[Sith mission] Protecting Our Assets

[Bubák]

Your Grave would reach it's destination in a couple of minutes, giving Avreet time to think about the mission while his new apprentice practiced his powers and meditated. The young Crusader sat in the pilot's seat and watched the blue hyperspace tunnel, hoping Vyrzen would survive this mission. The boy had learned to control himself much better than the first time they met, displaying restraint and proper control, so Avreet definitely did not want to lose such a promising apprentice. The Mon Calamari could not protect him too much though, as that would defeat the purpose of Vyrzen gaining as much experience as possible in this trial by fire. Will he be able to keep calm in the heat of a battle, or is he going to snap and get lost in a bloodthirsty rage?

With a soft sigh, the Crusader got up from the seat and headed deeper into the ship, only to find his apprentice meditating. Observing the Zabrak kid for a while, Avreet nodded a few times, examining the youngster's training lightsaber. While the name could cause much confusion, it was about as training weapons as Avreet's phrik dagger, simply lacking the cutting power of a real lightsaber. It could still cleave a man in half with a well placed cut. "Apprentice Vyrzen," Avreet adressed the boy to get his attention, "We'll be arriving shortly. Before that happens though, I'd like to go over a few things again." The Mon Calamari clasped his hands behind his back and towered above the meditating kid.

"This is your first mission, so your excitement to remove the pirates and eagerness to prove yourself to me might get the better of you. Remember, stay calm and always control your emotions. We are to eliminate all pirates except their leader, so do not hesitate to strike them down, but take no pleasure in spilling their blood. Just because they are animals does not mean we have to become the same. Doing as I want will be more than enough of a proof that you deserve to walk your journey towards becoming a true Sith." The Mon Cal gave the boy a reassuring smile before continuing.

"Now please, get up and turn on your weapon. Remember the powers I have taught you and show me you can use Force cloak with your lightsaber turned on while moving. Bend the sound waves too. Once you do as I ask, get a rest. You'll need every bit of energy to use Force cloak at least four times, so think before you use it..., do not take my presence for granted. You can rely on your comrades only as long as you don't rely on them completely." The Crusader finished and took several steps back to have a good look at Vyrzen's demonstration. The monotone voice of the ship's computer informed them the ship was going to exit hyperspace in ten minutes, but Avreet did not even flinch, focusing solely at the Zabrak. Your Grave was a stealth shp, after all, the pirates would not see them on their radars.

 

[Negative Blessing]

Vyrzen sat on the floor in his personal room meditating, clearing his mind and recalling his lessons from his Master. He thought about the two new abilities he had learned and though he wanted to practice them he knew he would need all his strength physically and be refreshed mentally with the Force on this mission. He did not know what the mission entailed only that his Master told him to be prepared for it. While in his meditation trance, he used the Force slightly moving various objects around in his room building a stronger bond with the Force through these mental practices then one by one, he replaced the objects to their starting positions.

Vyrzen opened his eyes when he felt the presence of his Master behind him. The young Zabrak looked up at his Master when the Mon Calamari Sith Crusader towered over him and began to speak about this being his first mission and what was expected of Vyrzen and that the leader was to be apprehended while the others were expendable. "I understand Master. I will not react until I see you react Master," Vyrzen said truthfully. He was slightly nervous for this was his first mission and so much was asked of him already but then he thought about he was walking down the path of a Sith so he cast aside all signs and feelings of nervousness.

Once again, he listened to his Master instruct him to use Force Cloak but this time while his weapon was activated. Vyzern jumped to his feet and unclasped the weapon from his side. He ignited the saberstaff and a red, faint blade emerged from either side of the staff. With the weapon lit, he stretched out with the Force and as he had been taught, began to bend both the light and sound waves around him making him invisible. Holding still for a few seconds until he knew he could sustain the power, he began to move around his room unseen to his Master's eyes with his weapon humming silently.

Powering down his weapon, he returned it to his side and uncloaked himself in the Force. "I will not waste my energy, Master, nor will I rely on your presence. And I will use this technique sparingly," he said making his way to his bunk to get a quick rest in before the mission took off.

 

[LadyM]

Gar, the Wookie leader of the pirate band, stood aboard his warship, the Sharrtti, fingering the small bones of reptiles woven into his brown and red fur staring at his war council with cold eyes making them tremble slightly. The Wookie pirate leader, unlike most of his Wookie brethren, could speak and understand Basic, a language he found most useful since most translators were suspect at best in translating languages. Besides, he was cautious and did not trust others, including his own den of pirates, so it served him to learn the universal language of the galaxy.

"The Empire's naval fleet has moved to the far side of Duros to conduct a series training exercises for the next two months leaving any ship entering this region at our mercy. However, I do not believe the Empire will simply ignore the needs and protection of their citizens or their supply ships so it is your duty to hunt down and eliminate any small ships associated with the Empire," Gar ordered his voice rumbling and echoing in the ship's bridge. They had captured much plunder from the Empire and had sold many slaves to the Hutts which proved to be a profitable agreement with the slugs.

