[center][h2]~| Observation Deck - Darth Nyiss’ Harrower Dreadnought |~ ~| One Week Prior to the Sacking of Coruscant |~[/h2][/center] The observation deck of the mighty Harrower Dreadnought was a large, vaulted room near the top of the vessel’s sizeable bridge tower. The entire front wall was a single transparisteel viewport, providing an excellent view of the stars beyond, and in order to ensure their majesty could be properly appreciated the room itself was dimly lit and spartan, apart from a few comfortable chairs scattered near its edges. It’s only occupant at present was a woman, slight of figure, swathed in dark robes. She sat, cross-legged, seemingly in meditation, facing away from the grand view of the starscape and the ship's hull extending far below. She came here not for the view, though she did find it stunning, but for the solitude it offered on the busy ship - solitude that let her focus and meditate on her feelings away from constant interruptions or distraction. At this moment however, she was not meditating. She was waiting. Waiting, and planning. The stillness was broken suddenly as a holo-projector flickered on before her, bathing the room in an eerie blue glow. She was not surprised, merely opening her eyes and looking up to acknowledge it. It displayed a hooded, robed man of a powerful build and significant stature. This was what she was waiting for. “Darth Nyiss.” He said, hints of familiarity and formality coloring his tone. “The Dark Council has reviewed your request, and made a decision.” There was a heavy silence as he paused. She didn’t dare interrupt. “We have decided to allow your requested alteration to the plan…” “Thank you my Lord.” She said with a notes of deference and subdued joy in her rich, contralto voice. “However, only your forces will be instructed to capture living Jedi, and the assault shall not be slowed down. Make the most of this opportunity.” “I will. Thank you my Lord.” She said, bowing her head to the hologram. With that, it flickered off. He needed no farewell. Darth Nyiss stood then, a smug look on her face. She had secured a place in the most influential battle of the entire war, and then made it fit her exact needs all in one fell swoop. “Show me subject twenty-three’s latest test results.” She asked of no-one in particular. The Holo flickered on again, displaying a genome and a series of scrolling figures… As well as a recording of the latest procedure. “You will be the first, my dear. My proof of concept. Our new volunteers will help me to refine the process. It will be glorious.” [hr] [center][h2]~| The Sacking of Coruscant |~ ~| Day 1, 11[sup]th[/sup] hour |~[/h2][/center] The orange evening skies above Coruscant were mostly empty. A few ships moving in to take off, others moving to land, all following the traffic lanes in an orderly fashion. In the eyes of the countless citizens of the ecumenopolis, nothing unusual was happening. The violent altercations within the Jedi Temple not yet apparent even to most of those with clear view. Then, without warning, scores of Imperial Terminus-class destroyers and more than a dozen Harrower-class dreadnoughts jumped out of hyperspace. From each ship, fighters, bombers and troop shuttles beyond count emerged, much like Killiks emerge from their hives when threatened. Within minutes, every single holonet satellite in orbit above Coruscant had been destroyed, even as the ships dropped down towards the planet's surface, starting the invasion. What few Republic ships were in orbit were quickly annihilated, powerlessly watching in shock as the Coruscanti defense grid stood idle. The Sacking of Coruscant had begun. [hr] [center][h2]~| The Sacking of Coruscant |~ ~| Day 1, 11[sup]th[/sup] hour |~ [/h2][/center] The temple was serene. Almost nothing stirred within the calm scenery, save for a lone padawan walking among the timeless splendour. Xid’s footsteps echoed off the pristine stone walls and seemed to surround him. The white marble floor and colored banners reflected the Jedi orderly nature to its fullest, adding to the beauty of everything. For most Jedi, the area brought comfort and tranquility. However, it didn’t for Xid today. Instead his loneliness threatened to drown him, each step weighed down to a slow pace. While Tolun Fi’s words had eased his conflicted mind, confusion and radical emotions pounded away at his attention since the older Jedi’s departure giving him little peace inwardly. Not even meditation had helped. Lately, he had plotted a course to avoid his wise master Sela in hope she wouldn’t sense his subtle shame and mistake it for wavering constitution. Such a thing was dangerous for a Jedi to have. His body shivered at the thought and instinctively brought the metal companion, named Navi, being carried in his arms closer to his chest. It was a comforting gesture