An Interesting Offer

[Darth Morrow]

Now, many didn't necessarily contact Jane Lilley for her talents in killing or protection, in reality many never contacted her at all, it was usually her who contacted them. However one man had managed to seek out the near silent woman with an interesting proposal.

"Come meet me. I have a sort of mission that may interest you."

What made this interesting was not the message itself, however that it was intended for her, the silent runt of the Sith academy. However what she lacked in combat prowess and bravado she possessed in talents for stealth and agility.

So after little thought she accepted the request, and made her way to wait for the mysterious man all the way on Nar Shaddaa, such a wonderful place. Standing in the side alley marked on an included physical map, the woman waited, black cloak covering clean clothing and nicely styled hair, oh, and quite a few sharp knives.

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Jane Lilley"]

There was more here than it seemed.

For instance one [member="Darth Ophidia"] was interested in the potential of the girl. Tash didn't know that, but he did receive a request from Filiae to take her out in a spin and see what happens. They'd even reimburse hi for his troubles.

Well.

That seemed reasonable enough.

It didn't take long for a man to step into the alleyway. Behind him more, behind her even more. "Jane?" Once she nodded Tash nodded too. He unlocked the heavy lock on the abandoned warehouses sidedoor and allowed her in first.

Then he and his men followed.

"Weren't followed?"

 

[Darth Morrow]

With so many people suddenly appearing out of nowhere, the girl tensed slightly, a hand to her waist before he even got to speak, unstrapping one of her knives to hold in hand.

Paying close attention to the people before and behind her, she listened to their movements, for clanking of steel, for the brushing of armors and perhaps any other clues she may hear of what was on their persons.

Once the door was opened the girl stepped in and spun around a little bit in before any would have a chance to stab her in the back, this after all did seem like she were being jumped with much overkill.

At the question if she was followed, she would give a simple shake of her head.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Jane Lilley"]

Her reaction amused him.

"I'm Tash." The man she was supposed to meet here. Maybe that would calm her down an inch, usually he would have enjoyed playing with her, but... he was on a schedule here. "What did you bring for weapons?" It was obvious she had knives on her person.

But anything else?

By this point the Didact troopers had secured the perimeter and were waiting for his further commands at the fringes of their talk.

"What can you do force wise?"

 

[Darth Morrow]

Watching the other member of his posse go off to secure the building was what really made her more comfortable, she was no longer surrounded by quite possibly many heavily armed forces. As they stepped off she flipped the knife in her hand to place it back in her belt.

It became clear as they "conversed" that the girl was one for little words.

"Five knives, a saber and a blaster" Jane shifted her cloak to show the arsenal of weaponry strapped to her, what many may say was excessive, however one couldn't be to careful.

"As far as the force, as far as I'm aware, Cloaking, Jumping, Pyrokiesis as well as Telekinesis. Though I cannot say I hold a very large talent in any of them aside from cloaking as they are only recently discovered."

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Jane Lilley"]

"Cloaking? Hmm." That did provide some opportunity to what they were doing here. In truth Tash hadn't had much hope with this one. He figured he'd let her trail about, make sure she didn't get herself killed and then deposit her back to the academy soon enough.

If she was actually could handle herself?

That would make this relatively less painful. "Does it work against droids?" Was it mentalism or was it lightbending.

That would change some of his approach here.

 

[Darth Morrow]

"From what I have experienced, a droid has never caught me." She would say with quiet assurance.

Just looking at the woman she appeared very fragile, like a doll, though only if it had turned to the ideal of killing others.

"I assure you whatever you are looking for I could easily slip in and out with it in hand."

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Jane Lilley"]

Tash didn't really let appearances cloud his judgement for the most part.

Unless you are an alien, of course, but that was a different kind of discussion altogether. In this it meant that he didn't truly think her incompetent just by the way she looked. Just that snatching a new acolyte from the Academy and hoping for the best was usually a sign of suicide. He tilted his head and as one the Didact troopers began leaving the warehouse. Each one of them had their own little task, a plan, a strategy thought out far in advance.

He had been planning this for a while after all.

There was a company on Nar Shaddaa, Deelan Electronics, that was on the verge of a major breakthrough in the field of artificial intelligence and automation. They kept a tight-lid on this, of course. But some of their communication had gone through Etti IV.

Looking for potential investors.

