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[Charlotte Le'Anna]

OOC: Le’Anna Apartments within Ta’a Chume’Dan

Her time had come. Months…no…years of waiting were finally over. Charlotte could feel the tendrils of anticipation snaking up her spine. Intoxicating. She wanted this more than anything. The planning with Andruil, the careful machinations with Art, stilling with Stolas and finally this. This was the moment. Hapes would be hers. The rule of law was clear. Once she took the Queen Mother’s life, the seat belonged to her. She need only have the strength to wield it. The access codes were stored safely in her pocket. They had fifteen minuets before the shuttle left for the Battle Dragon. The Battle Dragon where the Queen Mother would end.

Charlotte waited in the foyer of her apartments. She wore her armor with a black mask and vibroblades strapped to her back. Night was quickly descending outside. She waited for Cairo to join her. As soon as her apprentice was ready, the two was exit from the employee quarters to make their way carefully to the next building over. There the landing pad rested where the shuttle would bring fresh troops to the Queen Mother’s Battle Dragon. The old hag slumbered each night above Hapes, surrounding by her loyal guards. Those same loyal guards who were busy dealing with a forest fire and recently exploded tower.

She was immersed deep in the Darkside. Charlotte did not have the strength of her peers but what she lacked in power she made up for in determination. Nothing would stop her. The eyes of her father were burned into her memory. The pain as he realized she’d come home for her birthright. Andruil busy killing Charlotte’s mother. She had sacrificed the only person she ever loved for this moment. She would not waste the chance. Not now. So…Charlotte Le’Anna waited for her apprentice. Tonight, the deed would be done.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Cairo Kisufi]

Cairo's appreciation for his teacher had grown over the course of the day. The Hapatian Consortium was not just a location of sentimental importance to Charlotte; the sector had the power, numbers, and economy to remain effectively independent throughout the course of Galactic history. That power, the slumbering bear, turned to the hands of the Sith would give the Empire a powerful weapon. Or, it could make LeAnna a uniquely powerful woman, a ruler over a whole sector of space.

And it was all about power, wasn't it? It was why he served Charlotte and why she served the Empire. Cairo had taken the time before leaving the guard's post to loot it, hoping to avoid the mistakes of his past fight. He grabbed the elegant ELG-3A, a blaster fit for a Royal Guard. Cairo had to acknowledge he did not yet have the skill to rely on his blades alone - a blaster at his hip could render him far more useful this time.

She had not given him specific rendezvous instructions, but it was unnecessary anyways. Through the Force, he could feel her, a swirling orb of darkness piercing through the entire world. He could sense her anticipation, feel her ambition. It washed over him.

He appeared, shrouded in a black armor and mask under the glow of the moon. "Your Majesty." It was intended as a joke, but his tone came deadly serious. Perhaps he was starting to anticipate her ascent, too. "What do you need me to do?"

@Valen Pelora

 

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

“Ah…now that I like.” Her voice held a sharp edge as Cairo appeared. Power clung to her. “Our task is simple enough, my apprentice.” The simplicity belied the risk. One misstep and they were dead. “The butler entrance leads to the base of this tower…one block over is the Queen Mother’s landing pad.” Her words carried the gravity of the situation. “A shuttle has landed that will take fresh guards the Battle Dragon where she spends her nights orbiting the city.” She tapped the key guard resting in her pocket. “With these we board the shuttle, board the Battle Dragon, and suddenly your cousin becomes much more valuable.” The edge to her voice never left.

“You’ve been a great help. More than I would have expected…but make no mistake our lives are at risk. We’re just as likely to die as succeeded.” She grimaced under her mask. “If we succeed, I will ensure you are properly rewarded. A place by my side is the least you can expect.” Charlotte would reward loyalty just as she would punish the guilty. Cairo would find his place by her side very rewarding. “Time to go.” She took a deep breath and lead them to the service entrance, down a winding set of stairs, and out into the temperate Hapan night. Slowly, the Sith made their way towards the landing pad until the embarking station could be seen a few hundred yards away.

