As the sun of Nicht Ka set for the day, leaving the eastern side of the planet in darkness, silence droned on. Like a curse placed upon the biosphere. From the darkness, a circular halo of lights began to shine out from the crust, with various blips beginning to flicker alight inside the halo. This was known by the Brotherhood as the One Sith continent on Nicht Ka. The question that was much more difficult to answer was where they bunkered. Then from the silence, flashes of cerulean followed by an orb appeared in the sky. Out stretched the long nose of an Imperial Star Destroyer, which melded and shrunk back into shape as it slowed below light speed. Following suit was the grated and stumpt nose of a Bothan Assault Cruiser. Then followed the various X-Wings of this appearing fleet, that surrounded the two monolithic ships and explored the vast emptiness of space. Latched on the angular hull of these ships was the Arcona symbol, recently painted.
From their position, the Imperial Star Destroyer called ‘Eye’ began to cruise ahead and place itself into an orbit around the dark side of Nicht Ka. Whereas the smaller and less defended Assault Cruiser named ‘Darkest Night’ ascended to the daytime of the planet and anchored itself there. Meanwhile inside the Darkest Night, two Quaestor prepared for their shuttles by walking into hanger with their datapads and Aediles. From the corner of his eye, the Human named ‘Valtiere’ looked at his partner ‘Cethgus’ and whispered.
“Ceth, this attack alone on the One Sith is going to be huge. The repercussions will be seen for years to come.”
With a stern nod and a growl, Cethgus continued to walk towards the shuttle and up the landing bay. Then once inside, he spoke to his partner.
“Valt, this event will outlive our reign and into our descendants reign indefinitely. We must do this right!”
Cethgus struck his palm with his fist to indicate the severity of his words, then gave the pilot the go ahead.
The shuttle curled its wings outwards as it elevated from the floor and pushed out of the hangar bay. The cold metal of the engines rattled and hummed into life as the mechanisms processed quickly. The shuttle arched around the planet’s equator as it was chased by the rising sun. The blazing rays of the hot ball of fire and gas gave the men a warm sensation on the back of their necks, the only positive feeling they will receive in the days to come.
After finally catching up with the dusk of the planet, the pilot and Valtiere notice the huge teal engine flames from the ISD roaring to keep the ship in orbit. This capital uncurled from the planet’s equator and fully in view as the shuttle finally reached the ship’s hangar bay. With the shuttle’s wings curling back in, the shuttle cooled and landed safely in the limelight of the ship’s hangar. The two Quaestors had a blanket of confidence wrap around them as they strided off the shuttle ramp, ready for combat. Surprised at their vision, they saw all their Battleteam Leaders standing in formation in salute. They halted to investigate this odd outcome.
“This is why the Consul summoned you all? To welcome us?” Ceth spoke to them.
Valitere quickly patted the Zabrak’s shoulder and looked at him. “No, my brother, they’re in the hangar to be our first squadron of attackers. We cannot waste more time, the bridge needs us!”
Cethgus agreed then dismissed the Leaders and proceeded ahead towards the bridge. The two men jogged up the stairs to meet two huge and thick framed doors swish open for them, the beeping of consoles and the sounds of commotion that represented the bridge. This was the delighting experience that Valtiere had hoped for. An officer from one of the command controls spotted the two men and walked to them with a datapad in hand. With a sharp salute, he handed the pad to them.
“Your orders from the Consul sir, are to command the Eye whilst in orbit, and observe for any One Sith incursions.” He then gave another quick salute and marched back to his console.
Together, the Quaestors walked up more stairs to reach the command consoles and observation area of the bridge. They already sensed familiar faces, but seeing Turel and Atyiru in their uniforms and standing guard gave them a spark of pride in their hearts. The clinking of their boots echoed the bridge as they approached the observation window, then the Aediles turned and saluted.
“Sir I relieve command to you, no One Sith Incursions yet but we...er I...have had my eyes open” Turel said to Valtiere, who nodded in response.
“Atty, how is your search? Anything out there?” Cethgus said to his most prized leader as he stood by her.
“Unknown sir, the planet is...darted...with Force sensitivity, it’s just the matter of finding the right one.”
