Private The Forgotten Taint

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Thearterra
Objective: Investigate the distress call
Tags: Valery Noble

"We don't have any way of telling but my bet is that it has a large reason to do with why this all happened. Considering it's not a densely populated area, I'd find it quite strange don't you think?" the captain explained as he let out another heavy cough and zoomed in a bit more on the entrance in the hologram "You're right, it does sound unusual. It's possible it could be the source, a place where we can get a better understanding of where this all happened"

Finding the place it started would certainly provide a few answers, enough to hopefully stop this plague once and for all. It was just a matter of distracting the infected while they snuck in first.

"We know the infected are particularly interested in bright lights and loud noises. Not far away from here there's a quarry with floodlights and a loudspeaker, if we crank the volume on that baby and turn those lights on the infected will come flocking to our location like a moth to a flame." he said with a smirk over to Valery and Silas "At the same time, you two can sneak and see what you can find. Although, we only have limited gas for the generator to power the distraction, so don't try and stay over for dinner"

"Trust me Captain, we don't plan on it. Whatever time you can spare us will be enough" he said with a respectful nod before his eyes looked to Valery to try and see what she thought on the proposal. No matter what happened, they'd be able to come out with something positive by the end of this.

With that, the captain turned off the hologram "If we are going to do this I suggest we do it tomorrow evening. My men have not been prepped yet and sunrise isn't too far away" the man said, his mouth showing a slight smirk to the sword in front of him "In the meantime, maybe I and you could chat a bit more privately? I have a proposal that even the sword herself couldn't resist" he continued with a hint that indicated the trooper was looking to do more than chat.

Scrunching his fist, Silas had just about enough. If Valery didn't do anything, the knight was more than ready to slap the disrespect out of that captain's mouth.​

 

[Valery Noble]

Thearterra

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Silas Westgard

"Are you able to activate the lights and sound in the quarry and get out yourself?" Valery asked with a slight tilt of her head. "The distraction sounds great, but we can't risk you and your men getting stuck there. Or can you tap into their systems from afar?" She wasn't a tech-y person at all, so she had no idea how they were going to make it work. But one way or another, they had to make sure that the zombies would arrive at an empty quarry.

"We'll make it work, though. If there's enough distance from the source to the quarry, we'll have plenty of time that we won't waste." Even if they had hours to make it work, she would work as fast as possible to get back out. Because if they ended up trapped there, she couldn't see a way for them to survive. Or well, she probably could with her Shadow skills, but she'd never leave Silas behind.

Not that she'd tell him this out loud, but he was like a son to her.

Valery then turned to the Captain and raised an eyebrow at the offer. She knew exactly what he meant, and clearly Silas did too. But she wasn't going to make things even more tense, and just offered a polite smile, "If it's purely business related, we can always talk, Captain," Valery said.

"I have a feeling that isn't the case though, so I'm going to get some rest myself."

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Thearterra
Objective: Investigate the distress call
Tags: Valery Noble

"That's the thing, we will only be able to activate the lights and sound from within the quarry. Me and my men will be able to hold out for a short while, so in many ways it will be a race against time" he said with a brief nod to Valery's observation "The distraction should attract enough of those things to give you a clear path inside, just don't take too long" the captain warned, a more serious and concerned tone in his voice before the soldier tried to shoot his shot.

Sighing, the man could only sigh and shake his head "Well, you know whe-" Just before he could utter another word Silas came up behind him and gave a stiff slap to the back of his head "Knock it off, that's not how a man of your rank should act!" Silas hissed in his ear, dead staring into the rejected man's soul "Please do not test the remaining bit of my patience..." the knight said lastly as he began to follow Valery to their sleeping area "I think I will be doing the same, after all, we do need a level head" he said openly with one last shot of annoyance to the soldier, leaving him alone to sulk in the office alone.

"Oh, I'm such a kark..."

Early in the morning, preparations were well underway. Soldiers were preparing to move out and gathering the remaining equipment they had left for the short journey to the quarry, the same could be said for the two Jedi. Silas was already waiting outside and standing next to the two speeders the troopers had supplied them, if time was on their hands they needed to get there as soon as possible.

