NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: This is the beggining of a new arc in my nation's history. My geekness is taking over and I'm converting to a more SW-based way of existance. This RP deals with the Sith revolution within my nation and the belief that a Sith may have inflitrated the Colerican government.

IC:

"But, my lord, I am not sure if you understand the ramifications of these actions. If we go through with your intentions--," an Imperial Court official pleaded to Emperor Thra.

"Silence," Maderic, Emperor of the United Empire, interrupted. "Only speak when told to."

"I'm sorry, my lord. Yes, Your Excellency."

"Speak. Repeat what you have just told me, Reshruk."

"Yes, my majesty," the official said. "My lord, it appears that our second invasion of Isla de Plata is having an adverse effect on our foreign poll numbers. Our image overseas has never been a lower point. Only the nations within the Imperial Confederacy seem to show any favor of our actions. If you announce to world that the true reason we invaded Isla de Plata was for pure imperialistic reasons -- that there was no liberation in mind -- then the United Empire may suffer even worse numbers. Or, alternatively, an attack could come about as retaliation of some nosy nation."

"I pay you to inform me of our national image in world affairs, correct?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"I keep you here to improve out national image, correct?"

"Of course, my lord," Reshruk said, still not aware of exactly where this conversation was leading him.

"And now you come to me to tell me that our image has been tarnished overseas and we are held with distaste and disdain?" continued Emperor Thra.

Shakily, he replied, "Yes, my lord. I am here to warn you, though, of not going through with your speech to the world. And to--."

Again, Maderic interrupted, "I don't need your excuses."

"Yes, my lord."

"I need decisive action," he said. "And decisive action is what I expect from my officials, associates, and underlings. You are an underling, Mr. Reshruk, and I expect better from you."

"Infinite apologies, my lord," said Reshruk.

"I don't need your apologies, either. You have something else to discuss, no?"

"Yes, my majesty. It deals with a recent CIIA intelligence briefing."

"Concerning."

"My lord, certain sects within the CIIA are under the belief that foreign influence has corrupted the very highest peaks of our government."

"What sort of foreign influence?" he asked.

"They won't say yet. They're still collaborating their sources and trying to confirm their suspicion. It all sounds like hocus-pocus witchcraft to me, my lord."

Maderic raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Well, it's kind of a hard answer, my lord. It's like child's play in a way."

"What do you mean?" he asked irritation and impatience dripping in his tone.

In a rushed whisper, Reshruk answered, "They believe in the Sith."

Maderic smirked curiously. "The Sith?"

"The Sith, my lord. Some intelligence operatives within our own CIIA believe that a Sith Lord may have influenced their way into the highest levels of our government and could be operating to circumvent our very way of life as we speak. And all of this could be happening right under our noses."

Tag. is there anyway I can assist the sith seeing how I'm a "sith" nation myself?

Tag. is there anyway I can assist the sith seeing how I'm a "sith" nation myself?

OOC: Sure. I'll post later about the investigation into the Sith.

Colerican Imperial Court -- Emperor Thra's address to the body

The Imperial Court -- the house of appointed representatives from Colerica's various states, Imperial officials, military officers, and the like that form the advising group to the emperor -- have convened at the demand of Emperor Thra. Maderic, standing at the Imperator's Deliverance, the podium platform reserved for the emperor, has begun his address to the body regarding the Colerican Imperial Intelligence Agency's belief that a Sith Lord may have been infiltrated the highest levels of the United Empire.

"….it is within the United Empire's best interest -- within the best interest of our neighbors and allies -- that we uncover this Sith Lord's tracks and bring him or her to justice immediately. I will not allow my authority to be circumvented by a conspiracy of the Sith. As you are aware, the CIIA has uncovered suspicions that lead to the wide-spread belief within our Imperial intelligence community that a Dark Lord of the Sith has been operating against the interest of the United Empire within our own governing body. We are unaware, currently, as to how this Sith may have influenced his or her way into power in secret, but I assure you all that this ghost in the darkness will not stay hidden for long. We will route out and oust this treasonous apparition and bring him or her -- and all of whom who have assisted the Sith -- to the swift and crushing hand of justice."

Dynex Ralloon, Magistrate of the Imperial Court, indicated that the emperor would take questions. Instantly, scores of red lights glowed on the bases of the various chairs and podiums that housed the members of the Imperial Court, indicating that they had a question or comment to make.

"The Court recognizes Ooh'Rar Penma, Viceroy of Keystone Major," Ralloon announced.

"Your Excellency," Penma began, "what credible proof is there of the existence of this mythical Sith Lord?"

"The CIIA has been precise in their research and they have reached the unanimous agreement that this Sith Lord does indeed exist and is operating within our own government."

"The Court recognizes Sero Kul, the Viceroy of Deviso."

"I believe I may be speaking for most when I ask: what exactly are the Sith, my lord?"

"The Sith were an ancient cult," Emperor Thra answered simply. "They, as opposite of the Jedi, looked to the Force as a way of manipulating events to their own liking. All things involving the Sith were done only to benefit themselves. They enslaved and slaughtered millions before they were ultimately defeated and sent into exile where they, over time, went extinct."

"This all sounds like a fairy tale to me, my majesty," Sero replied. "Yes, our textbooks teach of the wars that raged long ago between the Jedi and the Sith, but both orders are long dead. This sounds more like science fiction than matters of state."

"And so it may, Viceroy Kul. So it may. The fact of the matter remains that the Sith have returned elsewhere in the universe and even here in some nations on our own planet. If a Sith Lord truly does exist and operate within our government, than we must move quickly to defeat him or her before their power manifests itself any deeper and their evil influence spreads further."

"The Court recognizes Kathren Movan of Colerica Imperial News."

"Beloved Emperor Thra, does this Sith pose a military threat to our safety and what precautions are the Imperial military -- being stretched out and involved in the ongoing war of liberation in Isla de Plata have -- taking?"

"I am unable to answer your first question at this moment. I can say, however, that in regards to the second question you posed, I have placed the Imperial military on a selective state of emergency. We will defeat the Sith before they cause any more damage to our way of life," he answered.

"The Court recognizes Devstro Duuca, a representative of Kally Major."

"Revered Emperor, how do you react to the allegations that the Sith may have been behind the Colerican Civil War by motivating my own state and the others to secede from the United Empire? Surely, you can't believe that the Confederacy's secession was encouraged or influenced by the Sith."

"As of this moment, Viceroy, we are not to be ruling anything out of the realm of possibility. It is entirely feasible that a Sith Lord orchestrated the civil strife that tore apart our United Empire and killed more than three hundred thousand of our fellow countrymen. That is all for now. As always, Colericans: Believe. Obey. Fight."

Colerican Imperial Intelligence Agency headquarters -- Zachara, Kurono, UEC

"Do you have any idea what this could mean?" an intelligence operative under the name of Jayson Kasey asked his two counterparts that stood in the room alongside him.

"In terms of what, Jayson?" replied Morgan Venn.

"It means, Morgan, that we have been under the leadership of the Sith for God knows how long," Marksum Rison answered.

"But, Marksum, none of us know that this is even true. For all we know, the Sith do not exist anymore," she argued.

"Oh come off it, girl," Jayson said. "Not even you can argue in defense of the idea that the Sith don't exist anymore. After the information we've uncovered; we have definitive proof now."

"I still haven't seen anything that logically shows that a Sith Lord is within the top levels of the government."

"Then you haven't seen the recording we uncovered."

"What recording?" she asked.

"Oye vé, Morgan. You really are left out of the loop," Marksum said. "You're sure you haven't seen it?"

"No, damn it, I haven't seen anything. All I've read was written briefings."

"Take a look at this then," Jayson said as he sat down a computer desktop and began to file through various folders until he located what he was trying to find. "What you're about to see has been ripped from a data disc we uncovered within the Imperial Royal Guard's base of operations."

"When did we raid the IRG HQ? Who gave us the authority to do that?" she questioned.

"The Emperor," Marksum replied.

"Oh."

Jayson pressed the 'play' button on the computer's media player and a video began to play. Morgan gasped at what she saw. A holographic image fluttered before two senior IRG officers -- one of which appeared to be famed Commander Bress Dayrock, the commander of all IRG forces -- and they instantly bowed before it. A hooded, cloaked figure whose face could scarcely be seen was dressed in all black appeared on the screen and spoke to the guards.

"You have served me well, Commander Dayrock."

Dayrock raised his head to gaze upon the figure and replied, "It was all in the service of a greater cause, my liege. We are your humble servants."

"Good, good," the ghoulish figure cackled. "The time for my revelation approaches, Commander."

"The plans and the execution of them are known only to us, my lord. We will obey them as explicitly as you commanded," Dayrock said

"I am pleased to hear that, Commander

"Lord Raze," the second kneeling crimson-clad IRG called out softly.

"Yes, my child?"

"What will they make of your revelation once the secret is completely out?"

"They will not know what to do. The United Empire is crumbling and I will be the one to bring it down. The Civil War ended too soon and I was forced to accelerate my plans. This second war will go as scheduled."

"We will make sure of it, my lord," Dayrock said.

"Good, good," Darth Raze replied. "I await the day when we no longer will meet in shadows, Commander."

"Have you considered a candidate for your apprenticeship?"

"Oh," Raze paused. "I have one already in mind."

"My lord?" Dayrock asked, as if in need for clarification.

The Sith seemed to ignore the question and continued, "He does not seem to recognize his power, but it is there. He has grown strong since I first sensed his presence. In time, he will make a fine Sith apprentice for me to mold into a powerful Sith Lord. He has advanced through the Imperial Army only through my good graces."

