Nikki smiled at Commander Fox as he led her to the door, 

"Chancellor Palpatine is waiting for you inside, you may go,"

Nikki nodded, 

"Thank you, Commander,"

She entered the room and bowed as she refused to let her nerves consume her, 

"Chancellor Palpatine, you summoned me?"

Palpatine smiled kindly at her, 

"Yes, I did my dear. I wanted to meet you, we have yet to get the chance with the war effort. My thanks to you for fighting so bravely as a new addition to the Jedi Order. It must be hard for you and your brother,"

Nikki slowly nodded, 

"Sometimes it is. Do you have a mission for me, sir?"

Palpatine nodded grimly, 

"Yes, I do, Master Sora. I heard some talk about a Sith Lord called Darth Maul. I heard that he might be on Dathomir. I have no proof of it, so I am afraid that the Jedi Council might not take me seriously. I am under the impression that as a Jedi Knight, as a General, that you could potentially look for the Sith Lord. I would ask your brother, Master Axel, but I believe that he is about to go on a mission with Master Plo-Koon,"

Nikki slowly nodded, 

"I will be able to take a small squad with me?"

Palpatine nodded, 

"If you believe that is the best way to do it, yes. I believe that Clone Force 99 would do well."

Nikki nodded, 

"Yes, I will leave right away. Thank you, Chancellor Palpatine,"

The Chancellor smiled at her, 

"No, thank you, Master Sora, for believing my word. You must understand why this should be done covertly. We do not want to allow anyone to get wind of this to ambush you and your men,"

Nikki felt a weird feeling consume her as she nodded, 

"Yes, thank you again, Chancellor,"

The Chancellor nodded and Nikki left the room with a weird feeling in her gut growing. She tried remembering her past interactions with the Chancellor as a Padawan but she could only remember the brief meetings while her Master was present or Anakin was present. She ignored it and smiled at Fox one last time, 

"Thank you, again, Commander Fox for your help."

Fox nodded, 

"It is my duty, sir,"

Nikki shrugged, 

"I guess it is,"

Nikki quickly walked into the barracks and went to where she knew the Bad Batch were, 

"Hello, boys,"

Hunter nodded his head, 

"General Sora,"

Nikki rolled her eyes, 

"Hunter, Sora. Call me Sora,"

Tech glanced at her, 

"You have a mission for us?"

Nikki sighed and nodded, 

"Yes. It has to be kept quiet though...I'm not a huge fan of it,"

Echo frowned, 

"What is the mission?"

Nikki plopped down on the floor and groaned, 

"The Chancellor believes that he found where Darth Maul is hiding-"

"What?"

Nikki nodded at the shocked expression on Echo's face, 

"Yeah...he thinks that Maul is hiding on Dathomir,"

Tech frowned, 

"That is very far from here. But, seeing as you are here with us and telling us, we are the only ones going on this mission,"

Nikki nodded, 

"Yes. But, I am not allowing any of you to leave your ship unless you absolutely have to, like saving my skin or something. I'm not fond of the stories I have heard about the Nightsister witches. I plan on keeping this mission as quick as possible."

Crosshair crossed his arms, 

"What about Axel?"

Nikki shrugged, 

"I was told by the Chancellor that he is supposed to be going on a mission with Master Plo,"

Wrecker frowned, 

"Without us?"

Nikki shrugged, 

"I know, first time I'm hearing it too. But I can't disagree with the Chancellor. We have to actually leave now so we can get a head start. So get everything ready,"

Hunter smirked, 

"Sora, we are always ready,"

Nikki chuckled, 

"Apologies, then let's get going!"

Wrecker sighed, 

"We can't blow anything up?"

Nikki chuckled, 

"If I see that we can, I will definitely let you know," 

They quickly went to the ship and Hunter plotted the coordinates for Dathomir. As they approached Dathomir, the dark and eerie planet loomed before them. They could feel the malevolent energy radiating from its surface. Hunter glanced around as he landed the ship in a secluded area, 

"I don't like this,"

Nikki sighed and pulled up her cloak to cover her face, 

"Nor do I...but I gotta find Darth Maul, trust me Hunter."

