The Hunt For Nemo

High Security Detention Block A, Dark Tower
1:32 A.M.

It was eerily quiet in the infamous Dark Tower’s detention cells. On a small cot, Nemo Dupar laid still, icy blue eyes wide open. The Dupar had been captured by his cousin, Galaphile, at the Battle of Terifyn not that long ago. He had not been executed because Clan Plagueis hoped to gain intelligence on the Crimson Tide, now that they had one of their ‘key players’ in custody. In every interrogation they had arranged with him, he hadn’t budged. Sure, he had seen the bad end of a stuncoil a few times – but he promised himself that he would live through this ordeal and return to the Tide, and find his other cousin Gaidal. Maybe he’d find his father. Only the Force knew.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Man, those Plagueians didn’t let up on these interrogations. Nemo sighed as he expanded his mind, attempting to detect who was coming – most likely the Clan members, but it never hurt to be sure. He sensed a familiar presence, and was rather shocked as three dark figures, garbed in nondescript black cloaks stopped at the brig holding the Tidesman.

“Dr. Fenson Ryburn…” whispered Nemo. He hadn’t expected such a man as Ryburn, who was so high up on the command chain, to come visit.

“Yes, now be quiet,” replied the smooth voice of the other pirate, as he lowered his hood.

“How have you-“ Nemo began to say, but was cut off by the other.

“Never mind that. Have you used your magic to hide your presence?”

Nemo knew that Fenson was speaking of the Force. He had indeed thought it would be wise to hide his existence. “Yes.”

The hushed whispers continued, hurriedly. “Good. That buys us a few moments of extra time – can you use the Force to alter the lock, or break it?”

The Dupar nodded, and closed his eyes. After a few moments of concentration, the lock clicking, and the gate made of cortosis weaved DuraSteel swung open. Fenson Ryburn quietly s[Expletive Deleted]ed as Nemo walked out. “The Crimson Tide claims victory over Plagueis once more.”

Dismal Dupar’s Dormitory
5:30 A.M.

Sith Warrior Dismal Dupar awoke with a stir, as his comm. link broke out in a series of high-pitched squeals. He turned over, reading the large digital numbers on the chronometer by his bed. 5:30…motherkriffers. he thought.

The Equite climbed out of his bed, and reached for the comm. link. As soon as he accepted the message, a rapid babble filled his ears.

“Slow down. What the kriff are you waking me up for this early?”

“Master Dupar…this is Private Mon Anor…Nemo Dupar has escaped custody.”

“….WHAT?!” exclaimed Dismal, hurrying to his dresser, and pulling his robes on.

“When the security team arrived ten minutes ago, the cell was open and the detainee was nowhere to be found,” responded the security guard.

“Kriff kriff kriff kriff kriff…” he mumbled into the comm. link as he ran out of his dorm, and to the detention area.

As he arrived, a short man with a stubbly face and in full uniform bowed at him. Undoubtedly Mon Anor.

“I will see that you are properly reprimanded in due time, Private, but not now. How did Nemo escape?” he said hurriedly.

“We have no idea…we came this morning and he was gone.”

“AGH!”

“I’m sor..”

Mon was cut off by the Sith, who was yelling quite loudly by now. “Inform Consul Kaeth that I am leaving immediately.” With that, Dismal began sprinting to the hangar bay, turning the comm. link which he had taken with him to the frequency used by all of the Dupar family.

“Attention Dupars…Nemo Dupar, taken into custody at the Battle of Terifyn, has escaped sometime last night. We have no information on his whereabouts. Every Dupar, report to the Dark Tower on Kapsina at once. May the Force be with us all.”

Deep in the Unknown Regions
Arcanum

Sith Warlord Aabsdu di Plagia Dupar looked out across the hangar bay onboard the Arcanum, flagship of the Shadow Academy, of which he was Headmaster of. A new shipment of possible recruits had just arrived. While usually his Praetor's duty, he had decided to take a little time to look over them and greet them. It had been a slow week.

The ones not powerful enough to even be considered for initial training had already been led to a separate room where they would be offered a position with the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. Worker, soldier, whatever they were needed for they would do. The force sensitive ones were currently in a briefing room, where Dacien Victae was telling them where they were and what they were about to enter into. Aabsdu walked into the room from the back, no one save for Dacien noticing his presence. Gaidal Dupar, Braecen Kunar, Aristan Dantes, all had taught the Warlord how to hide his presence well.

"If you succeed, you will become Dark Jedi," Dacien stated, "but to do so you will have to gather all of you strength, courage, emotion, and channel it into the force."

