Mission Hide and Seek | ISB [ DE ]

[Ellayina L'lerim]

Torture and Interrogation Officer and Agent

Information

Objective: Capture and rescue
Location: Near to the city park, Cinnegar, Empress Teta
Equipment: 2x Sunfury Pistol | Light Armour | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | 2x Vibrodagger || Cloaking Device | 5x ASBF Probe Droid || Empyrean gland || OPBC-01m
Tag: Kazian Blackwood | Open

"Galactic Common" | <"High Nelvaanian"> | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

Invading and occupying a planet is not nearly as easy as many people think. In most cases, the inhabitants will not give up their former lives, but will rebel against the invaders. This can be a planet-wide rebellion, which is typical if it is a warrior culture. In other cases it is just a series of uprisings and attacks, usually carried out by separate cells. Often, of course, networks are created with a single leader. Whatever the case, the only way to defeat them is to dismantle each cell, arrest or execute the members, and make an example of the leadership. Yes, there is a danger of that, but usually it is the best people who are in leadership roles...

- Unknown Author from Empress Teta

At least there are books that say so…

What is certain is that the occupation here on Empress Teta was not so easy and there were still countless rebels and insurgent cells on the planet, and in the capital, who were trying to sabotage the work of us, the Dark Empire. I had no idea that I would have to go into the field so soon and take @Kaz Blackwood with me, to whom I now became mentor and evaluator. But that's not really important at the moment. It wasn't just the two of us who were "invited" to the task, but also other agents, because we had been given a very important task. It required the joint work of several sections and several qualified agents.

The meeting was in a previously occupied Safe House near the City Park, from where we will go to the task. The task was simple, the other good questions.

Top Secret Mission

Agents, the task may seem easy, but it is very important. You will meet today at 1200 local time at the Safe House near the City Park of Cinnegar, which is now under our control. This place is a restaurant, you have to use the back entrance that opens from the alley. You will meet here and the action will start at 1230. Underneath the park is a facility that is both a well-protected bunker and a prison with about a dozen cells.

Inside this bunker is a rebel cell who have captured one of the Imperial Generals, Tarsi Primen. The leader of the cell is an Second Great Hyperspace War (SGHW) veteran, General Daro Lago, who has already caused the Maw and the NIO a lot of trouble. Freeing Primen and capturing Lago is the priority. The lives of the other prisoners and rebels are not important. In their case, use the no quarter scenario.

There are three entrances to the bunker, all leading to a common lift centre on level -1. From here the lift descends to a depth of about 100 metres, where two further levels await you. The concern is that if they find out that there are intruders, they will try to destroy the place, so we cannot attack with large numbers of units, armies. You'll be on your own, you can't expect reinforcements and reinforcements.

Good luck, agents!

One more important thing, failure and failure is not an option!

So I was already here in the back of the restaurant with Kaz, as we had discussed, or how it was in the mission report. I was curious to see who was going to join us. While we waited, I turned to the other agent.

"What do you think of the assignment, Agent Blackwood? Did you expect something like this, or something else?" I asked the man with a faint smile, but in a distant and slightly cold tone.

---

OOC: Any ISB character is welcome to join the thread (or those who want to join the ISB), and anyone is welcome to say that they are leading the mission if they wish. I just threw my idea and starting plot into this thread. And feel free to add information to the underground base or the two named NPCs (targets) Have fun!

 

[Kazian Blackwood]

The steaming mug of caf before me on the table slowly drained away as we sat and waited, a strong, sweet blend from who knows where helping to set the tone of the day. I was already anxious, so being alert was a bonus, and it tasted far better than anything the Bureau offices had.

"What do you think of the assignment, Agent Blackwood? Did you expect something like this, or something else?"

"I wasn't sure what to expect... but this. Well. No complaints." I cracked a dry smile and took another long sip of my drink. Being back to Cinnegar so soon had brought a feeling of vindication, or least some heavy sigh of relief after the invasion. Our return signaled victory, and I hadn't ended up on the chopping block like I'd expected. Win/win situation

Ellayina so far hadn't warmed up much to me, insofar as she was frozen. I think she'd started to thaw, however. Time would tell.

"So, acquisitions wants our new friends to come in as they are? This is slightly more on the doable side than that whole politics thing management had me in last time." I remarked in reference to our failed coup attempt in this very city.

 

[Ellayina L'lerim]

Torture and Interrogation Officer and Agent

Information

Objective: Capture and rescue
Location: Near to the city park, Cinnegar, Empress Teta
Equipment: 2x Sunfury Pistol | Light Armour | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | 2x Vibrodagger || Cloaking Device | 5x ASBF Probe Droid || Empyrean gland || OPBC-01m
Tag: Kazian Blackwood | Open

"Galactic Common" | <"High Nelvaanian"> | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

Unlike Kazian, I was used to waiting in the office for agents like him to carry out tasks like the one we just received, and then interrogating and torturing the retrieved targets. And if I did have to go out in the field, it was typically a lone job and no targets survived. Everyone had different tasks and training. But that was the way it was. I have to say, it was still a lot more exciting than it would have been originally had I not chosen to be an agent. Ironically, someone else in the bloodline did the opposite of what I did. But back to the present. I sipped my coffee, it seemed that no others would arrive and it would be just the two of us.

Having many or even a few people had its advantages. It's better to sneak around and keep one's wits about you with few people. However, when you have more people with you, you have support and others can be used, with less need to rely on your own resources. Meanwhile, my "protégé" answered the question. Exceptionally, I was there as a trainer and supervisor, supervising and instructing Agent Blackwood before the man could return to one-man work.

