Once more into the breach my readers, and onward with the return of some more favored characters from PotDS, so hang tight, leave a review, and let's have some fun!
Chapter Three
First Strikes
Darth Diábolis snarled at the demeaning level of work that he had been given, even as the speeder took him out into the jungles of Dromund Kaas. Consulting the datapad he was given by the Supreme Prophet, Diábolis noted that he was nearing the first of the beacons. Soon he would be able to be finished with this useless exercise.
As the speeder pulled through the last of the trees, Diábolis spotted the first relay. At first glance, there seemed to be nothing amiss with the beacon, but upon closer inspection, Diábolis frowned as he spotted signs of deliberate sabotage. Wires cleanly severed, certain parts completely missing, this could not be the work of weather or wild creatures, but of humanoid beings acting in direct defiance of the will of the Emperor.
This was not to be allowed. Using the Force to quickly set out items to repair the relay, Diábolis hoped he wasn't too late when he returned to his speeder bike and set off to the next pair of relays; finding each in similar states of sabotage. At each he also left behind orders and parts for troopers and other low ranking Imperials to do the menial work of repairing the relays, as he had more pressing matters to do in uncovering who was behind the damage to the communication relays for Neo-Kaas City to do such lowly work himself.
But the time he reached the fourth relay, one that had been undisturbed when he first set out, Diábolis caught sight of his prey. Several armored figures were working around the towering beacon, no visible insignia on the armor or tunics, but Diábolis could tell that there was a distinct lack of Dark Side aura upon the troopers, which meant one of two things, freelance mercenaries working to sabotage the Sith for profit, or Republic soldiers that have somehow discovered the fact that the Sith still exist.
Either way, they were enemies that had to be eliminated. Setting the speeder bike to auto-pilot, Darth Diábolis took hold of his double bladed Lightsaber, igniting the twin red blades as he leapt from the moving speeder with a roar of anger. The troopers, caught off guard by his sudden appearance, raised their weapons too late.
Several wild shots of blaster fire, and the half dozen troops were splayed across the jungle floor in pieces, with the whimpering officer sporting a severed hand where he had tried to draw a pistol to fend off Diábolis, and the angry Devaronian hovering over him. "Tell me who sent you here, and I may yet spare your life a while longer…"
The whimpering man merely fainted in response, and Diábolis scowled at the pathetic being. There would be others back in the palace that could peel back the layers of the man's mind and learn the information they desired to protect Dromund Kaas and their secret existence.
While he was at it, Diábolis checked each of the six dead troopers, scavenging for anything that might lend an idea to where they had come from. The pickings were slim, a handful of credits between the lot, as well as some items native to Dromund Kaas. The only item that Diábolis was unfamiliar with was a small medallion, featuring a strange symbol that could have been Republic in origin, but he couldn't be sure. All the answers they needed could be had back in Neo-Kaas City. Recalling the speeder bike, Diábolis tossed his captive over the seat in front of him, and immediately took off back toward the Sith capitol.
Smirking as he flew through the jungle back toward the city, Diábolis wondered what sort of technique Prophet Lo Sei'Dov would use to extract the information from the worm he had captured. The female Bothan Force user had expertly woven the power of the Dark Side along with many techniques learned in the service of the Bothan spy network.
Bypassing all security checkpoints, Diábolis flew directly to the landing pad of the Imperial Palace, just as his special guest started to stir.
"Ugh," the man moaned, trying to look around blearily through the pain of a severed limb. "W-where am I?"
"Shouldn't you know, scum?" Diábolis sneered, yanking the man up by his disfigured arm, "This is the city you were trying to damage with all your blunderings out in the jungle."
The man's eyes narrowed, "You're not going to learn anything out of me, monster."
"No worries about that," Diábolis replied snidely, "I have associates who'll make you sing like a little bird if they want."
Stubbornly, the man refused to speak again, which suited the Devarionian Sith Lord just fine. Not bothering to make the man unwillingly walk, he dragged the captive through a side entrance, past several of the Elite Arcanamach, who turned slightly to watch their Master's apprentice and an unworthy outsider entering the sacred Sith palace, but they did not stop him.
Descending into the bowels of the palace, Diábolis noted with delight the onset of fear and eventual horror that dawned over the handless human. Yet the man held his composure up until they actually entered Lo Sei'Dov's domain, and then the man started to thrash violently, but a touch of the Force immobilized him completely.
