Ask Mass Incarceration

Vex

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Mockingjay
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Belsavis was a strange planet to view from the atmosphere.

From space, the planet appeared covered in ice, same as Rhen Var or Hoth. But the closer one got to the surface, the more pronounced the many sinkholes that existed in the planet's icy crust became. And these sinkholes were full of lush flora, pristine glacial rivers, and, more importantly, prisons. Large, sprawling prison complexes that were carved deep underneath the planet's surface. Many of the prisons were built during the Old Republic's reign. But legend told of complexes that were far, far older. Complexes with secrets dating back to the super-ancient Infinite Empire.

Vex found Belsavis a welcome change of pace. Reclaiming her company was taking its sweet time. And her 'secret project' on Rakata Prime would also need time and water to grow. The prisoners on Belsavis, she suspected, would make a fine addition to her power base. Free labor, for one, out of the glaring eyes of the intergalactic community. And she was sure she could curry some small favor with the Empress by offering up some of the prisoners for hidden projects in other parts of the Empire. Maybe.

Her ship touched down on the edge of a landing pad that sat on the far side of a sprawling prison complex. She was told that this sinkhole in particular was rife with volcanic activity, but that activity had not threatened the complex in millennia. Curious. What kind of technology was holding back an eruption of that magnitude? She had her suspicions, but only a personal close look would confirm them. Vex strolled down the landing ramp and into the humid, almost tropical air of the prison world.

Again, no welcoming party. She just wasn't that famous enough yet. Oh well, she didn't need one when she had a captive audience. "There are dangerous beings locked up here," Vex said to the young man who had accompanied her. "But we're only looking for one. My sources tell me the Warden is in this complex. He will have the access codes to every complex and cell on this planet. If we get that, the planet is ours. And then we can take our time plundering its treasures." She turned more fully to look at Varyn. "Your instincts were good on Lianna, Acoltye. Tell me, if you were looking for a needle in a haystack, where would you start?" @Phoenix
 

Varyn Atrix

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Varyn had worn his modified, all-black IAC armor for this operation and looked outside the shuttle as it descended. Of course, he had done a bit of reading before coming to the planet, but a cursory glance through Wookieepedia only got you so far.

They were here for the Warden, and he wondered to himself what manner of convincing his senior would pick for this operation: the carrot of the stick. The Blue Suns were what the planet's guards called themselves, and rumor had it they were quite corrupt. They were the epitome of all the things people heard about when they told you that power corrupted.

It would have maybe been its own fitting kind of justice if they threw him in for the general population to devour him, but he doubted that was fitting Jedi justice. It might have been Sith justice, though.

He turned his head to face the Champion as she asked him about hunting down their target and seemed to give him a compliment as well. Even if it was coming from a Sith, it was nice to have his skills appreciated and the compliment warmed him a bit.

Hmm, well, if we're looking for the Warden, he'd probably be in a place where he had the most access to the prisoners and personnel if issues came up, he reasoned. He'd found that if he explained his reasoning out loud even if his superiors didn't like this final answer, they could at least see how he'd gotten there. It worked with the Jedi too.

So I'd say either the largest complex or a complex that's centrally located. Ideally if one of them fits both criteria that'd be our best target, he said. But they'd already landed at one of the complexes as evidenced by the snow landing along his shoulder plates.

Once you've narrowed it down to a complex something elevated and/or central, he said. If you can't locate him in a guard or command tower, you'll at the very least be able to find someone who can tell you where you will find him, he said. He looked over to her, realizing that his suggestion of asking someone (or in their case, more likely "asking" someone), was almost simple and comical but also undeniably effect.
 

Vex

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Vex stared down the Acolyte as he not only answered her question but rattled off all the rationale behind it. She got the sense that he was nervous. Or at the very least distrusting of authority. She couldn't exactly blame his instincts. Lords and Champions alike treated Acolytes like scum. More chores than an investment in Sith futures. During the days of the Rule of Two, Masters could be harsh on their apprentices, sure, but they also saw them as the future of the Sith Order. They invested everything into their training.