Pointing to his under chiefs, he began to give each one their own personal instructions then dismissed them back to their ships. Gar stared out into the dark galaxy through the massive viewport on his ship. He knew the Empire's naval fleet conducting exercises may be just a ploy but the Imperial officer they captured on their last attack on a transport swore until the moment Gar killed him that it was true. Still, Gar would not take any chances. There was one thing Gar was concerned about, why had not the Empire dispatch those fools who worship the darkness in the Force, the Sith, to deal with him.

Tapping his finger to his furry lips, he turned toward his navigation officer and said, "Increase our ship's range of detecting incoming ships and increase the strength of our shields." Perhaps he was being over cautious but with the absence of the Sith so far, he was having a bad feeling about sticking around the Duros System.

 

[Bubák]

After the apprentice's display of skill, Avreet decided to let the boy sleep and rest, he'd need it. The Mon Calamari went to check if weapons systems worked as intended, expecting a small naval skirmish. While the ship was not meant to combat hostile vessels, it's stealth coating made it perfect for surprise attacks. The medium blaster cannon on it's right wing could deal a whole lot of damage to other ships, and the light cannon on the lower part of the ship was good at destroying spacefighters and weaker shields. Vyrzen would man the light cannon. While the boy surely had no experience, the Force guided his actions and Avreet believed he'd do better than any non-Force sensitive.

Reaching the maintemance console, Avreet put in a few simple commands, which immediately resulted in the computer telling him the ship's status. Everything worked as intended, shields were at 100%, guns ready. The ship's alarms sounded off in a warning, informing the two Sith the jump out of hyperspace was imminent. The Mon Cal sprinted into the cockpit, but not before knocking on the door leading to Vyrzen's quarters, "Apprentice Vyrzen, get the cannon." Avreet himself slomped into the pilot's chair and turned off the autopilot, firmly grasping the controls in his webbed hands. "Wait for my signal to fire," he said into the comms as his googly eyes inspected the radar as well as the sight out of the window.

The Intelligence certainly did a good job at noticing the pirates on their radars. The scum of the galaxy must have waited for the Imperial fleet to do exercises before boldly moving into their former position. The Imperial Intelligence also informed the Sith of the trajectory of the pirate ships, which allowed Avreet to exit hyperspace behind them, avoiding being seen. This gave him an idea. The pirates could not see Your Grave on their radars, and the ship was visually hardly detectable at distance. They did not know about him, so if he contacted them and threatened with destruction, they might think he had a whole stealth fleet at his disposal.

Avreet moved Your Grave closer to the pirate 'fleet' before establishing a connection with all the ships at once. "This is Crusader Zatarus of Your Grave," he smirked as he said his ship's name, "You have no business in this sector. As such, we must ask you to power down your weapons and shields and let our ships escort you. We are authorized to respond with lethal force to any kind of resistance." Avreet cut the connection with the ships and glared at the screen telling him the status of enemy ships, while also positioning his ship in such a way the medium cannon could easily destroy the smaller ships first.

"Apprentice Vyrzen, ignore the bigger ships with full fields, target the small ships or ships with no shields. Aim at their life support systems. You can see them on your screen." The Crusader said to the comms again, but still waited for the pirates, hoping at least some of them powered down their ships. Unknown to them, they'd crippled first. The pirate leader was on the biggest ship, no doubt, so Avreet and Vyrzen could destroy all other ships before boarding the warship.

 

[Negative Blessing]

Vyrzen laid on the bunk staring at nothing in particular but was letting both his mind and body rest. He slept for a couple of hours but he kept having this recurring nightmare or dream or was it a vision, he was not sure. He had heard how certain people touched with the Force could have visions, perhaps glimpses into the future but for the young Zabrak, his dream or vision or nightmare made no sense to him. Sitting up, he heard his Master knock on his room's door and tell him to get to the cannons.

Vyrzen jumped from his bunk and headed toward the cannon after fleeing his room. Through the comm link he heard his Master tell him to wait for his signal. Strapping himself into the chair, he put on the helmet with a microphone attached to it that gave him a direct link to the ship's cockpit and with Master Zatarus. Powering up the cannon, he opened himself up to the Force. Though the ship's target tracking device was top of the line, it was nothing in comparison to the Force.

"As you wish, Master" Vyrzen said into the comm link as he allowed the Force to guide him to each of the life support systems on the pirate vessels. The young Zabrak's eye kept shifting from one ship to another waiting for the order to open fire. A part of him wished the pirates would give up and forgo any fight but these were pirates and they suffered from a powerful motivation that his Master warned him about; greed. So he knew that at some pointe the fighting will begin and another part of him welcomed it.

