Private It All Starts Here

[Darth Daiara]

I can't let this happen again. Kaalia, I have to do something.

No empire lasts forever, Aradia. Learn your own lessons, that's all an individual gains from war.​

Peace would not just be given to her. It was the only lesson Aradia learned from Korriban and Dantooine. Her enemies were fueled by vengeful hatred; they were not set to burn through it any time soon. These imperial loving jedi were set on spilling blood. Very well.

She'd bring it to them.

The Acolyte had never left TSE waters, but it was task that no longer daunted her. What was a core planet but another chunk of land with people living on it? It was nothing more than another place that could be burned through and stolen, like all those she failed to defend. She didn't know this one's name. It passed through her as soon as she learned it. It's identity wasn't what mattered here. What was on it did.

She was dressed down to simple browns, her red locks tucked tight into a hood that masked her face. The temple was active, filled with light and the glow of life. She pressed herself into an unlit wall, the camera above her disabled and hacked. Soon the rest of the temple's camera feed for the floor would start to loop. It wasn't the best, but it would buy her time. Laughter echoed through the hall as two figures left the restricted archive. The doors hissed closed, locking behind them.

Aradia held her breath as they walked by, her force signature repressed as she left herself dampened but unnoticeable. Their cheer bit into her chest, pain stirring. More than one of her peers had been denied the chance to laugh again. More than one of her temples had been dismantled. And here the Jedi laughed, unhindered by the wounds they ripped into the world.

It wasn't fair.

She wanted to hit them until they stopped, she wanted to shake them, she wanted to-- she forced herself to breathe. She wasn't here to fight. Not yet. She was here for something much simpler, yet entirely vital to her goal. Intel. Their footsteps faded off, their voices going with them. Aradia let out a breath and waited a beat.

One, two, three-- she darted out. The cameras might be covered, but the intersection outside the archives was busy enough. Hood shoved down to act casual, she stood in front of the keypad and jammed on a handheld driod.

Come on, come on-- she could hear it do its work. She kept it body blocked from sight.

Footsteps echoed closer. Her shoulders tensed, the girl glancing ba-- the door hissed open. She yanked off the droid and slipped in.

She jammed the door closed, her heart pounding in her ear.

Had they noticed?

She didn't waste time, her feet pounding the stone ground as she ran deeper in for a terminal.

Zaavik Perl

 

[Zaavik Perl]

THE CORE // GALACTIC ALLIANCE TERRITORY

​

Security. With Korriban, Dantooine, and Byss quiet, there wasn't much for a Shadow to do. Zaavik argued that sitting in a security room was a waste, but the enemies of the Sith Empire were on high alert internally. If there was ever a time to strike for intel, it would be now. They all knew this. Normally a droid or underpaid security contractor would be in the very seat where Zaavik sat. Someone had decided the best person to watch over Jedi information at a time like this would be a Jedi. And so, here he was.

Leaning far in his seat, feet kicked up and crossed over the table that held the monitors and security terminal, it was obvious that Zaavik wasn't taking this too seriously. Maybe he just didn't think anything would happen. Maybe he was acting out in defiance of what he thought to be an underutilization of his talents. One way or the other, his eyes were far more interesting in flipping through his holophone than they were being glued to the screens. Rock music blared into his headphones, leaving both of his most pertinent senses to the task preoccupied.

He humored the assignment every few moments, glancing up to the monitors for anything suspicious. Nothing. Of course. Neither the feeds nor his mindless scrolling through Spacer were in the least bit stimulating. Checking Limmie scores. A video or three on AvTube. Left and right swipes on Banger. Yeah, this was getting old fast. He looked up at the monitors again. Noth- Wait a second. That's the same group of people that just walked by, isn't it? Same direction, too.

Zaavik sat his phone down and took the headphones off the rest around his neck. He leaned his elbows against the table and watched the feed closely. For a while, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Then, a split-second flicker on the screen, and that same group moving slowly after. A loop. Great. It could have been an issue with the closed circuit, but something, his gut probably, told him it was more than that.

He left his things on the table, spinning around to stand abruptly from the chair. Towards the applicable floor, he crept with a preemptive force cloak. Maybe this wouldn't be so boring after all?

