There were exactly two reasons that every last crew member on the Imperial warship was absolutely terrified. The first was that the ship would soon to be used in war, deploying troops and firing on enemy ships. The second, was that a new Sith apprentice had just stepped aboard. The Sith, even at the lowest rank, were known to exist on a higher level within the Empire. Any Sith could walk onto a ship and do as they please. If a soldier was caught by a Sith in the wrong place at the wrong time, they might find themselves missing their limbs, or worse. This particular Sith was tall and built, with jet black hair, cut almost into a military fashion, and fair skin. A dark red tattoo ran down the right half of his face and was by far his most distinguishing mark, encircling his eye and stopping just above his chin. And with him, wherever he walked, was a commanding presence that blended charisma and terror and sent it rippling to all those around him. He demonstrated his awareness of this fact in his stern expression which would've projected a sense of superiority even without his status among the Sith.
The Sith walked the halls of the ship with a slow, confident stride, adorned in dark red and black Sith armor. He carried a simple single-bladed lightsaber, which he attached to his belt. Finally, the man came to a stop in front of a small, blue female Twi'lek. She was about a head shorter than him, dressed in rags, most commonly given to slaves and wearing a standard imperial shock collar. She bore the typical traits of a Twi'lek, including the two long head-tails that stretched all the way down her back. Despite being somewhat malnourished in appearance, she was very beautiful, a fact that did not escape the Sith. She spoke to the Sith in a soft, timid voice.
"M- My Lord. They're waiting for you on the bridge…"
The Sith maintained his serious disposition as he spoke to her, however his voice was strangely calming, almost pleasant, even.
"Apprentices don't get titles. Feel free to call me 'Kyros'."
The Twi'lek blushed and swayed awkwardly from side to side as she responded to the man, known as Kyros.
"Oh! Apologies, I meant no offense. It's… rare to receive such kindness here. I'm honored."
Kyros frowned and addressed her again.
"No offense taken. But I did not come here for opinions. What can you tell me about what I am about to walk into?"
The Twi'lek slave seemed surprised and somewhat ashamed by her actions.
"Oh, of course my l- ah, Kyros. I... don't know much about it, but there seems to be a major battle occurring on the planet below. I heard it referred to as 'Denova'. I believe you, and another Sith apprentice will be sent to the coastal regions to aid in the battle."
Kyros paused and smirked at the mention of another Sith.
"Then, let us not keep them waiting."
The two proceeded to enter the bridge, and immediately, the Twi'lek was grabbed and forced to the ground by a large, hulking and brutish Kaleesh, dressed in a red Sith tunic. Kaleesh were large, reptilian aliens with orange skin that wore unique tribal masks made of bone. His face and mask were heavily scarred, and his clothes were tattered and unkempt. Blood stains were visible within his long nails, and he smelled of dirt and death. He had a raspy, unpleasant voice that sounded of nails carving into bricks.
"Fraternizing with the trash again, Kyros? I suppose it's to be expected. You're late, and the battle has already started. With each passing second, we miss the chance to drown our lightsabers in the blood of Republic vermin, and I thought I told you how I feel about someone wasting my time."
Kyros bypassed the irate Kaleesh completely, not even acknowledging him as he moved to assist the slave, who mouthed a silent thank you to him as she stood back up. Finally, Kyros spoke to the Kaleesh without looking at him, instead moving toward his spot on the bridge.
"And I thought I told you how little I care about what you think, Razsec. If I liked fraternizing with trash I would come to see you more often."
Razsec fumed at the arrogance of Kyros' words and drew his burnt-orange single-bladed lightsaber. The lightsaber was of an extremely archaic design and at the end of its hilt appeared to be the fang or tooth of an animal. The Twi'lek slave's eyes widened and she scurried out of the room, not wanting to be caught in the brawl. However, the 'fight' was ended before it could truly begin, as a third Sith, dressed in solid dark black and grey robes and covered by a hood, appeared on the bridge and, with his use of the force, pinned both Razsec and Kyros to the wall before giving a silent nod to the Imperials in the room. The Imperials all proceeded to exit the bridge with rigid efficiency, as the lights in the room dimmed and the enigmatic Sith released Razsec and Kyros from his hold. The faceless Sith gave both men a nod and the three gathered around and knelt in front a large holoterminal in the center of the room. After a moment, the terminal activated and a figure appeared. The figure's image was obscured, hiding all features, including gender, race, and identity.
"Thank you for dissolving that… conflict, Shadow. You may leave us."
The mysterious holo-figure had a heavily modulated voice that removed any hope of learning the identity of the caller. However, all three men knew exactly who it was - their Sith Master, who had brought them all off the Sith homeworld of Korriban. Shadow, following the master's instructions, proceeded to exit the room. The figure turned to look at the two remaining men, who dutifully waited for their own commands to be given.