Dayrock smiled. "I know who you refer to."

"Then that is all that is needed. Good day to you, Commander."

The hologram in the video vanished and the Jayson promptly shut it off. He turned to Morgan and asked her, "Now do you believe in the Sith?"

"I," she faltered. "I don't know what to say. Has the Emperor seen this yet?"

"Not yet," Marksum answered.

"Why not?" she asked.

"We're awaiting the possibility of further meetings. We have, however, leaked the name -- Darth Raze -- onto our next intelligence briefing which the Emperor will receive tonight."

"But what about Commander Dayrock? He's in collusion with the Sith! We can't just let him go free."

"Nor shall we," he said.

"We're using Dayrock as bait for more holo-meetings with this Sith," Jayson explained. "We were inspired to search the IRG HQ after we received an anonymous note indicating that senior officers within the IRG could yield important information in regards to the Sith we're searching for. We've got the place bugged to give us more footage. Plus -- Dayrock seems to enjoy taping himself anyway. What films that didn't include the Sith Lord, included footage of the IRG's in regular life in their headquarters. If we don't get a recording of another Sith meeting, we're pretty sure Dayrock will have the video himself."

"Are we going to arrest him?"

"When the time is right," Marksum said.

"What if he catches onto us?" she asked.

"Then we'll spring the trap on him before he can get free," Jayson said with a slight smirk. "We've got everything where we want it. Dayrock will give us more evidence; we'll track down this Sith Lord; and Darth Raze will never harm the United Empire again."

"I sure hope you're right," she remarked.

Imperial Royal Guard Commander Bress Dayrock turned to his second-in-command (the man featured in his holo-broadcast to the Sith Lord), Jevvis Temblor. Within the confines of Dayrock's personal yacht that sat in Keystone Bay, the two shared a casual dinner and discussed various events of their concern. Temblor, just as casually as he could, slipped in the topic of the Imperial investigation to find the Sith.

"The CIIA doesn't know where to begin looking for him. They won't find him until he wants them to," Dayrock declared.

"But what if they do find him? There's been some talk that the CIIA has been snooping around our HQ, trying to find any intel that they can dig up."

"Who would have given them a tip in our direction?" Dayrock said, more to himself than to Temblor.

"I'm not sure. But when we were checking some of the archival footage, we noticed some discs were missing."

Dayrock grew suddenly pale. "Missing data discs?"

"Yes, Sir. What do we do if the CIIA has taken them and found the conversations you recorded?"

"Lord Raze will know what to do."

"He has to," Temblor finished. "The CIIA means to expose him."

"We must contact him at once," Dayrock said, affirmed.

Bress Dayrock and Jevvis Temblor kneeled before the fluttering holographic image of Darth Raze. In an urgent, yet cowering tone, Dayrock spoke to the Sith Lord.

"My liege, they mean to expose you."

"I am aware of that, Commander. Their search will do as how I want it to do. Their results will come from my hands, not their own," the Dark Lord of the Sith responded.

"But my lord, what if they do find out and reveal you?" Temblor asked.

"They shall only uncover what I allow them to. My revelation will come at a time of my choosing. When I am ready to show myself to the world, I shall do so."

"The CIIA is working over-time in their search for you, my majesty," Dayrock said.

"That is because I have ordered them to, Commander," Raze stated. "Everything they do is with my permission."

"Oh, my lord," Dayrock said, as if he suddenly recalled something he had forgotten. "Do you still request to return General Osari from the frontlines of Isla de Plata? His brigade is involved in a series of important operations. I have been told that it would be a costly blow to the war effort for us to remove his leadership skills from the field."

"He will be serving a greater cause here at home when he begins his training. He is to be my apprentice, Commander," Raze said.

"What if he refuses?" Temblor asked.

"Then he will have sealed his own fate," the Sith answered. "Once he realizes that he has the power of the Force on his side, he will not reject my offer."

"I see. You do, as always, know best, my lord," Dayrock said. "We will continue to keep you updated."

"I have no need for your updates, Commander. I am entirely conscious of what is happening. I shall only contact you when I deliver instructions."
The hologram fizzled away and disappeared. Dayrock and Temblor stood up. Temblor spoke first.

"We should not have gone along with this. He'll be the death of us."

"Lord Raze will watch over us and protect us from any danger. After all, we're the ones who are protecting his identity," Dayrock said.

(OOC: Is this FT? If so, may I join as my FT nation?)

OOC: I'd like to try and aid the good guys with their investigation in some way, maybe by sendin my Ghosts to assis, or sending some Templar, or (last resort) sending in the Queen of Blades to use her abilities to find your Sith Lord.(I'm very big on SC.)

(OOC: Is this FT? If so, may I join as my FT nation?)

OOC: It's sorta FT. I'm undergoing some changes from modern to post modern. I combine real elements (all human soldiers, M-16's, F-15's, et al) with non-real elements (holographic transmissions, the Force, Sith, et al) into a nice blend. :) You can assist, so long as you're not like uber-gumba bots of demented doom or something. ;)

OOC: I'd like to try and aid the good guys with their investigation in some way, maybe by sendin my Ghosts to assis, or sending some Templar, or (last resort) sending in the Queen of Blades to use her abilities to find your Sith Lord.(I'm very big on SC.)

OOC: If you can tell me what ghosts, Templar, or the Queen of Blades are, then sure you can help. :)

Marksum Rison analyzed a series of encrypted codes that scrolled past his computer screen. Jayson Kasey continued to bury himself in intelligence briefings while Morgan Venn contemplated the mysteries of the Sith conspiracy silently. After a few moments, they broke the silence of the room.

"It's been three days since we started using Dayrock as bait. This isn't working," Morgan said.

"I agree," Marksum replied. "We have to act more aggressively."

"We're dealing with the head of the Imperial Royal Guard," Jayson stated. "We can't just barge into their headquarters, guns drawn, and tell him to surrender because we know he's working for the Sith. We have to get real."

"How do we act, then?" asked Morgan. She continued, "How can we just sit here and let him continue to plot with the Sith in secret? He knows we're onto him. He has to by now."

"She's got a point, Jayson. They did change their frequencies on all IRG channels to speak in coded radio links. All IRG e-mails are being routed to different ends. They're covering their tracks," stated Marksum.

"I agree with that," Jayson said. "But we still can't turn into vigilantes because we know Dayrock is involved. We have to bring this to the full attention of the United Empire."

"What are you suggesting?" Morgan asked.

"Publish Dayrock's name in the next briefing to Emperor Thra. Oust him as the traitor to the Sith that we know he is."

"He'll deny it," she replied.

"Naturally," said Jayson. "But we have the video. We have the footage of him and the Sith Lord speaking. That's as damning of evidence as any."

"Then we spring the trap on Dayrock and topple this Sith conspiracy?" she questioned, more to herself than anyone else.

"What the fuck?" Marksum muttered as he looked at the computer screen with an astonished stare. "What the fuck?" he repeated, louder.

"What's wrong?"

"We've got mail," he said. A few clicks of the mouse and keys later, and he added: "I think it's from the Sith."

"You're kidding."

"Never," he said. "Look at this."

Simply, the message read: I know where you've been digging. You’ve seen things that have changed your perception and beliefs of this situation. Tread carefully for you may not like what you find.

"You're saying Darth Raze sent this?" Jayson asked.

"Possibly," Marksum answered. "It's impossible to know."

"What's the address?" asked Morgan.

"It's an anonymous UEC address; one of those blanks that we all have access to. It's just listed as uec@uec.gov."

Affirmed, Jayson said, "We're going to expose Dayrock for the traitor he is."

(OOC: Do other nations know about this? If so, could my nation send some Jedi to try and "take care of" the Sith problem?)

(OOC: Do other nations know about this? If so, could my nation send some Jedi to try and "take care of" the Sith problem?)

OOC: Err...sort of. Emperor Thra's address to the Imperial Court was carried on international media, so there is some knowledge of this phantom Sith. But as far as sending some Jedi, the UEC would have to take time to decide (read: I'd have to figure out where to incorporate them into the plot ;) ).

"You know," Marksum said, "we don't know how Emperor Thra will react when we turn over Commander Dayrock as a cohort of this secret Sith."

"I expect him to be pleased," Jayson stated. "He'll probably reward us for our hard work in tracking down this Lord Raze."

"What do you think he wants?" Morgan asked.

"Raze?"

"Yeah. What do you think he's after? What's his real goal in all of this?"

"I don't know," Jayson admitted. "He's most likely aiming for control of the United Empire or to simply destroy us from within. He's in a position to do a lot of damage."

"Maybe he will attempt to assassinate the Emperor," Marksum commented.

"Possibly," Jayson said. "I don't know how brash this Sith is. And it's not like he's ever going to tell us his goals."

As if ironically on cue, their holo-receiver chimed, indicating that they were receiving an incoming message. All three of them exchanged frightened looks before Jayson nonchalantly activated the receiver to view message. Seconds later, the glowing holographic form of a man in dark black robes illuminated before them -- the Sith Lord.

"Greetings and salutations," the Sith said.

"Darth Raze," Jayson said, standing up.

"Are you satisfied with the results of your hunt for me? Are you surprised that I have sought you out?"

Brashly, Morgan declared, "We will find you and bring you justice, you Sith disease."

The hooded specter laughed. "Is that so?"

"If you think you can destroy the United Empire from within, you're wrong," Marksum warned.

"Oh, on the contrary, I have no intentions of destroying the United Empire. I will it stronger."

