FOR THE SABER - The story

"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...

---

Meanwhile, at Tarentum Headquarters

“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.

---

About the same time, in Scholae Palatinae HQ

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.

---

At Taldryan's headquarters...

"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.

---

Arcona's headquarters

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.

---

In the meantime, in Exar Kun's Fortress

“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, Grand Master Chi Long. 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 Exar Kun 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 Kunite 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.

---

Somewhere in the Kirleta corridors

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.

---

And, in the depths of Marka Ragnos' quarters...

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.

Evening was setting in on one of the less used landing ports on Lyspair when, in short order, seven shuttles descended from the sky, each discharging one more or less confused passenger and departing again without so much as a word of farewell. Kai, the first to be set down, surveyed his surroundings quickly - it would be at least eighty miles to the Shadow Academy if he wanted to get there - if that was his goal at all. His thought process was quickly interrupted by a second shuttle arriving, disgorging a Jedi Hunter named Dyl'Jo'Ban he had once met at a reception. The two exchanged greetings and a little gossip until the next landing - this time a shuttle with CSP markings whose passenger introduced herself as Sedraya. After that, there was hardly any time to exchange greetings as the landings followed as fast as any sensible flight control would allow them. When it all was over, they were joined by a certain Peld Akoor, a young Ketonian named Jeidos, a Hunter by the name of Tyrax D'Drom and finally an Ewok by the unlikely name of Jimbatica.

The last shuttle had barely disappeared into the thin evening sky when another, deeper engine roar was heard. It belonged to a decrepit freighter that must have already served the Old Republic well for several decades. With a sputtering of the maneuvering thrusters and a metallic clang, the ship set down on the pad, opening its single hatch before it had even come to rest.

"All aboard, we don't have all day", the voice of a Sullustian emanated from the ship.

The seven looked at each other and shrugged. Nobody moved.

"I supposed you are the seven passengers from the Brotherhood I am to pick up here", the pilot said. "So climb aboard, they don't pay me for waiting."

Reluctantly, the Jedi Hunters moved their belongings and themselves up the rusty ramp. They had barely reached its top when it slammed shut and the ship lurched skywards.

"Find yourself some place to sit", the voice from the pilot seat said. "And don't bother me until we get to the rendezvous coordinates."

---

Kai walked through the ship, making sure it was actually space worthy. After several minutes he came to the storage area, and took the opportunity to nose around, quickly scanning the random goods for anything usable. Most of the items were spares for agricultural machinery, but one heavy booklet took his eye. Flipping the pages, he recognized it as a manual and schematic of the ship's control systems. Taking the book with him, he finally finished his inspection and was reasonably satisfied that the ship would get to their destination in one piece, and returned to the passenger area.

“Well, this should be interesting.” He said as he took an open seat.

His gaze glanced over those that were gathered here, sizing them up. It was a habit he had picked up from his master. The words echoed now in his mind. Know thy allies. Know thy enemies. For at times one may become the other. Satisfied, he leaned back in his chair and awaited their arrival at the destination.

---

Akoor sat silently with his arms crossed as the ship passed the threshold of the atmosphere. He mulled over the current situation, trying to find something to occupy himself for the duration of the journey. Though it could well be useful to speak to those around him at this early stage, appearing too chatty could easily be construed as weakness.

He glanced out the window, seeing that the stars had begun to shift. The freighter was beginning the ponderous process of orienting itself for a hyperjump. The Sith turned as one of his fellow passengers rose and walked off presumably to search the ship. Peld decided that performing reconnaissance of his own would be a prudent move. It never hurt to familiarize oneself with one’s surroundings, and if he found anything of value so much the better.

The Kunite rose, belongings in tow, and walked toward the mouth of an adjoining corridor. A short distance down it he discovered a container tucked into a quite visible alcove. Akoor turned back toward the passenger compartment, noting that he was still in view. He took a short walk forward, and looked both ways at the t-junction formed by two intersecting hallways. If there were anything of particular interest he would continue on from there.

He read the outcropping signs written in Basic above the nearest rooms. He decided that none of the four visible rooms, though interesting in their own rights, required his attention at that point. Although the sign marked “Captain’s quarters” was intriguing, he decided against investigating it. Based on their host’s earlier paranoia it seemed likely that the room would be securely locked, and probably contained a number of other security measures. It was too much of a hassle, especially since he wasn’t sure exactly how long the rickety, old ship would take to reach its destination.

He moved back to the container, raising an eyebrow quizzically. It was strange that his discovery was not in the cargo hold, instead being located so near the gangplank. Perhaps the hold was full…or perhaps this particular cargo warranted the option of removing it from the ship quickly. The fact that it was locked merely added to his curiosity.

The Sith looked out at the Hunters who were still seated. A thin smile came to his face. Making a display of his skill might gain him allies, and if he failed they might well underestimate him later. Either outcome was acceptable. Additionally, from this vantage point he could keep track of at least some of his fellow passengers movements. The Kunite drew his lock-picking tool and diligently set to work. About five minutes of poking with his wires finally yielded an audible click. Quickly, Peld opened the lid and rummaged through the contents. They were obviously the captain's clothes - and judging from the shape these were in, the captain was already wearing his best suit. However, a tinkling in one pocket took Peld's attention - checking it out yielded a fifty, two ten and a five credit coin that changed pockets as quickly as they were discovered. Akoor’s ears perked as the hyperdrive came to life. He quickly smalled the lid shut and clicked the lock.

