Public The Shadow Raid

[Ellissanthia]

Location: The Archives of Solace, Temple of Solace - Sedesia
Tag: Drystan Creed

Back to the wall.

Ellissanthia grunted as the commando droids moved to surround her from all possible sides, their blasters unloading a relentless barrage of plasma fire that zipped towards the Undine with surgical precision. In turn, the Undine brought up both of her arms, even as the first bolt slammed into her energy shield, briefly causing her to stagger. Growling, she drew on her lingering pain as a font of power before focusing her attention on the incoming bolts.

Concentrating her will, the Undine squeezed them with a firm telekinetic grasp, suspending the bolts in mid-air moments before they would have struck her person.

However, Ellissanthia could not divide her attention for long.

Two blaster bolts became four. Four became eight. Then, eight became 16. Too many. With a sharp cry, the Undine let go and dived to her left, powerful legs carrying her form several meters out of the way as the blaster bolts struck the wall behind her, combining to generate a powerful explosion that sent her sprawling as a shockwave propagated through the air from the epicenter of the blast.

It was only her personal energy shield which saw Ellissanthia emerge intact.

Having drained its entire capacitor, the device would not save her again for the foreseeable future. However, the Undine did not anticipate that she would need it. The blast had given her an escape—a wide, gaping hole in the wall which led directly into the archives.

Capitalizing on the smoke and shock generated from the explosion, Ellissanthia sprang to her feet and slipped herself through the gap before the droids could recover.

Spoiler: Loadout

• Pulsiva Bodysuit Mk. II
  
  • Boots
    
    • FAE/A-14 Energized Foot Gear
      
      • Jetboot Thrusters Removed
  • Helmet
    
    • FAE/U-06 Collapsing Mirrors
  • Miscellaneous Equipment
    
    • FAE/C-04 Dermal Hydration System
    • FAE/U-01 "Serenity" Anti-Signal Field System
  • Aesthetic and Accouterments
    
    • All White Coloring
    • Eclipse Sect Symbol - Left Breast
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield - Capacitor Drained
• Standard Lightsaber
  
  • Purple Blade
• Supernal Infusion Vials
• Spirit Anchor Talisman

 

[Drystan Creed]

JEDI ENCLAVE: ARCHIVES

Drystan cursed under his breath as the shockwave rippled through the air. He braced himself, shielding his face as debris, droid parts and smoke surged toward him.

Before the full force could reach him, two droids leapt into position, standing in front to absorb the worst of the blast. The impact rattled through them, but they held firm, keeping him obscured from most of the destruction.

As the smoke began to clear, Drystan's eyes narrowed on the gaping hole left behind.

Ellissanthia was gone.

"Kark," he muttered, realization sinking in. "She's in the archives."

Without hesitation, he activated his communicator, issuing orders to the reserve units.

"Sweep the archives. Find and neutralize by any means necessary."

His fingers flicked to another channel. "What's the status on the Phoenix Protocol?"

A droid's mechanical voice answered. "Backups are in progress."

"We need to move—fast." Drystan's voice was sharp, urgent. "Once the backups are secure, mark the entire collection for deletion. The archives have been breached."

"Understood. Preparing explosive charges now."

No time to waste.

Drystan surged forward, darting through the wreckage and into the archives. His gaze scanned the shadows, searching for the Undine.

Ellissanthia

 

[Ellissanthia]

Location: The Archives of Solace, Temple of Solace - Sedesia
Tag: Drystan Creed

Ellissanthia grunted as she made her way down the aisles. A heady rush came over her senses as she shot the Supernal Infusion into the meat of her thigh, the empty vial clattering to the floor in her wake. All the while, her violet-hued eyes twitched and her skin tingled with the rush, her exhausted reserves being promptly restored by the injection. By the same token, her blood loss had mostly ceased as her body’s healing capabilities kicked into effect. However, the wounds and her lightheadedness remained, with the pain a lingering ache that tugged at her awareness.

Still, she needed to go only a little further.

Ellissanthia came to a stop at one of the shelves, her eyes scanning across the organized rows before coming to the specific entry that she was looking for. The Undine immediately withdrew the holobook from the shelf and glanced it over, her gaze widening with relief as she read the title. Then, without further delay, she placed the book inside her bag, exchanging it for a stim-shot which she immediately punched into her bicep, gritting her teeth in the process.

