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(6.10) Transitions
(6.10) Transitions
Training Day
Reich Panzergruppe III
Asteroid Belt,
Core World system of Collun
December 21, 1936
The system of Collun is note worthy because of two major factors. One is its bustling economy with ship building and mining. Second is because it sits at the cross roads of the Military Civilian Route 3 and Military Civilian Route 7. From either of these routes, Panzergruppe III could easily reach either the Free Worlds Council or the Poni boarders within thirty six hours. It was by no accident that the fleet has been staged here. Collun was not the headquarters for the group, however Field Marshal Kessler has made it so for the time being. During their stay here, he has had his group training across the system. Deep within the outer belt of the system, one of the fighter wings belonging to the group were conducting their own training operations. Just about every major power has their own version of the Skull Squadran. The Reich's 101st Combat Fighter Wing, is the Reich's version of the Republic's Elite Skull Squadran. For these fliers, training only comes at its best when pushed to their very limits. And for them, nothing tests the nerves and skill like combat training deep in an asteroid belt.
Asteroid belts offered a number of dangers and challenges on so many different levels. Many units across the galaxy uses them for their elites units to train in. It is still so dangerous that even the most experienced officer cringes at the thought of this kind of training. General Mushly of the Free Worlds Council said, “one must truly be mad to train in such a fashion. This explains why they are so good at it.” He was speaking of the Elite 1st Air Group of the Free Worlds Council. This asteroid belt is no different nor less dangerous than any other one. With slowly drifting and turning asteroids moving in so many different directions. It is a massive maze for one to work through. It was once said that, to navigate a asteroid belt was a million to one shot. It was only correct in concept, not in actual odds. Elite pilots have been flying asteroid belts since before the fall of the Republic. And today is no different as a lone fighter makes its way between two medium sized asteroids. Unlike other belts, this one did offer something a bit extra. Hidden within it are ten drone fighters, and twenty three of the best fighter pilots the Reich has to offer. The drones are the bait, while the fighters are on the hunt for this one lone fighter.
That fighter was being piloted by the newest member to the 101st, Lieutenant Natalie Paqurn. She came to the unit straight from the Academy, a advancement that many attributed to her family's influence rather than her skill as a pilot. Only the very best are invited to try out for the elite unit. It was her skill within the Academy that had drawn the attention of the unit commander. When her assignment to the Panzergruppe III was posted, he made it clear to Field Marshal Kessler, that she would serve with the 101st. That is, if she could pass the tests to remain with the unit. Lt Paqurn pulled back on the throttle to allow her fighter to drift behind a larger asteroid. The mission was simple, kill five of the ten drones hidden within the belt while avoiding being killed by her fellow wing comrades. “This is madness.” she spoke in to her radio as she nearly avoided a smaller asteroid that flew past her fighter. “There are too many asteroids for this training. Why would anyone want to fight let alone train here.” The tone of her voice reflected her frustration. While she had been slightly successful, over all it had been three hours of nothing short of frustrating for her. Each time she felt that she was close to a drone, she realized that she was wrong or that she had to call off her attack due to the asteroids.
Back at the academy, she was the top of her class. Now out here she was having to prove herself all over again. Though that was not so bad and she expected it. In fact she welcomed it. She had heard the rumors and wanted to put them to rest once and for all. What she didn't expect was how hard they trained or in such a different way. She had only managed to find two of the drones and killed them. One had gotten itself blown up leaving her with a hunt for seven. The rest of her wing had vanished on her which bothered her even more. She knew they would try to stop her at all costs but this tactic was confusing. They were out there somewhere stalking her. Waiting for her to make a mistake. Then there were those damn asteroids. She almost crashed twice already and that was even before she get deep in to them. Now they were literally everywhere and coming from all directions.
“When we fly in to combat, we do not choose when or where.” Explained her Flight Commander, Commander Bessly. “We train in the harshest of environments to ensure that we keep our edge over the other units. Here you are focused on tracking everything around you. In a normal fighter on fighter battle, the same rules will apply.”
