The Rebel Faction

Darth Yang marched silently through the dimly lit corridor which lead to his personal quarters. His black robe gliding across the sleek surface of the floor with each step. His hood covering his facial features in complete shadow as he strode forward with his head slumped somewhat. The private corridor came to an end with a solitary door. Yang stopped and removed a tight black leather glove from his right hand which extended to his mid forearm exposing a black and blue tattooed arm. He reached up entered a 12 digit code into the console. And after a beep of confirmation was heard he placed his right hand flush against the surface of a scanner just above the console which visually scanned the surface of his hand to verify his identity.

Another beep was heard which caused the door to slide open with an audible woosh. But before the door even cracked Darth Yang reached into his cloak and unclipped his lightsaber from his left hip which dangled from a belt. In the milliseconds before the door could open Darth Yang was already in a fighting stance as his left foot stood out in front of him and his right foot was just behind him both angling to the right as he lowered his center of gravity leaning back on his right foot. His right arm was at head level and just behind him and to the right, by now the brilliant blue blade had been exposed and began to hum as it would continuously. His left hand was held out just in front of him his fingers twitching anxiously.

He sensed a presence from within his quarters, a dark presence. As soon as the door opened the first thing Yang saw was the bottom side of a large boot which crushed into his jaw with a crack propelling him backwards and sending his feet high into the air. His hood flew off in the proccess as he crashed down on the back of his head with a thud. His body slammed hard into the surface as his torso came to meet the duracrete floor.

Darth Yang raised his head quickly from off the floor and in one quick motion he threw his legs up and snapped his torso forward so that he was again standing but this was only temporary because before he could even regain any kind of fighting stance he was slammed hard squarely in the nose with a gloved punch that sent him sailing into the wall of the small corridor, his head again receiving the brunt of the damage but this time he barely managed to keep himself from crashing into the surface by extending his bare right hand down to the cold ground to keep him from falling completely. In the process his lightsaber flew backwards several meters extinguishing the blade but Yang had not even noticed. He still had not even been able to process a thought and had no idea who the attacker was.

In his best effort yet Yang quickly got back to his feet and in one lightning quick movement sent his right hand sailing forward towards his attacker's face which in the excitement he had still be unable to identify in the dark corridor. His momentum carried him forward as his attacker vanished without a trace somehow ducking out of the way of the perfectly placed punch. The attacker grabbed Yang's bare wrist with his left hand and clutched Yang's right elbow with his right hand propelling him forward with a sledge hammer like motion that sent Darth Yang flipping over his attacker and crashing down to the hard floor again, this time landing on his back as his body bounced just slightly off the ground.

Yang rolled forward and sprung to his feet quickly as he spun 180 degrees to meet his attacker eye to eye. Before Darth Yang even realized that there was no one there he was grabbed from behind with jarring force. The attacker wrapped his right arm around Yang's throat so that the inside of the attacker's elbow was crushing against Yang's throat making it difficult to breathe. With his left arm the attacker applied pressure to the back of his neck squeezing his neck continuously so the attacker had Yang's neck in a scissor like grip.

He then proceeded to ram Yang's exposed head into the durasteel wall on the right side of the two men who now faced in the same direction. The top of Yang's head hitting the wall hard, the metallic thud echoing throughout the narrow corridor. Just as quickly the man jerked Yang to the left ramming his head into the opposite wall with even greater force than the first time and this time letting the Sith fall to the floor almost lifeless.

The Sith lie there on his belly, blood flowing heavily from his nose and mouth, the top of his head bruised and bloody. As painful as this must be Darth Yang was able to block the pain out completely and was just now starting to gain a foothold on the situation.

Who dare attack me?

Was all the thought that Yang could muster, and an illogical one at that. Any sane person would be trying to figure out how they could escape this brutal beating with their life intact. Lying there still face down with his eyes closed he reached out through the Force, the hilt of his lightsaber shook on the ground for just a moment as he focused on it through the Force. His attacker however was not going to allow this feeble effort to come to fruition as he leaped forward clutching the lightsaber in mid flight as it flew back toward its owner's awaiting grip.

Without opening his eyes Darth Yang already perceived what had happened as his hand fell to the floor lightsaber-less. He slowly raised his head off of the ground and craned his neck up so that he could meet eye to eye with his attacker. But before he could catch a glimpse of the assailant the blue blade of his lightsaber was ignited sending the tip of the blade just centimeters from Darth Yang's face, blocking out Yang's vision of the attacker.

"You call yourself a Sith? Look at you. Lying there beaten and bloody. You are no Sith. You are weak. I might as well kill you now." The deep voice of the attacker was finally heard from up above the fallen Darth Yang.

