Private The Lingering Dark

[Darth Strosius]

Felucia

The humid jungle planet of Felucia had been as much of a battleground in the past few years as any other. In recent times had been invaded and ripped from the control of the Sith Empire just to be taken by the Sith Eternal, and then it was raided by the forces of the Maw and finally abandoned as the Sith in the Tingel Arm collapsed and dispersed. The Sith fighting had left the planet with plenty of new graveyards amidst the dense flora, and one could only guess the bountiful feast the various beasts of the planets had received from the dead.

Overall the planet was macabre, but it was not without use.

The fighting had meant that bases of various kinds had been constructed, sieged, rebuilt, and then left behind by the defenders. From small outposts to communication centers, many of the buildings were slowly being swallowed by the planet without proper care and management to keep the nature at bay. How many were left was unclear, but that didn't matter. Alisteri hadn't come here to restart the fortifications of the Sith, he had come here to learn from them.

He cut through the thick plant life in his path as he made his way to one of the many command centers left behind on the planet. It would have databases, records, and perhaps even supplies. Most of all though, the information it held could lead to secret caches hidden away by the previous occupants. Caches full of supplies, weapons, and even potentially some Sith artifacts or knowledge. His cult needed those supplies, and thus here he was marching through the jungles of Felucia to try and find them. Finally he would emerge into the remnants of the command center. Ruined and unrepaired landing pads dotted the outskirts of the three story military building, topped by some sort of communication suite and surrounded by deactivated and defunct automated defenses.

The masked Acolyte clicked his tongue in disappointment as his gaze ran over the ruined building. "How the mighty have fallen hm?" He deactivated and sheathed his lightsaber, walking right past the outer fortifications of the complex. There even a couple of vehicles left behind, but he had no room on his shuttle to take them with him. If they did work, of course. Based on the overgrown engines and the small creatures nesting in the barrels of their weapons, he doubted they would be of much use.

Soon he arrived at the entrance to the base, idly checking to see if there was any power remaining to open the door. There wasn't, or it wasn't on at any rate. That problem was easily remedied though, once he gained access by cutting through the door and entering the base.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

The Lingering Dark​

---

Location: Felucia
Time: Afternoon local time
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Darth Strosius


Valery was humming a soft tune to herself as her journey through hyperspace continued. She had never been to Felucia before but heard plenty about it. According to her own research, it had been a battleground several times in recent history, so it was likely quite different from the images she had seen. All of this recent history involved the Sith as well, which is why she was visiting. Valery had learned a lot more about the Jedi than the Sith since her awakening from stasis, but she always had a focus on fighting the Dark Side.

She had to learn more.

With the stealth systems of her ship all being operational, she hoped to have reached the planet completely undetected. But to be extra safe, she approached the surface at a steep angle, allowing her to remain close to the ground. This made it much more difficult to be detected at longer distances.

Eventually, the woman set the black X-wing down onto the ground and hopped out. She took off her helmet, shook out her long hair, and placed the helmet back inside before she stepped deeper into the jungle. What exactly she'd encounter or find, she didn't know. Maybe just information about what happened, but hopefully there was something more. Something she could use in her fight against the Sith and the Dark side.

Either way, her path through the jungle continued for some time.

But finally, she would reach the first signs of this planet's former inhabitants. Or well, its conquerors. Looking at the destroyed defenses and damaged landing pads, she got a decent picture of the battle that had occurred here. But despite it, the tall building looked intact enough to where it wouldn't be a safety hazard to go inside. It wasn't that the building itself drew her attention but within its walls, Valery felt lingering darkness.

It was at this moment that her orange eyes spotted something - the door of the building was cut open, and it looked like it had only just happened. This surprised her because she hadn't quite sensed anybody around her. Perhaps the darkness of this place was clouding her senses more than she thought? If so, she'd have to be careful.

Not wanting to be detected, she dispersed her own presence in the Force, hoping nobody had sensed her approaching. Concealing herself was standard practice when visiting Sith worlds, but she had hoped this one would be fully abandoned. Now with her senses sharpened, the woman stepped into the building as well.

"Let's see what we have here.." she mumbled softly to herself.