At least for now, Silas had time to stretch off the ache in his back after sleeping most of the night on rickety floorboards. It was a marvel he was able to get any sleep without a pillow to rest his head on. Knowing Valery, she probably had the best sleep of her life and was probably as fresh as she was sleeping on a normal bed.

Not long after that thought, his eyes finally caught sight of the master herself coming towards him "I can't say that was the best sleep I've had..." the knight groaned and did one last big stretch "Did you have better luck by any chance?"
​

 

[Valery Noble]

Thearterra

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Silas Westgard

Valery sighed and slowly nodded, "It's not ideal, but we have no choice, it seems." It just meant that there was a lot more pressure on her and Silas to perform. It wouldn't be an issue for them, but she could imagine that the Captain and his men preferred not to have their lives in the hands of others like this. One wrong step or one mistake from the Jedi, and they would all die. But the Captain seemed more worried about how he was going to spend his night.

Much to Silas' frustration.

This time, Valery didn't say a word herself, and just watched her former Padawan handle it. Of course, she did smirk a little once the Captain finally gave up, and patted Silas on the shoulder as they walked away to get some rest.

...
"I slept okay," Valery said while she tried to fix her hair up a little — sometimes it was a pain that it was so long. "I'm used to sleeping on just about any surface from my time at the frontlines." Both when they were still at war with the Maw, and even from long before that, prior to her time in stasis.

"Are you ready to get going?"

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Thearterra
Objective: Investigate the distress call
Tags: Valery Noble

"It doesn't surprise me" he said with a small smirk while he leaned up against the speeder and folded his arms "If you can sleep for a few thousand years in a pod you'll be able to sleep anywhere" Silas said lightheartedly with a playful nudge of her elbow. He was pretty much the same when it came to sleeping, thanks to the countless restless nights he spent in the darkness of the pirate ship. The young man would sleep on gravel and still feel as fresh as sleeping on a comfy bed.

Focusing back on the job at hand, he gave a confident nod and swiftly jumped onto his speeder "All ready" he replied, his head turning back to the captain who was instructing a group of men at the front gate "I also had a word with our good friend before I came out. He apologises for the way he acted last night and hopes to make up for it with this distraction" Silas rolled his eyes slightly but soon showed a smile of remorse "Believe it or not he's a good man. He'll give us the time we'll need for sure"

The question was, how long could the troopers truly last after their mentality was stretched to their limits?

"He's also already given us the green light, so whenever you're ready by all means lead the way. Just try not to go too fast, we'll leave the racing when you come and visit on Azbrian"
​

 

[Valery Noble]

Thearterra

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Silas Westgard

"Very funny," Valery said with a roll of her eyes, but she couldn't hide the little chuckle that followed. It was still strange to her, to have gone through thousands of years of stasis without feeling like any time had passed at all. But she couldn't really linger on that for too long, and focused back on Silas and the mission. This one was going to have serious consequences for the planet and its people, and even for neighboring systems.

They couldn't mess this up.

"It's alright," Valery said with a chuckle when he brought up the Captain. "He's lucky Kahlil wasn't here, but I'm not really a fan of people making moves. I always wear my ring," she said with her eyes briefly dipping to the golden band around her finger. "That said, I wrote it off as these men having been stuck here without company a little too long. I've... also been around soldiers plenty, so you get used to a lot of the typical guy talk."

The comments she had to endure as a younger woman were somewhat questionable, but Valery had very thick skin when it came to all of that.

"Let's head out now, and we'll get to work."

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Thearterra
Objective: Investigate the distress call
Tags: Valery Noble

"I can't imagine what Kahlil would have done if he was here" Silas smirked and briefly looked down at the ring "You and Kahlil are bound together like stone. I doubt any man would be able to sway you from that man" The knight remarked as he continued preparing to take his speeder out of the town "They've been stuck without entertainment and water for awhile, those kinds of things could turn a good man crazy. I wouldn't hold it on him Valery, he's more than likely stressed to the eyeballs"

Right now they all needed to be on the same page. The best thing they could do was put it behind them and focus on saving the planet.

