Things In The Night

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He was indeed waiting.

This time the holo-display showed the prison where the banker was, something that was rather obvious by the almost fortress like appearance of the place. Four towers sat at the corners of a rectangular building, a single central spire sitting within the courtyard to the left of the building itself, walls extending out to surround the spire itself. "This is the prison where our friend is being kept."

Vrak told her.

"I hope you enjoyed your nap and day of...relaxation." Their activities had hardly been relaxing. "Apparently this place is not exactly the most comfortable on Muunilist."

That was putting it lightly. Conditions were filthy, criminals were barely watched, and the guards were more likely to beat you than follow proper procedure. This both helped and hurt them of course, though he didn't think he needed to explain that to Sera.

"I've ensured that once you're arrested you will be placed in the same cellblock as our Banker." That had taken a phonecall and a heavy sum of money, though nothing else. Unsurprisingly, the place where Muunilist kept its most corrupt officials was surprisingly easy to bribe.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The Twi'lek looked past Vrak and to the projection, still standing a ways away. His comment brought a small smirk on her face and a hand to rub the marks on her neck, the ever so familiar reminder of what he'd done. That was all the response she'd give with regard to that. "Looks like a shit hole." Her nostrils flared, though it would hardly be any different had they decided to opt for the sewer method, perhaps worse so.

"Did you do anything else to me that I should know about?"

Her question could hardly be unexpected. This was Vrak after all. She padded pink feet over past where he sat and dropped down onto the couch beside him. "While I was out?" She knew he was likely on edge with her metaphorical collar off. Seraphina was, after all, stronger than him. He had received a reminder of that a few times so far, even despite their.....new understanding.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"No." If he was uncomfortable by her presence at his side he did not show it.

His focus was upon the prison. He had already arranged for Seraphina's escape as well, though that would more rely upon him. The tactic was not a subtle one, but it would make more than a few people on Muunilist a great deal of money. An attack on the southern wall by him and some of his servants. They would be disguised of course, but they would effect the release of two hundred or so prisoners, among them several prominent Criminal Underlords and smugglers, as well as Sera of course.

The idea of releasing criminals was not distasteful to him, but the thought of having to disguise himself was. "I will need you to be here."

He pointed to a piece of the courtyard.

"Tomorrow at three past noon." That would give her a little over twenty four hours to find the Banker and either get the information, or drag him with to the escape point. "That is when I will provide your escape."

He glanced at her.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Her eyes shifted from Vrak as he answered her with a single syllable to the projector. She studied the layout of the compound and the courtyard he was referring to. Like the other information, she had memorized this, including the time to meet him. Whatever his plan was, was irrelevant. She would do what she needed to get the banker, preferably alive, with her to the exit. He was more valuable alive than dead.

"I will be there. Don't make me wait."

She was well aware she would likely need to kill a few guards to break out during the commotion, but that was all collateral damage as far as she was concerned. Necessary to secure her own safety, and by extension the bankers.

"Now let's go get me arrested."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak slowly stood from his place on the sofa, motioning towards one of his servants. The man gave a nod, and then quickly moved into one of the other rooms for a short few moments. He came back a second later with a small briefcase. He placed it onto the table in front of Sera, snapping open the clips on the side. The Servant popped open the case, revealing an odd sort of armor on the inside as well as a pair of blaster pistols. "I hope you won't be offended."

The Pureblood said as he wandered around her.

"If the authorities know you're a force user they will take extra-precaution." It was important to remember that not too long ago this world had been under the purview of the Mandalorian Crusaders, a people with a particular distaste for force users. "Your possessions will be kept safe here until we return."

It made logical sense, unless she wanted to have her lightsabers and personal armor stolen by some thief among the guards.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The prison was in fact, poodoo. The guards were rough and abusive towards prisoners, though tame and timid compared to anything she had endured. A few times they had roughed her up, smacking her in the head or back as she walked passed for lineup, simply because she was a Twi'lek. Her species were looked down upon by so many others, Muuns included. However she had caught glimpse of the one she and Vrak were after. He was three cells down from her. Sera would spend the hour of free time, essentially mingling and eating watching the man. She had already identified the route she would take in the hours that followed, straight to the courtyard.

Pushing herself off the wall the woman wandered past the banker, her shoulder bumping into the man to force him to face towards her. He gave her an angered look, though he kept walking towards the food line. This told her that he was a timid man, likely afraid of confrontation. She was hardly an imposing figure, save for her many welts and scars, including the bruises on her neck.

