Stakeouts Never Work Out

[Varyn Rask]

Varyn had been busy lately. People said that you need a five year plan, but in the Sith, that was more like a five month plan. Varyn owed this in large part to the short lifespans of your average Sith, and while he didn't plan to be dead in a year, one just never knew.

He'd been hard at work to put together a five month plan and a five year plan, and part of that was here tonight. He had roped another Sith into the job, and it was no accident that it was her. The name had come from a friend of a friend as a potentially "likeminded" person. Tonight was at least in part to determine if that was true.

He was sitting in the back of a very large speeder, parked along the loading and unloading zone of one of Coruscant's more expensive districts. The reason for it was simple: he wanted to listen in on one of the offices. He was a traitor as far as Varyn was concerned and had undermined the Venatori. Most Sith may not have cared much, but the business deals this one had been involved in were enough to mark him for death.

A small laser listening device provided the two Sith with audio into the office, and Varyn was merely looking for proof... and wanting to see how his partner would react if and when they found it.

 

[Darth Inheris]

As she stepped out of her transport and began the walk down to her rendezvous, Saorise breathed in deep. This was the part of Coruscant she'd been meaning to see more of, but her family, to tied up in the ins and outs of Kuati politics, trying and failing to raise the family profile back at home to ever make real trips to the capital. If they couldn't recognise that one night in a place like this could do more for them then a decade at home she didn't know what to say. Not that she'd let them know of her presence abroad. No, from what she understood this was something a little more interesting interdynastic dealings.

She couldn't help but seek it out. Not if it turned out to be true.

So far it seemed as if it was. The speeder was in location, her coordinates were correct. She kept her eyes looking about, darting across the street, into windows and down alleys. If there were to be surprises tonight then she wasn't going to be one caught on the end of them. She far preferred springing them on others, if she could help it. And she always did. But either way she was keeping he guard up for now. The contact was intriguing, but she didn't dare take anything for granted.

Passing the speeder she rapped lightly on the rear door, keeping her eyes scanning the street. She was ready for what the night would bring.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

A flicker of movement caught Varyn's eye on one of the cameras that was set up along the street. That must have been her. A moment later, the sound of knuckles rapping lightly on the door reached his ears and he swung around to reach for the handle. HIs saber hilt - while it wasn't far from hand - was not out, but he was alert nonetheless. He had a good feeling about her - or as good of a feeling as he did about anyone - but he knew dangerously little about her, and that bothered him.

Saorise? he asked, moving back so that she could enter the speeder. It was cramped, but there was enough room for both of them. Varyn, he said just after he closed the door and took his seat. He didn't excel at elaborate greetings, but at least it would get the two of them going.

He slid a datapad across to her that had a com channel on it that she could tap into in order to listen in on their little laser eavesdropping device. A glance at his chrono revealed that the meeting he wanted her here for would be starting in the next five minutes, which meant she was right on time. Perfect.

While the young assassin was recording the meeting to gain evidence, he had a pretty good idea of what he was going to be hearing tonight. If all went as expected, this would inevitably turn into an assassination, but more than that, he was interested in how she would react to the events unfolding.

Crackles began on the com a moment later and two voices could be heard inside. The audio wasn't perfect, but it sounded as though things were starting off with a customary greeting before business began. And how are operations going? voice number one asked.

As expected. The locals were resistant to the new mining operation, but the village was removed. They won't be a problem anymore, a second voice replied. From the tones, it sounded like two worked for one, and Varyn had a pretty good idea that this was true already.

There's a mass grave... you probably don't want all the details, he said. Varyn cast a sideways glance to Saorise, wondering if there would be any reaction. After all, she didn't know what she was walking into or who she was walking into it with.

