In the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge

[Saeva]

Calm, chill gusts of wind crept over the walled palace. No sounds but the faint whisper or birds and insects, no lights save for those of the city off in the distance. There were some, of course, scattered about the palace’s exterior, as well as the main guard posts. Most of the guards, however, walked with the darkness so as to not give away their position freely.

The tall walls served as the first line of defense for the opulent palace. Old-fashioned but effective. Scaling them was a slow, arduous process. Not for a moment did the fear of detection leave him. Any second a warning might be shouted, alerting them of his presence and all would be lost. Worse than that, no warning was necessary. All it took was a well-aimed shot at the slow moving target… But the shot never came, nor did the shout. Only darkness and the silent hum of business as usual.

He did not expect his anonymity to last long should he be captured. Considering, after all, that this was the home of a Sith Lord, a self-proclaimed Darth, he did not expect a warm welcome.

Just as he was about to slide over the top of the walls, finally putting the stressful climb behind him, his heart froze. Voices. He clung to the structure, muscles aching. What had caught him was a laugh, the volume breaking through the mist of quiet. Once it calmed, however, it became clear that it came from a distance and was moving away. Reassured with this news, Arsaces rolled over and remained flat, catching his breath huddled together in a dark corner. He was in.

 

[Saeva]

The question with these stealthy solo missions was as always, even in the event that he managed to get himself in, would he ever get out? Arsaces knew full and well the implications of his task, but went ahead with them nonetheless. His intel had gotten him this far, and there was little doubt that what he sought would be here.

Seek to impress the wrong people, brag one time too many, and the secret was out. Not that Arsaces was entirely convinced it was supposed to be a secret at all, especially not considering the man had the audacity to go by Darth. At that point everything became a challenge.

Arsaces blended with his surroundings. Darkness suited him, and the faded grey and black of his armour. It covered him from top to toe, the helmet ensuring that his identity remained concealed. Only cold, dark silhouettes looked out from the smooth surface. A sinister malice lurked underneath, but he kept it well under wraps. No point in spoiling the surprise of his intrusion until it was time.

For as long as possible he intended to keep moving forwards without casualties. It was not that he hesitated or even resented the action of the kill. Rather, it could only serve to jeopardise his attempts of stealth. Even well concealed, a body could speak volumes with its silence. Well informed as he tried to be, he did not know their guard routines, or how frequently all positions checked in via comms.

 

[Saeva]

The policy of minimum casualties possible demanded a lot more time from his part. But as long as they were unaware of his presence, he had all the time in the world. While the king might be a Sith, Shawken’s finest were not doing much to deter him thus far. They did not share his talent with the Force, at the very least not taking it to the same heights.

His concealment within the Force working in alignment with the night aided him, his patience repaying him tenfolds as opportunities to advance revealed themselves. Slowly, but surely, he had made it off the walls and to the palace itself.

After confirming the coast was clear, Arsaces pulled out a datapad from a small bag, and checked the map that appeared on dimmed lights. He knew it well enough, and perhaps he ought to have memorized it perfectly, but at this point there could be no mistakes. He would not double back or take additional risk from going the wrong way. Confirming that he was indeed headed where he was supposed to, the young Sith carried onwards.

Quickly turning around a corner, he found himself staring into the startled eyes of two palace guards. Feth. “Hey! You’re not supposed to-” He knew he wasn’t. There was no doubt what had to be done. In a flash, the already on edge Sith drew his blade and carved through the first guard before he could reach for his weapon. The second got a hand on his blaster, even managed to draw, but to Arsaces’ credit he carved the hand off before it could pull the trigger. Next came the head.

The engagement was brief but now the adrenaline truly pumped through him. Had anyone heard them? Although he had cut him off (pun intended), the second guard had managed the beginning of a scream before he lost his head. Even if no one took note, there was now the fear he knew wouldn’t go away that someone would check in with them via comms. For that reason he grabbed one to take with him. After concealing the bodies, and their parts, as best as he could, Arsaces pushed on, only now at a much quicker pace. Stealth was still the name of the game, but he no longer held the liberties of being so casual with his time.

 

[Saeva]

The armoured Sith moved up a staircase. His target lay further down, directly above the catacombs. However it would not be as simple as just going there. He had to take care of something first. This was the riskiest part of the operation.

Being patient, but not a moment longer than he had to, Arsaces snuck past another set of guards. Finally he reached a vast open space, much like a library, and perhaps it was. Pillars of luminescent blue, walls filled with datapads containing all sorts of records. But he was not here for that.