The anger swelled up within Darth Yang as the words which had just been spoken had brought him more pain than the entire beating which he had just endured.

"Master?" Darth Yang said as his head fell back to the floor with a final thud.

"Good. Because if you were to fail me again.."

Darth Yang interrupted. "I will not Master."

"Very well then."

Maximus Tyranus turned and walked back towards Darth Yang's quarters. Darth Yang followed closely just a few steps behind.

When they got to the door Maximus stopped and turned back towards Yang. Darth Yang began to enter the code that would open the now shut door. Before he had been able to enter two digits Maximus Tyranus raised his hand and the door opened swiftly. He looked at his pupil and shook his head as he entered.

Upon entering Darth Yang immediately noticed that there was some sort of parka laid out on the stiff mattress which passed for a bed. Yang's eyes widened not knowing exactly what the gear was for.

"Ulabos." Maximus answered knowing what the question was hanging in Darth Yang's mind.

"Ulabos?" Darth Yang asked his voice still somewhat hoarse.

"We'll discuss Ulabos later."

Instinctively, Yang raised a curious brow.

"But first." Darth Yang's thought was cut off as his Master spoke. "There's something else that needs doing."

Yang turned to meet the gaze of Maximus Tyranus.

"There is a man who has some information that I find.. <i>invaluable</i>." Maximus Tyranus said as he slowly paced around the quarters. "You must bring him to me, with his journal. His name is Tal Sivron, he is a Twi'Lek."

Maximus stopped and turned to face Yang who was listening intently.

"He is never without a capable security staff, he deals in rare <i>artifacts</i>. That should be all the information you need to locate him and bring him to me.. alive."

With that Maximus walked out of the room and down the dimly lit corridor without so much as a goodbye.

Darth Yang stood there with plenty of questions running through his mind. <i>Who is Tal Sivron? What does Maximus want with him? But most importantly. <b>Where</b> is he?</i>

He soared at over six hundred kilometers per hour weaving in and out of traffic with Force aided precision. Narrowly avoiding fatal collisions by mere centimeters as he flew to his destination.

Darth Yang thrust the handlebars forward propelling the vehicle into a steep descent. After dropping several hundred meters he converged into another lane of traffic. This lane however would not take him to his destination. Darth Yang was headed to the deepest darkest corners of Coruscant.

Darth Yang again jerked the handlebars forward descending into the shadows. The scenery went from beautiful buildings which pierced the heavens, temples and ziggurats that painted the picture of perfection, to outdated structures that never saw the light of day.

Filled with the Galaxy's unwanted and unscrupulous. This is where Darth Yang would begin his hunt. This is where Darth Yang would begin the search for Tal Sivron.

Darth Yang's speeder slowed as it descended into the lower levels. The Preducor slowed to a stop as Yang parked it in the streets. A few of the beggars instinctively ran to Darth Yang. As he stepped off of his speeder he removed his hood and revealed his black and blue tattooed visage. The throngs of beggars immediately halted.

"No one.." He said in a calm voice. "..touches my speeder."

Darth Yang could smell the fear, they immediately ran back to their corners. He knew that no one would so much as breathe heavily on his vehicle lest they face the consequences.

As he strode the filthy path the crowd parted giving Darth Yang a wide berth. He reached up and returned the hood to his head concealing him for the most part in darkness. He reached into a small compartment at his belt and pulled out a small datacard. He tapped a few buttons as the information he sought came to the screen.

Subject: Hassan Dunn

Yang quickly scanned the info on the dealer of rare antiques. He was in the same business as Tal Sivron. He'd know where to find him. And if he didn't he'd be able to provide vital clues as to his whereabouts.

Darth Yang found the building he was looking for and placed the datacard back into its pocket. He walked up to the building and the door opened. This was definitely the place.

Darth Yang scanned the room quickly and noticed a rather large Gamorrean who was attempting to conceal a vibro ax from sight. He failed miserably however as stealth was not a Gamorrean virtue.

Behind the counter a human male stood there staring at Yang. Darth Yang removed his hood looking at the two who stared blankly at him.

Yang took a few steps forward toward the counter. The Gamorrean was apparently the "muscle" of this operation.

"I am looking for something." Darth Yang said staring at the human he knew to be Hassan Dunn.

"Plenty of things I have my friend, can you be more specific?" The shifty man said in what was intended to be a friendly voice.

"Tell me where I can find Tal Sivron." Yang said as he briefly glanced over at the Gamorrean and looked back to Hassan.

"Tal Sivron. Tal Sivron." Hassan Dunn replied. Obviously a stalling tactic. "What is Tal Sivron? I have never heard of a Tal Sivron."

"You know exactly what I ask and I'm afraid that if you give me a less than satisfactory answer again I will be forced to part your head from your body." Yang said still straight faced. The Gamorrean however was not pleased with Yang's assertion and immediately attempted to draw his vibro ax.

