concussion blast had been most strongly directed towards her and her men. The blast had cut many of her men in half entirely. The blast had been powerful enough to sever Twerli's spinal cord, killing her almost instantly. Buku was on the ground already so the energy passed harmlessly over him. Before Buku could stand, lightning cascaded out of Quygo's hands and struck the catwalk, electricity rolling over the metal catwalk and electrocuting the men standing upon it.

The emplaced blaster cannons immediately opened fire on Quygo. The Sith Master laughed, holding his hands up as the blaster bolts hit his palms and bounced harmlessly away. Other men began to recover from the concussive blast and got back to their feet, picking their blaster rifles up and firing upon Quygo. The bolts bounced off an unseen shield surrounding Quygo as his lightsaber began to dance throughout the men on the ground floor, as if being wielded by some unseen force. It began to slice through them heedlessly. The Admiral took only a moment to stare in awe. He had never seen a force user powerful enough to channel so many different kinds of power at the same time. Admiral Buku gripped his sword tightly in his right hand as he gritted his teeth, the moans of the dieing filling his ears. Rockets from his troopers whizzed by and struck Quygo's force shield, the explosions causing Buku to shield his face as pieces of the floor filled the room from the explosive blasts of the rockets. Still Quygo stood, with outstretched fingers, unleashing lightning upon the troops. The Admiral reached for his comm device on his wrist, the symbols for Xenith's ship still saved in memory. He hit the call button and hoped beyond all hope that his message got through.

Staring into his wrist device, he yelled, "Lord Xenith, four children have been butchered by an intruder. Two Penitent dead, the Cardinal Syndicate in disarray and ruins. Lord Drahl requests your assistance immediately or all may be lost. We need you."

As Buku finished the transmission, more rockets whizzed by as the emplaced guns also began firing again. This time his troops, being well trained as they were, fired at the ceiling above Quygo. The ceiling exploded and began to fall down upon Quygo. The Sith Master Quygo looked up as the ceiling came crashing down. Before the pieces hit him, they stopped in mid air and flew out towards the emplaced guns. Buku could hear the screams behind him as the troopers on the guns dove away to avoid being crushed.

The Admiral could waste no more time. He brought his sword up and lunged forward toward Quygo. Before his sword could meet Quygo's neck, the Sith's lightsaber flew back into his hand and blocked the attack. Buku growled obscenities as he immediately stepped back and lunged forward again in a flurry of attacks on the Sith Master. Quygo easily parried each attack. As Buku reared back for another attack, Quygo put his hand forward and a concussive blast knocked Buku backwards across the hangar, throwing him up against one of the parked fighter ships. If he had not been wearing his armor, he would have no doubt broken his back. Still the impact drove the wind from his lungs and probably broke a few ribs, judging from the sharp pains in his back. Lightning cascaded out from Quygo's outstretched fingers towards Buku, but the grisled Admiral dove away as the lightning hit the fighter ship. The lightning cascaded over it harmlessly as Buku rolled over onto his knees, facing Quygo again. A few surviving members of Division Two ambushed Quygo from behind, but his lightsaber made short work of them. Their burnt bodies falling to the ground. Admirial Buku looked around but all he saw were corpses. It did not look like many of his men were left alive.

Quygo began to descend the staired mound and moved slowly and casually towards Buku. More lightning jutted from his fingers, hitting more troopers on the ground who were moaning. Their moans faded after the lightning cascaded over them. Buku lunged at Quygo again in a wave of furry. His sword swinging boastfully as he became lost in the dance with death. Quygo parried the blows. But Buku kept coming, a grin on his face as he screamed, "Ah hah I say to you sorcerer. Your end or mine. I don't give a damn to which it will be." Quygo responded with attacks of his own, lightning fast swings of his lightsaber. But Buku parried them all. The Admirial saw an opening and kicked Quygo with his boot in the stomach, sending the Sith Master sprawling upon the floor.

Buku blew air out of his mouth, puffing up his mustache as he snickered softly. "A worthy opponent! Yes indeed. I don't care if I die anymore. Finally, a worthy opponent for me!"

Quygo was on his feet again, lunging forward with his lightsaber. Buku let out a cry of excitement and rushed towards the Sith Master. Steel met lightsaber, sparks flying. Buku was caught up in the dance, adrenaline flowing through him. His muscles remembered the thrill of the fight. His heart pumped tirelessly as he swung his sword over and over at Quygo. He fought like a mad man, just like when he was younger and he had nothing to lose. Anger flowed through his veins. Quygo ducked below one of Buku's swings, going to one knee. The Sith Master brought his lightsaber around in a semi-circle, attempting to cut Buku's feet off. But the old Admiral was ready. He lept over the lightsaber blade and brought his own sword down with both hands. Quygo quickly raised his lightsaber above his head to parry the blow. But Buku reared back with his foot and slammed his boot into Quygo's mouth, sending him sliding back across the floor on his behind. Blood trickled down the Sith's mouth. Quygo's cold glare never left Buku as he wiped the blood from his mouth. Flipping backwards, Quygo regained his footing and shot lightning from his fingertips towards Buku. The lightning hit Buku's sword, cascading downward into his sword arm. Buku yelped from the immediate pain flowing through his body. But the old Admiral did not drop the sword nor did he stop the fight. Even while the lightning cascaded over him, he lept into the air activating his rocket pack. He flew towards Quygo and impacted him before he could bring his lightsaber up. The impact sent both men to the floor. Buku tried to wrap his arms around the Sith Master to wrestle the life out of him while they both were on the ground, but the Sith Master was able to slide out of his arms and regain his footing. Quygo sent a force wave at Buku, lifting him off the ground high into the air and throwing him into the catwalk. He impacted the catwalk on his right arm, his sword coming free and falling to the ground. Buku tried to grab onto the catwalk with his arm, but the old bones in his body broke and he tumbled to the ground landing upon his back. The impact drove the wind from his lungs. Struggling to get up, he reached down for his sword with his right arm. But pain shot through him and he realized his arm was broken. Instead he grabbed the weapon with his left hand and stood tall again. Raising his right arm to his face, pain shooting down his body from the fracture in his arm, he gently smoothed out his mustache with the knuckle of his right index finger. But the old Admirial only grinned at Quygo and said, "My old bones are broke. But I'm even better with my left arm. Ah hah!"

Quygo stared at the old Admiral. The Sith Master no longer mocked him nor smiled. He watched him with ample fascination, as if he was witnessing a creature he had never seen before. As Quygo approached the Admiral, he unleashed his mind upon one of the parked fighter craft behind him. Picking it up, he propelled it forward towards his back. Right as the craft was about to crash into Quygo, he force jumped aside. Instead the craft continued onward towards Buku, standing against the wall holding his right arm. Buku saw the craft speeding towards him. For a split moment he smiled, "Finally," he said, "a worthy death." The fighter craft slammed into Buku and the wall, crashing through into the hallway beyond. Buku's sword fell to the ground beneath the gaping hole in the wall, his disembodied arm was still attached to it's hilt.

---

The Sith Lord Xenith sat upon a rock, casually throwing pebbles at a large scorpion some distance away. They had left Aeten II two weeks prior and were due back today. But they would not be returning today. His ship, one of the flag ships of the Jen'jidai fleet, sat upon a dusty planet in Hun territory. He did not like this situation, not one bit. Three droids worked endlessly upon the ship, attempting to fix a broken light speed generator. To make matters worse, their comm systems had also gone out. Xenith was going to execute this ship's mechanics when he returned. The thought of cutting through their trembling bodies with his lightsaber gave him some comfort while he sat, bored out of his mind. Captain Sashi emerged from the craft and walked towards Xenith. He was dressed in his mandalorian armor, but his helmet was off. Sashi was one of the younger Captains in the Cardinal Syndicate. But despite his youth, he was immensely proficient in battle. Sashi's real skill was language. He could speak many languages and Xenith used him, extensively, on these long trips in case he needed an interpreter. Xenith always preferred Sashi over a interpreter droid. At least Sashi was good conversation and knew how to handle a blaster.

"Lord Xenith, there is a garbled comm transmission coming in. It appears to be from Aeten II. I cannot make much out of it." Sashi said as he approached Xenith.

Xenith threw his last rock at the scorpion, which tactfully dodged. Glaring at the scorpian, Xenith directed force lightning at it from his index finger, instantly frying it. Walking towards his ship, named Consequence, he looked over at Sashi who had began walking beside him. "Could you make out who the message was from?"

Sashi nodded, "It looked to be from Admiral Buku. I could faintly see his mustache," Sashi snickered and continued, "The only words I could make out was children and Drahl. There was more to the message but it cut out. One of the droids is working on it now. Perhaps it will be able to give us more by the time we get inside."

Xenith and Sashi walked inside the Consequence and headed for the Comm room, on the lower level of the ship. The ship was not large, certainly not the size of many of Jen'jidai's class A battle ships. But the Consequence had served Xenith well, except today. Xenith enjoyed this ship because of it's sheer speed. It was the fastest ship in Jen'jidai's fleet and that made it very potent in battle. Sashi and Xenith reached the comm room to find a droid still poking around at wires and electronic boards. Xenith walked over to the controls and began pushing the necessary buttons to bring the transmission back up. The droid fully understood what Xenith was trying to do and began immediately bridging electronic connections to complete the circuit. Admiral Buku's image popped up on the holocron. Though it was very garbled, some things could be made out.

