Never Hate Your Enemies. It Affects Your Judgement.

[Kian Karr]

LOCATION: Vulpter

Kian Karr sat in the corner of the cantina, a glass of Correllian Ale poured in front of him but untouched. His black hood was pulled up over his head, obscuring most of his appearance save the metal spikes that protruded out from his mask. Beneath the goggles his eyes were closed and his senses were stretched out into the room around him. He could feel the disgust from the Twi'lek waitress as one of the patrons flirted with her. He could feel the fear coming from the human bartender who was worried his boss wouldn't notice him skimming credits, and periodically he could feel the curiousity as eyes found his dark form sitting in the corner. When this occurred, Kian was forced to use a bit of force persuasion to turn their eyes and thoughts away.

He had sent [member="Uther Weiss"] and [member="Spike Arrel"] off on the task of securing them transportation to the lower factories, where rumors of Sith supporters were running rampant. Their task was simple, investigate the rumors and determine if there was a security risk. Now Kian had to wait while his apprentices were out and hope they would be back soon. He also hoped the Jedi Knight [member="Kana Truden"] would arrive soon. She had arrived ahead of the rest in order to scout the area and gather intelligence. This was the rendezvous and Kian was worried that Kana hadn't arrived yet.

Kian checked his chrono again. She wasn't that far overdue.....only an hour.

​

[SIZE=14.4444446563721px][member="Uther Weiss"] - [member="Spike Arrel"] - [member="Kana Truden"] [/SIZE]​

 

[Kana Truden]

"You know you wouldn't have to do that if you just dropped the robe, right?" Kana joked as she discreetly put a small datapad on the table in front of Kian. "I always have, and always will, prefer jumpsuits."

Kana straightened the cuffs of her black jumpsuit as if to demonstrate. She looked around the cantina, people came here to forget about their worries, not to snoop on others. This whole overly discreet way to go on about their business was lost on her but she did not question her friends. From the look of the place it reminded her of her old self. Of the drunk and miserable little girl that she used to be before her timely induction to order.

She looked at [member="Kian Karr"]'s glass. It looked untouched, judging by the content's color and it was one of her favorites.

"Corellian ale, clean glass." Kana nodded in approval. "I'm personally more of a whiskey fan but it's a good choice nonetheless."

Kana took a look around the cantina for [member="Spike Arrel"] and [member="Uther Weiss"].

"Where are the kids?"

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian turned his attention toward [member="Kana Truden"] and tilted his head to the side, studying her for a moment. Judging from her calm expression and her seemingly relaxed state, Kian immediately felt relief. He had been fearful that something might have gone wrong that had delayed her....but then again, he should have become used to Kana being late to meetings with him!

Indicating that she should take a seat, Kian began. "You're late!" He said, trying to put sternness in his voice, but knowing he had failed. "I look odd in jumpsuits." Kian said and then added, "but then again I look odd in everything." Kian said, smiling beneath his mask.

Looking down at his glass, Kian eyed it for a moment and then turned back to Kana. "It was the only drink I could think of." Kian said lifting it and swirling it but not taking a drink. Kian had never had alcohol before. As a boy he spent his life among the Baran Do....not a conducive environment for debauchery, and when he left, he had joined the Jedi and he never saw the need. Hearing Kana mention his padawans, [member="Uther Weiss"] and [member="Spike Arrel"], drew Kian's attention back to the conversation. "They are procuring our transportation." Kian said leaning back and folding his arms across his chest.

"What have you to report? Do you think the rumors are true?" Kian asked referring to the presence of Sith supporters in the lower factories.

 

[Spike Arrel]

Spike had the illustrious task of procuring transportation for the operation. He didn't have much to work with, save for a few credits, but he knew he would find something.

"Have any idea of where to start?" He said over to [member="Uther Weiss"].

 

[Kana Truden]

Kana nodded as if Kian had told her something interesting. Not that he had, but acting as if they were just having a interesting conversation seemed like a good cover for it’s true purpose. It may be a bit lost on the other end but overall she hoped the message got across. They were here alright, the closer to the factories she had gotten the more attention had been brought onto her. She had even been wearing the most casual outfit she had available yet they had singled her out as if they knew.

“There was a bunch of armed men and patrols around one of the factories.” Kana raised her eyebrows as if she was trying to discuss something interesting. “They seemed to notice me as soon as I set foot in the district and they didn’t seem like your regular city guard.”

Yet still Kana hadn’t been able to sense any sith presence herself, maybe they were dealing with an equally discreet group of agents?

