Trouble in the Ranks
Zromkiar paced around the training field observing the Sith Army soldiers duelling, with Hirhaish and Joikaw walking along on either side of him. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until one soldier faltered in a block and got cut on the shoulder.
"Stop!" he cried out in pain as he dropped his own lightsaber. His opponent halted, waiting for him to regain himself but the Sith Master was upon the pair in seconds.
"Why did you stop?" Zromkiar demanded furiously.
"Because he already lost and-," the soldier stuttered in reply trying to come up with a good enough reason to save his comrade.
"What are your names?" Joikaw requested curiously with a blank face.
The two Sith Soldiers became nervous but had no choice but to answer the question posed to them.
"Kirzu," the one who had been wounded answered.
"Shiyu," the other answered.
Joikaw and Zromkiar exchanged a brief glance. Then after a few moments of silence, Zromkiar turned around to address the rest of the occupants on the training field.
"Kirzu is displaying the behaviour of a weakling and Shiyu is proof of a coward," Zromkiar announced, "Neither of these things has a place in this army."
The Sith Master turned back to face the pair, "And as punishment, you will execute Kirzu. If you don't do as I order I will kill you both," Zromkiar ordered.
Upon this announcement, Kirzu leapt to his feet and tried to run but was thrown to the ground by Joikaw's Force Lightning. When the lightning disappeared, Hirhaish approached the body and dragged him back to where he was before.
"I can't kill him," Shiyu tried to argue back.
"It's quite simple. If you don't kill him then I will kill you both," Zromkiar stated without any hint of hesitation.
The area was silent for a few moments as Shiyu thought it through and then frowned directly into Zromkiar's eyes, "No."
Zromkiar smiled a very unsettling grin that freaked the other out and then he was pushed into a kneeling position beside his friend by Joikaw.
"This is a warning to you all! Defiance and disobedience will be received with immediate execution," Zromkiar called out to all who were present. Within seconds he had his lightsaber activated and the heads of the two Sith Soldiers rolled away from their bodies. The Sith Master deactivated his lightsaber and turned around to face the crowd and told them all very calmly, "You are mine. Servants, Slaves, Weapons and you will obey."
Then the three Force Born members walked away and back towards the Citadel, leaving horror and fear in their wake.
"Time to get back to your training!" Riesha called out across the field and everyone followed hastily to avoid the same fate as their two comrades. They had to be careful not to trip over the bodies and decapitated heads that were still on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Sith Empress sat on her throne as Admiral Tarkin proposed the plans he had put together for the next planet that he claimed would be a perfect asset to the Empire.
Suddenly Jaira raised a hand to curtly stop the Admiral from continuing, "Admiral Tarkin, what good will a block of ice such as Agamar do to contribute to my Empire?" she asked seriously.
"Well Empress it would be perfect for training your army to fight in the terrain and it will be a good place to test your droids against the elements. Also, there are high populations of humans on the surface that you could recruit to build upon your civilian population. There is also a ship graveyard from the Clone Wars that you could gather free parts from, left there by the Separatists," Admiral Tarkin explained.
Jaira rose from her throne and started walking down towards the table, looking at each of her advisors until she came to a stop in front of the Admiral.
"Excellent work, Admiral Tarkin," Jaira said, "I am leaving you in charge of this mission, do not fail me," she added with a ferocious warning.
"Yes, Empress," Admiral Tarkin said as he bowed slightly, and she turned away from him.
"Zromkiar!" Jaira called and the newly appointed Sith Master stepped forward and fell to one knee, waiting for her to speak. Jaira bent down a little to whisper in his ear, "Make sure he does not fail," she ordered. Zromkiar grinned maliciously in response and nodded his head before standing back up straight as Jaira sat back in her throne.
Namut and Taevo were on their way to the Citadel after completing a task that Riesha had given them earlier that day. She had sent them to retrieve a few artefacts from one of the many ruins on the planet so that she could study them. To get back to their destination the twin brothers had to walk through the Sith Army barracks which they saw as having the potential to be an amusing event of their day.
"So, what do you think brother?" Taevo inquired with a malicious glint in his eyes, "Should we have a little fun with them?"
Namut rolled his eyes and stuck his nose in the air, "As much as I would like to I would rather not give any of these maggots the light of my attention," he stated.
