The Artus system.

Thaera stands defiantly before the Sith. She knows that she has done terrible things, that she walks the razor’s edge. She knows, too, that this is her chance for redemption.

The darkness is all around her, inside her, trying to hollow out her head and split it open. But she does not falter. She is stronger than the darkness, she will not let the ice consume her.

She looks at Jadus and says calmly, “Go ahead and kill me. You’ve already lost.”

Somehow, even as awareness fades away to black oblivion, she finds the strength to smile.

Unaw Aharo was not ready for this fight, but the people in the settlement were still in danger. He watched the Sith, Rora Seake, draw power to herself from within a hard prism of Sith sorcery, she ignored him. He was unworthy of her notice until she was ready to slay him. The gash on his leg smelled rotten, one of the creatures had marked him with its poisonous claw before a lucky saber strike killed it.

He remembered the day in the cave against Callef, he recited the Jedi code to himself as he waited for death. Death would have come if Master Orgus had not saved him, but Master Orgus was on Alderaan and Master Ryen lay dead under the claws of one of the Sith’s beasts.

Unaw recited the code again, but this time he did not wait for death. There is no emotion, there is peace. He backed away from the floating Sith. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. He extended his senses testing the bounds of the shield, every prism had a weak point. There is no passion, there is serenity. He closed his eyes and leaped letting the force guide his strike. He reversed his saber in mid-air angling it downward like a long dagger, Rora was not expecting a precision strike from directly overhead.

His eyes opened as he struck, he saw the fear on the Sith’s face. He spared a moment for pity that she could not be redeemed. In a desperate attempt to protect herself, she charged her hands with lightning and held them above her head. His saber pierced the weak spot of her shield dissipating its energy, it pushed through the lightning in her hands forcing it away, and it burned through her face melting away her terrified expression, the lightning enveloped Unaw in a mass of released power as he landed. His body arched and his mouth opened soundlessly but he felt no pain. There is no death, there is the Force. Unaw knew the settlers were safe, he returned to the force willingly, and everything went white.

“Thank you, Sergeant, carry on.” Watcher One said touching his earpiece. His calculation had been correct, Master Ryen and his Padawan would die in the attempt to save the settlers. It had only cost one Sith to obtain a far more important target.

“My Lord,” He bowed to Darth Angral, “my interrogation is complete. Transmitting my report to you now.”

“Your efficiency will be noted.” Darth Angral nodded acknowledgement, “Take Doctor Godera to Dromund Kaas, I have plans for him.” The transmission winked out.

Watcher One nodded to his men who prepared the doctor for transport. He would be a great asset to the Empire. Watcher One thought fondly of Dromund Kaas, he had been gone for a long time, it would be good to be home.

The transponder station.

“I have betrayed you,” Quinn whispered. “Conspired with your most hated enemy. I know that it is meaningless to express my deep regret.”

“No, go ahead,” A’tro said coolly. “I want to hear you own up to your mistakes.”

Quinn swallowed hard. “I—I’m sorry, my lord,” he said, voice breaking. “For everything.”

A’tro smiled at him. Then she lifted one hand, her gloved fingers clenching at the air.

When it was over, she regarded the scene with eyes as dead as those of the corpse.

“Apology accepted, Captain Quinn,” she said, and walked away.

I admit, I wrote this one solely because I wanted to make that movie reference.

and I like that Ruth still has agency of a sort even in such a constricted environment. Jaesa's death makes perfect sense in this story. Perfect sense.

"Thank you, overseer, for summoning the general. I look forward to hearing why a general manages this mine."

When Ruth left the office she found the miners surreptitiously evacuating, one full lift at a time. The ones on the floor gaped in terror.

She took in the scene and laughed. "Continue, gentlemen. Go home. Hug your children, kiss your wives. Live another day."

They didn't have to be told twice.

Quinn murmured so only Ruth and Vette could hear. "That was surprisingly mild, my lord."

Vette's presence meant no fresh commands; Ruth could be merciful. "There's only one target I want to kill today," she said. She could plausibly have meant the general they awaited. She smiled mirthlessly at Quinn, and watched, and waited.