Darth Daiara​

 

[Darth Daiara]

The darkness of the Archives was a solace. Her steps echoed through the space, her shoulders relaxing to gentle calm of the room. It would be a lie to say her heart didn't slam in her chest. This deep into enemy space, she was fully aware of what could happen to her. It didn't matter. She clung tight to the fear, its very presence reminding her why she had to press on.

Someone had to stop them.

She found a terminal, her fingers thumbing it to life with deft movements. She had practiced this. This time, she was prepared. She flicked a drive out of her bracelet, the cool metal sliding in.

This is the best tech we have out there. It'll surpass a jedi security system, easily.
​

It beeped red.

...But if that fails use this.
​

Aradia cursed, flipping the bracelet around and jamming in the other end.

It will fry the terminal and draw attention, so be careful!​

She ignored the warning, her shoulders already bracing for the fall out as the codes ran across the screen.

Green.

She signed in relief, jamming erratically at the options as she pulled up the files... and initiation a download.

1 0 s e c o n d s.

 

[Zaavik Perl]

THE CORE // GALACTIC ALLIANCE TERRITORY

​

Zaavik moved through the chambers and corridors of the Temple. Force Cloak only holding up to cause transparency, double-takes, and odd looks were offered to the Padawan as he stalked around. His choice of attire conflicted against the dull robes and samey vestments of his fellow Jedi. Had he been a few years younger, he may have rebuked their glares and asked 'what the fuck are you looking at'? He'd grown begrudgingly out of that abrasive behavior. Allyson had worked it out of him, despite how much she'd originally found it amusing. It certainly made traversing the halls without receiving a lecture a possibility. Whereas before, it was practically required to get anywhere.

The Force told him where to look. He wasn't so much following anything, he couldn't feel anything to follow, but treading around on the end of some clairvoyant sting that pulled him along. Down a less-traveled hallway, he found himself in front of an auxiliary archive door. Eye drew towards the floor. Subtle, near unnoticeable scrapes, that he wouldn't have seen himself without his training, led into the archive. Droid feet? Either one of those clankers had a bad knee servo, or someone got ahold of it.

Zaavik focused, forcing the transparency into full invisibility. It was then that he hit the door panel and walked through the two boards as they hissed open. Every step was a near-weightless rap onto the floor. Any sound it made was far too muted for the ear. He crept around dataracks, server towers, standing terminals, and other miscellaneous storage apparatuses as he looked for whoever or whatever was in here. It didn't take long for him to spot the figure dubiously hunched in front of a secure terminal.

Shrouded from visibility, Zaavik waltzed up beside the intruder. He crossed his arms and leaned against the retaining pillar the terminal was built into. All at once he dropped the cloak over his form and popped back into visible form. Black synth-leather jacket, tight jeans, big belt buckle, Corellian cowboy boots. Anyone could be forgiven for having doubts that Zaavik was a Jedi at all. The lightsaber hilt coupled to his belt that poked out beneath the brim of his jacket was the only real indication.

"So uhhhh, whatcha doin'?" His voice was sharp with a smug, facetious undertone.

Darth Daiara​

 

[Darth Daiara]

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-


"So uhhhh, whatcha doin'?"

Aradia gasped, jerking the bracelet from the terminal. "Sonofa-" The words fell from her mouth, the adrenaline wiping her thoughts clear for a full second. The terminal spazzed and sparked, smoke quickly rising from the slots. Well that was gonna grab more attention. Almost as much as the cowboy appearing out of midair.

Her thoughts splattered against the icey wash of shock, her instincts screaming at her to hit him! So... she did. Closed fist, the bracelet pinched in her hand. Her wrist flashed out, aiming to right-hook the smirk that leveled down on her.

Yet as her hand went flying through the air, one bit of clarity came a moment too late. He didn't know what she was. There was still time to play it off.

Or maybe not.

 

[Zaavik Perl]

THE CORE // GALACTIC ALLIANCE TERRITORY

​

The sudden terminal burnout did evoke a draw in his attention. A surprised flinch coupled with an inquisitive glance. There wasn't time for any other reactions. A meaty whap rang into his ears as pain spiked through his throat. A small crunch sounded off the partial closing of his airway.