 

[Darth Strosius]

Location: Command Center Interior
Tag: Valery Noble
---------------------------------------------------------

While the inside of a fortification or a military building wasn't new to Alisteri, being in any sort of command or communication one was. He much preferred to be in the front where the action and the fighting were, not in the back lounging with all the commanders and taking credit for victory without personal effort.

That was the job of a Darth or a Lord anyhow, not an Acolyte.

The darkness of the building didn't hinder him at all, given his eyesight, but it didn't fill him with confidence. He could only hope that there was enough reserve power to get the computers activated and running again. Otherwise he was wandering around for no reason at all, and getting increasingly tired of the humidity all the while. Step one, get the power online. Step two, find the temperature controls. Step three, get the data. Simple as that. Or so he thought anyway.

Picking his way through the entrance of the building was easy, most of the interior had been stripped bare by whoever had last controlled it. The surprisingly open first floor was an aftermath of some sort of chaos, broken glass and the occasional wall panel littered the ground between apparent terminals and even a cubicle or two as well as makeshift barricades made from tables. The armory on the floor had been emptied entirely, both the sign marking it and the door that once belonged to it resting disconnected against the open doorframe.

There was only one useful thing left for him it would seem, and that would be access to the maintenance area.

It was a cramped and tiny place, and he was fairly sure that one of the lockers had some sort of corpse within it given the stench and the blaster holes in the door of said locker, but it would have to do. The Sith pulled the access panel open, a small sigh leaving him at the sight of unruly and disconnected wiring. What wasn't blown or cut had been carelessly pulled out, but most of it would still be of some use. Looks like the defenses won't be getting any power today...oh well.

Within a few minutes and a couple sparks he had rewired and rerouted what he could, pulling the switch right after everything had settled into place. The eerie silence of the building was replaced by the gentle hum of electricity, and the darkness was by light as screens and ceiling lights alike came online once more.

"Ah, and just like that we're back in business."

 

[Valery Noble]

The Lingering Dark​

---

Location: Command Center Interior
Time: Afternoon local time
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Darth Strosius


Valery stepped inside the dark building and needed a second for her own eyes to adjust to the lack of lighting. Luckily, it wasn't quite a problem for her either, so she was able to continue forward after a few seconds. What did bother her, however, was the humidity and heat inside this building. It had been locked down for quite some time in a jungle world, so it was horrible inside. Setting the feelings of discomfort aside, she'd first have to look for a way to get power online.

This building didn't look like a place where she'd find ancient artifacts or other peculiar relics, but the data on the computers around her could be of use. Or at least, the ones that weren't stripped down for parts.

Walking through the first floor, Valery spotted the various signs of a fight that had happened inside. She approached a table filled with holes from blaster fire and placed her hand against the scorched side. A brief but intense memory flashed through her mind, allowing her to feel the emotions of those inside the building during their final moments. The woman wasn't too proficient with Psychometry but there was so much hatred and fear that these memories lingered in these objects, and likely would for many more years.

"There must be some way to get this working again.." she mumbled while her eyes looked through the darkness of the Command center. Valery was sadly not overly tech-savvy, so this wasn't going to be easy for her to figure out.

But then something happened that she wasn't quite expecting - the lights turned on.

Immediately, Valery understood that whoever had entered the building before her must still be around, and responsible for getting everything operational again. She extended her senses through the hallways and rooms, hoping to locate the person inside. She had to find them.

A part of her feared that bringing this place online could result in Sith showing up, or other Dark Siders. While she felt capable in her abilities to deal with them, she was still wanting to avoid conflict as much as possible.

So for now, the woman removed the lightsaber hilt from her belt and began to follow her senses through the building.

 

[Darth Strosius]

Location: Command Center Interior
Tag: Valery Noble
---------------------------------------------------------

With the power restored, to the first level if nothing else, he could get started combing through the various computers and terminals in the building. Hopefully the databases wouldn't be too corrupted or incomplete, and with any luck the last occupants would have been too busy to delete anything. Even if they had, there was a chance that they had missed something or had left behind information that they hadn't thought important.

