Private We Hunt the Dark

[Maeve Linahan]

"I understand." Maeve raised a smile at Valery's laugh. "You have killer thighs."

She looked into the ventilation shaft, feeling a blast of heat on her face, and only then realized what she'd just said. Her smile melted away in an instant.

"Uh," she said, "Sorry. Pretend I didn't just say that." Maeve grimaced. There she went again. A bundle of frayed nerves with the Sword of the Jedi.

Without another word, she slid into the shaft, gloved hands on both sides, and descended through a wave of uncomfortable heat. After what felt like an eternity, Valery's voice cut through and she spotted the opening ahead like light at the end of a long and dark tunnel. A corridor. Guards. She felt for the lightsaber hidden up her sleeve.

"One each," she repeated after Valery with an agreeing nod.

Drawing in a sharp breath, Maeve kicked open the grating into the hall and dove inside. Her blade ignited, blue light thrown across the first guard before it crashed into his shoulder, severing his arm and through his chest. They didn't even have a chance to cry out before crumpling into a heap on the ground.

She didn't bother turning to check on the guard left to Valery, already figuring they were dead on the floor. Instead, she checked their surroundings, searching for surveillance cameras or other patrolling soldiers, but found nothing. Just an empty corridor and a straight path ahead.

"Security room should be east," said Maeve, recalling the blueprints she'd studied back on the shuttle, then pointed down the hall. "I'll lead."

Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

Batorine

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Maeve Linahan

"You have killer thighs."

Valery paused, slowly turned her gaze to Maeve and just looked at her for a second. Then she laughed. She had never expected such a comment from Maeve — the woman always seemed very serious and mission-focused like a true Shadow, but Valery could appreciate the sense of humor.

"You're fine, I don't mind it," Valery smirked and joined the woman in the shaft without another word said about it. As much fun as it was to mess around, these types of missions were extremely unforgiving. One mistake would result in their capture or deaths, and there was no way she'd risk that.

Soon, they reached the opening into the hallway she spotted and agreed on a plan. The grating was kicked down, and right after Maeve dropped down, Valery did too, and right on top of her target. Both of her legs swung around his neck, and using the momentum she had, Valery pulled him off his feet and into the ground, where she choked him out within seconds. Once she was certain that the man couldn't get up, she rotated her hips and an audible crack followed.

They couldn't risk leaving survivors.

"Well, I suppose you were right earlier," Valery teased as she got up to her feet and nodded in the direction of the security room Maeve had pointed out. "Lead the way, and let's move fast."

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve lifted an eyebrow as she heard the audible snap of the guard's neck, broken under the weight and muscle of Valery's legs. An astounding feat. "I hadn't meant it literally," she said, restraining a laugh, "but I shouldn't be surprised." She was the Jedi's Battlemaster. No doubt she could kill a man just with her left pinky finger. Yet another skill Maeve hoped to learn.

Another time, perhaps. For now they had to move.

Moving through the corridor like a wraith, Maeve took great care to check every corner and intersecting hall for cameras and guards. Upon finding none, she advanced, closer and closer until she and Valery reached an ironclad door, sealed and shut. She ran a hand over the metal surface. There was a control pad beside it, a circuitboard that would take too long to rewire.

She grimaced. Remember what Master Noble showed you, she thought, and closed her eyes and focused. The Force swelled in her like waves on a shoreline. In and out, in and out.

She'd seen the way Valery had phased through the perimeter barrier, a real wraith, and she'd done it while completely cloaked. Why shouldn't Maeve be able to do the same? She was a Shadow, and she had the Light on her side. So, putting her faith forward, she leaned into the door.

Maeve's forehead smacked against the surface.

The pain was only temporary, but the loud clang her skull made on the door was far worse. An embarrassed heat flushed her face. She'd thought herself experienced enough to try out the technique, trusting her instinct and the Force. Clearly, that hadn't worked.

She turned to Valery. "Perhaps… I should leave the phasing to you," she said, stepping aside for the Jedi Master to show her the way.

Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

Batorine

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Maeve Linahan

"I know you didn't, but I couldn't risk him getting back up." With that said, Valery followed Maeve through empty hallways until they reached the doors leading into the security room. They were locked and made of heavily reinforced metals, and Valery definitely wasn't good at slicing, if that was even possible on a door going into the security room. If anything, this was the most secure place in the entire facility.

But if they got inside, they'd be able to open any door, access any panel and manipulate the facility to turn it against the people inside. From trapping guards inside rooms to setting off alarms to confuse the scientists.

Normally, Valery would have stepped forward to phase inside but she didn't want to split up, so she decided against it. At least, until Maeve tapped into the Force and moved towards the door. Valery blinked, watched, and tilted her head curiously... only for the woman to bonk her head against the metal door.

She tried, she really did, but it was impossible not to laugh a little.

"Sorry, that was just..." she snickered and waved apologetically. "I'll help you master Cloak and Phase but we don't need to be stealthy anymore. Not if we can turn the security systems in our favor." This time, Valery placed her own hand against the metal door, and almost instantly, large cracks formed that expanded along the entire surface. The door shattered to pieces, revealing the crew working inside.

All of them looking at the Jedi, completely stunned.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"Oh," said Maeve, nodding once, pretending that Valery's chuckle didn't sting a bit. What had she expected, trying to ram into the door with so little practice? She'd only phased on two other occasions before, and to varying success. What made her think the third time would be the charm?

She rubbed her forehead, praying it would not bruise. Maeve had put too much trust in her own abilities, perhaps fueled by the persistent desire to prove herself to the Jedi Master. For a trained Knight, a Shadow with a pristine background in the field, she felt so much like a padawan, scrambling to figure out how not to be a complete and utter embarrassment.

It was like the Force had destined her to look like a fool.

She shrugged those feelings aside. If she really wanted to show her worth, then now was the time. With the ironclad door cracking and warping under the strength of Valery's hand, Maeve clutched her lightsaber again and slowed her breathing to a steady calm. The Force might've failed her, but her blade?

That was who she worked with best.

As the guards and security personnel whirled to face them, shocked to silence, Maeve was the first to strike. Lunging forward, she sliced through the first soldier's rifle before they could aim it her way, then across his chestplate.

And then the entire room fell into chaos.

Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

Batorine

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Maeve Linahan

Valery felt a little bad for laughing. Just a little.

So as the door crumbled and fearful faces turned to them, she allowed Maeve to make the first move. She wanted to give the woman the room to show what she could do, and it seemed that she was in her element with the lightsaber. Valery was able to casually walk inside and look around, all while Maeve blitzed between enemies to take them down.

By the time Valery reached the control panels she had been searching for, the room was cleared.

"Well done," she told Maeve with a dip of her head. "Let's close the doors of the outer perimeter and lock some guards inside their rooms." With a few taps on the panel, she was starting to do just that. Nobody was going to be able to leave the facility or get inside. It would give them a chance to locate and take out the scientists, and perhaps any Sith inside.

"Can you check the cameras? If you see our targets, we'll head there."

 

[Maeve Linahan]

As Valery strode casually to the security panels, Maeve ravaged the soldiers throughout the room. With the first man down, she descended like a vulture onto the next, shearing his arm off in a single, terrifying slash. His mouth opened to cry out, but she silenced him with a second blow.

The rest were even easier to manage.

She moved like a thunderbolt. An arrow loosed. She scythed through one man, then the next, evading blaster bolts with an incredible grace, as if she was treating this battle as a dance. Two more guards fell into a dead pile. A chest-plate burned to ash. A droid's head went flying. In moments, the room had been emptied, death and smoke left in the wake of Maeve's advance.

She smiled, then pushed a loose strand of hair aside. "Thanks."

Hearing the compliment from Valery was a much needed boost to her confidence after everything else that had happened, and she felt proud that in this, at least, she hadn't miserably failed. She never did with her lightsaber.

Pushing aside a dead man crumpled over one of the control panels, his severed hand just inches away from the alarm, Maeve examined the surveillance system. Given a minute of pressing random buttons, she eventually figured out how to cycle through the cameras, bringing up fresh views of the facility across a wall of screens. A detention center, an armory, a barracks.

