Private Awakening

[Eternal Fallen Angel]

Jalarren​

A mining planet once cherished for it’s salts and riches hidden below the sandy plains, now was trade hub for practically any type of currency within the mid-rim systems. Whether it be precious metals, food supplies, or even highly valued information, the bazars of Jalarren produced it. It was the last of these that focused the Director’s eyes on the planet, when the possible information that a dangerous group of individuals was recruiting more to it’s ranks. It’s name, purpose, and true mission were still quite the mystery, but the fact that those who entered into their services did not return was becoming more and more known.



Information such as this would typically not garner a response from Shadowfeed, especially not on a planet not within the Confederacy’s borders. New ideologies popped every single day, and most could be pushed off as harmless at the best. Even those that did kick up a response were more often than not easily handled by the local security of the planets. But there was something much more sinister coming out of the rumors of this new group on Jalarren.



Experimentation. Forced indoctrination. Kidnapping. Rumors, nothing substantiated, but rumors always had kernel of truth somewhere, and instead of letting the planetary security, who for all the Director knew could be under the thumb of this group, try and handle this problem, trusting that they would give her all the information at the end, she decided to put her own thumb on the problem. Then there would be no hiding just what these people were up to. If nothing was wrong, then there would be no further involvement.



But if the rumors that had leaked had more truth than fiction...they would be ready.


------------------------------------------------------------------


The cold winds of Jalarren’s deserts surrounding the small trade city blew their way through the tight corridors and streets. Those that left their homes at this time of night bundled appropriately, many of which could not be identified by their species due to coverings. Some just milled about, speaking to neighbors or checking the heaters to their households or businesses. Most, however, could be seen making their way toward what looked to be a warehouse of some kind.



While some twenty odd bodies milled around the shut doors, none of the citizens would know that among them resided multiple Shadowfeed agents, ready to enter into this group’s domain, and hear the words spoken by them. On the surrounding rooftops, more agents silently watched, ready to jump to action a moment’s notice from the infiltrating agents. They were the backup, but were prepared to sit back if this turned out be nothing more than a hoax and a bunch of white lies.



Suddenly, the doors of the warehouse were opened, and two figures dressed in purely white robes, much different than the clothing of those that would enter, stepped out. A man and a woman, warm smiles adorning their faces as they looked toward the crowd, opened up their arms simultaneously in a welcoming motion.



“A joyous night is ahead of us, my friends. We are so glad you have come to our services.” The man spoken, followed almost on exact key by the woman.

“Allow us to show you to your seats, and welcome,” A pause, then both together.

“To your healing.”

------------------------------------------------------------------

Entry Points
​

Spoiler

External team.

• Objectives
  • Observe the service through windows and other vantage points surrounding the warehouse
  • Be prepared to enter into building quickly as backup
  • Secure the perimeter in case of runners
  • Observe any and all activity in the surrounding area
  • Digression is advised.

Entry team.

• Objectives
  • Enter into the possible cult's service and observe the proceedings
  • Blend into the crowd seamlessly
  • Do not draw attention to yourself
  • Be ready to radio to external team if the service gets out of hand
  • Digression is advised
  • External team entry is up to your timing

​

Agent tag list​

Spoiler

Sybilla
Nyx N1X3
Tess Valnora
Rayna Lockley
Vess Sadragen
Lanx Velishin
Holt
Lyra Vent

 

[Ciri Jade]

//Loc: Rooftop; Near the External Team
//Obj: Provide Overwatch
//Alt_Obj: Oversee Operation

A long breath escaped the Director's lips as she sat back, eyes on the large building outside of which so many had gathered. Adjusting her garments to better shield herself from the chilling night air, she checked her comms, opening the encrypted channel which all agents were to use for communication purposes. The encryption had been reworked to ensure secure channels. As she began to speak, her tone was kept low as not to be overheard from below, or for their respective commlinks to grasp attention of others, should they not be at a lower volume.

