The Cover-up(Sa’ato, Varn)

[Varn Badaash]

The sound of blaster fire echoed through the old mining tunnels, it seemed the Sith and Imperial forces had engaged. The four mercenaries slowly moved in the direction of the combat knowing that their target was unfortunately in that proximity. The droid accompanying them stepped up to the Captain.

“Sir, Sith comm traffic suggests that the Sith have set up a barricade near a fork in the tunnel system and are attempting to hold said position.” The droid spoke as softly as it could.

The armored figure gave a nod, he hated that this operation had taken such a turn. They were suppose to have been here for several weeks on surveillance, mapping the facility and once all the data had been combed through then they’d pull a quiet operation to retrieve the prisoners they were here for. Now they had to do it on the fly during an Imperial raid no less.

“Do not engage unless absolutely necessary,” Varn ordered as they continued quietly down they’re current tunnel. “We are in and then out, if hostiles are engaged, Rayth, you take the team and find our targets and I’ll play distraction.”

The armored human gave a curt nod, “understood captain.”

The group stepped around a bend to spot the back end of the Imperial battalion. Red and green light shows danced across the tunnel walls usually followed by screams or shouts, it was like a strange thunderstorm.

“Give me a direction MC,” Varn demanded as he looked down towards the chaos at the fork. It had seemed the imperials were moving right which meant the mercs had best choose another path.

“I believe the control center is down the central tunnel,” the droid replied after a moment.

“We move as soon as the last of the bucket heads turn that corner!”

[Professor Mors]

Satisfactory vision lasted mere moments after the first stormtrooper had sauntered into the view of the Neti’s first ambush. The first volley of Sith firepower was quickly reciprocated, and Sa’ato counted no less than eight seconds before all synthetic light sources had been pulverized or otherwise blown to smithereens. From there, the scene devolved into a terrific back and forth crimson bolts, and the occasional brave, or foolish trooper that attempted to activate a searchlight on his firearm. Unsurprisingly, any attempt to illuminate the cavernous no-man’s land was quickly smothered out by the opposing side.

Miserable as it was, no one wanted to be lit up while their opponent remained shrouded in the miniscule haven of darkness. Sa’ato himself had discharged a round in the center of a hapless Imperial’s sternum while they attempted to produce a flare, the raw power of his bowcaster sending the body crumpling loudly against the unseen rock face at the far side of the main corridor. Still, the situation was hardly tenable for the limited Sith detachment. They had already shrunk in number from twelve to eight, with each allied death etching itself violently across the Neti’s senses. Indeed, it was going about as well as was expected.

The Sith occupying the left and right fork of the cave system had already indicated their initial retreat. And, as another hardened mercenary cried out amidst an eruption of sparks mere inches away, the Neti realized he too would have to pull back towards the secondary positions. Before the fifth body had hit the floor, the professor shot a signal to his remaining compatriots in the central tunnel, and attempted to provide several further rounds of suppressing fire. It was only after his allies had filed past, and a near glancing blow sizzled across his armored shoulder, that Sa’ato himself moved to withdraw.

Elbows and knees pumping toward the deeper recesses of the mine, the Neti maintained a working sprint as he considered his next ploy. The Imperial strike force was certainly not fresh from leave, and the combined value of training, numbers, and quality equipment could not be denied. At this rate, the professor’s automated minions in the chamber ahead would only shore up Sith casualties, not provide any sort of advantage. Still, Sa’ato had keep faith in the plan he had. He didn’t have to eradicate the intruders in an open fight, merely stall for time, and eventually escape. Fixated as he was on the enemy ahead, there was no time to contemplate an enemy at the rear.

And yet, the day still held a few surprises for the beleaguered lecturer…

[Neive Undant]

Seconds after the troopers managed to floor their numbers into the opening from the tunnels, and Prazutis was walking forward, following the presence of a force adept who seemed to currently be moving away from the troopers… most likely a Sith.

