Breaking In

[Gaz Fallwen]

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Imperial prison
0130 local time​

A gentle rain pattered onto the hood of Gaz's dark cloak, the leaves of the tree above him failing to shield him from the water. Several hundreds of meters away from him, a tall and imposing prison stretched out between the two rocky mountains at its sides. The hulking metallic complex was much more quieter than Gaz had expected it to be, although he supposed it would grow louder as they approached.

They. His "associate" was likely on his way, probably mere seconds away. Gaz didn't know much about him other that he was another Acolyte and that he needed help breaking into an Imperial prison. Those two facts, put together, made the entire situation ten times more conspicuous, but he knew better than to ask questions, especially when someone shady was involved. He was happy to help out a fellow Sith and potentially make an ally, although he was also attracted to the challenge.

Failing wasn't even an option.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

This was another one of those operations that Varyn would deny to his dying breath. Mostly because it was highly illegal. His Venatori mask was in place and his name wasn't present. He'd only given his alias "Corax" because one didn't attack one's own side's prison without repercussions under your own identity. BUT, if you could convince one of your enemies to help you do it, then they could take the blame.

The rain was coming down hard, which brought visibility down significantly. In this case, that was to his advantage. He didn't want to be seen more than he needed to be. He wanted to get his information and get out, and to that end, he'd made sure to bring small video and photography devices.

He hadn't actually drawn his weapons yet, but they were close at hand. The sooner they could get in and out the better. The last thing they wanted to do was bring reinforcements down on them. Corax. You must be Gaz? he asked, suddenly appearing behind the man. He'd not quite snuck up, but he hadn't announced his presence either. He was ready just in case his ally was jumpy and turned around swinging.

The rain will provide good cover from site and scramble sensors, he pointed out, implying that they should move sooner rather than later so that they didn't lose the opportunity for surprise. @The Matt

 

[Gaz Fallwen]

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"Yeah," he replied, turning to the voice to his side.

Corax had been shady from the beginning, so the stealthy entrance was predictable enough that he wasn't surprised. His lightsaber was clipped to his belt if he had to use it, but Gaz wasn't jumpy, and he doubted the other Sith, shady as he was, would turn on him. It wasn't in his interest, and he had no way of knowing whether Gaz was Old Empire or Imperial.

"It's perfect weather for a prison break," Gaz remarked, nodding. "Do you know where we're going exactly? Just wanna make sure we're not going in blind." He started walking, since it was best to get a move on before it stopped raining. They could discuss specifics during the hundred meter walk to the prison.

As he began walking, he considered grabbing the mask off his belt and putting it on. It wouldn't offer any protection though, and he saw no need to be anonymous; it was expectable of an Old Empire Sith to break into an Imperial prison. He had his reasons, none having to do with the civil war (which he didn't believe in). Then again, it wasn't like this break in would end up on the news. At most, he might be wanted in the sector for a few weeks.
@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

Lower levels. No map, but there are staircases down at the Northeast and Southwest ends, he said. Corax wanted evidence of the Empire's corrupt actions because it would draw more people to his cause... to the Venatori cause. He wondered if this Gaz might be of a similar mind or if he was only here for the bloodshed. There could be merit to both, but the latter was quite the red flag in Varyn's mind.

[color=firebrick[Intelligence is lacking, though,[/color] he admitted. While they weren't quite blind, it was about as close as you could get. He wasn't going to sugar coat their situation because that got people killed.

We'll need to move quickly, he said. They could carve their way into the Northeast side of the building and move down from there. If they moved quickly enough, perhaps they could get out before anyone realized what was going on. We should fight to the control center first, take out the guards there.

With that, they made it to the far corner of the facility. Varyn's hand reached under his robes and pulled out the small cylinder of a lightsaber hilt and he glanced back at his partner. There was a finger countdown and then the dark, black and crimson blade ignited into the wall. It only took 4 seconds and they had their hole inside. Its edges were still glowing, but it was an entrance. Only darkness seemed to await them inside, and the dank smell of feces and urine. @The Matt

 

[Gaz Fallwen]

.

Gaz was strolling at a relatively fast pace, his hand reaching for his lightsaber as soon as he saw Corax reaching for his. "Understood," was all he said as his ally finished, since it was better to conserve his breath for the daunting task ahead. They would have plenty of time to talk when they were on their way out, but for now, silence was key.