which got the droid’s attention. Navi buzzed then clicked his concern and tilted his hexagon body to peer up at his master. Feeling Navi move, Xid’s blue eyes lowered to meet his companion’s gaze and a gave him a half confident smile. A weak one while he replied, “I’m alright Navi. I’m just adjusting to being back in the temple.” Xid ignored the new wave of guilt over lying to the droid, another series of whistles, clicks and beeps rushed out in reply. “Sela has her own duties to attend to and I don’t want to bother her over something stupid.” Navi once more beeped six times, followed up with clicks and a long whistle. Xid chuckled, nervously, at his friend’s strange language while he considered his next reply. After spending much time with the small machine, he could speak the dialect variety almost better than Nazca now who on occasion mistake a few clicks for another meaning. However, she could still speak it better than he could. Inhaling, the padawan confided within the small droid his emotional trouble brewing underneath his skin. “I don’t...know how to approach her over the subject, Navi. I mean how do I tell her that I let a prisoner, of all things, get into my head and mess with me? Is there an instruction manual over it or what, because I’ve not found anything,” Xid admitted causing Navi to click in annoyance. A flutter of irritation and bitterness on Navi’s insensitivity toward his dilemma broke out in his voice, “Don’t give me metal lip. You wanted to know and so I told you. If you didn’t, then you should’ve kept your dialogue box silent!” A sharp series of clicks drew a frown from Xid, “Fine.” With that, he stopped then set the droid down upon the floor. It grumbly clicked and tapped away, scurried down the nearest corridor while it left Xid in its wake and caused the padawan to frown deeper. He knew deep inside he shouldn’t have lost his temper, but Navi’s insistence he talk to his master had gotten on his nerves. Not ready to apologize to the stubborn creation, Xid turned on heel then moved deeper into the temple’s well kept interior. “Xid,” a familiar female voice spoke from his intended direction, “Is everything alright, you don’t often fight with Navi.” Surrounded by several younglings, each ranged from six to ten, stood beside his master as Sela continued to size him up. Despite how many times he had looked her over, examined her features, he could never play her origins. She was dark skin with several of her dark hair tied into corn rows and pinned into a ponytail at the back of her head, neatly kept from her face. A human youngling broke the quiet when he noted where Navi went, “Was that a droid? Aren’t they forbidden to be used by Jedi?” Xid shook his head, “No actually, but they are frowned upon. Many Jedi believe dependance on machinery is a weakness, however we use our lightsabers for everyday combat and they are machines as much as they are tools. Currently, I’m a Jedi Mechanic by official title. Navi was my first creation and a very dear friend of mine, though he can be a handful sometimes.” “I sensed conflict in your peace of mind during your conversation, were you two fighting?” Asked a young Kiffar female from behind the boy, her eyes curious and filled with empathy for his swirling emotional state. Xid assumed she was gifted with empathic abilities much like an old friend of his, his lips cracked into a smile over the touching concern, “Yes, sadly. Not everyone, droids included, will work in perfect harmony. I just need time before I apologize for snapping at him.” “Why did you snap at him?” A female human this time became the investigator while Sela idly watched, her own connection already gained the information she needed to know her padawan was troubled. About to answer, his reply was interrupted. A deafening roar rumbled through the temple and immediately their eyes were drawn to a fixed location, somewhere into the darkness down the hallway. Unknown to them, a shuttle craft had plowed into the doors and shook the very foundations to their very core. All over the Jedi’s once peaceful home, debris and rubble fell to the floor threatening to smear any distracted Jedi. Xid barely noticed the dreadful tingle at the back of his mind, his focus more on what was happening farther down the hallway. The only evidence were several dancing lights in the darkness and faint sounds of screams reverberated through the walls. Something was dead wrong. Above him, a large piece in the roof cracked then started to fall. Alarmed to the danger, Sela’s head snapped up. She wasted little time as her palm centered her force in her palm then jerked it out at him, “Children get back! Watch the ceiling, parts are coming down!” Xid made a soft cry of surprise when her push caught him right on the side. He skidded across the floor and into the far wall, his figure