 

[Darth Inheris]

"That's me" she replied to figure in the rear of the landspeeder, stepping in and joining him on a seat across from him. Their meeting would be close it seemed, there was little space in the rear, but clearly they weren't expecting anymore guests. No, she and Varyn would be alone tonight it seemed, though as he introduced himself and slid over the datapad, her curiousity piqued,

"Pleasure. Can't say I'm familiar though" she replied, placing the earpiece in place and connecting. She herself wasn't one for oversharing either, but it seemed that whatever this was would do the talking anyway,

"Family connections I might know?" she was trying to feel it out, perhaps that even would have been too personal a question, but such were the circles she had moved in that it was their she felt most comfortable beginning. That was what one did at an event or other, if you didn't recognise the name you went for the family. Not something she appreciated actually, but one got so used to things like that it could be hard to shake. They had some time though before a whir in their ears meant whatever they were here for was about to show, and the voices on the other end began.

The mention of the mass grave made her brow furrow, that's what Varyn would see as he glanced across. This situation had many mysteries, but if what she was hearing was true then she had found herself among dangerous company it seemed. She wasn't phased, not just yet, but she was keeping her eyes and ears open. Saorise placed a finger to her ear, she wanted to hear everything,

"But we want the details I imagine. And more besides" she queried Varyn. He'd wanted her to hear this though, that much was clear. She was testing him just as much as he was her, both sizing eachother up. For her part, she wanted to hear everything, she was one for having as much information as possible before acting. And right now that meant both on their apparent targets and her new companion.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

Sometimes Varyn thought he should have been a member of the Old Empire. The hierarchy and rule of the strong was certainly appealing in some ways. He was never one for the brutality of the old ways and he found their embracing of the Dark Side to be crude and unoriginal, but they didn't have the politics to endure.

Unlikely, he said when she asked about family connections. His parents were unknowns or long gone, but his master had been Lord Ralas, as close to a father figure as he'd had, but he was dead now too. Varyn had few connections anymore apart from those he was trying to build... which probably meant he shouldn't be so closed off, and yet here he was.

He was going to ask her something similar, but before he could, the meeting began. He noted her furrowed brow and he gave a small nod. More details would be good, but for the most part, Varyn had technically gotten what he wanted: incriminating evidence. It was enough to justify his murder to the rest of his people, but he wanted it to be enough for her. And no doubt, she wanted to see how he would react as well.

When can we move to set up the operation? the leader asked, I want those mines opened by the end of the week.

We'll have it done, said the second voice. With the locals out of the way, the mines should be back on schedule within three days.

Very good. Dismissed and keep me updated, he said and then the conversation was over. Varyn could slightly make out the shuffling sound of papers, but there was no more conversation.

What do you think? he asked, looking over at his partner. Most Sith wouldn't think twice about murdering a village to get resources for the Empire. Varyn knew that sometimes killing was a necessity, but massacres were a last resort. Something told him that these two hadn't exhausted all options. @Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

Saorise listened closely, following every word of the meeting, though it seemed so businesslike, so mechanical as the two were done so soon, whatever works they'd just completed discussed and dismissed in moments. Was it like that they'd signed the order to 'deal with' those imperial citizens?

As the sounds of the meeting faded away to little more than shuffling paper, her eyes darted across to Varyn as he asked her what she thought, and she only had one idea,

"We should go in there" assuming Varyn was of the same mind, she'd exit the speeder and look up the and down the street, trying to identify the building they were listening in on, it couldn't be far,

"How did you know about this?" she asked back at Varyn. The street was hardly well lit, force, it was hardly lit at all. Probably explained why they had chosen to stakeout there, but it threw her off now, trying to orient herself again after coming out of the speeder. Instead she took a breath, reached out with the force, trying to seek out the pair she'd been listening to, though if Varyn knew then she'd let him take the lead.

Saorise had to see more.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

Varyn gave a nod as she mentioned they should go in. She was correct to assume that he agreed. He wanted these ones dead, but he was still unsure if he could admit as much to her yet. He moved to the back of the speeder as well, exiting into the cool night air as she asked how he knew about this place. It had been passed onto him by a fellow Venatori. In fact, it was a member of the group they were hunting now. A member of the leadership that had been responsible for the death of Varyn's master and now strayed far from the path. He just needed proof, and now he had it.