 

[LadyM]

Gar let out bellowing laugh that scared the pirates on the ship's bridge. They wanted him to surrender his ships? Gar again laughed at the request. Signaling his communication expert to open the channel with this Sith, Gar replied, "You wish to escort us Sith, escort us to where? More treasures, more slaves perhaps? I think you underestimate us Sith. I have in my fleet two powerful YT-1300 that have been modified to repel any attacks and carry enough firepower to ruin your day Sith! My transport has enough firepower as well to keep you honest. And of course you can see my warship, a Guardian-class Light Cruiser."

Gar's attention is interrupted by his navigation officer when he is told one of the YT-1300 has made the jump to hyperspace abandoning Gar and choosing to flee than deal with the Sith.

Gar slams his massive paw on one of the arm rests on his captain's chair. Still, his small fleet was more than enough to deal with one Sith. Through a secure channel, Gar ordered his remaining ships to raise their shields to full capacity. Then he turned his attention back to the Sith ship.

"As you can see my annoying little Sith, we are quite safe from your puny threats. So, come and play with us instead of hiding amongst the stars!"

 

[Bubák]

Smirking at the Wookiee, Avreet listened to him before the communication channel closed again, most likely permanently. Really, it was cool the pirate leader told Avreet all about his ships, naming their models and didn't even forget to say they were upgraded, while knowing nothing of the Crusader's vessel himself. Now, with all the knowledge, Avreet knew all the enemy ships were thousand years old models. Sure, the upgrades probably changed these pieces of junk into fast and solid vessels, but upgrades could only do so much. Avreet's ship was not built for space battles though, making it more or less even. As such, the young Crusader felt no shame in attacking the pirates from behind. Avreet just called his apprentice through the comms to come into the cockpit, as the light blaster cannon apparently worked too.

One pirate ship decided to flee, which did not bother the Mon Calamari. There was one more YT-1300. "Apprentice Vyrzen, watch how I fly and learn." He said to the boy sitting next to him and pressed the button under his thumb, firing at the ship that looked exactly like the Millenium Falcon. The blast hit the unsuspecting ship, but the pirate leader wasn't joking about the upgrades. The shot was absorbed by strong shields, although it brough them down to 10% according to the computer. The enemy freighter started flying around, trying to find the Sith's stealth ship. It was only a matter of time before that happened, so Avreet fired one more shot from the medium blaster cannon towards the Guardian-class Light Cruiser, also teasing it's shields a little bit, before giving the flying YT-1300 a chase.

The light cruiser and the transport began tailing the Sith, or attempted to do so. It was too slow and poorly armed, obviously meant to transport things rather than to fight. The light cruiser posed quite a problem though. It's two turrets and two laser cannons clearly outmatched the Sith ship, which would not be able to repel firepower of that magnitude. Your Grave was still faster than the light cruiser though, so Avreet did his best to avoid getting hit while trying to hit the dodging YT-1300. The freighter fought back, it's turret spraying fire towards Your Grave's bottom. Several shots hit the Crusader's ship, bringing the shields down to 80%. The Mon Calamari repayed in kind, using the Force to guide his hand and hitting the YT-1300's engines, destroying them and making the ship unable to move.

It still posed a threat though, so the Crusader rapidly turned the course to the left, flying in a circle, until the freighter was in his sight again. One more press of the button, and the YT-1300 exploded with everyone aboard it. The two Sith did not cheer for long though, as Your Grave violently shook upon being hit by two of the cruiser's shots. One of the hits had partly gotten through the shields, damaging the communication systems. Too bad for the pirates if they wanted to surrender.

Before they tried to board the cruiser, the transport had to be neutralized. Throttling up, Avreet circled around the slower ships and flew directly against the slow transport. The light cannon partially disabled it's shields while the medium laser pierced the ship's cockpit, killing anyone in there. The Sith Crusader could finally focus on their main target, the light cruiser. Withous any ships to bother them, Avreet flew away, leaving the pirates who tried to find Your Grave. As a predator, the Mon Calamari ruthlessly charged the cruiser, using it's blind spots where his ship couldn't be seen from the cockpit or turrets. By doing so, Avry had successfully destroyed the ship's shields, engines and two laser cannons on the lower front. It was time to board this big guy.

Carefully positioning the ships next to each other, the Crusader initialized the boarding procedure. "Let's get to the airlock, apprentice." Rising from the seat, Avreet quickly moved to make his way through Your Grave to the fragile port connecting the ships. "Get ready, apprentice," whispered the amphibian and cloaked himself while pressing a button to open the door.

 

[Negative Blessing]

Vyrzen unclasped himself from the chair and removed the helmet and com link then moved through the ship's corridor in the direction of the cockpit. His Master had changed his mind and the young Zabrak did not know why. He entered the cockpit and took the open chair next to his Master. His golden eyes stared out the view port then turned his attention to Master Zatarus. His Master was going to teach him how to fly and the young boy watched with excitement.