Silas nodded to Valery and switched on his speeder, forcing a quiet rumble to come from the machine "We'll take the back entrance and use the plains while they're quiet. Some scouts earlier this morning lured some infected in the area towards the quarry to give us a better path" he said confidently as some troopers opened up the back gate for them "Let's move shall we?"

With that, the pair of them zoomed across the empty fields with haste. To his relief, the fog had cleared to give them better visibility to spot anything that was coming their way. It would have been a pain to navigate through it with the directions they were given, but thankfully they were able to reach the forest waypoint which had a good view of the mountainside entrance.

Raising his hand, Silas motioned for Valery to stop here and unmount their speeders. The knight took a quick moment to stretch his body and smiled briefly at Valery "So far so good..." he whispered before giving a side eye to the entrance "Keep an eye on our surroundings, we don't want one sneaking up and blowing our cover" turning around he quietly crouched down by the treeline and gazed into the distance. Not to his surprise, there were about a dozen, maybe more stumbling about like drunks on a heavy night out.

"In about 1 minute a loud siren from the quarry will begin drawing them over to the soldiers like a-" However, in the distance, the siren would begin to boom and echo across the land. Picking up on the sound almost instantly, the infected snapped their heads to the source and staggered over in groups. Not only that but more seemed to be pouring from the entrance itself, way more than what was outside.

"My timing being off isn't the worst of our problems. There's way more than we thought coming from that entrance than we thought..."

​

 

[Valery Noble]

Thearterra

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Silas Westgard

"Kahlil trusts me to handle these things myself. But if he believed I'd need his help or felt too uncomfortable..." she blinked at the thought. Depending on how far someone pushed advances, Kahlil could get pretty scary. "But you're right. He and I are soulmates, and there's nothing anybody can ever do to change that." She blushed a little after being so open about it, and turned her gaze away to hide her flustered cheeks.

He had enough to tease her about already.

"Let's move," Valery then said as they got ready on their speeders and took off. The fog had cleared enough for them to be able to see, but even if it had still been there, Keshian eyes would see right through it. She could see the heat from their bodies, even with the undead being far colder than the living. But luckily, their path was cleared, and soon enough, Silas gestured for them to stop moving.

Their target was up ahead, and they already saw a small group of them. The dozen or so zombies wouldn't be an issue to take on, but they both knew there was far more inside. The danger — they weren't living, so their presence in the Force was minimal. All Valery felt was a darkness beyond her senses.

Then, the siren started.

"That's... a problem," Valery said. "The more there are, the longer it takes for this place to clear out. Which gives the Captain and his men less time." She looked at Silas and sighed. "You think we can move around and get through the last of them, rather than wait for each and every undead to leave?"

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Thearterra
Objective: Investigate the distress call
Tags: Valery Noble

Valery was right, the longer they waited for the infected to move out the longer the troopers had to defend the quarry. Silas thought about that fact for a few moments and soon nodded in approval "It's certainly possible to get close and fight through whatever is left inside. I'm just concerned about how many are still in there desperate to come out" warned the Jedi as he stared at the bodies still stumbling out of the entrance. Taking a deep breath, he shot a small smirk at his former master.

"Ready to take a risk, Valery?"

The knight took out the saber from his pocket and let it casually hang in his hand "We're going to use the treeline as cover. Then, once we're close rush the last few by the door and hope the others don't notice. It may be best not to use that blaster you've brought..." they needed to be fast and silent at the same time which was no small feat. Either way, Silas was confident the two of them could pull it off with no significant trouble.