<With everyone in position, I want to remind you all. Entry Team, it is very important that you blend in here. There is still too much we are unsure of here. Keep comm chatter to a minumum once you're inside. You may draw unwanted attention to yourself. Should things go sideways, contact the External Team and they'll move in accordingly. If the rumors about these people are true, we'll need to know for sure. Don't need to act against innocents here. If they were false, we'll pack up and head home. With that said, External Team, we need eyes on all angles. Don't want anyone slipping out without us knowing. If anyone tries to flee should things go bad, engage accordingly. No fryin' a civilian. I'll be overseeing this op personally. However, I will remain with the External Team for the time being. Let's get this done and head home.>

Turning her eyes towards the building once more, she observed those gathered around the agents, waiting. When the doors finally opened, her attention turned directly to the two in white, examining their expressions and body language before a sigh escaped her lips, whispering to herself. "Here we go.."

Tags: Sybilla, Nyx N1X3 , Tess Valnora , Rayna Lockley , Vess Sadragen , Lanx Velishin , Holt , Lyra Vent

 

[Holt]

E X T E R N A L
T E A M​

Objective: Monitor the Proceedings
Location: Abandoned Apartment -- "Rook's Nest."
Tag: Ciri Jade
Word Count: 921

The bright blue of the screens in front of him illuminated Holt's fast, contrasting sharply to the otherwise lack of lighting within the darkroom that he sat in. Streams of code and data inputs scrolled down on the various monitors, and Holt kept a silent but vigilant watch on them all. It was more than his job; it was his duty. And if Holt was anything, he was someone who would not fail on his duty.

Ryloth had been a gross failure of the Confederacy's intelligence apparatus. And the guilt of it lay on Holt as much as anyone else. Thousands of people had died in an act of prolonged terrorism that had been completely preventable. And Holt and the rest of Shadowfeed, the rest of the Confederacy, had dropped the ball. They hadn't had any warning at all because they had failed at their first and foremost mandate: protecting the Confederacy from the threats that were unseen. They were the watchers on the tower, but when the Agents of Chaos struck they had neglected their duty.

It would not happen a second time.

Rumors had been circulating throughout the underworld of a cult that had begun to rise through the ranks of the populace of Jalarren. Experimentation on captured individuals. Forced indoctrination. Kidnapping and mysterious disappearances. Teh galaxy was a dark and scary place, and this was by no means something new to happen in the Confederacy. But when he'd analyzed all the reports and data at the Rookery -- this wasn't some happenstance coincidence of isolated incidents.

He would not fail his duty again. And so he'd brought his findings to the Director, and now they were on Jalarren, a full-on covert mission to deduce what this cult really was about. And if they were a threat to the Confederacy.

Holt had so thoroughly bugged and cammed the whole room that it was as if he was in the chambers where the meeting was taking place. Fortunately, the location that they had chosen was a public forum, which had left plenty of people to be milling throughout the chambers while Holt had secretly set up his surveillance systems. They were now paying off, as he could watch the proceedings from multiple different angles as well as get different sensor readings of the room.

His Rook's nest had been rigged up in an abandoned apartment building that overlooked the complex in which the meeting was taking place. He knew that there were some agents on the rooftop taking point there, while others were in the meeting house themselves. He personally had chosen the indoors so he could best set up his tech without any prying eyes, and the apartment he'd chosen had a window that gave a vantage point directly at the open chambers below.

It wasn't like he needed that window, though. His feed provided plenty of information to work with, more than most agents and infiltrators could ask for. The audio was almost perfectly clear and only slightly distorted with background noise, and as the meeting began Holt quieted down the rest of the feed's inputs to better listen in.

“A joyous night is ahead of us, my friends. We are so glad you have come to our services.” The man spoken, followed almost on an exact key by the woman.

“Allow us to show you to your seats, and welcome,” A pause, then both spoke together.

“To your healing.”

Holt breathed out audibly through his nose. That last phrase -- it had an ominous feeling to it. He took a moment to register the two different vocal signatures with the appearances that he'd been able to capture with his holocamms. They were wearing some sort of white robe that had a priest and priestess nature to them, and Holt also made note of this in the databank. A blink on his earpiece indicated an incoming communication, and Holt briefly muffled the feed so he could hear clearly whatever the Agent communicating was saying.