Vyrzen watched as his Master engaged the enemy firing at the funny shaped ship first then on the funnier looking ship next. It seemed both attacks only slightly damaged the two pirate vessels but his Master was not finished. Their ship moved this way and that way and all the while his Master kept up the relentless pursuit of the funny shaped ship. Then the funnier looking ship began to pursue us and Vyrzen watched closely as Master Zatarus dealt with both ships.

Vryzen congratulated his Master for destroying the ship but was cut off when his Master's ship was rocked by blaster fire. Master Zatarus pulled away from the funnier looking ship and took out the transport ship then like a mynock attracted to energy, Master Zatarus headed toward the last remaining ship and after disabling it, moved next to it so they could board the ship.

Vyrzen jumped to his feet when his Master ordered him to get to the airlock. The young Zabrak was growing more excited by the adventure but quickly kept his emotions in check for if he was careless he could die on that pirate ship, or worse. Just as his Master did, he cloaked himself and retrieved his weapon from his side.

Time had come at last to prove to the galaxy and himself that he was Sith. And to prove to his Master that he did not choose the wrong Apprentice.

 

[Bubák]

The door to their ship opened, allowing both Sith to walk into the belly of the pirate vessel. The pirates must have been busy with reporting the damage, as instead of a well armed greeting party, the only resistance the two Sith encountered were two poorly armed and equipped guards. A blinding light erupted from the Crusader's palm, blinding the guards and any potential cameras that might have been watching them. Without the slightest hesitation, the invisible Mon Calamari leapt towards the two pirates in three steps, all sounds muffled by bending sound waves, and stabbed the men under their chins, the crimson energy blades exiting through their skulls. Withdrawing the lightsabers and letting the bodies fall to the floor in unison, Avreet decloaked himself, signaling to Vyrzen he could do so too.

"Force flash," he explained the power he had used, "Prove yourself and I'll teach it to you once we get back." Looking around, he didn't see anything noteworthy except for a few boxes, most likely containing consumables. The Crusader turned his gaze up and searched for something on the ceiling, until his gaze fixed and his typical neutral expression showed a hint of smile. An airwent! Like a scythe, one of the lightsabers flew out of Avreet's hand and cut a hole into the metal covering it before returning to the Mon Calamari. "Apprentice Vyrzen, since Force cloak still costs you plenty of energy, use this vent to get around the ship unnoticed. I'm sure we'll eventually meet somewhere." Although Avreet did not plan this, it looked like a good way to test the boy. Vyrzen would have to rely on his own abilities and skills.

With Vyrzen climbing through the vent, Avreet turned his attention to the door leading out of the room. Using Force cloak again, he opened the door, which revealed a hallway that took turn to the right. Before doing anything else, Avry focused on the lights, destroying them with Combustion before proceeding. The darkness hid him very well, allowing the Mon Cal to stop maintaining the costly Force cloak. Both of the Crusader's lightsabers found their place on his belt as he drew the short phrik sword out of his boot. Then he waited, feeling a few presences around the corner. The first man that dared to step into the dakrness found himself with a dagger in his heart. His absence made another one to investigate instead of sounding the alarm and so the fool met the same fate as the first man. Darkness hid their bodies well. Avreet broke all lights behind the corner, but not before wiping the bloody sword into the clothes of one of the corpses.

With no imminent danger around, Avreet extended his senses and projected what he felt into his eyes. He saw outlines of several presences through the metal plates of the cruiser, noticing the room on his right was most likely a medbay. Two presences, one in pain and laying down, with another trying to treat it's wounds. Pirates were't the brightest folk, so it would be no surprise if the doctor accidentaly killed their patient. Reaching out to one of the pirates through the Force, Avreet brutally attacked his mind, enslaving it and taking direct control of the man. The pirate doctor clumsily grabbed the laying pirate under his neck, strangling him. The wounded man tried to fight for his life, but his injuries did not allow him to gather enough strength to fight back. After his death, the mind-controlled pirate unclipped a pistol from the dead man's body and placed it's barrel into his own mouth, pressing the trigger. The shot couldn't be heard outside, so Avreet can continue with his stealthy approach. Two broken lights later, he approached another door and felt who was behind it.

 

[Negative Blessing]

Vyrzen stepped through the connecting tube that led from his Master's ship to the pirate's ship unseen just as his Master fell upon two pirates killing them with precision. Vyrzen revealed himself as his Master signaled him to do so and looked around first with his eyes then through the Force. He caught glimpses of movement through out the entire ship but since his connection was not as strong as his Masters, he could not pinpointe their exact numbers or their exact locations. He just several different emotions ranging from fear to anger flowing through the Force.

