"Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall set me free."
This ancient creed of the Sith Order was recited over and over again in the mind of a certain Nero Sylum, Dark Assassin for the Empire. While not a full fledged Inquisitor, his job was similar. Find any surviving Jedi or Force-Sensitives and exterminate them.
Ironically, he was not even supposed to know about the code. None except the Emperor and his faithful apprentice, Darth Vader were allowed to study the aspects of the Dark Side, and how to bend it to one's will. But Nero was tricky, and his master was crafty, to the point where they both studied the Sith Code in secret whenever they were alone.
Like Nero, his master was a Dark Assassin for the Empire, one of the oldest to ever serve the Emperor, save for Darth Vader, obviously. It was through his master that Nero knew the true nature of the ones he was sworn to serve, to know that the Emperor and his subordinate were Dark Lords of the Sith. This knowledge was both an honor and a curse, for only the most trusted of the Emperor's inner circle were allowed to know. As assassins for him, they knew the truth of course, but they were sworn to absolute secrecy. If word got out that two measly assassins told everybody the truth... well, the consequences would be dire.
But once again, they were smart. They knew how to hide their knowledge from the creeping eyes of the soldiers around them. Such is the way of the Sith, for one must always be paranoid and on guard if he is to survive. Besides, they had no intention of revealing this little secret to anyone... yet.
For now, they must wait. The time to strike will eventually come, and they will be ready when it does.
Nero walked through one of the many dimly lit halls of the Star Destroyer The Hopeless, reciting the code to himself while twirling a small little ring in the air using the Force. His master had summoned him to the bridge, most likely to receive his next assignment. He hoped it would be something worth his mettle this time, his latest assignments had been riot control and squashing small rebellions.
It was necessary work, he knew that, but he wished for something more challenging, something like hunting down surviving Jedi, or searching for Sith Artifacts that would benefit the Emperor, or themselves. Unfortunately, those assignments were often given to the Inquisitorius and the high ranking assassins. But perhaps this time, something in his gut told him that this one would be the one that earned him the praise he deserved, maybe even being able to lead the Inquisitors. But it did no one any good daydreaming about things that may not come to pass. For now, he must remain calm and controlled, being nothing but a tool to be used in service to the Empire.
As he approached the bridge, all other personnel on board became rigid and stiff, as if they were addressing a captain. Nero was not captain of this ship, that honor went to Admiral Frey. But even he gave Nero the fearful respect he deserved, knowing that he outranked him by a substantial amount, and could destroy him easily if he wanted to. Nero smiled devilishly at this devious thought.
Admiral Frey stammered a bit as he addressed his superior, "N-Nero Sylum, w-we weren't expecting you so s-soon."
"Which goes to show you how much faith you lack in a Dark Assassin to the Emperor. And that's Master Nero Sylum to you," Nero said in a calm but foreboding voice, he liked being able to toy with his inferiors.
Frey gulped in fright, "No, of course master, I-I didn't mean it like that! I-I-I..."
"Hold your breath," Nero spat, with more authority this time, "Where is my master? I was told he would meet me here!"
Admiral Frey came forward, ever so slightly, "Um, M-Master Morbus had diverted his course because of some personal matters that he needed to address. I was told to be the one to give you the assignment inst-"
Nero had tensed his fingers at these words, causing Frey to clench at his throat, trying to pull away invisible hands as they crushed his windpipe.
Nero was grateful to his master, it was because of him that he was alive. But the anger and hatred he felt towards him at the moment was unparalleled. How dare he simply brush his own apprentice off for some stupid unimportant matter?! How dare he undermine him and have some underling give him the assignment instead?!
With every thought that ran through his head, his hate became stronger, fueling his power in the Dark Side. It was a good 15 seconds before he realized he was choking poor Frey to death. Releasing his fingers, Frey fell to the ground, taking large breaths of the precious air that he had been denied, "Very well, what is the assignment?"
