Ask Payback

[Vander]

Per my OP template, thread is death enabled​

Vander had been put in touch with another Sith assassin loyal to Arcanos after the fiasco that was the last social event.

Master Raphael had killed most of the loyalists at the party and it was only narrowly that Vander and Zira had managed to escape. He probably should have gone back to re-infiltrate that night, but ultimately, it was time for a return at a later time.

Vander's return to the planet was marked by a discomfort running along his spine. If he had to guess, Raphael would be gone now. If he wasn't, the two Sith would capture or kill him. If he wasn't here, then they would get whatever they could out of the manor and those who worked there.

Recon first and then infiltrate and eliminate. He was sure that someone would still be left behind as guard, and he knew they were going to be in for some kind of trouble no matter what happened.

He didn't really like that he knew very little about his partner for this job, which made any kind of trust difficult. Not that Vander was really big on the whole "trust" thing anyway, but in this case at least they had a common goal.

He stood a street down. It was nearly midnight and he was leaned against a wall and waiting for the arrival of his partner, eyes and ears open, hood thrown up, and lightsaber concealed.

 

[Nyri]

​

Sith Stalkers, they existed to serve those higher ranked than them. All Sith did. But for Nyri it was different. Her kind viewed this duty as neigh religious. These beings had existed under different names in the past, the Inquisition was one of them.

But the Imperial Sith Inquisition was a clandestine organization. They had strict rules. Real authority. Not Stalkers. Nyri and her ilk weren’t infiltrators. They weren’t scouts. They weren’t even True Sith, depending on who you asked. They were killers plain and simple. What connected to two? Stalkers and Inquisitors both hunted Sith and Jedi. If either was given a target, that person was as good as dead, they just weren’t aware of it yet.

Nyri had been contacted by an agent of Darth Arcanos. A man who identified himself as Corax. Nyri introduced herself as Veil. She listened to the information provided and made her bid on the contract, a vial of Raphael’s blood and the Sith Master’s head. She wouldn’t elaborate further.

In truth, if she wasn’t required to take a literal pound of flesh for her services, Nyri would have done this for free. Since breaking her own leash by killing her former Master, Nyri had found herself listless. She was lost in the galaxy, directionless and in need of something to focus on.

This hunt would do just that.

She arrived at the designated rendezvous point in an inconspicuous outfit. Her lightsaber was tucked into her utility belt. She wasn’t wearing her armor yet, they had to secure the route first. Then she would dawn her Stalker armor for the kill. Instead, Nyri sat in an empty chair at a restaurant that had closed hours ago. She glanced to the man leaning against a wall and uttered the code phrase she’d been given.

“Lovely weather we’re having.”

It was midnight and raining. She looked away and down the street as she said the words. If this was Corax, he’d recognize the phrase and give the correct reply she’d given him. Otherwise? She’d leave whoever this was behind.

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

This was all very familiar to Vander. In high society parties and interminglings of the snooties, Vander was out of place but here in the streets creeping in the shadows, he was at home. Rendezvous in the dark with passphrases was where he was at home. He'd probably have made a good spymaster if the Sith still had one. Plucking strings from behind the scenes through the galaxy's ultimate currency: life and death.

Yes, do you think it will stay this mild, he said, returning the challenge phrase they had agreed on.

Which would probably make more sense if it weren't such a crappy night out, he said, but the forecast was supposed to be nice. He wasn't sure how meteorologists stayed in business sometimes.

His eyes flicked around the area and took in the sight of his colleague in short order. She wasn't so much different than he was and he wondered what path had led her here.

She looked the part of a killer. That subtle way that she walked and her head moved, always swiveling, always in a state of "yellow." The "at the ready" state that was so uncommon in regular citizens but so common in those in careers where killing was involved.

You read the dossier? he asked. It wasn't extensive, but it was what the Sith had on Raphael. Truth be told, most Sith were not eager to be known by their fellow compatriots and for good reason.

 

[Nyri]

​

When Veil heard the code phrase, some tension left her shoulders. She moved to stand beside Corax under an awning and tugged back her hood. Damp shoulder length black hair was revealed as her hazel eyes met his. Then, a joke? If the goal was to ease the tension, it worked, Avril gave a small smirk in reply.

