The Hands of Palpatine

[Jakkor Kess]

It had been several days since he met the Jedi Knight [member="Viktoria Norduin"]. Within their first meeting they got to know each other,and they both felt that it was the will of the force that brought them together. Jakkor decided to take up her offer of finishing his jedi training. In the days following Jakkor was searching for Sith Knowledge,more specifically holocrons. Holocrons had been the ultimate tools for knowledge,and in order to complete his quest to destroy the Sith he must learn and understand them. He had traveled to several places to gather information.

After hearing from certain information brokers,he had heard rumors that the Sith Lord Darth Sidious in fact created one so very long ago. Not willing to pass it up he had mixed feelings about it. Should he hunt for such a device,created by one of the most powerful Sith Lords of all time especially one that ruined his life. After days of meditating he finally came to a decision that he was going after it. He took his VCX-100 light freightor The Outlander,and traveled to Naboo to start searching for clues of the former Emperor,and what was no better place than his homeworld.

When he reached the world within a matter of hours. He lands in a docking bay in the capital,and major space port of Theed. Before he left,he decides to send a holo message to all of his closest allies to help him find it,and perhaps aid him if he was outmatched. He walked to the local customs office on where to find the estate.

He walked inside where he met a local Naboo customs offical who knew the surrounding better than Jakkor did. The offical seemed curious of what a Tusken was doing here especially one clad in jedi robes. He asked jakkor "Hello Master Jedi how may i help you today?" Jakkor studied in him and said in a flat tone "I'm looking for the estate of Sheeve Palpatine. Any idea where i can find it?" His expression changed that from one of business to a frightened curiousity. "May i ask why you want to visit such a dreadful place?" Jakkor than gave him a hard stare through the red lenses of his mask than said in a calm,and slightly irritated tone. "It's jedi business,nothing more now are you going to question me,or help me? The offical was slightly stunned from jakkor's tone,but resumed his friendly business expression as he said back reassuringly. "Y..Yes Master Jedi forgive me. I'll get the location right away." After a few minutes of scouring through his datapad. He said in cheerfully tone. "Alright Master Jedi. Here it is,it's located on the outskirts of the city. It's quite a long walk. Do you want transport. He transffered the coordinates to Jakkor's comlink,and Jakkor said in a satisfied tone. "No thanks. I thank you for the help." Jakkor tosses a credit chip at the man,and walks out. The man had a happy look on his face,and shouted "Enjoy your stay in Theed!!"

Jakkor walked out ,and began his long trek towards the Palpatine estate,where when the Emperor was here it was his own retreat,and mostly held secrets when he was studying dark side knowledge. Little did he know eyes were watching him everywhere as he made his way over to the estate. He transmitted the coordinates he received minutes earlier to his friends where they knew where to find him,incase they didn't know where it was.

[member="Orion Trex"]
@Xiarr Sair
[member="Fexa Keis"]
[member="Cherry Grapier"]
[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

 

[Cherry Grapier]

Cherry had been flying around for days now, just hunting for something to do, nothing important or fun was happening, she could go to the Courscant bar, but she was on her vacation, if she came back that would be weird. The scenary was amazing though, the stars glistening in the space. It was beautiful, she lied back about to fall asleep, finally enjoying herself. DING! Cherry's holomessager dinged, she jumped up. "Holy Crap!" she looked at her holomessager, it was from [member="Jakkor Kess"] her friend. Cherry immediately started her ship again and blasted off to Theed. When she arrived she docked her ship and started heading over to the Palpatine Estate.

[member="Fexa Keis"]
[member="Orion Trex"]
[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]
[member="Viktoria Norduin"]
@Xiarr Sair

 

[Zara Lianna]

Viktoria Norduin had been requested to help out with the Padawans today. It was nothing unusual, but she had alerted the Head Master that she would be meeting up with her new Padawan, [member="Jakkor Kess"] for a mission. She had known the Padawan for a few days and when she had gone back to the Temple, everyone was very much so excited to hear that Viktoria had finally gotten her own Padawan.