Well, she was not the boy's Master. But she could at least invest a little time training him. They were already on this mission together, after all.

Vex averted her gaze and surveyed the prison complex spread out before them. Immediately, a series of buildings caught her eye. A raised fortlike structure, surrounded by walls and four tall guard towers at each of its corners, rose in the distance. It had a vantage point over all of the other compounds. That would be where the Warden was located. She could feel it. She took a single step forward. "Kill anyone who gets in your way, Acolyte," she said. "If we take this planet, I will petition the Empress personally for men and equipment to maintain control over the prison population. For now, a little chaos might actually serve our purposes. Distract the warden from our advance."

She hoped he took her meaning. It would be... irritating to recapture escaped prisoners. But letting some of the ruffians out for fresh air would provide them the distraction they needed. Besides, a few punk criminals would be no match for Imperial peacekeepers once the Sith had control over the world. "And, Acoltye?" she continued, glancing back at him from over her shoulder. "Be more confident in your instincts. A Sith does not have to explain himself to anyone. Even his superiors. So long as your decisions lead to results, that is the only thing that matters."

She nodded ahead. One prison complex lay between them and the warden's compound. They would infiltrate this one and release the prisoners in the yard, leaving the ones locked in their cells in their imprisonment for the now. It would be easier to round up the few already outside. And it should provide a decent enough distraction to draw the Warden's attention long enough for them to slip out and reach his location. @Phoenix
 

Varyn Atrix

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Well Varyn took the relative silence and lack of being called something terrible or beaten, stabbed, or electrocuted to mean that he had given the right answer. Instead she turned to giving him instruction about what to do next. He nodded silently, but his mind pondered what exactly it meant for a moment. "Kill a bunch of people" wasn't an unusual order, but like all things in the Sith, they cared about ends, not means.

He started heading off to do as instructed when she spoke again. He... thought it was a compliment? Maybe a bit of a backhanded compliment? Or... corrective compliment? He wasn't even sure, but it was a confirmation that he had been right.

Of course, he said, though he wasn't so sure. Not explaining oneself to a Sith Lord seemed... questionable. He was someone who wanted to survive, but... well, maybe he liked that idea. Get results, don't explain yourself. Yeah, he could get behind that.

He pulled the lightsaber from his belt as he headed forward, making his way to the edge of the compound that would be the target of their chaos. With a leap from the Force, he vaulted the fence and landed inside.

He was immediately spotted by security droids, who moved to intercept him. He didn't slow a beat, saber coming to life as he sliced easily through both droids and picked up his pace to the main compound. He could already see areas where the prisoners were taken down to mine, and he thought about breaking off to one of those, but held off for now. He did note them, however, as a place he might be able to go should he need to get lost and lose someone all at once.

@Mockingjay
 

Vex

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Vex was right behind the Acolyte. She couldn't explain the sudden surge of power she felt. The dark side was strong on this planet. When she jumped to clear the fence, she practically flew, landing like a cat on two feet. The Force screamed at her, and she responded by whirling, activating her lightsaber in time to catch two bolts aimed from the back of her skull. She looked up and found two guards standing behind the railing over a towering guard tower.

Go on, she thought. Raise the alarm.

That was exactly what they did. Upon seeing the blood-tint of her blade, the guards' eyes widened, and both bolted for their booth. A second later, a loud siren blared through the prison. The warden would unmistakably hear it. She turned to the Acolyte. "The prisoners will see this as an opportunity," she shouted over the blaring noise. "Get over there and break the chains that bind them together. Let them push back against the riot guards for us." She then turned her attention back to the guard tower. "I'll jam their communications. We don't want the warden to know the nature of what's happening here yet."

She didn't wait for a reply. Vex summoned the Force to her and jumped higher than she had ever before, landing atop the railing. Her sudden arrival startled the men she had just sent scattering. They had a device in their hand that looked like the comms unit, but the light blinking on it was red. They were about to flag the warden. If they succeeded, he would know Sith were behind this attack. Not prisoners. It might shift his plan, and she couldn't allow that.

