Ask In Our Midst

[Cheriss Ktrame]

The Empire worked efficiently, and soon enough the two Sith had received their ship and arrived on New Alderaan. Of course, Cheriss had requested one that would not draw increased attention, and they were able to secure a relatively isolated landing platform near the edge of New Aldera. Now, they only needed to locate this motel with purple trees before they would be able to turn Corpal’s own trap against him.

For this, Cheriss had requested for a map of the city to be downloaded to the ship, and with it, she’d narrowed their search down to a couple of locations, all somewhat close by. Now they only needed to find out which one it was, and she reasoned that asking the locals for directions wouldn’t be difficult.

“We can split up, cover more ground,” she said to Maerae, gesturing at the holomap being projected above her palm. “When one of us finds this motel, we will let the other know over comms. Then we will enter together, convince Mrs. Corpal that we are here to help, bring the family on the ship. Clear?” She arched a brow. Cheriss had no reason to doubt Maerae now, and she trusted that the Acolyte would do what was required for the mission.

@Vicc125

 

[Maerae Verdan]

New Alderaan was beautiful, Maerae thought as she stared out a view port. Lush and green, it seemed tranquil and peaceful. The acolyte wondered if the original Alderaan was anything like this. If this planet was chosen as a haven by the original Alderaan refugees because it reminded them of their home. She might never know.

When the ship landed, Maerae disembarked with her chaperone, dressed in her usual simple black robes. She might attract a little attention, but it wasn't like she was wearing Sith armor. She was certain that she could go about her business without much fuss. Especially since all she really had to do was find a motel, and convince Corpal's family that she was here to help.

"It will be as you command, my Lord," Maerae, as usual, offered no argument.

Hopefully they could be done with this distasteful business swiftly. Find a man's family, find the man, kill his family in front of him, then kill him. It was necessary. She knew that. But Maerae would be lying if she said it didn't leave a bad taste in her mouth. Even so, the young acolyte knew her duty.

If this was what was required of her, to become Sith, then she would succeed.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

"Very well. We will meet again soon, then." Cheriss gave the younger woman a nod before turning off the holomap, putting it in her front pocket, and heading for the street. She would be going east, in the direction of a couple semi-tall buildings, leaving Maerae to choose where she would want to look. There were plenty of people milling about the streets today, so she hoped that between the two of them, they would be able to get the information and move on quickly. The less time Corpal had to prepare, the better, though in the end it likely wouldn’t matter.

After walking for a bit, the Sith spotted a Pantoran man donning a brown tunic standing alone and smoking on a street corner, looking quite relaxed. Perhaps he would know where the motel was.

Cheriss moved to the edge of the crowd as she approached him so that he would see her coming, and when his questioning eyes met hers, she came to a stop a little in front of him.

“Morning. Would you happen to know where I could find some purple trees?” The Pantoran blew a puff of smoke, taking the cigarette out of his mouth for a brief moment.

“Yeah.” He didn’t say any more and put the cigarette back in, and more smoke wafted up into the air.

“Care to give me some directions?”

Cheriss would settle for waiting for now. Maerae might have found something first, and if this guy knew, she would get the information out of him soon.

@Vicc125

 

[Maerae Verdan]

Cheriss walked East, into the city. Maerae figured she may as well go West. So meandered a bit through New Aldera, looking for these illustrious purple trees that they sought. Despite her focus on her objective, the young Acolyte couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful the city was. Its buildings were rounded beautifully, almost like the metropolitan area was one giant work of art, and it almost looked like the city grew up out of the ground.

It was far cry from Kaas City in Dromund Kaas, in that aspect. It wasn't nearly as large, and it wasn't the center of an entire Empire, but it was still incredible. The cities on her home world looked unnatural, like looming proof of the fact that the Sith had managed to dominate the storm jungle of a world. She was inordinately proud of it, of course, as a Sith should be. But it simply lacked the beauty and decor of New Aldera.

Unfortunately, she didn't have time to explore it the way she'd have liked to. No, she was here on official business. And Maerae was, above all else, professional. So she walked down the streets at an efficient pace, glancing across streets and down alleys for their trees. Still nothing, frustratingly enough.

She supposed she ought to stop being foolish, and ask somebody for- wait, were those purple trees down the street? Maerae dug her comlink out of her robes.

"Purple trees, across from what looks to be a hotel of sorts. Sending coordinates now."