While she was in the middle of a force class, her comlink made a noise and started beeping. Of course, the entire class room was silent, so the noise startled everyone and the little ones started laughing. Viktoria looked over to the master she was working with and he gave an understanding glance. Getting up, Viktoria excused herself from the class before heading to her ship, The Resistance to gather up her gear. She had changed into her usual outfit when she was going out. She hung her Jedi Robes on a hanger, putting them in the spare room she had on the ship. She now wore a leather jacket, an ice blue shirt, tan pants and she kept her tall black leather Jedi boots on. Afterwards, she hooked on her belt and holsters and hooked her two lightsabers onto her belt and she put her blasters into her holsters before sitting in the pilot seat and entering in the coordinates sent by her Padawan.

Jakkor had already briefed her on the mission, which she allowed, but even though she was required to go, she told him that she'd want to go, no matter what. She remembered him saying that there were going to be a few of his friends joining in on the mission, but she didn't mind.

After the coordinates were entered, she took off and entered into hyperspace. It only took a few minutes before she emerged from hyperspace and looked out into the wide vast void of space, which harnessed the beautiful planet of Naboo. Her ship recognizing Jakkor's ship signature, she found it and landed near it before heading out to find her Padawan.

[member="Cherry Grapier"]
[member="Fexa Keis"]
[member="Orion Trex"]
[member="TugoroTaidarious"]
[member="Xiarr Sair"]

 

[Xiarr Sair]

"I will have your head for this Sair!" The slimy One Eyed Hutt would be enraged,not only had Xiarr talked backed to him,but he had destroyed one of his encampments on Nal Hutta.
"Yeah yeah,I killed some of your men and destroyed a "minor" encampment,so what?" The Hutt's anger would just build,just by looking at his face Xiarr could tell we wanted to do unimaginable things to him,he wasn't surprised,Xiarr would be pretty mad if someone destroyed an outpost that was a stepping stone for destroying another gang. Xiarr would then think of ways to repay the fat Hutt,first,he started with the obvious.

"Look,I can repay you with unmarked credits,how about 10,000 Credits,that good enough slime ball?"
"Money cannot match when compared to what you did to my criminal empire!" The live holo would translate the Hutt's angry words,why couldn't the Hutt just leave the Black Sun alone? Are crime lords really that crappy to each other? Xiarr would turn the holo off,"Screw that sleemo" he thought,suddenly a beeping noise would be heard coming from the holo,he then saw that it was from [member="Jakkor Kess"],his closest friend.

After hearing the message,Xiarr set out for Theed,he was going to watch over Jakkor,he knew that the dark side calls to him every day of his life,so he couldn't imagine what a holocron made by Palpatine himself would do to him.
[member="Cherry Grapier"]
[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]
[member="Viktoria Norduin"]

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Hours earlier

Naboo was a planet shrouded in mystery, rumored to have been a contributor to the rise of the Galactic Empire of old. Of course, only the most knowledgeable individuals in the galaxy knew anything close to the truth, for such information was nearly considered ancient after eight-hundred years. The whole topic was surrounded in controversy and drama, something that Tugoro Taidarious was not fond of being involved in.

As a matter of fact, the dark void of space was a place that the young man retreated to in order to clear his mind of such thoughts, when meditation did not prove effective. High above the planet in his Aleph starfighter, the Jedi Knight sat silently in the cockpit of his vehicle, staring at the giant orb of blue and green through the transparisteel viewport. Regardless of his opinion, some people of Naboo had grown to distrust the Republic, partly due to recent events and those of the past.

The Knight found it odd that he would be sent to such a place to investigate, even stranger was the lack of details he had been given on said mission. There had apparently been an increase in paranormal activity reports, which had led to the conclusion that the dark side of the force may have been involved. Punching the throttle and transmitting his I.D. codes, the Jedi would descend on the planet, narrowing in on the capital city of Theed.

Present

'Conversing' with the spaceport custom officials had been rather tiresome, though Tugoro knew he would have to deal with it sooner or later. They had practically interrogated him, wanting to know what a Jedi was doing on the planet, and everything else involved. The young man had made no attempts at hiding his true identity or purpose, not wanting to cause anymore distrust then there already was. Hours later, he would be released, stretching his arms and back as he made his way through the docking bay isles, and outside into the bright sun.