"Well, let's hope that enthusiasm lasts, because for now it looks like it's just the two of us, unless we bring a commando team with us." I told him, though my choice of words sounded sceptical, but there was no sign of it in my tone.

I quickly looked around once more, but there was no one else here, no one had arrived to come with us on this mission. It seems that the ISB was quite short of agents, or so they thought, imagined, that two people could solve it. Or there was the third possibility that someone really wanted Blackwood dead. And now they wanted mine. I chuckled a little at the man's words.

"Unless the target is in a suicidal mood." I replied, despite the laughter, this was far from a funny possibility. "Well, I think it's time to go."

I finished the rest of my coffee and got up from the chair. I quickly set about checking my equipment. If something was wrong, it might be possible to replace the gear here, although I was using pretty unique stuff. Nevertheless, everything seemed to be in as good order as possible and everything was in working order. I glanced at my partner to see what equipment he wanted to bring. We probably had quite different training, if only because I had Shadow Company mentors on the list. But since the man had also received proper ISB training, I hoped he would be fine and I wouldn't have to correct him.

"Are you ready?" I asked him.

 

[Kazian Blackwood]

Ellayina L'lerim

"Ready as I could be."

As we stood to leave I downed the final sip of my drink. My mind lingered on the idea that our targets could take the easy way out. For all the propaganda plastered with words like hope and freedom across the Alliance holonet, when it came down to facing against the new Sith regime I had no doubt a few would choose to fold. Backed into a corner, they would have to embrace death one way or another, and the Sith had already shown themselves to be so much more ruthless than the Old Empire. That we were alone in this operation actually seemed to bode well. Occupation forces were engaged across a dozen major systems, and a full blown assault on guerrilla fighters would be too costly. Even calling in a CompForce squad, though possible, irked me. After Onderon and our utter failure, the very operation that had got me up to my neck as I was, my faith in my old department was waning fast.

"The two of us will move faster than a group, quieter too. I'd like to keep it that way if we can, but I suppose we'll see." As we left the restaurant and came out into the bright morning sun, I could hardly tell from the bustle of metropolitan streets that an army had just swept through. The blocks of Cinnegar close to the city center were still devastated from the tense battle lines that had been drawn in the invasion, but where they were, further out in the urban sprawl, the city was merely clouded with the dour faces of an occupied people. The Tetans were a proud people, unaccustomed to Imperial rule, but they would be. Empress Teta had a rule now befitting its ancient name, but it was up to the velvet glove of the ISB to smooth the transition...

 

[Kyric]

Empress Teta
Cinnegar
Ellayina L'lerim | Kazian Blackwood

Single file. No, we're moving. Kyric shifted to his left, perfectly matching the rhythm of the soldiers all around him. He turned to now face the back of another trooper's head. He knew there were another six columns to the left of him, each ten units deep. His plan to 'lift' a suit from one of their latest recruits had worked perfectly, and the memories ingrained into Recruit 7654-11V's uniform filled in the necessary gaps he lacked from, you know, not being at the earlier stages of their training.

Their unit marched down a street wide enough to house them. In another 1500 feet, they were expected to reach a large stretch of warehouses and begin searching. Kyric assumed the orders were kept vague intentionally to pacify. Isolating them into small groups was another effective measure to keep them docile. Most sentients were social, after all.

He kept quiet throughout the march. It wouldn't do to draw any attention to him.

Once they reached the warehouses, 'Recruit 7654-11V' stepped into the warehouse much like the others. When his platoon captain sought to assign a watch, he stepped forward and volunteered. No one stopped him. It wasn't the most glamorous role in these sorts of operations, and no one ever received commendations for a 'watch well done.' The little limp he added on his way out only helped sell the lie.

Back outside, the kiffar ditched his borrowed uniform for the stashed bag he left the night prior. His usual mission wear made the trek through back alleys and side streets all the easier. He needed to find his informant before he could set out to properly complete his objective.

 

[Ellayina L'lerim]

Torture and Interrogation Officer and Agent

Information

Objective: Capture and rescue
Location: Near to the city park, Cinnegar, Empress Teta
Equipment: 2x Sunfury Pistol | Light Armour | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | 2x Vibrodagger || Cloaking Device | 5x ASBF Probe Droid || Empyrean gland || OPBC-01m
Tag: Kazian Blackwood | Kyric | Open

"Galactic Common" | <"High Nelvaanian"> | ["Essonian"] | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

"Good choice!" I nodded at Kaz's choice, and my cold voice held some recognition.

I wanted him to know that I would be testing him now. Every moment in life was an exam, and his was especially so at this time. After all, his future at the ISB depended on the report I gave him. Not that it was something that could be easily forgotten, but it didn't hurt to remind him of it with such subtle hints. Since we always work under pressure, that was necessary in this case. But he was right anyway, two people using a cloaking device makes it much easier to get around in a place like this. And we can even solve the case without any casualties. And later, if we happen to have captured the base and taken the commander hostage and they can't destroy the place, we can still call in a group of stormtroopers to secure the place and legitimise the occupation.

On the street, despite the large number of people outside, we were not very conspicuous. Soldiers, officers and locals alike were walking around. Although the locals seemed to keep their distance from the Imperialists, they did not seek conflict with ours. Nevertheless, tension and some fear were in the air. In fact, I would have preferred an evening or night time for the mission, when human biorhythms are at their lowest. I knew that the guards down at the base were probably working several "shifts", but even if one was sleeping during the day, night was not the best time. It didn't matter to us, at least as far as Kaz was concerned, I assumed he was trained to be perfectly alert at any time of the day.