“I dunno.” She replied. “I like the rain, it always helped me sleep better.” She continued with a shrug.

It also made covering her tracks easier too. It washed away blood, footprints, and even scent at times. It allowed her to worry less about fine details and more about accomplishing the contract.

But when Corax brought up the dossier, Veil knew the time for pleasantries had passed. She gave a curt nod as a reply.

“Read your incident report too.” She told him. “Seems the target is a real demon, you’re lucky to have survived.” She continued. The fact he did gave her some hope. It meant Raphael was either cocky, sloppy, or both. “What’s your plan?” She asked before she glanced back down the empty street.

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

Vander's tendency to get straight to business often didn't earn him any friends. He probably should get better at that, but to be fair, if he could gain some other people like him who were... business oriented, maybe that was for the best. For instance, perhaps Nyri would be an excellent ally for him.

Yeah, it was a... precarious episode. He's devious, but he's not the combat type. He's a planner, and there was so much killing going on it was hard to catch the people who slipped through the cracks, he said.

The ultimate goal, though, is more information about the people in his organization, he said. He wanted Calix, and the next step in that messed up series of cogs was hopefully going to be either Raphael or someone in his house.

I got out from a balcony on the second floor. Too high to jump straight there, but I think we can climb one of the support pillars and then leap the rest, he said.

It'll dump us right next to his office, as it turns out, he said, giving a glance back that said "don't ask how I know that."

You ready? he asked, tossing up his hood and heading down the path to the edge of the gated compound. The outer gate was tipped with spikes, but it was a relatively easy climb for a pair of infiltrators and they were up and over and to the base of the pillar in short order.

Office will be up the balcony, out into the hall, and on the right, he said, reaching back to pat his lightsaber hilt out of habit as he took a deep, steadying breath in.

 

[Nyri]

Nyri listened to what Corax had to say silently but intently. He talked about secondary goals and hunting for additional targets. Nyri was beginning to worry that she underbid on the contract. As the pair walked, they talked. Well, it was mostly Corax talking, Nyri listened.

"If this is a long term hunt, I'll have to increase the bid." She told him.

This situation was odd for her, she wasn't used to collecting intelligence. Her kind were killers not usually spies or infiltrators but Nyri wasn't most Stalkers. Her master had taught her to be sufficient with her skillset and so she was more broadly trained that most. She could hunt, track, and kill as easily as any other of her brothers or sisters but she could also slip into places well enough.

Eventually, Corax led her to the property the target had been last seen on. He explained how he had escaped and Nyri followed the description of the building as he spoke. Her head nodded along as he laid out his plan.

"Pillar, balcony, office." She repeated back to him before hoisting herself over the property fence.

When they made it to the base of the pillar, Nyri crouched down and interlocked her fingers with her palms facing up. It had been a while since she'd completed a contract with a partner but she still knew a few tricks. The extra boost from her toss should make it far easier to get into the building as opposed to free-climbing. Work smarter, not harder after all.

"When you reach the top, drop an anchored grapple line down. I'll climb up." She told him as she readied herself to extend his leap and get to the top easier. The support from the grapple line meant less strain on their bodies and more energy for the worst case scenarios. "On the count of three." Nyri whispered with a nod.

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

Vander was silent when she said she was going to increase the bid. He wasn't going to argue with her nor did he really understand what she was talking about. It raised many other questions, too. About her relationship to Darth Arcanos and her own desires.

It wasn't going to take much longer than just the killing. The killing was the hard part, anyway. Well, maybe after the killing Vander would just do the searching on his own. Whatever. Either way, Vander would get what he wanted. That was what he did. Like life, he would find a way.

At least she seemed up for the hunt itself and she was completely unfazed by their point of entry. He put a foot in her hand and vaulted up, climbing once again like a monkey to the second story, hopping over the side and quickly anchoring his grapple launcher to the wall before tossing it down to her.

He waited for her to climb up, his own lightsaber hilt now in hand as she made it to the top. He said nothing as he made a turn down the hall. He could feel the darkness here and guessed it meant their target was here. Unlike the previous "event," though, there wasn't a horde of guards and cultists already ready for a fight.

