Star Wars
Herald of Darkness
Chapter 1
Rising in fear never before felt,the bounty hunter looked behind him as he began to run. It didn't matter where, so long as it was in the opposite direction of the merciless monster behind him. What he saw over his shoulder made him run faster, blindly fleeing this promise of death. He
suddenly stopped, not of his own free will, but by something much more powerful. He had never been paralyzed like this before! He couldn't move, couldn't turn his head to see the man approach him from behind. The man came around in front of him,revealing his face from under his black
hood. His face was white deathly white. A day or two of facial hair stubbled this human's face. Dark circles appeared around his sunken eyes, as if the man rarely slept. All of this the bounty hunter noticed in a glance, but none of these features were what held him transfixed with terror. He
had heard stories before, of the archenemies of the Jedi, but he never believed he would meet one in person. Face to face with a Sith. In a calm, cold voice, the Sith spoke. "You have seen too much of what has transpired here tonight. You and I both know I cannot allow you to live. Tell me
before you die,where is it hidden?" The bounty hunter trembled in fear. "I don't know what you are talking about! Look,let me live, and I can get you as many credits as you want! I will make you rich and powerful..."
"I already am powerful you weak, snivelling fool! Tell me now!" The bounty hunter started to breathe quickly, thinking of some way to save his life. "Look, I don't have what you want,and I don't know where whatever it is you're talking about is hidden, but if you let me live, I'm sure I
can find it." The Sith stared at him for just a second and replied, "You are no help to me,and never will be. Your life ends now." The bounty hunter started to cry out when he suddenly heard that legendary and dreaded sound, the snap-hiss of a lightsaber. The last thing the bounty hunter
saw was the black arc of pure energy, and then he saw nothing at all.
The Sith let the headless body of the bounty hunter out of his grip of the force, and walked back to his ship. Once inside, he went into his communications cubicle and hit the transmit code. The image of his master appeared. "Yes my apprentice? Is it finished?" "It is, my master. The
small group of bounty hunters here knew nothing of what we search for. And for their impudence and ignorance, I punished them all, mercilessly, as you taught me. None are now living to tell of our return."
"Good. You know what comes next. You also know how important your missions are. Do not fail, and do not let any live to know of our return. Not yet. Soon we will strike the heart of the Republic, Coruscant is our target." The Sith apprentice looked at the holoimage, barely able to contain
his eagerness. "Will I be joining the battle?" The Sith Lord smirked at the eagerness of his apprentice. "I am truly sorry, Nalyd, but you are needed elsewhere. Continue searching and do not contact me again until you have relevent information." Nalyd frowned, obviously disappointed, but
not about to cross his master. "Yes my master." The hologram faded and the young sith lord was alone with his thoughts. Where do I look next? he wondered. Leaving the cubicle, he entered the cockpit and sat down in the pilots seat. He then used the Force to feel the next best location to
continue his search. He felt a slight ripple in the Force as he scanned Yavin Four. What could possibly be on Yavin...ah of course. The ancient temples. And it seems there is a small group of Jedi there as well. Probably there for training. This could be fun.. If that is where he must travel next, then so
be it. He nodded to himself. He was positive he could conceal himself with the Force. Powering up his sub-light engines, he left the underground caverns that the bounty hunters used as a headquarters, and made a trajectory straight for the moon of Yavin. Setting the course in his
navicomputer, he went into hyperspeed, set the ship on autopilot, and fell into a deep trance, meditating over what he had done,what he was doing,and what he intended to do.
