Strike Back

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

”No.” He answered as his eyes fell back on her.

The memories of hanging in that cell were not pleasant ones. A part of him could still feel the forced flex of his muscles to keep him hanging, the growl of his stomach, the needle beneath his skin that kept him just barely alive. Vrak did not have nightmares, but if he did it would be of those moments trapped beneath Naboo's oceans.

The Sith Lord scowled slightly. ”I might have.”

He wasn't entirely sure why he admitted that to Seraphina. Perhaps it was because he considered it a past weakness, something that couldn't harm him now. It was in the past after all, and he intended to keep it that way. No one would restrain him again, no one. Those who sought to would find themselves in a pool of their own blood.

”It was hatred.” He stated plainly. ”Hatred of that schutta, of the idea of losing Athiss, of never achieving my goal. Pure and utter hatred drove me to my escape.”

He almost seemed to shake at the memory of the rage he'd felt.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera dropped her leg to the floor, leaning back in the chair. How could she resist another small dig at him?

"So you were afraid." Implying that he used the word hatred in place of fear. "Afraid that you would lose everything." She flashed a fanged grin. "That you would be trapped in that chamber, forgotten."

The Twi'lek wasn't certain that he had been captured on Naboo, though an educated guess could be made, given the rather public bounty that had been issued by this Jamie woman. The hatred these two shared for one another seemed to know almost no bounds. Vrak's determination to see her suffer was almost contagious, even though Sera held no such feelings for this young whelp of a girl. She did, however, hold some bit of admiration that for such a person to be able to elicit that level of hatred from him.

"You may want to consider your actions however." Sera crossed her arms, raising an eye to the man. "Your people are no longer in the shadows. She is a powerful girl with the backing of the Alliance. You don't want a war with them just yet."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He considered for a moment.

”Fear is natural.” Perhaps those words coming from Vrak would surprise her, but he had no issue admitting it. ”A man without fear is a man with nothing to lose, and I had everything to lose.”

Some Sith might have styled themselves as gods or fearless monsters, but Vrak wasnt as such. He was well aware of his weaknesses, and he was well aware of how to overcome them. The Pureblood had turned his fear into anger, his anger into hatred. All of it directed to one single girl who would feel his wrath by the end of all of this.

No matter what stood in his way. ”When I am through with her there will either be nothing left for the Alliance to find...”

He trailed off for a moment.

”Or she will serve me even more faithfully than you.” His intent there was clear. Jamie had proven time and time again that she was a good little Jedi, Vrak would revel in breaking that will of hers.

Though l, of course Sera was right. He had to tread carefully when it came to the Alliance. Though he knew the First Order would keep them occupied for some time yet.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The opportunity to batter his ego presented itself, and so she capitalized on it with eagerness.

"If she is half as strong as I she will tear you down again."

Any idea that Sera indulged faithful servitude tickled her. The lekku behind her head slowly curled around, lightly grazing against one another. "I do not serve you, faithfully or otherwise. I thought you knew this already."

Standing from the chair she had taken up, Seraphina raised her chin to look up at Vrak. The six or so inches he had on her making a rather substantial difference in her ability to intimidate him physically did not deter her from making the attempt regardless. Fierce emerald eyes glared at the Pureblood, intent on making it known that she was irreplaceable. "Whether she serves you in the end or not, I am far more useful than any wretched schutta you employ beneath you."

The woman raised herself on the tips of her toes to get an inch or so closer to the crimson man's face. "Don't forget that."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He smiled, ignoring the jab that she had thrown his way and instead looping his arm around the small of her back. He pulled her flush against himself, holding her hard against himself and pinning her on her toes there.

Vrak pressed his lips hard against hers, teeth sinking into her flesh for just a moment. ”No need to get jealous.”

The Pureblood said with a smirk.

Sera was far more useful to him than Jamie, or likely anyone else would ever be. She was an assassin, and her skills in such matters were undeniable. More than that however was the fact that she was discreet. Though she mouthed off to him more than frequently, he knew that she would not betray him.

At least not unless she thought he was about to do the same to her.

”You have no replacement.” Not that he knew of anyway. Perhaps in time, but for now Seraphina wasn't going anywhere.