[member="Jakkor Kess"] had it a lot easier, for the man was not apart of any official order or government. Plus, he used tactics of persuasion that most Jedi would frown upon, excluding the ones who employed mind tricks often. Out front of the spaceport was as busy as one would expect, land transports moving to and fro, while tourists and the impoverished alike awaited their next destination.

Theed, all in all, was a beautiful place, making it hard for Tugoro to believe that anything insidious was going on. Knowing how to begin his search, the Jedi would close his eyes, freeing his mind from the restraints of individuality, and opening it to the force. As the seconds passed, the Knight's influence began to spread, allowing him to feel and sense out everything around him. He picked out the energy signatures of [member="Viktoria Norduin"] and her apprentice, regardless if they were in the same area or not.

They were nearby, that the Jedi was sure of. He even noticed [member="Cherry Grapier"], regardless of how inexperienced she was with the force. Dressed in his spacer attire, the young man hardly stood out from the crowd that bustled all around, though those sensitive to the force would know better. All he had to do now was follow the energy back to it's source.

[member="Xiarr Sair "][member="Orion Trex"] [member="Fexa Keis"]

 

[Fexa Keis]

Fexa had been selling stuff out on Coruscant when she got a message from her master [member="Jakkor Kess"]. Fexa immediately took down her post and flew straight over to Theed. Fexa walked over to the Palpatine Estate, where she was told to meet him. Fexa docked her ship and started walking over to her destination. Jakkor said he was going to bring some friends, Fexa was fine with that, in fact the more the better.

@Xiarr Sair
[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]
[member="Viktoria Norduin"]
[member="Cherry Grapier"]

 

[Jakkor Kess]

Jakkor had been walking for what seemed like hours. He still felt as if he was being watched ever since leaving the customs office. He managed to get out of the city,and into the outskirts of the city. Hopefully the estate wasn't far at all he had hoped he would reach it soon.

He still couldn't shake off the feeling he was being watched,he even wondered if he was being paranoid,so he shook it off and kept walking with any luck some of his friends were already there. Within the next half hour he walked through the swamp land till he could finally see what almost seemed like a mansion. The years haven't been very kind to it. It was covered in overgrown moss,and vines,and what looked like to be golden polls on the outlined were completely turned to rust. This was most likely the place he was looking for,he could already sense the strong nexus of dark side energy within,he found the feeling of it both freezing yet seductive.

As he kept walking he stopped,than he heard it a man rushed him the hiss of a lightsaber igniting,and the smell of burnt ozone was in the air. He quickly ignited one of his lightsabers,and quickly dodged the attack. The man rushed him again his saber from the looks of it was crimson. Jakkor quickly thought 'Is he Sith...No he is way to clumsy,but he is very skilled with a blade must be a Dark Jedi.'

Jakkor rushed him using the power attacks of Djem So. Analyzing his attacks. He could tell that the man was using acrobatic attacks this was definetly Ataru. Their sabers clashed one attacking the other,they both engaged in a saberlock with each other. The man was covered in robes,and his face was covered with a hood all Jakkor could see was blazing yellow eyes. He asked the man a bit angrily. "Who are you?,and why are you attacking me?" Then the attacker kicked Jakkor in the stomach. Jakkor grunted,and the saberlock was broken. He rushed Jakkor,and prepared to preform a falling avalanche strike on him he says to him. "I am his will. I am the hand of Palpatine. I am Xax,and I am your doom jedi"

Before he could deliever the killing blow. Jakkor quickly activated his second lightsaber,and in a split second delievered a Shiaak to his chest with both his sabers. The man known as Xax looked at Jakkor wide eyed,his saber deactivated and when jakkor pulled his sabers from his chest Xax fell to the ground dead.

He got up and deactivated his sabers. It seems their is something more at work here. This man was a supposedly 'Hand of Palpatine' whatever that meant. After further thinking he would uncover more information within the estate of who that man was, who were 'The Hands of Palpatine',and more importantly if the holocron was here.
He walked to the entrance hooking his sabers to his belt. He decided to wait for his friends,and his Master to show up deciding it wouldn't be the best of ideas to go in alone so he sat crisscrossed waiting for them to arrived. He also sensed that another Jedi had come to the world. Things just got interesting indeed.

