Private Destiny is Rarely Kind

[Darius Ino'Kane]

Velmor was a world located squarely between the Order of the Silver Jedi and Sith Empire, part of a small cluster of systems that had thus far been able to escape the conflict between the two superpowers. Due to the nature of the region, smugglers and other criminals hoping to avoid prosecution by one or both of the powers had begun to make it their home, hoping that any attempts by one government to apprehend any large number of criminals would be seen as a threat by the other power. The criminals were relying on the concept that any move by one of the two governments would be seen as an active threat against the other, and thus prevent them from entering the region to apprehend their criminal selves.

Darius had not been told about this scenario when he made his way to Velmor, aboard a small freighter he had borrowed from the Order. A small smugglers ring known in dealing narcotic spices within Order space had been tracked to Velmor, though the task force that was assumed needed to tackle the threat had not been able to muster. Confused by the lack of action, Darius had simply taken an empty vessel and gone after the smugglers himself, tracking them down to a large compound on the planet.

Stepping off the freighter, Darius reached up and pulled the hood of his brown robe over his bald head. Shadows from the hood danced across his face as he walked across the barren field towards the large, metallic structure built into a large hill in the distance. He had not wanted to land too close to the compound as the avoid any potential anti-air weaponry, and he did not want to use lethal force in this encounter unless he had to. These smugglers would face trial before the Order of Silver Jedi judicial branch, a task that would be immensely more difficult if Darius had to jump from a burning freighter, lightsaber roaring to life.

This was a safer option for everyone.

Darth Malevolum

 

[Darth Malevolum]

She had joined the Sith in order to meed out justice. That was why Malevolum was here after all, she was an arbiter of justice, to ensure that crimnals would not be able to hide behind the mercy of law to continue to carry out their crimes, and yet there were always the low lives who believed their crimes so insufficient that they should be granted a lease on life. She never agreed with such an opinion of course, and why should she? Clearly, these men were in the wrong, and they needed to be sentenced. It was for that reason she had them bound and their contraband seized. Death was perhaps too serious of a punishment to lay upon them for the crime of smuggling, especially for medical drugs that were in the more grey area of the trade networks. She looked over the crew, her eyes studying them for signs of remorse, as they looked utterly terrified; not that she blamed them.

Several of her guards stood guard around them, and indeed a small detachment guarded the shuttle they had brought in out back. Malevolum stood, hands behind her back as she looked to each one, trying to think of how to sentence these men in a fitting manner. Death, or slavery. It was so hard to chose. Death seemed the better option, reduce the strain on the military in transporting the men off to working colonies, not to mention sparing them a rather grueling existence, but then again slavery could teach them the errors of their ways and provide a tiny gain in manpower in production areas of the Empire. Decisions decisions.

She could sense that even her troops were growing inpatient, which was too bad, because she wasn't going to be forced into making a bad call here. "Captain, have you anything to say for your men before I hand down my sentence?" She asked, staring at the older Duros male who had identified himself as the leader. To the captains credit, he actually looked her in the eyes, seemingly accepted his fate. "No, I don't. Except that we never thought it would come to this." The response managed to get a small smile from the Sith. A very small smile. "Very few do." She muttered softly, her hand going for the saber on her belt. It was time to hand down a setence, one that would alter the lives of the dozen men gathered here today. She stopped however, feeling a shift in the air, just as surely as they jedi would be sure to feel it. Something was happening, yet the Darth knew not what. Malevolum focused her sense around the building, trying to find what this new disturbance was, and why it had so rudely interrupted her trial.

Darius Ino'Kane

 

[Darius Ino'Kane]

Darius had stopped in his tracks on his approach to the smugglers compound, sensing a sudden shift in the Force. A moment later, he spotted the Sith soldiers towards the rear of the compound, and further away, their transport. With quick steps Darius rushed across the last few yards of open field between him and the compound, pushing himself against the wall, and hoping the soldiers had not spotted him. It would seem these smugglers had crossed not just the Jedi, but the Sith as well in their efforts to make a quick profit. It was looking to be a very unlucky day for all parties involved, especially Darius's own.

He felt a stronger presence within the compound, likely a true Sith leading the soldiers he had seen. They were the likeliest reason for the disturbance he had felt and would be the greatest challenge before him, but he could not count the soldiers out. He was outnumbered and isolated on a world not favorable to him. Attempting to simply take off now would likely draw the Sith's attention, and he could very well be shot down. Luck was on his side once today, he did not want to gamble with it again. Still, he had to think of something.

Reaching down to his hip, he unclipped the lightsaber resting on his side and gripped the silver weapon tighter. With it in his hand, though not activated yet, Darius used the Force to open the front entrance of the smugglers compound, slipping inside a moment later and allowing the door to close behind him. With a final breath of preparation, Darius began to make his way through the compound. He needed to get a better idea of the situation.