“Though spread throughout most of the district the guards seemed to get more and more wary the closer I got to this one abandoned factory a few clicks from the main routes. Also, I personally couldn't feel any force presence but my current company gives me a good idea as to why.”

“Anyway, I’m thinking you and your friends slip in the back while I act bait and decoy. Most of them are bound to know my face by now which we can use to our advantage.”

[ [member="Kian Karr"] ]​

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian listened to [member="Kana Truden"] periodically laughing to give the impression they were having a normal conversation. He had noticed this strategy when he was speaking to her, nodding along to make it appear they were just any other patrons, and Kian thought it a prudent move. Kana's words regarding the lower factories were disheartening. Guards that were that suspicious of new people was not a good sign. They were on alert for some reason....and the fact that they were especially concerned with an abandoned factory was not good.

"That sort of paranoia isn't a good sign." Kian said folding his arms across his chest. Kana explained her idea to Kian, that the padawans and he would sneak into the factory while she distracted the guards at the front. It wasn't a bad plan, though it left Kana alone with a number of guards. What if they decided she was a threat? What if they figured it was better to kill the nosey girl rather than take any chances? Kian pushed these thoughts aside. He was sure Kana had thought of the risks.

"That should work. Once we are in though, you'll need to get in yourself as well. Do you have a plan for that?" Kian asked, glancing at his chrono again. Where were the padawans?!

[member="Spike Arrel"] - [member="Uther Weiss"]​

 

[Kana Truden]

“The very point of my plan is to draw their fire and full attention for a while before speeding away from there.” Kana drew a line on the table as if to create two points and moved her finger back and forth in between them. “I’ll take intervals, keep them at their toes and out front. At least that’s what I can think of without the ability to mask my force presence. Eventually when it seems they’re enough on the edge I’ll hang back for a while.”

To be honest it was a really bad plan that would leave her incredibly exhausted but it was the least she could think of at the moment.

“That is of course unless I go on a direct offensive but we both know that would be suicidal.”

[ [member="Kian Karr"] ]​

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian nodded along to her words. It was a good plan...if not a bit risky.

"It is risky," Kian said tilting his head and looking at [member="Kana Truden"] for a moment. He hadn't know the Jedi long, but what he knew of her he liked.

"Give us the distraction to get in....but don't take any unnecessary risks." Kian said, putting seriousness in his voice, "Corvus would never forgive me if I got you killed." Kian added, a bit more lighthearted. Reaching into his coat, Kian pulled out a small brown bag.

"These might help." Kian said handing it to Kana under the table. Inside were three thermal detonators. Kian had procured them from a Republic security detail before leaving Ossus. He wasn't sure how they would come in handy, but he thought they would be a good way into the factory if all else failed. "Just be careful with them."

[member="Uther Weiss"] - [member="Spike Arrel"]​

 

[Spike Arrel]

[member="Kian Karr"] / [member="Kana Truden"] / [member="Uther Weiss"]

===========================

Spike headed back to the cantina entrance after some time searching for transportation. He managed to score a pair of swoop-bikes on sale at a nearby shop. They were quite old by the looks of it, but they still ran rather well. While he was waiting outside Spike decided to preform some rudimentary maintenance on the bikes to ensure they wouldn't crap out too soon.

 

[Kana Truden]

“Awww, thank you.” Kana acted as if she had just received the most wonderful gift ever. Not that she hadn’t, these things were fun. “I will make sure they get these as soon as I get home, I promise.”

“Don’t worry about my sister though, she’ll never find out… Again.”

The act was starting to feel worn out. Where were the other two?! They had been waiting for a while now. Where was Uther Weiss and Spike Arrel? The act would have to go on for a while longer. Even if it was starting to feel a bit, uncomfortable.

“I heard your brothers skipped school the other day. Do they tend to do that a lot?”

[ [member="Kian Karr"] ]​

 

[Kian Karr]

((Ok we are going to move on without Uther, haven't heard from him in a while on any of the other threads!))

"Yes, I can't believe mom continues to let them get away with it." Kian said, going along with [member="Kana Truden"]'s plan. As he did this his datapad beeped and he glanced down. Glancing back up at Kana he smiled, though he knew she couldn't see it.

"Looks like our transportation has arrived." He said putting the datapad away. "Time to go." Kian said standing.

We'll get into place then give you time to handle the diversion. Kian said, communicating to Kana through telepathy. Do be careful and May the Force Be With You. Kian said bowing his head to her and walking out of the cantina.