"No one can believe you; you're a Sith!" Morgan shouted.

"It will only be a matter of time," Raze began, "until you -- all of you -- will bow before me and swear your allegiance to the Sith."

"I'd rather die," Jayson said in defiance.

"That can be arranged," Raze replied. "I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor to expose me. I look forward to the day of my revelation."

The hologram vanished.

Emperor's Throne Room; Imperial Palace

"I refuse to believe this," Emperor Maderic Thra said.

"But, my liege," Reshruk began, "they have complete proof."

"Why would Commander Dayrock betray me? He is one of the United Empire's most honored military heroes. His legacy is as impressive as General Koren's or Admiral McCallum's."

"There's no logic in any of this, my lord," he argued. "This Sith is operating in secret to thwart your rule. He must be stopped. Bress Dayrock is in cahoots with him and we now have total proof."

"I have seen your proof, but a part of refuses to acknowledge it."

"It gets worse, my majesty."

"How so?" the Emperor asked.

"Agents under Magistrate of Funds, Ariss Mortaun, have dug up and revealed buried records that indicate that an order of several million robotic soldiers -- battle droids, if you will -- was placed not so long ago by Dayrock himself in the UEC's name, using tapped funds wired to him by this Sith. There's a bright side to this, however. If we can follow the money trail of this order, we have a great chance of routing out this Darth Raze himself and ending all of this," Reshruk explained.

"I see," he said slowly. "I will bring formal charges against Commander Dayrock at a later date. I deem it too important as of this moment to arrest him and compromise our position. He may get suspicious, but the CIIA will handle it."

"What if the Imperial Royal Guard remains loyal to him and not you, my lord?"

"My grandfather, Kydel, faced a similar situation during the Four Days of Danger. He reacted swiftly and crushed the revolt. I shall do the same if it is necessary. I have faith that the Crimson Guard will remain loyal, however," he replied.

"Yes, my lord. I'll report back as soon as I have anything new from the CIIA. We will expose this Sith Lord, Emperor, I promise you."

"Oh," a pause, "I'm sure we will."

Bump.

When your nation becomes Sith, don’t forget to join the Galactic Empire a space based organisation devoted to the extermination of the jedi and the further meant of order and prosperity throughout the Galaxy.

The room was painted in dark maroon hues and highlighted with splashes of blue that held softly in the fading twilight of the sun over Zachara. Brigadier General Alec Osari stood in an open archway, bags of luggage in his arms. His striking green eyes examined the room in any attempt to take in his surroundings. Osari had not stepped a foot inside Jamie Caalan's quaint home for the better part of five months, having been kept in either various sundry military bases or fighting overseas in Isla de Plata. There came another thing to Alec's mind: why had he been recalled? His brigade, the Fourteenth Kurono Airborne Infantry, was still engaging Ma'dah forces on that forsaken island, but he had been ordered home by a direct request of the Emperor himself. What, exactly, had he done right? A shudder: what had he done wrong? Something so grievous as to draw the attention of the Emperor, himself? Surely there was some sort of mistake. There had to be.

"Alec," Jamie's voice was distant and quiet as she called to him from across the room.

"Jamie," he said softly.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You didn't get my call? Check your answering machine. Hell, I shot you an e-mail the other day. I got transferred and cycled back home."

"Oh my," she said, surprised. "My answering machine has been messed up for a while and I haven't checked my e-mail in almost a week. I'm so sorry that I didn't know you were coming home."

"It's okay. Everything is okay now that I'm here. Home. With you," he stated.

"Why were you returned?"

"That's just it -- I don't know."

"They didn't tell you?" she asked.

"No," he answered. "They didn't. I received a return directive from the Emperor himself."

"You're kidding?" she said, astonished.

"I wish I knew what was up," he said. "I can stay off-base, but I have to report in later today. Ashley, my relay partner, told me that Emperor Thra wants an audience with me."

"How lucky can you be?" Jamie asked with a smirk. "I'd give an arm just to meet him."

"He is human, you know."

She said, "He's more than human, Alec. He's as close to a god as there is."

"If you say so. I guess I'll have to gauge him personally," he replied.

"Do you think you're in any kind of trouble?"

"I don't know," Alec said. Half-joking, he continued: "I can't remember doing anything that would warrant returning me home from a war via a direct order from the Emperor."

"Just take care of yourself, okay? I wasn't expecting you to be returned to me and I want you to stay here, safe and sound, for as long as you can," she said.

"I'll do what I can. I love you, Jamie."

"I love you, too, Alec."

A long, passionate embrace followed. If only they could have taken the time to notice the eyes -- not physical ones, mind you -- watching them, they would have been drawn away. Their kiss continued as the two were entirely oblivious to the omni-present vision of the lurking Sith.

Four crimson-clad Imperial Royal Guards, hidden behind their helmets and black-silver visors, approached Brigadier General Alec Osari with their bayoneted rifles held across their chests and cradled in their arms. One advanced from the left of the quartet and drew a magnet-wand and began waving it down Alec's body as he spread his legs out and extended his arms to be frisked for any weapons. When he was cleared, the four elite soldiers escorted him at the center of the group up a long set of polished marble stairs that were covered in a long red carpet of a rich material. At the top of the stairs stood more guards and a large door that swung open to reveal the Imperial throne room, a gilded chamber that housed the Emperor's throne, table, a set of chairs for guests, and a spacious window that gave off an 'all-seeing' feeling.

"Welcome, General Osari," came the voice of Emperor Maderic Thra. "Guards, leave us."

"Your Excellency, this is an incredible honor--," Alec began, but Thra silenced him with a hand gesture.

"Enough. You must be curious as to why you are here."

"Yes, my lord, I am," he said.

"Good," Maderic replied. "I will spare you the technicalities and drawn-out discussion and grant you a simple statement: I need your help."

"My help?"

"Yes," a pause, "your help. You are aware of the Sith Crisis, are you not?"

"Only in brief, my majesty. I've heard that a Sith Lord may be secretly hiding inside our government," said Alec.

"It's not longer a matter of possibility. This Sith Lord exists, General Osari, and he must be found and revealed."

"I agree, my lord. What help can I be?"

"You have great wisdom and incredible resources, young Alec. I have watched your career with great interest and a keen eye towards the future."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I am appointing you to head a special military unit."

"My lord?"

"A close-knit organization under your leadership to find this Sith and expose him," he continued. "You will work hand in hand with Mercer."

Mercer. The very word brought a chill to Alec.

"How am I to be of any service in this matter? I'm a soldier, not an investigator."

"You raise a valid point. It is time you became an investigator, General Alec. There are traitors in our midst. I want you to find them and eradicate them."

"I don't know where to begin. I don't know what I'm doing," he argued.

"Your first assignment is to bring me Bress Dayrock, Commander of the Imperial Royal Guard. I want him alive. Arrest him and bring him to me," he instructed.

"But, Emperor--," Alec attempt to argue, but was interrupted.

"You will adapt quickly, General Osari. You are a skilled soldier and an elite professional. I trust your judgment and how you will handle our situation."

"Is there more?" Alec asked after a moment to reflect.

"Yes," he said slowly. "Two Jedi have arrived last night. You are to work with them to disrupt this conspiracy and defeat this Sith. I will not allow our United Empire to fall to the hands of the Sith."

"Yes, Your Excellency," Alec replied.

"You may go. Tread carefully, General Osari. You're a powerful asset; I'd hate to lose you."

"I am Jedi Knight Kordon Sor and this is my apprentice, Ay-Linn Nash. We are to assist you in routing out this Sith Lord and removing the threat of him," a tall, powerfully built human male -- drowned in brown cloaks and a sand-colored tunic, said to Alec Osari.

Kordon indicated a young human female to his right; his Padawan apprentice. Her pale blue eyes and tied blonde-brown hair matched with her angular jaw. Her look was completed with a cream-white tunic and brown boots that came to her knees. Lightsabers hung from both of their belts.

"Pardon me," Alec said with a pause, "you're Jedi? As in 'wield lightsabers and use the Force' Jedi?"

"You are correct. I sense a great level of uneasiness in you, General. What appears to be wrong?" Kordon asked.

"You're Jedi," he said. "That's what's wrong. I never thought Jedi actually existed. Well, err, I knew they did exist, but that was supposed to be a long time ago. I know they still exist on other planets, but," a frustrated pause, "This is just a little too much for me."

"We can understand," Ay-Linn said. "There are still many who have never seen a Jedi before."

"There's a first time for everything, I guess."

"This may sound awkward to you, General Osari, but it is something that you must be made aware of. You are Force-sensitive," stated Kordon.

"What the hell does that mean?" Alec said after a moment.

He continued, "You have the Force within you. Had you been discovered at a younger age, there's a great chance that you would have been trained as a Jedi."

Alec blinked. "A Jedi? Me?"

"Yes. I can sense the midi-cholrians flowing through your blood," he said.

"Midi-what?"

"Midi-cholrians. They're microscopic organisms that are within all living organisms. They speak the will of the Force to us when learn to listen to them."

Slowly: "Okay."

"General Osari," Kordon paused, "you're going to have to adapt better to working with us if we are to find this Sith Lord before he causes any more harm to your nation or spreads his evil elsewhere. We must contain him here and eliminate this threat."

"That's what I've been assigned to do, but I don't know the first thing about the Sith, let alone what's really going on. We've been teamed with the greatest soldier in all of the United Empire, but I'm yet to see a trace of him."

"If you knew where I was," a deep voice called out from behind them, "I would lose my edge."

Mercer.