stunned briefly on impact. Breath was knocked from him, his lungs filled by pain instead. He gasped and once more filled his lungs with air then released to steady himself. The kicked up dust started to fade as the force within him began to twist with a sick, uncomfortable feeling. A dark foreboding spread throughout their very veins until he couldn’t shake it. Xid gave a harsh cough to clear the dirt from his chest, his body weakly brought himself onto his feet with heavy effort. His spine still flared with the sting from his clash into the wall while he tried to ignore it, his eyes cleared in time to spot a dark figure casually stroll into view. A Sith. Her steps, bold and insulting the very righteousness of the place, drew all eyes on her direction. For the first time in a long time, Xid spotted distaste on Sela’s expression. Her lips tighten into a frown and her hand reached for her lightsaber, eyes narrowed on the new arrival. Her tone held no softness when she touched her hilt as she addressed him, then the younglings, “Xid, take the younglings somewhere safe.” Her eyes turned to him when he started to argue. They were cold, hard and most of all, dangerous. It silenced him quickly from any further protests and gained a nod from him. Determined not to waste anymore time, he began to usher the younglings to run down the hallway. One by one, they vanished down the hallway farther into the temple’s tained scenery. [hr] [center][h2]~| Jedi Temple shuttle pad |~ ~|Day 1, 11[sup]th[/sup] hour |~ [/h2][/center] Elation filled Jewel as her troop shuttle touched down on the landing pad jutting from the side of the Jedi Temple. This was the heart of her foe, and she was poised to rip it out. Even if she had not had the chance to join the surprise assault that involved crashing a shuttle through the front wall of the temple, she was still participating in what may have been the single most meaningful and prestigious attack of the entire war. She was first off the shuttle, her armored boots clanging against the metal of the landing pad, her lightsaber in hand. The Coruscanti wind caught her crimson hair as she stalked towards the still open blast doors into the hangar housing various Jedi shuttles and fighters. Several blaster armed temple guardsmen rushed forwards to engage her while one sprinted towards the door controls. They hadn’t even had time to shut the thick doors yet. Now they never would. Jewel sprung into action, leaping forward and igniting her lightsaber - sliding between and around most of the blaster bolts the troopers fired at her, deflecting the few accurate enough to risk hitting her lithe form. Before the troopers knew what was happening she was among them, pirouetting, stabbing, slashing. She completed the last killing blow in seconds and on the backswing her weapon left her hand - spiralling through the air towards the hapless soldier running to the door controls. She watched with a sinister smile as the telekinetically guided weapon neatly bisected the poor man barely half a meter from the button that would’ve sealed the doors and blunted the assault from this angle. As quickly as it had left her hand, her weapon returned, and she finally paused to turn and admire the horizon of the latest conquest of the Sith Empire. The glorious orange made the whole city seem ablaze. Terror flooded in waves through the Force from all around as the populace and Jedi alike flew into a panic. It was glorious. She took only a moment to admire the scene however, before turning her attention back to the present. Many Sith and Imperial soldiers alike were disembarking from the shuttle - her apprentice among them. They all worked for Darth Nyiss and their orders were to capture as many Jedi as possible alive and intact. The Darth had been very specific about the importance of that last part. Normally it might’ve irked Jewel, but the rewards would be well worth it. She took a moment to meditate on the location of the nearest Jedi, pacing as she did so. There was a large group not far from here, if she was not mistaken. She would claim them first. Motioning for her apprentice to follow, she marched swiftly into the halls, stepping over corpses and rubble alike without any concern. In short order she found the Jedi, a stern looking, dark skinned human, standing before fleeing Younglings and an inexperienced looking young man. She ignited her lightsaber. [hr] [center][h2]~| Jedi Temple entry Hall |~ ~| Day 1, 11[sup]th[/sup] hour |~ ~| Shortly after shuttle crash |~ [/h2][/center] It had been a rather boring week for Nimm Deenia after her master recalled her from the most recent mission to acquire artifacts. But it could always have been worse. She had spent her time following up the rumors of some Jedi supposedly having discovered one of the lost holocrons, but had unfortunately not