​

~ ~ ~​

Outside the cantina, Kian found [member="Spike Arrel"] ready to go. He had found them transportation in the form of swoop bikes. It would work nicely.

"Good job." Kian said and quickly relayed the plan to his apprentice. They would get into position, and once Kana had set the diversion off, they would sneak into the factory to investigate.

"Time to go." Kian asked, getting onto the swoop bike. They needed to get into position so that they were where they needed to be when the diversion was put into play. Kian was worried about Kana, she would be on her own. But she had been on her own before, and she had been on her own on Vulpter all ths time and been fine. Kian knew he could trust in her abilities...but regardless, he always felt a bit apprehensive about leaving people on their own. He had been when he sent her undercover in a Sith Cult....and he would now. He couldn't help it.

Starting the swoop bike, Kian hit the throttle and made his way to the lower level factories. They would take the swoop bikes only so far, and then get off, moving in cover to avoid the guards. The plan wouldn't work if they had eyes on them.

 

[Kana Truden]

‘No promises.’ Kana shook her head and smiled. ‘But the same goes for you. Stay safe and may the force be with you as well.’

Watching the others depart she got on a swoop bike of her own. It felt oddly enough strange to sit on one after all this time. Last time had been on Alderaan, a few weeks before Shaw had found her. Funny how that worked. She revved it up and went on her way. This could end two ways for Kana. Either she’d be dead or she’d be injured. Really, the prospects of getting out of it undamaged seemed slim for some reason.

As she arrived on the scene the sights were once again set on her. As creepy as ever it was the one indication she needed that they had, in fact, not forgotten her. Retrieving the small bag of detonators Kana’s eyes darted between the guards and the bag. This would be it. The moment they had been waiting for.

“I hope I know what I’m doing…” Kana approached the guards. “Hi! I’m looking for the-”

“Leave.” The guard promptly raised his blaster in her face. “Now.”

“Oh wow, okay, sure.” Kana slowly readied herself. “Wouldn’t wanna get on your bad side, huh?”

The man frowned and slowly shook his head before Kana grabbed his blaster and punched him in the face. The alarms blared and she ripped the blaster from the guard’s hands before speeding off into a small alleyway. Blaster in hands she took a good look at it. This was an E-11! The blaster that had subjugated an entire galaxy! Her eyes were basically glistening in awe.

“Would it count as stealing if I kept this?” Kana asked herself in excitement. “Screw it, I want it. It’s mine.”

She put her blaster on her back before running back into the open once more. These guys had taste but did they have aim? Standing in the open it would seem not. Just like any E-11 wielder they too seemed to have about as good aim as a stumbling drunk. Not that Kana would be any different, she simply wanted hers for the coolness of it!

[ [member="Spike Arrel"] | [member="Kian Karr"] ]​

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian and [member="Spike Arrel"] had to ditch their swoop bikes at the outside of the area and sneak in undetected. With his hood pulled up, his darks robes allowed him to blend into the shadows relatively unseen as he watched from the distance as the guardsman patrolled the area. They moved in indiscernible patterns, never going over the same exact location twice, nor passing an area at a consistent time interval. These were not ordinary guards....they were well trained in security.

"I don't like this." Kian said turning toward his padawan. "They seem to good." Kian said, raising his hand to stroke the spikes on his anti-ox mask.

"I wonder if...." Kian began to say when suddenly the alarms began to blare. Turning quickly, Kian thought he caught a glimpse of [member="Kana Truden"] dashing past in the distance. The diversion was set....now to see if it would work.

"Be ready to move." Kian said, pushing aside his concern for the moment. They couldn't allow hesitation to make them miss an opportunity. As Kian watched from the shadows the guards moved toward Kana. Watching from his vantage point, Kian could tell even more how well trained they were. They moved as a unit, three guards moving directly to attack, while another three moved into a flanking position.

"Kana....be careful. I think they are special forces." Kian said over the comm channels before cutting the call. "Time to go." Kian said and began to move quickly and quietly toward the building. He stuck to the shadows and arrived at the back wall, seemingly undetected. Kian eyed the wall of the factory. It was an older building, thrown up in haste and with little time taken to making a particularly strong building. Igniting his lightsaber, Kian began to cut his way through the wall and into the building. After a few moments, he had opened a hole small enough for him and Spike to enter.

Good luck Kana. Kian thought to himself as he entered the building and stepped into complete darkness.