Darth Malevolum

 

[Darth Malevolum]

There was no denying it now. Something was amiss. Malevolum could feel it in her gut, and now she felt it in the air. The presence she felt wasn't dark, no, it was...more pure. Jedi? Here? It was a possibility. "Sergent, spread your men out through the compound." She commanded, ignoring the prisoners as she felt movement towards the front of the compound. Whoever they were, they were trying to be stealthy. She raised her hand, halting the troops as they were about to move to carry out her orders. "Belay that, keep your weapons on the prisoners. Don't fire unless I give the order." This was a rather interesting development. If the jedi had known about the presence of the Sith, he was a fool to come in alone.

No, perhaps he had come out of a misguided sense of justice. Ironic, perhaps there would be a third way to resolve the fate of these criminals. Casting her gaze over the men, she felt a small thread of satisfaction tugging at her heart strings. Yes, this would be a perfect demonstration to one of her former members of the order. She looked to the front door of the assembly hall, her fingers drumming against the hilt of her lightsaber as she awaited the arrival of whoever this might be. "This might be your lucky day captain. It seems your attorney has arrived." She was looking forward to crushing the ideals of this jedi, and wetting his hands with the blood of the innocent. "Sergent, keep your weapons ready. I want this done right." She felt a small bit of excitement welling up, not able to recall the last time she encountered one of her own people.

Darius Ino'Kane

 

[Darius Ino'Kane]

Darius came to a halt, his eyes glancing about the dimly lit corridors as he heard voices in the near distance. With careful, precise steps Darius inched up along the corridor, coming to a halt at a small window. Peeking over the side, Darius took in the scene that was developing below him before ducking back down, continuing his path along the corridor. Outnumbered, outgunned, and more than likely cut off from his escape route, Darius did not put much value on his odds of a clean getaway. Still, he could not give up on the reason he had come to this world, even if the situation had changed.

From the brief look he had taken, it had appeared like the smugglers were being rounded up for potential execution. They were criminals, certainly, but that did not mean they did not have a chance at trial and justice. He had little doubt they would be found guilty, but life in prison would be a better outcome than death at the end of a Sith's blade Darius figured. No, he had come to arrest these criminals and make them face the Orders Justice. It was just gonna require a few extra steps now.

Darius made his way towards a staircase leading towards the lower floor, pausing for a moment before realizing there were no soldiers just beyond. The Sith must have known he was here, the feeling was unmistakable. After a few seconds of internal debate, Darius rose from his crouched walk, a real strain on his giant frame, and began to walk towards the opening at the end of the stairs, putting his life up to the chance he might be right. The Sith should have been deploying soldiers around the compound if they wanted to keep him out. The fact they were all congregated with the smugglers, and not trying to encircle and trap him, as far as he knew anyway, implied that perhaps the Sith wanted him to approach.

It was a foolish decision on his part, but leaving the smugglers to their deaths was not something Darius could do. Even if it meant he was about to throw his own life away.

A final step took him from the shadows of the staircase, his large frame dwarfing many of the soldiers in the area. His brown robes picked up as a breeze rushed through the area, and the small braid wrapped around Darius's neck and over his right shoulder shifted slightly. He let his unblinking eyes gaze around the room for several seconds, letting the silence hang in the air before he finally made eye contact with Darth Malevolum across from him. With a careful grace, Darius inclined his head to her, his lightsaber still held at the ready by his side.

"A pleasure to meet you, woman Sith. I hope that I was right in guessing you were expecting the presence of me?" His words, while correct, were not formed in sentences that most people would consider 'correct'. He also spoke with a heavy accent, with some of the words barely being recognizable. He was still learning Galactic Basic, sadly.

 

[Darth Malevolum]

There it was. The mystery man had finally arrived, saber in hand, striding in from on high like he owned the place. A few of her soldiers aimed their guns over towards the jedi, but Malevolum called them off. "No, keep your eyes on the prisoners. I'll have words with him." His greeting was rough, clearly basic wasn't his first language; that was unfortunate. She set her gaze upon him, the optics whirling and switching about, as she looked him over for any additional weapons he might have on his person. "Master Jedi." She started, her right hand opening and closing, as just the sight of one of her kind was starting to eat at her; how utterly annoying. "I suspected you might be arriving, but truth be told you arrived at a perfect time."

She motioned to the smuggler crew, with her saber still in hand. "You see, these lot had contraband on their person. Quite alot of spice and glitterstim, which is unfortunate for them. Imperial Law takes this matter rather seriously, but my only choices is to hand out death, or sentence them to life long slavery." She looked back to the knight, hoping he would be feeling civil enough to have this debate with her. "Here is what I suggest. They require a punishment of sorts, but I feel that neither of my two options is very befitting the nature of the crime, especially given how close this is to your 'kind's territory." If not for the prisoners giving her this opportunity, she would have already leapt upon him and began to assault him viciously; but this would be far more entertaining. "So, what would you say I should do with these criminals? I wish to know what the jedi think of this situation." She already knew what he was going to say, it was a typical jedi response: "Let them go! This experience has given them wisdom!". It was logic like that, that had caused her so much griff; so unwilling to do the right thing, just because it wasn't pretty. She seemed rather relaxed, keeping eye contact wit the knight, though she kept herself ready for any trick he might seem to play. In a rare moment of fairness, she was going to give him a chance to save these mens lives, if not, she was going to have them all killed; better die free than live as a slave after all.

