Mission Absolution [Dark Empire]

[Ignacious Korvan]

ABSOLUTION: A DARK EMPIRE STORY
[OPENING CRAWL MUSIC]

In the decades following the fall of the Empire, THE GALACTIC ALLIANCE has waxed ascendant as the dominant superpower of the galaxy. While some of the Imperial elite would escape calamity to the fringes of the galactic frontier, the majority would either meet an untimely end, or find themselves held captive by entities such as the Alliance’s STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE AGENCY - with the most dangerous of such individuals imprisoned within the capital world of CORUSCANT.

After carefully positioning himself over the past two decades as a warlord of the IMPERIAL REMNANT, IGNACIOUS KORVAN will now utilize whatever means remains at his disposal to liberate one such figure from captivity - the former Knight Inquisitor known as SAHAR, along with others of her known allies and associates. A bold and clandestine incursion is underway to liberate the prison while preventing the SIA from learning who is truly behind this incursion...

THE DARK EMPIRE.



​

---

OBJECTIVE 1: INFILTRATION
"Take a penny, leave a penny..."​

A primary task force composed of elite operatives has been assembled to covertly infiltrate the secure facility Sahar and her associates are being incarcerated within. After procuring the appropriate uniforms of Alliance guardsmen, the operatives will escort a high value target - none other than a fugitive practitioner of the Dark Side - into the facility; only to break away once inside to secure their objectives...

Mission Objectives:

• Extract Sahar and her companions
• Leave no witnesses

Spoiler: Character Recommendations

Covert Operatives, a bold dark side force user who is willing to be a decoy, GA opposition

---

OBJECTIVE 2: DISRUPTION
"First we blind them, then we deafen them..."
​

While Coruscant is a massive planet that is seemingly interconnected into one giant, singular city - the fact is the planet is divided into thousands of pockets. Communication towers line the surface to provide what only appears to be seamless communication as speeders and spacecraft zip through the skyline without heed to invisible air traffic boundaries. Power lines which comprise the utility grid are far more complicated, but no less crucial. Disruption of either, or both services would prove most... disruptive to first responders in that given area.

Mission Objectives:

• Cut primary power to the prison facility - the primary team will take this as their signal.
• Disrupt the communications tower servicing the sector of the prison facility.

Spoiler: Character Recommendations

Covert operatives, force users, GA Opposition

---

 

[Sahar]

Sahar|CLASSIFIED CELL|Lost​

Time is a flat circle, or at least that was what the philosophers spout, doomed to repeat the same thing repeatedly with little variance or hope. Sahar didn't care for such rhetoric, but she ought to lend credence to the idea in the many years she'd spent inside this tiny little cell. Her closely cropped militaristic hair had grown long, and she sported a scar on her lip that reminded her of a time when a certain one-armed Jedi had knocked her cold on the floor.

Food was shoved through her cell door every morning, and she ate it accordingly, rinse and repeat, choosing to spend the rest of her day either working out, practising her boxing skills or meditating on answers or some form of solace about her predicament. Fel was gone, the Empire was gone, it all had left her. And she couldn't tolerate it; any form of interrogation had led Sahar to try to kill the SIA agents sent to talk to her, resulting in frequent trips to solitary confinement and being beaten by prison staff.

As-sabr miftah al-faraj
(Patience is the key to relief)

That was the Kandaran saying that mattered most to her, Sahar would be free one day, and she'd have her revenge, even if it meant burning half the galaxy down with her.

Ignacious Korvan

 

[Darth Ira]

Wearing: Outfit, Lightsaber | Location: Enroute to Objective 2: Disruption | Tag: XOXO (Please tag me if you're riding to Objective 2 with me.)​

Coruscant, the crown jewel of the Galaxy, stood as a beacon of civilization amidst the vastness of space. Its skyline, a tapestry of gleaming skyscrapers and bustling air traffic, painted a picture of prosperity and power. Yet, beneath the surface of its dazzling facade, a darker undercurrent lurked, waiting to be unleashed. The space surrounding Coruscant was a hive of activity, with vessels of all shapes and sizes weaving through the intricate web of traffic lanes. Despite the Galactic Alliance's formidable defensive network, there were always those who managed to slip through undetected, their credentials and intentions carefully manipulated to evade scrutiny. The shuttle, masquerading as a Corporate Alliance vessel, was one such craft, its forged credentials granting it passage without raising suspicion.

Within the confines of the shuttle, Darth Ira sat in silent contemplation, surrounded by a small contingent of troops and equipment. She was but a piece in a larger puzzle, yet the anticipation of what was to come stirred something primal within her. As an extension of the dark side and her connection to Vahl, the mission ahead promised to sow fear and chaos in the heart of the Galactic Alliance, striking a blow that would reverberate throughout the Galaxy.

As the shuttle navigated the labyrinthine traffic lanes of Coruscant's outer reaches, Ira's mind raced with anticipation. The plan was set in motion, each step carefully orchestrated to achieve maximum impact. The citizens of Coruscant, the Jedi, and the Alliance itself would soon feel the weight of her wrath, their sense of security shattered by the impending storm.

With each passing moment, the darkness within Ira grew stronger, fueled by her unwavering resolve and her connection to the dark side. The complacency of the Alliance members would be their undoing, their smug confidence giving way to panic and despair as chaos descended upon them. As the shuttle continued its approach towards the heart of Coruscant, Ira's gaze fixed upon the sprawling cityscape below. In the distance, the towering spires of the Jedi Temple loomed like silent sentinels, oblivious to the impending threat that approached. Soon, they would feel the full force of her vengeance, their precious order brought to its knees by the might of the dark side.

With a sense of grim satisfaction, Ira awaited the moment when her plan would be unleashed upon the unsuspecting masses, plunging the Galaxy into a new era of darkness and despair. The time for reckoning had come, and she would stop at nothing to see her vision of chaos and destruction realized.

