A Message Without Mercy

[Taalong Vorr]

Dusk on Lothal

Lothal was a gentle world. A place of working people. Farmers worked in large fields that spanned much of the planets surface. Dotting the landscape were many towns and outposts for trade to be conducted. In those towns and outposts there were merchants and tradesman that could give the farmers something in exchange for the produce and food they provided. There was a limited presence of authority, little more then local police that were not highly equipped for anything beyond small outbursts of disorder.

Yet in the social caste of such a place, as with much of the galaxy, the power lay in the cities, and Dros was a close second in the rival to be the greatest on Lothal. It had tall towers and spires as all modern architecture and was home to many. Though the city did have an end that gave way to the endless plains and fields of Lothal, it was certainly impressive, and carried within it a great deal of commerce.

An active space port was there, from which transports sourced their aerial trails across the sky, bringing in their bowls the labors of those farmers and merchants across the world.

But one such transport had been small, and fast. Unassuming and unmarked. A mere basic transport with nothing special, but listed only that it carried passengers as it landed. The passengers were not named, and their transport officer had paid the docking authority an extra fee to ensure the transport would not be kept in the Dros port authority logs.

The passengers had disembarked hours earlier, and traveled quickly with purpose through the city. They did not have the markings of their allegiance exposed, rather wore dark brown cloaks that covered their trooper armor and the blaster rifles they bore. All but their leader, a tall hooded Kaleesh, who also wore armor more exposed and took little care to hide his identity.

Most would not recognize Taalong Vorr immediately as a Sith given his foreign appearance and tattered robe that draped over his armor, but he did not openly expose an Imperial emblem that would make him harder to place.

Three loyal troopers and a single Sith Acolyte approached their destination. A sinister mission in mind with nothing that would stop them.. Vorr would ensure that.

The light of the day was fading as Taalong Vorr gazed forward at their quarry, planning their move, and sizing up the location, seeing if any of his plan on the trip may need to be changed, hidden from plain sight and ever prepared to strike.

@Nefieslab

 

[The Storyteller]

The Cult of the Blood was a common name.

It was the name of a cult of Sith Purebloods dedicated to bringing a member of their race back to the head of sith politics and it was the name of this cult on Lothal as well. Their compound was a simple thing it had to be said - it was a basic square in shape, even if it was very large, with barbed wire fencing all the way around the compound and only one gate. The gate had four armed guards to protect it while each corner of the square had a watch tower with another two armed guards waiting.

Within the compound itself, there were small wooden and metal buildings that seemed to act as housing - along with larger buildings that had their own purposes.

Towards the center of the compound was the 'space port' area. This was, in reality, nothing more than an area for the dozen or so ships the Cult possessed to be parked. Throughout the compound itself, guards patrolled in groups of two or three, all armed with blaster rifles.

It was clear that roughly fifty people were armed and ready for combat within the compound but even from the distance he was at currently, Taalong would notice the women and children going about their days within the compound.

@Morse

 

[Taalong Vorr]

A Sith compound could almost be considered strange to the eyes of many in the galaxy. Appearing at times quaint but often harshly militarized and holding a strange duality. This compound was no different. On the one hand it had many non threatening people that wandered around, but it also bore a great deal of security that most would considered meant they were guarding something. On Lothal there was not a great deal for the Sith to be concerned about, not even a Dark Force Cult. But in this case they may have been right to retain their arms.

But they would not help them.

The numbers were the greatest challenge that there would be, which Taalong Vorr observed and sensed. He could hold out against many but would have very little luck when it came to holding off the masses. It would be more his own massacre then the glorious silencing that it was intended to be. That alone was not enough to deter him however.

Nor were the woman and children.

The minds of children were easily tainted, and it was difficult to break those first teachings from their minds. It would sew doubt in every lesson they learned later, and may spawn rebellious elements later. Woman on Kalee were as much fighters as the men, and Taalong Vorr saw no difference. The age of some of the children were the same years that he had seen his first battles and massacres. If they could not defend themselves it was their destiny to fall and the failing of their teachers.

The fence was wire and their blasters many. It would not stop Vorr, and would only delay an assaulting force. Vorr did not have that, but they had more then enough for what he needed. Within the compound their were ships, and many had weapons. Vorr was no great starfighter pilot, but knew that hovering blaster cannons and an armored hull would be more then a match for fifty ragtag warriors.