Alec whirled on his heels to see a commanding man standing before him. Short black hair, and piercing and powerful icy stare from his two brown eyes, and a stubbly, blunt jaw. He was dressed in all black and a featured a handgun fastened to both thighs. This was the man that everyone who knew of him feared; this was the man that had clandestinely killed so many for the sake of the United Empire. He was the greatest soldier in the nation, perhaps in the world. Few had actually met him and those that did were lucky to be on the UEC's end of the deal. Those who encountered him while on a mission always ended up dead.

"Am I to assume you're Mercer?" Kordon asked.

"Jedi," Mercer replied with the slightest of bows, indicating his show of respect towards them; they returned with bows of their own.

"You've met their kind before?" Alec asked, astonished.

"There's much you'll never know, Alec," he answered.

"You know my name?"

"You are twenty-four years old; your birthday is in nine days; six-foot-flat; two hundred and one pounds. You graduated first in your class from Keystone Bay; served in the Ledger riots and was awarded a Purple Heart for your bravery while injured; served honorably during the First Liberation and Second Liberation; and served notably in the Colerican Civil War, under the command of General Travis. I know everything about you, Alec Osari," Mercer stated.

"I'm impressed," he said.

"Information is how I live, General Osari. Without being completely informed, I can't operate with the precision that I do."

"Unfortunately, it would seem that information is something we do not have a great deal of in this Sith Crisis," remarked Kordon. "We have seen your intelligence service's videos of this Sith Lord and his communications with a certain leader within your government."

"Bress Dayrock, commander of the Imperial Royal Guard. We're yet to spring the trap on him," Alec said.

"We won't," Mercer replied. "When all is said and done, I've been assigned to end tag him."

"Tag him?" Ay-Linn asked.

"Eliminate him," answered Alec.

"That is not how the Jedi operate," Kordon declared.

Mercer smirked. "That's how we operate."

Bress Dayrock knelt before the glowing image of Darth Raze and said, "My lord, the situation has worsened."

"All will be taken care of in time, Commander," he replied.

"What of your pulled back soldier? Will he serve your purpose?" Dayrock asked.

"He will work perfectly."

"My lord, what are we to about the Jedi?" he asked.

"They will be eliminated, Commander Dayrock. You need not worry," Raze stated.

"But I am growing anxious, my lord. They're snooping around without the consent of the Emperor," he said.

"Yes, yes. They are disobeying the Emperor's wishes, but all will go as planned. My revelation is upon us."

"My lord?"

"I will show myself to the Jedi and end this game of senseless deception. This farce investigation is over," declared Darth Raze.

"I trust your wise judgment, Lord Raze, and will yield to it. Guide my hand, my lord, and I will see us to victory."

"Victory has already been achieved, Commander," he said as the hologram vanished.

Some time afterwards, Dayrock decided to take action into his hands and amend the Sith's instructions. He began drafting a new order statement to his Imperial Royal Guard -- a directive with one simple command: eliminate the investigators -- but he did not, after some amount of thinking, give the command to his elite soldiers for execution.

"Do you know what this could mean?" Kordon Sor asked, his voice low, as they looked over sets of data discs.

"Yes, I do," was Brigadier General Alec Osari's delayed response.

"And?" Ay-Linn Nash asked. "Is that all you can infer about this possibility?"

"You're suggesting that a government official is the Sith Lord," Alec said. "You're suggesting the possibility that a man who the entire United Empire looks up to and idolizes could be a Dark Lord of the Sith, bent on destroying this nation."

"I'm not saying that. We have entirely cleared your Emperor of any possibility in this Crisis. The timing simply doesn't match up. Maderic Thra is not Darth Raze," Kordon said.

"But someone else is," said Ay-Linn. "We're yet to clear his sister or your Magistrate of Foreign Affairs, among scores of others."

"Kircer Danton is the Sith Lord? Please," Mercer commented. "I have known him for years; he's should be the last person on your list."

"We can't rule him out simply because you say he doesn't fit the role of a Sith, Agent Mercer," Ay-Linn stated. "We have to be vigilant and aggressive about this."

"I agree," Alec said, "but randomly blaming people will get us nowhere and will find us with many enemies, very quickly."

The television monitor in the far corner suddenly flicked on and the fluttering image of Darth Raze appeared on the screen. However, the address was live, unlike the recording they had seen earlier of his impromptu address to the world. The hooded enigma then spoke.

"Greetings, Jedi. How is your hunt going? Seeing any results?"

"Moderately," Kordon Sor replied with a tight-lip expression. "Your evil will come to an end, Raze."

Raze laughed. "I am confident in your abilities to reveal me."

"It's only a matter of time. We've got the noose around your neck, Sith scum, and we're going to tighten it," said Alec.

"I'm sure you'll try," jeered the Sith Lord.

"Your bravery is impressive, Sith, I will say that. None of us could have predicted that you would have had the audacity to make such a bold address," Kordon said.

"No one ever achieved anything without boldness and decisiveness, Master Jedi," Raze said. "Until we meet again, which I can assure you will be quite soon."

The hologram fissured and disappeared. The television monitor turned off. Kordon, Ay-Linn, Mercer, and Alec exchanged looks of uncertainty.

"Acting under orders of the Emperor, the use for using Dayrock as Sith bait no longer has a purpose," Alec said. "We've been authorized to take him out."

"You mean that I have been authorized to take him out," Mercer replied. "This is a solo operation."

"We're making it a team operation," Alec said.

"I don't see why," Mercer argued. "All that including you three will bring me is an added distraction. I don't have to take your safety into consideration if I'm doing this by myself."

"You don't have to take our safety or wellbeing into consideration in a team op, either," responded Alec. "I can handle myself just fine and the Jedi are more than capable holding their own, I'm sure."

"We'll see," Mercer stated.

"We oppose eliminating Commander Dayrock," Kordon said. "He is still useful to our cause of ousting Darth Raze."

"He's not had a recorded communication with Raze since we discovered him," he said. "Besides, the Emperor has ordered this himself. It's out of our hands."

"He's going to be surrounded by the loyalist of his elites," Kordon said. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"I'll have a worse feeling if we don't do anything," he said. "Dayrock is the commander of the IRG forces. They're the elite of our elite. He's under the orders of the Sith and Raze could order him to launch a coup. We can't allow that to happen."

"We won't," Mercer said, affirmed.

Three hours had passed and still not climatic encounter or firefight had taken place between Mercer, Alec, the Jedi and Dayrock's IRG forces. The reason? The order had been dropped and discarded by the Emperor, sighting a temporary oversight in judgment at the time of assigning the mission. Alec Osari and the Jedi had returned to the throne room in the Imperial Palace at the request of Emperor Thra with a simple statement attached as an addendum: Darth Raze had been discovered. The information had come as both a massive surprise and a great relief for Alec, as well as Kordon Sor and his Padawan. Raze had been revealed and the Sith Crisis was on the verge of drawing to a peaceful, favorable resolution.

That is, until they entered the throne room.

Inside sat Emperor Thra in his throne. His attire was entirely unbefitting of his position and stature; he wore a simple black tunic and a sweeping smile on his face. It did not take long for Alec or the Jedi to come to the conclusion that something was amiss…

"I'm glad to see that you have returned," Maderic said.

"When you told us of Raze being ousted, we couldn't help but come as quick as possible," General Osari replied.

"Ah, yes. Darth Raze has been revealed," the Emperor remarked. "Are you yet to learn who he secretly is?"

"Yes, Your Excellency," Kordon said with a bit of an edge to his voice and his eyes casually moving towards Ay-Linn.

"Than I shall spare you no further wait," Maderic stated. "The search for Lord Raze is at an end. He sits before you and speaks to you now," he added as his smile grew larger.

Kordon and Ay-Linn reacted by drawing their lightsabers; a green and blue blade flashed to life in the room. Maderic stood up from his chair and took a few steps away from his throne. Alec grew a forty-caliber pistol and aimed it at the Emperor. In an instant, the pistol flew from his hands and into Maderic's extended left hand as he received it with the invisible hand of the Force. Maderic continued to smile.

"Do you think it was by an accident of fate that I became Emperor?" he asked. "Do you really think that my brother was assassinated without a purpose? And you, General Osari, do you think that you have climbed the ladder of the Imperial Army on your own merit? You have advanced the ranks through my good graces."

"We're going to bring an end to this, Raze," Kordon said as he angled his lightsaber towards the Sith Lord.

"You will try," a pause, "and you will fail."

A snap-hiss came with the activation of a single lightsaber whose energy blade was as red as blood. In Raze's free right hand, he spun the Sith weapon and smiled at the Jedi. Alec took a few steps backwards, away from the two Jedi who both prepared for the fight to come. Maderic Thra, Emperor of the United Empire of Colerica, had revealed himself as the Sith Lord, Darth Raze. Alec's mind spun, trying desperately to wrap itself around the plethora of conflicting thoughts he began to feel. During the search for the Sith, they had tried their hardest to find Raze and end his threat to the United Empire. All the while, they had been taking orders from the Sith, himself. They had failed at every level to locate the real threat from within; the actual enemy. He had been command of the Colerican United Empire for years, secretly waiting a proper time to announce his presence and reveal himself as a Sith Lord. The worst fear imaginable had proven true. As the two Jedi began to advance towards Raze, Alec realized that the impending fight was a struggle for control of the United Empire's future.

The Jedi had to prevail.

