At Hero's End (Pt.2)

[Aliclair Austjor]

Aliclair felt her body relax once more, despite being in amounts of pain. She didn't want to give in, but between the branding stings and the shackles constantly digging into her wrists, she wanted this nightmare to end. And, in the back of her mind, she was willing to do just about anything to become free. No! She bit her lip to discipline herself; NEVER give into the Dark Side by any means. She didn't break skin, but it would leave a mark. She slipped back into her mind, in meditation. Ali needed to do anything to get these thoughts out her mind. To expand her Force to detect any of life forms, and there was. Quirking an eyebrow, this one was different. For starters, it was a female and not any of the soldiers. More lightweight, with a more free-willed spirit then the Sith she'd come to meet. Her cell door opened and so did her lids to reveal her irises were a sparking copper red-orange. Even with her in her sights, Ali flinched at her clapping; the mixture of the echos and her exclaim shot her nerves, reminding her of when Tormentous hollered at her. She growled lowly, glaring at the feminine; how could someone working for the Dark Side be so... like her?

The albino haired female mentioned killing the soldier... She didn't kill him. She couldn't have... had she? Ali looked down to the floor, and the fabrication between her mind and reality slowly glitched out, and she could actually see she killed the soldier that tried to assault her. Her opalescent eyes widened slightly in disbelief, but the feminine before her assured that he was nothing. And this was something normal.

Aliclair wished to not live in a world where killing was normalized. The she-padawan watched this woman as she spoke, and Ali took this time to fully scan her. She couldn't lie; this Sith was pretty. Blinking from exhaustion, a shaky exhale escaped her lips before her shifted eyes turned normal to reveal silvery-green opalescent irises. The she-Sith moved closer, and this caused Ali to move back, her eyebrows knitting. But, she pulled out a book and knelt. Was... this feminine helping? Ali tilted her head but moved her feet so she could slide the book under then planting her feet back, some, while not alot, of relief lifted off her wrists and she gave a exhale of alleviation. Licking her dry lips, she cleared her throat with whatever saliva she could muster then spoke.

"Considering most.. I have no reason to lie. Ask away." she croaked.

[Kressara Thryn]

Good. The girl seemed receptive to what Kressara had to say at least, agreeing to answer questions in return for comforts. The lady sith kicked aside the body of the limp sailor with her boot and crouched before the prisoner before taking a seat on the floor with one arm propped against her leg. Where to start? The obvious questions were easily answerable through sheer deduction. This girl was force sensitive. She wasn't a potential new sith, or else she wouldn't even be here. She'd be training back at the sith temple with those who remained behind. That meant she was an enemy of the sith. Now why was she there? Likely to draw out an enemy...but which one?

"Who is your master? You're a jedi, that much is obvious. I've met your kind before, maybe one or two that you also know. Believe it or not, one such Jedi saved my life once. I owe him...I might be persuaded to help you with more than just your current discomforts."

Kressara breathed in and closed her eyes, exhaling every negative emotion that swirled within her. Her soul calmed, her eyes softened, and the energy of a darksider lessened significantly. It was time to cut to the chase.

"These people are monsters. You don't know what they're like...Blood Xandire, now working under the name Slade Xandire, was my master. I was kidnapped by him, groomed into an apprentice, and mesmerized by the darkside into a relationship with this man. We had a child together...a child that he let die. Now that he's dethroned and I have the trust of Darth Tormentous, there's a certain amount of freedom for me. I am masterless, though I learn and work with most of the higher tiers within the sith. I'm useful, but also significantly weaker than they are. For my potential and willingness to please, the fools trust me." Kressara paused, allowing her words to sink in and maintaining heavy eye contact. She needed this chained padawan. She needed her to vouch for her hidden nature. She needed a messenger bird.

"I am no Jedi, but I am also no sith. I walk a grey path between the two and right now? I don't like where these people are taking things. A lot of people will be hurt because of this ship and the sith who pilot it. Beasts even your darkest nightmares fail to conjure lurk within this behemoth of a ship, twisted by wicked sorcery. I cannot stop this invasion now. It'd be a waste of my potential in the coming fallout. The sith WILL gain power. Your friends? They will be at a loss. They WILL need an insider. The Jedi need a double agent."

A double agent…

Did Aliclair truly grasp what this woman was asking of her? Just in case, Kressara spelled it out.