With it surged a renewed rush of sensation that washed over Ellissanthia like a wave, her pupils dilating as her world returned to full focus. Shaking her head, the Undine immediately took stock of her surroundings, and it was only then that her ears registered the familiar whining of servos and marching of mechanical feet in her vicinity. Commando droids.

With a sharp breath, Ellissanthia jumped, a powerful, skyward leap carrying her form up on top of the adjacent shelf just before the patrol passed her by. Once the area was clear, she kept moving, her long legs carrying her across and over the towering shelves with graceful, loping strides.

She had one more objective to complete, which she knew was situated deeper within the archives.

Spoiler: Loadout

• Pulsiva Bodysuit Mk. II
  
  • Boots
    
    • FAE/A-14 Energized Foot Gear
      
      • Jetboot Thrusters Removed
  • Helmet
    
    • FAE/U-06 Collapsing Mirrors
  • Miscellaneous Equipment
    
    • FAE/C-04 Dermal Hydration System
    • FAE/U-01 "Serenity" Anti-Signal Field System
  • Aesthetic and Accouterments
    
    • All White Coloring
    • Eclipse Sect Symbol - Left Breast
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield - Capacitor Drained
• Standard Lightsaber
  
  • Purple Blade
• Supernal Infusion Vials
• Spirit Anchor Talisman

 

[Drystan Creed]

JEDI ENCLAVE ARCHIVES

Drystan cursed under his breath, pushing harder in pursuit of Ellissanthia. Every second she slipped through his grasp was another chance for stolen knowledge, another risk of compromise to the Order's archives. Unacceptable.

He needed to slow her down—pin her in place or at least force her to reveal herself. Or he could get her out of here all together. An idea came to him.

Tapping into the PSA system, his voice echoed through the archive halls—calm, cold, controlled.

"Let's talk." A pause.

"Right now, you're running through one of the most knowledge-packed collections in the system. What you don't know is that I've also made it the most explosive-packed collection in the system."

Another pause.

"I've rigged multiple charges that will bring this entire sector down on us. And I can trigger them faster than you can say 'lightsaber.'"

A beat of silence. Then, with deliberate ease, he continued—

"So far, it looks like you haven't hurt anyone—except me and my extensive collection of tin cans. That earns you some goodwill. So, I'm willing to negotiate."

"What's it gonna be? And by the way, I don't bluff."

Ellissanthia

 

[Ellissanthia]

Location: Holocron Repository, The Archives of Solace, Temple of Solace - Sedesia
Tag: Drystan Creed

Ellissanthia did not hear the Jedi’s voice, which was deadened by sonic nullifiers by the time it would have reached her ears. Instead, his words were transcribed to her in text form, appearing across her HUD as they were spoken after the computer brain in her helmet had judged their message as possibly pertinent.

And yet, Ellissanthia doubted their veracity. As far as she knew, she was the only one of the attackers to have made it into the Archives. It made little sense to her that the Jedi would blow up an entire Temple or even a section of it in order to remove a single intruder. Even having evaded many of the defenses, there was little that the Undine could hope to accomplish within the grand scheme, as she was already pushing herself close to the limit in order to achieve her own small objectives. In her understanding, an action as drastic as destroying the Temple Archives was something to be done out of desperate spite, rather than any kind of rationality. Akin to kicking over the table after losing a hand in sabacc.

That and the fact that her target was now evidently not the collections or even the data logs, as she was beginning to move past them. A pair of security camera feeds quickly verified that fact.

Her objective was deeper inside. A priceless, fragile item which could not be easily copied, replaced, or recovered.

And Ellissanthia moved swiftly to reach it. Dropping down from the shelves, the Undine made her way deeper into the archives. By the time the man finished speaking, she had arrived at her target—the holocron vault—its guard having abandoned it in order to focus on exterior defense.

With a deep breath, Ellissanthia pulled out her multi-slice tool and plugged it into the data-port of the terminal outside of the vault. The device immediately activated, giving soft whirrs as it set to work with slicing the door’s controls and deactivating the automated defenses inside, so that the Undine could enter the vault unmolested.

“Come find me, Jedi.” Ellissanthia answered simply. She knew now, her position was revealed. Soon, it would only be a matter of grabbing the holocron and thereafter, making her escape.