"Who enters here?" the cold voice of Lo Sei'Dov said as the furry being emerged from the shadows. The shimmering black robes mixed with her dark fur gave the Dromund Kaas Prophet a sinister, shade-like appearance that matched her cold personality perfectly.
"Lord Diábolis, apprentice to the Emperor," Diábolis announced, rising to his full height as his prisoner cringed again.
"Dishonored apprentice if I remember correctly…" Sei'Dov replied neutrally, uncaring about the meaning behind the words, only stating the cold fact. Still, it rubbed a wound still too raw for Diábolis, and he narrowed his eyes.
"And who is this flinching worm?" Sei'Dov continued, bending down for a closer look at the prisoner.
"That is what I'd like you to find out, along with whom he is working for to disable Dromund Kaas' communication network." Diábolis replied, smirking as the female Darksider smiled at the challenging puzzle.
"Ah…" Sei'Dov crooned as she turned back to Diábolis, "What a good boy, bringing me a specimen to unravel in exchange for information."
Diábolis smirked as he produced the medallion from his tunic, "one of his companions had this as well, but I do not recognize it."
The spike of fear from his prisoner was a sensation of pure delight for Diábolis as the Sith handed the object over to the Bothan Darksider. Sei'Dov would get to the bottom of this mystery in no time, of that Diábolis had no doubts.
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Severus Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts School, and once Death Eater and turncoat spy, gazed forlornly out across the grounds of the famed school. So much had changed after the final defeat of the Dark Lord, as well as the death of Dumbledore and Lord Blackmoore.
For one, the disappearance of Harry Potter, with the subsequent collapse of the goblin banks as Gringotts angrily closed its doors to all patrons after the death of many of their leaders and workers, the Wizarding world was on the verge of social and economic collapse when, of all people, Draco Malfoy led the remaining pureblood families, many of whom had also been Death Eaters, in rebuilding the infrastructure of the Wizarding economy.
Creating a new bank, free from goblin control and fully maintained by the Ministry had been no small venture, but somehow Draco had managed it, along with assuring Britain that their boy hero was not gone, but traveling the world to seek training and increase in wisdom so that he could return and protect them from dark forces in the future.
Normally, this would have constituted a great success, but Severus had the terrible knowledge that nothing was as it appeared. Just as Potter had so long ago, it seemed that Draco had great ulterior motives behind his actions, especially when Blackmoore's last will and testament passed through the Ministry and into effect, handing his entire estate, and the majority of Ravenclaw's possessions to Potter, who had in turn produced and enforced his rights to the deed to Hogwarts castle itself.
As amazing as it had seemed, the Ministry had had no choice but to hand the building over to the boy, who had graciously allowed the castle to continue to be used as a school for the magical children of Britain, but with several key alterations of the management of the school, most of which were drastically different from previous operations.
First, and most radically of all, Hogwarts was now not exclusively a school of witchcraft and wizardry. Strange new children were being invited, housed separately from the rest of the school, and taught strange new powers from Professors that Severus was certain he had never heard of before.
Not only were these other students completely separated from the wizarding ones, but from what he could tell, the children would disappear periodically from the school, some to return later greatly changed and significantly darker, while others would vanish without a trace.
Any questions regarding the matter were promptly rebuffed, and even his expert spying techniques were insufficient to learn the secret of just what they and their strange Professor were up to. Severus could only focus on protecting the wizarding children of Britain and Ireland from this strange new world that seemed to be steeped in darkness greater and more seductive than anything Voldemort ever managed.
Not only had Potter and his strange followers set up shop so to speak in Hogwarts, but recruiters throughout the wizarding world were collecting those who wanted employment, specifically targeting newly graduated students, and either ushering them to the Department of Mysteries or to projects taking place outside of Britain, where exactly Severus was again not certain.
It was extremely disturbing, which was why Severus focused so hard as Head of Slytherin to make certain that his students were well situated with their own decision for employment and life after they left the school, so that would not want to succumb to the temptation.
Unfortunately, the current Headmistress of Hogwarts, a relatively unimportant Ministry flunky named Dolores Umbridge, didn't seem to mind the changes. While she certainly did not have the student's best interests at heart, she was more than content to allow the school to simply function while she claimed the glory of so many graduates that went on to successful and worthwhile careers, especially those who entered Ministry work.
