DROMUND KAAS: KAAS CITY
One year before the treaty of Coruscant.
Inside one of the many dark-gray skyscrapers. The arena was large and about four floors high. A three meter high band of transparisteel ran underneath the ceiling along one of the walls, breaking the otherwise entirely durasteel clad interior. In about half the chambers height a balcony floor dominated the remaining three walls, the durasteel gangway being reflected on the dark tinted walls. On the ground floor red carpets here and there were the only furniture to be seen.
The never ending thunderstorms roared outside, as half a dozen lightning strikes tore through the eternally cloud covered sky. Inside a storm of flashing crimson lights was taking place in the center of the arena. Briza was battling a dozen assassin droids, some with blasters and some with vibroblades, all built and programmed specifically to kill her.
Her body had matured into a tall muscular figure resembling that of an hourglass, hardent by the past seven years in service to her master Darth Veness. Her horns were now fully grown, protruding from under her short loosely hanging maroon hair, making them very visible from a distance. She wore a thin and flexible sith battle armor, with a dark gray pattern and with an imperial embel.
While outnumbered, Briza had been trained in the art of dual fencing, also known as the jar'kai two blade saber form. One moment blocking, another deflecting, then dodging and countering multiple attacks from various angles all at once. In the left hand she held the blade that was given to her on Korriban, in her right her newly made lightsaber, both with red synthetic crystals inside.
Though these droids were formidable, designed especially to anticipate her moves and patterns, they were droids nonetheless. Familiarity, the lack of intuition and no force ability, made them easy enough to dismantle one by one.
In less than a minute Briza had cut down half of the droids, when suddenly all the droids shut off. Briza turned around and looked up to see her master observing her from the balcony above.
"You have done well, so well in fact, that I will be sending you on a mission to kill a little jedi nuisance," Darth Veness smiled sinisterly satisfied.
Briza bowed and spoke in humility, "As you command Master. Where is this jedi?"
"You will be sent to a planet known as Utapau in the minos cluster. There you will hunt down a Jedi, who has stubbornly interfered with Imperial intelligence," Veness explained firmly.
"I will depart at once my lord," Briza replied with a quick bow, turned around and headed to the hangar where she took off immediately.
OUTER RIM: Minos Cluster
After a lengthy trip through hyperspace, Briza finally saw the planet known as Utapau from orbite.
Over the ship's comm, she announced her arrival and almost immediately got clearance to land. Most sith lords of her rank had a personal pilot to fly their ship for them, but this was a thing she preferred and enjoyed doing herself, she somehow found it relaxing. Ever since her old friend Jent the cyborg-human took her for a spin in an old imperial transporter, she had liked piloting, sliding through the open reaches of outer-space, all worries seemed to evaporate from her mind.
UTAPAU: Midday
In what could best be described as a gigantic hole in the planet's surface, Briza landed her fury class imperial interceptor on one of the many protruding platforms, overlooking the main city below. A city built into the clefts dotting the interior of the planetary sinkhole.
One of the indigenous Pau'an dressed in a native brown robe with red stripes, came over to greet the newly arrived sith lord, "Greetings my lord, I hope you had a pleasant journ-"
"Cut the pleasantries, I don't have time for that nonsense. Take me to the Imperial intelligence office at once," Briza commanded in a very strict and firm tone of voice, interrupting the official mid sentence.
"Yes... right this way," the Pau'an replied immediately and quickly called for an air taxi.
In less than five minutes, Briza was being briefed on the situation. The Jedi had been recruiting, what looked to be some sort of unarmed rebellion. The origin of his motives, however, remained unsolved.
Briza, with the help of imperial agents... was now to track down this enemy, who had been evading the imperial forces for months.
With the force at her command, she scoured the countryside looking through caves and tunnels as possible hideouts. After a whole day's search, new reports came in, the Jedi had been sighted stealing food supplies. Despite being tired from the search and the fact it was very late, Briza went on the hunt again, the quicker this ordeal was finished, the quicker she could continue her training at her master's side. She jumped on a speeder bike, that had been lent to her by the imperial intelligence, powered it on, descended out in the cold night and sped towards the south easternmost cleft.
In a colossal cave beneath the surface was the location where her prey had been spotted. More specifically a huge storage facility storing large shipping containers in all colors, with lanes of huge lamps hanging from the ceiling and steel pillars supporting various platforms.
"This is the last crate master," a rodian padawan informed with a hint of fatigue in his voice.
"Good, let's head back. I sense we won't have long before trouble will seek us out," an elder human jedi master replied urgently, both having just finished loading a cargo transporter with several crates.