 

[Corlys Skirata]

Objective: I - Infiltration
Location: Coruscant - in-bound shuttle
Tags: [Open]

DT-1111

A simple, unassuming transport bearing Alliance iconography exited lightspeed and sped through the entry point as it began its descent to the city-wide metropolis below. Adorned in plastoid armor akin to that used by GA security forces, Corlys cast a glance on those composing his strike team. They were a mixture of specialists pieced together both from the Imperial Remnant, and from operatives throughout the newly formed confederation being assembled on the fringes of the Galaxy. It had been a long time since Corlys had fought in the service of the Empire, instead focusing his efforts to the will of his patron for the past two decades. He had done many things he could not speak openly about, and more still that would make the average person’s skin crawl. But today, Corlys and company were about to do a deed some might consider ‘good’.

Granted, they were about to do a lot of wrong to get it done. He pulled out a small holo projector, which emitted the silhouette of the Imperial Despot himself. The blue light of the projector diluted the white hue of his uniform, and the years had aged Korvan noticeably - but his stoic resolve was just as clear today as it always had been. “This mission must be undertaken with the utmost of secrecy. You all have been chosen for your unique skills. See this done, and you all will be rewarded accordingly. By the Will of the Voice...”

As the transport breached through the atmosphere and made its way through the skyline of Coruscant, the brief message concluded and Corlys stowed the device away in his belt. He turned to address the strike team, including their ‘prisoner’.

“The plan is simple - we get in and wait for power to be cut by the secondary team. Once done, we cut the bonds of our prisoner and get moving.” He keyed a few commands on his wrist, and within moments the team would receive confirmation blips on their own devices. They would find a detailed schematic of the prison, including several routes flashing on the map for the detention block.

“Keep your helmets on. As far as anyone knows, we’re faceless mercs wearing stolen armor once it hits the fan. Once we secure the asset, we exfil by the maintenance access and make our way to the underworld where our ride will be waiting. I want radio silence after this, so are there any questions?”

 

[Thomas Barran]

1st Post

-A PRELUDE TO TERROR-

THE_BLOODHOUND
GREAT KHAN OF THE SCAR HOUNDS
WARLORD OF RHIGAR & MAR'ZAMBUL
DIVINE CHAMPION OF MOTHER REBIRTH

Tags: Zinn Zinn Bink'sa Sahar Nekana Quane Keilara Kala'myr

AT THE PRECIPICE I: REDACTED PRISON BLUES - PROLOGUE

GEN POP-4, [REDACTED] PRISON,
GALACTIC CITY, CORUSCANT (901 ABY)

WARNING - WARNING
Step your feet onto the markers provided.

Please respect the facility's safety parameters.

Words that ingrained on every last inmate unfortunate enough to find themselves here.
Digitally-imprinted words, garbled over speakers into everyone's minds.​

For the last year, (and all due to a risky homeward nearing of the GA frontier after a raid) Barran had been incarcerated within close reach of Coruscant's highest-ranking officials, a significance of which was never, at any point, lost on the One-Eyed Woad in his time behind bars.

It was the recreational hours where normal, hopeful patterns could be followed, it was in the exercise-yard, the pod floors or the chow-hall where familiar, potentially-useful faces would be found, as some (if not, multiple-) faces among the prison's inmates appeared to stand out more than the others. Though unfortunately, the best of which would always be carted back to Supermax-1, far out of the reach of the inmates of Gen Pop-4 and all the rest; but if the abilities of these potential allies were anything to go by, their high-risk status was certainly indicator enough as to their merit in any hypothetical jailbreak, an endeavour of which the Bloodhound had been planning from the moment his feet first touched the markers of his cell.

Fortunate then that Thomas had a cellmate who was sympathetic to the plan from the start, coincidentally considering an escape of his own by the time his human acquaintance-to-be first stepped through the cell's electronic threshold, a Gungan who was known to Barran already, though only by reputation and the impact of his would-be cellmate's time with the Brotherhood of the Maw. Thus given the time they had to talk over the course of that year, it would be no surprise that their potential co-conspirators were carefully picked in the earlier months, as the Bloodhound's vetting-discussions with Zinn Zinn were kept to blessedly-simplified methods of candidate-elimination, consequently making life easier throughout the otherwise-painstaking process of finding co-conspirators they could trust.

I place my trust in Bink'sa - first an' foremost.
Cellies stick the-gether! Ay'ways!

But to trust two other Force-Wielders, I must - difficult though that may be.​

Sahar and Nekana were also reputed for their powers, and to such extremes that their actions had them both marked for Supermax on arrival, but the guards themselves had given away too much already, as the rumours of,"Heavily- Redacted SIA Files", had been overheard (and consequently passed down the line by acquainted Good-Behaviour Convicts) on arrival as well. All the indicating clues that Thomas needed were there to assume they'd be more useful than the suggested-barbarism implied, and that both would retain at least some desire to escape with the new shot-callers in the fourth wing of the general-population building, and fortunately for the Goidel and his Gungen cellmate, they would find no trouble in planning their next steps from there.

Opportunities would present plainly to the would-be escapees either way, though arriving at an hour of fate's choosing for every little success in the approach to the last fortuitous moment.

AT THE PRECIPICE I: REDACTED PRISON BLUES - PART 1

GEN POP-4, [REDACTED] PRISON,
GALACTIC CITY, CORUSCANT (901 ABY)

Ohohohoho..... It hangs by a thread, an' judgin' by the heartrate-
The Halfwit screw doesn't even realise it yet.

Yaldy!​

Tonight was the night of nights for the little gang of aspirant escapees, but the first stage of their grand escape briefly hinged on the Bloodhound's telekinetic abilities - held up for as long as it would take for the Goidel to part his hall's assigned overseer with the key-card that was chained to his belt at the time.

'Zinn Zinn.... Progress t'report here, but hold off on the joy - please. He's just about half the cell's length away.'

