Dispatching the Dornean

[Callum Attar]

[fancybox2]
Dispatching the Dornean

Dornea is known for its decent ship building capabilities. Not exactly as impressive as Mon Cala they still would be an asset to the Empire. We already have a malleable representative but he is not in a position of power. For him to be able to make the decisions of joining the Empire we will need to remove the current head of the guild. He will be in his home and it will be our job to eliminate him.

[/fancybox2]

An assassination assignment was always an interesting thing. For one, it kept you on your toes. Not only in hoping to not be discovered, but in seeing the many flaws and vulnerabilities in the target's life, and comparing and contrasting to one's own. A frightening thing, coming to terms with how thin the line between safety and grave danger truly was. Callum would never allow the fear of death to overwhelm his desire for life, but a good reminder that the safest way to live was to avoid making powerful enemies did come in handy every now and again.

The Acolyte skulked around the house's vicinity, awaiting to hear from the Imperial Agent he'd been partnered with. Though of course, Sith were by no means unfamiliar to espionage and assassination, he was curious to see how one specifically trained by the Empire in the ways of secrecy would carry himself in this situation, particularly in a planet where humans did not seem to be the norm and as a result did not blend as well into the environment.

@Nightfall

Spoiler: Dice

Find the dice thread Here.

 

[Tarn Lokket]

Wetwork.

Such operations had become increasingly more common as years of war dragged on. As assets rose and fell the Empire needed more and more to secure its vast powers, hold back the growing might of its enemies.

And the fastest way to make it happen, was to make sure no one could oppose it.

Dornea’s shipbuilding guilds current head had clocked off for the day, and Tarn and his partner Callum had gotten his home whereabouts from command. The mans power was clearly represented in the lavish house. Getting there had been no easy task, but a ship in was always fairly anonymous, and keeping it back roads with a helmet kept you more or less forgotten to pretty well all. Goal was simple enough, no time to be wasting,

“Altar” he nodded as he approached “Say we find a side entrance, avoid security” he was on task now, and so was his mind, all focused on the one thing.

@Pontus

 

[Callum Attar]

"That's the plan." - Callum agreed, dressed head to toe in his personal, black armour, covered by an also black, poncho-like apparel that had been frayed at the edges. The armour itself was pristine, but hopefully if they were spotted, the gunslinger-like cloth might lead them towards a more bounty-hunter route, and away from the stereotypical look of a Sith.

His lightsabre had been properly concealed, while his vibroknife and blaster remained under cover of this ragged cloth, but close at hand.

The palatial house seemed to sport stationed armed guards, and no doubt no shortage of alarms that would probably break their cover quickly enough. If they were unlucky enough, the place might even have something of a panic room. Ultimately, little in the galaxy would be able to resist prolonged exposure to a lightsabre, but time was an important factor, and he wouldn't risk telegraphing that the Empire had done this unless he absolutely had to.

"I don't suppose you're confident you can disable that thing's alarms, if it has any?" - the Coruscantian inquired. His Republica masters had deemed such activities beneath a Sith, and though he'd known they were wrong then, he hadn't moved to fix this particular oversight just yet, and so was about as clueless as they came.

If worse came to worst, could they simply cut the street's power?

@Nightfall

 

[Tarn Lokket]

Security, security, security. He couldn’t say the man who lived here was exactly paranoid, the mission he was on right now justified all the measures the place had been set out for them. Clearly the fellow hadn’t wasted his money.

A quick glance into the building netted him glances at guards patrolling the place. Combat ready in case things got heated, it’d be best to avoid them totally then engage. Whether that would be possible was another question,

“I think we can find a way” he replied back to Callum, referring to the alarms. Their approach had been undetected, meaning nothing was tripped, that meant they had an opportunity to rid themselves of the system.

Stepping softly iaround the house, Tarn’s sneaking suit made barely a sound as he moved forward past the east wing. Keeping to the shadows, he spotted the alarms above him, stuck high onto the side wall, their cabling running back down and around, artfully covered up into part of the design. Still, if you followed the signs, you could find the source. Rounding the nearest corner, a slight knock against part of the wall where the cabling ended revealed it to be hollow.

Too simple.

Placing his robotic hand on its edge, he pressed down, finding the pressure point that unlocked the door, and popped it open. Two heavy wires were on display, sending power and receiving data from the whole system. Vibrodagger, cut left, cut right, no trip, and then no power, it wouldn’t be easy to bring back on. As Tarn glanced up, he spotted the subtle red lights on each point dim shortly afterward, their threat neutralised,

“House is blind now” he spoke back into the comm, before moving back to meet Altar. Now to beeline to their objective.