"I'm not sure if I see our Sith Lord any—" Maeve paused, sharp eyes focusing on one of the screens. "Oh? Would you look at this." She gestured at a room that looked like a makeshift lab. "I think we've found our man."

Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

Batorine

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Maeve Linahan

"Our man, and his scientists," Valery agreed after looking at the camera footage. The Sith Lord, dressed in black robes with a few layers of armor underneath was overseeing the experiments that were being conducted. All around the room were cages with creatures from across the Galaxy that served as subjects, but there were people too. All of them were so terrified that their agony was a constant pulse in the Force.

This is why she fought.

"Let's isolate our target," Valery then added, her voice and eyes a lot more intense, as she tapped a few buttons. Large blast doors immediately closed off every door leading into the laboratory, trapping them inside. It made those captured even more frightened, but now the scientists and Sith were also aware that something was terribly wrong.

"I'll make sure I can control the doors from my vambrace, so we can open them at will." Her eyes shifted to Maeve, "Ready to use that blade of yours one more time?"

 

[Maeve Linahan]

So, this was the Sith Lord Valery had warned her about. Draped in pitch black robes and platings of silver armor, he looked like an overgrown spider in robes. The way he walked, how he presented himself, fit exactly how Maeve imagined he would be. Predictably evil. At the end of the day, all Sith were alike. Monsters wearing human or alien skin and calling themselves innovators.

Maeve had seen firsthand what they were like. When they had captured her family, experimented upon them, and locked them in cages eerily like the ones she saw now. Just the sight of them brought on a swell of hate.

She buried it deep, deep beneath her, replacing it with a cold-stone scowl. She could not let this place get the best of her. Not with Valery watching.

"When we confront him," she said, fingers hovering over her lightsaber, "may I have the honor of separating his head from his shoulders, Master Noble?"

It was a wild question to ask. Almost un-Jedi like. But they were Shadows, and they'd come to cleanse this facility and kill the Sith Lord in command of it. So what if Maeve was eager to see the task done? Hunting the Dark Side had been a passion of hers since childhood, and she suspected Valery was the same.

Brandishing her weapon, Maeve nodded at the Jedi Master's final question. "No need to ask me twice. I was born to use this blade, just as that man—" She gestured to the surveillance screen, "—was born to die by it." She offered a short, reassuring smile. "Let's go kill us a Sith Lord."

Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

Batorine

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Maeve Linahan

"I didn't bring you along to watch," Valery told her calmly. "I'm going to let you prioritize the Sith while I handle the scientists." She had no doubt that Maeve could best this Sith Lord, but she still wanted to see the woman in action against an enemy who could actually protect themselves. It gave her insight into Maeve's skills but also her tactics, and ability to remain in control of herself.

Too many Shadows had lost themselves in the darkness they were trying to fight, and Maeve almost seemed too eager about confronting and killing this Sith. There was no discussion about what they came here to do, but even Shadows typically did not particularly enjoy what they were doing.

It was a necessity — a service to the Force.

"Alright, let's do this," Valery finally said, and without another word spoken, she guided the way to the laboratory they had locked off. A few taps on her vambrace's computer later, and the doors in front of them began to slide open, revealing the scientists and Sith Lord inside. The labcoats all turned and backed away as they noticed the two Jedi, but the Sith did not seem so intimidated.

He dropped his robes, reached for the metal hilt on his belt, and stared them down. "Two Jedi dead in one night. I'll make sure to ship your bodies to the Jedi Temple."

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"Of course, Master Noble," she answered. "Thank you."

Maeve tried to rein in her enthusiasm. She wanted nothing more than to level the Sith Lord's shoulders, to cast his spirit off to whatever hell awaited him, but she knew she was teetering close to edge of Jedi Code. She remembered Master Severin's warning. Stare too long into the flames, and you may catch fire yourself.

It was just that when Maeve saw those cages, those people, it struck a chord in her she never thought would be rung again. Too much it reminded her of her own captivity. The torture, the experiments. She'd only been a child, weak and frail and kept company by the dead husks of her family.

Now that she was grown, she'd vowed to impart retribution on all who dared to do the same to others. Never again.