She called the device to her hand and crushed it. Then she stalked up to them like a leopard to a wounded gazette. They screamed as she killed them, one after the other. Her blade cut across them mercilessly. Then she turned and smashed a button on the console, jamming future comms from this facility. It would be a blackout for this bloc. The warden would send his riot guards to regain control, and while he was distracted with that, they could move in on his facility. A tougher egg to crack, no doubt—but slightly easier were they successful here.

She flipped on her comms. "Status report?"

As she said that, a mechanical voice blared over the outdoor intercom, loud enough to be heard across the whole prison bloc. ALERT! RIOT ALERT! ALL AVAIlABLE UNITS TO PRISON BLOC E FOR RIOT SUPPRESSION! @Phoenix

Note: Rolled a nat 16 out a d20 to see if our assault alerted the warden.
 

Varyn Atrix

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Varyn didn't need to be told twice. He moved quickly and efficiently, heading off in the direction of the prisoners. He made it over, blocking a pair of bolts from one of the guards and sending a blast from the Force to slam him backwards into a wall, knocking the wind from him.

The young Jedi leapt forward, sending his knee into the man's face and slamming it backwards and slamming him into the wall again.

He turned quickly and slashed through the power generator, the electro-mannacles quickly dropping from the prisoners as Varyn slashed across the lock to the door. It didn't take long for them to get the idea, and Varyn leapt up to a higher level, out of the way of the prisoners... who swarmed over the injured guard who wasn't alive much longer.

Varyn winced at the sight, cringing and walking on, trying to burn that image out of his brain but failing.

He stopped, eyes sweeping across the open area and spotting his partner across the way. She seemed to have dealt with... something, though he couldn't quite make out what she was destroying from this distance.

Prisoners are on the prowl, he said, eyes continuing to sweep over the area and figure out where to go next. I can draw off some more guards while you get to the Warden, he suggested, not pushing forward yet but already seeing men and droids gathering on the upper levels around what was presumably the Warden's office.

@Mockingjay
 

Vex

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The horde of riot suppression reinforcements was truly a sight to behold from the now-empty watchtower. Droids and organics alike were flooding into the courtyard where the Acolyte was located, some engaging portable shield generators, while others bore ordinary riot gear. She couldn't make out his lightsaber at this distance. Didn't know where he was or how he possibly thought he could survive that horde alone. But that was none of her business. Saving him was something only he could do now.

"Copy that," she replied into the comms.

The Force guided her fall as she vaulted off the prison tower and over Bloc E's gates into the dirt road that ran from outside the cell bloc up to the warden's compound. Their distraction had been a success. Most of the guards that would have been patrolling this corridor were busy in E's courtyard, suppressing the riot. She slipped easily by until she came upon the outer perimeter of the Warden's facility. He wouldn't be expecting her, but that didn't mean a frontal assault.

Unfortunately, there was nothing in her vicinity to throw the warden off guard. The prison was expertly designed so that the power generator and communications array was inside its wall. She couldn't turn the lights out on him, and she couldn't keep him from communicating with the other cell blocs if he felt threatened. Which meant stealth was her only option. She selected a section of fencing at the back of the compound, then silently drew her lightsaber and carved a hole in it. Vex slipped in with ease.

From there, she located a generator shed that likely led down into the generator room, which would have a ladder up into the rest of the facility. It was the longer route, but she had to do this by the books. If the warden found out she was coming, their whole mission would be in jeopardy, and the Acolyte would have stayed behind for nothing. The thought of him brought her finger up to the comms in her helmet. "Acolyte, when you're done, head to the Warden's compound. I've cut a hole in the back fence, and there is a generator shed straight ahead once you're through it. I'll probably need some backup inside." @Phoenix

Note: Rolled a nat 11 out of a d20 for slipping passed the horde of guards and droids, but rolled a 4 out of a d20 for determining if she discovered any other ways to distract the warden =(
 

Varyn Atrix

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Guards continued to pour out of the building, starting to fight with the prisoners who had escaped. From the way they fought, Varyn was starting to guess they were part of the "violent offenders" community.