Now came the hard part: convincing Corpal's family that they, two strangers, were clearly here to help, and not to kidnap and murder them.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

The Pantoran simply shrugged. “Go back the way you came. You’ll see them.” With that, he turned around, minding his own business once more. Useless. She would have put a hole through him with her saber then and there if she weren’t on urgent business. Just then, she saw her comm blink, and Maerae’s voice came through along with her coordinates. Cheriss smiled.

“Lovely. I’ll be there soon.” She turned around and made for the area, following the foot traffic, but not before flicking the dangling cigarette a little too far into the man’s mouth and squeezing his windpipe by closing her palm. To the other passers-by, the man’s sudden choking was probably caused by him breathing in a little too much of his own smoke. Releasing her grip, the Sith went on her way.

A few minutes later, Cheriss was in sight of Maerae, the purple trees, and the hotel across from it. Making her way over to the Acolyte, she stopped a few feet away, gesturing lightly towards the hotel with her hand.

“Shall we?”

Once the pair entered the building, Cheriss glanced at the clerk at the front desk. Now they only had to find out where the family was staying. Then she looked at Maerae. This was also supposed to be a sort of training mission, right? If not, there was no harm in making it one for now. She was there in case something would go wrong, though she had a feeling that she wouldn’t need to lift a finger.

“Why don’t you try getting the information out of him? Do it how you must, but remember that we are trying to be covert about this.”

@Vicc125

 

[Maerae Verdan]

Maerae lounged idly, as she waited for her chaperone to appear. Not because she was, in fact, idle, but because she needed to blend in with the crowd. And already she hated it. She should have been moving. Should have been doing something. Maerae was not serving the Empire by leaning up against a railing, and waiting for Cheriss.

But she was obedient. So she stayed put

When Cheriss arrived, the Champion bid that they enter the building. Maerae agreed with a respectful nod of her head. She followed the more experienced Sith into the lobby of the the hotel. It was about a lavish as she had expected, with the same art-esque architecture. Impressive, but it still wasn't the time to fawn over such things.

Then Cheriss asked her to get the information on Mrs. Corpal's room.

"As you command."

Maerae made for the front desk. The man in front of her was of a simple sort: balding, with a comb over, and in a shirt that was pressed but clearly didn't fit him right. Average. Not worth a second glance. Usually she'd just threaten the information out of him, but as Cheriss had reminded her, they were meant to be discreet.

And unfortunately, hotels tended to be withholding with their customer's information.

"I'm looking for my sister, Candace Corpal. I know she checked into this hotel, but I haven't heard from her since."

The man frowned at her, "well, unfortunately I'm not allowed to divulge the details of our tenant's stay, you understand."

"Please, she's only staying here because she's trying to escape her husband. He's an abuser. But I haven't heard from her, and I'm worried that he found her."

The man hesitated for a moment, and then sighed, before he looked at the holographic screen in front of him.

"Room four-twelve. Fourth floor. I can't give you a key, but you can at least knock on the door and see if she's in there."

"Thank you."

With her groveling over with, Maerae moved to the elevator. She'd have preferred to beat the room number out of the man, but at least they had what they needed.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

As Maerae did her thing, Cheriss stayed to the side as she mentally mapped out the route to get back to the ship. That would be the easy part, but they would have to win her over first to get there. When the brief exchange appeared to end, she saw Maerae make for the elevator as the clerk lowered his head to his datapad.

“Interesting approach,” Cheriss commented as she rejoined her partner. A clever one too, she had to admit, and Maerae hasn’t even had to use her powers. She could see that the younger woman would surely go places with the right guidance, though she didn’t say it out loud.

Since the Acolyte had been the one to obtain the information, Cheriss let her select the floor in the elevator and lead them to the room. Once they were standing outside though, she would be the one to knock. This time, she could sense that there were beings inside. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal a woman whose face matched that of the pictures. Her expression was oddly hopeful.

“Oh, thank goodness! Are you here to take us to the farm?” Mrs. Corpal spoke before either of the Sith would have gotten a chance to, and after a brief pause, Cheriss nodded. The woman wasn’t wrong.

“My husband said you would be here. I didn’t think so soon, but that must mean his plan went well!” She laughed, relief all over her face. You wish. “Aiden, Kika, get your bags! We’ll be seeing your father soon. So soon.” She sighed. “Give us a moment to get our things together. We’ll be right out. Thank goodness,” she repeated, before turning back to go inside and leaving Cheriss and Maerae alone at the entrance.

“Well, that was easier than I expected.”