"What are the important things to look out for on a mission like this?" I asked Kaz; it was clear I tested him.

As we approached the park, I motioned for us to turn down one of the smaller alleys off the wide street. After all, it was better not to be seen going into the park through the main entrance. The alley was more like a small street, but there were only a few people walking along it. The place was still full of debris, it had not been cleaned up like the main road. At the end of the alley was the entrance to the park. Despite my armour, I tried to act as naturally as possible and watched the walls, objects and people for any secret cameras.

"I can't wait to finally get a day off, I'd like to try that restaurant recommended by one of the officers who was born here. What do you want to do when you finally get some time?" I was speaking in an exceptionally chatty tone this time, as if we were just some simple soldiers on patrol.

In the meantime, we arrived at the end of the alley, where the entrance to the park was waiting for us.

 

[Kazian Blackwood]

Ellayina L'lerim | Kyric

"Tails, eyes... anything a cat has." I smiled. Claws, too, but the mere thought of what that could mean brought me back to Onderon and my encounter with SIA Jedi operatives. We'd been utterly blindsided. That couldn't happen again.

"I'm hoping for a nice lounge and a good book when this is all over. But y'know I could go for a bite after all this. War is no good for relaxing." I spoke the last part ever so slightly louder, echoing a sentiment I'd heard many times over in the streets. Empress Teta had gone in a single day from happy, peaceful, and secure, to fearful, grim, and tense. I figured we ought not add to it, and in truth I meant it. War was the means to the end of Imperial security, the grand Imperial future.

I had grown up largely in a time of peace, relative to the Empire. I couldn't help be feel a little sorry for breaking the peace of others, as my own peace had been broken by the warlord era. But then again, out fight was righteous on a grand scheme of things, to not let the galaxy be dominated by the rule of the unwashed masses and the business magnates who pulled them along on strings. The Empire's return to the Core Worlds would be bloody, but I felt confident that the history books would remember it well and if I did my job as a spy right, they wouldn't remember me at all...

 

[Kyric]

Meanwhile...

Kyric sprinted down a long stretch between two towering warehouses. The shadow of day blotted out by their sloped rooves. He could hear other soldiers rooting through both buildings, likely more squads of recruits.

That meant more sentries.

He considered the roof itself but quickly dismissed the idea as fanciful thinking. Any scout droid, pilot, or soldier worth their salt would spot him traversing the rooftops by the light of day. He required something more subtle. And from the sound of booted feet approaching both ends of the alley–he needed it fast.

His gaze shot up.

A hatched window hung open. Kyric considered the dimensions compared to his size, decided he couldn't wait, and beckoned the force to him. It wreathed his lithe frame like a second layer of skin, bleeding into every fiber of his being. A single kick off the wall put him at the window. He shimmied inside quickly, dampening the sound of his passage with his second skin.

Recruits moved through the warehouse below him. Some carried crowbars to crack open sealed containers, while others lazily pushed things about, feigning interest in the task.

Kyric double-tapped the device tucked into his left ear. His HUD activated, overlaying the scene with a constant stream of information his eidetic mind stored for later use.

| Good evening, Kyric. | Arthur, his AI assistant greeted him. | How may I be of service? |

"Begin monitoring imperial communication frequencies for any mention of GA personnel left-planetside. Our informant can get us started, but I'd like to get a feel for the rest of the city." He crossed the room via the overhead beams, identifying and pinging the location of as many soldiers as possible. The intelligence gathered was processed live and transmitted to his BD unit, the Big Chieftain, tucked safely away in his starfighter outside the city.

| Yes sir. |

Another mile and Kyric would reach the informant. Then, things were going to get a helluva lot harder.

Ellayina L'lerim | Kazian Blackwood

 

[Ellayina L'lerim]

Torture and Interrogation Officer and Agent

Information

Objective: Capture and rescue
Location: Near to the city park, Cinnegar, Empress Teta
Equipment: 2x Sunfury Pistol | Light Armour | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | 2x Vibrodagger || Cloaking Device | 5x ASBF Probe Droid || Empyrean gland || OPBC-01m
Tag: Kazian Blackwood | Kyric | Open

"Galactic Common" | <"High Nelvaanian"> | ["Essonian"] | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

"What demands, relax!" I chuckled a little; it was all still an acting, of course, nothing more.

Personally, I was glad to have more work, some would say I was a workaholic. But what else could be done? I really loved my job. In the meantime, while we were talking about all sorts of topics, mainly as a terms of distractions, we also arrived at the entrance to the park. The door opened without any problems and we entered the fenced park surrounded by a wall. I have to say that for a few moments here, it was not apparent that the city had been at war for the past few days. All I could see were the green trees, plants and flowers, and I smelled the pleasant scent of the flowers.

We were greeted by a somewhat archaic atmosphere as the road was lined with stones, small stones on the road and larger ones on the edges. Then the flower beds and larger plants. Above our heads, the canopy of trees grew together, giving a kind of arbour atmosphere. And the sunlight shone down through the leaves onto the ground. It was pleasantly bright, not dusky or dark, the gardeners had done a great job. Here... it was as if it was a completely different world. The walls seemed to be soundproofed, because none of the noise outside could be heard, only the birds chirping inside the park.

"This place is pretty surreal." I said softly to Kaz, now returning to my cooler tone.