"Follow me, please." Tash finally said, not directly replying to her assurances. They walked out of the warehouse, into alleyways and out, until they reached the outskirts of an industrial park. They were in the shadows and out of sensor range for now. The gate didn't seem to be manned, but that was an illusion. "That gate? It's staffed by high-grade military droids, they... have their own cloaking abilities. If you stick to the middle of the gate, you shouldn't have a trouble avoiding touching them."

He pointed to the little outpost a few meters behind the gate.

"That has controls to deactivate the droids and let us through. It should only have a single security officer instead. Be silent in your approach. We do not want to cause undue alarm."

 

[Darth Morrow]

Listening to the instructions quietly, she observed the gate, the outpost, and everything else about the area. Being told there were guards wasnt the issue, the real problem in her mind was how she was to deal with using her powers in a life or death situation for the first time.

With a nod, she began her approach, the light blending around her the closer she got until only the faintest shimmer of light could be seen every once in awhile. A headache now forming with the amount of focus required, this couldnt have been easy, could it.

Watching carefully the edges of the gate, she stepped close to the direct middle, as she was about to place her hand on the gate she realized the possibility of a sound rigged trap. And against better judgement stepped back, and changed her approach.

Moving a bit down the alley the girl dropped her cloaking and launched herself up onto the roof in a series of small climbs and jumps of far too much effort that made her legs feel broken, she was on the top of the roof, sweating heavily and already tired from the effort expressed.

Looking for where guards may stand, she looked for a way down noticing some unwatched pipes, or at least supposedly unwatched. A few bushes, thought that would make noise to jump. A small building to the side though that would leave her in the open.

The pipes tucked back in the corner were the best option. Before moving forward she resumed her cloaking, starting to walk across the roof and climb down with ease, and silently creeping across the coartyard to the outpost.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Jane Lilley"]

Tash retreated back into the shadows, closing his eyes and letting luck flow through him.

This was all on Jane and he wasn't going to do a thing to help her.

This did not mean that he wouldn't watch though. He stretched out his awareness, quickly finding the bleeding presence farther into the territory. She was already tired, exhausted, weary and in pain. But that was to be expected from an acolyte. Tash wondered how long she'd be able to keep this up. If he'd be forced to render some measure of assistance.

Then she took off again.

In front of her the little building loomed. A single light burning through the small window, a door shut and locked if she tried it, she'd need to somehow get it open. From there... Tash reached out and found two souls sitting inside.

Both of them turned away, but noise could attract their attention.

This could be beneficial or it could spell further trouble.

 

[Darth Morrow]

Watching the two for a moment, the girl pulled a small tool from her pocket and fidgeted with the lock in almost entire silence, what noise was made was covered by a cough from on of the guards on the inside.

After a moment she pulled the tools away, took a deep breath, pulled two knives from her side and stepped into the building.

A minute or two passed before one, then two souls faded from pressence on the interior. And then the gate began to open.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Jane Lilley"]

Once the outer security was down the Didact enforcers seemed to fade into existence out of nowhere.

Shadowy shapes streaming in from alleyways, every movement they made organized and calculated, like they were puppets dancing on a string with only one man behind them. Tash stepped out of the alcove, following them at his own leisure. While they began the moves of securing the outer facility, preparing for breach, disabling cameras and other sensors before they came into view, Tash waited patiently for Jane to exit the little building she had entered a while ago.

Behind her he could see the guards... or what remained of them anyway.

"That was good, you impressed me." Tash complimented her with a slight nod, before looking over to the doors currently being lockpicked. "I want you first through the door, Jane." That... was usually a death sentence, but this was a silent operation.

Instead of a sentence it was a further opportunity to show if she was capable.

"Can you handle that?"

 

[Darth Morrow]

Stepping out and leaving the guards behind, the girls breath was heavy, her stomach taking in sharp inclines as she took in air. Clearly in pain, she nodded.

"I can."

As she stepped forward she looked as though she may collapse, though continued on, there was gonna be hell to pay for doing this to herself later, though it was clear she was ready to work herself to death if need be.

As the door was picked and opened slightly, Jane slipped inside, cloaking herself once more a hitch was heard in her breathing before she silenced herself and continued in.

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Jane Lilley"]

Tash saw the pain, the exhaustion, the level to which she was stressing herself.

He ignored it.