@Vicc125

 

[Maerae Verdan]

"I'd have rather forced him to help us. But I suppose that would have been less efficient."

Maerae was willing to do anything for the Empire, but pretending to play the part of a distressed woman made her want to cringe. She was not some vulnerable damsel to be pitied: she was a Sith Acolyte! She could have ripped what she'd needed right out of the man's hands, or terrified him so badly that he'd grovel as he offered to help her.

But they weren't in Sith space. And they were trying to be subtle.

When the elevator opened, Maerae made no fuss about Cheriss taking the lead once more. She was, after all, the one actually in charge of this mission. All they had to do now was convince Corpal's wife to come with them, bring her and the children to the farm, and then finally put an end to things.

Maerae tried not to think about what that entailed.

Candace Corpal practically offered herself and her family to them on a silver platter, and all Maerae could think was how she ever could have thought that this woman would be as crafty as her husband. She sees two strangers, who don't actually identify themselves by anything other than a nod at the woman's own assumption, and then just decides to pack herself and her children up.

"She's an absolute fool."

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

“That would be an understatement,” Cheriss muttered under her breath to Maerae. No wonder Corpal had thought to confront the Sith on his own. Although, it was an extraordinary stroke of luck that the woman had offered herself to them, and Cheriss couldn’t help wondering if there was something else to it.

Before she could think more on it though, Candace and her children had come out of their room. The children were rather tall for their age, and each were carrying a suitcase and a bag. The boy looked expectantly at their mother, while the girl looked the two Sith up and down. Then Candace gave Cheriss and Maerae a bright smile.

“So, where’s the ship?” Cheriss gave her a smile back and stepped aside, gesturing at the elevator.

“Close by. We’ll take you there.” She let them go ahead while she lingered behind for a moment beside Maerae.

“Keep an eye on them. There’s something about them I don’t trust.”

@Vicc125

 

[Maerae Verdan]

This was wrong. These people were too trusting; too quick to accept their "help." Just like how Corpal had left too many clues back in his house. To Maerae, this just felt like another set up. Clearly, Corpal wanted them to come to the farm. Now... now Maerae was beginning to think that he wanted the Sith to bring his wife and children with them.

Corpal was an ISB Agent. And they had underestimated him.

Cheriss whispered to keep an eye on Corpal's "family," but Maerae was already watching them. The children were supposed to be young, not in their preteens. The wife was far too pleased to see them, far too trusting, and not nearly nervous enough to be in the presence of two Sith. Why was that? Sith struck fear into the hearts of those in the galaxy; people weren't usually comfortable around them.

A wife who wasn't fearful of them, two children who were too old, and an ISB Agent who had betrayed them for some other power neither Cheriss or herself were aware of.

Maerae's eyes widened, as she thought she understood.

"A Knight, and two Padawan learners?" Maerae leaned into Cheriss' ear and whispered, "or a Champion and two Acolytes?"

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

Cheriss took in a breath at Maerae’s whisper. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense, though she couldn’t be sure yet. Candace and the childrens’ faces did match the ones on the picture. However, it was entirely possible that at least one of them was Force-sensitive and that they were simply hiding it. So, just as the elevator doors opened and the family stepped inside, she turned to her partner.

“Either way, it’s too late to turn back now. We will play this game of his, and if this is how we will find him, then it is what we will do to end this.” With that, she turned to follow the woman and children into the elevator. Right as she got in, Candace tapped her on the upper arm and passed her a mini holoprojector.

“I nearly forgot to give you this. This will take us to the farm,” she said. Cheriss nodded and opened up the map. It contained a couple of coordinates that supposedly marked the location of the farm somewhere in the plains of New Alderaan.

“Thank you.” The elevator stopped on the bottom floor, and the group made their way out. As Mrs. Corpal made to check out of the hotel, Cheriss spoke quietly to Maerae.

“Their bags may contain information about who they really are. When we get to the ship, do you think you could go through them and see what you can find? I can keep them occupied.”

@Vicc125

 

[Maerae Verdan]

Cheriss was right: there was nothing to do now but walk into the trap Corpal had laid for them. It was frustrating, not to be able to just deal with things here and now. While Maerae was willing to accept that she might be wrong, the young acolyte was almost certain that there were weapons hidden in those bags. Probably a lightsaber or two.

But she couldn't do anything about it now.

So Maerae joined the rest of the group in the elevator, and almost groaned when Candace handed her chaperone the coordinates to the "farm." This really couldn't be more obviously a trap. To think that the two Sith had thought themselves clever, when they had decided to bring Corpal's family to him. Or "family," as it were. She still thought this whole thing was one elaborate set up.

