Control

The following day on Dromuund Kaas.
All the Initiates were lined up in front of the Empress on their knees as they awaited her orders as she walked along each line. Every few students she pointed at them and they went to stand along the walls of the audience hall, waiting silently for further instructions. Once completed Jaira returned to her throne and began to explain what she had done in the last few minutes and all of the Initiates waited on bated breath.
"All those who are standing around the room will join me on Hoth for a battle the Jedi Order will never forget," Jaira announced, "Survive the battle and you will become more powerful than everyone else here. The rest of you are dismissed!"
The leftover Initiates remained where they stood with their backs against the walls, awaiting further instruction.
"We leave tomorrow morning so I expect you all to be at the Spaceport at dawn or you will be left behind and won't see your prize," Jaira instructed them before dismissing them as well.
As this group walked out of the hall the Death Watch mercenaries were waiting just outside the doors and tied a red band around each of the initiate's right arms. Most were curious as to what was going on; some thought it was so that if they were seen tomorrow after dawn still on the planet they would get killed or worse made a slave. While others believed it was part of the prize if they succeed in their task which was becoming leaders over the other Initiates. Either way little did they know that they were right on both ideas.
Once she was alone in the audience hall, Jaira called for the Force born children to be bought to her so that she could move onto the next stage in the plan she had in store for them.
"Who is this Barriss?" Jaira asked as the healer walked in with a four-year-old girl clutching her hand.
"Her name is Zalriu, my lord," Barriss said, "She is four years old."
"Come here child," Jaira said gently, beckoning with her hand for the young girl to stand with her, "Homeworld?" she asked.
"Corellia," Zalriu answered, "And my name is Cara, not Zalriu," she added stubbornly.
Jaira frowned slightly as she closed her eyes and entered the child's mind to complete the task that must be done for her plans to be successful. Jaira erased the young girl's memories of home, her parents, the Jedi and even her birth name. Once Jaira finished she opened her eyes to find a blank look on the young girl's face.
"Off you go now Zalriu, it was a pleasure to meet you," Jaira said.
Zalriu walked back to Barriss and took the offered hand before allowing the healer to lead her out of the room. Not long after leaving the room Barriss returned with a toddler in her arms who was cooing softly and happily to himself.
"Name?" Jaira inquired.
"Dirok," Barriss replied, "He is 1 year old and is from Crystophosis." She added deliberately as she handed the little boy to the Empress.
"The younger ones are always easier," Jaira mentioned as she closed her eyes and followed the same process; the only difference was she did not have to erase as much information from the toddler's mind. After the deed was done Barriss took Dirok and walked back out before returning with another child. The day continued like that right into the afternoon and then once the last child had her mind wiped Jaira retired to her private quarters. It wouldn't be long now when she would have Jedi in chains on Zygerria which was now to be the fate for all Jedi in the Galaxy.


By noon the next day, all the Initiates had come out to find the paths covered in blood with no bodies in sight as they walked through the city to the training grounds. There were fewer numbers than the day before as most of them had gone with Jaira to attack the Jedi Temple on Hoth. Little did the Initiates know however that any of those who had not managed to reach the spaceport in time had been slaughtered by the Death Watch as most had been on the way back to their dorms. The blood they walked through that same morning to get their lessons was the blood their fellow Initiates.
"We have new students for you both," Darth Xaeven revealed as he came to stand next to Riesha and Ventress which caught the attention of both women straight away as they turned around to find a large number of people.
"Take the younger ones to Barriss and leave the rest here with us," Riesha ordered.
"Very well," Darth Xaeven said as he departed with a quarter of the massive group and began the trek up to the city.


