The Black Talon

The elevator doors slid open, and out stepped Djaeric, following behind him was Khem Val, and behind him were Korey and the others.

Korey and the twins were wearing a standard set of armor, which consisted of a black cloak, and battle armor. Korey's armor was black, while the twins sported the color red. A simple but effective way of distinguishing the three.

Their destination was The Black Talon.

Now, the normal shuttle for Dromund Kaas was also available, but that shuttle would take several days. Which is why, Zash instead paid for the Black Talon, which would make the trip much sooner. The only drawback was, that the Black Talon would venture into dangerous territory.

Djaeric was told this by the boarding officer, but he didn't care.

Together, Djaeric, Khem Val, Korey, and the twins boarded the Black Talon, escorted by one of the many troopers protecting the vessel.

Once onboard, Djaeric was immediately greeted by the second in command of the ship, Lieutenant Sylas, a young imperial woman, with light brown hair done up in a bun. There was a slight pause in the moment Djaeric walked on board, and from when Sylas laid eyes on him.

It was a normal occurrence to have Sith or other colorful parties on board, but this was by far the strangest group she had ever seen.

" Good to have you aboard, My lord. I am Lieutenant Sylas, second in command of the Black Talon. We're your ride to Dromund Kaas." Sylas told the man.

" It is a pleasure, Lieutenant. Now, would you mind telling me how long, it will take until we reach the planet?" Djaeric asked the woman.

" It shouldn't be more than a day, sir. The Black Talons makes this run on a regular basis without much trouble. We're primarily a transport." Sylas explained.

" Very good."

" In the meantime, sir, your droid is in the conference room. We picked it up with the upgrades from Geonosis. When we docked here it mentioned your name." Sylas stated.

This confused Djaeric.

" A droid? I didn't have a droid." Djaeric told the woman.

" Oh? The machine asked for you, so I assumed you were the owner. My mistake."

" Could it have been another gift from Lord Zash?" Korey asked.

" Maybe. But I'm not sure. Could you show me to it?" Djaeric asked the woman.

" Certainly, the conference room is down the hall." Sylas pointed down the narrow hallway behind her and Djaeric nodded." I'll be on the main deck if you need me."

" Thank you. You've been a great help, Sylas."

Thank you? That was not something Sylas was used to hearing from Sith. In fact, it was near nonexistent to ever hear a Sith say such words. It was kind of nice to not be treated like a second-class citizen for once.

It even made her smile a little.

Sylas bowed to the Sith.

" Of course, my lord. I won't delay you any longer." Sylas spoke. She turned to leave, but stopped and turned to the trooper who brought the group aboard. " You soldier, get back to your post. This isn't a luxury yacht."

" Yes ma'am!"

The trooper turned and ran back towards his post, while Sylas headed towards the command deck, the giant hallway door shutting behind her.

" Alright, let's go see what this droid wants." Djaeric muttered. He turned and started walking towards the back halls.

" Where do you think it came from? Do you think it's a gift from lord Zash or some kind of trap? I mean, who leaves a droid on another planet just for one person?" Korey asked.

" No idea, but I intend to find out." Djaeric told the woman. " Anything we don't know could end up being the death of us. Better to see to this droid personally, than to just let it sit around."

Djaeric's logic made sense. If it was a threat to them, he would destroy it. If it was a gift... Then he'd see if it was worth keeping. But one thing was for sure, this sounded a little fishy.

Djaeric walked the halls, the sound of the boots beating against it were the only noises to be heard.

The door to the conference room slid open, as Djaeric approached revealing inside a simple droid.

" Is this the droid?" Korey asked.

" Must be. You there, droid What do you want?"

Djaeric confronted the machine but was met by a still silence.

The droid's eyes sprang to life and a small beam started emitting from them, moving up and down Djaeric's body.

" Scan complete. Identity confirmed." The droid spoke. " Good day- I am an advanced protocol unit NR-02. My functions are diplomacy, assassination, translation, manslaughter, and calumniation. You are the new apprentice of Lord Zash, I have an urgent message for you, from my master- please standby for delivery."

Djaeric listened to the droid and nodded.

" Your master must have gone through a lot of trouble to contact me." Djaeric spoke. " Fine go ahead. I'll listen to what needs to be said."

" This is unit NR-02 to Grand Moff Kilran. You are now in contact with the black talon.

" Grand Moff? Did he say Grand Moff?" The look on Wydr's face was disbelief.

" What's a Grand Moff?" Djaeric asked.

" One of the highest ranked Military positions in the empire, outside of being Sith. This guy is one of the big wigs." Wydr told the man.