"Kiana, you are doing very well my young padawan. Your stance is almost perfect, and you fight with a grace not known to many others at the academy. But you are overdoing it. You are getting caught up in the moment, and not noticing what is going on around you. You must relax
and let the force flow through you. Don't think about the fight, feel it. Sense what will happen, and then take the proper course of action." Kiana sighed, turned off her lightsaber, and took out a canteen of water they had brought along. "Yes Master Dranyam. Master Dranyam, do you know
what the dark side is like?" Jedi Master Samoht Dranyam, a good natured and well liked Jedi Master, sat for a moment, thinking. The jungles on Yavin 4 were beautiful, massive, and deadly to any who wander too deeply without protection. The day had just reached its peak, the sun directly
overhead, with the large red planet visible in the sky. The two had been training since early morning, and they were covered in sweat, long ago having
abandoned their heavy brown cloaks. The man's curly brown hair clung to his head, and he ran the back of his arm across his forehead, removing beads of sweat. He took a drink of his water. "Kiana, I don't know what the dark side is like personally. I have never fallen to the dark side, and I
hope I never do. The dark side is the more seductive, and once you have fallen, forever will you walk that path."
"Master? Why is marriage forbidden to the Jedi?" The Jedi Master sat for long moments, staring out at the jungle. His face was troubled Kiana could see, but she could not determine the reason why. Finally, Samoht turned to Kiana and spoke. "The Jedi are forbidden to marry because in
most cases, marriage has such strong emotions attached to it. Lust, fear, anger, possessiveness. These are all things that are possible in marriage. Such emotions can lead to the dark side, so the Jedi decided that the best way to stay away from these temptations were to simply stay away
from them." Kiana nodded, and the two were silent for long moments, the Jedi Master taking small sips of his water, the apprentice taking large gulps. "Kiana, ration your water. Don't drink so quickly." After a small pause, Samoht turned to his apprentice. "Kiana, you asked me about the dark
side earlier. I feel it has some significance to you. Why did you ask about the dark side?" Kiana looked at Samoht and said,"I've been having dreams. Dreams of a man in black, wielding a black lightsaber. I've never heard of a black lightsaber before Master Dranyam, have you? He was..very
terrifying and yet...beautiful? I'm not sure how to describe it. In the dream the sky is dark, stormy, but there is no rain. The man is standing on a cliff and he looks at me. In his eyes I see...pain. He then raises his hand towards me,as if offering to pull me up gently beside him, and that's when
I wake up." She sat there waiting for an answer as Samoht stared into the jungle, thinking.
"Kiana, my pupil, that is the strangest thing I have ever heard. The man you described sounded like a Sith, but that's impossible because, as everyone knows, the Sith were defeated and banished to the Outer Rim... it sounds like something you should pay close attention to. Have you
mentioned this dream to the Jedi Council? I'm sure they would be able to provide you with a more informative answer than I ever could." Kiana sighed and turned back towards the jungle.
"Would you like to head back to camp my young padawan?" Kiana nodded and they both stood up and made their way through the jungles back to their temporary camp.
The Sith pulled back the levers as his hyperdrive timer counted to the correct number. Coming out of his medidative state as he neared the moon of Yavin 4, the Sith flipped the switch on his cloaking device, concealing his ship from any and all conventional tracking devices. The Sith
grinned confidently as he cloaked himself in the Force, reveling in the power he felt flowing through him. Sensing the presence of the force towards the north, he directed his ship in that direction and headed straight towards the ancient temples, scanning the thick, green forests for a clearing
large enough for his ship yet small enough to somewhat conceal his presence.
Kiana walked down the well worn path she often traveled. As she walked, she pondered the meaning of the dream she had been having. This was the sixth day in arow she had had that dream, where as before she would have the dream every few weeks or so. She was curious when
she realized she was having the dream more frequently. Now she was just wary. Who was the man in her dream? The look in his hate filled eyes…also filled with a deep pain? Kiana shook her head as she walked toward her favorite clearing. She came to the clearing often to meditate and to
practice her ways of the Force. Coming to the end of the path, she took a step into the clearing. As her foot left the thick foliage of the
forest she looked up and froze in her tracks.