"Then I shall double my efforts to prove myself to you, Master," Vyrzen said at the mention of learning a new power then moved his eyes upward just as his Master was doing. A vent was located there and soon it had been pried open by one of Master's Zatarus' lightsabers. Looking back at his Master he nodded his head, "As you wish, Master." Vyrzen jumped up into the vent and found that he had enough room where he could walk upright rather than crawl around on all fours. Silently and aware of his movements he began to move through the vent shaft allowing the Force to guide him to several bodies. He stopped and looked down and saw a pirate loading his blaster rifle with a fresh power pack and decided it was now or never.

He kicked out the vent and jumped down pulling his hilt from his side. He landed and quickly ignited the saberstaff just as the power pack clicked into the rifles energy slot. Just as he had learned in his training, he gripped a table that had various objects on them and hurled it at the man, allowing the Force to guide the table to his target. With a crash the table hit the pirate distracting him, giving Vyrzen time to react. He twirled the weapon as he lunged at the pirate then with a slash from his right to left cut through the man's armour and flesh; severing him in half.

The doors opened to the room and another pirate stepped in unaware of the events that had just occurred but Vyrzen felt him through the Force and was on him before the pirate could produce a weapon. The young Zabrak kicked the knee of the taller pirate and when the pirate landed on his back on the floor, Vyrzen raised his saberstaff and plunged on of the crimson blades through the chest cavity of the pirate, killing him instantly. Vyrzen looked at the dead pirate then over his shoulder at the other and felt nothing from killing them. No satisfaction arose inside him nor did his ego grow. He had a duty to perform and killing these pirates was a necessity.

He felt no other presences in the corridor so he returned back to the vent calling the cover through the Force to himself. After placing the vent's cover back on, he moved through the shaft again.

 

[LadyM]

Gar flew into a rage was powerful and scary, that several of the pirates fled the bridge on the warship. Gar knew the two Sith were now on his ship and the plague needed to be cured, meaning he had to kill the two Sith. He pulled out his com link, instead of using the ship's communications, and spoke to one of his leaders. "Norlo, take several men and begin to scour the ship starting at the engine room and work your way to the bridge from there. Kill anyone that doesn't not belong on my ship," Gar yelled into the com link.

He had no idea if the two Sith were together but he had no choice to split his forces. Pressing the button again on his com link, he barked, "Fer'ot, take your men and start your search in the medical bay and make your way to the armoury. Kill anything that does not belong on my ship. And Fer'ot, bring me their lightsabers."

Gar began to pace back and forth on the ship's bridge. He ordered the navigation officer to stay put and the rest were to come with him. Grabbing his bowcaster and giant vibroaxe, he exited the bridge to conduct his own search.

 

[Bubák]

Feeling several death through the Force, Avreet knew Vyrzen was making progress. Before he could focus on his apprentice and see if he had managed to eliminate the pirates without sustaining injuries, Avreet heard of many heavy boots running on the metal floor towards his location. The pirates must have realized the Sith were inside their ship, so what was coming towards Avreet wasmost likely a team sent to eliminate him. Those fools would not stand a chance against a trained Fore sensitive like the Crusader, but Vyrzen might be in trouble. Although this originally served as a test of the young boy's skill, the Zabrak lacked both training and experience, so Avreet was not going to risk his death when it threatened. Sheathing the dagger and taking the lightsabersinto his hands, he soundlessly ignited both of them thanks to Force cloak, just as he hid the laser blades radiating red light with the same ability. Time to show those pirates what a Sith can do!

The first two pirates slowly and carefully approached the dark corridor. Both of them ignited flashlights on their blaster rifles, partially illuminating the area and scanning for any signs of intruders. Finding nothing, they advanced towards the medbay, while the rest of their team, four pirates and their teamleader, covered the two. Avreet hid ind the medbay, awaiting the first enemy to open the door. The two dead pirated were both propped against the door, so as soon as the first man opened, both corpses fell on him. The pirate screamed and pushed both bodies off before shooting them both a few times. The man was scared, stressed, it was easy for Avreet to take over his mind and make him turn around, gunning down one of his collegues before being put down by the rest of the pirates. This event certainly unnerved them, so they noticed a purple ball of energy flying towards them far too late. It exploded like a grenade, hitting them all, but the energy did not kill them, only paralysed their bodies.

Avreet ran out of the medbay, cutting down three before the effect of Force shock wore off. The last pirate, the one who led the team, fell down to the floor and rolled to the right, making both stabs aimed for his head miss him. Kicking out his leg, the pirate his Avreet's right knee and made him stumble backwards, giving himself enough time to aim with his weapon and start showering the Mon Cal with blaster bolts. Although Makashi was not meant to deflect blasters, two lightsabers effectively eliminated the weakness, allowing Avreet to deflect all incomming blaster bolts, sending them wildly all over the place. One of them ripped off the pirate's hand holding the blaster, which made him drop the gun down. Avreet casually walked up to him and pointed one lightsaber into his face, making him sweat from the superheated plasma blade, "Greetings. Are you the captain of this ship?" The terrified man only managed to shake his head, but it was more then enough for Avreet to push his blade further into the man's skull and fry his brain.

