Blackout

[Mid Samekh]

Wild Space/Prison maintenance levels​

Time: Unknown​

Theme​

The imperial shuttle flew into the lower hangar of the secret imperial prison. On board was Mid along with a familiar acolyte who helped him out on earlier ventures. The rest of the space was filled with an imperial maintenance team, geared with their required items and armed only with simple pistols. Though they weren't soldiers and neither were they meant to fight. That's what Mid and Kalanda were here for.

The prison was in disarray. The lights were out with only the emergency lights providing visibility. Mid was surprised the hangar was still operational. The whole thing felt off. This prison housed the most dangerous criminals in the galaxy. This wasn't going to be a walk in the park, not by a long shot.

"Kalanda, come in." he said softly, disembarking the shuttle. His arsenal had received a massive upgrade, with two heavy blasters alongside his two normal blasters. The rest of his armament was either in his hand or on his belt. His armour was strapped to his body and his cloak covered him. He looked around a bit before motioning for the workers to follow. "Stick close, you bunch. This isn't the place you want to get lost in." he cautioned.

"Comms active?" he asked Kalanda, tapping the side of his helmet. "You cover the rear. I'll lead the way. Keep your wits about you." he ordered as he started to walk towards a hallway. The flickering lights weren't making him feel any better about the place...

@Algarus

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

Kalanda was rather excited for this mission, another opportunity to show Mid she was worthy of his attention. This was a moment she was waiting for. Sitting in the presence of the crusader and her fellow Sith troopers, she only felt anxiety, the need to act and show she wasn't some young kid dressed up in robes. She had seen the jedi, she had seen their weakness exposed like a festering wound, and now that her questions of their order were dismissed she knew without a doubt she was superior to them.

She could only hope the maintenance crew didn't get in the way, but if they knew what was good for them they'd stay out of it. She could only wonder what happened in this prison before the pair arrived, but whatever had caused this destruction they would be no match for her and Mid. That was a certainty in her mind. She could sense Mid moving off the end of the shuttle as it touched down, as well as the men around her and the fear emanating from them. She couldn't blame them, they were weak after all. Mid spoke to her in her helms calm, causing her to rise to her feet as their group shuffled out of the shuttle.

"I'm here." She said, her hands checking the lightsaber on her belt and blaster on her hip. Mid turned and ask her if her comms were on, which she signed back that they were with a 'thumbs up'. "Comms are on sir." She said with respect, having felt a bond form between herself and the older Sith during that mess of a mission on Ziost. Mid told her to cover the rear, and she knew all to well to listen when he spoke. As the group began to move forward, Kalanda kept her senses up knowing that there was danger in the darkness, they only needed to find it.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

"Alright, let's move out." he ordered as he started walking.

In the hallway he was on high alert. He could feel the fear in the engineers, but he didn't blame them. They weren't warriors. And given the circumstances, he wouldn't be surprised if Kalanda's courage also started to crack. But he doubted that would happen. She was strong. She proved that well enough on Ziost. He trusted her to have his back. The first hallway was clear, though there were a few corpses and blood stains from the guards and other personnel as well as a few inmates that weren't so lucky as their compatriots. The smell was horrid, though it was nothing new to him.

As they passed through the hallway he caught sight of a guard barely clinging to life. He was in bad shape. Several holes were littered over his body and he was missing an arm. Mid walked over and crouched down beside the man. He looked up at the Crusader and tried to speak, but nothing came out. Mid decided to ease his passing and sank his Sith knife into the man's chest. After a second he stopped breathing and Mid felt his presence disappear.

Standing back up, he cast a glance back to the group but immediately spun around as he heard a voice echo through a hallway off to the right. His knife was exchanged for his Lullaby which he aimed in that direction. He could feel eyes on them coming from all over. The prisoners knew they were here. He led the group further down the hallways, both his pistol and his lightsaber at the ready. "Stay as quiet as possible." he whispered to the group.

