Whispered Lodgings (Sith Assassins)

[Darth Ophidia]

"Not everyone on Coruscant lives in a luxurious temple on the surface." - Asajj Ventress​

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It was true, the minority of Coruscant's popluation lived on the surface, and the deeper one went, the greater the squalor. It was an inevitable fact of the universe that the strong, the privileged, and the powerful would tread down on others to maintain their post. Here, the rich quite literally stood on top of the poor. Many things hid in the deep, dark underworld of Coruscant. Criminals, smugglers, spies, and other filth; parasites on the belly of The One Sith.

To some of the Sith Assassins, Coruscant had already become a home. Lord and Acolyte alike often resided in the Temple of the Sith, unless they had bases of their own. How long had it been since the sacking of Malif Cove? Long enough to spawn a generation that did not remember the ancient stone walls and the smell of salty sea in the air. It was time they claimed a home once more, and their home would be in the underbelly of Coruscant.

Darth Ophidia, the Aspect of Death, stood before one of the columns that held the upper levels aloft. Even this vital structural element was inhabited by life-forms she knew to be of the less savoury kind. It was a wretched hive of parasitic scum and villainy, thugs and a would-be crime-lord, stores of spice and everything they deemed nice. Soon it would be seized by the Sith Assassins and put to better use. The building would need to be entirely cleansed of life-forms.

She looked down upon the datapad, comparing the information of the briefing to what she could see. Their assassins should be in place, ready to spring the attack and cleanse the infestation. A slender finger stroked the screen, shifting to the image of her target. It would be done. The signal was given, it was time to attack.

Spoiler

Welcome to the thread for our new home!

Here are a few objectives:

1) Spring Cleaning: Our home is filled with a nasty infestation of criminal, low-life scum. Exterminate the vermin with the out-most diligence and prevent word from spreading out, without destroying the building. No survivors.
2) Build our home: Inspect the structural integrity of our new homestead and make improvements. We will need our home to be defensible, but inconspicuous. Make room for training and lodging locations.
3) Build the tunnel: The Council has sanctioned a secret tunnel running from our new base to the Temple of the Sith. The location of this tunnel must remain a secret to all outsiders.

Let's work together to make this base great. For suggestions and discussion, send me a PM, Skype or comment in the OOC thread.

 

[Juliet Varos]

Two of Savage's thugs stood on the outer levels of the hideout, lit deathsticks in their mouths as they boredly stared upon the Coruscant undercity, wishing they were inside sampling some of the product rather than standing out here on completely unnecessary guard duty. The one standing nearest to the ledge set down his blaster rifle, messing with his datapad.
"What the hell are you doing, Ged?" The other asked, letting out a cloud of smoke from his mouth. Ged just grunted, staring at the small object.
"Trying to see if I can get that holovid of those Twi'leks we had the other day to work. This piece of chit has never worked right, I swear, Daf."
Daf chuckled, flicking his deathstick out to the Coruscant levels. He peered at the holopad as well, his curiosity rising. They had done some nasty stuff to those lekku girls, and seeing that chit again would really make guard duty interesting.

Finally, the vid started playing, the men laughing at the shrill screams of the Twi'leks. This combined noise concealed a snap hiss, a long crimson blade illuminating the figure that had been stalking from the shadows. The white skinned figure stepped out of her hiding place, her red eyes filled with fury and hatred. She stepped forward, both men still not noticing her, or her ignited lightsaber. The Twi'lek felt naught but hatred as she lifted her saber high, Ged finally noticing the dull hum. He looked back just as she swung, his last sight the angry Twi'lek Sith.

After she had hidden the bodies, Zhi deactivated her lightsaber, hiding it once more in the contours of her robes. Perhaps she had begun a bit early, but the chauvinism just displayed had infuriated her too much to stay hidden for much longer. But then her own datapad began to vibrate, and she checked it, a smile coming across her face.
[member="Darth Ophidia"] had just signaled it was time. Zhi turned to the passage leading inside, eager to kill more in the name of the Sith Assassins.

 

[Darth Ferus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdxLohjwhoQ​

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There were only two Aspects of the Sith Assassins left. [member="Darth Ophidia"] , Aspect of Death; and Darth Ferus, Aspect of War. Conquest was gone, missing, and Famine killed for being a traitor. Half the leadership gone, and homeless for years now, the Assassins had drifted. Lost their cause, their unity. Some went the way of Darth [member="Mythos"] , dying in honorable combat. Others simply left to do other, better things than waste time with the dying order.

But that was about to change.

Death had taken it upon herself to finally get the rest of her Order a home, and War couldn't be happier. When this was all done, he'd have to congratulate her in person. For now though? He had a target in mind. From above the pillar the Sith Lord entered, dressed as just another of the thugs. Might as well get to work. Blue contacted eyes made contact with the green eyes of the recruiter.

"Yeh the new one?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Good. We've been lookin for ya."

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

Crouched atop of a sealed roof speeder, holding himself in place by the faintly glowing claws covered in a dark aura that adorned his remaining biological hand, Xavka kept his gaze focused on the structure the speeder he was on was heading towards, one of the support columns for the upper levels. Clad as he usually was in a black cloak, the Zabrak was nothing more than a shadow amongst other shadows, hidden from the view of anyone looking out from the interior of the column. The angle of approach the speeder was currently following had been carefully decided as it managed to hide the Sith's approach from any security cameras that the thugs populating the column were using.