The hustle and bustle of reloading was evident. There were maybe a dozen royal guards observable from this distance and just the two of them. She was careful to keep to the shadows and disguise their movements. She couldn’t risk being traced back home. Keeping her voice low, she pointed in the direction of the pad. “I hope you’re ready.” She made to creep towards the landing pad, her mind searching for a plan.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Ashla Ti]

In an effort to improve her social skills, specially with her peers, Ashla had been trying to get in touch with more of her fellow acolytes. With Malou getting promoted and Aadya off doing Force knows what she found herself pretty alone in the acolyte barracks. And Togruta did not deal well with being alone, they were social brings, and it brought out the worst in her. Which meant bad jokes, awkward smiled, and a whole bunch of creeped out teenagers who thought she was some sort of psychopath.

So it was safe to say that she was more than relieved when Cairo had reached out to her and asked for her help. The only problem was that she had been on the other side of the Galaxy when she got his message, so it had taken her a little while to get to Hapan space, and by the time she reached the rendezvous point Cairo and his master were already setting off. It was by pure luck that she managed to spot them rounding a corner and pick up their trail.

"I've been whispering at the top of my voice asking you two to hold up!" She whisper shouted at the duo as she caught up with them near the landing pad. "You know," she turned to Cairo with a half-frown, "it isn't polite to ask someone for help and then just run off without them! Not cool dude." Ending with a smirk and a wink, to let him know she wasn't serious, she turned to the champion, one she had neither met not worked with before. "Hi! I'm Ashla, nice to meet you!"

@Valen Pelora @Fine Dining Set

 

[Cairo Kisufi]

Cairo's eyes widened as Ashla appeared. Shit, he had totally forgotten to ask Charlotte if it would be cool if she came. "Oh yeah, Charlotte..." He raised his hands up defensively. "My bad, I probably should have asked you, but after that almost-getting-shot-to-death thing with the Royal Guards, I asked an acolyte for some backup." It was indefensibly stupid, but, in Cairo's defense, he had almost just been killed. He figured another Sith in on the deal would only help Charlotte's ambitions.

"My bad, Ashla, I didn't hear ya back there. With the moonlight and the Kage shadow warrior look, I think I got wrapped up in the mood, you know? 'Yes, your Highness, let's take over the world! Muahaha!'-type shit." He shrugged noncommittally, pushing his hands into his pockets as he went over Charlotte's instructions in his head.

"If our options are 'die or succeed,' we might as well succeed, right?" He eyed the landing platform, jutting out far into the sky above. He considered his sights - a dozen guardsmen refueling and reloading a shuttle. What the situation called for was a distraction. And that, he could provide.

He kept in mind his effective range for use of the Force. From hundreds of yards away, he would be effectively useless. The closer they got, though, the more things changed. Inspiration struck him like a train. As guardsmen unloaded supplies, he noticed that the boxes of foodstuffs, fuel, and clothing meant for the Queen's Battle Dragon were rather haphazardly stacked. Like a game of Space Jenga, he imagined that if the trio could push or pull one of the boxes, the whole thing could topple, creating a distraction that they could take advantage of.

"Okay, can you both back me up?" He whispered as his hands stretched out. He quickly realized he had failed to explain his plan to his comrades as he called upon the Force. "Um, piles of supplies, use the Force, Space Jenga, big crash!" He hoped they would catch on, as he sweat and strained to push even a single box from their distance.

@Wit @Valen Pelora

 

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

“What the fuck.” Charlotte’s voice was a sharp whisper. She typically detested acolytes. Cairo was the growing exception but adding another to the mix didn’t exactly stir warm fuzzy feelings. She grabbed a space mask from her pocket and shoved it at Ashla. “Put this on.” One more little wrinkle to her perfect plan. “If you die, do try and be productive about it.” The edge remained in her voice. Charlotte was singularly focused. The hunger eating at her heart obvious in the Force. Ashla couldn’t possibly know the events she was about to be swept into. Thankfully, Cairo continued to impress. She pointed at Ashla. “You stay and help.” Charlotte unpeeled herself from the shadows. “I’ll distract them.” She kept her vibroswords sheathed but began to walk towards the landing pad.