It was simply disgusting, but Severus wisely held his tongue. Getting himself fired, or worse, would do little but harm at this point, and while he didn't want to continue teaching children, his sense of honor and pride made him stay, doing what he could in an attempt to atone for the failures he made toward Lily and her family.
Finally turning back to the castle, Severus made his way toward his office down in the dungeons. The night had been remarkably peaceful, with no students up and wandering about after hours, which made Severus' night so much easier. But as he turned the corner past where the Slytherin common room was and made his way to his own private office, Severus heard something ahead of him.
Whipping his wand out in a flash, Severus quickly cast a small Lumos charm, illuminating the dark corridor just in time for him to spot a pair of black cloaked figures before the rest of the corridor was illuminated in crimson as a pair of ramrod straight pillars of red lights flared to life in the unknown persons' hands.
"I don't know who you are, but you are most assuredly not supposed to be here…" Severus sneered at the pair, but still eyeing their weapons cautiously.
"Severus Snape," one of the indefinable people said, their voice muffled by some sort of mask, "the Emperor desires your presence. You will be coming with us."
"And if I refuse?" Severus replied coolly, wondering who this emperor was that they were referring to. There were no emperors in existence anymore on the planet, unless it was the title claimed by some new Dark Lord.
"That is not an option," the figure replied, and both dropped into combat stances, vaguely resembling Asian swordsmanship. Severus wasted no time in firing several spells off in quick succession, each ranging from simply stunners to borderline dark curses. Quick as lightning, the pair ducked and dodged around many of the spells, and even more frighteningly batted several back toward Severus with their energy swords.
Clumsily dodging the reflected spells, Severus wasn't ready for the two men to blur as they charged down the corridor at him. The metal handle of one of the weapons struck his wand hand, knocking the wooden focus to the stone ground. The second strike cracked Severus across the skull, and he followed his wand to the ground, stars exploding behind his eyes and a dull ringing springing up in his ears.
Just before he passed out Severus was aware that the two figures seized him by the arms and began to drag him back toward the entrance of the school.
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The skirmish in the outlying village was a massacre. Lord Fury hadn't even broken a sweat as he murdered the helpless villagers, and his rage was still boiling under the surface for a worthy workout. The other nearby communities had all fled into the ruins that his warriors and droids were now encircling, awaiting his arrival to launch their attack and take the ruins and their great prize for the Sith Emperor.
Returning to his ship, Lord Fury took his Force users and flew to the front lines, where pockets of defenders were trying to take potshots at his small force from behind the many cavernous entrances to the ruins. Smirking, Fury pulled the ship in a wide arc around the ruin, staffing the damaged structure and blasting at several of the entrances with the laser cannons.
Screams tore through the Force, and the Darksider laughed aloud as many of the villagers perished. Once they fled back into the recesses of the ruin, he set the ship down at the last open entrance, charging out at the head of his Marauders, gleefully leading the way into their objective.
Dual sabers erupted to life as the darkness encircled them, and the hunt was on. The Marauders all instinctively split up, launching into their little game of who could slay the most on their way to the primary objective.
For his part, Lord Fury chose the main pathway, knowing that the villagers wouldn't have had much time to explore the off shooting corridors aside from those fighters who survived his bombardment, meaning that the vast majority of the civilians and other noncombatants would be hidden nearest to his goal.
As though proving his reasoning and Force based intuition, Fury encountered his first two guards within two corridors of where the Darksiders split up. Allowing his bloodlust to take control, Fury roared as he swept around the corner like a tornado, catching both humans off guard and slaughtering them where they stood.
Not content with just the pair, he charged ahead, taking out the next four in like manner, relishing the screams and the blood as he sunk his metal fist into the final guard. But it still only managed to boil his rage all the more. The Force blossomed around him, and the ruined ground started to crack and rumble as he approached a final barrier to the great prize his masters had sent him for.
The villagers had made a last ditch effort in building a rough barricade, hoping to block out any invader, but they hadn't planned on a powerful wielder of the Dark Side of the Force. One mighty leap, combined with the brimming anger surging through his veins, and Fury crashed through the flimsy defense with ease.
People shrieked, mothers ran for their children, while men grabbed whatever weapon they could arm themselves with, but it was to no avail. Twin crimson death danced through the madness of several villages' worth of humans. The sense of euphoria was unrivaled by anything Fury had felt in quite a while.