He gasped, air wheezing as it struggling into his lungs. He grabbed his throat, hunching over slightly and stumbling a step back. "What the fuck?" He squeaked laboriously.

Fight or flight kicked in instantly. He still had little idea who this was or what they were doing. But dubious camera loops and throat punches didn't bode well. He plucked the saber from his belt, pointing it forward and extending the verdant blade with a flick of the activator.

"What are you doing down here? What the hell is your problem!? Huh!?" It was still hard to speak.

Darth Daiara​

 

[Darth Daiara]

"Ow, feck," she weezed in turn, yanking back her wrist and shaking it out. The too-late voice screamed in her mind, trying to keep her cool as the saber was pulled and the blade was leveled. Warning sirens blared inside her. The force awoke, bits of the hunger clawing to life in response to the panic. It took every bit of her will power to lock it down...

To step back...

To raise her hands...

When every bit of her wanted to fight back with fire and fury.

"Whoa, whoa-whoa- Me? You just jumped-- Out of no where. You can't do that to people! You scared me!" A whine hit her tone, not unlike Quinn when she wanted to get her way. It had annoyed Aradia in class, but now she was grateful for the ample exposure as she put it to use.

The bracelet was already out of sight as he raised the saber. She gave the weapon a fearful glance, her lower lip jutting out in a pout. She felt ridiculous, every beat of her heart heard against her eardrums. There were better ways of escape than revealing herself as sith. Safer ways.

Practice restraint.

"Come on, put it down."

 

[Zaavik Perl]

THE CORE // GALACTIC ALLIANCE TERRITORY

​

A few more wheezes. Each one was less severe than the last. His hand dropped from his throat, an angled glance still scowling with his lightsaber pointed forward. He licked the front of his teeth behind closed lips before one harsh cough. Slowly, hesitantly, he lowered the saber and retracted it back into the hilt. His throat cleared with a wince. The Padawan approached slowly, his boots making deep thuds against the tiled floor.

"You know, this terminal is restricted," he mentioned as he turned his head to survey the fried installation. Blue eyes darted back, giving the stranger a suspicious squint. "So how'd you get in?" He doubted she really had any authorization. Come to think of it, he'd never even seen her before. The camera loop couldn't just be a coincidence, could it?

"And-" Zaaviks hand placed onto the side of the terminal. It was still warm to the touch from the sudden overload. He let the fried circuts and wires speak to him best they could. Just like Allyson Locke had taught him. "I don't think it just bricked on its own." He crossed his arms again. "So, miss, you're gonna need to start explaining yourself, or the saber's coming back out. Giving you the benefit of the doubt here. Don't blow it."

Darth Daiara​

 

[Darth Daiara]

Aradia took a step back for every one he advanced, an animalistic edge to the tension in her movements.

The shock cleared. As he assessed the terminal, she assessed him. He looked normal-- overdressed. Pink. But otherwise no horns. No boils. No unreasonably pale-colored robes (What do they do about dirt stains?). The subtle hum of the force pulse through his fingers as surveyed the terminal, sealing her suspicions on what he was.

Jedi.

She gritted her teeth, her fingers twitching towards her hilt hidden beneath a nondescript robe. She could slay him so easily in that moment. His hair parted, revealing the span of his neck as he leaned forward She could smell the flesh. She hear the hiss.

She had every opportunity to pull her saber ...


...

and then it was gone.

He approached her and she just stared at him-- an unreadable figure unmoving in the dark intersection of the achieves.

"-iving you the benefit of the doubt here. Don't blow it."

​

"...Oh I am so dead," She breathed, life reentering her limbs as childhood skills took over. She wrapped her arms around herself, taking another step back to pace.

"I didn't think anyone would notice-- Oh force, this isn't what it looks like."

Her throat bobbed, her hand coming up to cusp at her mouth. Each pace put a little more space between them. Inch by inch, she gained a reprieve. "I was just trying to do something for my Master. This was -- this was short cut. And I thought-- well clearly I didn't think-- I am so dead.."