OOC: As the foremost Jedi nation on NS, I would like to join this RP, if it's not too late. After all, Sith Lords are our speciality. ;)

OOC: As the foremost Jedi nation on NS, I would like to join this RP, if it's not too late. After all, Sith Lords are our speciality. ;)

OOC: Go right ahead. Be warned, though, that if you are to send Jedi, I would send ones you consider to be expendable. ;)

OOC: Do note that I got a little distracted, so I simply borrowed the text of a fight from one of my fanfictions and changed it around to fit the context. Anyone interested can find my 'Star Wars' work right here (http://boards.theforce.net/user.asp?usr=1145184) and my original fiction works here (http://www.fictionpress.com/~maderic). Okay, enough self-whoring.

Darth Raze leaped through the air and crashed his lightsaber against Kordon Sor's and Ay-Linn Nash's weapons with lightning fury. Raze danced dynamically about the throne room with immense agility as he and the two Jedi exchanged strikes and blows. Raze slashed at Kordon's feet and the Jedi Knight jumped the attack and took a wide swipe at Raze's head, aiming to decapitate the Sith Lord. Darth Raze produced a second red lightsaber from within his cloaks and brought it down to bear on both Jedi simultaneously. Raze and Ay-Linn continued to exchange blows and strikes, until she made one of the small mistakes she had worried about. She miscalculated Raze’s ability to retaliate as quickly as he could and it cost her exceedingly. Raze locked lightsabers with the Padawan and shunted the girl in the face with his free hand. Raze immediately spun and delivered his other lightsaber into Ay-Linn's stomach. The red energy blade pierced Ay-Linn and she fell to the floor, overcome with her mortal wound. Raze turned and stared at the last remaining Jedi, Kordon Sor. Sor's bearded face was streaked with blood and perspiration, but his gaze did not unlock from that of Raze’s.

"Let us make this intriguing," Raze said.

He deactivated the second red lightsaber and tossed it to the floor. The hilt clinked when it fell and rolled a few meters away from Ay-Linn's corpse. Raze held out one hand and again released a surge of blue lightning. Kordon deflected it with his lightsaber and took a few steps towards Raze.

"You will pay for all those you have killed," Kordon said.

Raze laughed. "I doubt it, Jedi. I’ve killed hundreds of your kind before and you won’t be any different. One more Jedi to add to my list," he replied.

Raze twirled his lightsaber and pointed the menacing red blade at Kordon. He leaped at the Jedi and exchanged lightsaber blows and strikes with him. Raze spun, delivering a new set of punishing saber moves, which Kordon narrowly evaded. Kordon jumped over Raze’s blade, and unleashed an offense assault of his own. Calm and collected, Kordon brought down a hail of lightsaber strikes that put Raze on the defensive -- for a short time, at least. Raze flipped backwards twice and twirled his lightsaber in defiance. He jumped into the air and slammed his weapon into Kordon’s. Raze was lightning; he bounced and danced throughout the room, engaging Kordon in their fascinating fight to the death. The Sith sprung off the wall and planted his boot into Kordon’s face. The force of the kick was not enough to make Kordon lose his balance, but it did cause him to take several steps backwards, to avoid more of Raze’s awe-inspiring lightsaber moves.

"This contest has gone on long enough," Raze said. "It is time to finish you."

Raze snapped his fingers and a Force-generated fireball erupted meters from Kordon. The Jedi rolled to his right, escaping the attack by mere inches. Raze continued this attack, utilizing the power of the darkside as his ultimate ally. With a motion of his hand, Raze hurled an entire laze-chair at Kordon. The Jedi Knight sliced through the furniture-turned-projectile with his lightsaber. Raze smiled, a savage animal grin that bore his teeth. With another movement of his hand, a support beam tore out and flung itself at the Jedi. Kordon rolled out of the path of the beam and it shattered through the glass wall. Annoyed, Raze lifted his lightsaber and quickly reached out with the Force, pulling Ay-Linn's lightsaber to his grasp.

"End of the game, Jedi," Raze taunted.

He ignited the green blade and spun both of his lightsabers in a taunting position. He flipped through the air and barreled down at Kordon, lightsabers swinging. The Jedi did all that he could to defend himself, and narrowly escaped the attack with his life. Raze charged at Kordon, whirling and twirling both lightsabers. The dark lord continued with his sporadic, unpredictable fighting style, and forced Kordon across the room. Kordon stood roughly two meters from the large glass panes that made up the walls of Raze’s lounge room.

Raze pressed his attack, forcing the Jedi further towards the glass wall. Kordon scored a small victory and cleaved Ay-Linn's lightsaber hilt in half. Raze looked at the smoldering handle while he continued to fight the Jedi Knight. Raze discarded the useless weapon by throwing it at Kordon. Kordon dodged the thrown hilt, and struck at Raze with a series of blows and slashes. Raze easily held his own against the tiring Jedi and Force-pushed him through the glass window, out to the balcony. Kordon poured all of his energy and connection to the Force into allowing him to leap to his feet. The Jedi sprung through the broken glass panel and stared the Sith Lord in the eyes. Raze looked stunned for a second. His emotion then quickly changed to anger as he and Kordon locked lightsabers again. The two fought back towards the center of the room. Kordon jumped another swipe at his feet.

As soon as Kordon landed back on the ground, he received the butt-end of Raze’s lightsaber hilt to the jaw. The Jedi was thrown off balance for just moment. But a moment was all that Darth Raze needed. The Dark Lord of the Sith spun his lightsaber back around and forcefully stabbed it through Kordon’s abdomen. Kordon looked down at the white-hot blade that had pierced his tunic and watched as Raze withdrew it. A glossy look overcame Kordon Sor’s eyes and he fell to the floor. Darth Raze was victorious.

He turned his gaze to Alec Osari and said, "The Force is strong with you, General Osari. Accept my offer: become my apprentice and I will teach you to unleash your full potential within the dark side of the Force. You will grow to be a magnificent Sith Lord if you're wise enough to give into the gift I am willing to give you."

Alec hesitated. "I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Your choice is simple: join me or die."

Slowly: "Then I submit to your will. Teach me to use the Force and forge me into a Sith."

"Good, good," Raze said. "Kneel, General Alec Osari." He complied; Raze continued, "Rise…Darth…Villerius."

Villerius. The one word that would forever be Alec Osari henceforth. It now meant him in more than just a physical sense. Alec Osari died, there was only Darth Villerius left alive; valiant, yet now committed to a cause of evil. A dawn of a new era had rose over the United Empire of Colerica; the Sith now had complete control.

OOC: Go right ahead. Be warned, though, that if you are to send Jedi, I would send ones you consider to be expendable. ;)
OOC: I consider no Jedi expendable, but I see what you mean. :)

IC:
The disturbance in the Force of the battle reached the Jedi Council on Jurai. After a short debate, they dispatched a Shistavanen swordsbeing and his apprentice to Colerica to help take out the Sith Lord...

Jedi Master Hoven Kibaa is a Shistavanen, a wolf-like sentient from Uvena. He was dispatched to investigate the rumors of a Sith Lord and to face him if necessary. With him is his apprentice Quinn Falin, a teenager from Coruscant. Both wolfman and human make a good team since wolfmen are for the most part, loyal beings.

"How long before we reach the nation, Master?" The 17 year old Jedi apprentice asked.

"Hmm. We have an hour. I suggest we go aft to work on your sword training. After all, it is likely that we'll meet with a Sith Lord. And he won't be greeting us with a red carpet." Hoven growled a short chuckle.

Aww man! This is going to be tough... "Yes, Master." The young man and his Master headed into the cargo bay, ignited green blades with the power down, and began to duel...

"Lord Villerius," Darth Raze began, "there are still those who stand to oppose us. A duo of Jedi approaches us, determined to destroy me. Unfortunately, you have not been trained."

"I will learn quickly, Master, I promise," he replied.

"I'm confident that you will," he said, "but that will not help us now. Your training and skills will come with time. But the Jedi will arrive soon. If a fight is what they seek, than I shall deal with them personally. You, Lord Villerius, will serve along side my Imperial Royal Guard in protecting me until we can formally begin your training. Allow your hate to overcome you and consume you."

"Yes, Master."

OOC: You may notice that I've changed the character of Mark Travis to Alec Osari as I have other plans for Travis' character in the future.

The two Jedi completed their training session and went to the 'fresher room to clean up. After that, the navcomputer beeped, warning that ten minutes are left before reversion to realspace. Soon, they reverted and then headed towards Colerica.

"Contact their traffic control system if you please, Padawan?"

"Yes, Master." The young man opened a frequency to the nation. "Colerica traffic control. We are Jedi sent to investigate the Sith Lord in your nation. Please respond, over."

A hologram of a young man with short hair the color of a raven appeared, his arms crossed over his chest; a handgun on his hip.

"Greetings, Jedi. I am Bexer Jian and you've been cleared for landing. I must tell you, however, that we in the United Empire have gone the entire day without hearing from our Emperor and, by law, the Lieutenant Emperor Pro Tempor, Kircer Danton, has temporarily assumed the position. Procede to bay six in the hanger of the east wing of the Imperial palace. A squad of security-police will escort you to your quarters from there. Thank you. Jian out."

A hologram of a young man with short hair the color of a raven appeared, his arms crossed over his chest; a handgun on his hip.

"Greetings, Jedi. I am Bexer Jian and you've been cleared for landing. I must tell you, however, that we in the United Empire have gone the entire day without hearing from our Emperor and, by law, the Lieutenant Emperor Pro Tempor, Kircer Danton, has temporarily assumed the position. Procede to bay six in the hanger of the east wing of the Imperial palace. A squad of security-police will escort you to your quarters from there. Thank you. Jian out."
"Interesting news, Master."

