CSI: Korriban

(A/N: This one is a little weird, I wanted to write a cross over that would still be accessible to people who hadn't seen CSI, so what I did was have the Sith Kids assume some of the character traits of the CSI cast only in a "sithy" way. It is supposed to be tongue in cheek, although I'm not sure it works :/ For those Kotorians who do watch the show, this is the character guide:

Gil Grissom = Uthar Winn

Catherine Willows = Yuthura Ban

Nick Stokes = Mekel

Warrick Brown = Shaardan

Sara Sidle = Lashowe

Greg Sanders = Dustil Onasi

And I wanna dedicate this to Arrow... in the hope that she won't kill me for it :p )

The fiery sunset bled across the sky like... well blood, if blood was orange and glowing. Master Uthar thought, slightly amused, as he stared raptly at the horizon like the intense scientific genius he was. I'm not usually given to such sentimentality, he mused as he stroked his pet cockroach Malak with an idle finger, but there's something so visceral about that raging sunset... makes me eager to see spilled blood. Malak chittered and bit Uthar's thumb with his mandibles, in an affectionate manner.

Uthar sighed and fried the cockroach in its shell with Force Lightning before popping it in his mouth: No one understands what it's like to have to be so mean and evil all the time. He grumbled as he crunched Malak between his teeth: My students seem to think I am all knowing and very very intense... but the truth is I'm afraid of letting anyone know me, because then they would probably kill me... little scamps.

Uthar thought of his eager, infinitely-evil apprentice and an equally infinitely-evil smile crept across his face: Yuthura Ban, my assertive and sultry apprentice, many a Jedi died because they under-estimated the keen mind that lies behind her pretty lilac face.

Yuthura looked up from her tome on various poisons, a sultry perplexed expression showing on her face. I thought I heard something... She tossed her violet lekku in a sultry manner and pouted her indigo lips before she dropped into a battle stance and slowly crept towards the door. Is this one of the students pranks? Or is some one lurking around with intent to kill me? I wouldn't put it past Uthar to try and get rid of me; maybe he found out that I'm trying to poison him. I should be Master of the academy though; he never seems to take an interest in people, he just likes to play with his bugs. I'm the one with the dazzling social skills... I should be in charge.

The purple skinned Twi'lek pushed the door open and the copper smell of blood assaulted her finely tuned nostrils. It was not unusual for the scent of blood to be found within the Sith academy, especially within the interrogation rooms, but Yuthura knew that Uthar had ordered this prisoner to be left alone. A Mandalorian prisoner is a rare find; most would rather die than to be captured... it offends their sense of honour. Yuthura flinched as the sight of the prisoner cages awoke memories of her earlier life as a slave.

Pushing down the numerous memories of sweaty aliens leering over her naked form, Yuthura approached the cage where the Mandalorian was supposed to be imprisoned. Ahh, that's the source of the smell then... she realised and gazed dispassionately at the corpse of the prisoner. The Mandalorian's features had been slashed beyond recognition, every inch of his exposed skin had been sliced and the blood from his numerous wounds had splashed onto every nearby surface. It reminded Yuthura of the bloody vengeance she had claimed against her former owner, Omeesh the Hutt.

Yuthura smiled, her eyes dancing with amused malice: This was going to make Uthar furious, it just might distract him enough that she could make her move to kill him. She was slightly curious as to who had deliberately defied Uthar's orders, but in an academy full of aspiring young Sith, it could have been anyone.

... Yes, Yuthura is much more intelligent than she seems and the hatred she feels from her earlier slavery burns within her. That passionate hate was why she could not live as a foolish Jedi... but like those foolish Jedi she still clings to her compassion and that makes her weak. And I suspect she will eventually compromise her self because of that weakness. Uthar thought, still completely oblivious to Yuthura's deceit, as the sun finally set over the Valley of the Dark Lords.

The shadows of the avenue of giant statues grew deeper and darker as the last of the light dimmed away. Uthar wiped away some flecks of cockroach shell from his lips and smiled in the darkness. I can't wait to interrogate that Mandalorian, he mused, relishing the thought of breaking the warrior's spirit. I'm sure the Mandalorians have plenty to teach us Sith about discipline under torture, but then I doubt even a Mandalorian could withstand my torture for very long... not when Jedi crumble so easily beneath it.

Shaardan peered coldly over his pazaak cards at his opponent; his eyes were narrowed into slits, making him look slightly reptilian. This display would have intimated any normal gambler, but since he was playing against Mekel, it was purely for show. Mekel and Shaardan had once been friends, before they joined the Sith, but now that always tenuous friendship had degenerated into competitive rivalry. As they were both rivals for prestige, they had made numerous attempts to kill each other, only to find that they were both equally matched in physical strength and capacity for sheer malice.

