Open The Second Leg

[Talak Rand]

Talak waved off her comments about disowning her to Trys. He didn't feel any reason to do that so long as it wasn't directly tied to the Arcanist. That didn't sound like it was the case, so all in all things were for the better.

For a moment the two just sat there in silence. The room somehow felt heavy to Talak like there was a weight following him around everywhere he went these days. He had spent a great deal of time trying to outrun it, but it didn't seem to be the case.

We should probably get a move to the archives again, he finally said after a moment. Despite their cathartic talk, they still had a mission to do here. He didn't know if Lilith felt any better, but he was done poking and prodding her. At least for the moment. He had done enough.

He stood and checked his datapad, looking to the location of the archives. It shouldn't be too long of a trek and the animals - whatever they were - seemed to be gone now. As he scouted the area outside and looked over the distance they had to trek, it would allow Lilith to interrogate the Gree if she so chose. When they were ready, he came back inside.

We've got a mostly clear route. We'll probably have problems once we get there, but hopefully you'll be able to bypass their security systems. I got some adaptors to allow you to interface with their system, he said. The ancient Gree technology and modern tech weren't always very friendly with one another, but the Gree had made adaptors just for that purpose. @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

Lilith nodded when he mentioned the archives. They really should get back to the task. A fight might've been in the books for this trip, but not between each other. At least it had given Lilith a lot to think about.

"Yes, master," she answered simply, standing up. The Gree was still passed out and so she went up to him, waking him up with the Force and a swift kick to the side because it felt good. He'd never finished her first compulsion but she repeated herself anyway. "Tell me what you know about the main archives," she said waving her hand.

"I rumor of exterior basement entrance in gardens of west," he said, or at least what Lilith could translate of it. The Gree language was complex, but she hadn't had much time to study it either. Languages were one of her strong suits however—thus the ability to create programs for slicing—so she was confident that she'd pick it all up in due time.

When Talak walked in, she nodded again, "I'm fairly confident I can, though I'll have to manually do everything since none of my programs were designed with Gree tech in mind," she started, then pointed to the Gree. "Also he said something about a basement entrance in the gardens. If it's true, it probably isn't that guarded if the gardens are public."

As they existed the house and started to walk, it didn't take long for Lilith to see the garden mentioned. There wasn't anyone in the garden, at least at the moment, so she went to the side of the building right away and started to kick around to see if she heard anything. After a few minutes she heard and felt a clang of metal below her foot, and then looked down. It was covered in overgrowth, so she bent over and ripped everything she could off, only to discover that the entrance had been sealed off.

"Uhm, master, I don't think my slicing skills will help with this particular entrance," she said, then added, "But we could..." while pointing at her lightsaber hilt on her belt. She wasn't sure if he wanted to leave a trace like that behind, or if he wanted to try a guarded entrance she could slice, or something else, so she waited for his answer.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak went along with Lilith as they headed toward the archives. In short order they had found the gardens, which was a good thing, and it was even better that it seemed to be mostly empty. He kept watch as she started to gain access to the hatch... only to have it locked.

Kriff... typical, he thought with a roll of his eyes.

Cut it, he said, glancing back around the rest of the garden while she would do it. Plasma torches were far, far more common than lightsabers, and the burns were the same. Assuming no one saw the blade, a plasma torch was far more likely than a lightsaber.

He moved along through the garden until they were through, catching the entrance with the Force and easing it down to the basement floor.

Without further ado, he dropped down through the opening and hit the floor softly below. The basement had industrial style white lights that did a mediocre job of lighting things, but there didn't seem to be anyone else down here right now. He stopped and listened, but only heard the vague whir of the lights. @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

With the order out, Lilith pressed her lightsaber against the sealed entrance and ignited it. With a snap-hiss the blade went through, out of sight of anyone except possibly people below. She cut a circle then turned off her blade, and her master managed to catch the cut part and gently lower it to the ground.

Lilith dropped down after Talak, looking for a staircase right away. It took some walking because the place was HUGE but she found one. At the top of it, of course, was a locked door. Clearly this basement was no longer used, but the door did have a security panel. After not slicing for so long, Lilith finally put her old skills back to work.

...after holding her hand out for adapters from Talak. Assuming he handed them over, she went to work. Manually working through a security system was a much longer process, but she managed to at least shut down the nearby cameras through a power surge and unlock the door they were at. With a click and zip, the door opened... and standing right behind it were three older looking Gree, staring at them.