"As you command," she replied to Cheriss, figuring snooping through bags wouldn't be all that hard.

She waited for the "mother" and her "children" to finish checking out of the hotel. All the while, her eyes were on them. Because she knew this was going to go sideways, and soon.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

Checking out didn’t take them long, and soon the woman and the two children had rejoined the two Sith. Cheriss went in front, leading the way to the ship, while letting Maerae take the rear so as to keep the family in line should anything go south early.

After a fair bit of walking, they’d arrived at the ship. As the ramp lowered, Cheriss gave Maerae a knowing look before turning to Candace.

“Make yourselves comfortable once you board. Once you settle down, I’d like to show you around the ship. We’ve had too many guests unable to find the refresher,” she said with a faint smile. It would give Maerae some time to look through the bags, hopefully enough to find out who they were in reality. Their luggage might have contained the true whereabouts of Corpal too, though Cheriss was fairly certain that he would be at the farm that she’d gotten the coordinates to. Corpal would want to personally make sure that the Sith were stopped, and the only way to do that was to be there himself.

Once the family boarded the ship and put their bags down next to their seats, Cheriss waved them over before Candace and the kids had a chance to talk to each other privately. She pretended that she didn’t see the exchange of glances between them.

“I promise it won’t take long. If you’ll follow me…” She led them out of the passenger area and towards the other side of the ship. Whatever secrets you have, they won’t remain hidden for much longer.

@Vicc125

 

[Maerae Verdan]

Maerae let herself fall behind, to watch the rear. She was fairly certain that the "family" wouldn't make an sudden moves, not here, out in the open. Even so, she'd be foolish not to keep her eyes on them. So she kept a critical eye on them, as Cheriss led the group to their borrowed ship. All the while, she wondered about who these people were, and who they might serve.

There was a temple on New Alderaan, after all. A Jedi temple.

When her chaperone led the group to the other side of the ship, Maerae took the time to rifle through their bags. The top layers seemed innocent enough: clothing, toiletries, a couple of datapads that the young acolyte didn't bother browsing through. Interestingly, the children's bags had vibroknives in them. Then she got to the bottom of Candace's bag. What she discovered made her smile: a lightsaber.

Maerae took it, and tucked it on the back of her belt, obscured by her robe.

Then she made quick work of repacking the bags, doing her best to make them look untouched. The young acolyte hoped they hadn't taken the time to memorize which article of clothing had been on top, but she doubted it would matter even if they did discover that she'd rifled through their things. They would dead soon enough, one way or another.

She rejoined the group on the other side of the ship, and leaned up against the wall as Cheriss continued her fake tour.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

“Could you do me a favor and check to see if these coordinates are correct? I want this trip to go as smoothly as possible.” Not a lie, but she had to find some way to keep them in the cockpit for a little longer. Cheriss held out the holoprojector that Candace had given her, and it was the boy who took it. He made his way over to the navicomputer, comparing each of the letters and numbers to check.

“It’s good.” He nodded and handed the device back.

There really hadn’t been much to show on the “tour” as the ship wasn’t a huge one anyway, and now Cheriss was starting to run out of ideas for how to prolong it without gaining suspicion. Fortunately, when she saw Maerae approach and lean against the wall, she knew that the younger woman had found what she was looking for. Wrapping up the short tour around the ship, Cheriss waved the Corpals off. Once she was sure they were out of earshot, she spoke quietly to Maerae as she started up the ship.

“Did you find anything?” She would let autopilot take care of the rest. If Candace or either of the children were trying to listen in, the rumbling of the engines would drown out their voices. Although it wouldn’t really matter in the end. It was likely that they knew who the Sith were anyway, if this was a setup, but Cheriss was determined that the secret would stay with them once this was over. It all hinged on what Maerae had discovered.

@Vicc125

 

[Maerae Verdan]

Maerae stayed quiet as Cheriss and the family finished their little tour. The boy double checked the coordinates to the farm, and verified that they were headed toward their destination. Not that the young acolyte had expected any less: these people really wanted to spring their trap on what they thought were unsuspecting Sith. They'd soon learn the errors of their arrogance.

She paid them no mind, as Cheriss waved them off. Once they were gone, or at least, not within earshot of a quiet conversation, Maerae pushed herself off of the wall. Taking a quick look over her shoulder to ensure they weren't being spied on, she procured the lightsaber she'd found from her belt.

