Sith Mission: Precautionary Tales

[Jenno]

Fiery wisps scattered across the ship’s bow like a miniscule fireworks display as the dull grey dead-weight broke through the planet’s atmosphere, almost unnoticed by the women gathered on the spaceship. As they descended below the clouds they were greeted by yet more clouds, an escapable maze of a gentle white haze, one which would ensnare all those who passed through it.

Of course, the ocean of cloud was not as thick as one might have thought, as the ship sped towards the ground things quickly became more visible as the bonds tightening the gathering white fluff seem to slacken, allowing them to wander further and further apart. Nearing Umgul City the ship carrying the assassination team quickly became one of many, the flock of transports moving through the air allowed them to easily blend in. Wasting little time they headed down to the spaceport and the thriving docking area. On their platform a man was waiting. For Halem this was his first shift in a new job and his palms were moist as the nerves overflowed from his body. The datapad he held would be used for recording the ship’s docking information and also approving the docking fee and any other necessary information that would be required for the records.

With a tension-filled hiss the ship sank whole-heartedly onto the durasteel legs which spouted from the large metal carcass. Halem straightened his clothing in preparation.

* * *

Atriar Galfor was set to meet members of the D.M.A. in the finance district of town. Consisting of buildings which climbed up to a maximum of six or seven stories the financial district was unexpectedly small given the fact that Umgul was mostly based around the exchange of large quantities of credits. Their meeting chamber was on the South side of one of the buildings, on the seventh floor.

Both groups had men spread not only throughout the building, but around the vicinity as well. They blended into the crowd as best as they could whilst still trying to maintain a lookout on the general area. Not an easy task given the mass of crowds and the ever persistent fog which lingered everywhere, limiting vision.

Their extended talks were set to begin soon, none of the guards in the area nor at the ship had reported anything suspicious, it didn’t seem like the Republic had spies on them. Walking into the large conference chamber Atriar stood at an elegant six foot and two inches. His clothes were the cheapest he could bear to cover himself in, but certainly not cheap by any average worker’s standards. His hair was cut relatively short and his irises pulsated with sharp piercing emerald glow. He walked with a grace that few men could mimic, shaking the hands of his contacts firmly and with a few calm and selective words; he bade them to sit down. And so they began.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the dark recesses of the shadowed back-alleys, a varying group of men, Rodians, Bothans, Zabraks, Twi’leks and many more sat patiently, looking from one to another. Each of them was armed with their own preferred weapon, tools which they’d been accustomed to wielding for years now and if ever there was a time to use them, it was now.

With a burst of dust a man came sprinting down the thin alley until he was standing before the gathered assembly. He focused his attention on one man in particular and in doing so took a few minutes to compose himself. “Sir, they started talks a few minutes ago.”

With a small nod a man, a human man, lifted himself from his seat and stepped into the centre of the gathering. Looking around he spoke with a deep voice which held a great deal of influence and power over the assembly. “Gather your men and get into position. Look for my signal and stick to the plan. We only have one shot at this.” With that done, he turned and headed for his own group, leaving the others to do the same. Their time was coming; the aristocrat wouldn’t know what hit him.

* * *

As the loading ramp descended, the assassination team were now pieces of a Dejarik board which was more unpredictable than their briefing could have prepared them for.

[Meira]

Renata's skeletal form was the first to appear at the top of the ramp. Beneath her pitch black cloak, her blood red garments fluttered ever so slightly in the breeze. She descended the ramp with fluid steps, almost as if she were floating on the fog. When she reached the bottom, her ice blue eyes pierced out from the shadows of her hood, locking on the eyes of the nervous young man who stood, waiting to log their arrival and receive the docking fee. Her head tilted to the side just slightly as she studied the man.

With a smile turning up the edges of her thin lips, Renata stepped forward and took down her hood, allowing her fiery red hair to fall around her shoulders in waves. Her eyes never wavered from his. Her facial features relaxed, allowing the smile on her lips to spread wide, softening her appearance. When she spoke, her voice was liquid and warm. She let the words flow out and caress the man's senses. One long finger reached out and traced Halem's weak jawline, her nail scratching just below the threshold of painful.

You will not log this ship. She said, allowing the Force to fill her words with authority. You will let us pass and you will tell no one of our presence here. When we return, you will let us leave and forget that we were ever here. She allowed her hand to caress the man's cheek. Isn't that right?

Through the force, she spoke to her companions. Let's go. We need to get into position, and we have much to do.

[Squee]

For the ride, after the necessities were discussed, Tesa found herself rather bored. Not that the journey from the Outer Rim to the Mid Rim was too long, it certainly was long enough. A couple to a few hours at least. And after all the discussion, that hadn’t been very interesting in itself, Tesa was left to simply sit and let herself be carried throughout hyperspace on a bucket of bolts that Tesa could never bring herself to trust. Machinery could make critical mistakes. Like exploding. Or miscalculation that could lead to exploding. Machines were stupid, despite that so, so many sentient beings out there declared that robots and machinery made life easier and they were perfect. Pah. Stupid little beliefs such as that could wind one up dead under many conditions such as being cut in two, a blaster bolt through the center of your forehead, and/or hurtling through the dead, cold space with no aim to be anywhere. The only funny image that could come from being hurtling through space, lifeless, was if your frozen body smacked on the cockpit’s windshield and scaring the wits out of the pilot.

Tesa, eyes closed and feet propped up on a vacant chair beside her, chuckled. To anyone, it would appear she was giggling like a crazy lizard monkey in her sleep. She was relaxed, head resting on the bulkhead, and a small smile across her pale featured face.

Machines… Stupid trinkets that were nothing but toys to use against the opponent. That was another horrible truth: machines could be reprogrammed. What was your ally was now your enemy. What another absolute horrid way for one’s life to end. Tesa, being smart as she believed, didn’t even rely on her lightsaber. It was machinery, built from her own hands, yes, but even things that one built himself could have faults and defects, ready to just go off at any moment and engulf a hand in pure pain, rendering it a maimed and useless limb for the rest of one’s natural life. And Tesa, for her own sake of keeping her body parts in tact, relied on something as finicky as the Force. The Force Tesa embraced as her friend, her best friend really. She preserved and worked with it every day, perfecting her mistakes and faults so that even the Force could not betray her in her acts with it. The only way it could was by being used by the opposition. But, then, that wasn’t betrayal. That was the opponent’s best friend. It certainly wasn’t Tesa’s else it wouldn’t harm her.

“My silly little apprentice. You always over thought things.”

She often heard her former master’s voice. It couldn’t be him, she was sure, because his voice always whispered those phrases he had said in real life. It must be her imagination, bringing up the memory of how his voice sounded and plugging in words/ phrases he had always directed at her.

“You could never trust, never assume, and never allow yourself to make mistakes. Correction comes hard this way. The only way to learn is to be corrected and criticized.”