The walls were thick, but the doors had a little paper-deep space beneath, working both to their advantage and disadvantage alike; though this would only become an issue in the event the Goidel's or Gungan's voices were heard at the wrong moment, prompting Barran's whispered need for calm and quiet alike, though the reward was nigh on ready to meet them by then. But even in this plan's aggravatingly-difficult beginnings, both Barran and Bink'sa knew well that this was still the easy part, though Thomas more-acutely than his good friend Zinn Zinn, recalling that drawing the short straw meant the former would be the one to run to the Supermax building.

Whilst operating under the watchful eye of the latter.

'Last.... Thread.... Be - ready....'

Relatively well-rested, well-fed and practiced in telekinesis before the fated moment to strike, and with the shift-rotation being more than a few hours away, all that remained was the task of using the chain to strangle the guard, holding off snapping the neck for as long as possible as it pulled him towards the lock-control dashboard by the door. All sound and managable in theory, but even in the impending moments before the violent escalations, Barran's nose was bleeding already; as the increased need for focus was adding to the difficulty, coupled with the struggle of doing it all in a way that ensured full sleight of hand until the pinnacle moment, but the Bloodhound within his soul was nothing if not persistent.

The light singing of ungrounded chain-links then rang just loud enough for the unlikely duo to hear, ringing ever so quietly before the chain itself was heard grinding as it bound the throat of the guard at the other side of the door, completely unaware of his impending doom until that fateful moment.

Beeeeep
SWOOOOOOOSH
CLANG​

'Finish him!'

 

[Zinn Zinn Bink'sa]

Location: GA Supermax prison, Coruscant
Tags. Thomas Barran Sahar Nekana Quane Keilara Kala'myr

​

Prison life certainly wasn’t for the weak Zinn Zinn surely wasn’t weak anymore. Ever since the end of the War, he had been found and carted off to Coruscant to serve hard time. Needless to say it worked partially. Zinn Zinn helped himself to what they called food, and worked out everyday. The skinny Gungan was now a muscle bound menace and was one of the strongest prisoners in the yard. His spice habit even cleared up, though when it was offered he didn’t refuse out of fear of being a snitch of the guards. “Just an ordinary day for a bombad Gungan. He would say as he finished another workout routine.

Returning to his cell, he didn’t expect much of the ordinary. After all he had been Cellies with one of the top Mawites. At first it was an awkward meeting for the both of them. But with a few ground rules both were easy to accommodate the other. As long as Tommy didn’t try to take the top bunk, Zinn Zinn always had the top bunk. For the past weeks, Tommy was adamant on getting out of the prison. Zinn Zinn spent a long time behind the walls, he was what one called an “institutionalized man” now. At first he thought the man was joking, but when he had grabbed what seemed to be a progress report his yellow eyes widened. “Yousa okiday Tommy… Now, Wesa gonna take care of guard. Grabby his keys, and Wesa outta heres!!” Zinn Zinn said with excited glee, for he didn’t think the man would pull it off. It wouldn’t be easy, but the guards were outnumbered by the prisoners. They couldn’t hope to fight them all, or keep them all contained.

Zinn Zinn was patient as he listened to Tommy’s insane plan, but given how Zinn Zinn was crazy enough to be high and smash a shuttle into the Senate, this seemed par for the course. “Ooo I get to go all Killy. Get to go all smashy beaty on the big guards! Yessss!” Zinn Zinn would say with a big hyperactive tone. He waited as Tommy would gather the key holding guard’s attention. All it took was a chain to undo the quiet while the guard would try to investigate. The guard stood right behind the door with the chain so close to him. Zinn Zinn was waiting with anticipation for the go ahead. Before he heard the words “Finish him.” Zinn Zinn with a toothy grin would grab the chain forcing it against the guards throat. “Yousa about feel big ouch time!” He would whisper to the guard while the guard tried to struggle. The man suffocating, as Zinn Zinn would pull hard on the chain until the gasps for breath, and gurgling came to a stop. Thus leaving the keys to be grabbed by Tommy. “Steps ones… Secure the keys!” Zinn Zinn would say in excitement, as the mad Gungan would beat on his chest in that same excitement. Finally! They were getting out.

 

[Keilara Kala'myr]

Objective: Find her way to Tommy
Location: Secret Prison Facility, Coruscant
Equipment: FS-18-UP2 Assault Rifle | 2x Sunfury Pistol | Light Armour | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | 2x Vibrodagger | 2x Riftblades | Promise of Freedom | Ring of Wishes and Dreams || Cloaking Device | 5x ASBF Probe Droid || OPBC-01m
Tags: Thomas Barran | Zinn Zinn Bink'sa | Sahar | Nekana Quane | Open

[ Come back… ]
"Galactic Basic" | ~ Telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >>
Keilara Kala'myr | Mercy | Ziare Dyarron | Freedom​

There are wounds and damage that even the Valkyrja cannot repair. When I got home to my new home in the Netherworld, at the end of Second Great Hyperspace War, after killing Tu'teggacha , I was finally able to be with my husband, Asher, known to the world only as The Mongrel . A monster; he was not that, the Maw made him so, those chains I was too late to break and set him free. On Tython, because of what happened there, we had a life together, seventy years; seventy years we spent together, while in reality barely a minute passed. Everything was real, those years, those long years were there in my head, in my mind. I remembered every moment as if it were real. For us it was, it was real.

Mongrel died that day to the galaxy, and to me, Asher was lost, but his old self, who once existed before the Maw, survived that day in my mind. Kallan. I finally made it to the Netherworld with the help of him, Keilara and Freedom. On the way, my former mentor killed my other helper The Manifold , but at least he was free. That day, there in the Netherworld, I was alone in my mind for the first time. It was scary and unusual in some ways. But we got the life we dreamed of and lived in that other life, there on Tython.

