In Darkness Eternal

[Boudicca Drast]

​

Nam Chorios was a cold world orbiting a star so dim that those on its surface lived in a state of perpetual dusk, marking their days by the deepening of darkness rather than its absence. Boudicca regarded the desolate terrain passing beneath the shuttle through her viewport, idly adjusting the strap of her thigh holster and running her hands over her belt to ensure that she had everything she'd need while gnawing contemplatively at her own lip. The planetary governor had reported a surge in pirate activity in the system in recent months; whole shipments of ore were disappearing during transit between the mines and the processing center and now the most distant settlement had gone dark, with no communications or shipments for nearly a week. Local security forces had tried to investigate but after losing a handful of probe droids and two squads to the pirates, they called for help.

Turning from the viewport while the Virus-class Dropship decelerated with a shudder, Boudicca stood and moved out of the cockpit with a silent nod to the pilot. Stepping into the cargo compartment the young Acolyte quickly grabbed her belongings from the locker, leaning on the ornate wood of her staff and holding her helm against her hip, and turned to address the other Sith onboard.

"We'll be arriving outside the settlement in a few moments, our priority mission is to clear out the town and mine of any and all hostiles. Our secondary objective is to rescue any surviving Offworld Corps miners and arrange their safe return. The mines on this planet are a key source of durasteel for our shipyards, so failure is not an option."

@Orbit

 

[Zul Kressh]

Zul meditated in the main quarter of the ship, levitating slightly off the ground as his hands rested against his knees. His eyes were closed and Boudicca would be able to feel the Dark Side pulsate lightly from him. The acolyte reached out to it, prodding it and molding it. Zul was still learning his abilities, having always been fascinated by the force and what it could do. It was a far cry from how his brethren behaved, preferring their Lanvorak instead of utilizing the force more efficiently. Zul could never understand why his people wouldn't open their eyes to it but that was another problem he would need to think about later.

Zul understood that he was here to cleanse a pirate problem from one of their mining settlements. While personally, he thought that this was a waste of time and something for the regular's of the Empire but he had to obey for now. The shuttle the two acolytes took rumbled as they slowed down, signaling to Zul that it was time. He heard the footsteps of his accomplice step out from the cockpit before making her way over to him. The Pureblood's eyes slowly opening, a bright and distinctive gold, the eyes closer to that of a predator than anything else. "Failure is never an option." The two of them were different in every aspect, Boudicca a Drast and Zul a pureblood. He came from the grovel and huts of Korriban, clawing his way to reach where he was now while she was born into it, offered the privilege of having a safety net. But that meant she was skilled in other aspects that he wouldn't be, the politics and speeches of the Empire never interested and in fact infuriated Zul. From his own assumption, the courts were probably a second home for her and he kept that in mind. "Let's cleanse the filth, shall we."

Zul slowly levitated higher before stretching out his feet and standing up, towering over the Drast as he was rather tall and lean for his species. There was no blaster on him, just his two lightsabers as he wore a black overcoat that stretched down to his legs. Zul stood at the ramp, his arms placed behind his back as he waited for the shuttle to land. The pilot spent a few moments trying to find a suitable landing zone, the darkness providing a challenge before he eventually did. The ramp to the ship unlatched, steam hissing out before it extended to the ground for them. Zul was the first off, calmly walking down before pulling out a holo-comm, pressing a button as a map of the planet spilled out from the device in 3D and light blue. He studied for a moment before shutting it off and casting his gaze to Boudicca, "The settlement is a few clicks from here. It's time to go." Sliding the device back into his coat, Zul calmly placed his hands behind his back once more before starting to walk towards their destination. Boudicca would see that he walked weirdly rigid as if every move he made was coordinated and didn't want to waste time and energy on anything else. Zul didn't speak as well, walking by her while staring forward, his signature slowly disappearing before he completely smothered it as a precaution.

 

[Boudicca Drast]

Boudicca followed after the tall Pureblood while donning her helm, taking two steps for every one he took to stay even at his side, her staff leading the way with a small plume of dust every time the lacquered wood struck the ground. Where Zul was a void in the Force, Boudicca was a hurricane - passion, fury, and hate spinning outward with a steady focus at the core. Boudicca regarded the Sith beside her with her usual air of aloof curiosity; unlike most of the Red Sith she had fought and trained beside he carried himself with a certain poise and composure, rigid and tightly contained like a coiled serpent waiting to strike. She could read his disdain for her and her family name in his golden eyes, something she had become quite used to in her years traversing the worlds of the Old Empire.

The raven-haired Drast allowed her lips to curl into a loth-cat grin; he was not the first Sith to doubt her at his own peril, and he wouldn't be the last.

The pair made good time on their march to the settlement, nothing beyond their footfalls and the tap of the staff to break the silence. Forty minutes after leaving their transport the pair stood on a rise overlooking the settlement. Rows of prefab buildings dominated the valley, and in the heart of the settlement was the central processing warehouse. Casting her presence out with the Force, Boudicca lightly brushed her mind against the men and women below, searching for any hint her quarry.

The rescue of the miners was a secondary concern to the stolen ore, but she refused to miss the opportunity to bring those men and women safely out of bondage; they had work to do, after-all. Clearing her throat, she turned the expressionless Visage of her helm toward Zul and spoke for the first time in nearly an hour.

"What's your read of the situation?"​

 

[Zul Kressh]

Both of them didn't speak during that walk and Zul was fine with that. If nothing needed to be said then nothing needed to be said. He hated when people tried to make small talk about trivial matters that held no meaning to him. After reaching a rise to overlook the settlement, Zul stepped towards the edge before gazing down upon it. There was some buzz around the building, pirates walking with rifles in hand as they either laughed or shouted at each other. There was no sign of the miners so far and Zul didn't have high hopes for them either way. Whoever these people were, they knew Imperial protocol quite well, having dealt with two squads before the two acolytes were summoned.

When she asked Zul the question, his eyes remained on the small settlement, flicking between the buildings and guards rapidly before he stood up. "I believe there is either an Imperial officer amongst them or at least a soldier." He nodded towards the pirates, "They may sound jovial but none of them have stopped moving once, their patrol patterns are irregular. They already dealt with two squads of men, so they obviously have an understanding of Imperial tactics. There's not even a blast mark on the buildings." Zul cocked his head, his eyes narrowing in on the warehouse that sat in the middle of the base. "I assume that's bait, either there's nothing inside or just dust." Zul then brought his gaze back to the pirates, trying to see their patterns once more. Even if they were making their patrols irregular, they would have tendencies subconsciously, either a glance towards the building with their cargo or a simple twitch each time they passed it.

After a few moments, Zul cast his gaze back to Boudicca, arching his eyebrow at her, "And what's your read of the situation?" He was eager to hear even though he didn't outwardly show it. Zul wanted to see how observant the Drast was and how her mind was fashioned. They were far enough they didn't have to worry about being spotted and Zul remained at the edge, the wind blowing gently and carrying the bottom of his overcoat with it.