All of a sudden from outta nowhere a speeder bike came swooping straight at them. A being clad entirely in black jumped off the bike in a somersault, as the bike made an emergency override and activated the brakes to avoid a collision with the crates nearby. To get their fuld attention the black figure shouted at them, "I am Lord Briza of the imperial military. I demand your surrender immediately! Or I will cut you down where you stand!" Briza threatened them in a cold voice, as she stood between them and the vehicle.
"Never!" the rodian yelled and force jumped over the newly arrived sith, landing on top of the cargo transporter. But... just as he did so, a red blade was thrown at his back, with such speed that he barely registered it, before his spine was severed and he lay lifeless on top of the vehicle, with a deep black burn mark across his back.
"No!" was the only thing the jedi master exclaimed, as he ignited his blue lightsaber and prepared himself for the inevitable confrontation.
"Your apprentice was bold, but stupid. Surrender or you will suffer the same fate," Briza firmly proclaimed the ultimatum, as she closed the distance between them and called her lightsaber back to hand, reigniting it.
The death of his pupil had weakened the jedi. He struggled to summon an inner calm, as feelings of vengeance, regret and sorrow crept into his mind.
Briza charged him head on with brutality and precision, hammering fiercely at his blocks and parries. She was stronger, faster and more agile, than the aging jedi she faced, who's defenses were rapidly crumbling.
The sith was driving him backwards at an alarming pace. No matter what he did, she was over him like an angry Tuk'ata. If he tried to jump away, she was there when he landed. If he tried to force push her away, or throw crates at her, she deflected them immediately. He never had time to change fencing stands or use the surroundings properly to his advantage.
Though she had to admit the elder jedi had a decent defense, she could easily sense he was wearing out and would fatigue sooner rather than later. Deciding that waiting was not her style, she shifted her blade to a one hand grip and with the other ignited her second lightsaber. With a simple, but precise, strike to his head, she forced him to protect his upper body, opening up for Briza to make a quick lower swipe with the second blade thereby circumventing his guard, effectively severing his right hand from the rest of the arm.
The pain was unbearable. The jedi sank to the floor in such agony, that it was too painful to utter even a single word. The clattering of his lightsaber on the floor, sounded sharp and hollow to his ears.
"I told you to surrender. Now before I kill you, tell me, what exactly were you doing here jedi?!" Briza demanded to know, as her intense green eyes burrowed into his. She was about to choke him to see if added pain would force the information out of him, but to her surprise he spoke.
"Listen sith. I have a colony full of weak force sensitive beings. Beings who would only die if they entered your accursed academy. They are no threat to anyone!" he exclaimed for emphasis.
Briza felt conflicting feelings start to simmer in her mind. She made up her mind, ordering, "Then get them off world, now!"
To say he was astonished would be an understatement, but her feelings told the truth, this was no sadistic trick of evil. "Thank you…" He bowed his head in gratitude.
Briza called the jedi's lightsaber to her hand, "I will take your lightsaber and your hand, as proof of your demise."
He only nodded in acknowledgement.
"You will manage without these resources," Briza decided firmly. Her presence turned ominous, "Take your people out of imperial space. Your business on imperial planets ends today! And if I ever find you again, I will cut you to pieces! Have I made myself clear?" the last part added in a threateningly icy tone.
"Yes... I understand perfectly. You will never see me again," The one handed human complied, and disappeared away in the dark.
Briza didn't want to waste anymore time. She called in the Imperial forces via comm-unite to take it from here and ordered a transport to pick her up.
On-board her ship, she decided on making a holocall before going to hyperspace. Darth Veness answered almost immediately, "My apprentice, were you successful in your hunt?"
"Master, my mission was a success. I located two jedi, both have been dealt with," Briza told, twisting the word dealt and showed the two lightsabers belonging to the jedi in question.
"I am pleased, my promising apprentice," Veness complimented her youthful subordinate.
Briza couldn't help but smile as she lowered her head in respect, "Thank you my master. I will return home to continue my training at once."
"Then I will await your return," Veness smirked and ended the transmission.
Briza took a moment to relax before she made the jump to lightspeed, then she configured the navi computer and set the course for Dromund kaas. That done, she sat down in the pilot's chair and began to ponder the recent events.
Looking at the lightsabers she had acquired, "Have I betrayed the empire in my compassion to save those else doomed to die? Why did I spare their lives, yet having no remorse for killing the little rodian jedi? I guess, it was because he did have a choice, while the others did not," she speculated to herself, as she watched the stars pass her by, in the seemingly endless stream of light.
