---

Xid just laid there. He barely registered the Zabrak’s touch or caught her steps walking away, the elevator shortly closed afterward. Blue eyes, worn from the experience, cast guilt in her direction as she departed the scene. It was an unnecessary but it came naturally. His own weight pinned him in place with his muscles too weak to move an inch. For the moment, Xid was thankful for it. The floor’s ice cold sensation filled him and gradually numbed the burning in his flesh.

Casually his attention drifted down to his exposed arm. His robe’s sleeve was cut away to reveal layers of dead flesh peeling away, holes showing the under layers in a web-like pattern. It just freshened his nerves to the pain. His stomach churned at smelling his still cooked flesh wafting into his attention.

A voice distracted him causing Xid’s face to turn to her. A small, vulpine like creature seemed to casually approach his still body. It seemed to have a small displeased expression upon her muzzle.

As she leaned down, she whispered something into his ear.

”They messed you up fairly well huh? Let’s get some of these wounds bandaged up.”

“Strip off my robe… Use it for bandages. There are showers…somewhere.” Xid forced himself to speak through gritted teeth, the pain bearing down upon him like a hammer.

By this time, Nazca had arrived. Her hand reached out then turned him over. Xid nearly screamed at the touch as he was flipped over onto his back. The heavy thump he made reminded him of another wound he hasn’t gotten attended to: the blaster hit.

“Careful…aaah, blaster wound. Shoulder…shit.”



Eli took quick aim then blasted at the closest cheeky creature, the one bolting for his leg. The blue light hissed forward. The creature zipped to the left on a dime causing the blast to leave a charred spot behind. Unfazed by the attack, it sped up to launch at Eli’s face. The veteran’s arms came up instinctively to shield it. Claws sliced at the uniform and past the cloth, catching flesh underneath. A few blood droplets scattered upon the ground.

This seemed to attract more attention as about three more sets of eyes darted into his direction. Cursing under his breath, Eli twisted on his right heel then tossed his attacker away. The creature flew a fair distance. Unable to admire his handy work, he ducked when two more leaped at his face. His hand came up then fired at the third one. It nicked the shoulder causing the beastie to stall in its attack. Perfectly lined up, Eli took another fast aim and fired.

Its dying screech told him he hit his mark.

He caught sight of Fa’s arriving at an impressive speed, slightly relieved assistance came at least. Sadly, the experienced trooper didn’t feel in the mood to be nice right now. When he fired another shot, clipping another creature, he shouted at her.

“About damn time! What are we going to do with these pests? There feels like there’s a million of them!”

As Fa’s shoto reached its mark, the creature’s head rose up just in time to see its life extinguished. About six more creatures seemed to notice this and looked at each other. A glint of intelligence passed through them before they divided into groups. Two took off to flank Fa’s right while another two aimed for her left. The last two vanished from sight, most likely to attack when the master was most distracted.

Sish was on his way to the barracks, to examine the undoubtedly green troops he had to deal with, when he spotted Nimm Deenia. He grinned, stopping on his way by. “Lady Nimm. A pleasant surprise to meet you on this path.” Nimm was a Sith he could trust. Purely because their goals of hurting the jedi as much as possible and disdaining from the ambitious politics that were no doubt going to fester soon. His nostrils flared, taking in the subtle hint of seared flesh. “Already hard at work on the jedi I see.” His nostrils flared again, searching his memory for the familiar scent. “The Kiffar?”

“Lord Sish.” Nimm answered, bowing respectfully. When the Trandoshan visibly sniffed the air, she wondered what he would detect. “The Kiffar indeed.” She smiled. “He is in the process of getting a new lesson in weakness and pain. In loss of control.” The Sith Lord, though more powerful than her, was reliable and to a certain degree predictable. She had no interest in crossing him. She looked him over and saw that there were a few relatively fresh bloodstains on his clothes. “Who did you educate?”

Sish waved his metal claw, the dried blood flashing. “Both my apprentice and the young boy. Small, pale, blonde haired and blue eyed. Looks and talks naively.” He flexed his metal claw. “No pain tolerance.” He grinned again, red eye flashing. “I may make her choose one of them to be her personal project, someone she is responsible for turning. It’d be very educational for her, and teach her the strength she lacks right now.”

He tilted his head, remembering something. “I told the boy that we have glassed Coruscant and killed everyone on the planet. Have you told a similar story to the Kiffar?”

“I wonder… how much pain can a Jedi like that take before losing consciousness or breaking? A worthy subject of study.” She smiled at the idea. “How is your apprentice doing? Is she learning from her lessons?”

“I left the facts about Coruscant itself unspoken. I did inform him how beautiful the destruction of their temple was. I doubt even their vaunted holocrons will be intact after the amount of explosives I put into that particular vault… As for story… It is important that we do not give stories that are too much in conflict, unless it is to make a prisoner trust one of us more than another.”

“Not much. Had to wake him up twice. Once with adrenaline.” Sish shrugged. “She is learning at her rate. Slow and stubborn. She’ll adapt or she will perish, like all the weak in the galaxy.” He thought for a moment, then nodded. “Complete destruction of the temple and planet followed by Republic surrender, rather than we’re in a false peace. Who knows, maybe we’ll be able to make them hate the republic for surrendering so quickly and forgetting about them.” He bared his teeth, cybernetic eye flashing. “It’ll be fun, at the very least.”

“I do hope you succeed with her. If not, then there are always other candidates. Maybe one of prisoners will make a worthy apprentice, once educated properly?” Nimm vaguely recalled having seen that apprentice, but had little memory of her beyond that. She had not yet shown herself to be worthy of further attention. “That sounds like a good story to feed them. I will probably include one or two things that do not quite match up with yours, so that it does not appear to be a choreographed story. Focus on different aspects of it. We will have to mention this to the other Sith as well, so that at least most of them fall in line.”

“Maybe. We’ll see how they turn out. She’ll either break and they’ll rise or she’ll rise and they’ll break. Such is the way of things. “ Sish nodded. “That will work. Make it believable. I doubt we’ll have trouble with the rest of the Sith agreeing to our story. The young Red Sith is easily intimidated, the other Lords aren’t stupid, and the one with the apprentice will make him listen. Simple. ” He laughed, amused at his own naivety. “Of course, things rarely go as planned with the other Sith, do they?”

“They don’t. That is what makes it fun. I have already spoken some with one of them, the Chev apprentice, Daven. He will fall in line.” She knew the actual story would have to be provided, but that was only a minor matter. “You should take a look at the Kiffar. Put him through some exercises… My… gift… to him will make him prone to failing.” As she said this last bit, she smiled enigmatically, having no intention to reveal exactly what she had done.

“I’ll make sure to grab him next then. For now, I have to go check on the green boys that Nyiss calls soldiers. See how much effort I’ll have to put in into making them better than children who jump at the merest sound of the lightsaber activating. Not like the Imperial Gardners. Those soldiers could stare down a Rancor without flinching.” Sish grinned, eyes glinting. “Eventually I’ll have them ready to repel whatever noble rescue the Jedi have planned.”

Nimm chuckled at the blatant scorn the Sith Lord had in his voice when he spoke the word ‘noble’. “Staring down a rancor is acceptable in well-trained soldiers. Staring down one of the master’s Sithspawn, now that is a task only the best of soldiers and Sith can do.”

“Even with the treaty so recently signed, we’ll probably see them trying something. They are predictable like that. Presenting a face of honesty and honor to the galaxy, even as all with any real knowledge know just how perfidious they are at heart.”

“Funny how similar we are, once you strip away the religion. The strong will always hold their power over the weak, some are just more honest about it. They manipulate the Republic, we rule the Empire. How long will we have to repeat the truth before they see it themselves, I wonder? Or will they go to the grave believing in their hypocrisy. Only time will tell.” He gave Nimm a bow. “A pleasure as always Lady Nimm, but I must go and terrify the new boys playing a soldiers with stories from the front. I’m sure we’ll meet again.”

“Until they are all dead, I suspect. Blind in their devotion, they are.” She had seen firsthand how hard they were indoctrinated far too many times. “Have fun with them. Don’t break too many of the soldiers. Even the greenest of the green can be used to catch a blaster bolt aimed at someone better trained.” She was glad she would not need to train the troops. She had far more interesting things to do. Things she would have to get started on soon. “Until we meet again, Lord Sish.”

Khan barely had time to register his Master's words before it was apparently his turn to undergo interrogation. Still, the little speech had given him much to think about, along with a good deal of tactical data he was almost certain Denso had given him on purpose. The words were encouraging, even as he walked over to the Sith that had requested him while trying to project nothing outward except for empty calm. Master was right, they couldn't break him, they could just hurt him or kill him and he was...prepared for that, ultimately. Die a noble death and be one with the Force, not so bad right? Besides, there was always hope that they might escape before then, right?

"I'll go with you, Sith. Do your worst."

Vebra felt his knee pop as he raised it above his stomach to step up a branch, he was careful to keep his full weight on the branch rather than the dirt right next to it. His goal was to do as much as he could to leave as few tracks as possible. He had half a mind to start carrying a broom with him just to brush away his tracks, but that was a bit over board even for his paranoid self. It was a bit easier for Raj to hide his tracks since his looked like an animals anyways. Three toes, two facing forward and one reverse, they had noticed tracks similar to that when they left the base on their first scouting mission. Vebra was just hoping that they didn't run into what ever had left those tracks.

Vebra's ankle then popped as he finally planted his other foot on the dirt beyond the tree branch. "Blast, I'm getting old." Vebra said under his breath, making sure his helmet speakers didn't pick it up. Who would have thought him of all people would get old, that was just ridiculous, some might even say the Force was looking out for him. "Hey Raj, mind slowing down a bit? Not all of us have droid legs." Vebra said with a tone a doting father might use. Raj had gotten quite far ahead of him and was being rather quite for some reason. Vebra pulled up the distance on his visor and found they were only about a hundred meters or so away from the Strike base. Something was off if he wasn't talking Raj likely heard something he hadn't. Raj and his vaping implants Vebra thought to himself.

Vebra came up next to Raj was about to chew out his subordinate for not responding when he felt it. Something stalking, he couldn't see it but there was something stalking them. Vebra raised his rifle and so did Raj, something was off. Then suddenly blaster fire rang out ahead, and then another shot. "Let's double time it then Raj." He gave out a quick "yessir" and the pair began running toward where they had heard the blaster fire. Vebra began letting his boots sink heavy into the rich and moist soil since he didn't much care about stealth now. The mud splattered up his legs leaving him even more covered in dirt than he already was.