Before he could complete this simple task Darth Yang flew at him with blinding quickness and spun around applying a roundhouse kick to the alien's nose. His hard boot crushing into the Gamorrean's snout sending him back against the wall. Before the relentless Gamorrean could issue a counter attack, Darth Yang unclipped his lightsaber in one clean motion igniting the cerulean blade and swiping it in a tight arc severing the Gamorrean's head.

Just as quickly as Darth Yang had drawn his blade he'd extinguished it and clipped it back to his belt as he turned to face Hassan Dunn. The thump of the Gamorrean's toppling body was heard as it fell to the ground lifeless. The man's eyes were filled with sheer horror as he watched his own security guard get killed right before his eyes.

This terror was magnified by the fact that Hassan Dunn had identified his killer as a master of the Sith. Hassan Dunn hadn't noticed now but he had soiled his own pants.

"Now Hassan Dunn. I will ask you one more time. Where can I find Tal Sivron?" Darth Yang asked as he walked back over to the storekeeper.

"I... I uh... I don't... I can't..." The man couldn't even speak. Darth Yang's eyes widened and Hassan responded quickly. "I don't know! I don't know! Please don't kill me but I don't know! I know he's got some merchandise he's looking to move. Big stuff!! Rare stuff!! Uh... Sith stuff!"

With the last comment Darth Yang rose an eyebrow. This mission had quickly become intriguing.

"Tell me what you know, or else.." Darth Yang trailed off as he looked down to the lifeless corpse of the man's one man security staff.

"OK OK!!"

The man proceeded to give Darth Yang all of the info that he knew regarding Tal Sivron. Everything but the exact location of the man, but Yang knew that if this man knew his location he would give it up. If he was required to offer up his first born he would do it at this point to avoid Darth Yang's wrath. What a pitiful person Yang thought to himself. He knew that the man was telling the truth as he focused on the Force. He was telling the truth.

When Darth Yang turned and began to walk out of the store without saying a word the men let out a deep sigh of relief. And then Yang stopped. The man began to choke, he couldn't breathe, and then a moment later he fell to the floor. Dead.

Darth Yang could not let the man live. He could have tipped off Tal Sivron and made this job unnecessarily difficult. Either way he would complete his task. But he would do so with as few complications as possible.

Tal Sivron's days were numbered.

Darth Yang walked into the Pala Casino, his face still visibly scarred from the brutal beating he'd taken earlier. He quickly scanned the perimeter for security forces and immediately identified several, both undercover and otherwise. The sound of slot machines echoed a sweet sound of hope throughout the room, which already had despair in droves. The mindless drudges pouring their hard earned credits into the machines with asinine aspirations of fortune.

Darth Yang would never be able to enter a room with this many people so stealthily. Yang could walk the room <i>naked</i> from one end to the next and not be noticed. The ignorant patrons focused solely on drowning their credits in a lost cause. As Yang walked through the crowded casino, hardly anyone paid him any attention, and half of those who did were too intoxicated to recite their own name, let alone identify the Sith. It didn't matter, even if they <i>were</i> to identify him, they wouldn't be able to do a thing to stop him. But they would slow his efforts, which at this point was unacceptable.

In the distance Yang saw the entrance to what was undoubtedly, Omwaw the Ithorian's office. A human sentry standing watch on either side, clearly Omwaw did not take kindly to surprise visitors.

As Darth Yang approached the door he analyzed possible methods to get past the guards.

He could simply ask the guards to let him see Omwaw, which would invariably result in them laughing him out of the casino.

He could attempt to use the Force to persuade them to let him in willingly, but that was not his strong suit, and might end miserably.

He could instruct the guards that he had important business dealings with Omwaw, which would probably get Yang where he needed to be, but would take much longer than he desired.

Or, he could simply use fear.

<i>Fear</i>, what a powerful tool.

Yang approached the two guards who stood watch outside Omwaw's office, removing his hood as he stopped in front of the two men. "I need to see Omwaw right away." Darth Yang said as he opened his robe slightly, revealing the lightsaber dangling from his belt.

"Om-"

Before the man could utter a syllable, Yang made a choking motion cutting off the man's air supply through the use of the Force.

"That was not a request, that was an order. And if I have to make such a <i>request</i> again, it's going to result in your head rolling across a Sabacc table."

Without further hesitation, the guard turned and entered a code into the console which opened the door with an audible <i>beep</i> confirming the correct code had been given.

Yang nodded his head slightly, motioning for the two guards to enter the office with him. As the three man entered the room, the door closed behind them. Omwaw sat there behind his desk staring up at the three men, taken aback by the Sith who just entered his office.