“We took plenty of casualties, sir, but we managed to hold until they retreated.” A trooper reported, as Prazutis kept his pace forward, passing several more soldiers and wounded, continuing on into the next tunnel on the right side of the opening. The troopers gathered all that weren’t medics or injured and followed close behind.

“They know they can’t hold this place, Commander. They’re simply trying to slow us down and get their prisoners out. We need to get to their cell blocks and extract our target before they get him off-planet. Have one of the medics contact the Wraith, tell them to destroy any ships leaving the surface. I don’t care if it’s a cargo freighter or a one man fighter, I want any of them either captured or destroyed.” Prazutis said. One trooper near the back of the squad volunteered to go back and tell the medics, stopping his advance and turning back while the rest pushed forward, hoping not to give the defenders any breathing room.

In total there were 4 medics tending to about 10 wounded men, a couple of them given their weapons and sent back to fight while a few others were taken out of action and laid against the wall to be carried back to the ship when they were able to get the personnel for it.

[Evelyn Swann]

Darkness… isolation, torture, manipulation, threats, close to death but then again not entirely. Young Evelyn Swann had lost track of time. She had no idea how long it had been since she had been captured and given to the Sith as a new subject to mess with. Trying to turn her over, and over and over again. Yet they had not succeeded. They had not taken her away from the Light. She had sustained everything they had thrown at her, yet she felt so alone now with a responsibility greater than herself. It had been so long since she had seen the light of day. The stress she had endured, the pain, the emotional turmoil inside her to stay strong and fight for her survival. She had been stronger than her sister and had been successful in keeping the Light Side inside her despite the terrible odds. She had remained hopeful and true to herself. However, the cost of that was the fact that she now had been moved somewhere else… again. And she had no idea where.

All the struggle, patience and hope, knowing that the Light Side was testing her at the core, Evy was slightly broken mentally. The things the Sith had forced her to see and experience, the young lady was not who she once was, she had evolved, then again she was still her old self. It was a complicated thing to explain really.

Now her focus was survival, meditating and trying to process everything so she could finally escape once again. Back on Ziost, Miss Swann had met a man who had tried to help her, alas, his lifespan had been shortened quickly and the brunette felt that it was her fault. Him and his family butchered like wild animals. And there she now sat in the darkened room, making sure to keep herself whole. Regardless of what they had put her through, the torture, the never ending torture, there was one thing that had given her an even more curious mind as to what the Force had meant for her and her future to come.

Smiling softly in the dark, her hand calmly and steadily caressed her stomach. A life was still a life, and even though the method of the outcome was terrible and not one she wished for even her worst enemy, the young lady could not abandon this now. Her responsibility was that of another now.

Feeling through the Force itself the tremor and beginning chaos that had begun near her, Evy's mind reached out through the Force to feel that an encounter was happening close by. Taking a deep breath she rose slowly from her bed and moved towards the door to her cell. Blastershots had filled the hallways outside and she pondered curiously as to what was going on. Her mind was on guard though as she through the Force could sense other Force Users, their presence in the Force a dark one… Sith. Where they here to torture her more, or were they after someone else? That question was to be revealed soon enough as she then heard different doors to the cells open, hers however did not. How peculiar. Just what was going on out there?

[Varn Badaash]

The mercenaries slowly moved towards the current engagement and it was looking more and more like they couldn’t just completely avoid it.

“Are there no maintenance hatchways we can use?” The Captain asked.

“Nothing into the prison corridors, maybe one your seeker droid could fit through but not any of us,” one of the other mercs replied. “Perhaps we hold up and ambush the victors on their way out?”

That was a solid idea, hit the battered opponent as they escaped with any prisoners. Varn couldn’t help but like this idea, it meant they would risk a lot fewer casualties.

“Captain,” the robotic voice interrupted Varn’s thoughts. “I’ve been monitoring all the Sith comm traffic and piecing together parcels of information being transmitted.” The robot paused to hold up a small holo device. “You’ll want to see this.”

