Kill Tomorrow (Kathrine) (Complete)

[Southstar]

Southstar walked down the hallway leading into the ship docks of the Sith Order. Next to him was his latest apprentice, Kathrine. He had told her a little while ago that they would be going out on a mission to Nar Shadda to deal with some dissidents there. Nar Shadda was a moon that orbited the planet Nal Hutta, both Sith controlled. Their control over the fiercly independant Hutts was always being threatened in some way or another. But for the most part, the citizens of the area were pleased with what the Sith enabled them to do.

Putting down the dissidents was only going to help the Hutts in this case. As much as they opposed the Sith, they opposed the Hutts who had, and would, control them without the Sith present.

Southstar turned as they entered the docking area and headed towards the Sith Order ship that he had been allowed to use for the time being. Like most of the ships he had been leased, it was quick and armed fairly well. If past experience had shown him anything, it was that the quality of the ship was always important on missions such as these. Somehow, someway, he always wound up in a space battle.

Unlike most past experience, he wasn't piloting the ship, the Order had provided two decent pilots for this trip. They boarded the ship and Southstar set his things down in one of the cabins. Before too long, the ship was fired up and moving out into space.

He approached Kathrine in the common area and spoke. "Have you been practicing telekinesis?" For the most partit had been physical training that had dominated their practice sessions. Telekinesis was usually touched on, but he was leaving her practice to her.

[Kathrine]

Kathrine turned her head,from talking to one of the pilots to look at her master.Ugh...more of this training stuff...can't he see that I'm good enough already, she thought to herself. Even this mission was to test her and train her. She knew she could do it by herself easily. The only thing she probably couldn't do though, is sit face to face with a Hutt. How repulsive... She shook her head, remembering he had asked her something.

"Hmm...oh yeah. All the time," she lied. In truth she rarely practiced, depending on her natural abilities instead. She had gotten better at it though, but probably not as good as she could have been. Well, only time will show him that I'm can do this stuff with no problem.

[Southstar]

"Right." He said and picked up on the lie. If she thought she could just cruise along, that was fine by him. It would catch up to her at some point. Taking the assumption that she had read the briefing about the major details of the mission when he had sent them to her a few days before he asked a question.

"So what do you think about the dissidents? Are we doing the right thing or do they have the right to protest our rule?" He asked. He was prepared to accept a varity of answers, Kathrine was new to the Order and young still; she may not see the Order as her own brethren, or even understand the Sith order of life, yet. He would find out in a just a moment.

[Kathrine]

"I believe that they are right to question, because that is nature, to question another's rule when you have tasted a sort of freedom. However I do not blieve that this demonstrations are logical or necessary. This could have very easily been brought up through a chain of proposals. I find their lack of respect for such formalities disgusting. We do offer them protection, and yet they can not have the decency to use the proper channels?"

[Southstar]

"Then what do you think about our attempt to brainwash them into not thinking about freedom or anything of the sort?" He questioned. Part of being a Sith was that you made sure you had complete control over your subjects. "Are we wrong?"

[Kathrine]

She smirked as she thought about her question and paced a few steps before turning back to face him. "No I don't. Control is also something that nature compells us to seek. The amount of control we seek is based on our choices. I feel that our brainwashing is not only good for them, but necessary."

[Southstar]

"That's right. It is my personal belief that there are two types of intelligent beings in the galaxy: the Force sesitive, and those who are not; The first being the superior. We are destined to rule, Kathrine." It wasn't his goal to force his own beliefs onto Kathrine, but he was only expressing his opinion. It was her option to decide whether or not it was true.

From the corner of his eye he noticed the ship had just begun its journey through hyperspace, now it was just a matter of a few hours before they were in the think of things. He switched his attention back to Kathrine in case she had anything to say.

[Kathrine]

Kate nodded, ignoring the fact they were in hyperspace. She would see it plenty of times again. "I agree. The Force is what gives us strengths that others could only dream of. Hmph...as far as I am concerned, everyone else is cattle for the slaughter or they can choose to be pets. It is their choice, but either way they will be ours."

[Southstar]

He liked the way she thought, almost. She had her ideaology correct, but when it came to the details, she seemed to lag behind. But there was plenty of time to work on that.

"Well, we're done with ideas for now, we only have a few hours before we land on Nar Shadda and we are without a plan." He said and cued the holographic map. "We'll be landing in the north-eastern sector." The three dimensional map focused in to show the general area. "The dissidents do not have a central location; we'll be amongst them everywhere we go."

He had a plan already, but he wanted to know what she was thinking. Once knighted, granted she made it, she would have to deal with similar situations. Some knowledge of strategy was a necessity. "So given that information, what would you next move be?"

[Kathrine]

She studied the hologram for a minute before sighing. Planning wasn't her biggest thing, and she didn't see the point in it. That's what the elders and Sith council were for. She just wanted to get in there and brawl.

She thought up a quick and common plan and hoping she worded it to sound well thought out. "Flush them out and make them come to us. They don't want the Sith there, well let them they and take us. We make ourselves known and then they come and find us. At best they an try for an assassination attempt which would most likely be poorly timed and ill planned."