The others only arrived when he was partway through the mass destruction, adding their blades and skill to completely overwhelm the villagers. None were left alive. Once the last had fallen, Fury felt his blood haze slowly start to life, quite unlike the others that seemed to continue to seethe and gnash their blades off random objects.
Looking around the darkened and bloodied room, Lord Fury began the sweeping search for the secret that Lord Veneficus had sent them here for in the first place. From what he had been told in his briefing for this attack, he sought a massive repository of Dark Side energy, but the caves were filled with Dark Side aura that it was difficult to locate any particular source.
Then he remembered some of his early lessons on Gamorr. Setting himself down on a bloodied but flat stone, Fury forced himself to compartmentalize his rage away, focusing as strongly as he could on opening himself to the Force around him in the cavern.
Blotting out even the untempered rage and anger of those other Darksiders in the room with him, it took a great deal of time and concentration to find the place within the ruins that winked and sparkled with seductive energy, spawning all manner of essence that flooded the cave network like a swarming miasma.
It explained why the Marauders, himself included, so easily lost themselves to their bloodlust upon entering the ruin. But still, opening his eyes, he now knew exactly where to go, and what had to be done.
"Force Adepts, to me!" he commanded, calling even the Marauders from their rages with his command of the Force. The caverns were deserted without the villagers to resist them, and they quickly arrived at the literal heart of the cave network.
As soon as he was bathed in the golden light of the Dark Side artifact they had been sent to secure, Lord Fury felt a wave of power surge into him, and he turned to see the same expression of sinister greed on the other Force user. "Summon the Emperor; we have succeeded in our mission brothers. The Marauders are worthy of great honor and praise. Go now…"
The others hurried to follow his orders, while Fury returned to the sickening power surge from the place that was known as the Valley of the Jedi. Veneficus would be most pleased with him for this success.
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Hermione carefully looked over the plans for her newest magi-tech device to date. She had grown tired of the muggle-like simplicity of the transports and ships that had come and gone from their world, Republic and Terran alike. So she had thrown together some of her earlier sketches and designs to draw up a blueprint for a magically powered speeder.
Granted, the concept would be more than capable to be modified to a full sized ship, but for a simple prototype, a speed would suffice to make sure that all the basic bugs would be worked out before lives could be too drastically endangered.
All in all, the plans were spectacular, incorporating hover charms much like the brooms from old earth, as well as a mesh of runic arrays to fuel the charms by harvesting the ambient magic of the passengers. Soon she was thinking of adding in shielding charms, and possibly a few other neat tricks, just in case of emergencies.
Even as she poured over the blueprints, Hermione was distracted as the door to her private lab hissed open, revealing Theo.
"Good evening, Hermione," he said casually, approaching.
"Hmm," she replied, returning to her work, despite the smell of excellent food that Theo had clearly bought for them to share. It was sweet of him, but Hermione was on a roll right now with the speeder, and hadn't the time to stop until the thoughts ran their course.
Whether her husband was disappointed with her answer or not, she wasn't certain, as he simply nodded, and turned to leave. Hermione was already halfway through her next Arithmancy sequence before she remembered to at least thank Theo for thinking of her, but he was already gone by the time she turned to say it.
Sighing to herself, she returned to her work, consulting her blueprints as she began work on another sequence that would reinforce the durasteel plating well over tenfold, making it so that the speeder in question would be significantly more durable and last far longer before the ravages of time or accident took their toll.
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The Grand Convocation Chamber of the Republic, also known as the Senate Rotunda, was an extremely elegant and architecturally pleasant building. But the structure itself was not the only attractive nature of it to Drakis Malfay, but its symbolism as the shining core of the Republic's government.
Currently however, standing with a few aides and note takers in one of the tens of thousands of repulsorpods that were locked securely to the sides of the massive structure's interior; Drakis was bored out of his mind. For all the grandness of the Senate and the pomp and pallor given to it from the many systems that it governed, it really was just a larger version of the Ministry of Magic, lacking only Drakis' previous influence due to his father's lifetime of meddling.
Not that that would stop him. Even with his Force powers handicapped, (they were far too close to the Jedi Temple for him to actively use them without attracting more unwanted attention,) his pure wit and guile would slowly start to carve a path for him to the topmost post in the Republic, and Lord Veneficus had already placed the first step squarely in his lap.