Spoiler: Dice

roll for disabling alarms

@Pontus

 

[Callum Attar]

Before long, Lokket had rejoined Attar at the doorstep. The house's alarms had been cut, just like that. Now, at least some of the guards would be on their way to inspect things. They needed to get in, and hopefully avoid making some noise along the way.

Before the duo stood a door that might've proved difficult to open silently under normal situations, but now that the power was gone, the thing was all but open already. A short wave of the hand and the door slowly and silently opened by itself - an all too common usage of telekinesis - allowing the two individuals to quietly move inside.

As predicted, they had not encountered opposition here. Some of the guards would've been dispatched to find out what was wrong, while the remainder would've secured more tactically safe positions, without hassling the house's master just yet. Or so the Acolyte assumed, anyway. After all, they still didn't know a threat was imminent, only that it was possible.

Little more than a few steps in the Imperial party found a staircase leading upwards. Normally, rich people tended to have their rooms in upper rooms, and so the Acolyte wordlessly but quizzically signaled upwards. A firm believer that Agents are trained for this, Callum left the ultimate decision to Lokket.

@Nightfall

Edit:

Spoiler: OOC

Rolled to see how many guards moved to check out the noise. 3 did, meaning there are only 4 inside the house. The PCs do not know this, of course.

 

[Tarn Lokket]

So far, so good. That was what he liked to see. With the alarm off the door slid open without trouble, Altar using his force abilities to see them through. First gate down then,

The interior of the house was palatial. With high ceilings, and bespoke furniture and fixtures that covered the walls, it seemed clear that their target was one of the more notable on the planet. A fact to which he was fully aware from the briefing documents, but now properly understood after seeing it with his own eyes.

Still, this was not time to gawk. Such excess wasn't his style anyway, fine things, certainly, but this was little more than gaudy trappings of wealth where taste had been forgotten.

Meeting Altar next to the stairs, he nodded at man and prepared to take point, recalling what they knew of the layout in his head. Plan was to catch the man unawares in his office, and end his days then and there before exiting. Simple in theory. Still, blaster in hand, he pushed up the stairs and rounded the corner, keeping low.

The door to the office wasn't far up ahead, but that wasn't what startled the agent as he moved in closer.

Diving to the side into an opening, he caught only a glimpse of the pair of guards that had taken up residence at the offices door. The power outage had put them on an alternate alert. They were more sophisticated than they had expected clearly, which meant sneaking wasn't really an option anymore. Not for Tarn in his position anyway,

"Doors covered, was damn near spotted, ideas on your end?" he commed to Altar in a whisper. Hopefully the Sith had something up his sleeve. Or else this op was about to become a lot more complicated.

@Pontus

Spoiler: Dice

Roll to sneak to office, result in minor failure, being Tarn having no option to sneak anymore.

 

[Callum Attar]

A sigh escaped the Acolyte's lips as he heard Tarn's words. The clock was ticking fast. It wouldn't be long now before whoever went to check would've spotted the signs of the Agent's tampering and reported back. But Lokket seemed confident that this room was the place - and if it was being guarded by two guards, Callum was inclined to agree - so this was a deciding moment.

It was a little drab, but powering through was the only viable option the Sith saw to continue. They had made good progress this far, and at least some of the guards would've been on their way or perhaps even outside of the house by now, so they should have some time. They just needed to make good use of it.

Attar drew his blaster and took a silent breath, steeling himself and his aim. "New plan, then. We're going loud. Let's get these two dead and breach that door." - he whispered into his com, before swiveling on one foot, facing the duo and firing at one of them.

These guards were not wearing particularly impressive gear, and probably likewise lacked high-end training. While its ships were important, the Dornean ship manufacturing guilds were by no means like Corellia's. If they had been, the Empire would never have dispatched one Agent and a single Acolyte to deal with it. So, when Callum surprised them and fired three shots, one of the men fell dead. The first shot had hit him in his stomach, which the light armour he worse seemed to attenuate to some extent, and while the second went wide, the third tore a hole in the side of his neck.

The individual dropped to the ground, still alive but not for long. He was incapacitated. His companion, however, having received what looked like the fright of his life, let off a shout and fired a few errant rounds in the Coruscantian's general direction. He was too agitated for anything to hit, but his shots did force the Acolyte to retreat to the staircase he'd popped out from.

This was a bad place to be in. The shot and blaster noises would've no doubt alerted people, who would be converging on their location soon, and a staircase meant he now risked enemy encounters from the hallway he and Lokket stood on, as well as from the bottom of the staircase. The Agent had better not miss.