“I know you can do it, have we seen...er spoken...to Marick yet” Cethgus said, almost forgetting one of the members did not have eyes.
“No sir, he hasn’t stepped out of the War Council, even when we arrived.” Turel added, with a nervous sensation covering him.
“But we did see Wuntila sir, he came in with us and said something about orders from the VOICE”
Valtiere and Cethgus both appeared puzzled about this War Council, as some of the members inside were indeed attached to Dark Council members.
“I’m afraid we have to assume that the VOICE is not to be blame, if so then Marick would of spoken by now” Valtiere said, who was quite confident of himself.
“Would he really now?” The Zabrak whispered, staring out into the atmosphere of the Nicht Ka nightsky.
Tactical Defensive and Oppressive Strategy Holo-projection Chambers
Inside the dark and silent room, an aquamarine glow blended into the darkness from the centre of a holoprojection machine. This table displayed the orbiting planet of Nicht Ka, with several key tactical points of landing for the fleet, followed by hypothesis routes they could take and other technological ideas from the members inside the Council. On the outer sides of this table stood Strategos and Timeros who bounced ideas off each other fluently. Near the middle Wuntila stood with his muscular and thick arms crossed as he observed the holoprojection for faults and counters. Then opposite Wuntila, the blue chiss named Invictus stood who looked worryingly at his friend, the Consul Marick who continued to pace slowly without a word.
“Look here, there is a field of pure glass made by an old erupted volcano, if we use the sun’s glare to our advantage then we will catch them off guard”
“And if they are not by this ‘glassy glare’ that you so confidently point out? What if they spot the fighters and assault with anti-air machinery?” Timeros replied to Strategos, his face unchanged by the anger of his family brother.
From the corner of Marick’s eye, he caught Wuntila looking at him directly and then the eyes of the hulk peered off to the left. Marick within milliseconds quickly turned to see Legorii walking back with a datapad held out for his Consul. Marick nodded in response and scanned the data in his hands.
“Sight’s transport has been found in ruins, and he nor the Deputy Grand Master is anywhere to be found. The attack...was made by the Master-At-Arms.”
The growl from Wuntila could be heard by everyone, but they calmly decided to not act on it in fear of turning this debate into savage combat.
“Now, we must decide who this traitor is and fast. Legorii, any update about the Justicar?”
“Negative sir, he is remaining with the Grand Master in the Star Chamber,”
“Wuntila, what of Mav?” Marick spoke out towards the grumbling hulk.
“He spoke of his loyalty to the Grand Master and Taldryan first. He is not one to be treacherous.”
With a soft nod, Marick looked to his friend Invictus and tapped his shoulder softly. “And Socorra?”
He chuckled and shook his head and gave a charmed grin. “Oh yeah, because females are known to be treacherous in the Brotherhood. She’s clean, but not in that way.”
Strategos gave out a small chuckle from Invictus’ witty remark and then returned to his place.
“Alright, so we can rule out the Voice, Herald, Justicar and probably the Fist as he is leading a scouting mission on the surface of Nicht Ka. Any thoughts about the Headmaster?”
The room for several seconds remained silent as the members began to think and scour their knowledge banks for anything. Then Legorii spoke up from behind Marick.
“From what we’ve seen. he hasn’t stepped foot outside of Lyspair for awhile. Surely we can rule out James?”
The room fell silent again, unchanged from their views as they all feel unsure about their leaders. Marick turned and scanned his War Council with sharp eyes. “Surely we can trust an Arconae? One of us?”
Silent nods was all that they performed, still unsure about their next step. Wuntila relaxed from his frame and leaned onto the table, then spoke to the Council.
“So if we really are blaming the leader of the Grand Master’s army, the MAA, we need to situate who to apprehend and why”
Navigational Auditory and Sensory Bridge
Whilst the ISD followed the night sky of the Nicht Ka planet, the doors of the War Council at the back of the bridge opened slowly and Invictus stepped out. He walked down the aisle of the bridge and was greeted by the Quaestors who turned to him in patience. The Chiss held out a datapad to Cethgus and whispered.
“Take this to the Togruta...Lexiconus, correct?” Cethgus nodded softly, as he gripped the pad and marched to the hangar. He took a glance at the information then scrunched his face at the initials of ‘MAA’.
