Private Dirty Deeds, Done For Free?

[Darth Strosius]

The Legionnaires did draw some gazes and confused looks from the normal crowds that walked and lived in the city, but most were smart enough to quickly turn away and go back to whatever business they were conducting. The soldiers posted up and formed a perimeter around one particular building, what appeared to be some sort of two story garage or warehouse. It was nondescript and blended it with the other structures around it, perfect for a gang's hideout.

Alisteri nodded as the apprentice came up to him, surveying over the building for a moment before he responded. "That it is." He pointed up towards the top of the building at a window, one of the few that there were. "Think you can get in there? I know of a back entrance and my soldiers can assault the front, if you can get in on the second story and attack them from above as well then they'll be too confused to mount a swift defense in any single direction."

Admittedly it was a simple plan, but it was one that would be easy to execute and would result in few casualties on their side if done right. This was a simple gang, no need for advanced tactics that they were ill-equipped for.

Kyrilu Storm-wracked

 

[Kyrilu Storm-wracked]

As the soldiers formed up around the warehouse, armed and clearly ready to do battle, people nearby scattered like flies from a bantha turd, casting anxious looks at the soldiers and, in particular, the Knight at Kyrilu's side. He was an intimidating figure, to be sure.

Kyrilu scanned the building's facade with his sight, searching for the best ingress point. He was forbidden from using not only his lightsaber but also any power beyond his natural force sight. If he wasn't hamstringed so, he could leap into any of the windows in a single bound with little effort, probably even show off with some fancy Ataru-style flip. His master's instructions were clear, however. He was here to earn the right to use his force powers again, and that meant getting creative.

There, a window on the far right, near the very top, with only two occupants in the room beyond. There were a number of handholds he could use to scale the warehouse front, then a bright neon sign he would jump off to grab the lip of the window to pull himself inside. Kyrilu pointed to the opening in question. "Easy enough, Knight, just say the word. What kind of resistance are we expecting inside?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Neither the soldiers nor their master seemed to care for the unease that they caused, they were well aware of the presence they gave off. It was intentional to some degree, but it was the fear of the unknown that Alisteri wished to be squashed today. His Legionnaires would end this gang in front of a crowded street and their reputation as peacekeepers would begin. All they had to do now was kick in the door.

The Knight's gaze followed the point to the window, noting the possible routes one could take to climb up into it. "Good spotting, that'll be a perfect entrance." He nodded in agreement and gestured to the building itself. "Not much admittedly. Maybe two dozen lightly armed and armored criminals in total. Their most dangerous asset is that they're on the defensive and probably saw us arrive, so they'll be watching their entrances."

If they were smart then they would anyway. Incompetence could never be accounted for. "We'll go in first and draw their fire, get them away from the front and then let the Legionnaires come in and help us mop up." The Apprentice didn't seem to be as armored as Alisteri, but he figured that wouldn't be too much of an issue. Jedi hardly ever wore armor after all, and somehow they managed just fine.

"Feel free to keep whatever you want from their bodies, their loot is ours for the taking. Just make sure you share any information you find up there." He pulled his lightsaber from his hip and nodded to his fellow Sith. "Anything else before we begin?"

Kyrilu Storm-wracked

 

[Kyrilu Storm-wracked]

Kyrilu heard the tactical information Knight Haxim provided as though it were being relayed second-hand. Since drawing his weapons he had been preparing himself for the combat to come, felt the exhilaration of impending battle flow through his entire being like never before. It was almost an alien sensation, one he had never allowed himself to truly experience before he waded into the action. Despite his master's instruction not to make use of his force powers, he felt the first vestiges of what he assumed was the dark side of the force building up inside himself, affecting his mental state as well as his emotions. Never before had he truly appreciated the passion he felt from such skirmishes.

A growl escaped his lips as he bounded forward, ignoring the Knight's last question as he imagined the fight to come in his mind's eye. He holstered his pistol during his run, vibrosword still clutched in his right hand, and leapt towards the first of the building's handholds with his free hand. He scaled the building smoothly, without conscious thought, lost in the haze of imminent bloodletting. He nimbly scaled the warehouse facade till he was hanging from the lip of the open window. A grin on his lips, Ky pushed wider the glass window and slipped inside, a blaster bolt screeching its way overhead as he rolled along the floor.