The young assassin absorbed the deaths through the Force, gaining the energy lost during the fight, and started making his way towards the place he felt his apprentice. He had not encountered more resistance as he quickly paced through the cold interior. The ship was not very big, the crew consisting of 30 men or less. Some of them died during the space battle, more followed by Avreet's hands. It mattered little, heir leader was the amphibian's only concern, the only one who would live a few hours longer. Everyone else was expendable, serving more as practice dummies more than worthy opponents. But what could one expect from filthy pirates?

 

[Negative Blessing]

Vyrzen looked through the slits of another vent and though the Force was acting like a beacon alerting him to danger, he saw the room was empty. Slowly and quietly he removed the metal grate covering the vent and jumped down. He thought about leaving the vent uncovered but thought the better of it, using the Force to return the grate to the vent. Vyrzen looked around the room and noticed he was inside the engine room. The rumblings and the small hisses from the ship's engine components sounded like a soft lullaby to the young Zabrak. He shook the feeling from his head, focusing on the task at hand.

The room was big, even with all the machines whirring about, and he began to creep around the room. He stopped abruptly as he felt several presences coming his way. He knew they would be in the room quicker than he could return to the vent and make a calculated departure. Vyrzen cloaked himself in the Force and pulled out his weapon, but did not ignite it yet. Standing in the centre of the engine room, the doors opened and spilling into the room where four pirates led by a human male with a green patch over his right eye.

The leader told his men to fan out and search the engine room. By them splitting up, it gave Vyrzen an idea. Like a predator, he began to stalk the men killing them one by one until only the one-eyed leader was alone and unaware of his men's death. No longer able to sustain his cloak, Vyrzen materialized behind the leader who, sensing danger, spun around to face the young boy. The leader looked at the young Zabrak and erupted into a roar of laughter. Vyrzen smiled at the man who must have been more than amused to see a kid Sith on the ship causing trouble.

But Vyrzen's smile vanished and he attacked. Using the Force to enhance his speed and movements, he cut a swath through armoured man, severing his arm that was holding a small hold-out blaster in the process. The man was dying but not dead yet. Vyrzen asked, "Where is your leader?"

The one-eyed pirate spit on Vryzen. The young would-be Assassin shook his head in disgust at the actions of the dying pirate and then ended the pirate's suffering by ramming one of the blades deep into the chest of the pirate. He didn't know where his Master was exactly so he began to move through the ship's corridors toward the bridge.

 

[LadyM]

Gar, with several of his pirates, were standing in the long corridor that connected the main part of the ship to the bridge as he tried to contact his two cronies, Norlo and Fer'ot, on their com links without success. The Wookie pirate leader growled in anger and slammed his fist into one of the walls putting a sizeable dent into it. When he saw what he had done, he growled even louder. He was about to kick the wall in frustration when the bridge doors spread apart and his navigation officer stepped out holding a holovid from the security cameras.

Gar looked at the little Zabrak and let out a roar of laughter. "A boy? A wee Sith boy has been causing so much trouble on my ship. New orders," Gar said turning to his remaining men. "He may have killed our brothers but we now know who we are dealing with. I want him taken alive if possible but if that can not be achieved, then we will kill him and send his head to the Empire with a note telling them they need to do better than that and not to send us Sith in diapers!"

Gar ordered his men to seek out this boy and he turned around motioning for his navigation officer to follow him as they entered the bridge. With the doors closed and only Gar and the officer on the bridge, he said "Contact one of those Hutts and tell them we may have a present for them. And ask what the going price is for a young Sith Zabrak boy?"

 

[Bubák]

Continuing his way through the ship, Avreet paced towards the place he felt Vyrzen was at. After having to find a way around locked room a room destroyed by Your Grave's fire, which meant crawling in an incredibly hot vent before finally exiting next to some crates, his skin almost dry. With no enemies around, most of them most likely grouped at the ship's bridge, Avreet quickly reached out through the Force, trying to feel his apprentice and his enemies. Vyrzen started moving in the direction of the bridge, where Avreet truly felt several auras of frustrated beings. The young apprentice's presence felt fine, the boy was calm, his body without wounds. Going faster, opening doors with the Force so he would not be slowed down, he tried to catch up with the Zabrak boy. "Wait for me, apprentice," he telepathically said to Vyrzen to stop the kid from walking straight to the bridge. The boy may have defeated many pirates this day, but a kid as him could only do so much. Better not to let him enter a room filled with angry criminals!