Just as they were about to crest a small hill to where they had heard the shots come from a pair of small quadrupeds jumped out of the various dense tall shrubbry and attacked them. One went for Raj's torso and one for Vebra's hands, almost like it knew what it was. Luckily his now aging body hadn't lost its reflexes just yet. He squeezed the trigger tight letting a half-dozen bolts loose into the body of the creature as it's claws scrapped on his arm bracers and found no place to hold onto. The creatures momentum continued into Vebra even though it was very much dead and pushed him off his stance. He batted away the now limp corpse with his free left hand. Not wanting to spend another thought on the creature Vebra looked over to Raj who was crushing the creatures skull with his robotic foot, dousing his foot in blood.

"Well they did get into something." Vebra quipped.

"Yeah and we get to save them like always." Raj said with irritation in his voice.

"Come on we still don't know who fired those shots yet." Vebra said reaffirming his grip on his short barreled blaster rifle.

The pair continued up the hill and through a few bushes where they found another pair of humanoids. A soldier Vebra knew as Eli and Fa, with a few of those dead things at their feet. "Is this seriously what you called me about Fa? Some rodents?" Vebra noticed some rustling to Fa's left and quickly brought his blaster rifle to bear. He dropped to one knee and began burst firing blaster rounds into the forest, leaving scorched leaves and trees in his wake.

---

Jayda’s pace increased as she walked quickly down the corridor. Her boots echoed off the walls and reverberated back into her sensitive ears, the insides throbbed ever slightly. A black cloak chased behind her while she desired to be far away from the prisons. To forget the Jedi locked there to suffer and rot. It wasn’t her concern. An argument she made to her meek conscience that woke and nudged her, refusing to fall back into slumber.

Rage still licked her usual calm from the stinging blows Sish inflicted upon her pride, but she refused to allow it to gain control. Casually her figure shifted around the moving troops either patrolling the walkway or carrying out their daily duties under Darth’s services.

Upon waiting for a turbolift to take her into the main complex, Jayda’s eyes drifted upward. She paused long enough to examine the skies. They held a primal appeal to them, the scenery reminded her of the view from Kashyyyk’s canopy. Despite the horrible experiences there, she admired its savage beauty in her own way.

Even more, since she survived them.

The turbo’s tumbling caught her attention and shifted her eyes to it. Calmly she stepped into its confining space before clicking a button to bring her down. It rattled then lowered, the doors sealed the outside air out. Jayda was about to step off when something caught her attention causing her to pause with respect.

Pulling his lightsaber out of one of the creatures, Gar looked reprovingly at Vebra. “Hah. Rodents?!? These are no mere rodents, my young friend! Though unusually small in size, there is no mistaking their nature: These creatures are Sithspawn.” He disabled his near-white lightsaber, hooking it back onto his belt. “Even now that they are dead, I can sense how the power of the Dark Side oozes from them. Tuk’ata, they are called. Sith Hounds. If there had been any doubt before about a powerful Sith residing here, the presence of these vermin firmly put them to rest.”

“Not to order you about, Master Fa, but from the frolicsome nature of the local wildlife, it appears wise to set up a barrier around this compound. Preferably something able to withstand creatures the size of fully grown rancors. There is no telling what may be out there.” as he said this, he casually waved towards the surrounding jungle. He knew it wouldn’t be easy to set up proper barriers in jungle like this, but at least the general slope of the terrain would mean that not everything would wander this way. Hopefully.

The battle, short though it had been, told him yet again that he was getting old. If the mission hadn’t been this important, he would gladly have gone elsewhere, maybe find some younglings to educate. But of course, he couldn’t do that. Not with so many knights and padawans in the hands of the Sith. He wouldn't truly be able to rest until they were saved from whatever fate the Sith had in mind for them. If that meant working with this Strike Team, then so be it.

Fa stared over the body of one of the creatures, her lightsabers giving it a green and orange glow. She took in its scent, then closed her eyes as she took in its dark side aura. The entire forest felt wrong just to be in, but just as Master Gar had said, the creatures themselves felt even more corrupt. When she finally looked away from the creature, she spent a few seconds looking over the encampment itself. The soldiers were already moving the wounded into the cavern for treatment.

“Hmm, we have to make use of natural cover as much as we can. We can fortify the cavern as much as we like, but the encampment needs to remain hidden from the air. If the Sith ever do discover our presence here, then they will be able to cover ground quickly with fighters and shuttles. We have to make sure that we are not vulnerable to scouting efforts from the sky. A simple wall might be too noticeable. We might be able to find other methods to keep safe from the wildlife. We will have to.” Fa reasoned.

Fa pointed a finger towards one of her officers. “Lieutenant, prioritize getting our early-warning system set up. We need motion sensors all around the perimeter. We cannot have these creatures catching us off-guard.”

Astera had been meditating during most of the trip. It was easier for her not to start worrying about anything when she was sitting cross-legged on the floor of a shuttle, tucked in-between boxes of supplies meant for the team they were meeting up with on Feena. As the ship began to approach the planet, she could sense the abundance of life on the surface- and that every bit of it was tainted with the Dark side. The Sith's presence here was obvious, and powerful beyond a doubt.

As the craft landed she stood up and stretched for a minute while she waited for the doors to open, taking a moment to go over their mission once more in her mind. Master Halcorr and herself were there because the Sith had captured many younger Jedi during their attack on the temple. Hopefully, they could rescue them before the Sith could manage to do anything very horrible.

She heard the older Jedi remark about the scenery as they disembarked from the shuttle. Glancing around at the surrounding Jungle herself, she smiled lightly and replied before he could walk off. "It's not so bad, if you can ignore the feeling of the Dark side coming from everything at once." He didn't reply, and she hadn't expected he would, but she still continued quietly to herself as he continued to walk away. "At least there's sunlight though..."

The Soldiers around quickly covered and hid the ship as well as they could, moving on as soon as that task was done to do something else. As Gar began to approach a Tiss’shar who could only be Master Fa-Val-Kuul, Astera walked around the camp, greeting each soldier she passed as she observed the area. As the two masters disappeared into a cave, she allowed herself to wander past the edge of the camp and into the jungle in her exploration.

She wandered for a while, stepping carefully on roots and rocks so as not to leave tracks, while also keeping careful track of where she'd come from so she wouldn't get lost. She walked in one general direction, spiraling around the camp and gradually getting farther and farther away as she began to familiarize herself with the area. After a while, she came across something she hadn't expected. Footprints in the muddy floor of the jungle. She followed them, thinking that maybe they were just from some of the soldiers at the camp, but the path didn't actually go to the campsite at all. The tracks turned and went in another direction entirely.

She wasn't sure exactly how long she'd been out when she heard the blaster fire- but as soon it went off she dropped the investigation of the tracks and began to run back to the camp to see what was happening. She soon emerged from the foliage not far from where Gar and Fa were standing with a handful of soldiers. She nodded to the group in greeting as she then noticed the creatures strewn on the ground around them. The Dark side emanated from these bodies, even more than it did from the other life she'd encountered so far on this planet. Sithspawn.

"Sorry I'm late.." Astera waited for Fa to finish relaying orders to her soldiers before approaching the two Masters, a small frown on her face as she began to speak. "Hopefully I'm wrong about this but, it may already be too late to worry about being found by the Sith. Back the way I came, not even 30 meters away, I found some tracks that were not from any type of animal, and I doubt they were from any of your soldiers either."

"They didn't come very near to the camp at all, but close enough to make me worry." She paused for a moment, allowing the two of them to process before continuing, her tone holding a hint of optimism. "I feel I should also say that I couldn't tell exactly how fresh the tracks were. It could have been a patrol that came through before your team even arrived here."

After a minute or two, she'd speak up again. "Oh. Before I forget," She bowed her head to Fa, her usual calm smile coming back as she introduced herself. "I'm Astera Nalin, a Knight. It's good to meet you."


When Zanna had taken her from the Temple and led her onto one of the Sith ships, Shiri was allowed to stay awake for about 2 seconds as she felt someone grab her and stick a needle in her neck as soon as she'd walked through the door. That's the last thing she could clearly remember as she came to now, lying on her back on what was, as far as she could tell, some kind of floor. Her brain felt like it was throbbing as she tried to make herself do anything even remotely resembling movement. It seemed like, even though her mind was waking up, she was still too drugged for her limbs to respond. She could just barely manage to open her uninjured eye enough to see the incredibly blurry ceiling above her. Her entire body was sore- She felt as if she hadn't moved at all for Days. As she slowly moved herself to sit upright, her back against the cell wall, she realized that most likely was the case.

Suddenly, a woman's voice filled the room, the words booming in Shiri's head as their captor identified themselves. Darth Nyiss, the highest power on the planet, was planning on turning them all into Sith. Shiri tried her best to focus on what was actually being said, but it wasn't until the announcement was nearly over that any of the words were able to find any footing in her groggy mind. “-And for the Jedi thinking of leaping the wall... The jungle outside has many dangers, and the only medical center on the planet is right here, within these walls, and free for use.” And with that the voice stopped, and a buzzing silence worked its way back into her mind.

Hearing that last bit, Shiri's first thought was to jump the wall, of course. She would have smiled to herself if her face didn't feel so heavy right now- but she did close her eye for a moment as the Hologram shut off to imagine how such a scenario might play out. A dangerous Jungle had to be better than being "guests" of the Sith, tortured day and night into turning to the Dark side. She was confident that she could deal with the wild, but then, what about the other prisoners here? Depending on how many had been captured, surely they wouldn't all be able to jump the walls in the first place... and if the only medical bay was here in the Sith's compound, then that meant this was probably the only place on the planet with access to ships either. Getting off-planet would be next to impossible, unless someone came to their rescue.

At least they are on a planet though. Rescue is possible, so long as someone noticed the missing bodies at the Temple, and the prisoners weren't moved around too much from here on out. Surely someone could track them down and help.

All they had to do was survive until then.

Shiri sighed and shook her head lightly as she started to pay attention to her surroundings again. There were more voices now, coming from beyond the cell's door. She thought she recognized some of them. She pushed herself against the wall in an attempt to get to her feet, but a wave of dizziness made her stop and pull her knees up to her chest instead, resting her forehead on them as she forced herself to take deep breaths until it passed.

After what felt like forever the nausea did clear up, but she didn't try to stand again just yet. Her vision was finally beginning to clear also- she could see the tiled floor and her shoes in front of her without them suddenly swimming, swaying, or blurring anymore at least. Her right eye was still closed, her tears mixed with the medicinal powder Zanna had put on it to have effectively glued it shut for now. She slowly raised her head to look around the cell now, taking in the desk, cubbies, and bunk bed with a small sense of relief. At least it wasn't a hole in the ground.