The smarter of the two gangsters had attempted to flee towards the open door opposite the window, firing his blaster pistol blindly backwards. As Kyrilu rolled to his feet, he instinctively activated his vibrosword's energy cell, electricity crackling along the length of the blade as he slashed sideways before he made it to his feet. The lethal blade almost bisected the unfortunate trandoshan in two, but the battle-haze had Ky gripped in its talons. The gangster's death knell assaulted Ky's senses as a melodic song that stirred something deep within himself he had never known existed.

Unbidden, a howl tore itself from Kyrilu's lips as he faced the gangster huddling behind the door room's doorframe. He was subconciously aware of the cowering human staggering back several paces, a grimace on it's pudgy face. If he was consciously aware of his actions he would realise had unwittingly broken his master's commandment with his scream, but the deluge of murder lust that whelmed his very being blinded him more than his vestigial eye sockets ever had. He felt a dull sizzle as the human scum teetered backwards, the blaster pistol held shakily in an outstretched hand loosing a bolt that slammed into his shoulder and burned a hole through the simple fabric of his clothing.

The searing pain in his chest only fuelled his rage, the blistering anger he felt melding with his murky thoughts. A quick lunge sent him barrelling towards the human fleeing down a dingy corridor, another invigorating blast of energy scorching his left thigh as he sprinted forwards. The sword's humming vibration resonated up his entire limb as he impaled the criminal, lifting him off his feet with a yowl of pain. Blaster bolts shrieked around him from the lower level as the gang summoned up the strength to fight back against the invaders.

Kyrilu shouldered the human backwards off his blade, sending the man flailing backwards over the railing and crashing to the floor below. Ky ducked back into the cover of a nearby doorway, the blood of his victims singing through his muddled thought-cage.

"Fear becomes you all!"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

The Knight merely clicked his tongue as the other Sith ran off and began his climb up to the building, watching as he scaled up to the window before he tapped on his helmet's commlink. "Breach on my signal." With that simple order relayed to his Legionnaires he swiftly moved past them and to the rear of the building. As he ignited his lightsaber he heard the sound of a blaster bolt and chuckled to himself before setting to work at carving open the back door. "Alina must see herself in him I suppose."

With an outstretched hand he pushed the now detached door through into the warehouse with considerable force, idly noting a cry of pain as it apparently impacted a gangster. Sure enough the criminals had fortified the front entrance, less so on the rear one, with crates and furniture for cover and were distracted by the sounds of struggle from the floor above them. Alisteri didn't wait for them to notice him, he simply got to work. With a flash of lightning he scorched and sent the nearest gangster flying into a wall, a loud crack resounding upon impact. That got their attention. The criminals were soon firing, some up to try and assist their dying comrades upstairs, some still awaiting the front door to be kicked in, and the rest took aim at him. Just as planned.

It didn't matter how many blasters were trained on him, how fast they could pull the trigger, or how manic their fear was, the Sith Knight effortlessly deflected each and every bolt that was aimed to kill him. Most just missed entirely, and the rest were sent right back to injure or kill their shooters. He had fought for years against properly trained and armed soldiers. A bunch of gangsters with decent weaponry was nothing more than a nuisance to him. He moved forward through the onslaught of blaster fire and cut down another criminal, holding up his body with his lightsaber for cover as he tapped his commlink.

"Breach it!" The front door exploded from a planted charge and soon the Legionnaires had joined the fray with roars of bloodlust, the initial gangsters still by the door were gunned down or killed by the soldiers' vibroblades before they could even muster the will to shoot back. Now pinned in from three sides the fight in the main warehouse turned into a slaughter. A fair bit, five or so, made a mad dash for upstairs and fired forward hoping to end whatever threat lay up there.