There are some of us who don't approve of actions like this. We work to protect Imperial citizens, he said, offering up a bread crumb. The Venatori had lost a great deal of the prestige, membership, and influence they had enjoyed a hundred years ago, but they weren't completely unknown. Whether she would pick up on who they were exactly, merely express interest in such a group, or feel they were complete fools remained to be seen.

He made his way to the entrance and pressed a keycard to the pad. It was obtained at an earlier date by lining the pockets of one of the building's janitors. He knew that one of their targets - the leader - would still be in the office, but even Varyn wasn't sure where the other had gone... or who he was. Perhaps they would find clues in the office.

He pulled his saber free from his belt and moved inside, making his way to the stairs and coming to the office. He'll be inside. We can find his partner later, he said, waiting for her to indicate she was ready before bursting into the office and confronting the Sith Crusader. @Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

Coming in alongside Varyn as he unlocked the lower door, that he already had the keycard in his possession, and his comment on her question got her mind working. Any such avenging groups were long disregarded by many members of the Empire, though that didn't mean they weren't still around. Whether that was due to simply collective memory or something a little more enforced be couldn't be sure. But from his words it was clear that he didn't often work alone for such missions, so he was no vigilante. There was yet more to this than she knew, but she intended to find out,

"Are 'we' testing me now?" she replied as they edged up the stairs, lightsabers at the ready. It was not always a common sight for Saorise to draw her blade, she kept it close but more than not it worked as simply a threat. But she mirrored her companion for now, keeping it firmly in her hand, as if ready and willing to use it. If the man was in there that meant there'd be holos and datapads too, all they would need to follow up on this if the man wasn't willing to cooperate. And even if he was, sometimes you got the best things from what they couldn't share themselves,

"Right. The boss is the focus, and whatever data he might have inside would be worth salvaging" she whispered in reply. The choice made, it seemed time to breach, and find out exactly who this person was that had consigned so many citizens to death. She was more than a little curious, but she knew the Empire did a great number of things in the shadows that so many would consider beyond the pale. People, it seemed, like those Varyn was part of.

People she intended to know more of. Though being here today, she'd have her chance. For now though, the man inside was all that mattered.

With a flick of her wrist she gestured at the door, time to go.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

Varyn glanced over at her as she asked if they were testing her. In part, yes, that was what this was. An interview and audition that went both directions. "We" had a job to do, and thought you might be likeminded, he said, not quite offering out a full explanation, but she would get the idea. It paid to be cautious, and she would understand that.

He nodded quietly in agreement with her. They would find the information later, but their priority was the boss-man, a high-up in the Venatori who had betrayed them. She flicked her wrist and he hit the door controls, stepping inside with his saber in hand.

The Sith looked up from the datapad on his desk, stiffening immediately. Varyn, I thought you died along with Ralas, the man said, clearly recognizing the Sith assassin immediately. Moreover, he'd named Varyn's Sith Lord, a name that Saorise might actually recognize.

And you've brought a friend. Tell me, what did he promise you? A spot high up in the Venatori? he asked, actually stating the name aloud. He was giving away all the spicy details, it seemed. @Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

And so things came together for her. As they burst into the room the man took quite a shock, spitting out more than enough for Saorise to put things together. A Sith Lord, and a secret society, what more could she have asked to know. Varyn was a man of many interesting secrets it seemed, secrets she was being pulled into by the minute. All power to her then, she didn't exactly want to take the time to process it right now, not when the man addressed her so directly,

"I didn't need a promise, not once I heard what you'd done" her voice was calm, collected in contrast to the mans blurting out. As for the Venatori, well, she found herself alongside them now, from all she knew for the right reasons. Perhaps there was something to that, a position within. But that conversation would have to come after. For now, the man was their sole focus,