More descended on Varyn who was along the upper wall, his lightsaber flashing up yet again. It seemed to give them pause. Of the five of them, two decided they could handle it and darted forward. Varyn's saber came down, slamming into the stun baton only to find... his saber didn't go through.

Crap! he shouted as one of the other men came around to slam his own baton into Varyn's back. Fortunately, his armor dampened the blow, but even so, pain shot through his body. His saber whipped around, taking a leg off one of the guards and swinging smoothly to block the follow-up blow.

He forced himself back to his feet and sent a blast with the Force outward, knocking one of the men back before he toppled over the railing and into the courtyard below.

The other three seemed to think better of it and started backing off, one raising his gun but not firing.

Behind his helmet, Varyn's face twisted up in pain as he held his saber up, but it was nothing compared to the man screaming on the ground, grasping at the burning stump where his lower leg had once been.

His eyes darted to the side and over to a narrow beam connecting this passage to another. For a normal person it would have been crazy, but for a Force-user it was just another Wednesday. He leapt upward, landing smoothly on it before the first stun bolt tore through the air where he had just been a moment ago.

Below, he could see that the Blue Suns were starting to use live ammunition, gunning down prisoners where they stood regardless of their aggression or involvement in the riot. It had turned into a slaughter, and he had helped start it.

He raced onward, leaping to the other rampart as the communication came through.

Copy that, moving now, he said. His eyes scanning over to look for the hole she had mentioned.

@Mockingjay
 

Vex

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Vex darted into the generator shed, narrowly avoiding a patrolling pair of what looked to be antique droidekas. She wasn't aware old Confederate droids had made it this far out, but she shouldn't have been surprised. They were cheaper now, and still every bit as deadly as they were during the Clone Wars. More were likely to be around. No doubt the Acolyte would encounter some even if he found the hole she had cut for him in the fence. But that wasn't her problem. The mission ahead was.

The generator was loud. So loud that sneaking hardly mattered. No one could possibly hear her footfalls above the roar of the power plant keeping the warden's facility energized. As she approached, she scanned the myriad of control panels and switchboards arrayed before her for a way to shut the power off to the upper chambers, but nothing looked viable. She couldn't risk flipping the wrong switch and detonating the entire facility, so she was forced to leave it behind without any gain.

A flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye sent her skittering below one of the many switch desks.

More droids. B1s and B2s from the looks of it. This place was crawling with old Separatist battle droids. Perhaps all of the organics had gone to suppress the riot in Cell Bloc E. The thought made her realize how short on time she was. It wouldn't take long for the warden to reestablish order, and she had to get to him before then.

Once the droids were gone, she fled to the ladder she knew she would find and climbed like a spider skittering across her web. She emerged in a bland, grey corridor that ended in a turbolift. She could use that to get to the command level and invade the warden's command center. But even as the thought occurred to her, a pair of IG-100 MagnaGuards stepped out in front of the turbolift well on a patrol. MagnaGuards were smarter than your average droid. She would need to be extra careful when slipping past them.

She cursed to herself.

She had intended to get back on the comms and warn the Acolyte about the droids infesting the generator room below them. But any noise she made now would draw the MagnaGuards. Which meant Varyn was, for the moment, on his own.
@Phoenix

Dice: 10/20 for sneaking past any guards in the generator shed; 5/10 for finding a way to shut down the power generator.
 

Varyn Atrix

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Varyn double timed it more to avoid being attacked by the things behind him than just to catch up. He dropped down, slipping through the hole in the fence and out the other side. That was when the droids popped up. He'd read so much about the Clone Wars, and he'd learned all the ways the Jedi had fought them. He knew the B1s were dumb and the B2s were as well, but much more armed and armored.