Another truthful thing about Tesa. She hated being wrong, perhaps even dreaded that she could somehow be wrong. She didn’t like criticism. She didn’t like lectures and corrections. Why? Because those eight years she had been part of her family, those eight years of what schooling she had had, she had never been wrong. Well, nearly never. She watched, she learned, she accepted, and she could perform. It was as simple as that. Present it to her, and Tesa was confident she could pull it off one way or another, nervous or not, experience or not. One thing was for certain, even if Tesa wouldn’t admit that it was “trying”, she would give everything her greatest shot and everything she had.

“And that is what makes you an apprentice in the ways of worthy of learning.”

The ship bucked a little as it came out of hyperspace. One eyelid raised lazily, that light brown eye scanning the cabin she rested in. Her boots scraped the chair softly as she lowered her feet. She sat up, expressing a wide yawn and stretching her arms above her head until the muscles trembled. Licking her lips, she stood and retrieved a cup of water, chasing away her slight thirst in a few gulps. The acolyte returned and plucked her bizarre cloak from it “hanging peg”, the back of her seat.

A few minutes more and the ship gliding down to the surface of Umgul and landed on her struts. Tesa flipped her cloak around her shoulders and fastened the clasps that lay on her left shoulder. Running long fingers through her hair, she combed it a bit and gave a half smile when Renata strode past her, flipping the hood of her cloak up to mask her face. Tesa let hers remain free, descending the ramp behind the Lady and looking about at the planet of games and gamble. She hadn’t been to Umgul before, and walking out of the ship, Tesa could say she was less than impressed. With a mist overlaying any sites, Tesa frowned, glancing left and right before raising her hands to reach behind her head, pulling up her own hood. She fastened the last clasp on her shoulder and her hands disappeared within the circumference of her cloak.

Renata had found herself a man. Oh joyous. The Lady was petting the man’s cheek, whispering to him, and his focus remained on her, listening but not, as the influence of the Force covered his most forward thoughts. Tesa couldn’t help but let a smirk pass her face. Men were easy to influence. Especially if they were unmarried whelps who couldn’t resist but stare at any remotely attractive female body.

“Ah, yes, toy and trickery are just wonderful,” Tesa purred to herself, carrying on past Renata with her chin pointed slightly downward even as the Lady reached out to touch her mind with the Force. That cloak, the natural illusionist that hid Tesa, continued to serve his master faithfully as her movements seemed to melt with the background, and going especially unnoticed by the man who’s eyes were still on Renata.

Right… Tesa replied to Renata in the Force as she passed through a door, leading away from the landing pad. The quicker she was from the man’s sight, the better off Renata could distract and make sure he followed her orders. Another person can prove a terrible distraction and might remind him of his true duty. She paused a few feet and across from the door, awaiting as the rest of her group caught up. And because she stood there, Tesa all but disappeared to the naked eye.

One man, not paying attention to where he was walking on the right side of the hall and more attention to his datapad, walked right into Tesa. She hissed as her balance was upset, and the man blubbered an apology, rubbing his eyes as he had to take another look to see the face underneath the hood. As he walked on, Tesa reached out and tickled the man’s mind. Oh, he wasn’t very smart at all. His foremost thoughts were that of the strange woman he just passed. Closing her eyes, Tesa projected herself and rubbed the memory gently away as if taking an eraser to a sketch. She dropped out of projecting through the Force and sighed as she did so. Her eyes reopened, composing herself after the slight effort by relaxing her shoulders and taking a smooth, deep breath.

They simply just couldn’t have an idiot walking around, blubbering about some woman who materialized out of a wall. That could start some panic and paranoia, not to mention a few rumors. The less their assassin party was known about, the better the mission would go.

And Tesa, even then, lowered her hood to appear less suspicious and more fun-seeking.

[10Tickler]

The third off the ship, into the dazzling sun, but unable to appreciate it as anything more then a gentle warmth against her translucent skin, Cassandra's Cloak bore no hood, nor did her outfit bear any special colors or Significant details. Filmy and loose around her body, the white dress that she wore matched her bleached-bone hair perfectly, offsetting her skin from being pure white by comparison. She had heard Renata's call, and distantly, as though lost in dreams and fantasies, she moved after Tesa, following her unsteadily down the Ramp of the ship.

Cassandra detested machines, but for a reason far distant from Tesa's. Cassandra's issue with them is that most ships had no Aura through the Force, and it made it impossible for her to see her surroundings when inside of them with any sense of ease. It left her feeling uncomfortable, and had been a good part of her nausea earlier, while the four ladies were becoming acquainted.

Stepping gingerly down from the ramp, onto the dusty pavement of the spaceport pad below, the girl let a bated breath out, she was glad to be on solid ground once more, but at the same time, was feeling restless, it had been over two weeks since she had last painted. Thinking to herself, she wondered if requesting Renata's permission if she'd be allowed to procure the materials for a new painting or two, her muses were really screaming at her at this point, and it was starting to get annoying since she could do nothing about it.

As she approached Tesa, passing Renata silently, save for the tapping of her Staff gently against the ground as she walked, Cassandra could feel the Assassin's grasp on the second man's mind, erasing memories with precision, far more then Cassandra would have managed. Turning to face Renata now, she sighed, Should I just stay aboard the Ship Ma'am? she asked, tilting her head to the side as she spoke, her voice soft, yet raspy.

[Meira]

Poor Halem was like putty in Renata's hands. While she had been speaking to him, he could see no one else, nor would he have cared to. His weak mind fell for her every word, and gave in easily to her authority through the Force. So mystified was he, that he could barely produce a nod in response to her words. Renata smiled her thin lipped smile and patted the man's cheek, as if she were praising a well behaved child.

Turning away from Halem, she nodded at Tesa, who had done well in her initiative when clearing the passing man's thoughts of their presence. When they were away from the landing bay, and more in the crowds of the city, it would not be necessary to erase their presence from every passing person's thoughts, but here there were few people, making them more likely to be noticed.

Renata was about to lead the group away when Cassandra spoke up. Renata turned her head, her eyes landing on the pale woman with both curiosity and a hint of frustration. Renata had met many dark jedi while on her mission to gather them for her master. Most were eager, cocky, or aggressive, often all three combined into one. They were willing, excited to join the cause, to be put to use. But Cassandra, for all her potential power, seemed to only want to stay in the background. Of course, the woman had her set backs. Her vision, though full of other potential, lacked the ease and convenience of normal sight. She was, in all, a visibly frail and sickly figure. She likely rarely, if ever saw combat. In many ways, Cassandra was the opposite of Renata. Perhaps that is why Iniquitous put the woman on her team.

