Turn topic #01. Turn time: 3 hours.

"I have decided to send you on a special sort of trial", the Consul said to the Jedi Hunter before him. "And to spice it up, I have coordinated with the other six Clans that they will each send a Jedi Hunter too - a person of similar talent and ability as yourself. I shall be blunt to you - I do not even close to expect all seven who are sent out these hours to come back alive. However, I have my trust in you that you shall be among those who will come back and earn the right to bear their very own lightsaber."

A lightsaber - the thought sent a shudder through the Hunter. So many months had he trained and fought and now the chance was in front of his head, faster than most of his comrades would have gotten it. But the risk was great, so he hesitated.

"I am awaiting your acceptance", the Consul boomed into the few seconds of silence. "Or would you rather have me send your roommate on this quest and forget that you could be promoted for the next year at the least ?"

"I... *gulp* accept", the Hunter said, not fully convinced. "What is my trial ?".

"You shall be one to revive an old tradition among the Dark Side - you shall hunt down and destroy Jedi. A group of three knights has been spotted on Terana, those are your mark. Three knights also means three lightsabers - and that means that three of you will have the means to rework these weapons for your own use as a Dark Jedi Knight."

"The shuttle will pick you up in three hours. Pack only as much as you can carry as you will be walking a substantial distance and you will have to carry your gear."

"And may the Dark Side be with you."

As the Consul nodded, giving the sign of an ever so slight bow of respect, the Hunter bowed back and left the stateroom in unease... three hours...

Kai watched as the Consul walked away. He stared back in almost disbelief. This was the moment he was waiting for. The chance to prove himself worth as a Dark Jedi, worthy to carry a lightsaber.

Slowly he turned and walked down the many twisting hallways to his room. Taking a moment he looked over his room. This was the last time he would be here. He would die, or become a Dark Jedi Knight. As a Knight he would be elevated, and allowed more spacious chambers than this.

Walking over to the foot of his cot, he opened the footlocker and slowly withdrew his gear. First was a gift from his master. A completely black sword (equivalent to a vibrosword.), slowly he slid the blade from its sheath, testing its readiness and finally strapped it to his left side. Next he pulled out an odd, almost archaic pistol. After strapping horizontal across his back, he drew it, and tested the laser sight. Satisfied he returned it to its holster. Finally he drew a pair of black vibroknucklers from the chest, and strapped them to his belt.

He pulled his long black hair back into a ponytail, and gathered the rest of his gear into a small pack. Slinging it over his shoulder he walked out the door, heading for the hanger. His booted steps seemed to echo through the hall, louder and louder as he walked towards his destiny.

His master met him on the way, and bid him good luck on this endeavor. Finally he reached the hanger where his shuttle was to depart. There was still at least two hours, if not more, till departure. Kneeling down he began to meditate and clear his mind on the task ahead. Time passed quickly this way, not to mention it helped focus his anger for the battles ahead. Quickly Kai boarded the shuttle and took his place. This was it, his Test. Should he survive he would be elevated to the rank of Dark Jedi Knight, and claim the coveted lightsaber.


[notes:]

Sword: 2 ½ foot long blade, three inch’s wide. The guard is 3 inch square, attached to a 1 foot hilt. The entire blade is black and acts like a Vibrosword. Handle is wrapped in some sort of cord or hide.

Pistol: Variant of the Nightstinger technology. Uses compressed gas to fire solid projectiles. The projectiles move at high speed, and are not reflected by a lightsaber (they melt/destroyed on impact with the blade). Functions like blaster. The holster is across the back, barrel along the belt, handle upwards to be grabbed with the right hand. This is hidden under his robes. Each clip holds 15 shots. He carries 10 clips. 3 ready (2 in holster 1 in weapon) 7 more in the small pouch he carries.

Vibroknucklers: Black metal

Other than these he carries only a grappling hook and line, rations for the trip, and a re-breather for underwater.

