The Smoke be for the Fires: (Book 1)

[Akirapryde]

The Lair
Somewhere within the Republic

Somewhere near where two major trade routes meet, a small unimportant ship slips out of hyperspace. Right as it slips out of hyperspace it activates an ECM suite and turns its operation lights out. Now near invisible the ship turns and heads off in a new direction. Within seconds it makes a short hyperspace jump to a near by system. Its arrival goes completely unnoticed as it enters so far out of the normal lanes and so far from the nearest sensor array. The ship turns once more heading for a group of planetoids just within the system. Thousands of years have passed since one of these planetoids held any importance. Now nothing more then a line item on some long forgotten military registry.

The ship slowed to approach speed and started to drift lower to one of the planetoids. Within moments its form was lost through the outcroppings and shadows. The ship spun about using only the needed thrusters to bring it to a hovering stop over a large landing pad. The pad was built for ships much larger then this long range scout ship. The ship drifted lower and landed on the pad. Once on the pad, magnetic locks secured the ship in place as the pad slowly disappeared under the surface of the planetoid. A large screen moved up and covered the landing site, disguising the site as the rest of the surface.

The pad moved the ship deeper and deeper in to the planetoid until it reached a large anchorage. Some point in this massive bases history huge warships of the Republic would come to be repaired, resupplied, and rearmed. Now the base is hardly used to its full potential. A few bays are being used by ships not even a quarter of the size they were designed for. The Pad moves its newest visitor to a bay, here tractor beams move the ship in to the bay. A force field engages to seal the bay and lights illuminate the ship as driods move to hook up power cables to it.

A pair of armored men escort a plain clothed man down a landing ramp. Slowly the walk across the bay and through an air lock in to the main tunnels. The men continue to walk down the lonely halls of this base. Thousands of years ago, these halls were once filled with the brave men and women of the Republic defending freedom from the onslaught of the Sith. Now an even great threat to the Republic has taken up home within these walls. The men walk up to a Lift guarded by a trio of Destroyer Driods. As they approach the lift doors open as the men were expected. Boarding the lift the men were taken deeper in to the base. When the lift doors opened up once more, they exited and continued down the tunnels. Soon the sounds of screaming could be heard.

As they turned down their final tunnel, they could see the flashes of bluish light dancing along the walls with the shadows of the halls. The sounds of screaming joined by the sounds of cracking. The smell of flesh being burned filled the air. They walked in to a grand chamber made up as some throne room with a raised area at the far side. Standing near a make shift throne, a hooded woman stood with her hands reached out. Her face only illuminated by the bolts of lighting shooting from her finger tips. Anger written across her face as she yelled out, “How dare you fail me child!” Rose let loss another bolt of force lighting at a screaming Orchid.

The bolt bounced up and down Orchid's body causing her to thrash about screaming out in pain. “I give you love child and this is how you thank me!” Rose said giving Orchid a chance to rest before hammering her again with another bolt. Rose could easily kill the poor thing but that would defeat the lesson here. She used great skill to control the amount of power she pumped in to Orchid's body. “You failed to kill Uris' new padawan.” She said then unleashed another bolt and then paused, “You failed to return the crystal that Bund ran off with.” Once more another bolt, “You failed!” Another bolt, “Failed!” another bolt, “FAILED” Once more another bolt and this time she did not stop the lighting while she talked, “WHY SHOULD I NOT JUST FINISH YOUR FAILURES OFF RIGHT NOW!”

Orchid screamed out as loud as her lungs would allow. The pain was so intense that she loss control of her own body. It thrashed about uncontrollable. It took all she could to simple remain conscious. She knew that she had to speak. She knew that her mother would kill her in a heart beat if her mother wanted to. “M.........” she tried to speak, “Moth........mother.......” She tried to speak between bolts ripping over her body. Orchid put all her heart in to her next word, “Please......” Rose paused her lighting attacks for a moment as Orchid tried to speak, “I found Sinya” Orchid was barely able to get out during the pause.

Rose's eyes widened, “What did you say?” She said moving from the Throne to her daughters side rapidly. “NO you couldn't have, Sinya is long dead. I saw her die!” She said in disbelief.

Orchid looked up at her mother with pain still in her eyes, “I know Mother” she coughed out, “But I saw her with my own eyes. Sinya lives!” Orchid said.

Rose carefully picked Orchid's head up resting it now on Rose's lap with all the love and care of a Mother. “It had to have been Yagami. He had to have set it up. He must have warned her and helped her escape the bomb. I knew I should have killed him before I did. I just thought I could have turned him. I will be sure to make sure I correct this mistake of mine. Tell me child where did you see Sinya.” Rose said softly.