They had both recently recognised that their numerous assassination attempts were futile, so now they merely studied each other, looking for a weakness to exploit. This grudging truce was a, albeit temporary, relief to the regulars at the Dreshdae cantina, since that was where their rivalry usually escalated into violence and six uninvolved people had already been killed by their feud. The cantina always had an uneasy atmosphere for those who were not Sith, but the knowledge that Mekel and Shaardan were less likely to kill each other over a card game made the regulars feel at least a little bit safer.

Mekel ignored Shaardan's cold stare and instead flashed a predatory grin at the barmaid as she fearfully refilled his juma cup. Mekel enjoyed her fear, savoured that at least she knew that he was a dangerous and powerful person. Shaardan made a disgusted face, but it was a façade, just like the cold stare he had affected earlier: He knew that Mekel's greatest weakness was women, but he hadn't yet found a way to exploit that weakness: This was because every woman Mekel slept with had subsequently disappeared, no Sith woman would be willing to risk a similar vanishing act, even to get rid of Mekel for good.

Shaardan inhaled sharply as someone behind him unexpectedly slid their arms around his chest, from the amused expression on Mekel's face, Shaardan knew the arms didn't belong to someone who wished him well. He looked down at the hands that were gripping his flesh so possessively and saw that they were purple in hue.

'You are lax in your discipline,' Yuthura rasped huskily in his ear, her fingernails leaving cruel puckers in Shaardan's Sith uniform. 'You should never allow a pazaak game to take up all of your attention, regardless of the identity of your opponent. But then, you do seem to absorb yourself in these recreational pursuits too much... addiction is a weakness, Shaardan.' Shaardan flinched as Yuthura so casually revealed what he thought no one knew: He was addicted to gambling.

'What do you want... mistress?' Shaardan snapped in as disrespectful tone as he dared, trying to ignore the gleeful expression on Mekel's face. As Uthar's apprentice Yuthura was almost as powerful and influential as him, and it would have been suicide to treat her without some respect... but Shaardan had never been more tempted. Great, thanks to Yuthura, Mekel and I both know each other's weaknesses... but mine is much easier to exploit than his... that's just fabulous.

Yuthura finally let go of Shaardan and he turned to glare at her: 'Someone was murdered within the academy very recently,' Yuthura said, a cruel smile lingering on her lips.

'We are Sith, since when do we care if 'someone' gets killed? Killing is what we do best,' Mekel said coldly and for once Shaardan privately agreed with him.

'The 'someone' in question was the Mandalorian prisoner that Master Uthar had specifically stated was not to be touched,' Yuthura corrected Mekel. 'And since both of you have killed your fellow Sith before- '

'Wait a minute!' Shaardan snapped, interrupting the Twi'lek. 'That was an accident!'

This time Yuthura almost grinned before lowering her voice to a whisper: 'I know that's what you want Dustil to believe, but we both know that you killed Selene because you wanted to. You thought you could gain prestige by getting rid of her, but all you did was make Dustil more determined to be the best Sith student.' Shaardan glared at Yuthura in silent fury, but she ignored him and turned to Mekel.

'You've killed more Sith than some Jedi.' Yuthura said accusingly.

'Aspiring Sith,' Mekel corrected her. 'I have yet to kill anyone who earned a medallion. Neither of us have any love for the Mandalorians... few people do, but we've been in the cantina all afternoon.' Mekel moved suddenly and grabbed the barmaid. 'This cantina rat has been eyeing me all day, she can vouch for our whereabouts.'

Yuthura sighed as the barmaid struggled in Mekel's grip; she hadn't expected to find any answers from either Mekel or Shaardan, and at any rate, she wasn't looking for a murderer... she was looking for an ally: Whoever had the nerve to go against Master Uthar's orders and commit so violent a murder... would be a useful tool with which to topple Uthar himself.

It was pitch black but Uthar did not need light to find his way among the tombs of the ancient Sith, he could rely upon his Force Sight to guide him round the many fallen statues. The same Force Power also allowed him to see the life force of any nearby creatures, so that he did not have to worry about any nocturnal predators or any of his students who might have been foolish enough to ambush him. I think I will start on the Mandalorian before I eat... a little light torture before supper sounds good to me.

Uthar paused as he saw something through his Force Sight: a human. The Master of the academy ignited his saber and the darkness around him was suddenly bisected by his blade's crimson light. This light fell across the face of the intruder and Uthar recognised him: It was Dustil Onasi. Uthar frowned, because not only did Dustil not have permission to enter the valley, his face was also splattered with something black and oily looking. As the stench of blood filled Uthar's nostrils he realised that the substance only appeared black in his sabre's light, it was actually human blood.