Meanwhile Alisteri strode though the carnage, leaving headless bodies and charred corpses as he carved through all that tried to oppose him. The Legionnaires were just as brutal as their master, often pinning a gangster to a crate and simply bludgeoning the poor criminal to death with their rifles as their comrades fired and shot down any that ran for cover.

Kyrilu Storm-wracked

 

[Kyrilu Storm-wracked]

Kyrilu's outburst was followed by such carnage on the lower level as he had never personally witnessed. As Knight Haxim burst through the back door and began unleashing his power, Ky was almost transfixed watching him, lost deep in a haze of battle lust.

Ky registered a group of criminals storming up the stairs before the sound of tramping boots reached his ears. His attention tore away from the brutal majesty of Knight Haxim waging War, Ky spun the vibrosword in his hand and pulled his blaster pistol from its holster with his off hand. He took the corner, pistol up and pointed down the opening in the hall where the top of the stairs let out. He knew his force sight allowed him a huge advantage in situations like this, as he was hyper aware of exactly where his enemies were even in an environment he had never set foot in before. It was this that allowed him to blast the first two gangsters off their feet as they bounded wildly round the corner. He was caught another glancing blow as he flowed round in their wake, spearing the next enemy through the chest. He felt the kinetic energy of blaster bolts as they thudded into the corpse hanging from his sword even as he rushed forward, the stuck man's cries loud in his ears. He barrelled into the next target, knocking his down the stairs along with his sword still embedded in the first man's body.

The last enemy swept to the side, narrowly avoiding the bodies flying towards him. Before he could recover, Ky launched at him with a growl, leaping from the landing, hands outstretched for the man's throat. He seized the human's throat even as they fell, entangled, down the flight of stairs. He landed atop the man, hands squeezing, clenching, even as fists flailed at him from the dying man. He felt dark strength flooding his veins as he broke the man's neck. The last surviving gangster was scrambling to his feet, roaring in anger as he tackled Ky from his comrade's corpse.

Ky laughed as he felt blows crashing into his body, heavy, powerful blows to be sure but he registered the pain only as much another source of strength. He twisted his hand out from the tight grip of the gangster, latching onto the man's face in a vice grip. He channelled all his fear through that connection, watching the man's eyes blink, startled, then widen, then the screams came. Ky savoured every moment of the horrified howls as he pushed the criminal off him, leaving the man writhing on the ground, lost in a nightmare.

Ky stood, breathed, feeling stronger and more powerful than he had in his entire life. The blaster shots he had taken began to sting as the lust of combat leached out of him. Something he had not consciously noticed before, a security terminal in an office upstairs, had him taking the at steps two at a time. The security programs were laughably easy to crack, but what he found within made him stop and think. If Alisteri wanted to show the cities of Formos that the Sith could be relied upon, then he would surely not permit Kyrilu to infiltrate this city's archives in search of the vague of a Sith artefact that may or may not exist. But Ky would not ignore this.

One of the legionnaires rounded the corner to the office, weapon raised, only to lower it upon seeing Ky. "Are you okay...Sir?" He said, obviously unsure how to address Ky as he noticed the wounds about Ky's person. Ky finished downloading the information from the terminal onto a data pad he had found sitting nearby, then tossed it to the soldier.

"I'm fine, trooper. Make sure this gets to Knight Haxim. Inform him I've found something of interest in the data banks here and am heading out to investigate. I will make my own way back to Dresuoti."

Ky didn't give the soldier the chance to reply as he strode past, dropping out the window at the front of the building that he had climbed in and making his way down the street. Knight Haxim might be angry with him, but needed something to convince the Knight to teach him to bleed his lightsaber crystal. Surely this was worth the effort.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

All in all the skirmish barely lasted a couple minutes, but the little time that it did go on was a bloody one indeed. Gangsters running around, trying to find cover or escape, Legionnaires chasing them down or simply shooting them in the back as they ran, and the sound of lightning singing flesh and bodies being cleaved into two pieces. A macabre opera of death. By the time the screaming and shooting was all done the warehouse was covered with blaster marks and bodies, Alisteri himself having simply walked to the center and left a gruesome trail in his wake.