[Southstar]

"...poorly timed and ill planned." She said

"Don't underestimate your enemy, Kathrine. Though they don't possess the power we do through the Force, they can be very dangerous." He responded. He wasn't impressed in the least at her plan. What was needed here was an attention to detail, broad plans like "flush them out" were not going to cut it.

"We have some element of surprise, here." However the dissidents probably expected the Sith to interevene at some point, but the date and hour were unknown. "I do not want to take any chances, I've arranged for us to switch ships once we reach Nar Shadda's orbit. We will touch down here," He said and pointed to a small dock. "and travel on foot, under the guise of traders, to here." His finger drug a line through the holograph as it moved from the dock to a three story section of a skyscraper. "At most, we'll face twenty people, most likely unskilled in fighting. We make a few heads roll and leave less than half to spread the word."

"We don't want them to feel that they can fight us, we need them to fear us. Others will be watching and taking notes, they need to fear the Sith as well. Do you understand this?" She most likely did, she could be somwhat bright when she tried.

[Kathrine]

"Why leave half? Why not just kill them all? Like you said there will be others there taking notes and watching. I am sure they can report back to others just as well as the ones we would let live."

[Southstar]

"They can report all they want, our only competition would be a well trained Jedi; which are scarce in these parts. The primary reason for sparing a few is so they spread the word of our presence within the organization. Keep in mind those twenty in this building aren't the only members. "

"Fear is a powerful tool, use it as often as possible."

And what was fear without an instrument to direct it. Southstar reached to his belt and retrieved two lightsabers; one his own and the other a generic training saber. "You'll be wielding this for the time being." He handed it to her. It was going to be used more for show than actual use. "All you'll have to do it ignite it and flash it around. Most people see a lightsaber and wet themselves." He paused to give her a chance to look over it. "What experience do you have with lightsabers, or swords even?"

[Kathrine]

"Well, I did some fencing for a few years, but other than that not much," she said flipping the hilt in her hand. She held it out in front of her and turned the blade on. It glowed a soft red.

Ironic that it is the color of the blood it would spill, she thought as she waved it through the air a few times, getting a feel for the weapons weight and movement.

[Southstar]

"Good." He said. "I'm going to my room to think about the mission. I suggest you do the same." He said and dearted.

---a few hours later---

The ship had docked with the larger Sith cruiser, just a few moments later they would be able to leave and board the next ship which would take them to the surface of Nar Shadda. He silently wondered to himself whether Kathrine had event thought of the mission since they went through it. Probably not. he decided.

"Let's go." He said as he exited his cabin and grabbed his small bag. He headed downt he ramp and onto the cruiser floor, thankfully, no one knew that a Sith and his apprentice were on the ship and no one had come to meet them. The more time they took before striking agains tthe dissidents, the more likely they were going to find out ahead of time that the Sith had arrived.

As he walked he threw a ragged brown cloak over his black clothing. He left some sort of disguise for Kathrine onboard the ship, hopefully she got it. He turned to her as he walked. "Our ship," He said and pointed across the way, "is right there. I think it will only be a half hour trip to the surface, so you had better be ready." He said the last bit with a hint of anger, he knew she really wasn't prepared at all.

[Kathrine]

Kat however had been in her room practicing with her lightsaber. What did she need to think about a mission for? That was what the council and elders did, not her. She would just wing it as usual.

Later when she saw Southstar he seemed slightly distant as if he was mad. What's his problem? She thought as they headed down the ramp into the larger ship. Then she saw Southstar putting on a cloak over his clothes. So that is his disguise? he could have made a better attempt.

She herself had taken his diguise that he had given her and made a few improvemnts to her. Now it would expose more of her flesh and then she had taken some dye she had happened to put in her bag and put a bright red streak in her hair. She let that hang loosely while the rest of her black hair was tired to a ponytail.

"Oh I will be," Kathrine said, matching his tone.

[Southstar]

Silently they drossed the dock and boarded the new ship. The Sith Order pilots would be flying the ratty frieghter in case space conflict came upon them, unlikely as it seemed.

Southstar boarded the new ship with his apprentice close behind. As soon as they touched down the conflict would begin; he was eager. It wasn't necessarily a lust for blood, but the excitement in the change of things was what he loved most, not to mention the thrill of close combat. Nearly all Sith shared in his excitment, some actually referred to it as blood lust, but it was a defining trait among Sith.

"When we touch down, you lead the way." He said to her. Most would say it was foolish, she would be killed with the little experience in leadership she had. But then again, only the exceptional were Sith.

[Kathrine]

Kathrine smirked. She had her chance to show him and everyone else that she could lead better than anyone.

The flight to the surface took about twenty-five minutes. They waited for the shuttle to land and become secure before lowering the ramp. Southstar and her were already at the ramp when it began to lower. Once it touched the ground she led the way out and at once wrinkled her nose. It smelled awul.

How could anyone but Hutts live here, she thought as her eyes scanned the crowds. Nothing in particular caught her eyes as she stepped onto the ground. She took a left and went into the crowd, trying to look for something that would point out a person from the protestors, but she found nothing and she had little experience trying to read a person's aura or thoughts so she had no leads that way either.