@Algarus

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

Kalanda had come into this place believing their team to be the most deadly thing in the facility, but now the mayhem she was currently seeing was making her question that. She wasn't scared, not exactly, but she was greatly concerned at what could have possibly been responsible for so much destruction. Her hand now held her lightsaber, though she dared not ignite it least she make them all targets. The air was foul, the ground littered with shredded bodies and corpses, with the surface stained with dried blood and entrails. What had done this? Clearly nothing human. Some sort of animal, that was the only thing she could fathom. She didn't expect the tech crew to last long, not against whatever this creature or creatures were. She'd be lucky if she managed to squeak by unscathed, but she had Mid with her, so failure wasn't on her mind.

As they stumbled upon the guard, Kalanda was struck at how the man was still clinging to life despite his wounds, her gaze fixated at the stump where his arm had once been. There was no saving him, just moving him would have spelled his death, so as Mid put an end to his suffering she merely closed her eyes and bowed her head out of respect. That man never should have had to suffer like that. It then occured to her that prisoners were the ones that had done this, people had done this to other people. While Kalanda was all in favor of being brutal, this was just animalistic savagery. Her senses weren't exactly running on their highest caliber, but as Mid began to take note, she became aware that something was watching them. Mid motioned the group forward, advising caution, as Kalanda flexed her fingers in anticipation, her lightsaber gripped tight in her hand. There was something dark in here, maybe it was the collective energy of the prisoners lashing out, maybe the displeased spirits of the dead guards. Whatever it was, it felt wrong, and the acolyte wanted to fight it off. As the proceeded further down the hallway, a small urge to fight her fear with rage was starting to grow. But she wouldn't give in. That was what animals did, and she would not lower herself to the same state as the savages she was here to kill.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

Trying to focus in this mess was not easy. Aside from the heavy feeling in the prison, the fear coming off Kalanda and the engineers was messing with him. As he led the way down the hallways, he kept his senses open. He could feel someone was ahead, but they weren't making a move.

A sudden scream took Mid by surprise. He spun around and raised his pistol. Out of a connecting doorway came one of the prisoners, wielding a wrench. He was heading straight for Mid, but before he could get a swing in a shot took almost his entire head off. The prisoner collapsed by Mid's feet, the smoking barrel of his pistol still trained on the corpse. The shot still echoed down the hallways for a second or two before fading. If the screaming didn't alert the prisoners, the show would most definitely have.

He looked to the rest of the group. "Move." he ordered them, walking down the hallway at a much brisker pace. Voices, laughter and howls echoed through the hallways. In the shadows and flashing lights it appeared as if the prisoners were running around, but it could also just be the shadows...

As they rounded a corner, the hallway lit up with blaster fire. Mid quickly yanked back one of the engineers around the corner before leaning out to fire off a shot at one of the prisoners. "Well it looks like someone found the armoury." he commented. "Kalanda, watch the rear. They might try to box us in." he commanded before blowing a hole through one of the shooters. These guns were pretty fun...

@Algarus

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

As the group moved down the hall, the sudden scream from the wrench wielding prisoner scared the hell out of her, as her lightsaber flashed to life, only to learn Mid had killed the man rather swiftly. The engineers had jumped a near foot into the air as the red light of her weapon came upon them, and Kalanda was with them. This place was freaky. As their pace quickened, she could hear the savages howling about the building, like a bunch of animals on the hunt. The shadows danced around the facility, as it's inhabits came to life. Kalanda could sense the movements, the crazed thoughts, the depravity.