The words fell easily from her lips, twisted truths and half lies. There was nothing a child slave did better than know the things to say to avoid pain. She sunk into the lies, the option to kill him floating as a crutch at the back of her mind. Not yet. She wanted to see how far she could go. She jerked a metal bracelet off her left wrist, the device clinking to the ground as she practically tossed it out between them.

"You can have it. Please. Just don't say anything."

She didn't find it hard to summon a desperate gleam to her eyes.

It was all she felt that day on Bastion.

 

[Zaavik Perl]

THE CORE // GALACTIC ALLIANCE TERRITORY

​

Zaavik squinted. She sounded innocent enough. Almost convincing. Suspicious. It reminded him of the kind of show he'd put on back on Zeltros. Playing dumb and innocent to the Zoltan Street Thugs to avoid a smack to the head. The stories he'd give the fuzz to keep himself out of the shit tank and in Jeislan's good graces. The pitiful gestures he'd use to guilt passerbys for some crumbs. It was fishy, but he tried to measure himself. Maybe he was just looking for something to make this dull order somewhat interesting.

A hand outstretched lazily from the tuck of his crossed arms. The device flew up into his palm as the force yanked it forward. The bracelet jingled as it rolled around in his fingers, a single raised brow surveilling the tech. "Uh-huh," he acknowledged sternly. "Who's your Master?" His question came with full eye-contact. His bright, almost unsettling cerulean shades glancing past vermillion eyelids.

"You uh, see any droids on your way in here?" He added another inquiry. Pressure manifests truth. His own experiences under duress had taught him that much.

Darth Daiara ​

 

[Darth Daiara]

A spark of panic was all that betrayed her, her pupils dilating.

She grimaced, her features contorting into guilt as she slowly, carefully... pulled the driod out of her pocket. It bought her the excuse to look down, an abashed mumble catching through her lips.

"I just wanted to try it out... It's not like I get many chances to try and be cool."

She reached out, slowly handing it over. There was nothing vital in it, the spider driod nondescript and banged up. It was someone's hand me downs. It would take some honest work to pick apart its dent body for a clue on its origins. The action bought her time to think, his question still prevalent and unanswered.

Who was her master?

The only jedi name she knew bubbled forward, her once... competition/mentor/tormentor falling from her lips. "Allyson. Uh.... Allyson Locke." It felt so utterly harmless. Perfect, even. Aradia has served as an informant against the woman when she first revealed herself as an agent to the sith. Aradia knew more about her than she once cared to know.

Allyson was from GA. If he looked it up, he'd see her. Aradia couldn't help the barest smirk at the ease of it.

There was no better cover than the dead.

 

[Zaavik Perl]

THE CORE // GALACTIC ALLIANCE TERRITORY

​

"Allyson Locke," he repeated with an obvious familiarity in his voice.

He began to step in a quarter circle around the woman, stopping only once he'd place himself between her and the easiest exit. A smile. Feigned. A facade to lower the guard before he broke down the wall of her opposing facade. He'd smelled something awry, but now he was certain.

"Well then. In that case, I'm surprised we haven't met. Considering Allyson Locke is also my Master."

Any reluctance he had to immediately mark her as a threat had gone out the window. His head tilted slightly to the left, face twisting into a scowl. "So I guess a camera loop and frying an archival terminal were all just part of your plans to skip through her assignment, huh? Cut the shit. I don't buy it."

A distinct hiss echoed through the empty chamber as green plasma sprung to life again.

"Start explaining. Who are you? What are you doing?"

Darth Daiara ​

 

[Darth Daiara]

The second he started pacing her, she knew she had fekked up. She turned with him, the edged of her smile crumbling to his feigned one.

​

"Allyson Locke."

The familiar way the name stuck to his tongue brought a spike of adrenaline through her. Stop him, strike him, silence him. She resisted, the sense of danger only slight. She still had cards up her sleeve. She had studied the woman, she could play the par--

"--Allyson Locke is also my Master."

Or not.