But as I said, there are wounds that don't heal. Just as in that other life, here I could not be as calm and at peace as Asher, Kallan or Keilara, or even the children Little Asher and Abigail. They are adolescents, the dead or souls do not age, so the others are the same age they were, and I have not aged physically. HPI technology helped in part, and of course Nether. I looked after our family, fought demons, gathered and passed on information. I also began to rise within Nite and was now a member of the Inner Circle. This was mainly paperwork and I was the one who was responsible for the Netherworld information within the organisation.

I knew it was War. Death and Rebirth and the members of the religion here still hadn't given up on finding Asher's soul and punishing him for breaking free from the Maw's and the Dark Three's influence. I went back to Realspace from time to time to take care of my business on Serenno and talked to Thomas Barran from time to time, after all Asher was his mentor and we became like brothers over the years.

However, he was not the one I returned for, I received information that Darth Solipsis had returned, escaped the Netherworld and was organising again in Real Space. When Asher died on the Tython, I vowed to kill everyone responsible for Kallan being captured, tortured and Asher being manipulated and kept in chains from which he was released too late. I didn't feel hatred for many years, but then I felt the same hatred and anger again as when Asher died. Again, I had a reason to go back to Realspace. It was Valkyrja and Children of Ashla who said that Solipsis had escaped from where his soul was.

No one was happy that I wanted to go back, back to the Scar Hounds, but I was bound by my oath. I wasn't afraid, I had never been afraid to die, and now I knew that at the end of the day I would return, alive or as a soul, to the man I loved, my husband. And to the children... I couldn't really bond with them in this life either, Keilara was more their mother than me. Not to mention that I've acquired a device here in the Netherworld that allows me to easily cross over to here, the city of Valkyrja, and back to Realspace. In no time, it was like I was working.

I got out my old gear and the new ones I had and left after saying goodbye to Asher and the kids, promising to hurry back. Luckily, I can spend days here with my husband while minutes pass over there, or days there, and minutes pass at home. I love that time is fluid here. So I went to where Tommy Barran was. As I stepped through one of the rifts that the device opened, I found myself on Coruscant. This was the last place I saw Asher in this world in a physical body. This is where they crushed his lower body and gave him his first droid body after they took out his brain and didn't let him die.

My fist clenched angrily, those who did this will pay. I once helped bring down and destroy the Maw, now it is time to help bring down this Dark Empire. I reached out with my telepathic powers and scanned the area, while Maniac got his instructions to find Barran. I had him in moments; I smiled for a moment. It's been a long, long time since I've seen him, maybe I should try to kill him now just out of habit. Just like the good old days. No, but it was time to join him near the prison, or in the prison. I switched on my cloaking device and set off.

It was time for the Tribe and Tommy to learn that…

… the Matriarch of the Scar Hounds Tribe is returned…​

 

[Maestus]

Coruscant
Orbit

It had been a long time since she found herself approaching the capital once more. How many years had it been? When -was- she here last? Since Exegol, time had become very fluid for Maestus. No longer did she punch any clock, saver her own. And she'd had no reason to return here.

Until now, apparently.

A prison break. From a super-max, naturally. Could have been a younglings preschool, for all the difference it mattered to the Lethan Twi'lek. She had been only a child, maybe 8 summers, when the realization that people were simply tools to be wielded situationally. Be that animal, child, adult...From that day, her view of the galaxy was forever altered.

Thus it came to be that she returned to Coruscant this day. A prison break. Made interesting by there being more than 1 target for extraction. For Maestus, she came to ensure the survivability of only 1 escapee. Thomas Barran

Thomas had been a loyal Scar Hound. Imprisoned for any number of crimes. Some he committed. Others, the Galactic Alliance had fabricated to ensure the Mawite was never free again.

That was about to change...

As the teams prepped for infiltration, extraction and all points in between, an unmarked ship settled into orbit in the blackness of space above. The ship bore no insignia of affiliation. Truth be told, it looked like staying afloat may be its most pressing concern. Looks can be deceiving though. She'd taken a few precautions. Transponders from ships that landed in the Alkonost space port were available for use. And the codes, "It's an older code, but it checks out".

She was confident that she would be unquestioned. If all went according to plan. Which it never does. That in mind, all crew were at station with pregiven orders. In the hangars, all fighters were ready. Pilots suited up and in cockpits to allow for minimal response delays.

All that remained was to wait.

She took a non-aggressive position in orbit. The internal coms for the infiltration teams, when used, would be heard from the command area on the bridge. Maestus stood at the tables filled with monitors, screens and projectors of all types. Black eyes rimmed with the lava of Mustafar flicked from one monitor the next.

She was patient. As her eyes watched reports and monitors, the Twi'lek's mind was preparing for their departure. He bridge officers had pre-selected this location in orbit for purpose. It was far enough away from the extraction site that a lone ship wouldn't stand out as suspicious. Excellent visibility as well as being less congested with ship traffic.


She'd even wrapped the Dark Side tight around her. Truth be told, she loathed hiding her presence in the Force. She was it. It was she. They were one. Cloaking herself felt as if she only had half her self present. She felt...Less than. As such, her mood since exiting hyperspace was decidedly most -foul-. More than 1 bridge crew member was sprawled out, very very dead. Their crimes? Daring to have an opinion and give it voice. Maestus usually encouraged her bridge crew to communication with her. Most knew when and where to vocalize any questions. Thanks to the examples laying around, necks contorted to odd angles, faces swollen and various shades of blues and purples...The rest of the crew was reminded of their limitations, and set themselves more diligently than ever to their duties.

So...She watched
​

 

[Rann Thress]

Rann Thress, Prison Guard Extraordinaire!
Obj 1
Location: SuperMax Prison Control.
Tags: OPEN

Rann was under no delusions that rejoining military life was going to be glamorous. Nor did he think he was going to be set to dig ditches or prepare fortifications on some frontier world. GA life had so far been fairly cushy. Once he was sworn in as a member of the Defense Force, he had received his first assignment.