There was nothing of worth sparing here, nothing worth gaining, just a bunch of pack animals who knew their way around some tools. Mid dispatched another prisoner as the hall was alight with fire for only a moment, before that man was slain. Mid called for her to cover the rear, so she drew her blaster and focused down the hallway for the primatives to show. She didn't have to wait long, as she squeezed off one shot and watch the man's head sizzle like a bit of raw meat. His body hit the floor, only for another man to come in with a rifle, though he only got one shot off before Kalanda dropped him as well. A rattling sound would start to come from above, as both Mid and Kalanda could sense that there were prisoners climbing through the ventilation shafts trying to get to them. "Mid! We need to move!" She shouted, before driving her saber into the roof as she felt a presence on the other side wink out of existence. If nothing else, this mission would let her wipe these primatives out.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

Mid held the front, lobbing a few more rounds down the hallway to keep the criminals at bay. At the same time, Kalanda held the rear, dropping two prisoners that wanted to take them by surprise. Mid leaned back as he reloaded his pistol, casting a glance at the terrified engineers. "Oh relax, they're just criminals. Nothing serious." he commented with a smirk. Once the gun was full again, he lobbed another round down the hall and hit a prisoner in the chest.

A rumbling came from above him and Kalanda confirmed his suspicion. She yelled at him that they needed to move and he responded with a nod. He fired two rounds big enough to stick someone's head through into the shaft before holstering it and igniting his lightsaber. "Move into the doorway! Go!" he ordered the group over the anarchy as he stood in front of the line of fire, covering them as they moved into the new area. "Kalanda, cover them!" he shouted ,blocking bolt after bolt.

Once they were all out of the hallway, Mid struck the floor with his lightsaber and used the sparks to send a stream of fire towards the prisoners remaining. They all lit up, screaming in agony as they burned away. Mid followed into the new area, looking around for directions. "Maintenance is this way, come on." he said as he sealed the door behind them.

He led the way further into the station, studying every nook and cranny for surprises. "We're getting close. Apparently this prison has a central security system in place in case something like this happens. Hopefully it's still operational if we can get the power back up." he explained to them, looking around.

@Algarus

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

Kalanda watched as Mid took control of the situation, changing out his blaster for a saber as he lead the charge. Mid ordered her to cover the men as they retreated, and she took it to heart, as she fired her blaster at the door and ceiling, keeping the prisoners at bay despite their attempts to press on. She killed another pair, but it hardly mattered, there were so many of them it was like trying to stomp out vermin; just far too many to kill.

Running out into the hallway, she could only grin as Mid engulfed the pursuing prisoners with fire, leaving their tortured screams to echo through the hall. Still, it served their purpose, as she would pause to assist him in wielding the door shut with their sabers. Once again, she let him take the lead, as their group continued on in search of their objective, loud clanging rang from the door behind them as the prisoners tried to batter their way through, only to soon give up. "I don't suppose they left us a map did they?" Kalanda asked, knowing there wasn't going to be a good awnser for that. "What are we even doing here? We're all going to die at this rate!" One of the engineers began to panic, causing Kalanda to grab ahold of him, as frankly that sort of attitude wasn't appreciated here; and there wasn't enough room for despair in this room. "Get a grip. You're alive, and you are going to stay that way so long as you do as we say." Kalanda snarled, before shoving the man back towards his peers. She turned back to Mid, wanting to know what their next move was to be. They had gotten this far in one peice, surely a little bit more wouldn't get them killed, right?

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

As they walked, Mid smirked at Kalanda's question. "None whatsoever." he answered cheerfully. "But the labels and signs give a decent indication." he quipped, pointing to a sign under a red emergency light.

He felt the growing fear and panic in the team of engineers, and he hoped for dear life that they could keep it in check. But sadly they weren't as sturdy. One of them started freaking out, but thankfully Kalanda sorted him out quickly enough. His fear didn't falter, but at least he kept it in check. He smirked behind his helmet as he cast a glance towards her. "Just stick close to us. You do that, and you have nothing to worry about." he continued, holding his lightsaber ahead of him to cast some light for them.

"We shouldn't be too far now, let's move. And keep your voices down." he quietly instructed and stepped up the pace. Every now and then he cast a glance behind him to make sure everyone was still present. They ran into a few prisoners along the way, but other than that they had a surprisingly open path towards the maintenance room.