"One of them is down, and the other is firing at me. You should have a shot. Take him out." - he once again whispered into his coms. Urgency was beginning to ring in his voice, and with it came the tone many Sith used, positively dripping with authority.

@Nightfall

Spoiler: Dice

Rolled to fire at guard, which resulted in a minor success. Guard is dying, but the other fired back sooner than expected and now Callum is stuck in a dangerous position.

 

[Tarn Lokket]

Orders were orders. Despite his breathing apparatus that attached to his face, one could hear the deep breath he drew in before taking a shot, a small moment to pause before it really, really happened. Few were comfortable with blaster bolts in their face, and he'd seen more than most. He was only where he was today because of events it would be rather generous to have said was a 'close call' and yet, that didn't make it any easier. When the bolts were flying and the blasts real, the sense of danger could creep back, the memory of that event. Even with all the training in the galaxy, the mind wasn't always so resilient. That's why he took those moments, just to hold them down.

Too bad it didn't buy him success this time.

As he rounded the corner, his blaster ready to bark out and spray fire, it seemed the guard who was still upright had kept his eyes on a swivel, his own weapon shooting out a bolt of energy that bit into Tarn's robotic arm, chewing through the metal and melting away at it.

The force of the shot spun him to the side and sent him into the wall. He didn't feel any pain, but whatever momentum his attack had was suddenly lost, himself off balance. He had tried to make it quick so they could escape before reinforcements arrived. Foolish, stupid move on his behalf. One he would have to learn from another time, assuming they made it out.

@Pontus

Spoiler: Dice

Roll to shoot and charge. Minor failure.

 

[Callum Attar]

Callum had heard firing, but not received confirmation. Expecting the worst, the man once more spun onto the corridor and fired. The guard had been trigger-happy, but had remained in shock. His position had not changed, and the Acolyte was not one to forget it. Two more blaster shots rang out. One clipped him dead in his centre of mass, which seemed to take the wind out the man and quite possibly doing some internal damage, and the final one nailed him between the eyebrows. Attar had warmed up, it seemed.

Wasting no time, the Acolyte rushed forward and stood above the dying man, firing off his sixth shot of the day, and killing him instantly. For an instant, silence ensued, until fast, heavy footsteps could be heard moving closer and closer to the staircase the Coruscantian had just left. Callum turned to face the noise and readied his blaster. He still had half a clip, but whatever was coming felt different, and their track-record had been iffy thus far.

He now stood beside the doorway they were supposed to breach, behind which they could hear rustling, when from the dead bodies came a sound: Their coms. "Cap'n, the alarms were cut off. We've alerted the authorities." when an instant later a voice, much harsher rang out "They're inside the house already! Move! Move! Move!" - the voice that had spoken sounded antsy, but not out of breath, which didn't match up with these footsteps, and that plus the 'we' meant there were at least 4 more guards they'd have to deal with.

Sadly, there no longer time for such considerations. As soon as Callum had done the math and prepared to share, a rather large, uncovered, scarred Trandoshan head popped out of the staircase, followed swiftly by its body.

This individual was better geared and looked confident. Attar had had no time to find cover, and so if they wanted to get out of this thing safely, the Agent might just have to start pulling rabbits out of hats.
@Nightfall

Spoiler: Dice

Rolled for attack. Success. The stronger foe mentioned here has finally made his appearance, and the 3 individuals who went to check the alarm situation have spotted the issue, called the authorities and are now also storming in also, though it should take them some time to catch up with the trandoshan.

 

[Tarn Lokket]

Altar had done well, the two guards were down for the count, and so far his injury wasn't so bad. It'd need replacing, but if that's all he had to deal with, then he could still call it a success.

Too bad he didn't know what was coming to him shortly.

Voices echoed through the dead mans comm piece, alerting them to the next movements,

"Time to end this" he said to Altar. While the Acolyte looked back and spotted the looming head of the Trandoshan that had come up the stairs, Tarn hadn't kept his head quite as well. He was getting to frustrated, to shaken, needing to much mental energy to push back the thoughts that crept in that might paralyse him. Throwing open the door to the office he found their target, cowering at the back of the room, the slick glass wall at its rear opening to views of the planet.

Cocking his head to one side and his pistol up, he readied to fire. Only a moment too late.

Blaster bolts tore across the roof above him, Tarn whipping round to find the Trandoshan too late. It forced him to dive, retraining his shot on the thing. But in his desperation his shots went wide, and he threw himself into the relative safety of a doorway, knocking his blaster against the wall hard and breaking it, the thing sizzling in his hand.