Using the green cover to their advantage, both Jedi got close enough to the exit where they could see the infected only a few feet away "<Okay, on my mark. Three... two... one!"> Without hesitation Silas burst from the trees and ran with blistering speed towards three infected. Due to them staggering the other way, the knight slashed them down with ease and soon began fighting his way into the deep tunnel ahead of them. ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Thearterra

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Silas Westgard

"I'm ready," Valery said, even though it was hard to tell just how ready they were to face whatever lingered inside. She had no idea if they'd be up against a dozen or a hundred of those things, but sitting around and waiting wouldn't help anybody. So, as soon as Silas started to move, Valery followed after him. She wasn't going to draw her blasters and summon every zombie on the planet with a single shot, but she was armed with her regular weapons too.

Once they reached the entrance after using the treeline for cover, two violet blades ignited, and with quick sweeps, Valery directly severed the heads of several undead.

She wasn't taking any chances.

With her blades spinning through flesh and bone, the Jedi Master then pushed into the darker entrance, and immediately ran into several more of them. They were cut down just as easily, since the horde wasn't coordinated and each zombie was still somewhat on his own.

But her focus was on looking ahead into the dark with her Keshian eyes, hoping to gain a glimpse of what was waiting for them.

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Thearterra
Objective: Investigate the distress call
Tags: Valery Noble

The two Jedi slashed through the infected like a hot knife to butter, their blades cutting them down to size as soon as they noticed what was coming their way. Behind them, the zombies that were being drawn away by the troopers were going further into the distance and out of their view. Valery's quick thinking worked, but there was still the issue of how many were left ahead of them.

The pitch black darkness ahead of them didn't help either.

Striking down the last infected to the ground, the two of them had a few moments to take a breather and think about what's next. On the floor, flooded water went to their ankles, and drops of water dripped down from the ceiling to create a constant echo to bounce off the ruined walls. It was cold, to say the least, but thankfully they'd be able to hear anything coming their way.

"Stay close, we can't afford to get lost in a place like this"

Keeping the bright blue lightsaber extended, they used their weapons to light the way ahead. Many of the rooms they walked past were either caved in beyond recognition or inaccessible through other means, an indication that nature was slowly taking over this place. Now and then, they'd stumble across old bodies, most of which were far beyond identifying. Kneeling just above the water, he looked carefully at the waterlogged clothing of a deformed figure. It was white and long, similar to a lab coat researchers used for things such as experiments. Silas sighed and looked back to Valery for a brief moment "Valery... I fear we ma-"

Suddenly, a handicapped infected person rose from the water and snapped at Silas's arm. Having only a second to react, the knight managed to slam his forearm into its neck and push it back down into the water stab downwards into the water. At the same time, another infected had crashed through a brittle glass window to try and dive at Valery from behind head first. ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Thearterra

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Silas Westgard

"You should stay close to me," Valery said with a faint smirk. "My eyes can see pretty well in the dark. Further than the light of our lightsabers will reach." Sure, these undead didn't stand out as much as the living, whose body temperatures were much higher, but Valery could still see them. Better than she could hope to sense them, with the way the Dark Side clouded her senses here.

With heavy steps through water, the two Jedi continued forward. Valery was on high alert, so when Silas crouched down to inspect one of the bodies, she wasn't looking down herself. She kept watch, and only allowed her eyes to dip down after he spoke up. But right as she looked down and noticed the lab coat, something shifted in the water.

"Watch out!" She exclaimed, but Silas was on his own. As he dealt with the undead creature coming up from the water, another crashed through a glass panel behind her. Valery turned rapidly and swept her blade. It carved into the walls and made even more glass panels explode, resulting in some minor cuts, but the undead behind her was cut down.

"We gotta move!"

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Thearterra
Objective: Investigate the distress call
Tags: Valery Noble

"You don't have to say that again!"

In haste, Silas got up and snapped his head behind them where splashing echos began to erupt. It seemed like the whole tunnel had come alive in that instant to give a rude welcome in their den. Without wasting another moment Silas nudged Valery and began stomping away from the group of infected that were breaking themselves through windows and previously ruined entrances. They needed to find room to breathe first, which was going to be a challenge.

Forcing pushing two into a wall and slashing the head off one as he ran past, his eyes picked up on a half open metal doorway that seemed to have malfunctioned during its closure. If they could get through there and force it shut behind them, they may be able to time to figure out what's truly going on here.