As he drew closer to his location, Xavka turned his attention to once more ensuring that he was prepared for his assault on the upper levels of the column. Shifting his weight slightly, Xavka reached into his robes with his left arm, the action drawing the edges of the fabric down the arm and exposing it to be a cybernetic replacement, to run it along the leather plates of armour that he wore and, more importantly, the array of weapons that were attached.

Confirming that his sword was within its sheath on his left hip, his chain whip was wrapped around his stomach, his emeici and throwing needles were within their pouches that were hanging from the front of the length of string he wore as a belt, his chakrams were fastened to his right hip and that meteor hammer was secured within his right sleeve Xavka grunted in satisfaction. Years previously, before he had been a Sith Assassin, Xavka had accepted an assassination contract that had almost lead to his death after he had not been prepared enough, since then, Xavka had always over-prepared on a mission in the hopes that such an event would not happen again.

Breaking from his thoughts, Xavka looked up to find that the speeder had come to a stop twenty meters from the surface of the column. Knocking on the top of the speeder three time, Xavka channeled the Force through the muscles in his legs and lept forwards. Sat at the driver's seat of the speeder, a recently freed, ex-salve Twi'lek that Xavka had hired for the single job of piloting the speeder for him smile to herself in relief before leaving the scene, a pile of credit chips on the seat next to her. Even if Xavka was now a Sith and no longer a slave, that life still haunted him.

Grunting sharply in pain as the impact of his body hitting the sides of the column, the pain momentarily breaking through the haze that Xavka had settled over his mind through usage of the Force so as to ignore the pain that had been his constant companion since Lujo, Xavka dug his fingers and toes into the metal. The claws on his feet and hand sliced through the metal with ease as he imbued them with the Force, at the same time the fingers on his cybernetic hand crushed the metal completely as the whir of the motors became audible. Slowly lowering himself, Xavka brought himself level with one of the windows that lined the upper floors of the columns interior. Taking a deep breathe, Xavka fell into a meditative state as he waited for the signal to move.

A short while later, the time to move that Xavka was waiting for came as the earpiece he wore vibrated gently upon receiving the signal from the datapad that Ophidia possessed, the only signal that the earpiece was currently programmed to receive. Lifting his biological hand from the side of the column, Xavka lay it flat against the window before pulsing the Force sharply from it. The rush of Force created pressure slammed into the window at high speeds, shattering it and causing shards to fly inwards. The unlucky scum that was currently looking out of the window caught one of the shards with his neck, his blood spraying out of the now open hole and covering front of Xavka's cloak in the red liquid.

Pulling himself up through the now empty window frame, Xavka landing in a crouch in front of the three remaining beings that populated the floor he was on: a Human female, a male Rodian and another male, this time a Dug. Before the three could recover from their shock and the chill of fear that had spread through them when they caught sight of the fanged and bloodlust filled grin that Xavka wore, the only feature of his face visible from under the cowl, Xavka's right arm whipped forwards, and the three dropped to the ground with a single throwing needle in each of their throats.

Rising to his feet, Xavka made his way towards the stairs that led to the next floor down with long, self assured strides. Both above and bellow him, Xavka could feel the presences of other Assassins as they set to work clearing the column of trash so as to convert it to their own use.



[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

With the signal given, Ophidia kept a keen eye for the Assassins, and she was quite pleased to see how difficult they were to detect. She could see her Iridonian apprentice, [member="Xavka Duquo"] in his leap of faith, but it required her keen knowledge to discern that it was him. She also caught a flash of red as a lightsabre decapitated a sentinel, but it was difficult to place, and the sound was completely drowned out. Indeed, they were still worthy of their name. It was time Ophidia set her own mission into practice.

The Pale Assassin lifted her helmet and placed it upon her head, letting it attach itself perfectly to the shape of her skull. Over the helmet, she drew the hood, and by way of magnets, she made sure it would not fall out of place on its own. The datapad was then placed on the back of her cuirass, under the cape-like fabric that covered her back. Her fingers flexed and unflexed as she approached the building. She had not felt this exhilarated since the battle of Contruum. At ten paces, she flicked the switch of her armour, activating her stealth field. Her presence was already shrunken past recognition.

Darth Ophidia was naught but a chill in the air as she approached the shadow of their new home.

To an assassin, there were many ways to get into a building such as this one. Some would simply make the guards let them in, some would pass the guards unseen. Some would remove watchers from the equation and walk through the door, others again would make doors of their own. Ophidia took this chance to test out something she had read in a scroll. It was an advanced and very obscure ability, long since passed into legend. However, in the deep reaches of the Coruscant Sith Library, she had found a scroll concerning the Killiks and their ability to phase through walls. Having studied the scroll alongside the reports on the buildings internal structure, she decided it would be worth a try.