Gathering her will, and taking a deep breath, she decided to try and stand again now. She pushed herself up, leaning against the wall to steady herself until she was on her feet. The dizziness didn't return, and as she took a few steps towards the cell's door she began to feel better, more focused as she moved. She had expected it to be locked, but instead it just slid open as she approached it and she walked right on through. I guess we're allowed in the common area for now.

A few more steps and she was standing in the main area, just in time to see Nazca run across the room. She started to call out to the woman, until she saw where she'd run to. Xid was lying hurt on the floor, Talon and Nazca already trying to help him. "I guess I woke up after.. everyone, apparently." She muttered to herself as she too ran across the room to Xid's side, kneeling down just as Nazca called out for anyone who knew Force Healing.

"I know it, a little bit anyway. I don't know how much it'll help Xid though." She smiled at him as she took in his burnt skin and broken bones, trying to show only calm outwardly as her mind began to race with worries. Just what had happened? "Good morning by the way, guys. Glad to see you're around..." She looked around for a moment to see who else was "around", and her eyes fell on the Red Sith standing not too far away.

She hesitated only half a heartbeat before calling out to her. "Hey Zanna! The announcement earlier said there was a Medical Center somewhere, right? Mind telling us where it is?" Not wasting a second, Shiri turned back to look at Xid before speaking again. "We're probably gonna have to move you to somewhere we can actually help. How're you holding up?"

Fa stared off in the direction that Astera had indicated for a few moments. Since the danger seemed to have passed for the moment, she flicked off her lightsabers and returned them to her belt. With all the precautions and scouting they had been doing since even before their landing, it did not seem terribly likely that they would have been discovered, though Fa was not one to simply assume the best. Astera did say she was uncertain, but it was enough for Fa to want to look into.

“It would be quite a coincidence for us to be discovered so soon. We are quite far from the Sith’s base, and if they had detected our shuttle, there would be far more than just a set of tracks.” She reasoned, though she kept the remainder of her train of thought within her mind. There was much to worry about when establishing an operation such as this, and now it seemed there would be even more than usual. If they somehow had been discovered, they would have to shift their strategy completely, with moving camp being the first step.

After a moment, Fa straightened up her posture. “Well, we cannot lose ourselves in thought. I would like these creatures cleaned up and their bodies examined with whatever tools we have available. I want to know exactly what we will be dealing with. Vebra, while your men get the motion sensors in place, I would like for you to help Master Halcorr and his Jedi get settled in here. Brief them on the relevant intelligence they will need to have, and our procedures that they will need to know. Astera, I would like to look into the matter of these tracks myself. I would appreciate it if you could take me to them.”

Between her rather direct commands and intense expression, it would be clear to their new guests that she approached serious matters with strict professionalism, even if it meant ignoring normal pleasantries. Even though they seemed to be in safety, it was as if she was always looking for threats out of the corners of her eyes. Although, her solid black eyes made it difficult to tell exactly what she might have been looking at in particular.

Eli’s blaster had let off one last shot. It landed directly on the last attacking creature causing to give one last death screech then tilted over, landed on its side and immediate still. Dead. Even from his position, the veteran could tell it wasn’t getting up ever again. Satisfied with the fact he was in better condition than a few of his companions, Eli rose up from one knee. He dusted off his pant leg as he darted toward the nearest fallen individual.

He bent down to press his finger to the throat, relieved to find a pulse. Breathing heavily, his head snapped up at Vebra’s comment and his lips pressed into a thin line frown. ‘Rodents? That’s all the horn-headed idiot had to say?!?’ Eli’s fingers tightened into a fist as he glared at his superior officer.

“Easy for you to say that when you weren’t here dealing with them. For simple rodents, they sure took out a few good men.” Eli commented in an acidic tone under his breath, feeling Vebra was being a hypocrite in some fashion.

The man was slightly relieved when rescuer’s master seemed to not make light of their earlier threat. Especially since he had heard of all sorts of horror stories about Sithspawn, mostly rumors but gradually they were finding facts to such stories. This wasn’t a good start to an already suicidal mission. Knowing he couldn’t leave the men out in the open, Eli leaned down then hauled the wounded individual over his shoulder. He secured the body as he turned on heel and back to move toward the cavern with the others. Leaving the higher ups to talk among themselves.



“Fuck do I hate patrol duty. Who’s idea was it to volunteer us, Sion?” complained a metallic voice through her helmet.

Private Sabe couldn’t help but feel irritated by the situation, disliking such dangerous tasks. She leaned forward and unclasped her helmet, the bulky thing came off with a sound hiss. Gently she straightened back up, placing the cumbersome thing under her arm, to frown at her companion. Her blond hair unfurled from its prison then cascaded down her bright blue eyes. An Imperial human, born and breed within the planets existing until the Empire’s rule.

She exhaled her frustration. The hard woman then thumped her helmet down on the nearby table. They were safe within the outpost thanks to a specialized, portable device designed to emit a subsonic sound wave. It kept many of the smaller wildlife away from the outpost within a small range, protecting the two for a limited time though they had strict orders to bring it back. Something about it not having a tracking device or something.

“If I recall right, you’re the one that got us into serious trouble with that Sith!” Sion snapped back.

"Whatever!"

He flipped the light on then began to peel off his armor for better mobility, “Did you check out the perimeter?”

“Of course. I just got back from the far side, and careful next round because the mud is slick. Also spotted some of those miniature Sith Hounds heading into a direction.”

“Might’ve found a Rancor corpse or something.”

“Possibly, but even then it’s still odd. I shudder to think about what is running loose on this planet that we still don’t know about…”



“Shiri, you were caught too? That’s what happened after you took off?” Xid gasped through gritted teeth.

His head twisted about as his eyes caught sight of the familiar twi’lek, relief flooded him then switched to worry. No one should be, but they were all caught. This wasn’t going to end well. Any concern shifted when Shiri addressed their unwanted guest by her name. The boy blinked in confusion then flipped back to the Twi’lek, his lips unable to produce the words he was looking for. Mainly how these two knew each other.

“I’ll be fine with some rest and patching. I highly doubt they will let you go with me and I rather not be separated from the group.” Xid’s tone took on an uncharacteristic defensive tone.

The hallways of the highly fortified prison complex were near silent other than the sound of footsteps clicking against the thick metal floor. A figure clad in crimson walked calmly down the corridor, as she strolled a duo of passing guards passed and stood at attention. A smile crept onto her feminine features, upon her shrouded face. As she passed by the armored soldiers they kept on their way in the opposite direction. It surprised her that they knew who she was only with a simple glance. She couldn’t fault them for that, her diminutive appearance had fooled others before.

The Sith lord heard the distinctive sound of a descending turbolift, then slowed a gentle amount in her stride. She could sense the Force flowing through whoever was making their way downwards, it was no simple footsoldier, had to be a Sith. Vivithe had limited interaction with the other Sith that she shared this fearsome palace with. As the elevator came to a halt and doors slid open she stood still, another smile on her face.

“Hello there, I don’t believe I’ve made your acquaintance before. Your Lord Sish’s apprentice, are you not?” The Sith lord asked, already knowing the answer. She had done her research, especially on the other more powerful Sith within Nyiss’ prison.

Jayda had hoped to escape the prison unnoticed as she let the elevator take her up, her mind debating on her next task. Or rather, how to get out of it. She knew Sish wouldn’t be satisfied at her desire to avoid ‘hands-on’ education in regards to the prisoners, it would make her look weak and it was like blood in the water. Distracted by her worries, the Zabrak had failed to sense the Lord whose path she was about to cross into until it was too late.

Her purple-grey eyes snapped up, broken out of their absent mindedness, to acknowledge the threat before her. A Sith. Her sixth sense reached out to determine their ‘strength’ in the force. A sense of higher power, through she felt it wasn’t in connection with combat, washed over her. It drew her wariness into the surface. This woman was either a powerful individual or a Sith Lord.

“Yes, you’re correct. However, I don’t have the courtesy of knowing your name,” Jayda pointed out. It was a test of the temperment too. Inwardly, she braced for any sudden movement or reaction to her comment.

Vivithe continued to hold her smile, suppressing a giggle. It amused her that this Sith didn’t know who she was. But it didn’t really surprise her either. Still, she had to toy with the girl a bit.

“My name is Vivithe, its a pleasure to meet you, Jayda,” She replied, speaking the girl’s name. “Am I correct in assuming that you were on the way to the prison cells to ‘speak’ with some of the captive Jedi?”

“Actually, just returning from dropping one off,” Jayda corrected.

A shiver crept down her spine at the notice of her name being spoken and correct, though she hadn’t revealed it. The shock barely showed on her sober expression while she continued to focus on the question, “Sish managed to show self-control and the prisoner was still breathing when I left.”

“Ah I see. I have heard of Lord Sish’s brutality. He is a powerful Sith lord, you must be quite tough to endure his training.” Vivithe replied with a nod. She did not envy the girl, but the reptile’s savagery in training had some merit to making Jayda stronger.

“Which prisoner did you choose? They didn’t turn right away did they?” She asked, in part wondering how the younger Sith had done in her attempts to ‘corrupt’ the Jedi.

“A young padawan, blond haired and naive enough to stand between Sish and his allies,” Jayda pointed out cautiously as she took a step out of the lift, mindful of the Sith’s questioning.

Her hands fell into the folds of her cloak and out of sight. Her right hand lingered nearest her belt, more specifically her weapon, ready to be pulled free should things go sour. She moved onto the next part of the interrogation, “No, he didn’t. Personally I believe he was in too much pain to even consider it. Sish’s methods work, but only with those who can survive them.”

“A young one. It is too bad he had to endure such pain but it must be done to ensure he turns. If allowed to stay in his foolish Jedi ways then he will never achieve his true potential.” Vivithe stated, though she did not feel any sympathy for the padawan. Yet there was some truth in her words. The Jedi forced themselves to be weaker, limiting their own strength. It was pathetic.

“Well, perhaps when he recovers then he will reconsider some things,” She stated, staying firmly in place as she noticed Jayda’s subtle shift of her hands. The paranoia coming off the girl, even around fellow Sith. “Your master must be careful not to slaughter any of the prisoners. Nyiss is not known for her mercy. Even someone as powerful as Lord Sish would be wise to not anger her.”

“Possibly, through if he doesn’t survive… the efforts more wasteful.” The apprentice pointed out then paused. Her eyes hardened for a moment as they studied the woman, sizing her up and down. After a moment, she continued.