The Knight glanced around as his soldiers swept the building, checking the dead and looking for any possible runners. "Herkeon. Casualty report." One of the Legionnaires stepped forward and gave the Sith a quick bow before standing at attention. "No deaths on our end High Priest, although we do have five wounded from grazing shots. They can all still walk and perform their duties." Very good news, they could hardly afford to replace a lost soldier at this point. "Good. Get the wounded back to the transports and let them rest." He deactivated his lightsaber and clipped the weapon back to his belt, his arms crossing behind his back as he looked away from the Legionnaire and to the rest of his soldiers. "Usual procedure. Take anything worth of value, focus on weapons and ammunition, bring me anything with intel."

With his Legion now doing their scavenging duty the Sith stepped away from the carnage and towards the front entrance, or he would have done if another Legionnaire hadn't approached him with a datapad in hand. "High Priest! The...um, guest found this." Alisteri plucked the device from the soldier and looked it over curiously, nodding in acknowledgement as the Legionnaire saluted. "He said he found something interesting sir, went to go investigate. He said would meet us back at base afterwards." The Knight's silence caused the soldier to shift in place nervously, but to his relief the Sith slid the datapad into his robes with another nod.

"I see. Thank you Sarvte, you may go about your scavenging." His tone was even, very level and almost emotionless as he responded. The Legionnaire wasted no time giving his leader another salute and quickly scampering off to return to his duties. Alisteri sighed as he stepped out from the warehouse and back onto the city street as he resisted the urge to hunt down the wayward apprentice. Alina was going to kill him if her apprentice wound up dead on his watch. "Well Storm-wracked, you had better have a good fething excuse when you get back." He muttered under his breath as he stepped back onto the transport.

"Finish your scavenging and load up! We have a mayor to make a deal with."

Kyrilu Storm-wracked

 

[Kyrilu Storm-wracked]

The stolen speeder bike screamed across the plains, its engine pushed right to the brink of effectiveness. Kyrilu grinned at the sheer speed he was hurtling towards Dresuoti at, the turns he took round cliff faces and the occasional copse of trees. His wounds from the fight back at the warehouse would need seen to more professionally than the quick treatments he had applied to himself, but the trip had been worth it. Very much worth it.

The location of a Sith artefact, here, on Formos? Knight Haxim wouldn't hesitate to share the secrets to bleed a lightsaber when he was presented with this information. Ky just hoped the Knight wasn't too angry about him running off, or that handful of palace guards he'd had to kill to retrieve the information. He'd left no trace of his presence, hadn't used his lightsaber either, so it shouldn't come back to him.

Ky shook off his thoughts as the settlement slid into view. He pulled out a commlink he'd stolen from a palace guard and rigged to fit his own purposes. He broadcast in the direction of Dresuoti.

"Knight Haxim, are you home? If you wouldn't mind opening the front door..."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

As the walls of the Dresuoti and the canyon around them came into view, the front gate slid open to welcome the speeder. Of course the usual guards were at their stations along the wall, but none of them seemed to be particularly alert at the moment. Instead, as the apprentice neared the settlement, some had their helmets off and appeared to be eating, drinking, or otherwise enjoying themselves as if celebrating something.

As the gates opened fully however, not far from the entrance stood a group of three. A woman in a black dress accentuated with red stood with her head held high, flanked by two Legionnaires as they seemed to await for the arrival of the incoming Sith. Apart from them and the guards on the walls, the rest of the settlement's residents could be seen mingling about the buildings here and there.

It was seemingly business as usual.

Kyrilu Storm-wracked

 

[Kyrilu Storm-wracked]

Kyrilu brought the speeder to a sharp halt, sliding off the bike immediately as he flicked the ignition switch off with a subtle push of the force. So, the Knight had organised a welcome party for him. Ky's danger sense was alerted by this, but he couldn't place why. The noble woman flanked by the two soldiers did not appear to be a force user, nor did she seem upset in any way. Clearly used to dealing with Knight Haxim, from what Ky guessed was a ritualistic tattoo on her forehead, she was calm in the face of Ky's approach. The soldiers at her side seemed, upon brief inspection, at relative ease too. The mood in the camp even seemed celebratory, most likely as a result of the day's successful raid. Ky had nothing to worry about, surely.

