The Lawless

[Rhea]

After the business on Vrogas Vas, Rhea once again set off on her mission to bring Leviticus a gift that would make her worthy of the Exile's trust. He had followers. He had a base. Now he needed a means to transport his assets about the galaxy, quickly and reliably, to see his objectives met; and, to that end, he needed a ship. Her own clunker of a freighter would not do, but anything that would do would cost a fair bit of credits. And where better to go for credits than Serenno?

Serenno was one of the wealthiest planets in the galaxy. Along with Scipio and Muunilist, it was where one went if they wished to confer with some of the galaxy's upper echelon and procure credits—legally or illegally. Rhea was uncertain whether she would find what she needed here, especially given the planet's overall stance against Force-sensitives, but if she wanted to see her plans reach fruition, she would need to try. Unfortunately, her plans were beset from the moment her ship touched down in the spaceport in the city of Fiyarro.

Given recent incidents throughout the galaxy—such as on Alderaan, Tatooine, and Jakku—of Force-sensitives causing mass deaths and outright chaos, Serenno had stepped up its inspection process. Two guards awaited Rhea as she stepped off the landing ramp of her ship; their guns were raised, but she did not allow that to phase her. She had a job to do—powerful beings to seek out—and she could not risk her plans being foiled by customs officials. So, as she passed them by, she ever-so-slightly motioned with her fingers. Through the Force, both guards were seized around the neck, preventing them from screaming or calling for help, as they struggled to breathe. By the time she had left the landing pad, both were dead.

@Clayton

 

[Arno Coates]

Trap? Yeah, most likely a trap. The force-sensitive couldn't have been more obvious about it unless she left the two guards impaled on still-active lightsabers. Arno had watched the security footage several times before setting out through the spaceport in search of the murderer. This person had also left the bodies in plain view. Who does that? Arno would have preferred to wait with the ship she came in on and set a trap for her but there was no telling who else she would kill while on the planet. He sighed. Just what the hell?

He'd been showing a still to people, seeing if they'd seen the person and was pointed in the direction of a banking district. Phenomenal. Just what Serenno needed, a murderer there. Arno doubled back as he passed a side-alley, a flicker of movement caught his eye on a fire escape. Someone was climbing up. Now that was unusual. People typically climbed down. He decided to follow, entirely aware that this was probably a bad idea. If it turned out to be just some kid looking for a place to smoke, then, well...at least he'd have a vantage point. Arno hustled down the alleyway to the metal ladder and began to climb. His rifle bounced against his butt as he did so.

 

[Rhea]

She had been to careless in pursuit of her goals. She had not been patient; and, now, someone was looking for her. She could sense danger, hear the footsteps on the fire escape leading to where she lay in wait. She would need to make this quick. Gathering the Force around her as a storm around its eye, she waited in the shadows on the far end of the rooftop. Her lightsabers were concealed up each of her sleeves, where they could slide into her palms at a moment's notice; but she hoped it would not come to that. Lightsabers would draw attention; she needed to end this with the Force.

Her power built as she waited. She kept her eyes on where the fire escape ladder ended, waiting for a head to appear. Rhea would not make the same mistake twice. This time, she would be patient—a serpent stalking her prey. And when her prey left the ladder and was too far onto the roof to make a sufficient escape... then she would strike.

@Clayton

 

[Arno Coates]

It was impossible to climb fire escape ladders without making any noise. Whoever was up there probably had an idea that he was coming. Ah well, you didn't always get dealt the best cards. He halted just before reaching the lip of the roof and quickly popped his head up just in case somebody was waiting to give him a swift kick. Nobody was there. Arno swiftly clambered up onto the roof and unslung the carbine from his shoulder. He cradled it in his hands while he scanned the rooftop. He thought he could see a figure in the shadows of some piping.

Arno adjusted his grip on the carbine, ready to bring to bear on the figure at a moment's notice. "Royal Serenno Forces, identify yourself!" he barked. He couldn't quite make the person out...he thought it looked like the suspect but it was hard to say. Arno took several steps forward in order to get a better view. His boots crunched on the gravel roof, and he hoped this person wasn't the suspect. Gravel sucked to take a spill on.

 

[Rhea]

The movement Rhea made could only be described as a twitch. Extending two fingers from her left hand towards the ground, she twitched, curling them inward towards her as if beckoning something unseen. In reality, she was calling upon the invisible powers of the Force with the intent to snatch the man's carbine out of his hands, hurling it across the roof and out his reach.

If she was successful, she would stretch out her right hand, curling her fingers as though she was wrapping them around an invisible windpipe (which, in a sense, was precisely what she was doing). Through the Force, she would aim to strangle him, cutting off his air-supply, and quietly kill him—as she had the others—before he could call for help.

@Clayton

 

[Rhea]

In the end, the Royal Security Officer offered no resistance. Rhea closed her hand into a tight fist, smashing his windpipe. He was dead before he hit the ground. The silence of his death meant that she was safe from discovery for the moment... But the fact that he had come looking for her made her presence on Serenno a liability she could no longer afford.

Moving quietly, silently, she slipped past the body of the now-dead officer and back down the fire escape ladder. From there, she snuck through the alley. When she returned to her ship, she found no security—the two port officials still dead where she left them—and snuck aboard. She would leave Serenno behind for now... There were other places in the galaxy that would provide what she needed.

/End thread

@Clayton