Upon entering the laboratory, Maeve took in the Sith Lord, eyes glittering with renewed disgust. His threat meant little to her, and in response, she sloughed off her own cloak and bent her head in greeting.

"We appreciate the kindness, Darth. Once we're finished, I will be sure to give you and the rest of your facility the proper, fiery sendoff it deserves." She brandished her lightsaber, silver hilt gleaming in her palm. The switch of her thumb, and an ice-blue glow filled the space between them.

"For your pyre, would you prefer if I use sandalwood, or cedar?"

Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

Batorine

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Maeve Linahan

Much like Maeve, Valery grew more intense when she spotted the cages. A fire ignited in her eyes, and memories of her own time in Hutt captivity as a Padawan resurfaced, but were quickly set aside. This wasn't about her — she wanted to test Maeve and see her in action, so she quickly turned to the scientists and began to move with her blade drawn.

The Sith made no attempt to help them.

"The day that I die, I'll be surrounded by the bodies of your kind." He removed his lightsaber from his belt and tapped the ignition switch to bring the crimson blade to life. He held it low by his side, while his corrupted yellow eyes sought to pierce straight into Maeve's soul and scratch away against the barriers of her mind.

He was looking for a way in.

But as he did, his left hand began to rise, and from his fingertips arcs of lightning were directed towards the woman, hoping to either make her skin boil or force her into a guard against his attack.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Whatever the Sith was probing for, his mind would meet the equivalent of a meter-thick wall of concrete. Maeve's mental barrier was impossibly dense. She had trained to fight Sith all her life, knew their tricks and how they fought, and learning to shield her mind from outside attacks had been one of the first skills she inherited from her master. She would not be so easily broken.

"A shame for you, then, that today is that day, and the only bodies you will be surrounded by are those of your alchemists."

Maeve resisted the Sith Lord's presence, and as he raised his hand, she mirrored him with her lightsaber, guarding it over her chest. Lightning flashed not a moment later, crashing into her blade and forcing her a step back. She'd never tanked an attack this powerful before, but Maeve stood her ground, knowing not only her life was on the line, but more importantly… Valery was watching.

She lifted her foot. Channeling the Force into her heel, she slammed it into the floor, popping tiles out of place and splitting the floor open. Maeve hoped it would be enough to catch the Sith off-balance, because then?

Then she could move in for a killing blow.

Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

Batorine

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Maeve Linahan

A Shadow's mind was not easily broken.

As the Sith reached out to Maeve, he hit an impenetrable wall, and even an attempt to extend his reach to Valery was met with the same result. There was no way he could play his usual cards, so he instead shifted his focus to the intensity of the lightning, which on contact forced the Jedi Knight a step back. But despite the raw power behind his attack, Maeve was able to summon her own and slammed it into the ground.

Tiles cracked, deformed, and shifted around, throwing the Sith off-balance long enough for the lightning to cease all at once. Knowing that Maeve would move to follow up on her attack, he raised his blade and drew a crimson guard to catch the incoming strike.

But even with his guard, he was at a disadvantage.

In an attempt to keep the Knight away and find his balance once again, the sith screamed in anger and allowed the Force to ripple through the air destructively to harm the woman.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

A Sith Scream. She should've seen it coming from a mile out, but still it caught her surprise, the sound crashing into her like a cresting wave. She cringed hard and fell back another step, her ears ringing. The Sith Lord's hatred washed over and she struggled not to let it carry her away. She was a beacon of Light against the Dark.

She would not let him win.

Maeve raised her mental barriers to their highest point. She dug her heels into the broken floor, standing her ground. Although she could not hope to overwhelm the Sith with her own Force attack or get close enough to him to slash open his throat with her lightsaber, she had another idea in mind. Something little more unorthodox for a Jedi Knight.

Heels already in the ground, she pushed forward, digging the tips of her feet into one of the tiles that had popped out of place. Then, she kicked. Hard. Like playing a game of football, she threw all her might into that kick, hurling the broken tile towards the man at a startling speed, just so it could shatter across his mouth and finally shut him up.

Now that would give the Sith Lord something to chew on.

Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

Batorine

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Maeve Linahan

While his mental assault hadn't worked at all, the Sith felt he was getting a grip on the fight through other applications of the Force. It kept the Jedi Knight at a distance, and he had a feeling that she was more reliant on her blade to take down her enemies. So rather than following up by closing the distance with his blade, he stayed where he was, and prepared himself to turn the Force against her once more.

Until he felt a strange shift in the Force.

Before he was able to respond to it, however, everything turned to black. The pain barely even registered with how fast it happened, but when his eyes opened, his gaze reddened by the blood running down his face, he felt it. The tile had cracked open his lips, busted his jaw, and teeth, and destroyed his nose.

He tried to scream but all that left his mouth was the sound of him gurgling on his blood.

Valery had meanwhile cleaned up the scientists and walked into the center of the room to see Maeve standing close to the bloodied and beaten Sith. She shot the woman a look that said it all.

Finish what you started.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve watched as the tile hit home, shattering across his face in a glorious, gruesome display. His nose tore and his jaw broke, hanging open like a door left ajar, and the sound of his Force scream deadened, washed away by gurgling blood. She should've been disgusted by the sight. She should've felt pity, maybe an ounce of sympathy or mercy. He'd clearly been beaten.

But Jedi Shadows did not show compassion for monsters.

She approached the Sith Lord as he clawed at his own face. Maeve wouldn't give him the opportunity to reach for his lightsaber or recover for another attack—now that Valery had finished cleansing the rest of the laboratory and its scientists, she had to finish the job, and the look on the Jedi Master's face said enough. So, she did what she did best. She dealt the killing blow.

Unless the Sith had another dark trick up his sleeve, Maeve spun a terrifying whirl and crashed her lightsaber into the side of his neck. Leveling his shoulders in one, unnaturally quick move, she'd send the man's head flying across the room, shattering into a few glass beakers and flasks. Then, she would press her heel into his chest and push his lifeless body to the floor.

De-activating her blade, she turned to Valery and bowed. "Easier done than said," she added curtly, feeling like she'd proven her worth enough to the Battlemaster.

Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

Batorine

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Maeve Linahan

Valery watched and blinked as Maeve severed the Sith's head from his body with quite the display. But the most important thing was that the job was done and their mission had been a success. The Sith and his scientists were gone, and she'd make sure the lab would be destroyed before leaving as well.

Everything they accomplished here would have been for nothing.

"Well done," Valery said with a faint smirk. "Let's free the captives and get them out of here. We'll debrief at the Temple and, as long as you don't mind, I'll be reaching out for more assignments." She turned to the cages and looked over her shoulder with a grin.

"We make a good team, hm?"

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"Thank you, Master Noble."

Maeve shared in her smirk and offered another nod of her head. Looking over the Sith Lord's corpse, she was grateful he was not like the other monsters she'd confronted in the past. But part of her knew worse out there existed. Nightmares like Carnifex or his accursed family line still lurked in the shadows of the galaxy, and one day, like Valery, she would have to face them.

Maeve hooked her lightsaber back onto her waist. She would be ready.

"More than good," she replied, then glanced back to Valery. "But I learn from the best." She lifted her hand, now able to turn it invisible with relative ease, although the rest of her body would still require some practice. "I know my infiltrating techniques could still use work, but if you'd do me the privilege of continuing to work alongside you, I know I can only improve, and I know I won't disappoint."

She had made that promise before they left Coruscant, after all, and she hadn't failed her one bit. If this mission was considered a trial, then Maeve could confidently say that she'd passed with flying colors.

Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

Batorine

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Maeve Linahan

"I'd love for you to work with me more," Valery said with a dip of her head. This whole mission had been a way for her to test this new Jedi Shadow, and she was quite impressed by what she saw. Especially when it came to the most crucial aspects of being a Shadow. Learning infiltration techniques was not the hard part.

Being decisive and confident in those decisions is what mattered the most. That was something even years of training couldn't teach a person. It had to be natural to some extent, and it sure was natural to Maeve.

"That said, I'd also like to get to know you a bit better if we are to work together more often." She flashed the woman a grin that, to someone who knew Valery, meant trouble. "Our next...assignment... is going to be a little different. Future training and missions can help you master the infiltration techniques we've discussed today, though."

"How does that sound?"