She decided to just walked around in the crowds for a few minutes hoping someone would show themselves. Until then she was bored and had a few questions she would like answered. "So how do people live here? It can't be that good of a life."

[Southstar]

"Depends on who your are. The poor have it rough, where don't they? But their number isn't great. Most here are traders of some sort, this is a big drop off point within the Sith held planets. The rest make a living providing a service for those who visit here." He said as he walked closely behind Kathrine.

[Kathrine]

"I see...sounds like a nice arrangement. Couldn't possibly see the problem that these others are talking about."

They continued to walk around. Soon they came to a small clearing of sorts. Almost like a town square, only this one wasn't empty. There was a small crowd gathering and she wanted to see who and what they were.

As they neared the group, they began to pick up on small pieces of conversations and she knew at once these were they dissidents.

"Kill the Sith!"

"What do we need them for?"

"They are just takng from our profits!"

Kathrine started towards the crowd, planning to defiantly walk into the middle of them and show the people in it what she thought.

[Southstar]

Upon realizationthat the people of the area knew that they were Sith Southstar had broken from Kathrine and took to a hiding spot against a building. He watched in the distance as Kathrine moved towards the center of the square. This was going to be trouble. The target building was to the left of them, anyone in it could clearly see what was going on. This was going o be real trouble. That building was stock full of weapons and experienced fighters.

Southstar's overconfidence in himself took over and though it seemed tough, he would be able to complete the mission. What his apprentice did here affected her more than him and the mission. If she died, that was her fault, she was not fit to be a Sith then.

"You do that..." he whispered to her, but she was far from being within earshot.

[Kathrine]

She moved deeper into the crowd and before long some people began noticing her as the only one not crying out against the Sith. She smiled and turned around to make a comment to Southstar, but he wasn't there.

She looked around, but did not see him anywhere near. She was seething with anger now. How could he just leave me like that? Well fine, I'll deal with him later!

Her mind turned back to the crowd and some of them were now beginning to pull small blasters from theirs cloaks and train them on her. She put her hand inside her cloak and gripped her lightsaber hilt firmly, but did not reveal it just yet.

"Who are you?"

"Is it any of your business?"

"Don't get smart with m..."

As the man spoke, he began getting closer. Once he was in arm's reach, he had jabbed her with the end of the blaster and before he could finish his sentence, Kathrine had sent the man's arm flying.

"Don't touch me again. Anyone else want to try that?" She asked, the red blade glowling softly in the shadows of the crowd.

[Southstar]

They were running like animals. Some people away, and some people towards Kathrine. With the reactions of the people to Kathrine, it was becoming increasingly easy to decide who were the dissidents and who were not. The last thing they needed was killing a bystander.

Everyone's watching. He thought to himself as he approached. People were going to judge the Sith based on what they did here. People were going to decide whether they thought the Sith were doing a decent job keeping their homes safe. Killing the wrong people would lead to the people favoring the dissidents, which was what they were there to prevent.

As he met the back end of the crowd, which was now forming a circle around Kathrine, he stopped and watched to see what would happen next. Two young twins, both a cross between an alien and human, looked the most eager and ready to fight. The rest were holding back, they were making the mistake assuming Kathrine was a full trained Sith.

"I'm going to kill that girl and take her lightsaber as my prize." Someone with a deep voice had said to Southstar.

He looked around to see a large man next to him. His skin was rough and his face ugly. Southstar didn't need to Force to know this man could surely crush Kathrine if he got close enough.

"Death to the Sith. right?" He responded with a smile. The large man did not return it and began pushing his way to the center of the crowd.

Southstar followed him in the man's wake. The time for his involvemnt was at hand. He felt beneath his cloak for his lightsaber and readied himself for combat.

[Kathrine]

Kathrine watched the two twins wearily, the entire time moving around to avoid standing in place long enough to get jumped from behind.

Soon however her eyes, fell upon a much larger man pushing his way through the crowd. A man large enough that he could probably tear her limb from limb, but she wasn't worried. He would have to get near enough to her and catch her as well.

Behind him, she could make out Southstar. So he thinks I need his help now? Well I'll show him.

Kat turned ever so slightly, just in time to avoid one of the twins coming at her with a knife. She made a quick flick of her wrist and the weapon's blade was cut into half. She cursed herself because she had been aiming for his hand, but the effect was the same as the crowd began to back away slowly. They apparently thought she hadn't missed.

She turned 180 degrees to face the large man how had just come to the forgoround of the circle. Kat held her weapon in front of her, her eyes darting back and forth looking for anyone else who might join the fray. "So you want a piece of me too?"

[Southstar]

The large man raised his massive arms in the air ready to smash Kathrine into the ground. As he stood in front of her, Southstar could see that he was very capable of doing it, judging by their comparitive size.

You should run away, girl. He thought to himself as he observed the brashness of his apprentice. But was it really her fault? She wasn't trained, overconfidence should be expected.