"-- With everyone in position --" a female voice began. It was no agent; it was the new Director, Ciri Jade, herself. "-- I want to remind you all. Entry Team, it is very important that you blend in here. There is still too much we are unsure of here. Keep comm chatter to a minimum once you're inside. You may draw unwanted attention to yourself. Should things go sideways, contact the External Team and they'll move in accordingly. If the rumors about these people are true, we'll need to know for sure. Don't need to act against innocents here. If they were false, we'll pack up and head home. With that said, External Team, we need eyes on all angles. Don't want anyone slipping out without us knowing. If anyone tries to flee should things go bad, engage accordingly. No fryin' a civilian. I'll be overseeing this op personally. However, I will remain with the External Team for the time being. Let's get this done and head home. --"

Holt signed off the comm and picked up a protein cube, absentmindedly popping it into his mouth and chewing the somewhat gelatinous and flavorless cube while his eyes remained glued to the feed. He was part of the external team, and it was his job to be the eyes in the sky, to be aware of everything and anything that was going on.

He was watching. And he was waiting. Waiting for something to happen. And when it did? He would be ready.

​

 

[Tess Valnora]

JALARREN

Objective: Infiltrate
Location: Alleyway
Allies: Holt , Ciri Jade , Open

Spoiler: EQUIPMENT

Weapons​

Shadow's Sting (gauntlets)
"Viper's Bite" assassin's knife (IN BOOT)

Gear​

Spoiler: Utility belt

SOAR - Slicing Operation Assistance Routine
Smoke grenades (2)
Medi-kit (1)

Armor:​

Spoiler: Trench coat

Norris root dyed leatheris trench coat]

PD-00 "Second Skin" Light Armor

​

<<...Let’s get this done and head home.>> finished the short speech from the small earpiece Tess had placed in her right ear before the op began. Keeping her comms quiet during an infiltration was as crucial as blending into this rag-tag group of civilians that had gathered in the area. She kept her commlink well-hidden under her leather gloves since she wouldn’t need to talk to anyone unless bantha poodoo hit the proverbial fan. Tess felt naked with her current lack of weaponry. She kept a couple of items on her person that she knew she could easily conceal from even the most thorough frisk these potential cultists could provide. Even without her normal armaments, she was confident in her own skills as well as the group of Shadowfeed Agents waiting outside as well as within the crowd.

Pulling her cloak closer around herself to ward off the crisp wind that blew around her. The large doors opened in front of her and light flooded the surrounding area, two silhouettes stood in the doorway,

“A joyous night is ahead of us, my friends. We are so glad you have come to our services.” Spoke the taller figure in a deep smooth voice.

“Allow us to show you to your seats, and welcome,” continued a lighter smooth voice.

“To your healing.” They said in unison, almost in harmony.

The last three words sent a shiver down her spine, the way they spoke them she was sure that tonight would be more than just listening to some people talk about some hair-brained cult theologies. Something was going to happen tonight it was just a matter of when.

Someone bumped her shoulder as they passed by to enter the building, clearing her mind of the future and bringing it to the present. Tess raised her hand to communicate she was heading into the building but remembered to keep radio silence and changed her hand’s direction to fix her bangs. Tess then started toward the bright entryway. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she looked about her and saw that just like the two greeters from the doorway every single person wore white robes, besides the twenty or so newcomers.

"This is going to be an interesting night." Tess said to herself as she passed the threshold of the warehouse enterence.​

​

 

[Nyx N1X3]

Equipment: NX Shroud | Jam Buster Comlink
Appearance: Nautolan Female, Blue

It is only logical that a unit such as myself enter the facility. Should the rumors be in any way accurate I would prove a most 'difficult' subject to such administrations, and pose the least risk to operational security. Nyx had calmly -- to date she could not recall ever not appearing 'calm' to sentients -- laid out her argument for the upcoming operation. Naturally she could also be of use in overwatch capacity with her railgun, but she was a droid that did not favor complacency. Seeing how the NX Shroud had been commissioned so she no longer needed to hide in the maintenance closet, there seemed like need for her to be excluded from the... fun.