Hacking and slashing at the overhanging vines threatening to throw him off his course, the Sith continued forward, using his lightsaber to clear his path. As he slowly progressed, he cursed to himself. He hated the this planet. He hated the sun bearing down on him, soaking into his
black cloak and locking in the heat, making him sweat profusely. He hated the Jedi and their ignorant and idiotic teachings. "And most of all, I hate these infernal vines! These damnable plants! I hate them with a passion!" he said this out loud as he worked himself into a fury,
hacking and slashing wildly at the lush plant life around him. Coming to a break in the trees, he stopped abruptly. Instantly calmed, he grinned to himself and left the forest, stepping into the cool,calm shadows of an extremely large pyramid looking ruin. Despite the heat, the Sith pulled his
hood low over his head and continued toward the ruins, entering the ancient looking pyramid.
Kiana stepped into the clearing and froze in her tracks. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. In the center of the clearing was a large, sleek, dark grey starship. The loading ramp was down and touching the ground. Obviously the owner of this ship didn't have much of value or they
just didn't care, thought Kiana to herself. She had seen starships before, but none as darkly beautiful as the one in the clearing before her. Feeling for any signs of life using the Force, she felt no one near her. Cautiously she stepped out of the shadows and towards the starship, ignoring
reason and choosing curiosity. Master Dranyam had warned her of such emotions, but Kiana conveniently forgot those lessons right at the moment. Stepping onto the ramp, she stopped, trying to sense whether there were any traps set. Kiana was curious, but not stupid. Far from it. She
was one of the brightest students in the academy, barely above her younger sister, Eriam. As a feeling of doubt crossed her, she quickly put Eiram out of her mind. It was her unofficial mission, she decided, to investigate this strange ship. Looking around inside the ship,she saw so many
buttons and controls she was lost in awe. Never in her life had she ever seen a ship as sophisticated as this. Kiana was not the best of pilots at the academy, something she greatly needed improvement on. This was one of the few subjects her younger sister actually excelled at. Eiram was
the best pilot at the academy, next to the masters. Though trained extensively in many types of craft, Kiana realized immediately that this was one of the most complicated ships that had ever been created. At that moment something about the ship struck her as a few moments
to figure out what she was missing, she stopped as the thought came to her. There were no labels on any of the controls! No labels, no symbols telling what any of the buttons or controls did. Nothing at all! This immediately told her that the pilot of this starship had gone through extreme
training to memorize everything about the ship. As this though passed through her mind, Kiana realized that if this person was trained extensively in piloting, that may not be all they were trained in. With this thought going through her mind, Kiana realized her error. She quickly made her
way towards the back of the starship and towards the exit.
The Sith was angry. Angry and frustrated. Stomping through his previously created path, he was returning to his starship. He was angry at what he had found. What he had found! He thought to himself sarcastically. He didn't find a damn thing! All he found was dust and broken
pillars of an unknown rock. Probably native only to this planet he thought to himself irritably. He turned suddenly, pulling out and activating his lightsaber, he sliced easily through a large tree he was standing next to,and returned his lightsaber to his hip. Had anyone been watching,
they would have thought the tree had started to fall of its own accord, except for the quick snap-hiss of a lightsaber being ignited. His frustration played out fully on the tree, he calmed immediately and realized his folly. Looking up quickly, he scrambled and dove forward, barely dodging the
tree that had unsuccessfully tried to take its revenge by crushing him to death on its fall to the ground. Standing up quickly, the Sith glared at the tree then stood completely still. A slow, evil grin worked its way onto his face as he felt the slight ripple in the Force. "So. I have company. And a
Jedi no less. This will be easy prey." Talking to himself, he quickened his pace towards his starship. "I may yet get the information I seek." Laughing to himself, he moved through the trees, no longer blundering through the forest, but becoming one with the shadows.