"Yes, interesting indeed." The wolfman scratched his chin. "Land the ship, if you please."

"Yes, Master." The boy landed the ship where they were directed at bay six of the palace hangar. Then they disembarked, the Padawan, then the Master...

A quartet of security-police, M-16M203's in hand, approached. The squad leader, denoted by a yellow insignia on his helmet, advanced ahead of the group a little and spoke to the Jedi.

"Welcome, Master Jedi. We've been asked to escort you to your quarters where you'll be staying. From there, we can take where you wish, but we are required to inform you that some areas are considered to be restricted to you by our superiors," the commander stated. "Please follow us."

OOC: Are they used to wolfmen or what? :P

IC:
The Jedi bowed and followed the soldier, Hoven's hood raised to reduce the fact that he is a two-legged sentient wolf. His apprentice walked a half-step behind him to the left, as is due a subordinate.

<Keep an eye on anything suspicious, Quinn.> The Jedi Master spoke through telepathy.

<Aside from the usual?>

A snort escaped from the muzzle. <Aside from the usual. The Sith Lord will be around somewhere...>

<Yeah. Hopefully we'll find him and deal with him...>

<Hope is a folly, but I would agree, young one. We will deal with him soon.>

One of the soldiers chanced a peak at Hoven and surprise overcame when he noticed that they were not escorting a human. The Jedi appeared to have thick fur and an elongated muzzle.

It's a freaking dog. This job just gets stranger and stranger, he mused as they walked.

They made their way through the hanger complex and into a winding hallway that brought them to another corridoor. Doors lined the walls, running the length of the hall. The soldiers approached one of the said doors and swiped a key card to open it. The room it shielded was spacious, if a bit monocromatic. Two beds were situated on either side of the room with a television and other various furniture decorating the quarters. Not that the Jedi had much time to admire their surroundings in their guest room.

"This is where you'll be staying, Jedi," the commander said, slowly examining the two Jedi and taking in the fact that they were wolfmen. "We, err, we...we can take you elsewhere, too. We're not exactly sure what's going on here, but we'll escort you to Bexer Jian's office, if you'd like."

"That would be acceptable." Hoven said. "Oh, and for the record, it's just me who's the wolf. My apprentice is human."

Not every day you get to meet a psychic wolf who can wield a lightsaber. Quinn thought at the reactions to his Master.

"That would be acceptable." Hoven said. "Oh, and for the record, it's just me who's the wolf. My apprentice is human."

Not every day you get to meet a psychic wolf who can wield a lightsaber. Quinn thought at the reactions to his Master.

"I...err...see," the commander replied. "Follow us, once again."

He turned and the four soldiers exited the room, headed down the hallway, and across an open plaza until they reached Jian's office, a small and cramped room befitting of his unimportant position within the United Empire. Bexer sat at his desk, smoking a cigarette, and looking over various files, dossiers, and papers. He looked at when they entered; three of the four security-police stayed outside while the commander entered with the Jedi at his side.

"Welcome, Jedi," Bexer said. "What assistance can I be to you in your quest to expose and eliminate this...Darth Raze?"

OOC: Keep in mind that no one but Villerius (formerly Alec Osari) knows that Maderic Thra, the UEC's Emperor, is actually Darth Raze and the Colerican hunt for Raze continues on, without knowing that the man they work for is actually the one they're looking for.

OOC: Pulling a Palpatine, eh? That's a cool tactic.

IC:
"We would like your current status on the search for the Sith Lord." Master Kibaa said. "How far you're on the investigation and so on."

OOC: Of course. ;)

IC:

Jian hesitated. "The search for this Sith started when some agents for our intelligence service, the CIIA found evidence of him in a set of notes and financial records. He was bold enough to use the name 'Darth Raze' and it was our first real lead on this whole mess. Then came harder evidence and Emperor Thra formally launched the investigation in a speech to the Imperial Court. We got our big break when a trio of CIIA agents discovered a recording of this Lord Raze speaking via hologram to Bress Dayrock, Commander of the Imperial Royal Guard. They taped more holographic meetings, too, until they were certain that Dayrock was taking orders from this Raze and protecting his identity. But we've been ordered by Emperor Thra not to go anywhere near Dayrock for the time being, lest he get suspicious and flee. Emperor Thra recalled a brigadier general named Alec Ostari from the frontlines of our war in Isla de Plata to join a four person specialized squad to investigate this further, under the cloud of black that is covert missions. He joined an operative codenamed Mercer and two Jedi who were sent to us from elsewhere, much like you two. Raze then went on international TV and stated what amounted to a 'in time, things in Colerica will change' short speech. He's very bold and has even contacted the CIIA on a couple of occasions. That's pretty much all I know, Master Jedi."

"Hmm. Quite interesting. Are the other Jedi or the Emperor available? We would like to interview them." Hoven asked.

"Hmm. Quite interesting. Are the other Jedi or the Emperor available? We would like to interview them." Hoven asked.

"That is where I can be of no service to you, Master Jedi. Both of the Jedi, Brigadier General Osari, and Emperor Thra have not been heard for over a day now. Special agent Mercer was reassigned to a new covert operation and I am legally not even allowed to speak of him. Magistrate of Foreign Affairs, Kircer Danton, also serves as the Lieutenant Emperor Pro Tempor who fills in when the rightful Emperor is either incapacitated or away. Mr. Danton is now fulfilling that role and temporarily leading the United Empire. Not even he, the Emperor's nephew, or the Emperor's own sister, Magistrate of State Kressi Thra, have heard from the Emperor."

" God-damnit! Why havn't we killed these freakin' jedi yet?" asked Chipchip, one of three grunts on the Haloian sith council.
"Um, maybe because we are in another freakin' galaxy?" Nossa 'Issola, an Elite answered back.
"Oh, yeah. That would explain it."
"Either way, we have to get there. But how?" asked a human Jack Bradly.
"We could do it my way." answered the only female on the council, a Forerunner.
" And how is this?" asked Chipchip sarcastically.
" Forerunner ships have inter-galactic capabilities." Olaque' a Forerunner said back.

_________________________________________________________________ One Day Later
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three forerunner ships zipped through Slipspace and ended up right near their destination.
All the sith sent telepathic messages
<Help has arrived >

"That is where I can be of no service to you, Master Jedi. Both of the Jedi, Brigadier General Osari, and Emperor Thra have not been heard for over a day now. Special agent Mercer was reassigned to a new covert operation and I am legally not even allowed to speak of him. Magistrate of Foreign Affairs, Kircer Danton, also serves as the Lieutenant Emperor Pro Tempor who fills in when the rightful Emperor is either incapacitated or away. Mr. Danton is now fulfilling that role and temporarily leading the United Empire. Not even he, the Emperor's nephew, or the Emperor's own sister, Magistrate of State Kressi Thra, have heard from the Emperor."
"This seems unusual, is it not?" The wolfman said. "The Emperor and both Jedi missing for over a day..."

"This seems unusual, is it not?" The wolfman said. "The Emperor and both Jedi missing for over a day..."

"Most definitely," Bexer replied. "The Emperor would never simply vanish without informing someone. Some of us have begun to fear the worst and believe that maybe this Sith Lord, Darth Raze, has kidnapped or killed our beloved Emperor and the Jedi."

Bump'd. :)

"Most definitely," Bexer replied. "The Emperor would never simply vanish without informing someone. Some of us have begun to fear the worst and believe that maybe this Sith Lord, Darth Raze, has kidnapped or killed our beloved Emperor and the Jedi."
"This is a most serious matter." Hoven said. "I suggest we start looking for clues. Where was the Emperor last seen?"

"This is a most serious matter." Hoven said. "I suggest we start looking for clues. Where was the Emperor last seen?"

"He retired to his throne room and private chambers after a meeting with General Koren. His Imperial Royal Guard bodyguards refuse to allow anyone admission to the Emperor's quarters, stating that the Emperor instructed them not to allow anyone in no matter what. We are to follow the Emperor's wishes."

Humpty Bumpty sat on a wall...

Another bump.

"He retired to his throne room and private chambers after a meeting with General Koren. His Imperial Royal Guard bodyguards refuse to allow anyone admission to the Emperor's quarters, stating that the Emperor instructed them not to allow anyone in no matter what. We are to follow the Emperor's wishes."
"Very well." Hoven said. "I suspect that whatever happened to the Emperor must have occurred in his throne room or chambers. It was the only place they could have disappeared from, from your words."

"Very well." Hoven said. "I suspect that whatever happened to the Emperor must have occurred in his throne room or chambers. It was the only place they could have disappeared from, from your words."

"To our knowledge, yes. However, the Imperial Royal Guard is under the direct order of the Emperor, they say, to forbid anyone from entering the throne room. There's an entire legion of the Crimson Guard held up in the area around the entrances to the throne room and Emperor Thra's private chambers. It would be suicide to try to get through."

bumpzors.

"To our knowledge, yes. However, the Imperial Royal Guard is under the direct order of the Emperor, they say, to forbid anyone from entering the throne room. There's an entire legion of the Crimson Guard held up in the area around the entrances to the throne room and Emperor Thra's private chambers. It would be suicide to try to get through."
"That will be a bit of a problem." Quinn mentioned.

"Yes it would be..." Hoven said, seemingly disappointed that the investigation has come to a dead end. Then he brightened. "But not for a Jedi."

"Master?"

"Think, Padawan. How do you get past a horde of guards when you're a Jedi?"

"Well, we can't fight our way in, for it'd be suicide, like Mr. Jian here said. So we must use stealth."

"Exactly." Master Hoven nodded. "Mr. Jian, do you know of any passages that would be least guarded?"