“This will not be easy…” The Zabrak said, to question the Dark Forgean’s skill was truly the right mindset.
Tactical and Sensory Portable Dispatch Hangar
Here in the coldest room of the ship, the leaders of the Battleteams were all very silent in their own respective worlds. While they all could collaborate with each other, their minds were far too busy to do so. Andrelious being a pilot had taken out a TIE-Fighter to patrol the ISD, slowly in his thoughts. Arcia sat by herself reading the data on her datapad that she accumulated about the Dark Council and current events. Celevon being a precarious onderonian, stood by the shields of the hangar bay with his arms firmly crossed as he looked out into the planet’s surface. Meanwhile at a table near the door of the hangar, Adam and Lexiconus were sat playing Pazaak. Adam was not a fan of the card game, but with so much time past away, he decided now was a good time to learn, and from his friend Lex right now was a good decision. Together they discussed the rules in whispers and played with their own credits on the table. Adam began to win slightly more credits than Lex, when Arcia came over with a chair and sat herself down.
“Mind if I play the winner?” She whispered to Adam, to which he looked at Lex and the two men nodded.
Then Arcia lost her concentration on the game, her pupil concentrated as she quickly stood and approached the hangar door. “Someone is coming!”
Adam quickly followed behind and nodded in agreement, with his lightsaber already in hand. After waiting what felt like hours into three short seconds, the huge doors swished open and Cethgus slowly stepped in with a shining datapad. “Lower your weapon, Adam, this is a sanctuary not the surface.”
The Human nodded in response and sheathed his datapad. The Zabrak then walked over to the Togruta and offered him the datapad. “Orders from the Consul. Enjoy the hunt.”
Lex, taking the datapad, nodded and flickered the orders open as Cethgus left.
“So, what you going to Nicht Ka for?” Adam said eagerly, awaiting his friend’s response.
“It’s Evant, they want me to capture Evant.” Lex sighed, dreading the mysterious notion of the plans. With a soft nod and a sharp inhalation, the Togruta stood and marched to a shuttle. He opened the ramp and stepped inside, then paused.
“Oh, uh...winner takes my pot out of you two.” He smirked and nodded, then closed the ramp and set off out the shield and into space.
Antei Sector, Antei
The dull grey colours of the shuttle came into vision on the Dark Halls as he descended towards the spaceport. His eyes darted towards the glowing screen that issue his granted access to the Dark Halls. The shuttle wings slowly curled and glinted the moonlight from their tips. Several Brotherhood soldiers met the Togruta at his extended ramp, their eyes and rifles ready for any trouble. After the dust settled, Lexiconus stormed out with his robes attached and proceeded towards the entrance of the Dark Halls.
“Sire, what’s the reason of your visit here?” Commander Draug asked the Togruta.
“I’m here to see the Praetor of Aabs. Inform him immediately.” Lex stated, continuing to storm ahead.
“Aye sir,” Commander Draug nodded in response and accessed his communicator as Lexiconus disappeared into the building.
After several minutes of the shuttle ramp being open with one soldier patrolling it, a low growl echoed the immediate area from the shuttle. Curious, the guard slowly approached the dark ramp with his rifle ready. Making small steps, the soldier took three steps before a haze of orange pounced. After several seconds of struggling, a pool of blood and several shreds of the soldier was the only thing left near the shuttle.
The Togruta finally met the office labelled ‘Praetor of the MAA’, where he decided to slowly breathe and collect his emotions, then knocked on the door. The grey door swished open and the face of the Praetor met him with a cold glare. The Praetor then sat down and fixed his robes, then looked back at the Togruta.
“Shouldn’t you be at Nicht Ka? Taking out the One Sith?” Evant stated, crossing his arms. He now began to feel uncomfortable.
“Yes sir, I am doing that presently.” Lex smirked slowly, as he slowly reached for his Kukri.
Within seconds, the shocked Human quickly stood and gripped his lightsaber hilt, as he glared more at Lex. The Togruta in this flash of event flipped the kukri out of it’s sheath and launched it at the Human’s shoulder. The blade spun in the air torn through the fabric of the Praetor, then stabbed into the frame of the window behind him. Lex then quickly leapt onto the desk and took out his own lightsaber, igniting the emerald blade to life.