Kiana quickly moved down the ramp, coming to the clearing. As she stepped onto the thick, green grass, she looked up, and stood stock still. Her breath caught in her throat, but she managed to croak out one word. "You!" The Sith looked at her and grinned. He hadn't a clue as to what
she meant when she said that, but he thought, what the hell, I'll play along for now. Keeping his grin he replied, "Yes. Me." Taking a few steps closer, the man took in the young woman he saw before him. He noted her thick red hair falling in waves past her shoulders. He could tell at a glance
that the woman was strong, physically and with the Force. But what caught his eye the most were her piercing, intensely bright green eyes. He grinned at his weakness and put such thoughts aside as she made to speak. "Who are you?" The man cocked his head slightly at her ignorant
question. Obviously the Jedi now days didn't study the Sith that much. "You will not be alive long enough to remember my name. Unless…" He turned his head towards the side of the clearing, watching her out of the corner of his eyes. "I require information. There are two ways I can get it.
The first option you can cooperate, tell me what I want to know, and then you can come with me as my slave. Or I can torture you mercilessly until you will gladly tell me what I want to know, and then I kill you slowly. Which do you choose?" Turning to look her fully in the face, he honestly
hoped she would choose the first option. It would be such a waste if he had to utterly destroy her. He grinned to himself. So be it. If it is what he has to do to complete his mission, he will do it willingly. Kiana looked at the man before her. This man was cloaked in evil, she understood that
immediately. She looked at his deathly white pallor, at his slightly sunken eyes with dark circles under them indicating lack of sleep. Though he was short, she realized he had quite a muscular body underneath the dark folds of his black robes. His dark brown hair was cut short, and he looked
to have a shadow of a beard. Kiana thought this man undeniably attractive, except for his eyes. Red around the outside, yellow around a black pupil, those eyes seemed they could bore right through to her soul. This was him. This was the man from her dreams. Not the man OF her dreams,
she had to quickly remind herself. Wiping away sweat that had only a little to do with the heat of the day, she straightened her shoulders and raised her head. "I will not give information without getting information in return." Finding confidence in her own intelligence, she decided she would
die before she backed down. The man looked at her and grinned. Clever he thought to himself. "Very well Miss Jedi. What is it you would like to know?" Without hesitation she replied, "I want to know your name." At this the man laughed. "Persistent are we? I am Darth Nalyd. And who might
you be?" Kiana raised her head proudly. "I am Kiana Silverstar. I am apprentice to Master Samoht Dranyam of the Jedi Order." Thinking her answer sufficient, she was taken aback at his lack of interest. "I didn't intend for you to tell me your entire life story, but that will do. So Samoht
Dranyam, son of Telesen and Jenyo Dranyam, is your master? Very interesting. I may yet get the information I seek. Well there is one thing we have in common. We are both apprentices, though I am positive my training is much more proficient than yours. How old are you anyways?
Eighteen? Nineteen? Well?" Raising her head once more, Kiana replied, "I am twenty one years of age. What does that have to do with anything?" She looked at Darth Nalyd curiously as he started to laugh. "What a coincidence! I too am twenty one. Interesting wouldn't you say?" Kiana
shook her head slowly. "Not particularly…" The man suddenly stopped grinning. She gazed at a face that had become as stone. "I tire of this Miss Kiana. Let me get straight to the point. What are the coordinates?" Kiana furrowed her brow in genuine confusion as she answered, "What
coordinates? What are you talking about?" The man exploded. "The Coordinates! You impudent girl! I seek the coordinates!" As the man trembled in barely contained rage, Kiana took a step back. "I have no idea…" Darth Nalyd cut her off in mid-sentence. He was no longer trembling. He was
calm so quickly Kiana wondered if she had imagined his previous outburst. He interrupted coldly, "You didn't answer me earlier. Option one or two? Which do you choose? Remember if you choose option two, I will show no mercy." Realizing that she could not let him have her in any way, she
grabbed her lightsaber and activated it with the snap-hiss of pure blue energy. Lightsaber in hand, Kiana felt immediately calmer. Falling into herself, she let the Force flow through her, guiding her actions. Darth Nalyd calmly drew out his lightsaber and activated each of the powerful, black
blades with a loud snap-hiss. He quietly told her, with a hint of sadness in his voice?, "It seems you have opted for choice number two." She started to get into her stance when abruptly he was on her, lightsaber leading with a powerful thrust to her stomach. Caught off guard, she barely
managed to block his black lightsaber. His black robes swirling around him, Nalyd sidestepped Kiana, tapping her blue blade with his black, then spun with a slash to her back with the other blade of his black lightsaber. This time, Kiana was ready and she easily blocked the blade, her arms
over her head and her lightsaber close to her back, parallel with her body. They settled into a few of the basic routines Kiana had memorized perfectly. This man was an amateur at best! The man grinned to himself as he watched her wield her blade. He had never seen such grace! Having
got a feel of her fighting techniques, Nalyd decided to fight for real. Picking up the pace, he started to move in a blur to Kiana. Suddenly she wasn't so sure of herself. Then it hit her. He was just sizing me up! He was trying to see my technique. She knew she was in trouble.