The precipitation stopped hitting his shoulders once he ducked his head into Corax's makeshift entrance, although he regretted the deep breath he took once in. Gaz had never stepped foot into a prison before, but he had really expected them to be cleaner. And brighter.

It seemed as though the power had gone out, but lights down the corridor - and the sound of prisoners going about their daily routines in the distance - assured him that everything was proceeding as normal. He hadn't spotted any guards yet, although someone was bound to notice the entrance during a perimeter check, so it was best for the two Sith to distance themselves from it as much as possible.

A staircase to his right confirmed what Corax had said, so he made his way toward it, hilt of his lightsaber in hand, unignited so far. Hopefully his ally knew what he was doing. @Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

Varyn's nose crinkled up at the smell inside. It was hideous and rancid. It was no accident, of course, because Varyn had picked it on purpose. It was one of the worst prisons out there, filled with political prisoners and others with terrible tortures taking place. While Varyn couldn't argue that sometimes torture was a necessary tool, having it done merely for dissent was far more over the top.

But they had nowhere to go but forward. He slipped through the opening and down the stairs, extinguishing his saber before anyone could see it. We need to get to the control room, he said. They could fight their way out, but until he managed to get there, he wanted to keep things quieter than open conflict, but something told him that wouldn't last.

Hey, did you hear something? a voice suddenly said from behind the corner. Varyn leapt up, gripping a railing and hoisting his legs up above his target, but ti wouldn't be long before the voice found the "door" they'd just made. They would have to kill whoever it was, and sooner rather than later. @The Matt

 

[Gaz Fallwen]

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The first few seconds went pretty well, until a voice around the corner murmured something. Judging by the fact that the guard was talking, the Sith supposed there was another person with him. Looking up at Corax, who had already assumed his position, he wrapped the Force around his hand and slid his lightsaber hilt back onto his belt. It would be best to avoid any noise.

Jump when they turn the corner, he transmitted telepathically, positioning himself against the wall. Soon, the guard's boot poked out in front of Gaz, and he waited a moment before swinging into action. As the men turned the corner, two things happened. First, Gaz grabbed the nearest one by the head, positioning one hand on his face and another on the back of his head, and twisted, the Force he'd been collecting augmenting his strength and speed.A crack later, and a corpse lay on the durasteel floor.

Second, Corax took out the other one, although it was up to him how he'd do it. Gaz looked at the two guards and then at Corax. "Do you wanna do the cliche 'dressing up as guards thing'? I feel like it may be a waste of time, but it's your call."
@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

Varyn slipped his saber away and didn't grab the sword just yet. He'd have liked to, but the sound of it coming out of its sheathe might alert the men below. What he did instead was wait. Gaz eliminated the first, and as soon as he saw the man drop, he dropped as well. He hit the other man bodily. It wasn't very graceful, and he felt a shooting pain through his back as flank met with helmet, but it also forced the guard to the ground. He hit his jaw on the stairs and that gave Varyn the time to pull his sword free to plunge through the man's back and at an angle to plunge into the diaphragm.

There was blood everywhere, but the target was down. Gaz asked if he wanted to use the uniforms and Varyn glanced down at the blood. No, he said with a shake of his head. Even if it hadn't been covered in blood, Gaz was right that they were unlikely to be of use at this point. With the hole in the wall, there was no more point to hiding the bodies either.

We need to move quickly, he said, moving swiftly down the stairs and to the next area where the cell blocks were. A blaster shot rang out from behind them and flew far too close to Varyn for comfort. It seemed they had been found out, and that meant everything was likely to go sideways from here. His sword slipped away and his saber came out. We need to get to the computer system, he growled. @The Matt

 

[Gaz Fallwen]

.

Surprisingly clumsy for a man that dressed and acted like the Eternal himself, but then again, no one's perfect. Gaz didn't judge, even when his pants were covered by blood from someone else's kill. He was different like that; most other Sith would have said something, whether it was a snarky remark or an outburst of actual anger, but instead, he remained silent.

The Acolyte began moving again when a blaster bolt struck the wall in front of them. He broke into a sprint, Corax at his side, his lightsaber hilt back in his hand but still unignited. Accidents happened, and he didn't want to trip down the stairs and end up impaling himself.

Gaz got to the bottom of the stairs first. Ahead lay three corridors, one going ahead with a lone door at the end, which had a sign on it that read "control room". It was comically simple finding it, but he had a sneaking suspicion this wasn't all that the mission entailed; if they were already being chased by guards, it would be much more difficult to do what Corax was here to do. Speaking of which-

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is the objective of this mission?" he asked, genuinely curious. If he was gonna risk his life and freedom, he preferred to know why.