Renata was a woman of action, of movement. She never excelled in the more mystical aspects of the Force. Renata was a tracker, a huntress who lived for the thrill of the chase and the kill. She knew only one way to use her energy, her power. She was a physical expression of the Force. Though not strong, she was fast and nimble. She was cunning and sly. She could no more understand Cassandra's view of the Force than she could move a building with her own hands. She was incapable. But that didn't mean she couldn't find Cassandra's abilities useful.

It had been Renata's intention to take all three of these women into the field for the mission. They would likely split up, yes, but Renata had imagined active participation. After having seen Cassandra more clearly, Renata was now reconsidering her plan. Would the woman be more of a hindrance? Would she slow them down? Probably.

Renata reached into a pocket of her robe and produced a communicator. She handed it to Cassandra. If you feel you would be more useful from here... She said, leaving the decision up to her.

[Marius]

The presence of Umgul was that of a cold, uncaring entity that seemed to hold within it all of possibility, it was a familiarity that those whom had teetered upon the delicate edge of the Force had a particular taste for. Mariani had visited the planet multiple times in her 56 years of life, it is one the locations her master had first begun to teach her how to camouflage herself with the Force, bending the weak light of the fog around her body to pass through it as not merely a specter, but as if she were the fog herself. Although, it had been more than twenty years since she had last visited the planet on behalf of the Jedi Order, and much probably had changed with the planet, its familiarity called to her icy Falleen heart of her once proud past, and memories of her most prestigious master.

The woman’s tall, languid form lounged across the hull from that of Tesa, whom seemingly had broken into some sort of babbling laugh, with the older woman keeping her eyes upon the swirling mass that the shuttle was slowly lowering itself into, her taloned fingers resting against the transparisteel, instead of averting her attention to the Dark Jedi whom may be more mentally unstable than the Falleen initially surmised. It was somewhat of a relief to the emotionally-blank Assassin when the clunk of the stabilizers resounded through the craft, and the others swiftly filed from the ship, leaving their compatriot alone with herself for a few, precious moments.

The breath eased smoothly from the plush, painted lips of the woman, her violet eyes locked upon the swirling gray entity that covered the planet. Her hand fell from its resting place against the now opaque viewing portal, resting at her side, feeling through the thin fabric of her airy robes the bulk of her shoto-saber. In the middle of her innumerable scales, a spot of white materialized, and then grew, her body seeming to bloom to white from its previous red, skin nearly identical to garb. With water from a flash, she washed the traces of makeup from her face, leaving the only colour of the woman the amethyst of her startling eyes. Mari looked out the window once again.

She waited for specters to appear from it, the fog that characterized this lonesome planet, some sigil from the Force that her return to this place, having taken to another path, was not ill wrought. She half expected that her master, the wise Nestylia, would materialize at the window and speak to her of her fall to the Dark Side. However, this did not occur, a testimony to her belief that her master had not peacefully joined the Force, but rather wanted, and allowed, for her student to follow this path, and avenge her; a conformation of her righteousness, of her purity in the face of the taint of the Council.

Her mind now cleared of the past, the former-Shadow now become a creature of the mist that engulfed all insight, swiftly trotted to rejoin her companions, using the Force to lose herself in the hazy embrace the moment she stepped into the air, passing Cassandra to stand to the left of Renata.

“Shall we be going now?” she inquired, her voice a whisper carried by the Force. It was apparent that Tesa had already gone ahead, and to be frank, Mariani worried what the woman would do should she not be under the watchful eye of the others.

[10Tickler]

Sight through the Force is not a great thing, not wonderful to possess at all. It offers deep insight into people's characters and how they will react to things. When Renata turned back to Cassandra and studied her, the pale girl could literally see the energy roiling off of the Sith's form, moving agitatedly around her, making her annoyance more the visible, no matter her countenance.

Biting her lip at the Rebuke-sounding Offer, Cassandra considered it, before pushing the hand holding the Communicator out away. Machines tend to break around Clumsy and Frail Fingers she stated with a light flush appearing on her cheeks. The poor girl was embarrassed, rightly so, for her comment, and the sound of her raspy voice. I will accompany the rest of you, If something is going to happen, you will know immediately then she said with a wan attempt at a smile before stepping back and Tilting her head up. There was some sort of star up there, warming her face...but she burned far too easily.

Raising her hands to her gauzy clothing, she lifted a hood up, covering the top of her head gently, lest hair fall out again, her senses extending out around her, feeling, probing into destiny itself, seeing the clearest paths.

If I may M'lady....Taking the Northbound street to our left would be the best path... she murmered softly, just loudly enough to be heard before she leaned on her cane, tired from forcing the sight that she used.

[Meira]

Cassandra must have been able to read the meaning behind Renata's words, for she changed her mind rather quickly, electing to come along. Renata's new doubts would have to be put aside. Whatever happened would happen. But she would not fail, even if she had to cut down one whom Iniquitous had already taken an interest in to do it. As the last member of the group joined them and asked if they should leave, and as Cassandra indicated the best seeming route, Renata nodded her head and led them swiftly toward their destination.

They had a rough idea about where this deal was to take place. Somewhere in the financial district. Once there, Renata instructed the group to fan out, but to stay within communication range. She herself moved quietly through the mist, searching for any sign of a high credit deal. It didn't take long to notice the alert guards. But having found only a few, she felt that they were only just now closing in. With so much at stake, it was likely there were many guards, spread out far from where the deal was to actually take place.

Through the Force, Renata called for the group to reassemble in an alley that was just beyond where the guards kept their vigil. They were getting close. When they were all assembled Renata addressed them.

Cassandra, I think it might be best for you to stay here and keep... your eyes open. The rest of us can spread out again until we find the exact location of the deal. Remember that at this point, we are only to observe and ensure that the meeting is a success. No interference whatsoever. If the deal does not go through, we abort the mission. Any questions?

[Squee]

People lingered about, some drunk, some with business, some grinning, some frowning. Laughter and snarls, growling and hissing, chattering and bragging, flirting and teasing and playing. People were people. Every so often Tesa would examine the thoughts of the people, which ranged from indecision of a beverage when they reached a diner or anxious to reach a race of some kind to place a bet before the doors were closed. Worthless thoughts. Nothing that helped her or her companions on their mission.

A single shadow peeled from the mass of shadows created by the veranda of a restaurant. Joining the people, it no longer sported the qualities of a shadow as it became a person walking down the street. A bizarre cloak, and Tesa would sometimes hear thoughts about the person in the strange coat, but such inward comments evaporated instantly as people recognized Tesa as someone who did not impact their lives. That was good for them to think that way. Normal people should ignore her. It made her job here so much easier.

What troubled the young woman were the alert guards she found every so often. She knew why they were there. She couldn’t find two within in the same clustered area, though. Not yet anyway. After picking up on a couple of them stalking around and being unsuccessful in hiding themselves in the crowd, though they were probably not trying, Tesa decided to try her luck in following one. She had kept her distance before, keeping sure to mingle thickly with other bodies so the guards would not notice her wavering and confusing cloak. Her cloak already triggered curious thoughts from the lingering beings about her. If would do wonders in the alertness of a guard, enough that Tesa would probably have to fight to erase the memory. Shouldn’t be too hard if it came down to that, however.