This would make taking him from the prison that much easier. He would likely follow her lead.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak meanwhile had set up a small space in a warehouse opposite the prison. The building was usually devoid of all life save for a few rats, but once again his contacts here had allowed him to re-appropriate the space for his own use. Three of his servants were here with him, another four waiting on top of the roof, watching the Prison's courtyard with macro-binoculars.

"Everything is ready, My Lord."

The Pureblood nodded. "Good."

His eyes flicked towards the chrono that sat on his wrist, lips thinning slightly. Seraphina had another eight hours before he and his team would strike the prison, that gave her more than enough time to grab the baker. In the meantime they would double, and triple check everything. The walls of the prison would be reached with a set of explosive acquired on the black market, the inner fence would be cut by his lightsaber, and once they were inside each of them would cause as much chaos as possible.

From there it was all about getting out.

They had to move before the Planets security forces arrived. Vrak had already planned their escape from the area of course, his ship standing by in low orbit for a quick pick up. Everything was set, they just had to wait.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Over the next few hours the Twi'lek studied the man, listening to his conversations through the Force, extending her presence within the compound. When they had been sent back to their respective cells the Twi'lek set about meditating, allowing the full power of the Force to flow through her, welling like a colossal waterfall that could not be stopped.

Vrak would feel her presence if he were close enough to the prison, the looming darkside billowing from within. Over the next two hours she sat in silence, concentrating, focusing. Her mind had entirely blocked out the sounds of the prison. The screaming, the yelling, the guards, the inmates, the fighting, everything. Silence engulfed her as the Force rolled through her.

Everything is ready...

Vrak would hear her voice call out to him through his mind, her thoughts carried to him through the Force by way of telepathy.

I will move when the building shakes.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

There was a loud clicking of metal as powercells were slid into weapons and explosives were prepared. The Servants around him had all donned masks, most of them simple helmets that could belong to any mercenary on the street. Vrak had changed his robes for a simple set of armor, though his lightsaber was still hanging from his waist. He signaled the others as soon as he felt the press of Sera's thoughts on his mind, frowning slightly as the echo of her voice washed over him.

"Go." His words echoed over eight radios.

Almost as soon as soon as he spoke one of the men atop the roof stood. He held a high explosive missile launcher. A moment passed as he aimed it, and then there was a shrieking roar as the weapon fired. The missiles flew through the air, traveling across the thin road and slamming into the wall of the prison with no flare or hesitation.

An explosion rocked the earth, tearing through the ground and half erupting as rock, sand, and earth flew everywhere.

A second later Vrak and the others dashed through the newly formed hole in the duracrete wall, his bright red lightsaber igniting and slicing through the chained fence on the other side. Searing metal dropped to the floor with a loud clattering thud, the inmates beyond watching with stunned faces as the Sith and his mercenaries broke through the wall that had kept them confined for so long.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The instant the explosive hit, the shock wave rocked the building, a thunderous echo tearing through the halls as alarms all over, as loud as sirens began to sound. Guards from all around immediately raced, grabbing their weapons on the nearby racks as the air erupted into shouting. Several hours back she had identified which guards held the keys to her cell block, and so she simply waited idly for one to come running past. Her eyes peered out from behind the bars of the cell in the direction the others were coming from. Sure enough, several seconds later one appeared in the hall. A mere half a second's worth of effort and she effortlessly commanded the man to open her cell.

With a fumble of keys the man found the right one, opening her cell before rushing off, leaving the remaining ones inside of the keyhole.

Sera grinned maniacally as the door opened.

Quickly she snatched up the keys and opened the cell belonging to the next several rows of inmates -- distractions, before moving to the banker. He looked rather astonished seeing her, but also rather relieved. His relief would be rather brief however, as the moment the cell door opened she grabbed him by the throat and shoved him back inside the cell, holding him with a deadly grip.

"You will follow me out of here if you wish to survive, or I will carve you in half and leave the part I don't need behind."

The Muun gave a petrified nod as she pulled him forcefully by the hand out towards the commotion.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Clear the courtyard." Vrak said as blaster fire began to erupt all around them, his lightsaber flicking up to deflect one of the bolts that soared from the prison tower. "Clear those towers."

The Prisoners around them were already surging forward, rushing towards the exit that Vrak and his men had created. They rushed as quickly as they could, some trampling one another, though all of them completely ignoring the Sith and his men, giving them a wide birth. Quickly a battle began to erupt within the courtyard, Muunilist guards coming to stop Vrak and his servants. They were quickly felled however, either by lightsaber or blaster bolts.