That was certain.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Seraphina cast a scornful look at Vrak. "I'm not jealous." Came her protest.

In truth however the only thing that did cause her alarm was the idea of Vrak finding a replacement, one more suited to his needs than she. That would place her position of comfort at risk. Even still, she knew of Sith customs, how frequently one pitted another against a challenge only to see which was the most viable contender, holding little allegiance when it came to whoever could do the job better than the last. For now that was she, but were there others in mind?

"Should I be?" She asked simply.

Just because there was no replacement yet, didn't necessarily mean he hadn't considered one.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak made no attempt to hide the amusement he felt, his lips broke into a smile, his eyes shone slightly with mischief but he said nothing for a moment. Instead his arms tightened around her and his lips pressed against hers once more.

This time he lingered before pulling back.

”No.” It was a surprisingly truthful answer. Though he might eventually find someone better, Vrak hadnt actually been looking. Neesa had her own ambitions, Joon would never hold the same skills, and all the others were simply too far off from what Sera was. He couldn't trust them like he could her.

Unlike all the others Sera had no stake in The Empire, she had a stake in Vrak.

That alone made her his most valuable commodity.

”You have nothing to be concerned about.” Of course she would likely just assume he was lying, but then that was the whole nature of their relationship. Vrak was a Sith after all.

A few words of reassurance cost him nothing though, and after all he had no intention of ridding himself of her.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Good." Pulling away from Vrak she set her feet back down onto the floor of the ship. "See that it stays that way."

The Twi'lek added, before making her way towards the entryway. "Or Berilin will be the least of your worries."

Hunger had stricken her since leaving Vrak's palace, having not eaten that morning. The kitchen aboard the shuttle was fortunately staffed and had a well enough supply of ingredients to make a variety of meals to hold them over until they reached Athiss. For now, that was the priority, simple as it were.

Sera knew little of Athiss, how the people there operated, the government, the details of their customs, and the layout of the planet itself. She had mostly confined herself to the palace limits during her stay. Thus the exact planning of locating these apprentices of Berilin, devising a means to attract and put them down one by one was largely to be left up to Vrak himself. Her purpose was relatively the same as it had always been, act as the weapon to get the job done.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Amusement played across his lips still, Vrak lingering within the small study for just a few moments as he thought about what had just happened between the two of them.

Sera would threaten and bluff as much as she could, she might even cut or hurt him, but she had cared enough about her place to ask. Whether she admitted it or not that was significant, it marked a powerful shift in her own attitude that he hadnt been aware of. Maybe it was simply that she did not wish to give up her now lavish lifestyle.

Or maybe it was something more.

Either way Vrak would and could exploit it. Carefully of course, she more than anyone was still capable of killing him, she often had him in the most vulnerable of positions after all, but still there was something different. He smiled slightly, and then followed her to the galley.

The two of them ate a small meal together, and spent most of the rest of the Journey discussing just exactly who Berilins apprentices were. Eventually the two found themselves stepping off the comfort of Vrak’s ship and into the heat of Athiss.

”The Temple. Theyre most likely to strike there.” Or on the way.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The trip to Athiss had been uneventful, a combination of small talk, shared meals, insight into Vrak's plan for these apprentices of Berilin's, and what they would do in the aftermath. The horned armor she wore obscured her face well, leaving only the slightest hint of pink cheeks and forehead aside from the dark green of her eyes exposed as they walked. The warmth of the planet, if it disturbed the woman at all, went without comment as the two left the environmentally controlled comfort of the shuttle.

"You wish to go straight there?"

That seemed a rather bold move, traipsing right into the temple. "You don't think we should follow one or two of them around for a while? See what they're up to?"

Sera would follow him regardless, but rushing straight into a fight seemed unwise to her, especially when it was a place as alien to her as Athiss.

Ways out were always important, after all, in case things went poorly.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"They will come to me." Thanks to her earlier work Vrak already knew that the Assasins would strike soon enough, there was no need to try and hunt them down. Sure they could follow them, but they already knew much.