Was it something groundbreaking? Something so mission critical only Rann could accomplish it?

No, of course not.

He was a prison guard. That was his first assignment. It was fine. Nothing spectacular. Being a Force User (not quite a Jedi, but not not, either.) he was spared much of the work of the common guard. Feedings, breaking up fights, prisoner escort….none of those were his assignment.

Rann was placed here as more of a…deterrent than anything. Although Rann didn’t think the inhabitants of the GA’s endless hospitality particularly cared. If any of them knew who he was, which he doubted, they didn’t care much. They hurled the same insults at him when he made the occasional round that they did at the rank and file. Rann usually didn’t pay them much mind. But he did enjoy his spot up here in one of the many control rooms overlooking the wings.

Leaned up against the railing, he watched down below in one of the mess halls as two inmates fought over an extra pudding, and he couldn’t help but smile.

“What’s going on today?” A guard walked up, Horgan. A big guy with a big smile that Rann had quickly made friends with.

“I think Drek and Boros are getting into it again.” Rann replied, not taking his eyes off the spectacle.

“Again? Change the channel.” Horgan replied with a laugh before walking to the door and scanning his hand. The door slid open and he walked inside, Rann followed.

Horgan took his seat, relieving the guard who was there, and began scanning the cameras. “Let’s see what else is going on,” he said quietly as he looked.

“I wouldn’t count on much. Nothing ever happens here.”

“Oh really? You’ve been here how long?”

“Like… three days? This is number four.” Rann replied, and Horgan let out a deep belly laugh that Rann suspected was sarcasm. “Oh look at old timer here. Not even a week in. Get over yourself. Stuff happens.”

“Like. What.”

“Well sometimes Drekk and Boros put aside their differences and steal someone else’s pudding cup.”

“Breathtaking.”

“The fun never stops.”

“The fun never started.”

“Shut up.” Horgan spat back, before keying his comm, “This is Control. Check in.”

Several voices keyed in, announcing their check in, but one or two missed the notice and Horgan sighed, trying again, then looked at Rann.

“Alright fancy pants, nothing happens? Go for a walk. Stretch your legs, see the sights, and find our wayward souls.” Horgan said with a chuckle, and Rann huffed in feigned annoyance, turning to leave the room.

“The things I do for you.”

“I know buddy, you’re a regular Noble.”

Rann descended the tower and keyed his comm, trying again to reach his quiet coworkers, and sighed.

“What a waste of time.”

 

[Nekana Quane]

IN THE CLINK

SuperMax Prison Facility
Galactic City, Coruscant
→ Cell adjacent to Sahar
→ Other Prisoners: Thomas Barran • Zinn Zinn Bink'sa
→ Opposition: Rann Thress
→ Enroute: Corlys Skirata • Maestus • Keilara Kala'myr

This wasn’t the first prison she had been in, but it was the first one that had actual walls. Getting thrown in the slammer had been bound to happen eventually; no criminal was going to skirt the arm of the law in perpetuity. Particularly not, given the hazard that she was. All that said, this shouldn’t have happened, but it had all been a matter of someone else’s luck and timing.

No matter what the SIA agents tried to get her to give up her associates in the Black Sun - long dispersed by a series of Alliance raids - she wasn’t entirely forthcoming; they were after bigger fish, but he was better at going to ground. Cutting his losses, herself included, and she understood it, but that hadn’t made her any less pissed. She was always the one to leave first, never to be left… yet there were worse things than rotting in here. Things worse than death, like being made into a soupy snack; she wasn’t saying a single fucking thing that would give the Anzati cause to turn on her like that. The paranoia of living on borrowed time wasn’t a position she was keen to put herself in.

So she took her anger out on the agents instead, and that usually got her put in the hole, nursing fresh bruises, with the length of her stay always determined by some calculation, taking into account the damage she caused, and how long it had been since the last time.

Much like the former Imperial Knight in the cell next to hers, Nekana followed similar practises to while away her time here and not wither away. The persistent undercurrent of rage provided a fantastic drive and purpose to keeping herself sharp. She entertained herself in her imagination… fantasising about all the frightful, nightmarish things she would do to those who got in her way, when the day came to grasp her freedom.

Whenever that would be.

 

[Thomas Barran]

2nd Post

-A PRELUDE TO TERROR-

THE_BLOODHOUND
GREAT KHAN OF THE SCAR HOUNDS
WARLORD OF RHIGAR & MAR'ZAMBUL
DIVINE CHAMPION OF MOTHER REBIRTH

Tags: Zinn Zinn Bink'sa Sahar Nekana Quane Keilara Kala'myr

AT THE PRECIPICE I: REDACTED PRISON BLUES - PART 2

GEN POP-4, [REDACTED] PRISON,
GALACTIC CITY, CORUSCANT (901 ABY)

'Yousa about to feel big ouch time!'
CRUNCH
'Steps ones… Secure the keys!'

So the training paid off.... Not bad, Zinn Zinn.
Not bad at all.​

Barran was greatly impressed with Bink'sa, surprised as to what strength the Gungan was hiding under the muscle, as there was no way to know for sure as to whether that lifting strength had transferred to other attributes or not; but in his year-long cellmate's hands was a strength worthy of marvelling, something combat-ready in the eyes of the incarcerated Great-Khan, though there was still no means of discerning the extremes of effectiveness in the fight just yet. Zinn Zinn certainly appeared to be the genuine article in these moments, viciously beating on his chest with an excitement that begged for more, and yet despite the fact Barran hadn't seen Zinn Zinn in action before, there was still the lingering sense that Gen Pop-4 had unlocked something within his friend along the way.

'Nicely done, Brother Zinn Zinn. I'll be needin' your energy on comms t'keep my mind right, nosebleeds be damned.... Lets go, we know where t'go fae here.'