"I can't risk being seen here. My presence is unknown to my companions, my motives even less foreseen. I would know…" She produced a vile from her belt that loaded into a syringe, filled with glimmering gold liquid, then returned the cartridge to her side. "That's glitterstim. It's a variant of spice that allows the user to have an extra boost to their cognitive abilities. I use it to stay a step ahead of my allies. For that reason alone I am confident that no one will notice me…if I were to set you free."

Freedom. Aliclair could be unchained. She could have a shot at escape, or at the very least to contact her master. Kressara was willing to do this for her, if she relayed a message.

"In return. I need you to tell your master. TELL the Jedi council about me. Tell them Kressara Thryn is a friend of the Jedi. I cannot risk leaving outright. I am offering my services instead as only I can perform them. I am offering to be an informant. Do this for me, and I will set you free from this prison. I will give you a dagger. You can take the uniform of the man on the floor over there and anything he has on his person. Beyond this, I cannot stay with you. If we're caught then I promise you my fate will be worse than you can possibly imagine...I've already been caught betraying the sith once."

[Slade Xandir]

Words rang in Slade's earpiece as his former Apprentice spoke charmingly to Aliclair, a girl who was not yet known to him name-wise. The voice sounded familiar. But in his great annoyance, he was only honed in on what Mmnami, or as she declared herself to this prisoner, Kressara Thrynn was offering said prisoner freedom. Raven watched silently, allowing herself to flow fluidly in the current of the Force enough to remain invisible among the presence of the two women in the prisoner's hold. He had assigned Raven to remain vigilant on Mnami since she had left him, as her affairs were of... interest, to him. Her Force signature was silent as she hovered in place, only able to remain unseen and have her microphone pick up what the blond woman admitted to the Prisoner. Slade on the other hand grit his maws together, threatening the entire room he meditated in with his rising ire. Bedswerving harlot. Claiming he allowed his spawn to perish when V'Sunnah had been under HER care. A child he hadn't even initially wanted! He couldn't believe she would even spill such intimate details with the enemy at that, but to proclaim what she spoke to the prisoner, AND bid their abandonment to imprisonment? Absolute wench. For her to claim the Jedi, to turn her back on the faction who'd given her new life? He had spared her from imprisonment. The silly girl had been in a worse situation than this, and she had slandered him to the enemy. Betrayed her pack to the enemy. She had become the enemy.

"Save this audio file, and send it to my watch. Remain on her until she is back on her 'Sith team'." He had to inform Tormentous there was in fact something disastrous about to happen. Either that, or get involved, personally.

[Aliclair Austjor]

Aliclair's wrists rolled in their newfound freedom. While it hurt, alot, she continued. Ali listened with open ears while scanning up the chain. From what she could gather, Kressandra was a neutral walker, as Ali put them. Those who don't walk the path of Light or Dark; but the Silver-lining between. Many questions circled the she-padawan's head;

Were all siths just normal humans, or aliens, like her but imprisoned by the dark side?

Could they be freed...? Kress seemed to do it. But she could imagine it took time. And dedication to keep her head clear.

Shaking off the remaining of her questions, she looked down at the albino haired feminine. She was a bold one... to go behind her current loyalty's backs to try and escape. Ali felt remorse; she wanted out. Ali wanted nothing more to help her, but in a ship of Siths... they were snakes. She gave a raspy sigh, slowly blinking then groaned lightly. "Lots of questions, do I have time to answer them..? You've lived amongst these people. So. I'll answer your question." she exhaled shakily. She was thirsty, hungry. But, somehow, she managed to stay awake. "My Master.. Ben Kenobi. Your uh.. Higher Up plans to use me as bait, for him." She started with a rough swallow, and a cough that rattled her chest the hard way. She growled abit in pain before continuing. "And... how can I trust you? Granted my situation. If you wanted, you could've gutted me by now. But, I'm of some use... I guess. If this is real, then. I'll tell them about you. What harm could it do more than what I've been through." She said, looking up at the shackles.

"Question.. for you. Humor me. Were you followed?" Ali asked, raising her eyebrow. "If you were taken and groomed.. then your Master wouldn't be far behind. Groomed beings are kept on a leash, even if it's an extremely long one."