He darted forward, blasterfire tearing through the walls just behind him. He ducked behind a pillar as some of the others charged at him. He popped back out from behind the pillar, saber flashing to send the bolts back in the direction of the droids as they fired.

He turned into a full sprint, making it up the steps on the far side of the room and slamming the security door shut behind him. He kept running and burst into a hallway to find...

Oh come on! he spat as the magnaguards came forward down the hall. A thrust, a swing, a jab, a parry. Varyn moved like a flash through the hall, only barely avoiding some of the blows.

I'm a little tied up! he shouted into his comlink, dodging another blow and nearly landing a strike of his own only to have it glance off the outer layer of armor, barely finding purchase at the end of his blade.
 

Vex

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Vex appeared to be having the opposite luck of the Acolyte. The MagnaGuards she was facing didn't notice her even as she crept by them and snuck down the hall to the turbolift. Sliding inside, she debated waiting here for the Acolyte, but she was pressed for time. The MagnaGuards would be circling around any second. She keyed in the command to raise the lift and the door slid shut behind her. Safe for the moment, she activated her helmet comlink.

"New mission," she said. "I'm in the turbolift to the warden's quarters now. I can probably handle him alone, but, judging from your audio—" She was referring, of course, to the sound of lightsaber slashes on the other side of the comms "—I'm sure you've noticed by now this place is crawling with droids. See if you can find a way to shut them down."

6eRSBhr.jpg
The lift stopped just as she cut communications. Her hand fell on her lightsaber as the door swished open. At least four MagnaGuards stood a few meters outside, waiting for her. Beyond them, with a stunning view of the prison blocs, was the warden. He was a tall, pale-skinned man with slicked back dirty blonde hair and a white uniform and cape that would have made the Old Emperor proud. Her eyes flicked to his waist. A lightsaber hung there, but she didn't feel the Force in him. He wasn't a Jedi or a Sith, or even one of those Dark Jedi pretenders. It was a trophy.

«Ah, welcome,» the Warden said. «I was only just told of the commotion downstairs. Which means you're not the one who tripped the alarms.» He smirked. «Must anger you. To be so close to catching me off guard, and fail because of the oversight of your companion.»

"I quite like being angry," Vex said. "My passions give me strength." She unclipped the lightsaber at her belt, ignited both blades and gave the saberstaff a twirl. "At least, I think that's how the line goes."

«A Sith.» The Warden almost sounded surprised. «I was half-expecting Jedi. Only they would be so foolish as to attack this facility. You're hopelessly outnumbered.»

"I like my odds."

The Warden made his lips thin. «Very well.»

He nodded to the MagnaGuards and they twirled their staffs, preparing to engage her. Vex twirled her own saber in return, and then the dance of battle began. @Phoenix

Coin Flip: Heads to avoid the guards, Heads again to show that the Warden was expecting Vex when she arrived.
 

Varyn Atrix

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Varyn dodged another blow, only half listening to what she said over the comms as he fought for his life. Another swipe, a dodged blow, a low pivot, and he cut the legs out from under one of the droids, sending it to the ground.

The Force reached out and snatched up the electrostaff of the fallen droid and used it to block with one hand while the other swung and struck the second magnadroid. A finishing blow "killed" the wounded droid, and things suddenly became much quieter. His heart was pounding and his breathing was ragged, but he did his best to focus his mind.

Still your thoughts. Let the Force flow through you when you are at peace, he could almost hear his instructors say. It was harder to do in the heat of battle when it had been months since he'd even seen a Jedi in person.

Not sure it's as easy as that, but I'll try, he responded. Problem was he had no idea where to find the droid controls or how to take them offline.

He headed off in... a direction, looking around for any sort of antenna or something that looked suspicious. Maybe in the lower areas of the Warden's outpost? Or the upper? Probably upper, right?

Meanwhile in the Warden's chambers, the droids came in in twos first. From either side, they thrust with their staffs at the Sith woman, hoping to catch her off guard and unable to block from both sides with only one weapon.
 