Two guards burst out of the control room ahead, stun blasters blazing. Gaz ignited his lightsaber and parried what bolt came his way, although the two attackers seemed to be rather undertrained. As he sprinted toward them, he wrapped the Force around his left hand and shoved it forward, sending both sailing into the cement wall behind them. Impaling one, he stuck his foot in the door to prevent it from closing and turned to Corax, waiting for him to finish off the second and maybe answer his question. @Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

Varyn was, frankly, somewhat surprised the question hadn't come sooner. Even he wasn't quite sure why Gaz had wanted to come along. He thought it was something about the challenge of it, but that seemed like a dangerous reason to risk life and limb.

Evidence of political prisoners and mistreatment, he said. Time to see how that went over. He wasn't sure most Sith would give a second thought to that, but Varyn did. In fact, he was half expecting the other Sith to lash out in anger about being here for that reason. Most, it seemed, had lost sight of the reason for the Empire. For this reason, he was nearly as wary of his own partner as he was of the enemies shooting at them.

He followed quickly after the other Sith, ducking fluidly under another shot and swiping his saber up across the guard's head as he was still recovering, sending the head flying. This was getting messy now, but it was too late to go back. If they went back, they would have no second chance. No, Varyn was going to push forward.

Security room will be up, but cells will be down, he said. Security room should have the records for who was here and perhaps video log of interrogations. With any luck, they wouldn't need to go down to the cells. We'll need to cut them off from the armory, he said. Many of the guards weren't armed, which meant robbing them of access to the armory might mean they were able to keep from being overwhelmed.


If you take the armory door, I'll take the security office, he suggested. It should mean that Gaz was slaughtering the guards who had little more than stun batons. @The Matt

 

[Gaz Fallwen]

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"Huh," he replied. "That's a noble cause." Gaz was fine with it, and definitely on board to help. "I just assumed you were trying to break a friend out or something."

The guard's head flew behind them and off down the corridor. Gaz nodded and headed toward what he assumed to be the armory, considering all the guards were flocking to it desperately. He was met with a gang of Imperial agents holding stun batons, so he gathered the Force to his feet and charged forward, lightsaber at his side. He cleaved guard after guard in half as he ran for the open armory door, filling the entire corridor with the nasty smell of burning flesh and cloth. The stun batons clattered to the ground noisily, as did their holders, the bodies slowly piling up until the floor was barely visible. He'd surprised them; no one had actually expected him to charge in like a madman.

The Acolyte looked into the armory, which had all sorts of weapons and riot gear adorning its walls. Rather than enter, he shut the door and grabbed a stun baton, putting it through the handle and using Force augmented strength to bend it into a sort of semicircle. No one would be able to get in now. He turned back, eyes searching down the corridor for any opposition but finding none. Hopefully, Corax was doing as well as he was. @Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

Noble cause? That was completely not the response that Varyn had been expecting. If anything, the Old Imperials were supposed to be more violent, more steeped in the Dark Side, but this one seemed not only rational, but interested in helping him. Or at least he gave lip service to it, and Varyn sensed no lie or deception in the Force. Interesting, he noted to himself.

The Sith ran toward the armory, and that left Varyn to deal with the main control room. His saber twirled slightly in his hand, digging for only a moment into the cold metal of the stairs, leaving a bright but shallow gash behind.

He headed directly for the main control center where he knew the men inside would have weapons - stun weapons, live rounds, and even rifles. He knew that whatever it was he was about to face, the Force would help him. If it didn't, his problems would all be over soon. They all had an expiration date.

He felt the Force flowing through himself, letting it guide his every movement as he closed on the control room. His saber swung up, sending the first blaster bolt at his enemy. It struck the enemy in the chest. A second swing sent another shot away while simultaneously carving a deep path through the man's chest.

Another saber swung down and caught a guard in the chest, sending him to the ground as the blast doors slammed shut in front of the Sith assassin. It didn't do much to stop him, though. His saber plunged through the metal, carving a new door for himself as blasters filled the hole. He gripped the piece with the Force and hurled at the firer, cutting down the remaining soldiers and delving into the facility's computer system.

I'm accessing the mainframe now. Prepare for retaliation, he said into his com. It occurred to him that if things went badly, he could theoretically release all the prisoners and let things go from there. @The Matt

 

[Gaz Fallwen]

.