Navy blue broke from the hilt of his lightsaber as Southstar flicked the ignition switch and leapt into the air, leaving a trail of blue glow behind him. He swung at the neck of the large man as he was about to strike at Kathrine. Instead of a clean cut through the neck, his lightsaber stopped about a quarter through. The man's hide was tougher than expected, but it didn't prevent his death. The man toppled over towards Kathrine while Southstar faced the majority of the crowd.

Fear.

He sent out the feeling through the crowd, fueling their fear from the sight of now two Sith. Some scattered, only to come back but most had left.

Southstar turned back to find Kathrine but something caught his eye in the original target building. Neon green glow was coming from three of the windows, all on the third floor. Turbolasers...He thought and ran for cover while sending out a telepathic warning to his apprentice, who was in the center of the plaza, the most obvious target.

[Kathrine]

Kathrine jumped to her left as the duracrete where she had just been standing turned to dust under fire. She rolled twice, before jumping up and running for the corner of a small building for cover.

Once around the corner, she nearly knocked over three people fleeing from the crowd. One of them recognized her immeaditly and turned on her to try and push her back out into the fire, but she side stepped and he went past her and a smoldering hole appeared in his chest before the corner of the building blew up and some of the flying stones hit here in the head and arms and left scratches and bruises. Once hit her in near the eye and a streak of blood appeared on the side of her face.

[Southstar]

Well, we need to knock out those firing at us. We can't stay pinned down like this or they will get the best of us. He sent telepathically.

Southstar cocked his head and surveyed his surroundings. There was nowhere to run; he has three solid walls next to him. He could try cutting through a wall and escaping that way. But then that might lead to more trouble.

Up.

Southstar looked around and found that he would be able to climb the rough edges of the walls. Granted the shooters might see him as he climbed over the wall to the roof of the building, it seemed taking that chance was his only option. As he turned to climb he could see across to where Kathrine had retreated to. The mobs were forming again and it seemed were going to confront the Sith unless they poked their heads into the deadly square.

The mobs are moving towards you. You better move somewhere. He sent.

[Kathrine]

She groaned when she heard her Master's thoughts. Not again, she thought as she poked her head out around the corner and saw the mob coming in her direction. She looked around. Her first thought was going the other way around the building, but that might get her cornered. She scanned in front of her and smiled when she saw a sewage grate in front of her.

Down we go. She lifted her hand and the grate came off rather slowly, but it was enough that she could climb down and be out of sight for awhile until she made her way back up. Kathrine grabbed the ladder leading down and then pulled the grate back over the opening. She went down until her feet made a splash as she landed in the water.

"Ugh...this is disgusting!" She mumbled as she went in the direction she thought was back towards the place the mob had originally gathered. She would get there and hopefully be under the shooters so she would have the surprise.

[Southstar]

His nervousness increased as he came closer to the top. If they saw him, he was in trouble. Using the Force to amplify his moves, he swung over the top with ease and the men in the building didn't see him. He crept as fast as he could across the rooftops, while staying low. Befero he knew it he was so close to the building he could leap to it if he wanted. It wasn't the roof he wanted to be on, though. It was the window sill. He jumped and caught the window sill with his hands, hanging on with Force enhanced strength.

To the man with the guns who was watching out the window, Southstar's jump would have appeared as a blur, a blur that needed investigating.

Southstar looked up and saw the surprised look on the aliens face. He increased that surprise as the alien found himself jerked out the window and falling. Southstar used his telekinesis to enter the window and plant his feet firmly in the face of another alien. He ignited his lightsaber and in a swirls of navy blue, the dying men found that they had been defeated.

He looked causually through the broken windows to see how Kathrine was handling the mob.

[Kathrine]

Unless he was using the Force to locate her, he wouldn't see her drudging through the sewer underneath the ground. She reached out with the Force and could feel the crowd above her. Five minutes passed before she was sure that she was past the crowd completely.

She walked to her left towards a ladder going up. She climbed until she reached the top. When there, she pushed up slightly to peek out and came face to face with a wide, large taloned foot. She moaned and the foot shifted slightly and she dropped fearing the thing had heard her, but it wasn't her. It was Southstar that the creature had looked at instead.

Great...well here goes nothing, she thought as she reached out with the Force and grabbed a hold of the creatures foot and pushed each foot a different way. The thing did a split as Kathrine jumped out of the hole with her lightsaber blazing. She was able to cut off Talon guy's head before the rest noticed her and turned to give her their attention.

[Southstar]

As he gazed out the window, he noticed the ruckus that was forming towards the middle. The Force suggested it was Kathrine, and it also pointed out three flying reptilian creatures. One dissappeared as the other two took flight towards Southstar.

With telekinesis as his aid, he made his way to the roof to engage the two reptilies; that way everyone could watch. Once it became abundantly clear that the Sith would kill any and all that opposed them, much like the terrorists and soon the reptiles were. Southstar commanded the crowds attention with telepathy as the two reptiles dove in for attack.

[Kathrine]

She spun on her heel and did a cartwheel to avoid one of the thugs, but when she came up to defend against another attack nothing came. When she looked, they all had their attention on Southstar and two reptile creatures that were flying towards him. She herself watched, but not as intently as others as she moved away from the crowd and towards the building that Southstar was standing on.