Able to endure with the patience of the ages, Nyx had arrived as far in advance of the actual operation as technologically possible. It did help that she could engage in activities over various networks and feeds so her visibility and influence was not confined to her physical chassis. Even without that, careful not to break her guise as nothing more than a humble Nautolan seeking their fortune in life, she occupied her time tuning various social interaction protocols. Between interacting with others and building her cover.

The hood was pulled in about the holographically projected face of a Nautolan woman as Nyx registered a brisk evening temperature. It helped obscure her features as she lowered her chin to avoid identification. Even if the crowd would gather together in close proximity soon enough, they moved through the streets before hand; it seemed natural for someone to desire privacy attending such a clandestine meeting.

Large, black eyes peeked out from under the hood at those in the crowd. An uneasy smile graced her lips if anyone looked back; especially if it was someone she'd met before and showed even a glimmer of recognition. Friendly faces could bolster one's confidence, and cause the heart to flutter -- if Nyx had one -- should things go wrong.

Wrong? At naught more than a meeting in the late hours of night with unknown people for vaguely defined reasons? Surely this gathering wasn't dangerous.

Of course the Director's voice in her communication buffer wanted to 'remind' them -- out of character -- that this was dangerous. Considerate. Wholly unnecessary, but it was a very organic thing to do. The only time they ever knew 'enough' before hand was when it was an assassination. Any other time there were always small or large details that introduced numerous complications.

As for the civilians... Typical secondary objective. Nyx took pride in accomplishing all objectives within provided parameters. That said, she'd also sacrifice whoever or whatever was necessary for the primary objective. Her moral and ethical subroutines were quite nuanced, but there were times it was prudent to ignore them in favor of a successful mission.

Slowly rubbing the outsides of her upper arms, Nyx's head popped up half an inch when the doors to the warehouse opened. The introduction was short and the invitation extended.

In a nanosecond Nyx humored herself in turning over the words expressed by the 'welcoming party.'

Healing
adjective

• curing or curative; prescribed or helping to heal.
• growing sound; getting well; mending.

Cure
verb (used with object), cured, cur·ing.

• to restore to health.
• to relieve or rid of something detrimental, as an illness or a bad habit.

What ailment, malady, or state of being did those in the assembly suffer from? From what would they be 'cured?' In what manner would such affliction be removed? For what purpose was this act performed? To whose benefit? Really the possibilities and questions were endless. That all of this was being done under the cover of darkness, out of the public sight did not bode well. Still, there was a non-zero chance this would not end poorly.

Nyx moved ahead toward the shining beacon of hope they'd been bidden to enter.

Evidently 'healing' would begin in a warehouse.

Tag: Eternal Fallen Angel | Ciri Jade | Holt | Tess Valnora

 

[Eternal Fallen Angel]

Spoiler

Wrong account.

 

[Lanx Velishin]

If Lanx had ever taken the time to think about being anywhere else but the mines when he still wore the slave collar, there was a good chance that he would have a slap or some sort of hit to bring him back to reality. That’s all he knew, and all he would ever know, really. Wake up in the morning, mine throughout the day, hope that death did not come in the form of any sort of oxygen depravation or a mining machine exploding in his face, and catch what sleep he could before doing it all over again. There was no life outside of that for a slave, and it was something that wore on his mind each and every day he was stuck on that asteroid.

Now..now he wondered if he needed one of those hard slaps to wake him up from whatever dream he was currently living.

Never would he had imagined in his wildest dreams that he would be some sort of…spy operative. Yet here he was, finishing setting up the final components of a comm array on a rooftop nearby to the target warehouse. His long fingers deftly turned the final nobs and connected a few stray wires, allowing the crystal clear sound of whatever was about to happen filter through. Each of the internal group was wearing a wire of sorts, and through the comm array he had set up, every external operative would get a idea of what was being said. That was assuming he could keep the piece of junk running.

Lanx was not nearly as technically savvy as his close partner, Sybilla, but between them, there was really only one option of who to send into a place like that. Even with one arm, she could handle herself much better than he could if things started to pop off. It was a smart decision, if there was one to be made. Besides, he could handle this comm array, probably. His mind just needed to focus to do it, and not on the extremely creepy feeling that ran down his spine hearing the words, “welcome to your healing.”