Lilith wasn't sure what to do, but she waved her hand to put one Gree to sleep. The second went for it's blaster straight away, aiming it at Talak point-blank. The third simply ran, pulling out a weapon and firing it at Lilith. Lilith had just finished putting one of them to sleep, so all she could do was duck back behind the door when she saw the other pull his blaster. Unfortunately the bolt still grazed her left arm, causing her to grit her teeth and scream a "KRIFF!" She thanked the Force it didn't hit her arm directly but it still hurt like kark.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak continued on with Lilith, handing her the adaptors when she reached out, and watched behind them. The hallway had been long and it had taken longer than he would have liked to find a stair, but they'd found one.

Of course, on the other side were enemies. Three of them. One managed to shoot Lilith and Talak only narrowly managed to throw his hand out to deflect the shot at him away with the Force. Unfortunately, this meant any attempt to stop the other Gree from escaping was an utter failure. He moved away quickly and an alarm started to blare throughout the facility.

Doors started to slam shut and Talak shoved the closest Gree across the room and slammed him into the wall with the Force. The authorities would be coming soon, and they would now have to carve through an unknown number of doors between them and their objective.

Talak ran the scenario in his mind. He wasn't willing to risk carving through dozens of workers just for the possibility that they could get a location that might not be there. No, that wouldn't work. Any direct infiltration was going to be a completely loss, but another thought came to his mind.

We need to go. I have a plan, but getting into the archives ourselves isn't an option now. Go! he said, motioning back toward the exit and moving over to the Gree he'd knocked out, rummaging through his pocket before pulling out a datapad and following after Lilith toward the exit.

 

[Lilith Vye]

Lilith didn't try to argue with Talak. It'd be extremely dangerous if not suicidal to stay, and she wasn't against the idea of stopping by the place they looted if there was time. She pressed her injured arm against her chest as she ran, hoping to limit the amount it moved.

She gritted her teeth as she made her way down the stairs, along the empty and cold basement before making it out into the garden. She'd taken out the camera's by the door they'd been attacked, so there were only three witnesses and two that wouldn't of had much time to take a gander at the pair. That was what she told herself anyway, trying to find comfort in a situation that was pretty terrible.

Outside she kept running until they hit an alleyway, where she finally stopped to lean against a wall and lightly grip her left arm with her right hand to stabilize it more. She hated burns, the pain seemed to linger way longer than a cut. It also seemed to radiate pain, a thrumming that took forever to pass. There was also the fact that she'd never actually been shot, only burned lightly on a stove or hot circuit. Ever since she'd become Sith, it seemed she'd experienced all sorts of new pains and wounds.

"What's the plan now?" she said between her teeth, not looking at Talak but knowing he'd caught up.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Things weren't going particularly well. Talak ran for the outer regions of the building and through the gardens. In short order they were away from the building, and into an alley. There were plenty of empty and abandoned buildings in the area, and that would likely be their best place to get holed up.

We should find somewhere to hide first, he said, making his way through the streets. They were going to have to wait either way, so there was no rush to discuss the plan until they were out of the proverbial line of fire.

He glanced back, knowing she had taken a second wound, and made sure she wasn't going to bleed out or slow down. The last thing he wanted was to push her too far and have her go down in the middle of the street.

After pressing on for several more minutes, they came to a large, old building that perhaps had once been some sort of shopping mall. This was such an odd world... a mix of old and new. Incredibly advances and mundane technology.

He picked a small sub-shop off the main track and pulled out his medpack.

Come here, he said, motioning for her to sit while he pulled out his bacta patches to apply. He placed the stolen datapad down on the ground where they could both see it.

When you're patched up do you think you'll be able to break into that? Get an address so we can "convince" that Gree to search the databases for us? he asked as he worked. @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

The whole trip was painful so she obeyed when Talak commanded her to sit down. The bacta patches provided some relief right away, and she breathed in deeply than out while he applied them. "Yeah I'll take a look," she answered. There was no reason she couldn't, it looked like a regular datapad to her.

When he was finished she picked up the datapad, her arm still hurt so typing hurt but it wasn't that bad. Once she made it to the correct screen she took out her own datapad and connected the two. It took a few seconds but she ran a data sweeping program of hers and an address popped up.