The Mon Calamari assassin finally saw the small familiar figure dressed in Sith clothing. Smiling at him, Avreet curiously eyed him, "Everything alright so far, apprentice? There are just few more enemies left on the ship. Let's take their leader and get away from here. Now prepare yourself, it looks like we have company" It was easy to feel the angry and scared men searching for Vyrzen. What they did not expect was finding the boy's Master. They might have stood a chance against a 10 year not, but definitely not against a Sith Crusader like Avreet. The Mon Cal did not even cloak himself as he waited for the group to come. Their surprise when they opened the door and found two Sith instead of only the little one was priceless.

One strong Force push was all it took to make them all fall like ragdolls. Two cimson plasma blades danced through the fallen pirates, cutting through armor and flesh as if it were nothing but air. Several pirates ended only with missing hands or arms, and Avreet paid no further attention to them, as they posed no danger. Most were not so lucky though, typical Makashi stabs found their marks in necks and heads, their deaths clearly audible in the Force. Ozone and burned flesh could be smelled in the air, almost to make one think of a bantha steak, but the smoking heap of bodies gave away the source of smell. Finishing the last pirate with a cut through his neck without even breaking a sweat (not like Mon Calamari could sweat), the Crusader smiled at the young apprentice, "Feel their deaths through the Force, it is like a void in a sea of life. Try to absorb power from it."

One pirate who had gotten away with severed fingers on his right hand grunted, gaining the Mon Cal's attention. The Crusader clipped his lightsabers back to his belt ald walked to the man, stepping over dead bodies of his friends. Lifting the pirate up by his neck, Avree's expression changed to neutral again. "Tell me something useful, and I might let you live." It was a fair, honest offer, but the pirate did not take it, trying to kick the Mon Cal instead. He stopped his attempts after Avreet ignited a lightsaber through his stomach. This elicited several pained shrieks from the now dying man, but nothing more. Avry slowly started lowering his body onto the lightsaber, ripping through the man's lower vital organs, making the pirate gurgle as blood spilled from his mouth, finally persuading him to talk. Whispering something into the Mon Cal's ear, the man painfully laughed his last laugh as the Crusader let go of him, the pirate's weak body cumpling onto the floor, the lightsaber cutting him vertically in half.

Before both halves even hit the floor with a wet thump, Avreet turned to Vyrzen again, "The pirate was very rude, he said we should go kriff ourselves. See what kind of scum they are? Man gives them an honest offer and they spit it back into his face. Unbelievable." Spinning on his heels, the Mon Cal went the way the group came from, hoping to finally arrest their leader. Two or three pirates who survived the encounter moaned in pain, holding their mutilated limbs, but the Crusader did not even flinch as he slowly paced towards the bridge.

 

[Negative Blessing]

Vyrzen was looking at the door that lead perhaps to the bridge and behind it he could feel the anger and fear from the remaining pirates but just then he heard his Master's voice appear in his head and he halted his advance. "Yes Master," Vyrzen said gripping the hilt on his weapon tighter but keeping his eyes on the door and his senses on high alert. The pirates he had killed earlier were dispatched by him using stealth and secrecy but he wondered if these pirates knew that he was here.

Vyrzen looked over his shoulder as he felt the presence of his master then a few seconds later Master Zatarus appeared and smiled at him. Vyrzen returned the smile then answered, "Everything is fine Master. What is our plan now Master?" Before Master Zatarus could answer, the door opened up and several pirates emerged but only to be thrown to the ground by a strong push in the force from his Master.

Vyrzen watched as Master Zatarus chopped, sliced, and skewered the pirates quickly. Just as his Master instructed, the young Zabrak began to feel the deaths in the force and he began to siphon the fear and pain from those that had survived the slaughter but where clutching stumps and staring at their limbs on the floor. Vyrzen could feel these emotions and the coldness of death empowering him.

Vyrzen watched as his Master lifted a pirate up by his neck to question him but was forced to kill him. Vyrzen looked at a one armed pirate reach for his blaster that was still gripped in his severed hand and Vyrzen stepped over to him. Plunging one of the tips of his lightsaber into the chest of the pirate killing him quickly, Vyrzen said to his Master, "Perhaps these remaining scum that still breathe will learn some manners now."

Vyrzen began to walk with his Master toward the door that stood now between the two Sith and the pirate leader.

 

[Bubák]

The door opened, revealing two pirates talking to a hologram resembling a typical fat Hutt. One of the pirates, a heavily armed Wookiee, looked like the leading figure, so Avreet telekinetically gripped the other man's neck and slammed him into a wall, knocking him out. The pirate captain roared in a Wookiee manner, apparently showing his displeasure with the presence of the two Sith on the bridge, but Avreet just raised his other hand and threw him into a wall. "By the order of the New Sith Imperium, I am placing you under arrest for atrocities committed on Imperial citizens." The Mon Cal said officially and slowly paced towards the pirate. The Wookiee got up and charged at the amphibian, only to be pushed into a wall again. That greatly angered the pirate, making him reach for his bowcaster and aim at the Crusader. The young Sith pulled the weapon out of his hand and crushed it with telekinesis. "Don't make it worse for yourself. Surrender."


