That was one unusual departure, indeed. Everything seemed so familiar yet so alien and foreign. The same architecture, the same banners and coats of arms. But Danielle knew perfectly well that it was not the place she had left. The very air, which was already stained by the foul touch of darkness, now reeked and was as pressing as a pile of bricks atop of the princess.  She was pushed forward, and her observations were interrupted.

"Move along, girl, you are lucky we've spared you," One of the acolytes spat.

"Yeah, why have you?" Danielle responded dryly, "Because I didn't even attempt to cut you in half?"

"The warden pays a hefty sum to each acolyte who catches a runaway. I can imagine what you are in for."

Both buffoons laughed, irritating the princess to no end. They went down the sandy road, past the cages with bloodthirsty beasts, who tried to make a getaway. Danielle had half a mind to snap the locks and let them go wild around the place. A couple of Sith wouldn't be missed, and she would get out. But to where, the issue remained. Where was Clockwork when he was so needed? She would find that irksome Sith, even if she would turn the place upside down.

"Hey, have you seen a Sith Lord? I mean the one who is overweight, wears a mask, it half-way mimics a face."

"Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down? Every other Sith Lord wears a mask," the acolyte snorted.

"Where are we even going? Or am I unauthorised to know? Do I need your permission, you little scoundrels?"

"Who are you calling scoundrel?!" One of the two exclaimed. God, that girl just didn't shut up, "Listen up. We are taking you where you belong. To the slave pen," he grabbed her chin, "And if you don't watch your snarky mouth..."

"Look how I am dressed. You won't be able to afford these in a million years."

"Leave her be, Ffon," the human acolyte called, "Don't you see? The girl takes pride in being a concubine," he laughed.

The murderous glare was sent his way at an instant while the Sith joined his partner. Danielle was not going to just tolerate such behaviour any longer. Who was that little rat to dare call her a whore? And albeit she was cuffed, it was in no way a hinderance. And to prove that point, Danielle simply pulled her hands apart, ripping the cuffs as if they were made of straw. The Sith let out surprised gasps, unconsciously making step back. The princess rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips.

"I don't have time for this..."

"That does it!" The acolyte shouted, reaching for his sword. His comrade did the same.

And upon looking around, the princess saw just what she wanted: a loud public scene. Smiling to herself, Danielle made a theatrical bow, before going forth with a fencing ritual. Everyone present was watching in marvel at how a green sabre emerged from nowhere. But that little trick was not enough neither to discourage the acolytes nor make anyone intervene. That's how it went down around there: people here either fought "honestly" to death (albeit it was considered crude and a general no brainer), or plotted so nobody noticed. Only if you were caught could it be considered a crime.

"Well then, let's see if the training here is as efficient as that on Babylon. Have at you!"

The fight soon began, turning out to be quite a miserable sight on the acolytes' behalf. The viceroy was hardly putting any effort into it, at first being solely on the defensive. It wouldn't call enough attention if Danielle ended everything too quickly. Inheriting a fighting style from her father, not to mention physical prowess, she could use her free hand, that allowed for greater tactical alternatives. Still, better not show everything at once, lest the Sith learn too much. As long as many things remained secret, the princess had an upper hand. Everyone could see that she was toying with her opponents, and that was enough.

Yet, once the crowd was considerable enough, the princess retaliated before they could blink. Once near the opponents once more, she swung the blade, aiming for the lower part, the strike was blocked by one of the acolytes. But the sword's absence also left the rest of the body unguarded. At an instant a bolt of lighting was launched, hitting one of the Sith hard, launching the body engulfed in cracking green electricity away. He was alive. Probably. The next acolyte got off easy, it was a short clash, that ended with the unlucky swordsman losing his weapon, and being at the receiving end of another blade.

"Next time pick on someone of your strength. Womp rats would be more fitting."

"Yes. You won," the red-skinned Sith responded, "Are you going to kill me now?"

"That's one thing you would have to ask someone else to do," the princess responded sarcastically as her sword vanished. "I think your shame will be the more fitting punishment."

"Cease this nonsense at once."

One of the Sith went forward. The blonde lady looked fairly young, closer to thirty. Her posture and her clothes clearly said that the woman was not some lowly acolyte. The look she was giving both Danielle and the fallen Sith was a scolding, yet curious one.

"Lord Zash!" The Sith exclaimed.

"Yes, it's me, Ffon," her look turned into glare, "Get out of my sight, you fool."

The man begrudgingly did as he was told. Then Zash turned to Danielle as the crowd began to disperse.