“Plus out here, you academy record and family influence means nothing. Prove yourself or fail out of the wing like all the rest have” stated Lt Scurgburg. He had shown his dislike for her family's noble background the day she arrived to the Fighter Wing. His family was of humble backgrounds and made the claim that under other circumstances, that he would have served her. Now they were equals rather she liked it or not. Yes, it was clear that he didn't like her and she didn't have a problem proving to him, her right to be here. “Don't worry little kitten, we will make sure you get plenty of milk once I smoke you out here.”
The use of her nickname was meant to drag an emotional response from her. Lt. Paqurn really had no opinion on the nickname that the wing had selected for her. They called her Kitten, because of her young age and that she, as they put it, came fresh from the box. So to earn their respect she had to prove her self to them. So far, she had proven her skills in ever test the Wing Commander thrown at her. This one, was just the next in a long line of test to prove she had to stuff to be called a Skull Pilot. She pulled back more on the thruster controls and let her fighter drift while she searched the area for her targets. It is a common misunderstanding about powered space flight. She didn't have to waste her fuel on steady burns to remain in motion. The lack of drag and gravity meant that her fighter would not slow in its momentum. She slowly drifted her fighter around the asteroid and her next drone came in to view. Most would have a emotional reaction to the situation, she didn't. she knew that her fellow wingmen were out there stalking her pray. She could feel them out there as she reached out with the Force. They were waiting to ambush her. She pulled back on the controls and drifted back behind an out cropping of the asteroid. As her craft got closer to the surface, she realized that it was covered in a thick layer of dust. A plan formed in her mind as she plotted out her next move. She would have her kill and if the Force was with her, she would have some of her wing mates.
She knew that ever member of her wing had a deep connected to the Force. It was actually a requirement to join the ranks of this Air Unit within the Navy Air Command. The unit was called M&M Squared. The name meant, Man and Machine Paired. The 101st was just one wing of the larger air group unit. The program melded the best the Reich Science Corps had to offer with pure skill of the pilots. From everything the Reich Intelligence reported back, not one unit, even on the smallest of scales existed outside of the Reich. This was attributed to the strong influence the Church has outside of the Reich. Beyond just having that strong connection to the Force, each pilot had to under go surgery to be fitted with their Direct Neural Implants. The DNI allows the pilot to better control the craft through brainwaves. Being part of the M&M Squared unit was one of the most intensive training experiences that any officer can endure. One the surface, the challenge is what drove Lt Paqurn to join this elite group of pilots. However, a warning was put out and she was given the task of gaining all the information that should could regarding the unit. For her secret mission to be successful, she had to prove her worth on the stick. Her whole life had been molded to this point, the Force led her here, and now she was going to complete her mission. For the moment, she did have one disadvantage to her wing mates. they had actual real world experience and many hundreds more training hours then she did. In her, they saw as a fresh cadet straight from the academy waiting to make mistakes. She had to turn this to her advantage if she was going to score another kill on the drones.
They would expect her to use her fighter's speed to rush in, make the kill and then rely on her piloting to get her out of it. It was a sound expectation of her possible plans. She figured that it was just as sound to give them just what they expecting. She turned the craft to the side as she lowered it towards the asteroid as she pushed up the speed. Unlike other fighter's across the galaxy, who's cockpits have over a hundred different controls, knobs, switches and read outs. Her cockpit only has thirty four items that she had to interact with. Many of them were contained in her heads up display. Learning to fly the Dayton's Grinder Fighter was a journey in to learning ones own limits. The Grinder was the fighter designed for the M&M Squared program. The Fighter boasts the most advanced technology that the Reich has to offer. They even have been fitted to receive the energy cell power plant once it is ready. They were fast, and well equipped for their space superiority mission. The technology that went in to the Grinder gave the pilots of the M&M Squared program an edge over their other rivals. While other pilots were forced to monitor different read outs and press different buttons, she could feel the feedback from the craft through her DNI connection. As she increased speed, she twitched her left foot and could feel the craft responding to the command. Her mind commanded the wings to extend outward from their stored position. In space the wings offered no assistance in controlling the flight of the craft. However the retro jets that were along the front and rear of the wings would be useful in her plan.