He spent a few more seconds fiddling with the wiring before replacing the panel and stepping away from it. Other than a couple of spare tools there wasn't much that the room could offer him, and so he made his way out of the maintenance area. His gaze ran over the now online screens and lights of the room with some measure of pride.

Then his gaze landed on the other occupant of the building.

Wait, what?

Alisteri froze, his hand shooting down to wrap around the lightsaber on his belt. Before he could draw it though, he noticed the similar weapon in her grasp. Oh chit. And just like that he turned around and spotted the stairs leading up to the second level.

With a quick turn on his heel and a few quick steps forward he set off towards the second level. Of course, said quick steps could be described as running as well. Not that he was about to waste any time on semantics. Suddenly I'm starting to regret cutting the wires that lead to those defenses...curse you hindsight.

 

[Valery Noble]

The Lingering Dark​

---

Location: Command Center Interior
Time: Afternoon local time
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Darth Strosius


Valery froze as she stepped into the hallway leading up to the maintenance room. Her senses had picked up on a presence, but one with the familiar corruption she had sworn to fight. Now, she stood face-to-face with the masked figure who seemed to be about as tall as she was. Normally, the woman wasn't one to hesitate like this, but it had been so long since she felt anything like this.

Her hesitation allowed the figure to not only take off in the opposite direction but also gain a good bit of distance from her. But despite that, Valery quickly ran after him in pursuit.

"Stop!"
​

She wasn't sure why she called out to him like this - there was no way he'd willingly stop for her. But it at least showed that she wasn't just planning to let him get away.

Making her way up to the 2nd floor, she expected there to be darkness again and with him having gained some distance, she'd have to be careful. "Slowly, Val.." she mumbled to herself as she moved up one of the floors. Military buildings like these didn't always have a lot of windows to escape through, and this whole place seemed to have been locked down quite heavily.

So hopefully, he didn't get too far yet.

To give herself some light, and protection, she tapped a switch on her weapon, and a purple blade of hot plasma ignited by her side, illuminating the hallway on the 2nd floor, as well as her scarred face. Now with slower steps, she followed the darker presence throughout the building.

She was determined to find him now.

 

[Darth Strosius]

Location: Command Center Interior
Tag: Valery Noble
---------------------------------------------------------

There was a tendency of Sith, and a fair bit of Force Users in general, to always uphold some sort of pride. This was especially true with those that followed the Dark Side, ego and power often reigned supreme and prevented traditionally cowardly actions no matter how practical they were. Running away or retreating were two such examples. Such things were usually seen as below a Sith, no matter the level of their power or rank. One had to keep up with appearances after all, it was only the proper thing to do.

Thankfully though, Alisteri was always willing to sacrifice a bit of pride to save his hide.

He managed to rush up the stairs onto the second level, getting out of the view of his pursuer for a few precious moments. The maintenance down below had restored power to the whole building, but most of the lights on the second floor were either smashed or turned off. There weren't any windows either, it seemed instead that this room was meant as some form of meeting or planning room based on the large table and holodisplay set up in the center of the room. That would explain the lack of natural lighting.

There were more terminals and computers around the outer edges of the room, seeming to be set up for giving orders and coordinating reports. This was the heart of the command center it would seem, where orders were given and sent while information on the actual fighting was received. Given the terrain of the planet, he could only guess at how many recon and scouting reports were needed for even a basic operation or order to be carried out properly. He hadn't the time to ponder such things though, as the sound of a lightsaber igniting reminded him.

Yet again it seemed as if his senses had failed him.

A weakness that was becoming more and more inconvenient by the day, and one that would have to be corrected later.

Alisteri's gaze swiveled around, silently thanking the Force for his natural nightvision, as he looked for cover. His breathing stilled as did his movement, stopping his run to hide behind a small wall that supported some communication terminals and cracked displays. A Jedi. Of course, there's always a Jedi in my way. He silently cursed his own luck and pulled his weapon from his belt. He didn't activate it yet though, hoping that he was somewhat difficult to find for the time being.

"You all have a penchant for trespassing, don't you?"