Spoiler: Loadout

• Pulsiva Bodysuit Mk. II
  
  • Boots
    
    • FAE/A-14 Energized Foot Gear
      
      • Jetboot Thrusters Removed
  • Helmet
    
    • FAE/U-06 Collapsing Mirrors
  • Miscellaneous Equipment
    
    • FAE/C-04 Dermal Hydration System
    • FAE/U-01 "Serenity" Anti-Signal Field System
  • Aesthetic and Accouterments
    
    • All White Coloring
    • Eclipse Sect Symbol - Left Breast
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield - Capacitor Drained
• Standard Lightsaber
  
  • Purple Blade
• Supernal Infusion Vials
• Spirit Anchor Talisman

 

[Drystan Creed]

JEDI ENCLAVE: ARCHIVES

Damn. He had hoped to slow her down long enough for the charges to catch her. He didn't care about the main archives, having already backed up any relevant info.

While he had rigged the archives to blow, the charges were placed afar from the most irreplaceable artifacts—things that couldn't be backed up, stored, or replicated. He had assumed she'd be after the most valuable pieces of their collection.

Still, they were there. They could still prove useful.

Drystan's voice turned to ice. Any pretense of negotiation was gone.

"You won't like what happens when I do."

The moment her position revealed itself, he launched into a sprint, tapping into the droid comms.

"Every unit to the vaults—now. Vaporize any organic lifeform in the area, barring yours truly."

A sharp ping confirmed the order. Blasters primed. Kill protocols engaged.

He was running out of time.

The archives were as vast as they were deep, and frustration clawed at him. He shoved it down, forcing control, his fingers pressing into his sleeve—almost as if holding something back from spilling out. He picked up the pace—silence no longer mattered. Speed took its place.

Still, he pushed forward.

His saber ignited, its azure glow cutting through the darkness—a beacon for the droids rallying behind him.

Ellissanthia

 

[Ellissanthia]

Location: The Archives of Solace, Temple of Solace - Sedesia
Tag: Drystan Creed

A low, frustrated growl rumbled from Ellissanthia’s throat as the multi-slice tool whirred and clicked with activity. The device was working, but not quite as quickly as the Undine would have liked. She knew that was to be expected given the robust security systems which were likely present in the networks, but the knowledge made the wait no less agonizing.

Agonizing, in quite the literal sense.

Ellissanthia gave a sharp cry as a blaster bolt struck her in the back, causing the Undine to stagger against the terminal, the solid, immovable object keeping her upright. A second bolt followed after it, drawing out another cry as the energy singed her flesh. While her bodysuit’s armorweave construction and integrated shielding served to mitigate the damage, an intense pain registered across her left shoulder, drawing a sharp hiss from her lips. Almost immediately, she knew the extent of her injuries, the specifics of which appeared in her HUD. A minor fracture in the shoulder blade and a pair of second-degree burns.

Nevertheless, Ellissanthia turned and extended her right hand towards the pair of commando droids who had shot her, pulling them within inches of her via telekinetic exertion. Her lightsaber lashed out and swiftly cut them down, sending their bisected forms clattering to the floor. Then, quickly scanning over their mechanical frames, she bent down and picked out a pair of grenades, before attaching them to her belt.

At which point the multi-slice tool gave a sharp, distinct click.

The vault doors slid open as Ellissanthia turned around, her eyes taking in a small, yet organized collection of holocrons, each of which were secured inside locked cases. Given the circumstances, it would be impossible for her to steal all of them. Fortunately, she only needed to collect one.

And the holocron she was after was soon made manifest to her senses, her violet-hued gaze honing in on a transparent case at the center of the vault.

Tapping into her pain, Ellissanthia gritted her teeth and extended her left hand towards the case, before crushing it inside her telekinetic fist. The broken shards fell to the floor in a series of delicate clinks, revealing the holocron situated on a tiny dais. Wasting no time, The Undine gave a sharp grunt as she leveraged the Dark Side to crush the locks which secured it before pulling the device into her physical grasp, its cold, pristine surface lighting up her tactile senses.

And yet, her eyes widened with equal parts elation and wrath as the weight of its potential pulsed within the palm of her hand. The Undine might have lingered, if only to fully embrace the rush of sensation that captured her senses. However, she knew that time was not on her side.

Her ears twitched with the sound of whirring servos and mechanical feet hitting the floor in surgical rhythm. Securing the holocron inside her bag, Ellissanthia casted her gaze towards the far end of the hall, her breath heavy with strain.

The Jedi had arrived, but she had no intention of fighting him or his army of commando droids, if she could help it.