When he was finished he returned his equipment to its rightful place, and returned to his seat.

---

Sedraya snorted at the pilot as she seated herself, her baggage next to her. She glanced around at the other passengers watching each a moment before moving to the next. She shook her head and chuckled. The only female...how interesting.

She yawned softly and leaned against a wall waiting for this trip to end and the ship to land. She sighed to herself, this sitting about did not suit her so she stood up and began to pace the ship, familiarizing herself with her surroundings. Finding nothing of interest she made her way back to her seat and sat down once more, picking up her pack and taking a piece of cloth out. She drew the silver blade from her back and began wiping it, paying little attention to those around her. After that one was cleaned to her satisfaction she resheathed it and drew the ebony blade from its sheath. With this blade she used a different piece of cloth as well as a liquid from a bottle she retrieved from her pack. When she was done cleaning it she placed the blade back in its sheath and the cloth along with the bottle back in her pack.

She looked up as she heard the ship enter hyperspace, dropping out a few minutes later. She smiled. Soon it begins. She leaned again against the wall as she waited for the trip to end.

---

THe young Ketonian Jeidos rolled his eyes at the comments the pilot had made to them.

No damn merc should be giving orders to a Dark Jedi, even if they had not yet received their saber.He thought as he removed his pack and placed it beneath the sit that he claimed.

Within moments of being seated, Jeidos felt the engines of the craft roar and shake as it lifted off for departure. As they pushed through the atmosphere of the planet, Jeidos was silently cursing the poor skill of the pilot as the craft shook beyond a reasonable limit. But as they made it to the cold recesses of space, the Sith was calmed from the fact that for most of the rest of the trip it would be computer programming controlling their fate and not the sense and skill of the incompeted moron merc.

As the ship entered hyperspace minutes later, Jeidos watched several of the others get and move about the ship but deciding it best to remain seated in an intimatating stance to avoid words with the others. While he had no sensable problem with the other Hunters aboard the ship, Jeidos knew that only three would advance and the rest would die for their failure. No sense getting comfortable with them.

After a dozen minutes or more of comfortable mediation, Jeidos was startled by sense of the ship leaving hyperspace.

And so it begins...

The whine of the hyperdrive had died down. Exchanging some puzzled looks, Peld and Kai got up to check on the pilot when a low rumble went through the ship. Instinctively, they all looked through a near window, only to spot an escape pod quickly spiraling away from the vessel towards a small yacht. Seconds later, the yacht's tractor beam engulfed the pod and drew it aboard.

Making their way to the pilot area, the seven adventurers found it unlocked and, of course, devoid of life. A single yellow button was blinking on the communications console. Jeidos pushed it. A hologram of the Headmaster came to life.

"Greetings, Hunters. You may not be acquainted with the traditional rite of the Jedi hunt but one of its criteria is that you have to go unaided. You will find current star maps in the navigational computer, so making the hyperjump should not be too problematic for you. Everything else is up to you. I'd also appreciate if you returned the ship in one piece, we still need it for target practice around the academy. May the Dark Side be with you."

With these words, the hologram flicked off. The pilot's seat invitingly swung over, daring any one of the assembled to get into it and take command.

---

“How interesting,” the Kunian muttered as he glanced at his fellow Hunters and tapped the handle of his vibroblade pensively. It was the first moment of real tension the band would face on their quest, and Peld was determined to take the initiative. Yet the need to be tactful, especially in so sensitive an area of the old ship, and when he had no allies to support him, was great. He opted to use logic instead of his sword…at least for now.

The young Sith took a cautious step forward and turned to the assembly. “Obviously, resolving this matter rests on the capital ship fliers among us, and let’s face it, this old tub would benefit from being in the most skilled hands available. Those hands are mine.”

“Apart from being a Sith, and thus an obvious choice, I have flown this sort of ship all my life. I shall take command of this vessel, and get us to our destination. There is, however, room for a copilot in this cabin…consider that.” Akoor turned the pilot’s seat back around and placed his hand on the headrest, listening intently to the grumbles, and watching the wary stares of the others.

---

"There's no need for them to consider it." Jeidos said as he stepped forward, rolling back the sleeves of his shirt. "As a fellow Sith member, and as a former captain of several ships of this type; I believe i qualify just as well as you to fly this ship."

"Sides, like I'll just hand my fate over to the hands of Kunian." Jeidos said with a grin as he slipped into the co-pilot seat. "The rest of you should head back to your seats and prepare your gear. We have no clue what other tricks our leaders have in store for us."

---

What the? I can't Pilot, but, I could try, unless one of the other more "masculine" males wants to take their shot with thier arrogant attitudes.

Jimbatica ran towards the bridge, but nearly took a quarter more time to get there due to his short legs. Huffing and puffing, he finally brought him self to the bridge, doubled over gasping for air. Hearing the slight commotion in the brige area he knew they were determining who would be Pilot or Co-Pilot. Many of the other people that have not been introduced to him also were looking around trying to figure out what was going on. The Son of Sadow looked on intensivly.