 

[Valery Noble]

The Lingering Dark​

---

Location: Command Center Interior
Time: Afternoon local time
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Darth Strosius


Within the mostly empty building, the sound of each step or movement was amplified a great deal, or simply more apparent against the lack of background noise. So with her slowing down and Alisteri looking for cover, an eerie silence would remain. One that was only occasionally broken at the sound of Valery's footsteps, as she passed through the hallways of the second floor.

The second floor itself and all its panels, terminals and equipment were no longer that important to the woman - she'd be able to look at them later. Right now, her mind was focused on the dark-tainted figure she spotted earlier.

So step-by-step, she was getting closer and while she sensed his presence nearby, she wasn't able to locate him just yet. Her senses, to some extent, still had to adjust after they hadn't been used for a very long time. Her connection to the Force, in general, had been weakened somewhat, but the strength of the ancient Master was returning slowly.

"You know I can sense you, right?" Valery then asked with a voice that matched her appearance. It was calm, confident and showed the strength her personality possessed.

But her senses weren't sharp enough to actually pinpoint his location. Luckily, he did not know this, or so she hoped. Since he was hiding, she figured he was hoping to avoid confrontation, so this little mental game she decided to play would hopefully put some pressure on him. Perhaps not enough to have him step out of cover, but maybe it would bring her a step closer to finding him.

At this point, Valery decided to no longer suppress her own presence in the Force, allowing even the most untrained Force-sensitive to feel her presence if they were close enough. It wasn't to intimidate with her strength in the Force, but simply to let him know that she was close, and standing between him and the staircase, which seemed to be the only way off of this floor. Whether that was true or not, she didn't know. But tense situations always made it more difficult to think.

The brunette then finally walked into the meeting room, where she stopped just short of the large table in the center. The purple blade was still there but held low at her side. She looked around and knew she was close - she could feel him, and the danger he could be, not just to herself but to others. Many years ago, when she served her old Enclave as its leader, she wouldn't have hesitated - she would have looked to kill him. It was an essential part of the more extreme philosophies of that Enclave. But now, after all, she learned since her time in stasis, she wondered whether to not those ancient methods were actually beneficial.

Maybe there was hope?

This one felt less far down the dark path than many others she encountered. With a small shake of her head, she snapped back to reality and spoke again, her voice louder this time

"Show yourself."

 

[Darth Strosius]

Location: Command Center Interior
Tag: Valery Noble
---------------------------------------------------------

Stealth was not his area of expertise nor did he claim to be any sort of invisible man, but even he knew how to slow his breathing and calm his adrenaline to keep his limbs still and silent. His fingers clenched tighter around the hilt of his lightsaber as he heard her steps encompass and replace the silence in the room. The way to the third and first floors was right past her, and would have been a dead end anyway unless he could make it out of the front door or onto the roof somehow. For the moment he was stuck with no where to go but through the Jedi.

And then she spoke.

Alisteri froze at her words, hesitant to let his next breath slip free for a few moments. He knew that she was telling the truth to some extent, though how much she could sense was the question. Evidently for those more trained in the Force sensing another Force User was almost as easy as seeing or hearing them, but that was from what he had heard. His own presence had to be fairly minimal, so he hoped anyway, given his relative weakness and inexperience with his gifts. Regardless, he had to rely on his hearing to figure out where she was. He couldn't sense much, for better or worse.

However, even he could feel when she dropped the shroud covering her power. An ache in the back of his mind was the first signal of it, a headache stirring right before he sensed just how overwhelming she was. The Sith felt his eye twitch as his teeth clenched together. Well...that's not very good now is it? His grip on his weapon only tightened as he tried to soothe the pressure on his mind from the sudden outburst of power. It had been a long time since he was so close to such a powerful Force User, and yet it still strained him all the same.

The next few seconds that ticked by before she stopped walking were ones that he spent silently recomposing himself. Getting his thoughts in order was the main obstacle, calming his body was all too easy. It was no wonder she was so calm and steadfast when she spoke, given the situation, for he was caught between a rock and a Jedi.

A Jedi that had yet to march over and try to decapitate him. The keyword being "yet" of course.

She spoke, more like ordered really, and he felt himself tense up once more. He had never been in a fight that he could win fairly, even against an opponent of supposedly similar skill level. And this? He could only imagine what she could, and would, do to him if their blades crossed.

