First Reply Assault at Kampe

[Defias]

Imperial Listening Outpost Dorn Esk,
Kampe, Deep Core

Major Lan Derith glared at the outpost below from his command room with a look of disgust. His men, his stormtroopers, forced to operate with the subsentient Mawites. Shoulder next to shoulder with the same mongrels he’d put down decades ago during the Second Hyperspace War.

Their ingenuity when it came to tech though was undeniable, given they were mostly made of half-flesh, half-metal as a testament to their belief in some looney Tech God. In the wake of the Empire’s fall, splintered into a hundred warlord factions, it had been a challenge finding a consistent flow of technicians and engineers from the ruptured academies. He hardly had a choice but to utilize the Scar Hound dredges for the maintenance of the listening outpost on this wretched, arid world.

Yet, not long ago, the veteran had been given the freedom of choice — continue resisting the Dark Empire’s inevitable gorging on the Empire’s remains and dying in the process, or kneel to his new masters in a quest to right an old wrong against the Alliance; the famed Starbird that had flown off in a cowardly retreat from Ziost when the New Imperials needed their support the most. Lan Derith had been a mere corporal then, part of the 8th All Imperial Stormtrooper Legion, that was decimated at the final advance on Ziost against the Sith Empire.

He had decided to strike a deal with the devil.

The choice he’d made — to serve the Sith, those same lunarics he’d once fought — often plagued him with sleepless nights. Only the thought of avenging his comrades needless deaths on Ziost cleared his conscience and lulled him to a dreamless sleep.

But now his conscience would be burdened and his resolve tested once more. His eyes fell on its source: the large, dark robed figure hunched down at a cooling unit. A Sith by the name of Defias.

—

“It’s one of the pipes. That’s the sixth unit out here not getting any water. Those over there seem to be working just fine.” Defias tipped his head to the side. “These six are right above the ones not working at the server room.”

“Then we’ll take a look at the well, Dark One. See where the pressure’s going bust.” the Scar Hound replied, then scurried away.

Dark One.

After two weeks on this outpost, Defias had eventually gotten used to the strange honorific. Apparently it tracked back to the Hyperspace War when the Sith had led the Brotherhood of the Maw into a bloody and violent crusade through the stars, carving an unhealable scar in their wake.

He hadn’t pressed the Mawites for more information. Since his arrival, Defias had spent most his time meditating in his private chamber – an unused storage room – and reading an ancient Sith manuscript he had snatched from the Academy on Carlac’s dusty archives. The antiquated knowledge far more sating his learning apetite than the daily trainings.

Occasionally, he’d busy his mind with tasks that had been engraved in his muscle memory: repairing and salvaging tech. The listening outpost was set up in the confines of a time-worn fortress, its data center situated at the bottom of the structure – as close as possible to the well pumping water into the fortress. This deep into the Core, and not long after the Dark Empire’s defeat on Coruscant, the flow of information was heating up the repository that had already been cursed with its own setup on a barren, sunbaked world.

But as they say - misery loves company. The cooling issue subsided in priority the moment the outpost’s sirens began to blare, accompanied by the sound of hurried stormtrooper boots.

“Get to your posts, you filthy maggots!” a voice barked from above. Defias looked up to see the outpost’s commanding officer - Major Derith. A furious grimace contorted his face, his voice reeking with disgust. The Major had no love for the Mawites under his command, even less so for Defias. Though he’d dared nothing so far, the Sith remained wary. He still vividly recalled the fate that had befallen Lord Mor’zhul by the hand of Arminius Kroeger .

The familiar screech of TIE fighters piercing the air took his attention to the skies. A dozen or more dots grew larger and larger until their shapes became recognizeable: X-wings and a few small dropships huddled within the fighter’s escort ring.

An efficient strikeforce.

Defias placed a hand on the hilt of his Sith sword, nose wrinkled in contempt at the assailants. Heat began to warm up within his gut as the flames of the dark side began to churn, fanned by his emotions.

He was ready.

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Assault at Kampe
Failing to stay out of trouble​

Defias

Agent Pen-Ar-Lan was met with a low confirmatory boop as she logged out of the local computer terminal and extracted her scomp link. It was supposed to be a routine drop-off procedure but she displayed a clear unfamiliarity with the equipment still, taking her time to look for the right buttons to press and throwing an extra glance down to the link, as if to make sure that she didn't damage it upon removal. Obviously, she felt no need to show off for the troopers present in the control room by presenting feigned familiarity with the equipment - still, she kept her back straight and movements sharp. It stood in stark contrast to how she could behave when she moved among the enemy.

