Star Wars: The Knights of Hoth/Introduction

Lord Commander Tryus Pleth sat in the Knight's Citadel on Hoth, discussing with his Council of Advisors about the rash of mercenaries that had shown up on the planet's surface. His robes were heavily padded to insulate Lord Tryus from the freezing winter air, the fur surrounding the neck made from the fur of a wampa killed by the Knight Apprentices as part of their trial on the path to the Knight-Errant rank.

Still Tryus shivered, a feeling that he had only felt only rarely, on occasions like his mission to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. He could feel something, a disturbance, at the very edge of his sensory perceptions. His hand subconsciously wrapped around the ornate silver tube hanging from his belt, the feeling of the metal through his dark gloves giving him comfort.

One of the Knight Advisors stood, a man who had obviously been a part of the Knights' diplomatic service. The tube hanging from his belt had to have been a mere dress blade, thought Tryus.

“My lord,” spoke the Advisor. “I must take my leave. This cold has given me a chill, and I fear I've caught something.” The large man shivered for effect. Tryus nodded his head slightly.

“Then go, Bertrand. I don't want to be sick as well,” said Tryus. A ripple of laughter went through the Council as Tryus added the parting phrase. “May your blade shine bright.”

Something still didn't feel right, however, and as Bertrand left the room, the feeling began growing more...noticeable. What he felt was not the life force of a man or woman, but tiny oscillations. of energy. He focused his own energy into his ears, allowing him to expand the range of his hearing, and he heard the tiny metal clicks. Tryus hadn't even began to move when a blaster bolt ripped through the room across the table, the smell of carbon flooding his nose as his training took over. He jumped up like a shot, pulling the tube from his belt, flicking a small switch and allowing a long, slender violet blade of energy to ignite from the tip.

He saw his opposition standing before him, three droid assassins firing on the Council of Advisors. The droids flipped their weapons into rapid-fire, sending red bolts in a flurry at their targets. Tryus managed to block most of them, however a few escaped his reach, catching those Knight Advisors unlucky enough to have not drawn their weapons fast enough.

Tryus jumped suddenly, using his energy to carry him over the droids. The mechanical killers couldn't react by the time he'd cut them down with his blade. Tryus surveyed the damage. Two advisors down, and two more injured. The room smelled of burning carbon. A minute and a half had cost two men their lives, just because the Knights guarding the hall had been too slow to react.