OOC: Getting better and better. TAG. Time to get some popcorn.

He hesitated. "There's an older series of escape routes that had been built for past emperors to use if necessary. Most of them have been sealed up now since newer, more modern tunnels have been constructed....but there are still one or two open and I'm sure they'd be far less guarded as few people know of them. Technically," he paused, "it's a crime punishable by death for me to even be telling you this, but if you're going to save my Emperor, than there's time to bend the rules when needed. I could lead you to the tunnels personally."

He hesitated. "There's an older series of escape routes that had been built for past emperors to use if necessary. Most of them have been sealed up now since newer, more modern tunnels have been constructed....but there are still one or two open and I'm sure they'd be far less guarded as few people know of them. Technically," he paused, "it's a crime punishable by death for me to even be telling you this, but if you're going to save my Emperor, than there's time to bend the rules when needed. I could lead you to the tunnels personally."
"Do it. We must know what happened to him." Hoven said in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Do it. We must know what happened to him." Hoven said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Jian paused, contemplating the decision. He nodded his head while saying, "As you wish, Master Jedi. Guards," he called, signaling the quartet of security-police to the door of his office, "escort us."

"Yes, Sir," the squad commander said as he snapped of a raised-arm salute.

Together, the group exited the room and moved down the hall.....

OOC: We can skip over their trip to the tunnel, so long as they arrive at the tunnel. :)

Jian paused, contemplating the decision. He nodded his head while saying, "As you wish, Master Jedi. Guards," he called, signaling the quartet of security-police to the door of his office, "escort us."

"Yes, Sir," the squad commander said as he snapped of a raised-arm salute.

Together, the group exited the room and moved down the hall.....

OOC: We can skip over their trip to the tunnel, so long as they arrive at the tunnel. :)
After a fairly long trip through the halls, they made it to the tunnel.

After a fairly long trip through the halls, they made it to the tunnel.

Jian and the four-man squad of security-police accompanied the two furry Jedi to the tunnel system. Ahead of them approached a duo of crimson-clad Imperial Royal Guards, staring at them from behind the silver visors of their red-black helmets. The Crimson Guardsmen raised their bayoneted rifles in an aggression manner, warning them to back off. They both paused as they examined the powerful forms of the walking wolves dressed in cloaks and tunics.

The one on the right, a Second Lieutenant, spoke, "No one is to pass. We have authorization to prevent you with force. I'm warning you; we're ordered to shoot-to-kill. Go back where you came from."

Jian turned worried eyes towards the Jedi. "I'm sure you have your orders, but my two furry companions can see to persuading you. I'm offering you a choice: let us pass or we'll take this matter into their capable paws."

"No one passes," the other IRG stated.

"Can't say we didn't warn you...."

OOC: Actually, Hoven's the furry one. Quinn's the human kid.

IC:
The wolfman spoke next, in a voice that almost defines persuasion. "You shall let us pass. There is nothing wrong in that."

The boy Quinn hoped the famous mind-trick would work...

OOC: Actually, Hoven's the furry one. Quinn's the human kid.

IC:
The wolfman spoke next, in a voice that almost defines persuasion. "You shall let us pass. There is nothing wrong in that."

The boy Quinn hoped the famous mind-trick would work...

OOC: Whoops. :)

IC:

Stupified, the Guardsman replied: "We'll let you pass. There's nothing wrong in that."

Both Imperial Royal Guards lowered their rifles and stepped aside. Jian raised an eyebrow, unaware of what had happened.

The Jedi were let past along with their charges, and once out of earshot with the guards, Hoven smiled at Jian's disbelief. "The Force has a powerful influence on the weak-minded."

The Jedi were let past along with their charges, and once out of earshot with the guards, Hoven smiled at Jian's disbelief. "The Force has a powerful influence on the weak-minded."

"I see," Jian said numbly. "Then let us get a move on."

They continued their way down the tunnel until they came to a blocked entrance; a large metal fence with no door. Jian turned to the Jedi.

"I hope you have a way for getting through that or this whole plan is shot. These four security-police and myself are already acting beyond our legal abilities; if we have to blow up this fence, we'd really attract negative attention in a hurry."

"We have a way, all right." Master Hoven said, igniting a silver lightsaber. He then started slashing through the metal fence like a hot knife through butter.

"We have a way, all right." Master Hoven said, igniting a silver lightsaber. He then started slashing through the metal fence like a hot knife through butter.

OOC: Holy monkies on tiny skateboards.....I thought my account would've been deleted by now due to inactivity. o_O But I'm still alive and back....hopefully. That said, are you still game for finishing this or should I just scrap it and move on?

OOC: Lol. Still game. Time to fight the evil one!

OOC: Lol. Still game. Time to fight the evil one!

OOC: HOORAY! :p

IC: The fence melted with great ease under the sensational burning ability of the white-hot lightsaber. Within seconds, Hoven had carved a path through the barrier. Jian stepped back, greatly impressed with the Jedi's work. They continued their trek with few words exchanged as Jian had warned them that they were dangerously close to the opening plaza to the Emperor's throne room which remanied crawling in Imperial Royal Guard forces determined to carry out their orders of not allowing anyone to pass.

Meanwhile, inside the throne room, a different picture was being painted. Darth Raze and his new apprentice, Darth Villerius, have come across one small fact: a Jedi is not dead. Ay-Linn Nash had begun to stir slowly after her master, Kordon Sor, had been slain. Wounded, she was, but no dead. Not yet, at least, Raze had told her...

"Have you now come to understand, my dear?" Raze asked.

"I would rather die," she said weakly, fighting the urge to cough up blood.

"It can be arranged. Your choice is simple and the same as the one I laid before Lord Villerius: join me...or die."

"I choose death."

Raze lit his fiery crimson lightsaber within seconds and approached her defeated form on the floor. He swung the blade past her face slowly, allowing it to illuminate her young features. Her eyes widened as she saw it pass over her. He cocked the blade back.

"One last chance."

"Wait," she said. "Let me consider it, at least."

"You have three seconds."

"I..I, ah," the blade grew closer, "agree."

"Good," Raze said and the lightsaber vanished from sight. "I can forge you into a powerful young Sith disciple. How simple your convictions fade when you're threatened with death. You know nothing of loyality."

"I am a Jedi, Your Highness. Under any other circumstances, I would die a Jedi. But I am a coward. I have always been a coward. Timid and afraid. I will gladly trade my life for your teachings," she acknowledged, submitting to his will.

"Your fear will work to your advantage. Tap into it and draw from it like a well. Only then can you harness the powers of the dark side of the Force."

"I wish to learn much from you."

"We have much work to do, Lord Villerius," Raze said as he turned to his young student. "You know nothing of being a Force adept, let alone of being a Sith. This training will come to you over time as will hers. I have much to teach you both. But first, there are those who oppose us and they must be eradicated with the extremest of prejudice. They must not live to form a counter-revolution. A purge of the dissenters must happen. The Sith will rule this nation and, soon, this world."

"I understand, my master. I am not accustomed to any of this, though. I will fight and, if need be, die for you, Master, but I wish to know more."

"You will know more when the future comes, my child. But first, there exist two Jedi within the immediate reach of us. They must fall to my blade or they will be threaten our plans."

"It is nearly time. I sense the Dark Side near." Hoven whispered. "Be prepared for anything."

His apprentice nodded, clutching his lightsaber, ready to fight...

"It is nearly time. I sense the Dark Side near." Hoven whispered. "Be prepared for anything."

His apprentice nodded, clutching his lightsaber, ready to fight...

Jian emerged in the plaza from a secret stairway that left the tunnel lines and entered the throne room plaza. He crept his hand to an automatic pistol he had keep hidden in his suit jacket and drew the weapon. As soon as he took a step, he heard the unmistakable and unfortunate sound of several automatic weapons being shifted on the shoulders of soldiers and pointed directly at him. He looked up to see four Imperial Royal Guards levelling their NE-19's on him. Jian dropped to the floor and allowed the four security-police who had accompanied him and the Jedi to race up the stairway, rifles raised. They instantly took fire from their Imperial brethren and moved to find cover. One of the traitorous security-police took a pistol shot to the flak vest; the shot knocked him off his feet, but did not penetrate the jacket, certainly sparing his life.

The Jedi entered the plaza behind the security-police while Jian found cover behind a table he tipped over--he took shots with his handgun when he found the chances to. He gave them desperate glances, as if to request their immediate help. The wolf Jedi and his Padawan activated their laser-swords and moved into action, if a bit reluctant at first.

"Kill them where they stand!" an IRG shouted.

"Don't let the traitors pass!" exclaimed another. "They must die!"

"For the Emperor!" bellowed their squad commander, denoted by his gold markings on his helmet. "Cut them down!"

Three--no four--IRGs fell to the floor within seconds of one another, dropped by enemy fire. More Crimson Guardsmen poured into the plaza until the large chamber was swarming in them; a score or more rattled off an endless stream of bullets at the security-police, Jian Bexer, and the Jedi.

"Watch those lightsabers," an IRG said. "Keep your distance from the Jedi!"

Firing his AK-104, another guardsman taunted the Jedi, "Do your worst, Jedi. There's too many of us for you to contend with!"

One of the amazing things about the New Jedi Order, of which Master Hoven and Apprentice Quinn are members of, is their ability to adapt to situations where normals would have easily died. Like this one. Even the Old Order members would die soon to such numbers. But not the New. For the like the Sith before them, the Jedi has changed...acquired new tactics and abilities from which to draw upon.