“You shouldn’t have to worry about people seeing you. Stay loyal to the shadows, stay faith with your cloak and talents, stay confident with your abilities with the Force. Misdirect, don’t create a void. Misdirecting means not creating the void that will direct attention. And attention is overrated.”

Paraphrased teachings haunted Tesa’s mind in her old master’s voice. She loved hearing the voice, and loved hearing the guidance that had helped her greatly in the past. If he had still been alive, she wouldn’t have been here. But she was here. And he was not alive. His teachings and voice still stunned her when they came to mind, but she was nonetheless still forever grateful.

She maneuvered through the crowd, shielding herself from the prying eyes of one of the guards. This one she would stalk as slowly as a hunter waiting for his wounded prey to drop. Patience. Patience was a key tool here. Hunters were patient about their prey, and patient on reaching their goals. Tesa’s goal was to find out where the prey roosted, as any hunters goal should be. Because when one knew where the prey slept, it was easier to make the kill. In this case, it would make the assassination group’s mission so much easier.

She had just slid into a shadow, pale brown eyes staring at the guard’s back. When he moved, Tesa did too, making sure to stay away from directly behind him. The four primal directions should be avoided: right, left, front, and back. The corners of those directions, right front, back left, etc, were better to take on. Sure, the guards would survey in a circle, but the attention of a person usually focused on the full forward, right, left, or directly behind them, just because it was easier. And because it made people fools. Guards would pay a little more attention than the average person, because they had been trained to. However, when dealing in the company of a Dark Jedi, that training hardly did much help.

Tesa hadn’t followed the guard long before the calling from Lady Renata issued at the base of her skull. The tugging and beckoning call had a sting of authority in it, demanding to gather. Tesa eyeballed her prey, who was on the move again. With a faint sneer, Tesa dispatched from her shadow and made her way to gather with the others. People paid all but no heed to her once again, and one or two times Tesa took her time skirting around a guard so as to not be seen.

As the acolyte followed the feeling of the beckon further, she began to notice a few more guards. Her skin prickled a little, as Tesa grew faintly more alert to the guards as they were alert for her and other assassins. Her wandering in the crowd grew a bit more slowly, twisting around the body shields in a witting way to avoid being spotted. Perhaps the shadows would allow more comfort. Tesa kept her head low, misdirecting the more curious stares with the Force, pushing out from her the irresistible thought that she was nothing interesting. It only worked at close range for Tesa, therefore the need to not be noticed by those guards, who she stayed away from for the most part. And the smart guards would see through her influencing haze, and then a stronger course of action would have to be taken. But if one was careful enough there simply would not be a need to do more work than one was already performing. It took on the quote, “Why do it a second time when you can do it correctly the first time?” because if it was done correctly, less work was needed to perform it a second time. Tesa was looking for the lesser work route.

A cold prickle grew between her shoulder blades. “Threat!” screamed loud now in the back of her head. Quickly, Tesa’s eyes circled around her, taking in everything. Her mind expanded out, narrowing down where the threat beacon was radiating from. It took her but a few moments to notice there was a guard staring at her, standing several feet off, close enough to notice the irregular pattern of her bizarre cloak. His hand went up to hit his communications…

But Tesa was quicker as she called on the Force and disappeared into the shadow that had not been far from her. Quickly, pinned to the building that sprouted her shadow, she raced along the edge with the Force tainting her steps, then filtered the Force out to the guard. She seized his hand in midair, refusing him to communicate with the others. And gently, with her misdirecting influence coating the air around her heavily, she dragged the guard in the shadow he was next to. And he ended up right at Tesa’s disposal. His back to her, her hands came up and she pressed her palms to either side of his head. The influence had calmed down some and she poured most of her attention into the guard’s mind. Her eyes closed and her focus slid into his mental cage, exploring and finding the image of her. She unplugged it, crumbled the memory and tore it out. She poked and prodded a bit further, attempting at accessing where the meeting was taking place. She found an access code, which could be helpful later. The guard’s mind was difficult to go through, much stronger than the other random gambler walking by. She pushed herself to looking a few more moments, going through mental file after file, trying to find the exact location. An image was brought to bear, prominent, and of a building. Tesa kept it and then receded from the guard’s mind, tiring quickly. She had let go and covered herself in that disinteresting aura, quickly shuffling away as the guard recuperated from her mental assault.

Tesa listened on Renata’s beckoning again. She kept to the shadows and alleys, twisting this way and that and passing buildings and people and skirting around more guards. By the time Tesa had arrived, emerging from the shadow on a building’s wall, the others had as well.

“I have a question,” Tesa spoke up, turning pale eyes on the Lady. “The meeting goes as a success, are you wishing for us to return here? And I would look out for this building…” Tesa extended herself into the Force once more, stretching out and calmly reaching the minds of the others (even Cassandra, who might see it in one of her visions), projecting the image of a multistory building of not much interesting design, but unique as most of the buildings here were in their own way. “Might even want to peer around it for more subtle guards, like the ones who know how to hide themselves. I also have acquired an access code, but not quite sure if it’s any importance to us. These things did come from the memory of a guard, so they might prove to be useful. Or they could be useless. I could look a little further into that, if you wish, Lady Renata.”

[10Tickler]

Shaking her head, affirming that she had no Questions, Cassandra made her way to a small bench, keeping small, quiet, her thoughts focused on the pathways that the Force showed her, the many Variations that existed, the probabilities and how they would shift with each action. Seemingly Satisfied by what she saw, Cassandra's hand moved to her mouth, a soft cough escaping her pale lips.

She would wait, and if she were to see anything, would report...until then, she would do nothing. Same old, same old

[Marius]

The fog washed through her like a tall drink of iced kothri, chilling her core in the most soothing and addictive way. As Renata told them to fan out to scour the Financial District, the Falleen knew the direction that she would take, slinking into an alleyway nearby, her visible form disappearing from sight as she did so, along with her force presence, the experienced woman who had once only been known as a Shadow slipping like a virus into the bloodstream of the city.

The hunt came naturally to her, the power of her Psychometry feeding her the very life of what she passed, images and emotion rampaging through her mind, the scalpel of her conscious extracting those that proved to be useful. The identity of half a dozen guards revealed to her, the fledgling Sith emerged from the haze of her power into the bustling main street only a few blocks away from where she had left the group, her violet eyes perusing the bustling bodies that streamed around her, although none seemed to draw close to the invisible form of Mariani, skirting around even the perimeter of her flowing white robe.