[member="Fexa Keis"]
[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]
@Xiarr Sair
[member="Viktoria Norduin"]
[member="Orion Trex"]
[member="Cherry Grapier"]

 

[Zing]

Orion had just had his starfighter picked up and repaired after the little adventure on Orto Plutonia. He was finishing up on its new paintjob when he received a transmission from an old friend of his, [member="Jakkor Kess"]. "Why is it that every time I get a moment of free time he ends up calling me?" With that he climbed into his starfighter and took off into the air. He was done with Utapau and was headed to Naboo. A return to Theed, a planet he had attacked so many years before.

It wasn't long before he came out of hyperspace and headed down to the surface. Once he landed, he began to head into the bustling town.

[member="Fexa Keis"]
[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]
@Xiarr Sair
[member="Viktoria Norduin"]
[member="Cherry Grapier"]

 

[Cherry Grapier]

Cherry walked up and saw an old mansion, overgrown, creepy. Cherry walked up and saw [member="Jakkor Kess"] standing next to a dead body, "Wow, way to make an impression" Cherry said to Jakkor chuckling a little.

[member="Orion Trex"]
[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]
@Xiarr Sair
[member="Viktoria Norduin"]
[member="Fexa Keis"]

 

[Zara Lianna]

As Viktoria was walking through the market place, she was basically just following the force. Right now, it was a little too noisy to try to talk to him over the comm and she sensed that there were other sensitives, so she just followed her Padawan's force signature. She had broke into a faster pace once she got the sense that something wasn't going right. By the time she got there, Jakkor had already dropped a man's body. She sensed much darkness in the area. She would have to keep an eye on Jakkor and help him through this.

She saw the other girl who had arrived and gave a respectful nod to her before looking back to [member="Jakkor Kess"].

"Already having fun without us, Jakkor?"

She said playfully to her Padawan. He probably didn't have a choice, which she understood, she just wanted to keep a little bit of the upbeat attitude between everybody.

[member="Cherry Grapier"]
[member="Orion Trex"]
[member="Fexa Keis"]
[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]
@Xiarr Sair

 

[Jakkor Kess]

He got up and looked over to see [member="Cherry Grapier"] and [member="Viktoria Norduin"] he smiled underneath his mask upon seeing his master,and he spoke to them in a friendly but serious tone.
"Ah Master. I was wondering when you showed up I see the others haven't arrived yet. Except of course for my field agent that is." He pointed to Xax's body. "That man's name is Xax. He was a Dark Jedi from the looks of it,and from the way he fought most likely he used Form IV. He claimed to be a 'Hand of Palpatine' whatever that means. There must be something more to be at work. The Holocron must be here,after all this place is rank with The Dark Side. I'm sure you can feel it if I can."

He turned and looked to the door. He had a bad feeling about what lies beyond it,but for now unless all his friends arrived he wouldn't go in alone that's for sure. He was going to get that Holocron soon enough,and he would need help if he was going to do that.


[member="Orion Trex"]
[member="Fexa Keis"]
[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]
@Xiarr Sair
[member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"]

 

[Nate Phantoms]

The message he received was startling by all means, and it woke him up from his shirt-less slumber. With a groan, he rose, nearly hitting the low ceiling. Or was he just really tall? Shrugging, he pulled on a fresh v-neck, one a little tight, but not enough to the point where he'd tear it. Standing tall, rippling with lean muscle, and that look he gave, he was now know as the "phantom" around here, something that brought back memories, bad ones.

After watching the abyss of space whip by, he finally approached [member="Jakkor Kess"]'s location, and he sure had a squad with him. [member="Fexa Keis"], some other kids,and the man himself. Slipping past Fexa, he patted shoulder, letting her know he was there, before standing behind Jakkor. "Good to see you... need backup? You're packing more heat than a furnace my dear friend, but...so am I" smiling, he turned, examining round him.