"He'll expect us back soon."

"Worry about excuses after we escape." Pierce kept working at Baras's databank. "There. Master list of brainwashing targets. Draahg…poor sod. Almost two dozen more. Says here a bunch of 'em died just during rewiring."

"Some didn't. That one," said Vette.

"Dead now. Quinn sent Ruth after him."

"And those two. They made it until…she killed them two weeks ago."

"Blast. He made her kill every other victim there was."

"On the plus side, we know none of Baras's drones can come after us."

"She wiped out everyone like her. She's never finding out, Vette. She wouldn't forgive herself."

"I think she's past forgiving herself anyway."

"We don't tell her this part." He dismissed the list. "Wipe this with the rest of it. Torch it all."

"I am enjoying seeing you bound like this, my lord Emperor." Scourge wrapped the honorific in sarcasm.

The Voss body that served as conduit for the Emperor's will hissed. Sel'Makor bound him even when its attention was elsewhere. "When this body is slain and I am free, I will restore just enough of your sensation for you to suffer endlessly."

"You will not be slain until something succeeds in killing me." Scourge smiled. "Your victory will be empty. And the Jedi may yet fulfill my vision over your true form."

"Your Jedi is nothing."

"So are you."

Brrik could not wait for the old Jedi and his Padawan.

“Boom-boom making big hole in planet, Brrik needing way around Sand Demon.”

The other Jawas conferred quickly. “We create distraction. Brrik disarm Shock Drum.”

They joined in a group hug, each worried more about the other. They drew their weapons and bravely ran to distract the Sand Demon.

Brrik rushed to the weapon he helped build. The codes had changed but a Jawa never needed codes. He opened an access panel, ignoring the pain as the device rattled his core.

“Bad machine, Brrik take you apart and make you good machine later.” He dismantled the device’s stability field until its own shock waves destroyed it from within.

Brrik stumbled, his chest felt funny. He lay down near the Jedi, wondering if she could help him, but she did not wake, he closed his eyes and the cave was silent.

The familiar figure and her bald alien friend disappeared. Coremi touched the body, no vital signs but she could sense the anger within him, cybernetics could not hide that.

“You play dead better than most, but it won’t work. Wake up, perhaps I can help you.”

The bald man rolled over, “I missed my appointment, so unless you can defuse a head bomb, no one can help me.”

“I can disarm any bomb,” she replied helping him to his feet. “Let’s find you a street surgeon and see what we can do.”

“Why would you help me?” he asked suspiciously.

“Enemy of my enemy?” she suggested.

“What would you ask of me in exchange?”

“The only thing of value,” she replied, “information.”

He studied her, first surprised, then pleased. “Then perhaps we can help each other.”

“The nest screams.” The joiner shouted writhing on the cargo bay floor.

Cipher Nine covered her ears and stared dispassionately at the man. Shortly after Keeper forced this Vector Hyllus onto her crew, an industrious Sith named Lord Nefarid decided to buy Alderaan’s loyalty by offering the one thing the nobles would not turn down, death to all Killiks. They sent men to each of the hives, suicide missions with only one purpose, mark the Queen. The Death Mark laser weapon did the rest. The hives frenzied as the laser dismantled their structure.

Chaos reigned below, the nobles celebrated above, and floating in space, Vector felt it all.

“Shall I put him out of his misery?” Kaliyo asked.

“No,” Vero gave her comrade a look, “But do knock him out. We’ll see what can be done with him on Dromund Kaas.”

Watcher X can make it seem like he has no vital signs, that's the thing he does to the agent to make her look like a droid, I don't see why he wouldn't give himself the same ability.

It was a simple job, too easy for one of her caliber. But she followed orders, because what else could she do?

That didn’t mean she couldn’t be angry about it, though. Why send a Cipher to do a numberless operative’s job?

It’s overkill, Cipher Thirteen thought. An amateur could turn the situation on Hutta into a victory for the Empire. All too easy. What’s this about?