To her right, she saw one of the disguised guards, a Silika posing as a street vendor, the hand coming from the middle of his chest exchanging credits with one person, whilst the other two packaged goods, under his stall a disruptor rifle was mounted and his sly eyes kept a steady watch on the street’s traffic.

Nearing another guard, this one a Duros beggar with pistols hidden under his rags, the call from Renata to return rang through her, her lithe body weaving to the side to change direction, joining another current of passersby to meander her way back to where the group was assembling, somewhere in the space of her journey, rejoining the visible realm seamlessly.

She arrived a few moments before Tesa, the other woman showing and telling them all of a building that she had passed by earlier, and a code begotten from a guard. Mariani herself had passed the same building, and felt as well that it would be central to what was occurring, for many of the emotions and images that came from the walkways near it, sung of secrecy, obscured movement, and most importantly, hate.

“I concur with the other,” the former-Jedi quipped, her heart shaped face shifting from Tesa to Renata. “That building has some importance. As for what I have uncovered, it is not much. Merely the identity of six guards, or assassins, I am unsure of which...” Through the Force, she showed their identities to the others. “I am questionless.”

OOC: Sorry that was so long coming, my life has been hectic!!

[10Tickler]

With a quick motion, from her bench, Suddenly, Cassandra's head whipped up, a choked laugh escaping from her throat, cut off quickly, but not before she had attracted the attention of a nearby male. It was simple enough for her to scare him away, merely remaining unresponsive for the duration of his interrogation before sending an Image of his own corpse laying in the street into his mind, causing him to turn and walk away, wondering what had made him think of that, but deciding that it was for the best that he leave.

Pressing a Button on the Comlink in her hand, Cassandra cleared her throat. Lady Renata. Trouble ahead She said, simply not waiting for the Sith's response.

Continuing, her voice was calm, stable. In Exactly 13 seconds, A group of Ten Males will enter the Building, from the Roof, making their way to the Room where the Event is occurring. They will take the Target as their own, Capturing him for their own purposes before he can sign...Unless one of the Guards becomes Miraculously Force-Sensitive, or Someone from our Group moves in....he will be lost she said, Suddenly shuddering, a stabbing pain arcing across her Synapses. It...It had hurt.

That had never happened before...

Her finger falling from the Button on the Comlink, she raised a hand to her mouth, and Coughed Violently, splattering Blood into her hand, warm and sticky.

Oh.... she said, trying to breath normally, trying to stop herself from coughing anymore.

[Jenno]

As the Force whispered to Cassandra it allowed her to see events perfectly as they would unfold. Not one step was out of place, not one movement missed a beat. Everyone stepped to the song of time, it was their master and they couldn’t escape it. The future held many things, and whether or not the future is predetermined is something scholars and philosophers across the known galaxy will often discuss, but they reach no definite answer. Even when the Force is brought into play things can not be certain, visions can not always show the way things happen, yet when one sees as clearly and precisely as Cassandra it become hard to doubt that the future is solid and immoveable.

Raydron Hellfink was a middle-aged man, tall, well built and dark skinned. His shaved head supported a scar from a vibro blade that had come dangerously close to killing him, one of many things. He was in charge of what passed for a gang on the planet of Umgul. Ordinarily they were so unorganised that the dream of banding together like they had seemed impossible at the time. But no, the Black Nexus seemed like some sort of real military team now and with the addition of a few smaller gangs like the Rodian Kings and Hell's Diathims they had numbers to carry out their plans. Stumbling upon the information about a Sith aristocrat heading to Umgul was truly a gift. If they could capture him and hold him for ransom then their profit would be unimaginable. They’d all be in a serious playing field if they could pull it off.

People said that greed was a sin of sentient beings, humans in particular, but at time Raydron felt differently. When he though about all they’d achieved since they found out about the aristocrat he couldn’t help but parry the belief that greed was all that bad. Their seemingly endless internal squabbling had finally ceased and so had a lot of their external conflicts since they’d gathered pretty much all of the local gangs to them for this job. They had a focus to train with; he could see it in their eyes. Here were people from various races all working together peacefully with dedication set firmly within their hearts. They trained hard, pushed themselves as much as they could and they got on with such ease. How could this be bad?

“We’ll be at the roof in under a minute” came the voice of the co-pilot from the front of the small ship. The group of ten who sat in the rear part all readied themselves. They were no special operative team, but right now they were equipped with some of the best technology that the collaboration of gangs could muster. Amongst them sat the toughest, quickest and most skilled out of all the gangs and they’d been training rigorously together. They were good enough to be considered elite that was for sure. But they weren’t military standard; they didn’t have that kind of knowledge, training, experience or resources.

Going in from the roof on their small and cheap transport ship was not the only move they were making. After all, they new their streets and they were well aware of the Sith agents who were supposed to ‘blend in’, they were shamefully easy to spot. And so they’d have people on the floor to prevent those guys from rushing into the building as back up. However, they had to avoid drawing as much of the local security force’s attention as possible, so they had only selected certain people for the job. Most were waiting back at their base.

He could feel the ship slowing down and a glance to the rest of the people around him confirmed his suspicions, they each fell eerily silent and froze in position as they prepared to disembark from their transport. Any lingering dust scattered as the belly of the durasteel block glided a few feet above. It was time. Raydron was the last one off and by the time he’d managed to raise his blaster rifle the rest of his group had already made their way over most of the rooftop. A few moments later and calls of ‘clear’ filled the air. Seems like they really hadn’t expected anything to come at them from the roof and that was a big mistake. However, the building would no doubt be crawling with hired protection and Sith agents.

The ship was off, moving away from the building almost as soon as Raydron had got off, it would be flown to somewhere nearby and be called in when they needed picking up. With the roof clear the team made their descent into the building. There was some resistance on the way to the meeting room but they had the element of surprise. Fast, strong and lean humans, rodians and a mix of other races were able to quickly suppress the few guards they came across and they didn’t have to fire a single shot until they turned the corner to the meeting. The fire fight was over quickly however, as Raydron’s little ten man team had split up into two groups for the little assault on the guards, flanking them and leading to a swift elimination. They pressed on, the door to the meeting room now before them.

* * *

Atriar had to resist grinning as the head negotiator from D.M.A. slid the contract towards him. There were five of them before him, all very presentable and quite understanding of his own appearance, whilst it was on par with theirs it was not as lavish as he personally would have liked. But they seemed eager to sign a contract with the Empire. Then again, which business wouldn’t? The Republic was weak, crippled and low on funds and then there was the Sith Empire, strong, proud, pockets lined with credits and a real need to spend, the perfect customers.

This transaction was quite a simple one, there was very little convincing needed. However, there were a number of deals and bargains which needed to be struck. It was extremely important that Atriar got all he could from the D.M.A. for as little as possible. After all, whilst these were a major help in supplying and expanding the military, there were other things that had to be bought. But he had managed something commendable; his work today would no doubt reinforce the Empire’s position in the Galaxy.