“If he is careless enough to allow one to die, it is on him. I don’t intend to go down with his stupidity. Through I seriously doubt such an event will happen.”

Jayda continued to step off the elevator, the door hissed closed behind and locked down. No one would be going back down for a while.

“A Jedi is no good to anyone dead, my dear. It’s a complete waste of time then. You can’t turn a corpse to the Dark Side,” Vivithe stated, almost laughing at her own comment.

“I hope that you aren’t, apprentice. Always be mindful of unpredictableness, especially in a situation like we’re in. One that's powerful enough to become a Sith Lord is one of the most unpredictable beings in the galaxy.” She stated, her voice tinged with an eerie feeling as she spoke.

Jayda survived under Sish’s claws thanks to her ability to withstand his abuse, but she didn’t fall short on her intelligence. During the whole conversation, she felt she was being toyed with like prey by a predator. This made her more and more aware of her situation as well as the direction it was going.

“I believe it’s time to inform my master about completing my task, if you will please excuse me?”

“Of course. It was nice to meet you. Perhaps we will speak again.” Vivithe stated with another smile and a nod. Then she turned away, and began to walk down a side corridor. Continuing along on her way.

As the turbolift ascended the side of the compound’s command tower, Nimm noted with pleasure that the turbolift had neither railings nor any sort of roof. Nothing to coddle the weak. The previous day had been productive. Though not all prisoners were in yet, the ones she had seen bore some potential, aside from the flaw of being Jedi, holding onto the teachings that made them so much weaker than Sith. Rain splattered the platform around her, trying in vain to soak her clothes. She ignored it, as it had absolutely no effect upon her temper.

She had a feeling that bade her go up here. There was something that felt different, but she couldn’t figure out what. She quickly moved over to the primary holographic projector, pulling up the jungle sensor grid. It was definitely out there, not within the compound. Only when she pulled it up, nothing showed up as any different. No discernible broken links, no new power signatures. Those of her Master’s discarded playthings that were equipped with trackers were moving about as normal. “There should have been something here…” she muttered softly.

Several moments later, another turbolift rose upwards. A single Sith lord stood there in silence, her hands to her sides. As Vivithe drew closer to the command center, she sensed a presence inside of it. One strong in the Force, but not on the level of the Darth. It caused her curiosity to peek, as she wondered who was inside the command tower. Lady Vivithe had met some of other Sith earlier, this one was a stranger to her for the time being.

As the lift reached its destination, she stepped through the doorway in front of her. Her eyes squinted briefly as she took in the sight of the other person in the room, another Sith, predictably enough. With no fear she moved forward, approaching Nimm quietly. Surely the Sith noticed her powerful presence as she entered the command center. A projector had been activated, displaying a grid. Vivithe eyed it as she strolled closer towards Nimm.

The approach of the Sith Lord did not go unnoticed, but Nimm did not immediately acknowledge her, as she was rather busy trying to study the planet grid. When the other Sith got closer, she realized she would have to acknowledge her, so she turned around to look at the other Sith, staring straight into her eyes. It was the Sith Lord, Vivithe.

“Greetings, I thought I would be all alone in this command center. But I arrive to find you,” Vivithe spoke clearly, looking into Nimm’s eyes before shifting back towards the grid. “It seems that you are trying to study this jungles of this planet. A wise idea.”

She believed that was what the girl was doing. She did not know much about Nimm, honestly. Her research on the other Sith around her did not reveal much about the apprentice.

“Oh, yes. This jungle is wonderful. So many deadly things. Almost like home.” As she had nothing to go on but a vague feeling, she did not speak of the real purpose of her search. “What brings you here?”

“Deadly things such as Sithspawn. It was a genius move by Darth Nyiss to place her prison compound here. If the Jedi were to actually escape they would have nowhere to go. They’d get lost in the dense jungles and certainly become prey for the beasts out there,” Vivithe replied with a smile. “I came here to in part continue to familiarize myself with this facility, but also to ponder things. There are so many Sith here, all working towards a beneficial goal of turning the Jedi. Yet almost every single one is also against each other in achieving this goal.”

“Yes. It will be fun to watch them realize how hopeless their situation is.” Nimm turned away from the projector. If there was something out there, it would show up eventually. “Yes. To be most effective, we will have to work together. Coordinate our efforts. Though the one who turns a of the Jedi will be rewarded the most, my master will reward those who have contributed properly.”

She thought for a moment before continuing. “I have spoken with some of them, laying down the seeds for cooperation, but it will take more to get them in line. In some cases, much more.”

“A potentially fruitful idea this is, though you and I both know some Sith may not go along with it. Or they will but will not harbor entirely honest intentions.” She did not mention any names, it wouldn’t be a wise move, even with someone seemingly as intelligent and goal oriented as Nimm. Honesty was not a common thing within the ranks of the Sith Empire, she herself did not practice it but she was far greater at hiding that than many others.

“Your master is the Darth herself. You are lucky to have such a powerful being to teach you, and strengthen you,” Vivithe added, letting her high opinion of Nyiss be known. “She would know if we were able to successfully form an organized coalition amongst the Sith here, it would be easier to coordinate and turn the weak Jedi then.”

“Yes. Some will always work against the rest. It is inevitable. But even they can be used: The Jedi can be made to hate them. I do not care who they end up serving, so long as they serve the empire.” Nimm did not care about the praise for her master. It was appropriate and expected. “A common story must be told to them, with a clear plan as to which lies are used, which facts are to be provided. Do you feel the prisoners should be informed of how much their so-called republic had to surrender to get their treaty?”

“How they let the worlds they were sworn to protect and watch over be gifted to the ‘cruel’ Empire?” Vivithe said with a smile. Seeing where Nimm was going with her words.

Sometimes one didn’t even need to physically torture a captive to turn them, all it took were some hard hitting facts. Not all the Jedi were idiots, they’d listen if made to do so. Planting a single painful seed of doubt in their Republic within their minds would shatter and break their preconceived thoughts and beliefs. If enough of them heard the same words and spoke about it between each other they’d discuss it amongst themselves.

“I sense this plan has great potential. We must get the other Sith to buy in, and if they choose not to or choose to disrupt it, then so be it. They are the weak amongst us.” Vivithe added.

“Then we should inform them that this is what will be. If they disagree with the plan, we will know who we have to counter. What do you think of the prisoners so far? Any you find more interesting than the others?”

“I believe we should target the youngest ones the hardest. While not as powerful as the older prisoners they are easier to bend and mold. More impressionable and less assured in their ways. Their turns to our side will greatly affect the older Jedi as well.” Vivithe stated, giving her own opinion on the subject. In a way it was targeting the weaker, but within the Empire they would grow far stronger than with the Jedi Order.

“Yes. Take the weak, turn them against their elders. That will hurt them more than even the sharpest tool in Lord Sish’s collection. While they are more useful if turned rather than if broken, the end result is what matters: making them useful for the Empire.” Nimm liked this Sith Lord. Not the way she liked Lord Sish’s merciless nature, but for her distinct political acumen. “The young ones are generally easier to turn in any case, capable of becoming much more powerful, as they have not been indoctrinated with quite so many Jedi lies.”

“The older ones are far more stalwart in their thoughts and beliefs. They have been force fed propaganda and only the Jedi ways ever since they were young children. While not impossible to turn, them seeing the padawans serving the Empire will go a long way to breaking them. Especially any of them that are masters to turned apprentices.” Vivithe said, bringing her hand up to her mouth as she smirked widely. Nimm appeared to be someone she could have a conversation of this type with, with intelligent thoughts. Many of the other Sith were simple, gruff beings who believed they were far more cunning than they truly were.

“Oh yes. We do need to find out which of the prisoners have ties to the others. Especially master-apprentice ties. If there ever was a blatant weakness to the Jedi system, then it is their tendency to suppress emotions even as they try to form ties that should be based on emotions. They deprive them of the basic training in understanding and controlling their emotions, only to throw them into the situation where they need the control they lack a few years later.”

“The worst part is their convince themselves they are beyond having emotions. They must be shown that is another lie of the Jedi. The youngest amongst the prisoners are more prone to emotion outbreaks, if these bursts can be encouraged by us then they can be twisted and molded. Upon seeing their apprentices turned the masters will awaken emotions inside themselves they believed they were beyond.”

“That they will. It will be fun to watch. Who will you take on next? Maybe the one I gave that little neck toy to? Or another?”

“I shall have to decide upon it soon. Perhaps that one, or another young one who can be bent and twisted. The most recent youngling, Nazca could prove to be a rapid one to turn to our side.” Vivithe stated, as she pondered who to choose and attempt to turn.

“Yes. that one is hardly indoctrinated at all. Or at least it appears not to have taken much hold if the files are correct. I have yet to decide who I will take next myself. But it will definitely be one of the younger ones.”

“A wise idea. We should continue to communicate as our plan grows. As well as letting other Sith into the fold gradually.” The Sith lord said, mulling over which of the other Sith to communicate their discussed plan with.

“Communication is mandatory for this to truly work. The apprentices of Lords Jewel and Sish might be worth speaking to. I have spoken with them myself, and if they are approached by another, they might be even more easily swayed.” Nimm thought about what other Sith she had read up on. Some might be more useful than others. Then she thought about the prisoners. They were not as easily quantified.

“I spoke to Sish’s apprentice earlier. She is a cautious girl, but not a brute like her master is. She may prove of some use if involved in our plan.” Vivithe replied, recalling her encounter with Jayda.

She did not believe the girl’s master would be one to cooperate with them. He was utterly violent and seemed to enjoy torturing the Jedi more than actually turning them. It seemed Vivithe would have to cast a wide net for such a plan to work, though she was always confident in her abilities.

“Good. Now I have things to take care of. Pain to dole out. Prisoners to test.” As she said this, Nimm strode towards the door, heading for the turbolift and the rainy day once more. She had not uncovered anything on the strange feeling, but at least plans had been advanced.

Khan awoke to find his cellmate gone. That was the most notable thing about the situation, to the Echani Padawan's mind. He immediately began worrying about what might have happened to his fellow prisoner, whether she had been taken away for interrogation or torture or experiments! He himself had been grilled by that one Sith woman fairly mercilessly only earlier today, even if she did not actually torture him so much as leave him feeling...confused and conflicted due to her words about the Jedi and the Sith and this whole conflict. Well, that was just her intention was it not? Best to not think about it if he could help it.