Unfortunately, as the most junior member of the body, and that of a newly ratified world and system, he held little to no clout in putting for himself to speak over the more senior members, even if all they were doing was squabbling like children over the same trade agreements for the hundredth time in two weeks.
Perhaps it would be best if he just had both Senator's killed, he mused as he watched the rather portly men stand pompously in their pods as they floating here and there, gravitating to those that Drakis recognized immediately as supporters of their respective sides.
When the unnecessary chatter finally died away, the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, a yellowish Twi'lek named Enib'Kiju, called for order and any final points of business before the Senate was adjourned.
This was his moment. Activating the repulsorpod's controls and sending the craft floating forward, "I have something, Your Excellency," he declared into the small speaker at his side.
"The Chair recognized the Senator of New Terra," said the primary staff attendee to the Chancellor, but Drakis hadn't bothered to remember the human male's name, he was unimportant at best.
"I wish to discuss what is to be done about the destruction of Lighthouse, and the subsequent attack on the Tund system…" Drakis began, only to be cut off by another, far more senior Senator, who floated down his pod to challenge him.
"The Tund system is not part of the Republic, and the space station Lighthouse was property of the Jedi Order, on loan to the Republic during the war over a century ago. There is nothing lost by its destruction, as that position of the Galaxy is no longer of any worth…"
"The Chair recognizes the Senator from Corellia." The chief of staff said blandly, to which Drakis frowned.
"I contest the proclamation," Drakis retorted, turning his attention from the rather large Corellian back to Chancellor Enib'Kiju, "As the Tund System is only a few parsecs from New Terra, we of that system are in direct threat from whatever it was that destroy Republic property, Jedi owned or not it was under our control so it was, in effect, Republic property, and demolished a significant portion of the inhabitants of that world. What's to stop New Terra, or any of the other nearby Republic worlds from being next?"
"Let the Jedi take care of that issue," the Corellian Senator said dismissively, waving his pudgy hands absently, "The planet was filled to the brim with their kind, was it not, and from what I hear they have a survivor in that Temple of theirs, I expect that they will sort it out post haste."
Drakis ground his teeth, the irritation mounting within him. "Never the less," Chancellor Enib'Kiju replied calmly, as if sensing the rising tension between his newest Senator and the rather off putting Corellian, "We cannot simply allow the newest world of the Republic attacked while we are unaware. We shall send police vessels to guard the orbit of New Terra, just in case, and wait for the Jedi to complete their investigation."
"As you wish, your Excellency," Drakis replied bowing and directing the repulsorpod back to its docking bay.
"If that is all," Enib'Kiju spoke again, "then I declare this session of the Senate officially adjourned."
As the Senators all started to mill away to their various speeders and other vessels, many intent on returning to their fancy apartments and hotels where they could wait in luxury for the next meeting, Drakis dismissed his aides and returned to his office in the Rotunda building. If the Jedi did have a survivor from Tund, he could not allow them to glean information from him. They had to learn the truth in the manner that Lord Veneficus had deemed for them to learn it, and none other way. The special courier had not arrived yet, and Drakis had been promised that he would know when it happened.
Pulling out his personal datapad, one that never left his person for any reason, Drakis pressed a single button, sending out a signal for the one that he desired. Soon the nearby holo flared to life, and a figure, heavily cloaked in wrappings that resembled ninja from the old homeworld appeared.
"What is thy bidding, sir…" the muffled and distorted voice said dryly.
"I have work for you," Drakis replied, equally cryptically, as he knew that the senate communications were routinely screened and watched. "Meet me at the place we discussed, and I will have the details."
The figured paused for a moment, and Drakis could only guess at the narrowing of the shrouded eyes at him in irritation, "as you wish…" was all that the figure said before cutting the feed.
Let the security detail make what they would of that short snippet of conversation, Drakis knew that many other Senators made disturbingly cryptic calls from their own offices, so he would not be out of place or unusual by doing the same. Leaving the Rotunda, the persona of Drakis Malfay melted away, leaving the icy brooding of Lord Anguis, who took his personal shuttle out to the factory district of Coruscant, named The Works of all boring things, and the small abandoned factory office space that had been purchased through several intermediaries from Anguis, and within which concealed his secret base, covered by layers of spells and technological defenses, making it invisible and impenetrable for any that Lord Anguis didn't want to find it.