Beyond, and at the very center of the room there was an opening. Sand, strangely enough, or perhaps some sort of grain, exchanged with the regular floor. In the middle a figure sat crouched. Not the king himself, but one of his devout followers. The Force had led him to this moment.

The Force gathered at his feet and he lept towards the figure, his blade hissing to life moments before impact. The figure remained completely still, frozen, until the very last moment. Red blade impacted upon red blade.

“You are not welcome here” he hissed. Obviously, Asaces thought to himself. What a clichê.

 

[Saeva]

In a flurry moving faster than what the untrained eye could perceive the two Sith engaged in a duel with their very lives as the stakes. Fury blossomed between them, and both demanded the attention of the Dark Side, justifying it with their deep brewing hatred. The Force entertained them both, in its amusement, offering either side anything they requested. It took no sides. No matter how this played out, who got the upper hand, it would claim one of their souls today.

By the looks of it it could go either way. The other Sith kept coming at Arsaces, keeping him under deep pressure with barrage upon barrage of heavy hitting strikes. Not a moment was given for him to rest, nor was it made easy for him in any sense of the words. Attacks came from all angles. Not many of them were feints, but the pace of them ensured that he’d keep Arsaces busy regardless.

Time was forgotten as the two engaged in a drawn out duel. This wasn’t really something Arsaces had time for, but one problem at the time. Behind the cold helmet he raised an eyebrow. Was this a ruse? The moments between when he instinctively felt where the next strike would land and the actual parry became longer. It was hardly a noticable change, but Arsaces had been keenly looking out for this moment. His opponent was tiring. From this point onwards he’d grow sloppier and more desperate. Now was the time to change the flow of the battle.

Arsaces had made a point of parrying and sidestepping rather than blocking head on, utilizing as little energy as necessary to defend himself while his opponent poured his heart into every strike and combination. The signal of the shift was when Arsaces met his enemy’s strike head on, catching him off guard by standing his ground for once. Their blades were guided to the side and Arsaces dove in for a heavy headbutt. He felt bones crack underneath, but that could’ve been wishful thinking.

 

[Saeva]

Blood coursed from the nose of the other man. Arsaces had planned this since the start of their fight and did not hesitate to follow through. It would not be that easy, however, as he somehow managed to raise a sufficient block in time. But this was the beginning of the end for him. Now it was Arsaces who went on the offensive, increasing both speed, frequency of attacks and the power behind them.

Though this was a spectator-free engagement, anyone watching would be able to take note in the shift. The Force was disappointed. He lost its favour. Three successive overhead strikes met the man’s block, pushing him down onto his knees, breathing heavily from exhaustion before the final two strokes ended it all. One to take off his sword arm, the next immediately decapitating him.

Arsaces took a moment to enjoy his victory, but he knew if had been in a hurry before things were really getting desperate now. In a larger bag he had hanging around his shoulder he put both head and hand, but left the body.

 

[Saeva]

Arsaces was practically running now. The fight had taken its toll on him now, but whatever burn his muscles were feeling he’d simply have to endure. There was no slowing down now.

Again he ran the same pair of guards he had evaded before. However this time he took no time to wait, he rushed ahead, kicking off from the walls and carving through the unsuspecting duo with his crimson blade. He didn’t even stop to watch them drop, but pressed onwards.

Quickly Arsaces infiltrated the lower levels, moving towards the vaults above the catacombs. Around the corner he sensed two guards standing by. Taking a deep breath, he reached out to throw the hilt of his blade, cutting through the air. At the last moment the hilt came to life with a snap-hiss. The warning sound came way too late, and the guards were easily carved in half.

At this point he was starting to leave a trail of bodies. He was sweating inside of his armour. But he was so close! Arsaces crouched down before the door and pulled out the head and hand from the defeated Sith. First, he held up the head and allowed his left eye to be scanned. Then he used the hand to confirm the fingerprint. Now came time for the final and third key to be input. Force be with me, he thought.

Calmly, eyes shut, Arsaces placed his hand on the control panel. In a dream-like wave the Force washed over him as it had many times before, presenting a series of liquid-like images and memories. He saw the king, he even saw the man he had just slain step up in front of the vault door. Then came the moment he was hoping for, the moment where the code was input. Arsaces did not even stop to think, but copied the motions with his own hand.