The Hapan noble was very much visible in the moonlight. Her shadow swayed as she walked closer. “Yoo-hoo.” She raised her voice and waggled her fingers. The Force pitched her voice slightly lower than usual. “Boys, I am so terribly lost in this big scary city.” A dozen sets of eyes swizzled towards her. Blasters raised but an instant later. The Royal Guard was just as paranoid as the subject they guarded. “Now…that’s no way to treat a lady.” A voice of command rose up from the pad.

“Stop right where you are, miss, or we will fire.” Slowly, Charlotte stopped walking. “That’s no way to talk to a woman. You know better.” She felt a small wave of fear in the Force. The matriarchy reigned supreme in the Consortium. To defy a woman of noble blood was a death sentence for any man. “Please, miss. We have orders and you shouldn’t be out this late alone.” Ah…her best important young lady voice had put a little fear into them.

@Wit @Fine Dining Set

 

[Ashla Ti]

Taking the mask that Charlotte offered, Ashla put it on, wondering what sort of plan master and student had worked up that needed the use of masks. Well, that's what she got for being late to the party, not knowing what was going on. As that one guy in that one holodrama she had seen recently, fake it till you make it. She was just going to have to play along till things started making sense.

What didn't make sense was Cairo's plan, at least the way he described it. So as Charlotte ran off to distract the guards, Ashla turned to Cairo with a question on her lips. "What's a Jenga? Is it that juice place? Isn't it Jamba or something like that? Oh fuck!" She stopped as she realized how strained his face looked and turned away from him to turn her attention to the stack of supplies. Reaching into the Force she added her own efforts to Cairo's, and soon enough one, then another, then the whole stack came crashing down in one large, and loud crash.

"I hope that's what you meant by jenga," she said as she turned to Cairo, confident that Charlotte would take care of the guards with the distraction, "its that dance exercise thing, right? No wait, that's zumba."

Taking a mental note to figure out exactly what Jenga was, she hoped whatever it was it had involved bringing the supplies down, and not something else. That probably wouldn't help with making the Evil Hot Space Lady less pissed with her being here.

@Valen Pelora @Fine Dining Set

 

[Cairo Kisufi]

She hadn't ever heard of Space Jenga? What the hell kind of prison was she raised in? Nonetheless, she managed to take the cues. The supply stack came toppling down on top of the guards, an effort that would both draw their attention back away from Charlotte and, hopefully, crush a few of them in the scuffle. Because that was the plan, right? Kill all the guards and take their shuttle? Charlotte had been rather vague - like every other senior Sith he had ever met - so Cairo was left to interpret.

"Not quite like Zumba. It's a game, like- you know what? I'll show you sometime." He whispered to Ashla. He...couldn't remember if he had told her not to bring her lightsabers, as they were not meant to obviously be Sith. That was the reason for the cloak-and-dagger nature of this operation. He took his main vibrosword - a long, slender blade - and passed it to his fellow acolyte. This left him with his dagger and blaster pistol, but he felt comfortable with the pair of objects. "I think the shooting'll start soon, right? Let's go help her." In truth, Cairo was eager to see how his fellow acolyte handled herself in combat. He rarely had the opportunity to work alongside his peers, save for the odd, disastrous acolytes-only mission. While he had flubbed his first few combat missions, he attributed that to beginner's bad luck. If Ashla performed better than him, well...he had some competition.

He hoped to catch the guards unaware, to ambush them. To this end, he tried to use a new trick Charlotte had shown him. His aim was to use the Force around him, draw from the Shadow of the Dark Side, all to conceal his presence in the minds of his enemies as they advanced.

This effort failed miserably. In his haste to get to Charlotte, Cairo tried to do this while the blaster was in his hand. Thus, when he raised up his hand to pull the specter of the Dark Side down around him, he accidentally fired a stun bolt straight into the air. Tactically, this achieved the opposite effect of what he had wanted - instead of being stealthy, he had telegraphed to all the guards that there was a teenager with a blaster mere meters away from them.

His only hope was that Ashla wasn't caught in his stupidity.