Before long, various warning systems started to go off. Empty chatter died down quickly as efforts to analyze the source of the warnings intensified. Ines watched as the Stormtroopers exchanged quick and efficient communications between themselves and Major Derith over comms until the call was finally made to sound the station alarms. A glance over the displays present gave a good idea of the threat: A number of incoming X-wings and what looked like a transport - likely estimated to be enough to make quick work of a listening post.

A sight, balancing between suppressed nervosity and determination escaped the agent as she threw a glance down at her flowery - and utterly unarmoured - blouse. She allowed herself a brief moment of hesitation before looking back up to the troopers. Well aware that she wasn't in a position to issue any sort of commands, she approached the one who had been most active in the idle chatter earlier and spoke with a sense of urgency "Upload what you can to my ship, I will make a run for it."

The trooper considered her words and responded matter-of-factly "That's a negative. Protocol is to wipe the data, can't risk 'em getting a hold of it through you."

She nodded with a slight frown - she should have known better. "Okay, what then?"

At first, there was just silence, then he let out a low "It's grim" but soon assumed a more professional demeanour "Our objective is to defend the station. If we succeed, we can evaluate our chances from there, if not, we'll wipe the data."

A skeptical brow rose as he mentioned their objective. Clearly, she wasn't convinced. The both of them understood the danger of a targeted attack.

"We have a Sith by the storage area"

Ines heard a bit of reluctance in his voice. Her own eyes, however, flared up with a bit of hope. "Good. Then we might stand a chance"

Upping the tempo above a jog, she navigated her way through the facility, moving past the barracks and mess hall towards the hangar and storage areas. The rumble of approaching ships grew louder and the mechanical hum of defense turrets powering on could be felt throughout the base. Before long, the first shots would be fired and a voice would call out an impending breach by hangar one. A number of Stormtroopers rallied towards the hangar - and for a few meters, it seemed like the Agent would follow suit until she apparently changed her mind once more and instead decided to push on a bit further to see if she could find the Sith by the storage area.

 

[Defias]

Defias watched the X-wings and TIE fighters chase each other like ravenous dogs gnawing for the enemy's throat. The Imperials harried the assailants continuously aiming to prevent the dropships from landing, while the X-wings spiraled in hot pursuit of the TIEs in attempt to break the aerial chokehold.

A stray shot from an X-wing blasted one of man-manned turrets firing at the attackers in the sky. Defias shielded his eyes from the wave of debris that washed over him, slightly hunching in brace. He caught Major Derith's slightly bemused face at the corner of his vision, still standing at the top of his command spire; a sideways glance at the turret in ruins and Defias knew what brought the Major joy in a time like this: the canon had been manned by a pair of Mawites whose scorched bodies laid limp in the seats.

The Sith looked around and quickly noticed a pattern: the stormtroopers had taken shelter either within the outpost or on the small, shielded nests dotting the walls. The Scar Hounds had been all positioned on the naked ramparts, standing like cannon fodder out in the open.

Defias realized he wasn't any different, standing on the open deck of the outpost. He grunted a huff and hurried under the storage room, headed towards one of the hangars where a breach had been reported; it seemed the aerial attack was only one prong of two aimed at the Imperial listening outpost.

The Sith's large form almost ran over a blonde woman turning around the corner, and he swore under his breath. She struck a sharp contrast to the outpost and its inhabitants, quite out of place, even. Fair-skinned, clean and pretty — in comparison to the mutilated, oil-stained Scar Hounds and faceless, sand-flecked stormtroopers, she might've very well competed for Miss Galaxy.

"The agent?" Defias raised an eyebrow, recalling a report mentioning a spook being posted here. His tone was almost hostile when he asked: "Are you not supposed to be wiping the data?" or backing it up, or anything, but running headless into the storage room.

Ines Pen-Ar-Lan

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Assault at Kampe
Meeting Defias ​

Ines dodged left in the last second. Had she not chosen to veer towards the wall rather than to crash in to him, a collision would likely have been inevitable. Managing to maintain a bit of grace, the agent pushed an alert hand into the wall to keep herself from bumping into it. A surprised expression appeared across her features. The mention of 'the agent' caused her brows to furrow before quickly returning to a surprised state. Feeble efforts were made to suppress the hint of fear that revealed itself in her eyes upon receiving the second - more hostile - question.

