Faction On Broken Wings

[Kaivaan]

Kai's head rattled like something fierce. He wanted to vomit, his stomach burned with the fire of a thousand suns. His once pristine robes were ragged and torn, slowly he pushed himself up off the floor of wherever he was. Slowly his eyes fluttered open to the dim red lights of wherever he was being kept. The young man wanted to stand up but something told him it'd be a better idea if he just stayed sitting on the floor. His lavender-amethyst eyes struggled to stay alert. His breathing was something of a chore, Kai tried to speak but nothing happened.

Then he tried again, "let me out!" His voice would then boom, "let me out of here!"

Doing just that, was a lot of energy to spend, and Kai felt weak. Very weak, all he knew moments before reading the book he had selected was something about Raaf. His mind had only connected it to Taeli Raaf but she didn't care about him, she had long since abandoned his father and therefore him just all the same. He didn't know what Darth Strosius wanted with him exactly. The young man just wanted to get out of here, he didn't even know the others Zachariah Conway or Mornhun of House Marr for that matter who seemed exceptionally creepy. He groaned as he looked down at his wrists, his attempts to try and fight hadn't done more than give him more injuries. Kai traced fingers over the newly formed scabs that were still tender to the touch.

Revna | Commodore Helix ​

 

[Darth Strosius]

The masked man clicked his tongue as he sensed the awakening of the ship's secret passenger, Kaivaan , idly glancing down at the floor panel beneath him where he could just barely hear the sound of shouting over the noise of the shuttle tearing through the atmosphere with utmost haste. Were it not for his enhanced hearing he might not have heard anything at all. Unperturbed he shifted in his seat as his gaze drifted to the window at his side, where the clouds of Jutrand where quickly giving way to the inescapable dark void of space.

He slammed a foot down onto the ground as a warning for the unwilling passenger to keep quiet, this wasn't supposed to be a kidnapping after all. It was supposed to be himself and the good Commodore Helix picking up the young Zachariah Conway from the care of Darth Malum of House Marr for a little extracurricular activity. Whatever the feth that meant. It was an idea of Malum's and it was the perfect excuse for his little errand so he didn't hesitate to jump on the opportunity. Even if he wasn't sure exactly what he was going to do to keep the young Sith occupied.

"Pilot, send word to the Indomitable that we are en route now. I want it ready to move by the time we touch down in the hangar." Darth Strosius called up to the cockpit, receiving a nod in reply from the pilot as the shuttle prepared to jump to hyperspace. Thus far everything had gone to plan but he knew better than to let his guard down so easily. Especially when dealing with the Lady of Secrets herself, Taeli Raaf . "Zachariah, tell me, what do you know of fleet operations?"

 

[Mornhun of House Marr]

From deep in his hood he watched the boy, so young and so frightened. Violet eyes darting for salvation where none would come. His alchemically enhanced leviathan leathers rasped gently against his heavy black cloak as the Sith started giving orders as if perhaps he had forgotten the hunter that had brought his prize.

"There's the matter of my compensation." Mornhun said, his voice the whispering rasp of a hanged man, or of a Miraluka who's cries of pain from the vicious malformation of the alchemical process was so great that his throat would never heal. "You have your prize, now I'll take mine and be on my way."

The Rhak-Skuri gland flared increasing the fear on the air. The pheromones that could go so far as to cause maddness in the weak minded. The click of his alchemical sword releasing and relocking in place began to form a rhythm in time with his pulse as He continued to pass his eyeless gaze across the boy's feature. He did not enjoy this, but he enjoyed starvation and death even less.

Darth Strosius Kaivaan Darth Malum of House Marr Commodore Helix Zachariah Conway

 

[Commodore Helix]

Objective: Transport the prisoners.
Equipment: Helix's Flamestaff, Horror Matrix, Mechu-Deru Defenses, E-4H Blaster Carbine (Pistol Configuration)
Tags: Darth Strosius / Zachariah Conway / Kaivaan / Mornhun of House Marr / @anyone else I forgot​

Helix was seated serenely near Strosius in the passenger compartment of the craft, attempting to scrape a spot of particularly persistent rust from his forearm with a knife. Much of this body's protective coating had worn off with the passing of centuries and the taking of innumerable blows. He was picking up rust quicker than he liked these days. Another one was in the works, but he was loathe to leave this one behind. The mud, blood, and history of a thousand worlds was crusted in between the treads of his metal feet. Something that gave good service shouldn't simply be abandoned.

This job was, on its face, a simple one. Transport the mewling wretches below from A to B. He didn't know who the prisoners were, but he suspected they were someone of import, or he wouldn't be here. He thought Strosius was quite capable of doing this himself, but money was money, and Strosius was Strosius. He was a colleague as much as a client at this point, and if indulging his eccentricities was the price of that, then so be it.