' I see. One of the higher ups. It makes sense he would be able to put all this together now. But what could he want with me?' Djaeric asked himself this question, but remained silent as the droid patched his master through.

On the table, in the room, an image of a man appeared, dressed fully in military colors. He was an older, stocky, man with short cut black hair and scruffy features.

" Well-So, I am. And it seems you've brought me just the person I've been looking for." The Moff spoke. " My name is Rycus Kilran, I am commander of the fifth fleet, second minister of war, and - my personal favorite- the so-called butcher of Coruscant."

" What is it you want, Kilran? Why go out of your trouble to contact me, of all people?" Daeric asked the man bluntly. He had listened to Kilran spout out his personal titles and cared very little. What was more important, was why he insisted on contacting him.

" Well, I must admit this is rather unorthodox, but it is apparent I need another pair of hands, so, I asked NR-02 to check the ship's passenger manifest." Kilran explained.

" My good fortune that I was in a position to contact you. I was already aboard the Black Talon."

" You are the only person I could get in contact with on this flight, that has the skills necessary to carry out a certain task I need delt with." Kilran explained.

" And what kind of Task is that?" Djaeric wondered.

" Approximately six hours ago, the republic engaged in an illegal boarder skirmish on the edges of Imperial Territory." Kilran stated. " One enemy warship escaped. That warship, The Brentaal Star, is carrying a passenger of vital strategic importance and yours is the only vessel placed to intercept."

" Are you asking me to get this personnel back?" Djaeric asked.

" Precisely." Kilran exclaimed. " The Warship's passenger is a man codenamed, the general, we don't know his identity, but the republic believes he possesses military secrets- our military secrets."

" I see that is quite bad." Djaeric muttered.

" Yes, it is. It started as rumors, but I trust our reports. The general must be captured or killed." Kilran told the man. " Captain Orzik- the man in charge of your transport- doesn't share my enthusiasm. He's disobeyed my orders to attack." Kilran explained.

While listening to Kilran, Djaeric suddenly had a thought come to mind.

'Kilran is a high-ranking member of the empire. Which means he has access to documents, I wouldn't. Maybe he can help me?'

" Feel free to show him what the empire does to cowards, then commandeer his ship, find the Brentaal star and deal with the general."

Djaeric, smiled behind his mask.

" I will deal with your general, Kilran, on one condition." Djaeric told the man.

Kilran's face remained unnerving. But the obvious contempt in his voice was more than enough to suggest he was slightly agitated.

" And what may that be?"

" I am trying to locate someone. A young man, located on Dromund Kaas." Djaeric told the man.

" Ah. I see where this is going. Yes, I did some research on you beforehand. You finish this for me, and I will tell you where to find your brother. Do we have a deal?" Kilran spoke.

The slimy bastard. He was good at his job.

" We have a deal." Djaeric told the man.

" Fantastic! NR-02 I leave the rest in your hands." Those were the last words Kilran spoke before his transmission cut out.

NR-02 gave a slight bow to his master and then turned to Djaeric and his crew.

" I will lead the way to the bridge. Once captain Orzik is deposed and our hijacking is complete, we may proceed to the Brentaal Star." NR-02 spoke.

" Very well, lead the way." Djaeric told the droid.

With his mission parameters set, and their goals aligned, NR-02 lead the way towards the conference room.

" We aren't really going to kill the captain are we, boss?" Wydr asked.

" I said I was going to handle the general, I never agreed to kill other imperials. Not to fit some man's ego." Djaeric told the man. " There is nothing to be concerned with, I will handle this."

NR-02 and Djaeric's crew, exited the conference room, however, their approach to the command deck was immediately halted by a group of armed imperials and a red energy shield.

" Halt! My lord, this is a restricted area, Captain Orzik's commands. You'll have to leave immediately" The guard spoke.

" I need to speak with you captain, immediately. For your sake, and for the sake of your men, I suggest you step aside..." Djaeric told the man.

" I am sorry, my lord. I cannot do that. This is the command deck entry hatch. No one's allowed in until we reach our destination."

" Time is limited. We must proceed to the bridge immediately." NR-02 exclaimed. The droid was in a hurry to get to the deck, as was Djaeric.

" Our orders are to treat anyone who approaches this hatch with hostility, you need to take your droid and move immediately." The guard shouted.

" I am warning you." Djaeric muttered.

" Blasters men!" The guard shouted to his men to pull their weapons as he raised his own pistol. He wasn't afraid of Sith, he had his own fair share of run ins with the many lords/

Still Djaeric thought this man a fool.

