Open Absolution

[Darth Tempest]

Despite the fact that several hours had passed, Vahliri was still reeling from her conversation with Emryc. She’d been manipulated by the President and would be transferred into Jedi custody without much more delay, but it was her final moments with the man that had continued to linger on her mind - sending her thoughts into a frenzy. It was the gravity of that final revelation - the knowledge that the Dark Lord had played them all from the very beginning - that weighed down on her. It almost eclipsed the pain that the half-Annfyn felt with every intake of air - courtesy of the cracked ribs she now bore.

Whatever else was lingering on her mind, Vahliri knew that she couldn’t afford to remain in her cell for much longer. She had only a precious window to attempt an escape - one that would become almost impossible once she was transferred into the hands of the Jedi. Execution or being stripped of the Force was all that awaited the half-Annfyn if she allowed herself to be placed in their hands, and Vahliri would sooner meet death due to her own actions.

And so she waited, paying close attention to the personnel that monitored her prison cell. It wasn’t difficult to decipher that - to her surprise - security was only light at best, with a mixture of organic and droid armed guards patrolling just beyond the ray shield that bound her. Guard rotations were at regular intervals every two hours, with only a matter of minutes left before the next occurred. It provided her with a small opening, but it would have to be enough for the half-Annfyn to make her break.

And for those few remaining minutes, Vahliri waited patiently within her cell - carefully watching for her opportunity.

Spoiler: OOC note - Please Read!

This thread takes place immediately after this. Open to reasonable defense and opposition.

 

[Altair Din]

OOC: Note this is prior to the Sith/Imperial split and Altair assuming his new role and kicking Sith out

“A what now?” One of the guards could be heard saying close to Tempest’s cell.

“There’s a four horned perpetrator that’s playing loud music, dancing and…violently pelvic thrusting to the music right outside the facility.”

“How is this my problem?!”

“He has proven..elusive..any attempts at removing him have proven fruitless.”

“Fuck’s sake,” The guard growled, “I don’t get paid enough for this shit.”

This was followed by the only guard angrily storming away, leaving her briefly alone to her devices.

@Altaris

 

[Anai Skhess]

Patience was one of the inquisitorium's greatest tools. The sith had been taking blow after blow and most of it had come from jumping the gun too quickly, lords trying to strong arm everything, previous leaders taking wars without proper preparation. The sith had discarded their cunning for arrogance the last few years and it had made them return to the shadows, but not her, not Anai, for she had waited a long time to rescue her friend and leader, her emotions set her free, but they didn't force her to be impulsive.

Before the reality check that was being defeated by the ISC and then kicked out of the Empire, the sith would've probably tried a frontal assault, not unlike the battle on Coruscant. Now, however most of them knew that was impossible and, if anything, would only wait for their current dark lord to die before fighting each other over the position.

There weren't many that could be trusted to lead the sith, nor were there any trusted to rescue Darth Tempest, no this would befall to a single inquisitor for now. Lay in hiding and looking in the distance, Anai had been waiting for a long time to start her rescue attempt, waited for when the security was at its lowest. And now that a random person she couldn't quite recognize from where she stood distracted the guards she had to take the chance.

Anai would try to sneak inside the prison while the guards tried to deal with the Tiefling hooligan, she moved swiftly yet silently past them, wearing nothing but black robes and her inquisitor helmet, painted black for this occassion. Knife in hand should she need to dispatch of any guard inside, she used the force to look ahead, making sure to sense any security cameras that could be inside the facility in order to abuse their blind spots, as well as spotting guards before they spotted her.

Slowly but surely, she would make her way towards Darth Tempest, towards Vahl. Although the Kaleesh would've done this had it been any other dark lord the one in need of a rescue, she felt like she had lost enough. She wouldn't lose no one else, not without trying at least.

@Altaris

 

[Thel Xeros]

Thel crouched in the darkness. His black cloak and robes meant he was well-concealed in the shadows. He was resting, having just taken some time to gently ‘persuade’ a guard to provide him with information regarding the austere prison facility. The guard’s disappearance wouldn’t go unnoticed for too long, so it was important to get moving soon. The guard had let slip that there was a service hatch on the exterior of the building, thus giving Thel a way into the prison. He wouldn’t usually take risks like this, but times were difficult for the Sith. Latching onto more powerful Sith would give him a greater sense of security.