I couldn't hear anything but the birds at the moment, so I started forward, pistol in hand, with soldierly steps. Under my steps, however quietly I tried to move, the stones crunched softly as they rubbed together in the wake of my footsteps. As I moved forward, MANIAC projected the route to the entrance onto my retina. After a few twists and turns, the wooded section ended and we were greeted by a vast open meadow, with trees only along the edges of the park. Here was a playground-like area for the kids, hills, flowers, fountains and even a huge rock in the middle of the park with a waterfall and a bigger pond with flowers floating around it.

"The entrance to the base is behind the waterfall, according to the data. Now we just need to find a way to get to that rock." I told him and set about finding a way to get to the middle of the lake.

 

[Kazian Blackwood]

Ellayina L'lerim | Kyric

The pleasant expanse of the park briefly flashed before my eyes as an imagined warzone. It had escaped the fighting from the occupation, which probably contributed its role now as a rebel hideout. A rebel hideout that could erupt at any point with armed dissidents driven to desperation. Who could even say if general Primen was still alive, considering that the Empire wasn't likely to play ball and negotiate. That made the line we were walking in this mission all the more blurry.

As we approached the rock I tried to get a sense for it. This park was remarkably similar to many I'd seen in my days growing up on Bastion, so I wagered that the rock from which the waterfall cascaded down was probably fake. It looked real enough to the eyes of a passerby simply enjoying the sight and the weather, but the sprawling expanse of ancient metropolis surrounding the park made me think this was probably not the original earth of the planet we were walking on.

"We could go for a swim," I chuckled, playing with the knot of my tie trying futile to cool off. Would that we could, but the Empire's grasp on Cinnegar wasn't that secure, yet.

"This whole thing is an artificial edifice," I pointed up at the waterfall as we skirted around the shores of the pond towards the far side.

"It's probably real stone, a composite or something, but if it's sitting atop a subterranean complex it's going to have ventilation shafts. They can't be too close to the water or they flood, so whatever entrance is behind the waterfall, it's likely sealed against water. It doesn't really matter where you put ventilation on a rock like this since it'll stick out like a sore thumb no matter what, so I doubt our viable spot is even on the rock. I'd say there's one probably on the grounds nearby."

I took a moment to scan the park around us, finally settling my eyes in on a cluster of boulders just along the path that led away from the water. A group of young boys were scaling them and pushing one another off for fun. We approached them with a look of disapproval, like schoolteachers.

"Boys, are you sure its safe to be hurting each other like that?" I inquired to the quick turn of heads and captive attentions.

"What are you? A policeman?" the Twi'lek boy standing atop the highest boulder looking down at me asked.

"Sort of. My partner and I work in protecting the good people of the Empire, like you." I smiled, though I could see their tensing. I wondered what their parents had told them about the Empire, or what youngsters of this age could even know about galactic politics.

"The Emperor wouldn't want strong young lads such as yourselves getting hurt. Why don't you come down from there, perhaps you can go for a swim instead. It sure is hot."

"That's what I've been saying guys!" a Nautolan boy chimed in with great urge to his friends. The boys mumbled between themselves for a moment before they collectively hopped down from the rocks and ran towards the pond.

"Stay safe, lads!" I yelled after them as I ushered Ellayina around the boulder, to find sure enough a large square vent grate, big enough for a person to slip into. I stripped my suit jacket off and folded it onto one of the rocks, then rolled up my sleeves. Reaching down and gripping between the bars, I lifted the heavy metal grate off to reveal our entrance, placing the grate down into the grass with a muted thunk.

"Ladies first." I gestured an open hand to our entrance and grabbed my jacket again, folding it over my arm and waited for her to go ahead of me.

 

[Kyric]

Silver Sin Safehouse
Cinnegar, Empress Teta
The Cast: Ellayina L'lerim | Kazian Blackwood

Deeper into Cinnegar...

Something was wrong.

Kyric felt it from down the street. He scanned the building to the roof, then swept across the street to search the opposing windows. No spies. No silhouettes. No danger. Yet, the itch didn't go away. Lingering just behind his eyes, an inkling of the unknown urged caution even as he set off down the sidewalk, his hands shoved into his jacket pockets.

Unfamiliar faces wandered past him without so much as a glance. He could feel the conflict within each of them. Fear gnawed at their conscious minds, it warned them of the danger a foreign occupation force presented to them. Another part retaliated with misplaced logic. If there was any true danger, why did these oppressors permit them to walk freely down the street?

No one could tell what the future held for them, not even the Jedi who lingered in their mist.

Kyric turned off the street down into an adjacent alleyway to the safehouse. He followed it to the end, peeked quickly over his shoulder, and crouched down behind an abandoned speeder bike. He worked away a portion of rusted durasteel to expose a functional holopad cleverly hidden within. He punched in a quick code, then felt the floor drop out. Falling for less than a second, the kiffar bent his knees and landed silently.

Darkness made it impossible for the Wayseeker to see, but it did nothing to mask the smell of iron. He withdrew the flashlight tucked into his jacket and activated it. Four bodies littered the room. One of them, Kyric's informant, oozed blood from his caved-in skull all over his desk. The others were in various states of disarray caused by intense blaster fire.

"That's not good." Kyric stepped over a corpse on the way to the desk. He gently pushed the rhodian aside and began to search the desk at length. Flashes of the informant's violent and horribly bloody death appeared within the kiffar's mind whenever his ungloved hand made contact with the flecks of dried blood splattered across the surface.

It looked like an ambush. His guardians were gunned down while his attacker beat him to death. Hell, it looked like a betrayal.

