EXT. SPACE - KMN-0
A box-shaped cargo shuttle leaves the atmosphere of KMN-0, flying past the derelict hyperspace ring of Siri Tachi's starfighter as it heads for open space.
INT. SHUTTLE/CARGO BAY
Siri, the hood of her deep red robe pulled up over her head, sits atop a crate in the otherwise empty cargo hold of the cargo-hauling shuttle. There, palmed in her outstretched hand, is an activate holoprojector displaying the blue-white image of her Jedi mistress, Adi Gallia.
ADI GALLIA: (cont'd) ... and we'll dispatch an acolyte to retrieve your starfighter and bring it back to Coruscant.
SIRI: (nods) Thank you, Mistress. (beat) All the paperwork's in order?
ADI GALLIA: (nods) Each and every document has been scrutinized and gone over a thousand times to make sure nothing is vague and everything is legitimate. You should have no problem with the local authorities once you reach Tatooine.
SIRI: Still ... I can't help but have a bad feeling about this.
ADI GALLIA: Look inside yourself, Siri, find your centre. There you will find the living Force. Let it flow through you and soothe you and erase all doubt from your mind.
SIRI: (unconvinced) I'll try.
ADI GALLIA: The Force be with you, Siri.
SIRI: And with you, Mistress.
Leaving her with a smile, the holographic Jedi mistress winks out of existence, leaving Siri alone with her uneasy thoughts.
EXT. SPACE
The shuttle soon comes in reach of the Light Hammer, a large Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser. Emblazoned on the side of the dreadnaught is the design of an intricate, down-turned gold triangle -- the Crest of Alderaan, indicating that the ship belongs to the Alderaanian fleet. Sidling up with the bow of the heavy cruiser, the small shuttle slips into the craft's docking bay.
INT. LIGHT HAMMER/DOCKING BAY
Gliding into the bay, the cargo shuttle touches down atop the polished metal plating of the deck. There in the bay, waiting for the ship, is a tall, broad-shouldered man in his late twenties with a full head of thick, black hair. This man, clad in the crisp gray uniform and decorated with the insignia of an Imperial admiral is BAIL PRESTOR ORGANA, the prince of Alderaan himself.
The side hatch of the shuttle lifts open, and Siri steps out. Tossing a fold of her cloak back, she approaches the admiral.
SIRI: Admiral Organa?
BAIL: (smiles) Call me Bail.
SIRI: If it's all the same to you, Admiral, I would prefer to address you by your rank.
BAIL: (shrugs) If that's what you prefer ...
SIRI: Thank you, Admiral.
BAIL: (gestures toward the doors leading out of the docking bay) Shall we?
Siri nods with affirmation. Together, they walk off for the wider regions of the ship.
SIRI: I have to say I'm astonished to find a ship of the Alderaanian fleet so far out from the Core Worlds. The Outer Rim territories are far beyond your usual patrol range, aren't they?
BAIL: After my promotion to admiral, I felt like getting as far away from the war as possible, so I requested an assignment which would take me out of the thick of things. I was assigned a tour of duty patrolling the border regions between Imperial and Hutt space. (beat) It sure beats having to deal with Neimoidian mercenaries and Dark Jedi conspiracies.
INT. LIGHT HAMMER/TURBOLIFT
Siri and Bail now stand within a turbolift, on ascent to a higher deck.
BAIL: So from what little information I've received, you've been having problems with Mandalorian raids along the Outer Rim. Can you give me any more details?
SIRI: Well, there isn't much more I can tell you. From what we gathered from what witnesses there are, a Mandalorian dungeon ship with an escort of two-to-five assault ships has been attacking lightly-defended ships and backwater settlements -- Imperial and non-Imperial alike -- taking whom they wish while slaughtering everyone else. We haven't been able to determine a motive.
BAIL: Maybe there isn't a motive. (beat) The Mandalorians of old were berserker warriors, fighting for the sheer pleasure of it. It isn't hard to imagine them slipping back into an old routine, especially following the collapse of Mandalore.