[Southstar]

One came swooping in foolishly and lost its head. The next reptile called off its attack and began circling above him. Southstar taunted him and used the Force to instigate anger in the flying lizard. Finally it came in like its friend and instead of loosing its head, it rolled away, missing the lightsaber blade and leaving Southstar open for attack. It flew around and attempted a slash with its talon but lost it. It howled in pain, but that too was cut short as its life ended.

He was abou tot make some declaration that Nar Shadda was Sith territory and the other usual stuff, but was cut off by the sirens of the police. Police speeders blocked alll of the exits and men poured in. They were going to arrest those in the crowd and pusnish them and it seemed that everyone in the crowd knew that. The panic and hostility in the crowd rose all while Kathrine was in the thick of it.

[Kathrine]

The young Sith apprentice cursed as she moved from side to side, weaving her way through the crowd. It was getting harder by the second as they started to panic around her and began pushing her and others that were smaller around. Guess they want to play it survival of the fittest.

Kathrine turned to her left and held out her hand. The sewage grate that she had come out of only moments before started to rise off of the ground. At first no one even paid it much attention, but soon the ones close by began to notice that it was about knee high to an adult human, and that wasn't right. Luckily no one was paying her much mind as she began to push it back and forth, knocking out a Sullastan who was bringing his blaster to bear on her. She then moved it back when all of a sudden it dropped out of her control and to the ground. For a moment she was confused until her brain put together what had happened. One of the police had came up behind her and knocked her out with a stun baton and she had been to preoccupied with levitating the grate cover that she had not noticed. Blackness over took her before she could think of anything else.

A few moments later however, she was waking up, being walked to a police speeder in stun cuffs. She started to struggle until she got a nice little shock through her system.

"Let me go! Do you know who I am?"

[Southstar]

Southstar managed to watch the sewer grate move back and forth with Katherine at the telekinetic helm. He had to say, he was impressed. That was the primary purpose of these training missions, real world experience from things taught in practice sessions.

As he neared her from the other end of the building he saw her get stunned by one of the police and then hauled off. He would talk to the police first, and then retrieve her.

---Hours later---

Southstar was walking in to the district chief of police's office with quite an unhappy look on his face. He pushed through the door to find the chief on the holo with someone he didn't recognize.

"I'll have to call you back." The chief said and hung up before the man could respond. To Southstar he said. "Master Sou--"

"I understand you are having difficulties with these dissidents." Southstar cut him off. "But that crowd was out of control for far too long. You are being relieved of your duty."

Before the chief could protest he found himself clutching his garment on his chest as intense pain wrecked throughout it. It was a Force induced heart attack, but the chief was old, he was due.

Southstar called for the officer outside the office and informed him of his promotion. "Now, I understand you have apprentice locked away here. Take me to her."

[Kathrine]

She was sitting on a bunk when she felt him come in the station. It would only be a matter of time until he was back here getting her out of here. Kathrine looked through the force field holding her and smirked. It should have been no problem getting out of here on her own. She was more than confident that she could flip the switch from here, but she decided that she had caused enough trouble for today.

She looked up just in time to see Southstar walk through the door, wearing a not so pleased look, but she didn't care.

"Took you long enough," she mumbled.

[Southstar]

"Deal with it." He responded to her mumble. The officer flipped the switch and the Force field fell away. "I suppose you are alright." He stated but before she could get a chance to respond another officer came up.

"Lord Southstar. There is someone here to see you. He says he has information you'd like to know."

Southstar couldn't think of who might be on Nar Shadda to see him, let alone know he was in the police station. He walked through the doors which lead to the main lobby and found a man standing casually against the desk. He wore a scraped up chestplate with a blue jumpsuit beneath and four or five utility belts around his waist. His hands were gloved with metal forearm guards just as battered as the chestplate.

"Can I help you." Southstar said to the man, slightly irritated.

The man just smiled and looked at Southstar in the eye from under his bandana and handed a paper envelope towards him. Southstar took it from him and began opening it. Before he could finish, the man was out of sight. In it was a card that listed the date and a time: 23:00 standard hours. Beneath it was a handwritten message: You are cordially invited to attend a meeting of the moon's biggest rebels. Arm yourself well, security is to be heavy.

That man either wanted the Sith to go and wipe out the group of rebel leaders or was trying, poorly, to set them up. He handed it off to Kathrine as the officer spoke.

"May I see it?"

"No." Southstar responded. If the police got involved it would become more of an ordeal than it needed to be. "It doesn't concern you." The officer didn't respond as he did not want to anger the Sith. To Kathrine he asked: "What do you think?"

[Kathrine]

She took the note and looked it over as she walked out of the little cell. She didn't get to see the man so she couldn't get a feel from him, so she had only the letter to go on, so she used logic.

"I believe this is real. If it were an ambush then they know we would be expecting it and we would be prepared. So it can only mean that they want us there to negotiate or this rebel guy doesn't know that we will be there and won't be expecting us to show up."