She had an asset to work with—the Rattataki, Kaliyo Djannis. Keeper thought she could be useful. Cipher Thirteen disagreed.

In and out of Fa’athra’s palace, then a knife in the back. Easy.

A terrorist plot on Dromund Kaas. Easy work, for someone like her.

But then it all goes wrong.

Darth Jadus looks at her. She knows he feels her power, just as she can sense his. Cipher Thirteen prepares to die.

But instead, he summons her to his chambers, calls her “exceptional”, “extraordinary”, “a force of darkness”.

She’s a living weapon. He doesn’t say it, but it’s the truth.

She kneels before him. What else can she do? If a Sith wants to choose her, she can’t exactly argue. But still…she’s gifted, just like him.

Maybe she can use him too.

Disaster struck. Now Cipher Thirteen hunts terror cells across the galaxy. She’s good at killing.

She’s alone, but she doesn’t mind. She works better that way.

She leaves a trail of blood across half a dozen worlds. Never too many, or too loudly. She’s very good at what she does. It only gets easier with practice.

This is what she lives for. She’s Intelligence’s most gifted operative. It’s only right that she be the one to end this threat to the Empire.

And then she finds the Eagle, and travels to the Artus system.

And then her galaxy changes forever.

It was a simple decision. Let the Eradicators burn worlds, and stand at Jadus’ side. Betraying her allies means nothing—she knows they would have turned on her in the end.

She is strong in the Force, and she stands before the Sith, knowing that this is what she was meant to do. This is her destiny.

Jadus orders her to Dromund Kaas, to execute Darth Zhorrid and usher in his triumphant return. She acquiesces eagerly.

The blank mask turns to regard her.

“When Zhorrid is dead, return to me,” Jadus says. “I will have need of a new apprentice.”

So this is a universe where instead of being betrayed by Intelligence and ending up as a slave, Vesania remains an agent and ends up going through that storyline. I'm sure there's an Inquisitor in this universe, but I haven't quite figured that out yet.

I theorize that given Jadus' emphasis on having non-Sith servants, a Force-sensitive agent would seem like a golden opportunity. Vesania would jump at the chance for power because deep down, that's what she's always wanted. That's how she became the Nox we all know and love.

“So, trap?” asked Risha.

“Trap,” replied both Rixik and Kirya in unison. “I should have just shot her,” Rixik continued.

“I thought we agreed we can’t go around shooting people just because they’re stupid,” Kirya objected. Rixik rolled his eyes.

“I hate people who misuse the emergency channels,” said Risha, “makes people afraid to answer the real ones.”

“So do I,” Rixik agreed. He headed straight for the holoterminal and entered a number.

A small Sullustan appeared in the field. “Miel Muwn of the Sullustan Constable Brigade. Greetings, Jesp Rixik and Kirya Bilali.”

Rixik smiled, “Hey Miel, got a gal making false calls on Republic Emergency channels. Whole thing on holo, I’m sending it to you now, along with the coordinates of the offending ship, Celestial Crow.”

Muwn nodded, “Thank you for your report, upstanding citizen,” he said in his droning language, “I will see the offender properly dealt with.”

So after the first time I ran through my smuggler I was so sad that he died that the next time I left him in the Justicar prison. Because you don't free him he never gets shot by the Imperials at the end. You never see him again, and he no longer thinks you're upstanding but at least I didn't have to watch him die. :/

Although to be fair, I'm not sure leaving him with the Justicars is much better. I ran a smuggler through that bit twice, but I always let him out. I still have the counterfeit Murustavan Ruby in my smuggler's ship storage.

Yes the Justicars might still kill him but at least he has a chance. I always say "I'm sorry Miel! It's for your own good!"

this is true. I'm still going to let him live in this AU. I liked him.

"The codes had changed but a Jawa never needed codes." <3 <3

Letting Watcher X live has got to be one of the most alarmingly unpredictable options in the Agentverse.

Vector. Love the premise. Creative use of the Death Mark. And again with the long cascade effect of the Knight's absence...

Killing Kaliyo!? ...That really is the only prudent course of action for Cipher Thirteen to take.