This man was definitely trained in the Jedi arts. But such raw power! He was gaining momentum as she was losing it. She knew if she didn't do something quickly, she would be dead very soon. Kiana did all she could just to fend off this crazed fighter. As she quickly blocked both of his
attacking blades, she saw an opening and she swung. He wasn't there. Throwing herself forward into a roll, she landed on her back. She knew it was the end. She saw the black arc falling towards her neck.
She closed her eyes, then she heard two things at once. She heard Nalyd curse as she heard the static of two lightsabers locked together. Kiana quickly opened her eyes and saw a welcome sight. She looked at the wielder of dual pink lightsabers and quickly rolled to her feet. "Eiram!
You have no idea how glad I am to see you." Eiram looked at her older sister and grinned innocently. "I would have hoped you were glad to see me every time you saw me!" Kiana grinned and looked at Darth Nalyd who had taken a few steps back, re-evaluating the situation. Grinning, he
thought to himself. So Kiana has a sister. Interesting. This one I feel though, is much less likely to turn…she too would be a valuable slave. Speaking to the newcomer, "So, Eiram is it? Would you be willing to become my slave and give me the information I need? Or will you, too, die with your
sister?" Eiram replied proudly, " I am a Jedi! You will get nothing from me." Darth Nalyd grinned. "Very well. You too shall die." With a quick twist of his wrists, Darth Nalyd twisted the handle of his double-bladed lightsaber and laughed as they broke apart. Now wielding dual lightsabers, he
quickly thrust both blades towards the Jedi. Quickly thrusting off her cloak, Eiram dazzled Nalyd's eyes as he noticed she kept herself in peak physical condition. He also noticed she had very deadly speed using her dual blades. Picking off both attacks easily from the dual pink lightsabers,
Nalyd used his other hand in a thrust-thrust-slash, each being cleanly parried by a bright blue beam of energy. After a series of difficult attacks, Nalyd realized he could not defeat these two together. They had obviously trained with each other and knew how to compliment one anothers
fighting style.
Building up his rage and anger, he let it all out in an explosive burst, breaking through the Jedi's defenses and thrusting his blade deep into each girls shoulder. The Jedi, sensing their moment, used the Force to guide their movements as Kiana's blue blade tore open Nalyd's side and
Eiram's pink blade cleanly burned a hole through his chest. Clutching their wounds, Kiana and Eiram backed away from the dying Darth Nalyd and stood up. Neither girl noticed the small movement of Nalyd's hand. He was dying and he knew it. If only he could make the last gesture… there. A
small droid quickly floated out of his starship, hooked into his dark robes, and dragged him into the ship. The loading ramp lifted from the ground and sealed the ship, becoming part of its hull. The thrusters flared to life and the starship lifted from the ground and rose out of the planet's
atmosphere.
The two Jedi watched as the Sith starship became a tiny speck in the sky, until neither could see it. Without a word, the two sisters turned towards the academy, and with each others help,made their way down the path to their home.