Inside the massive room Mid shut the doors behind them and sealed it shut. "Kalanda, sweep the room. Anything looking strange you cut it right in half." he ordered her. He soon joined her after making sure the doors were sealed and finally looked around. The state of the room wasn't much better than the rest. The entire original crew were slaughtered and the machinery was a mess. "Alright you bunch, get to work. And keep an eye out." he cautioned them, scanning the area for any surprises.

@Algarus

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

The rest of the engineers seemed to get tight lips after the Sith had given their ultimatum, and when Mid lead them onwards they followed him. Kalanda brought up the rear, blaster and saber at the ready as the only light for the group came from the two Sith lightsabers in the dark. After slaughtering several inmates, they arrived at their destination, and to no ones surprise it was a total mess. Consoles and mechanical parts were destroyed and laid out across the floor, as well as the bodies of several facility workers that were not so neatly disposed of. A few of the engineers groaned or muttered to themselves as they tried to find a place to start, but given they had very little choice on where to go from here, they swiftly got to work.

Mid sealed the door behind them, and ordered Kalanda to sweep the room, which she did with great haste. First checking the vents, then any additional accesses that might have paved a way into their current surroundings. Kalanda could sense the prisoners just beyond the range of her senses, as it seemed that small groups were looking for them, least she assumed so given their proximity. Moving along, Kalanda thought she had spotted an inmate hiding in some of the wreckage, only to discover he was actually a badly guard once the debris was removed. "Mid!" Kalanda called out, as she freed the man from the wreckage, but she stopped herself as she found there wasn't anything they could do for him. A metal pole had been driven through this mans mid section, as his entire lower half was just coated in dried and fresh blood. The moment she made contact with him, his body jerked to life, though it quickly slowed his body was practically useless in his current state. "Below..." He muttered, his voice raspy as fresh blood bubbled from his lips. "Below...." The man repeated, but quickly went limp as Kalanda watched yet another loyal citizen die. Kalanda could only sigh and leave the man be, as she turned her attention to the floor, trying to see what the guard was trying to warn them about. She pulled her senses back in, and pushed them outwards as she soon realized that some of the floor vents leading into this room were opened by force, meaning the inmates could possibly make their way inside given time. Kalanda began to work on blocking those passages, but the acolyte had no way of knowing the prisoners were trying to work their way towards the group with a combination of brute force and repurposed industrial tools.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

When Mid heard Kalanda's cry he ran towards her position. He watched over her shoulder as the man drew his last breath, warning them of the dangers below them. It was only then that he paid attention to the ground.

The floor vents were pried open, a clear means to get in. His first guess was that the engineers sheltered in here but the inmates broke in through the floor. He joined Kalanda in sealing off the floor as well, but there wasn't much they could do to stop the inmates from breaking in if they wanted in. Not that he minded. He hoped they would break in. He had an arsenal at the ready to welcome them in. "You know, you can turn the power on any day now!" he called out to the engineers who all grumbled and groaned. Clearly they didn't like being hurried along.

They didn't have much choice, though, when banging came from the door. Mid held his lightsaber at the ready and reloaded his pistol. "You better get that power up, guys!" he shouted at the engineers. He could feel the overwhelming numbers on the other side. No matter how good a fighter someone is, sheer numbers would always come on top at some point. At least they still had time to get the security systems back on...at least they had until the door suddenly started throwing sparks. Of course they found power tools. Why would it ever be easy?

"Kalanda, keep an eye out behind us. Cover the vents." he ordered her. Sure enough, rumbling echoed in the room as the inmates started scurrying through the ventilation shafts.

@Algarus

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

It didn't take a structural engineer to know that having a floor with a hole in it was bad. Like really bad. So, Kalanda went to work trying to fix what she could of the destroyed room. It hadn't been long before loud sounds began to sound against the door. How the hell did the prisoners catch up to them? Mid shouted for them to work faster, and honestly there was no better motivating factor than certain death.

There were alot of prisoners, more than they would be able to handle certainly, but thankfully for the two they could funnel in their attackers; which was by far more manageable. That nice little thought was shattered however, once she sensed that the prisoners were trying to work their way to them via the vents. Then the rumbling started, and everything basically went to hell.