'Master Uthar... I... I saw a terrible thing!' Dustil stammered, seeming relieved to have been found trespassing.

'Explain yourself!' Uthar snarled, 'What are you doing here, when you know it is forbidden?' He didn't ask why Dustil was covered in blood; it was something that happened to Sith all the time.

'I had to find you... before...' Dustil trailed off, his voice twisted with what Uthar recognised as genuine fear, but then he seemed to overcome his terror and blurted out: 'Your Mandalorian prisoner was killed... and I saw who did it!'

Lashowe looked at the blood-soaked corpse with a sneer across her face: 'I need a drink,' she muttered, her sneer momentarily transforming into a scowl as Yuthura raised her eyebrows in a cynical fashion. 'Yeah, yeah: Addictions are a weakness... I know that already,' Lashowe snapped, running a trembling hand through her greasy hair.

'Maybe for the other Sith,' Yuthura murmured in an unusually soft tone, 'but you see things they do not, you have lived terrors they cannot imagine... in your case relying upon a drug gives you strength.' Lashowe almost growled at Yuthura's tone, it sounded suspiciously like pity.

'Save your bleeding-heart sympathy act for someone who cares!' Lashowe snapped. 'You're supposed to be a Sith, Yuthura: Stop acting like some prissy little light-sider Jedi princess whenever you're around me!' So what if she knows about my past... my parents... she's not supposed to care.

Yuthura sighed in exasperation: 'Just tell me what you see, Lashowe.'

Lashowe opened her eyes wide and they seemed to glow with a diabolical light as she called upon her singular power: Lashowe was the only current student to have mastered Force Post-cognition, which made her valuable, despite her many flaws. And no one would have any use for me if it weren't for my power... mother certainly didn't... but then she didn't understand that it was the Force working through me. My power is the only reason Uthar keeps me around... the only reason he ever looks at me...

Lashowe frowned and looked at Yuthura: 'What's the matter now?' Yuthura enquired, beginning to lose her temper with the younger woman. 'Tell me what happened here?'

'I can't,' Lashowe whispered. 'Something's blocking out my sight, the murderer somehow erased their presence. I cannot see who killed the prisoner... but I can feel what they felt.' Lashowe's breathing became rasping, as if she was in agony. 'Whoever... did... this... was full of hatred for the Mandalorians, so full of hatred they kept tearing his flesh apart long after he was dead.'

'That tells me nothing,' Yuthura grumbled. 'This is a Sith academy, we train people to be murderous bastards... but now one of those murderous bastards is also a deceitful murderous bastard.

'Not like you then,' Lashowe muttered and clutched her head. 'It would take someone very strong in the Force to erase almost everything of their presence wouldn't it? Someone stronger than a mere pupil?'

'Are you suggesting I had something to do with it?' Yuthura asked, sliding ever so slightly into a battle stance.

'I really don't care who killed this nerf-herder.' Lashowe spat. 'I was just pointing out that it was far more likely to be a teacher than a pupil.' Lashowe smiled for a moment, her sunken eyes glinting evilly. 'You seem quick to assume I was accusing you... guilty conscience perhaps, Yuthura?'

Yuthura grabbed Lashowe's arm and shoved her out of the interrogation room: 'Go get your fix, Lashowe! You're of no further use to me since your power has failed here: But before you start drinking yourself into a stupor, find Shaardan and tell him to come here... maybe he can help where you have failed.'

Uthar lowered his saber and looked inquiringly at Dustil: 'Start explaining what happened... I gather that's Mandalorian blood all over you... your father would be proud.' The Master of the academy smiled at the expression of fleeting rage on Dustil's face. Dustil was one of Uthar's crowning achievements, even if he did think so himself: To take the son of your enemy and twist them into your own creature is a marvellous feat. The boy's anger is magnificent... he hates the Republic almost as much as he hates the Mandalorians.

'I went to look at the prisoner... I know it was wrong, but I wanted to see what a Mandalorian looked like without their precious armour.' Dustil sounded bitter; he obviously blamed the Mandalorians for separating his parents. 'I didn't expect them to look just like humans... there really is no difference between them and the Republic humans. Anyway... I was looking at him and someone else came into the room. I didn't want to be punished for being in there, so I hid. They killed him, I saw it all... I was close enough to get splashed with the wretch's blood after all.'

'Who was it then, Dustil? Who defied my express orders?'

'It was Yuthura Ban!' Dustil snapped.

It was now Shaardan's turn to stare at the corpse before in turn staring at Yuthura: 'You want me to what?' he asked, beginning to feel the desire to play cards once more. And I haven't even been away from the cantina for an hour yet...