"Here's the real interesting find: "Candace" is a Force wielder. The children had knives. Datapads as well, but there wasn't time to read through them."

Maerae hadn't ignited the saber yet, for obvious reasons. Technically, she supposed that she didn't know whether they were dealing with a Jedi Knight or a Sith Champion. She didn't see the reason for the latter, though: why would Sith be helping a supposed traitor, unless this was just one elaborate plot to kill either herself or Cheriss.

And why would anyone have reason to kill the two of them?

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

“That may make this more difficult, then.” Cheriss eyed the lightsaber in Maerae’s hand. Although they didn’t know whether she was Jedi or Sith, Candace was much more likely to be the former. She didn’t sense any darkness around the woman, and why waste so much time and resources to make Corpal the center of it all if the real targets were she or Maerae? Sending them on a more dangerous mission would have been more effective.

Even so, her being a Sith Champion was still a possibility to be considered. She could have simply been good at hiding her Force signature, and betrayal was never too far behind anyone.

“We will remain vigilant. When we land, we’ll likely be ambushed on two sides, from our ship and from however many men Corpal has on the ground. With a Force-user on his side, I have a feeling that whatever he planned has a large part hinging on her.” Cheriss paused before looking at Maerae. Just because the Acolyte had spent less time training in the dark side than she had, it didn’t mean that she was any less capable. She’d proven that already.

“How do you think we should approach this?”

@Vicc125

 

[Maerae Verdan]

Cheriss was asking for her input, and for a moment, Maerae thought this was another test. She thought that Cheriss had already come to a conclusion as to what to do, but wanted to see if the young acolyte was capable of coming to a similar conclusion herself. But this was no test. They were in real danger here, trapped between a rock and a hard place. A choice had to be made.

Maerae had an answer.

"Kill them now. In doing so, we secure our flank, and rob Corpal of his ace in the hole. Without her lightsaber, Candace will be less of a threat. And children do not frighten me, potentially Force Sensitive or not."

It was brutal, but it was the only way Maerae saw them coming out victorious. Corpal had an ambush set up for them, and they still had no idea what to expect. By eliminating the "family" now, it would give them a chance of surviving whatever had been planned for them. She still didn't like the idea of killing children, but, well, Maerae prioritized her survival over theirs.

"Either way, we need to make a decision before we arrive, my Lord."

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

Cheriss nodded. “I suppose we don’t have much of a choice. Let’s-” She turned around at the sound of footsteps coming from behind. It was the boy, and once her eyes briefly met his, he turned around and ran in the direction he’d come from. How did I not sense him? She quickly brushed the thought aside— that didn’t matter now. With Candace aware of what they were planning, they would have to go ahead with it immediately or else risk her contacting Corpal somehow.

“We’ll have to do this quickly,” was all she said to Maerae before turning and walking briskly out of the cockpit after the boy. As expected, when she got there, the two children already had their vibrooknives out, pointed at her and Maerae. Candace was out of her seat, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

“Surrender now and your deaths will be painless.” She was aware that they wouldn’t accept, but it was an offer she liked to make either way. She had no real quarrel with these three; they were simply in the way and it was up to them how they wanted to get out of it.

“Oh, we’re not giving up that easily.” It was the girl.

“Then it will be your final mistake.” Cheriss ignited her saber.

@Vicc125

 

[Maerae Verdan]

Where had the boy come from? And how had they not sensed him?

It was frustrating, to be found out so easily. They'd just gone from holding the advantage, back to an even fight. Well, in terms of subterfuge, Maerae supposed. She still held Candace's saber, which she kept in a tight grip. With her right hand, she reached for her own. She let them both hum to life, hers a beautiful deep blue, and Candace's as yellow as a star.

She followed Cheriss into the bay, where the "family" of three stood in their path. The Champion offered and ultimatum, one that Maerae hoped the children would at least adhere to. They didn't. Cheriss' red lightsaber ignited, bathing the room around them in a swathe of red, blue, and yellow. Death would follow soon.

Maerae couldn't stop that. But maybe she could make the children's suffering swift.

She reached out with her left hand, still holding Candace's lightsaber, and extended two fingers. She felt the Force swirl around her, and connect her to the two children. From the children to the knives in their hand. Then, with a jerking motion, she ripped the small blades from their grips, and let them tumble through the air until they clattered to the ground at her boots.

"You're out of your depth. Resistance will only lead to suffering."

@Sicadorito