[Southstar]

---That night---

The meeting place was a few levels down in a generally rundown area of the city. The building the rebels were meeting in was originally believed to be a full warehouse for the Dark Moon company, that had proven to be untrue. Southstar would go back later and figure out Dark Moon's role in this whole ordeal later. Southstar looked through a window with his electrobinoculars, focusing on who was present and who wasn't. It seemed people were still ariving and there was no sign of their man from earlier that day.

He had gone over the plan with Kathrine earlier: Kill most, leave some alive for interrogation. She would enter through the main entrance andSouthstar was to force his way through the wall and flank them, forcing them to gather against the wall. As for guards, which would clearly be armed with heavy weaponry, had already been spotted around the building. Southstar had a Sith Order Ship not too far away piloted by one of the Order pilots set to crash into one of the nearby warehouses. Some guards would to to the burning wreck, the rest would gather with the rebel leaders in the target warehouse fo the slaughter.

"You ready for this?" He asked without looking. This was a big operation for a Sith and his apprentice and it was important that it worked flawlessly. Not to mention she would make her appearence first, making her a major target.

[Kathrine]

She checked the lightsaber hilt on her left hip and nodded grimly. Unless he had a different definition of the word ready, then she was as good as she could get.

"As ready as one can be. You just tell me when," Kathrine said as she moved over towards the front to get into position. She cleared her mind of everything else, using techniques she had learned from her old teachers. She was focusing only on her objective and trying to draw on the darkness of the Force to enhance her strength, speed, and senses.

[Southstar]

What seemed was the last speeder pulled up and dropped its passanger off. The guards changed position to stand in front of the door and things seemed to reach a lockdown sort of state.

Southstar unclipped the comm from his belt and called the pilot who was up in the traffic above. "Go ahead, pilot." The ship dove out of traffic and entered a dive. Within the minute it was in visible range and meters away from the warehouse next to the target. It crashed with the pilot safely tucked away in an escape pod somewhere at the opposite end of the warehouse district.

Telepathically he linked up with Kathrine. Go.

[Kathrine]

She smiled when she heard the words. She pulled a coat over her arms tightly, holding her lightsaber close to her body. She stood from behind a stack of crates and made her way over to two gaurds that had stayed as the rest went over to investigate the crash.

"I'm sorry boys, but I seem to have gotten lost and you know it's just so chilly out here that I think I'll go in there and warm up," she said in a cute little Corellian accent. So cute that she almost puked herself. As she got closer she put on her best smile to show herself as innocent and harmless. How easy this will be.

When she got closer, one of the gaurds put his hand up to stop her.

"I'm sorry but you can't come in here miss"

"Ohh...I'm sorry I think you misunderstand," she said with a gleam of mischief in her eye. "I didn't ask you."

All of a sudden she reached out and grabbed his arm and twisted it, throwing him over her shoulder. Before the other could do anything though, she grabbed his shoulders and used the added leverage to jump up and place her knee in the man's groin. As he doubled over, Kathrine laced her arm around his neck and with a quick motion, snapped his neck.

She turned to see the other getting back up, but before he could she dropped her knee into his face and heard a satisfying crack.

"Thank you boys," the Sith said as she took her saber and went into the door. She quietly opened up and smiled as she snuck in, taking a quick scan of the room before hiding behind a nearby box.

Snap-hiss. The sound echoed through the hangar as she stepped from behind the box. All movement stopped as everyone's eyes turned to her. Kathrine's lithe body moved towards the table with the rebels sitting near. All of them kept glancing from her to her lightsaber, afraid of what she might do.

"I understand you guys have a problem with me and the other Sith...[/i]," she said as she cracked a smile. "I'm here to resolve that issue."

[Southstar]

Southsta could feel the men alert and stand up. All of them were carrying weapons and they took target. Southstar, who was outside the warehouse could do nothing to protect his apprentice; she was on her own.

He took ahold of a speeder that was parked nearby and rammed it into the side of the building with the Force. A small Force spark in the engine created an explosion which blew a hole in the wall big enough for him to make his own entrance.

He jusmped down from his rooftop and began walking towards the warehouse. As he climbed over the rubble he ignighted his lightsaber.

How many are there. One man thought as he paniced and looked back to the other wall. His life was ended when one of his comrades shot at Southstar and the bolt was ricocheted his way.

With the Force he pulled on the lighting fixtures and sent them crashing to the ground. Another man died. Southstar lept into action with his lightsaber cutting two more down. The blaster fire was starting to get thivk now as a few more of the guards realized what was happening. Things were getting difficult fast.

[Kathrine]

Kathrine swung her lightsaber high as she deflected two shots. Her left hand snapped out as she wretched one of the men's weapons from his hand. She twisted, dropped to one knee and brought her lightsaber low and around so that when she came up, she left a fatal slash across someone's belly.

She was about to turn around to deal with a big hariy man when a streak of red flashed out of the corner of her eye and she felt a blaster bolt sear her right arm. She dropped down to her knee, letting her lightsaber go for the moment. She looked and swore. It was only a small cut, already cauterized, but it still hurt like hell. She called her lightsaber towards her and ignited it as she looked for the one that had fired the weapon. She would make him pay, of that she was sure.