Thel looked up at the vast grey wall, which loomed over him. He could just about see the service hatch far above. Scaling the wall wouldn’t be easy, but there were notches and recesses that meant climbing it was possible. Having taken some time to observe the patterns the guards followed when patrolling outside the facility, he knew he had a few minutes to make the climb. Thel grimaced as he gripped an indent in the wall. Here we go.

The climb had been difficult. Thel groaned as he hauled himself up onto the small platform next to the hatch. His fingers burned as he lay, catching his breath. Having taken some time to rest, he used the control panel next to the hatch to drag his body up. Nearly there. Unclipping his Lightsaber, Thel pressed it against the hatch’s lock. Igniting the saber, the metal around it fizzled and cracked until the hatch slid open. He switched off his saber and clipped it back onto his belt. Hopefully I won’t need that for a while. He took out a torch and shone it down the hatch. Empty. The hatch was narrow, but it was possible to stand. It took a bit of time to squeeze his tall slender frame through the small entrance. Was this designed for Jawas? Once inside, the lights automatically clicked on. Thel needed to crouch slightly just to stop his head hitting the ceiling. Putting away his torch, he slowly began working his way through the service tunnels.

 

[Darth Tempest]

Hours of solitude were finally disturbed by the voice of another security officer - stepping within earshot to inform Vahliri’s guard of the.. Situation, occurring outside. The mention of four horns and pelvic thrusting instinctively caused the half-Annfyn’s eyes to dart up with a rare look of genuine surprise, recognizing immediately who was behind the distraction occurring in the courtyard outside.

Her relationship with Altair had been on rocky and unstable terms since their falling out on Eriadu, with little made in the way to repair things. Despite the love that she knew that she still felt for the Tiefling, she didn’t allow herself to hope that he would attempt to aid in her escape from ISC custody. The fact that he did - despite everything - brought a faint, dimpled smile to her lips. Genuine and warm as she stared off into nothing at all.

The half-Annfyn glanced up as the guard left the cell block - leaving her completely alone for the time being. She knew at once that the opportunity wouldn’t last, and it would be her best chance at getting her cell door open and herself to safety. Her gaze immediately fell upon the ISC helmet that the guard had left behind in his haste to address the Tiefling. The single, not-bolted down item in the general area.

Without a word, Vahliri rose up from where she was seated in the prison cell - allowing the Force to flow vibrantly through her. She drew upon her own emotions and passion, fuel to the Dark Side that roiled within her. Reaching out behind her cell, the half-Annfyn coiled her grip around the helmet - pulling it towards herself with all of her might. In an instant, the half-Annfyn converted the protective piece of equipment into a projectile - aimed for the door panel that was positioned just outside and to the left of the shield.

It slammed harshly into the glass panel, shattering the touch screen and concaving the metallic casing. It sparked and crackled, and within a moment, the energy field that contained the Sith was dispersed. Slowly but surely, Vahliri stepped out of her cell - taking in a breath of the air just beyond the threshold. She allowed herself only a moment of pause before she began her slow stride outside of the cell block.

By no means as the half-Annfyn in the clear - with the rest of the facility to get through, and the necessity to do so discreetly. But she was one step closer.

@Sreeya @Versok @DMCK

 

[Altair Din]

“GET DOWN FROM THERE!”

Jammin' Music​

Altair was having a great time. Music blasted and he did a very energetic dance, staying to the beat. His tail swished to the rhythm and his limbs waved around happily. One of the guards aimed and fired his blaster. Altair conveniently did a swish with his arm as part of his dance routine, his Matukai glove deflecting the bolt and redirecting it to a second guard to take him out. The tiefling did a dramatic backflip right off the roof he was dancing on, landing in a crouch. He didn’t stop there, sweeping his leg out to drop a guard that was scrambling to shoot him.

Two more guards came charging at him and Altair swayed his hips and kept dancing to the toon, shaking his booty in the direction of the guards. As they leveled their blasters, he spun around and used the Force to make them abruptly pivot to face one another as they fired in unison, dropping them both.

Altair knew others were in the building and he hoped they were actually getting things done while he aggro’d virtually all the guards to himself.

Meanwhile, the Sith inside wouldn’t have a completely smooth right either. The facility was suddenly under lockdown, heavy, reinforced doors blocking access to different chambers or the way out. Only Thel (@DMCK )still had a path to move forward without having to waste time against a door or facing guards.