"Still think you'll be able to enjoy those profits after this?" she teased, taking a step forward to the mans left, coming in diagonally to his desk. The space wasn't large, an office, little more. He was surrounded, with little room to maneuvre or escape. If he was smart he'd give up what he could, hope for mercy. And from the feeling in the room it seemed like he'd need it. If it was true that he thought Varyn dead alongside Ralas, then it seemed clear enough to her that this wasn't exactly a group of people who traded in it normally. And from she heard, she doubt he deserved it anyhow. Papers were scattered round the office,a computer, datapads. There'd be information here for days, he'd need something kriffing good in order to see the end of this, Saorise had no doubt.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

The man's lip turned up into what could only be described as a sneer at her response. It was a smile that had no warmth or joy to it at all, more a mockery than anything else. Then you'll die along the rest of them, he said. The Force seemed to flash for a moment and suddenly the desk he was sitting behind was launching at Saorise with surprising force.

Varyn's saber leapt to life and he brought it up just as the Crusader closed the distance with him, delivering a savage blow downward with his own now active saber. The blow was heavy and harsh, nearly causing Varyn's strength to buckle for a moment before he stepped to the side. The blade swung around again with surprising speed and he narrowly evaded it. He could only hope that Saorise had recovered and wasn't dead, leaving her the chance to come in from the other side. Varyn was a skilled duelist, but this man had at least another fifteen years of experience on him, and he was concerned that while perhaps he could hold his own, he wouldn't be able to win out alone. @Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

In no mood for any games, the man flung his desk straight toward her and leapt upon her companion. She had only seconds to react, igniting her lightsaber in a flash as she swiped it downwards at the oncoming desk, bisecting it on the bubbling plasma and letting it split around her. She had to turn her body quick to avoid the sides falling into her, but his initial attack had been deflected if nothing else. It seemed though he would be a match for the two of them, even alone.

However, with his focus on Varyn, Saorise got an opportunity to strike. Taking a quick pair of steps forward, Saorise went for a precise blow at the bottom of the mans spine with her blade, an awkward spot for him to move to block. It wouldn't kill him outright though, disable certainly.

Or, so she had hoped. While her flashing blade managed to puncture through the mans flesh, he wouldn't go down so easily it seemed, whipping his own lightsaber around at her arm in an attempt to cut it off. Rapidly she pullled back her blade. Her attack succeeded, but the mans blade managed to bite at her arm, cutting right through and leaving a gash right up her arm.

His wound was far worse though, he wouldn't stay on his feet much longer.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

Varyn was glad to see that Saorise was not dead. In part because he didn't want her to die, but perhaps even more selfishly, because her being alive meant that he had a better chance of not dying. Was that a completely selfish motivation? Probably, but it was also basic human instinct. And not only was she alive, she was moving in for the kill already. Within moments, he smelled burning flesh in the air, and knew that someone had been wounded. Actually, not just "somebody" but two somebodies.

Both warrior had taken a blow, but their enemy was far worse for wear. As the Crusader's blade swung back around to catch Ms. Kallig, Varyn struck. His blade was now free from his opponent's, and his hands - at both ends of his saber - quickly leveraged the blade around. His left hand at the bottom came free and allowed his right wrist to flick downward. Just as the man's arm was outstretched to strike the other Acolyte, Varyn's blade caught the arm just below the elbow, cleaving cleanly through it.

To his credit, the man they fought was determined. Maybe it was the desperation of a cornered animal or the Dark Side itself that drove him, but his entire body suddenly rippled with the Force, unleashing a blast that - despite quickly erecting a barrier - pummeled Varyn back and sent him flying against the far wall. The air felt as if it had been knocked from his lungs, but he didn't think anything was broken.