"This is her destiny"...a truly appropriate attitude for someone coming into Jadus's service.

Watcher X!!!! Squeee!!!! I totally left him alive. He sent me three messages full of information that I still haven't completely figured out but keep finding references to and if I could have him on my crew. Heartbeat. Totally in heartbeat. I have a feeling he'd fit in well with the smart-like-a-crazy-fox thing we've got going on. (We're going to leave the fact that Vector may have some competition alone, lol.)

“Tyresius Lokai?”

“Check.”

“Good job, we’ll be out of here and on our way to Alderaan in a minute,” Mako said, firing up the engines.

“That was a satisfying kill if I do say so,” Skari said, propping her feet up on the console.

“We’re going to win the Great Hunt, I just know it.”

“And Tarro Blood will never know what hit him.” Skari looked around, frowning. “I wish I had some wine.”

I REALLY wanted Gault dead on Tatooine, and I'm REALLY glad I didn't kill him cause he's a fun addition to the crew two chapters later. Besides, who would keep Skari supplied in wine if he wasn't along?

Master Orgus Din smiled grimly though his ribs still hurt from a well-placed kick. He had placed the tracking beacon, no matter where Angral went with his weapon the Jedi would track him down and defeat him. He was at peace.

“It’s not too late, Angral. Do the right thing, for once. Surrender.”

“Pity you didn’t bring your student, I could kill you both.” Angral replied drawing his saber.

“Yeah well why don’t you try it?” Kira leaped from her hiding place above the transmitter. She hit Angral squarely between the shoulders knocking him down, he rolled away as she tossed Master Orgus his saber.

“Kira, I told you to find the Death Mark Laser.” Master Orgus shouted.

“I couldn’t let you face him alone. You can yell at me later.”

The battle was fierce, but Darth Angral could not match Kira’s spirit and Orgus’s skill. He fell cursing the Jedi responsible for his son’s death. The fallen Sith crawled to Orgus, beaten and dying. To the Jedi’s surprise, he laughed.

“There is something you should know about your Padawan,” he spat blood on Orgus’s boot. “She is not who you think.” With his last breath, he whispered his son’s name then he was gone.

Orgus looked up at Kira preparing a short lecture but Kira’s body was rigid, power radiated from her, and when she turned to look at him, her eyes were black as the void.

I guess that answers that question. Orgus thought drawing his saber again.

“She’s a child of the Emperor?” Master Kaeden exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell us this Kira? What else are you hiding?”

“Calm yourself, Master Kaeden.” Orgus raised a hand wearily. “She’s proven herself and broke free of the Emperor’s grasp. She’s a Jedi and deserves to be recognized as one.” He put his hand on Kira’s shoulder.

“Master Orgus is right,” Master Shan said quelling any argument from Kaeden. “As leader of this Council, it is my pleasure to promote Kira Carsen to the rank of Jedi Knight.”

Watcher One - Alive and back on Dromund Kaas

Unaw Aharo - Dead

Doctor Godera Captured

Sanju Pyne - Dead

Watcher X - Alive

Kiwiks and Brrik - Most likely dead

Vector - Insane

Master Orgus - Alive

The Planet Uphrades NOT destroyed

The last Imperial fell. “Jesp, check Miel!” Kirya yelled.

“Forget him, go after Skavak!” he yelled back.

Kirya marched up to him and poked his chest, “Check Miel,” she insisted.

Rixik glowered at her. The little Sullustan was law enforcement, for crying out loud. But the set of Kirya’s jaw said she wasn’t going to just let him go quietly into the great beyond. “All right, you and Corso go after Skavak, I’ll patch up Miel.”

Kirya nodded and turned, taking off down the corridor deep in the underbelly of Coroscant’s grimy works. Rixik snagged Corso’s ropy hair as he passed, “You let her get hurt, and I will personally stuff your eyeballs up your nostrils,” he hissed in Corso’s ear.

“Lay off,” Corso growled, pulling himself free, “I’ll take care of her.”