"Dammit," he grumbled. "Nothins' ever easy."

 

[Damian Du Couteau]

Damian Du Couteau, Former Senator of Empress Teta

​

Damian’s eyes scanned the city of Cinnegar through a window, the darkening clouds casting a shadow. He was thankful for the eerie calmness that was seen, Damian had plenty of images of his home on fire seared into his memory. But the signs of battle were evident, the poked marks of blaster fire, ruined roads of tank treads and several buildings missing large chunks. Though the less obvious marker of the battle was Damian himself, helping Alliance remnants and other Tetan civilians to escape the Dark Empire’s clutches.

With a careful and delicate hand Damian entered the final code on the digital lock. It had been quite some time since anything in this room had seen light, let alone another living being. The young Du Couteau heir lifted the case open to reveal data-slates and data-chips. None were clearly marked so Damian was forced to grab them all, he hadn’t the time to sort through them all presently. This safe-house isn’t exactly safe. His hands closed the case and he made his way outside into the streets.

The situation on Cinnegar was indeed bleak, unlike the occupation of the Maw, the Empire seemingly felt less brutal but hardly merciful. Damian knew their intention, the invasion of the Deep Core made the Empire’s next target obvious. Coruscant, the rival jewel of Teta. Damian shook his head, tossing the darkening thoughts away for the moment. Presently the majority of the Alliance resistance cells were kept decentralized, while it kept the majority safe from small security leaks, it required rigorous man-hours of runners and messages to keep them all semi-cohesive.

Such was his current mission, to make contact with an information broker and collect and trade useful information. A deadly game of holophone. Damian had quite a bit of a talent in the procurement of data-collection and assessment, but it was hampered by the oppressive hand of the new government in place of Teta. All of my old log-ins, security clearances and personal computers would light me up as a target the moment I use them.

Damian continued to walk to the next safe-house, so far he was told that there hadn’t been any recent compromised agents. Of course it’s quite prudent to maintain a healthy amount of paranoia. He walked down an alleyway, his eyes scanning the area ahead as his footsteps slowed, but with a quick check of his blaster Damian steeled himself and moved ahead. He needed to keep a low profile, because looking like a disheveled, sleep deprived paranoid citizen jumping at shadows would just make him an easy mark. But I really should get some sleep.

Pulling out his datapad, Damian engaged a short-range scanner to find the holopad and remotely unlock the entrance. This should give the Informant ample time to know I’m here, Damian gingerly brushed the side of his jacket where a burnt streak mark was, he knew better than to arrive in a safe-house unexpectedly. The entrance opened and Damian jumped down with a soft thud, his eyes blinked a few times, registering the lack of lights he turned his small shoulder flashlight on and focused his attention on another source of light.

Damian was about to say something but his eyes glanced around and what little he could see sent a shiver up his spine. Almost immediately Damian pulled out his blaster, he trained it on the only other living person in the room.

“No sudden movements,” Damian called out, both his hands holding onto his blaster tightly, “-I thought Imperial Agents take in prisoners, not leave bodies for the morgue.” He narrowed his eyes and waited for a response. Great, just how large of a security breach am I dealing with here? ​

|| Ellayina L'lerim | Kazian Blackwood | Kyric ||​

 

[Ellayina L'lerim]

Torture and Interrogation Officer and Agent

Information

Objective: Capture and rescue
Location: Near to the city park, Cinnegar, Empress Teta
Equipment: 2x Sunfury Pistol | Light Armour | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | 2x Vibrodagger || Cloaking Device | 5x ASBF Probe Droid || Empyrean gland || OPBC-01m
Tag: Kazian Blackwood | Kyric | Open

"Galactic Common" | <"High Nelvaanian"> | ["Essonian"] | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

Only a momentary faint smile appeared on my lips when Kaz mentioned swimming. It would indeed be a nice thing to do, although unlike him, I didn't feel hot. I didn't interfere when the agent began to consider the situation and began to tell me what he had seen. It was part of the practical exam, after all. Fortunately, I was not disappointed, Kaz was skilful and a quick learner. I thought that we would soon get to the stage where he could go back to working on his own and not need supervision. I quickly brought my thoughts back to the present and the task at hand.

"I agree, well done!" I praised him after his words.

One thing was absolutely certain, and that was that Kaz is more humane and compassionate than I am. I certainly would have killed the young people and not just shooed them away. True, in my line of work, the goal most of the time was to remain neither an adversary nor a witness. However, my partner handled the situation quite well and the boys ran away. I still had the feeling that I should attack them from behind and shoot or stab them. Irrelevant, the end result should have been that they didn't survive. Perhaps my over-paranoia that they might have been just scouts from the bunker below, or similar figures. I watched for a few moments until they disappeared from sight.

"I hope they don't attack us in the back." I said with my healthy paranoia.

I followed him to the cliff and here we could now see up close that a really good job had been done by those who had put him there. As if it were real. And my partner soon found the hatch. I glanced at him for a moment as he opened it and let me go ahead. In the next moment, my gaze turned stern and my green eyes became as if filled with a flame of anger. It was all an act, a play in which I was demonstrating my acting talent. Keeping up this pretence, my voice was also cold and had a tone as if I was scolding Kaz.

"So this is how you want to pass the exam? To send the examiner ahead in case he gets killed first?" I asked sternly, and then my expression softened in an instant and I allowed myself a smirk. "The corridor below us is empty." I told him.