The cathar didn’t know exactly what they were walking into, but whatever these freaks thought they were healing, it didn’t sound like it was a common case of the space flu….

| Sybilla | Nyx 1313 | Ciri Jade | Holt | Tess Valnora |​

 

[Eternal Fallen Angel]

Spoiler

The internal agents would find themselves being quickly ushered into the warehouse, yet would see what they might believe would normally within one of these buildings. Instead, pews of hand carved wood sat at the end of the long space, three rows of which were more than enough to accommodate everyone that was outside, and perhaps even more. The inside of the warehouse was very dimly lit, the only lights coming from the very end of the building where it looked as though there was an alter surrounded by hundreds of small candles, and larger candles attached to each of the supporting posts. Underneath each of these larger candles stood another of the welcoming party, each wearing the same cream colored robes as those that had greeted them outside. No matter if they were man, woman, alien, or..something else, a smile laid plastered to each of their faces. One so wide and unnatural that it would even have a wookie shivering.

The man and the woman that had greeted them ushered the group to the front of the warehouse, helping each of them get seated. Still, seemingly in sync, every time they spoke it was together. A short, “let me help you..,” or, “welcome, welcome,” was said with such synchronicity is was almost as though their very minds were linked. But something so supernatural as such couldn’t possibly exist, especially not on such an out of the way world as this one.

By the time the group found themselves seated, they may have begun to notice that the ends of each row was empty, only to be filled in silently by the robed individuals. It seemed as though they were going anywhere, and it was in that moment that they begun to notice the oddities that a new figure, wearing a set of deeper colored, almost red, robes made his way to standing behind the alter. The couple that greeted the group made their way onto the small stage, kneeling and bowing their heads to face the stone alter.

The man in darker colored robes opened his arms, warmly smiling at the group, speaking in a low voice that sounded as though it could shake the very floor they had walked in upon. “Welcome, initiates, to your cleansing. Tonight, you will take your first steps into becoming truly clean of the scum that this galaxy has left upon you. Shall we begin?”

Outside, the agents watching the building would begin to notice activity as well. The doors to the warehouse were closed with such force that the sound echoed throughout the streets and reached the vantage points where they lay. To block the doors emerged a pair of figures from either side of the warehouse, each wearing a pair of black robes with hoods that obscured whatever features they may have. Neither held a weapon in the open, but it was obvious of their intentions.

Those that had just entered into the warehouse were not leaving any time soon.

Spoiler

Sybilla
Nyx N1X3
Tess Valnora
Rayna Lockley
Vess Sadragen
Lanx Velishin
Holt
Lyra Vent

 

[Holt]

E X T E R N A L
T E A M​

Objective: Monitor the Proceedings
Location: Abandoned Apartment -- "Rook's Nest."
Tag: Ciri Jade | Tess Valnora | Nyx N1X3 | Lanx Velishin
Word Count: 1,291

The bright blue bioluminescence of Holt's screen was the only source of illumination in the otherwise completely dark and abandoned apartment. Such an artificial strain was wearing on one's eyes, and Holt had seen many of his slicer colleagues undergo complicated and expensive optical surgery just to replace the damage done by staring at screens too long. The foolish ones had undergone that anyway. The smarter ones wore specs, shades, or contacts that filtered out the harmful light that the screens gave, allowing for them to stare at their pads or holos for days on end without coming out worse for wear.

For this operation, Holt had taken a page out of their book. He wore specially fitted contact glasses that filtered out the light, and he'd let research and development do some tinkering with them too. They functioned as screens themselves, projecting images and feeds directly into his eyesight when he wasn't cooped up in the Rookery or one of his impromptu Rook's Nests, a tactical advantage that allowed him to be aware of everything going on so long as he had a connection to a transmitter and his feed.

But for now?

That would be unnecessary. This Rook's Nest had all that he needed for this operation, and then some. It hadn't taken that long to set up, either. Observation, infiltration -- these were all routine to him, skills that he'd learned from his days even before Shadowfeed. But Shadowfeed had given him the chance to use those skills for good. A chance at redemption.

