STAR WARS: Fugitive

Prologue:

The lonely starship, a Fury-class Interceptor, the Malignant, loomed gingerly in high orbit above the planet, Mandalore, prepped for launch into hyperspace, poised and ready to ensure no time would be wasted in leaving once its purpose here was fulfilled. Then it would rendezvous with one of its sister vessels, the Pernicious, a small hyper-jump away, to conduct business with a smuggler on Gargon, and from there to Ryloth. These vessels carried members of the Sith Order.

The Sith had reemerged almost a millennium ago, establishing a new empire in the face of the Republic, defeating and driving the Republic forces, led by the powerful Jedi,  into the galaxy's Core sectors. The Republic had suffered a significant loss almost five hundred years ago, and had yet to recover, the last few decades being the worst of their decline. In response, Sith dominance continued to grow, but it was no longer what it was in the beginning. Though slowly, incoherently they accumulated more control of the galaxy from the Republic, the essence of the New Sith Empire had subtly begun to weaken, fading into disharmony. Making things worse, information was scarce outside the Core Worlds, due to something that seemed to have caused the collapse of the holonet, contributing to the disarray of the growing Sith presence in the galaxy. Sith Lords were still conquering worlds, fighting each other for supremacy and purging of weakness among the Sith, and weaving networks in order to eventually eradicate the Jedi and their Republic.

One such Sith Lord, Darth Durus, an Umbaran Sith Inquisitor, succeeded in building a formidable web composed of Sith warriors, assassins and other resources through crime networks, political spies, and a myriad of smuggler rings. Thus far he had grown beneath the sights and sensors of other Sith Lords, avoiding their pointless squabbles, yet subtly directing various other Sith Lords into organized chaos through espionage and cunning.

But lately Durus sensed volatile vices within his own subordinates, along with a few disturbing revelations of the future in the Force, including what seemed like the fall of the Sith. Loose ends would need to be severed, and a few unfortunate modifications in plans were in order, beginning at Mandalore under the hand of his apprentice aboard the Malignant.

His image flickered in the holodisplay, "There's been a disturbance in the Force.  Is it completed?" asked the hologram of Darth Durus, his voice mellow, calm, and aged. Wearing a cloak, he looked no different from other Sith warlords, his pale face barely visible beneath the hood. This must have been an event of galactic importance, as Darth Durus rarely showed himself or made direct contact beyond the secure link within their more private meditation compartments.

I wasn't expecting him to make contact so soon!  "Not as of yet, my Lord!" Lord Subtyr, his apprentice, replied smoothly, "We've received reports of success; the body count is almost complete!"

"There cannot be any mistakes! The fate of the Sith depends on it!" warned Durus, his voice rising with controlled anxiety.

"I am seeing to it personally, my Lord! We received a report that a Jedi infiltrator was in our midst, and has been already eliminated."

"Good! When this is completed, go to Ryloth and contact me when you arrive. We still have a greater mission afoot; we shall soon show the galaxy the glory of the Sith, and begin to bring the Republic to the dust, along with its Jedi protectors!"

"Yes, my Lord," replied the apprentice as the hologram vanished. "Has Lord Cunan made contact yet? What is the last count?" he bellowed to the communications droid. "Not since the last report; the count is still minus two."

The "count" number was counting up to zero for the Sith espionage squadron sent on a mission that would eradicate them. What a waste of such useful resources! The unit had been the most potent and efficient and invisible. A Jedi spy in their midst; no wonder they could be so precise!

Darth Durus had seen a Force vision of the demise of the Sith due to this unit's continued existence.  He could not pinpoint the member or members of the squadron who would serve as the catalyst for this vision, so it was decided that the group was now expendable. The progress of the mission crawled slower than the apprentice expected for a sting operation. I have a bad feeling about this.  It was taking too long, and he risked his personal safety placating Lord Durus with the news of the fallen Jedi. The Mandalorians thus far had cooperated, but that would vanish the instant the operation was over, and the apprentice did not wish to remain in the Mandalore system long afterward.

"Lord Cunan is making contact, now!" chimed the communications droid.

It's about time! "Bring him up," he replied smoothly.

Cunan's holo-image appeared, and he looked forlorn. "Report!" bellowed the apprentice.

"My Lord, The count as still at minus-two; one of the unit members is missing, and another is verified escaped from the compound. A small Mandalorian squad pursued in vain, and they are demanding more compensation for their unexpected losses."

The apprentice dropped his head into his hand, clearly mirroring the dejection both heard and felt in Cunan's voice. He could feel fear building within himself; Lord Durus rarely spoke in error or lightly of his visions in the Force. Subtyr knew of the vast network Durus had been assembling against the Jedi and their Republic. Durus had woven a web with which to launch a mighty offensive that would rally and inspire other Sith Lords to action. Subtyr was being sent to Ryloth for procurement of resources toward "holes" in Durus' web. Timing was of the essence; thus failure of this operation was simply not an option, and now the Mandalorians added another obstacle to deal with.

Mandalorian culture infused its members with peculiar tenacity and exceptional skill and flexibility in combat, making them extremely dependable and productive mercenaries, which hinged upon their third trait as mercenaries: the price had to be right, or else their own interests had to be settled. The fugitive Cunan spoke of had evaded this Mandalorian effort... a really bad feeling about this...

We can deal with the Mandalorians, but this operation must be completed!

"Darth Cunan, I'm routing reinforcements to assist you in your pursuit of the two that remain. I have just spoken with Lord Durus; partial completion of this operation will be fatal for us all! Do not fail me, or I will personally ensure you will not survive!"

"Understood, Lord Subtyr," replied Cunan smartly. "I will send rendezvous coordinates shortly. We will succeed!"