Her nostrils flared, the innocent act dropping to the saber he snapped open before her. There was a time for games, but this was not it. She let herself unfold into the force, the sense of something off growing in the space around them. Her senses sharped as she steeled herself for a fight. If he tried something, she'd know.

She scowled. "I should have made something up." Her own saber jump from her cloak, into her palm. The borrowed hilt hummed warmly in greeting, welcoming her. Snap hiss. A red wash highlighted her grim expression. She didn't answer his question.

Did she really have to?

"Stand aside or I will kill you." Came the only chance she would give. Even those were running thin, lately. All the times they had been handed out... the jedi never took them.

Her fingers tightened on the hilt, baring no false expectations. Someone was not getting out of here alive.

 

[Zaavik Perl]

THE CORE // GALACTIC ALLIANCE TERRITORY

​

Red lightsaber. Could've probably seen that coming. Explains why she knew Allyson by name. This was one of the few times a coincidence actually worked in Zaavik's favor. If one could call having a saber pulled on them fortunate, that was. With her act shattered, barrier down, he could feel her presence finally. If the crimson weapon didn't give it away, the festering darkness made it undeniable. The very thing he'd chalked up to paranoia was happening. Sith Agents.

How vexing.

"Stand aside? Then what? Let you leave after you've presumably had your way with our systems?" Zaavik was uncertain of the extent of what she'd done. How long had she been here? How long were the cameras on loop? How many more of her kind stalked around?

"You know I can't do that."

The Zeltron sighed with impatient discontent. A day off from Sith fuckery was seeming less and less tangible by the day. Really wouldn't mind a break from all this. Alas, Jedi didn't have a set schedule.

"Listen. You're in deep. Only takes one motion on my end, and you're surrounded. Put the saber down, surrender, and no one has to get hurt today, let alone killed." Something told him that wasn't going to convince her of anything. At the end of the day, though, he could say he tried.

Darth Daiara​

 

[Darth Daiara]

'Only takes one motion on my end, and you're surrounded.'
​

Then she wouldn't let him move. She lashed out, her blade caressing down the length of his, controlling it-- trying to buy her access to his wrist to slice it off.

"Jedi don't take prisoners," she spat. After Datooine she was no longer interested in talking to jedi, but his words burned through her, drawing out a bitter retort.

It did not last. Whether or not she gained access to his wrist, she pushed onwards, her attack unrelating. She twirled, her footwork bringing her to his left. A bookcase would soon press into his back. She was trying to pin him down. A short series of simple slashes at his legs tried to drive him back.

She wasn't fighting hard, she was fighting smart. Kaalia Pavanos had trained her well.

 

[Zaavik Perl]

THE CORE // GALACTIC ALLIANCE TERRITORY

​

Red plasma slid up the length of his verdant blade. He tried to maneuver, but the opposing weapon slid through the outer precipice of his cybernetic, half-sundering a wrist servo before he managed to pull away. A quick step backward created space before the barrage of low strikes to come. The second activator was flicked, igniting the second viridescent plasma from the opposite end of the hilt.

His free, organic extremity took ahold of the hilt. Half steps shuffled backward as he parried the low strikes. Feet shuffling against the ground, careful not to cross one another as he gave quarter to her advance. Flashes of white-hot contact added epileptic illumination to the otherwise dim archive. A flourish of twin plasma preceded his final riposte.

The second blade deactivated as the weapons locked together. Zaaviks strength pressed against the resistance, moving crimson blade aside slowly. Cybernetic released, flicking out to the side to produce a dagger from his sleeve. Reverse grip, he struck opposite of his own hold on the weapon, attempting to trap it between a scissor of metal and emitter blade.

Zaavik pulled, intent to bring the opposing weapon down and away from the two, restraining it from further dexterity. He stepped in for added pressure as his knees bent. "Who told you that, your Sith Masters? How credible. We're not bloodthirsty Zealots like them. It's always absolutes with you guys. Just drop you weapon. A cell is better than a cauterized stump for a neck, yeah? A little political fuckery and you'll be back home in no time, I'm sure."