"You've picked a very vocal bunch to transport." His mechanical growl of a voice filled the room. "Most typically, one in their situation would be too frightened to speak." He would know, too. He'd done too many prisoner escorts to count in his time. It was generally easy money. Nobody ever came to rescue scum. These, however, were little more than children. Young, and scared. He couldn't immediately guess their value or purpose. "Are you very certain you need them alive?" He asked, making a show of loosening his sidearm in its holster.

He couldn't shake a feeling of unease. Helix didn't truly have instincts in the way organics did. That honed sixth sense for when something was wrong. Only a very finely-tuned sense of pattern recognition that had come to serve almost the same purpose. It was firing on all cylinders right now, telling him he was missing something.

A small fireteam of five droids was seated in the rear of the passenger compartment, cleaning their weapons and occasionally sharing a nervous glance at the noises coming from the compartment. They were weathered, practiced soldier units as he was. They knew when something was off. Nothing to be done for it, though. He just had to hope the job went off without a hitch.

 

[Kaivaan]

As Kai came around, he looked up above him. Narrowing his gaze, all he wanted to do was Force choke the person who kept him there but decided that his revenge might be better served cold. Getting a better look at his surroundings, Kai realized he wasn't alone. "Vik? Ale?" He questioned and then rubbed his eyes. What were his siblings doing here? They were supposed to be on their way to Korriban. Vik's red eyes were glazed over, and Kai looked toward his sister who leaned forward.

"Soon as we got out of Commonwealth space the shuttle was targeted, not sure what happened after that. We woke up in here," she explained and moved to sit beside Kai. "Vik tried punching his way out." She gestured toward the small dents in the wall, "think he might've broken his hand, not sure. He's been quiet since before they put you in here."

Kai sighed, and let the back of his head hit the wall behind them. For the life of him he couldn't imagine why he and his siblings were trapped in this rather small cargo hold. It had to have been a cargo hold, maybe. He wasn't sure where they were expect very clearly on a shuttle, if the thrum of engines were anything to go by. Wherever they were going he suspected it wasn't going to be to Jutrand, not exactly. Looking over at his siblings he rather confidently told them, "I'll get us out of here." Even when he had no plan of how to escape his captors or even who they were. He just knew that they couldn't stay there, they had to get back to Dosuun.

Darth Strosius | Commodore Helix | Mornhun of House Marr | Revna | Zachariah Conway | Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Darth Strosius]

The masked man clicked his tongue as he regarded the hunter with a glance over his shoulder, idly regretting having to resort to hiring help for this little errand. Next time he'd just do the job himself and knock out any cameras like usual. "You'll get your payment, have no fear. But first I must ensure that our 'cargo' doesn't find a way to slip free from the ship. Otherwise I'll be out of credits and my prize now won't I?"

Darth Strosius waved off the hunter as he sat back in his seat and idly crossed one leg over the other. "Once we land the payment is yours for the taking, then you can be on your way." And more importantly out of his way, just in case the target appeared earlier than expected with the funding to change the situation around as it were. He wouldn't put it past Lady Raaf to do so such a thing instead of facing him herself like a proper Sith would.

He cocked his head to the side to regard Helix as the droid spoke up, briefly glancing at the spot of rust that he had been working on for the past few seconds, and shrugged in reply. "They can be as vocal as they like. Their presence in my custody is temporary so any annoyances that they cause can be looked over until they depart from our company." The small hint of amusement in his words faded at the implication of executing their captives, fixing the droid with a hard yet hidden stare. "Corpses offer nothing but motivation, hostages are leverage. The last thing I need is Taeli Raaf any more motivated to slay me, her allegiance with the powers that be and desire to see me brought to kneel is more than enough in that regard."

He drummed his fingers on his armrest in order to soothe his mood, the little snap betraying his own nerves and fears regarding this whole venture. It was risky for certain but if it all paid off in the end then it would have been well worth it. "I need her and her wretched Aurora Industries out of the Outer Rim if I am to bring it under Sith control. She is a variable that I cannot remove by force alone, not yet at least. These children may be troublesome but their fates may be the only thing that keeps our operations safe."

The masked man ground his teeth together for a moment before reaching up and knocking his fist against the hull twice. "Pilot! Get us to the Indomitable now!" They were far too exposed in the shuttle and this close to Jutrand, once they were onboard the Star Destroyer at least they'd have some protection. Just in case.

Kaivaan / Mornhun of House Marr / Commodore Helix / Taeli Raaf

 

[Commodore Helix]

Objective: Transport the prisoners.
Equipment: Helix's Flamestaff, Horror Matrix, Mechu-Deru Defenses, E-4H Blaster Carbine (Pistol Configuration)
Tags: Darth Strosius / Kaivaan / Mornhun of House Marr / Taeli Raaf​

Helix gave a shrug, abandoning the spot of rust as Strosius insisted they keep the little wretches alive, then froze. He tapped the side of his head with one flat metal finger. "Apologies, I think my audioreceptors glitched. Did you say this was to ward off Raaf?"