Once he had gotten a good deep breaths in, Frey straightened himself up and spoke, "Master Morbus wants you to go to a planet somewhere in the Unknown Regions. Something about feeling a disturbance that needed to be inspected."
Nero silently praised himself, he was finally doing something important, something worthy of his many talents! Clearing himself, he stated, "Very well, I shall leave immediately. What are the coordinates?"
Admiral Frey rubbed his collar awkwardly, "Unfortunately sir, he did not provide a clear set of coordinates. He just gave a map of an unexplored parsec in the area. He said to 'trust your feelings?'"
Nero brought his fist up, while Frey braced himself for more punishment. But it did not come, for Nero was deep in thought. It was unlike his master to be so mysterious about something. He was very cold and calculated about everything, especially when it was important, as this assignment must have been. Why was he being so informal about all this? Perhaps it had something to do with this "Disturbance" he talked about? Well, there was only one way to find out. Extending out his hand, he motioned Admiral Frey to hand him the holomap of the sector, to which he complied.
Suddenly, the wailing of sirens burst through every corridor on The Hopeless. They were under attack!
Nero rushed forward to the visors giving them view of the space around them. What stood in front of The Hopeless was a small fleet of star fighters coming out of hyperspace! A resistance group was on its way!
The weak and pathetic man that had stood before Nero was suddenly replaced with someone filled with determination and who knew what was going on. Frey was now in his element, and he knew exactly what to do,
"All units, prepare the ship for defensive actions! Resistance fighters inbound! All pilots to their TIE Fighters, now!"
Nero was surprised, and even a little panicked! They had dealt with small ships who thought they could go up against the Star Destroyers before, but this was different. This was a coordinated attack against the Empire, despite how small a fleet it was! He had thought no one had the bravery to stand against the might of the Empire! Something that he didn't even think was possible.
But that wasn't important right now, let Frey and his band of subordinates deal with the traitors. Right now, he had a job to do, and the quicker he was out of the battlefield, the better!
Tearing down the halls to the hangar, he ran past the many TIE Pilots who were scrambling to get into their pods and join the fight. But none of them mattered now, all that mattered was getting to his own ship and getting out of here!
Nero smiled as his ship was in sight, a modified Sentinel-class landing craft. Tinkered and altered to his liking, the shuttle supported twin blasters below the pilot area, making quick work of any foe that stood in his path. With an added hyperdrive, and refurbished metal alloy, it had the uncharacteristic ability of being able to withstand the pressure of hyperspace, something that most fighters in the Sentinel Series were incapable of. The wings were painted a deep red, with black rancor skulls on the side of the two lower wings. He wanted his subordinates to know who he was, and his enemies to be struck with fear at the sight of him. It wasn't as luxurious as the Lambda-class shuttles, but it served him well.
There was suddenly an explosion! His once proud ship becoming a big orange ball of gases that went up in flames as countless Stormtroopers were either enveloped in it, or jumped in a vain attempt to escape. Nero got lucky, the explosion only getting his cape, which he had to discard. He could hear the screaming of the flaming bodies surrounding him, and he could feel the searing pain that they felt, albeit on a smaller scale. But it wasn't just the anguish of his soldiers that gave him power. No, nothing could compare to watching his prized ship go up in flames. Revenge and hatred filled Nero's mind, it was enough to fuel his power in the Dark Side tenfold, making him stronger than his hatred for his master ever could. It felt really really good, having all this power. He longed for the foolish enemies who destroyed his ship to approach him and taste his undying wrath.
"Hold it right there!" a voice appeared from nowhere.
Nero then smiled, as he found himself surrounded by a small battalion of maybe twenty men. It seemed that the terrorists had found a way onto the ship. He looked around for any stormtroopers who would've spotted them. There were none, they were all either dead or had moved to the next hangar. That just left Nero and his prey alone together in the same room.