That opportunity had been there on Ryloth. Even though he'd failed at his primary mission, at the very least he'd been able to save that little Twi'lek girl. He'd adopted her, and she was now decidedly the littlest of beings in the Rookery, the constant pattering of her feet echoing through every hall and chamber. She was both endearing and vexing, most certainly for the security droids that worked around the clock to ensure that Aola - the name that her mother had given her, the Twi'leki word for flower -- did not accidentally step into a vaporizer or fall through a cliffside door to her doom. But she'd awakened a tiny part of Holt that he'd forgotten was there, a human side to him that he'd thought lost.

Aola had lost everything on Ryloth. On that fateful day, when Shadowfeed -- no, when Holt -- had made the biggest failure of their career. The one organization in the Confederacy that was supposed to be the vanguard, that was supposed to know about each and every threat and when exactly they would hit had failed. And for that Holt blamed himself. He had pushed for the Agents of Chaos to be more closely monitored. He'd known that the sudden exit of Shadowfeed personnel, defecting to the terrorist organization, was no coincidence.

His adoptive daughter had gotten the easy end, relatively speaking. It was part compensation for watching her parent being executed by those savages on a live broadcast. Partly because she had ended up being stuck to Holt as he'd warred with the Agents of Chaos over the HoloNet and communications, acting as the organic countermeasures to their various attempted means of sabotage. She'd grown on him, although he didn't like to admit it. He cared for her. But there were millions more on Ryloth who had lost so much and hadn't gotten to come live in fancy maximum security, high technology base of operation for the Confederacy's intelligent apparatus. And beyond them? So many more who had been killed. Killed when they should've been protected under the strong arm and watchful eye of the Confederacy.

He would not allow himself to make the same mistakes again.

Holt mused on these thoughts as he watched the throng of eagerly waiting for participants, including the agents that had covertly infiltrated the masses, be ushered into the chamber. The chamber was lined with wooden pews, archaic and ornate in their design, probably hand-carved -- and if that were the case, they probably then wouldn't be worthless on a market, dark or not. The inside of the warehouse was not lit well, by inconvenience or design Holt did not know. He was however able to adequately adjust his feed, including a slight integration of other sensor input, to get an accurate video of the room that did not leave him wanting. Skills that came with experience at the job, he'd tell the new recruits when they'd ask how he was so deft with these abilities.

The only light in the warehouse came from hundreds of candles, flickering lights on Holt's feed, positioned around what seemed to be an equally-ornate altar. Large candles sat in sconces or on supporting posts of the warehouse, under which stood more beings dressed in the same clothing of the first man and woman. Holt zoomed in on their faces as well, indexing them, but as the feed ran quickly through them he noticed something off. Their smiles. They were. . . wrong. In his line of work Holt considered himself to have picked up the ability to read the expressions of others and discern their true intent. He knew that there were beings with powers that allowed them to do that without any guesswork -- those who could control the mysterious Force, or who had other telepathic or empathic abilities. But Holt had nothing but his own skill and powers of discernment, and he had honed them as he had everything else.

And now looking at these smiles? Something definitely was not right, even if Holt couldn't put his name on it. There was something wrong with their expression, and although he wouldn't admit it to anyone, it disturbed him deep inside.

The groups continued to fill in until the room was completely packed to maximum capacity. And then someone new entered. They wore the same style of robes as the rest, but their clothing was what seemed to be a dark red. The 'couple' that had greeted the group, at this new being's entrance, made their way to the altar and knelt and bowing their heads towards it. The being in the darker red robes, who was decidedly a man, opened his arms in an invitational gesture, smiling with a warmth so unlike the eerie smiles of what seemed to be his followers.

“Welcome, initiates, to your cleansing." He had the voice of a statesman, warm, smooth, seductive. Every word was pronounced correctly and flawlessly, without any traceable accent, and the intonation on each syllable seemed to be deliberated and calculated. But the word that he had used: Cleansing. What did it mean? Holt immediately logged the visual and audio profile of the man. "Tonight, you will take your first steps into becoming truly clean of the scum that this galaxy has left upon you. Shall we begin?”