Jaira stood on the bridge as she watched the naval crew that Tarkin had put together worked to pilot a starship of this magnitude. They had been in Hyperspace for at least three days now which was a result of how large the group of massive ships was. There were at least five starships; each one filled with the selected Initiates and X5-S9 droids. The Empress knew however that she had all the time in the Galaxy to get to her intended destination where the Jedi Knights in the Temple were sitting ducks with no way of knowing what was coming.
"My lord, we are coming out of Hyperspace," an Officer came running up to her, informing her of the update.
"Good. Get the jammers ready, I don't want any of those fools to have the chance to call Coruscant for help," Jaira instructed and then he ran off to go relay her orders.
Jaira was slightly disappointed by the numbers that did not show up at the spaceport in time but she needed the rest to understand the consequences for dawdling otherwise she would lose all control on her army. Then within the next few moments, the starships exited Hyperspace above Hoth.
The Sith Empress at that point left the bridge and walked briskly through the ship to the hangar where the army was waiting for their orders.
The starships with the droids landed while the ones that held mainly Initiates hovered above the ground which meant the students had to jump. If any were too afraid to jump then they were pushed, most survived this however and they ran towards the Temple.
"Remember don't kill any of them!" Jaira yelled through the Force to all who were under her command.
It did not take long for the Jedi Knights to react as the Sith Army approached even though the peacekeepers were taken by surprise at the attack they were able to recover quickly.
"Hoth to Coruscant, is anyone there?" Master Calen Dor requested into the communication station desperately but he didn't seem to be getting through. He tried again and again before the realisation dawned on him. The attackers had jammed all transmissions and there would be no help coming from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.
"Master!"
Calen turned around to see his Padawan running to him and the Jedi Master knew what he had to do.
"Balor, get the children out now!" Calen yelled over the noise as the whole building reverberated.
"But Master?" Balor asked almost pleadingly but he didn't have long to continue when the Jedi Master Force pushed the young teen through a door.
Calen used the Force to lock the door and then cut through the locking device with his lightsaber before giving the order again.
Get the children to Coruscant and tell Master Yoda what has happened here.
Then Calen walked through the door to join the battle while trying to ignore his Padawan's cries for him. The Jedi Master was quickly overwhelmed by the numbers and the last thing he heard was Balor screaming.


After the battle had finished, Jaira walked up to the site flanked by her personal guards to find the young crying Padawan cradling his Master in his arms. She was tempted to kill him but then thought against it as she realised how useful the teenager would be to her army. The Sith Lord gestured for two Initiates to take the boy to the starship which wasn't an easy task as the Padawan struggled against them.
"Do not harm him!" Jaira ordered angrily when one of the Initiates went to activate his lightsaber to make a final deadly blow. Then Jaira heard something from further inside the Temple and walked in to investigate. She was pleased with what she found in one of the back rooms. The small room was filled with at least thirty children, all no doubt were Younglings and would be perfect additions to her Empire.
"Captain, send a shuttle down to my location," Jaira said into her comlink.
"Of course my lord, what have you found?" a reply came, curiosity soaking the voice.
"Never mind that, just get a shuttle down here immediately."
There was a confirmation in response and within fifteen minutes a shuttle came through the massive hole in the roof of the building.
"Come along children," Jaira said gently as she coaxed them all onto the shuttle. Then it took off back to the starship and Jaira exited the building to see the bodies being loaded onto shuttles. All of those Jedi who had been stunned by the droids were bound with anti-force restraints that stopped the flow of the Force to keep them under control. Those that were dead were left to turn the snow blood red with their blood. There was no doubt that the Jedi from Coruscant would come and investigate the happenings here because of no communication from the Temple in a few days or maybe even weeks.
"Take me up to the Vitality," Jaira ordered a pilot of one of the shuttles as she entered the cockpit and took a seat.
"Yes, my lord," he responded as he took off.


A/N: It is an interesting fact that the Sith Army Initiates are essentially slaves to the Empire but they do not view themselves as slaves. Now there is a stark difference between the Sith Army and the Force Born. Jaira views the Sith Army members as all disposable and replaceable hence why she has no care for whether they live or die as long as they serve their purpose to her that is all she cares about. The Force Born, however, are her precious children and she takes a hell of a lot more care in their lives. Unfortunately, it is a warped type of love and ultimately they serve a purpose to serve her but when you consider how she was raised it is not really a surprise. The only people who truly cared about her were Daly and her mother and from her perspective they both abandoned her to a life of constant torment and to the mercy of her father, who used her for his own gials and purposes.

Ashlyn Dubreas.