made any significant progress on the case. But that was a case for another day. On this day, she had finally got the chance she had hoped for all these years: a chance to show the Jedi that they would not be safe anywhere, that the Empire’s reach was endless. Though it meant temporarily serving under the command of a Sith Lord rather than Nyiss herself, she had not hesitated for even a moment upon being offered the chance to serve in the cadre of warriors who would crash into the Jedi Temple entry hall. It was simply delightful to see the look of fear on their eyes as she and her fellow Sith ignited their blades mere moments after the shuttle came to a halt and opened up. But that was nothing compared to the feeling of cutting short the lives of Jedi in the battle that followed. That brought her true pleasure. Even now, as the fight in the entry hall was all but over, she and the other Sith split up, heading out into the corridors of the Jedi Temple, seeking to either capture or kill all within. But that was not her only goal. Her contacts had informed her that the Jedi had a vault wherein they kept holocrons. Stolen Sith holocrons. That, quite simply, would not do. Her master had given her specific orders about that. Not that Darth Nyiss truly had needed to do that. The chance alone to find and recover such was by itself enough to motivate her. No doubt, others might also seek to recover them, but that was irrelevant. She would get there first. She would find the best ones. Then she would claim them all. Some for her, the rest for her master. None would stand in her way for this. No Jedi, no Sith. Though she did not like it, she would do her best to capture any Jedi she encountered, though. Her master wanted those for some project of hers. She knew better than to ask what project it was. If her master desired her to know, she would be informed. If not, then prying would only end poorly. After the vaults, she would naturally go on to capture Jedi. At least some. Granted, if they proved troublesome, she would… incapacitate… them. [hr] [center][h2]~| Nar Shaddaa, Docking bay 32 |~ ~| Day 3, 6[sup]th[/sup] hour (Morning) |~ [/h2][/center] Nar Shaddaa. A seedy, and dark moon just off the Nal Hutta planet and home to the worst scum the galaxy had to offer. Rather fitting, Elias Tol thought as he held onto the straps holding him in place within the shuttle coming in for a landing. The metal walls rumble and vibrated, the intensity rose then fell when they began to grind into a stop. Elias smirked at the irony of the whole situation while he recalled the reason they were here. Intelligence from their Captain Vebra that one of Nyiss’ apprentice, a Twi’Lek named Zora Nox, had fallen from the Darth’s good graces and currently been sulking around the smuggler’s moon. Out of their last few targets, she would likely hold information over the coordinates for the Darth’s complex and then they could end years of searching. He only hoped their information was correct that the Twi’Lek was using a bar for a base of operations. His hand adjusted the strap across his right shoulder, injured in the past, as a pain fluttered across its surface causing him to grit his teeth. He swayed his eyes over Captain Vebra and recalled the first time he met the scarred Zabrak and how he had been all new to the concept of killing those gifted with the force. In the past he would’ve called any individual set on killing a Darth, a suicidal Kerf heading into the fire to become a steak. Now, after training with their current captain, he felt they had a chance but there was still a high chance they might not come back from the mission and each knew it well. The growl of the shuttle came to an abrupt halt when their pilot finally landed the shuttle craft. A loud mechanical hiss echoed through the cramp space while each man or woman—about nine individuals total—reached for their straps, then unhooked from them and rose upright. Elias paused long enough to bend down for his blaster and duffle, picking up the image they had gotten before departure. Zora didn’t look very different from common Twi’lek with smooth, blue skin and a smuggler’s outfit that showed she knew how to use her sex to her advantage. Adjusting his strap on his good shoulder, Elias followed the other soldiers dressed in various civilian outfits out the hatch and down the ramp. The port was busy as normal causing him to keep his blaster close at hand. Thieves, smugglers, and other scum roamed the clustered city port in their duties, shuttles and small ships leaving or arriving for illegal transactions elsewhere. Everything appeared filthy and stank to some degree adding to the grimy underworld feel to the moon. As they stood there, huddled there, all of them waited for orders from their Captain and the Jedi battlemaster that had joined their cause.