However, I could not detect anyone further down because the place was shielded. I don't know how well I'll be able to detect how much the biochip's sensors will be disturbed inside, but we'll see. Coming down the corridor I came to a passage not too high and not too wide. This meant that the ceiling was not even two and a half metres high, and maybe two skinny people could fit side by side. From here, there was only one direction to go, and according to previous information, there was also an elevator that took you down inside the bunker. But that also involved us having to go through a door, which was rather old-fashioned.

It was like the one on archaic ships with the circular 'handle' that had to be turned to open it. And it was watertight. it was logical to put a mechanical door up here, if there was no power on the base, it could still be opened. But the door and the opening mechanism looked very solid. So, when Kaz comes down to see me, I'll ask for your help to open it.

"The way I see it, it's a two-man job. Based on previous data, there should be an elevator behind the door. Help me open it!" I asked him. And if he joins, I'll try to turn the locking mechanism with his help.

 

[Kyric]

Kyric's morbid curiosity led him to discover a small metallic cartridge tucked behind the desk and the wall. His vision revealed the Rhodian's fear in his final moments. He knew infiltrators walked within their sect of the resistance. The protocol was to be followed, no matter how much it terrified him, so he slipped the data chip he worked tirelessly on into a spare blaster magazine and forced them both out of sight.

Crafty till the end, huh? Kyric patted the dead man's corpse. I'll do my best. He turned just in time to find himself on the business end of a blaster level with his chest.

“No sudden movements,” The stranger called out, both his hands holding onto his blaster tightly, “-I thought Imperial Agents take in prisoners, not leave bodies for the morgue.”​

"Er-" Kyric slowly raised both of his hands, which placed them out of reach of the vibro-knife at his left side and the blaster holstered on the kiffar's right thigh. "I'm not ISB, sir." He looked a bit harder at his captor, eyes going wide in recognition. "Damian Du Cout- Senator," he corrected, "Damien Du Couteau?!"

The kiffar's outward emotion shifted entirely from concern to a sense of duty. "Forgive me, sir. My name is Kyric Karis. I normally don't do the uh- name drop, thing, but you might've heard of my old man? Ryv Karis?" It wasn't that big of a stretch. His father was the founder of the New Jedi Order, former Sword of the Jedi, and Jedi responsible for overseeing negotiations between the then Core Alliance and High Republic that founded the Galactic Alliance.

Right?

"I'm here at the request of Chancellor Auteme Denko-Durren." Kyric detached a mini holodevice from his belt and held it aloft. Auteme appeared within the blue light, detailing a brief request for Kyric to make contact with local resistance cells and escort Alliance personnel off the planet. "I don't know what yer doin' here, sir, but let me help you. Please."

The boy's plea was sincere. Kyric wanted nothing more than to ease the suffering of those trapped beneath Imperial occupation.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Damian Du Couteau | Ellayina L'lerim | Kazian Blackwood ​

 

[Kazian Blackwood]

Ellayina L'lerim | Kyric | Damian Du Couteau

I put my sweating hands on the mechanism and once again put my strength into it. The door came open, revealing the elevator shaft, but no elevator, much to my chagrin.

"I thought this was too easy," I wiped my brow as I peered over the edge. "If anything, the elevator is probably locked down, should we descend on our own or do you think you could get it up and running?" I inquired knowing Ella's skill with her AI was quite good. Perhaps she'd be able to hack the elevator to rise to our entrance. I certainly couldn't.

People were more my speed, if ever evidenced by the conversation up top. That she would worry about kids attacking her from behind like they were rebel spies spoke volumes of the torturess. I supposed that working as she did she wasn't afforded the time or energy to see anything but the bad in people. That was where we differed the most, because my training had led me to knowing all I could about people, to learn their facets, their masks, their ticks. Anything to blend in, adapt, ingratiate, and ultimately deceive.

Of course, this meant that neither of us was quite perfectly suited for a mission like this. However, flooding this place with Stormtroopers, or, over my dead body, the idiots in COMPFORCE who'd screwed me at Onderon, was just going to cause a mess. I had no doubt they would be able to remove Lago from the game, but if our own captive general was even still alive they would ensure his death in the desperation they would force.

Our small operation here also presented another advantage: to learn the whereabouts of Empress Teta's representative in the Alliance Senate. The thought of finding and delivering Damian Du Couteau to the new governor was electric. It was a chance to succeed in the Bureau like never before. After Alars Keto had assumed control of the planet, martial law had been declared, the streets had become lined with imperial occupation soldiers, and the sitting mayor of Cinnegar had appropriately 'disappeared'. But Du Couteau had yet to be apprehended. Part of me expected the holdouts waiting below us were harboring the senator. Or I hoped, at least. It would make this easier.

 

[Damian Du Couteau]

Damian Du Couteau, Former Senator of Empress Teta

​

Damian’s eyes widened, his eyebrows raised as Kyric introduced himself, The Sword’s Son? Carefully he lowered the blaster, even if this was an elaborate hoax the young Du Couteau heir wasn’t about to kill someone at the moment. The dead in the room robbed Damian of his will to pull the trigger, the smell that waffled the room insulted his nose terribly. He wanted to believe today had some good news for him, even small miracles.

The small holo-image of the Chancellor gave Damian further pause. He holstered his blaster behind his back and gave Kyric an approving nod. Damian wasn’t Force Sensitive, but he felt confident in his ability to read people. He feels genuine and sincere enough.

“I am Damian Du Couteau,” Damian introduced himself with a bow, a bit late for proper manners admittedly but nobody will ever say I forgot to follow Tetan Noble Customs. “-You can just call me Damian,” He added as he carefully walked around the room.