Ellissanthia exploded into motion, a smoke grenade going off in her midst as she darted off into one of the side hallways.

Her objective was immediately clear. Escape.

Spoiler: Loadout

• Pulsiva Bodysuit Mk. II
  
  • Boots
    
    • FAE/A-14 Energized Foot Gear
      
      • Jetboot Thrusters Removed
  • Helmet
    
    • FAE/U-06 Collapsing Mirrors
  • Miscellaneous Equipment
    
    • FAE/C-04 Dermal Hydration System
    • FAE/U-01 "Serenity" Anti-Signal Field System
  • Aesthetic and Accouterments
    
    • All White Coloring
    • Eclipse Sect Symbol - Left Breast
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield - Capacitor Drained
• Standard Lightsaber
  
  • Purple Blade
• Supernal Infusion Vials
• Spirit Anchor Talisman

 

[Drystan Creed]

JEDI ENCLAVE: ARCHIVE

Drystan was right on her trail. Like the namesake of his role, he prowled and slithered through the darkness, relentless in his pursuit.

But he was a split-second too late.

His quarry had already made off with what she needed.

Still, he had to be sure—was this a misdirection? A ruse to access more within the vaults? With the chaos below, others could seize the opportunity to snatch a priceless artifact.

He keyed into his comms, issuing a sharp command.

"Droids not in pursuit—hold position. Lock down the vaults. Lethal force authorized."

If anyone else tried to enter, they would be met with a symphony of blaster fire and vibro-blades.

He couldn't afford to commit everything to a reckless chase.

That realization settled in only after his simmering loathing cooled to something manageable. Even the smallest fragment of stolen data would sting like a wound that refused to close.

His focus snapped forward, following the side hallway Ellissanthia had sprinted down.

He channeled the Force through his legs, surging forward, eating up the distance in seconds. His eyes locked ahead, scanning—tracking—searching for any sign of his mark.

Then—there.

She was within sight.

Drystan wasted no time. His hand snapped to his belt, fingers closing around a thermal detonator. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he hurled it forward, his strength bulleting the grenade toward her.

Before it could even reach its target, he fired—his blaster shot slamming into the detonator mid-air.

Premature detonation.

A timed explosion designed to catch her in the blast before she had a chance to react.

Ellissanthia

 

[Ellissanthia]

Location: The Archives of Solace, Temple of Solace - Sedesia
Tag: Drystan Creed

Even with her long legs, Ellissanthia’s wounds slowed her, sapping her strength in spite of the fact that the blood now only dripped, rather than spilled from her cuts. And through the smoke, the Undine felt the Jedi coming, his presence bearing down on her like a raptor honing in on prey from above. Still, even as her legs and chest burned with strain, the Undine pressed on. Turning corner after corner in an effort to confuse her pursuer, her intended destination emerged less than a minute after the beginning of the pursuit.

The windows.

Ellissanthia turned her head, her webbed ears twitching as she registered Drystan’s pounding footsteps. Danger flared in her senses, tugging at her awareness as the Jedi fired his pistol towards the thermal detonator, the radius of which she was well within.

Ellissanthia’s hands lashed out immediately, pain lancing from her shoulder and arms as she tapped into the Dark Side. An invisible counter-force manifested to contain the ensuing blast, but not one that could be maintained indefinitely, or even longer than a couple seconds.

But just long enough to force it elsewhere.

With an ear splitting shriek, Ellissanthia forced the fiery ball that was the contained blast back towards the Jedi, before releasing her telekinetic grip with a high-pitched gasp. The ensuing detonation consumed its immediate area in a fiery fusion reaction, liable to vaporize anything that it came into contact with. With it came a shockwave that threw the Undine from her feet, shattering the nearby windows as the Temple structure reverberated from the explosion.

Glass fragments tore into Ellissanthia’s flesh, adrenaline briefly masking the pain. Her vision became a blur, before giving way to a pounding headache. Still, the Undine forced herself back to her feet, a groan rising from her lips. Clarity returned to her vision, at which point she scanned her surroundings for the Jedi or more droids. Satisfied that the immediate area was clear, she checked her bag for her prizes, her hand running over the imprint of the holocron and the holobook.

Then, with a sharp wheezing breath, Ellissanthia drew upon what was left of her strength to leap through the shattered window, before gravity carried her form down into the wilderness below.

Thread Exit.​