@Valen Pelora @Wit

 

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

“Not another step!” Charlotte licked her lips behind her mask. “My mother will hear about this.” A few of the guards seemed to laugh and lower their weapons. To them, she was a girl out too late in a funny costume. A woman could get them in considerable trouble but not that much trouble. Their silly faces disappeared when the boxes tumbled. They didn’t even have time to scream. Charlotte’s blades were in her hand before the last box hit the ground. The Darkside poured through her veins brining strength, vitality, and lust. Her Force fueled run quickly carried her into the midst of the remaining Royal Guards. The Hapan noble was dimly aware of the shot fired. Good…Ashla and Cario were doing something.

Her blade burst through the chest of the stunned guard who had been screaming at her. She left it there. Spinning to take the head from another. Charlotte wanted to laugh. The Darkness had full grasp of her mind. A madness only the Sith could understand. A small part of her remained in control…knowing such a display was uncivilized for Hapan society. She spun again as her eyes locked with a Royal Guard charging up the loading ramp. The Force struck out. Taking his legs from under him. Charlotte casually walked towards the man and planted her sword in his spine.

She turned to survey the landing pad. A few Royal Guards confusingly remained. She trusted Ashla and Cairo with mop up duty. Charlotte briefly raised her voice. “Finish up and stash the bodies.” She stalked into the interior of the shuttle. The layout was simple enough. She moved towards the cockpit…one of her chairs was occupied. A twist of the neck allowed her to have a new seat. Charlotte sat down and began to punch in the security codes. Phase one was going well enough…assuming Ashla and Cairo hurried the fuck up. The Darkness gleefully fed on her hunger. She would need to be careful…her energy was not limitless.

@Fine Dining Set @Wit

 

[Ashla Ti]

Following after Cairo with the vibrosword he had offered her in her hand, Ashla was about to take action when Cairo fired a shot into the air, drawing the attention of the guards. Assuming that was part of the plan, maybe to create enough of a ruckus to allow Charlotte to do whatever she needed to do, she pulled out her own blaster and fired off a shot into the air as well.

"All right," she called out as the guards turned towards the source of the sound, "everybody be cool! This is a robbery!"

As one of the guards started to chuckle at the sight of two kids trying to "rob" them, Ashla responded by chucking Cairo's sword straight at the guard. With a subtle touch of the Force guiding its flight, it slammed straight into his chest. As the guard dropped to the ground, his companions were left shocked for a moment, and in that moment she fired off another couple of shots, taking down one more.

"Arms in the air!" She shouted at another guard as she pointed her blaster at him, taking a moment to glance at Cairo to make sure he was doing alright.

@Valen Pelora @Fine Dining Set

 

[Cairo Kisufi]

Oh thank God or the Maker or the Mother Jungle - whatever divine entities existed out there - Ashla had fixed the mess. Cairo didn't intend to fuck up so consistently, it was just like fate had it out for him. All of his cool ideas always got shot down by a fumble. No longer!

Today, Cairo plants his foot in the ground. Today is a day for competence! Cairo strode confidently behind Ashla, pointing his blaster pistol in unison with her, sweeping over the guardsmen. "Yeah, you heard her!" Why would a pair of teenagers try to rob the Royal Guard, while dressed like ninjas? "Drop your weapons and surrender." The two remaining guards were woefully unprepared for the typhoon of violence that this trio of Sith had inflicted. The final two, exhausted and compliant, dropped their weapons and raised their hands. What happened now?

"You're coming with us." Hostages. It was the obvious move. He didn't exactly know how or why hostages were effective, but he knew that people often took hostages, prisoners of war, or captives during the course of warfare. Maybe Charlotte would know what to do with them.

One of the guards seemed to sense the haphazardness of this plan. He shot a look at his companion, and the two seemed to silently agree upon something. Cairo sensed there was something wrong, but...he didn't want to hurt two now-disarmed soldiers for just doing their jobs. "What was that? The look?"

"I'm sorry, a look?" One guard said, incredulously staring back at Cairo and Ashla.

