Private Chasing Light

[Phaelissia]

Location: Imperial Gallery of Art, Cultural District, New Kaas City - Dromund Kaas
Time: Midnight - Hours after the Lightsworn Raid
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Galactic Basic”
Tag: Otakar Wacha

The lightfight which had transpired only an hour before had left bodies strewn about the foyer stuck in various morbid poses. As Phaelissia swept her synthetic gaze across the foyer, her enhanced mind counted the dead in clinical fashion—22 Ashlan rebels, four civilians, eight Sith troopers, and five bodies of unclear affiliation. However, none of the dead were the targets that she was looking for. Thus, the Cipher filed the information for later and made her way deeper into the gallery.

It was only just as Phaelissia was about to pass a vending machine that she came to a sudden halt, her senses registering the faint, high-pitched whine of a blaster being charged. Directing her gaze towards the vending machine, the ultrasonic emitters in her eyes quickly pierced through the machine to find a wounded Ashlan cowering behind the opposite side, blaster rifle nestled tightly in their grip.

“You can come out now.” Phaelissia purred, her eyes taking on an icy glow as electricity began to dance across her manicured, stiletto-nailed fingers. “I see you.” She added, her tone almost taking on a lilting quality in the process. “This can be easy for you, if you coopera-”

Phaelissia never finished. The Ashlan peered out of cover, his blaster rifle swiftly leveled towards the short-statured assassin. However, before he could squeeze the trigger, twin beams of ionized CryoBan lanced out from her gaze to freeze Ashlan's rifle in an instant, along with both of his hands, adhering them to his weapon in the process. The man screamed and fell back then, at which point Phaelissia advanced towards him in a blur of motion and planted her foot on his neck.

“You’ll die with a weapon in hand, at least. Stuck in hand.” Phaelissia commented, before pressing her foot into the man’s neck, adding a painful pressure. “Now, as I was saying, we can make this easy or difficult. Right now…it’s only a little difficult. But, trust me, it can get worse. Much worse.” She continued.

“What…do you want?” The man managed, his features turning an angry shade of red.

“There were Jedi here.” Phaelissia said. “Where did they go?”

“I didn’t-” The man rasped.

“Yes. You. Did.” Phaelissia growled, cutting the man’s words off before briefly applying more pressure. “Where did they go? How many were there?” She repeated.

“I don’t know! I just saw a Sith. He tore right through us and we…we…”

“Where is the Sith?”

“He…ran into one of the backrooms. Something about…an artifact…or an art piece.”

Phaelissia paused and briefly glanced around the area, performing a quick scan in the process. Then, after a few moments, she spoke and took her boot off of the man’s neck.

“You’ve been good tonight.”

The man could only gasp before a bolt of searing electricity surged through his body, instantly frying his insides and mangling his features in searing, explosive fashion. Then, Phaelissia turned and made her way to the backrooms. Picking out the one with a life signature behind it, the Cipher stepped through the door as it slid open, at which point her gaze drew in on the wounded male form within.

---

Phaelissia worked quickly, her knowledge of anatomy coming into play as she tended to the Sith’s wounds. First came the grazing lightsaber wound struck across his lower torso. She quickly irrigated the wound before applying antiseptic and thereafter, a layer of bacta gel. Then, she applied synthflesh to seal the skin, along with a bandage.

From there, Phaelissia injected him with a painkiller for his bruised ribs, before administering a stim-shot. As much as she thought it might be possible to go after the Jedi on her own, the Cipher needed the Sith awake to ensure her mission’s success.

And so, lips pinched with anticipation, Phaelissia waited for her stim-shot to take effect.

Spoiler: Loadout

• Frostfire Azalea
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade - R
  • Utility
    
    • Neahtid Earpiece
  • Droid
    
    • ASBF-X86p "Njósnari" Probe Droid
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
• Purifying Lash
• Freezing Fates

 

[Otakar Wacha]

Chasing Light
Being healed by Phaelissia ​

Defeated and thoroughly beaten, Otakar ended up in a small connecting room between the grand entry hall and the staffer's back office. His warblade - more bloodied than he was - laid by his side and a blaster pistol hung by his belt, still hot from being fired extensively. His own blood covered the door's control panel but it had obviously not been locked successfully. Dripplets of blood could also be found from the door to the wall by which he had finally collapsed.