Vander reached out and poked the button on the door, tensing up as the hydraulics on the door sprung open. He hated that part and hunched at bit as if it were going to dampen the noise.

The large holotable in the room was no longer glowing with the face of Occidius, but Vander crept over to try to get holologs. Anything he could use in order to track back where it had come from and... maybe find this ghost once and for all.

Honestly, Vander was impressed. Occidius had been out there, on the run for years now. He had begun building a cancer within the Order, and Vander... he was the scalpel that would cut it out. And yet, he had to admit that Occidius had done the Sithly thing.

 

[Nyri]

​

Nyri pushed upwards the moment she felt Vander’s foot touch her palms. She vaulted the other Sith up, allowing him an easier and cleaner climb to the balcony above. Then, a grapple line was tossed for her. She grasped it and gave it a pair of sharp, heavy tugs. Satisfied that it was anchored properly, Nyri ran the end of the cord through a clip on her utility belt. Wrapped the tensile cord around her left hand three times. She planted a foot on the pillar and began her climb.

It didn’t take long for the Stalker to finish her ascent to the balcony and when she did, she found Corax as he opened the door to the interior. Nyri grasped the hilt of her lightsaber and tugged it free. She glanced down as her partner slipped silently into the awaiting office. She noted the puddles of water that were left behind with each step, something they’d need to clean up to avoid detection.

“You know Hydromancy?” She whispered to Corax, watching as he began his hunt.

Nyri looked around at the opulent display. She’d been in offices like this before, it was never for a social visit though. And very rarely did the beings in them find her a grateful guest.

But that was her life.

Her hazel eyes flicked over everything in the office before moving towards the desk itself. She tugged a leather glove from a pouch in her belt and slipped it over her free hand. With it covered, she began to lightly run her fingers across the surface, then facing, then edges of the desk. Rich Sith loved secret compartments, thought it made them mysterious or something.

It just made them predictable.

“What are you wanting to find here?” She asked finally while continuing to look for a secret compartment of some sort.

Click

One of the panelings pressed inward, Nyri froze. She knew there could be and likely was a trap of some sort. She gently and slowly began to remove pressure from the opening to the hidden panel.

“Got something here.” Nyri whispered over to Corax.

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

Vander just shook his head at her question. There would be plenty of blood when this was all said and done, and the water marks would dry up soon enough. He wasn't worried about the local authorities on this one. The Sith weren't the type to be calling the cops because of an intruder. Far too much unwanted poking around associated with that.

They started looking through the office, trying to find anything that would point him toward the remnant of these treacherous Sith. It was... staggering that they had made it this long. Vander wondered to himself if it was the competence of Occidius or the incompetence of the other Sith that he continued to survive. But then, Raze had as well, and ultimately it had been to the Order's disadvantage to turn that fight inward. Maybe the various sects of the Sith were all a benefit to each other. At least... until they started moving against one another.

The attempted assassination of Darth Arcanos, of course, was something that couldn't be ignored. He wondered if some of the Sith would come back to the fold when it was all said and done. Probably not, and they probably wouldn't be welcome back.

At the end of the day, the thought was cut short as Spooky said she found something across the room. His head flicked that way as she eased a door open to what could really only be described as a gold mine.

Multiple displays, papers, data discs... the works.

Smuggling routes, bases of operations, anything you could use for a hunt, he said to her. Although it wasn't likely to be her hunt, he trusted she knew the types of information that could be useful. After all, most people thought that all an assassin did was stab or shoot or blow up, but the reality was that there was a whole lot of recon, intelligence gathering, tracking, and preparation.

He started snapping pictures of anything that looked useful, moving through the room with quick precision and stashing a handful of data discs in his belt.

You're pretty good at this, he complimented. She was cute, too, although he was pretty sure that she'd have bit his throat open as soon as looked at him. Or maybe he was just projecting onto others. There was... something about her presence in the Force that felt almost familiar, as well, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Like a half-remembered tune.

 

[Nyri]

​

Nyri’s hazel eyes flicked up to Corax when the other Sith complimented her discovery. The ghost of a smirk haunted her lips at the acknowledgement. She shoved it aside and instead returned her focus to her findings. Instead of reaching her hand into the hidden compartment, Nyri used to force to gently tug each item out and into the desk’s surface for inspection. She wasn’t sure if there were traps and she wasn’t about to be the one to find out.