A holographic image flickered to life in front of the armored Dashade and if he wasn’t wearing a helm everyone would have been able to see his surprise and rage. The image was of a prisoner in the compound, a young woman, no older than twenty one, battered and bruised but she was unmistakable to Varn. Her final words to him flashed through his mind.

“I'll be fine and wait for the Silver Mynock! There is still time, now go! Ranger Varn, don't let me give you an order here! Go!"

“There wasn’t enough time…” Varn muttered.

“What was that sir?” One of the troop asked.

“Rangers, hold this corridor, make sure we have a path out of here.” Varn’s voice came through clearly this time, filled with the authority of his position. “I’m moving to engage, Padawan Swann is here and I will not let them have her again! I will thin their numbers and make for the prison corridor.”

The troop stood quiet for a moment none here had seen Ranger Captain Badaash like this previously. One finally spoke up. “Yes sir! We’ll hold and prepare for your return with the VIPs.”

With that the armored Dashade turned, unlatch his Prax rifle, double checked the built in weaponry of the stalker amor and marched forward. His PSG flickered to life as he turned the corner they were hidden at, the battle still hadn’t been pushed into the large chamber he was entering but several large loader droids stood between him and the direction he needed to go.

Laser fire struck out towards the unidentified merc but thankfully these were loaders and not battle droids. Varn began to rush them, blue energy flickering around his body as the blasts that landed were absorbed by the PSG. One click of the secondary fire switch and a micro grenade launched at the droids position soon followed by the loud crack and explosion. The Dashade was not here to play.

[Professor Mors]

Without warning, the chamber ahead of Sa’ato and his wilting band thundered and shook about with such intensity it nearly knocked the Neti to his feet. More intruders? It didn’t seem possible. There were one or two maintenance corridors the professor had left to the hapless warden and his staff, but they were so small and narrow it would hardly be ideal to enter in that manner. And indeed, the Empire had proven perfectly capable of simply blasting the front door down. So then, who had activated the droid defenses? Or more likely, pulped them upon entry. Signaling for his remaining colleagues to watch the flanks, Sa’ato slowly advanced through a thin screen of smoke.

As the aftereffect the explosion slowly dissipated, the Neti quickly identified the sparking husks of three of the five loaders at his disposal. The two that remained intact had taken enough of the shock wave to be knocked hither and thither. Despite their new status in the armed forces, the pair were, at the end of the day, loaders, and were caught in a programming loop to right themselves before continuing the attack. Heavy as they were however, they struggled to accomplish even that much. Finally, the lecturer identified the culprit of this new attack, looming large just beyond the threshold.

The figure was clad in some sort of camouflaged plastoid suit, but what struck the retired teacher was the sheer immensity of this potential foe. Measuring a good meter across, the broad-shouldered individual had achieved a rare feat in superseding the Neti in height. Armored as they were, Sa’ato could not truly discern the genus of this intruder. Using what data he had, the professor mentally settled on Herglic for his best guess, not that it mattered in the moment. What did matter was the figure’s reason for being so far underground– and more importantly, if they had brought friends. Pressed for time, the Neti did not mince words, “Who are you? And what do you want?”...

***

It was a mismatched duo, a Klatooinian and a Chadra Fan, that came to collect the weary Evelyn Swann. Though their hooded overlord had insisted that high priority prisoners be sedated for transport, the warden and his staff had already burnt through their pitiful supply by the time they reached the young woman. Thus being the case, rather than sleep through yet another interment, Evy found a spraystick full of intense muscle-relaxant shoved into her face. Even as the grumbling pair worked to shackle the errant padawan, a fierce physiological numbness overtook her body, which ultimately forced the already short-tempered Klatoonian to carry Evelyn over his shoulder.

If she was coherent, and well-traveled, the young woman might have caught a few shared words in Huttese, regarding some manner of transport, and one very, very unpleasant surprise…

[Neive Undant]

The blaster fire continued as the troopers struggled to gain even an inch of ground against the Sith troops defending the hallway.