Quickly, the Agent's eyes moved from side to side and top to bottom as she gave him a look over. Finally, she nodded and spoke a light "Yes" in a careful conversational tone. "The Stormtroopers in the control room will wipe it if things heat up too much. My duty is to make sure that I can still go to work tomorrow. I was going to make a run for it but then I heard there was a Sith here - I suppose that's you?"

A few violent bursts from the anti-air turret nearby were fired as they talked. Then, three muffled sounds of massive laser bolts scorching and tearing metal apart could be heard from further back in the facility. Each explosion appeared to hit closer than the next. She drew her eyes from him to throw a glance in the direction the encroaching sound of violence when suddenly, a number of bolts slammed into the turret. At first, the thick steeled layer of armour seemed to hold strong. The glimpse of enthusiasm would only last for a fleeting moment, however, for soon, the first red bolt could be seen blasting through it.

The agent flinched away from the explosion instinctively. Now more pressed, she attempted to continue "Maybe ru-..." before cutting herself off upon hearing the sound of a few more - significantly smaller - explosions and then the entry of a ship in hangar bay two. "That aint right" she mumbled before looking back to him whilst nodding in the direction of the other hangar where the Stormtroopers had rallied "They said the breach would be in hangar one"

 

[Defias]

"Yes" in a careful conversational tone. "The Stormtroopers in the control room will wipe it if things heat up too much. My duty is to make sure that I can still go to work tomorrow. I was going to make a run for it but then I heard there was a Sith here - I suppose that's you?"

A sinister glint flashed in his eyes. A survivor; that makes the two of us. “Yes.” Defias replied but before he could add anything else, his hand snapped against the wall to keep his balance as the outpost shook and rattled under the onslaught of canon fire.

"That aint right" she mumbled before looking back to him whilst nodding in the direction of the other hangar where the Stormtroopers had rallied "They said the breach would be in hangar one"

He followed her nod with his gaze before shifting it back in the direction of the smaller explosions resounding from hangar two. Carefully mulling over his options and the predicament in which they had befallen into, an idea –or rather an opportunity– finally sprung in his mind: “The information here is too valuable to lose.”

“Hangar Two is closer to the data room. If I had to guess – that’s the real attack, the other's merely a distraction.” a guess or something far more potent, it didn’t matter – Defias had begun to trust that foreign gut feeling far more than ever before now that he had understood what it truly was–the Force.

The Sith’s gaze bore down on the agent, “You will extract as much data as possible, then we depart and you will fulfill your duty of working tomorrow.” a cruel smirk tugged his lips at his final words.

Ines Pen-Ar-Lan

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Assault at Kampe
Heading to the data room with Defias ​

The information was too valuable to lose? Yes: Her brows rose and she noded in a non-verbal 'tell me about it'. As he continued, she threw another glance in the direction of the attacked hangar with her gaze tracing the corridor leading up to the data room. It was close - as were most locations when considering the limited size of a listening post. "I'm not all too convinced. Wouldn't they like to strike hangar one first to draw more troops before sending the main strike team after?" she spoke in a whisper with the absence of someone who was still assessing the situation.

It mattered little, however, for the Sith had made up his mind already. Ines found herself slowly backing up towards the wall as he issued his command whilst towering over her with a fierce gaze. Instead of staying where she was, got on the move, both complying and freeing herself from the troublesome situation. "As you wish"

Starting at evenly paced jog, she made her way to the second hangar to sneak a glance at the action. Mawites seemed to be holding the main line of defence. It would normally have been an easy task had it not been for the cover that had been blown up and the smoke the attackers employed to shield them as they disembarked. A brief moment passed before she reached for the console to close and seal the doors. Looking back up to the Sith, she nodded "Okay, let's go"

"I asked the Stormtrooper in the control room to send the data over earlier but protocol got in our way. We better hope we've got more agreeable company in the data room."

 

[Defias]

During his brief penal service stint in the Stormtrooper Corps, when he still bore the name Ander, he had come to understand the unchallenged authority of the ISB over military officers, let alone grunts. A part of him wanted to ask why the agent didn't overrule protocol for her own benefit, but he decided against it — it hardly mattered.