Setting down the ship inside his small hanger, Anguis threw on his black Force user robes, making the change from mild mannered, but passionate politician to ruthless Darksider. The Dark Side of the Force blossomed around him in a wondrous blooming, and now that he was some distance from the Jedi and their oppressive temple, he could sense the oncoming Assassin that he can called the services of.
"You're early, my friend," he stated pleasantly, ever the charismatic person.
"It pays well to be early," was the cold reply, even as the completely concealed bounty hunter and assassin emerged from the shadows.
"Colin, you wound me, how long have we worked together, and you seem like you grow tired of our work…" Anguis said with mock pain, smirking widely.
"Just because this helps the Master do I do your bidding, but I do not enjoy it," Creevey replied, glaring through his head wraps that prevented his prey from knowing who it was that killed them. "These political accidents you keep having me stage are nowhere near the level of work that the Emperor could put me to use with."
"Then you'll love this next assignment all the more," Anguis replied, smirking. "How'd you like to infiltrate the Jedi Temple…?"
Colin paused, "I'm listening," he said, his interest far more peaked than before.
"Inside their precious Temple, the Jedi have rescued a Sith Pureblood from Tund. I want him eliminated before they learn too much about the Sith's plans. It's too soon, and the correct method of them revealing the information of the Sith empire has not yet arrived."
Pulling another datapad from his pocket, Anguis handed it over to his personal assassin. It contained a full layout of the Jedi Temple, along with the probably location of the target, somewhere near the infirmary, as Anguis did not doubt that the being had grievous injuries from Veneficus' attack.
"It shall be done," Colin replied with a smirk, before turning to leave just as silently as he arrived. Anguis had no doubts that the younger man was going to have the time of his life.
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The Assassin felt this to be his greatest trial yet. Infiltrating the home of the second most powerful Force-based group in the Galaxy would be no easy venture, but the one once known as Colin Creevey was willing to do anything for his Master, Lord Veneficus of the Sith.
Taking a speeder as close as he dared to the sacred edifice, the Assassin studied the bustling Jedi from afar: no heightened security, but still nothing to scoff at what with every member being a deadly warrior.
This would require more than his usual bag of tricks. Pulling from a magically extended bag his small personal jetpack, the Assassin slipping the device on before casting a notice-me-not charm upon himself. Idly he wondered if such enchantments would even faze the Jedi, but there was little time to consider the possibility as he launched himself into the air and activate the pack, soaring up along the base of the mountain that formed the foundation of the stone building.
Dipping and dodging to remain out of sight of the Jedi, just in case the charm failed him, the Assassin searched for any sort of opening into the temple. It seemed solid, closed off from any sort of outside influence, until he spotted a small ventilation port that was slightly more open than most, just enough that a small person, such as himself, could squeeze in.
Flying up to the port, he looked inside, seeing nothing with his normal eyes, but just to be overly cautious, he tossed a few small pellets inside, which exploded into a reflecting gas, revealing the laser tripwires that lined the entirety of the vent. These Jedi spared no expense to security it seemed, but Colin was determined. He couldn't risk any sort of EMP devise, which would alert the Jedi to a malfunction in the port, so he had to go with magic.
Disillusionment, a heavier notice-me-not, as well as a few charms of his own went up in rapid succession, capped off with a reflecting hex that he had modified for this purpose. Gunning the jetpack, he barreled through the tripwires, smirking as the small lasers simply bounced off of him as though he was metal. As the beams were not broken, per say, they would not activate their alarms, and therefore the Assassin would enter undetected.
At the end of the laser field and ventilation tube was a small room devoted to maintenance and repairs for the vent system, and it was there that he stopped to refer to his map of the building. It was bare bones, and some parts weren't given much detail in the layout, but the room he was in was on there, so it was decent enough for him to plan a route to the target.
Another layer of concealment charms and an invisibility cloak for good measure and Colin eased open the old fashioned door to the maintenance corridors under the Temple. The infirmary was well above him, and there was bound to be points where he couldn't avoid the Jedi or their Temple guards, so he went slowly, dodging around the droids that took care of the standard repair work of the building, searching quickly and finding the lift to the main floors of the Temple.
Holding fast to his concealment, and dodging between what little shadows there were, the Assassin made his way through the maintenance corridors, trying to work his way around the majority of the Jedi populace as possible.