“Ban, get here now!” Shouted the Consul of Tarentum.
“Sir?” Wheezed Ban after scurrying across the Grand Reception hall of Castle Tarentum to face the ire of his Consul.
“Good, now how would you like your own sabre?”
“Very much so Sir!” Said Ban a sheen descending over his large eyes.
“Hehe, fine get on that shuttle then and go and kill some Jedi that are stalking around the sector. When you arrive at the designated co-ordinates you will be met by representatives of the other clans you will be the hunting team. I will give you two hours to get any equipment that you require. May the Force be with you Dyl’Jo’Ban”

Bowing to his Consul Ban scurried to his personal chambers his green skin shining under the powerful lamps that illuminated the stony corridors. Skidding to a halt in front of his door he placed his palm on the scanner waiting patiently for the door to swoosh open he stepped into his room and opened his locker.

Reaching in with his hands Welshman extracted a krayt dragon leather holster in which a slightly modified DL-44 blaster pistol was holstered. The modifications being a small scope on the top of the blaster which gave Ban some added accuracy up to ranges of 75m. The second being a small dart thrower affixed to the barrel. This contraption was about an inch in length held two darts in separate chambers, one containing a neurotoxin, which could cause temporary paralysis for anything up to twenty seconds, not much but enough to give Ban a slight edge in combat. The other chamber contained a poison that would sap an enemies strength for a dozen minutes.

The other item that interested him was a short sword made seemingly all out of transparent crystal. Admiring the multifaceted surface of the blade Ban slid the 75cm blade into its scarab until only the blood red metal guard and grip stuck out. Opening his mouth piece in mirth and happiness he placed the scarab on his belt, picked up his datapad with a few interesting programs on it (slicing codes and protocols) and left the room for the shuttle pad. Dressed in his Hunter robes he pulled the belt tighter around him and left for the shuttle that would take him to his destination.

Sedraya growled as she recieved the orders to go meet her Con, she was in the middle of a nice nap when someone knocked at her door and instead of waiting for her to answer they simply came in and woke her up rather roughly then relayed the orders to her. She walked briskly down the corridors, the orders telling her to not keep him waiting. As she was admitted to his office she glanced around, taking it in before being ushered to his desk.

She gave a curt bow. "You summoned me Consul?"

The Consul looked up and watched her momentarily. "Yes. How would you like to earn your lightsaber?"

She gave a small nod, her training having taught her to control her emotions when she wished to.

He smiled at her. "Good. Bord the shuttle in the docking bay, it will take you to the proper location where you will hunt and kill Jedi that are harrassing the sector. When you land you will be meeting up with five others, the six of you will be working as a team. I won't sugar coat this, you may very well not return from this mission, however if you do..." He turned around a moment then when he faced her once more he set a Light Saber on his desk. "This will be yours."

Sedraya smiled slightly and turned but stopped before she exited. "How much time?"

"3 hours."

She nodded again and left silently, returning to her quarters to gather her belongings. She looked up as she entered, having been lost in her thoughts on the way there. Her smile grew as she set eyes upon someone sitting on her bed. "Greetings Nikrode. What brings you here?" She went about gathering her items as she listened to his answer.

"Just visiting a friend." He watched her pack. "Where are you going?"

She shrugged. "Hunting."

He leaned forward. "C'mon, it's more then that isn't it?"

She shrugged again and didn't answer this time as she opened a closet selecting two long swords and sheathing them crisscross across her back. She glanced at the other weapons, her eyes setting upon an ebon sword a moment. She gave a curt nod to herself and unsheathed one of the steel ones that was across her back, replacing it with the ebon one that seemed to dance with a sinister light from within. She heard a sharp intake of breath from Nik as she turned to retrieve her staff but instead of it leaning against her dresser it was in his hands.

He watched her carefully. "Tell me what this is about?" His eyes flicked to the sword across her back. "You swore never to use that sword again."

She watched him cooly, the annoyance she felt did not show. "You forgot the last part, until I could avenge them." She took the staff from him and turned. As she walked out of the door, her eyes swirled briefly with emotion but soon returning to their emotionless state as she made her way to the messhall to pass some time.

Sedraya entered the mess hall, the Falleen's hair pulled back in a ponytail atop her head as was characteristc for the females of her race. She wore a leather tunic as well as leather pants both of which were form fitting; her boots were like wise made of leather coming up to her calfs, gloves covered her hands but the fingers were cut out to give her as much mobility as possible. The handles of the two swords protruded above her shoulders, the ebon blade the most noticable of the two, her staff was held in her left hand. She sat at the bar, her baggage near her as she ordered a drink. She was joined again by Nikrode who ordered a drink as he sat down next to her.

"Tell me what is going on."

