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Thus, no one knew what they were doing when they boarded the large ship that Xic had requisitioned for the mission. The ship had multiple decks, several storage and loading bays, and was crewed by more than a hundred Imperials. The students learned from the crew that the flight would not be a short one. They were going to Felucia.
Rector Xic was nowhere to be found during the time it took to fly to their destination. The Sith Lord's signature in the Force was completely absent, so it was understandable if they began to question whether or not he was even on board. Learning from him would be difficult if he wasn't there. Unless he could project his presence across the galaxy. If such a thing was even possible. Or, possibly, transmit to a holoprojector. But such a thing would have been cheap, unbecoming of the Sith Imperium's Rector.
Once the ship left hyperspace, one of the Imperial Stormtroopers on board told them to meet in the hangar bay on the lowest deck. They found their instructor there waiting for them, mysteriously present in person and in the flesh without any explanation. His absence went unsolved. The mask he wore was a twisted horror, crafted with singular dedication of multiple decades. With his ability to cast illusions, it was still a question whether or not the mask was even real.
The hangar bay's lights were bright, pointed down to the bottom floor of the bay where a shuttle was waiting for them. Xic stood just in front of the shuttle, clearly illuminated in blue tones. His tattered cloak, large and hanging loosely off of his frame, was a faded grey that remained motionless in the neutral atmosphere of the shuttle bay. The Rector turned his head to follow the students as they made their way down the metal grate stairs towards the bottom floor where he stood. Every metal pang that their footsteps made seemed to cause his terrible mask to warp slightly, as if reacting in agony to each echo. However, the mask seemed independent of Xic himself, whose posture remained without tensity as they descended the stairs.
"Welcome, students." Xic greeted them. His voice was like that of a large beast trying to speak like a humanoid, straining too hard to remain low in volume and form organized sounds with normally unrestrained vocal chords. It gurgled and scratched, grating. "The ship is about bring us within shuttle range of Felucia. If you are not prepared, or you are missing some vital equipment, it is already too late to turn back."
Xic turned without another word and strode to the back of the shuttle, where the loading ramp was already down. His footsteps made no sound on the metal floor, nor did his feet kick the base of his cloak away at all. Everything remained still, as though he were simply floating to his destination. Once on board, Xic wasted no time in sitting near the front of the shuttle and faced the students.
"It is my promise that before the end of the day, those of you that survive will learn more of the Force and being Sith. Our objective on Felucia is the capture of multiple species. It does not matter if the species are native or of foreign origin. The only thing that matters is that whatever you capture, it needs to be the prime specimen of its species. Naturally, I do not expect you to scout the entire planet in search of the apex specimen. However, whatever ecosystem it exists in, regionally, I want the alpha or prime specimen. It needs to stand out from the rest.
In all likelihood, you will be able to identify alpha predators more easily than prime specimens of more peaceful species. They are of equal value to me, though, so do not think that you need to capture dangerous predators exclusively. You are each to bring back at least one prime specimen of any species. Duplicates cannot occur, as there can only be one prime in any case. Those of you that bring back the same species will have to compare your examples.
Failure to accomplish this task will result in disciplinary education. Success will be rewarded.
Before this ship stops and we roll this shuttle out, are there any questions?"