Part XVII
The small group arrived at a village on Korriban named Losttown, "you brought us to this... Dump?" Ava asked Qimish, incredulous. "It's not the town" he replied, "it's beneath the town." Ava was even more confused. "Are you on spice?" She asked, half-serious. "No, he's right! Look!" Mila exclaimed, pointing to a shack with lights emanating from within. "Come on!" Ava followed, her hand on her lightsaber just in case. In the shack, they found a stairway heading downwards into darkness. The lights came from the sides and ceiling, illuminating within the structure. "Down here Ava!" Qimish called as he practically ran down the stairs. "Wait!" Ava called, but neither of the other two listened. "Might as well be talking to the air... "
When they reached the bottom, it was much different than the ghost town above. This was a bustling city oriented around a makeshift track. "What the..." Ava exclaimed. "Speeder bike racing. No rules. Right up your alley... Just what you could use. We also have a two hundred credit bet riding on you, so... " Qimish remarked, "but... I've never raced before. I don't even have a bike!" Ava protested. "We acquired one! Don't ask how." Mina snickered, walking forward with a black and yellow Marzotti Speedster Mk. I. And an accompanying yellow helmet. "Don't let us down!" Mila said cutely, tossing the helmet to Ava. This is how it all began.
current day
Broadcasting from a secure location in the inner rim, a young dark haired Coruscanti woman with olive skin, dressed in a black field uniform with the dual dragon head emblem of the Sanguine Empire sat behind a desk in front of a trio of holo cameras. As the producer counted down, she turned to the center camera and flashed a gleaming smile once the overhead lights winked green signaling that they were on air. "Good welcome citizens of both the Sith Empire, and the Galactic Republic. I bring you greetings on this illustrious day. We have interrupted your regular holocasts for this important message. - - steadily the backdrop was filled with the banner of the Sanguine Empire. The reporter continued, "today, striking from hidden bases and shipyards, a new Empire is taking root. These forces, commanded by a hero unlike any other in the history of the galaxy, are fighting for you. The Lady Ava'kra, formerly of the Sith Empire, having cast off her chains, is even now, struggling to bring peace, order, and justice to the galaxy." The background changed to exaggerated imagery of Ava leading her rebels into battle on various planets. "Her Order is neither Jedi or Sith." Another lie, but such was propaganda. "She fights for you; she fights for all of us. Her power brings peace. Join us. The Sanguine Empire has arrived to free the galaxy from the yoke of oppression from the Republic and the Sith Empire." The imagery winked out of existence, with the Sanguine Empire's emblem the last image seen.