She didn't look up but simply stared at her drink.

He sighed but didn't press it, thanking the bartender and taking a sip of his drink. After a moment she spoke.

"I told you before that I would not wield this sword again until I could avenge them. I can now so I wield it, end of discussion."

He watched her but again did not press it. He stood and left her, his drink half full sitting on the bar.

She sat there for another hour, lost in past memories and her thoughts. After that hour she stood and picked up her bags and gripped her staff then made her way to the docking bay where she borded the shuttle. The shuttle took off and she awaited her arrival to the destination.

“Three Jedi Knights,” the young Sith muttered to himself as the door sealed behind him, “and only three hours to prepare. A daunting task, and a strange arrangement, Consul Malik. Why would three Jedi draw the wrath of all seven Clans? No matter, as of yet, I suppose. I will have my Knighthood…and come a step closer to my revenge.” Akoor began moving nonchalantly through the hallways of the Naga Sadow headquarters, seeing no need to draw attention to his mission.

He stopped first at the library, thinking it prudent to get at least general background information on Terana. His master had always stressed the importance of preparedness, instilling it into the Hunter with a series of painful lessons. Yet there was also the need to be flexible. Peld grunted as he mentally crossed items off his ideal equipment list. He had to travel light. Satisfied with his hour databank search, and subsequent activities to cover his tracks a bit, the human exited the library and continued his round trip of the facility.

The armoured doors of the dueling chamber slid open heavily as the Sith entered. Overhead lights flashed to life, and the first two droid opponents stepped out of an adjoining room. Akoor twirled the vibrorapier menacingly, glad that he would soon be facing opponents capable of understanding the concept of fear. The automatons split up and began circling him brandishing a spear and a club respectively.

An hour later the Hunter emerged. His hair was mussed, but otherwise he was fine. He had kept things light, requesting only two pairs of melee opponents, and drawing out the battle to better test his skills. Now, strengthened by the spirit of combat, he would begin the task before him.

The Sadowite passed through the door to his quarters, and headed for the shower. After washing away the splattered lubricant from his mechanical victims he donned a new ensemble. The Sith prepared his utility belt and backpack as he crammed a leftover sandwich into his mouth. A lock-picking tool; a small medpack; a few days' rations; a small allotment of demolition supplies; a modest stack of credits; and a grappling hook rounded out his equipment list.

Akoor turned to his bed and the sole weapon he had placed upon it. He held up his vibroblade reverently before sliding it into the sheath on his hip. It would serve him well, as it had so many times before. The Sith made his way briskly to the hangar.

The sharp clicking his heels made upon the tiled floor, gave evidence to his haste as the Sith rounded the first corner from the Consul's office. Normally, it was unusal to see such haste from a Sith as they were accustomed to show their dominance and superiority over all through their actions, and such haste could be taken as a sign of poorly-planned work or other forms of weakness; but today Jeidos Sunlighter had little time to worry about the thoughts of others.

Continueing his quick walk through the Summit complex, Jeidos quickly stepped around slow-passing individuals on their way to the Consul office; of which he was retreating from as he made his way to his quarters. Selket had been blunt about this task, and while Jeidos understood that some information might have been kept from him to safeguard the clan, he was annoyed by the fact that he had little to know of his mission but this would not keep him from succeeding.

Three lightsabers.....Seven Jedi Hunters. Jeidos grinned as he corrected him; Two Lightsabers....One was already to be claimed by him,

Slamming open the first set of doors that welcomed him to the Kirleta complex of Clan Satal Keto, Jeidos picked up his pace from a quick strid to a faint jog. 3 hours was not enough time to thoroughly go through everything in his quarters to decide what was needed and how long he would be able to carry it for. He would have to go through it all in his mind, taking what he thought was most important and weight bearing.


He would not be taking his robes...too heavy. Instead he would wear the only clothing he would take; black pants, black long-sleeved shirt, and black soft-sole boots. Each peice helping him cloak into the night and keep his prey from hearing him.

Weapons....his well-known Katana sword, built by him for perfect balance and handling. A hunting dagger, while not only as a weapon, for assisting his survival training.

Backpack to hold his rations, a medium amount of credits, small medical equipment, and survival items such as wires and steel for building his traps.