Whatever happened here was brutal, Damian wasn’t exactly squeamish at the sight of blood but the lack of sleep wasn’t helping his state of mind. He needed to find what information had been taken from this Safe House, find out what sort of security breach occurred, make contact with the General and-

“My Sister when she was little would tell me stories about Master Ryv Karis, Allyson Locke, Ishida Ashina, Bernard of Arca, Dagon Kaze. . . Jedi that inspired her to join the Order.” Damian spoke, offering a slight distraction, a chance to refocus and steady his own thoughts. “Apologies, I don’t mean to ramble,” Damian rubbed his face in a vain attempt to wipe away the weariness.

“I was supposed to organize and decrypt data-cards, collect and gather intel and have it ready for distribution.” Damian explained, the memories of those names of the past flooded with the invasion of Maw into Teta and Tython and. . . Stop that. Damian began to look around for data-slates and investigate with his own data-pad to see how much data had been scrubbed or removed. Recovery of a compromised Rebel Cell was never easy, but Damian knew he needed to at least start the few steps.

“I heard from someone that we captured an important Imperial.” Damian looked around for another few moments before having his crimson irises settle on Kyric. “-I’m guessing that’s who we’re trying to get off the planet and into a SIA integration room. . . if anything, I’m here to help you.” Damian offered. He wasn’t sure if his guess was correct, but the capture of this Imperial certainly sent waves across Cinnegar.
​

|| Ellayina L'lerim | Kazian Blackwood | Kyric ||​

 

[Ellayina L'lerim]

Torture and Interrogation Officer and Agent

Information

Objective: Capture and rescue
Location: Near to the city park, Cinnegar, Empress Teta
Equipment: 2x Sunfury Pistol | Light Armour | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | 2x Vibrodagger || Cloaking Device | 5x ASBF Probe Droid || Empyrean gland || OPBC-01m
Tag: Kazian Blackwood | Kyric | Open

"Galactic Common" | <"High Nelvaanian"> | ["Essonian"] | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

Fortunately, Kaz finally arrived and together we managed to open the door and enter the part where the lift exit was. Indeed, this area was now shielded from the sensors and scanners, making my work harder. And it was precisely because of this that this room was now more modern. And the lift required a magnetic card and/or code cylinder to open it. After the question, I looked at Kaz. I probably could have actually managed to call the elevator, because MANIAC could have probably cracked it without any problems, but... Yes, there was that capital BUT!

"Yes, I could solve it, but I don't think it's a good idea. At least not in this situation. In any other situation, it would be great if there was continuous access in and out of the bunker. But now that they're completely locked down, if the elevator moves, they'll know there are intruders in the base." I told him.

There was no rebuke or scolding in my voice. At first there was an acknowledgement in my voice that he was thinking well, but then I switched to somewhat of the tone of voice that would be expected of an instructor in training. In the meantime, I asked MANIAC to project onto my retina the map of the base I had acquired earlier so that I would know where we were supposed to be going. One thing was for sure, we had a lot of climbing to do. I wasn't sure if Kaz's outfit was appropriate.

"We will climb. There is little chance of anyone using the lift. And climbing has the advantage that you don't have to arrive at a particular level, you can climb out into a ventilation shaft and go from there." I told him again.

I thought for a few moments about what would be best. Probably the floor where the prisons are would be the primary one, and go to the energy cells and get whoever you need. But there was something that probably worked even better than that. A place where the two of us could control the whole base. We could seal off the relevant parts, if there was a defence mechanism, either gas them or extract the oxygen. That way you could get to the part you needed to go to without running into resistance. And maybe even neutralise the enemy. Yes, I saw that as the best option in this situation.

"We'll go down to the ventilation shaft that will lead us to the security room. That way we avoid the cameras and hopefully they won't detect our presence until we get to the security room. Once there, we take control of the place. Sounds easy, doesn't it?" I asked him

It sounds so beautiful, but nothing ever goes as planned and it doesn't go as smoothly. We will soon find out how successful it will be.

"Ladies first again?" I asked, and almost without waiting for an answer, I opened the elevator door with the help of MANIAC and jumped to the wires hanging in the middle to start climbing down.

 

[Kyric]

Kyric visibly relaxed as Damian lowered the blaster. Death hung heavy enough around them, and the kiffar knew neither wanted to add more corpses to the pile. That made trusting the young senator so much easier. The added theatrics of Tetan customs only reinforced Kyric's decision. Either Damian was a consummate actor, or he truly believed in their shared mission for freedom.

The Jedi naturally leaned into the latter. He sought the best in everyone, even in such a dreary place like a compromised safe house.

Offering his best approximation of a standard Atrisian bow, the Jedi straightened and nodded twice with a broad grin. “Sounds good Mr. Damian, sir.” Kyric left Damian to his search and wrapped the bodies he already searched. They didn't have time to offer them anything close to a formal send-off, but a funeral pyre in the remnants of the safe house would have to do. The resistance couldn't risk a more detailed search of any of their facilities.

“My Sister when she was little would tell me stories about Master Ryv Karis, Allyson Locke, Ishida Ashina, Bernard of Arca, Dagon Kaze. . . Jedi that inspired her to join the Order.” ... “Apologies, I don’t mean to ramble,”​

“No apologies needed. I'm happy to know my old man inspired people to want to make a difference. That's what mattered most to him,” Kyric set one body atop a shattered pallet, then began stacking more wood and cloth around it. “It's funny you mention Dagon and Ishida. I don't know her personally, but Ishida is something like a sibling-student to me. And Dagon was my first real mentor!” The kiffar somehow managed a smile while piling the other two corpses atop the first.