Ophidia approached the south wall under the cover of her stealth field. On her left, she saw a woman watching her. Umbaran, she had to be neutralised. The woman was about to reach into her pocket for something, the other hand resting on the grip of a blaster. Reaching out through the Force, Ophidia entered the woman's mind. The Umbaran seized, but then leaned back. The blaster suddenly looked awfully friendly as she drew it, opened her mouth ,and gaped over the barrel. Certainly, one shot could not kill her, right? The trigger was pulled, the Umbaran was wrong; one shot was more than enough to kill her.

 

[Darth Ferus]

"We got a big job for the likes of ya. I hear you're pretty good. Kinda surprised you'd settle down with a group like this there Cappn' Bloodshot."

Captain Bloodshot. Notorious Pirate, charged with numerous counts of Murder, Theft, Arson, and a single count of public nudity. Despite his count of public nudity, and many suspect it's either a false charge or the person(s) who saw him are now dead, no one knew what he looked like. This wasn't because he hid behind thick layers of armor or a mask, but because he wasn't a space pirate.

He was a cyber pirate.

One of the best damn hackers around, stealing millions from multiple big shot companies and leaving not a single trace to be found. That was, until he tried to hijack Darth Ferus's personal account. An account that happened to be on his personal ship. S.I.C.A. was unforgiving in it's defense of it's masters personal effects. Everywhere this Bloodshot went in the system, she was there, creating new defenses and even counter hacking. After a successful hack on the intruder, SICA alerted Ferus on the mans location.

Similarly, the 'Captain' received no forgiveness from the Sith Lord, and was brutally dismembered. So much so as to prevent anyone from knowing who or what the captain was when the authorities came. Most assumed the blood left behind was his victim. A story that would only assist Darth Ferus in his endeavors.

"The damned Rancor Raiders keep hacking our systems. We were hoping to get a decent hacker, but you? This is great. Really."

The guard went on and on about these Rancor Raiders, a possible group they'd have to deal with in the future, and how pleased he was that Bloodshot was here. Best of the best or something. Ferus droned it out after a while. Instead, he was listening to the voice chirping in his ear.

"I'm a pilot A.I. Not some hacker tool. Why did you bring me here? There's no way I can just hack there systems and shut everything down."

Ferus rolled his eyes, whispering ever so quietly under his breath.

"The system will be opened to us. You just need to find the on off switch and flip it."

"This is such a waste. Where's that steath ship you made me for huh?"

"Stop the sas."

"You uh.. Alright there Cappn?"

The guard had heard his muttering, though not the details on what he was saying. Green eyes blinked in a form of confusion as he tried to figure out what this hacker genius had been saying under his breath. And so, Ferus lied. A blink of surprise was faked before he scratched his left cheek, eyes darting around like a man who never had an in person conversation or just wasn't use to it.

"Y.. Yeah. I'm good. Just getting in the right mindset. Quick codes and all."

At least the guard didn't know anything about hacking. There was a quick nod followed by another smile. "And that's why they say you're the best! Oh wait till my kids hear that I got to work with the infamous Cappn Bloodshot! They'll giggle their precious hearts out. Well, not work with, I'm just here to keep ya company. We're almost there though, so you'll be able to work those magic fingers in no time!"

This guy was nice at least. Kindhearted for a thug, probably just a family man trying to keep his family fed as best he could in the circumstances of the Coruscant Undercity. It took every ounce of control the Sith had not to snap his neck out of sheer disgust.

 

[Julian Viles Priest]

"Structural stability seems decent, but there are still mean beams that have been eaten away by age, acid rain, and various other damages." A droid with an missing arm was relaying information that was more than obvious to see to anyone with eyes. Julian watched the underground of Coruscant mingle with itself, like a withering rose till gasping for life. This was not the Sith's doing, it had always been like this, and the Republic did not care when they had their hands on the city of pearls. They had just covered the dirtiness that was the Jedi with some pretty, slick new skyscrapers, and called it good work. Still, it reminded Julian of Mandalore, people thriving to work with one another, clans butting heads, only to be drinking with one another later that evening. There was something nostalgic about it.

Memories of flashing lasers, and a gleaming, blood soaked blade crossed his mind. Julian found himself daydreaming, and wondering. Doubting.

"Sir?'

The droids snapped him back to reality.

"That's fine, we can salvage it."

"Do I need to get the masters ,sir?"

"NO! I am fine."

Julian placed the very recognizable T-slit helmet on that had been given to him back then, a symbol of hope, honor, and brotherhood. The smell of smog was now masked with fresh air, and an white HUD. The Vahla was given the cleaning, refurbishing and making it a home duty, mainly cause he still was not fully recognized as a Sith apprentice, but more so a hopeful. He gritted his teeth to this thought.

How dare they chain him to such dull work. Julian was a warrior at heart, he should have been with the others, removing the scum with a metal wire pad that was the darkside. Still, he was certain that [member="Darth Ferus"] was nearby, tasked with the same thing, in a sense.