Darius Ino'Kane

 

[Darius Ino'Kane]

Darius inclined his head to Darth Malevolum as he fully entered the courtyard. As hostilities were not immediately met, he reached down and clipped his lightsaber back to his belt before folding his hands behind his back. Darius kept his eyes on the Sith as she approached him, though he glanced at the soldiers every few seconds, making sure he knew where they were at all times, and how close he was to the potential exits from this situation. The glass windows on the second floor were not reinforced, and if Darius put his mind to it, it would be a simple matter to breakthrough. However, this line of thought was halted when the Sith mentioned justice.

He was intrigued by the opportunity presented to him today. He had feared he would have to witness the aftermath of the Sith Empires will on these men and women, or perhaps even see their lives taken in ways far worse than death. Now though, he might have a chance to avert disaster this day. Darius extended his right hand, pointing towards one of the nearest smugglers before him. "I cannot say what other Jedi may think, but I believe these men and women are guilty. They have been caught in the act, their criminal compound and supply have been found, and they are clearly of guilty conscious." As Darius spoke he began to walk towards the smugglers, coming to stand before a few of them.

"The guilt of these is clear, but it is then up to us to be understanding. They have wronged both our peoples, otherwise, we would not both be here. But their deaths do not absolve the crime. Neither in the end, would slavery. No, neither option is a viable deterrent from such activities. If they were, we would not be having this discussion. Freedom, however, is also a poor decision for their case. They are criminals, their actions have wronged the lives of many. They should stand trial for their actions so that they might defend themselves if able, but more so that justice and law are upheld. They should be sent to prison for their actions, where they can no longer hurt others with their actions, but where they may still have a chance one day for redemption." As he spoke, Darius kneeled down, grabbing a pendant around one of the smuggler's necks, his eyes locking with the smuggler. He had noticed she had been holding the locket tightly since he had entered the courtyard, and with a nervous nod from her, Darius opened the locket, turning the contents towards the Sith.

"This woman is a mother of spawn that looks no more than five years. Should she die today, or become a slave, her child will suffer far more than she ever will. Your solution would see not just this woman suffer, but her family, and others close to her. By sending her to trial to face judgment there, she has a chance to change her ways. Through correctional imprisonment, she will emerge on the other side a better person. Justice must be dealt here this day, but the unilateral decision of your Empire on the matter is not the solution."

 

[Darth Malevolum]

Typical of a jedi, speaking as if his way of thinking was the only possible option. Still, she heard him out, taking account of what he was saying, though she greatly disliked it. At least this one was willing to accept the fact that they needed to pay for punishment, but the jedi's plea for sympathetic fell upon deaf cybernetic ears. The point of pleading for the smuggler woman's well being mattered little to Malevolum, because in truth she didn't see the issue; that woman had broken the law, having a child didn't make them immune to punishment. She crossed her arms, uncaring, unwavering as while the jedi leveled points, they were ultimately unfounded. Imprisonment did seem to be the best way to handle this issue, sadly doing so wasn't in her power.

She would need to appeal to the planetary government to alter the punishment of these men and women, and sadly the charge for smuggling of illegal drugs was a swift death. How troublesome. She doubted the jedi had room to transport these people back, and even if he did, they were in her custody; there was no way in hell she was going to let them go. After the jedi had finished his point, Malevolum merely shook her head, watching as her troops seemed to be getting rather nervous being between a jedi and a Darth. "Your attempt to add a sob story to this matter is not needed. If that woman is a mother, she should have considered what would happen if she was caught, especially selling drugs within the Empire. It's a well known death sentence. It's irresponsible of her, now her child risks growing up an orphan." She remarked, looking back to the jedi, she kept her tone icy and distant. "Normally, I would agree with imprisonment for this lot, save for the fact that the charge of moving illegal goods calls for execution, or slavery. To alter that punishment, I'd have to plead to the powers that be that I select the punishment, and I know that won't work, and I also doubt if you so desired that you can safely transport these people back to Jedi space. Which you won't do, as they are under my charge. Do you see my dilemma here Master Jedi? I have no real solution, and it seems that death is becoming an increasingly tempting judgement." Malevolum crossed her arms, staring at the knight. "I suspect you are seeing why I am at an impasse. I can't imprison them without disgracing myself, and I don't believe they will wish to be model citizens of the Empire even if I did so." She brooded just a tad more, feeling annoyed at this whole situation. "I don't suppose you have another idea?"

Darius Ino'Kane