Hunter sighed, 

"I do, just be careful. I don't want Axel to go on a murder spree if anything happens to you,"

Nikki rolled her eyes and smiled at him, 

"He won't. I will be back before you know it,"

Tech approached her and gave her some gloves, 

"These have extra grip in case you need to climb anything. Be careful, Sora,"

Nikki smiled at him and patted his shoulder, 

"I will be,"

She quickly left the ship. She winced as she recognized the planet from all those years ago when Cal and her explored. She moved with caution, feeling the oppressive presence of the dark side all around her. She quickly found the Nightsister's camp and approached it. Then she felt a presence and turned with her hand on her lightsabers. Mother Talzin stepped out of the shadows, 

"Welcome, young Jedi. What can I do for you?"

Nikki kept her hand on one of her lightsabers while she stared at Mother Talzin, 

"I simply wanted to learn a little bit about you. I was not raised well, and I am only just now learning about different cultures. I was curious about yours,"

Mother Talzin smiled at her and nodded, 

"Then, please join us for our traditional bonfire, you will find it most educational,"

Nikki slowly nodded and followed Mother Talzin over to a fire pit where other Nightsisters stood. Nikki kept her guard up as she approached the fire pit with Mother Talzin. The eerie, haunting chants of the Nightsisters filled the air, and the flickering flames cast strange shadows across their faces. Despite Talzin's seemingly warm welcome, Nikki could feel the malevolence lurking beneath the surface.

Talzin gestured for Nikki to sit, and she took a spot near the edge, remaining vigilant. Mother Talzin glanced at Nikki, 

"You are most welcome here, young Jedi. We have many traditions that go back centuries. Tonight, we celebrate our connection to the Force."

Nikki nodded, trying to appear interested while her mind raced, searching for any sign of Darth Maul, 

"It's fascinating to learn about different cultures and their ways of connecting with the Force," 

Talzin's eyes gleamed, 

"Indeed. The Force manifests in many ways, not just through the Jedi or the Sith. We, Nightsisters, have our own unique bond with it."

The ceremony continued, and Nikki observed carefully, her senses on high alert. She noticed the subtle exchange of glances among the Nightsisters, a sign that they were communicating something she couldn't quite discern. As the ritual progressed, Nikki seized a moment to probe deeper,

"Mother Talzin, I've heard tales of powerful warriors connected to Dathomir. One in particular—Darth Maul. Is there any truth to these stories?"

Nikki immediately sensed a change in the atmosphere as the force screamed at her in a warning. Mother Talzin calmly looked at her, 

"Darth Maul is not here. But Dathomir has seen many powerful beings over the centuries."

Nikki narrowed her eyes, 

"I don't believe you.  I've come a long way, and I need answers."

The tension in the air thickened, and in an instant, the cordial atmosphere vanished. Nightsisters surrounded Nikki, their hands crackling with dark magic. She immediately held up her lightsaber hilts, prepared for battle. Mother Talzin stood up with her own hands sparkling green, 

"I do wish you did not bring that up, young Jedi. For you see, you can not leave Dathomir now,"

Nikki shrugged, 

"I have been known to be stubborn,"

Without warning, one of the Nightsisters lunged at Nikki, hands crackling with dark energy. Nikki ignited her lightsabers in a flash of purple light, deflecting the initial attack. The Nightsisters moved with uncanny speed and coordination, their dark magic weaving through the air like serpents. Nikki spun and parried, her lightsabers a blur as she fended off a barrage of spells and physical strikes. She ducked under a swing from a Nightsister's enchanted blade, then countered with a precise strike, disarming her opponent and sending her sprawling to the ground.

Another Nightsister chanted an incantation and a bolt of dark energy shot toward Nikki. She raised her lightsaber just in time, the blade absorbing the attack. But the impact sent a shockwave through her body, momentarily numbing her arm. She gritted her teeth, refusing to let the pain slow her down.