Useless bit of bolts it was anyway.

@Pontus

 

[Callum Attar]

Lokket seemed to have made a mess of things, but had somehow reached the room their target was in and though his shots strayed, they seemed to make the Trandoshan flinch just enough for the Acolyte to take aim himself and fire, before the reptilian who had been out of breath and surprised could bring himself to do the same.

The same signature shot sequence ensued. Three blaster bolts, shot out of the ZA-44. This foe was better equipped than his peers, with armour covering most of his torso and arms, alongside a heavy set of boots, that were making all that noise. The first shot went wide, but the second found its mark right in the target's centre of mass. It did, however, perhaps because of the Reptile's size, appear that this shot had not done quite as much damage as it had the others. Perhaps the armour was of better quality as well. But this was no time for such thoughts. They needed the mark dead and then get the kriff out of here.

The third shot was then aimed at the Trandoshan's right thigh, and struck true, taking a nice big chunk out of it. If the reptile was young enough, he might be able to regrow that limb, but either way, he wouldn't be catching up to them any time soon. The guard clutched his leg and stumbled to the ground and seemed to be a little out of it. Perhaps that initial shot to his chest hadn't done fatal damage, but it seemed to have rung his bell.

Taking advantage of the guard's moment of pain, Callum then swiftly rushed into the room Lokket and the mark were in, and found the Dornean huddled over on a corner. By the look in his eyes, it seemed he knew he was done for. That was good. Hopefully things would start going a little more smoothly from here on out.

"Kill him." - he commanded, motioning towards the window in the room.

The Coruscantian once again paused to steel himself find his breath. The Agent didn't seem to be having a nice go of things, but lady luck might smile upon him yet. Regardless, the dirty work had been delegated and so was as good as done. Callum's mind now raced to figure out the exit strategy that would follow.

All the guards should be rushing to the second floor by now, so turning back would be hell. The authorities would be a little ways away. With a little luck, they might just get out of here safe and sound. "We're jumping off of that window and we're getting out of here." It was unconventional, but they weren't too far from the ground, so it'd have to do.

@Nightfall

Spoiler: Dice

Successful hit on Trandoshan he's alive but paralyzed.

 

[Tarn Lokket]

Today was not Tarn Lokket's day.

Few days were, given his particular lot.

But when failures like many of his efforts today happened they fell squarely upon himself, and no one else. He could tell just by looking at the security here, the way they moved, fired, fanned out, they weren't as professional as he had been assuming. Nothing he hadn't dealt with before.

And yet, he was slipping up. He was falling head first into the firing line. Part of him knew only the mercy of Attar would make sure any after action reports didn't go directly up, see him reevaluated. Looking into the eyes of the Dornean though, he knew at least he could make one part of this mission count,

"With pleasure" he said, stalking toward the Guild Head, vibrodagger drawn. He had to admit, the Dornean accepted his fate with relative courage once it was inevitable, one clean cut did the job as swiftly as anyone could ask for in an execution.

Job done.

It was closest he'd get to a reprieve though, because the Sith was right, there weren't many options out of here. But if they made te leap, they'd be in the clear.

Time to go.

@Pontus

Spoiler: Dice

Roll to kill the target - Successful

 

[Callum Attar]

The newly retired guild-head hit the carpet-lined floor with a limp, wet thud. No way around it, the alien was truly and properly dead. It hadn't been a difficult task to accomplish, but little had gone according to plan the instant any form of opposition had come into play, so the Acolyte was frankly relieved to see this part of the job done cleanly, at least. Cradling in a corner for a couple of minutes in fear while a firefight happened outside your door, with two disgruntled, masked individuals then barging past your door didn't exactly spell out the best way to go for anyone, let alone a civilian, but at least no real physical pain was inflicted alongside the psychological variety.

The one-way transparisteel in his helm no doubt covered most of his expression, while years of having been a Republica Sith no doubt covered the rest. Still, while it was true that Callum felt vaguely remorseful, it couldn't be said that he'd be losing any sleep over it. It had simply been bothersome. Perhaps all it was was a Sith's arrogance, but standing over this dead civilian covered in blood and other bodily fluids, the whole ordeal just felt beneath him somehow.

But hey, the Empire had commanded and he had obeyed. C'est la vie. At least until he secured enough alliances and personal power to be able to devote his time to more amusing pursuits.

