Chapter 24: The Huntress Begins

Revan walked nervously through the halls of the Devastator. Vader had decided to make the Devastator his flagship once more until the Executor was being repaired after the rebel attack.

She reached outside of his quarters and entered, knowing he was probably in his meditation chamber. Sensing her presence, Vader put on his helmet and opened up his chamber to see her bowing before him on one knee.

The sound of his breathing filled the room. Sweat had formed long ago on her forehead and it had spread as evident by the fact that her entire body was now covered in it.

"Your skills in tracking are admirable." He praised. "Thank you Lord Vader." Seh replied, still in a bow. "So now tell me, where did your brother escale to?" He asked. She closed her eyes and stretched with her senses, tugging on their bond but found it outside of her reach.

"I cannot sense him to be in my reach. This happens when he is in hyperspace." She informed. "Can you gauge his destination?" He asked, letting out another breath. "I unfortunately cannot." She replied.

Vader breathed a more drawn out breath. "Use my personal training room and start your combat training. After that you will head to the navy command stationed here." He instructed her, levitating in front of his mask a holo projector.

"This contains the emperor's seal. You are to give this to the board and demand they transfer control of a star destroyer. If they resist after you show them the seal, show them no mercy. After which you are free to modify it. Use that to hunt down your brother Lady Kharna." He ordered, using the name she goes by in the imperial court.

Sigil had actually kept her well hidden from the court and the senate as such to most, she was a new courtier posing as an advisor to the grand vizier Sate Pestage and a member of the inquisitorius.

But all inquisitors knew her not to be one and despised her. Knowing her true past but didn't dare lay a finger on an emperor's hand especially one under training from Vader.

"As you wish Lord Vader." She said, lowering her head a bit lower. "Rise, for you are dismissed." Vader ordered. She followed suit and stood up before heading out of the door for the quarters of Vader's personal training room.

Entering the room, she saw the mess one would expect Vader to leave behind. Droid parts scattered everywhere. Frozen metal slag covering the entire room only not touching the high ceiling and scorch marks and lightsaber cuts were the cherry on top. The entire room stank of ozone and burned metal.

Making sure the door behind her was locked, she moved over to the remote rack and grabbed the controller. she unbuttoned her double breasted inquisitorial uniform and let it fall to her sides. Preferring the maneuverability in her tank top.

She took out her lightsaber and held it in both hands, assuming the traditional Niman stance. She used the force to press the remote and activate the various combat training droids in the room.

Dropping from the ceiling rack, was a lone melee training droid used by all dark Jedi in service of the empire and they were designed by Vader himself.

The droid immediately ignited its force pike and charged forward. It jabbed its pike forwards in a swift motion. She side-stepped and redirected the pikes blade away from her with her lightsaber.

Going on the offensive, she swung her blade in an arc towards the droid. The droid tried to counter but was too slow and got cut down. She once again used the force to press the remote.

This time a pair dropped from the ceiling rack. She gave them time to grip their weapons in position. Choosing one of them, she made a horizontal cut from down and going up which the droid caught with its force pike.

She again arced her blade back up; parrying a jab from the second droid and cutting the first into two. Taking off a hand from the hilt of her lightsaber, she used it to force push the droid other droid away.

The droid caught itself on a wall and tried using the wall to lunge forwards. It was however caught by the scrap heap of the first droid that Revan had tossed at it. The debris slammed into its extended arm and redirected its force pike into its head.

Four droids dropped from the rack this time and began circling her. She increased the distance of her hands on the hilt to give her leverage for her next move.

She brought the blade up diagonally over her head and spun it along with the rest of her body. Moving with finesse and letting the momentum carry her attacks like one would expect with a very large blade.

The droids brought their pikes up in defense and followed her movement, not breaking the encirclement. But keeping her encircled proved difficult very quickly as after a one and a half meter advance, she changed direction to her left then almost immediately to her rear.

The near instant change in direction overheated the droids' logic drives as it couldn't determine whether to attack or defend but their issues didn't last as long as their bodies. Cut down because they couldn't pick a command that wouldn't be obsolete one second then relevant the next second.

Revan continued summoning ever growing groups of such droids and cutting them down. Letting out her frustrations over being abandoned, left out and emotionally isolated on the droids.

'"Why can't you come?" She whined. "I'm sorry but you know I have work." He said, ruffling her hair. "You never care for me!" She snapped. "I have always cared for you and will continue to do so but I am strained." He said, trying to apologize.'

Her anger grew as she remembered all the excuses her brother had made and used it to power her attacks as another droid fell. But there were positive moments in the last two decades.

'"Here you go." Sigil said with a smile, dropping the keys of the Void Dragon in her hands. "Really?!" She said in disbelief. "Yes, it is all yours." He said, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a hug.

"You really are giving me this?" She said in his embrace, still not believing it. For her promotion to a field agent in the rebel alliance which coincided with her seventeenth birthday.

"You deserve it." He replied, ketting a lone tear of pride fall from his eye and roll down his cheek.

"Thank you. I'd never thought I would be the owner of the Void Dragon." She thanked. "It is mine as much as it is yours. So keep it. It will help you with your assignments across the galaxy." He replied.'

These happier memories made her eyes tear up as she remembered who Sigil once was. He isn't half the man he used to be in her eyes.

Her different emotions influxed as joyful and bitter memories brought themselves up to the surface, messing up her focus.