Djaeric used the force to rip the blasters out of the men's hands, disarming them. And then he pulled his own weapon out and ignited it.

The moment the men lost their weapons, the red laser shield dropped.

However, they didn't have even a moment to consider running.

The moment they aimed their blasters at him, Djaeric resolved himself to killing them.

Djaeric stalked forward, and swiftly cut the leading soldier down with one swing of his saber, before grabbing the other two with the force and cutting them in half.

The alarms on the ship blared to life, and a unit of troopers started rounding the corner.

" All of you kill them." Djaeric ordered.

" Yes." Khem Val exclaimed. Despite his pride and his hatred for Djaeric, he was the one who followed his orders the easiest and without question.

Djaeric carved a way through the soldiers, batting away their blaster bolts with ease as he quickly marched his way down the hall, towards. He reached out through the force and easily snatched their blasters from their hands, leaving them all defenseless.

This allowed Khem Val and the others a chance to quickly attack the soldiers, without worry or concern for being hurt themselves.

The sound of the soldiers' screams reached all the way to the command deck of the Black Talon, and as Djaeric grew closer, the non-combative crew members began to worry in fear.

Djaeric marched up the center halls stairs, the center of the ship where the main forces of security were stationed.

Some of the soldiers were smart enough to simply hide, but for those who were brave enough, or foolish enough, he struck them down, his emotionless mask being the last thing they saw before death.

" Captain Orzik! The enemy... They're coming, sir!"

Orzik's ensign in charge of monitoring the ships security told the man where the enemy was.

" Sir, the camera... It's been cut! We're in the dark here." The Ensign spoke up.

" What? Ensign get those cameras back up and working. Soldiers cover the hatch door." Orzik commanded.

Captain Orzik was a proud commander, with a lifetime of experience in fighting in the imperial army.

There was a quiet pause, coming from the other side of the door. The loud sound of blaster fire, and the sound of men screaming had suddenly died down.

Then all of a sudden, the hatch doors to the command center shot open and a red lightsaber was chucked into the room.

The spinning blade, cut the heads off of two of the four soldiers in the room before returning to Djaeric's hand.

Seeing this, the other two troops started blasting.

However, Djaeric easily deflected one of the bolts back at its shooter and used the force to pull the last soldier right to him, running him through with his saber.

And just like that, the forces of the Black Talon had been dismantled.

" All top level, Marines have been neutralized. Scanning for additional threats." NR-02 told Djaeric.

The crew of the Black Talon were completely confused. All this time, they thought their attackers were foreign entities. Not A Sith.

" Sir, what is going on?" One of the Ensigns asked the captain.

" Stay calm Ensign. Everyone stay calm." Orzik told the man.

" No further threats found." 02 stated.

" Good." Djaeric muttered. " Now then, who's the captain of this ship." Djaeric asked.

" I am. I'm captain Revinal Orzik. I'm pretty sure I know what this is about. For the record I take complete responsibility for my actions." Orzik quickly explained.

" Very Admirable, Captain. I give you my respect for speaking up. I'm not sure many would in your position." Djaeric told the man.

" Thank you, my lord." Orzik muttered. " I just want to make sure my crew isn't punished."

That was a brave thing to do. And Djaeric appreciated such sentiment. If a leader cannot take responsibility for his people, then is he a leader at all?

" You're here because of the Moff, aren't you? He must want the Brentaal star's passenger pretty badly. Or maybe he just hates." Orzik muttered. The man sounded completely tired of Kilran.

" I would say it is a bit of both." Djaeric stated.

" Well, I can't do it. The Black Talon would be destroyed chasing a battleship." Orzik stated. " I fought in the war before, and I'll fight again- But I don't do suicide missions." Orzik told the man. " I will not jeopardize the lives of every man and woman on this ship to feed, Kilran's ego. I won't do it."

Djaeric gave an exhausting sigh.

" I see. That is commendable, Captain. And I certainly understand your reasons for disobeying. I do. But I must ask you something, captain. Have you fully considered what the consequences are for your actions? I mean truly fully." Djaeric asked the man,

" I have sir."

" No, I don't think you have." Djaeric stated. " Kilran is a Grand Moff, meaning he is one of the most powerful men in the empire, or so I have been led to believe. What do you think your options really are? To disobey his orders and just suffer a demotion? No, you are going to be executed. That I know. No man will go through the things, Kilran has gone through to get me here, unless he is ready to kill for it. And kill he will." Djaeric explained. " Not just you, no. He has the power, so why will he stop at you? No, he will kill every single man and woman on this ship, to get back at you, if the general is not caught. That is a fact. I know it. And deep down, you know it."