SIRI: I don't believe that, Admiral, not for a second. (beat) There's a dark design at work here -- I just have to figure out what it is.
INT. LIGHT HAMMER/BRIDGE
A door slides open, and Siri and Organa step out into the bridge, where several officers are moving with activity, preparing the ship for the journey ahead. A TALL, OLIVE-SKINNED WOMAN not much older than the Admiral rises from the command chair and walks over to the newcomers.
BAIL: (to Siri) Ms. Tachi, this is Commander Raia Vaness, my first officer and trusted confidant. (to Vaness) Raia, this is Siri Tachi, Jedi Knight on loan from Coruscant.
CMDR. VANESS: (bowing her head to Siri) It is a pleasure to meet you, Mistress Tachi.
SIRI: (returns the bow) Likewise, Commander.
BAIL: (to Vaness) Are we ready to go?
CMDR. VANESS: Just give the word, Admiral.
Moving away from Siri and Vaness, Bail walks over to the command chair. Sitting down, he turns toward the ship's helmsman -- a lean, yellow-skinned near-Duros.
BAIL: Set a course for Tatooine, Mr. Solo, hyper-factor 8.
MR. SOLO: Yes, sir.
The near-Duros helmsman punches the coordinates for Tatooine into the Light Hammer's navicomputer. Once the course has been charted, he pulls back on a lever, activating the hyperdrive.
EXT. SPACE
The form of the dreadnaught elongates and then shoots forward with a blur of pseudo-motion, punching through the fabric of realspace and into the extradimensional maelstrom of hyperspace.
INT. NYAX/ZULL'S CELL
Within the confines of her cell, Zull lies cowering in a heap on the floor in the centre of the room, clutching the torn remains of her robes about her as she sobs uncontrollably. The Mandalorian who violated her is long gone.
The cell doors unlock and the door slides open. Zull barely turns to regard the Force Hound as he steps inside, a set of clean coveralls folded against his arm.
FORCE HOUND: (subtitled) Your journey is almost over. We'll be reaching our destination within the hour. (holds out the tan coveralls) Here -- you need these. Please take them.
Zull merely looks upon the Mandalorian, her eyes burning with hate.
ZULL: (subtitled) Why have you done this to me?
Walking up to her, the Force Hound crouches down on one knee before her. Setting down the folded coveralls, he reaches out to her, touching her cheek gingerly. The priestess, her face bruised, flinches upon contact.
FORCE HOUND: (voice breaking) (subtitled) I don't want to do this to you -- I have to do this to you.
ZULL: (grinds her teeth) (subtitled) Why?
FORCE HOUND: (strokes her hair) (subtitled) From birth you were taught to believe -- as so many others have before you -- that what you call the Breath is divided into distinct halves of dark and light, at war with itself. (beat) This is a lie, perpetrated by fools who -- too afraid to embrace the potential within themselves -- would also deny that right to others, using fear to poison their minds against any evidence that runs contrary to their dogma. (beat) There is no distinct dividing line between the light side and the dark side -- they blur together, because they are one -- a unified Force.
With gentleness, the Force Hound takes the high priestess by her shoulders and draws her to him, embracing her.
FORCE HOUND: (crying) (subtitled) In order to open your eyes to the truth, I must break you -- force you into the abyss so that you may embrace it. Only then, with both sides of the Force as your ally, can you be made whole.
ZULL: (subtitled) And if I don't break?
FORCE HOUND: (subtitled) Then I will have failed, and I will have to live with the horror of knowing that what I did to you, I did for nothing.
Slowly, the Mandalorian releases the Meketrex priestess. Standing up, he walks over to the door and opens it.
ZULL: (subtitled) You don't have to worry, Mandalorian.
The Force Hound turns to face her. Her eyes glowing with rage, she bears her teeth at him.
ZULL: (cont'd) (subtitled) You've broke me.
Unable to respond, the Force Hound merely steps out of the cell, sealing and locking the door behind him.