"You surely know how to make a scene, young lady," the Sith Lord said, examining the princess, "Who are you? I haven't seen you around here before. And I would have known."

"Danielle Phantom," the young woman responded, rubbing the back of her neck. "Due to some circumstances I ended up here. And I would seriously like to do something about it. For that purpose I have come to track the bastard whose fault it is and give him a piece of my mind."

"Aren't you an honest one," Zash smirked, "I believe we can help each other, girl."

"That... would be appreciated," Danielle bowed her head politely.

And modest too. Not often one would see a Sith being like this. If the lady was a Sith, that is. Danielle meanwhile followed Lord Zash, knowing full well that she was not to trust her. But for now, it was her only lead in this ocean of nonsense.

They went towards one of many Sith pyramids for which Korriban was famous. In Danielle's age she saw a reconstructed variant, but these ones were ought to be destroyed by the time she was...would be born. Inherent in her was the eagerness for more knowledge in many fields, and the Force was hardly the extent of it. The princess curiously observed the surroundings, all the while getting curious gazes. Her clothes were out of place, correct. This style was yet to become fashionable. And it made everyone wonder where she came from. And that was actually the first question Danielle was asked by her companion.

"So, I guess you are not a local, are you?"

The princess shook her head, "No, I was born on planet Terra. But I was taken from there and raised on Babylon by my parents. My mother used to be the duchess of that world, so I inherited it after her passing," she responded sadly in the end.

"Never heard of those planets. Are they somewhere on the outskirts?"

"You have no idea. But I spent several months on Coruscant up until now. Father got me a nice spot to work in."

Zash carefully observed her behaviour, and the princess knew it. The girl was cryptic, despite her best attempts at trying to seem open. They finally made it into Zash's own corner within the citadel. Although, to call it a corner would be an understatement, for it was bigger than most apartments around. There was nothing out of ordinary, just a run of the mill room with typical furniture. There wasn't even a sofa. Neither of the newcomers sat on the chairs, as the conversation proceeded.

"You see, girl. As I said, we can help each other. What's the name of the Sith you are looking for?"

"I know only how he looks like. I saw him before the bastard knocked me out and brought me here."

"Why would he do that?" Zash asked in confusion.

"No idea. But it probably was out of spite, he knew who I was and for some reason wanted to attack me. I've never seen him before."

"At least give some details. Is he a pureblood Sith, human or someone else?"

"Didn't quite see, with that mask of his. The man looked fat and relatively short. Makes me wonder how he lived long enough with such proportions," Danielle huffed slightly to herself.

"Well, that's a start."

"While I appreciate the assistance you are granting, I also am waiting for what you need in exchange."

"Straight to the point, huh? I like it. You see, interesting shift is happening around here. People are talking that the Emperor is going to come back soon and assume direct rule, and I need to be close when it happens."

"So you seek advancement in ranks, I presume?"

"Exactly. For this thing I need to depose of the Darth that stands above me. The problem is, the direct confrontation is no use. He is still stronger than me. Besides, I do not need everybody to know that it was me who murdered him."

"I don't like where this is going. I haven't murdered a single person in my life and I am not about to start."

That came as a total surprise to Zash. Now that was utterly ludicrous.

"Are you serious right now? What are you? A Jedi?"

"It was unnecessary for me to do that, even if I can do so easily."

"Then what are you going to do to the Sith who left you stranded here? Convince him that what he did was wrong and he will apologise afterwards? Don't speak nonsense."

Danielle glared at the woman, and she backed at seeing two glowing green orbs for eyes.

"Speak to me again like this..." the princess said dangerously, before her eyes returned to their normal blues, "I am not as naive as you may believe. I saw my mother butchered, my father tortured before my own eyes by the craziest maniac imaginable. I stopped being all innocent back then. I will do what is necessary to get what I want, as long as I am not the one to drop that sword."

"What's with the eyes?" Zash asked carefully.

"Simple. I am not a human. Now. To the point," replied Danielle, "You want my help, while for me you are just one of the pathways to my goal. The scales are somewhat unequal. Apologies if I may come as rude and impolite. The behaviour most unfitting of me, but that's how it is. I am not going to kill the person you want dead. But... I may just bring him to you, gagged and hands bound. Does that satisfy you?"

Zash snorted and let out a chuckle. Some princess was before her, "That's where it all begins," she whispered, "Mental gymnastics. Fine. This is suitable, as long as there are no traces leading his disappearance to me. So, do we have a deal?" Zash outstretched her hand.