The tactic works for a good stretch, with Colin running past droids and other menial laborers still, until he reached a point where the maintenance corridor ended and he encountered his first Temple guardian. The armored figure was unrecognizable for whatever gender or race it could be, but the Saberstaff at its belt was a clear indication of skill and danger to the Assassin, and he paused with indecision on how best to bypass this obstacle.
The obvious option was to simply get the drop on the warrior and slay him, but even as Colin thought this the Jedi started to look around, as though drawn to his hostile thoughts, and the Assassin killed the line of thought immediately. Violence was not going to be the answer here, and Colin withdrew a ways so that the Jedi would not see his spell casting.
Feather light and minor sticking charms later, and the Assassin was climbing straight up the walls and across the ceiling of the corridor, well over the Jedi guardian's head. His concealment held, and so long as he refused to think about the dangerous foe below him, Colin recognized that the Force user had no knowledge of his presence.
It was going to be all too easy from here on. Blotting all the Jedi in the temple from his mind as best he could; shrouding the thoughts behind layers of Occlumency, Colin continued to stealth through the heavily traveled corridors of the temple. Very few Jedi even seemed to notice his existence; only the ones that seemed to be the masters of the Temple even felt something amiss among them.
The way to the Infirmary was clear, and several point me charms in strategic junctures lead the Assassin directly to his prey. The red skinned being was not directly in the infirmary anymore, apparently having recovered from whatever injuries he had previously, and was now in his own room meeting with one of the Jedi, a rodent-like being that must have been one of the healers from the bedside manner.
So close to the target, the Assassins' blood began to quicken, and he could not wait much longer for the completion of this task. Wand in hand, Colin checked that no other Jedi were near, wove protective spells around himself, including a layered Protego just in case, and took aim as he advanced on the door.
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Master Coven had finally had the opportunity to meet with the Elder of the Sorcerers of Tund, the Sith Pureblood having finally been released from the infirmary with a clean bill of health. She had just been personally making sure that their guest was as comfortable as possible.
"How are we feeling this morning?" she said brightly as she entered the Sith Elder's room. The red skinned being was meditating, and Fae felt the gentle caresses of the Light Side of the Force lapping around the room.
"Much improved, thanks to your healers and droids," the Elder replied, opening his eyes to look at the Jenet with warmth. Fae was about to start into the important questions of who attacked Tund, when the door hissed open of its own accord.
"What in the world…" she said, sensing a presence, but seeing nothing there. A flash of danger and she threw herself at the Sith Elder. "Watch out," she cried, just as an unknown voice cried out something she did not understand.
"Avada Kedavera!"
A blast of green light erupted out of nothing, striking where the red Sith had sat, blasting the far wall and leaving a heavy crater in the durasteel.
Igniting her violet saber, Fae tried to sense where the opponent was, but there was nothing. A split second warning was all she was given before another beam flashed out of thin air, but it was enough. Purple saber flashed as it connected with a green jet of light, reflecting it back at in the direction it came, scorching the wall there.
Delving into the Force, even though she was having great difficulty in locating their assailant, Fae was able to erect a barrier of sorts around the Sith Elder, but she wasn't sure about how well it would stand up to the invisible attacker's powers.
Calming herself completely she started to noticed the sound of a third being's breathing. Directing the Force in a powerful push in the direction of the unseen assassin, Fae was pleased to hear a grunt of surprise as the being slammed against the wall. The point of impact shimmered as a shrouded figure appeared.
"Stand down assassin, and you may depart in peace," Fae commanded, drawing the Force around her in case of having to continue the fight.
"I think not, never leaving a job unfinished… Avada Kedavera!" the figures muffle voice said, and the emerald beam leaped out of a small stick that Fae recognized as a wand, much like Luna's. Dodging to the side, Fae only realized at the last moment that she was not the assassin's target. The old Sith elder crumpled without even so much as a cry of pain, and the assassin fled, magical energy forming around the figure, rendering him invisible once more.
Pressing a button on her belt, Fae sent out an emergence signal of an intruder, but she feared it would do little against once so skilled as to penetrate the sanctity of the Temple. The Sith's form was motionless, clearly dead from the single spell, but there was strangely not a mark on him.
If only Luna wasn't with Yoda investigating their home planet, then she would be able to shed light on this strange assassin, and where he came from.