Vex

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The MagnaGuards, and their master, had severely underestimated her. Her double-bladed weapon made it easy to catch their staves from either side and, with a forceful twirl of her blade, shove them back. Then began the dance. Her blade was a fan of crimson light as the MagnaGuards circled her, poking and prodding at her defenses like cattle herders. She was more than adept enough to counter their blades. More than that, she was overwhelming them.

At first she didn't notice. Because, yeah, she was a little pissed. She was hoping to get the drop on the Warden, but she had been discovered, and now her whole plan hung in the balance. The dark side responded by curling in on her tight like a smothering curtain. She drank in its power, and with that came a focus and a preternatural sense that allowed her to sense each of her opponents' movements before they fell. It was only by chance that she noticed the Warden take a step back. She recognized the cold scent that filled the air afterwards.

Fear.

She drank that in too.

Vex dropped low to the ground, ducking one of the droid's swings, and kicked at its mechanical legs. It stumbled back into its partner, and she used the opportunity to spring up and slam one of her blades through them both—a MagnaGuard kebab. She ripped the blade free, causally flicking it, decapitating the pair of guards, as she turned to meet the remaining two. Their scuffle was brief. When one swung high, she ducked and swung low, cutting it in half.

The second one gave her a little bit more of a fight. They exchanged blows twice before she caught the shaft of the MagnaGuard's staff with the long hilt of her weapon and pushed it up, exposing the droid's torso to a hard kick. It stumbled backwards, collapsing to the ground; and she was there, blade raised, and brought down like a hammer through the droid's narrow head. When she pulled it free, she glanced up and found the Warden leaning against one of the control boards.

"Surrender," she offered him, stalking in a half moon around the man. "If you do, I'll imprison you here instead of killing you."

«We both know you won't do that,» he replied. «You're a Sith. Sith know no mercy.»

She smirked beneath her mask. "A pity. You're right."

Before she could lunge, his gloved hand fell upon a large glowing red button. Alarms blared throughout the facility. ALL DROID UNITS TO THE COMMAND CENTER! REPEAT! ALL DROID UNITS TO THE COMMAND CENTER!

"Coward," she hissed.

He replied by ripping his own lightsaber free of his belt and igniting its own bloodshine blade. But she didn't let it intimidate her. She lunged for it, lunged for him, with murder in her unseen eyes. @Phoenix

Dice: 20/20 for fending off the MagnaGuards, took that as a critical success and killed them all LOL
 

Varyn Atrix

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Varyn picked the wrong direction. He headed down into the depths of the base looking for any sort of a droid control computer, and he came up absolutely empty. Things just kept getting better, too, as he heard the alarm ring out over the entire facility that the droids should return to the command center. The command center he was right outside of and in front of.

Craaaaaap! he growled, taking off to find any kind of a tactical advantage he could in this situation. His eyes scanned around the area, and he moved quickly on his next - possibly terrible - idea.

His saber slashed through the pillars supporting the walk way above him. At first it held, but as more pillars were cleaved in two, it became more unstable. And as more droids piled on top it became more unstable still until a large chunk of it came falling away altogether. Because of the way they were cut, it fell away from him, causing some of the droids to be damaged in the process and also causing a sizable portion of them to be unable to reach the command post.

Unfortunately, they were now chasing the young Jedi-Sith around and shooting at him. Oh goodie. Well, at least they weren't bothering Miss Broody up above for the moment. That was a... plus?
 

Vex

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The Warden was sloppy. He had not been trained to use that lightsaber, and it resisted him more and more with each swing. Vex controlled the fight with her practiced blade work. Unlike the Warden, her lightsaber obeyed her commands, perfectly in obedience to her will. She had just locked blades with him when the turbolift door to the command center opened and droids poured through.

«You're better than me,» he said. «But you Sith really need to learn—not all fights are won with lightsabers.»