Blasters and bullets have a range advantage. Jedi are normally able to deflect or vaporize them neatly. But when numbers get too great for their own abilities and armor under their robes to handle, they turn the numbers upon themselves.

How?

By utilizing an obsure power in the Force. A rare space-time transition even in normal Jedi circles. The power of teleportation. Or more properly, Kawarmi no Jutsu. In the shinobi language of Konohanese, it means "Body-Switch Technique", an apt name for the technique. The Jedi removed one hand from their saber, using the other to deflect the bullets and formed a hand-seal to concentrate energy.

A sudden 'crack' sounded as the two Jedi Knights disappeared, replacing their bodies with random objects from the room around them, which is how the Body-switch technique works. It only works if there are objects within the room or a certain radius around them. Then they reappeared within the crowd of enemies and then their lightsabers and telekinetic powers, not to mention martial arts, got to work in dealing with the IRG.

That soldier who taunted them just learned the worst the Jedi could do...

Serg Hasnic, an Imperial Royal Guardsmen, just about dropped his assault rifle in utter surprise when he saw the two Jedi he had been shooting at disappear before his own eyes. In the midst of combat, he had seen many things as a vetern of two Colerican wars, but this surely took the top prize for the strangest incident he'd ever witnessed. He scanned the area quickly, looking intently for any sign of them. When he ascertained that they had, indeed, vanished, he was stunned into silence and disarray. Any and all combat training he had recieved as a member of the elite of the elite IRG fell apart beneath him and his legs nearly gave way. This did not last long enough to cause a problem to him, though, as the two Jedi soon re-appeared. A spinning slice from a lightsaber cleanly beheaded him and his decapitated corpse, red armor shining under the light of the open plaza, crumpled to the floor in a heap. His NE-19 clattered with a metallic thud. The two Jedi moved on, carving their way through the IRG around them....

OOC: Feel free to showcase some slice 'em up action here.

Jian Bexer emptied his pistol clip into the approaching form of an IRG and he fell for cover to change his magazine as another soldier advanced. The Crimson Guardsman reared forward, thrusting his bayoneted assault rifle towards Jian. Jian, quick thinking as ever, ducked the stab attack and rose to deliver two shots from his Jericho .41 into the IRG. Across from him, the security-police quartet had fallen to a trio with one of the officers having fallen to IRG fire, his corpse riddled with more than a half-dozen gunshots including two to the head, the wounds that had taken his life almost instantly. His three comrades were fairing better, but were under the realization that they couldn't keep this fight up forever as they were rather quickly running thin on ammunition.

Jian looked towards the large doors that would lead them straight into the Emperor's throne room. At least two dozen IRGs stood in the path between him and those mammoth doors. He turned to the security-police officer beside him.

"Bexer, Sir," the officer said, "Is there anyway we can get to those doors without taking a couple hundred rounds?"

"I don't know," Jian said uneasily as he shot twice, downing an enemy soldier. He looked towards the Jedi. "But I know they can...."

When the Jedi reappeared in the midst of the IRG crowd, their blades became whirling Cusinarts of light as they slashed their way through the enemy ranks, sending confusion and perhaps terror everywhere as guardsmen tried and failed to track them in their blinding speed. They even added punches and kicks and liberal doses of telekinesis where it counted. Such is the fury of the Force when the Jedi must fight. So be the speed of the battle between Light and Dark to come when they face the Sith Lord himself...

Jian emptied another clip as he traded shots with the IRG forces; a cloud of crimson guards that seemed to have endless numbers. He and the three security-police made a mad dash for the large entrance doors to the throne room, giving fire when needed to cover themselves. A good majority of the IRGs were busy as it was trying to contend with the Jedi. They reached the door, activated the auto-lock override, and snuck through. A security-police officer was shot in the back as he was exiting through.

Jian was in.

The Jedi swiftly moved through the door, backpedalling and deflecting bullets away from the friendlies and then Master Hoven used the Force to close the door. They too were in.

As soon as they had entered, the lights above them exploded in a shower of sparks and shattered glass that soon rained down atop them. One by one, the rows of lights in the room did the same; shards of glass fell to the polished marble floor like razor-sharp hail. Jian looked towards the back of the throne room, where the throne itself sat in front of an enormous, sweeping window. The throne was elevated from the floor along a raised platform, giving whomever stood on it a height advantage. In the darkness, Jian could make out the forms of at least two people and, perhaps, a third. He caught sight of a forth person, but this one was lying on the floor, dead. He shuddered to think what had happened in here.

"Greetings, Jedi," a voice cackled through the darkened throne room. "Prepare to meet thy doom."

Darth Raze advanced from the shadows and, in an instant, illuminated the glowing blade of his red lightsaber. He smiled broadly.

"You're the one we've been looking for," Jian said. "You're Darth Raze!"

"A keen perception you have, Jian Bexer. A pity I ever you made anything in my government."

"Wait...what?"

"Do you not recognize me yet?" Raze said. He lifted off his hood and revealed to Jian that he was none other than the Colerican Emperor, Maderic Thra. "You sad fools. Alec Osari's investigation proved a worthy cause, indeed. To think that you actually thought a Sith Lord was haunting the halls of the Imperial Palace...well, you've found your Sith ghost. What are you going to do about it?"

Jian, in a boldness that impressed even him, replied, "We're going to kill you, Raze. Maybe not me, but they're more than a match for you," he indicated the two Jedi beside him.

Raze laughed again. "We shall see."

"Fuck you, Sith!" shouted a security-police officer as he raised his rifle to fire on the Sith. "Die!"

Through the powers of the Force, Raze snapped the officer's rifle in half while he still held it. Bewildered, the young officer looked at him with a terrified expression. An overwhelming choking sensation soon took him over and he threw his hands to his throat. Within a few moments, he collapsed to the floor, dead.

"Let us get this over with," Raze said and walked slowly down the throne stairs towards Jian and the Jedi.

"Yes. Let's." Master Hoven raised his blade in a high guard and his Padawan circled to the left of the Sith, blade in a lower classic position.

[Duel of the Fates begins]

Darth Raze advanced from the right of Hoven and, in an instant, sprung into action, his lightsaber a whirl of blazing red fire. He danced and skirted his way between master and apprentice, meeting and exchanging blows, strikes, and parries with the greatest of ease. He flipped over Hoven and launched a powerful offensive campaign of attacks aimed at claiming either the Jedi's lightsaber or his saber arm all together. Hoven held strong in his defense, but Raze pressed forward. As the other Jedi rushed towards him, Raze intercepted him with a boot to the face that dropped him to the floor. He turned his attention back to Hoven and delivered more lightning-fast strikes....

Darth Raze advanced from the right of Hoven and, in an instant, sprung into action, his lightsaber a whirl of blazing red fire. He danced and skirted his way between master and apprentice, meeting and exchanging blows, strikes, and parries with the greatest of ease. He flipped over Hoven and launched a powerful offensive campaign of attacks aimed at claiming either the Jedi's lightsaber or his saber arm all together. Hoven held strong in his defense, but Raze pressed forward. As the other Jedi rushed towards him, Raze intercepted him with a boot to the face that dropped him to the floor. He turned his attention back to Hoven and delivered more lightning-fast strikes....
Hoven snarled, furiously defending and attacking the Sith while Quinn sprawled from the kick and shook off the blow to throw random objects at the Sith with the Force.

Hoven snarled, furiously defending and attacking the Sith while Quinn sprawled from the kick and shook off the blow to throw random objects at the Sith with the Force.

Raze twisted away effortlessly from the a chair that was tossed at him by Quinn and leaped towards the young Padawan, lightsaber slashing and whirling in a fit of red fire. He landed and immediately brought his twirling blade to bear on the boy, slashing and cutting with deadly arcs and wild strikes of the burning crimson sword. Quinn had all he could to stave off the attack as Hoven jumped in to the strafe to protect his apprentice.

"Not so fast," called a female voice from the darkened corner of the throne room; Ay-Linn Nash stirred to life in the darkness, blue lightsaber flashing to life with a snap-hiss. "I serve His Majesty now..."

She said nothing more as she leapt at Hoven and crashed her blade against his. The two engaged one another in a fast paced offensive exchange, pitting one another's exceptional skills to a daring test.

Raze, on the other hand, had quickly forced Quinn across the room with his superior skills. Slowly, he looked for an opening in the boy's defenses--a weakness to locate and exploit. He positioned his blade in such a way as to force to Quinn's weapon high up into the air. Raze moved quickly to strike at the boy's exposed neck after jarring free his lightsaber...

Quinn suddenly saw his death right before it happened and then the blade slashed through his neck. He was dead before his corpse hit the floor.

Hoven was hit by the loss of connection to his Padawan and enraged, he furiously battered down the apprentice's defenses with superior physical strength and an anger that ordered him to kill this one quickly before moving on to Raze himself. Canine teeth bared in lupine fury, he pushed the Sith apprentice back, seeking out weak points to strike...

Ay-Linn Nash reeled back, losing great leaps of ground to the superior Jedi Master as he unleashed his vicious unslaught to her defenses. She moved her blade up Hoven's right shoulder, but he was there before she could land a blow and deflected her laser-sword with ease. The force of the deflection pushed her back further. Enraged, she swung her sword in a broad arc and came in from the furry Jedi's lower left side. Once more Hoven was there in advance, but the results were different this time. The burning fire of his lightsaber claimed Ay-Linn's saber arm from the elbow down. She shrieked in pain and utter shock as she saw her scorched arm fall to the floor, still holding her deactivated lightsaber tightly.

Bu'dump.