"Lord Xenith.......<garble>....children butchered by intruder....<garble>...Penitent dead......<garble>....Cardinal Syndicate in disa...<garble>..ruins.....Lord Drahl requests <garble>......We need <sounds of blaster fire and explosions>....."

Xenith gritted his teeth in anger, "More I need more droid."

The droid let out a series of beeps as it began saudering more boards together. Sparks began to fly as the boards began to smoke. The droid wheeled back and began to beep slowly and in a much deeper tone, as if it was upset and expressing apology. Sashi sighed, "It says the entire framework is fried. It cannot fix it without new parts."

Xenith slammed his fists down upon the console. "That message could mean anything. But there are a few key points. Children have died. A penitant is apparently dead. They need us Sashi. "

Sashi nodded his agreement, "Whatever could kill a Penitent is more dangerous then I care to comprehend. But I agree, we need to get back there. We are too far from Aeten II for me to contact division 3 on my arm controls. Besides, much of my division is with us here."

In truth, Sashi did not command a complete division. He was merely a Captain in the Cardinal Syndicate, but he was well on his way to Vice Admiral. Admiral Buku had been impressed with Sashi and had given him half a division, called division 3, to command. It consisted of about twenty five men, ten of which were on the Consequence with Xenith and Sashi. He had left the other fifteen to guard the military wing, as Admiral Buku commanded.

Lord Xenith stormed out of the comm room, Captain Sashi on his heels. Lord Xenith headed straight for the electronics bay of the ship, where droids were working on the light speed generator. He opened the bay door and yelled inside, "Aeten II is under attack. We need to go. Get that damn thing fixed or I'll turn you all into garbage and rubble."

---

Thelexpia was bent down on her knees, examining one of the dead younglings in the dormitories. The Mother Saari-Kar gently bent over and kissed the small child upon the forehead, "rest now child." Looking up at the several Penitent of Kissai that surrounded her, she sadly said, "her name was Loran." The Penitent all looked at her emotionlessly. The Mother Saarai-Kar again bent over the young girl's body and gently ran her fingers down the girl's face, closing her eyes.

"So much potential lost in this child," Thelxepia said as she stood back up. She gripped her lightsaber with unbridled fury. The Mother Saari-Kar turned to the Penitent of Kissai whom had retrieved her from her room. "What is your name?" The Penitent stood mute for a moment then responded, "Penitent." Some Penitent remembered their names. Others were so far transcended they had forgotten all memories of their physical nature.

Thelexpia sighed to herself, "I need you and some of the oth....".

An explosion in the other wing of the academy interrupted her mid sentence as she grabbed on to the Penitent to avoid losing balance. The concussive impact jolted through the dormitory wing harder then the other wings as it was closer to the hangar. Two of the Penitent were knocked from their feet as the concussive wave swept through the hallway.

Thelxepia's eyes filled with shock as she immediately begin looking around. "The children. We need to get them out of here now! This whole place could come down. We're under attack!"

The Penitant surrounding her sprang into action. But before they could move very far, another explosion rocked the dormitory wing. This explosion was a bit further away. Still the impact caused the entire hallway to sway. Thelxepia immediately commanded the Penitent to begin rounding up the children from their rooms. "Take the children to the hanger; it's the safest and closest room to our current location. Plus it has blast doors and walls. If we need to evacuate, that'd be the best place to gather."

The Penitent did not move. Instead the one who had retrieved her from her room shook it's head. "Mistresss, the origin of the explosionsss is near that hanger. The Master is there.."

Thelexpia looked at the Penitent questionably. "How can you tell where the explosion came from?"

The Penitent rasped, "I felt the explosion ignite. The force runsss through all matter, all creatures, and all thingsss. We Penitent feel the force stronger then any as our physical bodiesss are dead. We do not rely on the physical sensesss, instead on the force only. The physical is misleading..yesss."

The other Penitent stood, staring at her. The one that retrieved her from her quarters continued to speak, "He is there mistresss, the partition of power calling itself Quygo has come. His power singsss to us. It bidsss us to come. It bidsss us to join him."

Thelexpia gripped her lightsaber tightly, ready for battle. "And tell me Penitent, will you join him or will you destroy him?"

The one responded, "Neither mistresss. We are already on his side, he is the master of Jen'jidai and he hasss instructed us to do your bidding. So we serve you."

Thelexpia's brow furrowed in confusion. "You serve Lord Drahl and by his direction me. You will kill Quygo as I command, if he poses danger to us and the children."

The Penitant's face never changed expression. It's deep blue eyes showed no emotion nor confusion. "We cannot kill what does not exist, mistresss. Partitions cannot be destroyed, only the whole can be destroyed. When the whole is destroyed, the partitions are destroyed."

The Mother Saraai-Kar was not easily frustrated. But speaking with the Penitent of Kissai frustrated her greatly. Their transcended nature made them impossible to reason with. They only saw the world in force. Many believed they did not even see the physical universe anymore, only the force surrounding it. Thelxepia smoothed her robe as she ran her hands down her stomach, stretching the robe tightly as she was in the habit of doing. Her job as the Mother Saari-Kar demanded her to always look the part. Her wardrobe must be straight and proper. Readjusting her bosom and straightening the upper part of the robe, she leaned forward and calmly said, "Penitent, the children. Move them to the military hanger on the other side of the academy. Be quick about it and do not scare them. Keep yourselves hooded." The Penitent nodded and all but one left to do her bidding. The one that had retrieved her from her room, the one she had been arguing with, stayed by her side.

Thelxepia bent over and picked the small, dead girl up and handed her to the Penitent. "Follow me and I will retrieve the dead boy. We'll put them in the infirmary then we will head to the Military Wing."

---

Lord Drahl, Vice Admiral Finn, and their company of knights and troopers entered the northern corridor outside the hanger. The corridor was pitch black as men in their company coughed from the pungent smell of burnt flesh, dust, and death. Drahl blindly sought out control panals along the wall with his mind, attempting to reactivate the lighting system. But the system was destroyed, the control panels shorted out and burnt in the explosions. The ceiling of the corridor was leaking water as parts of it hung dangerously low to the ground, threatening a cave in at any time. Drahl and the other Sith Knight's activated lightsabers shed an errie red glare upon the destruction and carnage in the corridor.

Vice Admiral Finn began pushing buttons upon his armor's arm control panel and a small light flared out of his gauntlet. The Vice Admiral was particularly quiet as he began moving forward, ahead of Drahl, to light the path before them. A few of the Jen'derriphan with the group whispered to each other regarding the amount of force power required to unleash this kind of mayhem. Other Sith Knights kept quiet, as was typical when Jen'derriphan spoke. The Jen'derriphan, old sithanese for Dark Devourers, were the elite core of Jen'jidai's force users. There were only fifteen of them and each of them were the most powerful Fallen or Penitent in Jen'jidai. Only three Jen'derriphan had come with Drahl on this expedition. The rest of the Jen'derriphan were on the other side of the planet, dealing with a group of rebellious miners. Still, hearing the Jen'derriphan speak in awe of the power unleashed here made a few of the Sith Knight squirm a little. Where the Sith Knights may have been squirming, some of the troopers of Division Four were absolutely beyond fear. Their bowels twisting, threatening to turn to water at the mere thought of one man, woman, or creature unleashing this much damage.

One of the Jen'derriphan explained to another in hushed tones, "This Quygo creature, Darth Drahl's former master, is said to have created the Jen'derriphan order. It is also said he is more powerful then the Dark Lord of the Sith."

The group moved carefully around the debris and few burnt and crushed corpses of 1st Division men as they neared the northern entrance to the hanger. Finn approached the blast doors and shined his light upon the door controls. The Vice Admiral began putting commands into the blast door controls. He looked back at Drahl with a silent look. Drahl simply nodded. Finn then turned back to the controls and opened the door. The group entered the hanger, unsure of what they would find.

---

"What do you mean the wiring harness is burnt? It's a wiring harness. Put a new harness in and we're fine, right?" Captain Sashi explained to one of the droids working on the light speed generator. It's series of beeps responding quickly that it did not have another wire harness.

"Improvise then! Make a harness out of something else. Part of the seats? Another harness from other systems in the ship that aren't essential. Improvise or Drahl will make a harness out of your parts!" The droid beeped quickly in response to Sashi and immediately set off to find more parts, including a harness, from other sections of the ship.

Captain Sashi sat back down on a small bench built into the wall of the room. Smoothing back his jet black hair, he sighed to himself. Lord Xenith would not be happy that they were still many days away from having this fixed. It may be, at a worse case scenario, they would have to take a speeder from the cargo bay of the Consequence, and travel to one of the nomad settlements upon this planet to broker for parts. Lord Xenith would not like this at all, Sashi thought to himself. The Sith Lord would be more likely to make the parts out of their own flesh. When Jen'jidai was in danger and his brother was in danger, Lord Xenith simply couldn't be reasoned with on issues such as this. Not that Sashi didn't understand the urgency. He knew how important getting off this rock was. But he was not an engineer and simply did not know what else he could do.

One of Division Three's troopers entered the electronic bay and slammed his fist to his chest, "Captain Sashi, Lord Xenith wishes for an update on the light speed generator."