Defias trampled onward in silence as she shut the doors to Hangar Two, where the Mawites clashed with the assailants. Major Derith would have been delighted to witness the Scar Hounds sacrificed as cannon fodder, and even happier if the Sith went down with them. But to his great chagrin, Defias had no such plans.

The doors to the data room slid open, and the two Imperial technicians gathered there instinctively drew their sidearms. Upon seeing the Sith and the agent, they both breathed short sighs of relief. One was on the verge of greeting them, but the words never reached his lips; only horror seized their eyes forever, reflected in the blade that had sliced their throats open with one powerful swing.

Defias had made his choice: his task here had been to protect the listening post in case of an attack and, upon its success, elevate his stature among his peers at the Carlac Academy and bring him one step closer to the coveted power promised with apprenticeship. But over several months of reading ancient Sith texts and manuscripts that had been gathering dust in the academy's archives, long found uninteresting and obsolete by his fellow peers, Defias had slowly begun picking up on an old Sith philosophy differing from what he was being taught at the Academy — one of self-serving interests, greed for power, strength of the individual, and survival.

He had gambled in a game where his wager was his life. If Lord Neveon, the Academy’s Overseer, or any other Sith, learned of his actions here, then the consequences would be far more than just grim. Yet it was not only the Sith he had to be wary of, but also the agent standing by his side; in the brief moment he had sized her up, he concluded she would comply solely out of an inherent desire for survival, something he believed they had in common. A crude, perhaps foolish, analysis on which he had now bet everything.

Defias had no immediate agenda for the information that would be extracted from the post; it was all merely a practice of what the Sith scrolls of time immemorial had preached.

“They could not be more agreeable than that,” Defias said with a smirk, a sarcastic remark to mask his own hesitation with the gamble.

“Extract all you can, while we still have time.”

With blood still dripping from his Sith sword, he remained on guard at the closed doors of the data room.

Ines Pen-Ar-Lan

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Assault at Kampe
Surviving (?!) with Defias ​

Relief seemed to wash over the agent as she saw the two technicians. Her shoulders fell and the beginnings of a smile grew on her lips. With an enthusiastic step, she approached whilst pulling out her datapad. Eyeing the Sith who seemed to have something slightly more intimidating in mind, Ines chose to lower her pace to fall behind him. It was a chance to do it his way.

What followed was met by surprise as she let out a small gasp behind him. Still, relatively well trained, her free left arm instinctively drew the blaster which hung by her belt as soon as she saw blood gushing from the technicians' throats. Good survival instincts ensured that she never actually pointed it at the Sith and the safety was still on. Ines looked to him ludicrously as he asked her to extract the data. A few moments would go to waste before she holstered her blaster and made her way past him and the bodies whilst musing an annoyed "That was not strictly necessary"

A valiant attempt to mask any continued resentment over the executions was made by focusing on the task at hand. Ines plugged her datapad into the main terminal and logged in, letting her ISB clearance do the heavy lifting. With the press of a few buttons, the downloading process was initiated. "The data is being transferred directly to my ship. Once that's done, we can make a run for it and hope that their fighters are too preoccupied to go for us. If their troops manage to breach the hangar doors, we should take what we've got and leave immediately."

For every moment they lingered, the situation was bound to grow more dangerous. The download, however, could not be made to go any faster. Throwing a final glance at the bar ticking up at a leisurely pace, Ines finally turned and leaned back against the wall with her arms crossed. This time, she didn't seem to pay an attention to the bodies. Instead, she looked to him with a bit of amusement "Your list of options on how to win people over is pretty short." A curious glint could be seen in her eyes "You didn't make all too many friends on this station, did you? Why?"

 

[Defias]

At her curious question, Defias' eyes shifted sideways at the corpses. A week ago he had helped the technicians with a few faulty power converters and today he had slain them in cold blood. A shy pang of guilt twisted his gut at the thought but if he were to climb the hierarchy of power the dark side promised then he would abide by the teachings of the Sith: everyone was a tool, an instrument which he must use to achieve his goals.

And yet, the agent was right — perhaps it had not been necessary, but pressed by a ticking clock and fear of the gamble he had undertaken, Defias had turned to his blade for a solution rather than the Force or persuasion.

For a long moment Defias pondered whether to entertain her with an answer or merely remain silent before finally grumbling a response, "Didn't have the time." whether it was an attempt at humor as dry as Kampe's air or a candid answer, even he could not tell. Not like he was out here camping.