Julian sighed, and punched the beam closes to him, the gauntlet hand going straight through the rusty metal.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]
[member="Zhi Chen"]
[member="Xavka Duquo"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

The Pale Assassin halted, should she bother to hide the body? It was a suicide after all. Suicidal people usually left a note. She turned and stalked over to the body, searching her pockets, she found the girl's datapad, locked, of course. The Rattataki took the girl's thumb and pressed it against the pad, it did nothing. Looking through the Umbaran's clothes, she searched for any indication of what the password could be. A handful of credits, some spice, a set of keys. Ophidia figured she could make it look like a robbing gone wrong. She bundled the items and the woman's blaster in a cloth and tucked it inside her robes. As her stealth-field was still active, it would be swallowed up into the transparent oscillation.

Ophidia peered around to look for another sentinel; she could see none, but decided she should apply a little more stealth to her element of the operation. Staying in the shadows, close to the walls, she avoided the public eye. However, she soon found herself faced with four gangers. No doubt watching the alley. Judging from their idleness, they had not yet spotted her, this gave her an opportunity. Lightsabres would make too much light and noise. More suicides would leave a trail. It was time she got a little old-fashioned.

Ophidia hissed a word and placed her right hand at her midriff. A belt, coiled around her waist, shifted then slithered onto her hand; it was Tsaisibola, the Baton of Silence, one of her deadliest weapons. Kneeling down, she let the serpent coil up on her boot. From the back of her hip, she unsheathed a vibrodagger. It had been far too long since she had used one of these in a mission. Rising up, she exhaled slowly and let out a sharp whistle.

One of the four looked up, a nautolan. His black eyes peered in her direction and narrowed to discern her location. However, before he could see anything, she launched the Tsaisibola from her foot. It flattened its body to better glide through the air, opened its mouth to bare its fangs, then buried its teeth in the Nautolan's face. He stumbled back, scream muffled by the mouth of the tsaisi squirting deadly neurotoxin into his face.

The three others jumped into action. One, in shock, simply stared down at the spectacle of the nautolan and the colour-shifting serpent biting him. The two others turned each their way and lifted blasters. The shocked one, another Nautolan, soon felt a squirt of blood on his face as Ophidia's vibrodagger severed the head of one of the two others, a chiss. Ophidia left a strip of flesh from which the head would dangle. He raised his blaster, but had nothing to shoot at. The serpent had let go and hidden under the corpse, blending in with the ground perfectly. A draft caressed his cheek, followed by another splatter of blood as a wound opened in the third victim's neck. The human sank to the ground, and the shocked Nautolan was barely able to shift his weight before something hard and heavy smashed into his cheekbone. He was sent reeling, falling to his knees and catching himself on his hands. Something shifted i front of him; he had just enough time to stare into the red eyes of the Tsaisibola before it placed a sudden kiss of death on the nape of his neck.

As life left him, his neck swelling quickly, every nerve in his body burning with the toxin of the tsaisi, he heard the dripping and wheezing of his comrades. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked around frantically for the culprit. His vision grew foggy; he remembered his home on Glee Anselm, his mother, his sisters. He had come to Coruscant to earn money so they could live better lives. In this task, he had failed. He tried to speak, but could not utter a single word. Before darkness took him, a shadow appeared with a face of blood-splattered metal. It held a dagger in one hand and a serpent in the other. There was no pity in its gaze, nor anger, not even hatred; there was only silent judgment. In the dark, mirrored eyes of the spirit's metal face, he saw the errors of his ways: He had been wicked and forsaken his purpose on this planet.

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

Moving on near soundless feet, the only audible proof of his advancement through the column was the soft sound of the claws on his feet gently tapping against the metal plating that lined the floor, Xavka wove his way around the two bodies, a green skinned Nautolan and a scruffy looking Gran with their faces twisted in an agony that spoke of a slow and painful death, as the corpses began to cool after their souls had been claimed by Nath without warning and carried into the afterlife. The cause of death was obvious to any who looked, the bulging and discolored veins that wound their way across the body of the corpses, originating from the neck. The effects of one of the poisons Xavka used, one of the more obvious poisons. The reason that he used a poison that left an obvious effect was to leave behind an obvious warning and threat. The fine, metal needles sticking out of the necks of the two bodies were the method that Xavka used to apply the poison to the bodies.

Descending down the stairs towards what would be the third level that he would clear of the mixed population of simple thugs, criminals and homeless that populated the support column, Xavka removed one of his Emeici from the pouch holding them. The bodies he had left behind him would be enough of a message to scare many away, regardless as to whether the deaths had been caused by his poison coated throwing needles or from him using his own hand to tear out the throats of his prey, leaving them choking on their own blood on the cold floor as they desperately sough air to prevent their deaths.

Slipping the ring that was set in the dead center of the weapons he had started wielding for the purpose of assassination over the middle finger of his biological hand, Xavka wrapped his palm around the slim shaft of the Emeici, leaving the dart shaped heads of the weapons reaching out fast the edge of his fist. Curling the fingers of his cybernetic left hand, he pressed the tips of them against a small panel along the base of his palm where it met wrist. After a few seconds, a hidden blade concealed within the forearm of the prosthetic limb snapped into place, extending past the stretched fingers of the hand as the curled fist relaxed.