[Professor Mors]

The cruel whine of metal on metal dashed any hopes for further concentration so far as Sa’ato was concerned. He had given Chansin and the rest of the cultists free range to use the equipment in the cargo bay as they saw fit. The professor had not anticipated the total conversion from an empty room to a traveling armory, however. Where the enigmatic men and women had stashed their tools of the trade when filing onboard was anyone’s guess. In the end, the professor could only sigh in relief that his own munitions were secure and waiting for him in his personal quarters. As the azure bands of hyperspace continued to hurdle overhead, he knew that time was drawing nearer.

To disguise his obvious appearance and prepare for a worst case scenario in orbit, Sa’ato had donned his survival suit once more. Though the synthweave was faded and stained in some areas owing to recent excursions, it remained intact and more than capable of shielding the wearer. In addition to his sporting falchion, the academic had also seen fit to acquire a concussion weapon of questionable legality. Though not as damning as a disruptor rifle, the long-barreled blaster would shatter bone just as easily, or knock a target unconscious on a lower setting. And, if all else failed, crude as it was, the Neti’s lone explosive device could bring a swift end to any small conflict: and to himself, if he was not prudent.

[Kressara Thryn]

Ben Kenobi. She hadn't heard that name in a very, very long time.


Kressara listened closely until a question was fired in return, glad that the padawan was keen on relaying her message to the Jedi. Perfect. With all luck one of them would contact her about the proposition. The dangling prisoner asked if she'd been followed? A misplaced smile tilted her lips crooked over her delicate features.

"Oh...no. I would know if I was being followed…I have no masters. Stalkers maybe, but they're incredibly dull. So...so dim witted. Practically half blind to the world around them. So no. I'd certainly know if they were following me." Yet, her eyes cut sideways to look at seemingly empty darkness threateningly before the ashen sith shrugged it off. Seemed time was running short, at least for glitterstim induced premonitions to run their course. Kressara rose from the floor and approached the girl, drawing a hand held welder from her belt which she frequently used during her breaking and entering missions.

"You can trust me, because the only thing I get out of setting you free is the potential to speak with your masters. I'm clearly no match for a jedi master. Meeting with me would put ME in danger, not them. I'm willing to risk it though."

Her gloved hands snagged at the chains over the prisoner's head and jammed the super heated plasma cutter against the metal, trying her best to keep the sparks from burning the jedi too much. Kressara worked quickly, cutting every chain until the padawan dropped free. She waited until the girl would eventually move to take up her sketch book and place it back into the bag beneath her cloak. When her hand appeared next it held a cigarette between two fingers and placed the smoke stick into her mouth before lighting it with the still red hot tip of the mini-welder. She spoke after taking a long drag.

"Nasty habit...don't ever start." She motioned with her chin to the body on the floor.

"Take his belongings and his clothing. I will handle the body and make this look like something else other than an apprentice setting a padawan free. From this point onward, you will not speak to me. You will not reach out. You are on your own and I will be forced to hunt you down if I am ordered to. I am expecting you to escape this alive, relay my message, and set the groundwork for an alliance that will save a lot of people a lot of pain. Best of luck to you, Jedi. Avoid the bridge if possible."

With that, Kressara tossed the girl a dagger from her belt and strolled off to a panel on the wall, pulling the panel free to hook up her comlink. The screen came to life and her earpiece buzzed with a familiar voice.

"Yeah boss?" Lorcan Alascer answered, following behind the fleet's radars and keeping track solely with the aid of Kressara's own personal trackers conveniently chipped beneath the skin of her left forearm. She responded, "I need this footage wiped, pronto."

Several seconds passed before a small shark icon popped up over the footage files on her screen, chomping down on the files while Lorcan worked to break through codes, send off the more difficult security locks to their associates with better skills in cyber hacking, and eventually break in entirely through a secondary ghost profile separate from the main host, leaving virtually no digital fingerprints to speak of. When the files vanished, the fishy icon licked its lips and swam off screen.

"Hah...nice." Kressara puffed on her cigarette and Lorcan gave the all clear to unplug.

"Easy peasy. Anything else?"

"We're good for now. Thanks for the assist." She closed out the comlink's connection and moved back towards the center of the room, eyes fixing on seemingly nothing beside her as she blew a puff of smoke in the direction she seemed so interested in, taking another shallow drag before shooting the jedi a warning glare. Smoke spilled from her shimmering red lips as the words rolled off her tongue.