Unfortunately for the twins a few of the Sith Army members heard him call them maggots, "Who do you think you're calling maggots?" a voice yelled at them from behind the twins who turned around stiffly.
"Who said that?" Taevo demanded aggressively.
"While you precious little treasures sit in the Citadel, we are fighting what should be your battles," one of them answered as they stepped forward as everyone but five of the crowd occupants scrambled to get as far away from the person who had spoken to show they did not openly support his views.
"You all think that we sit around and do nothing?" Namut asked in a dangerous tone as he took a few steps closer to the group. All five of the Sith Army members nodded their heads stoically in response to the question.
"What are your names?" Taevo growled.
They revealed themselves to be Mayshu, Jahraiz, Srandal, Nohdair and Areakith whose robes identified him as a Sith Captain with the two silver bands on the sleeves and the silver hem on his hood while the others were clearly identified as Sith Soldiers with the one silver band around the sleeves.
"So, you assume that you have more battlefield experience than we do?" Namut asked.
"I don't assume, I know that you don't as I have never seen you fight in one of the battles," Areakith stated firmly.
"Do we need to remind you where your place is?" Taevo inquired in a dangerously quiet tone that was filled with so much ferocity that should not be possible to achieve in a whisper.
"What are you going to do about it? Run off to the Empress and throw a tantrum until you get your way?" Areakith accused in a baby whining voice.
In a blink of an eye, Taevo held the tip of one of his activated lightsabers to Areakith's throat, "One flick of my wrist and your head with roll off your shoulders," Taevo whispered.
"Knock it off Taevo, they aren't worth the time or energy," Namut said in an almost bored fashion.
"No, I will not leave it Namut. They think they are better than the both of us," Taevo responded, "Maybe you need to voice your opinion to the Empress," he suggested as he turned back to look at the five people in front of him.
The Force-Born member did not allow them an opportunity the reply to his suggestion before he walked around to stand behind them and then used the Force to push them forward into a walk, following Namut with the other twin walking behind them. It was not far to get to the Citadel and when they entered the Hall, the twins found the Empress sitting on her throne with Riesha standing next to her.
"Namut, Taevo!" Riesha greeted and gestured for them to approach without acknowledging the five members of the Sith Army however Jaira did not ignore them.
"Why are you coming here without an invitation?" Jaira demanded as she rose from her throne.
"They think they are stronger than us," Taevo revealed as he went to sit down on the steps that led to the platform where Jaira's throne sat. Jaira combed her right hand through Taevo's hair as if to soothe him even though the teenager did not need soothing.
"None of the members of the Sith Army are stronger than you Taevo or any of your other brothers and sisters," Jaira said as she approached the group.
"You are not pure and without me, you would still be grovelling about on farms," Jaira stated, directed now at the Sith Army members in front of her, "I gave your life purpose and now you think you are better than the Force Borns who were born with their gift of the Force?" she added as she came to stop in front of the group.
"They know that it is illegal to go up against one of us," Namut stated clearly, "The punishment is execution is it not?" he asked as he came to stand a little behind the Empress.
The group suddenly fell to their knees, begging for forgiveness and mercy from Jaira and were promising that they would not do it again.
"Namut, Taevo you both have your first execution to plan," Jaira ordered as she walked back to her throne, "Supervise them would you Riesha?" she requested quietly to her cousin who nodded before following the twins who were now shoving the group out of the hall.
Later that night everyone was gathered on the gathering ground with the Force Born and Riesha up on the platform. Areakith, Mayshu, Jahraiz, Srandal and Nohdair were also on the platform on their knees; they had all been stripped of their armour with their wrists and ankles bound to each other.
"Silence!" Riesha called out over the crowd which fell silent immediately. Jaira watched from her portable throne which was resting at the back of the platform to watch the execution. A slave stepped forward to read the proclamation of execution which listed off the names and the reason for the execution which had been listed as 'Insubordination'. As the slave stepped back Taevo, Namut, Aqiri, Ridae and Joikaw each approached one of the five men tied up. Then moments later five heads rolled off the platform and landed at the feet of the crowd who backed away from the decapitated heads.
Jaira rose from her throne and approached the front of the platform, "Let this be a lesson to all of you and a warning. If anyone disobeys an order or thinks they are better than the Force Born you will be executed for your insolence," Jaira warned before returning to her throne which was then carried away by several slaves. Riesha ordered a few other slaves to take the bodies to be incinerated.