Once the wings were fully extended she activated the rear retro jets. Combined with the main engines of the fighter the retro jets kicked up a sizable trail behind her. The dust trail grew larger as she followed the contour of the asteroid while she picked up speed. Once more her mind controlled the jets while she rolled the fighter over its left wing tip and on to its back. A hairy maneuver but nothing any second year cadet couldn't do. She knew that she would only get one pass at this, so she had to get everything right. Taking in a deep breath, she cleared her mind and focused on the task. She reached out with the Force and felt the asteroid just a few meters above her head and the drone rapidly approaching. Through the Force she could also sense the trap as well. Her mind cleared as she thought, “Bewaffnen Direkt Rakete, Drei” the human phrase for Arm Live Missile, Three. The craft responded to her thoughts and confirmed that her number three missile was armed and ready to fire. She was only given ten live missiles for today's training. It was a third of what the fighter would normally carry in to battle. Beyond that, normally in combat all of her missiles would have been armed and ready for the fire command. Today's training was set up to force her to think on the fly and pilot at the same time. A task normally not so bad till you toss in the large number of asteroids around the training.
Her plan relied on her hunters being as fast as possible. She needed them to be fast. The end of the section of astroid she was flying over was coming to an end. It was time to set her plan in to action. She gunned the afterburners causing the fighter to lunge forward as she pushed the nose of the fighter down away from the asteroid. The fighter shot upward and the Drone came in to view. “Rakete, Sperren, Entlassen” crossed her mind as her eyes locked on to the drone. The computer locked the live missile on to the drone and fired it. The missile ripped from the fighter as she already started her exit menouver. She continued to pull the fighter up along its Y axis as she tried to flip the fighter back over its own tail. The gravitational force was so intense on her body. Thankfully as her flight suit and dampeners attempted to off set the high powered move by the fighter. 'The Grinder will do what ever you ask of it. The only problem is, it WILL do what ever you ask of it.' The warning of her Flight Instructor back when she first joined the Naval Flight Academy crossed her mind now.
She heard the warning in her helmet that the trap had been sprung and enemy fighters were closing in on her. As she got the feed back that the drone had been killed, she knew that she had given them just what they were expecting. Now it was up to them to give her what she was expecting from them. She let out a half scream, half cry of pain as she rolled the fighter end over end within two full lengths of its self. Her mind focused on maintaining control of both the fighter and the high risk move that she was carrying out. She could feel her blood flow taking a beating from the spin of the fighter. But success depended on her completing the turn as she pushed past the pain of the G's she was suffering through. She let out another scream filled with pain as her mind filled with darkness from the lack of blood. Just when she thought she couldn't take the turn anymore, she saw the asteroid again. She pushed the throttle again and aimed the fighter for the dust that she kicked up. With a quick glance she saw the four fighters moving on her. Two were way out ahead and running side by side. “Bewaffnen Nachgeahmt Rakete” she thought and the on board computer activated the simulated missiles. Even if she had wanted to fire the real missiles, the safeties for this training operation would have prevented it. She watched her heads up as the two fighters close on her position. They were everything that she had expected. She ripped back the throttle so hard she thought she was going to pull it out of its socket. The fighter's forward thrusters fired as she thought, “Halten!” The fighter's speed fell off like a rock in to the water as she was pulled forward by the momentum. The two closest fighters shot past her as she pushed the stick forward forcing the tail of the fighter in to the air. Her fighter rose right up out of the dust and right behind the two fighters. “Gespalten” she thought and her cross hairs split and tracked all active targets in her heads up display.
Tone rang in her ear as she thought, “Gleich, Entlassen!” Two simulated missiles shot from her fighter at each enemy fighter. At the same time, she pulled the fighter over its wing tips and pulled back once more. She didn't follow either target as she knew both were both already dead. She had two other fighters to worry about. They were going to try and make her pay for her daring move. Her heads up reflected the two kills as she looked for her next targets. The warning in her helmet told her that they found her first. She pulled the fighter over once more to avoid the incoming simulated fire. At the same time, she retracked the wings to make the fighter a smaller target. Her cockpit lit up with simulated fire ripping past her fighter. She could see them behind her fighter as she thought about the tail gun. She tried to focus on defensive piloting while not hitting any asteroids. At the same time, controling the rear firing laser. Her aim was not even close to hitting the two fighters behind her. Another check showed the two were flying in a losser formation almost daring her to attempt her last menouver again. They had learned about under estimating her. She dove for another larger asteroid and hopes of cover. 'its going to be a long day' she thought as she continued to dodge incoming fire while zipping around a part of the asteroid.