"Stop right there," shouted a burly looking man, obviously the leader of the squad, "Put your hands up and face towards me, Imperial Scum!"
Nero held on to the smile painted across his face. He could destroy them right here and now, if he wanted to. But why do it now? Why just snuff out his enemies when he could play with them a little bit? When he could savor their defeat as they were slowly crushed underneath him? So, playing along for now, he brought his hands up above his head, and made direct eye contact with his foe. This was going to be all too easy.
"You're under arrest for treason against the Republic!" the Squad Leader announced, "You, get some stun cuffs on him. We're talking him in for trial and execution!"
"Yes sir!" the soldier saluted, moving forward to place the cuffs on his wrists. Nero tried everything he could to keep himself from laughing, but it was harder than it looked. The soldier cuffing him noticed him and gave him a big slap in the face, "Silence, Imperial Scum! You're in the custody of..."
The soldier never got to finish his sentence. Like Admiral Frey before him, his hands were clenched around his neck, trying to pry away an unseen force. His comrades could only watch in fear as he slowly rose up in the air, trying so hard to breathe.
Nero chuckled, a hint of anger in his breath, "The ship that your men just destroyed was a one of a kind, modified Sentinel-class landing ship. Do you know how long it took me to put it together? How long I searched for the rare parts that unlocked its true potential?!" Nero started venting, each heavy breath he took was filled with his hatred for them, for destroying his proud vessel, "You, and your men, will now suffer for your foolish actions, starting with this one."
The choking soldier tried his best to call for help, to beg of them to somehow save them from what was happening to him. But no help came, from his comrades or anyone else. And with a resounding snap, his head limped in an awkward position as he fell dead to the floor. He was lucky, his death was quick and painless. His comrades would not be so lucky. Nero bellowed a sickly laughter, as if he was insane, putting his hands to his sides, summoning two metal cylinders into his hands.
"Now, you shall feel the undying wrath of the Dark Side!"
His lightsabers suddenly burst to life, the sound of thunder alongside the crimson red blades of light. With one circular motion, he cut down seven of the nineteen remaining soldiers. This was gonna be so much fun.
"Brothers, attack!" the leader commanded, trying to mask his fear. He was doing a poor job, and Nero knew it. Rushing forward, Nero swiped his lightsaber towards the enemy, cutting down another three soldiers, making the original twenty soldiers ten. Then came the blaster fire, the soldiers trying desperately to gain the upper hand. Quickly dodging the bolts of light, he ran towards the slaughter, using his blades to deflect any stray bolts that could've hit home.
"He's too fast!" one of the soldiers cried before being cut down. Five of his companions tried to surround him and open fire. This backfired on them tremendously as Nero quickly used the Force to levitate his twin lightsabers to cut them down in a whirlpool-like fashion.
The soldiers gave in to their fear, there was no way they could beat this monster. Abandoning their mission, they ran to escape in their ship. Nero laughed, such cowardice fueled his power. Nero lunged his hand upward, calling upon the Force to pull on the ceiling of the hangar. Slowly, a large piece of scrap wrestled itself free from the ceiling, landing on the ship of the soldiers who dared destroy his ship. The scrap came down on them just as they were entering the ship.
Nero laughed in his victory! In a normal bout, he would be disappointed in how little a challenge his enemies could give them. And yet, in this battle he was reminded of the importance of gnats like those soldiers. What was the point of being strong if not to crush the weak, bend them to your rule, and if necessary, break them! Nero felt such joy before! But the battle wasn't done yet...
The sound of blaster fire filled Nero's ears as a couple of bolts nearly missed his ears. He slowly turned around, to see who dared fire at him. The leader of that little gang of insignificant womp rats was still attempting to destroy him. But he was sloppy, unfocused, his fear of Nero still dominant in his mind. He was no threat, and Nero knew this. Slowly, step by step, Nero closed in on the last of his prey.