With a hiss the door of his quarter's opened and Jeidos darted inside to collect the mental list and assemble it together. Within half an hour, Jeidos had the list collected. Wearing his black garments, the stealth of his Katana hung over his shoulder with the backpack overtop of it. In addition to the mental list, Jeidos had collected his datapad that contained enivornmental and cultural information of many worlds, including Terana.

With a quick nod to his roommate, Jeidos departured the room and made haste towards the hanger.

"Tyrax."

"Huh?"

"Tyrax, I'm talking to you. Would you pelase pay attention? This is for you after all, and not for me."

Tyrax woke from his daydreaming session and faced his Consul, who looked very irritated. Realizing what he'd done, Tyrax quickly sat uo straight in his chair and coughed.

"Ahem, hehehe... sorry about that, sir. I got a little, err, sidetracked during our discussion." said the embarrassed Jedi Hunter.

His Consul frowned, "Yes well, make sure to pay attention now. As I was saying, I've been impressed thus far with your journey through the Dark Side but I think you need one more trial to go through before you finally earn your Knighthood." The Consul of Taldryan then opened a drawer in his desk and took out a fancy-looking lightsabre, placing it on the desk.

Tyrax D'Drom stared at the elegant weapon and suddenly had a discomfourting thought. "This is going to be something obscenely hard, isn't it?" said Tyrax.

His Consul smirked and nodded, "It'll be a challenge, yes. But it is a challenge that you really ought to accept."

Tyrax was now completely focused on his Consul. This was really interesting indeed.

The Consul continued, "Three Jedi Knights have been spotted in Terena, and as a Jedi Hunter of Taldryan it is your responsibility to ensure the threat they pose is eliminated as soon as possible. You will be joined with Hunters from the other Clans as well, but only three of you will be able to claim victory and promoted to the ranks of Knighthood. To be perfectley honest, some of you may not survive this journey. But I expect that you, as a Hunter from Taldryan, should be able to overcome all the obstacles and achieve your goal. Remember to pack everything you'll need for this journey, but nothing excessive. This will most likely be your most challenging trial in your lifetime. So what do you say?"

Tyrax suddenly stood up and started jabbering at lightspeed "whowhatwherewhenhowdoIleavewherecreditsstuffwhenwhere?"

"Whoa whoa whoa! Calm down man!" said the Consul. "Haha, I see you're ready for this. Alright, here's the plan: Get your stuff ready and be by the hangars in 3 hours. Your shuttle will pick you up and take you to where you need to go. Make sure to pack as much as you can, and only of what you need!"

Tyrax nodded, bowed, and left the Consul's office. Several seconds later a large "WHOOHOO!" was heard from down the hall.

****

3 hours and a bag filled with 2 sparring swords, 2 dark cloaks, 1 heavy cloak, 2 daggers, a blaster, knucklebraces, binoculars, food, water, and spare clothing later Tyrax was boarding his shuttle and getting ready to be taken to his destination.

The Jedi Hunter jumped up and down with glee knowing he would be getting his lightsaber soon. The ability and promise was in him and thus was offered the opportunity of getting his lightsaber. Jimbatica's limbs shook with anticipation of actually slaughtering somebody of skill instead of stepping on these pathetic apprentices that the Dark Council called "Warriors".

The words rang in his head over and over again. "Three hours, three hours, three hours." The Ewok was bouncing off the walls with excitement still until he saw a rat chewing at his pack. It took a moment for him to get his head out of the clouds before he realized it and threw a rock at the animal.

The animal must have been going after his wine, it was very good on a special occasion and did well to add to dishes. Among the wine he had packed a very small hunting knife that was sharp as a razor blade, an extra set of under robes.

On him you could barely see a sheath underneath his cloak, the hilt of his short saber poking out of a slit in the cloak for easy access. Around his thighs and waist he had harness that held two holsters and a few packs for anything that needed to be held. In the two holsters were dual D-X2 pistols that sat snuggly, being held in by a snap that could be undone with a blink of an eye.

Hearing a low roar over the building he knew exactly what it was. The whining of the engine could be heard. He watched as many of the Hunters climbed aboard the ship. Reluctantly but readily he followed and climbed up the metal ramp and looked around for a seat. Picking one of the corner seats he tried to distance himself from any nuisances, and most of all any possible heart break that he might experience in the future. He dropped his pack carefully and crossed his arms, leaning his head on the window he closed his eyes and prepared for the flight.