But as soon as the unlikely duo stepped out, tentatively sneaking out into the long snake-way that was their floor's hall above Gen Pop-4's other hallways, the Bloodhound knew already that he would be getting a great example of that effectiveness before long, potential realised in the heat of a daring escape-attempt. It maybe wasn't all-out combat on a conventional warfront, but in jails like these, the resulting consequences certainly neared in terms of life-expectancy - for inmate and guard alike.

Another ideal testing environment for the true extent of a warrior's savagery.

There would be some guards dotted along their way at their posts, but not enough to make a difference against the surviving Mawites on their bloody path to the control tower, built on the southern side between the Gen Pop and Supermax buildings, and known notoriously to be the most-difficult of the three to infiltrate. However, the two convicts had been silent in their approach, alerting none from point A to point B, making their all-or-nothing approach all the easier at the pinnacle moments, though Barran understood Bink'sa would need his Human friend in the process of fighting their way to the top. This they knew would occur, one way or the other, but in these moments Thomas still thought it best to grant the final say of how this would occur to his cellmate, the one person who aided him every step of the way.

'Your choice, mate.... We can take the entrance to the guard tower quietly, dressed as guards an' such.... Or we go in loud, thrashing the guards in oor jumpsuits. I'm good with whatever you decide. Perfidy or teams, either way - works for me!'

 

[Spindle]

Objective 1 | The "Prisoner"
Location: Coruscant, inbound shuttle
Tags: Corlys Skirata | Open

"Yes, the sooner these are off the better."

Spindle was a stark contrast among armored 'mercs'. The gaunt specter practically blended in with the greys that made up the carefully crafted prisoner's outfit that clung to her bony shoulders. She'd looked at the fabric with distaste initially, such a drab color that it was. Nevertheless, it had just as big a part to play as the manacles that hung (currently loosely) around her wrists.

She'd put a good deal of thought into crafting the ensemble. Initial construction, distressing and aging the fabric, sewing delightful little secrets into the unsuspecting seams. So many extra steps taken to blend in yet not be undefended. It was a labor of love, even if the aesthetics suggested otherwise.

"Yes, let me practice my prisoner-speak really quick." She cleared her throat with a dissonant cough. "You alliance scum will never get away with this. When I get out of this, I'll use your bone marrow for tea - is that accurate enough?" She had more questions, of course, currently looming over another to get a glimpse of the prison schematics herself. It simply wouldn't do to have a device of her own, not at the start of this charade at least, so memory and improvisation would have to do.

 

[Sahar]

Sahar|CLASSIFIED CELL|Lost​

Ignacious Korvan
The Kandaran sighed and pulled herself off her bed, slowly moving to her cell door; coal-black eyes shaded with indifference peered sharply out of the tiny hole, noting that the two guards were still on patrol nearby. Her mind took her back to that tiny, well-honed shiv she kept under her bed; her last one had been confiscated, but they never found this particular one, which had been fashioned out of a sharpened, broken bit of a fork and some fabric for a handle.

If I'm lucky enough, I could get them both on the next recreational trip to the yard.

No. That was foolish, she might stab one and wound him at best before the other would either beat her down with a stun baton or call for security. That had been the outcome before, and the last stay earned her a beating and trip to lockdown, leaving two guards hospitalised with minor injuries and one forcibly retired because Sahar had jammed her shiv into his eyes, rendering him partially blind.

Well deserved.

If only she had a light saber and armour in her possession, which happened to be cruelly locked up in the adjacent building where the warden's office was. She had no idea why they kept it around; it was likely a souvenir the prison warden kept as a symbol of taming even the most astute of warriors that the dead Emperor Fel had fielded. Without the signature black armor that she had made her symbol and image around, she felt vulnerable and weak, just like back home before Fel plucked her out of ignorance and misery.

 

[Darth Saevius]

Objective: I - Infiltration
Location: Coruscant - in-bound shuttle
Tags: Corlys Skirata | Spindle | [OPEN]

“At least you aren’t having to masquerade as an enforcer droid...” A bemused, yet metallic voice uttered behind the other side of the shuttle. It had been a long time since Saevius had seen fit to engage himself to anything other than his own ends. When the Dark Voice called, something within him stirred to action. He may have been more machine than man at this point, but the part of him that was left felt the call as strongly as any pull through the force. Solipsis was a force of nature; only the strongest could think to resist his will.

Even when it came to disguising his master-craft body; a marvel of Sith Alchemy, as a retrofitted KX-Enforcer droid. While not the standard droid of the Galactic Alliance per-se, the droid was of a similar profile as the Sith Lord’s mechanical body. All that had to really be done was place a gunmetal film over his body, which would in turn hide the runes etched across the surface; and detach some ancillary apparatus that meant little in terms of overall function. He looked every part the salvaged droid serving as part of a mercenary group hired to transport a dangerous Sith prisoner - and he had the perfect cover to hide both his and Spindle’s lightsaber within his chassis. Nothing would be wounded save his pride, and even though... only until the killing began.

He shifted slightly and took a few steps closer over to the shuttle’s viewport. The city’s skyline zipped past as they grew closer to the supermax prison. Saevius, as hard as it may have been to believe, had never set foot on Coruscant before. He closed his mechanical eyes and basked in the dim sunlight as it began to set over this section. He could feel the thrum of the force touching the billions of lives who called this world home. The runes underneath the gun metal film pulsed slightly as he drew on the force, but faded just as quickly as they appeared. His body was crafted to preserve his ties to the force by some of the greatest artificers within the New Sith Order - the runes of the ancient Sith tongue fusing with the remaining vestiges of the force present in what little organic tissue rested within his metal body.

It was the only sensation left to him now - save for the carnal emotions that came to the fore on occasion. He couldn’t even feel the warmth of the sun on his skin.