But he wasn't convinced. Did Knight Haxim know about Ky's Master forbidding Ky use of the Force? If so, would he be likely to punish Ky himself? A knot of familiar fear bound itself in Ky's stomach as he strode for the small group. Ky plastered a smile on his face as he neared the woman.

"Greetings, my lady. Are you my escort to the party?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

"I am afraid not, Apprentice Storm-wracked." The woman spoke in a clipped yet clear and formal tone, bowing her head as the Sith addressed her before crossing her hands in front of herself. "The High Priest has requested that I escort you to him for a personal meeting before you can join the festivities. I believe he wishes to debrief you to some extent." By the way she spoke, she almost sounded like some sort of secretary or hostess rather than a cultist.

Without waiting for a response, the woman turned on her heel and gestured back to him with a wave of her hand. "Please, follow me." She set off in a slightly brisk pace, the Legionnaires turning and following after her without much delay. The cultist led the march towards the center of the settlement, where a tall yet still under construction building rose up from the shacks and houses that otherwise made up the settlement.

She noticeably weaved a path through the outskirts of the settlement so that they wouldn't have to make their way through the centers of activity, but there were still plenty of residents giving the group glances or waves as they passed by. Waves that the woman returned and that the soldiers acknowledged with a nod.

Kyrilu Storm-wracked

 

[Kyrilu Storm-wracked]

Kyrilu nodded to the woman, and followed her as she led him through the settlement. He was content to follow behind, his senses taking in the full expanse of the settlement as he was led through the outskirts, was this to avoid drawing attention to Ky? It mattered not, he thought, he would find out if this was a funeral march sooner or later, but that knot of fear continued slowly tugging at his insides. He noted the waves and greetings the few others they passed sent the woman's way. She must be someone of import, he could tell from the subtle displays of subservience offered to her by the other cultists. He thought to ask her.

"You are clearly respected here, lady. What role do you play in Dresuoti?"

The settlement was modest, but the place looked to run like a well oiled machine to Ky's senses. There was no air of fear, tension or hostility as Ky would expect of a Sith encampment. Clearly his own experience with sith had given him a bias, and Knight Haxim's outpost, not to mention the man's polite demeanour, was a strange one to reconcile with that bias.

Ky didn't have long to muse on his thoughts as they approached a tall building, still under construction but that towered over the surrounding houses. Ky idly wondered what the purpose of the building was as they approached. Much like his other questions on this march, he figured he would have answers soon.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

"Hm?" The woman turned her head to glance back at the Sith, raising her eyebrow at his question as if it surprised her. Whether it was the question that caught her off-guard or him being curious at all was difficult to tell. "I am the Exarch of Dresuoti, the leader of the settlement whenever the High Priest himself is not present and his right hand when he is."

She seemed to be rather proud of that. If the way that she perked up slightly as she spoke was any evidence to that fact. "But we respect all of our brothers and sisters in the faith, I am merely one with responsibilities and a title to match them." The little clearing before the tall building was surprisingly quiet, with the group being the only occupants at the moment, the activity of the settlement seemingly far behind them.

The building was clearly more permanent than many of the houses that surrounded it, being built up sturdy like some sort of command center yet with a certain style visible even with the construction. It almost resembled a temple of sorts. The Legionnaires stepped forward and assumed positions on either side of the large double doors as the woman approached them and pushed one open with surprisingly little effort. "Come Apprentice Storm-wracked, you will be one of the few to glimpse at the Cathedral before it is finished."