"There it is," she answered, holding up the datapad for her master to see it. "Should we head there now?" she asked. If he said yes or to wait, either way they'd eventually head there. It was in a nicer looking area, but because it was nice it seemed there was less traffic. They were before the house after a small trek.

Lilith decided not to go straight up to the front door, instead taking a gate on the side of the house into the backyard. Once there she found another door and went to a panel beside it. She brought out her datapad and one of the adapters, manually navigating through the system until she heard a click and the hiss of the door opening. Though she didn't take a step in yet and instead turned back to her master first.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak finished patching up her arm and settled into a sitting position while she worked on the datapad. He coudl tell she was in pain and he was going to suggest that they wait several days for the "heat" to die down and their wounds to heal before continuing with their mission. But if an investigation was launched and either Sector Rangers or Jedi came in things could become complicated. Or if additional troops were brought in to secure the building their job might become impossible.

If you're read, we should go, he finally said. And they did just that. The Gree they'd thrown around would get medical attention, but he would come home, and when he did, the two of them would be waiting.

Lilith opened the side door and the two made their way inside. It seemed no one else was home. Perhaps as a technician or security officer all of his time was spent at work, which prevent him having a mate, or perhaps Gree customs were different than that of humans. Talak neither knew nor particularly cared.

He moved upstairs, picked a position where neither would be spotted and waited. It would likely be several hours still before anyone arrived, and he glanced over, wondering if another round of bacta might make her wounds feel better still.

Why did you go looking for Trys? he asked after some time in silence. It was an incredible risk, he said. He knew that it was because she suspected she was significant to Talak, but that wasn't why she cared. The question wasn't asked in an accusatory tone, but one of curiosity. @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

Lilith followed suit, walking behind Talak until he picked a spot. She picked one on the opposite side of the room, putting distance between the two so they could cover as much ground as possible. She didn't expect the Gree to put up much of a fight, if any, but maybe he was paranoid now.

She frowned a bit when he asked about her misadventure again. It wasn't something she really wanted to talk about again because she was starting to feel a bit guilty for digging into his business, even if he did it to her all the time. "For curiosity, at first," she answered, looking away from him, for the same reason as always. "When she was about to be attacked I didn't have much time to think, but I knew I wanted to protect your interests and prove my loyalty." And would it had mattered if Lilith died in the process? That question, of course, was something she wouldn't share with anyone.

After a second of pause she mumbled to herself under her breath, "Though why would you care about the last part.." She knew the reason she did it was probably silly, thinking back on it, but she wouldn't change what she did. It was just something she needed to do regardless. Maybe it was just her nature.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak didn't say anything for a moment. He didn't love that she had started out doing it simply because she wanted to poke around. He was an inherently private man, and he didn't like people poking around where he didn't want them poking around.

That being said, she had been successful in helping and it was all for the best. He still couldn't be mad about it, though he did take note of her... persistence.

He just nodded as she explained. There wasn't a great deal more to say until he heard her mutter about how he wouldn't care if she were killed. He wasn't sure if he should be angry about the comment or not, but decided it wouldn't serve any real purpose.

You really think that little of me, don't you? he said, pulling out his datapad without actually looking up at her. It was telling in its own way, and he had trouble understand why she bothered staying around at all if that was how she felt. @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

Talak's comment caught her off guard and caused her to look at him for a second. His comment, the way he was standing sent a few thoughts through her. First it made her think that maybe... he actually cared somewhat about her. Secondly, it made her angry that he'd even say she thought little of him. She followed his logic, she just didn't like it.

"Of course I don't think little of you," she spat with a little huff of anger at the end. "You're... you're the closet thing I have to family so just shut up!" Telling her master to shut up was probably an incredibly stupid thing to do, and he probably—definitely— didn't feel the same way but that was how she felt. Either way, she'd said it and that was that.

Lilith crossed her arms and looked away again. "And I wouldn't be here if I thought little of you," she continued, tapping her fingers on her arms uncomfortably because she didn't know how to deal with the anger, or the thought that he might actually care. "Are you trying to start a fight with me again or something?"

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak's eyebrow went up, though it was obscured by his helmet. He wasn't expecting... that response from her. Was she throwing a tantrum?! He thought it probably best not to verbalize that question, but he watched as she crossed her arms and got angry.