 

[Joseph Torson]

S H A D O W_O V E R_S E S W E N N A

FINAL DAWN - DARK EMPIRE
CORSUCANT, CORE WORLDS

"That would be good enough" Torson said in response to Spindle. "Alliance personal tend to get sloppy when they think they are in control." the Final Dawn Operative continued. Like Skirata and the other operatives, he wore simple plastoid armor commonly worn by Galactic Alliance Security personnel whom they were impersonating for this mission. From what he knew, they we're here to liberate a former Imperial Knight who had connections with the so-called Imperial Despot Ignacious Korvan along with knowledge about the growing Dark Empire in the Tingel Arm.

As the shuttle made it's way towards it's destination, Torson took a while to examine the prison's schematics on his device, studying it and taking note of every detail. Considering the prisoner they we're freeing was a force-sensitive and their location on Coruscant, he expected to meet opposition from the Jedi as they would progress with the mission which could complicate things for them if they didn't do things properly although then again they most likely would have sources on the inside and would have a former Imperial Knight which would balance the odds.

Thus as he waited for them to arrive at the prison, Joseph Torson took sometime to check his weapon of choice, a Plasma Disruptor Rifle, which he often brought during most of his missions. If used properly it could prove to be a highly effective weapon against any sort of enemy including the Jedi, and the Final Dawn Operative was eager to unleash it upon his enemies once more.

Tags [Friendlies] | Darth Ira | Sahar | Corlys Skirata | Spindle | Darth Saevius
Tags [Hostile] | N/A ​

 

[Alexander Garrick]

DT-2186

​

The strike team exchanged nods and silent affirmations, their anticipation palpable even beneath their armored exterior. Their scrambled communications, the sounds of deep garbling, was a trademark icon of dread wherever they dare tread. DT-2186, aka Alexander Garrick, was a newcomer to the squad, a veteran of the Second Great Hyperspace War and a former Purge Trooper of the Final Dawn. These skills had made him easily a shoe-in for the mission at hand, and the team that was built in order to complete it. But when it came to meeting his newfound associates, it was clear that he was an outsider. A believer in the dogma that had polluted his mind for so long.

As the transport descended over the sprawling city beneath them, with towering skyscrapers casting long shadows across the urban landscape, they approached their infiltration point. Alexander checked his weapon, readying up for the extraction mission. As they neared, he felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins, his senses heightened in anticipation of the mission ahead. The transport would soon touch down, blending seamlessly into the flow of Alliance traffic, and with practiced efficiency, the strike team would then disembark. Their movements swift and precise as they navigated the entry point led by Corlys, who naturally took point.

Interesting enough, there were others, New Sith and Mawites infiltrating the facility for their own ends. He wondered only briefly, what could be worth all the risk?

As they reached the outer walls his gaze swept over the imposing structure before them. He consulted the schematic displayed on his wrist-mounted device, plotting their approach with meticulous care. With a series of hand signals, he relayed his instructions to the team, orchestrating their movements with silent precision.

​

​

 

[Corlys Skirata]

Objective: I - Infiltration
Location: Coruscant - in-bound shuttle
Tags: Spindle | Darth Saevius | Joseph Torson | Alexander Garrick | [Open]

DT-1111

The shuttle would descend to the landing platform of the supermax facility, with the loading ramp lower with a slow ‘HISSS’. Corlys donned his helmet and led the way down the ramp. The landing pad was sparsely manned, as it seemed the staff were not expecting much by way of arrivals. One of the prison officers strode forward with an urgent, but unrushed gait. Two armored guards flanked him on either side, their blasters pointed toward the floor.

Corlys waved at the three as they approached: “Prisoner delivery - here’s our documentation.” He handed the officer a datapad, of which the man skeptically accepted it. Although the plasteel visor hid his expression, Corlys was unworried as the officer examined the transfer orders. They were legitimate, which would likely puzzle the officer eventually. Corlys didn’t know the whole story, but apparently the Boss had an asset in SIA who was able to provide them with the necessary fabricated documentation. The officer glanced at the prisoner, back at Corlys, then back at the datapad.

Finally, the officer spoke up: “We... weren’t expecting your arrival. I’m going to have to clear this up.”

‘Frak...’ Corlys intoned, before replying without delay. “Be my guest, but this prisoner is pretty high profile. I’d feel better if we got her back into a cell while we wait it out...” The Commander gave a surreptitious gesture to the Sith pair, hoping they got the message that they needed to make a slight hubbub to sell that they needed to get inside the facility, and now.

 

[Keilara Kala'myr]

Objective: Find her way to Tommy
Location: Secret Prison Facility, Coruscant
Equipment: FS-18-UP2 Assault Rifle | 2x Sunfury Pistol | Light Armour | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | 2x Vibrodagger | 2x Riftblades | Promise of Freedom | Ring of Wishes and Dreams || Cloaking Device | 5x ASBF Probe Droid || OPBC-01m
Tags: Thomas Barran | Zinn Zinn Bink'sa | Sahar | Nekana Quane | Open

[ Come back… ]
"Galactic Basic" | ~ Telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >>
Keilara Kala'myr | Mercy | Ziare Dyarron | Freedom​

I got closer and closer to the prison where Tommy was. I knew that prisons weren't the easiest to get into, even when you're in disguise, so I had one more thing to do. Turn off the current to get the doors to open. Well, this also means that all the prisoners will probably get out, because I didn't know how long the backup generators would take. But I was hoping that my favourite AI could manage until then.

~ MANIAC, where is the external energy centre? While I'm dealing with that, you try to hack the system and shut it down, or cut the system's path to the backup and emergency generators. Don't turn them on if the main generator is no longer providing power inside. ~ I ordered the AI in thought.