"But you're one to talk—" he scoffed, turning his gaze on her, "Couldn't charm your way or wave your badge past a stormtrooper and his protocols?"

Ines Pen-Ar-Lan

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Assault at Kampe
Speaking to Defias ​

Her eyes observed as his gaze shifted to the bodies as if trying to discern what was going through his mind. For a time, her own gaze lingered on him as he stood in silence before eventually drifting over to the bloodied blade.

Upon hearing his response, Ines looked back up at the Sith. The curiosity which could be seen earlier still lingered but had subsided significantly now that an answer had been offered. She produced a polite chuckle for the rather brutal joke.

What followed seemed to take her by surprise, causing a bright smile to grow across her lips and intrigued brows to rise. Maintaining her mild manners, Ines let out an amused "Excuse me sir, I'm not the one who executed two Imperials"

She got up from her leaned back position and took a couple light steps towards him whilst showing her palms, indicating her lack of ill intent. "Look, I didn't mean to put you in a tough spot, I'm sorry. You just had me curious and I figured that maybe you'd want to get something off of your chest."

After a quick glance back at the console, the agent allowed her hands to fall to her side once more. "I considered pushing for it but then I heard of you. You know how big of a difference a Sith can make in situations like these." Her words weaved truth and lie together - for while she did in fact have faith in the capacities of the Sith, the decision not to push for the data had been made way before the mention of his presence.

 

[Defias]

"Look, I didn't mean to put you in a tough spot, I'm sorry. You just had me curious and I figured that maybe you'd want to get something off of your chest."

Something off my chest?!

His brows furrowed into a contemptous knot, but said nothing as she continued.

"I considered pushing for it but then I heard of you. You know how big of a difference a Sith can make in situations like these."

Defias was no Sith. Not according to the guiding principles of the New Sith Order, at least. He was but a mere acolyte striving to ascend as a Sith – the mantle that promised tremendous power and strength. But he understood the differences were hardly noticeable to those not enlightened of the secretive Order and its teachings; a black robe and a red lightsaber or an odd-looking sword, like in his case, were all that was needed to be branded a Sith to the outside world.

As he wondered whether to bite back at the agent for what he deemed as patronizing words or acknowledge the strange fact that this was the first Imperial on this station not immediately repulsed by his affiliation, a string of explosions resounded from beyond the data room – each closer and louder than the previous. The barked orders had become comprehensible to their ears, indicating the fighting was just beyond the door’s threshold. In response, Defias raised his blade ready.

"How much of the data--"

The back of his skull suddenly lit ablaze with danger.

“We’re leaving. Now!” he commanded almost instinctively with eyes slightly widened at the threat lurking in the shadows of his senses. “I’ll make sure we get to your ship in one piece, come on.” Defias urged her, waving his hand. He was absolutely not certain of his odds if there was a whole battalion waiting for them outside, but it didn’t hurt to reinforce her beliefs that he could make a difference. The last thing they needed was one of them to be seized by fear.

Ines Pen-Ar-Lan

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Assault at Kampe
Surviving with Defias ​

Quick eye movements soaked the frown all up but the agent kept her composure well enough to continue saying her piece. Patiently, she would wait for him to say something back but there was little in her demeanour that indicated that she actually expected that he would.

Upon hearing his question, her brows rose slightly. It was something she had just checked - but just as she was about to offer a response, he continued with a sharp instruction to depart. Her eyes quickly bounced between him and the door before tying her hair into a bun and turning back to the terminal where she could end the data download early.

Whilst working the computer terminal, she spoke to him "Ship's at the back, hangar 6. Let's hope the brunt of their forces are coming from hangar two."

Once finished, took her flowery blouse off and pocketed it whilst moving toward the executed technicians. With that, she revealed a black tank-top underneath, well in line with Imperial uniform standards. Without any signs of remorse, she took one of their caps to put onto herself. Finally, she moved up towards the Sith hastily while producing contact lenses to colour her eyes in a deep brown.