Rolling his shoulders before he stepped onto the next floor, Xavka stretched out his senses. Within his minds eye, the layout of the floor before him began to be exposed, the location of every being that he was to kill being imprinted into his thoughts. A smirk spread across his lips at the fact that Xavka felt no presence before him that held any connection to the Force beyond the shallow link that the civilians of the galaxy possessed. Surrounding himself with the Force, Xavka's cloaked from flickered out of view as he wrapped a mix of an Illusion that he wasn't there and Compulsion to ignore him around his form, warping the perceptions and reality of those not possessing a strong enough mind to resist.

Striding out onto the level, Xavka paused for a moment to close his mind and plan his assault before springing into motion, aiming to claim the lives of his targets before an alarm could be raised.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Four fell around her feet as blood sprayed the duracrete walls like an abstract Donadi stain-painting. She observed the cacophony of red on dirty greys and browns before turning her gaze down on the dying Nautolan at her feet. He was holding on quite well against the potent tsaisi-venom. Darth Ophidia knelt down and picked up her serpent, allowing it to once more coil around her midriff and be watchful, while she dealt with this persistent waste of a life-form. Reaching out, touching the crust of his mind, she could sense his fears and his anguish.

"You do not want to let go, I understand. However, you have betrayed the ones you swore your life to. Death comes for us all, and today is your day, Rhes Arjei."

His eyes widened as she spoke his name. He had not used that name on Coruscant, how could she know? As he raised his chin, struggling through the fog cast on his mind by the venom, she slit his throat with the vibrodagger. It made no resistance, but painted the ground with a single splash of red upon exit. Ophidia wiped the dagger on his white shirt, then sheathed it. This person had been strong, but he was also on the wrong side, and she was no saviour.

The Pale Assassin stood and looked once more to the pillar of a building as the assassins coalesced around it like a creeping noose. They would choke the life out of the infestation. Flicking the switch of her stealth-field once more, she vanished from sight, and made her way towards the pillar. She could see more sentinels, but they did not detect her. Soon, they would disappear, one by one. Some drafted, some dismissed, many simply disposed of.

She reached the bottom of the pillar, slipping into a decorative ridge of sorts, Ophidia placed her hands on the duracrete and listened intently. Her senses probed it, detecting its contents, its thickness, what stood on the other side. She could not afford to be careless, not in this. Ophidia remembered the scroll vividly and mentally recalled the steps to phasing through solid matter.

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

Sliding forwards on silent feet, Xavka's eye flicked from left to right, taking in the two guards on either side of the doorway. On his left was a Human male, hunched over with his back to Xavka. On his right, a female Twi'lek with green, dirt stained skin stood with her back also facing him, her whole body fidgeting in place as her hands tightened then loosened around a blaster rifle as her eyes flickered nervously from side to side. Stepping forwards, in a single movement the blade attached to Xavka prosthetic arm slid smoothly though the skin and bone at the base of the human's skull, sparks of Force created Lightning leaping from the metal and frying the brain within its owners head, preventing the now dead man from crying out to alert his fellow guard. Indeed, with Xavka current invisibility to those who hadn't trained themselves with the use of the Force, the only visible sign that death had claimed another soul was the momentary stiffening of the body.

Letting the body now supported only by the blade inserted through the back of the skull drop to the floor in a pile of limbs with a dull thud, Xavka calmly lifted his right hand towards the Twi'lek even as she span around to face towards the new sound, her blaster slowly rising through the air as she did so. Her eyes, Xavka dispassionately noted that they were a clear blue colour, barely had a chance to widen upon seeing her fellow guard dead on the floor before her mouth was falling open to alert the rest of the beings on the floor. However, no sound was made beyond a choked gasp. Dropping the blaster to the floor, the Twi'lek slowly followed its decent as she slid down the wall, her hand wrapped around the torn hole in her throat that Xavka's Emeici had opened.

Feeling a twinge of compassion at the panic that filled the Twi'lek's eyes, Xavka crouched down before the woman, invisible to her roaming eyes. Reaching into his robes, Xavka withdrew one of his throwing needles only to slide it under the green skin. For a moment, blue eyes snapped to Xavka's position before sliding shut as the poison coated along the needle, a different, less obvious and faster acting one, slowed the Twi'lek's heart to a stop.

Pushing himself to his feet and replacing the throwing needle, Xavka sighted softly before moving down the makeshift hallway he found himself in, walls made out of slowly rotting and graffiti covered wooden boards with only two doors shoved within carved out holes; one at the end of the hallway and one along the side. Killing was not always an easy subject for the Zabrak. More often than not, he could harden his hearts, turn them to stone and accept what he was doing was his duty and was necessary. He held three lines of thought within his mind at all times when sending someone to meet with Nath: that he was following his duty, that those that wielded weapons should have accepted that they might die and if they had not it was their own faults for being arrogant and finally that those that had previously caused pain to others in some form only brought the grasp of death closer to them. However. every now and then, he would look into the dying eyes of one of his prey and feel feel a slight crack run across his hardened hearts, feel pity for them.