She mentioned that he was the closest thing he had to family, and that surprised him as well. Sometimes she was just... confusing. And then she told him to shut up, and he just kind of... kept sitting there staring at her.

And then she topped it all off by asking if he was trying to start a fight with her again. Still he didn't move. He had no interest in a fight either physical or otherwise, but he also wasn't going to ignore the comment she'd made that cast him in a pretty negative light no matter how you sliced it.

No, are you? he asked deadpan. He didn't sound particularly angry or worked up about her comments. Nor did he really know how to respond to her saying that he was like family. He wasn't sure he'd done anything to earn that level of trust, but he also wouldn't spit on it or abuse it.

Perhaps he deserved the comment after some of the things he had done to her in the past. He wasn't exactly great as a teacher, but he'd never actually tried to kill her or see her killed.

Look, I don't want you to get killed, he finally said. It was probably pretty poor reassurance, but it was true at least. More of his Grade A mastering work. And I never have, he added.

 

[Lilith Vye]

"No," she answered when he asked if she was trying to start a fight. It was the last thing she wanted right now.

She listened to his other words, and felt herself become less tense. Maybe Trys hadn't been wrong. It was hard to trust, but Lilith nodded anyway after a moments thought. "Okay," she started with a soft sigh, as if she was allowing herself to breath after forgetting for awhile. "I believe you."

Lilith looked at the door then back at Talak. "And I'm sorry for yelling at you... now and before." The young Sith paused and tapped her fingers a few times. "Even though you deserved it both times."

It felt like time was going so slow, but they had come right away and having time to recover a little bit more from her shot wouldn't hurt. After one last pause Lilith added, "Are you done prodding at me again?" with a snort. It seemed to be her masters specialty, and something Lilith had mixed feelings about. It helped her look into herself and gave her answers, but it also seemed to piss her the kark off.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak rolled his eyes again from behind his helmet as she said that he deserved it both times. He didn't argue with her about it and was about to say something about her prodding comment when he heard a door opening.

He immediately tensed and dropped out of his seat and into a crouch. He was guessing this was their victim, and he fell in along a wall as it started to scoot into the room with its long tentacle-like "legs" waving out under him. What a weird species they were...

He looked over to Lilith to see if she was ready for the move. He gave a nod, and then leapt from cover. He gripped the Gree with the Force - this poor guy really didn't deserve this a second time today - and held him in pace, waiting for Lilith to do the same so they could begin the mental influence. The sooner they were off this planet the better. @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

Lilith quieted and crouched as her master did. It seemed the Gree came home alone. A mistake someone more paranoid wouldn't have made, at least she thought anyway.

But she remained still until she saw the nod, revealing herself as she gripped the man too with the Force. She doubted there'd be an escape for him, not while he was alone against two Force users.

"Just a mind trick, master?" she asked, looking at Talak now. She wasn't sure if mind tricks lasted that long. They might, which would be something worth learning. If there was another technique however she'd be interested in learning it too.

The Gree started to shout something and Lilith brought up her second hand right away, splitting her focus to wrap some of the Force tightly around his neck so he couldn't scream. She turned her gaze back to Talak after, clearly having no qualms with the man choking. Perhaps it was the Dark Side digging into her deeper or her becoming numb to things. Either way, she added, "Or will this take something more?"

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

The Gree was having a bad day. Talak actually felt a little bad for him, but this was a necessity, and he wouldn't actually die or have any lasting harm from it. At least, this was how he justified it in his own mind.

It'll take both of us, he said. Focus your energy on the cracks of the mind, he said, releasing his grip on the Gree. By the time he hit the floor, Talak was already pressing on the cracks in his mind.

You will open remote access to the archives for us, he said. He knew that Lilith would begin to do the same as well. Between the two of them, the Gree began to quiver for a moment before relaxing and repeating the words.

It wasn't particularly strong willed, and that left it subject to their influence.

As quickly as it had begun, it was over. Talak looked over at Lilith. Greater power should allow it to last longer. He... shouldn't have any lasting damage, he said. Though he knew that certain mental techniques could shatter the mind, this wasn't typically one of them.

Now it was just a matter of waiting for the notification that they had remote access on his comlink. The Gree would do the job for them, and he wondered why he hadn't thought of this in the first place.