For a bit Khan got up and tried flowing through a moving meditation to calm his nerves and get back to sleep. No doubt he could do little for his cellmate, and he would need his rest for the morning, so it was the sensible and pragmatic thing to do in their dark circumstances. But eventually...well, curiosity got the better of him and he began searching his cell for any clues. It did not take him long to discover that the door panel had been tampered with, and after that it was an even shorter process to realize that he could open the door with little difficulty.

Once outside his cell, he began wandering the area in search of his cellmate, his Master, and anyone else who might need his help or offer help in return, or if nothing else, soothe his fears through reassurance or distraction.

The previous night had, unfortunately, been more eventful than Fa would have liked. If the arrival of the Jedi rescue team and the attack of the wild beasts were not enough, they also discovered a Sith outpost that was an uncomfortable distance from their encampment. It was not close per ce, at least in that she doubted they would stumble upon them by accident any time soon. However, they were close enough that their farther patrols could reasonably encounter the strike team’s encampment, or their own patrols, which was an unacceptable risk.

Fortunately, the news was not all horrible. During their scouting run, Fa had observed the Sith for hours, and from what she could tell, it was doubtful that the Sith had already discovered them. Their lack of alertness, or transmissions back to their main base, was evidence for that. Fa’s team still would have the element of surprise; they just needed to form a plan to eliminate the threat without alerting the Sith forces as a whole.

It was the next morning that Fa called for a meeting in the cavern to discuss the matter. Vebra, as well as the rescuers, were all present. She was still dubious about involving these new Jedi in her operations, but she doubted that she would be able to convince them to simply stay behind. Astera, at least, had proved herself to have reasonably good judgment with her handling of the scouts she found, so Fa supposed that they might be able to adapt to her team’s methods.

Fa, as usual, got straight to business the moment everyone had arrived. She activated a holographic display showing some scans she had made of the topography surrounding the Sith outpost before proceeding. “It is unfortunate that this problem is arising so soon after our arrival, but this matter is now our priority. The Sith appear to have a small outpost that is far too close to our encampment for comfort. Normally, I would suggest relocating immediately, but we have already used our shuttle too often in a short period of time, and it may be dangerous to wait until we can use it again. Thus, we will need to enact a plan to remove this threat without making ourselves known to every Sith on this world.”

Gar had risen early. Among the active camp, he sat cross-legged and projected utter peace to the stirring surroundings. Troopers had begun their daily morning activities to ensure their protection. From patrolling to moving equipment about, even preparing the morning meal of cold rations. He had ensured his position was neatly out of the ever used paths so not to disturb their rhythm. On normal occasions, he would’ve preferred a place outside of camp and in the wilderness. After yesterday’s incident, he didn’t dare to try this here. Their arrival’s encounter had proven this already to be a foolish thing.

His breath had just began to soften before another presence edged into his personal zone. Gar’s slowly opened his right eye, noting the interloper, then closed it again. The only indication he was aware the young man was there. Unsure if the master Jedi knew he was there, the man bravely edged closer and cleared his throat. Gar waited until the man began to adjust his hoister to speak startling the trooper a bit.

“Yes, I know you’re there. I’m listening.”

Unsure how the Jedi knew, the trooper shrugged off the comment, “Yes sir. Fa has requested a meeting, including the recently arrived Jedi.”

“Understood, I’ll be there in a moment.”

Not moving an inch, Gar remained where he was until the trooper returned back to his daily tasks. After several moments, the Jedi master rose upright and began to walk toward the cavern serving as their control room. As expected, Fa wasted little time getting down to business. His eyes shifted to the holographic projector displaying their surroundings, taking special note of the sith outpost’s location.

“They haven’t been alerted to our presence yet, I assume. Or you’ve been more concerned than you are right now. What has the scouts found out?”

After Shiri helped Xid yesterday, nothing much else happened. Apparently she'd slept through all the interesting stuff, or at least any of the interesting things that happened to anyone she actually knew. Sith kept arriving to take Jedi for one reason or another, but after the tenth time trying to keep anyone from being taken, she realized that Sith were just too stubborn for that to work without actually fighting them, and without a lightsaber... She couldn't really do that very well.

Today though, she was up as early as she could manage. She wanted to figure out exactly who had all been captured, and who that she had known before the battle on coruscant was dead now. More than anything though, she wanted to talk to Cerria. Shiri could feel that her fellow padawan was here somewhere in this prison, and while that alone made her heart soar, she still wanted to see Cerria for herself, to make sure that the girl really was alright.

Shiri walked around the prison, trying to sense which door Cerria was behind. She also made sure to recount all the cameras and other security measures she'd seen the day before, reminding herself where they all were, and seeing if she could find any she may have missed before. The only new thing she found there though, was that one of the panels on a door to the outside seemed to have been tampered with. She didn't investigate any further yet, but she made a mental note to come back to it once she was with Cerria. It was a good bet that there were already Jedi working on getting out of here.

When Shiri found Cerria's cell, the Twi'lek wasted no time in rousing her fellow padawan. She entered the cell quietly, placing a hand on Cerria's shoulder to wake her up in what was hopefully a way that wouldn't startle her too much. "Good morning Cerria." Shiri would say as soon as the girl was awake enough to hear. "Let's get out of here."


Astera was finding it harder not to worry about everything the longer she spent in camp. There were many things to focus on, the Sith outpost so nearby, the vicious creatures that roamed the jungle surrounding them, the well-being of the Jedi who were currently held captive by the Sith... and yet, even with all these things swirling around her mind, she was able to control them and remain calm. She wasn't about to let herself give in to simple anxiety. Even though she knew that with each passing day the captive Jedi would be more and more out of reach, she was sure that soon enough they'd be able to rescue them, and hopefully defeat this 'Darth Nyiss' as well.

Astera followed Gar into the cavern, as she'd been told about the meeting at about the same time as he had. She stayed silent as Fa spoke, and then waited for someone to answer Gar's question before speaking up herself. "Is it possible to simply remove them though? Surely they would have daily communications with the main compound that would alert the Sith to our presence here much sooner if missed."

Jayda stirred. Her purple grey eyes flickered open to the morning light flooding in, her irises gradually adjusted to the shift from darkness to daylight. Cautiously her figure moved from its semi-upright position in the corner of her room. Unlike the Lords, the apprentices were forced to share their rooms with each other. This left them exposed to possible threats from each other when at their most vulnerable. Not a situation she wasn’t familiar with since following Sish.

Getting ready for the morning, her the ear bead on her desk shook indicating there was a message. Her eyes shot to it then cautious placed it to her ear. She flipped it on with a simple press of her finger when the voice of Nyiss erupted into her eardrum. The Darth had made orders to isolate one of the prisoners, Cerria Kinall, from the others.

The young apprentice recognized the name of the young padawan. Her curiosity got the better of her and she researched the Jedi’s name after she took Kinall down during the Coruscant attack. Part of Jayda wondered if it was coincidence or if the Darth had larger plans at work for the would-be victim. Feeling her suspicion coil in her mind, Jayda shook it away as she walked from her quarters toward the prison. Unknown to her, she just barely missed Xid’s and Talon’s retreat into the compound.

She entered when the door authorized her presence and hissed open. She was sided by two other troopers with blasters at the ready. Jayda paused to double check her information about where Kinall was located. Cellblock seven. Her eyes jerked upward and spotted out of the corner of her vision a Twi’lek vanishing through her target’s cell doors. It seemed Kinall had a guest.

Jayda sighed then pressed her lips tightly together. She gestured for the troopers to keep an eye on the surroundings and their weapons ready as she approached the cell door. The Zabrak stopped just shy before she spoke loud enough to hear.

“Jedi Padawan Kinall, come out of your cell immediately. Or I will come in and remove you by force.”

The young vixen's feet slowly scraped on the floor as Talon readjusted from on the makeshift bed on the floor. Her yellow eyes scanning a room as if looking for a single trace of a lost lover that still lingered in the air. She knew these types of people well. Security of the highest quality in every single room. Hidden within the environment so they would feel safe and sound. Only those new to this game would feel a false sense of safety. Adding the rules in place, everything was about controlling them. Making the prisoners submit to the higher powers.

The teenager jerked her figure upwards causing every joint to crack and pop. “Mmmm… Don't they ever shut up with their words? My ears are ringing from their useless threats.” She groaned with a sigh.

The female moved towards the second room, claws still within her paws, as if to sneak around the semi-silent room before noticing the one called Xid messing with something. Most likely cutting himself on a sharpened object. Good attempt for a human, but worst way to go about it. Seems like the kid is back to semi-good health. The fox shifted towards him and leaned against the wall in order to face him directly.

“A little advantage, we foxes have is paws. What's attached to them makes these tasks much easier than your small, fat fingers. Here take a look at how I'm able to grasp that object on the floor.” Talon said bending down, letting the male see her tools of choice. “Want to play the escapist, huh? First, you need to learn to be stealthy like a thief, Xid. During a heist, expect to be paired up with someone. Count on nothing going your way. Lastly, leave no evidence of a crime. For example, leaving blood on the bolt tells them where we are going. Now we must use one of the other ones.”

Xid mumbled, his mouth muffled with his thumb, before pulling it out.

“It would much easier if I had the right tools and both arms. However, Navi is likely still back at Coruscant or worse…” A slight regretful tone sliced into his words, followed by a wistful desire to see the little droid once more. Giving his thumb side one last lick, he turned to Talon and frowned.

“This is one of the few entrances not heavily watched by the hidden cameras. I’ve checked twice. If we aim to get out of here undetected, this is the best door we can use. Unless you want me to sabotage one. The only bad thing is the Sith might interrupt me,” Xid stated, his figure stepped back to allow Talon through to the panel.

“Really now? Mind telling me where the other ones are my lovely kit.” She said with twitching whiskers and a flickering tail.

Xid’s figure leaned back at Talon’s reaction, her words sounded like oil in water to him. Seeing little harm in his actions, his eyes looked up and his hand gestured for her to remain put. Xid placed a casual palm against the prison’s wall then focused on the interior structure of the prison. Several minutes passed before he located the first then about three more cameras causing him to pull back his hand. It took him such a short time because he started early in the morning, he had examined it for nearly three hours. The second attempt was only a refresher over the cameras’ locations.

As he walked left back toward his cell then jerked his head upward to where each camera lurked in the wall. If Talon looked close enough, she could easily see each of its lenses rotate and zoom back out while their eye followed him.

Talon slowly slid down towards the wall’s edge. Her eyes following every single moment the male's finger did. “Interesting. I'm going to enjoy training this child's skills. Perhaps he'll make a wonderful thief like me. Even if he refuses I could always-,” The vixen thought before shaking her head clear of such disgusting thoughts. The fox’s claw scrapped across the ground in a number sequence. 12, 11, 10, 9, and 8. Each number represented a section near a cell. From rough estimate on her assumption, there were twelve cells meaning each one had a camera. All in unique positions over the area. “Damn kid. I have a feeling this is a start to a great business trade.”