Suddenly, a noise on the sensors that Holt had established on the perimeter of the warehouse suddenly blared out, and Holt changed the feed. The doors had just been forcibly shut, and he could hear it echo through the night air. A pair of figures emerged from either side of the warehouse, wearing black robes with cowls pulled up that concealed any identifying features. They were not visibly armed, but Holt wouldn't go as far as to assume that they weren't a threat. Either way, their intention was clear: they were here to make sure no one got in or out.

A complication.

"We have a developing situation on the Perimeter," Holt spoke urgently into his comms into a tight-beam directly to the Director. "Four unknowns. I can take them out, but that would cause too much of an alarm. What action do you advise?"

​

 

[Tess Valnora]

JALARREN

Objective: Infiltrate
Location: Warehouse
Allies: Holt , Ciri Jade , Lanx Velishin , Nyx N1X3 , Open

Spoiler: EQUIPMENT

Weapons​

Shadow's Sting (gauntlets)
"Viper's Bite" assassin's knife (concealed In boot)

Gear​

Spoiler: Utility belt

SOAR - Slicing Operation Assistance Routine
Smoke grenades (2)
Medi-kit (1)

Armor:​

Spoiler: Trench coat

Norris root dyed leatheris trench coat]

PD-00 "Second Skin" Light Armor

​

Her eyes had fully adjusted to the warehouse light, which was dimmer than it had appeared when the doors had been opened. Doors that had now been closed and in the process of being barred. But these members of the group wore black instead of the white of everyone else. ’Note: colors of robes most likely indicate status or duty. But are white the grunts or are the black?’ Tess thought as she swiveled her head at the sound of doors closing, which nobody else in the crowd indicated noticing the proceedings behind them.

As Tess walked to the pew she was being ushered to, she was surprised at the lack of security this place appeared to have. There was no frisking at the entrance for weapons, which slightly puzzled her. Wouldn’t a secret society want to protect against a potential inside threat? The lack of overall weaponry among the people gathered was something worth noting, but weapons could easily be concealed. She had to keep alert without showing intent.

Once she made it to the pew, she began side shuffling until she was sitting in the near center of the second row, not ideal if something occurred that would require quick action. The gaggle of twenty or so lifeforms finally finished the process of being seated and the white robes stood in the isles at the end of each pew as if acting like end caps to keep the seated inhabitants from leaving if they wanted to. Once everyone was silently seated a figure in red began speaking from a podium.

“Welcome, initiates, to your cleansing. Tonight, you will take your first steps into becoming truly clean of the scum that this galaxy has left upon you. Shall we begin?” came the deep, firm yet soft voice from the man. Strangely enough, the thought of being cleansed of the galaxy’s ‘filth’ that she had accumulated from her past sounded enticing. She wanted to sit there and listen to what this man had to say, even if he was part of a cult. Tess’s eyes fixed on the man clad all in red and waited for what he would say next, the mission beginning to slip into the back of her mind.​

​

 

[Lanx Velishin]

Things were well and truly kicking off now.

He had very much not liked the idea of the doors to the warehouse closing before, but now? When there was a pair of hooded guards outside? This thing was rapidly starting to fall out of the control of agents, which could lead to something very, very bad for the agents inside the building. And it was his partner watcher that was making his own blood pressure begin to rise at the thought of what might just happen.

“Maybe…it’d be better to wait.” He was honestly unsure how those words escaped his mouth, given the stress that he was starting to feel. There was a short exhale that followed, then an explanation of his denial. “I just..think it’d be better to hold off for just a minute. We have agents inside, and as we can hear, they just started their little..service. If the reports are right and this group has any connection to the supernatural..taking out the guards would surely alert them.”

A pause now, as Lanx began to realize he might’ve stepped out of line. Even if Holt could not see it, his ears began to flatten on his head, visibly shrinking back at the thought of annoying or stepping out of line in this situation. “If..that falls in line with your thinking, sir.” Lanx was new to all this, new to even speaking and his own thoughts being taken seriously.