The frown which covered his face slowly turned less and less pronounced as his wounds were being treated. When the painkiller was applied, it faded completely. Subtle hints of a smile started to emerge until he regained consciousness. A low, barely audible, groan left his lips as his brows furrowed to show slight signs of fear and confusion. Finally, he carefully opened his eyes ever so slightly - as if to check if it was safe.

Otakar struggled - and failed - to hide a hard and surprise blink. And then another. "Wha-" he trailed off and his eyes opened fully. First, a quick glance to his wound. The torn shirt easily revealed the layers of healing agents that had been applied. Even then, his hand carefully moved to rest on the grip of his blaster as he sat up straight.

At first, he didn't say a word. Instead, his eyes shot from corner to corner as he methodically scanned the room and the female in front of him. "You are absolutely puny" he stated cooly - his voice still strong and authoritative, in spite of the injuries. His eyes flashed with a degree of approval "- and you are not one of them. Good."

His other hand moved without any sort of stealth as he prompted himself up before finding its way in behind his back to where the stolen saber was. With a good amount of audacity, the Acolyte continued, speaking as if he was now in charge of the situation "Now, it seems like you have me at a disadvantage. I am Otakar Wacha. State your intent."

 

[Phaelissia]

Location: Imperial Gallery of Art, Cultural District, New Kaas City - Dromund Kaas
Time: Midnight - Hours after the Lightsworn Raid
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Galactic Basic”
Tag: Otakar Wacha

As acute as her senses were, Phaelissia nearly flinched when the Sith finally woke up. In retrospect, there had been signs that he was coming to, but she had simply ignored them, being otherwise occupied with tending to the man’s wounds.

Thus, it went without saying that those signs had not been the only things that she had ignored.

And so, as Phaelissia shifted her attention to look at the Sith, she found her gaze immediately drawn into his piercing yellow eyes. Her lashes fluttered, once, twice, three, then four times in quick succession—a useless, vestigial reflex that she no longer needed to adhere to due to her cybernetic eyes. And yet, the reflex manifested once more as her features went red with barely-constrained flustration, especially as his voice—rich and confident—seemed to flow like a simmering syrup within her long and pointed ears.

"You are absolutely puny"

For all of her augmentations and enhancements, it took more than a few moments for Phaelissia to register the man’s meaning, by which point he had already moved on. Shaking her head, the Aetharian stood up to give the man the space he needed, before offering him a quick bow.

“I am Cipher Agent Phaelissia of the Saaraishash.” She began. “I have been tasked with hunting down a Jedi who was active tonight during the raid. He came through this museum only recently and it is believed that he made off with an artifact in the process.” The Aetharian continued. “I know this is demanding a favor of you, but if you are in a state to do so, I would ask if you could describe him for me and offer any information as to where he might have gone.” She requested.

“Are you feeling okay, my lord? I did my best to attend to your wounds.” The elfin assassin added, her features turning soft as certain unfamiliar instincts began to take over. “Your lightsaber burn was bad but…thank the Eternal Father, it did not go too deep. However, you sustained bruised ribs, as well. I administered a painkiller for that. Did you take a blow to the chest by chance?”

Spoiler: Loadout

• Frostfire Azalea
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade - R
  • Utility
    
    • Neahtid Earpiece
  • Droid
    
    • ASBF-X86p "Njósnari" Probe Droid
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
• Purifying Lash
• Freezing Fates

 

[Otakar Wacha]

Chasing Light
Talking to Phaelissia ​

Patience. Otakar's eyes would linger on her as she spoke whilst the rest of him remained relatively still. It would seem as if he was giving her his undivided attention and in many ways, it was true. However, he was far from idle - for he was also reaching out and bending the force to his will, making sure that he'd wouldn't be caught unaware should any more hostiles approach. Fortunately, it seemed as if they would be left in peace for the time being.