There was a total of four hidden cameras outside of the individual cells, proving the main area of the prison was lightly watched. A perfect meeting area away from prying Sith eyes in just the right spots. When Xid finished nodding to each one, he walked back to Talon with a confident smirk on his lips.

“See, this is the best one. It’s one of the few doors in a decent blind spot.”

Talon nodded. “Shall we play a game of nexu and nerf?”

“What?” Xid asked, confused.

“A game of nexu and nerf. Never mind. We should get started with the escape correct?” She asked as her figure worked its way back towards the bolt. The vixen smirked as she found where the gaps were for her claws and unscrewed the object. Each one fell to the ground, silently catching each one when they fell to the ground.

Xid idly watched, easily impressed, as he patiently waited for her to finish up. It was the worse spell of silence for him.

Talon grasped the object within her hand and placed it inside her pocket. Her paws started working with the wiring inside. A small movement to the left. Another towards the right making it look a bit too easy. At least until a small hissing sound formed with a smell of burnt fur, Talon jerked back and cursed. “Well fuck me.”

Xid stepped forward, his eyes narrowed in concern, “You alright? What happened?”

“I can break inside a house through vents, crawl through the tightest spaces, and play my other tricks any day. But when it comes to things like this my head goes way over it. To answer your question I've had much worse. Trust me Xid. Can you do this?"

“Yeah, I can. It’s simple splicing, let me show you how. I need your help in cutting them.”

With that, Xid stepped forward and hunched down to the panel’s level. His hands move with purpose, less with thought and more with an instinctive knowledge. He pointed to the red wire for her to cut it, her claw sliced easily through it. He then moved it to another where he indicated she slice another one. He twisted the severed ends together causing it to hiss, resisting the command, before finally giving in. The red indicator turned green for open.

“There. Thanks,” Xid praised Talon.

“Well, I have you to thank for the lesson. If you need something sliced I'm your girl.” She said with a smirk before inhaling a different scent. The fur on the back of the vixen's neck stood upright. “We should move now. Troops are coming this way.”

Carefully and quickly, both Jedi rushed across the ramparts toward the only available direction to them: the compound. They vanished quickly into the opening then turned right just before the troopers spotted them. Xid’s breath was held in his chest, his back settled against the wall and listened for their approaching boots. Their steps came then left. He exhaled in relief.

They decided to continue along their given path deeper into the compound. Knowing they had little time, Xid stepped toward the nearest door and pressed the panel. Again, it came open without a hitch.

He turned to Talon then said, “Want to lead the way?”

---

From far above, Nyiss was looking out over the compound and the forest beyond. Something wasn’t quite right, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Normally this planet brimmed with Dark Side energies, but it was out of balance, and not quite in the manner she expected it to be thanks to the presence of the prisoners. It was annoying, but for now there was little to be done about it. She was just about to turn and back into the depths of the facility when an unexpected movement caught her eye below.

There was always movement in the facility, but it was usually with a purpose. Troopers marching, Sith striding towards their goals… But never scurrying in fear. Looking down, she saw two figures in decidedly non-standard garb running across one of the causeways towards the facility. An escape then.

Rather than raise the alarm though, she calmly turned and descended into the facility to investigate in person. Now that she knew they were there, it would be easy to track them through the Force - tiny motes of light amidst the overwhelming darkness.

This would be an interesting experience to be sure.

---

“Leading isn't my strength. With this being said I'll gladly lead us into danger.” Talon said in a smartass tone. Her right paw from its original position from the prison area and into the corridor. Quick flickers of her eyes, different scents filling the vixen's nose, spoke a story inside her mind. There were actually fewer guards than first thought on the move. A skeleton crew of about perhaps 10. Granted that this was just a rough estimate on a time crunch.

At the moment the corridor seemed clear except for the footsteps coming towards them. This made everything much easier to sneak around yet something seemed to gnaw at the animal's brain. As if something was watching them closely. Studying them as if they were some sort of experiment. The fox allowed her other paw to move to the front, ears flickering in each direction as if to tell her comrade something was amiss. “We should go down the left corridor since the sounds of the heavy boot are coming from the right. On a side note, we also need to scatter when this other creature comes into view.”

“Or we can move through the door fast and hid there. I can seal it if needed.” Xid quickly suggested when his feet began to move into the direction the vixen indicated. He couldn’t fight in his condition and he didn’t like the idea of being trapped by troopers with blasters.

The human padawan flipped about, waiting for Talon to follow before he quickly hit the panel to seal the doors. With a hyper focus on his Force into its inner workings, he was ready to cause it to malfunction should the footsteps come to this direction.

“It’s nice to see the Republic and Empire has some similarities in their security systems. They still fall short of mine though.” Xid commented off-handedly, feeling a bit guilty.

“I’ve heard you were really good with technology. Honestly, I thought that was a bit of a stretch.”

“It’s something I had since I was young. Tolun Fi, a Jedi Knight, in the temple found it useful. My master… I think she tolerated it. Especially after I had already created Navi and he helped bail us out of a few situations,” Xid admitted, finding his talent more of a normal for him than amazing.

He inhaled, then twisted on his right heel to see if there was another door. They seemed to be in a sealed room, much to his dislike.

“This should be fun.” She said looking around for a vent. “Mind going on the other side for a bit?”

“Ummm, sure… but what are you going to be able to do?”

The vixen just smirked as he asked. Her eyes flickering towards the vent with a glint of mischief. “Ohhh. Nothing much.” She stated with a calm tone. The female's figure shifted a few steps forward, placing a scratched x on the floor, before continuing towards her hiding hole. The mark was simply for the person in the back. A marker to allow his leg to step on for the perfect position. After all one couldn't completely be aware of their surroundings during a quick event.

“Don't open the door until I speak your name.”

Xid frowned. He wasn’t liking where this was leading, feeling like bait on a hook, “I’m guessing you’re wanting me to lure them in here?”

There was a hint of wariness which was overwhelmed by annoyance at being possibly right.

“Why do people always assume I'm using them?” She asked in a monotone voice.

“Cause moment I open this, they will see me. There’s nowhere to hide in here for too long.”

“It's an old strategy I used to use a thief. X means where you want your target to step. Those footsteps don't sound light in weight. Meaning some of the men will be getting winded really quick. Those are the ones you want to steal from. No one can truly focus on their surroundings during a quick timed event. Stealing objects off of a single person is this sort of event. The opportunist needs to have quick reflexes along with a light touch.” The vixen explained as she shifted her tail around herself.

Xid’s eyes just narrowed, not fully seeing the logic in that. He sighed then decided to go along with as he then asked, “So… what do I do exactly? Aside from opening the door?”

The girl sighed and glanced around the room. “Don't get hit.”

“Easier said than done,” Xid mumbled, recalling the last time he tangled with troopers with blasters. His shoulder was still hurting because of it.

“FINE. Once the door is opened stay in a corner. I'll take care of everything because I don't need this to go wrong.” The vixen stated with a growl. “Open the door and I'll force blast them.”

“Fine,” Xid was done arguing. Escaping alone, he might’ve actually gotten farther rather than trapped in a room with a fox that obviously didn’t see the whole picture, “Ready?”

“Might want to take a few steps back from the door after opening it. One, two, three, four, and punch it.” She said with her teeth exposed.

“Alright,” Xid commented then stepped back, still focused on it, as he then opened it with a force push.

The doors hissed open causing both troopers to snap their heads toward the Jedi’s direction. Thankfully, Xid had been smart enough to step out of the line of sight and the door appeared to have opened by itself.

The vixen closed her yellow eyes, listening while stepping with the padawan's footsteps. Team player was beyond her ways since the betrayal. Hell, it was always easier to play by her own rules anyway. Granted this was one of the many things the Jedi seemed to have a problem with. What did they think would happen? Would the teenager suddenly change her ways of life for their moronic ideals? Taking a deep breath she allowed the frustrations to leave her mind. Worries weren't going to help at this moment. Honestly, they were just going to become a huge bother, making the set skills duller than normal.

The footsteps seemed to echo off the wall as the two guards investigated the distraction. One seeming to land directly where they were supposed to hit. Talon smirked as her eyes opened, not allowing a single motion to take place, causing the guard on the mark to smack into the wall with a force push. Since the second one was more aware of something inside the room things would become rather tricky. The fox’s figure moves swiftly without a sound revealing where the attacker was. A small step forward and a grasp of the weapon made all attention shift towards the gun. ”Well fuck me. Guess I'm more out of practice than I thought.” She thought smacking the person’s helmet hard with the blaster stock.

“That could’ve gone better…” Xid began then looked out the door, noticing the coast was clear.

“Sorry for being out of practice unlike you. I just have to remember how he taught me how to use this.” The vixen said nearly hitting the trigger.

Xid bolted forward. His hand reached for the muzzle then pulled it clear of her foot, the blast narrowly missed hitting it. “Not that way! Don’t pull the trigger unless you’re aiming it at something you want to blast.”

Talon nodded with a grumble. She picked up the second one and handed it to Xid. Her finger shifted away from the trigger button. “These things should have a safety lock or something. In order to prevent someone going blaster happy on people.” The fox said as they walked out of the room. They cautiously checked the area again, as if they were nothing more than small animals on the run, before taking the other path. Moments of silence passed between them making a rather uncomfortable atmosphere as they moved deeper into the complex.

“They don’t so be careful,” Xid said noting the other being handed to him, though he wasn’t keen on using it. Personally, he preferred a lightsaber, but he doubted they would ever find theirs or be able to rebuild new ones. He followed Talon deeper into the Sith’s lair.
[hr

Nyiss could feel the desperation in the Force as she drew near. These young Jedi had no plan, they merely wandered the halls of her fortress. It was a delight to hunt such prey again, even if it would prove only a short distraction.

She rounded a corner and finally spotted them down the hallway from her. The handsome young blonde one and the Amarran.

“And what do you think you’re doing outside your cells?” She said, projecting her voice without shouting. She began to walk towards them, fully expecting them to run at the sight of her.

Xid had settled himself down in front of their latest obstacle. While his hands examined the panel, he could hear the sounds of snarls, growls and more related to wild beasts. He had just gotten past the panel when the sith’s voice caused his head to whip about, spotting her casually making her way to them.