---

Ban knew he could fly the ship as well as anyone on the expedition here but he decided to let the issue slip. A good measure of character was how a person handled a ship and Ban would need all the information he could get about his compatriots.

Buzzing something in his native tounge Ban left the piloting area and went back to the area he had spent that last half hour in quiet contemplation. Unholstering his weapon he looked down the sights and satisfied that his sights were zeroed he holstered it once more. Taking the short sword from it's scabard he began to move through some forms that were originaly for lightsabres but could easily be modified for other swords.

"Rodian, where are you?!" Shouted a voice from the bridge, Ban was unsure who it was as he had not been here long enough to get to know the people.
"I have a name..." Muttered Dyl'Jo'Ban keeping his blade and heading back to the bridge.

---

Kai turned slowly muttering under his breath.

"Figures it wouldnt be this easy. It never is."

Seeing the other Hunters taking their place, he took his also. His gear was light, no need to check it. It hadnt moved since he strapped it on. But trusting his life to the hands of the Sith was not one of the easiest things to do, not that he would admit that.

Withdrawing the diagram he had found, he glanced over the ships control circuitry, to see if he could find any information that would help the situation. It did not take him long to notice and understand the hand-drawn corrections that had been made to the hyperspace wiring. Three supply lines had been exchanged to produce a thirty percent more powerful but inherently unstable configuration. This was a quite common modification among freight captains wanting to meet their deadlines but it required care in operation. Most importantly - the activation sequence of the drive needed reversing in two actions: It was vital to start the energy flow to the main chamber only after priming the injectors or the sudden reaction would blow the injector fuses, disabling the drive for at least several hours of cooling down and parts replacements.

---

Sedraya shrugged slightly and turned, moving between the others to head back to her seat. She knew nothing of flying a ship therefore would not dispute their claims to captain and co-captain.

She opened her backpack and took out some liquid and another cloth; picking up her staff she began to oil it carefully. After she finished she returned the cloth and oil to her pack and her staff to her side. She settled back after checking her packs for the umpteenth time, watching the others now, wondering what they would do.

"So, anyone getting this ship on her way ? We don't have all year", Jimbatica inquired impatiently, still huffing and puffing.

---

"Damn it," Kai cursed, jumping to his feet. He just barly avoided tripping over Jimbatica he ran down the aisle towards the cockpit.

---

Sedraya arches a brow as Kai runs down the aisle towards the cockpit but doesn't move; should merely be in the way rather then helping. She sat back, watching the others in the seats, gauging them and what they would contribute to this mission.

She sighed, thinking that perhaps being the only female wasn't all that a good thing. She shrugged to herself, she would deal. She unsheathed her ebon blade once more and examined it for lack of anything else to do.

---

Kai crashed through the cockpit door, startling the two pilots. Knowing enough about piloting, he avoided any of the controls as he slamed the diagram down on the console.

"You guys need to see this. I dont know about you, but I dont want to be stuck here for several hours atempting to repair the hyperdrive... assuming we even have parts for it."

His finger pointed out the modifications as he explained them and the procedure. Not that he needed to explain himself to these expert Sith pilots.

"If your not careful, you will blow the engines. No to mention, piss off half a dozen Hunters."

Kai disregarded the comment about his health, and working on locating a computer terminal to use.

"Im going to atempt searching the computer systems. Perhaphs we can aquire more information from there aswell."

---

Akoor slid his emerging blade back into its sheath as the intruder made his case. He could see that his copilot was on the verge of laying the man low as well. The Kunite raised an eyebrow as the man revealed an all too familiar modification to the hyperdrive. This explained how the old tub was able to reach the rendezvous point so quickly. The Sith smirked as he watched the yacht dash away into the void.

“I suggest you knock next time, it's far less hazardous to your health. Thanks for making us aware of this though, mister….” Peld began.

“Kai.”

The Sith switched on the intercom, “Attention Hunters, this is your Captain, Akoor. Though I too wish to get going as soon as possible, we must be cautious; our superiors are a devious lot. Mister Kai has brought something to my attention which makes it abundantly clear that we should learn more about this ship of ours before getting underway. You will work in pairs to pool your skills, and give this rust bucket a thorough examination. Report your findings to the bridge every hour. That is all.”

---

Jeidos Sunlighter turned back to face the his co-pilot controls as he heard Akoor make his announcement to the other Jedi Hunters. He was starting to regret this decision to mediate in the seating area instead of looking around the ship, it was something that might cost them dearly now but there was no way to change the past. He was now have to leave the exploration to the others while he assisted his fellow Sith set up for their departure.

Jedios busily pressed and slapped buttons has he brought up the nav-charts. Examining the maps showed their best route that would save enough fuel for the return trip would require a 3-jump process but that all depended on if they could get this old rust bucket moving.

The Ketonian knew that he had no mechanical ability and so assisting Kai and Akoor would produce no good outcome and so he decided to leave the two working with Kai's schematics while he looked through the ships database for other modifications.

Slapping a blue button to the left side of his body, Jeidos brought up the ship's database on his front screen and began scanning through the ship's files for useful information.