Because it didn't really matter to him. "Very good." was all that Itash said in response, while watching her step through the door. This was followed by Didact enforcers. They engaged their personal cloaking devices and followed in Jane's wake with calm and patience. Itash waited for a bit, before stepping on through the door himself. Already corpses were lining the walls. Carefully situated against them as Jane and his men slowly crept through the corridors and took down the resistance.

It was a carefully calculated slaughter.

"Mhm." He murmured while trundling along and following the path of resistance. Jane in the meantime would turn a corner... and be faced with three security guards, shock-staffs already at ready, walking on their usual patrol.

Tash wasn't there for it.

The door behind him closed as he stepped into an office. He heard crying. He tilted his head an inch.

 

[Darth Morrow]

The cry had come from Jane. A few corners down she led a bit ahead of the group, upon seeing the guards she took a step back, pulled her knife, and waited, gliding behind them before stabbing one in the back of the neck.

The others turned to see her cloaking faultering, the glimmer hiding her fading in and out of existance, a second after shed get smacked with a shock-staff and scream.

The pain from her over use of her powers was bad enough, though the attempted overkill from the guards was a whole other level.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Jane Lilley"]

Tash tilted his head at the cry displayed by Jane.

The fingers curled tight around the hilt of his knife, studying the sobbing shape of a woman in the corner of the office he was in. Not Jane, just one face his team and Jane had missed in their first sweep. Hm. He had wanted to enjoy this truth to be told, but it sounded like Jane needed assistance. It was rather rude of her to interrupt him in this manner and for that reason the Mecetti didn't immediately come to her assistance.

Instead he whispered a word and the woman's eyes suddenly blanked.

She reached for a pen and Itash left her with that. Her scream of pain was cut off when he closed the door and rounded the corner to see what Jane was up to. This better be good.

 

[Darth Morrow]

As he rounded the cornee hed see jane trying desperately to remain conscious as a guard pressed her to the wall with the assistance of a shocking staff.

Her eyes looked nearly lifeless at this point, blank, pain was not her strongsuit but perhaps she somehow projected herself elsewhere, no longer screaming and just absorbing the pain.

One guard was on the ground dead, another preparing to take the girl away once the other had his fun.

The girl was screwed if no one came to help, and considerably the opperation would be as well, it would only be a matter of time before another patrol came around, or they dragged her to the boss.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Jane Lilley"]

Itash didn't immediately interfere.

Instead he simply watched for a moment or two, wondering if Jane had the heart or ability to do anything back. Which didn't seem to be the case. In truth he thought it might have been better for Filiae if he just let her die here. But that would be rude, considering he promised he'd bring her back alive. Itash always kept his promises. It was one of those little rules that set him apart from the usual animal.

Two seconds later a bright white saber slipped through the throat of the second guard and then impaled the first through their shoulder, yanking him away from Jane.

"You had everything under control, of course." Tash murmured softly while studying the corpses, smoke slowly pouring up from the exit wounds. "I simply had to save them from the beat-down you were about to inflict upon them."

An eyebrow rose as their eyes met.

"Follow, please."

He didn't give her the opportunity to rest or even catch her breath. But he did push the electro-staff to her with his feet.

 

[Darth Morrow]

When the man was pushed off of her, the girl fell to the floor for a moment. Her mind still spinning, her eyes struggling to come into focus and pull herself together.

Once he gave the order "follow me" she slowly rose to her feet. Mumbling something in a dazed, monotone almost state, her mind scrambled. "Yes, sir..."

When he kicked the shocking staff towards her, she cautiously picked it up, and placed it to her belt.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Jane Lilley"]

"How long have you been studying to become Sith?" Tash asked curiously over his shoulder as they walked down the corridor.

Elsewhere his troops were making short-work of the token resistance put up by the remaining security forces. Most of the battle had been drawn there, it was where those three guards had been headed for, until they stumbled upon Jane... and Itash. They stopped in front of a door, the blueprints told him that this door shouldn't be here, but that was par of course for these secretive think-tank organizations.

Falsifying floor plans seemed like a thing they'd do.

He swiped a stolen key-card past the scanners and it hissed open. It revealed an elevator, which Tash entered with her in tow. "We don't leave anyone alive." Tash finally said as the elevator started to descend.

"No need to be cruel, just quick ends, yes?"

No time for pleasure.