Sashi sighed, "We're missing a wiring harness and a few more parts. The droids are telling me a few day are going to be required. Ask Lord Xenith if there is anything else he needs me to do."

The trooper bowed slightly and left the room in a rush, no doubt Lord Xenith had given him a time limit on his return with the update. Captain Sashi sat back, awaiting the droids return with more parts. Some time passed as Sashi thought about what could be going on at the city and academy on Aeten II. Sashi's thoughts were interrupted when another droid entered the bay, one of it's extension arms dragging another droid behind it. The droid behind it had burn marks on it, as if it had been struck by lightning. The droid dragged the crumbled rubble of the droid towards Sashi and dropped it, as if presenting it as a gift. The droid began beeping slowly, almost in a sad tone.

"Lord Xenith wanted to let me know that this droid has fourteen wiring harnesses inside. Find one that works."

The droid beeped twice, to signify Sashi understood him correctly. "So, let me guess. This droid was working a few minutes ago, right?"

The droid beeped several times again. Sashi sighed to himself, "I see, so this is the droid in charge of fixing the comm system. I guess, based upon it's current state, it failed to fix that system."

The droid beeped again twice. Sashi smoothed his hair back with his right hand and looked down at the droid, "Well then, I suppose you better not fail in fixing our light speed generator. It seems Lord Xenith is good at recycling you guys for ship parts."

The droid beeped twice again and dragged the broken droid to the side, beginning to dismantle it for it's wiring harnesses.

---

Vice Admiral Finn was the first through the blast doors as they slid upward, opening the hanger before the group. The site dismayed even the veteran inside Finn. The room was massive, spread out before him. Still, despite the huge size of the hanger, meant to hold large flag ships, there was barely a place on the floor not covered with blood or a body. On the west side of the hanger, a large hole was in the wall with a fighter craft sticking out of it as if the craft had flown into the wall at high speeds. The ceiling was marred and blackened by explosions as was many places on the floor. But the most distinguishing thing in the room was the creature standing in the middle of the hanger, dressed in pure black. It stared at Finn but made no sound, as if it had been waiting for him and him alone. The Vice Admiral felt a push behind him as he was shoved out of the doorway briefly as Lord Drahl swept past. His eyes seemed to reflect exactly what Finn was feeling; utter shock. It looked as if both Division One and Division Two of the Cardinal Syndicate was laying on the floor or in pieces along the wall. The smell of blood and burnt hair tickled Finn's nostrils.

Lord Drahl swept into the middle of the room, approaching the lone, standing figure. Neither said a word for many moments as they stood, staring at each other. Lord Drahl's lightsaber was still activated and held at a relaxed state next to his side. Finn moved slowly into the room, inching against the wall towards the west. His goal was to get near the big hole in the wall from the fighter craft. This would give him an escape if he needed it. Other Sith Knights and troopers filled in behind him. Finn gave no orders to the men. Everyone piled into the room, fanning out around the room, forming a semi-circle on the northern side of the hanger. Finn continued to slowly inch his way towards the hole in the wall. He did not intend to run. But the Vice Admiral was wise enough to know that the number rule of being a bounty hunter was to give yourself an escape route. The Vice Admiral finally inched his way to the hole, his vision never leaving Quygo and Drahl. With his back to the wall and the hole just to his left, he pulled out his unique blaster rifle and begin readying a rocket as well.

Finally the silence was broken as Quygo spoke, "You did not welcome me back apprentice. I had hoped for a grand welcome. Instead what I get is this," his hands fanning out before him, indicating the corpses on the floor. "You make it very hard for a Master to visit his favorite apprentice," Quygo finished as he put special mocking emphasis on the word, apprentice.

Drahl stared at Quygo, his face void of emotions. "I have not been your apprentice for some time. I exiled you from this planet because you butchered Sith children. What purpose is there to killing innocent children...children of our people...children that will grow up one day to fight with us against the Republic. What is the point of such mindless butchery?"

"Because I can." Quygo replied bluntly. "The true nature of a Sith is to kill those we can. It is the point of our existence. Those who cannot defend themselves against us have no business living. It is the way of things. It is the way of life and death, the circle of life and death. You will always fall prey to the predator that is more powerful. It is through this that our species and our people grow stronger. Only the strong survive, thus only the strong survive to mate and produce strong offspring."

"But children? You expect children to defend themselves against you? They have not had a chance to mature. How do you know they were weak? How do you know they weren't powerful. How do you know they wouldn't have grown up to be strong offspring?" Drahl retorted.

"It's simple, my apprentice. I can sense their weakness. I can sense their passiveness as I move through the hallways. I know the weak ones. I know which of them will succeed and which will fail. Just as I knew you had potential, I know which of them do. None of them will live long enough to master their arts...none of them. You have nothing but weakness here."

Drahl took a step forward, "Wrong. There is a difference between being a monster and being a Sith. Sith do not kill indiscriminately. We do kill for a purpose. We fight the Republic and you are weakening our cause. In reality, you're doing the Republic's bidding by killing our younglings."

Quygo laughed, a deep laugh that penetrated Finn's very soul. "How wrong you are apprentice. Everything you see before you and everyone in this weak academy will one day die. True Sith do not die, ever."

Drahl tightened his grip on his lightsaber, "We shall put that theory to the test today, Quygo."

Drahl's lightsaber swung quickly in an arc towards Quygo. But the Sith Master was too quick, his hand coming forward and force pushing Drahl backwards. Still, Drahl did not lose his footing.

Finn began to move forward and take aim when the room's appearance began to fade. The wind from his lungs seemed to be sucked out as his muscles froze. It seemed as if he was paralyzed. He was aware of his eyes being open, but he saw nothing but a grey fog. Within that fog, he saw visions of his past rush towards him. Images of a carbonate container rushed forward as Finn witnessed himself being locked in. Images of others..others he had known before he was frozen in carbonate. They came to his mind as he watched them age rapidly before his very eyes. Images of himself came forward and his mind was repulsed as he watched himself age rapidly. More images flashed forward as if he was being shown every moment of time during his carbonate freezing. His mind raced. Every sense in his body activated simultaneously. His subconscious began to warn him that he was overloading himself. He didn't understand. He wasn't bringing these thoughts forward. How could he have known what happened while he was frozen in carbonate?

He tried to move his muscles but it was as if that message to his muscles from his brain got lost in the trillions and trillions of other messages being sent out. His skin went numb, his mind too busy to process his nerve's messages. It was then that he felt something strange in his chest. He realized he was not breathing, his lung muscles unresponsive. He also realized his heart had stopped beating. How was he still standing? Was he still standing? He could not feel his legs. Finn wanted to panic, but he didn't know how. His mind was lost. He didn't know what to do. Still more images flew forward, so quickly he could not process him. His mind was being overloaded. The grey fog began to fade as he felt his life leaving him. The fog was being replaced with blackness. He tried to concentrate on breathing, trying to make his heart beat again, but it seemed as if he had forgotten how to concentrate. As blood stopped flowing in Finn's veins, his brain became starved for oxygen and blood flow.

Finn would never submit, he'd never give up. But he did not know how to process thoughts anymore. He did not know how to process willpower. Just as the blackness began to consume him, the images stopped and a voice was heard in the distance, "Breathe..." Finn felt his lungs rise again as feeling returned to his body. He felt the thump of his heart in his chest again as needles and pins began to pierce him all over his body, the feeling of blood returning to starved muscles and skin. His legs buckled beneath him as he felt himself land on his knees. His vision began to return as the hanger again appeared before him. Moving his neck slowly, getting use to the feeling of using his muscles again, he noticed that all of the troopers and Sith Knights were either on their knees or laying on the ground. The ones on the ground seemed to be unresponsive and unmoving. The ones on their knees were looking around as well, confused and perplexed. He quickly looked up and saw Drahl jump forward towards Quygo, his lightsaber coming forward towards his former master. Both were fighting with their lightsabers. Drahl's cloak had been cut in several places, burnt lightsaber marks marring his robe in several places. Quygo's attire also looked burnt and marred. Both of them looked exhausted as if they had been fighting for some time.

Finn sat back and tried to make sense of it. It was as if he'd blacked out for a long time. What madness was this? He did not have long though, he stood slowly, as his world spun. His mind was still adjusting to the lack of blood flow it experienced and the sudden standing movement. The Vice Admiral used the craft to his left, partly lodged into the wall, to steady himself. He took aim at Quygo and fired a high powered bolt. Quygo parried one of Drahl's lightsaber blows flipped backwards, simultaneously bringing his lightsaber around and deflecting Finn's bolt. Once he landed, he force jumped to the right and landed upon the nose of one of the fighter craft. Finn immediately began to take aim again but before he could press the trigger, a concussion wave impacted him and everyone else in the room. The impact drove the wind from Finn's chest as his back slammed back against the wall. His rifle ripped in half from the blast and he could feel a few of his ribs break from the impact. Other Sith Knights in the room, having not been hunkered down behind a fighter craft as Finn had, were ultimately broken in half by the impact. They never had a chance to defend themselves as many of them were still dazed and confused from the blackout, Finn assumed. Still as he recovered his breath, he did notice a few of the Sith Knights still moving. He immediately saw two of the Jen'derriphan jump into the frey, attacking Quygo as he stood on the fighter craft. Drahl did not move, only watching Quygo and the two Jen'derriphan fight. The concussive blast had not touched him, for some strange reason. Finn took the opportunity to stand back up and get a closer look at his troopers. But he did not see any of them moving. In fact, he only saw the two Jen'derriphan and Drahl standing. Could it be that Quygo had killed all of his troopers and all of Drahl's Sith Knights so easily? What was this creature? Finn felt like yelling it out, as if some unknown force would suddenly appear and answer it. But the older and wiser part of Finn's mind kept him quiet as he moved silently behind the broken fighter craft still lodged in the wall, readying a rocket and waiting for a opportunity.