---

"I have some knowledge of Computes and starships." Buzzed Ban modestly to the two Hunters working on the bridge.
"What?" Asked Kai.
"I may be able to help you with that terminal." Ban stated.
"Hmph, but use that terminal over there, we dont want ourselves falling over each other."

Nodding contetly Ban walked to the other side of the Corridor and began logging on to the terminal using his above average computer skills. Shortly he had reached the directory responsible for the hyperdrive.

"Hey I think I've figured it out!" Shouted Ban
"What is it?" Asked Kai.
"We got to reverse the way we feed energy to the drive. That should help things."
"Good work Sith, I'll go talk to our Captain."

Buzzing to himself happilt Ban decided to explore further in the computer's memory and tried to find some information pertaing to his mission and more importantly his comrades.

Waiting for the computer's tasks to be completed he stood back and waited...

---

"Aren't you goind to help us with something constructive ?", Peld Akoor snorted at Dyl'Jo'Ban. "We already have Kai poking around these files and he knows more about this ship type than you do - so get into some cable shaft and start looking for things that look out of place".

Ban looked Akoor up and down twice before deciding this was not worth an open conflict just yet. He switched off the terminal, quickly deleting the traces of his unsuccessful search and headed off down the nearest corridor.

---

"I got something", Kai exclaimed half an hour later. "Here, look at this. He's crosswired his aft blasters and shields. There should be a switch somewhere to reroute the ene... yes, there it is. Might come in handy when we need some fast recharge times. Not that this bucket is worth much in a fight."

---

Every hour, the search reports trickled in. Apart from the weapons modification, there was only an additional booster unit found at the sublight drive, hardly worth mentioning. After four hours, Peld Akoor finally called off the search.

Four hours after Peld Akoor had barked the command to search the ship upside down, the results were clear - two more uncritical and quite common modifications were found. Dyl'Jo'Ban's plan to undo the hyperdrive modification - at least a twelve hour repair with questionable success chances - was quickly shouted down after Kai pointed out the operation modifications that needed to be made in starting up the drive. With this done - and a certain Ewok quite impatient to get to do something better than poke around in cable shafts too low for any of the other crewmembers - Peld and Jeidos settled in their pilot seats again and quickly ran through the pre-jump checklists.

"We're ready to go", Jeidos confirmed. "Now we just need some coordinates and someone to pull the lever".

---

Kai got up from his place at one of the suporting terminals on the bridge and moved over to the navigational computer, glancing around to see if there were any loose data pads that might hold the information. His hands moved expertly through the computer system in search of the information, so he could program it in and get this bucket of bolts underway. A few keypresses later, the cockpit light indicating navigation data availability went green.

---

The Sith turned from viewing both the shifting field of stars and the controls. He fixed his eyes on the Hunter who was quickly coming to fill the role of the ship’s Engineer in his mind. “How are Jeidos’ coordinates coming along, Kai?”

“The computer is just about done crunching the numbers now.”

“Hyperdrive system is primed and ready.” chimed Jeidos.

“Excellent, gentlemen. Soon we’ll see what this old hag can do.” The Kunite flipped the intercom switch once more as his eyes wandered across the control panel for a final time, “prepare for hyperjump.”

“Thrusters are bringing us to final stage orientation.” the Co-pilot entered.

“So, Ketoan, you said you were a Captain before joining the Brotherhood. What ships?” Peld inquired, hoping to fill the last minute or so before departure with small talk, and also out of curiosity of his fellow Sith's background. Akoor poised his hand on the actuator lever.

---

Jeidos hardly heard the fellow Sith has he was flicking switches and hitting buttons, cross-checking their position and the trip.

"Several feighters of small and medium size, as well as imperial starfighters." Jeidos said as he saw the stars infront of him jump from pin-point shapes to long blurred images. "My first was an YT-2100 that I managed to pirate from the Cornet Spaceport. Rest were different types of imperial crafts as I worked my way up the ranks."

Jeidos glaced over his shoulder to the captain, "How 'bout you?"

---

Jimbatica got bored quickly, listening to all the Hunters talk about what they have flown and keep listening to them go on an ego trip about it. The curiosity of the Ewok got the better of him and walked out and decided to search the ship a little bit better. Jimbatica decided to keep his eyes and ears open for anything that might be valuable, or a hazard.

---

Welshman saw in his peripharal vision the dimunitive Ewok leave the bridge and he could understand his reasoning. As a Sith himself he would much rather trust in his own piloting then others but for now he was content. The hyperdrive had been fixed as had a few other minor glitches that had been harrasing the system.

Taking his leave from the bridge Ban went to the rear of the ship hoping to get some peace during the jump to hyperspace, it was there he met the Ewok.

"Greetings Dark Brother" Said Ban.

The Ewok merely nodded.

Striding over to the view port that dominated the room they were in, Ban admired the infite darkness, space was the epitome of the Dark Side, and in this he took some comfort. As he began to meditate Ban heard Jimbatica grunt before releasing a sigh. Turning to see what was going on Ban saw the Ewok was trying to pry open a small cupboard locked by a small keypad.

