About The Base

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

He caught the blaster with his off-hand and nodded.

"Yeah. I can do that." Locke turned around and with a quick two-shot fried the door controls. It wouldn't do anything for the long run, but a slicer wouldn't be able to get through with the circuits karked. Only thing they could do was use telekinesis to break through and that would take time. At least he thought it would take time, the Force was a gorram mystery to him on the better days.

This wasn't one of his better days.

"Foolish girl." The cultist hissed out from clenched teeth. "I welcome pain."

Turning around again the SIS agent studied the face of the cultist. He was an actor by trade, so he could spot lies from a lightyear away - cus he spend years lying himself, part of his life now.

Locke snorted, before gesturing with his head for Sollo to step aside.

"She's a good person, friend." Well, comparatively speaking, he didn't actually know her all that well yet. But by the looks of it she wasn't crappy like the rest of them. "I, on the other hand, am not. Your friends cut me open, got some blood."

He aimed his blaster at the cultist's leg.

"Gonna count til 4, then you spit it out or you will be crawling out of here."

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Elliot Locke"]

"You wouldn't," the cultist paused, seeing that military trained look on Locke's face. Fear began to creep over his smug expression. Eyes darted wildly to Taheera as Locke counted down to 'one.'

"Okayokay! They're preparing him for transport on the landing pad through there," chin tipped wildly behind him. There was another set of doors. That smug smile crept back on his lips. "You might be too late."

The Mirialan ignored him. She was already walking toward the doors. The front doors that Mister Locke had disabled started to bend inwards. She could feel the dark side as icy warning traveled down her spine. Lightsaber ignited.

"Let's go!" She yelled the warning to Locke as that door exploded inwards.

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

"Too late for you maybe."

Dispassionate, no other warning, before Locke leveled his blaster and shot the cultist in the head. Burn hole straight through the forehead which killed him instantly and without any fuss. He guessed Sollo wouldn't be too happy about it, but this was a SIS operation and that was a Sith cultist. Maybe the New Jedi Order concerned itself with rehabilitation and the like, but Locke only handled in results.

Better to kill him now, than to have to face him later.

Behind them the doors started to crumble inwards. Karking forcers, couldn't ever play by the rules of the normal world. There wasn't much to do about that now though, other than walking briskly in the opposite direction.

The doors slid open and paved the way towards a long hallway, darkened and gloomy. Again Locke shot the controls to lock it behind them.

"That will give us some time." He mumbled while thinking, before nodding to himself. "Scout ahead, I am gonna set some proximity charges."

SIS agent, meant that he was always prepared for the worst. Would have been difficult to explain if they decided to search them. But it had been worth the risk, clearly.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Elliot Locke"]

Jaw ticked slightly. Another grimace went across her tattooed-face. Killing was never an easy thing for her to witness. She tried sparing lives, herself, whenever possible. It was something Val didn't understand. And she imagined it was something Mister Locke wouldn't either. Most healers weren't on the front lines and they abhorred the idea of even killing.

Taheera knew it wasn't so simple. There were times when....it was more complicated. Like in war. Like she maybe should've done with Vrak Nashar. She wasn't sure if her hesitancy made her weaker or perhaps stronger.

And then Mister Locke said....

"Wait, charges? You're bringing this place down?! What if there are more prisoners, innocents here?"

And her greatest struggle. She couldn't save them all, she never would. She'd seen too many innocents lost before. And wasn't that what he was talking about? About why he joined? To help those caught in the crossfire in the war between force users?

"Who ordered this? SIS?" She as still new to the Alliance. She knew what SIS was, in theory. She hadn't done much research on it, though.

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

Locke looked up with a puzzled look, before shaking his head.

"See those walls? Thick duracrete intertwined with steel, there isn't much that can put a dent in that... nothing I'd be comfortable walking around tied to my leg at least."

Besides, the fastest way to bring this place down was the reactor room, which was more than likely going to be his next stop, once the senator was safe. This wasn't an officially sanctioned mission by either the Jedi or the SIS. Which wasn't surprising, this was so far outside their jurisdiction it wasn't even funny. If the Silvers or - worse - the Clans found out what they were doing here so close to their borders without permission?

Wouldn't be a fun day to be command, that was for sure.

"They are anti-person. Will blow someone walks by, but that's about it."

A heavy thunk against their door, like something heavy had just slammed into it... like the other door they had locked.

"Get your ass moving, we are on a schedule here."

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Elliot Locke"]

A mixture of relief and mild suspicion crossed her face. Myrtle-ellipses narrowed for a moment. They were running out of time.