"No, stay back!" The captain shouted, shooting at him mid-sentence, "Get away from me!" Bolt after bolt he shot, trying his best to land a blow on the monster in front of him. But Nero simply weaved his way through, not even having to use the Force to dodge them. The man started screaming, screaming for anybody to save him from his opponent as he vainly tried to shoot the approaching abomination that was Nero Sylum. Then, when he was close enough, Nero took his lightsaber, and stuck it through the gut of his enemy.
The captain could feel his life slowly ebbing away as he stared at the monster in front of him. Using the last of his strength, he asked his foe, "What... are you?"
Nero smiled, giving him a simple but effective answer, "A monster."
Then, it was over. Violently pulling his crimson blade from the terrorist's chest, he used the Force to throw his body into the air. And then, with a Force augmented shriek, he sent the fools body through the hangar bay. Launching him into the black abyss that was space.
Nero's hate educed frenzy was starting to wear off. The adrenaline rush from the chaos around him ebbed away as he clenched victory in his hand. The Dark Side was a powerful tool, but like the engine of a starship, it required fuel. For now, Nero's fuel had been depleted. But that wasn't a problem for him. Now that he had had his fun, it was time to return to the mission. It was time to do what his master had ordered of him. He couldn't use his own ship, as it was destroyed. He would have to appropriate another one from the hangar. One that hadn't got crushed or blown up, at least.
"My lord.."
In an instant, Nero's Lightsabers were on again, aiming at the fool behind him. To his surprise, and embarrassment, the voice behind him was nothing more than a lowly stormtrooper, followed by a small squad of about fifteen men. Nero knew better than to attack an ally of the Empire. Deactivating his lightsabers, he addressed his inferiors as the stood at attention, "For what do I owe this report, trooper?"
Saluting, the leader of the squadron stepped forward, "Sir, we were tasked by Admiral Frey to inform you that the threat has been dealt with. All boarding parties have been destroyed, and that you have a clear voyage to your objective, sir!"
Nero sighed, upset that he only got to deal with one squadron while Frey and his goons got to take out the entire resistance fleet. Sighing, he acknowledged the troopers report, "Very well, soldier. You have done well to tell me this. Return to Admiral Frey and tell him I will speak on his behalf for a promotion."
Nero attempted to leave, to find a ship that wasn't destroyed. But the stormtrooper wasn't done yet, "Oh, one more thing, sir. We were tasked by Admiral Frey to accompany you during the mission, to provide aid and support whenever needed, sir."
Nero tensed, stopping dead in his tracks. Much like the terrorist captain before them, he slowly turned around to give them a look that struck the entire squad with terror. To Nero, this was an insult. A clever way of telling him that they didn't think that he was capable of completing the mission on his own. Daggers in his eyes, he approached the commanding officer, "What is your name, trooper?"
Gulping, the trooper replied, "M-my designation number is DH-7654..."
Nero halted him mid-sentence, "Your name, trooper!"
The trooper was terrified, "G-G-Gerald, sir. Gerald Frig."
Placing his hand on Gerald's shoulder, Nero continued, "Well, let me inform you and your squadron of something, Gerald Frig. I do not need the help of some lowly trooper and his band of washout cadets! You will return to Admiral Frey, announce to him this message, then resign your posts as soldiers and tell Frey any hope of being promoted to Grand Admiral will be denied! You will...!"
Nero then felt immense pain, pain that none had ever felt before, it was like his brain was trying to drill itself out of his skull. He fell to the ground, the pain forcing him on his knees. The stormtroopers stepped back, utterly confused at these current events.
"You will order no such thing, my foolish apprentice!"
"Master?" Nero gasped, fear filling his lungs. His master had somehow found a way to converse with him in his own head. How was this possible?!
As if he read his thoughts, Master Morbus continued, "You forget, the Dark Side is the path to make the impossible, very possible. I have to power to relay my desires directly into your head! You will not have these men or Admiral Frey court-martialed."