As the two of them wandered off the landing platform and towards the Temple in the distance Vrak moved slightly closer to Seraphina. He didn't do so out of fear of course, but rather so that he could speak more quietly. Crowds of Acolytes and Kissai had gathered all around the path, some of them spoke of the recent events within the Empire, others discussed their studies, and some even whispered of Vrak as he walked passed. The Pureblood wanted none of them to overhead.

"We keep one of them alive." He told her simply. "He will know more about Berilin's other apprentices."

There were plenty, most of them scattered around the Empire. "From there we will learn all we need to know."

The Councilor of War had no real footprint here on Athiss, mostly because the man had always been rather impatient. His goals had aligned with Vrak's once, in fact he'd been a principal ally and had overseen the construction of many of the newer ships within the Resurgent Empire. Now however it seemed Vrak was in the Councilor's way.

It was the nature of these things.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The woman walked alongside Vrak, sage colored eyes shifting from body to body, taking in the appearances of the Sith and their slaves that walked among the crowds. Several looks were passed her way, odd curiosities about who she was, what she was. After all, her lekku were well hidden beneath her armor. She walked unlike a slave or servant, yet her skin pigment that was visible betrayed the appearance of Sith.

"If that's what you wish."

Whatever spies Berilin and his apprentices had would ensure the news traveled quickly between their networks. A confrontation would become inevitable.

"What kind of temple is this, exactly? Do you know it well?"

The last thing she wanted to do was be trapped without a way out.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"It is my Temple." It was his now anyway. "Where the Councilor of Intelligence has ruled for the last five thousand years."

Give or take a few centuries.

Upon his ascension to the Council Vrak had taken dominion over the Temple, and with it most of Athiss. The other Councilors had of course abandoned the world for greener pastures. Half of them moving toe Ziost and the others readying themselves to return to Korriban. They were eager to hold the seats of power that their ancestors once claimed to, and almost suddenly Athiss had all but been abandoned by the leadership of the Empire.

Something that amused Vrak a great deal. "I know it superbly."

He had after all spent the last decades within it, slowly working his way up the chain so that he could eventually take his place as a Councilor.

"I will give you a map once we're inside." He glanced at her. "I know how you love those."

The Temple was not really a Temple at all, more accurately it was a training ground for Spies, Assassins, and a dozen other things that Vrak utilized within his sphere of power. The place was a maze of corridors and hallways, secret passages running almost everywhere.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Perfect. An ancient well known Sith temple that I'm unfamiliar with. No danger involved with this at all.

"I tend to study where I'm going before I get there." She snipped, offering the man a squinted glare from beneath the veil of her mask.

She felt eyes linger on her long enough to send a slight tingle up her spine. When she turned her head back, the feeling, as well as the presence, was gone. For a moment she lingered, pausing her stride as she skimmed through the congregation of people on the street before continuing to walk to the nearing temple with Vrak. Sera had a knack for sensing danger, whether or not it was imminent. And while she was hardly able to determine the source of said danger, it floated through the air like a fog.

"We're being watched." She warned, her eyes remaining focused forward.

Perhaps her presence was an unexpected one that hadn't been expected. Or perhaps it was, and they were searching for a way to separate the two.

Either way, they had eyes on them.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He nodded.

The eyes had not gone unnoticed by him either. The apprentices had likely been waiting for him to return to Athiss, having been unable to find him wherever else he'd gone to. The Pureblood frowned for half a moment, but then took a slight left towards an abandoned alcove. He acted naturally of course, as though he were taking a more private path to the Temple itself. That wasn't unusual for him, if they'd continued on straight ahead they would have wandered through the courtyard.

A place that was usually packed with people. "I would have given you the map previously."

Vrak continued to speak to her, quietly, but notably. He wanted it to appear as though they hadn't noticed they were being followed yet. This was still a game in some way, a very dangerous one that they were playing with their lives, but still.

"But it doesn't exist outside of the Temple." He told her quietly. "It is carved within a singular chamber upon the wall."