“I mean it,” said Rixik, “Go, before she loses you.” Corso ran after Kirya, leaving Rixik alone with the Sullustan constable and a room full of corpses.

He knelt beside the unconscious Miel. Rixik wasn’t much of a medic, but he did know his way around pharmaceuticals. Including effective-but-not-recommended-by-the-manufacturer uses for a lot of things. Case in point: kolto wound gel diluted with emergency rehydration solution and slapped into a stim pack worked like a monster kolto injection. Which was what he planned to give the little guy, assuming he didn’t run out of wound gel.

The Imps were good shots and he’d been hit bad. It took two press-on medpaks to close the hole they blew in him, and a can and a half of kolto spray to cover the rest. He could probably find as good or better on the Imps, but he’d never hear the end of it if Miel cratered while he searched the bodies.

Funny. Sullustan blood was pinkish. File that away for shipboard trivia games.

Rixik found a vein—or what he hoped was a vein, anyway—in Miel’s scrawny arm and slipped the needle of his homebrew kolto injection into it. He taped the stimpack to Miel’s forearm, the pressure just enough to feed the solution into his bloodstream. Then he propped the constable’s arm up against the nearby crate and borrowed his binders to keep it there. Gravity would aid the flow.

Last, he popped the cap on a small Nyex multi-dose hyperspray unit and picked the smallest dose. Nyex was a sedative as well as a painkiller; he didn’t want to knock Miel out, just make the pain tolerable for when the stim kicked in. Little thing cost a load of credits. Wonder if the Sullustan Constable Brigade would reimburse him for it. Probably not worth the trouble.

Rixik sat back on his heels. Miel was as stable as he was going to get for the time being. The diluted stim ought to wake him up soon and the Nyex should keep the noise down when he did. No one could fault him for checking the bodies now.

Rixik scavenged a handful of credits, a few stims, some medpaks, and one beautiful Murustavan Ruby. Lovely thing. He stuck it in a pocket. The Imps sure didn’t need it, and they already paid Skavak…whatever it was he wanted for it. He also found some press-on medical monitors, apparently designed to aid triage techs or nurses or some such. Or perhaps they were just ‘hey stupid, use a medpak’ alerts. Hard to tell; none of them were actually attached to the soldiers who carried them.

He returned to Miel. He stuck one of the disposable monitors on the Sullustan’s shoulder, then ripped it off when all the indicators went red. Hell, he knew that. Useless piece of crap.

Miel began to stir, and Rixik heard footsteps echoing in the hall, out of tempo with the low endless cadence of the machinery. He drew a blaster, but it was only Kirya and Corso returning.

“Please tell me Skavak’s corpse is now bobbing in the sewage processor with the rest of the turds.” Rixik called, rising and holstering the blaster.

“Unfortunately no,” Kirya answered, “hit a junction point. Five different passages, and no way to tell where he went. There’s just too much noise down here.”

“He’s probably headed back to the hangar,” said Corso, “The Imps said they were delivering his payment there.”

Rixik cursed. Little slime was just digging his own grave. “All right—“

“How’s Miel?” Kirya asked.

Her question jolted him out of his train of thought. Airlocks were involved, specifically the large cargo airlock with the iffy exterior seal, and Skavak without a vacsuit. “I, uh…dunno. He got hit pretty bad.”

“We need to get him to a medcenter,” she insisted.

Rixik took her hand, “We bring a shot-up, half-dead lawman to a medcenter and we go to jail for half a year. And that’s if he lives. Be reasonable.”

She shook him off, “I am being reasonable, Jesp. You could tell them we weren’t responsible. That it was the Imperials. That we were trying to help.”

“Babe, nobody would believe that. Least of all Coruscant security,” Rixik looked around at the damage, “And I can’t come up with anything that doesn’t sound even more far-fetched.”

“Miel would confirm it,” Kirya insisted.

“Miel will be floating in a kolto tank!”

“Well, we can’t just leave him here,” Corso interrupted.

The binders rattled against the crate and Miel groaned. “Up…standing…citizens?” he rasped.