Kyrilu Storm-wracked

 

[Kyrilu Storm-wracked]

The buzz of settlement activity had died away the nearer the group approached the building - no, temple, Kyrilu thought, now he had learned of the woman's title and discovered how the people of Dresuoti thought of Knight Haxim. High Priest... an interesting title, to be sure, and one he would do well to remember for the duration of his time here. Largely, Kyrilu was not of the religious bent, preferring to put his belief in himself rather than anything, or anyone, else, but he had seen enough of the galaxy to know fervour when he heard it.

The Legionnaires flanked the tall portal to the temple as his guide eased open one door. He nodded in thanks to her as he followed, unsure what he would find inside, his trepidation silencing his smart mouth for the moment.

Let's see what Knight Haxim has in store for me, Ky thought as he stepped inside.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

The first floor of the cathedral is wide open, candlelit alcoves and carved pillars lining the walls of the dark room. In the center sits a large, smooth stone table with several chairs surrounding it. Alisteri Haxim sits at the head, his fingers laced together as his masked gaze rests upon Kyrilu and Exarch. "So you've finally returned." His voice is clear amidst the ominous presence of the cathedral. "Sister Limont, you are dismissed and may return to your duties. Thank you."

The Exarch bowed and gave the apprentice a glance before she turned on her heel and strode right back out of the cathedral, closing the large doors behind her. As they slid shut Alisteri sat back in his seat and gestured towards one of the chairs lining the table.

"Come, tell me of your absence. You missed out on meeting the grateful leaders of the city."

Kyrilu Storm-wracked

 

[Kyrilu Storm-wracked]

Kyrilu marveled at the building's interior. It was impressive work, still under construction though it was, for a settlement of this size to produce such a construct. Knight Haxim was the first true Sith Ky had ever encountered other than his Master, and while Lady Tremiru terrified him with her strength, the Knight's command of this settlement and its inhabitants - his followers - was impressive. As a Jedi padawan, Ky had been bored, unimpressed, constantly stifled by those claiming to be his superiors but who showed no true power. In Ky's new Master, and here in Dresuoti, was evidence of the power of the Sith.

Ky nodded as the Knight addressed him, waiting for Sister Limont to leave before he took a seat, reclining and crossing his feet up on the table.

"My apologies, Knight, but I found something I think you'll find interesting in the terminal at the gang's hideout," Ky said, flipping a small metal case open and drawing out a cigarette and a lighter.

"Private communiqués between those grateful leaders, intercepted by our deceased criminals. Most of it the usual sex scandals, some classic embezzlement, but I wasn't paid handsomely in my previous career to uncover such boring secrets as those," Ky said with a smile as he lit his cigarette and blew the smoke out with a contented sigh. "There were hints of a rumoured artefact a certain set of politicians were caught discussing, one that those scum would never realise the value of even if it blew off their greedy hands."

Ky was enjoying this, spinning a tale he knew the Knight would be desperate to hear. Well, under that mask he could be irritated, angry or even bored, but Ky knew the Knight would appreciate the climax.

"I decided to jump straight to the source and swipe the real, valuable data right from under the politicians' noses. The city archives, guards easily slipped, easier to slice past the paltry defence systems."

Ky used a little nudge of force to draw out the dataslate he'd stored all the archives' info on. He took another drag from his cigarette as he used the force to slide the slate over the table to the knight.

"I think you'll like what I found."

 

[Darth Strosius]

The Knight nodded as he watched Kyrilu sit down, seemingly unbothered. "Information is always interesting." Interesting and useful often worked hand in hand and, especially when in a difficult situation like with his cult, usefulness was key.

"An artifact you say?" Something valuable to trade in or use as incentive was always welcome. If it happened to be of a certain Force nature then obviously it would be even more important to grab before anyone else could, but that would depend of course. Regardless it would be something to watch out for and recover if the information on it was viable and the artifact itself valuable enough. "Going right for the real prizes hm? That sort of thinking will carry you far, if you know what you're looking for of course."

Alisteri plucked the dataslate up and briefly looked over it, skimming through the contents for a few moments. Sure enough it was indeed good data. However it wouldn't entire make up for the cost of retrieval, not at the moment anyway. "A good find indeed Apprentice Storm-wracked. I thank you for this, I'll put it to use as soon as our little meeting is over." Then his gaze returned to the other Sith as he slid the dataslate into his robes and sat up slightly in his chair.