All they were working against, the Galactic Republic and their sickening ways which would see the Galaxy fall to pieces, would feel the affects of this meeting. For appearances he had to resist the urge to grin. He prepared to sign when he froze, the sound of blaster fire out in the hallway made everyone in the room look up. There were no guards in the room and no weapons either. The company representatives looked at each other first in a look of puzzlement, and then they turned to him. But Atriar met their uncertain gazes with one of his own. They didn’t know what was happening and he didn’t know what was happening, so what was happening exactly?

He stood up cautiously as the blaster fire stopped and looked to the door. Moments later it slid open and ten armed people filed into the room, weapons raised. Whilst some simply demanded the members of the D.M.A. to raise their hands a few of the men swarmed around Atriar and simply stopped patiently waiting. Then the man Atriar assumed to be their leader approached, the man was taller than the aristocrat, a feat many were not able to boast. His arms were bulging in the tight-fitting shirt he wore. And much like Atriar, there was no fear in his eyes.

* * *

On the streets of Umgul there was a ruckus. As Raydron Hellfink and his team escorted Atriar Galfor to the roof of the building for extraction, a number of gang-allied citizens had already started their skirmish with the Sith agents around the area. A number had been taken out quickly but some had caught on and many had fought back, at the moment it was all just bear hands, but as people fled, uncertain of what was going on, some would make it to a safe distance and set bout contact the local authorities, which really wouldn’t help. And if the battle between hands, claws and tentacles escalated to blaster fire then it was highly likely the USF would hit down hard on the area.

The Sith had little time to act now, their target was being escorted away, the deal was unsigned and a small skirmish stood between them and the building they needed to get into. Not only that but the longer they took, the worse things would get. It came to them to act.

[Meira]

Renata nodded as she listened to what Mariani and Tesa had collected as far as information. Indeed, if their movements through the crowds had gone so smoothly, she felt that more aggressive tactics would prove little more of a challenge. She began to lay out her plan. It was a simple enough affair. They would move in on the building, only taking out guards if absolutely necessary, and in a stealthy fashion at that. Once inside, stealth would prove a little more difficult, but they would have to do their best. By the time they reached the location, the deal would surely be done, and they could move on the Aristocrat.

Suddenly, Cassandra's voice was heard, and Renata listened intently as she detailed a hindrance to their plan. Indeed, even as the blind woman, spoke, Renata felt the stirrings of change in the Force. Her eyebrows knitted together as she looked towards the building. Within seconds, the sounds of a transport approaching could be heard. In the noise of this planet, such a sound might not have been cause for notice, and indeed, hardly any of the bystanders even noticed. But with the knowledge of what Cassandra had foretold, it was a most unwelcome sound.

Cursing under her breath, Renata turned back to the others and spoke. Stealth was now less important. The aristocrat could not be taken, under any circumstances. Taking just a brief moment to clear her mind, Renata detailed the new plan.

Tesa, Cassandra, the two of you must make it to the room where our aristocrat and the others are meeting. You keep those people there until we can bring the aristocrat back. Mariani, you go straight for those who have captured him. Time is of the essence. I will create a distraction here on street level to allow you all through, then I will join Mariani in recapturing the aristocrat. We will bring him back to sign the deal. Do not threaten him, or those who he is dealing with. We might be able to feign allegiance with them. Move, now!

And before a word could be said, Renata turned and stalked out of the alleyway, her cape billowing behind her as she sped away. Moving out into the more open areas of the streets, her eyes searched skyward in time to see the last of these intruders pour onto the roof of the building and then disappear. Even out here, the sounds of a fight could be heard, and people began to stop and take notice. Now was the time.

Throwing her cape from her shoulders, Renata's red hair was caught in the wind as she pulled her two lightsabers from their places on her belt. With a snap and a hiss, they sprang to life, glowing a brilliant yellow. One of the undercover guards, unfortunate enough to be standing there and looking in the wrong direction, was quickly beheaded. His body slumped to the ground, the head joining it a moment later. There was a scream from a passing woman, and the street erupted into chaos. All of the hidden guards sprang into action, converging on the spot where Renata was now little more than a blur as she moved among them, hacking off arms and legs as she did.

GO! Her order echoed in the minds of the others like thunder. There was no time to waste. A great change had occurred in their plans, but Renata had told these three women that she did not fail. She was not about to let this day make her a liar.

[Squee]

The sharpness of Cassandra’s movement startled Tesa. The young woman was usually so very slow in her movements, very gentle. But this was fast and furious, catching the attention from Tesa’s peripheral vision almost immediately. She was about to openly state a question to Cassandra’s movement from where she sat, only to notice that there were a few people walking about the small, feminine gathered group. Most passed by quickly, noting the dark auras and bad feelings that were emitted from the four women. However, one man was distracted momentarily by the cacophony of a laugh that had escaped Cassie. Just as Tesa threw open her mind to the Force to send a interrogating probe to Cassie, and to ensure that she was all right, the young lady’s voice crackled softly from Renata’s comlink. Tesa closed down her opening link, listening to Cassie’s tale of a problematic vision. She frowned, shooting a stiff brown glance at the frail girl, as if to question her words.

She thought better to question Cassie. She knew it would be a waste of time. The young prophetess would be truthful. And then Tesa redirected her gaze, searching for that building Tesa had originally only witnessed within the jail of her mind. She saw it, and then noticed a flying transport thunder over their heads and swing toward the building. It hovered over the roof, and small objects dropped from the transport. The kidnappers.

Tesa felt a lump gather in her throat and her eyes turn hot, her mind racing, wanting an answer, a new solution as it thought. Could they stop them in time? Her muscles twitched as her body willed her forward into action. Her mind was better disciplined than that, double checking her heart’s desire and forced her to stay in one place. Though a half formed plan had already pieced together, her head was turned toward Renata. The Lady had the say-so, and Tesa’s self discipline kept her rooted until the leading woman spoke. She growled at her given job while she again looked at Cassie. Dammit. She wanted to kill something! She let herself boil with this new anger, moving against a shadow as Renata stalked forward to create her distraction. Tesa weaved the Force, gently boosting one of her six senses and preparing herself to be quick. She wanted to be fast.

“Cassie, keep up or don’t, I don’t care. I’m going ahead. I’ll see you up there. Hurry.”

Renata had snapped out her lightsabers and decapitated her first victim. As the street went into panic, Tesa heard, deep within her ear, the loud call of the Lady ordering them to move now and then. Tesa sprang forward, diving into the chaotic, floundering sea of heads, arms, and legs as everyone tried running away from Renata. People shoved and pushed at each other, screams of terror and cries of confusion that Tesa found to be delicacies to feast on. She loved it as she ducked under pushing arms and sidestepped over legs thrust in her speared path for the building. Tesa helped to add to the chaos, occasionally shoving people with a push in the force if they were heaped to tightly before her path. She darted around bodies and slithered between clumps where she could.