Drawing on her training and the Force, Nikki leaped high into the air, somersaulting over a group of Nightsisters who tried to surround her. She landed gracefully, her lightsabers cutting through the darkness as she took down two more attackers in quick succession. Their cries echoed in the night, but more Nightsisters emerged from the shadows, their eyes glowing with malevolent intent.

One of the Nightsisters raised her hands, and the ground beneath Nikki's feet began to tremble. Roots and vines erupted from the earth, snaking towards her. Nikki slashed at them with her lightsabers, but they regenerated faster than she could cut them down. She summoned the Force, pushing the vines back long enough to create some distance.

Mother Talzin watched from the edge of the battlefield, her eyes narrowing as she observed Nikki's fighting techniques, 

"Impressive, young Jedi...you have fought us before,"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't,"

Nikki's breath came in quick, controlled bursts as she assessed the situation. The Nightsisters were relentless, and their dark magic was formidable. She needed to find a way to turn the tide. With a determined glint in her eye, she reached out through the Force, seeking a way to disrupt their coordination. But just as Nikki thought she had the upper hand, she felt a surge of dark energy behind her. She turned to see Mother Talzin herself stepping forward, her hands crackling with raw power, 

"You are strong, Jedi, but this is where your journey ends."

Nikki braced herself, ready to face the Nightsister matriarch. Talzin unleashed a torrent of dark magic, and Nikki's lightsabers whirled in a desperate attempt to deflect the onslaught. The force of the attack pushed her back, her feet skidding across the ground.

She focused, drawing on her inner strength and the Force. With a powerful push, she sent a wave of energy toward Talzin, disrupting the matriarch's concentration. Talzin staggered, and Nikki seized the moment, launching herself forward with a ferocious battle cry.

Their clash was intense, a dance of light and dark as Nikki's lightsabers clashed with Talzin's dark energy. The ground trembled beneath their feet, and the very air seemed to crackle with power. Nikki fought with everything she had, knowing that this battle could determine the fate of her mission. In a final, desperate move, Nikki summoned all her strength and channeled it into a powerful Force push. Talzin was thrown back, her dark magic dissipating. Nikki didn't wait for her to recover; she turned and sprinted towards the ship, her heart pounding.

As she ran, she finally saw the ship again. Hunter and Echo spotted her and immediately took off running toward her, their blasters raised as they took out some of the Nightsisters that were still attacking her. As they reached Nikki, Hunter tackled her out of the path of a spell. The spell hit them but they felt no different. Hunter quickly helped her up, 

"You okay?"

Nikki slowly nodded, 

"Yeah, yeah...I told you to stay on the ship,"

Echo rolled his eyes, 

"Like we were going to listen to you,"

Nikki softly chuckled as the two helped her to the ship, 

"Tech! Get this ship out of here!"

Nikki stared outside as she saw Mother Talzin smiling at them as they left. Nikki sat down next to Wrecker and patted his knee, 

"Sorry, we didn't get to blow anything up, Buddy,"

Wrecker nodded, 

"It's alright, are you feeling alright?"

Nikki sighed, 

"No Darth Maul. When we get back to Coruscant I have to report back to the Chancellor...this was a failed mission. I'm sorry for dragging you guys out here,"

Tech rolled his eyes, 

"No need to apologize, General. You did as asked, and no one can blame you for that,"

Nikki slowly nodded, 

"Yeah, I guess so,"

She sat in quiet as the others talked amongst themselves. Hunter quietly told his squad to leave the young Jedi alone, they could all clearly see how affected she was by this mission. Echo sat down next to Nikki and looked at her, 

"Are you sure you want to immediately report it?"

Nikki chuckled and nodded, 

"I am positive, Echo. You guys should go back to the Barracks and rest before Axel comes back from his mission with Master Plo. You guys definitely deserve it,"

Echo slowly nodded, 

"You will tell us if you want to talk about anything, right?"

Nikki smiled and patted his shoulder, 

"I will, thank you, Echo,"

"My pleasure, Sora,"