Finn watched the Jen'derriphan fighting Quygo. Though he knew they moved at lightning fast speeds, far faster than he was use too, it did seem like he was watching a slow motion video. It was as if time itself had slowed down as the fight raged on. The entire time, Drahl stood watching. Finn wondered why he did not join in to assist the Jen'derriphan. Was it an issue of pride? Was it an issue of fear? Was he trying to be a fair fighter? Many of the Jedi and Sith codes did not make much sense to Finn.

The Jen'derriphan had Quygo surrounded, one attacking from behind as the other attacked from the front. Quygo worked quickly to parry both of their blows and to get a few attacks in himself. Just as it looked like the Jen'derriphan may be wearing the old Sith Master out, Quygo ducked below the lightsaber of the Jen'derriphan behind him and immediately stabbed his lightsaber backwards, unexpectantly running the Jen'derriphan through. His body crumbled and fell from the nose of the craft. In the same motion, lightning fast, he brought the lightsaber back up in an arc. The Jen'derriphan in the front, facing Quygo, was too slow to parry it, being surprised by the move. The lightsaber seared through the Jen'derriphans arm just below his elbow, separating the arm from his body. His lightsaber clattered to the ground as force lightning impacted his chest, spewing forth from Quygo's fingers, launching the Jen'derriphan from the nose of the craft and onto his back on the hanger floor. The room was silent once more for only a moment. Finn then heard the sound of bones breaking. He watched as the Jen'derriphan who had lost his arm convulsed as his throat was ripped from his neck by an unseen force.

Not wasting any time, Finn fired a rocket now that the two Jen'derriphan were gone and Quygo was alone on the nose of the fighter craft. The rocket flew true towards Quygo but immediately stopped in mid air. It seemed to hover for a few moments and then flew back towards him. Finn cursed loudly as he scrambled away from his cover and dove away back towards the northern blast door. The explosion helped propel him as the rocket collided with where he had been standing. Landing hard upon his helmet, he laid motionless hoping Quygo would think he was dead. There would be more opportunities and Finn would wait for them, patiently, like any good hunter.

Finn watched the fight while laying on his stomach. Quygo continued to stand upon the fighter craft. Not waiting for Drahl to make a move, the old Sith Master unleashed coiled lightning towards Drahl. The leader of Jen'jidai responded with lightning of his own, impacting Quygo's bolt. The two coils of lightning joined, sparking against each other like liquid electricity. For what seemed like an eternity, the lightning pushed against each other as if in a tug of war. Finn heard a grunt come from Drahl as his lightning coils turned white, then red, coiling around Quygo's bolts. Drahl then let out a yell as he put all of his power into the bolt, pushing Quygo's bolt back. Quygo's bolt joined with Drahl's as they sped towards the old Sith Master. Quygo threw up his hands and the large stream of electricity hit them. It wasn't an impact like Finn expected. Instead the lightning seemed to flow into Quygo's palms. It flowed right into his open hands and began to form into a ball. The stream continued to flow out of Drahl's hands towards Quygo and it continued to flow into Quygo's open palm, causing the ball of energy to grow. Slowly Quygo began to cup his hand, cradling the ball of energy and allowing it to grow and form. Once the ball had grown sizable, he pushed his palm outward and the ball of energy sped towards Drahl. The Sith Lord quickly threw open his arms and yelled, a concussive blast errupting outward from him and throwing the ball away against the wall. The lightning ball impacted the wall near the southern blast door, causing a small explosion. He could hear pieces of the wall hitting the floor as debris.

Quygo began clapping his hands, "Wonderful...wonderful!"

He hopped down from the nose of the fighter craft, "Simply wonderful Drahl. You're doing much better then you use too!"

Drahl made no movement. "My training was a long time ago Quygo. We've had our warmup session. Are we ready to finish this?"

Quygo only nodded, bringing his lightsaber up and unleashing lightning from his fingertips. The lightning cascaded over his lightsaber and then began to arch outwards, headed straight for Drahl.

---

Thelxepia and her Penitent escort arrived in the Military Hanger after taking the two children's bodies to the infirmary. Thelxepia strode into the Military hanger with a purpose, her head held high. Though she was fearful and very confused as to what was occurring, she had to be strong for the children. The academy's children had been gathered inside the military hanger, along with many of the other Saari-Kar and Penitent. Many of the Saari-Kar immediately ran towards her, bombarding her with questions.

She raised her hands calmly, "I do not have the answers to these questions. I, like you, felt the explosions. We found two murdered children in dormitories. On our way here we stopped by Drahl's quarters, Admiral Buku's quarters, and Vice Admiral Finn's quarters. All were empty. In fact, the entire Military Wing is empty."

The other Saari-Kar only sighed to themselves, realizing their headmaster and Mother was in the same state of confusion as they. Thelxepia continued, "We will stay here for the time being, protecting the children. It is obvious that the divisions of the Cardinal Syndicate are not here in the Military Wing, where they would usually be. It is also obvious that the Sith Dormitories in the Military Wing are empty. We must assume that Drahl and our Admiral are dealing with this attack. For the time being, it is our duty to hold our ground here and protect our younglings."

The other Saari-Kar nodded in agreement. Thelxepia went on, "This is a very defensible room. Plus we have most of the Penitent of Kissai here to help. None of you are slouches when it comes to fighting. Between the Penitent of Kissai and our own abilities, we can deal with any trouble that finds it's way here."

Thelxepia took notice that the younglings did not seem scared. Many of them smiled excitedly, as if anticipating an action packed night. She thought to herself how monotonous life must be here as a student. It is no wonder the children were excited. Sith, even the younglings, craved excitement and adversity. This feeling gave Thelxepia some comfort. She felt better knowing the children were behaving as any true Sith.

Thelxepia wheeled around to face her Penitent escort. With a demanding look in her eyes, she stared the Penitent directly in the face. Though she could not see it's face due to the hood covering it, she knew it could see her eyes. "Now Penitent, you spoke of a partition of power and you seem to know what is going on here. You said Quygo is here, but that is impossible as he was banished for away. Speak now, Penitent, or I will pull the life from your body and show you the true meaning of a tortured existence. "

The Penitant rasped, "Yess Mistresss, he is here. I can feel him, calling out. His power is vast, more so then we could ever comprehend. I can feel the power surging outward. He is here, Mistresss. He is here and he is killing them all."

Thelxepia grabbed the creature by it's collar and jerked it forward, "Killing who? Who is he killing?"

The Penitant plainly responded, "All of them. I can feel their force ebbing away, rejoining the world around us. Yesss, he is freeing them. As I say this, some are dying."

Thelxepia yelled, shaking the Penitant, "Who is all of them?"

The Penitent responded, looking confused, "Admiral Buku, Vice Admiral Finn, and all of their men. Yesss, they are dead now or dieing."

Thelxepia took a step back, her breath catching in her throat. The Mother Saari-Kar's once powerful voice came out only as a whisper, "Drahl? Is Drahl dieing?"

The Penitant stared, a confused expression upon it's face, "Which one?"

Thelxepia did not speak again, instead she brought her lightsaber up, activating it. It's reverberating red blade flashing before the Penitent’s eyes. Thelxepia brought the blade forward, in front of the creatures face as she continued to hold it by the collar. The Penitent, again, asked. "Which one?"

The Mother Saari-Kar screamed, "I don't know. The Sith Lord Drahl, leader of the Jen'jidai and your master. Is he dying?"

The Penitent nodded, "Yes Mistresss, tonight marks the beginning of his doom."

---

Fast, Drahl thought as he quickly raised his left hand. The arching lightning impacted his hand as Drahl channeled his energy to coat his palm. Quygo's lightning absorbed in with Drahl's force and dissolved. Quygo was upon him before he had time to strike back with force powers of his own. Drahl raised his lightsaber to parry one of Quygo's attacks. Stepping back and to the side, Drahl pivoted his right foot and swung his lightsaber towards Quygo's upper back. His old master was fast though and was able to move his own lightsaber above his head and angled downward behind his back, to block the blow. Still it gave Drahl an opening and Drahl's left hand unleashed a force blast outward, impacting Quygo in the chest and sending him flying backwards across the hanger. The old Sith Master impacted the wall near Finn's body. Drahl looked in Finn's direction and saw his eyes blink. The bounty hunter still lived; Drahl would have to use this to his advantage. Drahl was quite impressed with Finn. He had withstood Quygo's mind overload, an ability Quygo had worked tirelessly to teach Drahl. Though Drahl was far superior in mind control to Quygo and any other force user he'd ever met or heard of; he had trouble mastering that ability. His mind powers were so potent, he tended to kill them almost immediately. Quygo had tried to teach him to do it more slowly, so the victim had time to suffer a bit. Of course, Drahl did not see the point of making them suffer. To him, dead is dead, victory is victory rather the opponent suffered or not. Still, Drahl had eventually mastered the art and had become quite proficient at making folks suffer from his mind.