Meditations
Departing, Hu'uf
Inner Rim, Inward Bound
Generation Ship, Narshana
It was a soft place in one of the many gardens aboard the Narshana. There was a small spring which was powered by a pump, but the illusion was what Master Visst wanted. He choose this place very carefully with many of its peaceful qualities in mind. He knew that Zer'ra needed his help more than anyone else aboard. The conflict she faced within was capable of leading to her complete destruction. Within her, he felt the horrors and evils of the woman she had become. These ran as deep as he had ever seen in any living creature. Maybe even as deep as possible. There was no doubt in his mind that she had gone over to the dark side. However, the conflict within her was growing by the day. Still no matter how dark she was, there were moments within her history that she did incredible acts of kindness for no selfish reasons at all. Searching through her past he could see the conflict just below the surface of who she was. Then at one time, she became a loving mother. It was those two lives which ignited the conflict in to a full blown war within her. Her love for her children grew as did her ability to see the pain and suffering that was being caused by her hands.
The funny thing about the Force is that had the Jedi Fortress on Flo'luwer been acted by the forces of the Dark One, Zer'ra would have been killed by one of her own minions. A fact that was not lost to Master Visst. The Force brought her here to him for a reason. Her guilt and sadness over what she had done while serving the Dark Side was clear and truthful. Atoning for her dark actions were sometimes nearly impossible for her complete at times. However her attempts were from the heart. The single largest stumbling block for her to atone is her guilt. Her guilt over what she had done, and the fact that she holds her self responsible for the deaths of her children. She informed Master Visst in one such meditation session, that she did not feel that she deserves to be atoned for what she had done. The pain in her heart was so much that at times, it forced the one time most feared woman in the galaxy, to break down and sob like a child. Master Visst learned that Zer'ra was a woman of remarkable strength who had been raised as a slave meant to be murdered. She turned the situation around to save her own life. Looking deep in to her past, he saw what she had to do survive. Unlike her late husband, he saw genuine remorse over what she had done.
Beyond Zer'ra, spending this time with her also gave him a much better understanding of what happened to the Jedi and how it ended up shattered in to three factions. He already knew about the Temple of the Inner Light and how they came in to being. It was through the guidance of Jedi Master Plo Murl, Daz's younger half sister. And more surprisingly, the return of Jedi Master Damaya Weirn. A very promising Jedi Padawan turned Sith, then reformed and returned back to the light. She finished her training and later earned the rank of Jedi Master. Master Plo and Master Weirn became the savors of the remnants of the Jedi after their Temple on Naboo was attacked through the actions of the Betrayer. Master Plo and Master Weirn led Jedi in to becoming the Temple of the Inner Light. Learning about the Sabbat was much more difficult for Master Visst. They were a splinter faction of the Jedi even before the Republic Civil War. It was the creature known as the Teacher had formed the splinter group and tasked a reformed Prince Saar to lead. Because of their separation from the Jedi, they survived the attack on Naboo. However they were driven so far underground by the relentless persecution from the Galactic Church. However thanks to the conversations with Dunfee, a wounded Sabbat who took shelter aboard the Narshana, Visst was able to learn much about them. It was no surprise to find that Biggs Saar was the protector and leader of the Sabbat during the time of the fracture. He and the Azgardian Priestess Shalla Heartman took over the faction which the Teacher had been mentoring for some time. Prince Saar had been hand picked by the Teacher to succeed him. Through Dunfee, Master Visst had built up a sound understanding of the views of the Sabbat and their goals. This was only two pieces of the factions. Even though he knew much of the public record, he still wanted to know more about the criminal group that calls themselves, Jedi.
