Part 2:
Shraanac quietly walked down the corridors of the Imperial Palace, making sure no one would notice him. Right now Senator Gorca would be giving a speech about some free trade deal in the main audience chamber. Anyone could come and watch, so Il'yedosk would have no problems getting in.
The thought of Il'yedosk made Shraanac frown. That Trandoshan had a really short temper and a taste for blood. That violent streak made her powerful with the dark side of the Force, but Shraanac still tried to convince Talisin that Il'yedosk was a hazard to their plan.
He felt the presence of a Force user nearby. It was most likey Leia Organa Solo or her children. He had to be cautious. Shraanac glanced behind him and was pleased to find that no one was following him. He grasped the smooth handle of the lightsaber that was concealed under his robe. He had constructed it when he first began his training. Much had changed since then.
All of a sudden his thoughts were interrupted as he collided into someone.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry." said the woman. Shraanac looked up to face her and realized it was Leia Organa Solo; daughter of Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith.
"Think nothing of it." he replied as he quickly turned and walked away. He hadn't expected to run into anyone, especially the sister of Luke Skywalker. But it was obvious she was unaware of the events yet to come.
She would not trouble them. The plan would succeed.
"...and with the completion of the freetrade deal, large supplies of crystolium will be mined on Kothlis and tranported all over the galaxy." Senator Gorca looked out at the crowd and continued. "Both the Bothans and the New Republic will benefit from this deal!"
As Gorca finished his speech the crowd began to applaud.
Talisin watched the surveilance monitors as the speech ended. It had been easy enough to subdue the guards. A simple Jedi mind trick had forced the guards to shoot each other. Her part was done. Now Il'yedosk and Shraanac could not fail her.
Endurai walked into the audience chamber with Nolaa and Trocaan just as Gorca finished his speech and the crowd began to applaud. He saw that there were many people there, mostly important Bothan and New Republic officials.
Senator Gorca stood proudly on the stage. His freetrade deal was a success. It would bring great profit to the galaxy.
Endurai looked around at the chamber. It was large and painted a soft white. Elegent and complex crystal chandeliers hung from several spots on the ceiling. All sorts of exotic plants had been placed by the walls. Endurai even recognized a rare flower from his homeworld. Gorca had chosen an appropriate place to give his speech. The room was comfortable yet breathtaking. He felt completely at ease.
"Endurai?" Nolaa said cautiously.
A feeling of dread crept over Endurai. "What?"
"I have a bad feeling about this."
Suddenly the room pluged into darkness as the lights faded.
Il'yedosk grinned an evil grin. The dark side of the Force could be used for anything from merely short-circuiting the lights in a room to conquering worlds. A pang of disappointment coursed through her for a moment. All her abilities were going to waste. Still, everything was proceeding as planned and would succeed as she desired.
In her perspective all this sneaking around was nothing compared to an all out battle. The darkside was used to conquer, not hide in the shadows.
Some day things would go her way... but for now she would follow those weak fools. Her day would come, soon enough.
Shraanac looked down at the dead guards, their faces paralyzed with fear. Infiltrating through the stage had been easy. Now the plan rested on his shoulders. It was finally time to take action.
As he peered into the darkened end of the stage, he saw the faint outline of Senator Gorca. Intensifying his sight throught the Force the figure became clear, as did the crowd. He sensed Il'yedosk's presence nearby, but that was not his concern now.
Shraanac closed his eyes and concentrated on the Force. He felt it surround him and reach into the deepest depths of the galaxy. The Force held the universe together but could destroy it in a second.
Invisible fingers wrapped around Gorca's throat. Shraanac began to squeeze the life out of the Senator. Gorca gasped and clawed at his throat. He sank to his knees and weakly tried to call for help. Shraanac could sense the rising anxiety of the crowd. As Gorca took his final breath Shraanac silently slipped into the shadows.
Quickly walking through the empty corridors of the Imperial Palace, Shraanac made his way to hangar bay 12, where Talisin's ship the Demon Nova was. Il'yedosk and Talisin would be waiting.
Nolaa tried to peer throught the darkness. She could sense the tension in the room. She used the Force to stretch out with her feelings. She knew something was very wrong, a disturbance in the Force. Concentrating, she brought light back into the chamber by sending a surge of energy through the lighting systems. Nolaa could feel an emptiness, a feeling of life missing where it had once been.
Endurai's concerned face showed he knew something was wrong too. He started walking towards the stage. Trocaan gave Nolaa a worried look and they followed him.
Weaving their way through the crowd of humans and aliens, Endurai led them to the stage. As they stepped onto the platform Nolaa realized why she had felt so uneasy. Something terrible had happened.
Gorca lay montionless on the stage, his eyes frozen in sheer terror. Leia was kneeling next to his body, a grim yet angry look on her face.
As the three Jedi came to her side she looked up. "He's dead."