" But if we go after that ship we are all dead." Orzik explained.

" Not necessarily. There is always a chance Orzik, if you are brave enough to take it." Djaeric muttered. " So, I'll give you two choices Orzik. You can choose to put your faith in me, let me lead you, all of you, into battle against the republic. Or you can disregard my words and wait for Kilran to kill you and maybe even your families." Djaeric shouted. " What is it going to be? Fight with me, and maybe we all live to see tomorrow? Or die? Make your choice now, Orzik."

Orzik was quiet, his mind in shambles. The eyes of every single one of his crew members were locked strictly on him.

Finally, Orzik sighed. His breath of defeat was heavy.

" Very well." Orzik muttered.

" This is the right choice to make Orzik." Djaeric told the man.

" I hope you are right."

" Downloading new orders to all bridge consoles. Priority one: Intercept the Brentaal Star." 02 ordered.

" You heard the droid everyone. Prepare to jump to lightspeed." Captain Orzik commanded.

Djaeric nodded and watched as the ship, jumped into hyperspace.

Ensign Hetter, manned the console, and alerted the crew as they were coming out of hyperspace of the eminent threat.

" Emerging from Hyperspace, now. One Thranta-class warship on the scanners. Powering up..."

" Enemy is firing! Turbolasers, missiles, and what looks like transport pods. I'm not sure." Ensign Brukara exclaimed.

" Evasive Maneuvers! Keep those pods at a distance, they look harmless, but they'll latch onto the hull and cut at us with sabotage droids!" Captain Orzik explained.

" Sir! Three shuttles on an intercept course." Ensign hetter spoke up.

" An assault party. We don't have sufficient defenses to keep them from landing." Orzik said to Djaeric.

Djaeric turned around and started marching towards the exit of the command deck.

" Yes. You do." Djaeric told the man. " Korey, Wydr, Balek, stay here and protect the crew."

" Yes sir." Korey shouted.

" Yes, My lord." The twins repeated at the same time.

" Khem Val, let's go welcome our new friends."

" Of course, my master."

Alone Khem Val and Djaeric marched out of the command deck, leaving his three apprentices behind to protect Orzik and his crew should any stragglers get past him.

They wouldn't, but the thought mattered.

Explosions rocked the Talon, shaking it badly, but not so much that Djaeric was phased.

.............

The republic troopers emerged from their shuttles and quickly started making their way towards the elevator that would take them to the next level of the ship.

" All right men, let's get this done, clean and efficient. Master Shan is expecting good things from us. Let' snot let her down."

" Yes Captain!"

" Right men. Let's-"

*Ding.

The sound of the elevator moving alerted the soldiers. They quickly raised their weapons and aimed them right at the doors to the elevator.

The earlier explosions had knocked out some of the lights, so things were pretty dark. The soldiers all felt their heads pounding and could hear the sound of their hearts beating.

And then the doors slid open and Djaeric activated his lightsaber, revealing his form and that of Khem Val's to the republic.

" Open Fire!" The captain commanded.

Djaeric marched into the hallway, deflecting blaster bolts left and right, while also cutting down the republic soldiers standing in front of him. Left and right, Djaeric swung his blade, and with each swing another republic trooper fell.

" Fall back to the Hangar! Retreat! Retreat!" Those were the captain's orders.

Djaeric reached out with his hand and snatched away the weapon belonging to the republic troopers, and even lifted one of the men up to the ceiling.

He walked past that man, leaving Khem Val to cleave him in half with his sword.

Djaeric raised his hand and fired a stream of lightning from his hand, electrocuting many of the men and women in front of him in an instant, with a chain of lightning.

The captain of the current republic troops rushed forward as Djaeric marched down the hall towards them.

" AHHHHHHHH!"

The captain let out a shout of power while charging the sith.

Djaeric stopped the man's advances, using the force to lift him into the air, and cut his head off as he walked by him.

Djaeric walked into the hangar, as the last batch of troopers emerged from their shuttle, immediately they opened fire on The Sith and his Companion.

Heavy cannons, blaster rifles, heavy blasters, all of rained down fire on Djaeric.

Djaeric leaped into the room and sent out a shockwave right in the middle of the soldiers, pushing them all off of their feet. Giving them no time to recover, Djaeric and Khem Val started cutting through the republic soldiers.

No time was spared, no lives saved, no mercy given.