@Altaris @Versok

 

[Anai Skhess]

Didn't take long for Anai to notice that the facility was shutting down, was it because of the man outside causing a distraction or was it something else? She did not know, she did not care besides the fact that it meant she had to move quicker now, no chance to sneak out now that her way out was cut short, they would need to fight their way out, but most of them should be distracted by Altair.

A reinforced door blocked her path as she got closer and closer to her Dark Lord, under any other circumstances she would've taken her time to unlock it, but time was of the essence here, so, calling upon the force, she fried the circuit of the door in such a way that it was forced open. Of course, before doing this, ahead of her she sensed two guards, patrolling the zone, so the moment that door opened she threw her vibroknife at them, guiding it with the force in order to swiftly cut their throats before they could react.

Using such methods to get through, Anai would've certainly been spotted by the cameras by now, they knew she was here...But she was also quite closer to Vahl...The road to her wouldn't be the hardest, but it was obviously the way out would be a bit more hard to deal with.

@Altaris @Sreeya @DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Thel made his way through the maze of metal tunnels for what seemed like an age. Navigating the tunnels required either a map or a good sense of direction; unfortunately, he was lacking in both. However, he did have his well-thought-out backup plan: wander through the tunnels aimlessly and hope for the best. Eventually, more through luck than judgement, he found a control panel that was used by the maintenance personnel at the prison. Thel hoped, by tinkering with it, he could open a holographic map of the prison or some sort of schematic. He was relying on his usual strategy with technology: push buttons, move wires and hope for the best. Just as he seemed to be making ‘progress’, the screech of an alarm cut through the silence of the tunnels. Panic.

For what could have only been a minute, though it felt much longer, Thel stood ready for an attack by the security at the prison. As it became apparent that he wasn’t the cause of the alarm, he began to calm down. Once he composed himself, he set about finishing work on the panel. I wonder what could have raised the alarm. No doubt a serious disturbance…

The noise of the alarm was an annoyance but, eventually, when Thel pressed two wires together a hologram projected from the panel. The hologram provided a fully layout of the prison, including the numbers of the cell. He knew the number of the cell that the Sith Lord was being kept in, having obtained it from the guard he interrogated earlier. He now had the cell’s location. Finally.

The corridor was quiet. Thel gazed down through the bars of the metal grate. Whatever had caused the alarm had certainly provided a useful diversion. Reaching out with the force, he slowly clenched his fist. The metal screeched as the grate buckled, bent and then broke from its hinges. Slowly opening his fist, he guided the grate down to the ground. He then quietly lowered himself into the corridor. Scanning around: there were no guards. Maybe this will be easier than I thought. He unclipped his Lightsaber, ignited it and then slowly began to walk towards the cell. As he approached, he was greeted by an unexpected sight: the cell was empty. What. Thel began to grit his teeth. Typical of my luck. The Sith Lord he had hoped to help escape had gone.

Footsteps thudded around the corner. Before Thel had a chance to react, two guards had him in their sights. “Fire.” Out of instinct, he ducked. He could barely make out the flash of the deadly blast as the laser flew over his head. Without thinking, he brought his saber across his body, deflecting a second laser straight back into the chest of the guard who fired it. As their body collapsed to the ground, Thel advanced on the other guard. Diverting their shots, he closed in and with one violent slash he beheaded the guard. The second guard’s headless body fell to the ground next to the other guard’s body. Thel surveyed his surroundings. He knew that there was a control room not far from here. He could use that to observe the security feeds and hopefully find the Sith Lord. He set off in the direction of the control room.

 

[Darth Tempest]

Within only seconds of escaping her cell, Vahliri begun to hear the Klaxon's that roared through the entire prison complex. The commotion outside - alongside whatever else was occuring within its reinforced walls - was enough to bring the entire facility into lockdown. Blast doors slammed shut and ISC security came out in droves, seeking to contain the breach that had occured within. It meant that escaping without incident would almost certainly be impossible for the half-Annfyn. In the end, however, it mattered very little to Vahliri. So long as she did escape. Each step drew her closer to absolution and away from death's door.

It didn't take long for Vahliri to encounter resistance along her path. As she rounded a hallway corner, the eyes of several droids and ISC troopers fell upon the half-Annfyn - watching as she steadily marched towards them. Still garbed in her prisoner uniform, her identity as a Sith and prisoner was no mystery to them. Unsurprisingly, the lot of them immediately turned to face her, blasters raised and clicked over to lethal. "Open fire!" One of them shouted out, urgency and not an ounce of hesitation lacing his voice.