There was only one option. Play along. With a final deep breath to steady himself he peeked up over the top of his cover and settled his gaze on the woman standing by the large table. "Alright, you've caught me." A quick movement of his hand slipped his lightsaber up into his sleeve to conceal it right before he slowly stood with his hands raised.

 

[Valery Noble]

The Lingering Dark​

---

Location: Command Center Interior
Time: Afternoon local time
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Darth Strosius


Her senses were continuously scanning for the other presence she had felt and even though she knew they were close, she simply couldn't locate him exactly. Her orange eyes pierced through the darkness of the room, but it was only when he stood up from behind his cover that she saw him. Her gaze snapped onto the masked figure and she immediately raised her lightsaber with her right hand, the tip of the purple blade pointing towards him.

"Don't move." she said with a commanding tone again.

Valery had been in situations like this countless times, but never before had she felt so much internal conflict about what to do. Her training and instincts told her to engage; to purge his darkness and return to exploring the building, since that was the reason she was here. But it had been so long since she encountered a Dark Side corrupted person of any kind, and she had learned much more about the sides of the Force, and the ability for one's path to change.

Not all who fell were beyond saving, but a line had to be drawn somewhere. But this was the question she currently had no answer to, and it made her hesitate. She didn't want to strike down someone who was still largely untrained in the ways of the Dark side if there was hope for him. But was there really hope?

This hesitation to act was something that showed as well, as the blade she held out towards him lowered a bit, the grip on the hilt itself loosening. Her expression shifted from fierce decisiveness to one of contemplation, and eye-contact broke as well for a brief moment.

However, the Master also sensed danger regarding the situation. Perhaps a simple product of her being in the room with a Sith apprentice, but perhaps there was more to it. Normally, she wouldn't be too easily caught off-guard by hidden weapons, but she had no idea his lightsaber was hidden within his sleeve. Her hesitation and lack of focus made it to where she hadn't even noticed that he seemed to be unarmed. Which, given he was Sith, was extremely odd, and would have turned on alarm bells within her.

Trying to steer away from hesitation, she looked back up at his face and decided to speak again.

"Why are you here?"

 

[Darth Strosius]

Location: Command Center Interior
Tag: Valery Noble
---------------------------------------------------------

He did his best not to flinch too noticeably as the purple blade and the eyes of the Jedi were aimed his way. Had the situation been different he would've already drawn his own weapon or thrown something in an attempt to distract her, but there was nothing to throw and he doubted that he would last long if he were to go into such close range. His fingers idly twitched, a small bit of defiance, in response to her command but he reluctantly stilled. Being at the disadvantage, there was no point in provoking her just yet. Not until he had a way out and something to stall her with anyway.

There had only been a handful of times where he had met a Jedi, and all of them had gone straight to combat. Really, there was only so much talking that could be done between two opposing sides in the midst of a seemingly eternal war. Besides, they're all so steadfast in their beliefs. No point in arguing.

This time was already different from the others however, and the slight hesitation proved it.

He had seen many an expression on the face of an enemy. Rage, defiance, justice, smugness, even sick joy, but hesitation was new. His gaze narrowed as the blade lowered just a bit, biting back the urge to question or make some form of snappy comment on it. An angry Jedi he could deal with, a hesitant one was something strange and unheard of. For him at least. The sight of it alone, is that conflict in her eyes?, made him regret his position less and less. A brand new sight, and one that could be his last.

It didn't last long though, and the tension returned just as quickly as she could speak the question. "Well that should be obvious shouldn't it?" Alisteri cocked his head slightly, only allowing a brief pause before he spoke again. "I'm here because I need information that this place should possess." He didn't bother to hide his gaze as he looked her up and down, a mixture of genuine curiosity and an analytical glint. She was different from the few Jedi that he had encountered, her weapon and attitude only being part of what made her stand out.

"The real question is what you're doing here. I doubt that you'd be so..." Alisteri purposely drew out the pause before he continued. "...'friendly' if you were sent here for me specifically."