Zer'ra had been told all the private stories of the Jedi which painted the picture of their past. He learned about the de-evolution of the Jedi Order from what he remembered them to be, to the object of horror they had become. This gave him deeper insight that the scholar in him couldn't resist learning about. The down fall of the Order came to being through acts of betrayal by two very powerful Jedi. Jedi Master Sakis, a member of the Council and beloved husband of Jedi Master Plo Murl. Master Sakis had been a loyal member of the Order during the both the Jedi Civil War and the Republic Civil War. He stood as a strong opponent against the Republic Rangers. During the Jedi Civil War many Kel Dor were leaving the Order or opting to stay on the side lines. Then, the young Padawan Sakis choose remain loyal to the Order against urgings from his family. He fought side by side with the Republic's 71st Army during many campaigns. He was a man of bravery and courage, and because of that, he was awarded a number of the Republic's highest awards. During the war, his family had been murdered by Rebel forces. The deaths impacted him deeply, and fueled his anger at the Rebel Jedi leaders for allowing the Civil War to occur in the first place.
With the end of the Jedi Civil War, the task of unifying the Jedi fell on to the shoulders of Master Visst. Sikis was demoted back down to Padawan status after failing to pass the tests. This was a clear slap in the face for him but he refocused his efforts to regain the rank of Jedi Knight. Sikis was very vocal regarding the seating of Rebel Jedi Masters on the Council. He tried to speak out against this to Master Visst, however he never had a chance to have that meeting. Like many Jedi, he openly refused the Supreme Chancellor's call for recruits to his new Republic Rangers. He claimed that the Rangers were nothing more than a unwashed version of the Jedi. He was also vocal against the demilitarization of the Jedi. He claimed that this made the Order weak against its enemies. During the lull, he trained harder and with more focus to achieve Knight once more. He spoke often of his fears regarding the gathering of enemies around the Order. It was because of these fears and his unwillingness to listen to the wisdom regarding unifying the Order that his Master continued to deny Sikis Knight status. Sikis' fears became all to real after the Battle of Hothe and the explosion of the Republic Civil War.
Despite everything, once more Sakis answered the call of the Jedi to action. His Master killed during the first attacks on the Temple, Sikis reached out to his former unit with great success and turned them against the Rangers and the Chancellor's own forces. Thanks to Sikis' actions, many younglings and Padawans were saved from the Temple. Sikis claimed the rank of Knight once more and took direct control of the 71st Republic Army, who were one of few Republic forces to aid the Jedi. Just like the Jedi Civil War before, he lead his forces with loyalty and courage that was unmatched. Victory after victory filled his ego and drove his goals. As the years of steady warfare ran on, moral on both sides started to slip. Even though the Jedi/Azgardians were winning battle after battle, the conflicts became more brutal. By the time, near the end of the war, Master Preena Tabanne was selected to lead what remained of the Jedi. It was under her orders, that the Jedi engaged one of their most brutal and costly battles in Jedi History. The battle took place on a deep Core world that didn't even show up on any star charts. The Rangers with the aid of the newly formed Galactic Church had planned a slaughter. Despite losses, Master Tabanne pushed the battle forward and finally with the help of a group of force users under Prince Saar, won the battle. It was later learned that the battle was to rescue family members and workers of the secret organization called the Crusade. The Crusade had played a key role in driving the Brush Fire Wars and the Jedi Civil War. They were bent of wiping out all Force Users. However, now they had become close allies with the Jedi.
As the Republic Civil War started to burn its self out, Sikis found it harder and harder to deal with the losses of some many personal friends. This brought back painful memories of losses suffered during the Jedi Civil War thanks to the actions of the Crusade. He felt betrayed by Master Tabanne over her choice to protect the very enemies of the Jedi who had made it their personal mission to kill as many Jedi and Force Users as possible. Not able to face front line service due to his emotional state, Master Tabanne requested that he relieve himself of command. Upon returning to the new home of the Jedi, Naboo, Sikis was given the task of over seeing the construction of their new Temple Complex. During this time, he took his own son, Rish Murl, as a Padawan Learn. Against her better judgment and at the request of Master Plo Murl, Master Tabanne allowed Rish to be trained by his father. The move seemed to help Sikis settle his emotions and refocus on his tasks. Training young Rish became a point of pride for Sikis. With the fall of Coruscant and the end of the Republic Civil War, Master Sikis was asked to join the Jedi Council. The Kel Dor who took his seat at the Council was a far cry from the one who had been so passionate before the war. Finally, Sikis had seemed to find the understanding that he was seeking. Nothing further could have been from the truth. Sikis had uncovered a group of documents called the Yagami Files. He had become obsessed with them and used them to build a secret gathering of what he called Loyalist Jedi. He brought Rish in to the group even before the child had turned fourteen. He pointed to some of the Council members as proof that the Jedi were facing its darkest hours.