 

[Xiarr Sair]

Xiarr would walk toward the nearest transport,he had no idea if the others had walked to Palpatine's residence,but he sure wasn't going to walk for at least 2 hours. He would sit down in the backseat and then ask the driver to take him to the Palpatine's residence the driver clearly had a look of fear in his eyes,but the drivers did his best to not show it. The speeder would then blast to the long abandoned home.

Xiarr would get out of the speeder and would flip a credit chip to the speeder pilot,the pilot would immediately speed back toward Theed. Xiarr could barely see the mansion looking home through the thick fog He would walk toward the home,and sense the presence of at least 3 different force signatures,2 of whom he recognized. He would then walk toward the entrance and see the entire group.
"Well,no wonder you forgot about me! And don't think I don't see you over there Orion!" He felt like he was a bit excited to see his friends which he hadn't seen for almost a year.
[member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"]
[member="Jakkor Kess"]
[member="Viktoria Norduin"]
[member="Cherry Grapier"]
[member="Orion Trex"]
[member="Fexa Keis"]
[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

 

[Zing]

Orion walked walked toward the huge mansion. He had been there before. All the way back during the Clone Wars. He had been invited to speak with the Sith Lord himself. The place was a lot more run down than he remembered though. Not near as nice and pristine as it once was. As he walked up the path, he could see a group of people, most of which he recognized. Then he looked to see a body on the floor and [member="Jakkor Kess"] standing above it. "Killing people already? But I just got here!?"

@Xiarr Sair
[member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"]
[member="Viktoria Norduin"]
[member="Cherry Grapier"]
[member="Fexa Keis"]
[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

 

[Jakkor Kess]

He saw [member="Orion Trex"] [member="Xiarr Sair "]and
[member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] come forth. He was most pleased how his strike team was almost complete. He neeeded to wait for one more person before going inside.

He then looked at the the three,and spoke to them very kindly.
"Yeah. He was a Dark Jedi,and I sure as hell wasn't going to lay down and die so you guys can have your fun already. I'm glad you three could join me on this quest especially you Xiarr. It was nice you could take a break from bounty hunting to go hunting for a Sith artifact. Orion you were once a Sith Assassin serving the Seperatists did you ever meet Lord Sidious? Nate I may be packing some heat,but it's neccessary for what lies inside who knows what's inside there."

As he finished he sensed a force signature. From what he could tell it was a Jedi. It wouldn't be long when he got here that's for sure,as he sensed him not too far from where he was standing.


[member="Viktoria Norduin"]
[member="Cherry Grapier"]
[member="Fexa Keis"]
[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

 

[Fexa Keis]

Fexa walked up to the mansion, "hey master! Woah, look at that another dead guy." Fexa then felt a tap on her shoulder, she didn't need to turn as she saw [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] walking by, "oh, hey Nate!"

[member="Orion Trex"]
[member="Jakkor Kess"]
@Xiarr Sair
[member="Viktoria Norduin"]
[member="Cherry Grapier"]
[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

 

[Nate Phantoms]

He smiled faintly at [member="Fexa Keis"], she was usually the first to acknowledge his presence. "Mrs. Keis, as beautiful as ever. And yes Jakkor,you are always one to be prepared which is good."

[member="Jakkor Kess"]
[member="Orion Trex"]
[member="Cherry Grapier"]

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

As time passed, the force signatures Tugoro had sensed began to distance themselves from him, whether it was on purpose or not, the Jedi did not know. By then however, the young man had already began his investigation, questioning the locals about recent occurrences, specifically ones that were inexplicable, or anything out of the ordinary. There had been some deaths near the outskirts of town, people found dead on the ground without a scratch on them, while some appeared to have been executed by a lightsaber. Even more time passed as Tugoro visited some of the official government establishments, medical centers, local law enforcement stations, and even morgues. Receiving the autopsy files on said deaths, some of the unharmed bodies seemed to have had extreme pressure applied to their neck, specifically the trachea.

No doubt the work of the dark side. After visiting the various scenes of the crime, Tugoro noticed that there was one thing in common with all of them. They had taken place nearby old abandoned buildings, ones that had been registered under the name of Sheev Palpatine. Having seen enough, the young Jedi would call in his team, Strike Squad, who had arrived on planet via other means of transportation not too long ago. A Myrmidon Armored Personnel Carrier rolled onto the scene on the outskirts of Theed, the three leaders of the squad operating the vehicle, while the other Republic soldiers sat in the passenger seats.