"Okay, okay!" The Mirialan turned and jogged down the corridor. The orange-lightsaber cast a funny glow on her skin and along the walls. There was a hangar door up ahead. Locke was setting charges behind. Four hooded people were escorting some hunched man onto a prepped shuttle.

Had to be the senator.

The force spiked her muscles into gear and in a flash, she turned into a green blue of movement. There are shouts as the acolytes went down from very precise cuts of a saber as she immobilized them one by one.

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

The doors slammed open only a fraction after he retreated a safe distance.

The Rodian walked in first, which surprised Locke to a degree. Usually the leaders of the cults didn't actually walk into danger themselves first, but there wasn't much time to worry about that. He took one more look -- it was difficult to gauge the facial expressions of Rodians, but presumably he wasn't too happy with all this -- before running to safety.

A cry followed him, the cultists taking the bait and began to follow him.

An explosion rocked the scene next, sudden heat burning into his back, him cornering the corner and into the hanger.

Oef.

That was when the situation locked into crystal clearness to him. Little girl padawan, knocking down cultists left and right with her lightsaber, two stray cultists lining up a shot to take her down. They were professional killers, these, knew all about precognition and how to exploit it.

One was firing at her, the other one was looking where she was gonna be.

Didn't expect the SIS agent staring at them from the side though. Too focused on their kill. One plasma bolt burned through a neck, the other caught him in the face just as he turned around to deal with the new situation.

Two more corpses to the pile.

"Sollo, what's the situation there?" He called over, while going for the corner to look into the hallway again.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Elliot Locke"]

While Locke stopped a sniper bolt from burying itself into the back of her head, he didn't stop the one that went into her side. The good thing was, the Mirialan didn't even notice it. Too much adrenaline. And too many distractions.

The last acolyte fell at her feet, clutching his cut hamstrings. He spit a curse at her and she ignored him, instead focusing on the senator's face as she switched off the orange blade. "Senator! We're with the Alliance and we're here to rescue you. Are you good enough to walk?"

The old man nodded numbly and put a shaky hand on her shoulder. Myrtle-ellipses panned to the awaiting shuttle. Finally, one thing going their way today.

"We're good here!" She yelled, neck craning to spot Locke. "Heading to the shuttle. Come on!"

And for the first time, she felt that pain flare up in her side as warm, wet liquid began soaking through her robes.

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

Contrary to his expectations there were still cultists marching through the corridor towards them.

They were more cautious now, probably feeling out with the Force if there were any dangers ahead in the form of proximity charges. There wasn't a Rodian amidst them, so hopefully he managed to eliminate the leader already, that would make the next objective just a slightly easier. Meant that Locke wouldn't have to worry about him getting away while blowing this thing up to smithereens.

"You go." Locke shouted over his shoulder, while punching the controls to close the bulk door between the cargo bay and this corridor. "I still got a mission to do. Get the Senator out of here."

While Sollo got the senator out, he'd draw all the attention to him, make sure they'd get a clear escape route.

Locke aimed the blaster and shot the controls out again. This time it would give him even more time - either they'd have to break through that thing minus one actual cultist master or they'd try to find another way through.

Finally, the SIS agent looked around towards where the Padawan and the elder senator were standing.

"You are the hero, Sollo. I am just a guy with a mission. Now get out of here."

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Elliot Locke"]

An R2 unit rolled down the ramp as she maneuvered the senator up. Che's it-haired head poked out as she sagged against the inner shuttle wall. Locke wasn't coming. And she didn't have the energy to argue or strength to stop him. He was being a damnable fool. He better not kill anymore civies.

"I'm not a hero!" She yelped, pain edging her voice. She sagged down the inside of the shuttle. The R2 unit wheeled forward. "Can you fly this thing?" The droid beeped at her and wheeled to the cockpit. "Set a course to alliance space. Inform command we have the senator."

The healer did the hardest thing she'd ever had to do. She left someone behind. Even if it was what they wanted. Thoughts drifted briefly to Val before she passed out as the shuttle doors slealed closed.

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

A week later Sollo's HoloNet screen would buzz with a notification.

One message was left behind from a encrypted source. There was no name attached to it or anything else that would have identified the sender, but in reality there did not need to be.

The message was clear.

There was a crappy, static-filled video. It showed half a dozen sentients, clothed in rags and limping, stumbling into a transport followed closely by a familiar figure. Face was obscured, but maybe the hair would give it away. Or the stance of the shoulders and the swagger behind his walk.

One sentence underneath the video.

'We were both heroes that day.'​