The two most notable discoveries were a pair of data disks. One contained detailed shipment lists of various substances and alchemical agents. The other was a set of coordinates, a subterranean compound on the planet’s moon. While it wasn’t a map of the facility, the disk provided several potential points of entry.

“I’d say that’s useful.” She muttered, leaving the disks on the table for Corax to collect. “Where do you want us to go first?” Nyri asked as she began to walk towards the hallway door.

She intended on listening out for anyone approaching. Where Corax wanted them to go didn’t really matter to her. She was beginning to get intrigued and could see why other assassins did more than just mindless murder. This was something approaching fun. She decided that she was in this until that changed.

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

Vander took a glance through the shipping lists, seeing multiple planets on it and internally groaning at the idea that he was probably going to have to check them all one at a time. Slow, painstaking work.

Despite his compliment, she made no response, and he wondered if this was how everyone else saw him all the time: silent and brooding. Yeah, probably. It didn't make for the best conversation, but he supposed they weren't really here for conversation.

Vander felt... someone approaching but before either of them could do anything about it, the man himself appeared.

You know, it's really not polite to snoop, he said, his smooth voice carrying with it a measure of sinister undertone.

I knew Arcanos would send someone for me. Did you really think I wouldn't be ready? But oh, I recognize you, he said, motioning to Vander.

Your lovely friend, on the other hand. Why would you come here to fight me? This is an opportunity for you to start fresh, he said, seemingly having focused his attention on Nyri. Vander had no doubt that at any moment, the trap was going to spring, and he tensed, pushing down the urge to reach for his lightsaber. They'd lost the initiative and they needed to find a way to gain it back before... whatever was going to come next.

 

[Nyri]

​

Stalkers were killers, trained to do whatever was necessary to secure the murder of their target. As the man-shaped thing spoke to her, Nyri’s head cocked slightly. It was offering her a place at it’s side. It was giving her an opening.

“A fresh start?” She asked, forcing caution mixed with a tinge of hesitation into her voice.

She knew Corax wasn’t queued in on her gambit. His attack, when he launched it would be very real. It would sell her lie even better if she took the initiative. It would lull the target into aiding her in battle. It would allow her to claim her bounty while it’s guard was lowered.

Her lightsaber would snap to life. Nyri spun towards Corax and thrust her hand out towards him. A blast of telekinetic energy would be sent slamming into the other assassin. It was powerful enough to bruise ribs and knock his breath away. Everyone including Corax had to believe the betrayal was genuine for this to work. So she had to fight like she was looking to murder him, until her opportunity presented itself. With any luck, the target would take the opportunity to toy with Corax, looking to taint or mock.

“Train me and I will be yours.” Nyri told it.

However, Nyri had a feeling this wouldn’t be enough to prove her loyalty. The target would likely demand more. It’d want to see Corax beaten before it moved in to make the slow final blow. She advanced towards the other assassin, her guard raised and cautious. This had to be sold perfectly.

“Agree and I will kill Arcanos’ assassin.” She offered in a hiss.

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

Vander was not a trusting soul. The moment his "partner" even considered the possibility that was offered, Vander no longer suppressed his desire to reach for his lightsaber, and it burst to life in his hand even as she turned to attack.

He threw up a shield around himself to buffer the blast, but even so he was knocked back several feet as he skidded nearly against the wall. And then the follow-up hit came.

It was a burst of lightning not from the assassin but from Raphael. It cracked through Vander's shield when combined with her assault, and it tore into his body, crumpling him to the ground as he was wracked with pain, doing his best and failing to push himself back to his feet.

This is how you're going to die. Going after another Sith and stabbed in the back by one of your own, he thought to himself.

And then he was out like a light.

---​

Excellent work my new friend, he said in his smooth voice as he looked to Nyri. Despite looking for one, she would not have seen an opportunity to strike. Raphael was no fool and wouldn't waste the opportunity to eliminate an enemy and put Nyri solidly on the back foot if she decided to attack.

Now, let us speak, he said as a droid came into drag Vander's unconscious body elsewhere. He didn't get too close to her as he stood there, motioning for her to take a seat.