As soon as the command was given, Vahliri reached out with the Force, allowing the Dark Side once more to flow through her. Tendrils of invisible energy flowed from her fingertips and coiled around the metalic plating of the hallway wall - pulling the rectangular panel free to hover in the air. Her arm ripped through the air and sent the panel hurtling into a cluster of ISC guards - slamming into two of the men and knocking them into the adjacent wall. Blaster bolts ripped through the air and peppered down the hallway, causing the half-Annfyn to duck low and dart to the side. She felt as one of the blaster bolts cut deep into her bicep - a sign that she was clearly moving slower than usual. Nevertheless, it didn't prevent the half-Annfyn from rotating her wrist and sending the metal panel slicing through the air once more, cutting through another guard and embedding deep into the torso of Blackwell security droid.

Gold-tinted eyes flicked across the hallway - taking in the sight of the mixture of dead troopers and droids. She reached down to pull a blaster into her left hand, alongside a commlink from one of the guards who died attempting to halt her within that hallway. Glancing down at the device, Vahliri pressed down the button to speak into the main communication channel.

“Prisoner 1610 has escaped! She is making her way towards the main floor exit. Request all available units to reinforce the area as soon as possible.” She spoke into the channel, before proceeding right along - with no intention of going through the front door. Instead, the half-Annfyn began to make her way towards the security control room of the prison - intent upon using the distraction to her full advantage.

As she walked, however, Vahliri caught sight of a large screen mounted on the wall - where security footage was being broadcast. Almost immediately, she caught sight of Altair dancing in the outside courtyard - watching as the Tiefling shook his booty and effectively aggro’d dozens of guards onto him personally. She couldn’t help but blink a few times, as a smile began to pull at the corners of her lips. For all of the years that had passed, some things never changed. And despite the damaged relationship between them, she knew that the Tiefling was risking his own neck to help her escape. It was something that the half-Annfyn appreciated far more than Altair would ever know.

@Sreeya @DMCK @Versok

 

[Thel Xeros]

The prison had descended into chaos. A cacophony of alarms and raised voices. Taking advantage of the disorder, Thel darted through the corridors. Fortunately, the guards seemed drawn to another part of the facility, which meant he was able to approach the control room without any need for violence. Peering around the corner, he observed two guards stood at the entrance. Taking out his Lightsaber, he attacked swiftly. He charged at the first guard and in one swift motion his crimson blade sliced through their chest. Before the second guard could turn around and raise their blaster, Thel had adjusted his body and thrust his Lightsaber through their forehead. Pulling away from the guard, their limp body crumpled into a heap.

The door of the control room slid open. The three security personnel inside had not been able to properly prepare a defence. Slipping to the side of one shot, Thel deflected another shot back at the guard who fired it. The shot almost seemed to explode as it impacted on their torso, flinging their body onto a control desk. Ducking under another shot from the first guard, Thel spotted the other remaining guard scrambling around at the main control panel. The guard continued to fire their blaster until Thel directed one shot straight back into them, leaving a burning hole in their gut. Having dispatched of two, he turned his attention to the last guard. They were fumbling with their blaster, clearly panicked by the situation. Just when they finally raised the blaster, Thel impaled them with his Lightsaber. Deactivating the blade, the guard’s body tumbled to the floor. Taking a bit of time to catch his breath, he then looked over the various security feeds.

Two feeds caught Thel’s attention. The first was, for lack of a better word, unusual. A Tiefling dancing. Their gyrating hips and rather enthusiastic style seemed to have drawn the attention of quite a substantial amount of the prison’s security. My word. The other feed was of particular interest to Thel. A small woman in prison uniform, carrying a blaster, striding down a corridor. Focusing on her, he could sense a strong presence in the dark side. It must be her.

 

[Anai Skhess]

The prison would quickly turn into a gauntlet of enemies for Anais as she made her way towards Vahl, lightsaber now in her hand as she abandoned all subtlety, they knew she was here, they knew someone outside was attacking them and they knew she was coming towards the Dark Lord...So it was a matter of unlocking doors, killing guards and advancing towards the next door to unlock, not too bad for now, but she had to hurry.

However, Anai would stop herself for a moment as she felt a strong presence in the force: Vahl was fighting? It seemed like she had managed to escape all on her own; Probably because of the distraction that was occuring outsde. Anai now knew where she was, so it would take even less time for her to reach Vahl.