Shaking his head to rid himself of those thoughts, Xavka stopped before the only door that adorned the side of the hallway. Positioning himself carefully, Xavka reached into his robes to unsheathe the sword strapped to his hip. Holding it in his right hand, Emeici still within his grasp as it was secured in place by the ring that was on his middle finger, Xavka began to channel the Force through the durasteel blade, causing the sword to gain an almost unseen, turbulent aura. With the Force imbued within the sword, Xavka was able to easily slide the sword through the wall to the right of the door by a meter as well as the head of the lone being on the other side of the wall with an ease that would not have been achieved normally. Withdrawing the sword, Xavka wiped it clean on blood and brain matter along the side of his robes, leaving a streak of red behind, before replacing the sword within its sheath.

Turning away from the room that he now knew held only a slowly cooling corpse, Xavka turned his attention to the door before him. After reaching out his senses through the Force previously, Xavka knew that the largest congregation of Presences was gathered beyond the door and, from the fact that the hallway only had one door along the side, he guessed that the remaining area was a wide open room.

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Alright, plug me in. Systems open for a direct hack now, I'll have the server down."

The voice of Sica spoke up in the Sith's head, as she had been for quite some time. He didn't know anything about computers or slicing, so he followed the AI's step by step instructions to prepare the system for her, as well as keep the guard satisfied with his work. Appearances were everything for an Assassin after all. At her go, the rather skilled man plugged in her holodisk without his buddy knowing, and seconds later the A.I. was in the core of the whole system.

Ferus didn't know what the girl was doing, but once the lights went out and all coms turned to static, he knew.

"Da heck is goin on? What did ya d-" This family thug didn't get to finish his sentence before his throat collapsed in on itself.

"System is mine. Setting a private channel for the Assassins. ... Set. Attention all who can hear this, communication is shut off, as are the lights. Happy hunting."

[member="Xavka Duquo"] [member="Darth Ophidia"] [member="Julian Viles Rekali"] [member="Zhi Chen"]

 

[Julian Viles Priest]

The walk seemed tedious to the other side where he knew Ferus was. It felt like a good quarter of mile before he saw the lights go out, and darkness ensure around him, only his t-visor glowing red in the pitch black. The droid behind him, if he stopped and though about it, he was nothing special, made a breathing sound.

"It looks as though the master has cracked system. We should hur--"

The droid's head popped off with the slice of Julian's sword, then his body split into two. Spark's flew up into the Mandalorian's face, bouncing off his armor. Faint gasps of breath echoed from beneath the helmet of the Mando as he watched in pleasure of the droid's demise. It was as satisfying as the real deal of death, but it would did not matter.

Julian continued to make his way to the Sith Lord, Darth Ferus, watching his corners, and his back. The lower levels held dangers of many, and excitement for all. When he finally turned the last corner, he saw the man, standing over a body of his latest victim.

"My lord.." Julian took a knee before the man. It was probably the strangest site to see a Mando bow before someone, much more a Sith Lord.

"The way behind me is clear of...unwanted guest."

[member="Darth Ferus"] [member="Xavka Duquo"] [member="Darth Ophidia"] [member="Zhi Chen"]

 

[Minna]

"Excuse me young girl, but it isn't safe for you to be-" Snap. The man's neck jerked suddenly at a horrid angle, ending his life before he even hit the floor. Throughout it the girl remained unmoving, standing upon the edge of roof with her gaze fixated on the column that stood a dozen buildings infront. Her long black hair swayed gently in wind, messy enough to leave only the center of her face visible. A plain, dark red dress contrasted her pale skin, yet matched her fiery eyes. Had the poor man stayed alive long enough to look at her properly, he would have realised she was no ordinary child. She was in fact not even a child, this was merely her vessel from which she would channel the dark side.

Valtryx was not here for the view, there were more pressing matters than Coruscant's shiny metal and pretty lights. No, she was here for the Assassins. Long ago she had been among their first, standing beside Ferus as he built them from the ground up to be the silent spearhead of the Sith. Her first assassinations, the testing of the hidden blades; beautiful memories stained by the cowardice of her old, purer self. Well now Minna was gone, only Valtryx remained to be in control, and she would make the most of it. There was much work to be done, but re-joining the Assassins was somewhat a priority. Nevertheless, she had her doubts. What if they had grown weak in her absence? She needed to see for herself how they had turned out.

Battle Meditation was a unique and somewhat rare skill, but it was not out of Valtryx's grasp. Nothing was out of her grasp, she was a pure embodiment of the dark side without restriction from the light's temptation. However despite what she believed about her power, such abilities required stepping stones, and so her first use of it would be simple. There would be no effect on the enemy, and she would do little to aid the Assassins, she would merely watch. Besides, it wouldn't be observing their ability if she helped them.

Stepping back from the edge slightly, Valtryx knelt down with her head lowered. Her hand came to her chest, revealing a doll which had been in her grasp all along. It was not a pretty doll, instead bearing stains of blood and being made of a crude cloth. Through immense concentration she channeled the dark side of the force, whispering words of old power to become one with the darkness. Soon enough she felt it, the pull from herself to the outside. Her focus guided her, allowing her to see the column and it's inhabitants as if floating right beside it. She expanded her senses, feeling those who were in tune with the dark side. She felt them all; [member="Julian Viles Rekali"], [member="Xavka Duquo"], [member="Darth Ophidia"], [member="Zhi Chen"]. Assassins she did not recognise, but some she could see the potential in. A few held great power, no doubt masters of the dark side, whereas others held great promise. By this point they could possibly feel her too, but she made no attempt to hide. Her presence too was just as dark, and she wanted them to know her eyes were not hostile.