Prepare for retaliation? Gaz had just cleaved an entire group of Imperial agents in half, and there were still more coming? The mission slowly began feeling more and more like a shoot-em-up game, not that he was complaining.

"Copy that," he replied simply, heading for the stairs from whence they came. If reinforcements were coming, he was hoping to create a bottleneck there that would let him take everyone out as fast as possible while leaving Corax to his own devices.

Ripping a blaster from the hands of a nearby corpse--one of the only ones who actually had one--Gaz glanced upwards. No one had shown up yet, but he could hear the pounding of boots on durasteel as the guards approached. He sliced the barrel off the gun with his lightsaber up until the powerpack was visible and placed his hand over the opening. It was a stun gun, but that was okay.

He channeled the Force to his palm, slowly heating up the durasteel and the powerpack within. He could feel the gun rumbling underneath his hand, and the guards reaching the stairs, but he was patient and level-headed. At the last possible moment, he chucked the blaster away and into the staircase, where it exploded with the power of a weak grenade. A guard fell through the stairs, landing at the bottom like a ragdoll, while another fell in front of the others. Several more agents tripped over the course, eventually leading to a comical domino effect that left about 6 of them incapacitated.

Still, more were coming. Gaz was having fun, but he hoped Corax was nearly done. "How are you holding up back there?" he asked into the com. @Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

Varyn shoved Dav's little slicing device into the data terminal and a status bar appeared quickly on screen. That was where "quick" came to an end. The status bar filled up 1% at a time and didn't seem as though it was in any rush to get things done. Dav, you should be getting remote access now, he said as the bar began to fill up more quickly.

Even once it did, he would have to wait until Dav had the uploads finished. It's coming along, but we're going to need more time. I'm going to release the prisoners, he said. It was a risk, and people were going to die. Both guards and inmates would die in the riot, but it was worth it. At least he was telling himself it was worth it.

Get ready for the fallout, he said. If the guards had no weapons it would be a brawl, inmates would escape, and they'd be chasing men down for weeks. It was in the middle of nowhere, and there was limited danger to others. At least he hoped, but either way, this could save hundreds of lives in the long run.

The upload is only halfway done, Dav's voice rang out in his ear. They needed more time, and Varyn could already see riot-gear equipped officers appearing.

Gaz, I'm releasing the inmates. Keep your head down, he said, grabbing a keycard from one of the dead guards, inserting it, and triggering the cells one at a time to open with a buzz. Just like that, all chaos was unleashed.

 

[Gaz Fallwen]

.

Well, retaliation was surely coming now. As inmates began pouring out of their cells, the silence of the prison was broken. Blaring alarms mixed with the screaming of guards and prisoners, drowning everything out. Gaz could see some agents in riot gear approaching, but they were piled onto by inmates, beaten to a pulp despite their armor. It was a jungle out there, so the Sith listened to Corax and kept his head down.

He began making his way toward the other Sith, since it would be much easier to defend from right outside the door. On his way, he cut down an approaching officer waving a stun baton, probably on his way to the sealed in armory.

The inmates hadn't been much trouble for the Sith, thankfully. They were busy with the guards, and he suspected they wouldn't bite the hand that fed them, so the two Acolytes had some defense while they hung around the control room. He worried more about how the hell they'd get out of the prison in one piece, considering the swarms of bodies running around the halls. It would have been hard to get through normally, but with fists flying it was even harder. @Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

What had begun to happen in the prison could only be described as chaos, but it had the desired result as well. The inmates were running amuck, and the guards were too busy with them to easily deal with the Sith. Varyn's eyes darted back to the monitor, waiting for it to finish its run. Twenty percent left, Dav told him.

Come on, come on, come on, his mind screamed, getting a little bit closer with each moment. His hand gripped his saber tightly, and he could see a guard in full riot gear making his way up the steps. The man seemed to have no fear, with a large baton in his right hand, and a riot shield in his left. He was more than willing to take on the Sith.

Varyn's saber came up in front of him, almost daring the man to make the first move. He knew he just needed to buy time at this point, so that was what he was doing: playing defensive. It was several seconds before the guard made his charge, pushing in on Varyn and swinging the baton. The two traded blows, and Varyn was caught slightly off guard when the baton merely batted his saber aside. It seemed it was capable of standing up to a saber blade, then. That made this more interesting.