Obviously no one cared too much about what a slave had to say on a hutt mining asteroid.

But despite his disagreement, he was willing to go with whatever the senior agent wanted to do in this situation. All he cared about was making sure all the agents got out safely and the mission was completed, not that his ideas were taken seriously. Job first, feelings second. That, at least, still applied from the mines.

Maybe one day his mind would be able to be pulled from the confines and shackles of the mine as well.

| Sybilla | Nyx 1313 | Ciri Jade | Holt | Tess Valnora |​

 

[Nyx N1X3]

Shoulders tucked in and lifted slightly, her large eyes slowly swept from side to side. Discretely. Not really, but it was the sort of 'innocent' discretion that most people used trying to avoid being too obvious. Checking for threats from strangers, of course. The truth wasn't terribly different -- Nyx was surveying and mapping the layout of the warehouse and the locations of any living creature in attendance. It would help should things turn... violent.

After they were seated it wasn't difficult to notice the attempt to box their guests in by sitting people at the ends of the rows. Nor the altogether too well rehearsed manner in which everyone moved; but there was enough data that indicated they weren't mechanical in nature.

Her chin tucked in toward her chest, Nyx turned to look off to the side. In the corner of her eye, she sought to look at what was behind them. In the direction of the doors and the thunderous closing of such. Not the sort of behavior she expected from cultists. They would have made sure the doors closed so quietly even a droid would find it pleasant.

With the service underway, however, her attention didn't linger to the 'side' long. Her chin lifted slightly as her attention turned toward the central figure once more. Nyx, however, wasn't confined to one set of inputs. The droid made sure to set various pickups to a heightened level to monitor for any unusual activity in the area. No one had called upon her to assassinate anyone, but she had begun to discover an increasing amount of...capabilities suited to such a task that was easily purposed for situations such as this.

Tag: Eternal Fallen Angel | Ciri Jade | Holt | Tess Valnora | Lanx Velishin

 

[Eternal Fallen Angel]

The activity toward the back of the chapel didn’t deter the presumable preacher from beginning his sermon. In fact, before the doors even closed, the white robed individuals that knelt at the alter began to step off the stage and start toward the sides. All the while, the red robed preacher made sure to keep his congregation attention by beginning to speak his words of truth. “I understand all of this can seem..out of place for such a humble world as yours, my children.”

There was a slight moment of the pastor chuckling, shaking his head lightly at the words spoken, before he continued with, “Yet I assure you, we would not be here if it weren’t for our guides beyond the veiled sanctum. We believe you all, here, tonight, can be cleansed fully of the bonds that that hold you to the realm around you.” The pair began to emerge from behind the stage, both carrying what looked to be large pots of…something. With the lips fastened securely to the tops, the crowd would not be able to see what was inside just yet.

For his part, the paster did not seem concerned with the actions of his partners, instead emerging from behind the podium to pace at the front of the stage. His eyes began to reach out and catch each and every one of the observers, giving them a genuinely soft smile each time he did. “I’m sure you have questions, especially about what we claim to be..bonds. Allow me to speak on that matter.” He paused, eyes catching Tess Valnora’s eyes for just a moment. He seemed to linger there for a moment longer than the others, something the agent’s might realize if they were careful with their observations.

“We as beings are naturally tied down to a single realm. A single..dimension, so to speak. This limits us, makes us less than we could be. What I will offer you, tonight, will be the chance to connection yourself with the version of yourself that exists beyond this single realm. You will feel more complete, whole, and most importantly…” Another pause, this time to put a large smile toward the crowd. “Happy.”

The paster then moved to one of the large ceramic jars, lifting the lid to scoop out what looked to be a handful of dark black dirt. He let it slip from his fingertips, back into the jar with a lightly softer smile, as if there was a weight pulling down the wide smile he had once had. The sermon was starting to get deeper, now, and holding off would only continue to get harder for the agents. But without knowing what the dirt might be for, could they really break up the gathering now?

Spoiler

Tess Valnora
Holt
Nyx N1X3
Lanx Velishin
Ciri Jade
Lyra Vent
Rayna Lockley
Vess Sadragen