While Quygo recovered from the blow, Drahl force jumped towards him, his lightsaber above his head. Landing in front of Quygo, who was slumped against the wall, he brought his lightsaber down with both hands. But Quygo had been feigning. His lightsaber came up quickly and with great force, impacting Drahl's and pushing his lightsaber back up over his head. This left Drahl's midsection open and Quygo wasted no time. Quygo's lightsaber stabbed forward, aimed at Drahl's chest. Lord Drahl realized his mistake as soon as he had brought the lightsaber down upon the feigning Quygo. He moved as quickly as he could to the side, but he was not fast enough. Quygo's lightsaber stabbed into Drahl's left chest. Drahl screamed in pain as the blade barely missed his lungs. Nonetheless, the hot blade sliced through tendons and muscle under his armpit on his left side. If Drahl had not have realized his mistake and moved immediately, it would have impaled him in the center of the chest, killing him. Drahl fell back, his instincts telling him to drop his lightsaber and clutch the grievous wound on his left side. But he did not have time to hurt. Quygo was on him immediately, whirling forward like a madman. Drahl struggled to parry each blow, unable to move his left arm. Knowing that he could not hold his ground much longer, Drahl tried a different tactic. Force jumping straight up, high above Quygo, he threw his lightsaber downward. The blade spun head over end, headed for Quygo's head. Drahl knew he would block the attack, but he would not expect the next move. His old master quickly brought up his own lightsaber and knocked Drahl's lightsaber away. Drahl was still in the air, on his way down where he would land unarmed in front of Quygo. As Drahl's lightsaber flew away from Quygo's deflection, Drahl reached out with his mind and took control of his lightsaber. Before Quygo realized what Drahl was doing, he flinged the lightsaber back at him. The old Sith Master was caught off guard by this move and by the time he moved his lightsaber in position to block it, the lightsaber's point had impacted Quygo's stomach. Drahl's lightsaber stuck into Quygo's stomach, but only a few inches in. The old Sith Master knocked Drahl's lightsaber, it falling to the ground and deactivating. Quygo did not feel the pain, he never felt pain. But by the time Quygo had regained from the shock of being stabbed, Drahl had landed in front of him and flipped backwards, putting distance between himself and his former master. Drahl reached out with his mind again and his lightsaber flew back into his right hand. His left arm was still hanging limp, the tendons and muscles torn too badly in his left chest for him to move it too much. Drahl reached out with his mind again, picking up large metal canisters against the wall near Quygo. Picking them up slowly and silently, he hovered them above Quygo's head. Quygo watched Drahl suspiciously as he stood, staring at him. The old Sith Master began to walk towards Drahl, casually twirling his lightsaber in his hand. Drahl showed no emotion in his face as his master walked towards him. Drahl feigned lifting his left arm and screamed out in pain, dropping his lightsaber and going to his knees. He had more tricks up his sleeve.

Quygo began to laugh as he sped up his pace, closing the distance to Drahl. "Fool, pain is a sign of weakness. I feel no pain because I am true Sith. My body, like your Penitant's, does not control me."

The leader of Jen'jidai grinned to himself as he pretended to struggle, holding his left side with his right arm. High above Quygo, two large metal cylinders still hovered; Drahl concentrated on them and moved them slowly to keep pace with Quygo's movement. As Quygo got closer, Drahl took his right hand from his wound and pointed it towards Quygo, unleashing lightning. The old Sith Master laughed casually as he brought his lightsaber up and blocked the lightning. It was Drahl's turn to laugh, he waved his right hand down frantically and the two metal cylinders slammed downward into Quygo's head, knocking him to the ground and crushing him beneath.

Drahl was not ready to celebrate; he knew his master had tricks up his sleeves as well. Drahl willed his lightsaber back into his hands and activated it, regaining his footing and taking a defensive position in case Quygo had survived. The cylinders were extremely heavy, certainly heavy enough to crush a man especially when dropped on them from that height. Drahl began thinking to himself how such a simple trick could kill such a powerful foe. But before Drahl could finish his thought, the cylinders propelled off Quygo, headed straight for Drahl. The Sith Lord expected Quygo to survive though and was ready, moving with cat like grace and pivoting on his feet, slicing the two cylinders in half one at a time. Quygo did not regain his feet, he still lay on his stomach. As the pieces of the metal cylindar flew past Drahl, they stopped in mid air behind him and converged on him. Drahl did not even see them coming. Their sharp edges, where he'd cut them in half, struck in on both sides of his body, cutting into him badly. Drahl again screamed in pain and dropped his lightsaber, falling to his knees as blood rushed out of his wounds. Unlike lightsabers, which burned the wound and prevented it from bleeding, these metal canisters did not. This time Drahl was not feigning as he bent over, pain riviting through him. Glancing up slowly, he saw Quygo on his feet again, smiling. Drahl reached down to grab his lightsaber in a desperate attempt to defend himself but Quygo reached out with his mind and threw Drahl's lightsaber away. Drahl knew it would be folly to reach out and call it back. The leader of Jen'jidai sat on his knees, holding his left side to try to keep it from bleeding. His right side bled freely, his left arm unable to move to put pressure on it. Drahl needed Finn now, this was his last chance. Reaching out with his mind, Drahl began to move Admiral Buku's sword towards Finn. The rocket blast that had knocked Finn away from his cover spot had also blown the Admiral's sword away too. Now that sword slid along the ground towards Finn's hand as he played dead.

Drahl reached out with his mind, entering Finn's mind and simply said, "Kill him!"

---

Finn felt the cold handle of Buku's blade touch his fingertips. Wasting no time, he gripped it hard with his right hand. In his mind, a voice whispered, "Kill him!". Finn slowly stood, being as quiet as possible. His eyes never left the back of Quygo, who was slowly walking towards the helpless Drahl, as if relishing the fact that he was about to win. Finn slowly moved towards Quygo, getting in position to charge from behind and dispatch the creature. He watched Quygo like a lion watches it's prey. He could faintly hear words being exchanged between Quygo and Drahl, but he was so intent upon his prey he did not pay attention to the words.

As if playing with his prey, Quygo lifted Drahl off the ground with the force and flung him against the far wall. He could hear Drahl's body impact the wall with a hard thud. Drahl's eyes were shut and blood continued to flow freely from the large wounds in his side. Quygo began to walk towards him again, bending down casually to dip his fingers in the puddle of blood where Drahl had been previously. Finn continued to stalk the creature, slowly but surely he snuck up on him like an expert assassin.

Quygo approached Drahl again, bringing his lightsaber up. Finn needed to hurry or he'd be too late. A strange voice in his head screamed, "Now Finn, Now!". Finn dove forward, Buku's blade arched high above his head. He brought the blade down towards the back of Quygo's head. But Quygo's lightsaber whipped around, blocking the blow. Finn was fast though and quickly grabbed Quygo's lightsaber hand with his left hand, squeezing the creature's wrist. Finn's grip was powerful, amplified by his strong armor. He could feel the crunch of bone. Quygo's face showed no pain, however. Finn's head came forward, head butting Quygo in the face. Quygo fell back a bit, blood trickling from his mouth. Finn kept a tight grip upon his wrist, not allowing his lightsaber arm to free itself. Finn's right arm still held Buku's sword, which remained in contact with Quygo's lightsaber. With the added pressure of Finn bringing the sword down upon Quygo's lightsaber and his left hand crushing his lightsaber hand, the old Sith Master began to lose ground as his own lightsaber and Finn's sword slowly moved down towards his face. Finn could feel tendons snapping in Quygo's wrist. If the old Sith Master could feel fear, now would be the time. Up close, Finn looked like a beast of metal in his Mandalorian suit and his strange helmet and facemask. But Quygo showed no fear. Instead Quygo's left hand reached down and unleashed a concussive blast towards Finn's leg. The full blunt of the blast impact his right leg. Finn immediately heard the crack of bone as his right leg gave out. Releasing Quygo's wrist and dropping Buku's sword, Finn fell to the ground on his hands and knees. The Vice Admiral had to move fast, though, and quickly fell backwards, scooting on his behind away from Quygo. The old Sith Master loomed over him, nonetheless. Switching his lightsaber to his left hand, his right hand no doubt crushed by Finn's grip, the old Sith Master swung his lightsaber downward to finish off the wounded bounty hunter. Finn immediately caught Quygo's wrist, his outstretched arm locked to keep the lightsaber from finishing it's killing blow. Beyond Quygo, he noticed Drahl's eyes were open and his one good hand was pointed to the right. Finn risked a glance over to see Drahl's lightsaber activated and flying towards Quygo. The old Sith Master must have heard the sound as he used his broken right hand to unleash lightning upon Finn. The lightning cascaded over him, freezing his muscles and paralyzing him. The pain was unbearable as he bit his lips to avoid screaming. A bounty hunter never screamed. Quygo immediately turned to face the sound of the lightsaber activating, but Finn refused to let go of his wrist. Quygo tugged to free his lightsaber and his hand from Finn's grip, but he did not let go. Quygo's eyes went wide as he saw Drahl's lightsaber flying towards him. Glancing down briefly at the wounded Sith Lord, he scowled as his apprentice smiled up at him. Drahl's lightsaber sliced through Quygo at the waist, severing his torso from the rest of his body. His torso fell forward, Finn releasing the grip on his hand. His legs stood momentarily and toppled backwards. Quygo was dead.