"You'd best be going. I don't want to have to hurt you to cover this up, so get lost...remember what we talked about."

Kressara would wait for Aliclair to leave the prison before doing anything else.

[Silas Karn]

There was very little preparation remaining for the remaining duration of the venture. His duties complete the Sovereign retired to the guest quarters granted to him. It was here that the High Preist would sleep and meditate. Leaving Nil charged with guarding his holdings within the docking bay the serpent coiled into the gathering darkness of his own deviations. Silence broken only by the ominous foreshadowing that seemed to ever permeate the subconscious of the Echani’s greatest domain.

***12 hours later***

Perhaps the fortune granted by darker tidings of movements beyond the limited perception of those currently grasping at fate the Sith fleet remained undiscovered in its expertly chosen route. Of course this did little to dissuade Silas’s sense of disturbance. ‘Any commitment joined with both myself and Tormentous carries with it inherent risk. Both in our absence of territories when striking and in potential vulnerability of our combined presence,’ the priest mused a bit longer before deciding to physically exert his self. Long hours of travel without sustenance and activity remained unsettling to the Echani.

A restoration of his fighting form would be required before the fleet arrived at its target. Departing his temporary quarters the High Priest sought the training deck. Setting his helmet down on a bench Silas took position and began to crank out pushups. With his armor adding weight to the exercise the intensity demanded a slow start mitigated after two sets. Sit ups were immediately followed to further get Silas’s blood pumping before test of his encumbered dexterity could be ran. All told the priest intended to spend the entirety of the following hour prepping his flesh for the confrontations that were sure to meet him.

[Kita_Ikari]

To say she was excited was an understatement. Silvanius looked forward to combat with Tormentous OR Jacobi. "Sounds good to me." She replied. Of course her master wasted no more time in continuing on sharpening her combat skills as he turned away. Quickly she followed alongside him.

As they approached the cages, she became a bit wary as her master began turning on a bunch of droids. She had already fought 2 sith bots...but now he wanted her to take on more? “This is something you’ve not truly been trained on before. How to use your Danger Sense along with your skills in lightsaber combat. We have been working on your Form IV, Ataru, the agile and offensive form. Set ready!”

“Command your senses to see before you. Do not waste time in letting them guide you because you don’t have that luxury. Force them to seek out danger as it would come to you.” She had already sensed the first incoming shot and dodged it without question. The fact the droid had set it on lethal only made the sith apprentice correct that she had to be wary. “Now that you are ready, equip your blade. This is where paying attention will set you apart - are you worthy to stand here in defiance of this challenge or am I going to jettison your corpse out the airlock or toss you to the dragons? You decide, Acolyte.”

Igniting her silver blade, she stood ready in an instant when the next shot rang out towards her. An energetic hum sounded from her lightspear as she moved her blade, attempting to deflect the shot but instead missed. She managed to avoid getting hit, but Silvanius wasn't sure if she could hit those shots back.. She wasn't planning on being killed. And she didn't want too. Silvanius knew she would have to stay focused to survive. “This is the key to this mode of defense. For the next five days you will be in this practice cage working on your blaster deflection. You will not eat, you will not sleep until bidden otherwise. I will not have you shot out on the field of battle. You will master this art and you will do so with a sense of urgency. No exceptions.” Silvanius blue eyes widened as she glanced briefly at Tormentous. "No sleep!?" She was ready to argue on that fact but instead kept her mouth shut. No point in fighting it. This was how he trained.

"I will watch your back as you will watch mine. If any shots get passed you, they hit me. Let’s get this over with then.” As he began dodging the shots on his side, Silvanius continued to try reflecting back the shots...however it wasn't on point yet, and it was sloppy at best. She was just trying to avoid injury...and avoid getting Jacobi and Tormentous killed.

Listening, she reached out with the force and began focusing on where the shots would be going. With her blade ready, she felt the force prick at her mind, warning her of a incoming shot. Her saber already going in the direction she expected the shot to be heading and managed to deflect it back more precisely. Silvanius smiled slightly at the satisfaction she felt from the accomplishment. But this was just the beginning. She had to do this for 5 days straight. The young sith wasn't sure she could hold out that long. Especially without sleep. Still, it was a challenge set before her she wished to accomplish. "Yes Master. Already on it."