He imagined Dagon in his position, or Ishida for that matter, preparing strangers for a pyre while they formulated a plan with whatever allies they could scrounge up. This was the life of a Jedi Knight. One full of tragedy, pain, and sacrifice that demanded the absolute best out of you even when you knew you couldn't deliver. That sort of thing should've shaken Kyric’s resolve, but it only strengthened it.

The galaxy always needed heroes. And it was his time to step up.

“I heard from someone that we captured an important Imperial.” Damian looked around for another few moments before having his crimson irises settle on Kyric. “-I’m guessing that’s who we’re trying to get off the planet and into a SIA integration room. . . if anything, I’m here to help you.” ​

“I was unaware we managed to snare ISB. That definitely changes things,” Kyric collected a gasoline canister from nearby and soaked the bodies. “I have a data chip here,” he withdrew the ammo cartridge he discovered earlier and tossed it to Damian. “Search through that and see if there's any mention of this imperial operative. We'll set out for the next safe house when yer ready.”

Kyric reached for his lighter and flicked off the top. He pressed down on the activation switch with his thumb and peered back at Damian. “I don't know these fellas myself, but I have a feeling they were good folks who I would've proudly fought beside.” It wasn't much. A useless platitude, maybe, but the boy meant it. He knelt and carefully lit a corner of the cloth wrapped around one of them. The fabric quickly caught fire, which quickly spread with the inclusion of the gasoline.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Damian Du Couteau | Ellayina L'lerim | Kazian Blackwood ​

 

[Kazian Blackwood]

Ellayina L'lerim | Kyric | Damian Du Couteau

Throwing my jacket back on and jumping after her, I followed her down, gripping carefully onto the steel cables. At least we were going down, so when my hands would slip it only brought me slightly closer to the destination, then I would adjust my grip tighter. All in all, it wasn't the most pleasant entrance.

When we shimmied down to the ventilation shaft in question, I spidered my way on to the shaft wall itself with some exposed piping, bringing me down to eye level with Ellayina. Reaching into my jacket's interior pocket, I produced a small fusioncutter.

"Avert your eyes, this may get bright."

In succession I placed the fusioncutter up to each of the vent cover's anchoring screws, turned my head away per my own advice, and quickly zapped it, the shaft filling with the blinding light of the cutter's emission for a split second, then repeating from the top. Upon the last one, the vent cover slid off and down the shaft, clanging and banging the metal on its way down. Though the superheated metal would cool in its rapid fall, the angle at which the vent cover landed against the elevator below caused it to strike and embed a corner into the metal, sticking straight back up from how it had fallen.

"We should make this quick." I peered into the ventilation shaft. A tighter fit than the last, unfortunately.

"I hate to say it but this looks like a crawling job. Want me to go first? I risk getting stuck a little more than you."

Whether she chose to let me lead or not, we would begin to make our way through the security room to execute her plan...

 

[Damian Du Couteau]

Damian paused for a moment, a frown formed when Kyric addressed him with the honorific and the added ‘sir’. With a mental shrug the young Du Couteau heir decided to not make it an issue. If I was going to be called Scion or Heir constantly, then maybe. Damian began to work on his data-pad from the previous safe-house pick up, he needed to figure out their next steps. It was a privilege to fuss about silly things like mannerisms, one that Damian had no right to have currently. And I don't want to make my first impression with Kyric awkward. Damian felt that he was going to need to make sure that the two of them trusted one another.

As Kyric began to build the funeral pyre, he mentioned how much he knew both Dagon Kaze and Ishida Ashina. Damian thought for a moment on how his own father would react to his choices and whether or not he’d approve of them. Probably something like how grown-ups are obligated to take responsibility for the galaxy and fix it the best they can for the next generation. It was their turn to take the lessons they learned and apply them to the galaxy that surrounds them.

Damian was caught slightly off guard when Kyric threw an ammo cartridge towards him. Perhaps it was the sleep deprivation but regardless Damian sighed to himself as he knelt down to pick up the cartridge and searched through it for the data-chip. Quickly Damian connected and looked into the contents of the data-chip, Encryption key to unlock the other files. . .

Sniffing the air Damian stood back up and looked towards the completed pyre, all that there was left to do was the final step. With a lightsaber the pyre was lit and the fire began to grow, Damian bowed his head in reverence, the sacrifice to fight and resist was noble.

“May you find peace.” He spoke gently, a funeral prayer that Damian wished he never needed to recite.

After a moment of silence Damian readied himself to leave, “-I can lead us to the bunker holding the Imperial, thanks to the chip you found we’ll have an easier time gaining access.” Damian explained as quickly as possible. He couldn't allow himself to focus on death or sacrifice, distractions would mean failure.

As Damian walked over to the exit and opened the hatch above and began to climb back outside. He stopped to look back and stare at the burning pyre, it was only for a brief moment before he continued to climb. It takes a lot of faith to- Stop that Damian. The alleyway was empty as Damian emerged and looked around, he paused to wait for Kyric.

“Here,” Damian spoke, he held out his data-pad, “-The location and how to get in the bunker is in there, just in case we end up getting split up.” He explained; he almost added ‘or don’t make it’ but felt it probably went without saying.

“Once we’re there we’ll alert them about the compromised safe-house and get the Imperial transferred elsewhere until we’re ready to get them off the planet.” Damian quickly added. "I have faith in us."
​

|| Ellayina L'lerim | Kazian Blackwood | Kyric ||​