Even with the reinforcements that came from the clearing ensuring no wounded lay in front of the group, there was no way to push forward without taking heavy casualties.

Prazutis observed the surroundings, looking out just for a second before a blaster bolt slammed into the wall beside him, forcing him to turn back around into cover.

“Troopers, stay in cover until my signal. I’ll clear a path.” Prazutis said, looking to the walls and ceiling.

The ventilation system and heating system for their water seemed to run along the floor and ceiling, which gave him the perfect idea.

Prazutis deactivated his saber and reached out with the force, pulling on one of the pipes running along the ceiling. With a good pull with the force, the pipe ripped from the ceiling, spewing steam down into the hallway, filling it. While the blaster bolts continuing to fly through the smoke screen, the troopers stayed behind their cover, out of the line of fire until it finally stopped, an eerie silence falling over the hallway…

The first thing the Sith troops saw was a silhouette, a small but strong frame of a humanoid, with horns on his helmet.

And after a second, the ignited blade of a red lightsaber.

“Open fire!”

The Sith fired, Prazutis deflecting laser bolt after laser bolt, the troopers behind him firing down the sides of the hallway to try and hit the Sith through the smoke screen, using the blade as a reference as to where Prazutis was to avoid firing on him.

Prazutis reached the troops and used the force to rip the blasters from their hands, one poor Sith in the front of the pack holding his too tightly and falling forward with his gun, Prazutis’ blade slicing through his back as he continued forward, the stormtroopers coming up behind him.

[Varn Badaash]

The enraged mercenary ran into the plume of dust and smoke, taking one of the loader droids still standing and smashing it into the duracrete floor. As he rose to move on his next target a bone clad member of the Sith forces approached. His training and recon told him this individual was likely above the rank and file of Sith personnel, which meant a more dangerous opponent.

His charcoal like eyes locked on this new threat and he was preparing to charge when they spoke, questioning the mercenary. Not directly hostile, how unexpected, but that didn’t change how Varn was planning on reacting. As he took an aggressive step forward a voice entered into his helmet.

“Captain, calm yourself,” Lunter’s calculating voice spoke. “MC and I formulated an idea, you’re not going to like it but for Swann’s sake I beg you to allow MC to negotiate a deal with this Sith.”

“Yes captain,” the droids voice chimed in. “If you allow it I can speak through your helm, the Sith forces are on the back foot with the Imperial assault, we don’t have the man power to take both the Sith and the Imperials but if we make a deal we could fight the imperials for Swanns release.”

Varn’s mind raced, it was crazy to consider but as Rangers they were trained to adapt and evolve while behind enemy lines. Working with an enemy for the greater good, it was not unheard of, MC and Lunter’s plan was legitimate as much as Varn hated to admit. “Approved…” was all he could manage to mutter back.

The droid did not hesitate to begin execution of its plan. “I’m Llanthu, leader of Sillu company,” the espionage droids words mimicked the Dashades voice perfectly. “We’re mercenaries contracted to retrieve a prisoner here, tho it seems things have taken an unexpected turn… for both of us.” Llanthu glanced past the Sith as he heard the ripping of metal and then the hiss of steam from down the hallway. “We aren’t above negotiations, my company is standing by and ready to assist if you release the individual known as Evelyn Swann into our custody.”

The Dashade listened to MC speak on behalf of the company, he was a dangerous droid that was for sure. As the conversation went on however it was clear the Imperials were pushing forward. Steam had filled the hallway the Sith had come from but the Stalker armors targeting computer picked up movement. He raised his prax in a swift motion and let out a crimson bolt which despite seemingly being aimed toward the Sith only seared the air around his left shoulder. However the first imperial trooper to make it through the smoke screen was not so lucky.