[Slade Xandir]

Continued from other thread i cant remember the name of because its 4am and I should be sleep that i have going with Kress somewhere in Sith forum

Slade lie there, dreaming as he was left slumped on his side from the induced sleep Raven had cast on him from earlier. Valkyr hadn't been notified of his rest being hazardous and his vitals remained steady, so her alarms were not triggered. He was simply taking a nap in her programming. Her scanning continued as normal, as her and the ship sought out anything that might bring issue for the Faction, ahead.

[Jacobi Wylcott]

With the passing of another twelve or more hours the Harbinger broke out of hyperspace with her escorts in the deadspace between the Imperial world of Vena and the neutral leaning Alliance world of Nazzri. It was only a brief stop and one that would only take about an hour to plot the next coordinates on the next leg of their journey. Once reset the fleet would once more make its next jump to a predetermined and suspected area which was being scouted by the advance forces of the Sith Armada. In total the journey was nearing its third day and as far as distance was concerned the maneuvers that the High Lord Admiral were taking, while risky, were paying off by shedding time off the clock - as it were.

One last day in transit and the Sith Fleet would arrive at their destination. With only twenty-four hours remaining in flight the time had come to begin mobilization of all assets. Being a Nightfall Destroyer she was not capable of carrying more than a single wing of fighters - two squadrons of Toscan Fighters, two squadrons of Razorfighters and two Squadrons of Y-wings made up the compliment along with many drop ships and shuttles. All these vessels were being staged for immediate launch once they arrive at their final destination.

Pilots were being briefed and drilled over and over again. Warheads were being loaded into their magazines, fighters, navicomputers were being uploaded with preplotted jump points, the holonet was being monitored for local weather information and it looked like there would be heavy chances of rain on the forecast, aboard the capital ships the gunnery crews were being drilled and worked in their stations, prepping rounds and ensuring their equipment was up to its peak in standards.

The Warriors of the Massassi were gathering in designated areas and preparing themselves for war - various rituals including cutting themselves in patterns and painting their bodies in frightening manners, they were also sharpening their cutting weapons and testing shields for those that had them. Soldier of the Sith Army were preparing their blasters and larger crew served stationary heavy weapons, checking their equipment many times over and receiving their deployment orders and drop ship numbers.

Kraujas Ntima under the guidance of several of Sovereign’s lesser Sith Priests and Acolytes released the monstrous beast from its cage and took the hydra up into an actual lander so that the beast could be delivered through the rigors of vacuum of space. Only through their incantations and ways could they lull the hydra enough to transport it into a more proper holding area. The dragons of Arkania were similarly dealt with though among their more - expired number they were commanded with the actual beast control technique.

It was in these things that the Sith felt most alive. The preparation of war and its execution.

Darth Tormentous crushed blast after blast from the air with expert precision. His sword was heavy in the hand and by now his arms were crying out and in some areas of the stroke he could no longer afford as he found muscle failure. He was forced to use the Dark Side of the Force to give him strength in those areas - he would not allow himself to fail his own Apprentice. Some shots came close indeed but he never let a single blast get by him.

They had both spent a full day and more of this training and it was grueling in every aspect and regard. It was undeniable the strength training and the muscle memory of sword strokes and sharpening of ones form. But this brought into better perspective the art that was blaster deflection. There was so much to the skill and technique required. It was something worth its weight in gold here. Silvanius would excel here and in doing so all those that would shoot at her would see her blade - one way or the other.

On more than one occasion the Dark Lord had gone back to back with his Acolyte as the rate of fire increased - but to give in - to move aside by a single step would mean she’d be shot in the back and likely killed. Not once did Tormentous do so and the blonde Acolyte remained in tact - so long as she also managed her own successes.

By the end of it all with only twenty-four hours remaining - there was enough to do that while further experience in this role was beneficial there was more important issues to deal with. Signaling for the droids to ceasefire they brought up their weapons and retreated to their charging stations. Silvanius was still in motion to continue defending - Tormentous reached over and caught the hilt of her staff overtop of her hand and spun her around to face him with the momentum. His sword clashed up against her silver blade. They paused a moment and he nodded approvingly - she had done well.

Releasing her the cage disengaged and permitted them to depart. It was time to find something to eat. Perhaps take a nap and continue to carry on with the plans of tomorrow. “Tonight once you have eaten and are refreshed, join me in my quarters and we’ll further discuss our upcoming plans.”