His plan was made as soon as he looked on the compound and returned to his cohort.

The cluster of three troopers had waited for Taalong Vorr. They were nothing special themselves, but they were armed and prepared. They would die well if need be, and Taalong Vorr may well have need of them to do so.

"The compound is large, and bears fifty blasters. We will not survive a frontal attack." Vorr began. "We will enact ploy, and burn them in their own net."

He pointed at the first two troopers. "You two will engage the front gate from a far. Fire many bolts. Deceive them to think you are many." Vorr looked then to the last trooper. "You will do the same from the west. Draw their attention to you." He took up his lightsaber from his back, the long hilt appearing as a blunt weapon all its own. He used it to gesture. "I will move around their defenses and utilize their own ship against them, and destroy all that's standing."

Taalong Vorr straightened, his piercing orange Kaleesh eyes tearing into each of their hearts.

"If I do not return." Taalong Vorr commented. "Die well."

@Nefieslab

 

[The Storyteller]

The soldiers that Taalong had under his command were not the best soldiers in the Empire but they were far more stilled that the cultist guards, who immediately began to raise the alarm and swarm to the front gate and to the west side of the compound. The guards started firing back in the general direction of the Sith soldiers as quickly as possible but it was clear that they were hitting sand more than they were hitting anywhere near the actual soldiers.

This meant that the east and south sides of the compound had been entirely stripped of guards, even if there were still guards on patrol towards the center of the compound.

On the south side there was a small secondary gate which had a lone, twitchy, guard as it's defense and the eat side had nothing but a long stretch of unbroken fencing.

@Morse

 

[Taalong Vorr]

The ripple of blaster fire rang out around the compound. The heavy echoes of the rifles cascading red bolts into the darkness lifted the pleasant silence that persisted before and replaced it with a harsh oppressive noise of a battle. The defenders valiantly opting to hold their home against an unseen enemy. Their undisciplined ranks pouring to hold back the unknown horde that had come for them. They were numerous, and that alone may have been their strength.

Taalong Vorr was not so aimless. He had seen a hundred battles, large and small, in a life that was devoted to the art and misery of massed combat. The tactic that he'd opted for was simple, and easy to enact. Forcing his enemy off balance, and leaving them blind to the true danger... him.

As he'd moved further south he could sense but one guard that remained to there. There was in fact a secondary gate, but he had little interest in attempting to breach that. Even though he could not sense another guard there, it was enough of a risk being seen where they may expect an attack that he would not bother. He instead made his way further around to the East fencing.

It was not so tall that he could not climb it, but he could not know if there was a greater defense to it. He drew out his lightsaber, the long hilt twice as long as a typical blade should have, and cleaved it through the fencing.

With a horrific sizzle and wretched burn the fencing fell before him, collapsing on the ground. He drew back his lightsaber to continue not draw attention to his brilliant red blade. He kept it in his hand and continued through.

He hastily moved through the compound, avoiding what ever enemies may have been near, but prepared to strike down any that dared approach.

He was looking for their row of ships, and would come upon them quickly. He'd size up the most advanced and lethal of the vessels. That would be his quarry and it would be the demise of those cultists that had not yet fled the arena.

@Nefieslab

 

[The Storyteller]

Taalong had gotten close to his prize almost without incident but this was where his easy journey ended.

The ships were the biggest assets that the cult had and they knew this. That was why, even with the attack ongoing from the outside, there were still three guards waiting around the ships. They hadn't spotted the Sith yet but one of them carried a light repeater and the other two vibroswords.

These guards were not the ones who had yet to prove themselves either - these with the guards who had proven themselves in combat previously and bloodied their hands with the lifeblood of their enemies. They were alert as Taalong approached but they hadn't noticed him yet.

Someone else had though.

"Why are you all dressed in black mister?"

A small human child, no more than eight years old, had stepped out from behind a building to address Taalong from behind. The child was old enough to be curious and yet young enough to not really understand the implied danger of seeing such a man inside the walls of the compound.

@Morse

 

[Taalong Vorr]

The Sith looked back at the young child. A youthful and delicate creature hardly out of its infancy and wandering around alone on that night of reckoning. Such moments would often cause pause for thought in the eyes of the weaker, less committed. The innocence often gave many, especially the Jedi, epiphany to pause and ponder upon what their greater purpose was. Why they did what they do, and what greater sinister scheme may it be following.