[Southstar]

Southstar thrust his foot into the gut of a guard as another came at him armed with a piece of rubble; he met the business end of the lightsaber was no longer a problem. Southstar jumped as the Force warned him of incoming blasterfire. With the Force helping his body he had leapt a good twenty feet into the air and he had a birds eye view of the battle.

Overall, the plan was working, the main group of leaders had been pushed to the wall and were trapped. What also was happening was that there were enough incoming guards that Southstar and Kathrine were going to get trapped.

As he came down he landed on the meeting table sending discs everywhere and splitting it in two. As he ducked from some more blaster fire he grabbed ahold of some of the discs and shoved them in a pocket. With the Force he sent splinters of the table towards some of the enemy, not killing them but at least slowing them down. He looked around and realized they were officially surrounded, he hadn't anticipated so many guards to be there so soon. He picked up a fallen blaster and began firing, sometimes he forgot how useful they were.

[Kathrine]

She cursed to herself as she jumped behind a shipping crate made of durasteel. It would keep her safe for the time being, but as she stretched out her senses, she knew it wouldn't last for long. They were surrounded and there was nothing that they could do about it, short of setting off a thermal detanator.

So much for the brilliance of his plan. I guess it is time for me to take things into my own hands, Kathrine thought as she turned around to face the crate. She deactivated her lightsaber and placed it beside her on the ground. Next, placing both hands on the crate, the young Sith apprentice drew her strength through the Force and shoved the crate, not only with her body, but with her mind as well.

As soon as she could feel it slip from her grasp, she picked up her lightsaber and went out, determined to take a few more of these rebels with her if that was her destination for today. Someone got a shot off at her and she blocked it, but she was moving much slower now. Pushing that crate had taken a lot out of her and she was beginning to show it.

[Southstar]

The effectiveness of the blaster was hugely underestimated by both Sith and Jedi. One by one the rebel troops fell to the ground and things were finally beginning to tip back in the favor of the Sith.

Time to end this. Focus on taking out the leaders, but don't forget to watch your back. Southstar sent telepathically.

Southstar somersaulted back, forcing the leaders to press up against the wall even more, and turned around quickly slashing with his lightsaber blade. In the blur of dark blue three collapsed to the ground. He deflected another set of blaster fire from the ever dwindling numbers of guards and then reached back into the Force to find a few more leaders to terminate.

Southstar swung his lightsaber around in a twist to cut down one leader who was trying to sneak past him and found that the movement of his blade was stopped. Turning around to see the cause, he came face to face with the man from the police station.

"It's strong stuff." The man said in referance to his forearm guard that was holding Southstar's blade at bay. Southstar scowled and focused on one of the man's pouches with telekinesis and tried to remove an object. "And I'll be taking this one with me." He said and threw the leader over his shoulder and began to run.

Southstar decided to let it go. The man likely set the Sith up to create a distraction so that he could get to that specific man. He was probably a bounty hunter, a gutsy one at that. Southstar killed another man trying to get out of the area the Sith had created to contain them and fired the last shots in the blaster at a few guards. He wanted to leave as soon as possible.

[Kathrine]

Kathrine spun on the balls of her feet to slash through a peice of duracrete that was blown towards her by a shattering blaster bolt. This just gets better and better, she thought to herself as she noted that the gang was bringing out heavier weapons the longer they stayed in here. She was about to turn and suggest that it was time for them to rethink thier strategy when she caught sight of the rebel leader being carried away. Not having seen the man in the prison, she assumed it was one of his bodygaurds taking him to safety.

"After all this, I am not letting him get away!" She exclaimed as she started to give chase. Using what techniques she could, she jumped over the tables adn chairs and chunks of wall in her way. Slowly she was gaining on them, but it would be a feat. The gaurd seemed almost refreshed and full of energy, though how that was possible was anyone's guess after being in that firefight.

[Southstar]

Southstar watched Kathrine take chase after the man from the prison. Southstar dodged a blaster bolt and deflected another at its source. Most of the leaders were dead, some had escaped and there was the one who had been taken off. It was getting time to leave, especially with the sound of sirens in the background.

Southstar began to follow Kathrine in leaps over the wreckage and soon over took her. As he passed by he sent telepathically: We're leaving now. If we get seperated, head north and we'll meet in the plaza. Southstar dodged a small propelled missle that crashed just behind him, destroying the wall. He fled out another hole and began his own escape, sure that Kathrine would be able to get herself out.

[Kathrine]

The young girl faltered in her chase, but soon regain her balance. Leaving? Now? But I haven't caught the man yet!, she replied.

He face made a grimace as she turned to follow Southstar. She would have rather chased the man and brought him down to show her master she was better, but she didn't think it wise to get seperated. She changed her direction, ducking just in time to miss a pipe hanging low. When she looked back over at the man she had originally been chasing she noticed him near a wall. She gave a little shove through the Force at the wall. Hopefully it would fall on top of him and leave him for the authorities to find. If not, well then so be it. She would deal with him at a later time.

[Southstar]

Don't worry about it. Southstar sent as he ran past another warehouse. Lights flashed as more of the police speeders zipped by through the sky towards the target warehouse.