Just then, the catwalk carrying the droids collapsed and they vanished below. The Acolyte! She could sense him. He was alive, somehow. Panic crept into the Warden. He was backed into a corner without reinforcements. Vex whirled on him and rained down a series of complicated blows. He barely had the strength to block them. The saber was heavier and heavier by the second.

And then it dragged his arms down and gave her the ease of a clean slice. He yelped as she deprived him of his left hand. The saber he had been holding clattered to the floor and she kicked it away with one swift movement. "You are beaten," she said, the tip of her blade to his Adam's apple. "Surrender the codes to this prison to me now."

He spat at her face. «Never.»

Fine.

She placed her gloved left hand on his forehead.

«Wait,» he said, suddenly panicking again. «What are you doing?!»

"Winning without a lightsaber," she replied coldly. And then, she invaded his mind.

The information was easy to locate. His mind was weak, everything unfurling for her like a computer without a passkey. She coiled her will around the codes she was searching for and pulled. The information flowed into her, along with images she wasn't expecting. A dungeon — no — a prison cell? And someone locked within it... Something. She dislodged from his mind and he crumpled, still alive, but greatly winded.

It took her a moment to recover. She still didn't understand everything she had seen... but that would have to wait. She had won. The prize, the prison, the planet was hers. A fitting headquarters to begin building her powerbase within the Sith. She walked over to the command dash and entered the codes she had seen in his head. A new screen appeared, and she selected the option to disengage the droids active in the Warden's Complex. Varyn would be releaved.

Meanwhile, the Warden, barely clinging to life, and using his remaining hand, curled his grip around his holstered blaster... @Phoenix

Dice: 16/20 for handling the Warden. Coin Flip: Heads for using the Force to get the codes from his head.
 

Varyn Atrix

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Empire
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Lord Commander

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Phoenix
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Crap, crap, crap, crap, craaaaaap! Varyn was muttering as blasterfire tore by all around him. He didn't even look to evade many of the shots, grabbing a nearby beam and swinging around it and out of the way of a pair that would have spelled certain doom.

He leapt and ducked some bolts, a few shots catching on his saber and careening into the ground. It was all rather precarious for him as he tried to scramble to safety.

And then it all stopped. The deactivation signal had taken all of the droids to a standstill in a single movement and Varyn was once again left huffing and puffing as he peaked cautiously around the corner to make sure no droids were moving.

He slowly started making his way back toward the Warden's office, picking up his pace as he grew more confident. He deactivated his lightsaber and quickly started the climb, scaling the building until hopping up into the Warden's office. Something still felt... off to him.

Like there was something going on here besides just the Warden and his scheme.
 

Vex

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Mockingjay
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A shot went off.

Vex was still lost in the memories she had just received. She tried to shut them out, but her mind was still trying to process the new information. And the Warden used that moment to attack. The shot struck her back. The armorweave cape there, and the armor underneath it, meant that it felt more like a punch than a deadly blow. But it helped jar her back into reality. She spun, her still-active saber clutched tight in her hand, and deflected the next shot. And the next.

She stormed towards him, anger in every footfall. "That was a mistake," she snarled when at last she towered above him. He aimed his blaster at her again, but she slammed the heel of her boot into his wrist, forcing him to drop it. He squealed in pain. "You failed. I know your secret now - what you're hiding here. The Empress will reward me greatly when I report this to her."

She didn't give him a chance to rebut. Her blade fell like an executioner's axe and relieved him of his head.

Vex savored the kill before allowing her saber blade to wink out of existence. She padded over to the communications console and used her newfound access to send out a coded signal to the Imperial capital. For now, the message was simple. Belsavis is ours. She didn't want to ask for an audience. Not yet. Not until she confirmed what she had seen in the Warden's mind. It was still just images, but...

She thought his memories depicted one of the legendary vaults of Emperor Palaptine. One of the storehouses the old Emperor was rumored to keep all over the galaxy, holding important prisoners, technology, and Sith secrets. Belsavis would be a good hiding place for one. Some of the older prison complexes here were thousands of years old, buried in deeper and more dangerous parts of the planet. With a little luck, she could confirm the man's memories.