"Yeah, was that like a 'Oh, these kids?' look? Or was it a 'lets kill them when they're not looking' look?"

"What are you talking about, man? Aren't we following your lead?"

Cairo sighed. He would have to be truly imbecilic to let them on as is. "You know what? Fuck you two." He set his blaster to stun, firing off shots at the both of them to knock them unconscious. He hoped Ashla would follow suit. Provided she did, they would have two freshly unconscious soldiers in their care. Cairo squatted to the ground beside them, hoisting one over the shoulder to bring onto the shuttle Charlotte was operating.

They had hostages! Does that matter, though?

@Wit @Valen Pelora

 

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

Charlotte was dimly aware of whatever mess Ashla and Cairo were making. She didn’t much care. Once Cairo, Ashla and the cargo were aboard she flicked the loading ramp closed. Silence engulfed the shuttle. With deft movements she lifted the shuttle off its struts and into the air. The transponder blasting the necessary codes. A small blip appeared on her nav as they ascended into the air. The Queen Mother’s Battle Dragon…the Indominable. She slept each night in the dragoon. Ensconced in her power. Charlotte had outlined a plausible plan to Stolas, but this was much easier. Board the Indominable…kill the Queen…and take power. Charlotte flew in silence for a few moments. Her thought gathered as the Darkness raged within.

Shortly, a voice came over the com. “Identify.” Charlotte knew the passcode form the key. “Flower. Raindrop. Petal.” A brief crackle. “Docking tube 7.” She quickly responded. “Roger.” Relief flooded over her. The hardest part was over. Getting to the dragoon had always been her greatest concern. Charlotte pulled alongside the gleaming vessel. Wind whipped and seals hissed until the shuttle was resting comfortably. She marched back to Ashla and Cairo. Her eyes met the hostages. “Awesome.” The noble rolled her eyes. “You just had to bring friends.” She shook her head. “We’re docked against the Queen Mother’s Battle Dragon…once we enter…there is no going back.” Charlotte looked at both of them. The fire in eyes was unmistakable. She needed this. “Come on.”

Charlotte headed to the docking tube. Once Ashla and Cairo were with her she would push the button to open the tube. It was now or never. Her hand rested over the switch. “The Queen Mother’s quarter are at the center of the ship. Once we get our bearings we must head straight there.” One…two…three…open.

@Fine Dining Set @Wit

 

[Cairo Kisufi]

Cairo sat silently as the flight began. He sensed her building rage, forming into the spearhead which she would use to pierce the Queen Mother's heart. He wondered what his own status would be, if they succeeded. Would Charlotte still need him as an acolyte? She seemed sort of single-minded, entirely focused on creating Hapes as her domain. She had promised power and prestige if he remained at her side. Now, he was beginning to sense that time was nearing. They were closing on the final act.

"They're going to be useful, I swear." An idea came to him. If they were landing in the heart of Hapan power, they needed a moment to explore the ship. A way to buy time before their appearances were immediately compromised. "I'll get you two some time and try to collect some information. Sneak out after I leave?" He quickly got undressed in the back of the shuttle, undressing one of the guards as well. No shame! He put the guard's armor on himself. It was a little too big, but he could sell it. With a mighty heave, he hefted the other guardsman over his shoulders into a fireman's carry. When Charlotte pressed the button, he sprinted out of the walkway onto the dock itself. He clocked the guards, the dockworkers, the administrators, the general bustle of activity within the cargo bay of the battle dragon. Showtime.

He put on his strongest voice of concern as he reached the bottom of the shuttle's ramp. "Help! Help! We need a medic - someone call a medic!" Within moments, another pair of guards appeared with a hover-stretcher. The commotion was met with order - the battle dragon had a rapid response unit prepared for just such an occasion.

"I don't know what happened to him, just when we were landing he collapsed..." Cairo generously used the Force to help sell his little lie, probing at the minds of the guards to make his charade all the more convincing. When Cairo walked off with the guards, the general commotion around their shuttle went with him. It would, hopefully, provide an opening for Ashla and Charlotte to sneak out and see the ship for themselves.