'"I don't think you should accept this." He recommended. "See! You are jealous of my potential! You are trying to limit my power!" She snapped in opposition. "Oh dear." He sighed. "Your emotions and need for glory and recognition are blocking your vision. You cannot see clearly. Meditate first. Please." He pleaded with her, sounding desperate.

"No Sigil! I am going and that is final." She replied, trying to leave the room. He grabbed her arm. "Don't listen to me but the will of the force. This mission has imminent danger written all over it." He warned, encouraging her to meditate first.

She yanked her arm out of his grasp. "You have done nothing for me ever since you arrived on Coruscant. Brother." She said the last part bitterly, heading into the Void Dragon and departing for Anaxes.'

This was their last encounter where they were on the same side of the galactic civil war. She had realized that not all the blame fell on her brother but some of it fell on her too. In his bid to help give her a good upbringing, he ended up tearing up their relationship.

She felt like dropping down and crying her eyes out for being such a fool. Palpatine took advantage of her vulnerability and used his silver tongue to convince her into becoming a dark Jedi for the empire.

She regretted it but knew she wouldn't be forgiven and likely found guilty and executed. So she opted to stay with the empire in a state of constant depression which she countered by drinking heavily

When she locked eyes with Sigil on Mimban she just wanted to sprint at full speed and hug him. Break down in his embrace and just cry until she went blind.

But this wasn't what happened nor will it ever be. Her hatred for him was short-lived following her cresening as the emperor's hand. That was replaced by overwhelming hatred and anger at herself.

The more her hatred grew for herself the more the darkside entrenched itself in her until it would one day assume de facto control. Replacing all her sorrow and regret with anger, hatred and jealousy and it had started to take place; Palpatine and Vader saw her as a tool. A weapon to be used until dull and then tossed aside.

The alliance viewed her as a traitor who deserves execution for the acts of killing rebels and treasons.

She was an outcast and had to live as a lone wolf. Loved or cared for by nobody and loved and cared for nobody in return. Her life is now about serving Palpatine.

Collecting herself, she put her tunic back on and headed for the board meeting taking place among the imperial high command on Kuat.

She marched in, flanked by two stormtroopers. "Inquisitor Kharna! What is the meaning of this?!" The stationed rear Admiral demanded.

"I on behest of Lord Vader and the emperor demand control of a star destroyer." She stated. "An absurd request by a new inquisitor." The man scoffed. She restrained herself and raised the projector given to her by Vader.

Turning it on, revealed the seal of his majesty's personal office. "You dare plagiarize?!" The man accused. That is when he clutched his throat and started levitating towards her. "Listen rear Admiral. I am ordering you on behalf of Lord Vader, if you have a problem, maybe I'll file a complaint about him under your name." She threatened.

The man fiercely shook his head in opposition, fear in his eyes evident as he began sweating immediately following her threat.

Deciding he had had enough, she released her grip and watched as he fell on all fours before her, grasping his throat in pain. It took him a few seconds to recover back to his feet. Once up again, he fixed his attire.

"Very well inquisitor. I shall have the 'Voyager' transferred to your command. She is however of the older Venator class. Docking yard 57-U." He informed in a much more quiet and subservient tone. "I hope such reluctance to follow orders doesn't happen again." She said menacingly, striding out of the room.

Her next destination was the engineering room overseeing dockyard 57-U as she had several modifications in mind for her new ship. Ones she had heard Sigil complain about when he observed the ships during parades.

"Inquisitor! Welcome!" The board of engineers overseeing the dockyard stood to attention as she entered the room. "I was informed of a Venator class star destroyer named the Voyager." She began, skipping an introduction. "Indeed it is docked here. Why?" The lead engineer asked. "I will have to hold a board meeting to discuss upgrades I need implemented to the ship." She informed.

"Of course." The woman replied. "When do we hold it?" She added in her question. "Now." Was the reply.

They all nodded as she took her seat at the head of the table, flanked by the two stormtroopers from earlier.

The woman in charge turned on the holo table and it revealed the schematics of the Voyager. "What would you like to add my lady?" The woman asked.

She examined it for a good minute trying to remember her brother's complaints."I would like for a shrunken hanger to accommodate more marines. The number of stormtroopers must be raised to three thousand." They all nodded, finding it quite reasonable.

"Next is the heavy ordinance issue. Reduce the number of point defense laser cannons to forty and replace them with heavier guns. Four heavy battleship ion cannons and eight heavy dual turbolasers." She demanded and the engineers saw it possible as shown by their nods.

"Lastly replace the dual heavy turbolasers flanking the bridge with quad heavy turbolasers." She cited her last change to the ship itself.

"What about the fighter compliment my lady?" One of the engineers asked. She acknowledged him as an observant person. "How many Tie defenders are available?" She asked. "We can have four ready by the time the refit is complete." The lead said.

"Well it will be four squadrons of Tie defenders, two squadrons of Tie punishers, six squadrons of Tie bombers and the rest are to be Tie interceptors and the usual complement of troop transports and shuttles." She stated.

"Any last demand?" The lead asked. "Convert the Lambda class shuttles to have hyperspace and real space monitoring equipment and listening equipment." She finished. "Excuse my interjection my lady but we can have a Gozanti class ship modified for slicer missions attached if it suits your mission." An engineer from the back spoke up. "Make it happen." She ordered and stared at the head engineer, waiting for her to estimate the time. But judging by the fact she gave four squadrons to be complete, she guessed the lead knew the time already.

"My lady, it will take about a month to refit your ship." The woman said. "Very well." Revan said, getting up from her seat and heading out of the room.






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