"But, I'm afraid that we have a bit of an...issue."

His other hand reached underneath the table, to his side opposite of where Ky sat, and pulled something from the floor to set it atop the table. It was a helmet, specifically the helmet of a palace guard like the ones that had been barring the way to the aforementioned data.

The Sith's fingers drummed on top of the helmet as he spoke. "Do you know what this is? Who this belonged to? I have a feeling that you very much should, as I pried it from a body myself."

Without waiting for a response he continued, lifting up the helmet as if to inspect it. "So there I am, meeting with the leaders of the city that we helped today. Getting their gratitude in the form of agreements and contracts, not to mention credits, and suddenly in rushes one of their guards. A breach in security, apparently. Obviously I jump at the opportunity to offer more assistance and gain some more leverage, so I go with the guards to investigate why their comrades haven't reported in."

His gaze slowly moved back to the apprentice as he unceremoniously dropped the helmet back onto the table. "I assume I don't have to tell you what I found do I?"

Kyrilu Storm-wracked

 

[Kyrilu Storm-wracked]

"But, I'm afraid that we have a bit of an...issue."

Kyrilu paused, cigarette halfway to his mouth as his Sight picked out the object under the table by the Knight. He was an idiot for not Seeing it sooner. He squashed the note of panic in his chest from rising, knowing that always lead to him acting rashly - a quality which had, very recently, almost led to his new Master killing him. As the Knight explained, Kyrilu continued taking drags, feigning indifference. He was well aware the Knight could probably kill him, but if he projected weakness he would most likely be slain just for the sake of it.

A rhetorical question, then the Knight pretended to examine the helmet, looking for clues. They both knew Ky was responsible for the empty helmet, but Ky wasn't sure if the Knight was truly angry and looking to exact a pound of flesh, or if it was to embarrass Ky and put him in his place.

"I assume I don't have to tell you what I found do I?"

The helmet clattered onto the table. Ky felt the full weight of the Knight's displeasure from behind that impassionate metal façade. This conversation would require a delicate hand.

Ky pulled the helmet to his empty hand, taking a last drag of his cigarette as he, too, pretended to inspect the item. "Hapless, deceased guardsmen number 4? Or 5?"

He stubbed out his cigarette on the face of the helmet, right between where the eyes would have been, then tossed it over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry if that caused you distress, Knight. I used only a dagger I picked off a body in the warehouse and made it look messy, they'd never suspect one of your professional soldiers as the culprit."

Ky smiled at Knight Haxim. "No harm done... well, not to you."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

The response drew an unimpressed click of his tongue as he observed the movements of the apprentice. Casual, cordial even, in attitude. Perhaps that was partially Alisteri's fault in being too welcoming at the start.

Nothing that couldn't be rectified.

"Ah yes, no harm done." The Knight sat up in his seat and suddenly slammed his fist down on the table. "Except for the fact that a few dead guards was enough to send those blustering politicians into a full-scale panic! Not only did I have to listen to them whine about their security for nearly an hour, I then had to assure them that such a thing wouldn't happen again under my watch."

He pushed himself away from the table and stood up, crossing his arms behind his back as he began to slowly pace around Ky. "Do you know how many threats there were within the city itself? One. One that we eliminated, and one that the politicians were counting on to be eliminated."

His stride paused as he reached the apprentice's right side, bending down and craning his head so that his masked gaze could glare at the face of his guest. "So when I am assuring them that their one threat has been dealt with, and suddenly several of their guards wind up mysteriously and suddenly dead, how do you think that looks for myself and my capabilities?"

Alisteri straightened back up and resumed his pacing. "The answer is pretty simple. Not good at all."

In the end a deal had still been worked out, but it had taken far longer than it should have. Not to mention far more promises of support on his side than he had intended to give. "Tell me Apprentice Storm-wracked, what are you? Because today all you have done is kill. Are you a killer or are you a Sith?"

Kyrilu Storm-wracked