That was the only copy as well and the room could only be accessed by the Councilor of Intelligence. He frowned for a moment, then spotted movement out of his peripheral vision.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Following Vrak along the route it was apparent to her that he had seen what she had seen and was aware that somebody was following them. Whether it was actually one of Berilin's apprentices or not was impossible for Sera to gauge. Perhaps it was as simple as one of his contacts, spies, or even perhaps an outside assassin. Perhaps it was even entirely unrelated and someone else was also trying to kill Vrak or get information for another rival or adversary.

"How your people survived all this time is a mystery to me. So conniving and paranoid as you are."

Sera saw the movement, felt the shift in the air around them as the person tailing them quickly closed the gap between them. The humming of a force pike swiftly moving through the air was more than enough for the Twi'lek to pull free the saber from her left hip, igniting it and intercepting the assailant mere inches from Vrak's face, the glow and hum dangerously close.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak half turned, only blinking as he watched the edge of the lightsabe-pike stop just an inch or two from his face.

He smiled slightly, glancing at Seraphina who had impaled his assailant upon her own blade. The Assassin was robed in red cloaks, his face covered by a mask and no marks bearing upon his body. Vrak observed him for a moment, then turned to Seraphina. "He wo-"

The Pureblood didn't get finish his sentence.

Three other similarly garbed figures bounded down from the walls around them, each of them jumping down onto the ground and igniting their lightsabers. Two of them carried lightsaber pikes, the third just a regular blade. Before they could strike Vrak whirled around a powerful arch of lightning flooding from his palm.

Two of them caught it upon their blades, the third was sent writhing to the ground.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The Twi'lek forced back the pike belonging to the first assailant. Just then three others bounded down into the fray, Vrak making quick work of the last to descend.

"Typical." The woman snarled as the first lunged towards her. A single hand extended outwards, tendrils of the Force wrapping around the man's throat as his airway was crushed beneath the force of her telekinetic grip. He would have screamed, had he the oxygen to spare. Instead, the last moments of life was instead slowly extinguished in a conglomerate of gasps and gags while hands clawed vigorously at the invisible chains around his own neck.

Sera's lightsaber instead would be thrown to Vrak as he entangled himself with the other two still standing Sith.

"Your friend is quick to make you feel welcome I guess."

The body in her grip finally went limp as the last breath of air escaped panicked lungs.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak dashed forward before either of them could properly get their guard up.

His free-hand swiped the saber-staff from his belt, the blades activating with a loud snap-hiss as they sprang into life. The Sith Lord moved in an instant, closing the gap between himself and the two assassins in the blink of an eye. One managed to raise his lightsaber, flicking the weapon forward in a defensive guard to halt the pursuit of Vrak's lightsaber. The other wasn't so fortunate, a crackle of blue energy still rushing through the hilt of his saber-pike.

Vrak's crimson blade bit into him first, slicing across his stomach and severing his torso from his leg in one quick swoop. The mask upon the boys face covered his shock, but Vrak was already moving on. The Pureblood struck against the last Assassin's guard, his saber-staff bounding off the man's lightsaber before the other side quickly returned again and again.

Within a few heartbeat the Assassin was driven back, struggling to keep up with Vrak's blows until finally he lashed out in desperate anger.

His lightsaber swept low towards Vrak's legs, the crimson blade arching low. Before it could strike Vrak reached out, his off-hand suddenly grasping the boys wrist and twisting it. The unexpected viper like strike catching the Assassin off guard. A loud snap rung out as Vrak twisted the man's wrist, breaking the bone and pulling his lightsaber free. His foot dashed out and kicked hard against the assassin's knee, shattering the bone in an instant and sending the man tumbling to the ground. "Berilin."

Vrak said before kicking the acolyte on the ground.

"Has always been brazen." A low whimpering cry came from the broken assassin as Vrak shut off his lightsaber.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The Twi'lek allowed the limp body suspended in air just in front of her fall to the ground, the life in the eyes extinguished.

"Are these apprentices or simply hired killers?" She asked, directing the hilt of her own weapon towards the broken assassin quivering on the ground in front of the two. If he was useless, there was little reason to keep him alive. He was old enough to hardly be considered a child, even if he was a late aged teenager by human standards.

Besides, he was now a loose end that needed to be tied.

Sera knelt down beside the bodies of the others, quickly rummaging through the clothing in search of any clues or information they may have had on them.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]