"Amidst the piles of bodies stacked within the tombs of Korriban, you two stood at the top, filled with pride and rage. It is for this reason that I took you from that world and brought you here. It is for this reason that one of you will become Sith. But only one of you will become Sith. And that will be decided on the planet below. Yes, I have brought you both to the heart of the war, Denova, so that I may see for myself what your expressions are when you stare into the eyes of death."
The figure paused for a moment, allowing the reality of the situation to sink in. Denova was currently the site of one of the war's bloodiest battles, with the Empire attempting to establish a beachhead and wrench the planet and its resources away from well-entrenched Republic forces and contracted mercenaries. The mercenaries had been heavily monitored since the incident with Kephess some months back, but they were still abundant on the planet, and so the Empire brought in mercenaries of its own - Mandalorians, who managed to establish several forward bunkers on a contested coastline with the aid of Imperial forces.
The Empire was losing, badly, and so the Dark Council had reluctantly turned to one of the most enigmatic Sith of all time, Darth Vron, to turn the tide. Many were wary of putting such a mysterious Sith in such a critical position. In fact, no living individual in the Empire knew Vron's real name, gender, or species. Vron communicated to all just the same as was done to the apprentices - through modified holograms, or through the other Sith, Shadow, who, for his part, was equally mysterious in that he never spoke and always wore dark grey robes to cover his entire body and an intimidating-looking mask, with minimal facial features save for that of an unnerving, blank stare. Those that did know Vron personally had all come to untimely ends, some years prior, including Vron's former master, who was also a member of the Dark Council prior to his death. Just the same, Vron's skill as a military strategist and a Sith was undisputed, and so the Dark Council placed the elusive Sith in charge of the chaotic hot spot of Denova.
Kyros knew what lay down on the planet's surface. Carnage, destruction, death - all the things a Sith should live for. Unlike his Kaleesh acquaintance, who was practically trembling, out of excitement more than fear, Kyros maintained his stoic demeanor and continued to listen patiently to the instructions given to him. He took a quick glance over at Razsec, the man he realized he would soon be fighting with the intent to kill. The master continued to speak.
"Despite our 'reinforcements', the Republic has approximately three times the amount of forces we have at the main coastline, including their contracted mercenaries and Jedi assistance. You two will be inserted at separate points into the heart of the offensive. You will run the gauntlet of the Republic's army through the trenches to their command bunker and you will either secure it, or destroy it. Any resources the Empire has in the system are at your disposal. This is war. Do not hesitate, or you will perish. Only one of you will succeed at this task. The other will be forgotten, as a nameless casualty of war. Now, go forth. Take the coastline or die trying. For glory. For the Empire."
In a matter of seconds, the communication had ended. The lights turned back on and the various officers and technicians returned to the bridge and resumed their duties as though nothing had happened. Kyros stood back up and saw the blue Twi'lek woman from earlier approaching him, holding two portable communication devices.
"Um, Kyros, Milord. I... was instructed to provide you both with these. They will allow you to remain in contact with the ship, s- so you can allocate the resources however you please. I- if you like, I can direct you to our forward command center on the surfa-"
She was interrupted, and Kyros ignited his blood-red, single bladed lightsaber, whirling himself around just in time to block the preemptive strike from Razsec, who was grinning with a crazed look in his eyes. No one present bothered to react to the two Sith apprentices that had just locked blades aboard the bridge of an Imperial dreadnought, save for the Twi'lek, whose eyes widened in shock as she quickly backed away, almost dropping the communicators in the process. The strike was fierce and powerful, a clear indicator of the Kaleesh's strength and fury. It seemed to send a burst of energy throughout the ship that was sure to be felt by all.
"You're lucky Kyros. But in war, luck is cheap. How long do you think you'll last down there? We're not on Korriban anymore, so if you want to live, stay out of my way. Once I've secured the command center, then I'll come and put an end to your miserable existence."
Kyros smirked and boldly retorted to the bone-masked killer.
"I was about to say the same thing."
The two men deactivated their sabers and Razsec snarled as he forced his way past Kyros, snatching one of the communicators and savagely shoving the Twi'lek to the ground once again. Kyros helped her up again and actually gave her a smile this time, prompting her to smile back. He took his communicator, thanked her, and began walking towards the shuttle bay before turning to look back at her.
"I never did get your name."
The Twi'lek blushed and stuttered a bit.
"M- my name? Oh, I… uh… it's Siennsi. Forgive me, I… haven't had that question asked to me in so long."
The Sith apprentice nodded and smiled at her, pleasantly.
"Siennsi. I'll remember it."
Kyros turned and continued down the hall as Siennsi stood there, shocked, and somewhat embarrassed at the whole situation. She watched Kyros intently as he walked down the hall, her eyes fixated on the back of his head. Finally, after Kyros had rounded the corner and was out of her sight, she smiled and went back to work.