Attar's blaster fired its tenth shot, leaving the window standing between the duo and freedom in pieces. With five shots remaining in the ZA's proverbial chamber, the Force gathered within the man and he summoned the Art of Movement. After a brief running start, he nimbly leapt out into the night, landing safely on solid ground. His black armour and the dark, bounty hunter-esque cloth that covered it would offer him some camouflage, provided he stick to the shadows from here on out.

The Sith looked above to what remained of the office window, hoping the Agent could get a similar result despite lacking the Force's aid. He would be there to assist otherwise.

Frankly, at this point, when the ending was within reach, Callum just wanted to get it done and over with, and leave this blasted place.

@Nightfall

Spoiler: Dice

Rolled to jump out of window, was a success.

 

[Tarn Lokket]

Watching Callum deftly fly from the office and drop out the window left Tarn with a tinge of jealousy. He had lived many years in a society that preferred the force sensitive, no matter what the words of the masters, or their theoretical obligations to some concept of strength and advancement. He knew where he fell, and he knew that there was only so high that he could rise (and given his particular line, he knew exactly where that was, if it wasn't an early grave).

But, he had made his peace with that. From what little he understood there was enough troubles that seeing the Force brought with it that he didn't envy the sensitive.

Still...

Times like these, a little preternatural skill went a long way. And given how the days favour had been swinging for him, he wouldn't have refused a little help from above.

Too bad that once again, it failed him.

Stepping back to gather speed, he sped toward the window, heavy feet slamming into the ground, but as he approached,

"Freeze!" came a cry from the door, his feet skidding into the floor and steadying himself on the edge. From the sound of it, it was only one man, but one man with a gun could end him there and then. He caught glimpse of Attar down below, the single coming up behind him as he put his hands up. Tarn cocked his head at the acolyte,

One more favour?

@Pontus

Spoiler: Dice

Roll to jump and escape - minor failure

 

[Callum Attar]

A bolt flew deftly from the Acolyte's blaster. This time was a single shot, that punched a hole straight through the intruding guard's head. The man hadn't even gotten to complete his sentence, he'd been dead on impact. Clean, and precise. A thing of beauty, really. One that Callum might've appreciated if his patience hadn't been wearing so thin. The power pack was good for four more shots, and the Sith genuinely wished that that was the way it would remain.

Alas, that bolt was a spark in the not-so-proverbial darkness. The shattering window had garnered attention, yes, but once in the cover of night he had been hidden. And so too would Lokket have been, if he'd managed to jump. But at that instant, the release of plasma acted like a beacon, telegraphing to his surroundings where he was. That the break hadn't been a consequence of a scuffle. No. Every house in the vicinity now saw blaster fire, and worse: They could see that the duo was in the process of leaving.

The Coruscantian could feel the eyes on him. No doubt the authorities would be notified shortly after that the intruders that had invaded the guild leader's home were now attempting to make a break for it.

The Agent hesitated, and now their lives were that much harder. There was still a chance. They still had time. Lokket just needed to make that leap. "If we live through this, I'm going to cover for you." - the Acolyte said through his coms, a harsh, biting tone contrasting with an otherwise positive message for the Agent.

"But you are going to owe me." - Callum had put a particular emphasis on the one, key word, making sure it got across - "For a long, long time."

@Nightfall

Spoiler: Dice

Rolled to shoot at new guard. Minor success. The 'but' came in the form of their otherwise surefire escape having been made harder. 3 guards are dead, and 1 is thoroughly incapacitated. 3 guards remain, all of which are probably almost there, and the cops are en route and getting closer and closer.

 

[Tarn Lokket]

Tarn breathed a sigh of relief through his vocabulator as he heard the guard drop dead behind him, the bolt from Attar’s blaster tearing him apart in a single shot.

Whatever he had thought he was, whatever skill he thought he had, that’d all come tumbling down today. There was work to be done, not just in the galaxy but on himself, he knew that to be truer now than ever before.

Perhaps he’d lost a step.

Shame.

Still, heaving himself from the window he thudded into the ground next to the acolyte, standing tall beside him as he replied,

“I would have expected nothing else” he replied dryly, brushing himself off. In the rush of it all he noticed he’d lost his vibrodagger, it must have fallen during the leap. At least they had made it to relative safety by this point, or he’d have been totally unarmed.

In the distance he could hear the whir of sirens, voices shouting in the dark as they began the search. They needed to be out of here, and fast.

But he knew, knew all too well, that he and Callum Attar weren’t done. When exactly Attar would call in that favour, we’ll, let’s say he wasn’t exactly excited to find out.

@Pontus

Spoiler: Dice

Roll to jump and escape -minor success, lost his dagger in the process (and his pride).

/EndThread