Then, perhaps, she would have something of use to report. In the meantime, she activated the comms in her helmet. "Acolyte?" she said. "Are you still alive?" @Phoenix

Coin Flip: Tails for seeing if Vex sensed the surprise attack coming.
 

Varyn Atrix

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Empire
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Varyn's response came in the form of hoisting himself over the top level and into the office.

I am, he said, walking forward and noting the smell of burned flesh, singed ozone, and of course burning metal in the air. It was death and battle, and he'd become well acquainted with it over the years.

It appears we have control over the planet, he said, realizing that meant that they had control over the droids now and also had a riot on their hands. He also knew that some of the Blue Sun officers weren't likely to go along with it.

He almost said that he sensed something else was going on here, but he didn't say it right away. He didn't know what it was, and until he did, he wasn't sure he wanted to tell it to a Sith.

I guess he didn't comply, he said, looking past her to the head rolling slowly across the floor at her feet.
 
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Vex

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Mockingjay
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Vex followed the Acolyte's gaze to the rolling head and stopped it with her boot. "In a manner of speaking."

She returned her attention to the command console and keyed in a number of sequences. These reactivated the droids in this facility and identified both herself and the Acolyte as friendlies. She input the second command for the rest of the prison-world's droid populous, too, for safe measure. Then, she accessed the mainframe and changed the access codes to a new one that only she knew. That would prevent anyone from taking over the facility while she and the Acolyte tended to other business.

"There," she said, logging out of the system, satisfied with her work. "The droids should reinstate order to Cell Bloc E. Of course, there are the organic guards to deal with; but I doubt they'll have much to say once Sith reinforcements arrive to garrison the planet." She cast one long lingering gaze out the viewport, down towards the prison bloc yard. "I doubt very much they'll like our presence here, but they won't risk being killed in a prison uprising. They'll obey for now. The warden—" She kicked his head down into the pit Varyn had just came from. "—will serve as an example of what happens to those who don't."

"In the meantime," She looked now squarely at Varyn. "We have a new mission. There is something... delicate that I need to confirm. Something I cannot even trust to you at this moment, Acolyte." She was still trying to figure out how to deal with a potential information leak if the actually succeeded in confirming the vault's existence, but she would deal with that if and when it came. "If you don't wish to risk your life on so little information, I will not report you to our superiors. You can remain here until reinforcements arrive from nearby Eraidu. But, if you want to continue our trek, what happens next has to happen in absolute secrecy. Am I understood?"

She knew such promises were meaningless between Sith, but she hadn't just kicked the warden's head away as a demonstration of what she would do to the organic prison guards should they disobey her. It was also meant as a reminder to the Acolyte that she didn't suffer disobedience. She wasn't a Lord yet, and it may be a long time before she was ever made one. But one didn't become a lord by suffering information leaks from Acolytes.

This one had a mind for self-preservation. He would understand. @Phoenix
 

Varyn Atrix

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Varyn looked at her as she reprogrammed things and Varyn looked through the office for anything that might prove useful to them. He flipped through several papers and several datapads, finding details and even some reports of prisoner abuse. Internal memos that would have never seen the light of day.

This guy was pretty messed up, he muttered as he continued pawing through.

She started talking about something else they were going to do now, and he simply stood there for a moment as he thought about what she said. It was very vague, and he didn't like it, but this was almost certainly what he had been sensing.

Where do we start? he asked.

---​

He looked down into the mining shaft below them before climbing aboard what looked like a very questionable elevator down.

I'm not going to be very helpful if I don't know what we're looking for, he stated flatly. It was arguably a little bit mouthy, but she'd made it clear she valued him having a brain, so he gave himself a little more leash.

He almost asked her if this was in the interests of the Empire, but knew she'd either be offended or give him a false answer.

The lift continued lowering, starting out slow and then accelerating to higher velocity as they went deeper and deeper into the planet's underground.
 
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