Orchid smiled at the feeling of love she is now getting from her Mother, “Balkid 6, Mother, but there is more. Sinya has a daughter now.” Orchid reported with pride, “Her name is Lysire and she is a padawan at the Temple. I know all that there is to know about her. The memories from her friends was more then enough to help me find her. She is a librarian at the Temple and has a crush on a man named Rigger.”

Rose smiled deeply at this report. “This is both troubling news that Sinya still lives. But remarkable that finally I can reply the sins of the mother on the daughter. Lets see how Sinya likes to have her child taken from her and turned against her. Forced to destroy that which she loves more then anything. Sinya will suffer at my hands once more.” Rose said slowly getting up. “You have done a remarkable job my child.” She said then turned to a pair of soldiers, “Tend to her!” Rose commanded.

The two soldiers turned and grabbed a man from the ground. The sounds of chains dragging across the floor now filled the air. The soldiers dragged the man half way to Orchid then tossed the man the rest of the way. He landed hard next to the wounded woman. It was clear by this robes and trappings that he was a Jedi Healer. He turned to face Orchid and started to prepare to heal her. He knew better then to defy the Queen of the Sith. The last Healer of their group to refuse was killed but not before she murdered two others of their group. He knew better then to refuse her. He focused his powers and channeled the force in to Orchid. He had to be strong for the others in the cell somewhere in this base. He had to give the Order long enough to find them and rescue them. For now he will do what is asked of him. He had no choice but help the Sith. He could not let anyone else be harmed.

Rose turned to the men that just entered, “Report!” she commanded.

The common dressed man spoke clearly and respectfully, “My Queen, Baklid 6 has fallen in to complete chaos. Fighting has broken out across the planet and their hopes of joining the Republic are dashed for the time being.” He paused knowing that she would not like what he was about to report and unlike Orchid, he knew he was expendable, “Master Bund has once more escaped with the crystal. We are unsure where he has gone but are sure that he remains somewhere in wild space hiding from our agents. We are still watching his former padawan whom has left Baklid 6 and now heading to her home world of Naboo. We do not believe that Master Bund will try to contact her now that he has the crystal once more.” Hoping to end his report on an up note and avoid what he just saw her daughter going through, “According to our spies within the Order, Master Losh has been stripped of his place on the Council. Many of his supporters have backed away from him. We believe that he is slowly becoming more and more vulnerable. We will continue watching him and hopefully a opportunity will present its self.” he finished his report.

Rose smiled at the report, all and all it was mixed. “Keep watching Bund's Padawan. We know he only used her, but something tells me that she will be useful in the future. As for Bund we have to find him before he unlocks the secrets within the crystal. Send out to our agents that finding Bund is our priority. The fate of our plans rest on that crystal.” Then she thought of Losh, “I feel that it is time to put an end to Losh once and for...” she paused at the sight of the man in the entry way. She didn't need to know his face. She knew what his mission was.

He reached out his hand towards her while holding a small ball. He let the ball go as it beeped and hovered over the room. It slowly made its way to Rose beeping the whole way there. Stopping just short of her a small wide light sprang out from the ball. The light moved up and down Rose's face three times then vanished. Then a small blue glow formed some type of text in front of Rose. No one else could see what was on the text but Rose. She read it carefully and as quickly as possible. Within a moment the blue glow was gone and the ball started to spark and fall to the ground lifeless. Rose took a moment and then nodded.

“New orders” she said coldly, “Losh shall have to wait for now. Orchid, Bund hired a group of slavers called the Half Moon Slavers. Find them, and hire them. We have a special mission for them and their ship. Captain,” she said turning her attention to the man who gave her the report, “Losh has put together a team of Jedi to destroy us and stop our plans. Get agents on them. Know their weaknesses and how to influence them.” she said softly, “Your agents are to remain in the shadows for now.” she said noticing that the man that was just in the entry way was long gone, “also, I want to know all there is to know about Lysire. Her fate is sealed.”

Rose turned to walk back up to the throne then paused half way there, “Orchid, while Losh will have to wait. I promise you, his end is so very near. Make ready your company. Together we will bring down the last member of the Old Guard.” she said and smiled to her child.

Orchid smiled back at her mother, “Gladly Mother.” she said slowly standing up as her healing now complete. She pushed the Jedi pawn away from her as if his existence repulsed her. “Soon your order will be no more.” she slurred at him then walked off with the rest of the men heading off to do their evil deeds.