I could use a drink, he said. You're welcome to come back to my ship for a drink if you want, he said before pausing. Was she even old enough to drink? Technically Nar Shaddaa had no rules and he knew she'd done much worse. It just... struck him as odd. @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

As Talak instructed, Lilith began to search for cracks in the man's mind. She dropped her grip on him and spoke almost simultaneously with her master, "You will open remote access to the archives for us. " It felt right, and the man seemed to submit to their will easily.

She listened to her master about the man not having lasting damage and nodded. It was something for her to note, at least, though she sometimes felt like Talak cared more about people than her. She wanted to end the suffering that plagued her home world. The same suffering she had went through but... she also felt a little numb to people when actually around them.

The young Sith perked up a bit when Talak mentioned drinks. "That actually sounds amazing," she said, and started to walk ahead of her master. She did note the invite to his ship as something new though didn't mention it, or show the surprise even though her face was hidden behind a mask.

"I kind of miss the days when I ran a shop with a bar. It was nice to have 247 access." Some of those memories flooded back. They hadn't been the best, and opening a shop had been a way to survive, but she did party hard. It was funny to think that that had been a little over two years ago, before the Jedi went to jail, at least. "You should try partying sometime," she added with a cheeky smirk, only half-joking. It was a small jab at how wound up he always seemed, but also a real suggestion.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak was glad for the opportunity not to be on edge as they headed back to the ship. The trip didn't take too long given they hadn't traveled that far, and the ship's ramp dropped to allow them entry.

He popped the seal on his helmet now that they were in a secured atmosphere.

You don't know, maybe I party hard all the time when you're not around, he said deadpan. It was a complete lie - a joke really - and she would know it pretty well. He was obviously not the type.

I hope you like red wine because that's pretty much all I have, he said. He had a taste for wine ranging from cheap to very expensive. He pulled a bottle from Naboo that was of the medium price range and popped it open as he handed a glass to Lilith. He motioned to one of the couches in the main room for her to take a seat on if she wanted and took a seat of his own across.

Now that I've tricked you into coming here I can pry, he said jokingly, suppressing a smile. He was clearly more relaxed now than she had seen him in most situations. The reality that they weren't on a mission allowed a bit of extra levity.

But if you don't want to answer something you can just say "pass" or something, he said with a shrug. He was a naturally very curious person, and he questioned others in large part because of that curiosity. This wasn't an intentional attempt to pick at things that weren't his business, and the conversation felt much more relaxed. He expected to have to field questions himself, but perhaps she would prove as bizarrely uncurious as Trys.

Do you miss your shop? he asked curiously. It had been a huge change that she had gone through, and he couldn't imagine there wasn't ant least a part of her that missed it. @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

Lilith blinked for a second before laughing, a short but hard laugh. His joke caught her completely off guard. And she had to take a good breath in before she could look around his ship. Afterall, she couldn't help but snoop while she had the chance, though after a second she remembered she could take her helmet off. She popped the seal and put it on a hook before looking back at Talak.

His next comment made her let out a small breathy 'hah' before answering, "I like anything with mind altering substances." As the words left her lips, she remembered there was a bottle of spice in her pocket, but she definitely didn't pull it out. They were still technically on a mission, and again Talak didn't seem the type.

After taking the glass, Lilith sat down on the couch and leaned back. It was nice to sit down on something made for humans. It was also nice to rest her fairly freshly wounded arm on her lap. She rolled her eyes when he mentioned prying, but in a playful way. "Of course that was your plan," she joked back. It was clear her master was acting more relaxed, which helped her relax as well.

But did she miss her shop? She missed getting shit-faced drunk and high out of her mind, but she'd already hinted at that. "I don't know if I miss the shop really..." she trailed off. She actually had to think about if she missed something, and then it dawned on her. "But I do miss getting dressed up for it. And I left so many dresses behind. I particularly miss my pink dress with a skull design. Form fitting, punky but cute." She had been heavily into dressing up, as a lot of people could attest to, then she added one other thing, "And I shouldn't have left my make up kit behind" with a frown.

Of course, she also realized this was a perfect time to pry back. Obviously, Lilith was also very snoopy. Well, at least when it came to her master. "So... do you have friends other than Trys, or other apprentices?" she asked, adding, "I swear I probably wont snoop if you tell me." Despite feeling bad about snooping into Trys, if there were others she'd be extremely curious about them and their experiences. Not that she expected names, but something if there were more.

@Phoenix