While the Venatori didn't customarily embrace the Dark Side, Varyn couldn't deny the hint of fascination with it. It was capable of amazing feats of power, and the one the Crusader had just demonstrated was no exception. You Vermin, he spat the words with disdain. I will be on the Council some day, but you... you'll be crushed like a pawn under someone's boot heel. It was the type of insults that were designed to get under one's skin - Dun Moch - and each one was laced with doubt planted in the mind with the Force. A cruel trick designed to convince an enemy to attack recklessly. Varyn found himself having to call on all of his training to remain steady in hand.

 

[Darth Inheris]

Despite his wounds the man was still fighting on, an impressive feat, she couldn't deny it. That it meant he could still pull enough of himself together to try and fight off the pair was perhaps a little more disheartening though. The wounds he had taken should have meant he was downed that much faster, and yet his skill with the dark side kept him pushing through it, taking all that hate and pain and sending it back into the force. And he felt hate, Saorise could be certain of that, his words were contemptuous, callous, but they kept him alive.

Saorise had to throw up a quick defence in order to stay on her feet, the man had skill and power on his side, especially in an aggressive state like that, though how long it could last she didn't know. She had heard stories of Sith surviving the worst of wounds through their disdain, through their hate for it and their enemies. Whether this man had that within him, well, she certainly hoped not.

It was a quick fight, but the attacks from their foe were strong, and quickly wearing them out. And if his words were trying to get them to lash out, then she would do that. Somewhat. With the force she could conjure she grabbed the mans neck and tried to swiftly twist it to break it. Whether she had the power on her own, she doubted, but if she didn't want to take the risk of him taking the upper hand while the two of them held back.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

Varyn pushed himself back up to his feet, and he could almost hear Lord Ralas's words in his mind. "Look for your opening, and use it." For the briefest moment, the world seemed to slow down, as the assassin looked for his opportunity to strike. Their foe was powerful, far more so than either of the two alone, but he was still bound by this world. He was bound by the Force.

When his partner gripped him, he saw his chance. He lunged forward aggressively, but not without
care. He was distracted by her grip, and pushed back, centering his aggression against her, and he took that as his chance. He swung his saber in, catching him in the hip, which was enough to distract his defense. He blasted Varyn back once more - this time weaker - but for just a moment, he neglected his defenses. The other Sith's grip had its day and crushed the man's throat, causing him to reach up and grasp his throat. He was being throttled to death, and the life slipped out of him.

Just like that, it was over. The body of their enemy lay on the ground, and Varyn hurt. He could already feel the bruises forming as a result of being thrown around the room, but it wasn't anything that wouldn't heal. He knew what a fracture felt like, and this wasn't it.

Good... work, he said with a breath that came slightly more difficult than he expected. He pushed himself up again and limped over toward the desk, loosening up the muscles that were now protesting and seizing with each step. Welcome to he Venatori? he said, one part question and one part statement. Of course it was her option and no doubt she would have questions, but she was involved now, no matter what her choice was. @Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

Saorise felt the snap of the mans neck, the bones crushing beneath her force grip. Whoever that man had been, and he had been an enemy, not just hers but many's, was no more. They'd brought him down, though not without effort. She would have laughed a little if she was alone, if she was honest with herself she had been worried for a moment there. That their enemy would have known so much more, that they could have been so much more, without her ever having known.

Both her and Varyn were worse for wear, nothing though that time wouldn't heal. Or a little bacta.

For now though, she pulled herself back up and over to him as he climbed back onto his feet. She'd found her way into matters she had not before tonight even known about, let alone expected to be within. But now, as Varyn extended his words in an offer, it was one she only had a single answer for.,

"Glad to be aboard" she said, her lips forming a grin. He was right though, she would have questions, many upon many. That said, they still had a body in front of them and an office to search and escape. So, for now anyway, one thing at a time. Either way, she found herself among some very interesting company.

@Phoenix

Spoiler: OOC

/Endthread? Unless we'd like to have them chat a bit, I'm open to either