By the time Djaeric was done, the entire hangar was filled with the mangled bodies of the republic's finest.

" That wasn't much of a challenge." Djaeric grunted.

" My lord, we need you to return to the command deck immediately!" Orzik's voiced radioed directly to Djaeric's communicator.

" I'm on my way, Captain." Djaeric sheathed his saber and turned on his heel to walk away.

Back on the control deck.

" Damage reports from all decks. We're holding together, sir- but I don't know for how long." Hetter told Orzik.

Orzik was pacing back and forth, a nervous wreck. Things were going as well as they could, but they still ran the risk of being blown to pieces.

" Make it last, Ensign. Don't let us down." Orzik told the man.

" Please stand at attention. Moff Kilran's representative has returned." 02 signaled the return of Djaeric and Khem Val.

Orzik approached the two men, along with Korey and the others.

" I see you've taken care of the republic assault party. Welcome back to the bridge." Orzik spoke.

" Give me a status report, Captain." Djaeric spoke.

" We've survived the first wave of attacks from the republic. With this, things will be calm, at least until we enter fighter range in another minute or two." Orzik told the man.

" I see. Prepare yourselves." Djaeric ordered.

" Sir!" Ensign Brukara shouted.

" What is it Ensign?" Orzik asked.

" We have a transmission coming through! Long range.... It's a message, but not from the Brentaal Star." She said.

" Then who is it?" Djaeric asked.

" I don't know." Brukara stated. " The Brentaal Star must have sent a distress signal. Someone's responding."

The holocommunicator flickered to life and a woman appeared. Her attire was regal, and she looked to be many years older than Djaeric. She had black hair that was tied into four long braids.

" This is Jedi Grandmaster Satele Shan, hailing unidentified Imperial vessel." The woman said.

There two things that immediately sparked interest within, Djaeric's mind. The first being her title. Grandmaster. And the second was her name.

Shan was a name that Djaeric had seen once in a passing note, from a text he read not too long ago on Korriban.

" I'm en route with sixteen republic vessels. I'm asking you to retreat before more lives are lost." Satele told the man.

" It is an honor to meet you Grandmaster Shan. I believe I read quite an interesting tale about your ancestor. I never did think I would meet a daughter of Darth Revan himself." Djaeric said to the woman. Djaeric gave a slight bow to the older woman, showing clear signs of respect not only for her lineage, but for her title as well.

No one becomes the Grandmaster of the Jedi order, by being weak.

" I do not wish to fight grandmaster, not today. I'm sure we can come to some arrangement." Djaeric muttered.

" I am glad to see someone from the empire with a little sense. But I am afraid there is not much I can give you." Satele told the man. " The Brentaal Star is under my protection. Our convoy was ambushed, and I sent the star ahead. We will reunite." Satele explained. " I just crippled three imperil dreadnaughts. I do not wish to destroy you. The peace between the Republic and the Empire is fragile enough already."

" All I need is the imperial general you are housing on your ship. I take him, and I promise you, I will leave. No one else needs to suffer." Djaeric told the woman.

" The general has a role to play with the Republic." Satele responded, making Djaeric sigh in frustration. " Incidents like this are happening across the galaxy. But only because we let them. Leave the Brentaal Star to me. If you don't then may the force be with you, because the men and women aboard that ship can fend you off until we arrive. And you will be defeated."

" Then let there be war. But remember Satele, I gave you a chance to end things peacefully. From this point forward their blood is on your head." Djaeric told the woman.

" Then prepare yourself, to face a Jedi."

Djaeric cut the transmission from Satele's ship and turned to the captain.

" Get me to that ship." Djaeric told the man.

" Yes sir." Orzik responded. " Ensign?!"

" We're entering fighter range now, sir. The Brentaal Star is launching its first squadron." Hetter told the man.

" It's time for us to do the same. I assume you'll want to lead the boarding party to go after the general?"

" Of course." Djaeric responded.

" Then good luck. I am sure, you'll have the general in your hands in no time." Orzik told the man.

" I advise that you head to the shuttle bay. The flight to the Brentaal Star will be hazardous, but Grand Moff Kilran has faith in your abilities." 02 stated.

" Alright. Khem Val, you ready?" Djaeric asked the man.

" Of course, master." Khem Val muttered.

" Korey, stay and protect the captain. Wydr, Balek. Let's go, you two. It's time for you to earn your keep." Djaeric told the group.

Korey nodded, while Wydr and Balek joined Djaeric on his ride to the Republic ship.

It was time for Djaeric to fight his first battle as a Sith. Time to face his first Jedi.