@Wit @Valen Pelora

 

[Ashla Ti]

While Cairo pondered on his role in the future, Ashla was staring inspecting one of the crates they had loaded as part of their cover. Inside she found all sorts of oddities, whips, weirdly shaped tubes of plastic, and handcuffs wrapped in fluffy cloth. If she had heard the reaction on the comms when Charlotte had shared the code she might had understood what purpose this trip normally served, though given her vast experience in such matter, i.e. her utter and complete lack of experience, it was probably going to be lost on her even then.

On a whim she picked up the fluffy handcuffs and tucked them away in her utility belt before returning to the others, who knew when you had to restrain someone. Exchanging a glance with Charlotte at Cairo's proclamation of buying them some time, she shrugged and stepped back to let the other acolyte run off to do whatever he needed to do. He returned soon after dressed in a guard uniform, and Ashla wondered whose job it was going to be to find the naked guard lying in the back of the shuttle.

Smiling slightly as she saw his plan play out, she slipped out into the Dragon's hangar, and with most of the attention on Cairo and his unconscious friend, she managed to slip behind a console. Unfortunately that brought her face to face with a woman who was fixing something behind that very console. "Fuck." That was all the reaction she managed to get out before her body reacted on its now, an instinctive punch lashing out and docking the woman in the jaw. She slid to the floor, unconscious.

Giving Charlotte a quick glance, she pulled out the handcuffs and held it up in front of her, dangling the fluffy pink contraption in front of her. "Don't worry," she said as she slapped one end of the cuffs onto the unconscious woman's arm, "I've got this under control." She slipped the other cuff onto a railing on the console's upper edge, and left the unconscious woman propped with her back against the console. That just so happened to be when a turbolift door not a dozen feet from them dinged in warning as its doors started to open.

@Valen Pelora @Fine Dining Set

 

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

Charlotte would have laughed as Cairo rushed by. She still smiled…but the Darkness was in full control. Charlotte Le’Anna was a dimming memory as something else seized her mind. For the first time in her life, Charlotte gave herself completely to the Darkside. It was changing her. But even this newfound mindset had limits. She snorted in laughter at the fuzzy pink handcuffs. “Well, what are those.” Maybe that was why Cairo had invited Ashla. Sadly, they weren’t given much time to explore that odd production. The lift dinged and her senses spiked warning. Her voice pitched. “Get us a map off that console…we just need to find the center of the ship.” One deep breath to let the Darkness in. “I’ll be waiting.” Her vibroblades slipped from their homes.

Her eyes faintly growing yellow. The door dinged open to reveal a handful of royal guards. Charlotte was running towards them before the doors ever opened. They looked at her in unison. One had time for a startled “Hey!” before being slammed with the Force. It burst from her hand to hammer the guards against the back of the lift. No red lightsabers…no lightning…and there would be nothing to mark her as Sith.

She used the confusion to buy herself time to close the rest of the distance. Charlotte was in the lift with them, her blades found purchase one, twice, three time. The tight space made it difficult, and she took a painful blow to the back, then a kick to the knee. Fuck. The Hapan noble fed her suffering to the Darkside. The Force happily gobbling up her pain. Ashla better hurry up. Charlotte spun and struck out again, blood sprayed across her face, the sweet tangy iron soaking through her mask. Another punch to the kidneys…ugh.

@Wit @Fine Dining Set

 

[Ashla Ti]

Ashla slipped around the console and started typing, working her way through the security systems as Charlotte headed off to deal with the guards in the turbolift. She did her best to keep herself from glancing towards the sounds of combat she could hear from the turbolift.

Thankfully it didn't take long, and the moment she had the ship's schematic and a path to the Queen Mother's quarters she turned and moved towards the turbolift. She started running, and on seeing Charlotte taking hits she picked up speed, the Force flowing through her to strengthen her as she barreled shoulder first into one of the guards. Her momentum was enough to push the guard onto another and the trio of guards and Togruta slammed into the far side of the turbolift.