Varyn had to be quick, sidestepping an attempt to bash him with the shield as he managed to bring his saber around and down on the man's arm, cleaving the baton out and then quickly redirecting a flick of his wrist to cut the man in two. Almost on cue, the voice in his ear rang out again. Download complete, get out of there, it said.

He moved quickly back to the control center, grabbing the small datacard and slipping it back into his belt. Gaz, I've got it, let's get out of here, he said. @The Matt

 

[Gaz Fallwen]

.

The upper levels had become warzones, and the plague was slowly spreading toward the two Sith. If it got there before they left, there would truly be no escape, so time was of the essence. As soon as Corax said he was done, Gaz burst into action. He climbed up the stairs two at a time, fairly certain the other Acolyte would be at his side; Corax didn't need any babysitting. If there was a problem, he'd turn back, but he doubted anything would happen to the assassin.

Holding his ignited lightsaber out, he began walking toward the hole they'd made in the wall, holding it like a magic wand that parted the crowd. And surprisingly, it worked. No one wanted to get cleaved in half while they fought someone else, so guards and prisoners alike moved out of the way.

Hopefully Corax was right behind him still. The Acolyte had almost reached the hole, and turning his head back would be suicide in the chaos around him. Still, he would do his best to make sure the other Sith got out in one piece--Gaz was never one to leave a man behind. @Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

Gaz didn't wait, and Varyn didn't expect him to. Sith rarely waited for each other, and as civilized as the Imperial Republica tried to be, there was a still a hint of Dark Side savagery under it all. The Old Empire was their roots, even if it was left behind, and this one hadn't even left it behind. The strong thrived and the weak served or died.

Luckily, Varyn didn't need any help to clear out. In fact, he leapt one of the railings, dropped a floor, and was on Gaz's tail within moments, continuing in the parted sea of people he left in his wake. The guards were too preoccupied to stop them, and besides one inmate who was succinctly cut in two, no one seemed to get in Varyn's way either.

Go! he urged as he saw Gaz turn back to make sure he was still there. On his tail and not going anywhere. The two plunged out into the darkness of night, this time with the rain seemingly pouring even harder. He was immediately drenched, but paid no heed to it. Speeders on the right, he said, pointing to the right where police units were parked. They could take the speeders to the LZ point and extract from there. Dav, Varyn's pilot, was ready and waiting for them unless Gaz chose to part ways early. Either way, Varyn fired up the engine and tore off into the night, glancing back to see if Gaz was following. @The Matt

 

[Gaz Fallwen]

.

As expected, the assassin handled himself wonderfully back there. Gaz was glad the mission had gone more or less okay--saying it had gone by smoothly would be a slap in the face to the couple dozen guards he'd decapitated down there. Still, Corax had gotten what he wanted, and Gaz hadn't died, so things could have definitely gone worse.

He burst out of the prison, grateful to finally be able to breathe fresh air. His senses had gotten used to the warm, humid, and rancid air of the prison, and breathing in the rainy gusts of wind blowing into his lungs was like taking a shower after wandering through the swamps of Nal Hutta all day.

There was a speeder waiting for them, thankfully. The police speeders had the potential to be a pain in the ass to get started, and you never know when a prisoner is gonna sneak up and smack you upside the head with a frying pan. A human can only divide their attention in so many places.

Gaz slammed himself into the backseat of the speeder waiting for them, regretfully soaking the leather seats. He looked at the driver, whom he didn't quite know. "I'm Gaz," he said, which was a pretty polite introduction. "I'd offer to shake your hand, but mine is covered in blood and whatever else I accidentally touched back there. Sorry about the seats, by the way." @Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

In short order, Varyn had the speeder hotwired and was on his way. He didn’t take long before they had put a great distance between themselves and the prison. The LZ point has been moved further down the way to keep suspicion being applied to the freighter. That was something Varyn didn’t want.

That could have gone worse, he commented. Despite the two of them having figurative (and literal) blood on their hands - something Varyn was trying not to think about - they had gotten what they came for. He hoped the information would give them what they needed.

What do you think of torturing political prisoners? he asked. Whether it had been approved by higher ups or not, Varyn didn’t know, but it seemed that Gaz was surprisingly against it. Either that or he just wanted to kill and maim and didn’t really care about the reason. That wasn’t enough for the young assassin, and that made him different from many Sith. It would probably get him killed someday too, just like it had Lord Ralas. @the Matt