He noted that Master Damaya Weirn, had murdered her entire Jedi Hunter team before turning to become a Sith. He told of how loyalest had given their lives to rescue the very people who were now plotting to destroy the Jedi from within. Explaining how Master Tabanne had given them full access to the entire Temple was unacceptable. Now she was attempting to make more allies among historical enemies. He cited his long time idol, the great Daz Murl, “We have to protect the Order. Even from threats within.” Using this as their motto, he charged his followers with watching those non-loyalist. During this time, Master Tabanne had come up with a plan to invite worlds to Naboo and talk about rebuilding the Republic. Sikis knew that this was only a cover. He had his own loyalist follow these missions and ensure that what ever their agenda was, that it would fail. The killings worried Master Tabanne, Master Murl, and Master Weirn. They attempted to get to the bottom of them, but had limited success. During this time, Rish had grown in to a strong Jedi with excellent talents. He also had a keel distrust of Master Tabanne, thanks to his own father. However, Rish was having problems passing the tests to become a Jedi Knight. It was the choice of his own Mother in direct opposition of her husband Sikis, that Rish be held back and retrained by another Master. The blow came as a powerful one to both Rish and Sikis. Not a week later, Rish's sister, Cas Murl, performed much higher than her youngling status. She received complements from the Council for her hard work and achievement.
As Master Visst already knew through visions in the Force, Master Plo gave her daughter as much love and attention as she gave to her son. The only problem was, Cas Murl had been selected to become the Padawan of Master Weirn. This was almost a year before he had been selected. It was a double blow to the young adult Rish. Along with the suggestion from the Council, came indications that Rish might be on the wrong path for a Padawan. A signal that both son and father didn't take lightly. Rish saw the actions of the former Sith taking his own sister as a Padawan as a direct threat to his mother, sister and his personal goals to protect the Jedi. It was Sikis who convinced Rish to remain silent and bide their time. During a meeting of the Council, a critical subject was being settled. The accepting of the former Crusade members in to the Order and to help rebuild the Order. Master Tabanne put forth the position of forgetting the past and turning to a bright unified future. Master Sikis however had other plans, as he poured out a box filled of military name tags. He told her that each of them had fought and died for the Order against the very threat she was suggesting they welcome with open arms. Her skillful reply had stolen the wind from his sails and allowed her to win the support of the Council. “They died so that peace can flourish in the Galaxy again. Peace can not occur unless we look past our combined histories and join together to build a future for us all.”
Smarting from his defeat, a new crisis showed up and offered him a chance to regain his support. A few months later an enclave of Rebel Jedi were discovered in the far reaches of the Outer Rim. Their colony had become isolated right before the end of the Jedi Civil War. The lonely world forgotten and cut off from any aid or supplies. The former rebel colony faced death unless something was done to prevent it. The debate within the Council was more passionate than ever before. Master Sikis demanded that the Jedi do nothing. That if the Force wills it, the colony will be saved. If not, they would parish. Master Tabanne urged the Council to take action to save lives. However Master Sikis had more than enough support in the Council to halt any official action. Despite not having the support of the Council, Master Tabanne, Murl and Weirn rushed to the aid of the Colony with the aide of a small group of Jedi and loyal followers. Cas Murl also played a critical role in the mission. When news finally reached its way back on Naboo of the rescue, Master Sikis pushed his plans to ensure anything Master Tabanne attempted would end in failure. It was clear that she no longer respected the Code of the Jedi or the Order its self. She had to be stopped.
When the Council learned that the Dorins had planned to use deception and trickery to reform a Republic with them at the center of power. Master Tabanne choose to send Rish sister Ces on the very dangerous and one of the most important missions of the Order under Master Tabanne. Ces' mission ended in complete success and she returned home to a well earned heroes welcome. Master Sikis and Rish found a new ally in the Dorins due to Tabanne's actions. The illusions and excuses were tossed to the side as the two decided that Master Tabanne had to be stopped and removed if the Order was to be saved. A plan to overthrow the Council was created and more allies from the Jedi were recruited. The time was finally at hand and Master Sikis had become as close as he could to bringing an end to Master Tabanna and her further sabotage of the Jedi. A date was set and troops from the Dorins were brought in to help with the take over. A new page turned to yet another dark passage in the fall of the Jedi.