 

[Spike Arrel]

[member="Kana Truden"]

================

Spike continued to follow his master [member="Kian Karr"] into the building. He was faced with darkness, so he did what he could with the force to enhance his vision somewhat. Now he could see a little more clearly at the surroundings. He now waited for [member="Kian Karr"]'s next move.

 

[Kana Truden]

Special Forces. Now that made her plan a lot more dumb and she needed to be a lot more smart about it. If they were SF that meant they’d have tactics and tactics meant they weren’t just anyone. Rigorous training for precision and endurance. She would have to call off her initial plan and think on the go. So much for being cleverly stupid.

“I’m calling the initial plan off.” Kana responded. “I’ll keep them off your bank but I’ll have to think of a new approach. Keep calm and I’ll get back to you.”

The comm whistled and she looked around. If there were special forces coming she had picked a really bad spot. What with this being an alleyway and all. Her eyes darted across the enclosed space. What exits and entrance points was available to her. The answer dawned on her badly. There was one exit and one entrance and they were both the same. Except for that there was the roof but it was way higher up than she could reach. Fire escapes were nonexistent and the only way for her to go would be down a unremarkable grate.

She could hear the shuffles of fabric as the men snuck around in the area. They were approaching, and fast. Seeing no other option but to escape into the sewers Kana quickly latched on to the heavy metal cylinder and lift it up. An idea struck her and she grabbed one of the thermal detonators. If she knew what she was doing she’d lure them, if she didn’t… Well, let’s just hope it went well anyway.

Setting the timer on the detonator she tossed it in front of the grate and pulled the cover before dropping down from the ladder. Hugging the wall as the explosion went off she felt the ground shake as the bait had been set. Now all she had to do was find another exit, but that would be easier said than done.

“Kian I am okay, in the sewers but okay. Keep on keeping on and I’ll see you soon.”

[ [member="Kian Karr"] | [member="Spike Arrel"] ]​

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian had deactivated his lightsaber after cutting the hole in the wall, now making his way into the building, he had to use the force to guide himself in the dark. It was pitch black and Kian couldn't understand why it was so dark. He had heard something from Kana but the message had come in broken up and barely coherent. Hopefully she was ok.

Feeling his way ahead, Kian felt Spike behind him also using the force to try and navigate. They had gone about 20 feet when Kian began to notice the darkness lighting up ahead. There was a light source in the distance. As he got closer he realized why it was dark. When he cut into the wall he'd cut into a storage locker at the back of the factory. The light ahead was coming from the seam in an old door that hadn't sealed all the way.

Remain as quiet as possible Kian said to Spike via telepathy. There was no telling what was inside the building....given the security outside. Regrettably, given the secrecy of the place and the security measures in place, Kian and the others had very little information on what was going on inside, or what the internal structure looked like. Luckily, the factory would likely look very similar to the others in the area, given the fact that construction to change the interior would have drawn the attention of the locals. Going off of that information, Kian assumed that outside the door would be a maintenance area and droid storage, which in turn would lead to the large warehouse structure that housed the ground floor.

Coming up to the door, Kian stayed to the side so that if it opened he would still be hidden and his placed his palm flat against the door. Stretching out, cautiously, with the force and his mind, Kian attempted to get a sense of whether or not there were people inside the room. Luckily there seemed to be no one....nor any droids.

Come on, Kian said and he opened the door. At first the burst of light was blinding, but his eye sight cleared quickly and Kian found that he had been right. The room was a maintenance room, full of tools and inactive droids. Entering the room, Kian could hear voices outside the door but he was unable to make out what they were saying. Clutching his unlit saber hilt in his hand, he crept toward the door and signaled for Spike to get to the opposite side of the door. Closing his eyes, Kian stretched out with the force once more. He could make out the two people on the other side of the door the door in the force. They were both male and, from what Kian could tell, arguing about something. Stretching out his hand, Kian made a fist and pulled. A burst of force energy grabbed both men and slammed them back into the wall, knocking them both out. Kian waited for a moment, still stretching out, feeling for a sense of alarm that would travel through the force if anyone had seen it. After a moment, Kian opened the door and he and Spike pulled them both inside. They were wearing lab coats and each had ID cards on their coats. Kian pulled them both off.....those would come in handy.

​

[member="Spike Arrel"] - [member="Kana Truden"]​

 

[Kana Truden]

She should have seen the static coming. Not that she knew her message hadn’t been received in the first place. Even so she continued her stride down the narrow corridors of the sewers. So she had entered that way, made her way through the topside that way and…

“There’s a sewer grate over here!” A gravelly voice echoed from afar. “She must be down here!”