Within moments, the confirmation reply arrived; I can't tell you how much I've missed it. Being in the field, in action. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy being with Asher and living a peaceful life, but it wasn't enough for me. Not for him. I knew he would be sad about it, but as I said, there were wounds that never heal. For me, that was it. Even though we were both born of torture and cruelty, I was able to heal him, or at least start him on the path that his Valkyrja later completed. I could not let go of that to protect him. I know he would have protected me, the kids, Kallan or Keilara if it had been necessary, but he was content to be a mechanic and build things.

Maybe if Solipsis hadn't come back, I wouldn't have done it either. But an oath is an oath. For me it is forever. And the fact that I want to destroy what Solipsis has built from the inside again was for me part of protecting my family, my husband. Maybe... maybe Asher was right when he said I was stronger than him. Maybe in some ways he was, and in some ways he was. That's why we were such a good pair, not to mention the dyad between us that came about without Force, as it did later between Kallan and Keilara. That is why he knew how I felt and I knew how he felt. We had no secrets from each other.

That's why I didn't have to spend days or weeks explaining why I came. One way or another, I'm going home to him... meanwhile I could hear Keilara's disapproval in my mind. Although she and Kallan already had separate bodies, but since they both once lived in my mind, and the link between me and Asher... we were able to speak telepathically to each other anytime, anywhere. I put up my walls to block out the voices of my former other self. I couldn't do that with children, they were different. Tu'teggacha was not wrong to think they were special. Good thing he was still dead, or he might not have given up trying to get them. The children of two of Maw's former best non-Force User fighters... his damn genetic program really would have made do with them.

Meanwhile, while I was lost in my own thoughts, I arrived at the generator. MANIAC immediately projected the blueprints onto my retina, so I just followed where I needed to go. There was a removable panel on one of the back walls, and behind it was the terminal to adjust this. This was close to the prison, so without a cloaking device I wouldn't have been able to get here. I smiled under my helmet when I saw the cables that supplied the power. It would have been easy to just cut them, but that wouldn't have done enough damage. I put a charge of explosives between the wires, then closed the panel cover back up.

I moved away from the place, so that the explosion would certainly not reach me, and I dropped to one knee in my shelter. I was still unseen by the Galactic Alliance men, or mercenaries, I don't know which, who were guarding the prison, but I didn't care. In the meantime, MANIAC indicated that the only lights that would come on inside the building, inside the prison, would be emergency lights at most, nothing else, as he had taken care of the other generators. I felt again an excitement I hadn't felt in a long time. The adrenaline, it was good to be out in the field, but somewhere I wished Asher was here like he used to be, so I could signal to him, so we could fight together. A nostalgic smile appeared on my lips as it flashed in my mind's eye of when we fought together back in the day and how formidable a pair we were.

But back to the present... I ordered MANIAC to detonate the explosives in the generator. After a few moments, the sound of the explosion could be heard and even the ground shook under my feet, as did the building. Even here the lights outside had gone out…

… and inside the prison, all the computers, lights and other electronics were turned off. The power cells were deactivated and the prison cell doors opened. Prisoners were free to leave their current "home".

Chaos, just the way I liked it... only this time I didn't have to tell Asher that he and the Scar Hounds were heading in, because the coast was clear. Now I was alone. Behind the eternal rushing inwards, still invisible, I started inwards. The chaos helped me.

 

[Reave]

ISOLATION CELL
Ignacious Korvan Sahar et al.​

---

Reave grunted with exertion each time the devaronian prisoner lifted his entire weight. Arm muscles bulged and sweat dripped from ebon horns. In a facility that held dark wizards it took a special kind of brutality to survive. He could feel himself growing weaker locked away in this squalid hole. Once a terror of Wild Space now reduced to a chain code.

During the Hyperspace War he'd been known by other names. Tantalus. Black Kyber. Fighting for coin and power. While others bent the knee to dark masters, he bound their prophets to serve his pirate court. Was his ultimate fate a failure or betrayal? It did not matter now. A tapestry of ink marred crimson flesh encoded with underworld symbolism.

Tremors powerful enough to shake duracrete plunged everything into darkness. Emergency lighting bathed Reave in an infernal glow. He bared his fangs into a predator's grin.

"Hell, it's about time."

 

[Rann Thress]

Rann Thress, Professional Guard Locator and Wrangler!
Obj 1
Location: SuperMax Prison Wings.
Tags: OPEN anyone in the prison that wanna RAZZLE DAZZLE

Rann continued to try and raise the missing guards, as did Horgan. Yet none of them responded.

He wasn’t worried…not yet. It was unusual, sure. But it happened before. Broken comm, lost comm, forgotten comm, whatever. It happens. But he was beginning to feel…uneasy.

He picked up his pace, walking passed jeering prisoners and other guards as he continued his search, the feeling of uneasiness beginning to grow until.

DWOOOOooooooommmmm….

The power cut out, bright lights replaced with dim red emergency lights as warning klaxons began to blare and Rann instinctively drew his lightsaber, igniting the purple blade and preparing himself. His face hardening from mild annoyance and concern to one of determination and battle.

“Code Black code black code black!” Horgan’s voice boomed over the radio, repeating the phrase three times to emphasize the emergency.
“All personnel this is not a drill, rally at assembly areas! Do NOT go anywhere else! Do NOT go alone! I repeat THIS IS—“ the communication cut off as the prison cells opened next to Rann to the uproar of cheers from the prisoners inside. Immediately, the ones closest to Rann charged him, and in the narrow catwalk, he was unable to avoid their Rush as they tackled him to the edge of the catwalk and pushed him over the railing with a yell. Falling through the air, Rann immediately tumbled over and summoned the Force to his feet, cushioning his landing as he landed with as much grace as he could manage on the bottom floor of the prison wing… Helltown he had heard other guards refer to it. It’s where the worse of the worse called home in the prison.

He prepared himself, readying his blade as prisoners around him approached, eager to fight.

“I’m not even going to ask.” He said, thinking to ask them to return to their cells before deciding against it.

“Come on then, Freedom is only a lightsaber away.”