Star Wars: The High Republic Book 1. Return of the Sith

Chapter 1: The Nihil

 The desert sands were baked in bright sunlight as its twin suns beamed down onto its dry surface. In the distance, a magnificent spire against the horizon shields the dune sea below. Several small creatures emerge from the sand, rolling and playing, bumping into one another with their hard shells. Guards perched above in the palace's battlements look over the near endless expanse, only broken by a distant mountain or two, or the odd rock formation here and there, waiting for just... Anything to happen.

"You ever feel like our job is useless?" asks one to another, clad in cloth of red and green, and guarded by metal plating, his blaster rifle held loosely at the chest.

"What do you mean?" asked the other in a more battle ready stance.

"Well, we stand here all day, guarding the dudes who pay us, but from what? I don't see anyone." He put a hand above his eyes to shield them as he scanned the surface to make his point.

"If there is someone, then I'm sure we'll serve our purpose just fine," He puts simply. "Plus, at the end of the day, we get paid."

"I just... Feel like I should be doin' more, y'know man? More than just staring at the same vista all day every day not even bein' able to see it half the day cuz the sun's in my eyes," he rants, before pausing. "Sorry, it's just... This ain't how i thought I'd spend my life, y'know?"

 The other guard looks over at him, and relaxes a bit, patting his friend on the shoulder. "Maybe you're right, Kaliik. Once we're back in town, let's grab a beer together, alright?"

 He smiles, "Yeah... I'd like... Is that a-" The sound of explosives erupted through the silence as a hole was blasted into the palace's wall. Palace guards stood back, guns ready as a small storage ship approached the charred stone. They waited, standing as far back as they could, a thick layer of sand and ash like a fog in the air.

 Slowly, the ship's hangar cracked open, the door gently descending towards the floor of the palace with a quiet mechanical whir, as blaster bolts were sent from one side to the other, each side firing blindly at the other. A wall of shields emerged from inside the hangar, made of scrap metal and leather, as more and more palace guards fell, slumped over against the walls they clung to, among the other corpses, now nothing more than a heap of bodies.

 A set of black armor and robes stepped down from the hangar, his deep, red eyes piercing the crowd of men and women clad in metal and leather. They stood aside, in attendance as he approached. "Take what you can. Reinforcements are on the way."

 Ears ringing, a body rose from the settling sand. Kaliik looked down at his fallen comrade before him, and up as a ship rose up only inches away. He ducked down, hoping the dust would be enough to keep himself hidden before grabbing onto his friend, and dragging him into cover.

 Another ship descended, firing down at the palace, now beginning to crumble under its own weight, chunks of stone, metal and bodies warm and cold, falling down to the cold sand below, ash growing thicker in the air.

"Fools, protect me!" Shouted the hutt. Several guards watched the doors as the walls that surrounded them shook and rumbled. The hutt scrambled with his belongings, finally grabbing a hold of his holoprojector, as the large door opposite to his throne began to creak.

 The guards remained tense, their trigger fingers locked, ready to fire at a moment's notice, watching the door now ajar. And before some could even fire, it flew off its hinges, careening through the air into the guards, killing them instantly. Any who remained were frozen, as were the bolts that managed to escape their blasters, a dark figure walking into their red light. He raised a hand, lifting the frozen bodies high into the air, before letting them all go, blaster bolts exploding into sparks as they flew into the walls and pillars behind him, his piercing red eyes looking through the hutt who tried his best to back up into his throne.

"Please, send someone, I-I don't know who he is or what he wants," he shouts.

"Sir? Sir, is everything ok?" asked a voice on the other end.

"No, no, he's right here! He's right-" Within an instant, the hutt was silenced, his body cast in a red flickering light as the holoprojector rolled to the ground, now a piece of useless metal under the figure's boot. The only sound remaining was the low growl of the collapsing structure, and the hum of the Sith's lightsaber.

 The twi'lek woman on the other end of the communication took a step back as she watched the hutt die, her mind raced a moment, before finally, she called someone she trusted.

The Captain stood looking out over his ship, into the stars ahead. He felt a buzz in his pocket, and reached in, pulling out his holoprojector. He answered the call, and a panicked voice came through. "Captain Vanet," said the Twi'lek.

"Shari? What's the matter?" he asked calmly.

"There's a Sith lord, h-he's killing the hutts!"

 Kaliik continued forth, trying to find safety as he followed the curvature of the wall. Nihil soldiers lay ahead, their focus on him, sending a hail of blaster bolts flying towards him, hitting the stone between them as he ducked behind a piece of rubble, firing back. He looked down at his friend, limp beside him, then at the desert expanse. There really is no way out. He curled in on himself, and just waited...

 The Nihil soldiers approached cautiously, peering over the rubble at the guard, who stayed curled up in a ball. The one in front held a hand up, looking him over, and his former friend. "Hey, buddy..." he said in a soft voice, "C'mon, let's get you out of here."