Taalong Vorr down upon the child, towering over him even from the distance that they were. He held the long hilt of his lightsaber. He did not think on the child's deceptive face. He was already being taught the lessons of this cult, and had a tainted mind. He was in no position to defend himself, and made no attempt to hide. The child was weak, as were his protectors.

Taalong Vorr ignited his blade.

He starred down at the child for a moment, and knew what there was now to do.

With a vicious charge he accelerated forward and began his attack.

The guards of the ship may have been prepared for someone to engage them, but it was unlikely they were prepared for one such as Taalong Vorr. They were more mature, two had vibroblades, the other a blaster. Vorr could sense their years... but also sensed their end at hand.

It would not have done to have the guards still standing by the ships as he boarded. They could easily board the ship while he was vulnerable and put him in a position less then advantageous. Even if it made noise and alerted others to his position, it would be too late to stop him, he had merely to dispatch these few guards.

The dull red light that glistened off the blade immediately alerted them to his presence, and Vorr kept his focus forward preparing for their attack.

The blaster bolts came first peppering the area around him, easily deflected into the ground and the area around Vorr. He closed the gap swiftly, and the two bladed guards braced for him.

They would not nearly match his skill or experience, though experienced they were. He deflected bolts right until he had closed the gap. A two strike clash would ensue with the first bladesmen, which Vorr would put his left hand on following the second parry. With direct intention he would strike the man's face with his right fist... and slash the same place with his blade a fraction of a second later

With direct intention he would push the guard back with the force into the other and dice the two upon the ground before they had a chance to recover.

This was the brutality of Taalong Vorr. Violence was his world, and he would willingly unleash every ounce of it upon anyone that stood in his way.

@Nefieslab

 

[The Storyteller]

The first guard didn't have a chance.

With the Sith making it through the blaster bolts sent his way, the guard reacted a fraction of a second too late and was stunned by the Sith's strike to his face - stunned enough that he didn't react in time and the Sith's lightsaber cut through his face, killing him, a mere second or two later. The follow up attack would fail however as the second vibro-sword wielding guard would have time to react whereas the first had not.

Rolling away to the left, the guard avoided the corpse of his ally being sent flying at him by Force push and so avoided the follow up slash. Now coming in from the left, the guard would slash horizontally at Taalong's middle, looking to cut straight through the Sith's open guard and cut him clean in half just above the waist.

The guard with the light repeater backed up, waiting for either a clear shot or until his ally was dead so it wouldn't matter if he was shot full of holes.

@Morse

 

[Taalong Vorr]

One guard was dead. Two remained.

The second with the blade was skilled. He had a degree of experience and knew to dodge Vorr's attempt to throw him off balance by hurling his fallen compatriot at him. The strike he'd made had missed, Vorr was not the fastest. But that did not mean he was slow either. As he could sense the follow up strike, and he had missed his own, he brought his blade down to meet the guard that dared to continue his defense.

Vorr knew that the guard with the repeater would be preparing to engage him if they distance was broken, so he would remain as close to the bladesman as possible. And that would feed into Vorr's preference. He did not keep his distance in combat, he stayed as close to his enemies as possible. He'd look them in the face as he struck them down, ending their lives, and demonstrating his own power in the process. The terror served to distract and horrifying those that opposed him, and weakened their resolve, where his own strength would fill that void.

As he guarded with his right hand, he reached out his clawed left hand, with the intention of grabbing the head of the bladesman... and when he bounced the vibroblade off of his own lightsaber... he'd run the red blade through the face of man he'd held, leaving only he and the repeater.

 

[The Storyteller]

Taalong's attack was a simple one but effective enough - the guard tried to pull his head back and managed to avoid being grabbed but the claws still took their toll, slicing the man's face open, including his eyes. With the sudden pain and the lose of his eyes, the guard had no chance to avoid the impalement of his head by the sith's lightsaber.

While all of this was rather gruesome, it was something of a boon for the guard further back with the light repeater. As soon as the Sith thrust his lightsaber at the first guard's head, he opened fire.

Four blaster bolts would stream across the distance at Taalong's lower leg, upper leg and torso from the right-hand side while the Sith's blade was still in the process of impaling the first guard.