He slowly turned his head to stare at the floor, and the noisy hostages under it. Everything clicked, and he understood. "Oh." Was all he could make himself say. That was why this had warranted the security. Helix cursed internally, but outwardly expressed nothing. He'd not figured even Strosius would be this impulsive, or himself so stupid as to fail to calculate the truth.

"As you wish." He said with more assurance than was really there. He felt this was, to say the least, unwise. He'd seen the rival Sith bypass walls and doors before, and for all he knew the prisoners could too. Were they relatives? Children? He didn't know, but what he did know was that this would end badly. Keeping them apart from her would be next to impossible, unless Strosius had some ace up his sleeve. "In that instance I can see the value of keeping them alive."

In truth, he could also see the value of simply accepting Raaf's offer back on Tund. It would have gained them an ally instead of an enemy, but he was beginning to realize something about his employer. He was either entirely insane, or believed his creed enough to drag down everyone and everything around him. There was no room for restraint, patience, politics, or compromise. Helix was determined not to get caught in the crossfire, if it came down to that.

He exchanged some silent binary comms chatter with his squad, informing them of what had gone on, and to expect this op to go pear-shaped at any time. Maybe this wasn't the easy money train he'd thought it was, but he still had a job to do, and would see it through. There might be a time to openly question his employer's methods, but in the middle of the mission was not that time.

 

[Kaivaan]

He had to figure a way out, Kai looked up above him. There his captors likely stood, he couldn't hear the urgency in which Darth Strosius had urged the pilot to rush toward the ship. He knew attempting to punch his way out wouldn't help anyone if they were going to end up out in the void. Yet, Kai figured above him was likely a more solid choice in direction to punch. Pulling with the force he began to focus on a section in which to freeze utilizing his cyrokinesis. Sensing what he was doing, his sister, Aleya joined him adding to the idea that if they could just freeze the metal enough they might be able to punch their way through. The idea was to make it brittle enough so their brother Vikar could punch his way through.

Mornhun of House Marr | Commodore Helix | Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Darth Strosius]

"I'd prefer the term, 'remove from the equation' , really but ward off is probably the more correct statement yes." If everything went to plan, and that was quite a stretch that even he could not ignore, then he wouldn't have to worry about Lady Raaf interfering in his plans ever again. Hopefully. It seemed as though his own apprehension was shared in one form or another by the Commodore as well, the unease being easy to discern given his response despite no real emotion being behind his words.

Darth Strosius perked up and rose from his seat as the shuttle finally reached its destination, the Indomitable looming over the smaller ship in all its glory. It was a rare sight away from Faldos but given the nature of their mission he couldn't think of any better deterrent to possible pursuers than a Star Destroyer. Time was of the essence and if the threat of the Indomitable could delay any initial reprisal then it was well worth moving it away from its usual station for a few hours.

Almost the moment that the shuttle had touched down in the Star Destroyer's hangar, the masked man had moved to open the landing ramp and begin striding out of it. A squad of Legionnaires had quickly formed around the shuttle's ramp to greet their Lord Inquisitor but the Sith's own impatience and haste quickly overrode any greetings or salutes that they offered as he gestured back to the shuttle. "Get the prisoners out of the cargo hold and to the brig at once." Thankfully the Indomitable' s crew must have heard his earlier command as the Star Destroyer was already turning and beginning preparations for the jump to hyperspace that would carry them far away from Jutrand.

Kaivaan / Commodore Helix / Mornhun of House Marr / Taeli Raaf

 

[Kaivaan]

Their attempt to escape came a moment too late, they felt the shuttle's movements. Kai shot his siblings a look, they were quick to take their places and he glared up at the brittle spot of metal above him whilst he took his seat. He knew nothing of where he was, but that was a given, what he did know and he heard told him there might be a bit of a break. The siblings exchanged looks, and once the rampart was lowered, and once they could see light they would make their break for it.

A telekinetic blast large enough to bowl over the legionnaires, making use of their abilities they broke their chains. The trio took off in the direction opposite of their captors. Aleya weaved a spell of fear utilizing it to dispatch the common rabble before them, Vikar's red eyes simply glowed as he used telekinesis to keep obstacles away from them. Kai made use of electrokinesis to jam or stun anything or anyone else that stood in their way. The three were looking for a way off wherever they were. Even if the hangar, and the Indomitable itself was nothing more than a large cage, and anyone of sound mind would have realized that much.