As another door opened in front of the Dark Lord, two bodies dropped as the Kaleesh struck down two guards. There was a big grin on her face as she now stared at Vahl, relieved after seeing her face after so long. Of course, it was not something She would notice, not yet at least. After all, in front of Vahl was not her friend Anai, but rather her inquisitor persona which she only met once before. "My lord" She would say, bowing in respect, her voice was deeply altered because of her mask and her appearance was masculine. "It is time to leave."

@Altaris @Sreeya @DMCK

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri kept both of her hands tucked against the small of her back, eyes narrowed as she steadily made her way through the prison corridors. The deception with the guard commlink has drawn the majority of opposition to the front exit, while the rest were too busy attempting to apprehend Altair outside. It meant that the half-Annfyn’s path was largely unobstructed, save for the few remaining guards that found themselves in her way. One by one, the half-Annfyn dispatched using the Force - littering the floor behind her. It was the strength of a Sith Lord on full display, and a presence that would easily be felt by the other Sith moving through the prison.

Just as she turned another corner, Vahliri watched as a door hissed open - revealing an Inquisitor beneath dark robes. Two more ISC droids were dropped without a moment of hesitation, followed by a respectful bow from the Sith responsible. The half-Annfyn gave Anai a slight nod of respect, making note of the woman who had come to aid in her escape. “Yes,” The half-Annfyn said, gesturing ahead and down another hallway. “I believe it is.”

Without any delay, Vahliri continued with Anai towards her primary target. It didn’t take them long to reach the security control chamber of the prison - guarded by only a pair of ISC troopers. Drawing upon the Force, the half-Annfyn hoisted both of them into the air and sent them hurtling into the metallic walls behind where they stood, their impact resounding with a sickening crunch. Her gaze didn’t linger, and instead flicked to regard the control terminal that was positioned at the center of the room.

Leveling the blaster she’d snagged earlier, Vahliri unloaded the clip onto the terminal - slicing through the machinery with bolts of crimson plasma. Sparks hissed and crackled along the surface as systems began to fail - particularly those that controlled locks throughout the prison. Further within the facility, the doors to an entire block of cells dissipated - allowing prisoners to rise up and flee from their confinement. It wasn’t nearly enough to overwhelm security forces under normal circumstances, but it would provide even more of a distraction for the Sith.

“They will cover our exit.” She said simply. “Give the alert to anyone who came with you,” Vahliri said to Anai. If anyone else was still attempting to aid in her escape, they needed to be informed it was rapidly approaching the time to leave. With that, Vahliri turned on a heel and began to make for an exit through the facility - with access to the rooftop only a few turns down the hallway.

It was only once she was there that Vahliri spotted Altair - her gaze falling upon the Tiefling from across the courtyard. Despite the chaotic situation, the half-Annfyn paused long enough to make eye-contact - her steely expression melting ever-so-slightly into those familiar violets. He would see the faint smile that etched across her lips, and the million different words that she wanted to say, but knew there was no time for.

She allowed her gaze to linger until the sound of commotion began to erupt behind her. It was the final motivation for the half-Annfyn to continue along the rooftop and towards whatever get-away shuttle the Sith had arrived on - prepared to finally put the terrible episode behind her.

@Sreeya @Versok @DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Having found the Sith Lord using the security feeds, Thel had quickly made his way towards their location. He reached the corridor just in time to witness the Sith Lord dash away with a masked figure. Good grief. The journey through the facility had began to tire him out. Continuing to pursue, he followed the two of them to the central control room. Listening intently, he could hear the fizz of blaster fire inside the room. I think they probably won't need much assistance. The Sith Lord's escape had been the primary objective and it seemed inevitable at this point, given the number of dead security personnel there were lying around the corridors. Thel's mind turned to his own exit. He didn't want to be one of the few people apprehended for trying to break into a prison.

Leaving would hopefully be easier than entering. Swiftly moving through the corridors, Thel worked his way towards the main entrance. There was bedlam in the entrance area. Prisoners ran riot, with the remaining guards overwhelmed by a horde of them. Fortunately, the prisoners didn't pay much attention to him; their pent-up aggression very much directed at the guards. The escapees proved to be a great distraction. Evading whatever security remained, he eventually found himself back at the side of the facility where he had entered. Once he was out of the prison grounds, he knew it wouldn't be too long a trek back to his ship. He turned and took one last look back. Infiltrating the facility hadn't been as difficult as he imagined. Even if he wasn't the one to help the Sith Lord escape, the rescue attempt had at least been a small test of his own abilities. Onwards I suppose. He made his exit.