 

[Valery Noble]

The Lingering Dark​

---

Location: Command Center Interior
Time: Afternoon local time
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Darth Strosius

Valery's orange eyes narrowed at the initial response from Alisteri, and the grip on her hilt tightened up again. She noticed him looking her up and down, but she was essentially doing the same, albeit not with just her eyes. The mind of the Jedi Master was analyzing the young Sith in front of her constantly, making sure she'd be ready to fight if necessary.

In reality, she didn't want to fight, as that hesitation only grew. She knew he had likely seen or felt it to some extent, but she didn't want it to plant 'dumb' ideas inside his head.

"Don't mistake friendliness for weakness, and I'm not here for you," she said, her tone rather stern.

Valery continued to glare into the eyes of the masked figure, almost as if she was looking for an answer to the questions that echoed through her mind. But no matter how close he was, no matter what he said or how his presence felt to her, it wasn't the same as before. She couldn't strike him down, not unless it was absolutely necessary.

Her blade lowered again, the tip now pointing towards the ground.

She'd never do anything remotely this risky in a room with another Sith, but she could set aside the danger she felt from him. He seemed rather untrained yet - perhaps a new apprentice who was sent on one of his first assignments? She didn't know, but she felt confident enough in her abilities to defend herself if he were to attack.

Of course, she remained unaware of the location of his weapon.

"I'm here for the information as well, and I won't allow you to take it. But if you leave now.." she emphasized the word 'now' and paused a moment. "..then I will not harm you. But try anything, and I can assure you that you'll regret it."

"What is it going to be?"

 

[Darth Strosius]

Location: Command Center Interior
Tag: Valery Noble
---------------------------------------------------------

Her response caused him to raise his head, just a bit, as if in some show of surprise. It masked some relief though, but her being here at all still posed too much of a threat to relax. It was comforting to know that he wasn't important enough to warrant being hunted down of course. Well, for the moment at the very least.

Alisteri returned her piercing stare, idly searching for some crack in her defenses. Another hesitation, a flash of regret or anger, anything that he could use to his advantage. Unfortunately, he found nothing that would help him, but plenty that confused him as she lowered her blade. For now anyway. He had little doubt that she could draw it up again and carve him into two pieces with it if she so desired. Best to avoid that fate then, I doubt my regeneration works well enough to survive something like that.

The offer for him to simply leave caught him off guard, visibly surprised despite his masked face.

There was a temptation to run for the door while he had a way out, to come back later for what he needed or to find another place to search. He pushed such notions aside however. What sort of Sith would he be is he so easily gave up and fled? He'd be no better than the Lords that had abandoned the Sith Empire to save their own hides.

Time for a little lying and improvisation, then.

After seeming to consider her offer for a few moments he let out a small chuckle and shook his head. "An ultimatum? Hm, how fitting." There was a hint of sarcasm and spite, but he continued.

"You Jedi are so...simple minded at times. So unwilling to consider alternatives. Tell me, do you know how to access any Sith records or information here?" He cocked his head slightly and gestured to the various computers and terminals around them with a nod. "Because I'm willing to bet that you don't know how. You'd be lost unless you had any sort of slicing skills...or the access codes for the database."

"I wonder who could have those though? If only there were someone around who happened to be familiar with Sith military operations...and who was willing to accept a deal for splitting the information..."

 

[Valery Noble]

The Lingering Dark​

---

Location: Command Center Interior
Time: Afternoon local time
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Darth Strosius


Valery glared at his initial response - the snarky comments weren't something she appreciated but it was likely part of his own little strategy. It didn't really get under her skin, so she remained calm and chuckled at his offer. While she perhaps considered something like this for a moment, she did not trust Sith whatsoever.

"I don't believe you're in a position to make demands, so drop the attitude." she said as her index finger tapped against the side of her hilt.

Valery then stepped a little closer, which forced her to move around the table in the center. It opened the way towards the staircase a little more, and she knew this. But she also doubted that he'd try to make a run for it.

"But you are right, I don't have access codes and slicing isn't a strength of mine. So I'll offer you a better deal." she began but by her tone and expression, it was clear that this deal wasn't going to be in his favor much. "I'm taking you to the terminal I want access to, and you will give me the codes to get in. You're not getting into the system yourself." she said with a slight adjustment in the way she held her lightsaber.