"There were two of them. The man you speak of; he came here with a Duros - I took her sabre." The large hand which had readied itself behind his back appeared with the weapon held firmly in its grasp. He threw a quick glance at his wound but refrained from elaborating on it further. Instead, he made an ever so slight nod "I will oblige: The man wore white robes with golden linings. He was not one of those dress wielding ones, he wore baggy pants. I couldn't see his hair under the hood but he had a beard with the colour of a womp-rat and deep blue eyes. The Duros - well, she looked like any other Duros - greenish grey, dark eyes and an outfit matching his. I gave her a good punch - give it a bit of time and it'll show on her left cheek."

He had spoken with a matter-of-factly tone and watched her carefully as he did, as if analyzing whether she was listening properly or not. Even after he had spoken, the gaze continued to linger on her until she asked if he was doing okay. To that, the Sith did not respond. Instead, he placed a hand against the wall and rose to his feet. With extreme observational skills, one might have noticed the pained grimace that appeared for the briefest of moments - the fist tightening its grip on the sabre was easier to notice. Towering over her, he kept his head high but allowed his eyes to fall down to her before finally offering a single nod to show his gratitude.

"One of the imbeciles outside hit me with a pole after I tore his rifle away" he spoke with resentment as a little bit of rage flared up in his eyes - which now looked to the door by the far end of the room.

Then, he started walking towards the door and beckoned for her to follow with a sharp gesture. He then proceeded to move through the facility with long but calm strides, keeping him at a good pace without exerting all too much effort. Still not angling his head down to meet her, his eyes fell onto her "You have a good bit of confidence going after those who could best me." his strong voice carried a fair bit of amusement. Then a sincere "I applaud you for that. But - the next lowlife we see won't survive the day. You shall demonstrate what you are capable of."

 

[Phaelissia]

Location: Imperial Gallery of Art, Cultural District, New Kaas City - Dromund Kaas
Time: Midnight - Hours after the Lightsworn Raid
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Galactic Basic”
Tag: Otakar Wacha

And indeed, Phaelissia listened. As breathtaking as Otakar had initially been to her otherwise ultra-surgical senses, the Aetharian’s gaze widened with intent when the Sith described his assailants. And yet, committing the descriptions to memory within her augmented mind came almost as easy as breathing to her. She knew enough, from context clues and other implications, to fill in the unspoken details, giving her a rough image of the two Jedi to work with. The rest could be filled in later as more information came to light.

“The Jedi hold a close bond with their lightsabers.” Phaelissia commented. “However, I do not anticipate that the Duros will return for it. She will have bigger priorities. If her party has indeed managed to secure an artifact, they are likely seeking to elope with it.” She added, the implication in her words being obvious. This was a race against time.

"You have a good bit of confidence going after those who could best me." his strong voice carried a fair bit of amusement. Then a sincere "I applaud you for that. But - the next lowlife we see won't survive the day. You shall demonstrate what you are capable of."

“It is less confidence in myself than it is confidence in His will.” Phaelissia stated. “The Eternal Father molded me as His instrument of retribution. I serve at His pleasure and if He saw fit to give me this task, He must have known that I was capable of succeeding in it.” The Aetharian finished, eyes wide and pupils dilated with a confidence that could only have been born from faith. In that regard, her conviction remained unwavering, even after seeing the bodies of so many fallen Sith throughout the night, slain in battle by the Lightsworn terrorists.

While Phaelissia always deferred to the Sith, she knew that their belief—like that of any mortal during moments of weakness—could waver under duress. Perhaps those fallen had not been faithful enough.

“I will see these Lightblind demons purged, my lord.” Phaelissia resolved as she followed the Sith out from the back room. Before long, the Cipher found herself back at the foyer, finding the bodies of the dead Ashlan rebels and Sith troopers still within. Then, after glancing each of them over, she moved towards the one that she had recently slain and quietly began to pick through the items on their person. Weapons, rations, equipment, tools, and...

A datapad communicator.

“This might help us track the Jedi, especially if we can tap into their comms.” Phaelissia commented as she pulled her multi-slice tool out from its place on her belt and inserted it into the device, in the hopes of unlocking it.