“Traitor! Help, we have a traitor!” The Human called out of his office and into the empty halls.
A stone-eyed look fixed onto Lex’s face as he slowly paced further, but Evant reached for his own lightsaber and latched the cerulean blade to life, then kept it pointed at the Togruta’s chest. Evant in his panic, then blasted a ball of telekinetic energy at the kukri, which flew across the office and stabbed into a file cabinet. The Human was now feeling free, and then leaped at the Togruta. With incredible force, the Praetor slammed and arced his sapphire blade into the Dark Forgean’s blade with all his might, roaring in delight with each hit. In a surprised panic, Lexic jumped from the table and kept his distance, continuing to hit and swipe the indigo blade away. The Human then somersaulted off the desk and lashed out a series of strikes and heavy blows across the malachite blade the Dark Jedi Knight clutched to. Evant prepared for the worst as his fist clenched to form a hammer like blow, then Lexic shot up into the air and rolled in the sky, then landed behind the desk. The Togruta then kicked the desk up onto it’s side and blasted a telekinetic wave at it. Evant in fury turned and used his own telekinetic wave which pushed Lexic forward and shoved him into the flying desk, within melee range. A fire entered the Praetor’s eyes as he gripped his lightsaber with both hands.
“You will pay for this, Arconan scum!” He roared out, as the guards outside began to reload their rifles and await for orders.
Hidden behind the desk, Lexic looked around to notice his kukri stuck in the wall, with a sigh he gripped his hidden kukri and looked around the ceiling. With a heating pipe in sight, he smirked and launched his kukri at the pipe, causing the steam to rush out and smoke the room.
“Kill the Arconan!” Evant shouted as he left the room. The soldiers then began to fire a barrage of red bolts into the room continuously.
The blaster fire went on for several minutes, just to make sure that the room was covered. The soldiers reloaded twice already, still waiting for something to scream out with agony. Then as they stopped for their third reload, the emerald blade of Lexic came to life and he rushed out, then stabbed the nearest soldier in the stomach. Using the body as a shield, he shimmered to the outermost guard and shoved the the body into him, pinning that soldier into the jade blade. Lexic clenched his fist and slammed a ball of kinetic force into the two soldiers who flew off his blade and into the next soldier. Then Lexic jumped and landed on the soldier, decapitating him. Two more soldiers remained, their rifles pointed at the Togruta, who growled in fury.
“Blast him!” One said and they began their barrage of blasters.
Lexic quickly stood and deflected them carefully, one scrapped his cheek as he snarled in pain. He got close enough to one soldier and cut his rifle in half, then gripped his neck and slammed his emerald blade into his face. Using the body as a shield, he whipped his blade back out and kicked the body at the last soldier, who having seen this tactic before simply pushed the body away and continued firing. The Togruta deflected another shot, twisted around and lopped off the head of the rifle, then glared at the soldier. Panicing, the man dropped his rifle and slowly slithered back down the corridor.
In the distance, Lexic saw Evant walking away to the MAA Office and smirked, he gave out a whistle and slowly walked forward. Within seconds Evant turned to face the nearby window which covered an entire wall, as a low growl surround him. Then like siege attack, an orange blur smashed through the glass and landed on Evant, who lost his lightsaber in the process and was pinned by this orange creature. The smiling Togruta slowly walked towards Evant then kneeled next to him.
“If you don’t come quietly, i’ll let him rip your arms off, are we clear? The Akul are not simple beasts you can defeat.” Lexic whispered.
With a nervous nod, Evant was cuffed by Lexic and escorted back to the space port. Once the duo reached the open port, several guards were already surrounding the shuttle and investigating the death of the patrolling soldier. Lexic noticed a smaller shuttle off to the left and together they walked over, entered the shuttle and flew into orbit.
“I assume you know why you’re here?” Lexic said to the Human.
He softly nodded and sighed, looking out the window in disebelief. “I know why you have taken me hostage. Because Aabs is the traitor.”
Lexic sighed with relief and smiled, then patted his shoulder. “That’s all I needed to hear, Evant. Now let Marick decide your fate as a heretic.”
The shuttle departed from Antei orbit and headed off into hyperspace, just missing the Antei Defense Fleet catching up.