Objective: 2
Location: Underwater caves
Allies: [member="Sitara Qin"] [member="Darth Venefica"] [member="Sage Bane"]
Enemies: [member="Spark Finn"] [member="Sabrina Kotass"] [member="Anastasia Rade"]
3/20
To many, sneaking through pitch-black caverns where one could hear little more than the dripping water would have been terrifying. What kind of secrets have been hidden from the prying eyes in this strange, serene place? The ancient fear of the unknown had an easy time playing its role here; didn’t the last drop splashing into puddle sound a bit strange, different? What if there was a beast living in this place, now searching for any and all intruders in hopes of feasting on their flesh? And the walls one occasionally touched – were they simply moist, or was the slime-like coverage a result of massive tentacles stretching out of the murky water leading to the depths of the ocean, slithering around to touch and claim a meal? The occasional gust of wind rushing through the dark tunnels, from one unseen entrance to another; it could be slow, pained breathing of a massive creature taking residence in eternal solitude, now disturbed by the unwelcomed visitors. And what if there was absolutely nothing? What if one’s been trapped in this maze of submerged caves, completely alone and with no means of ever escaping this maddening web of tunnels and tight passages, unable to discover anything else than another dark chamber with its small lake?
Avreet felt no worry; unlike the refugees, he didn’t have to think of something or someone actively searching for him in the darkness, knowing that being discovered equals death. He was the monster in the dark, the beast creeping through the black sea of night permanently filling the cave system, searching for the frightened sentients. For the amphibious Sith Assassin, darkness was not something to be afraid of rather than something he could hide in, find both safety and solace. It was his ally, similarly to the Dark Side; while both presented certain dangers, the real danger lied in fear felt by those not daring to brave unknown waters. Jedi feared the Dark Side, not because of its corrupting power, but because it presented something unknown and alien to them, casting shadow on their knowledge of the Force. Sith knew how to tread the Dark Side and swim in its sea of power and knowledge; again, their madness that often afflicted them wasn’t a fault of the Dark Side itself as much as of the sentient greed and lust for power that pushed people too deep under the surface, overestimating their abilities and drowning in the dark depths.
Another strange sound reached the Sith Lord’s ears, a muffled chatter. Definitely not his imagination, as their presence could be sensed in the Force when Avreet reached out with his senses. Three lifeforms, scared, close. Veles followed in their direction, webbed feet soundlessly slapping against the cold wet floor as he moved forward at boringly slow pace to avoid alerting the trio even further. This strongly reminded him of his days as an Acolyte; with no fancy Force power to hide him, Avreet had to learn how to sneak without it, sticking to shadows and often waiting for several hours to observe every single detail in his surroundings. It did not take long to reach a large crevice in one of the surrounding walls, light coming from within safely revealing its secrets. Taking a peek inside, the Sith’s cybernetic eye adjusted to the light and spied on three Nautolans sitting inside the small cave, illuminated by a portable lamp betraying their little hiding spot. The way they sat did not allow for a swift and effective takedown unless he planned on killing them.
Leaving the darkness and stepping into the light, Avreet revealed himself, prompting the man on guard to immediately get up and point his rifle at the Mon Calamari while the two other Nautolans turned their heads and watched the newcomer in fear.
“Please,” Avreet called out in his soothing tone, “There is no need for that! I am a friend and I wish to help you.” His large amber orbs scanned each and every one of them.
“It seems you haven’t eaten for quite some time. We can give you food, medical supplies. Everything you need.”
“We?” the guard questioned, his sight shifting towards the twin lightsabers on Avreet, “You mean the Sith, don’t you? The only thing you want is to make us your slaves or worse!” The man angrily spat on the ground, yet beneath the façade of a strong warrior festered fear, terror, a little scared man that fully realized he stood no chance if the Mon Cal in front of him decided to slay them all.
“Yes, I am a Sith,” Veles nodded, “But I am afraid you have become a victim of propaganda. Sith do not want to enslave you; we want to help you. We have come to offer your planet and all its people a chance to be a part of something far greater than any of us; we bring unity, unity brings peace, peace brings prosperity. All it takes is to accept us as your friends, allies, brothers. Therefore, there is no reason for you to hide in these caves as some criminals; come out and join the One Sith, reap the benefits of being our friends. I understand you are stressed, afraid, that is completely understandable after being here, in darkness, for some time. But please, I beg you to look at me as your ally, not an enemy.”
“I assume we don’t have a choice in this?” one of the Nautolans in the back peeped.
“You always have a choice,” Avreet corrected, “We are no monsters as the Republic tries to portray us. Even if you don’t want to be our friends for some reason, you can leave this place and return to your homes. You have my word as a Sith that I won’t even touch you if you reject the kind offer.” The Sith even stepped aside to allow the refugees to leave.
His words had little effect; only the guard mustered up enough courage to speak up, no longer seeing the Sith in front of him as a threat. Sith were supposed to murder and torture, not talk! This was obviously no Sith. The Nautolan turned to his friends.
“Come on,” he commanded, “Let’s go.” He walked through the crevice, into the darkness, turning into nothing but a shape that suddenly lifted the small carbine, placing its barrel under his chin and blasting his head off, the sharp bark of the blaster resonating through the walls for a while as the corpse slumped down and everything fell silent.
“Murderer!” one of the Nautolans cried, “You killed him!”
“Impossible,” Avreet swiftly rejected the claim, “I haven’t even touched him. It is obvious he couldn’t live with himself.”
Taking a deep breath, he continued.
“As I was saying, you are under lots of stress and pressure, therefore the best choice is to accept my help. Why don’t you take the lamp and follow me?”