"Let me try." Ban said kneeling down beside the locker and extracting his datapad, linking a cable from pad to pad Ban typed in a few commands and waited for a result. Before the locker had the chance to open or refuse him Ban felt the floor vibrate as the engines increased their power output, looking out of the viewport he saw the stars elongate into lines and the ship jumped into hyperspace. Reorienting himself, Ban found the lights on the locker had changed. Instead of a single yellow, there were now three angry reds.

"Damn", he mumbled to himself.

---

Sedraya sat in her seat, watching everyone as they went about doing what they thought needed done. She was waiting for someone to ask for her assistance if it was needed. She knew little about ships but if she could help she would somewhere.

She stood and paced back and forth, stopping every so often to watch others at work before pacing again. She continued to pace the spaces between the seats, moving out of the way when someone came through.

---

Tyrax was still busy working out some minor damage he had found when inspecting some of the support systems of the craft. at first, it didn't look very significant, until he had figured out what implications it would have.

"errm... we might have a problem here...", he said. "I'll need to replace this power coupling, or else the we'll find ourselves in a whole lot of trouble when we want to use the hyperdrive again.."

"what? why?", he heard someone ask, not really paying attention to who it was.

"This power coupling is responsible for the hyperdrive energy... it's not obvious to find... I think someone did this on purpose... possibly our masters setting us another task..."

---

Four hours passed by eventlessly. "I don't understand this", Kai said. "I calculated just under three hours, but we're not getting any proximity indicators yet."

"Let me see these coordinates", Jeidos snapped, going over them in his mind, then opening himself to the structure of the galaxy. "Well, at this rate we're lucky we didn't go through a black hole. This was the most sloppy calculation I've seen in a while... you owe us all one - about two hours of our life we could have been there earlier had you paid attention to the starshifts."

Blushing and insulted, Kai sat back at his terminal, not touching anything. It would be a long two hours...

Hours passed before the blackness in front of the viewports gave way to brightness, streaks and then stars again. They had arrived in orbit of their destination - a bit later than planned but in one piece. Or, mostly in one piece as the smell of the starboard hyperdrive power coupling betrayed. Well, this would be a problem for later.

Suddenly the voice of the Deputy Grand Master boomed through the ship. "Well, you have made it this far. Now locate your targets and then do your work. Unless you'd rather settle this lovely world"

"Lovely ?", Kai asked aloud, looking up from the scanner. "This is a frigging ball of nothing except for frozen rock at the poles and hot rock at the equator. Oh, and if anyone is used to thick atmospheres, you may want to carry some extra oxygen, pressure is 800 millibars. I'd also suggest packing light, gravity is 1.35 normal. These Jedi must want something here."

----

About half an hour into the journey Akoor had told Jeidos of his own experiences with piloting the cargo ships and starfighters of his family’s former, small trading business, and the two had shared a number of quasi-informative anecdotes. The Sith slipped from the bridge after that, leaving the copilot to oversee the simple task of monitoring the systems enroute, while he himself retreated to the door of the Captain’s quarters. Peld slapped his forehead as the door slid open effortlessly; apparently it hadn’t been locked as he had earlier supposed. This was probably deliberately done to accommodate any of the other pilots aboard who could have potentially taken command, but had no lockpicking skill.

The Kunite found a combination written on a scrap of paper on the bed. He tried it on the door and found it to be correct. After reentering the room he locked the door and set his equipment on a chair. Akoor moved to the bed, where he would remain in a meditative state for the two and a half hours. He opened his eyes quizzically a few minutes later than he had planned. For some reason the ship was still in hyperspace.

Peld gathered his equipment, locked the door behind him, and headed for the Bridge. He arrived just in time to witness the end of Jeidos’ berating lecture. The Sith took his seat with a scowl and waited out the rest of the journey. The Arconan had cost them a significant amount of time, time without purpose. Akoor cursed himself for relying on another Hunter and a machine rather than employing his own good instincts.

At last the ship came out of hyperspace, and the DGM’s words filled his ears. He listened to what Kai had to say as well, as it confirmed his own estimations. The Jedi were indeed here for something, and that something had sparked the interest of the seven Clans. They had to be stopped, regardless of the cost.

Akoor turned his attention to the radar, making sure that no unexpected company was in the area. “Kai, ah good you’re scanning the planet already. Keep it up. Now, Jeidos, what’s with this warning that the starboard power coupling is corrupted.” The Kunite lightly tapped a light on the control board above their heads.

“Ah yes, someone, I think that Tyrax guy, reported that that was failing while you were away. Without that….”

“We’ll have a fun time getting this crate into hyperspace again.” Peld interjected with a nod. “Beautiful. Why wasn’t this found earlier?”

“Apparently it was a fairly well hidden act of sabotage.”

Akoor flipped the intercom switch and raised the engine room, “Tyrax, see what you can do with that power coupling. There might be some useful parts in the agricultural machines in the cargo bay. It would be a good idea for you to find that out. We can deal with the actual repairs later.”

----

Scanning, Kai normally knew how to do. He turned to face the console infront of him. His fingers flew across the computer consol infront of him, his eyes quickly scanning the data that flew across the screen as he searched the planet below for the Jedi and what they might be after. In his excitement of finally getting some real action however, he didn't consider that this console wasn't a standard imperial model and a few key controls were in different places. Instead of useful data, the scanners returned only broadband noise, the result of a computer frantically attempting to turn the information about the ionized chambers of the ship's starboard thrusters into atmospheric and geological data.