Finn fell back, still in agony from the broken leg and the lightning that had gone through his body. His heart was beating wildly and he was breathing heavy. He sat up a little to look over at Drahl, who simply sat up against the wall holding his left side.

Drahl's smile had left his face and his emotionless expression had returned. Looking at Finn he simply said, "You are now the commander of our military, you always were Buku's second in command. Thank you for your help Admiral Finn."

Finn did not respond, only nodded respectfully. He thought to himself, what military is left to command?

Drahl scooted forward a bit and tried to stand, but could not summon the energy. He had lost too much blood. "I do believe I may bleed to death."

Finn opened his arm control panel. He immediately sent out an emergency call to all Cardinal Syndicate in the area. It simply said "Dorm Hanger, badly wounded, Quygo dead. Drahl needs help!" He signed it, Admiral Finn

---

Thelxepia sat with a few other Saari-Kar in one of the corners of the Military Hanger, speaking in hushed voices. A few members of Division Three had arrived awhile ago to help guard the children. Sashi had left fifteen of them here to guard the Military Wing. They had made their way to this hanger when they felt the explosions and could not contact Admiral Buku. Other than their arrival, everything had been quiet. Many of the younglings had become bored and drifted off to sleep. The Penitent of Kissai stood rigid in front of the blast doors entering the hanger, their hands upon their lightsabers and ready for battle. They had been standing there, frozen in a state of readiness, for quite awhile. Thelxepia guessed that was one advantage of not feeling the physical body anymore. They did not get tired. The one Penitant who she had been arguing with all night, the same one who had retrieved her from her room, walked towards her.

"The battle is over Mistresss."

Thelxepia stood up, "Are you sure, how do you know?"

The Penitent peered at her intently from the darkness within it's hood, "I do not feel him anymore. His power has faded...faded away to rejoin itself in the other partition where it will lay dormant."

Thelxepia noticed the creature almost sounded sad, "Who won?"

The Penitent stood mute for several moments, as if in deep thought, "I do not understand the question."

Thelxepia bit her lip, "Did we win the fight?"

The creature rasped, "Of course Mistresss. We could not lose the fight, as both sides were us."

Thelxepia snapped, "Quygo was not one of us!"

The Penitent did not respond, too confused to understand what she meant. "Did Quygo die," Thelxepia asked.

"No, he cannot die. None of us truly dies. Our force rejoins the force around us and we live on through it, if we are strong enough."

Thelxepia was about to reach out and grab the Penitent again and shake it violently when one of the 3rd Division men ran over towards her. "Mother Saari-Kar, I beg your forgiveness but we just received a distress call from Vice Admiral Finn. He claims Quygo is dead and that Drahl is badly wounded and needs assistance in the Dormitory hanger."

Thelxepia's eyes went wide. "Round up your 15 men trooper." She looked over at the Penitent, "You will come with me along with one other Penitent. The rest will stay here and help guard the children."

Several of the Saari-Kar stood and bowed before the Mother Saari-Kar. One of them asked, "Mistress, allow us to come with you and help."

Thelxepia nodded, "But not all of you. Some of you need to stay here with the children. But a few of you may come with me, I may need some help."

The Mother Saari-Kar and others stormed out of the Military Hanger, headed directly for the dormitory hanger as fast as they could go.

---

Drahl's world seemed to blur together, images not as sharp as they should be. It had to be because of the blood loss. Finn sat next to him, his helmet off, wrapping make shift bandages around Drahl's wounds in his sides. Finn had seared the wounds shut with a tool from his armor. That is one good thing about having a bounty hunter around, they have tools for everything, Drahl thought to himself.

Finn, to pass the time, made small talk with the Sith Lord to take his mind off the pain from the small welder he used to close the wounds. To Drahl's surprise, the welder had not burned at all. In fact, the feeling of the extremely hot flame upon his skin had actually felt extremely cold. It had hurt very badly, but he had expected that it would burn. It was quite the opposite.

"I guess Buku died," Finn remarked as he tightened the bandages.

Drahl only nodded, "It was about time anyway. He was well past seventy. I think he went out in a blaze of glory, something tells me he did."

Finn only nodded. Drahl continued, "Finn you're going to need to build this military back up. We're down to Sashi's half division, correct?"

Finn nodded again, "About twenty five men in all. But we do have the 5th Garrison Division in the city itself. But they are primarily a police force, not trained in military affairs. I suppose Sashi is a fitting Vice Admiral replacement for myself. He'll be an Admiral one day, no doubt."

Drahl only nodded as he gritted his teeth while Finn tightened the bandages more. Finn continued, "I do believe Sashi knows about a Mandalorian clan called Clan Blood Shadow. He met one of their elders once. He spoke about the encounter a lot. Perhaps Sashi could speak to them?"

Drahl did not respond. His gaze was fixed firmly on the northern blast doors as they slammed open. Members of Sashi's Division Three rolled in, beginning to make sure the room was clear. The Mother Saari-Kar strolled in behind them, her head held high and a look of deliberate resolve in her eyes. That look was only interrupted briefly by the mass carnage that covered the hanger floor. Over one hundred corpses lay strewn about. But if Thelxepia was appalled by what she saw, she did not show it. She immediately ran towards Drahl, who was still propped up against the wall while Finn finished his final bandage.

Thelxepia hit her knees immediately in front of Drahl, not even taking time to stop running. She slid a bit as she hit the ground and stopped right by Drahl's left leg. She immediately began inspecting the wounds and Finn's bandages. She looked over at Finn, "How bad is it?"

Finn shrugged, "I'm not real versed in this sort of thing. But the bleeding has stopped. I do believe he'll live."

Drahl scowled, "I'm fine and yes I'll live. Just help me up and back to my quarters." Drahl rose slowly with the assistance of Thelxepia. Finn rose slowly, putting all his weight on his left leg. Thelxepia glanced over at him, "How about you Vice Admiral?"

"It's broken clean in half, Thelxepia. But I'll hobble my way back to the infirmary and get the bone fixed." Finn responded.

Thelxepia glared a bit at him as he used her name. It was extremely improper for anyone in Jen'jidai to call her by her name. She was the Mother Saari-Kar. Only other Sith Council members were on a first name basis with her. As if Finn understood what she was thinking, he added. "And it's Admiral Finn now. Buku is dead."

Thelxepia nodded in understanding. He was Sith Council now. She regretted hearing of Buku's death. Thelxepia had always liked the old man, especially the way he was around the children. It suddenly occurred to her, someone would have to tell the younglings that Buku was dead. They would be very upset and saddened. But saddness is part of life and is extremely important in growing up. Unlike the Jedi, the Sith embraced feelings. They knew feelings like sadness, fear, happiness, love, and hate made them stronger.

As Thelxepia helped Drahl towards the northern blast door, Drahl looked back at Finn, "Admiral, make sure to burn his body. Throw it in a lava flow outside......just in case. Something just doesn't feel right."

Finn nodded and pointed towards Quygo's body, "You troopers carry this outside and throw it in a lava flow...both pieces."

The new Admiral of Jen'jidai hobbled towards the blast door as well, one thing sticking in his mind. Why was Drahl still feeling uneasy and just how worried should he be about that?

---

The Battle at the Rimma Trade Route:

---

In the year 3,681 the great war of my age began in the Unknown Sector of the galaxy. A Sith Emperor, who's name I had yet to hear, recently re-founded what was once known as the Sith Empire. A group of Sith Lords and servants following the ways of the Force, an invisible magics that aids them and makes them stronger that exists in all things, leads their ranks.

The scene of the Great War at the Rimma Trade Route

It was in this year that they decided it was time for their vengeance following the Great Hyperspace War. The Sith Lords were bent on taking the galaxy back under their control. During this time when the Sith were increasing their numbers and their power I was training to become the renown warrior I am. Twenty years passed by in the blink of an eye, and before I knew it the Great War was fully upon us. It wasn't until my fifty-eighth birthday, 3,661 BBY, that I had heard that a Mandalore was calling for us all to aide the Sith in their struggle.

It wasn't long though before our help was requested by The Dark Lord of the Sith. He called the Mandalore and asked that we block the Rimma Trade Route in the Outer Rim territories. A full year of preparation and strategizing led us to a point where we were ready to strike! It really was a perfect plan. We showed up and took control, destroying any vessel that came near us. Those poor fools on Coruscant began to starve without their precious cargo as we basked in our victories. We didn't plan for what was coming.

At the time I was a pilot gunner on an M22-T Krayt Gunship. There was little more I enjoyed than shooting down helpless Republic vessels. But that bitch, Hylo Visz, she came out of nowhere. She was a smuggler, and I'll give it to her, she was a damn good one, especially for a female Mirialan.