Panic shot through his veins as his fingers spliced into the wiring, forcing the door open. He could tell she was strong with the force purely from the darkness radiating off her at this distance. Talon and he wouldn’t last very long in a fight. If he didn’t do something, their mission to find a way out was going to get cut short.

“Time to leave,” Xid stated to Talon as the doors hissed open, revealing the multiple beasts trapped within their cages inside.

He didn’t wait for Amarran to go first, his figure already stepped inside and ready to seal it shut.

"Well, you know. We thought your mother was lonely and decided to drop in." Talon said with a taunting tail wiggle as her figure dived through the door.

Nyiss continued to pursue at a brisk pace, ignoring the childish insult. Far worse things had been said about her in her early days, and she had said far worse about her mother as well.

She held up a hand, gripping the doors to the room with the Force to ensure they would remain open. Now that she knew of the technopathic abilities this human had, she would not be fooled again.

“Oh no,” Xid tried not to whimper.

He noticed the doors hadn’t closed, their gears grounded endlessly and got nowhere causing his heart to sink deeper into his chest. They failed to resist the force applied to it by the Darth. He had to improvise. His figure leaned down, the boy’s hand gripped Talon's shoulder then jerked her to follow him. Xid’s blue eyes scanned the specs of the room before noting the local ventilation entrance.

“Get those bolts off and get in there. Now. Don’t argue with me, I’m going to buy you some time.”

Without wasting more time than he already had, Xid’s head darted from specimen to specimen. His knowledge didn’t extend to the animals in the same fashion as it did with technology. He narrowed his attention on a vicious, reddish colored Nexu. Its four eyes glared at him when its claws flexed, eager to rip him into pieces. Xid felt a shiver rush along his spine at seeing the intelligence behind the primal eyes. Already his hand began to undo the panel, using the knowledge that Talon shared, then began to rip out key wires.

The young woman nodded and went to work on the bolts off as quick as possible. Her tail flickered back and forth due to the hidden pressure which Xid placed on her. ”Take your time with this job. One bolt gone. Now focus. The left top right is gone as for the other three focus on the right.” She thought to herself while in screwing the top right now. A few more seconds of releasing the vent top, allowing entrance into the cuppy area below, as her figure disappeared inside.

The Nexu hissed, smashing itself against the cage as Nyiss stepped into the room. She smiled as she realised that it was about to break free. The console sparked as the wires controlling all but the last of the locks on the Nexu’s cage were torn free. The creature howled and slammed itself against the cage again, this time breaking loose.

It rushed straight for Nyiss, but before it could leap at her, she raised a hand and pointed at it. A single arc of lightning extended from her finger, striking its head dead center. It whimpered and slowed its approach, bowing its head and stopping just in front of her.

She looked up at Xid and spoke then. “A valiant effort. But for all your machine knowledge, you know nothing of my pets.” She smiled then, a vicious smile that spoke of the depths of her sadism.

“Well, organics were always difficult to understand. Torture eventually breaks down even the most vicious creature’s programming and makes them submit to the whims of the programmer,” Xid commented and hoped Talon was gone by now, “I was hoping for better results truthfully.”

While he disliked the aftermath, he shouldn’t have been surprised. These beasts had been likely tortured, trained and brutalized in horrible fashions since they were first captured. He didn’t know exactly what the extent of their programming was.

“Now the next question is… what now?” His attention was already shifting toward a way out, but his options were heavily limited.

“Now, little Jedi, I walk you back to your prison,” Nyiss stated. “Or, I incapacitate you and have you dragged back. Your choice.” She stepped past the Nexu and began to raise her hand, expecting him to be difficult.

“How polite of you,” Xid couldn’t help his words being laced with sarcasm.

His figure relaxed a bit and appeared like all the fight within him was lost. He took a deep breath then lowered his eyes, noting that Talon had abruptly vanished into the vents. Hopefully beyond Nyiss’ reach for now.

“I think I’ll take the advice of a Kaminoan Knight, and cooperate. I’m not in the condition to fight as you can see,” Xid replied than gestured to his still mending arm hung close to his side.

“Good. A smart choice. We will catch your little friend later.” She said, now beckoning with her raised hand instead. “I trust you must know the way back by now?” She said with some degree of sarcasm.

“If you count wandering around for what seemed like ages as ‘knowing the way’, then yes. I do,” Xid replied, his figure stepped cautiously toward the Darth’s direction and right past her.

He wasn’t about to reveal how much he knew about the compound’s mapping to Sith. It would just complicate future escape plans and make things much harder.

“Come along then.” She said, slightly impatiently. This had been fun for a little while, and she had learned a great deal about this particular Jedi’s capabilities and mentality. She would exploit that information to the fullest later.

“And don't even think about using Mechu Deru to escape me.” As she spoke, she tapped a few buttons on one of the intact control panels in the beast pens and called a team in to put the Nexu back in its cage and make repairs.

“Just because a Jedi has a high knowledge about machines doesn’t automatically give them that ability,” Xid commented but didn’t deny he was able to do it.

Since she was aware of it, he assumed it was a bad idea to prove her suspicions correct and use it. His pace only slightly picked up at her words while he approached the door then stepped through it.

“You’ll not fool me child. I have seen the Force wielded in ways you cannot even imagine. Now move. I have more important things to do than shephard escaped Jedi.” She was properly impatient now, and considering putting an ignited lightsaber behind his neck to quicken his pace as they moved through the halls of her fortress.

“My words aren't meant to fool you, it’s a fact,” Xid pointed out.

His feet finally picked up the pace properly, sensing the irritation his words caused and decided not to test his limits too far.

“It seems you didn’t because you didn’t simply raise the alarm. It’s too much of a coincidence that you simply showed up and chased us down so I can only assume you’ve been watching us.”

“Chance, that I happened to be admiring the view when you ran across the catwalks in such a clearly desperate and fugitive manner. Act like a Sith if you don't want to be noticed.” She said with a smirk.

“I’m going to avoid going down that path at all costs. Nothing good will come from it,” Xid stated bluntly, fighting a shiver down his spine.

His eyes glanced down at his attire then added, “I will make a note that you’re able to see the prison and make efforts to try a bit harder not to be seen.”

He didn’t like her smirk as he turned his head, avoiding her face and continued walking.

“So confident.” Nyiss said, mockingly. “We shall see whether you still believe that soon enough. I think you know much that you aren’t telling me. But we can discuss this later, at a time more convenient to me.” She said as they approached the catwalks that would lead them to the prison. The wind was howling and the dark sky looked as if it would rain at any moment.

“If your fellow Sith hasn’t killed me by then,” Xid countered, ignoring her mocking words.

Though he didn’t like the fact she would be talking with him later as he reached the catwalk. His eyes snapped up to spy the wild weather collecting down upon them, seemed to reflect some wild creature looming over them all. Something crossed his mind before he shook it away. He let their conversation slip into silence for the moment.

It did not take long for them to arrive at the Cellblock, where Nyiss handed Xid over to the guards to be put back where he belonged.

Master Fa-Val-Kuul gave a nod in agreement to Astera. “Indeed. The troopers themselves are not the problem; it is the Sith as a whole. Based on what we observed while we were there, it is quite a small outpost. Astera and I only saw two troopers. It is possible that there are more, but the size of that outpost would not be able to support many more than that. Simply killing them would be trivial for a force of our size and experience. However, we must ensure that the Sith stay gone from the area after we remove them.”

Fa, of course, had her own ideas for how they could deal with the outpost, but she was not generally one to make important decisions without conferring with her team, which now, for better or worse, included these Jedi. She was not sure of their capabilities or weaknesses, but she reasoned that she could get some insight into their tendencies by what kind of approach they recommended. For that reason, she decided to allow the others to give their suggestions first. “Our only real goal is to make sure the Sith are gone and do not return to this area. The outpost has just a single building in a tree, hexagonal in shape, with a small fence in a clearing surrounding it. We happened to witness a small creature run into the fence during our observation, and it stunned the creature. Nonlethally. I would also point out that we opted to remain cautious with our scouting, so we might learn more with more focused observation. Do you or your Jedi have any ideas, Master Gar?”

~| Imperial archives report 34-6-18-Aurek |~
Report on Feena

Even now, months after it all went down, it feels strange. I have still not gotten used to it all. For my master, there is no denying that the events on the world of Feena in the Gordian Reach had considerable success. But there were also failures. Some could have been avoided, others not.

As is well-known, my master took part in the Sacking of Coruscant. Her military forces and a number of her other apprentices and subject Lords were part of the Strike team backing up Darth Malgus in the destruction of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and the purging of the planet’s Jedi infestation. Her secondary mission, approved by the Dark Council, was to capture Jedi for use in certain experiments of hers.

The mission went entirely as expected, with the glorious destruction of the Jedi Temple and many dead Jedi. Ten Jedi were captured and transported to Feena for the experiments. When offered the opportunity by my master, I was interred there with them, to deal with any unforeseen circumstances as they appeared.

Now that the events are all in the past, I can confirm that none of them made their way back to the republic, even with the unexpected interference in my master’s plans that came later. They all either saw that our cause was the right one, died in the experiments or died trying to escape.

Even while I stayed among the prisoners, my master helped me maintain my cover by the simple expedience of including me in her experiments. Considering the outcome of them, I bear her no ill will for it, though it was both exceedingly painful and confusing as it went on. I came out of it all stronger, a better Sith. At the stage they were on then, all they did was leave me in pain, nauseous, sick and riddled with red rashes.

The first prisoner to die was the diminutive creature that went by the name of Talon Soule. Apparently a thief taken in by the Jedi Order and trained as a padawan, she tried to steal the late Lord Sish’s lightsaber, something to which he did not react well. He punished her harshly, and she died some time later from complications with her injuries. Unfortunately for Lord Jewel Namore, her fur proved too damaged to be of use.

My investigations revealed that she knew another prisoner from before her time among the Jedi, the human girl, Nazca Barsavi. This one was chosen by my master to undergo experiments not unlike my own, but not identical. She was quickly convinced to utilize the Dark Side of the Force. She would eventually undergo a complete transformation, much to my master’s satisfaction.

A week and a half after I got to Feena, Some time after I had left the prison compound to consult my master I encountered the first hint that there was more happening on Feena than I, my master or any other Sith knew. The aforementioned unforeseen interference. I encountered a Jedi Master. Thankfully, he could not sense where my true loyalties lay, so he had no warning as I led him right into the hands of Lord Vivithe Lansha.

I led him almost directly to her, only going by a sufficiently roundabout fashion to avoid arousing suspicion, then let her deal with him properly, getting involved only after confirming that no one else were able to observe, and I saw she had need of assistance. It was unfortunate to be forced to break my cover with anyone, but unavoidable. She was, fortunately, the kind of Sith that saw the value in keeping secrets and agreed not to reveal anything to any of the others.