'I want you to tell me what kind of weapon was used to kill him,' Yuthura said, her tone reasonable... at least for the moment. 'You are supposed to be the best with blades after all... isn't it your personal quest to find the blade of Ajunta Pall?'

Shaardan grinned and then looked at the corpse: 'Well it was an edged weapon, some kind of blade, but obviously not a lightsaber. Judging by the extent of the wounds to the torso it would have taken a long time for the murderer to inflict them. He looked a little closer at some of the deeper wounds: 'It looks like the murderer left a little piece of themselves behind.'

'What do you mean?' Yuthura asked.

Shaardan gestured towards the wound and used the Force to levitate something tiny and silvery from the edges of it. 'Metal fragments,' he said as they floated above the palm of his hand. 'That narrows the murder weapon down to one of three things: A steel sword, a silver sword or a vibroblade. I can't be more specific than that, I'm no scientist: I just kill people. But whoever did this must really have hated the victim- I mean the prisoner.'

'So someone powerful enough to erase the memory of themselves from the crime scene; someone who hates Mandalorians enough to defy Master Uthar's orders; someone who uses a blade instead of a saber. That doesn't really narrow it down much.'

'But the blade could be a subterfuge.' Shaardan pointed out 'Since most people here are students, very few people have lightsabers. If the murderer was so strong in the Force as to block out Force Post-cognition, they probably aren't using a blade, although personally I don't think it would take much Force power to screw up Lashowe's 'special sight'.' Shaardan left the crime scene, thinking about going back to the cantina, while Yuthura mused over the identity of the murderer.

'Sounds like the old Master himself,' Yuthura muttered, 'if I didn't know for sure that Jorak was holed up in the valley tombs... I'd suspect he had something to do with this...'

The door suddenly slammed open and Yuthura turned around, a surprised sultry pout on her face: 'Master Uthar!' she exclaimed, seeing her mentor in the doorway. 'I have been investigating the death of the Mandalorian prisoner for you...' Her voice trailed away as she saw that Uthar was furious and she felt a sudden surge of fear: I should have informed him of the murder first thing, now it looks suspicious.

Uthar sneered at Yuthura and without any warning ignited his saber and swung it in a vicious arc towards her. Yuthura dropped to floor to avoid being beheaded, but a searing pain across her temples made her realise Uthar had scored a glancing blow on her head. She felt something brush against her hand and stared mutely at it, a large purple tendril of flesh was lying on the floor beside her: Uthar had completely severed one of her lekku.

'Master Uthar, what are you doing?' Yuthura screamed through the pain that was blinding her.

'You were the one who killed the prisoner,' Uthar muttered coldly. 'And not only did you deliberately disobey me, you were also trying to have me killed. You dared to think you could have been Master here? You are a fool, Yuthura, a weak creature burdened by compassion: You are not fit to be my apprentice, let alone my successor.' Uthar grinned in wolfish manner and lowered his saber until it was almost touching Yuthura's remaining lekku.

'No Master, I... I am loyal to you,' Yuthura stammered, hating him for making her beg for her life. 'I... I only wanted to find out who dared to disobey you.' She flinched away from the saber blade.

'Don't take me for a fool, Yuthura, your deceit did go unnoticed.' Uthar raised his blade again and then in the shadows behind him, Yuthura saw Dustil. Her purple eyes widened in realisation as she saw he was grinning even wider than Uthar and, even in the dark shadows she could see the dried blood splattered across his face: It was him...

'Wait! It wasn't me! It was-' Yuthura began, but before she could finish, Uthar struck and her life was wiped out in a flash of crimson light.

Dustil sighed as he finally washed his face clean of the Mandalorian's blood; he had to admit that while slaughtering the scum had been most enjoyable, it did make a big mess. Perhaps that's why father found killing Mandalorians preferable to being at home with mother and me, although he never did like cleaning up after himself either. Dustil grimaced at that thought: I should not compare myself to him; I am nothing like that blind fool...

He towelled his wet skin dry and changed into his newer Sith uniform: As Master Uthar's new apprentice he now had a much more lavish outfit. Of course, I won't be staying his apprentice long... Dustil smiled sadistically as he did up the buttons on his jacket and placed his vibroblade in the sheath on his belt. I don't think Uthar has much to teach me, not after Jorak already taught me everything he knows. Uthar is a fool, Yuthura was a even bigger fool and this academy is a joke; the people within it dare call themselves Sith? I still don't believe that Uthar took my bait so easily, poor Yuthura would have gotten away with her little deception so easily if it hadn't been for my meddling. These idiots know nothing of the true power of the dark side, but they will... I will show it to them.

And once I have destroyed these counterfeit Sith, I'm coming for you, father... and after that... I'm going scuba diving