The wait that followed felt like the longest in his life. Any wrong code and the alarms would sound, he was sure of it. The brief second that tasted like eternity ended with a confirming beep, and the vault door slowly opened themselves before him. He had done it!

 

[Saeva]

It was beautiful. There were many other items of immense value here, but his eyes immediately landed on his prize. This was what he had come here for. The holocron of Karness Muur. It really was here. Arsaces could not contain himself and openly laughed out loud. What a moment, to be allowed to not only bask in the beauty of the item, but to be so privileged as to be allowed to take it with him home.

He had let the head and hand lie in front of the entrance. The holocron he now carefully placed into the same bag. The dismemberments all came from lightsaber wounds, so there wouldn’t be any blood to sully the ancient artefact.

Months and months of planning had gone into this. Resources pooled into making this happen, bribes, some fruitful and others not. It had felt as if his whole life had been consumed by this for so long. And to now have it finally in his hand… It was perfect. Everything had gone so smoothly.

And then the alarm rang.

Kark. Feth. Karking feth. Feth feth kark

 

[Saeva]

Secrecy went out the window, and with any luck, so would he. Arsaces straight out sprinted up the stairs, running as if his life dependent on it. Of course, that was exactly the case. All the murdering did little to help his case, but now he would be caught red-handed with the item of his dreams.

No. He had not come this far to surrender. This holocron was coming with him home. Dermed basta.

At the head of the stairs he was met with three people levelling their blaster rifles at him. The exchange that followed was predictable; his blade once more was summoned to action, deflected and reflected the incoming blaster fire. With such a narrow hallway to work with there wasn’t many paths for it to take, and the three assaulters were quickly dispatched. Not all of them were dead. One was, another would be within the hour, but the third would make it. No matter. This was not about killing.

As soon as he made it outside it was as if stepping right out into a firing squad. They weren’t waiting for him, but they had not been far behind the three guys he just had encountered. And more were coming. In a brutal exertion of Force energy he lept from the ground onto the wall of a palace tower, colliding with it and trying to grip it while sliding down, only to kick off from there again. Bouncing between the two he managed to get a grip on the wall, blaster fire all around him. It was only due to the quick and unnatural powers he possessed that allowed him to move in unpredictable ways.

Even as he made it ontop of the wall, more people were rushing up there. He knew he couldn’t fight them all, and yet they would not permit him to slowly slide down the same way he had come up.

 

[Saeva]

Arsaces and his blade danced once more atop the ramparts, clashing with vibrosword and pikes alike. Surrounded by enemies on both sides, he changed targets but was forced to act defensively. Finally an opening revealed itself, and he landed a kick onto the guard behind him while parrying the strike coming from the other side. The man he kicked crashed into two others, taking one down to the ground with him. It was enough for him to follow up with an undisturbed sequence that ended his closest enemy.

Now with the most marginal windows of opportunity, he knew he had to act. A strong Force Push emphasised the opening he had given himself. Running on the very tips of the wall, Arsaces made it past the group that had caught up with him. Down was not an option, but he had one last resort.

The Force as his aid, he made it down in front of the main gate, a much shorter fall and with a few turrets sticking out that allowed him to drop down level by level without harm. It also provided him an excellent opportunity to stab them with his saber.

Finally on the ground, in a mad sequence of fury-filled moves, Arsaces engaged with and dispatched a group of five soldiers surprisingly quick. He was pushed to his limits, feeling the exhaustion and desperation crawl upon him. Luckily for him he was not facing someone as formidable as a Sith Acolyte, but rather the common soldier with a rifle and a sword, untouched by the Force.

Arsaces sat himself atop a speeder bike, carving the one next to it off at the front. Meanwhile a squad had made it to the wall above the gate, and was laying into him with blaster fire. The turrets on the opposing side that he had not dealt with opened fire as well. But at this point it was too late. The speeder roared to life and Arsaces raced away from the palace at incredible speed, amidst a torrent of blaster fire but none of which managed to accurately predict or pinpoint his location sufficiently to make a hit.

He blended with the treeline. Next he would rush in a direct line to his ship, and sneak off the planet. A hyperspace jump away from freedom, but already Arsaces felt that same feeling he had felt when he first laid eyes upon the holocron. He had made it. Surely he would take time to enjoy and celebrate this feeling later, but even now, he couldn’t contain himself. He couldn’t help but laugh. The holocron of Karness Muur was his.