“One mustn’t make mistakes; doing so will cost you more than your life.” This is what Cassandra remembered as she lay there. Entrenched in her thoughts, she surrounded herself in darkness, allowing it to engulf her. She often finds both help and hindrance in this trait of being lost in her thoughts. [BEEP-BEEP]. The loud noise from her intercom awoke her from her paralysis. She would have asked who it was that would disturb her; however, she sensed a familiar aura. 

“Na’la, what is it that demands my attention?” 

Cassandra said it with haste, uninterested, almost immediately. 

“M-My Lord--” As Na’la entered the room, she froze. The chilling atmosphere surrounding the area emanated from Cassandra; it felt like it was choking her. The cold temperature makes her stand stiff, almost paralyzed. She managed to get out her message: 

“My Lord, there is an urgent request from the Emperor.” 

The atmosphere moves to something sinister. It seemed Na’la struck a bad nerve: “M-my Lord, I do apologize for my reckless language.” Na’la scurried to the floor as if she were a scared animal. Cassandra stood up and walked to Na’la, her eyes looking down at such a spectacle. With what appeared to be an almost innocent tone, she asked,

 “And to what urgent matter has the Emperor put on me?” 

She bent down, placing her hand on top of Na’la’s head, almost condescending. 

“You are to go to the planet of Corilian; there, with a convoy, you are to protect the Countess from Jedi attacks during her political meetings.” 

Cassandra looks towards Na’la, engrossed in thought. She begins to dig her nails into Na’la, ignoring her pleas to stop. Her heart throbs with a sense of hatred, yet she can’t overcome her sense of respect for the Emperor. Fueled by the desire to prove her worth, she doesn’t notice that Na’la is now wincing in pain. Taken aback, with her black metallic lightsaber secured at her waist, Cassandra stands and recollects herself: 

“Stand up and follow me, and be sure to not stay behind.” 

She gestures to Na’la, who is still sitting on the cold, hard floor. The sounds of Cassandra’s heeled boots echo through the hallway, growing farther and farther away. Cassandra marches towards the shuttle, flanked by her loyal assistant, Na’la Amidala. As they approach the rendezvous point, she can’t help but let her thoughts wander. The echoes of her past still haunt her, yet she refuses to succumb to their pull. Instead, she focuses on the present, the mission at hand, and the chance to further cement her position among the highest echelons of Sith. 

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Cassandra and Na’la strode through the bustling landing bay of Corilian, their steps echoing against the cavernous walls. The scent of fuel hung heavy in the air as spacecraft of all shapes and sizes bustled around them.

As they approached the rendezvous area, a young captain intercepted them, his expression a mix of confusion and defiance. "Hold on there," he said, raising a hand. "What's your business here? We're in the middle of a critical operation."

“Captain, prepare a transport shuttle for immediate take off”

The captain no younger than an older teen looks at Cassandra. His eyes rolled up and down with a confused expression. He has never seen this woman before, who is she to make demands to such a high ranking officer of the Imperial Empire. This is what went through his mind in this instance.

“What is the clearance? What is your rank?”

Cassandra's lips curled into a faint smirk as she regarded the captain. "My rank?" she echoed, her voice dripping with amusement. 

“My… rank?” Cassandra asks innocently.

My… rank…? Cassandra repeats to herself, looking at the officer. 

Na’la tensed beside Cassandra, her body tensing as Cassandra continued to stare at the officer. She shot Cassandra a quick glance, wondering what was going through Cassandra's mind, silently pleading for this to end

“Listen, you have no clearance and you are unknown. I will be sending out troopers to take you in. You two reek of suspicion, see to it that you cooper-” The officer stopped in his tracks. He couldn’t take the words out his mouth, as if his lungs had stopped working. Cassandra pushed out her hands, revealing her black gloves. Her fingers clenched as the officer had dropped to the floor, gasping for air. 

“It seems our newest recruit has lost his way, I'm amazed at how long you were able to go through with such ignorance.” Cassandra says in such an aggressive tone. 

As the officer gasped for air on the floor, Cassandra stood over him with a chilling smile, her eyes alight with sadistic pleasure. She leaned down, her voice dripping with malice as she whispered, "Do you feel that, officer? That's the weight of your incompetence crushing the life out of you."

Na’la watched in silent horror as Cassandra's black-gloved hand tightened around the officer's throat, his struggles growing weaker with each passing moment. The air filled with the officer's desperate wheezing as Cassandra's grip tightened. 

With a swift motion, Cassandra drew her lightsaber, the crimson blade humming to life with a deadly glow. She leaned in close to the officer's ear, her voice a menacing whisper. "Consider this your punishment, Officer" she hissed, before plunging the blade into his chest with ruthless efficiency.

The officer's struggling screams echoed through the landing bay, mingling with the hum of the lightsaber as Cassandra withdrew the blade, leaving behind a smoking wound. She stood back, watching with cold satisfaction as the life drained from the officer's eyes.

With a flick of her wrist, Cassandra extinguished her lightsaber and strode towards the waiting shuttle, leaving behind the lifeless body of the officer as a grim reminder of her power and cruelty.

Na’la followed in her wake, her heart heavy with fear and uncertainty. Cassandra turned to Na’la, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Let's not keep the Emperor waiting," she said, gesturing towards the awaiting shuttle.

Na’la nodded, her expression a mix of awe and fear. "Yes, my Lord," she replied, falling into step beside Cassandra.