Holding the Wookiee in the air, Avreet shot a glance towards Vyrzen, "Apprentice, please contact the Imperial fleet and tell them they have an empty ship here." Paying attention to the pirate again, Avreet choked him unconscious and let his body fall to the floor. "Looks like we're done here. I'll take the prisoners to our ship," said the Crusader, tieing up the unconscious pirates and levitating them to the ship. It was not a problem, as the main computer on the bridge allowed them to open all the doors leading to Your Grave. After placing them to the small holding cells, Avreet returned and went through the ship, finding the surviving pirates and taking them to the cells too. Most of them were too wounded to struggle, the others got knocked unconscious.

When everything was set and Vyrzen returned to Your Grave, the Crusader already awaited him in the cockpit. Disconnecting the two ship and setting the course to the nearest Imperial planet, Your Grave jumped into hyperspace, while the Imperial fleet arrived to whatever remained of the pirate vessels. Whether they used it as target practice or salvaged the ships, Avreet did not know.

***

The two Sith stood on a platform, thousands of Imperial around them, cheering. Six pirates were lined up next to each other, kneeling on the platform and awaiting their end. Some crying, some begging. Only the Wookiee remained silent, his eyes angrily shifting around. Avreet raised his webbed hand to silence the citizens. "Good people of the New Sith Imperium! It has often been said the Sith don't care about the citizens of their Empire. That we go from war to war, leaving destruction in our wake, our greatest desire to kill and plunder," Avreet made a dismissing gesture with his right hand, "Look at me! I am a Sith, but I am a sentient being just like you! I want peace, I want the future generations to be safe and live in a better galaxy than we did! I see protecting you as my duty, as I have been granted the gift of the Force! It is every Imperial's duty to protect our Empire!"

"We all have right to feel safe in our Empire, we all have right to travel safely to different planets ruled by Her Imperial Majesty! Yet these men," Avreet pointed at the pirates, "Steal our hard earned credits, take our lives and think they can get away with it! My friends, my dear Imperials, I cannot watch such criminal elements trying to take away our basic rights! Let everyone see what happens to the ones who try to subvert our Empire. Don't be afraid to let your kids see this, for these men are pirates, and the punishment for piracy is death! Even my apprentice, just a kid, eagerly offered himself to drive away the criminals and protect you! That is a proof of the Sith Order's devotion to you, Imperials! Now, let the justice be done." The crowd cheered.

Avreet motioned to Vyrzen. "Execute them." He said coldly.

 

[Negative Blessing]

When the doors opened up, Vyrzen's eye fell on the Wookie that was standing there talking to another one of his crew. Vyrzen had only seen images of Wookies before but now that he was looking at one with his own eyes in real time, he was impressed with the species. They were renown for their strength and ferocious nature. But before he could do anything, Master Zatarus handled both the Wookie and the other pirate single handily. Then the young Zabrak was told to contact the Imperial fleet.

Pressing the button on his com link, Vyrzen said into it, "This is Vyrzen of the Sith Order. Crusader Zatarus has ordered me to inform you that we have dealt with the pirate issue and are in possession of several prisoners including their Wookie leader. You now have an empty ship to add to the Imperial Fleet and we will be taking the prisoners back with us. Vyrzen out." Vyrzen followed his Master as he levitated the pirates to his ship and once they were safely tucked aboard, they made a jump into hyperspace.

Vyrzen stood next to his Master as he spoke to the citizens of the Empire while the prisoners were on their knees in front of them. As his Master spoke, Vyrzen could feel the different emotions from the pirates but he had no mercy for them. They acted like cowards preying on the Imperial citizens so it was only fitting that they should die like cowards. However, their Wookie leader, Gar the found out was his name, knelt in defiance and was not resonating any emotions other than anger. Then he heard his Master pass judgment on them and Vyrzen was ordered to kill them.

He killed the pirates quickly by piercing their hearts with his lightsaber's blade but he stopped and stared at the Wookie for a moment. Vyrzen did not want to kill the Wookie while he was unarmed for they were warriors and he deserved a warrior's death. But common sense told Vyrzen that in a fight this Wookie would kill him so he twirled his blade once and plunged the crimson blade into the chest of the Wookie. The furry beast howled then collapsed on the platform. Vyrzen reached down and cut off a finger from the Wookies left hand and out it in his pouch.

Vyrzen saw his Master look at him after he did that and said to his Master, "I came from Dathomir and was raised as a warrior before becoming Sith. The Wookie was a warrior before he lost his way and became a pirate. His finger will remind me to never lose my focus....ever."