"Damn, with this magnetic interference, the scanners are completely useless", Kai cursed, switching off the system.

----

Sedraya had stepped towards the captains seat and was watching what they were doing; from what she was hearing this ship was near falling apart. She watched as Kai used the ships sensors to scan the planet; she shook her head, doing anything beyond flying and landing might very well cost them dearly.

She moved back from the door way towards a wall and stood there so as to be out of everyones way. She closed her eyes a moment and building a picture of the planet in her head, gauging where the life forces were on the planet. Images formed in her mind and turned into blots of mental light on a globe - a bright one in a mountain range on the southern hemisphere, minutes from dusk and then a cold night as well as spread out weak presences all over, but concentrated in the various mountainous areas all over the land.

----


How could they detect the Jedi from orbit was the problem Ban had been pondering for the last few minutes and he thought he finally had the solution.
Closing his eyes and drawing on his anger Ban sent a small mental probe towards the planet. Whilst his meager skills would not encompase the whole planet he would trust the Force to lead him. Picking a area at random he directed a small probe across the reaches of space towards the continent. The Force was strong in the area and Ban entrusted in his abilities to discover the Jedi, emulating the mental patterns of the other Hunter as well as he could.

However, not having received training in Life Sense yet, all he received was a vague presence around him that was obviously his companions.

----
Jeidos held his curse beneath his breath as he smashed his fist into the buttons before him as he tried locking down the problem with the computer output before him.


I don't know whether I should threaten to kill one of these fools or the dark council for the sabotage. Jeidos thought as he scanned the computer screen for it's general analysis and suggestions for the problem.

"Son of a banta!" Jeidos yelled as his fist flew towards the consul, smashing into the steel exteror of the device. "Bah! Well at least we can land this thing but the only real solution for the cursed coulping is to install a completely new device. And unless Tyrax can find a complete fiture and tools to install thing we're gonna have to look on the surface for resources."

"That's acceptable for now," Peld said as he resumed command of the freighter. "As I said, we'll continue with our mission first and leave the problem for those that succeed the trials."

With a slow nodd, Jeidos accepted the Kunian's words and sat back in his chair. With Peld back to lead them to the surface, Jeidos was free to use his Sith senses to help find their prey. Focussing his mind, Jeidos was drawn to notice those force sensitive by him in the craft some of whom were already in the progress of using their talents to discover the Jedi. Pushing forth, his mind scanned the atmosphere of the planet and then the surface itself.

He was aware of the movments and conversation around him, but he was so imersed in his work scanning the planet below that his responses were delayed, if he gave one at all.

After a few minutes, he opened his eyes. "The images Sedraya and I got seem to match. We have only one reasonably strong presence - that must be them. And there's something that looks like huge herds of unintelligent beasts. That could spell some trouble too."

---

Jimbatica was quite happy with searching the ship before he was forced to kill some Jedi for his companions. Crawling underneath the seats and sneezing at the build up of dust. Jimbatica cared not about the drama going on in the cockpit, picking himself up, he crawled up the seat and hopped over it, landing on the ground with a thud. Dazed, he spent a few minutes regaining his bearings...

----

Tyrax had been looking round the circuits for some time now, and finally managed to find the part responsible for the malfunction, a faulty relay circuit. he examined it, and tried to figure out wether it was intentionally done, or really an accident. After examining the parts in detail, he found no reason to suspect foul play but could not conclusively deny it either. At least it was no obvious sabotage.

whatever the cause, there were spair parts. he went to the storage compartment, grabbed some replacement circuits, and started to remove the fried sub-boards on the old one, hoping he'd manage to succeed with it. otherwise, he knew they'd have a big problem getting of this rock. Slowly and carefully, he removed one board after the other, setting them aside for matching against the spares, but in the end, his nervousness got the better part of him and one of the damaged circuits slipped his damp fingers and dropped to the floor before he could react. A soft shattering noise and then a loud curse escaped the area he was working on. Even the untrained eye could see that the board had smashed to at least twenty pieces and there were components lying everywhere. Figuring out a matching spare to this mess would prove to be quite a puzzle indeed.

"Well, that's as far as we'll get with this kind of atmospheric noise down there", Kai summarized the findings of the various probings on the surface. "That mountain range may be our best bet, besides, we need to set down somewhere to repair that hyperdrive - assuming we can ever figure out what it was that our clumsy brother dropped there."

"Shouldn't we wait a few hours until it's morning for them ? I don't feel comfortable confronting an unknown world and a foe at nighttime", a worried voice chimed in. However who had said this wasn't too apparent and whoever it was wouldn't repeat it or admit to it under the fierce scrutiny of twelve eyes. Yet, this was something to think about...

Peld Akoor turned around in his pilot seat and took charge in the ensuing uncomfortable silence: "Well, well, okay, let's see a show of hands - or voices as the case may be. Maybe in an open discussion, whoever made this proposition will admit to it."

---

"Sounded like a cowardly Krathling to me, Captain." Jeidos laughed from the co-pilot's seat as he brought the craft on a descending path to the mountain terrian. Switching the craft on auto-pilot for the moment, the Sith spun his chair to face those behind him.