We saw a few freighters coming from the distant space and prepped the guns for their arrival. Scanned for life signs, but none were on board. So we sent in a few mercs to check it out. The moment we stepped on board the ships Hylo Visz and her smuggler friends came out of hyperspace behind us and began an all out attack. We lost a few Cruisers and Starfighters, but it wasn't a terrible loss. We fought back, and we were close to victory, when they showed up. Those pesky Republic fools came to her aide.

That's when that bitch singled me out. She started coming right for me with her allies. I took three of them out, then we engaged in our own dogfight. I'll be damned if she wasn't a fantastic pilot. A photon laser hit my left wing and I was going down. I saw a nearby planet, Chak'dor, and I aimed for it. This is where I crashed. When I regained consciousness I stepped out of my fighter and looked into the night sky. I could see my men being slaughtered, being destroyed. It was then and there that I devoted my being to hunting, and destroying everything dear to Hylo Visz. I would make her pay for what she's done to me, and my people.

---

The Year of Hylo Visz:

---

The year I spent hunting Hylo Visz is a year I'll never forget... not necessarily because it was full of excitement and adventure, so much, as it was the culmination of a years worth of vengeance for an attack gone all to awry. For she was the commander of the mercenary fleet hired on by the Republic to crush the blockade we had at the Rimma Trade Route. She was the pilot who shot me down during the battle and she would be the one to pay for my scars.

This story begins all to similar to many you have heard before. I was stranded on the planet Chak'dor watching as my men were slaughtered above the atmosphere. I saw her ships bask in their victory before slipping into the further reaches of space, continuing on to Coruscant to deliver the goods they had pilfered. For four days I managed to survive on this seemingly deserted planet, four days without water or food, four days of loneliness and a despair of certain and most possible death. As I stared into the sun I felt the strength in my knees give out from underneath me and lead me face first into the dune below my feet. The air was hot, the sand was hotter. I closed my eyes.

When I awoke I was surprised to see that Hell looked so much like the inside of a droid trading vessel. A protocol droid sat next to me and begin speaking to me in short burst, uttering what sounding to be a greeting in one language, and then another. I reached for my blaster but it was not there. Surely this was Hell indeed if I would have to spend my eternity speaking with a broken pile of scrap metal. How I truly hated droids; good for nothing but fixing ships and running their metal mouths.

A wall near to me began to rize, and a figure could be seen. He was very, very tall. A Nautilan? I questioned my senses. Why would a Nautilan live all the way out here on a desert planet. He came in and spoke to me. “Ah, so I see you are awake young warrior. Welcome to my trading vessel. Feel free to make yourself at home; take a bath and grab your armor and accessories. You'll find many pools aboard this craft... as I am sure you noticed by now, I do indeed love water.” He laughed.

A simple nod was the best I could muster.

“We're headed for the local township,” he continued “where I'd be more than obliged to drop you off.” I made my way into the bathhouse aboard the craft and pampered myself back to health. When I was finished I grabbed my things and headed toward the top of the craft where I assumed it's pilot and captain would be. We had arrived at the town as the fish creature promised. But I guess it was his loss for trusting someone as devilishly vengeance bound as I. I shot him point blank in the face and threw his body into the furnace.

As I made my way into the town, my first priority was acquiring a new ship. In the docking station of the town there was a broken down ship that looked very familiar to me. It was a Bes'uliik, a Mandalorian starfighter. It had been a long time since I saw something as ancient and yet as trustworthy as this ship. Finding the owner of the ship proved to be an easy task, in the nearby Cantina he was the only person dawned in Mandalorian armor who was not a Mandalorian.

“How did you come by such a fine suit of armor and such I fine ship,” I asked standing behind the man. “A mere man such as yourself who obviously has no prowess for combat must have surely won such a gift in a card game, or perhaps unlawfully.” He turned and looked me in the eyes, never a safe thing to do to a Mandalorian. In our eyes lies the souls of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of fallen warriors. The scars of battle glaring back at whomever calls to them with their own eyes. It is enough to send the weaker man into a state of pure horror.

“Why do you ask, Mandalorian?” He responded with fear in his voice. I sat in front of him and placed my blaster on the table along with my beltstring of human scalps. “I'll make you a deal. Sell me that ship of yours for the price of this trading vessel I have acquired and I will let you leave this Cantina alive. Agree?”

“Y...y...yes..” said the man who feared for his life. It wasn't long then after a month that I was back in the space where I had last seen battle against my foe, Hylo Visz. With a push of a button I entered light speed, and began making my way towards Coruscant to find that bitch, and give her a piece of my mind.

---

Arriving at Coruscant is an ordeal worth going through. The planet is beautiful, especially for a place controlled so closely by the Jedi. For a man like myself, surving on this world meant truly diving in the depths of dirty society. On the planets surface, bounty hunters such as I, are forced down into the lower city. This is where the true heart of Coruscant lives, or better yet, survives. Here you can find contracts, delivery missions, even the occasional escort of a Huttanese noble. But today, I was simply in search of a little information; and I knew exactly where I needed to be.

There was a local Cantina by the name Port du Sasque where an old friend was a frequent visitor, Samuel Myrth. This old friend of mine lived here on this planet and had become a contract filer and diplomat for the Huts over a decade ago. He had given me many missions and filled my pockets with enough change by now to retire, if it weren't for my lust for blood and battle. He was easy enough to find, the one man gowned in extraordinary clothes, surrounded by many Twi'lek dancers. He recognized me the moment I entered and called me over to sit with him.

“Welcome! My dear friend. Care for a private dance before we get to business?” he was always directly to the point, which was the main reason I actually liked him so much.

“Not today Sam, I am looking for someone and I need some information.” I responded quickly.

“Ah... it's only been a month and already your on her scent, I see.”

“So you've caught wind of why I am here, interesting how fast word travels in such a large galaxy.”

“You truly have no idea. Last I heard she was delivering a crate of goods to the Jedi temple, where I do believe they will be distributing them among the people.” Sam said, with a bit of a grin on his face. “But then, no doubt, she'll be making her way right down here to have a drink with yours truly.”

“Now, why would she go and do a thing like that?”

“Probably because, I invited her. Come on brother, don't you think I knew you were coming here? Coming here, for her. Just do me one favor... don't kill her in my bar?”

“I can't make any promises, Sam. But I'll do what I can to control my impulses.”

Some time passed as I sat in the corner of the bar and a few drinks went down the hatch. I was waiting patiently for her to arrive, and surely enough she did. With a small entourage of smugglers by her side, certainly an easy kill should I lose my temper during their conversation. Sam and Visz spoke for about thirty minutes. When the conversation was nearing its conclusion the heat began to rise, as did their voices. Hylo Visz stormed out of the Cantina in almost a sprint, glancing back at me before exiting. Sam came to my table and told me Hylo was heading towards Ossus to resupply and hopefully get another mission from the Jedi stationed there. I raced after her.

I was following her trail in hyperspace for some time. It was an exhausting waiting period as we both traveled in the same direction. I could not fire on her because we were moving too fast and the weapons would simply explode right back on me should I try. The moment we exited I opened fire on her ship, as did she on mine. We exchanged war with one another for a good while before she jumped back into hyperspace in an attempt to flee. This continued on for a long while, constantly jumping in and out of light speed only to battle for a moment.

We came of over the planet Colsassa when I fired my last missile towards her ship. It was a direct hit as she spiraled down towards the land. I pursued her as I watched her ship crash into the planet below. I laughed as I basked in the victory of her defeat. It was at this time I made a decision much unlike me, but fair to her fate. I left her for dead on that planet, and still to this moment, I have yet to know if she died that day... or if she is still out there, now looking for me.

---

Assault on Balmorra Comm Center:

---

Balmorra. For decades, it had been the battleground of choice for the Sith and the Republic. It was as if the commanders in the field felt that if they could control Balmorra, they could win the war. Once a beautiful planet inhabited by peace-loving folk, it is now a place devastated by war. Recently, the Republic has been gaining ground, securing territory one mile at a time. The Empire realizes that the swing is not in their favor. Desperate to turn the tide before it is unrecoverable, they turn to Jen'jidai's infamous commandos and soldiers to make progress where others could not. Select members from the Mandalorian clan known as Blood Shadow, from the elite bounty hunters and mercenaries of the Cardinal Syndicate and from the shadowy agents of the Jiassjen were chosen to undertake a series of missions deep behind enemy lines, with the sole purpose of sowing discord and shaking the confidence of the Republic. The Republic came to call them 'Gray Unit'. This is their tale...

Assault Shuttle Bounteous
Balmorra Orbit
400 miles within Republic-held Territory
Selona 13, 1 BTC

Inside the shuttle, the bone-jarring turbulence rocked the occupants within. Entering the atmosphere of a planet such as Balmorra was no joy ride--even for seasoned professionals. An eerie red light in the center bulkhead of the cargo hold was the only illumination for its occupants. All seven of the squad members sat buckled tight to their seats as the ship descended waiting for the green light. Mithias Prudii, Elder Mandalorian of Clan Blood Shadow, sat still, peering out from behind his T-visor helmet. His traditional red beskar'gam was now painted camouflage with a tiger-striped pattern of greens, blacks and browns. Bristling with gear and weaponry, the Mandalorian looked like he might not even be able to get back up should the time come, but the weight was purposefully proportionate all over his body. Cradling the railgun prototype he had been testing, he smoothly came to his feet. A few moments later, the red light extinguished and a green light beside it came to life.