"If the codes are right and I get access, then I think we'll both be quite happy. But I'm afraid I can't allow you to get access to these records or the information in these systems."

 

[Darth Strosius]

Location: Command Center Interior
Tag: Valery Noble
---------------------------------------------------------

There was an immature part of the Sith that felt some amusement or pride at the sight of her glare, but the more rational side knew it wasn't a good sign. And her literally chuckling in response to his offer gave him a sinking feeling. A feeling that he chose to ignore, of course, but still something of note. Her reply didn't fill him with much confidence either.

It took a lot for him not to step back or twitch as she stepped forward, more of a reflex than a fearful reaction. Or so he told himself anyway. Alisteri didn't need to be a genius to see that his bargain hadn't worked the way that he had intended, in fact it didn't seem to have worked at all.

So she's playing the demanding game now?

His response took a few moments to formulate, most of that time spent either biting his tongue or thinking of some way for himself to still come out with what he needed one way or another. "I'm sure there's plenty of information to go around..." That was an understatement, if what he had heard was correct. "...but I suppose if you want to have it all for yourself then that's only fair."

He idly glanced at the lightsaber in her grasp, making note of how she held it and wondering how confident he was that he could get it away from her. Not confident enough. "So I'll get you into the systems Jedi, and I promise not to have a peek for myself."

It was a promise that he didn't intend to keep, but he knew how unlikely it would be for him to break it and live. For now all he could do was play his part and wait for an opportunity. Of course, he could always make that opportunity for himself. "Is there anything in particular you were looking for? It'll be easier to go through the proper terminal rather than accessing it from some other one."

 

[Valery Noble]

The Lingering Dark​

---

Location: Command Center Interior
Time: Afternoon local time
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Darth Strosius

"I'm sure there's plenty of information to go around..." That was an understatement, if what he had heard was correct. "...but I suppose if you want to have it all for yourself then that's only fair."

Valery watched him closely and gestured for him to follow her out of the meeting room, where it was unlikely for there to be useful terminals. "Oh, it's not about having it for myself. It's about you specifically not getting it. I'm sure the information here would be very useful for a Sith." she said.

"You should consider leaving with empty hands as quite the generous offer already though."

Valery said this, almost as if she was looking to irk him some. In reality, she hardly cared about such things - she simply wanted to make sure he wouldn't try anything. With these reminders, she hoped to achieve that. Whilst keeping her eyes on him, she walked back into the room with terminals and wall panels.

"I want access to locations - of Sith, artifacts, infrastructure. Anything related to the Sith that once worked within these walls." she said. If this was in fact a command center, it likely had plenty of useful information. Valery could make extremely good use of it.

"Bring me to the right terminal, and I'll watch you gain access to it for me. I highly suggest you don't try anything - there is no need for unfortunate things to happen today."

She stopped and turned to look him in the eyes, albeit through his mask, "Can you do this for me?"

 

[Darth Strosius]

Location: Command Center Interior
Tag: Valery Noble
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He was reluctant to follow so easily, especially with the comment she made, but he knew he had no other option but to comply for the time being. That didn't mean he was unable to do some sort of defiance. And by that, he meant shooting her a dirty look from behind his mask. "I believe that information is useful to everyone, otherwise what's the point of it at all?"

Alisteri was very tempted to make a comment on the idle threat of her removing his hands, but he kept his mouth shut. He had already lost a hand to a Jedi once before, and it wasn't an experience he intended to replicate. It would grow back of course, but it was the principle of the whole thing.

"The Jedi don't already have records on such things?" There was as much as surprise as there was sarcasm in his voice. "And here I thought the New Imperials were eager to share their knowledge of the 'Sith Menace.' Oh well." He knew that there would be plenty of what she desired stored within one terminal or another. Even if such information only covered the nearby systems, it would still be a great boon.

One that he couldn't afford to let her exploit alone.

Already he was considering just how to get the information for himself, but that would require surprise and a little bit of time. He would have to make it. "Of course I can, I need but a few moments to get you in."