More and more she pushed out, until finally she felt him. [member="Darth Ferus"], another form of immense darkness just like herself. She knew he too had relinquished the light inside of him, she could feel the beauty of his evil. The meditation was straining, there was no way she could interact physically with anything she saw, but her passion burned bright; obvious to any of the Assassins who paid mind to it. There was one thing she could manage; whispered words that wore the voice of her older self.

"I am a friend."

 

[Darth Ophidia]

'Transcend matter and become the hand of death'

She caressed the duracrete surface and focused. Solidity was an illusion, barriers could not stop a master of the dark side of the Force, not if she put her mind to passing them. Her mind wanted to trail off in connections to other parts of her training, but she knew she needed to focus entirely on the here, the now, and the object before her.
Focus, see the building's inside. See where you wish to go, and go. She pressed, and felt the barrier give way before her, but she retracted her hand. All or nothing; success or death.

Darth Ophidia took a few steps back, a running start, and jumped at the wall. A part of her screamed for her to brace for impact, but she overruled it. If she braced, she would acknowledge the wall's ability to stop her. She would not. A Sith is master of her surroundings, and she flew through the wall as though it was only a hologram. Her feet touched the floor on the other side, and Ophidia dove into a roll to catch herself on her knees. The Rattataki took a moment to reflect upon what she had just done.

'Nothing can stop a Sith.'

The Pale Assassin got to her feet and placed a hand near her lightsabre while surveying the room. Her left hand reached out like a sensor, probing for signatures in the dark. Her helmet's HUD could only see so much, even with darkvision. There was something. Several presences scurried along, too large to be rats, but too primal to be gangers. She could feel them moving, slowing, stopping in a large semi-cirlcle around her. They had her more or less surrounded. Darth Ophidia unclipped her lightsabres and caressed the activation button on each. Bloodshine blades erupted with a furious duette of 'snap-hiss', and her surroundings were immediately illuminated by the vibrant red hues cast off by the blades.

She could see them now, shifting forms in the dark. Near-human, but warped and disfigured. She had heard rumours of creatures like these in the deepest, darkest reaches of the underground, but this was supposed to be too high for such perils. Had they been brought here by the gangers? The darkness of the room suggested that this entire floor was in disuse. Then again, that was her guess to begin with and one of the reasons she had chosen it as her point of entry.

Suppose it was not as empty as she had thought.

 

[Darth Assimilus]

*Thump, Thump, Thump* The Ground shook in the darkness of the Underworld of Coruscant. Jogging down a dark allyway Shiro turned to rest against a wall holding his SBR-24 Devastation Rifle close to his chest. Several loud and snarls echoed in the distance. " Its too thick.." he mutter to himself pondering about something. As the thumping got closer Shiro took aim and revealed himself only to fire blaster bolts. The Bolts lit up the dark as they traveled til the plasma made contact with the scaley hide of a Giant Walking Fish. Needless to say the Bolts did nothing but burn the scales only slightly, there was no damage at all.

It pissed the monster off to no end.

" Kark." the Korannai said as he went on the move once again, fleeing to a better position in the distance. As he ran his mind could only go over one thought. Why the Undercity of Coruscant?

[member="Darth Ophidia"]
[member="Darth Valtryx"]
[member="Julian Viles Priest"]
[member="Xavka Duquo"]
[member="Zhi Chen"]
[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

[member="Julian Viles Priest"] would get a red glare, then a smile. Not the most comforting of smiles, but a smile none the less. With a grin the Sith Lord would nod. So the way was clear? Good. Very good. Casually the Lord would pull out a rather menacing looking Sith Sword from seemingly no where. Closer inspection would show the weapon had always been on him, hidden by an elaborate illusion.

"I don't think your sword is fitting enough. Take this, and help me clear out the rest of the filth, alright?"

And that was when an all too familiar presence meshed against the back of his mind. The grin on his face widened to a disturbing degree as his eyes flared with what one could call sheer thrill. [member="Darth Valtryx"] was back. "Be sure to kill them all, mercilessly. We have a show to put on." A similar sword would once more appear in the hands of the Sith Lord as he pulled out the second one. Never hurt to carry two after all. Lightning danced along the edge of the blade as he began to step forward, his eyes maddened.

This was a good day.

 

[Zef Halo]

The void of light corridor was not much of an obstacle to the sniper, the night vision his helmet possessed made him more aware of his surroundings. Yet, Alexei was more used to the night vision of the scope rather than a complete night vision engulfing his eyes. The marksman believed he was the only non-Sith of the group tasked with refurnishing their new home and as such he went with more caution than usual. The Force, he knew, gave one precognitive abilities and Alexei assumed that made their passage easier through the infested place.

"System is mine. Setting a private channel for the Assassins. ... Set. Attention all who can hear this, communication is shut off, as are the lights. Happy hunting."

