It had taken three hours in hyperspace to reach the Hydra, and Calen Tor had used every minute of that time to go over Captain Area Kane's record. She was impressive, to say the least. She came well recommended by several of the best commanders in the fleet, and had attained command of her own ship at an astonishingly young age. Under any other circumstances, she probably could have expected to be a fleet admiral under the emperor himself before her career ended. Unfortunately for her, it seemed that fate had other plans.<br/><br/>"My lord, there is a message from the Dominance," Calen's pilot called from the shuttle's cockpit. "They've completed their work on Atira, and are setting course to meet us here."<br/><br/>"Good." Calen probably should have stayed to complete the job on Atira, but his vessel could handle a small rebellion, even if that rebellion had been provided weapons and secrets by Captain Kane's father. Calen wasn't sure what had driven the man to betray his fleet and his emperor, and he didn't particularly care. Whether he had been driven by compassion or some failed play for power, his betrayal had turned what should have been a fairly simple operation into a much larger ordeal. This kind of betrayal at the highest ranks of the military was rare, in part because the emperor punished it so harshly. Not only was the traitor's life forfeit, but the lives of his entire family as well. The empire considered it removing a poisoned limb before the poison could spread to more vital areas.<br/><br/>As the Hydra grew closer, Calen couldn't help but wonder what the situation aboard the ship was. While there had been no official proclamation relieving Captain Kane of duty, command channels would have released that the rebels had been aided by her father. Calen had made no attempt to hide the information, not even from Area herself, as he wanted to see what she would do. Did she already know what her father was doing? If not, what would she do now that she knew a sith apprentice was boarding her vessel, most likely to enforce the punishment that was expected? So far, the Hydra hadn't tried to run, nor had it opened fire, but even if Kane had ordered them to do either of those things, he doubted the crew would comply. His ships IFF transponder identified the shuttle as a sith vessel, so they had to know that attacking it or trying to flee from it would result in all of their deaths, not just the loss of their captain.<br/><br/><i>We'll just see what kind of welcome I get. <br/>
</i><br/>The hanger doors opened and his shuttle came to a gentle landing. Calen stood up slowly and stretched his limbs. He wore the usual black robes of his order, with a light tactical armor beneath them. The robes did something to mask his broad, muscular form, but it was still clear that he was powerful even without the force. He was a touch taller than any of his armored guards, with dark hair that was cut extremely short. The sith apprentice was clean shaven, so there was nothing hiding his stern features, or the single, faint scar that ran up his right cheek. Unlike some in his order, his eyes hadn't changed through his use of the dark side, and remained a piercing blue that seemed to look through whoever he leveled his gaze upon.<br/><br/>The ramp lowered and Calen stepped down the ramp, flanked by a pair of his personal guards. A sith lord would come aboard with at least 50 men, but Calen liked the smaller numbers. Even aboard a ship captained by a traitor's daughter, he felt perfectly safe with only a token escort. It sent a message that he was fearless, and part of surviving in this galaxy was sending the right message.<br/><br/>As his boots strode confidently down the ramp, his eyes scanned the room carefully for his target, as well as any sign of danger that might be waiting.