Tangled with the guards, she would not be able to get to her feet immediately, but she knew she had to help Charlotte, so she did the next best thing. She reached out with the Force and pushed a button. The turbolift doors slammed shut and it shot upwards. The sudden movement caught a couple of the guards by surprise, making them sway and move away, hopefully buying Charlotte the opening she needed to finish them off.

Able to untangle herself from the mess of bodies, Ashla reached out through the Force and sent a message to Cairo, simply and to the point. Up! The schematics had shows that the Queen Mother's quarters were two levels above them, which was where the turbolift was taking them.

@Valen Pelora @Fine Dining Set

 

[Cairo Kisufi]

Cairo broke off from the medics carrying the soldier up, stepping out of the turbo lift just as they went up. Right before the chaos began. He flipped his sight back towards Ashla and Charlotte after abandoning the group of guardsmen. It was just in time for Cairo to notice Ashla's message - he looked up himself. His turbolift had just left, though; he'd have to find another way up.

A fan churned above him, signaling a ventilation system. Perfect. He checked around him to make sure all attention on their floor was absorbed by Charlotte and Ashla in their whirlwind of fury before gathering the Force into his feet to leap into the vent. HE narrowly passed by the spinning blades of the fan that guarded the vent's entrance, but once he was in, he was safe. It was just large enough for him to narrowly crouch in. And impossibly dark.

He ignited the headlamps on his stolen Royal Guardsman uniform and began to crawl through the ventilation shaft, crawling towards the path it followed to the higher level. At a certain point, the slope became so steep that he had to swap from crawling to flat-out climbing. A difficult, slow maneuver to make without causing an impossible amount of noise.

It was worth it. Now, Cairo could be an additional unknown quantity, an assassin in an air conditioning duct. Their plan would be flawless.

@Wit @Valen Pelora

 

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

Heavy breaths sounded in the lift. Charlotte sucked in air to clear the pain from her stomach. Ashla had saved her life. The Acolyte throwing her body into the lift had been enough distraction to allow Charlotte to finish her gruesome work. The lift was painted with blood…the space silent save for the breaths of the Sith…for nothing else lived. Her face vibroblades dripped blood onto the durasteel. The wounded noble continued to breath heavily. “Thank you.” Her bloodlust beat in her ears but just as Charlotte faithfully served Andruil, she knew she could not succeed alone. A hint of the message Ashla sent Cairo crossed her mind. Ah…they were close then. “This is it.” By swift violence alone the alarms had not gone off. That would not last much longer.

The lift doors dinged and opened to reveal the massive chambers of the Queen Mother. They nearly consumed an entire level. Charlotte breathed in the last of her power, smashing the control pad as she stepped out. A dozen royal guards turned to look in surprise. That was when the alarm bells started ringing. A dozen blasters were raised in unison and once elderly voice cut through the noise. Chume Lerta Al’Ghon sat at a small desk looking at them. Safely behind her guard. She held a hand to stay the attack. “Oh my…it has been ages since anyone made it this far.” Charlotte stepped farther into the room. “That’s far enough dear…my loyal subjects will get that lift working soon enough…we can chat while you await execution.”

A sickly old smile crossed the Queen Mother’s face. “Unless you’d prefer, I kill you now. Come on show me your face.” Charlotte removed her mask and bowed. “Your majesty.” Lerta laughed high and loud. “Oh Charlotte, I knew you had ambitions but such violence. My my my, no wonder your mother passed so suddenly.” The Queen Mother clapped her hand together. “You must tell me how you’ve done this…prolong your life a little.” Charlotte was happy to oblige. Her mind flicked toward Cairo. “Hurry…need…surprise.” She was dimly aware of her apprentice moving towards them. They hopefully had one last trick up their sleeve.

@Wit @Fine Dining Set

 

[Cairo Kisufi]

Left with only a vibroknife, pistol, and the Royal Guard's armor, one would think that there was little Cairo could do against a dozen armed guards. Well, those people would be wrong. Cairo crawled through the ventilation tunnels, occasionally glancing out of the ducts to see soldiers gathered. He felt the pull of his would-be Queen, Charlotte, and Ashla ahead. He was almost in position.