"I'm going to ask you this question... <i><b>once</i></b>. Don't make me ask twice." Darth Yang said before pausing briefly.

"Where is Tal Sivron?" Darth Yang said slowly, articulating each word clearly.

The Ithorian paused for a moment, trying to plan his response carefully.

"<i>Tal Sivron</i>?" Omwaw replied in Ithorese, the stereo effect echoing his sheepish response as the Ithorian spoke from his two mouths.

Darth Yang shook his head. "Wrong answer."

With blazing speed Darth Yang turned to the guard who now stood on his left, sending a punch with great force nailing the man squarely in the throat. The man fell to his knees struggling for air, but it was too late, Yang had crushed the man's trachea on impact. Before the guard on the right could even blink and eye, Darth Yang unclipped his lightsaber, and ignited the azure blade with a <i>snap-hiss</i> as he swung the blade in a sweeping motion which would cleave the guard in two. From his right shoulder to his torso, the man was split in half as his legs, then his upper body fell to the floor with a thud. The cauterized wound creating the scent of sizzling meat.

Darth Yang then jumped onto the desk of Omwaw, extinguishing the blade of his lightsaber and returning it to his belt in the process.

"Listen up, you rotten <i>fucking</i> Hammerhead." Yang said as he stared down at the alien who was now visibly trembling as he sat there. Yang reached back slapping the Ithorian across the face with force. The impact crushing Omwaw's spirit all the more. "If I have to tell you one more <b>FUCKING</b> time, I'm going to cut out your heart and paint this office with your <b>FUCKING</b> blood!!!" Yang said as he began to yell, his chest heaving as anger began to overcome him.

The Ithorian's hand shook profusely as he reached for a drawer at his desk. Before he could open the drawer, Darth Yang drew his lightsaber and sliced off the Ithorian's hand at the wrist before the alien could grab his weapon. "AAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHH!!!" Omwaw cried out in pain, seemingly echoing throughout the room as he bellowed out in agony with both mouths simultaneously.

Darth Yang reached down opening the drawer expecting to find some type of blaster, or other weapon. As Yang reached into the drawer he pulled out a datapad, as he activated the datapad he realized it was an account of Omwaw's dealings with Tal Sivron. The datapad had all the information Yang needed.

Yang could not help but laugh. An evil grin came across his face as he stood there above the Ithorian who sat there, hunched over his wound. Laughing in the alien's face.

"Thanks," Yang said, still smiling. "Guess you won't be needing this anymore." Yang said as he forcefully lopped off the Ithorian's head gripping his lightsaber tightly with both hands. The force of the blow sending the head a meter or two into the air before spiraling back down, hitting Omwaw's corpse before falling to the ground.

Yang turned and exited the room, as he waited for the door to the casino to open he replaced his hood and returned his now extinguished lightsaber to his belt. He read the details of the datapad as he nonchalantly walked through the casino, and back out into the slums of Coruscant.

<i>Too easy</i>.

Maximus Tyranus stood there, arms crossed, staring out through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the Coruscant evening.

"Tal Sivron is in holding?"

"Yes Master." Darth Yang replied as he entered the large, luxurious room. An audible <i>woosh</i> was heard as the doors closed automatically behind him.

Without turning to face his student, the Sith Lord continued, "Your wounds have not healed."

"It has only been a few hours since..."

"<i>Time</i> is irrelevant." Maximus Tyranus said, said slowly enunciating every syllable as he cut the Sith off mid-sentence which he often did, knowing full well what the conclusion of the student's statement would be. "I'd thought you were more advanced in the intricacies of the Force, perhaps I was wrong." Maximus concluded as he turned to face his apprentice.

"Master, I.."

"I have no time for your excuses, you'll have time to reflect on your ineptitude once you reach Ulabos."

Darth Yang paused, Maximus had mentioned Ulabos earlier but in the course of events Yang had forgotten all about it. Yang's eyes narrowed as he pondered the possible reasons for visiting the frozen rock known as Ulabos.

"I will not fail you Master."

"Is that a promise you're certain you can keep, Darth Yang?"

Yang paused for just a moment, not positive about how he should respond, before nodding in agreement.

"Let's hope so. I'm sending you to <i>Ulabos</i>, there you will reflect on your teachings. Feed on the Dark Side energy, then and only then will you be able to face the perils that await."

Yang stood there silently taking in every detail. He knew there was more to this trip then he could possibly imagine.

"Then, you will find the fourth Sacred Sphere. Do not return to Coruscant without it."

Yang nodded once again, it had been some time since he'd been sent on a mission for one of the Seven Sacred Spheres. Darth Yang would go to Ulabos and complete his mission, he would find the Sacred Sphere.

If only he knew what was in store...