"There is no emotion, only peace," a student said from somewhere in the room. Everyone immediately grew quiet.

"Who said that," Aabs asked flatly, everyone turning in surprise at the unknown voice coming from behind them. He knew who the speaker was, it was a young girl, human, standing only a few meters away, but he asked nonetheless.

No one answered him, so he turned and walked up to the girl, looking her straight in the eyes and reciting, "Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken."

And with a single, fluid movement, one of his dual lightsabers flew to his hand, igniting the white blade, and slide through her chest. She gasped briefly before the lightsaber ignited and hooked back onto his belt, "The Force shall free me."

With that, Headmaster Aabsdu di Plagia Dupar turned and left the room, the girl's body still standing, lifeless, unable to fall to the ground.

~~~~~

Aabsdu walked into his office and sat down, resting his feet on his desk as he shifted through a large pile of the day's passing's and failings. Then he laid his head back and rested, clearing his mind as he let the Force flow through him. The room disappeared, and he found himself in a dark void. Nothing to see, hear, feel, smell, taste, there was only him. He sat still, concentrating, meditating. Suddenly, a spark, only a few feet away. He turned, reaching his hand out to grab it.

Then suddenly it was all sucked away, and he found himself back in his office, his comlink beeping softly on his side. He cursed and picked it up, listening to a message from his friend and adopted brother, Dismal Dupar. Pathetic, he thought. They manage to capture the infamous Nemo Dupar and then turn around and let him escape. Just pathetic.

Still, he was in the mood for a little action, get away from the Shadow Academy for a few days. He called in his droid secretary, telling her to inform Dacien he was going off for a few days. Then he walked to the hangar bar, grabbed a spare TIE Interceptor, and lifted off into the vacuum of space, setting the coordinates for the Jusadih System.

The Moon of Relaren, Orbiting Aerun
Abandoned Kunian Outpost

Silence surrounded Scorpius as he sat on a rather uncomfortable-looking stone, his mind slipping deeper and deeper into the darkness of the Force. The moon around him was still, abandoned after the Yuuzhan Vong sacked House Exar Kun's home on Aerun. He sat among the ruins of an outpost that the Dark Jedi had built on the moon, destroyed in the initial invasion. The Archpriest had taken to staying on the moon for large amounts of time, deep in contemplation. He had also been spending his time constructing a new lightsaber, his other one destroyed when he was taken prisoner.

Ever since the Vong attack, the Archpriest had become more secluded than ever. He had failed to protect the home he had helped to create, and the Force was almost powerless to keep him from the torture that the Vong subjected him to. They had also wiped out the Aerunian civilization, which Scorpius had spent years working to subjugate to Clan Plagueis through both diplomacy and war. He had failed and lost everything for it.

Following the war, politics as usual continued within Clan Plagueis. Scorpius, though, would have nothing to do with it, turning down requests to lead the reconstruction of Aerun and take an active role in leading the clan to recovery. He accepted small missions here and there, but otherwise kept to his studies of the Force.

Thus he was particularly unhappy when the comlink in his pack went off with a message from his former apprentice, Dismal Dupar. The silver eyes of Scorpius flashed open as he heard the message, and he reached out through the Force to try learn more. Dupar.

The Crimson Tide.

They had been a thorn in the side of Scorpius since he first ran into them in the Clone Wars. He had helped fight them off in almost every battle against them since Clan Exar Kun originally fought them. He had personally assembled the history and information of the Crimson Tide for Clan Plagueis' records on Kapsina. The damn pirates just would not die. And now one of the prisoners had escaped, thanks to the ineptitude of the people running Kapsina. It was time to put the Tide in their place.

Scorpius stood, leaving his solace and solitude as he hopped into the TIE Avenger he had borrowed from The Baron's Verdict Squadron; he had failed to replace his rather expensive StarViper that was destroyed during the Vong invasion. Taking off from the moon, he set coordinates for Kapsina.

------------------------------
The Dark Tower, Kapsina

It had not taken long for Scorpius to dock with the Baron and then catch a shuttle down to the surface. He had not been to the capital of Clan Plagueis and temporary home of House Exar Kun for several months now, and as he stepped onto the landing platform and looked around, he sensed that not much had changed. There was a tense feeling in the Force, though; the fact that the enemy of Clan Plagueis had managed to waltz into its capital and walk off with a prisoner did not bode well with most of the Plagueians.

He walked off of the landing platform, his polished black boots not making a sound as he did so. Tightly pulling his dark cloak around his slim form, the former Prodigy of Plagueis entered the Dark Tower.