Spoiler: Loadout

• Frostfire Azalea
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade - R
  • Utility
    
    • Neahtid Earpiece
  • Droid
    
    • ASBF-X86p "Njósnari" Probe Droid
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
• Purifying Lash
• Freezing Fates

 

[Otakar Wacha]

Chasing Light
Chasing enemies with Phaelissia ​

His gaze lingered on her as he waited for a response and remained there until she completed the first sentence - mentioning confidence in His will. At that point, he diverted it gaze to instead look to their destination. Remaining relatively expressionless as they went, it might have been hard to determine whether he was listening or not. It was not until she diverted her course, away from the one he was taking, to visit one of the corpses in the foyer, that he answered.

"That sort of statement comes from someone who has enjoyed a great deal of success." Still refusing to tilt his head down, the young Otakar's eyes fell down towards her imperiously as she searched the body. "I wonder would become of your faith should you encounter more failure." he said, allowing the final word to hang in the air for a bit before wrapping it up with a controlled "But I'd rather see you succeed."

Just as he was about to continue the walk, regardless of whether she followed or not, the Cipher produced a datapad from the fallen warrior. "If it pleases you, by all means. Go ahead. Hearing their communications could be entertaining." he spoke with leisure as he continued to move towards the exit. "But we won't need it to find them - I can still smell the stench of the wretched Duros. The force will guide us."

Once outside, he hopped into the passenger seat of a black air speeder with a sporty profile. Pointing to the west north-west with his arm, he spoke "Our foes escaped to that direction. They are outside the city bounds. I trust you know how to get us there quickly"

 

[Phaelissia]

Location: New Kaas City - Dromund Kaas
Time: Midnight - Hours after the Lightsworn Raid
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Galactic Basic”
Tag: Otakar Wacha

Phaelissia trusted the Sith and his strength in the dark side of the Force. However, she didn’t want to go in without a backup plan. Thus, the Aetharian kept her multi-slice tool plugged into the comm device as she climbed into the driver’s seat of the air speeder. However, a slight frown came over her features as she scanned across the dashboard until she came across what appeared to be the seat and pedal adjuster. Fortunately, a quick adjustment in both regards raised the ergonomics, allowing her to operate the foot pedals and see out of the viewport without having to crane her neck or stretch her feet. In that regard, the short-statured Cipher was very lucky that the ergonomics of this particular model could be adjusted high (and low) enough for her to be able to use it in the first place.

In such an event, she would have had to ask the Sith whether he could fly instead.

“I can, my lord.” Phaelissia affirmed as she powered on the air speeder’s engine and took off from the platform, bringing the machine up into a quick ascent before leveling out upon reaching the skylanes. She normally would have flown her own route, but since this particular air speeder lacked official markings, Phaelissia did not want to draw undue attention by flying illegally.

In this case, it would be faster to abide by the local traffic laws, at least until they got outside city limits.

Spoiler: Loadout

• Frostfire Azalea
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade - R
  • Utility
    
    • Neahtid Earpiece
  • Droid
    
    • ASBF-X86p "Njósnari" Probe Droid
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
• Purifying Lash
• Freezing Fates

 

[Otakar Wacha]

Chasing Light
Chasing enemies with Phaelissia ​

Awkwardly, two brows rose as the Cipher adjusted her seat. Perhaps the Sith should have known better. Regardless, he waited patiently for the process to be completed whilst looking out of the frontal viewport from the passenger seat. He did, however, throw her a glance from time to time to see if things were going well enough.

It would not be long before the two could be off with Phaelissia's confirmation that she would be able to move them hastily. To that, a simple "Good" would be uttered.

For some time, Otakar would chose silence. At first, he simply looked out the viewports as they moved through the recovering traffic of Kaas City. It was far from the usual buzz but it was no longer as desolate as it had been just a few hours ago. Still, traffic appeared to be flowing nicely with many rushed - but still disciplined - drivers going about their business.

At one point, the Sith crossed his arms. Something which he rather obviously came to regret as a pained frown appeared. He quickly uncrossed his arms and lifted the part of his shirt that covered his chest to inspect the wound. By all accounts, it appeared to have been treated properly by the Cipher and there were no signs of infection. Thus, he decided to let it go.