"The door!" He motioned towards the door at the far end of the courtyard, the one that Sera would have to soon head through.

One of his men nodded, firing a shot at a nearby guard before rushing towards the door.

Vrak's eyes closed for a second, concentration pulling through him.

Stay away from the door. The thought was sent to Seraphina in the same way she had sent hers, though his own was far more forceful than hers, less delicate and practiced than one Seraphina had done. Moments after she received the message, the main doors to the prison would explode into a thousand pieces.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The Twi'lek bounded several corners, a forceful push through the air with her hand here and there to relieve herself of inconvenient guards turning back to see the pinkish woman rushing towards them with determination. A small sidearm fell from the hip of one which she quickly scooped up mid-sprint. The Muun was slow, dopey, and easily tiring. She pulled him along despite his protests to slow down, his constant stumbling becoming somewhat of an annoyance.

Pathetic.

Arriving at a set of blast doors the woman cursed, turning back to see that several guards had rounded the corner and pinned her with the banker. Before they even had a chance to demand her surrender the blaster sent a bolt towards each of their heads, dropping them to the ground with a simultaneous thud. One of their hands would suffice to open the doors. Had she still had her lightsaber it would have been easier to just sever that limb, but alas, she had to drag the body over and press it against the panel, much to the dismay of the Muun.

As it opened Sera heard the message Vrak had sent, reeling back for a moment as his thoughts rushed into her mind. All that separated her and the Muun from the courtyard were the blast doors in between her and the newly arrived reinforcements. Even if she made a run for the door and managed to open it, despite Vrak's order, she wouldn't make it through in time. There were too many guards to kill all at once, and they had already drawn their weapons. Instead a single pink hand rose as they all began to fire, halting and dissipating bolts, right before the doors blew apart, sending those guards back and disorienting them.

"Go!" She shouted, pulling the Muun along again beside her through the smoke left behind from the newly formed hole in the doors.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

His gaze fell upon the rising smoke that came from the door, scrutinizing the dust and debris until finally he saw the hazy pink form move through.

A small smile twitched on his lips.

His free hand reached over to the small button on his gauntlet, pressing down the switch. Blaster bolts continued to rain down upon them, though quickly Vrak and his mercenaries moved over towards Sera. Vrak deflected bolt after bolt, drawing closer to the Twi'lek until eventually he pulled a small cylinder from the small of his back. With his free hand he threw Sera one of her lightsaber, the other one he had not taken with him on this excursion.

As the weapon flew through the air a black spec began to appear far above them. Vrak's ship quickly descending down towards the guard. Missiles flew from it's underbelly, racing down onto the guard towers and causing them to explode in great fireballs.

The earth seemed to shake as the ship came in for a landing, it's loud repulsor engines ripping through the air.

Chaos ruled through prison and its surrounding area. By now the authorities of Muunilist had been alerted, hundreds, if not thousands of security officers were on their way towards the scene. In orbit half a dozen ships from the Planetary Defense forces would be closing in. Vrak called to Sera, his voice ringing out. "Get on the ship!"

He pointed towards the Muun.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera strode forward, her hand collecting the weapon with a small tug of the Force to her left hand, the blade igniting in an instant. The men standing between her and Vrak fell, whether due to his men gunning them down, Vrak deflecting their shots, or Sera simply cutting through them without a second thought. The fear in the Muun was nearly palpable, the trembling of his arm reaching Sera as she dragged him through the courtyard like it were some unwilling marriage ceremony.

"GO!" She barked, further frightening the man, only to nearly give him a full blown heart attack as the gunship descended from the atmosphere and delivered a terrible barrage of rocket fire. The ground shook as if an earthquake had just begun beneath their feet. The sound of death, bombs, and fear were nearly overwhelming to the senses. Even the smell of the smoke filled the lungs.

They would need to leave Muunilist, quickly.

Hoisting the man into the gunship as it landed just low enough to get him aboard the Twi'lek shoved him in and into the hands of waiting men, quickly securing him as they helped her up as well.

"Party is over!" She shouted back to Vrak.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak deflected one, two more bolts, looking back to find Sera already standing on the ramp.

His men had followed after her quickly, moving to secure themselves in the jumpseats. In the distance he could hear the roar of the engines, the whine of sirens that sounded out over and over again as security forces began to make their way towards them. The Sith turned, the gunship beginning to lift off. He rushed forward, bounding up and into the cargo bay of the stealth ship.