Perhaps some time had gone to waste but the Agent didn't seem the least disturbed by it. Instead, she simply moved up to lean against the wall by the door controls "I'll follow your lead"

Unfortunately, the time to plan their exit had already depleted. Without any interactions from her end, the doors swooshed open. The Stormtrooper who had opened it quickly stepped inside while his comrade carefully backed into the chamber whilst firing at something at the far end of the corridor. He, however, did not make it into data room before being hit by at least two blue bolts. Smoke seemed to cover the advance of their adversaries once more. "Those are coming from hangar bay one and two. I think we should make a run for it"

Peering out into the corridor, silhouettes of armoured troops could be seen nearing the edge of the smoke whilst firing relatively accurate shots - despite the smoke - at the defenders who sought shelter by the walls leading up to the data room.

 

[Defias]

Defias remained oblivious to her change, his focus narrowed through the Force at what laid beyond the door. When he sensed her draw nearer once more, his attention shifted back on the agent. Confusion pulled his eyes wide briefly before they settled into a pleasant surprise; for the several moments he had left her unsupervised, the agent had changed her appearance almost completely. Gone were the golden locks, suffocated under a technician’s cap; gone was the blouse that had no business on Kampe, swapped for a uniform tank top that seemed to blend with their spartan surroundings; and gone were the bright eyes, drowned under a sea of hazel. The changes were miniscule, quick and practical, but their result was undeniable.

Summoned by a cursory familiarity found in the agent’s appearance, a fleeting memory of Mira brushed his mind before it departed as swiftly as it had arrived. He felt helpless against the distant smile he offered the agent.

"I'll follow your lead"

“Hangar six.” he nodded, then reached to tap the door controls beside him.

Before his digits even glanced the surface of the terminal, the doors hissed open and the cacophony of fierce battle swooped in like a wild hurricane. A stormtrooper crumpled like a leaf in front of them, felled by an onslaught of blaster bolts; his comrade continued to frantically return fire only for another series of plasma rounds to cut him down before their feet.

Defias found himself hugging the wall beside the door out of pure instinct for survival. He peeked over the corner to see a cloud of smoke, lit ablaze by a storm of blaster fire, choking the corridor. The show of light and sound was almost mesmerising. Almost.

A few stray shots ricocheted off the frame of the data room’s door, pushing Defias’ curious gaze back, and scorching a few black marks on the steel surface.

"Those are coming from hangar bay one and two. I think we should make a run for it"

He shot a glance at the battle unfolding outside, then back at the data room before crouching down to unclip a pair of frag grenades from the dead stormtrooper’s utility belt. With one swift, trained motion of his fingers, Defias removed the pins of both ‘nades and tossed them at the data room’s
computer terminal, their tumbling sound drowned underneath the tempest of blaster fire filling his ears.

“Let’s go!” the acolyte said, his words leaving his lips just as he stepped out of the data room with his blade up in guard. Several seconds later, the room behind them exploded, shaking the ground beneath their feet and expunging a cloud of smoke, debris and sparks through the open doors. An upbringing on Raxus Prime told him nothing was ever unsalvageable, but whoever got their hands on those burnt, hardware remains would have a hard and long time restoring their prized contents.

They whisked past a hail of blaster fire, beset by stormtroopers and mawites crumbling to the floor as enemy’s fire found purchase. Defias eased the tension bearing down on his shoulders as he drew deep breaths in his stride, willing the Force to guide him and his companion through the battle unscathed. Unlike on Coruscant, where the ethereal, navigating him and Kroeger over the maw of certain death, had been a mere gut feeling that ebbed and flowed, this time Defias had deliberately reached out for it, bending it to his desire consistently; a testament to the strides he’d taken in his training.

The acolyte led her through winding corridors, convulsing bodies and ceaseless fire, often barking commands at the agent - “duck”, “jump”, “slow down”, “hurry up”: each order beckoning action against a harm that materialized only several seconds later. Though only a dozen minutes had passed by the time the duo reached the gates to hangar six, the journey felt as if it had lasted forever.

Defias’ breaths paced to the heightened rhythm of his heart. He could feel it pounding against his chest like a restless war drum as he reached for the gate’s controls. A few button taps and–

“Kark!” his fist hammered the panel, lips pulled into a snarl. “Emergency protocols – Derith has shut the whole place down. No one leaves.” another oversized fist crashed down on the panel.

Anger stirred up within like a volcano bound to erupt. Defias could feel the flames of the dark side stoked by the emotions, rewarding his body and mind with power. He steadied his breathing and shut his eyes to drink in the strength seeping into the very fabric of his existence.

While he fruitlessly considered their options, hunched over the gates’ panel, perhaps the agent held the key to their escape.

Ines Pen-Ar-Lan