Before long, the duo with exit the city limits. With building and industrial zones becoming scarcer, the massive jungles of the planet started to come fully within view, either reaching as far as the eye could see, or until being eclipsed by an ancient temple or vast mountain. Looking over to her, Otakar asked "So, what's your plan once we meet them? How did the Eternal Father prepare you to face the likes of these creatures?"

 

[Phaelissia]

Location: New Kaas City - Dromund Kaas
Time: Midnight - Hours after the Lightsworn Raid
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Galactic Basic”
Tag: Otakar Wacha

Dedicating an instance of her awareness to piloting the airspeeder, Phaelissia simultaneously worked on the stolen comm device, switching channels and listening in on any transmissions that she could find. All the while, the Aetharian took a brief glance at the Sith, his silence giving her a brief reprieve as she flew the airspeeder within the confines of the skylane.

The Sith spoke again as soon as they were outside city limits, at which point Phaelissia sucked in a short breath and shifted her gaze in the direction that he had pointed, her features briefly twitching at his comment.

“I’ll try to land us a kilometer or two outside wherever the rebels are holed up.” The Cipher explained calmly. “My probe droid will move ahead to scout the area while we move in on foot. I’ll have to access its sensor data via my implants.” She added. “We’ll plan our approach based on what the probe finds.” The Aetharian continued. “I do not anticipate that the Lightsworn would have had time to develop anything more than rudimentary defenses, but if they did, we will have to figure out how to circumvent them.” She finished.

With that, Phaelissia pulled her multi-slice tool out of the stolen comm device, her annoyance growing as the device had failed to reveal anything of particular note. Regardless, she quickly stamped her emotions. Her patience with the situation had yet to run out.

From there, Phaelissia broke off from the skylane, bringing the airspeeder into dive so as to hug the terrain. Now that they were firmly in the jungles where traffic was sparse, illegal flying would be less of an issue. However, the maneuver was also calculated to force a reaction. Fortunately, a quick glance at the rearview mirror eased the Cipher’s suspicions. They were not being followed, or at least, whoever was or might be following them had yet to tip their hand.

“How far away are we?” Phaelissia asked the Sith as she guided the airspeeder over the forest canopy.

Spoiler: Loadout

• Frostfire Azalea
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade - R
  • Utility
    
    • Neahtid Earpiece
  • Droid
    
    • ASBF-X86p "Njósnari" Probe Droid
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
• Purifying Lash
• Freezing Fates

 

[Otakar Wacha]

Chasing Light
Chasing enemies with Phaelissia ​

An skeptical brow rose upon hearing the initial part of her answer. But then, she continued speaking of the probe, plans and circumventing defences. "You're a planner. You use technology as others would the force." he paused to give himself a few moments for consideration. "You must be meticulous, precise. It will be interesting to see you in action."

His gaze slowly shifted back to the viewports of the speeder as they sped down low, just a little bit above the treetops, causing him to add an amused "I suppose I already am." The Sith offered a knowing smirk.

"Not far" the response to her question was a brief one and likely did not say much. But then, the force was not always so easy to decipher - especially for someone with his limited skill and experience. Of course, he had done what he could not to let any weakness show. Fists clenched and loosened as they went and frustration became increasingly more apparent - it could be seen on his brows and the fire in his eyes grew more intense.

Suddenly stretching out an arm to point to their left, "There" the frustration finally found a release: Left in his voice was a distinct bloodthirst.

From their current location, it was not quite obvious what the Sith was pointing to. For it was a small clearing in the dense jungle which could not be seen from the low position of the speeder. Had they been much higher, it would still have been hard to identify it as a clearing, considering how small of an area was actually cleared. Inside, was a light freighter. Next to it, on top of stubbles from newly felled trees, was the speeder which the aggressors had escaped on.

The area was far from fortified. From a quick glance, no real defences could be seen. But then, what was more likely was an imminent escape. For the ship had already powered on and the speeder had already been abandoned. The ship turrets were also active but nobody appeared to be inside.