"I don't know who made the comment, nor do I give a flying wampa's piss who said it either. Our prey is on that damn planet, our mission is to destory them, and I for one will not allow anyone to steal my chances at success." Jeidos snapped as he looked directly into the eyes of all those present. "When we land you can stay inside the ship for as long as you want, fore I will gladly take a head start from any of you. But here's a tip. Yes we may be on a strange planet, but the force has bless us on our approach. The darkness of the night will hide our craft much better in our descent and in the cover of darkness we, Jedi Hunters of the Dark Brotherhood will gain our strength. Maybe your Krath or Obelisk teachings have limited your abilities but for us Sith the darkness of night and the shadows of day is our allies and I will not let you take away any advantage we have on this hunt."

Releasing them from his glare, Jeidos turned back to the control panel as he watched the adjustments made by the computer. After several moments of silence, he snapped at them again without turning his head.

"Now if the rest of you still have pissing and mourning to do, there's an empty cargo hold at the back that is easily detachable from the ship. Go make your case there, otherwise sit down and let me do what I'm best at."

---

Sedraya snorted at the words of Jeidos; she stepped forward, glaring at the "co-pilot", not heeding his sharp words to sit down. "I will state what I have to say right here." She held his glare as he turned to face her then spoke. She had no qualms about speaking up for whoever it was that spoke the fear of the darkness.

"Feel free to step off the ship once we land for you are second in command, no?" She arched a brow then continued. "But I can promise you, you will die. If our higher ups thought one Jedi could handle this then they would have sent only one Jedi but as you see there are more then that here. You mistake caution for cowardness in us Krath, I'd advise you think before you speak next time."

She turned to the others. "I for one would advise waiting until daylight so our enimies do not have the cover of darkness, of course we won't either but then again we use the Force in ways the Light Jedi would not think of. Think on this, we give our opponents a lesser advantage while gaining one by creating one for ourselves."


She turned back to the co-pilot. "If you think us hidden then you are sadly mistaken, for they could easily have sense us a long while ago, it is folly going into battle thinking your opponent does not know you are there for then you give them the advantage of over cofidence on your part. I do not doubt the skills of our captain here," The word captain was said with a little less harshness then when she spoke to the co-captain. "however landing in the dark is hazardous, it could very well kill us."

She gestured towards the planet and faced the rest of them again. "I sensed a strong reading of life in the mountains as well as some lesser ones indicating there are animals there, possible food sources."

She now stepped back and let the others continue.

---

Kai sat there listening to the lectures being exchanged.

"I do not fear the darkness, nor what it hides. I say we land. But, choose our landing sight carefuly, land a good distance away from where they are located. We can cover the remaning distance on foot. Even take the time to scout the area properly."

Kai leaned back in his chair. It seems he could do little else right today, so perhaphs it was best to stop pushing buttons. But hopefuly they would stop arguing soon, so he could meditate a few moments for the impending battle.

---

Korras cursed, but then realized he had dropped the old board. "what are you doing, Tyrax?", someone yelled at him.

"nothing serious.", he said. "the old board is more broken now then it was before."

"errm... okay, just get that thing working again."

"no problem. I hope"

he sighed. why did he have to be so clumsy? things would be much better if he wasn't. he took the new board, and carefully placed it in. 'you better work', he tried to tell the board.

---

"So, what now?" Kai somewhat begun to lose patience.

"Two for landing, one against, the rest don't comment, so landing it is. And yes, I am able to land this thing in the dark!" Glaring at the woman, Jeidos took over the controls again, deactivating autopilot with his fist, glaring at the other Sith to dare stop him. to his suprise, that didnt happen. The now co-pilot just leaned back, shrugging. He looked somewhat uneasy though.

"Pffft." That was the only comment from Sedraya.

"We need to figure out where to land..." Kai turned to the scanners again, when suddenly the old bucket begun decending VERY fast.

"TYRAX!" Ban shouted. "What exactly did you break even more back there?"

---

Kai quickly retook his place and fingers again flew over the console, attempting once more to scan the surface where they would be landing.

---

"THAT WASN'T ME!"... "I think..."

Tyrax' quickly looked the new board he installed over, and connected some missing wires. 'work, dang thing, work!'


---

She chuckled and went back to her seat, strapping herself in and waiting for the landing to be over, assuming they all didn't die in the process

---

Akoor snarled as the ship lurched through the atmosphere, loud groans emanating from a number of its bulkheads. He had been about to give his own thoughts in favour of landing in more lighted conditions, citing an enemy ship that probably outclassed them in weapons and sensors, and the need to repair the hyperdrive in case the Jedi fled the world, when Kai and Jeidos had both lost their patience. The Sith’s hands flew nimbly over the console, switching in emergency power and dumping the stored laser energy into the shields and stabilizers. The Hunter brought all of his skill to bear, fighting to even out the descent. [Skill check: capital ship piloting]

“Kai, scanners! Find me a landing site NOW!” The Sadowite tuned out the seemingly distant response of “already on it”, focusing on the task at hand. Peld’s rage was evident on his face; someone was going to pay for this debacle.