Rish and Master Sikis along with other disenfranchised members of the Order launched their assault within the new Jedi Temple on Naboo. The battle was fierce and with the aide of Dorin troops, Master Sikis plan started to gain ground on Master Tabanna and her supporters winning. Master Tabanne and Master Sikis finally had their show down in the Jedi Council chamber. The pair were strong contenders, but Master Tabanne was not touched by the Dark Side as Master Sikis was. She soon gained the upper hand in the conflict and shortly there after defeated Master Sikis. Instead of killing the man who meant to assassinate her, Master Tabanne paused. In that moment, Jedi Knight Rish Murl completed his transition to the dark side. He struck Master Tabanne from the rear and landed a mortal blow. But before he could finish her off, Master Plo showed up unexpectedly. She quickly made short work of the man she loved and who had corrupted her son. But the thought of killing her own son proved too much for even her. She allowed Rish escape, a choice that would hunt her nightmares till the day she died. Rish fled the room and learned that the assault was failing. More troops were on the way, but the grand tide they were expecting from other Jedi to joining their ranks against Master Tabanne never came. In fact the opposite was occurring. Their own forces were surrendering to Master Tabanne's forces
His mother had turned on him and murdered his father, the man Rish admired. Rish was beside himself in anger over her betrayal. He ran for the energy control center and overloaded the core reactors. As the temple suffered collapse he watched from a save distance. With darkness in his heart, he watched as innocent people died from the explosions across the massive temple complex. When word of his sister's death came to him, he didn't even blink at is. “A fitting death for a traitor to the Order” he said coldly. To his surprise a lone Jedi cruiser managed to escaped the temple complex.
He ordered his own Dorin ships to give chase to the fleeing Jedi while others remained behind to finish off the survivors. “If they won't join us, they must parish” he commanded his best friend Jedi Shakka. “We will rebuild the Order the right way”
He personally led the chase of the Jedi survivors across the Galaxy and in to the Core. The chase ended when the fleeing Jedi were shot down over Mearisa. He ordered the crash sight bombarded to ensure few survivors. When he landed to survey the site, he knew that they had once more escape his wrath. He found a community that had given refuge to the crash survivors and exterminated them. When this failed to bring the survivors out of their hiding place, he took to the highest summit and screamed out for his mother. Demanding that she show herself and be judged. She never showed herself nor did Daz Jr ever find the remaining survivors. He searched Mearisa completely and found little trace of them. It was if the world had sallowed them up.
As Zer'ra told the story of the fall of the Jedi and the raise of Master Rish's Jedi, Visst took keen interest in something she talked about. It was a book that she only saw once, but it made such an impression on her that she would never forget it. When asked what it looked like, she explained it like this, “with pages, covers and spin made of the flesh of mortal beings, it was written in the blood of innocents and bound to power by their suffering.” Master Visst knew right away the book in question. Though as she described the book deeper, it removed all doubt. “I was shown the book once, Nu..my husband had to leave the fortress to retrieve the book from its hiding place. He brought it back to the fortress the day of our twins' 1st birthday. I watched as he did some ritual from the book on the twins. He said it would make them grow to become even stronger in the Force. I asked to see the book and he showed me. I read prefect Sith, and speak it like a second language. I could easily understand some of the passages and rituals. Though there were equal number of passages that I couldn't read. They were of a language, that was.....older....much older...”
Before she could continue, Master Visst waved her to silence as a massager walked up. He handed Master Visst a rolled up massage.
Master Visst,
I have reconnected with my friends. They have been watching you carefully. To further our combined goals, I have been chosen to be your liaison between my Order and you. We have information that you might want. We have located Field Marshal Kessler's unit. They are currently located in the Core World system of Collun. According to our agents with the unit, they are currently increasing their size by double. Plus we have noticed new class of warships replacing their current ones. We will keep you up to date on what we know.
Dunfee
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