Nero begged, "But Master, they are lowly grunts! Surely I will not need them for such a..."
"SILENCE!"
Knowing not to anger his master, Nero slunk deeper to the ground, "Forgive me, master. Forgive me for my short-sightedness."
"Make sure it does not happen again," Morbus threatened, "Oh worthy apprentice, I have had a vision. A vision of great power, overwhelming power unlike anything we have ever seen. These men will have an important role to play in obtaining that power, the power that will ensure our revolt against the Emperor is successful."
"What power?" Nero asked his master, "What power did you see in your vision?"
"Details of the vision are flawed, and cannot be interpreted clearly. But I can sense the power, the delicious and unbeatable power! I see a girl. Human, yet at the same time, not. She holds the key to a weapon so powerful, that all who come before her are bent to her will. The weapon she contains must fall into our hands if we are to conquer the Empire!"
Nero was confused, "But where must I look?! Where must I go to find this girl, and her unbeatable weapon?! If she is as powerful as you say, how do we have any hope of defeating her?!"
Morbus laughed, "Patience! Patience, my apprentice. All will be revealed in time. For now, trust that the Force will guide you towards the planet she inhabits. Appropriate a shuttle and these men, and let your feelings show you the way. When you encounter this girl, you are to kill her and take her key. Through your strength in the Dark Side, you will prevail. Go, my apprentice, go and bring us glory!"
And just like that, he was gone. The overwhelming pain in Nero's head vanished as he no longer felt the presence of his master. As the pain subsided, he realized that he was groveling at Gerald's feet. They seemed confused, they had not heard a single word of the conversation. Had it all been inside Nero's head? Quickly pulling himself back up, he addressed his inferiors, "Gerald Frig, there has been a change in plans. You and your squadron will be accompanying me on my mission. We will appropriate a shuttle and set on our way immediately!"
The confused and scared looks on the troopers faces vanished, masked with the stern and cold looks of soldiers of the imperial army. It was not their job to ask questions, simply to follow orders. And they intended to do just that, "Sir, yes sir!"
Nero nodded, "Very good. Now, if one of you would contact Admiral Frey and report to him that we are in need of a new ship. Preferably a Lambda-class shuttle. On the double, men!"
And with lightning precision, they did just that. They quickly made Admiral Frey aware of the situation and were quickly led to a hangar bay that held the requested ship. Perhaps after the mission, Nero would be able to remodel it after his previous ship. As Nero stood aboard the ship, admiring his new crew, he thought to himself that maybe these soldiers weren't as incompetent as he first thought they were. Perhaps they did have a role to play in the grand scheme of Morbus's plan.
"Where to, sir?" the ship's captain asked. Nero hesitated, not knowing what coordinates to give the pilot. Then, he remembered what his master had told him, that his feelings would show him the way. Reaching within himself, Nero closed his eyes, trying to imagine the girl Morbus spoke of. What did she look like, what was she like, where did she live, and most importantly, what power did she possess that Morbus thought they could use?"
Suddenly, Nero spotted a shadow. A shadow of a figure, feminine in proportions, yet lacked any features. He couldn't see what she looked like, only that she was standing on the roof a large castle-like building. He also saw a necklace, standing out among her blank features. A bright orange necklace depicting a red and yellow sun. It was powerful, but not in the Force. No, this power felt different, could it be the power that he was looking for? Suddenly, it all became clear to him.
"I know where we must go," Nero declared, "Frey said the planet was in an unexplored section in the Unknown Regions, type in the following coordinates!"
After telling the captain of the ship the exact coordinates of where they needed to go, they prepared to make the jump to hyperspace, "Prepare to jump to hyperspace in three... two... one... punch it!"
All around them, the stars began to form bright long columns as they launched into hyperspace, the columns of stars being replaced with the familiar blue hue of hyperspace. As they sped towards the Unknown Regions, Nero braced himself for his greatest challenge yet.