As if the Sith would really care to negotiate the release of some nobody. Then again, he was in a similar boat. Granted, they would've just beheaded him without an offer of surrender, wouldn't they? There was virtue in mercy. Zaavik wasn't going to take a life unless it absolutely couldn't be helped. Not again. Not ever again.

Darth Daiara ​

 

[Darth Daiara]

Aradia gritted her teeth, a hiss of exertion escaping her as he strove to overpower her blade. It was her turn to step back as he stepped in, the girl attempting to disengage against his maneuver. His double blades and his the strength of his cybernetic negated her efforts. It was either release the weapon, or let him peel open her defense like a can of tuna. She did not release her weapon, entering a stand off with him as he restrained them both.

"Told me?" She exclaimed, indignation flaring. "Told me. Right. Because I'm some dumb sheep that can't see for herself-- why do you all keep saying that?"

She jammed her heel down, trying to crunch his toes and break his hold.

She released her saber then, her emptied palms surging forward for the organic arm. She yanked it forward, her body following the motion. Her knee raised, coming to up meet his gut as she tried to pull him down. She moved fluidly, forgoing strength and using his own momentum against him.

"I've seen everything."

She released him, her saber snapping to her hands.

 

[Zaavik Perl]

THE CORE // GALACTIC ALLIANCE TERRITORY

It was becoming clear that trying to get through to her was a waste of time. Zaavik was nothing if not stubborn, though. "You see for yourself? Ironic given that yo-" A sharp pain in his foot cut his words short. A heel missed the steel toe coverings beneath black leather and planet directly into the center. Before he knew it, a kneecap sunk into his stomach and he'd smacked against the ground back first. Snap reaction tucked his chin, staving off any whiplash.

Hostile saber returned to assailing hand. Zaavik kicked his feet up, spinning on his back to kip-up with a force assisted vault. A hand snapped behind his back, freeing the blaster from his belt, exposed steel hidden initially by his jacket. Six shots, each alternating between left and right legs.

When the canister hissed empty, Zaavik spun the gun around his finger and threw it handle first at the face of the Sith. A short distance sprint ignited afterward, his head ducked down with shoulder pointed out and careening towards her celiac plexus.

Darth Daiara​

 

[Darth Daiara]

Her saber sparked to life, glowing vibrantly in the dark as it slashed and arched in smooth patterns. It was as easy as breathing, just like the practice room. Instincts guided her, unnatural speed behind the movements that repelled the attack.

One, two, three, four, five, six.

She counted them out-- she heard the hiss of a depleted canaster. She twirled her blade into a new hold, her defensive stance shifting into a-- CLUNK.

Pain blossomed, light exploding behind her eyelids as the gun was thrown as a final, unexpected weapon.

Oh that was so cheating.

She stumbled back a step, a thin gash bubbling to life across her forehead. Blood started to well, bleeding heavily as headwounds do. Her fingers barely brushed the wetness when she was hit with all the force of a teen on steroids. If the force was injectable, anyway. The air left her lungs. She slammed into the floor, her small frame arching in agony against the assault.

Her saber was lost, the room was dark.

She reached out blindly, trying to dig her blood-dipped fingers into his face.

 

[Zaavik Perl]

THE CORE // GALACTIC ALLIANCE TERRITORY

Zaavik reached for a limb to control. Something to solidify his advantage. Anything. Something pressed into his eye, and fingernails raked down the side of his face. A hiss of pain slithered through his teeth, sending droplets of saliva outward. Hands flesh and mechanical seized the offending arm tightly. The Padawan rolled onto his back, tugging the Sith along with him.

As his opponent was forced onto their stomach, Zaavik scrambled to his knees, limb still in hand. One knee was placed hard down upon the back of the shoulder. The arm was twisted, elbow bent, torqued against the pressure from his pin. One hand slid down to pull up beneath the elbow, applying a painful bend. Far from excruciating, but merely something that deterred a struggle.

Zaavik panted for a few moments, catching his breath. "Okay, enough of that."

The grip tightened in both of his hands.

"Start spilling," he demanded. "Who are you, besides the obvious? What are you here for? What'd you do to the system?" Extra pressure applied for emphasis on his demands. "Don't make me do anything I don't have to. Please. Just talk."