The voice of an Darth Ferus' AI rang through the comlink in his helmet and Alexei nodded as if the man was infront of him. A soldier's habit. The sniper proceeded with a slightly quicker tempo towards where the Sith Lord's location was. His stealth blaster in his hands leading the way while his Verpine sniper rifle remained on his back. Even though Alexei knew that this task would possibly not give any opportunity for the sniper rifle to be used, the assassin still felt incomplete without it.

The heat signature on his helmet alerted him of the figure after the sharp turn in the corridor, Alexei was not worried as that was supposedely the location of Darth Ferus according to the information feed his helmet was projecting him, another heat signature was registered immediately after he turned the corner and the marksman immediately put his hands down and bowed to the Sith Lord he knew - Darth Ferus - and to the other Sith, who was unknown to Alexei, that had just stood up from kneeling to the former.

"My lords." He spoke with typical respect of a soldier. "No parasites registered on my way to here." Alexei remained standing straight awaiting further instructions.


[member="Darth Ophidia"] [member="Darth Valtryx"] [member="Julian Viles Priest"] [member="Xavka Duquo"] [member="Zhi Chen"] [member="Darth Ferus"] [member="Shiro the Deceiver"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

The sound of compressed air being released suddenly echoed through the room as three electroshock nets were shot at the Sith Lord. And so, the fight had begun. Darth Ophidia stopped the nets with the Force and redirected them onto some of the surrounding troglodytes. High-pitched, guttural screams escaped those who were entangled in the shocking webs, and blue sparks highlighted the darkness. Four came charging at Ophidia from the right flank, one from the left. Fighting multiple opponents had never been Ophidia's strong suit, but at this moment she had to force herself into proficiency.

'Success or death.'

Her bloodshine blades hissed as she jumped to the left, shifting her weight to present a pin-point strike to the troglodyte's neck. Her blade severed the vertebrae and then some, and the grey body collapsed, forcing the others to leap over or run around. She bought herself a split second. Clawed hands and lipless, toothy maws glistened in the red light of her blades. Taking a step toward the group, the Sith Lord sent a wall of force-energy, crashing into the four attackers. The two that jumped over their fallen comrade were knocked back and crashed into a wall, then fell limp on the ground. Those who ran around were knocked back, but rolled back up on their feet.

Ophidia found herself with just enough time to turn and carve open two who took the chance to jump at her back. One more took the chance when she carved those, and it was dispatched with a thrust of her off-hand weapon. She then let the blade carve out of the Troglodyte's shoulder as it joined its twin in intercepting yet another surprise advance. Even in numbers, these corpse-like creatures could not get the better of her. However, time would wear her down, and she knew this.

 

[Minna]

T̕͞h̶̛e̷̶̢ pa͏͡w͜͡n͞ś ͏m҉a̷k̕͘e͟ ̷̧͟t̷̢̛h́eir̡̕ ͠f̢̨̀i̵r͝s͜t͜ ̶͠m͠ǫ̶͢v͏͞e͜s.̶́͢

A miniature smile formed across the child's lips in delight of both the number of Assassins she could sense and the recognition of her presence by [member="Darth Ferus"]. He knew she was watching, and she hoped his killers would not disappoint. So far most of them were preparing their entries, only beginning to bring wrath to the scum that lay in this underworld. However there was an obvious exception to this; [member="Darth Ophidia"]. Valtryx had already sensed this one was strong in the dark side, but only now did her meditation beckon her to observe closely. Passing through physical material as if it were nothing was a wonder to behold, especially for someone with a lust for power as great as Valtryx's. Truly this one was worth keeping an eye on, for she had already proven herself to the child.

B̶̡u̡͡t҉͝ ̸t͢͟h̸̶̡e̢ ͘͝Qư̵e̵̵e҉̧n̵͠ ͜s̢̀t͠҉r̵ik̨̨̛e̸s҉҉̴ ̴͟͝f̕r̡͢͢om̸ ̧t̀͝he ͘͞s̴͟h́à̷̵d͢o͏̸w҉s̵.

Yes, this one was magnificent. As disgusting those creatures were, the Rattataki brought a certain beauty to their deaths. The way she carved through them, holding off their mindless onslaught with finesse. For now she was holding her own. Impressive as it was, Valtryx wished to see the extent of her powers. Would she let her power slip from her grasp due to fatigue, or would she endure relentlessly and bring death to the vermin of the column...

A͞҉ ͡st͢͡ra̵͝n̶͝g̨e̛r. ̢̛H̶̴e ̶̢͜i҉͢͟s̢ ́n̛͜o̷̧ ̴pi̵̴e̢ce o̢n̵̨ ͟͟th̢̢͠i̕s̢ b͜oà̕rd.

Her meditative gaze returned to Ferus for a moment, examining the man who had just joined him. He held very little presence in the force; it was clear he was no Sith even by his appearance and weaponry. Physically the girl's eyebrows furrowed for a moment. Had they begun accepting anyone into their order? Surely only those who could fully embrace the dark side were worthy. Her prejudice hung like a foul stench, unable to be dismissed so easily. However her trust in Ferus' judgement kept such stench at bay, allowing her to give him chance to prove himself.

Thè gam͢e͠ b̸e͞g̕i͡ns..̶.͜

[member="Alexei Makarov"] [member="Shiro the Deceiver"] [member="Julian Viles Priest"]