Finding the right terminal, or one that would work the best anyway, wasn't too challenging. He was used to how the Sith set up their operations by now, and his instincts and experience led him right to where he wanted to be. Another problem made itself known not long after however. The codes he had were correct, but the next thing that he knew he was greeted with a flashing screen asking for emergency codes

A failsafe due to the sudden power loss probably. "Hm...well that's new."

 

[Valery Noble]

The Lingering Dark​

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Location: Command Center Interior
Time: Afternoon local time
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Darth Strosius

Valery followed him to the terminal and kept her eyes on anything he did. While the woman wasn't very tech-savvy, she'd know if he was trying to fool her too much. It would create a rather difficult situation for her because as much as she tried to keep him from doing something 'stupid' through her words, she wasn't actually sure what she'd do.

Of course, if he were to attack her, she'd defend herself. But she had no desire to kill or maim him for any other reason than self-defense.

"I'm sure the Jedi have a great deal of information, but not everything is known. Whatever is inside these terminals, I want access to it," she said in response to his question and comments.

Valery then stopped a small distance away from him and looked over his shoulder at the terminal. The access codes he entered seemed to get accepted, but something unexpected happened - the screen flashed and asked for another code of some kind. The woman tilted her head and looked at Alisteri, "Can you get around whatever that is?"

She wondered if these codes were active due to the abandonment of this facility, but he was likely more familiar with it. Or at least, she hoped he was. Without his help, getting access to anything in here was going to be a lot more difficult. It was even likely that she'd have to take a few things with her, for it to be accessed elsewhere by someone more capable.

It wasn't exactly ideal, as she wasn't able to bring much along in her single-seat ship.

 

[Darth Strosius]

Location: Command Center Interior
Tag: Valery Noble
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Ideas of how to escape, preferably without being empty-handed, ran through his mind. Of course they were all stopped and rendered null and void the moment that the secondary code input flashed onto the screen, denying him access.

He stared at the message in disbelief for a short moment, then in annoyance, and then in a subtle yet burning anger.

Thankfully though, he could ignore that little inner voice telling him to rip the screen from the table and throw it out of the nearest window. Or at the Jedi. He doubted that would go over too well. At the very least, she couldn't get to what she wanted now but neither could he until he managed to get into the system. They both needed the code, and he knew that he didn't know it.

How lucky am I, of course it's being difficult.

There was a moment of silence from the Sith before he answered her question, too busy trying to remember how the protocol for the lockdown could be lifted or maneuvered around. It would be difficult to bypass, he wasn't exactly a slicer or a computer genius himself, but theoretically he could figure out how to get past it. In...maybe two days.

That was two days too long.

Alisteri wasn't content to wait that long, and he wasn't about to ask for such a timeframe from Valery. Then, a thought crossed him. He had all the codes he needed on his person, and on a device which could store new data on it as well. "...Yes. I don't know the codes by memory myself, but I have a datacard with a list of codes in it. It should have the code to get past the protocol and into the system."

He paused and looked back at her. "If I'm allowed to reach into my pockets of course."

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Command Center​

Valery: Appearance​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Darth Strosius ​

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Looking down at the Sith, Valery sensed the emotions stirring within him that were created by the flashing screen, and the problem that it brought for the two of them. She raised an eyebrow in response and stepped off to his side, allowing her to take a better look. While it seemed somewhat familiar to him, she had no clue what the problem was at all.​

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So when he asked his question, she was hesitant but there seemed to be no other way.​

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A deep sigh followed, as well as a reluctant nod, "Get the data card and codes - I didn't come all the way out here for nothing," she said as her orange eyes shifted down towards his hands and pockets. While she allowed him to reach into his pockets, she was going to keep a close eye on him. ​

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Her senses sharpened too in an attempt to read his emotions and intentions through Empathy.​

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"Once you get access, step away from the terminal. If all is well and I can get into the files I want, then I believe it's time for you to depart." ​

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Valery herself had no intentions of staying long either. She didn't know if he was truly alone or if there were other Sith on the planet as well. With him leaving before her, there was also the added risk of him alerting others to her presence, whether they were nearby or not.​

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She was capable of defending herself, but she preferred not to be disturbed.​

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