As she reached the building, guards were watching in utter bewilderment at the sheer sight of the moving mass of panicked people. Several others were brutally trying to make their way through, responding to the back-up calls other guards were sending out as Renata chopped down their forces. Tesa burst between the last few people and shot her way toward the open door. One guard saw the fast movement and tried to stand in Tesa’s way. With a sweep other her hand, Tesa guided the man into the building’s hard wall. And then she slipped into the door.

Up. She needed up. She caught sites of confused company people as Tesa continued to run at a decent pace, thinking, literally, on her feet. She might have to rely on one of the lifts for transport into the upper levels. She growled once, sweeping her hand again to send two guards into the left wall and she dashed adjacent to the right. She rounded a corner, her danger sense acute and flinched down, enough for a blaster bolt to scorch the wall over her head. Tesa snarled, shoving her hands toward the man, plucked him from the air, and slammed him multiple times into the wall, enough to leave dents. The other two guards dropped their weapons as the leader slumped to the ground. Tesa didn’t wait for them to change their minds and pressed forward, entering a bloody lift and waiting as she ascended, a soothing theme song wafting around her.

Pouncing from the turbolift, she rounded a corner almost immediately, catching site of the stunned company’s top “politicians” trying to step over bodies of guards and into the hall.

“Wait,” she called out, jogging toward them. “Please, go back into the room and wait.” She lifted up her hand but did not do anything than look at the confused expressions. “He will return shortly, I guarantee you.”

“Who’re you?”

“A special force that is on your side, believe me.” Tesa smiled, making her appearance soft and convincing. She gestured lightly into the room, hand lightly touching one of the people’s shoulders and gently guiding them back into the room. “We’ll make sure that this deal is sealed. You will get your benefits. I ask you to remain patient.” She did her best to sound friendly and honest, keeping the smile on her face, and without attempting to influence his mind with the Force. She was beginning to feel a little exhausted and chastised herself about not practicing with the Force like she needed to be. The only way she would get better was if she practiced to grow and strengthen her bond with the Force, and not have to worry if she might have to pull out the lightsaber.

The man nodded, telling the others to take their seats again, retreating back into the room. Tesa’s smile grew bigger as she followed them in, leaning against the wall as she waited on Cassie. Now she had to be patient herself and wait for that aristocrat to return so they signed those damned papers.

[Meira]

She kept no count of the lives that blinked out of existence at the touch of her blades. She only reveled in the feel of it. The way her strength seemed to grow, feeding on their fear, their pain, their end. She was lost in the dance of death she was creating, each movement part of the greater scheme, one note, two beats, a slice, a scream. She was creating a symphony and her smile was wicked. But before long, she became more aware of the lack of blaster fire in the song. She had ended the guards and was now simply slaughtering civilians. With a minimal amount of effort, she extinguished her blades. The last of the crowds of people were now making themselves scarce. Renata stood alone in the square amidst a sea of death and lost limbs.

Turning now, she shot into the building, making her ascent to the roof where she expected Mariani to be finishing off those that had tried to steal their aristocrat. Fools, they did not know with whom they had interfered. Finally at the top of the building, Renata was not disappointed. The aristocrat cowered in a ball as Mariani finished off the last of his would be kidnappers. The Dark Lady returned her lightsabers to her sides and approached the man.

Come. She said, extending her hand with a wave of reassurance through the Force. The man looked up to her and found himself transfixed in her ice blue gaze. We are here to protect you. She said, a smile playing across her lips as he mutely took her hand and stood. The others are waiting to finish the deal. And Renata turned to lead the man and Mariani back down to the meeting room.

There, she found Tesa and Cassandra dutifully keeping the other half calm. Renata gestured toward the table where the documents still waited the aristocrat's signature. The disheveled man moved forward as if in a haze, taking his seat and reaching for his pen. The next few seconds found only the sound of pen against paper as all waited for the deed to be done. When his pen was laid back down on the table, Renata brought her hands together in one swift clap.

Excellent. She said, smiling and holding her arms wide to encompass the whole group. The aristocrat shook hands with the others, each party pocketing their copy of the contract, and Renata waited a moment to allow them to relax further. When she spoke again, those force sensitives in the room would be able to feel the authority she pushed out through the Force to accompany her words.

Do not fret about today's mishap. Your safety is guaranteed. Gentlemen, I disagreeistants will escort you to your ship. She brought her eyes to connect with the three women, sending a message to them through the Force to ensure they left the planet safely. She then turned to the Aristocrat. I will escort you myself, my Lord. This way please. She gestured out of the room and gave a nod to her followers before leaving.

Renata led the man out the back to avoid exposing him to the mess she had left at the front. He followed her in a daze, unable to clear his mind or think any thought other than to follow the woman. It wasn't hard to coax him down a dark alley. Once thoroughly out of sight of any who might happen by on the nearby street, Renata turned on the man, any semblance of her warm demeanor from earlier completely gone. The eternal mists of the planet seemed to wrap him in their cold embrace as her electric eyes bore into his, holding him there, transfixed in fear.

Give me the contract.

Shaky hands placed the piece of paper within hers in only a few moments.

Good.

The fog encircled the woman and an energy in the air caused the flesh and hair of the man to stand up in anticipation. Those thin red lips curled back, revealing white teeth tha smiled ferally. In a motion so subtle it had barely been noticed, one of Renata's lightsabers was in her hand. The ancient relic made new by her own skill crackled to life, the short saber appearing and humming in the air. In the mist, it cast an eerie glow as she slowly approached the man. So caught in fear, he simply stood there, watching his death approach him. Renata reached out her thin hand, long fingers gently catching his chin and pulling him closer.

[Marius]

Fire coursed through the Falleen’s veins as her legs pumped powerfully under her, the thick soles of her boots clashing loudly with the plating of the walkway underfoot, having cast away any hope of being unnoticed for the speed that was needed. The fog seemed to give life her to movement, it becoming one with the garments that whipped around her form, filling her with its cool pervasive strength, the scales of her skin blossoming into a white grey that matched its tone, her violet eyes mirroring the fire that her muscles felt. She plowed through those that were in her way, most of the time avoiding them well enough so that her sprint was unhindered, whipping quickly to the right or left, twice relying upon the Force to lift her upward as she leapt over beings clustered so thickly in panic that they could not be avoided.