Great, Kana was now stuck in a sewer of all places with people that wanted to kill her or worse. If she knew her special forces they were probably dividing into teams and sectors just for this one lousy intruder who couldn’t stay away. She didn’t know if it was sad or not that they spent this many resources on just one lousy jedi.

Withdrawing the E-11 from her back she carefully checked her corners as the sounds of grates popping throughout the system could be heard. She had no idea why she liked this blaster so much. In a sense it was kind of macabre that the subjugation part played into it. At least it had it’s benefits to stay ranged for now, even if it meant lethal force.

“They’ve got brains, but you’ve got the force.” Kana told herself as she snuck around a corner. “That should equal it all out.”

[ [member="Kian Karr"] | [member="Spike Arrel"] ]​

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian examined the two men that he had knocked out against the wall. These men weren't security guards.....they were doctors....or scientists of some sort.

"Here," Kian said handing [member="Spike Arrel"] the ID card he took off of one of the men. "Let's try and remain undetected as long as possible......we need to get an understanding of what is going on here." Kian said and he moved toward the door again. Kian peered out of the door into the corridor ahead. It was empty.

"Let's go." Kian said and he crept into the corridor. Kian moved silently down the hall. There were several doors ahead of them. Creeping up to the closest door, Kian peered into the room and was amazed to find it full of people. When they saw him, they all backed away in fear. Rising up, Kian looked around. There were at least two dozen people in there. It was clear looking at them, though, that they were not volunteers or employees of the factory. Most looked malnourished, others had scars and cuts all over themselves.

Kian looked at Spike, a bit confused but also worried. First and foremost they had to get the people to safety. Kian entered the room and several of the larger males in the group stepped forward, trying to shield the weaker people in the group. There were all sorts of species there, Kian saw Nautolians, Twi'leks, Rodians, Humans, and various other natives of Vulpter huddled into the room. One particularly angry looking human stepped forward.

"Who are you?" He demanded, "You're not one of them...." He said, looking at Kian then Spike, his eyes tracing over their clothing.

"My name is Kian Karr and this is Spike Arrel, we're with the Jedi." Kian said holding up his hands, indicating he meant them no harm. "Is everyone ok? What is this place?" Kian asked. When he mentioned being with the Jedi, the people in the room stopped backing away and began crowding around them.

"Help us!" Many of them were saying, "Get us out of here." Others were saying as they grabbed at Kian and Spike's robes.

Then Kian looked back at the man who had stepped forward. "What is this place?" He repeated, with a bit of venom in his voice. "The stuff nightmares are made of!" He said, a look of pure dread in his eyes.

[member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Spike Arrel]

[member="Kana Truden"]

====================

Spike pocketed the ID card [member="Kian Karr"] had given him. He continued to follow his master up to the room filled with the malnourished men, Spike thought that they had to be either slaves or bodies to experiment on. He had to get them out of there regardless, so he gathered his thoughts and watched the door.

After Kian Karr asked his questions, Spike stepped forward to ask a few questions of his own.

"Are any of you hurt? Can you all walk, we're gonna get you all out of here. We also need to know if there is anything we need to worry about; enemies, traps, you name it."

====================

(OOC: [member="Kian Karr"] since you are the mission master I will let you dictate their answer to my question.)

 

[Kana Truden]

Blaster in hand, mind on the surroundings. Each step and echo, every echo a giveaway of her location. She had to get out of here but how? The sounds of the men as they slowly crept in on her location was daunting. She wasn’t afraid but there was still a certain bitter taste of ‘I am screwed’ in the air. She continued her creeping around the sewer. The smell was horrible, the fact that it at least wasn’t filled with household sewage was something she could praise her lucky stars for.

A few moments of peace would come to pass. Kana could hear the soldiers whispering and shuffling around. They were nearby and she had to pass them by quietly. The four of them came into plain view as she rounded the corner. With eyes set on her hunters she forgot to watch her step. She fell to the floor in a thud. A small splash would be heard as her body slumped into the shallow body of water. One of the guards promptly turned around and opened fire. A sharp pain spread in her upper left arm and was quickly followed by everything going dark.

Kana had been stunned and captured. Her captors threw her in a cell and waited for her to wake up. Not that it would happen just yet. If only she knew about the laboratory in the room nearby.

[member="Kian Karr"] [member="Spike Arrel"]