Danielle looked at the hand, fearing what her actions might bring in the future. But she took it nonetheless. It was not her first time handling the Sith and thus she was conscious of everything she did, but the Sith here were even more vicious, uncontrollable and not at all obedient to who was essentially the granddaughter of the current emperor. Danielle was so lost in her thought, in fact, that some of her hidden potential slipped, and Zash felt it upon touching. Her shock took a great effort to hide.

"Where is that unfortunate fellow?" Danielle asked.

"Dromund Kaas. I'll tell you more once you are there."

The princess gulped invisibly. That was... awfully close to the Emperor.

"I will need a ship. You wouldn't happen to have an extra one? I would ask for the lightsaber, my own seems to have been lost, but this is a stretch already."

"I can grant neither. But there are transportations going on daily. Just purchase a pass and you will be in the capital in no time."

Zash was kind enough to give her enough credits to get one. But that was basically it, apparently, she was afraid that the girl would scam her and simply run off instead of doing what was expected. At the thought Danielle rolled her eyes. Who did Zash take her for? The princess also needed some assistance on her journey. The Galaxy was pretty much the same, but no history book could cover everything. So, she needed a guide. No Sith could be trusted around here. Which meant that the companion had to be an unaffiliated side. For that purpose the princess went to the place filled with screams of agony and pain. Nothing went unnoticed by Danielle, she felt it all the second she stepped into the incarceration and interrogation ring. And the princess was lost as to which poor soul to save from this horrid fate. If she freed them all, they would be dead, killed by the hands of thousands of Sith here.

As she was going around the corner, she caught the bits of conversation.

"You just won't give up, would you?" A gruff voice said.

"You know, maybe I am into this shit, have you thought about that?" A question followed, accompanied by a loud scream.

Danielle entered the room where the sounds originated. There, kept in an energy cell was a young, blue Twi'lek girl, dressed in a red jacket. She did look like a mess, for this was not a luxurious hotel, yet she was smirking. Near her stood a rather generic Sith in a mask, obviously not a higher up. The Twi'lek saw the newcomer and tilted her head, her headtails going along.

"Didn't know they had someone prettier than a rock around here," she commented, "Came to have your fun, too?"

"Your definition of fun seems to be rather skewed," Danielle smirked. "Leave us," she said in a commanding tone.

"Who the hell are you? I haven't seen you before," the torturer responded grumpily.

"I wouldn't have gotten in if I were a Jedi, would I?" The princess evaded the question, and the Sith seemed too disinterested to pry.

"Well, this one has managed to even without that. Caught this thief in one of the tombs. Refuses to tell why some scum was here in the first place. I am sick of her already, here is the remote, feel free to shock her to death if you feel like it."

Receiving the small device, Danielle fiddled with the thing, wondering what those unsigned buttons did. And each her action was observed by the Twi'lek, who couldn't put her finger on the situation. It had happened so quickly, and the newcomer wasn't hurrying to begin the conversation. And just as she thought that, the raven haired woman began to talk.

"So you are a smuggler of sorts?" Danielle asked.

"Guess you can say that. I don't get it why you guys seem to be so on edge about this derelict junk."

"Yet someone paid you to deliver it. Out of curiosity, how much were you paid for transferring...whatever it was you tried to steal."

"It's not stealing if the owner is dead. I don't get the buyer either, but gifted horse and all that."

"You are awfully chatty," Danielle smiled, "I like it. But I have not come here to interrogate you, as you may have thought. What would you say if we made a deal of sorts?"

"I'd say that you are one optimistic Sith," The prisoner responded.

"It's nothing big, really. Let's just say I've been pretty much under the rock about everything around. I also need someone of your talents for what I am about to do. If you managed to get into the tomb, you can get me in a lot of places. Apart from that I also would need a pilot. So, a pretty long list of duties, but the reward is your freedom and whatever money you have left after we are done. How does that sound?"

"What? You are being so awfully generous just like that?"

"I'll have no use for those credits where I will go after this little heist. So... what is your decision?"

"Do I look like I have much of a choice? Okay then. Free me and you will get what you want."

Danielle pressed a button and the cell released the Twi'lek, to whom she outstretched her hand, "Then welcome aboard..."

"Name is Vette," the prisoner laughed, shaking the hand.

"Danielle."

"That's an odd name, princess."

Danielle blinked in confusion, making Vette laugh, "Nah, I was just kidding. You do look like you are some noble."

"I was merely surprised how accurate you are," the princess smirked, now leaving the alien confused, "Are you coming?"