The three teenagers, scared out of their minds just wanted out, they wanted to go home and were willing to do whatever it took to do so. They were merely rats running an endless race to nothingness. Their captors not far behind would soon put an end to whatever hopes of freedom danced in their minds.

Darth Strosius | Taeli Raaf | Mornhun of House Marr | Commodore Helix ​

 

[Commodore Helix]

Objective: Recapture the prisoners.
Equipment: Helix's Flamestaff, Horror Matrix, Mechu-Deru Defenses, E-4H Blaster Carbine (Pistol Configuration)
Tags: Darth Strosius / Mornhun of House Marr / Kaivaan / Taeli Raaf​

Helix reacted quickly, jumping to his feet and extending his Flamestaff. Both ends sizzled with barely-contained energy, and he leapt off the ramp, landing with a clang of metal on metal. "On me. They cannot be allowed to escape." He ordered his droids.

He raised the weapon, and slammed one end into the hangar floor with enough force to buckle the metal like paper. A rippling shockwave ran along the hangar floor after the escapees, tossing away utility crates, soldiers, or anything else that got in its way. It wasn't enough force to do any serious damage, just throw the prisoners off their feet, should it connect. He didn't want his payday damaged too much, especially after learning who they belonged to. He might still have to point out that he'd never harmed them, when this inevitably ended the only way it could.

The five droids raced to follow him, though as they carried no non-lethal weapons, their utility would be limited. He knew it would be far harder to contain the prisoners when they inevitably figured out that their captors wanted them alive at all costs, and wouldn't deploy lethal force. They'd have little left to threaten them with. "Your pets are proving difficult to contain, Lord Strosius." He said, as he and his squad moved forward to pursue the children. "Much like their relative." It was a polite understatement, and he knew this would likely not be the last bit of trouble the children caused.

 

[Darth Strosius]

It all went to hell in an instant, the Raaf descendants evidently lived up to their grandmother's propensity for ruining his well laid plans and schemes. A frustrating trait for them to inherit but one that could be dealt with. And one that would ensure little mercy when he got his hands on them. While their use of the Force was enough to throw his Legionnaires aside and scatter them for a good few moments, Darth Strosius himself stood firm and drew his lightsaber from his belt as be shouted out orders.

"Blasters on stun! They're no use to us dead!" He helped one of the Legionnaire officers back to their feet with one hand, the other reaching up to his mask to tap on his commlink. :"Jump to hyperspace now! They'll have nowhere to run then.": He didn't wait to check on the officer nor to hear the affirmation from the command bridge as he began marching after the escapees with Helix at his side.

"And here I thought that the eyes on that one boy was the only resemblance they held to Raaf." The masked man hissed under his breath in agreement with the Commodore, tapping on his commlink once more as they began the chase. :"Scramble all available squads to the hangar area and seal all bulkheads in connecting corridors once they arrive. Lock down every path to escape pods first, they're not leaving this ship.":
Kaivaan / Commodore Helix / Mornhun of House Marr / Taeli Raaf

 

[Kaivaan]

They had to get off the boat, "shite, they're likely to jump." Remarked Kaivaan somewhat breathlessly, his lungs burned something fierce. Bulkheads were coming down. "Shite, shite, shite," he cursed his Dosuunian accent coming through. He directed bolts of electrical energy toward the bulkheads stopping them with just enough room for he and his siblings to get through.

"Kai, the droids!" Aleya shouted as she turned to see the squad rapidly approaching them as she waited for Vikar to get through the first bulkhead. She turned and sent forth a telekinetic wave, and slipped through the small opening. She followed after her brothers as they continued to run through the corridors. Another bulkhead, Kai shot at it.

This time the stoppage was too small for any of them to get through. Vikar drawing the Force to him slipped his fingers between the gap and managed to push it up. Aided Kai who used his telekinetic abilities to force the bulkhead up just enough for Aleya to slip through, she then took over the telekinetic powers as Vikar let go and slip through. Kai followed him, and the trio were off again but Kai knew staying together would do them in. They were using so much of their abilities and to such an extent. "They're likely to cut escape pods, round back to the hangar, and first one there hold off until you get something. A fighter, but anything, we have to get out of here."

"This is insane," commented Aleya, "what do they want with us anyway?"

"No idea, but we need to split up," Kai remarked, and Vikar groaned, but Kai continued, "groan all you want but we can each use Force cloak to slip off most radars. Find a vent, anything and get out of sight, don't kill cameras they'll know you were there. Arm yourselves if necessary, we'll meet back in the hangar, grab a fighter and make our way off this damn ship."

"Agreed." The other two said, whether or not this was actually a good idea, they didn't know, nor care. They were terrified, angry and ran only on a survival instinct.

Taeli Raaf | Commodore Helix | Darth Strosius | Mornhun of House Marr ​