Over their encrypted comlinks, Mithias reminded them, "If you get separated from the main group, meet at the coordinates of the rally point I just beamed to your datapads. Good luck!"

Bab'uir alor Finn sat near the end of the shuttle, wearing a garb all to nontraditional in color and utility. A giant sniper rifle protruded from his left shoulderpads, a single pistol in his right hand, held with a firm grip. Finn was an old man with an even older and much more mean temper, peering out the window as a Mandalorian warrior stood and began speaking. He looked on as Mithias Prudii gave his short speech before leaping from the shuttle. He thought to himself, "Mithias, a fine Mando, ori'ramikad, a strong alor'ad for these evaar'la verd to follow." He checked his datapad.

"Why did we have to come to this stupid mission with these evaar'la di'kut!?" Finn murmured to himself. "We could be al yaim in our quarters, enjoying the riye of being a al'verde!" A slight twitch in the face of Finn showed an altered personality bearing control. "Quiet you! We are here now... you should like all the killing that is sure to ensue in just a short time." Finn grunted.

Although he sat quietly next to the pilot in the upper chamber of the shuttle transport, Admiral Sashi could feel the excitement course through his veins. He could see the sand being kicked up by the desert winds that now prevailed on this once lush green planet. This was no longer the case; the war had taken its toll.

As was his tradition before every mission he took a quick moment of silence and bowed his head reciting under his breath an ancient Mandalorian proverb, praying for his fellow Mando'ade and the mission’s ultimate success.

The Admirals knew, you couldn't rely on hope for anything; it was just unfounded optimism, and quite often precluded failure. What a ride this was going to be. He looked down and did a final check on his jetpack and weapons arsenal, his role would be aerial recon and support. Confident the team was well prepared and ready to head out, he would report directly to the remaining council members at Jen'jidai headquarters indicating the mission was underway.

With that, Mithias slapped the bulkhead triggering the cargo ramp which began to lower into the dark clouds, accompanied instantly by the howling, frigid wind that threatened to blow the Mandalorian off his feet. He gave a curt nod to the gathered unit, turned and ran off the edge of the ramp into the darkness...

As the hatch opened Finn saw Mithias leap from the bay doors. Finn looked back at the Cadets and Captains who sat, anxiously awaiting their turns. Sashi, a fellow Admiral sat in waiting as well. Finn said over his intercom, "Just like last time aye, ad'ika!" as he leapt from the shuttle towards the earth below. Sashi responded back to his fellow Mando brother, "Aye, Finn, just like last time." The Admiral's countenance became serious once again, thinking to himself, let's just hope the Jedi aren't waiting for us.

The plan was simple or so we thought, Captain Mithias would orchestrate the initial assault, while the Jiassjen would infiltrate deep into the Republic confines. Once the assault was underway, the Jiassjen would come out of the woodwork and wreak havoc from within the Republic stronghold, sure to catch the Republic troopers off guard.

Sashi looked up to see Captain Mithias leading the clan out of the cargo bay and Admiral Finn heading around the flank to set up a perimeter for the assault. It was time to get into position. Being the last man out he ignited his jetpack and shot straight up, looking back to acknowledge his fellow Mando'ade, He gave a quick nod to both Mithias and Finn just before they disappeared into the darkness, acknowledging the mission had received its final approval from the council.

Gray Unit
Balmorra Surface, Quadrant 342
400 miles within Republic-held Territory
Selona 13, 1 BTC

Freefalling was always an exhilirating experience for Mithias. The novelty of fallling out of the sky toward a planet surface at terminal velocity never got old to the veteran warrior. With all of his gadgetry being voice activated, it took small one syllable words to activate any function on his beskar'gam. His helmet was sound proof inside with amplifying microphones able to pickup sound, but at this point Mithias had them dampened so he could issue commands to his armor and hear the rest of his team. "Alt," The HUD brought up a window displaying the topography below him with an altitude gauge that steadily counted down 5678ft, 5677ft, 5676ft...

With his lowlight vision spectrum active, Mithias scanned the earth below for anyone who might notice their presence--not to mention a clear spot to land. Nearing 400 feet, Mithias tapped his glove triggering his jetpack to roar to life. His ascent dramatically slowed to a point where he simply stepped from the sky and onto the scorched dirt below him. Being the first one to touch down, he came to a crouch and unslung his blaster carbine. The spot they chose for their insertion was well off their supply routes and very much a "no man's land" with it holding no strategic importance to the Republic. But it served Gray Unit just perfectly. Exhiliration filled the warrior, looking to either side of him. Most of the mercenaries in this unit were Mandalorians. To the Elder, that meant that their chance of success went up dramatically. Mithias got the signal from each of his fellow warriors that they had touched down safely.

"Phase One complete: no one flattened from a freefall...."

Atra landed about 50 feet behind Mithias with no fanfare. He paced up to Mithias and Gave his odd salute with his right arm across his chest and his hand over his left eye. Atra knew that being dressed in red would certainly make hiding a challenge, but not only was he up for a challenge, he was looking for one. He was trained very well in his past life how to stay hidden when he had too, even in some places where it might have seemed impossible. This day would prove to be both like many others before it, and unlike any other.

Finn loved the adrenaline that was pumping through his body as he sped downwards toward the soiled earth. Freefalling was an experience every man should endure at some time, the feeling of the air moving across your body; certain death should one thing fail. It was a rush! With single word the data display appeared on Finn's head's up display.

6298ft.... 4239ft.... 2458ft.... "SHIT!" I screamed in my helmet as I noticed I was falling far too fast. I triggered my jet pack; a strong stream of fire aimed at the earth slowed my descent momentarily.

THUD!

I hit the ground so very hard. Mithias and Atra were talking to one another when I landed right in their vicinity. I looked up at them in agonizing pain. As I stood up I removed my helmet, if only for a moment, and shook the sand out from its crevices. I looked up at Mithias and said, "Thank god for those impact dampeners I installed a few years ago!" I laughed hysterically.

Sashi let a slight grin creep across his face as he zoomed in through his optics screen. Finn was a hilarious old man, you would think he would be an easy target and wouldn't last long in any fire fight, but that old dog was money through the sniper scope and all though at times very unorthodox, the admiral had never seen him lose a fight. It seemed luck was always on his side. Ultimately, he knew there was no luck involved but instead many years of experience. He was a great albeit crazy Mandalorian.

A twitch occurred in my facial expressions. "Damnit, I tried again, I swear if you have your way we're going to die of old age first!" I said humorously.

Twitch... "I figured you had something to do with that." I returned.

Mithias' HUD displayed a window that showed their exact position on Balmorra. As planned, they were approximately 417 miles behind enemy lines, which meant one thing: they were on their own. Mapping the route to their target, they were some 54 miles away. From the terrain in front of them including wasteland, mountains and dense forest, it would take approximately two days to reach their target.

Keying his internal, encrypted comlink, Mithias broadcasted, "If you want point, step up. If not, I will take it. We ready?"

"I'll be taking position up there..." Finn pointed towards a cliff in the distance. "I'll be providing sniper cover, as usual."

"I'll take lead, Sir," Atra said in a deep ominous tone.

Mithias gave Atra a nod and replied quietly, "No saluting and don't call me 'sir', kiddo. Set your chronometer for bearing 276. We follow that for the rest of the day. Keep it subtle, Atra. Pubs' don't know we are here and we intend to keep it that way until its too late..."

Sashi was about 2 kilometers east of the landing team. Scanning the surrounding terrain he spotted a few ideal locations to set up his recon transfer stations. He would strategically set up numerous transfer pods in order to form a grid that would monitor any enemy movements throughout the various sectors. One of the main goals of the pods was to insure communication and data transfer, if one of the pods went down there would be numerous backups to replace them.

The Elder Mandalorian slid in with the young bounty hunter some 15 feet behind him over his left shoulder. He slung his blaster carbine and unslung his massive magnetic accelerator rifle. The monstrously big prototype was an extremely powerful single shot weapon...and it was whisper quiet as a fringe benefit. However, "prototype" was the operative word. The company that hired him to field test the weapon for combat knew there were "glitches" with the weapon and Mithias had found most of them. Most...

Sashi downloaded the terrain schematics and than proceeded to the next area. Each team member could monitor the progress by watching the locale beacon light up on their datapads. If any of them were to get into trouble, and lose their ability to communicate, they could always head to the nearest beacon to report their status. It wasn't uncommon during a firefight to loose your datapad to gunfire or lightsabers. So these backups more often then not came in handy.

Sashi sent out the message... "First beacon is up, please confirm."

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Sacking of Coruscant:

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Story coming soon...

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Reunited with Jen'jidai, Only to Die:

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Following the sacking of Coruscant...

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OOC Information:

Finn is currently serving as the Head of Recruitment for Jen'Jidai and the second Inner Sanctum Representative from Legend-Gaming. If for any reason you need to contact someone regarding recruitment, or perhaps any other matter regarding Jen'Jidai then feel free to contact me at Finn@jenjidai[dot]com. Should you have questions about joining Jen'Jidai, also, feel free to contact me or visit our website at your own peril.

External Links:

Contact Information Can Be Found Here:

Jen'Jidai of Legend-Gaming
SWTOR.com > Finn