Kalanda could hear inmates voices bouncing off the walls of the vents, as it was pretty evident they were doing their damndest to find the group of Sith in their new facility. With blaster and saber at the ready, Kalanda readied for the inmates to start their assault, as any moment they'd be upon them. A loud 'clank' echoed as one of the engineers shouted: "They're punching their way through the door!" Again, another loud 'clank sounded, then another, as the sealed door began to give way. Who the hell put power tools in a prison?

"Mid?" Kalanda called out, wanting to know where she was to be. Honestly, at the moment it seemed like it didn't matter so long as she could kill their attackers as they came.
@KinkyPrawn

 

[Mid Samekh]

Things were going very south very quickly. The fusion cutters were making good progress through the door. The rumbling inside the vents underneath them wasn't helping Mid's demeanor at all. Kalanda called out to him, hoping for some grand plan. "You kill them as they come through. Don't let them breathe." he ordered her. There wasn't much more they could do. They had to stand their ground and not show fear. A lot easier for him than it was for her.

Meanwhile the engineers were working as hard as they could to return power to the facility and, most importantly, the security systems.

The door was giving in and the rumbling was getting closer. Things were looking grim. Mid's grip on his lightsaber was tightening more and more and he drew the force through himself. He cast a glance back to Kalanda, making sure she was alright. "Get ready." he said to her, focusing on the door. His eyes followed the cutters. They were less than 10 seconds away from dropping the door down.

"Got it!" one of the engineers shouted.

Suddenly the lights came on and metallic hissing and whining filled the room as power flowed through the prison once more. Blaster fire started coming out of nowhere outside the room. The prisoners started to scream before falling silent to the repeater fire outside. Steadily the presence of the prisoners fell away as they were gunned down in the hallways and restricted areas. The vents also electrified, killing the prisoners in there as well. A sound behind him made him turn around...and stare down the twin barrels of a turret. He took his helmet off for it to scan its face. When it recognized his face it shut down and retracted into the roof once more.

He looked at the engineers who were overwhelmed with relief. They started to laugh as the stress left their bodies. He looked to Kalanda and shot a small smirk. "Alright, let's finish up hear and report back upstairs." he said, looking around the place. a unanimous and happy "yessir" came from the engineers who started to work on the shields. He walked towards Kalanda as he holstered his weapons. "Getting anxious, aren't we?" he joked with her.

@Algarus

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

Kalanda had initially take up a position to defend the exposed vent entrance, but as the power came on in their hour of need, such a thing became nessicary. The men she had been so concerned with in the vents, were fried alive by exposed electrical wires within the structure. The engineers had seemingly showed their worth, as what looked to be last stand turned into a mop up. She turned her focus towards the door now, as the men were just starting to coming pouring out, but Kalanda knew what she had to do. Mid had given her the command, and Kalanda was hellbound to carry it out. She lifted her hands, taking up a handful of sharpened metal and broken machine parts and readied it for the inmates to reach her. As they broke through on Kalanda's side, they were showered with metal, as they were sliced, battered, and pummeled by the mess they lefted behind. Even with the small display, Kalanda still had many more inmates coming, as the acolyte was forced to trade blows with several that came too close. It wasn't much of a fight, as the acolyte found many of them were just brutes, all too susceptible to the caress of a lightsaber. Even then, so few of the prisoners escaped the barrage of turret fire, as the defense turrets made quick work of the men.

When it was all said and done, Kalanda stood over a hallway full of dead men, with the smell of cooked meat starting to fill the room from the men in the shafts. It made her just the slightest bit nauseous, but she concealed it as best she could. She turned to her master of choice, wanting to know what was next, as the engineers were taking a well deserved break from the action, as they worked away on the shield arrays. Mid took a jab at the acolyte, to which she responded with a fervent, "No my lord." Not realizing it was a joke. She would follow Mid up the stairs, embarking into another scene of carnage in the process, but at least this work was behind them. @KinkyPrawn
/end thread