"Valery! There's a gate up ahead. I'm certain we can use the force to force it closed again but we'll need time" he shouted while the large group on their tail were edging dangerously close. They could have used the force to run faster, however, the water would not do them any favors at all and more than likely cause them to fall.

"I'll hold them off here and give you time to start the process. Just let me know when you're close, I don't want to be dinner for these guys!"​

 

[Valery Noble]

Thearterra

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Silas Westgard

Valery severed the head of the second undead Silas had shoved into a wall, and followed after him to find a way out, or at least a room where they could breathe. A place where they could either lock themselves in, or funnel the undead enough to not get overwhelmed in tight spaces.

"I got it!" Valery called out once Silas had seen an opportunity, and while she'd have normally argued to be the one holding position, Valery rushed inside. Her use of Telekinesis was particularly strong, so with a wrapping motion of her fingers, the large metal door began to move.

Inch by inch, it started to close, intentionally slow, just to make sure Silas wouldn't be trapped outside with the undead. Once it was only a moment away from shutting, Valery called out, "Silas! Move now!" She hoped he would, and to give him some extra time, she thrust her hand into the hallway, and send a telekinetic blast to knock whatever was out there onto its rear.

They weren't getting their hands on her former Padawan.

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Thearterra
Objective: Investigate the distress call
Tags: Valery Noble

Silas cut down the rotters one after the other, yet their attack was not letting down. By this point, the young knight was soaked in water and covered by the dark red blood of the dead. However, for now, he had yet to let one of them touch him as warned in the briefing. Claw cuts showed no evidence of a victim turning, a bite on the other hand was a death sentence for someone unlucky enough to go through it.

Briefly looking back, Silas saw the gap in the doorway getting dire and knew it was the right time when Valery shouted for him to come through. Just before he was about to jump back, his former master sent many of them flying with the force and provided him enough time to join her. As soon as he splashed beside her, the doors slammed shut and left them in the pitch black once more.

Silas took a few deep breaths on the floor and slowly looked up at Val with a weary smile "It never gets easy does it..." the man lightheartedly while getting his soaked form from the flooded floor below "I doubt that wasn't the hard part either. I sense something more sinister waiting for us further on" he explained, his glaring back into the quiet dark tunnel which looked noticeably more different than the others. Even though it had seen better days, there were still traces of white paint and lab equipment floating on top of the water. It seems they had both reached the lab sector, the same place the maw conducted all of their sick experiments on living subjects. It in turn made what he sensed

"The evil we feel ahead of us will be the key, and when the time comes the two of us will figure out what it holds" he smiled once more, his hand lightly nudging her on the elbow as he stomped through the overflow "Let's move, I fear the soldiers don't have much time" the knight ended with a more serious indication, getting them back on the mindset of the mission.

Up ahead, there was one singular entrance to a large laboratory. It was unclear what the condition was like, but when they got closer they began to hear what sounded like someone... whistling a tune?
​

 

[Valery Noble]

Thearterra

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Silas Westgard

"No, and we're pretty much trapped now." He seemed lighthearted about it, but Valery felt a bit more troubled. The undead had that hallway locked down now, and she feared even more were going to flood into this place. Then there was the matter of what they'd find up ahead. He already said it himself — something even darker and more sinister was waiting for them there.

This was going to be a lot tougher than she had hoped.

"You think it might be something that can stop all of this?" She rolled her eyes a little at the nudge but her question remained one she hoped to have answered. If this was a virus they spread, the only way for it to be stopped was some kind of cure. Or, perhaps something that would instantly kill these infected.

After their last encounters, she doubted that they could ever be returned to normal.

Together, the two continued forward as quietly as they could, hoping to avoid drawing more unwanted attention. But as they got closer to the laboratory up ahead, something else stood out to here. Something that surprised her — was someone whistling a tune? In here?

Or was she going crazy?

"You hear that as well, right?" Valery whispered.