[Professor Mors]

Sa’ato remained silent for a time. He listened attentively to the proposal, and did not flinch when the mercenary’s bulky mouthpiece fired in proximity to the Neti himself. Though he sensed a genuine hatred in the hulking figure, his failure to attack the academic from the getgo belied his willingness to stomach diplomacy. At the same time, the professor was only too aware of Evelyn Swann. Though she was not the purpose for Sa’ato’s own visit to Tenara, her value to the aged acolyte’s overseers, past and present, was well known. Were Tormentous still sitting on the throne, the retired teacher would likely have had no choice but to stand his ground and fight to the last.

At present however, that was not the case. The old firebrand of the Karn dynasty had reaped the fruits of a bloodless coup, and while he had deigned to elevate Sa’ato’s status within the Sith Order, both men understood it was an act of appeasement and little else. Yes, for all his might, the Sovereign was no fool. The myriad acolytes of the Dark Side could prove to be a threat if united, as they had nearly done at the time of his ascension. For now, the professor tolerated the Echani’s careless sedition, and though he had proven relatively benign in terms of oversight, the future was unpredictable.

Sa’ato had no intention to innervate the acting Dark Lord haphazardly, or enter open rebellion until it seemed feasible. And at the same time, the Neti saw no reason to grant favors either. And besides, provided all went according to plan, the professor could easily deny any failing on his part, and claim that the prisoner in question merely perished during the break in. All of this in consideration, coupled with a much more hostile burst of fire at the Neti’s flank, was enough to convince him to take his chances with the newest set of intruders. That which is said about the enemy of one’s enemy, it seemed, held weight.

Turning about swiftly to stand in line with his remaining troops, Sa’ato hefted his unruly bowcaster level with his torso, and raked the rear tunnel three concussive payloads. The last shot of the set must have hit a wire-box or the like, for a terrific shower of sparks blew up above the advancing Imperials and sent a fresh gust of smoke drifting down between the two contesting parties. “Provided we survive–”, the Neti growled as he began to slowly back up amidst a hailstorm of laser-fire, “You can have your prisoner–”. Sa’ato was forced to duck down as a rifle shot flew overhead and hammered against an empty ore canister lining the far wall.

“There’s a hovertram waiting that will take us to the outer edge of the east woods–”, the professor continued to boom out as he withdrew further, giving space for his temporary allies to file in and present a fresh set of targets to the enemy. “I need time to ensure we aren’t followed”, the academic concluded, nearly bumping shoulders with the masked stranger as he attempted to lay down additional suppressing fire. The absence of certain tectonic phenomena told Sa’ato that his Umbaran colleague was still making the final preparations. The Sith, with the begrudging addition of their guests, had only to hold out a little while longer. Provided their reached the transports in one piece once the Neti’s surprise went into effect, all would be well– for most.

[Evelyn Swann]

As if her question in her mind could be heard by everyone, her curiosity was answered by two aliens that in a snap of a second had sprayed her right in the face with a strong mist that caused her to cough and look rather confused as she waved her arms to try and make the mist go away. She could barely manage to ask what in the bloody galaxy was going on before they tried to shackle her. Evelyn put up a fight to the best of her ability but alas, the Sith had managed to keep her weakened and bruised but only enough to keep her at bay. She was still well nourished enough for their sick experiments so her so-called package wouldn't take damage.

It came upon her confused mind rather quickly that she had been drugged in a way. Her body began to work against her and she felt as if she was falling, feeling numb but still aware of everything happening. Taking a deep breath Miss Swann wanted to find out what was going on and where these imbeciles were taking her since one of them had moved her over his shoulder and just started walking as they spoke to each other in Huttese.

Her mind wandered as to what the Force this unpleasant surprise was? It was making her feel extremely angry, but she never let it take over. It did however force herself to concentrate and use what strength she had to speak very venomously in Huttese.

"Be careful now, I'm sure the Sith would be most displeased if you messed up one of their newest and promising experiments as of yet, just saying. The Sith are well known not to take lightly to beings messing up what they own." Her hazel brown eyes glared intently and menacingly at the Chadra Fan. The life she carried was precious, and it was now her responsibility to make sure they both were safe no matter the cost…