---

"Blasted hulk of [Expletive Deleted]!" Jeidos yelled as he stressed to find the source of their trouble. Reading the digital output to his right he knew that something had short-circuited around the hyper-drive components.

"Ban!" Jeidos shouted as he turned in his seat. "Go find Tyrax and tell him to get the heck out of the engine bay! If possible investigate the cause of our problem but just make sure Tyrax doesn't do more damage. It would look pitiful to the Dark Council if all seven of us died before we even reached the planet."

Facing forward, Jeidos continued the struggle for a peaceful landing as he looked at the navimap for the course plot. "Kai! We need a landing spot now!"

"I'm working on it, I told you!" Kai yelled over the sound of the alarm warning of a dangerous descent.

Focusing his mind, Jeidos abandoned hope with the craft's systems and concentrated on the force to guide them to safety. Using his sense of Instinctive Astrogation, the Sith co-pilot felt himself fall into a slow state of mind as his hands and mind worked franktly to assist Akoor.

Kai's dazed form lay now on the floor near the NavCon. He could feel the force slowly flowing through his body, near his head and arm. It took him a minute to realize he was laying in a small pool of his own blood, but could see the injury slowly begining to heal itself. As he stumbled out of the cockpit and over the ship, he noticed the other injured Hunters.

"Some just arnt worthy" he thought to himself. "Then again... I will probably need them..."

Shaking his head Kai tried to locate some of the healing supplies onboard to aid the most injured of them, who just happened to be the smallest.

"Damn midget wookies" he muttered trying to dig through the now blood soaked fur to see if there was anything he could do to help.

Kai could still feel the force flowing through is body, working to repair his wounds, but the gash in his arm still hurt quite a bit, and the knock to his head still kept him a little dazed.

---

Jimbatica lays on the floor bleeding from all the wounds he has on his body. The dark blood soaking his fur and starting to form a pool of blood around his body. Several members of the team begin to notice that he is fading away from the force.

---

Peld opened his eyes slowly, cursing at the pain in his ankle. The Council wasn’t going to be pleased with this, the Hunter himself certainly wasn’t. He straightened up in his seat, and turned briefly to the growling co-pilot. The Sith swiveled his chair with his good leg, watching as Kai departed and blocked his view of the rest of the ship.

He winced as a surge of pain ran through his foot. Hopefully the ship could still be repaired; he didn’t feel like being marooned on this godforsaken rock. Akoor removed two medpacks from his belt, and tossed one to Jeidos. “Use it as you see fit, my friend.”

The pilot rose and lumbered painfully out of the cockpit. He quickly came upon the motionless form of the Ewok, and a blackened Kai vainly trying to give him aid. The Sith grunted as he took Sedraya’s pulse, and started limping back to the cockpit to deal with his own injuries. “Kai, I suggest you give up. He looks pretty dead to me, and there are probably others aboard who can actually be saved and still be useful to us, the female for one. Besides which, we may need medical supplies later. Don’t waste resources on him.”

“Isn’t that a bit cold?”

“Pragmatic” said the Sith as he disappeared into the cockpit and began dealing with his own injuries

---

Feeling the pain surge down his arm, Jeidos grabbed the medpac Peld gave him and immediately injected himself with the simulates. While this may seemed like a selfish act, since there were countless others who could be injuried in the craft, Jeidos was not to take pity on them. They were Dark Jedi still in training, and he knew the council would be watching them for weakness.

Once his arm felt better, Jeidos stood and left Peld to his own treatment. Arming himself with his Katana sword, Jeidos carefully walked out of the cockpit. He knew that despite his efforts to save them, the others could be bitter about the recent events and he would not be unperpared for any insanity from them.

Coming against the broken ewok, the Sith stood above him and watched as the life drained from his body. He had barely heard the conversation between Kai and Peld earlier but Jeidos knew the conclusion. The ewok was to die.

"You were an impressive being, Jam." Jeidos said coldly as he stared at the ewok's closed eyes and lifted his Katana directly over the ewok's chest. "But this is the path the force has chosen for you. You have no use to us nor the force anymore and the Council must have seen that."

"What are you doing Jeidos?" Kai questioned sharply from the corner.

"Giving this warrior his right to die by that of an combatant's blade, Krathling. You are not Obelisk nor Sith, so you would not understand." Jeidos hissed. "May we meet again after the Final Way, Jimbatica!"

Jeidos's shout echoed through the craft and silenced the sound of the strike and Kia's crys for hesitance.

---

The cry from the ewok's body echoed through the hull of the ship.

"Very well, but understand... If you now fall the same fate... I will show you the same fate."

Taking one of the med kits, Kai fliped the cartiac needle and thrust into his chest. The feeling of the chemicals repairing his body did wonders, and shortly he felt completly well again.

---

Tyrax opened his eyes. he had passed out due to the crash. checking his body, he found, to his surprise, very few injuries, just a couple of minor scratches.

'oh great', he thought. 'they will hate me now.'

getting up, he made his way to the other passengers of the shuttle, hardly knowing if he'd survive meeting them or not.

---

Somewhere down a corridor, Sedraya still lay where the impact had thrown him. He awoke to a massive headache and the feeling of all too much blood gushing over his face, already partially congealing.