Southstar retrieved his commlink from his belt and called for the pilot of the crashed ship.

"Yeah, Master Southstar?" He responded.

"Good to hear you've survived. Is our escape ship in the designated place?"

"I've got it already fired up, sir."

"Good. Southstar out." He finished and hung a left down a wide street. Kathrine was following close behind him and he resumed telepathic contact with her.

Kathrine. we are going to take our leave of this moon. Our pilot has a TSO craft about four warehouses down on the left. Southstar continued to run while keeping his mind open to what the Force was telling him about his surroundings. None of the police had been harmed as most of the guards had been taken out by the Sith. Some were arrested, but most had been killed. Mission success.

Southstar turned left as he came upon the TSO craft and he entered the warehouse through the large folding door in the front. The boarding ramp was already down for the Sith as he lead the way on to the ship, eager to end the day.

[Kathrine]

Kathrine followed Southstar into the ship and threw herself into a nearby seat with a scornful look on her face. "Why did we have to pull out? I almost had him!"

Her face was red as she took a few deep breaths. She was afterall very tired from the running, but she didn't really care right now. She didn't understand why he had pulled them out and she wanted answers.

[Southstar]

The ship jolted into movement and was soon in the air. Southstar looked at his apprentice, who was out of breath fromthe run. His was slightly more regulated as he knew how to manipulate the Force into making his body work more efficiently.

"Most of the leaders were killed and we had made our point. The survivors will spread the word that the Sith are cracking down. As for the man who got away, I believe the one who took the rebel was a bounty hunter. The rebel is as good as dead." Southstar made a mental note to find out more about their bounty hunter once they got back to the Palace.

"You did fairly well today." He commented. "Only a few mistakes."

[Kathrine]

Her eyes narrowed in his direction. "And what would those have been? As far as I can tell, I'm alive and well and from what you say we did what we came to do. Where were the mistakes?"

[Southstar]

"Combat technique, strategy..." He said. "You can't be perfect on your first mission, don't be foolish. But we'll fix it at the palace." Southstar slid up his sleeve to check a minor scar.

[Kathrine]

"Hmph...as far as I can tell I'm not the one with the cuts and scars," she mumbled under her breath.

[Southstar]

"This!?" He lifted up his arm. "Is a minor cut! Did you walk out of there unharmed?"

[Kathrine]

She slid her hand up to the wound on her arm, covering it. "More or less."

[Southstar]

"You're not perfect and even after training, you'll be far from it." He said as he organized his things onto the table. He tossed the disc he picked up in the center.

"There's a medical kit over there, if you think you'll need it." He said and pointed against the wall near the door.

[Kathrine]

"Hmph...I don't need any meds. I'll be fine on my own," she said standing up and walking over to the table.

"What's this?" She asksed picking up the disk he tossed.

[Southstar]

"Not entirely sure." He responded whiel pulling one of his boots off. He might have twisted his ankle.. maybe. "I was going to scan it once we got back to the palace. And try and see if I can find out who our guest was."

[Kathrine]

Kathrine turned to her bag and with a moderate amount of concentration, a small datapad floated out of its opening and to her. She reached out and grabbed for it, but it dropped before she touched it. Luckily she was able to get a hold of it and lift it back up to her in an instant. She just hoped Southstar hadn't seen the falter as it would only give him another reason to talk about her training.

She tossed the small computer on the table in front of him. "Why wait?"

[Southstar]

He felt her drop the datapad but ignored it. He didn't feel like dealing with it. "No reason." He said and slid the disc into the datapad. The screen lit up as he was given access to several options. The first thing he came across were a few pictures of what seemed a family. The next were copies of the owners registration papers. Access to banks statements, nothing too unusual there. There were a few copies of large documents, but as Southstar scanned through them he wasn't finding anything of interest.

"This whole disc..." He said and paused as he read through some more. "Is pure crap. There's not a damn thing on here." He pushed the datapad away and leaned back. "Look for yourself if you like."

[Kathrine]

She glanced through it. He was right. There was nothing. Unless...

"Maybe there is more in here than you think. You wanted the leader of the Rebels, well here you are. Anything and everything you could want to know. Bank accounts, property papers, pictures of his family. If the bounty hunter did not get him or even if he did, then there should be something in here to lead us to the other rebels. This thing is full of people that he interacted with on a daily basis."

[Southstar]

That was being resourceful. Never in public would he admit it, but he was impressed. He frowned. "Yeah, but its still not much anyway." He stood up. "I'm going to rest for the remainder of the trip. You're free to do whatever." Not like there was much to do on the ship.

He entered a small room with a small bunk and a sink. Shutting the door he reflected on the day. She's not bad, didn't get killed. Not like Kareth... Kareth was an apprentice for a short time, real short. I would have done better at her age. She was lucky she wasn't killed. That bounty hunter... I swear I had seen him before. There's too much to think about, not enough time.

[Kathrine]

Kathrine stayed where she was and leaned her head back against the wall. This will do just fine for a short nap. she thought as she closed her eyes and fell into a light sleep.