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Thearterra
Objective: Investigate the distress call
Tags: Valery Noble

Being trapped was the least of their worries at the moment, they had time to worry about that later. For now, they had to focus on what was ahead of them. The more they moved further into the tunnel the stronger that depressing feeling became, which was a positive in finding the route of this evil. It was worth facing it head on when others couldn't, if it was a chance to end all this it was a chance both of them had to take.

"I hope so Valery. If we can't stop it, we can at least find something that can slow this mess down"

Just when he said that whistling reached both of their ears in unison. Silas slowly came to a stop a few feet from the door and looked at Valery with an unsure expression "I certainly hear it. Whatever seems to be making that noise is not infected that's for sure" he said before carefully coming up to the door and peeking his head around. At the far end of the live testing room, a ragged looking figure had their back turned to them as they messed around with viles full of a strange red liquid. Their clothes looked worn to the bone and their skin looked a light green, almost like an algae you'd see in water.

"It looks like a living person but from the looks of their body, the individual looks half dead. They've been down here for a very long time, long enough to create these hordes of monstrosities if they are the purpose behind it. I know it's crazy, but I propose we try and speak with it first before we make any rash moves. It may give us clues as to what has happened down here"
​

 

[Valery Noble]

Thearterra

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Silas Westgard

"You want to speak with it?" She raised an eyebrow but then dipped her head after a moment. If they could somehow talk to this... whatever it was, and make everything stop, it was worth pursuing. She doubted that he was open to reason if he made all these undead, though. So, she opened the door and approached with the hilt of her weapon still drawn into her hand. Her grip was tight, like she was ready to ignite it and strike.

"It's time you give us answers."

She had raised her voice to draw the figure's attention and stood in the center of the room. She wasn't afraid or intimidated in any way, and even his rather disgusting appearance wouldn't distract her.

"What did you create here? And how is it stopped?"

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Thearterra
Objective: Investigate the distress call
Tags: Valery Noble

Valery pondered on the thought for a moment, debating if it was the right move considering they had limited time. They risked taking more casualties in the long run, but if both of them could try and pick the individual mind they could get to the bottom of this once and for all. Soon enough, Silas's defiant former master spoke up and demanded answers to the chaos that plagued the planet. And with that, it caused the whistling to go silent.

Narrowing his eyes at the strange man, Silas watched intently as he slowly turned around to face them. He looked more disgusting now that his face was in full view. Deformed and vile was the best way to describe it, especially with the strange red liquid that poured down from his eyes. A crooked smile emerged across his lips when he looked at both Jedi, almost as if he was awaiting their arrival.

"You know, it has been a long time since an outsider has entered this lab alive," he said at first with a gravelly voice, his hands slowly going behind his back "No less two faces I recognize so well..." the man said before staring straight into Valery's fiery eyes "I have created something beyond your understanding of pain, a weapon that can turn even the brightest of people into a rabid dog for the will of the Maw!"

Now and then he'd noticeably twitch in irritation, something of which was a side effect from taking a low dose of the liquid. He had been using it to stay alive, a substitute for food and water that was slowly but surely making him crazier over the years.

"You will not stop what is already in motion Valery Noble, soon enough you will be like the rest of them killing those they used to care about. A mindless corpse with an endless hunger for flesh." the scientist spat with disgust "News of your death and the weak padawan standing beside you will force the Maw to favor me once more!"
​

 

[Valery Noble]

Thearterra

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Silas Westgard

"Did you never get the memo?" Valery poked with a tone to anger and provoke him into reckless action. "The Maw is gone. All of this? A waste of time and effort." She knew the potential danger if this plague were to actually manage to escape off-world, but so far it hadn't, and the two Jedi were now at the source of it all. If this man was stopped and the undead were taken care of, there would be nothing left to torment innocent people.

It was time for action.

"I've heard that many times before, from far more dangerous foes." She gripped the hilt of her double-bladed weapon into her hand, but rather than ignite it and attack, she used her other hand to suddenly draw one of her pistols. Without warning, she raised it and fired a shot into a glass panel on the side, hoping to fracture it and shower the man in shards of it. A distraction that would give Silas a chance to take him down.

Perhaps even without killing the man.