@Morse

 

[Taalong Vorr]

There was blood on his claws, but Vorr did not acknowledge it. There was still an enemy before him, and one that would attempt to press what was considered an advantage. In Vorr's eyes it was a meager one. With his allies dead he did not mind the idea of firing on the Sith warrior with what he had, and the repeater began dancing streaks of red blasts at what he presumed was an exposed and easily engaged target.

The body of the impaled guard slumped, but his uses were not over. He put his hands on the lifeless husk, and danced his feet, sidling them to avoid the repeater blasts, and tightened his profile to ensure that his body was covered or concealed by the guard he held, ensuring that the bolts would pelt and impale the dead guard.

A brutal, and violent treatment of the dead, but the way it had to be.

To accomplish this Taalong Vorr had withdrawn his lightsaber blade, hopefully disorienting his opponent in the fading light, but also serving to conceal him a little better. But this did not end his plan, as the repeater was still on going.

With intention and might, he held up the body of the fallen guard like a shield with one hand, while his other reached and pulled air to him, feeling the force grip the weapon he carried and forcing it to Taalong Vorr. Whether the guard remained holding it or released it did not matter to him, as it would either drag he or the weapon to him.

As it would be pulled, Vorr would reignite his lightsaber, and cut down the weapon and its wielder in a rapid swift pairs of strikes.

@Nefieslab

 

[The Storyteller]

The lighter repeater continued to bark out blaster bolts and they spewed forth but unlike what the guard expected, they missed the sith and instead hit the corpse of his fellow guard as the Sith used his body as a shield. The sole remaining guard gritted his teeth and kept on firing.

Rather than trying to hit around the corpse, the guard instead continued to shoot it, blasting the body to bloody chunks to hit the Sith with the heat of the blaster bolts through the rapidly disintegrating cover. The tactic was almost working to the point where the shots would hit the Sith directly when the guard felt the pull of the force.

Unused to fighting Force users, the guard stumbled forwards before attempting to over-compensate and pull his body backwards. The sith's lightsaber would slice through the repeater without resistance but by leaning back to compensate for his stagger, the guard avoided the slash.

Rather than stay and fight however, the guard immediately turned on his heel and started to run - hoping to make it to his allies further in the camp to warn them since he had no further weapons.

@Morse

 

[Taalong Vorr]

The final remaining guard seemed to think that he was going to get away. That his insolent defense of the cults vessels was going to be something that could go unanswered, and that Taalong Vorr would not strike a fleeing, unarmed opponent. It certainly offended some concepts of honor and nobility to not allow a fleeing opponent to escape after they had been bested, and he certainly seemed in a panic for his life after having his weapon brought from his hands to be sawed down the middle by the angry blade that was held by the Kaleesh in front of him.

But the concept of honor on the battlefield was something the Kaleesh was familiar with, and like a good warrior he knew what was right and what was wrong. Dispatching the fleeing guard was not wrong, it would put his own life and the charge at risk, and he could not afford that. He had staked his life on the cult, in defiance of the Empire. He stood his ground in battle, and lost, rather then flee or hide before it began while he had the chance. And now he was seeking others to help him in the fray. This would not stand.

Yet Taalong Vorr was unwilling to waste his time. He watched the guard stumble and recklessly flee.

Taalong Vorr threw his lightsaber at the fleeing man, his right hand extended to guide it with the force to it's target, and then draw it back to him.

He did not watch to see if it connected, he merely would make an assumption and moved on. He still had work to do, and was not facing the quarry before him.

A row of space faring vessels were parked before him, many well maintained and strong. They were not frigates or grand transports. More likely just what haggard few they could bring together in case they decided to opt for a missionaries approach and turned nomadic to preach their heretical words of the dark side.

Taalong Vorr's eyes fell upon one in particular, a sleeker and shined model that seemed to give off the impression of darkness around it. Ironically it seemed to have found its way to the cult which most would find unexpected.

The Nightsweeper Star Yacht was not a ship that Vorr immediately recognized but it impressed him, and he thought it would stand out the most should it be the instrument of their ultimate destruction. Their pride being utilized to reign down upon them. Additionally its 2 duel laser cannons would provide a better armament then the others possessed.

Vorr would enter the vessel, activate it, and without warning eliminate the other ships before raining death upon the rest of the compound.

@Nefieslab