The Pureblood landed with a soft metallic clunk, armored boot striking the deck of the ship.

Almost immediately the ramp began to raise behind him, Vrak extending one hand up to latch around a small cloth ring that was there. His other hand looped around Seraphina in expectation of what was about to happen. There was a slight echoes of clicks as his men strapped themselves into their seats, and then the ship took a sharp bank up.

"Hang on." He told her as the vessel kicked up and off into the sky, shooting near vertically into the air.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Blaster fire continued to pass around the ship as it took off, the guards below desperately trying to stop their escape, not specifically because Sera and the Muun had escaped, but because they wanted to stop, as well as find out who it was that had just made that breach. After some cleanup and assessing of camera footage and accounting of prisoners, it would likely add up in due time that Sera had been involved with the breakout, the Muun included.

It would likely be deduced that she had planned his escape, working with him, though it wasn't quite like that.

The Twi'lek swayed in Vrak's arm as the ship tore through the sky.

Only once the ship leveled again did she speak. "Nice of you to show up." Not that he was late, but she didn't want to thank him either for doing his part and not leaving her stranded there. It was her own way of saying thank you, without the endearment portion.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak looked down at her, perking an eyebrow but not replying.

The ship slowly evened out as they struck the atmosphere, a slight lurch carrying them a bit forward. His grip tightened on Seraphina for half a second, though only long enough for the ship to stabilize itself completely. Within a moments notice they passed through the planets gravity well, the stealth ship disappearing into the ethos of space even as the Planetary Defense Forces of Muunilist began to quickly search for them. "Take him."

He motioned towards the Muun.

His servants quickly unstrapped themselves from the jumpseats in the cargo hold, two of them wandering over towards the Muun and pulling him free of the chair that Sera had placed him in. The man objected for half a second, letting out a panicked screech that told of fear. The Servants ignored him of course, dragging him away towards the other end of the ship where they would tie him to one of the chairs in the conference room.

"Nice of you to be where I asked." Vrak finally told her. "Took you long enough."

He could tease just as well as she.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Prisons tend to try and keep prisoners where they want them. Maybe next time you can be the inside man." She turned to face him this time. "Or maybe get your hands dirty and use the sewers, priss." She made a bit of a biting gesture towards Vrak, then sauntered off towards the rear of the ship where his men had been taking the Muun.

The banker would likely find this situation equally terrifying and terrible as the one in the prison, except she was the more tame of the two. Vrak would likely be a lot less hospitable than she had been during his bouts of noncooperation on Muunilist. To find the man, all she would have to do is follow the sounds of the fearful screams as he was brought into one of the rooms and restrained for questioning.

Sera stood outside the door for a moment, looking past the one way glass into the room.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He followed after her, coming to a stop just besides her as she peered through the glass. "Things will be more complicated from here on out."

The Pureblood told her.

"Once we dig into him, he'll know what's going on." Vrak doubted that the man was a simple stooge. It was clear that the Banker had no real idea of who they were or Sera was, and that meant he likely wasn't completely connected to whomever was blackmailing Sera. That gave them an opening, but once he caught on with what they want, he would try to turn it on them. "Once that happens he'll try to use it against us."

Muun, for whatever else they were, had a tendency to become extremely shrewd negotiators. "You should go first."

Vrak was well aware of his...anger issues.

If he stepped in there already raging the man might end up dead, a prospect that neither he nor Sera would want.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Just let me know when you want to take charge of your own plans again." The jab was hardly subtle, though she hid the smirk on her face until she had turned away from him, her bright pink digit pressing the release for the door and stepping inside. The door hissed and closed behind her, leaving her alone with the man as he sat rather constricted to the chair he was now in.

Quietly she sat at the other end of the table. The Muun looked terribly afraid of his situation, and partially of her, though she hadn't harmed him during the escape, and he had got her out, so there was also a small bit of appreciation there. His apprehension came from not knowing what she wanted, who she was, or why he was on board this ship. He certainly hadn't planned for this by any means. He hadn't planned on getting caught either.

The Twi'lek stretched, leaning back in the chair before lazily lifting her legs and setting them crossed over one another atop the table that separated she from him.

"You have one very simple choice to make. You either choose to live, or you choose to die today. So I advise you not to upset me, and think carefully on your words, yes?"

[member="Vrak Nashar"]