[center]A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...[/center] [center][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgLdYFNZySA]STAR WARS[/url] DARK SECRETS OF THE EMPIRE It is a period of relative peace in the Galaxy. Fifteen years after the fall of the GALACTIC EMPIRE, the NEW REPUBLIC has fought to ensure freedom throughout the galaxy. Jedi Grandmaster LUKE SKYWALKER's New Jedi Order has flourished anew, granting the galaxy a new generation of defenders of peace. And yet, not all is well. The IMPERIAL REMNANT still lurks in the dark corners of the galaxy, but after fifteen years of attempted coups, their willingness for war fades. However, a radical faction among the Remnant, the CHILDREN OF THE EMPEROR, has bolstered its power with a mysterious new leader. There are many concerns about how they may pose a true threat to galactic security. Amidst these concerns, the New Republic Senate has learned of a large scale gathering of crime lords on NAR SHADDAA. Concerned about the implications, the New Republic has dispatched a small vessel and a scout squadron bolstered by contacts in the system. Luke Skywalker, sensing there may be something deeper, dispatched several Jedi to assist the New Republic in their cause...[/center] Through the inky darkness of space, filled with pinpoint lights of stars, the ship cruised. It was a modified Corellian Corvette, like one of the many ships that had been utilized during the height of the Galactic Civil War by the Rebel Alliance to combat the Empire. Now, the ships had found plenty of use by the New Republic. This particular ship had undergone numerous changes to its structure in order to function as an escort carrier. [url=http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/9/92/FarStar.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20070517032223]The Corvette[/url], christened the [i]Ardent Liberty[/i], boasted a hanger that could store several fighters of varying models. X-Wings, A-Wings, B-Wings, even the old Y-Wings at times. None of these things, however, drifted through the mind of the diminutive lilac-skinned girl resting her chin on one hand, peering out a window into the darkness beyond. She was trying to ignore it, but it was difficult. The gnawing feeling inside of her that had plagued her since the very start of their assignment to this mission by Grandmaster Skywalker himself. It was an irritating sensation, to say the least, but it was also an equally difficult one to banish from her mind. Saku Rira, Lac'li Knight of the New Jedi Order, was feeling rather impatient. The child-like girl let out a sigh, adjusting her green gaze from the window to the interior of the ship. It was, apparently, not going to be much longer before they arrived at the planetary 'wretched hive of scum and villainy' that was Nar Shaddaa. They didn't like many people there, including Jedi and New Republic Agents. But her duty, indeed, was to ensure that nothing there, nothing in this gathering of crime lords, would threaten the safety of the innocent. Grandmaster Skywalker had sensed something that put him ill at ease, something... nasty. Still, the small Jedi Knight couldn't help it. She couldn't help but feel impatient for their arrival. To be fair to the girl, it wasn't merely out of a desire to see what was happening, but it was a desire to stop whatever threat Grandmaster Skywalker had detected before anyone could be harmed. Or at least ensure it wasn't there, which was what the Jedi Master had hoped. "Haah," Saku sighed, "It feels like we've been 'almost there' for the last four hours..." [hr] Around the [i]Ardent Liberty[/i], through the darkness of space, the fighter escort cruised. One fighter, the familiar form of the ubiquitous X-Wing, drifted to the side of the others, to the right of the modified Corellian Corvette. Inside, its pilot, a human girl, carefully adjusted her sensors. After all, they had to be wary of anything unusual in the space around Nar Shaddaa. Which... well, there it was. The planet loomed beneath them, etched in the lights that made up the enormous city. It was here, in this den of crime, that there was to be an enormous meeting of crime lords. Fan Sylo was not sure what this meant. But... well, the senate was worried! And they probably had a very good reason to be worried. Apparently there was activity from Children of the Emperor in this sector... which didn't mean very good things at all. That meant, of course, they had to be exceptionally careful. If there was involvement from the Children of the Empire, that meant that something extremely nasty could be going on. And on top of that... well, those Jedi had been sent along. That meant the Grandmaster was worried about something too, wasn't he? Fan couldn't help but be worried about that. But... she wasn't here to worry. She was here to make sure that the [i]Ardent Liberty[/i] landed safely! They were approaching quickly, preparing to land any moment now as they'd be descending into the atmosphere... Soon enough, it would be time to dock in the corvette's hanger. [hr] On the surface of Nar Shaddaa, the criminal element, which was nearly the entire population, was abuzz. Grogga the Hutt, Keel Saggs, Yask Fon, Skull-Face Tyrlon, Sweet Mae, and dozens of other big-name crime lords were all gathering here tonight. And yet... they were not the only ones gathering here tonight. The warehouse guards had felt uncomfortable about them. It wasn't like dealing with the regular Imperial Remnant. Commander Tras Oren was an imposing presence in spite of being a relatively small woman in her thirties, especially when backed up with heavily armed Stormtroopers and a glare that could burn a hole through steel. But even she wasn't as uncomfortable as that figure who had appeared only as a hologram. No-one had seen their face, but something felt very wrong simply about gazing upon them. Whatever they were meeting for, the guards distinctly felt they wanted nothing to do with it. They'd even brought along Imperial military hardware, and there was the roar of TIE Interceptors above their heads... There was something big going down tonight, between the assorted crime lords and the Children of the Emperor. Something huge.