The Force filled her with trepidation, flowing into her body with each molten breath, the threads that held the future of their mission fraying to a point in which even the Falleen, usually so reliant upon her body and own abilities, could feel it. And now that fate relied very largely on the abilities she so prided herself on. Mariani was never one to disappoint.
---

The Former-Jedi’s limbs wove a net of brown-fire around her body, charred flesh filling her senses, as bodies fell to her feet. A flick of her wrist swatted away the red line of a blaster back to its sender, the chopping of her arm clearing through thick body of some unidentifiable non-humanoid, the small boxy steps her feet made danced her through the chaos and toward the side of the building, leading her away from the swing of a vibrosword back to the one whom had swung, the zabrack’s head leaving her shoulders as the rest of her body fell backward under the weight of the Sith who used the gangster’s body as a platform to hurdle herself into the air.

---

The fiery snap-hiss of her sabers filled the silence of her mind, her breathing starting once again with it, something uncatching in her chest and the sweet air flowed in-between her bowed lips, violet eyes erring open. The abrupt buzz of reflected blaster-fire spurred her to action, the assassin realizing that she balanced delicately on the seal of a blown in window, the shattered glass littering the third floor of the building, a blanket of a thousand blades glittering like spice. Blood coated her talons; the form of a gangster reeled away, barely noted in her periphery, his death a raindrop amongst the rainstorm occurring in the Force that she rushed through, akin to a gale in force, flame in presence and arrow in intent.

The tattered tails of her once pristine, white robe bespoke such a fact, a large portion rending free upon the jagged remains of the plate that had covered the port entered as she burst from the ledge, sailing through the air with the aid of the Force to land at the bottom of a flight of stairs across the room.

Rolling to her feet, the Falleen dipped gracefully to the right, the tip of her shoto catching a bolt to send it into the thick throat of some fool, slashing the arm from another with her back draw, kicking the being away from her as she swooped with her other saber to relieve it of its four legs, the thick head cracking against the unforgiving floor, a wave of yellow liquid rushing across the cold steel plates. Two more bolts were deflected, their shooters’ lives ended when knife-hilts seemed to materialize from their throats and disappear just as swiftly, their life fountaining from the gaping whole their heavy-heads lolled upon.

---

The subsequent levels of the building fell easily, guards and gangsters whose com-lines had already been filled with harried reports of a being in white wielding lightsabers ran or fought with a sad desperation that foreshadowed the final look of defeat plastered across their faces, Mari gained the roof a short ten minutes after the kidnapping had taken place.

---

Only tatters of fine cotton draped the form of the Falleen like tendrils of mist that flowed with her motion, her shapely form marred only by a handful of nicks and scores, of which only a select few oozed green, playing against the gray-green of scales reverted back to neutral colour due to attention directed elsewhere. Turbulence whipped at her, the too near form of a cruiser lowering to pick up the kidnappers and kidnapped filled the gray sky, stirring the winds into torrents that circled and whipped about like a school of carnivorous fish, pulling at the tranquility that pervaded her being and the atmosphere of the planet, drawing away what lay on the exterior, and revealing that which lay beneath.

Mariani could feel the hatred boil within her, born of what seemed to be inevitable failure, a feeling so foreign to her. Its power smoldered within her being, like molten metal, scorching its way out. In her periphery, she could see her body turning crimson, its colour pervading the mist around her, which darkened, and seemed to swirl in its own right apart from the influence of the wind. At first, the Falleen felt as if she were drowning in the emotion, her mind recoiling from the control it has so long held, but that sensation didn’t last long. Clarity beset her, born of the fire of the Force, and its power became hers, no longer was she its servant.

---

A cry of ferality tore across the roof, catching the guards’ attention where they huddled around the target, their keen eyes widening with surprise at the sight of the red skinned woman standing just outside of the door leading into the building, mist and darkness roiling from her form, violet eyes burning akin to the twin blades she held within her grasp. She stood looking at them, lips drawn backward with fury like a bow, before she seemed to eaten alive by the darkness around her.

“Switch to melee weapons and draw close to the target!” the leader called, her voice quivering with fear, drawing forth a double-ended vibrosword. “The shuttle is almost landed, we just have to keep that Dark Jedi at bay.”

Uneasily, the gangsters watched the mist at their periphery, the presence of the darkness, which the Dark Jedi had been among, having faded moments before and no other signal had seemed to emerge that indicated that she was still even there. There was just silence, and stillness; too much silence, too much stillness. But they still listened, until the subtle cadence of a rapidly descending shuttle with its engines killed spurned them to action, screams of surprise mingling with the disharmonious dry-snap of bones and squelch of innards that accompanied the grating rend of metal meeting permacrete rooftop. Fire blossomed from the fuel line, engulfing others of their party.

And then she was amongst them, her presence electric, and the death of her blades leaping from one person to another like static. The leader however, still gripped tightly the shoulder of the target, leading him away from the death, closer to the door, to try and take advantage of the chaos and slip unnoticed through the building back to headquarters.

The death cry of her second in command however, the Bith taking note to try and ask her where she was going with the target, ended such hopes, his head rolling to stare flatly at her from the jam of the door, the hum of lightsabers taking precedence over the screams of those trapped under and within the shuttle, its fire roaring heavenward, eating the fog in swaths, revealing the sky that the planet so rarely saw, black and bespeckled with stars. And those stars burned, much like the fire that revealed them, even more so like the eyes of the horrifically beautiful woman who advanced upon her.

---

The final gangster fought with a desperation that almost evoked pity from Mari, the Twi’lek’s skill with a double-edged blade bespoke her long life of criminal activity, or perhaps it was the matter in which the former-Jedi approached her, looking to satiate her need of a true fight rather than a slaughter. But the woman was no match for her still, the powerful blows the Falleen used beat her swiftly to her knees, the sheer force of one strike breaking the other’s wrist, which she was so kindly relieved of by Mariani, who also saw it fit to make both arms match.

The gangster’s life was ended when she sensed Renata’s presence, smashing the once delicate blue face of the gangster turned mush by hard Falleen fists into the permacrete, and standing from her position hunkered over the mangled female’s body. The fire sputtered and died, the hatred leaving her feeling hollow, hungry, and nearly drunk. Quickly, the conditioning of her kind kicked in, first-nature, cold dispassion and veiled presence once again becoming manifest as she listened to the soothing words of the other Sith, taking her place behind the target, following the Dark Lady down to the meeting room where the others waited, and their mission was accomplished.

---

After having lead the cadre of businessmen to their shuttle, Mariani lead the trio back toward their own ship, the three women passing inconspicuously through the chaos of the streets, taking notice of little but everything, knowing well enough what the commotion was about, and not caring any longer, as their mission was complete. Her gaze only flicked from face to face, not bothering to see or feel deeper than that, mind focused upon her feelings of earlier, the inconsistency of the power that followed her lack of self-control, so when she recognized the fine features of Lady Renata, she didn’t register that the other was moving away from the ship until several moments after.

Lady, why is it that you move away from the shuttle, is it not our time to depart this planet?


OOC: Sorry that took so long. School has been hectic.

[Marius]

OOC: Pulling out of this thread, sorry. Just have my character disappear or something. <3