Kirya ran to his side. “You’re going to be fine, Miel, just stay still.”

The constable pulled on the binders again, then took in the cobbled together stim pack attached to his arm and the copious quantities of kolto he was stewing in. “It…seems…I am gravely injured.”

“We’re going to get you to a medcenter,” Kirya said, glaring over her shoulder at Rixik, “Everything’s fine.”

“Your…quick thinking…and actions…saved my life…upstanding citizens,” Miel continued.

“Wish you’d quit calling us that,” Rixik muttered, “makes me uncomfortable.”

“Why?” Miel asked. Over their protests, he struggled to a seated position. “You…demonstrated many…admirable qualities…while aiding my pursuit.”

“Well, we did share a goal,” said Kirya, “But you really ought to stay still until we can figure out a way to move you.”

“My…personal transponder…already alerted appropriate authorities…to my position and condition,” Miel said. His voice was getting stronger. The stim was taking effect. “Tell me, upstanding citizens, were you able to recover the Murustavan Ruby?”

“I, uh, didn’t check yet,” Kirya said, “Jesp?”

Rixik winced. He’d hoped to keep it and fence it later. Of course, he’d probably lost that option before Kirya even asked about it, but still. It was pretty, it was valuable, and it was his. For a few minutes anyway. Resigned to the inevitable, Rixik withdrew the bright red gem from his pocket, “Yeah, got it off the Imps.” He handed it to Kirya.

She pressed it into Miel’s hand, “Here it is, Miel,” she said. The Sullustan took the ruby from her, studying it with a keen eye. Kirya was beaming.

Oh well. Returning it made her happy, and her smile was prettier anyway. “Is there a reward?” he asked. Worth a shot.

Miel slumped back against the crate, the stone loose in his hand, “It is a counterfeit.”

“WHAT?”

Miel covered one ear against the chorus, “This gem is not the Murustavan Ruby. The index of refraction indicates a clever forgery, most likely of inexpensive polysilicate treated with dopant to enhance its color.” Miel gave the cheap knock-off back to Kirya.

“All that for a fake?” Corso asked.

“Figures,” Rixik said, admiring the blood-red gem, gorgeous against Kirya’s soft green skin, “He could sell copies to collectors and no one would be the wiser. It’s not like they could show it off to anybody, or complain to the authorities if they discover the fraud. Pretty sweet scam,” Rixik said. All eyes were on him. “Why is everyone looking at me like that?” he asked.

Kirya shook her head, “You’re incorrigible,” she said.

“Oh come on, you have to admit it’s a good scam.”

“Skavak must still have the original Murustavan ruby,” Miel said, ignoring Rixik’s questionable appreciation, “and may be intent on conducting the very deception you mention. I am obligated to continue my pursuit. Upstanding citizens, I trust our mutually beneficial agreement remains in force?”

Rixik tipped his head, “Are those alarms? I hear alarms. I think that’s our cue, Kirya.”

A second later and the sirens were audible, a high-pitched med-evac wail cutting through the bass thrum of Coruscant’s maintenance systems. Corso jogged to the turn in the passageway, peering into the dimly-lit access corridor. Kirya put one hand on the Sullustan’s shoulder, “I promise, Miel. And you do the same. You sure you’ll be all right?”

Miel nodded, “I estimate the appropriate authorities will arrive within five minutes.”

“Definitely closer,” Corso called, “Heading this way.”

“Time to go now,” Rixik said, “been nice and all.”

“My report to the Sullustan Constable Brigade will speak highly of you. Are you still sure you want your names kept out?” Miel asked.

Kirya looked up at Rixik, then Corso, “I think ‘anonymous upstanding citizens’ will be best, Miel,” she said.

“As you wish,” Miel replied.

Kirya rose. The trio slipped off into the access tunnels, missing the medical team by less than a minute.

I will have to find a good use for Muwn in this AU. Given his tenacity, I can imagine him as a thorn in Skavak’s side through much of act 1, and a potentially valuable ally later.

keep Orgus alive for this prompt, but I kept blanking. Kira makes sense.