I have recently been able to see the recordings of how she, Lord Sish and Nimm Deenia interrogated him, and can only be impressed. They broke him down, both literally and figuratively. For days, he refused to give up anything and anyone, but he was only human, so he broke in the end.

His capture ensured that the Jedi who had somehow managed to sneak onto my master’s planet no longer had the advantage of surprise. From what my master has told me since, it was determined that they needed to be wiped out sooner rather than later. The majority of the Sith present on Feena and a large contingent of soldiers moved out to wipe them out, with only Apprentices Zanna and Daven staying behind, assisted by the somewhat sickened but turned Nazca Barsavi.

I myself had no choice but to remain to maintain my cover. I also had to remain to ensure that no escape attempts would be successful. With my master’s dreadnaught in orbit, the invaders had no chance of escape, even if they had taken to the air, something they did not. Had the Jedi invaders struck hard and fast, I do not think we would have been nearly as successful against them. In fact, with surprise on their hands, they might even have succeeded at doing irreparable damage to the facility or even the residents. Fortunately, that was not the case.

With limited Sith resources to call on, I had to improvise somewhat when several of the prisoners sought to use the absence of most Sith to escape. None of them would’ve noticed if not for a little droid I later learned was called Navi. It seemed Navi had been able to infiltrate and found a small shuttle available for escape. I thought it was safe on account of the extensive anti-ship defenses on the compound. Little did I know at the time that one of the prisoners, the one known as Xid Terrik, was a Jedi practitioner of Mechu Deru, and therefore was an expert at working on computer systems. While Navi lead the others safely to the shuttle, I joined Xid in the attempt to disable the compound’s aerial defenses, not having any idea he would succeed. As it was, I only barely managed to trigger a silent alarm to get troopers up to the command center before splitting off from him in the flight.

Though the shuttle was guarded by Apprentice Daven Auter, two of the other prisoners, Jedi Knight Denso Halsa and his padawan learner Khan Sainen managed to slay him and to get onto the shuttle. The rest of the would-be escapees either had not dared to escape, were cut off by Apprentice Zanna and a contingent of troopers, or were recovering from injuries gained in trying to resist the efforts of the Sith. Thankfully I managed to assist the technicians in restoring the defenses in time to shoot down the ship before it got out of range. Both of the two prisoners died in the crash, unfortunately. For a long time after this, I saw nothing more of the droid Navi, so at the time I presumed it destroyed.

The third attempted escapee, a Twi’lek Padawan named Shir’Inilim, was fortunately captured alive. My master chose her for the experiments soon after her return, where she proved to be far weaker than expected. She did not even succeed at becoming a proper Sithspawn, let alone a Sith, dying a twisted and mutated wreck, little better than an animal. I had early on determined her to be both weak with the Force and rather weak-minded, so I was not overly surprised.

Many things happened in the jungle excursion, chief of which was the termination of the combined Jedi and Republic invasion. However, battlefields are confusing, and as I was not there, I only have a second-hand account of events for this report. The interrogation revealed that there were a significant number of republic special forces troops present, as well as a second Jedi master and another Jedi knight among the invaders. It had also revealed that the Jedi master was a Tiss’shar battlemaster by the name of Fa-Val-Kuul.

What none knew, and which has only been uncovered later through intense investigation, was that the the captain of the republic troopers was a relative of Lord Sish’s apprentice, Jayda Mirthios. When Lord Sish set himself up against the captain, she did not join her master. She in fact betrayed us all, turning on her master, killing him just before he laid the finishing blow. She then proceeded to steal away her cousin’s body, fleeing somewhere neither of them could be located. It can only be assumed that neither returned to their superiors, for no evidence of that has been uncovered by our spies in the republic.

In the battle against the Jedi master, the Jedi knight and the remaining republic troops, Lord Jewel Namore met an early death at the hands of the Jedi master. However, her death was not a total loss, for it permitted My master and Apprentice Nimm Deenia to get into position to give him a proper challenge. I heard it lasted a long time, intermixed only with the deaths of the majority of the Republic troops and the pacification of Jedi Knight Astera Nalin. With the exception of the captured knight and the unknown fate of the Republic Special Forces captain, there were no enemy survivors.

It must have been hard fought, for I have never seen Darth Nyiss as exhausted as she was when she returned that day. It is a small miracle that none of her subordinates chose to betray her at that moment, and take advantage of her weakness. Fortunately, no one did, for I would not have reached my true potential had anyone succeeded.

My master continued her experiments on me and on several of the prisoners, leaving me physically weaker than ever, but from my master’s look of satisfaction, the experiments upon me were clearly having the desired effect. Other than the physical weakness and pain, the effects I noted were a distinct reddening of my skin, combined with unusual ease of drawing on the Dark Side of the Force.

The prisoner taken in the jungle was immediately put into the experiments, following a similar recipe as my own, except being adjusted to account for her species. Unfortunately, she refused to embrace the Dark Side, which eventually resulted in the experiments mutating her into a Sithspawn.

Considering the attempt at escaping while the Sith were largely absent, the degree to which they were guarded was increased significantly. This meant I had far less ease of movement while maintaining my cover. I do know that the strangest prisoner of them all, the contradiction that was a Sith Pureblood Jedi padawan, Ryndarra Kirileth, was convinced to embrace the Dark Side. Blood proved stronger than training for her, just as truly as it had for the Late Lord Sish’s missing apprentice, Jayda Mirthios.

The only prisoner not put into the experiments at this point was Jedi Knight Xid Terrik. This was because my master had theories he would die if he got too far into the experiment without embracing the Dark Side. Or at least that was my theory at the time. It certainly had proven so in the case of Jedi Knight Astera Nilim.

My own transformation was advancing quickly after the first month of captivity for the prisoners. It still left me physically weak and off balance, but not as much as it had at the start. It had made me grow taller, apparently in response to them heightened traits inherited from a non-human ancestor of mine. My skin was pure crimson at this point, and my eyes had taken on a distinct red-orange hue.

With the reduced prisoner count, we could put more effort into actually turning the ones who remained. Right after the Sacking of Coruscant there had not really been a plan in place for each prisoner. It was mostly done randomly, with a method of trial and failure. Now, the regimen changed. Now we could tailor a plan for each prisoner. For me, the focus fell on Xid Terrik. I did not care much about Nimm Deenia’s pet, Chell. She was more about hurting the Jedi than trying to make something useful out of it.

Anyways. Xid Terrik. I found him fascinating. Even with the deaths of all those others, he kept his hopes up. He kept thinking that he would escape. Or as he thought of it, that we would escape. The fact that both I and Padawan Cerria Kinall were at times barely able to stumble about, let alone fight, seemed not to get in the way of his hopes and dreams. Whether Nimm’s pet was about was random chance most days, she was little more than an animal by this point in any case, broken in completely. It certainly did not stop her attempts at escape, fortunately Apprentice Zanna kept good track of her, so I did not have to interfere much.

The hardest bit about it all was how he did not trust my master. He refused to accept that she bore him no ill will. After seeing how poorly he interacted with my master, I privately suggested that I should take over the work of turning him. That with her guidance, I could work on making him see the right way of things. It took some convincing, but my master relented. A delay would be better than simply losing him.

Shortly afterwards, it was made a point of splitting me and him away from the other two. Shortly after, we were informed that they had both been terminated due to being useless to the empire. I knew they had been close to falling already at that point, so to Xid they were effectively dead. In between my bouts of genetically induced sickness, I tried everything to turn him. I did not have much success with misdirection, for he was far too good at analyzing information.

When I instead simply spent my time trying to learn who he was, what made him tick, I eventually came to a revelation of why he so resisted my master. He was afraid. Afraid of becoming a monster like Lord Sish had been or like so many other Sith had built their reputations on being like. Once I figured that out, we got a much better idea of how to go about turning him. We—or rather, I—would have to make sure his focus wasn’t on doing stuff, on making things for the empire. Especially not anything remotely resembling weaponry.

In the process of learning everything about Xid, I managed to obtain the remains of Navi, learning from the trooper that ended its life where they were. My master’s suggestion was both effective and scary all at once. She knew how I had looked at him, and she knew I found him intriguing. Therefore, she suggested I seduce him, make him fall in love with me. Or at least be infatuated with me. In hindsight, I see she wanted me to prove myself to her yet again, prove my commitment to the empire. At the time, I did not even see that. All I saw was the terrifying challenge of it all. But I could not refuse, for I did on some level care for him. I did not want him to become merely a fount of information to be bled dry. I wanted to convince someone with the same logic as had convinced me to join the Empire. If that meant I had to use seduction to lay the groundwork, then so be it.

I won’t describe anything here about how I went about it or how it was for me. If you want such tales, you should look in other places. Suffice to say, I am female, he is male of a similar age and the same lack of experience. With my master’s guidance, I managed to succeed and I cannot deny that the return of his droid’s remains certainly helped. Over the following weeks, as my transformation neared the end, the sickness faded and my confidence grew stronger. I managed to guide him into the same sort of evidence that had convinced me, slowly guiding him onto the path to the Dark Side. Not out of cruelty or maliciousness, but out of necessity. As I had promised him, he did not become a monster. He got to see that there were at least as many monsters in the republic and among the Jedi. The only difference really was that the monstrous Sith were honest about it.

He is still moving down the path, absorbing the knowledge I feed him, largely oblivious to how he is walking up the path to the Dark Side. I served both my master and the empire in this, but most of all, I served myself. One day, I hope to convince him that he is ready to undergo the experiment that was so successful on me. I suspect my master wants to test it further first, but the so-called peace treaty has made getting Jedi prisoners harder, so she does not have much in the way of opportunity for this. I certainly do not want to risk losing him, his skills or his knowledge to the experiments, but I think they should be safe enough. However, I want him to desire it too. For now, there are only three successes from my master’s experiments: Me, Nazca Barsavi and Cerria Kinall.

I was, naturally, the first success. I finished my transformation before the others were even halfway through it. When their skin truly started taking on the proper color, my cheek tendrils and eyebrow-stalks were all grown in, and the bone spurs were making themselves known. That last bit was not comfortable to grow, that much I can say. However, once grown in, they were easy to get used to. They were all symbols to be proud of, for they said to all that I am a pure-blooded Sith. At long last, my chains had been broken. I, Lea Rahn, apprentice to Darth Nyiss, was free.

It was only when I had fully recovered from my transformation that my master told me the true name of the process I had undergone: Sithification.