They had tried not to cause too much of a commotion with their presence, avoiding rolling through the city streets in the military vehicle. It would roll along the grassy plains of Naboo, eventually heading through the swamps until the Palpatine estate was in sight. It was a massive property, with an expansive courtyard that led up to the large, allegedly abandoned palace entrance. The whole property was actually still gated off, not allowing any exploration until venturing further passed. The doors of the armed carrier would slide open, allowing the soldiers to pile out, their blaster rifles rifles at the ready as the swept the immediate area. They made their way through the trees, quickly advancing on the palace.

Taking this time to get changed, Tugoro would throw off his brown leather jacket, folding his Jedi tunic overtop his orange undershirt before opening a small compartment within the vehicle. Inside was a set of armor, similar to the ones that the Jedi Generals of the Clone Wars had donned. The young man then stepped out, giving a firm nod to Rogvon who stood nearby while the others continued their brief search. "Area's secured, sir. Shall we advance on the pa-" The older man was cut off, his head jerking to the side as a shout was heard over the comms. The troopers had begun to converge on a single position near the estates gated entrance, prompting the two men to rush quickly after them.

[member="Jakkor Kess"], [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"], [member="Fexa Keis"], [member="Viktoria Norduin"], [member="Orion Trex"], and [member="Xiarr Sair "]were of course the center of attention. Through the force, Tugoro could sense out their signatures, realizing it would be best to avoid conflict for the moment. The soldiers had set themselves upon behind several points of cover, and were ready to open fire on the mysterious individuals who could have been involved in the many murder cases. However, by the order of their Jedi Commander, they held their fire as he himself emerged from the treeline. "Greetings," the brown haired man called out loudly, his booted feet approaching the group at a calm pace. Tugoro could tell that none of these individuals were entirely devoted to the dark side, for most of them seemed to walk the line, except the two women. "What brings you all to such a place?" he questioned curiously.

 

[Zing]

Orion looked to [member="Jakkor Kess"]. "Yes I met Sidious. Several times. Truth be told I had actually planned on killing him when we captured the 'chancellor'. Once he got back to Utapau I was going to slit his throat in his sleep. But, you know how that turned out." Then he could hear [member="Tugoro Taidarious"] approach and spun around to hear his greeting and his question. Orion motioned toward Jakkor. "Ask him stranger"

[member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"]
[member="Fexa Keis"]
@Xiarr Sair
[member="Viktoria Norduin"]
[member="Cherry Grapier"]

 

[Jakkor Kess]

He looked to [member="Orion Trex"] and said. "Well it's a good thing the force had other plans,because he would have probably killed you instantly. After all you must have heard what he did with Maul,and his brother on Mandalore all those centuries ago."

He then sensed the troopers,and knew they had their blaster rifles on them. For a second he considered activating his Lightsabers,and attacking them,but decided against it,since coming here killing soldiers was not his purpose. He then saw his apprentice appear,and he said calmly. "Greetings Padawan. I'm glad you could join me."

Than out of the thick swampy tree's he see's a man covered in pieces of armor,and he notices the lightsaber. He figures it was the jedi he sensed earlier. He studied him through the red lenses of his mask,and spoke in a calm and curious tone. "I have come here to this place seeking Sith Knowledge, I have been hunting for the rumored Holocron of Darth Sidious,and it's either inside the estate,or their are clues to it's wereabouts. It seems their is even more going on than I realize. On my way here I encountered a Dark Jedi." He pointed his index finger at the dead body a few feet away. "Before I killed him he was going on some nonsense about being a Hand of Palpatine. Whatever that means I presume that is a connection to the Holocron I'm after. Now allow me to introduce myself, I am Jakkor Kess,and who are you,and why have you come here?"

He said calmly,crossing his arms,and waiting for the man to respond.





[member="Fexa Keis"]
[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]
[member="Orion Trex"]
[member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"]
@Xiarr Sair
[member="Viktoria Norduin"]
[member="Cherry Grapier"]