He used the Force to lighten his steps, spread apart the impact of their sound, so that none of the people below could easily hear him. It was a skill he had subconsciously practiced over the years, using his natural connection to the Dark Side to muffle his footsteps. It made him a skilled pickpocket. Now, it would help him as an assassin.

He found an opening, but it was...not with the group. He had taken the slow route, and while the lift sent the pair straight to her chambers, Cairo was left to crawl directly up from the hangar into the pulse mass mine launching bay. He would have continued his crawl up, but he felt a message from Charlotte. She needed a surprise.

He'd have to work from here. There would be only one opportunity to make a difference. From his vantage point, he saw a mine being moved across the room by two soldiers. To load the large, space bound mines, they needed to individually haul each mine to its appropriate cannon. It was a task often left to droids, but...these two guards were unlucky today. They were far, but with his pistol, Cairo could maybe do something. Maybe find a way to cause a big enough 'surprise' that the trio could take advantage of.

He lined up, to the best of his ability, his pistol, its snub nose pressing out between the grates of the vent, as he waited for the guards to push the explosives into the right position. When they were in front of the window at the opposite end of the hall, he fired.

The tiny, cherry red bolt of plasma sailed quickly to its target, the mine. It was a massive explosive on its own, yes, but its greatest strength was its gravity field. When exploded in space, it could lock a ship's hyperdrive down with its gravity field. If it was activated on a ship in atmosphere?

Well, they'd just have to see, wouldn't they?

The mine's initial reaction was an explosion. The bolt struck the detonator, causing the whole thing to prematurely set off. The two guards handling it were vaporized in the blast The ship shuddered, damaged, as the ship's alarm system blared.

However, the first detonator was just the primer for the real bomb. As the explosion expanded, it suddenly, violently contracted - sucking the mass of the ship itself to its position. The ship would instantly, violently come to a stop, as the normal yellow wash of light was replaced by dark, red emergency lighting. The queen would soon receive a message that the ship had experienced structural damage enough that they needed to land. That is, if she survived the moment. The sudden explosion and stop of the ship would send everyone who wasn't braced down flying across the floor. Hopefully, that would be enough of a distraction for the pair to utilize.

Meanwhile, downstairs, the ship was beginning to tear itself asunder. The gravity field that the mine had created ripped everything that wasn't already bolted down, dragging them all to the edge of the ship where it was activated. Cairo's own ventilation tube was pulled through the wall, flying towards the now-shattered windowsill where the mine had gone off. He braced himself in the ventilation shaft as the metal cylinder slammed against the wall.

@Wit @Valen Pelora

 

[Ashla Ti]

Ashla stepped out of the turbolift after Charlotte, taking note of the guards, ready to fight, but waiting for the champion to give the signal, or make the first move. As the Queen-Mother and Charlotte spoke, Ashla took slow steps, moving out from behind Charlotte to stand a little to the side, both to avoid giving the guards clustered targets to hit, and to prevent the two Sith from getting in each other's way.

That was when Cairo's surprise showed up, and the explosion that rocked the ship shook the royal chamber as well. The guards, not expecting it like the Sith were, did not react in time. They were sent to their feet, only a couple managing to stay on their feet, though even they could not keep their weapons aimed at the Sith. In that moment Ashla sprang forward, even without the Force moving with a speed and grace that only came with years and years of training. The blade that Cairo had given her flew from her hand, straight for the neck of one of the standing guards, while her left hand went up to point towards the other guard. He was gripped in a telekinetic grip and as Ashla's arm swung to the side the guard went flying, sweeping through a few of the other guards who were in the process of regaining their footing, sending them crashing back to the floor.

And then she was among them, both of her own vibroblades drawn, cutting and hacking through any guard that threatened to rise to face them. A blaster bolt hit, fired off at random by one of the guards, caught her in the arm and she instinctively rolled, letting the blade in that arm from as she let the momentum of the shot guide her body. Coming to a stop on a knee, she rolled forward as the guard took another shot, moving towards him and coming up with an arm extended forward, blade now buried in the would be hero's chest.

@Valen Pelora @Fine Dining Set